Trains

[Pinwig]

I was in the National Rail Museum the other day in York; fantastic experience. But it made me think, how many Transformers are there which turn into trains? I could only list the six trainbots from the Japanese Headmaster era, the three from RiD that combine into Rail Racer, Astrotrain (G1 & classics?) and Go! Optimus Exprime.

[The Doctor]

There were the micromaster trains from Operation: Combination that were later released and recoloured in Energon.

-Ralph

[Philip Ayres]

Which themselves are remoulds of a previous six MM combiner from Return of Optimus Prime

Trains are a hard one to do. The US doesnt have the same love for them that we and the Japanese do and styles vary so wildly between countries.

[Philip Ayres]

If you want train robots there's a few in the Brave line

[The Doctor]

There is mad KO Thomas the Tank Engine combiner!

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

Apr 19, 2015 10:59:30 GMT Philip Ayres said:

Which themselves are remoulds of a previous six MM combiner from Return of Optimus Prime

Trains are a hard one to do. The US doesnt have the same love for them that we and the Japanese do and styles vary so wildly between countries.

I suppose if you think about it, most vehicle modes are contemporary to the time the toy comes out. So you wouldn't really have a steam locomotive Transformer anyway (which is why Hearts of Steel was so cool). Modern passenger trains aren't really very exciting to look at, so they'd never be considered. It's also duff having a Transformer whose vehicle mode is restricted to running on tracks. So when it comes to it, the bullet train flying through the sky approach is about the only way to make a train Transformer interesting. That does make Astrotrain quite unique, but then did he originate in Japan? was he a diaclone originally? I suppose his appeal in the US would be the shuttle mode. 

[kayevcee]

Blitzwing was a late-era Diaclone figure along with his mates Planecopter and Jetpony. I'm not sure if Astrotrain came out in the Diaclone line, but he was designed around the same time as Blitzwing- sort of 1980-82 period.

As Phil says, Brave is the place to go for trainspotters. Might Gaine, Goldran and Command Dagwon all had a major train robot presence. Yahoo Japan is the place to go if you're after any.

-Nick

[Shockprowl]

Love the National Railway Museum. We go once a year.

Wasn't half of the Cybertron era Omega Supreme a trainy type crane vehicle?

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Why would a Transformer arriving on Earth pick a train as a disguise form? You can only go where there are train tracks, and there are no scheduled trains using those tracks, and I don't think there are many well-maintained train tracks not in regular use by genuine trains. But disguise yourself as a road vehicle, follow the Highway Code, and you can go anywhere without attracting notice.

Martin

[primenova]

You could have the replacement bus serice

[The Doctor]

Of course!

-Ralph

[kayevcee]

Are you suggesting a triple changer that becomes a train and its own replacement bus?

-Nick

[The Doctor]

That needs to become reality.

-Ralph

[Llama God]

Apr 19, 2015 18:23:50 GMT The Doctor said:

That needs to become reality.

Can we petition Hasbro at Botcon or something? Because this is a certain kind of genius...

[Pinwig]

That is just brilliant. But! What would he be called?

[kayevcee]

Railstop? Double Railer? Omnitrain? Railreplacement?

There has never been a bus TF, has there? There are a few gaps in the lineup, really. I don't remember ever seeing a TF tractor or combine harvester or whatnot either, unless there were Minicons tbat I don't remember.

-Nick

[The Doctor]

There is a bus that turns into a different bus!

www.amazon.co.uk/Bandai-VooV-Transforming-Nissan-Civilian/dp/B0032698MA

-Ralph

[Pinwig]

Tractor's covered now by THUNDERHOOF!

[Pinwig]

Apr 19, 2015 21:52:42 GMT The Doctor said:

There is a bus that turns into a different bus!

www.amazon.co.uk/Bandai-VooV-Transforming-Nissan-Civilian/dp/B0032698MA

-Ralph

That is even more mad than a transforming tractor.

[Shockprowl]

Apr 19, 2015 21:52:42 GMT The Doctor said:

There is a bus that turns into a different bus!

www.amazon.co.uk/Bandai-VooV-Transforming-Nissan-Civilian/dp/B0032698MA

-Ralph

No... That's not true... That's IMPOSSIBLE!!!

[Llama God]

Apr 19, 2015 21:49:14 GMT kayevcee said:

Railstop? Double Railer? Omnitrain? Railreplacement?

There has never been a bus TF, has there? There are a few gaps in the lineup, really. I don't remember ever seeing a TF tractor or combine harvester or whatnot either, unless there were Minicons tbat I don't remember.

Oh, how quickly we forget... tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Robo_capers_issue_88.jpg

(What do you mean? That was only yesterday, right?)

[Pinwig]

Actually, there was a transforming bus in the last issue of Transformers vs GI Joe. Which to be honest is fairly tame for the kind of insanity that goes on there.

[Grand Moff Muffin]

Apr 19, 2015 23:08:00 GMT Llama God said:

Oh, how quickly we forget... tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Robo_capers_issue_88.jpg

(What do you mean? That was only yesterday, right?)

And of course the train, Trax:

tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Robocapers-MarvelUK-097.jpg

Martin

[Llama God]

Apr 20, 2015 6:04:27 GMT Grand Moff Muffin said:

And of course the train, Trax:

tfwiki.net/wiki/File:Robocapers-MarvelUK-097.jpg

His motto has always stuck in my head: "I'm getting there!"