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Post by Bogatan on Apr 19, 2015 20:53:32 GMT
Thanks.
Its so weird I can clearly remember seeing every other classic and across a couple of summers, birthdays and Christmas got all the ones I needed except Octane.
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Post by legios on Apr 21, 2015 17:12:20 GMT
Week 102: Gold Boxed Classics
5. Snarl: Love this toy. There is something about the look of the Dino-mode that seems to bring across a sense of sad resignation, and the tail-halves and the spiked spine make him look formidable in humanoid mode. Also, plenty of stabby-shooty - important for an eleven or twelve year old kid. Great stuff.
4. Prowl: The Datsun Z-series Diaclone design is absolutely superb - and for my money this is the most visually striking version of it we got in the Transformers line.
3. Sunstreaker: I deeply regret missing out on him both times he was out in this country. The first time due to not enough money, and the second time due to...not enough money. I guess he is just too high a roller for my blood. :-)
2. Optimus Prime: The original Autobot Leader. Transforms into a humanoid robot and an operations centre? Result. It had been a while since Prime had been released, so it was well and truly time.
1. Grimlock: Grimlock, available again so that folk can get their mitts on him? A Very Good Idea(TM). Still an absolute winner of a toy.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 23, 2015 7:07:01 GMT
Thursday Tease:
Will your blood warn to this week's top 5 ?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 24, 2015 7:12:04 GMT
Week 103: Mammals
Your top 5 Transformer toys that turn into a mammal. It doesn't matter if they are a flesh and blood mammal, ala Beast Wars, or a Techno one, like the G1 Preadacons, or even something in between.
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 24, 2015 14:48:25 GMT
Um. Um. Um. That's a tricky one.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 24, 2015 15:01:22 GMT
Have a think about it then :-)
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 24, 2015 15:07:32 GMT
Honourable mention: Pounce. I'm a sucker for the clones. WeirdwolfTop 5: 5) SixshotHe's got a wolf mode so he counts. FAB robot, mixed collection of vehicle/animal modes. 4) Japanese TigatronI love the original Cheetor toy but it's redecos are better. Shadow Panthew is fab but the original BW Japanese Tigatron is just superb. 3) Night Slash CheetorLike I was leaving this out, top toy standing well above every other BW Beasts. 2) Big ConvoyDecent beast mode moulding. OK it doesn't do much apart from raise it's trunk but the robot is just superb. 1) Optimus PrimalFABULOUS in both modes with great articulation. Robot mode is still amazing today. So manyextra weapons and features.
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Post by legios on Apr 26, 2015 18:52:18 GMT
Week 103: Mammals
A few honourable mentions to start us off:- Pounce, Wierdwolf, Carnivac. Torca - because "It's a what!"(and Whales are mammals). Chainclaw - no, he isn't the best toy ever but he is a bear and a)bears are inherently great and b)you can claim the Autobot's exercised their right under US law to arm bears. :-)
5. Polar Claw: Yes, it is dumpy in Polar Bear mode, but I love the "bat launching" action and it is a polar bear and I have always been fond of Polar Bears (My Granddads fault - he was always a bit scatty and the first bear he bought me at age one week was a pink and white bear with a distinct arctic look to her)
4. Japanese Tigatron: As Phil said, stands head-and-shoulders above the Western version because of the better colour scheme. Great fun toy to play with, and has a nice shelf presence to it. (Used to be cheap as chips as far as imported toys went as well)
3.Night Slash Cheetor: Probably the best Cheetor toy ever made. The stylised stretched limbs really work for it in feline mode, making it feel like it is stalking its prey. The action feature in humanoid mode is great fun, and once again the stylised look is incredibly striking.
2. Big Convoy: Transforms from a massive, chunky, elephant to a massive, resolute Cybertron leader. Great stuff. The Mammoth mode may be a brick, but it looks superb. The humanoid mode is great fun - built in weapons, removeable Energon Matrix, Harry Callahan-style excessively large hand-gun. And a headsculpt that just says that someone didn't get their mug of 40wt this morning and you should probably stay out of his way.
1.Optimus Primal (Gorilla): Just a superb toy. Loads of play-value, between his punching action, two swords, a flail, flip-out cannon... Looks fantastic in ape mode as well, and has a simple and fun transformation. If you only own one Beast Wars toy you coudldn't go too far wrong in making it this one.
Karl
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 26, 2015 18:58:29 GMT
Don't forget most of the Pretenders have mammal modes too.
Martin
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Post by legios on Apr 26, 2015 19:02:14 GMT
Indeed. And you've just reminded me that I forgot an honorable mention. Excuse me, just going to nip back in time and correct that error.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 26, 2015 19:17:13 GMT
I think Martin was alluding to the Human modes of many of the Autobot Pretenders. Humans are Mammals after all....
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Post by Bogatan on Apr 26, 2015 19:32:39 GMT
Week 103: MammalsYour top 5 Transformer toys that turn into a mammal. It doesn't matter if they are a flesh and blood mammal, ala Beast Wars, or a Techno one, like the G1 Preadacons, or even something in between. Toughy. Are Terrocons mammals or Dinosaury? Honourable mentions: TM Tigertron and Ravage - I'll never love the mould but these are still one of the coolest remoulds, certainlythe one that makes the biggest improvement. Razorbeast, big fan of the flipchangers. Primal. Ultra Mammal. 5. Rattrap - 4. Takara Tigertron - Agreed, lovely version of the mould 3. Top Heavy - I think Top Heavy is my favourite actionmaster partner, lots of personality. 2. Gen Rhinox - I've said it before and will again, this thing is Masterpiece standard. 1. Heinlad - I hope I don't need to explain this.
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Post by Bogatan on Apr 26, 2015 19:33:04 GMT
Are Nebulons mammals?
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 26, 2015 19:50:01 GMT
Toughy. Are Terrocons mammals or Dinosaury? I think the best category they fall into is Mythical/Fictional Beasts along with the likes of the Fuzors and Monsterbots. We will do this category in future weeks along with several more animal sub divisions.
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 26, 2015 19:51:15 GMT
It depends if you're watching the US or Japanese cartoon or reading the US comic Japanese cartoon ? mechanical US comic ? Mammal US Cartoon ? Who knows!
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 26, 2015 20:40:55 GMT
I think Martin was alluding to the Human modes of many of the Autobot Pretenders. Humans are Mammals after all.... Yes, so Cloudburst, Metalhawk, etc. have mammal modes. And Stranglehold is two mammals - man and rhino! While Pincher is man and scorpion/lobster thingy (not sure he has the right number of legs for scorpion, but he has the tail). Also... Longtooth! Not sure about Doubleheader, though. Is a two-headed man a mammal or a mythical non-existent thingy? Martin
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Post by Philip Ayres on Apr 26, 2015 20:44:16 GMT
conjoined twin
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Post by Grand Moff Muffin on Apr 26, 2015 21:12:20 GMT
Ooh! Ooh! Mammals...
Grand Maximus.
Martin
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Post by legios on Apr 26, 2015 21:35:20 GMT
I think Martin was alluding to the Human modes of many of the Autobot Pretenders. Humans are Mammals after all.... Yes, so Cloudburst, Metalhawk, etc. have mammal modes. And Stranglehold is two mammals - man and rhino! While Pincher is man and scorpion/lobster thingy (not sure he has the right number of legs for scorpion, but he has the tail). I had kind of presumed that - but his mentioning that triggered an association chain in my brain which ran from Hawk, to Thunderwing, to Roadgrabber to Chainclaw, who I had forgot t mention. (My brain does not always function in anything approaching a straight line...) Karl
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 27, 2015 12:29:08 GMT
Longtooth doesn't count.
-Ralph
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 1, 2015 7:00:01 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 1, 2015 9:57:14 GMT
TOUGH one this week! TOP Botcon offerings even though they caused some shouting at the time. They've been diminished though over time by the Classics versions of the most controversial choices. BC Springer is still a top toy for choosing Springer's land mode. All the Real Gear toys were fun with Longview a fave. Ramjet was great from the tail end of the classics as was Constructicondevastator, although it isn't vastly different from the Energon version. I've got a LOT of love for the Target/Woolworths exclusive Sector 7 scout repaints. All of Hardtop, Skyblast, Airraid, Armorhide, Signalflare and especially Strongarm have something to recommend them. BUT.... 5) ClockerOh I love the joke here. Clocker is a significantly repaint of Cybertron Clocker, who in turn is an English release of Galaxy Force Skids. So for this movie repaint they slap the G1 Skids colours on the mould and he looks fab! 4) LongarmAutobot Tow Trucks are few. This is a decent one who gets an even better repaint for ROTF. 3) Micromaster SuperionThe repaint gods were generous to Sixwing. First he gets a superb Destron version in 2003, still the ONLY all air vehicle Decepticon combiner, and then he gets a good repaint as the 86 Autobot combiner. I hear there's a GPS alert out on it now thought :-( 2) Black WidowTigatron and Blackarachnia are the two really nagging holes in the UK Beast Wars release. Takara NAILED Tigatron on his initial release but the first Japanese Black Widow was more of a tweaked version. Here they go all out and get it spot on. 1) WreckageI am not a fan of the Movie design aesthetic. I look at Wreckage and think there's no way on earth this started life as a Movie toy. Looking at it there's some indication that it may have been a Megatron somewhere down the line. This is the one mainline Movie 1 toy I'd be prepared to display with my other Transformers. His repaint is decent but this is a winner for me.
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Post by legios on May 4, 2015 19:52:39 GMT
Week 104: 2007 Toys
5. Botcon Dreadwind: The only version of this mould I've never owned, and a toy that originally I wasn't that fussed about. But it has really grown on me over the years. Quite a nice colour scheme, and quite a suitable alt-mode for him (we were never going to get a version which retained the original Tornado GR1 or was even a GR4, but at least this is variable-geometry and has a suitably bluff-seeming nose shaoe which suits a strike aircraft.
4. Skyblast - Love this mould. A the original was a rare toy that I have owned and moved on that I occasionally think about reacquiring. Great, elegant-lined humanoid mode, and a really nice looking fighter mode which has echoes of some under appreciated gems. The olive-drab colour scheme on him was the first of the 70's retro-schemes which we have seen sometimes since, and looks great as a contrast to his beyond-sota looks.
3. Wreckage - Mostly the movie lines have been disappointing for me, but there are the occasional exceptiobs. Wreckage is one of those exceptions. Vehicle mode is a superb rendition of a Stryker IFV, and the humanoid mode is a huge amount of fun - his combination shooty-stabby's are marvelous. Great fun, superb looking toy. Top stuff.
2. Botcon Springer: The Exigeyser mould is fantastic, and the colour scheme on this version is a real corker. I've said a lot of good things about this toy before, but aesthetically its humanoid mode makes for a fantastic Springer. It is far better in that regard than the recent Generations version in my opinion. This mould benefits from chunky, solid looking legs which feel like they could reasonably contain the massively over-engineered leg actuators that Springer is supposed to have. It also has the bulk and presence that the better UK artists gave to him in the Marvel comic.
1. Masterpiece Skywarp: I'll admit to a bias here, Skywarp was my first Decepticon Jet and my second Transformer back in the first year of the line so I will always be well disposed to new versions of him. But that aside, this is a wonderful thing. I'd agree that it is more of a display piece than a toy, but at the price-point being charged for it "toy" isn't really what comes to mind. The humanoid mode is great, with a really nice face sculpt and a decent range of poseability - far more than the original - and even some new gimmicks in the form of the GBP/Mospeada style missile bays. I like what has been done with the tail-booms in the interest of a more elegant leg design as well. The fighter mode is also a great update of the original, adding in the conformal fuel tanks which almost every F-15 in US service and most of those elsewhere in the world carry as a matter if course. The accessories are nice as well, a pair of cannon pods for the "1984" look and a pair of dual Sidewinder rails for a "real world" vibe. The two position display base is a nice touch as well, giving some variation in how it s displayed. All told, this is exactly the sort of thing I was looking for from the Masterpiece line - an updated version of an iconic character, with the benefits of modern technology and a significantly higher budget to create a really nice collectors piece. Only two thing really let it down - a lack of proper undercarriage, and that Takara never corrected to mold to fix the mirroring of the fuel-tank forward end - but those are small niggles with something this good.
Karl
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 7, 2015 8:47:34 GMT
Thursday Tease: I've had to make a substitution for this week's top 5 because of A Reason. Unfortunately I've also now realised I probably should wait to do this one too. Still hopefully you can see all the potential in this week's subject
(yeah a bit easy, I also realised I hadn't thought of a clue!)
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 8, 2015 6:04:11 GMT
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 9, 2015 9:32:44 GMT
Week 105: Hot Rod/Rodimus Hot Rod has a few toys ..... Just missing out: Legends Rodimus very good as a robot but the car doesn't suit either of his personae terribly well. Classics I think the Classics version is a pretty good toy. Unfortunately it never manages to get all the right featureson the same toy! Classics needs an Autobot logo on his bonnet/chest, and the colour balance isn't quite right. Henkei is really nice but I prefer the spoiler in yellow. Challenge at Cybertron is good, but looses the clear windows. RTS also lacks these, is too bright, a bit floppy and needs an autobot logo on his chest. United is undeniably the best in robot mode..... but the vehicle mode is spoilt by the bad match between red plastic and paint on the canopy. And NONE of them have 5mm peg hole hands and matching hole on the bonnet! I think what I feel is Classics Rodimus desperately needs a new version which gets all the features right. Probably a start from scratch new mould with clear canopy, proper guns and a Targetmaster. On with the show, which lost Classics at the last minute.... 5) Reissue Micromaster Hot RodimusWho didn't want Micromaster Hot Rodimus the moment the first saw one? In one stroke Takara expose what Micromasters did wrong by making a downsized G1 character. Yes there's size liberties, the fin on the legs, but he's great and the reissue version is painted better. Favourite Micromaster. 4) Energon RodimusA controversial choice maybe but I think Energon Rodimus is a) a good toy and b) a good Rodimus Prime. It takes the Hot Rod colours and puts them on a Truck. The Truck's long nosed, distinguishing it from a proper Prime. The robot is bulky making it look a decent powerup. If I sold all my Energon toys this would be the last to go. 3) Cybertron ExcellionThere have been a few Hot Rod homages over the years, especially using the Hot Shot character's toys. This is the best. Vehicle mode is close, colours all but match. All it really needs is a proper gun and yellow pop out wings. It would get in a top 5 list just because the story about the Japanese DVD version released the previous year amuses me so much. 2) CloudRodimus is not a helicopter. Rodimus is probably not an armoured car no matter how much you slap an orange fin on the back. But look at that robot! So so so good. This repaint was wasted on a limited edition Japanese line it would have sold like hot cakes at general retail. Phil wants one and Andu should goive Phil his! 1) TFC#13 Hot RodimusSo a version of the original Hot Rod wins. But it is THE definitive version of original Hot Rod. Yes the toy can't move it's shoulders or legs but EVERYTHING you want for Hot Rod is in this box. His original weapons and his Targetmaster with retooling to hold both.
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Post by Bogatan on May 9, 2015 13:24:00 GMT
5. Wreckage - Best of the early movie moulds which is more of a compliment than from Phil or Karl. 4. Botcon Dreadwind - Never really sold on the mould as Jetfire, but it makes a great Dreadwind. 3. Pepsi Prime - The original Pepsi Prime was a real oddball release, the 2007 version is even more bizarre. Colour scheme, bottle carrying trailer. Really need to get it out again soon. 1. Slumberbee / Softimus Prime - I can't decide between them, they are just the best thing ever. Probably. I really can't believe they only ever made two of them. Honourable mention: Movie Prime, its very obvious with the 2007 movie toys that they were very similar to the Cybertron and Classic stlye but all the boxy parts in robot were cut in to to get the movie style. Prime is a perfect example of it. If it hadn't been moviefied I think this would be an incredibly popular Prime. Botcon Springer, Not enough green, but still just about my favourite version of the mould. Alpha Trion - great use of a mould that previously has always been a bit underwhelming. Ratchet - a big, fun, GREEN and chunky toy, fairly screen accurate, but doesnt look so out of place amongst more traditional toys. Premium edition is green and shiny.
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Post by Bogatan on May 9, 2015 13:49:26 GMT
For me there still hasnt been a good Hot Rod since the 80s. Classic Rodimus is awful in so many respects. Firstly it doesnt look good. Hot Rod has a distinct look in both modes and while the classic car mode isn't bad the robot is blocky and awkward looking in comparison to the original which is one of the sleekest most well proportioned robots from G1. It doesnt even have significantly better articultion. I really dislike it. Please no one ask me how many versions of it I have. The answer will make me look stupid. Anyway 5. Masterpiece - Technically I probably shouldn't put it on the list because its a pretty poor Hot Rod and one that compleely out of scale now to the other autobot car. It makes a great Rodimus Prime though, if you ignore all the issues of which mine is thankfully not horribly afflicted. Hot Rods car mode is in fairness lovely, if only I dared to transform it. 4. Legends - I can barely remember what it looks like, but its better than Eneron Rodimus and I'm less of a fan of the Cyb Hotshot than others. 3. Cloud - This sums up my view. The best modern Hot Rod is a straight repaint of a toy with alt modes that dont remotely look like a sleek super car and a robot mode that no body thought looked like Hot Rod till someone at Takara got a little over medicated or had a fevour dream or something. 2. Hot Rodimus - Phils right the reissue is better, it comes painted. Original came with stickers and almost no paint. 1. Targetmaster - As I already said, I think the original toy is a fantastic looking brick in both modes. Added Targetmaster makes it better.
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 14, 2015 7:04:55 GMT
Thursday Tease: Transform! Transform!
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Post by Philip Ayres on May 15, 2015 6:37:55 GMT
Week 106: HenkeiYour top 5 toys from the Henkei toyrange in Japan, which features modified deco for many of the toys in Classics and Universe. See TFWiki's Henkei toyline page for details, which will reveal the source of this week's clue.
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