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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 12, 2015 12:28:40 GMT
A good guess, but no.
Remember second week of the month it should be a Transformers character....
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Post by legios on Mar 12, 2015 12:58:31 GMT
Hmm. The first thing that comes to my mind because of the word "uplift" I'm not sure whether there is enough versions of to fill a top five - but maybe I am talking rubbish.
Karl (Edit - Yeah, I'm aware I am still a week behind, working on a form has been knocking me for six this week, still got a few hours to get caught up.)
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 12, 2015 13:03:37 GMT
So what's your thought then? I'll see if I can find five versions thereof even if it's not the correct answer!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 12, 2015 13:07:59 GMT
Having said that I've spotted one a little way down the line that you can only get to five by both using Japanese names and applying the "it bloody well is" rule!
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Post by legios on Mar 12, 2015 13:29:55 GMT
Uplift made me think of "Special Uplift", hence outsized rubbish collection and thus to Wreck Gar.
Karl
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 12, 2015 13:46:27 GMT
Week 96: 2006 ToysYour top 5 toys from the space year 2006. Which is of course massively in the future and not nine years ago! See www.tfu.info/year/06index.htm for help but we're talking the end of the Cybertron toyline and most of the "Classics" toyline. I could easily make a top five for the year just from the Botcon 2006 set which remains my favourite, but then theres the first of the classics too. Beast Wars reissues and hangovers from the Cybertron line that I have grown to appreciate. In other words it was a good year. Classics Bumblebee - Of all the releases of the mould this is probably the weaskest, but I didn't know that at the time. Classics Skywarp - Phils right, a great toy, but Starscream is a bit dull. Its no AMTC, but Skywarp was tops in 2006. Botcon Rhinox - Green. For a 17 year period this was the only Rhinox toy I ever really liked (unless we consider McRhino to be a Rhinox), thankfully Gen Rhinox came along last year. This is a perfect example of the type of Cybertron toy design that I wish had carried through more in to the classic line. I cant say how, but for me something changed between the lines, for the best mostly, but the Landmine types would have been welcome. Botcon Waspinator - I'm a sucka for flipchangers. Plus Green and Waspinator. Classics Optimus Prime - I love this mould, sure there are little things that might have been done better if it had been made a few years later, but it's still a great toy and representation of Prime. Bubbling under Botcon Tigertron - A simple little toy in beautiful colours. Astrotrain Botcon Optimus Primal - Primal from Crumplezone, it shouldnt work. Would have made the list if the alt mode wasn't so generic. Not bubbling under Classics Rodimus - everything is wrong about this guy to me. It barely got more useful articulation than the 86 Hotrod and lost all the originals style.
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Post by legios on Mar 12, 2015 23:05:59 GMT
Week 96: 2006 Toys
Bubbling Under: Cybertron Excellion - lovely repaint of a nice toy.
5. Classics Bumblebee - Really good toy, decent update which keeps the general look of it being a small, not terribly impressive looking car. I really like the way the jetski turns into a flight pack in homage to...well, Flightpack. The only thing that stops it being placed higher is the head-design. It would have grabbed an extra place if it had the proper Bumblebee face.
4.Classics Mirage - fantastic update. The vehicle mode has a nice "twenty minutes in the future" look to it, and the humanoid modes gangly tallness really seems to work quite well for Mirage. Wish he had something that felt like his old hunting rifle though - I always rather liked that Mirage had brought his vermin gun to the war.
3.Cybertron Defense Hotshot: See previous comments on Exigeyser.
2.Classics Jetfire: Cracking toy, for reasons discussed relatively recently.
1.Classics Optimus Prime: Only got my hands on one of these this year. Had the Ultra Magnus version for a while, but the Prime is where it really sings. Returning him to an updated Cab-over-engine layout is a nice move, the transformation is fun and the humanoid mode really feels suitably Prime-like. The way it stows the accessories as the roof fairing and the exhaust stacks is simply inspired.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 13, 2015 8:03:17 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 13, 2015 9:17:11 GMT
Week 97: HoistMy basic criteria for a good Hoist toy are that it's A) A tow truck and B) Green, with orange Put those together and you're half way there to doing the job right. So.... Honourable mention: GDO LegendStraight up repaint of Trailcutter with added hands and a weapon. Pretty good for the size in robot mode but lacks any attempt at the towing gear in vehicle mode. 5) Machine WarsThe Machine Wars flipchanger tow truck is probably the worst of the four vehicle Flipchangers but it's not been well served at all. The black used here swallows all detail and the Hubcap yellow repaint probably looks better. The CR/Rid and RM versions both don't look right. The best is probably the clear CR exclusive. But when it comes down to it MW Hoist has NEVER been done in the proper Hoist colours. Ironically the clear version IS the closest, albeit with the colours reversed. Make the main body dark green and other solid plastic colour, used on the hook, orange then you'd be there and that toy would be a decent Hoist. It's odd while people wanted Mirage done properly that there's never been a clamour for a proper Hoist from tjhis mould anjd equally odd that Robotmasters never did it alongside Lije and R-Blade. So essentially this one fails on colour grounds. 4) Generations 30thGenerations Trailcutter is a better toy than it looks at first sight. Now G1 Hoist is a Trailcutter remould, so you can see the logic here, but it's the biggest remould in the entirety of G1 so much so that I didn't twig for years that they were the same toy. The towing gear on Hoist, replacing Trailbreaker's camper unit, that transforms into Hoist's winged backpack is what sets them apart. Generations Hoist is lazy: well change the head, remove the camper unit, and replace it with a tinsy towing hook. No mass of orange equipment on his back in either mode, no wings in robot mode no anything. He's Trailcutter with a huge chunk removed that just looks like something's missing. Thank thelord for the strengthen unit 3p set which gives Hoist his back pack back and his wings and the "instead of hands" weapons that Hoist & Trailbreaker have. 3) Movie HoistHave decent Towtruck. Paint green and orange. It's not an exact G1 homage but it's a very good one that to my mind shouts Hoist more than the Generations version does out of the box. Must get a replacement. 2) G1FAB toy. The working towing gear is superb, the "weapons for hands" make sense and probably look the best of any G1 toy. As I said above it's hard at first glance to see this is Trailbreaker. I look forward to a MP version. And yet it's not my fave Hoist. 1) ArmadaGenerally these top 5s follow a pattern of measuring up the various remakes against the G1 version, with the G1 version frequently coming top. Today.... In Armada the Hoist name gets attached to a completely different toy. It's not a tow truck, and that to start with is going to create some inertia against it because Hoist IS a towtruck. But Armada Hoist is just so so good. It's batting waaaay out of it's league, far better than the other Armada deluxe, and is to my mind an all time great. I've frequently said that this needs a pale green &purple repaint as Scavenger but coming up with this week's top 5 makes me think it probably needs a dark green & orange repaint in the original Hoist colours. Sorry Hoist (G1 character) I love you but this toy is better than any of your iterations by some distance!
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Post by Bogatan on Mar 15, 2015 15:15:22 GMT
I cant decide between movie and armada hoist in fifth. Armada is a great toy, but a poor hoist and the dullest of the various repaints. Movie hoist isnt a geeat toy, though it is very close it the legs that dont work for me, but it does make a really really good hoist. Plus its a fantastic green that hasbro used for it.
4. Machine Wars the first hoist I owned. It is the weakest of the vehicle flipchangers, but theres something about how awkward it looks that I like.
3. Thrilling 30 - Classics finally get around to hoist just at the time the deluxes are at there smallest. That was a bit of a shame. Still any time I can get a green transformer im happy.
2. Botcon Machine Wars - not a good a repaint as Electro, which is insanely good, but the mould looks great in black and its obvious who it is. Even if the ast link mw hoist had to g1 has been lost here.
1. G1 - I never quite know if I like hoist. It is a bit of a brick compared to most of the autobot cars. On the other hand its big and chunky, has an interesting transformation, play value and its green. Its probably just that i never had hoist or trailbreaker as a kid and I dont know if I have anything like a complete version of either now so ive havent experienced it properly.
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Post by legios on Mar 18, 2015 21:56:14 GMT
Week 97: Hoist
Toys called Hoist...
5. Generations Hoist - this was a mould that "grew off" me as Trailbreaker, and the remoulding of it into Hoist felt cursory at best. Not greatly impressed.
4. Machine Wars Hoist: I like the flipchangers a lot. This one though is let down by not having enough variety of colours to bring out the look of the mould (Tow-Line would go on to show us how good this mould could be).
3. Movie Hoist - a creditable effort at getting a Hoist out of this mould - which was a decent looking mould to start with.
2.Armada Hoist: A tremendously fun toy. The vehicle mode is fantastic, transformation is fun, and the humanoid mode is great. Add to that a really good action feature and you've got a really good package
1. "The Transformers" Hoist: The original, and one of the Autobot cars which I owned as a youngster. Love the interchangeable accessories, the towing gear is a lot of fun to haul other Autobots around on, and the transformation is quite interesting. I also loved his profile - the back-room guy who does the unexciting job of making sure that everyone and their gear stays functional so they can stay in the struggle - it was a nice touch, and not really something that you would get these days.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 19, 2015 8:02:28 GMT
Thursday Tease:
This week you need to show your defences!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 19, 2015 8:06:09 GMT
A quick check shows us Bogatan still owes us his HFTD and Powermasters from last month to keep up his 100% record!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 20, 2015 7:33:02 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 20, 2015 21:03:21 GMT
Honourable mentions: all five of the new Legends, though they'll all be better with a hand retool and weapons. Really they came out just too early to be Legions. Wreck-gar, Optimus Prime & Perceptor are all good but all have some problem which limits their enjoyment Rumble, although the wrong colour, was a really good toy. Even if he didn't actually make it out :-( 5) WindchargerThe RTS Scout Class is a litany of woe. But this toy was a bringer of joy when four in the UK and made a decent Windcharger till the Generations Legend came along and made us relise the chest on the RTS version was a world of wrong. Love the flip in hands and the c-clip bars. 4) GrappelPluses: c-clip bars. New head, new parts and a working crane arm. I only realised recently that the crane hook is a 5mm peg hole! Minuses: the wrists and 5mm peg hole hands have gone. Better job than Inferno but fluffs some vital bits. 3) LugnutBig fun toy, and the king of the c-clip bars. You can tool this baby up like nobody's business . Fun toy, regret selling mine. United version is even better. 2) TracksOh yeah. The good stuff. Generations had been doing new versions of older TF but this was the first new version of a Diaclone car since Universe (Red Alert was done in Henkei first!) It's a seriously good fun TF. Little did we know that the repaint and remould would be even better! 1) JazzThing is Jazz is even better than Tracks and they were in the same wave! Spot on update for G1 Jazz: make it a bit bigger, beef up the articulation, add a light pipe, job done. The Speakers are a cool add on and even if you don't like them they add onto his gunto beef that up and allow him some c-clip bars on his door wings behind his shoulders to add extra weapons. Love it. Repainted to death but it's had some fab and clever uses over the years as various exclusives.
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Post by legios on Mar 25, 2015 21:30:56 GMT
Week 98: Reveal The Shield
Can't just be me and Phil who like this weeks sub-line surely?
Bubbling under: Lugnut - an interesting jet-engined half-cousin to the Martin Marauder, with a great Gorilla-armed humanoid mode. Strafe - fantastic bonkers colour scheme on one of my favourite moulds from the preceeding Movie line, looks really good in the grey and orange scheme. The Legends - they'd have made the list if they could have separated themselves out and put aside their differences and pushed one of their number past Windcharger.
5) Windcharger – Great little toy. Does a very good job of having a visual flavour of Windcharger in it’s vehicle mode. The humanoid mode is very different aesthetically but fits in so well with the Generations and Reveal the Shield look that I don’t mind. Plus, flip-out electro-magnets (or flip-out hands, depends on your point of view.
4) Solar Storm Grappel: I don’t really understand the name – yes he is yellow, but it isn’t really that bright – but that aside this is a great remould. The chunky look suits Grapple as we have seen him in the media, more builder than architect, and the new headsculpt is great. Really good remould of a really good toy.
3) Fallback: A fantastic repaint of the Movie Brawn toy as “not Outback at all, honest guvnor”. The sort of modified Hummer H3 kind of look of the vehicle mode works really well in the sandy colour and the humanoid mode is wonderfully robust looking. The vehicle mode cannon folding over the shoulder works really well, and the way the pistols deploy is a very nice touch.
2) Tracks: A nice looking Tracks – looks a bit more robust in humanoid mode than the original does, but still captures the character design really well. The car and winged-car modes work really well. The very small missiles are kind of borderline, but work much better here than they do on Wheeljack. Really captures the general feel of the diaclone original really well.
1)Jazz: A fantastic toy. Keeps much of the look of the original design – the feet with the split spoiler, the doors behind the shoulders and the front of the car forming the chest. The headsculpt is great, as is the deco. The speakers clipped onto the doors are ridiculous, but fortunately look much better clamped to the muzzle of the somewhat undersized gun to bulk it up and give it a better outline. My only real regret is that he lacks the shoulder-mounted armament – Jazz just isn’t Jazz without it.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 25, 2015 21:54:30 GMT
Can't just be me and Phil who like this weeks sub-line surely? Having access to how many voted what does give some interesting results. People are more likely to come out and say what they think for something G1 related. I would have expected RTS to be more popular: Generations was the most popular subject in the last six months. Here's people's fave subjects so far Week | Subject | Votes | 47 | Mini Autobots | 15 | 1 | 1984 Toys | 13 | 5 | 1985 Toys | 12 | 36 | Shockwave/Shockblast | 12 | 16 | Autobot Diaclone Cars 1984 -1985 | 11 | 3 | Beast Wars | 10 | 26 | 1990 Toys | 10 | 28 | Bay Movie 1 | 10 | 39 | Third Party toys based on official Transformers toys | 10 | 43 | Scramble City Combiners | 10 | 55 | Targetmasters | 10 |
I shall be somewhat disappointed if week 100 isn't very popular just because I'm pretty sure I know my audience here :-)
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 26, 2015 10:10:31 GMT
Thursday Tease for Week 99:
We won't be putting Humpty together this week
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 7:33:09 GMT
Week 99: Non Special Team Combiner Parts
Your top 5 Non Special Team Combiner Parts please.
We're talking toys that transform into a combiner components that AREN't part of one of the special team combiners or their repaints.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 7:44:56 GMT
In retrospect, and this only occured to me after I posted the tease, this one might have worked better imeadiately before or sometime after Combiner Wars! Hey ho!
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Post by legios on Mar 27, 2015 9:43:15 GMT
Are we including Powerlinx capable stuff in the definition of Combiner parts? And what is the viewpoint on Landcross and Liokaiser - they aren't included in the "special teams" umbrella right? (I see them as an alternate second generation combiner tech pathway given that, Liokaiser especially, they share the "non-interchangeable components" architecture of the Devestator/Raiden first-gen tech, but I wanted to check the rules which are in play).
Need to have a ponder about this one - there are so many good component bot examples from all through the history of the line, I suspect that this is going to end up with representatives from all across the history of Transformers for me.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 10:27:28 GMT
No, the Special Teams/Scramble City are Superion/Aerialbots Menasor/Stunticons Defensor/Protectobots Bruticus/Combaticons Computron/Technobots Abominus/Terrorcons Pirranacon/Seacons So anything that combines with another robot that doesn't form one of those or their repaints. We've done those already in Week 64: Scramble City Limbs & Week 82: Scramble City LeadersI'll put a couple of extra caveats in: 1) The combined form needs to be a robot
2) we'll exclude anything that's effectively a power up like the parts of Victory Sabre and AEC Optimuses Interesting point about the Energon Powerlinx robots: I had mainly been thinking the sort of 5/6 bots but having thought about it they're effectively the top bot powered up so no Basically I think we're talking any of Constructicons G1 Predacons Trainbots Monstercons/Dinocons Leokaiser parts Road Caeser parts Micromaster Six team parts BW Magnaboss and Predaking parts RID Trainbots RID Build Team Energon Aerialbots, Constructicons & Combaticons and their repaints ROTF Constructicons Hope that helps clear it up.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Mar 27, 2015 11:35:32 GMT
5) Heavyload/ HightowerWhen it comes down to it these twop are effectively the same thing, just with different bits stuck on. Each is a solid leg and a decent pair of arms. The one problem theyhave is that the third member of the team which forms arms/legs isn't as good as these at either role: really Grimlock should have been built round the same base. 4) BarricadeThe best of the Energon Combiner cores. Decent vehicle mode, with a rotating missile launcher, that invokes Onslaught. Decent robot and the most solid of the three cores. (Steamhammer's always wound me up for having the shovel the wrong way round) 3) Rescue Force "Drillhorn"If you're gonna do a drill tank you NEED to paint it yellow and black like Thunderbird's mole. The Rescue Force drilltank suceeds there. Love the elevating guns in vehicle mode. Solid robot. It did intrigue me for a while what the fold out flap in the leg and bit in the chest were for: I used the chest as a fold out cannon! 2) Rescue Force LeozackYou paint a swing wing jet red and white and it's effectively a new Jetfire. LOVE this to bits, but needs to have the silver weapons. Can someone get me one, and a drilltank, because I miss mine? 1) SledgeIt's a good construction vehicle and a very decent robot so you're onto a winner from the start especially as it's colours invoke the original constructicons. Solid leg and arms. The only downer is the weapon thing but you can forgive that because it's the best Energon foot and Hand, albeit one without a peg hole. Quality stuff. At one point I had a combiner with four sledge arms and it was fabulous!
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 2, 2015 6:51:08 GMT
Thursday Tease for week 100:
Actually this one's been difficult to think up a cryptic hint for.
I know what Ian plans to vote as his number one toy this week, though I'm sure it won't be the same toy most of the rest of you will vote for as #1.
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,098
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Post by Stomski on Apr 2, 2015 10:00:51 GMT
Have you still got a spreadsheet detailing who has submitted top 5s? i kinda dropped off in the last year+.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 2, 2015 10:06:32 GMT
Yup!
The ones you've not voted for are:
4 Micromaster Bases 5 1985 Toys
8 Pretenders
11 Armada 12 Tapes
17 Repaints of Autobot Diaclone Cars that weren't sold 1984-1985 18 1988 Toys
20 Robotmasters
24 Energon
30 US G1 toys that were never sold in the UK 31 1991 Toys 32 Prowl
34 Top 5 TFs you got for Christmas 35 1992 Toys
39 Third Party toys based on official Transformers toys 40 1993 Toys
43 Scramble City Combiners 44 1994 Toys 45 Tracks
54 Power Core
56 Third Party Add Ons/Accesories
59 Universe 2 60 Flipchanger Vehicles
63 DOTM 64 Scramble City Limbs 65 1999 Toys 66 Springer 67 Prime 68 Emergency Services Vehicles 69 TF Guns 70 2000 Toys 71 Red Alert 72 Animated 73 Dinosaurs 74 2001 Toys 75 Sunstreaker 76 Generation 2 77 Tanks 78 Missiles & Missile Launchers 79 2002 Toys 80 Bluestreak/Silverstreak 81 Beast Wars II 82 Scramble City Leaders 83 2003 Toys 84 Ratchet 85 The Transformers Collection 86 Giftsets 87 2004 Toys 88 Blaster 89 Generations (2010) 90 Minibot Remakes 91 TF Swords & Hand Weapons 92 2005 Toys 93 Jetfire 94 Hunt For The Decepticons 95 Powermasters 96 2006 Toys 97 Hoist 98 Reveal The Shield 99 Non SC Combiner Parts
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Stomski
Fusilateral Quintro Combiner
YOU INTERRUPTED MY SPEECH!! But don't worry. It won't happen again.
Posts: 6,098
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Post by Stomski on Apr 2, 2015 11:11:08 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 3, 2015 8:13:08 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 3, 2015 10:06:31 GMT
This is my overall list. By chance it also coincides with what I bought and G1 characters redone in Action Masters Just missing out: Prowl5) WheeljackLoved this. You could see Wheeljack driving the car with it's flip up cannon. Figure was good too, I'd been wanting a Wheeljack since I saw the cartoon. 4) BlasterA Blaster you could buy in the UK (a common refrain) and he's got the right face! 3) GrimlockLoved this Grimlock and loved his weapon. 2) DevastatorDecent figure version of the hulking enforcer. Of all the Action Master he could have done with being made at a larger size. Top companion/weapon. 1) ShockwaveMy scant Decepticon forces FINALLY had a leader. He led the Action Masters, when the Woolworths Constructicons came out he commanded them into battle and it was ony the arrival of G2 Combate hero Megatron that pushed him into the sidelines where he schemed for power..... They'll be some more lists from me later
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Post by Bogatan on Apr 3, 2015 13:27:58 GMT
Nononono. You cant make me choose between them.
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