gojira77

My parents won't let me play with fire... @screamer@

Well, I intentially said "combiner" to keep the topic fairly open. I think most people just thought "teams" because they've always been higher profile and cooler. A COMPLETE list would have to include the likes of the Duocons, Energon Autobots, and Armada SuperPrime and his Posse... But, personally, I'd have to draw the line at folks with Mini-con ports. That's just scraping the barrel! An expanded list though could then include my beloved Omega Prime. Optimus Prime... Ultra Magnus... COMBINED!!!!!

Let's see... I had Abominus as a kid,who was an awesome robot, but his limb guys really sucked on their own. Hungrrr wasn't bad though-- pretty complex toy, I once took him apart just to count all the screws! I never thought much of the Devastator toy until I saw a vintage one behind glass at a comic book shop and was just completely blown away by the detail and liberal use of diecast. I think Predaking is the best all-around vintage combiner: great individual robots with convincing alt modes, with a truly gi-normous super robot, since all the components were deluxes! I would probably sell a kidney to get my hands on a re-issue box set. I always wanted Tripredicus and Magnaboss... until my Beast Wars Nut friend brought them over. Man, and I thought the G1 guys were fragile! I didn't know how to keep the blasted things from falling apart. I guess RID had the coolest looking combiners, and really the best variety to choose from. I like Ruination/Bruticus-Clone better as his component Combaticons (the reverse of Abominus), and same goes for the Build team. Omega Prime may be my favorite combiner, at least in my collection. He scoffs at all Armada combiners! In the end-- what makes a good Combiner?

Though scary and contraversial to some, I dig the new Hyper-detailed, Gritty Sci-Fi Realism look of the Movieformers, and can't wait to see some more of my favorite 'bots in the new look. Especially combiners like Devastator, who I think would kick butt covered with "hazard" labels and sculpted-on muck. Of course the Even-More-Complex terrors like Combining robots will have to wait for the sequel to show up on the big screen, but you never know what bones Hasbro-Takara might slip us in future waves of the movie line. In the meantime, we can enjoy all the "gestalts" who've come along in nearly every incarnation of TF: G1, Beastwars, RID, Armada, and Energon, with redecos in G2, Universe, and Classics. Not everyone made it into Cartoon Cannon, or managed 15-pages of Fame as background characters in a comic, but all were really cool toys! So I'd like to know who do you guys think were the best combiners so far. Extra points for defending the lesser-known gems with cool transforms and abundant attitude!

YES, he shall be mine, and then my Alternators shall have a NEW leader! I love how they've strayed a little from the CGI model to give him beafier, Hulk-like proportions, and a smoother, more classic 'Anime' look to his face. And his truck mode-- complete with Over-the-Top custom paint job-- is the epitome of Awesomeness. Truckers are not known for straight-laced, reserved self-expresion afterall! I just hope he gets that same super-shiney silver plastic sported by Cybertron Galvy and Final Voyager Prime; the next best thing to Chrome and a lot more durable for all us crazy non-MISBers out there! I wonder who's going to have to break the news to my Acting Decepticon Commander-- puny, voyager-sized Classics Megatron. EEEEP!

You know, for giant alien robots, TF's have tended to look too much like people ever since the kid-friendly designs of the old G1 cartoon. I always thought the face of the Bumblebee toy was cooler than his anime counterpart. On the other hand, why are the movie Decepticons so MONSTEROUS looking? Is this Transformers or Frickin' Lord of the Rings? Also, Starscream's supposed to be vain... I can accept that Cybertronians may have different ideals for sexiness, but he could use some more flashy colors in 'bot mode.

Might I ask, is this a financial crises thing or a spiritual awaking? I'm a bit of a toy-bulemic, myself. Just don't do it for a woman... no two-bit skirt will ever love ya the way that Soundwave does!

I'm no Takara-designer, but I bet sculpting faces for sentient robots has got to be tough. G1 faces tend to be pretty stylized and minimalistic, with only a few lines to evoke a character. Plus Masterpiece walks a thin line between realism and cartoon accuracy. You can't just stick a Gundam head on there, and nobody would want a cartoony expression like the Beast Wars Megatron toys! I'd like to hear from the designer (in translation, of course) and find out if the face was one of the very last decisions made on the figure. I dig the gangly legs, though, as someone who's always been a fan of the old Megatron and Shockwave toys. Sometimes the toys made for more interesting robots than the streamlined cartoon models. So, is the over-sized gun as realistically creepy as the little '80s version? Thinking about the original Megatron in the hands of an 8-year-old puts visions of the child actors from Diff'rent Strokes in my head!

I think both the Leader and Voyager Movie Primes are cool and each have their strong points. That Voyager Prime has the best realized Gun-stacks since Armada and completely owns Classics Prime in truck mode. And though his robot proportions are closer to the CGI model than Leader Prime, the Leader is a better transformer-- as it should be for twice the price! But don't judge Leader Prime without seeing his pictures in Toyfare #116, or waiting to see him gussied up in his box on toy shelves in June. His proportions are better than they look in early web pictures. I might have to custom a piece to fill that gap in his sleeper though...

Really, I think that the 3'' mini figures have the MOST untapped potential! I was thrilled to get that crappy PVC Bumblebee just to get my hands on a Spike-- even though I had to make him a custom stand with the seal from a 20 oz Coke bottle to keep him vertical. We could use some good human sidekicks like Exo-Suite Spike ("Oh, S**T!") and Chair-Borg Dr. Archeville. Too bad Circuit Breaker was technically a Marvel character and hence unavailable... I need at least three Quintessons to make my own tribunal, but I could really build my own 'Smurf Village' out of those slimey bastards! For the 6-inchers-- It would kick no shortage of ass to see tripple changers like Springer (my girl's favorite Autobot, go figure...) or a HUNK-OF-METAL Blitzwing @firedevil@ , or brand new combining Stunticons, but I think Galoob may need a few more waves to get better at diecast transforming robots, lost art that it is. They are getting better though... Are people buying these things? Target got rid of their 6-inchers after Christmas, but they still stock them (slowly) at the 'Marts. If it was financially feasible, I think it would be awesome to have bigger TF Titaniums at the higher pricepoint, like the Titanium Millenium Falcon. Hello, Omega Supreme!

Have you seen this guy's over-sized gun mode? It's almost as big as the robot, who's at least the size of Masterpiece Convoy! It's like an industrial hairdrier or a big honkin' nail gun! I don't know... I think the robot's great, but I'd rather try to get my hands on a re-issue of the orginal. He's gangly, alright, but he has his own kind of cool to him. I'm still surprised that Takara/Tomy went straight to Megs rather than making a Msterpiece Galvatron. Maybe they thought that brightly-hued 'Anime' re-issue was good enough...

Soooooo... nobody loves the Titaniums, huh? My Scourge folds his head down in shame!

1. Galvatron: An in-scale Lunatic Badass to fight my Roddy, taunt Magnus, and kick-around poor Scourge. 2. G1 Cyclonus: To round out the '86 Unicron-spawn and rescue the Decepticons from Galvatron's 3rd season incompetence. 3. Arcee: 'Cause it's about time! 4. Powermaster Optimus Prime: I always thought he would have been a lot cooler if he came out earlier when Hasbro wasn't only making crap. He ALWAYS looked better in drawings and would have totally rocked if he had more than two points of articulation. Make this one a Straight-to-Super-Mode like G1 Magnus, and I'll have a Prime w/ trailer to add to my Titanium convoy! 5. Wreck-gar: Chunky robot, vehicle mode where you can CLEARLY see the hands, memorable TFTM character-- C'mon, Galoob, do I have to draw ya a frickin' diagram?!

Here's a discussion topic I haven't seen before. Sure, the Classics line was awesome and the upcoming movie and its related merchandise are pretty exciting, but where will the fans be LIKELY to find good representations of obscure TF characters who may or may not have dubious alt modes and simplistic transforms? Will we see a Classics Arcee or a Movie Bludgeon or Nightbeat? Not very likely. In the meantime, I'm loving my chunky new Titanium Rodimus and feelin' quite pumped about the upcoming Li'l Ultra Magnus. Titaniums provides the perfect arena for Minor League Legends and B-Card favorites like G1 Scourge and RID Prime. So, while we're all waiting to see pictures of the back of MP Megatron's BOX or speculating on where the designers cramed the gun into Voyager Movie Prime's truck mode, howsabout we 'brainstorm' (he he) some Not-So-Iconic Fan Favs for the one U.S. line out there that is specifically targeted to us?

Oh, and I'm a little surprised that they have multiple versions coming out all ready, though not very, since that's what toy companies do in ALL their modern lines-- after all how long did it take Mattel and the Horsemen to give us a Jungle He-man after they tried to relaunch MOTU? And sort of off the topic, but... Cobra Commander: Mask or Hood?

So, I GREW UP with G.I.JOE, loving the toys, 'toons, and comics, but today I'm far from a diehard Joe collector. My cosmopolitan toy display case contains figures from various toy lines (none mint in box), including He-man, the Skywalkers, masked vigilantes, as well as the Joe's robotic cousins from Cybertron. Nonetheless, I am totally jazzed about this Anniversary line, and the opportunity to FINALLY get decent representatives of some of my favorite characters. See, there have been many great Snake-eyes, far fewer good Destros, and poor offerings for Duke and Scarlett. I mean-- the original Scarlett looked like a DUDE, for cryin' out loud! And the banana-colored Ninja Force one-- could her ass get any bigger?! So, I have two questions... #1. Will any of the figures in the box sets come individually (other than via ebay...)? The last Vv.V Gung Ho was pretty cool, far less Village Persony, and would do for my needs, but I gotta have that Duke! #2 For years, Hasbro has shied away from making any new figures based on characters killed by Hama in the original comic book, hence no new versions of Doc or Quick-kick. Will they suspend that moratorium for the commemorative line? This series certainly doesn't take place in any current continuity... I recall that the Transformers dept. set a rule for their recent Classics line that only characters who originally had toys would get new figures, barring the likes of Arcee and Alpha Trion.

I NEED that Rodimus Prime figure-- he looks like the toy I've been waiting over 20 years for! Unlike that crappy unposable fertility statue I got for Christmas back in '86. Considering the emotional scarring I still bare from the Optimus movie death scene, I have an unusual devotion to Rodimus...

Not only is Spencer the absolute BEST, most customer-friendly online retailer I have ever had business with, his storefront (@the 'Metropolis' mall of Metrotown, BC) is a veritable Geek-Oasis of sweet bargains and knowledgeable staff! Anyone who has either a 20th ann. Optimus or a G1 re-issue Prime with regrettable stack-circumcision should go to Spencer's website IMMEDIATELY and order a pair of fully chromed custom stacks. If Spencer's site isn't any clearer about MP-05, it's most likely because he is dependant on what his Japaness contacts tell him. I don't buy any tf's on the web without checking out his site first.

Yeah, RID Spychanger Ironhide (a repaint of the G2 Gobot) had an inexplicable bovine motif-- maybe somewhere in the Binaltech universe he was rebuilt by Dell... Sorry that m'man Dodgimus didn't work out for you, Pesatyel. My favorite alternator for the transform alone would be Meister; followed by Grimlock, simply for the smug satisfaction of being one of the few non-Takara-employees who knows the secret to his dang-blasted arms! Alt Prime isn't about the TRANSFORM per se, as he is about the coolness of the modes on either end of the journey. Both Prime and Mirage, the last of the Takaranators, have some realy unorthodox things going on with their bot-modes. Prime gains some neat Spider-man-type shoulder-action from they way his arms don't lock into place, not to mention a convenient place for under-dressed jailbate to perch... Really, if you stand him side-by-side with the OLD G1 Prime toy, you instantly see where his proportions and aesthetic are coming from. Though I like the 'anime' color palette of the American version, I'm not surprised that colors of the Japanese version harken right back to the original toy. If it's REALLY the old 'TRUKK not PIKUPP' thing... For me, all that went out the window when Grimlock became a little, itty bitty car, rather than a tank or a bus or something. Ironhide wasn't that big PHYSICALLY, only in attitude, and an Alt. Ironhide would have to be smaller than a Mustang (but bigger than a 'Vette).

Well the paradigm since Armada has been "Gimmicks" whereas Classics is "No gimmicks, just rebuilt G1 characters, along with some random minicons...", so unless the movie brings about some Copernican revolution not unlike the beginning of the Beast era, Heroes will be another new Gimmick and Classics-type 'bots will be S.O.L. However, there will likely be more homage figures and real gems like Galaxy Convoy, Cybertron Soundwave (w/ a Lazerbeak that looks like a fricken' BIRD), and Energon Galvatron. I'm betting that they'll keep something like the Titanium line going for the codgers like us. C'mon Titanium Arcee...!

I'm not a completist but I have a good friend who has both that afliction and an addiction to Marvel Legends-- he honestly felt relief back when everybody thought that line wouldn't be continued under Hasbro! But, man, Seekers are different! Everybody had a favorite one of those, too, and some are still waiting for their turn. C'mon, Dirge!!! @lol@ I think con exclusives wouldn't be so bad if like Mattel and Pallisades (R.I.P.), they offered them at more than ONE con. You see fortunately my wife is also a geek, so she wouldn't mind a comicon where she might get her favorite Indie comic or X-files show autograph, but I'm not heartless enough to drag a GIRL to a BOTCON!! Anyways, more classics would be great, but I think Hasbro's planning to placate fanboys in the meantime with Titaniums like the upcoming Ultra Magnus. Paint chipping makes me nuts, and I'd love larger size-class figures, but I can live with '86 movie characters and Don Figueroa stylin'.

I FEEL your financial troubles, Devil Bat. Alt. Prime is still out there wherever alternators are sold (which is fewer than it used to be...), and there are better places to find a deal than Wal-mart. I don't know if they have Fred Meyer stores where you are, but that place likes to sell things at a slightly jacked up price and than randomly put things on sale-- not clearance-- at 50% off for months at a time. Just got me a Titanium Scourge for only $10 a few weeks ago. Sure he looks like a robot proctologist that turns into a suppository-- but hey, Sweeps are cool Decepticon cannon fodder. Even Wheelie killed one in the cartoon! @lol@ And to you Destro, not everyone turns out as cool as the original Snake Eyes if Hasbro puts the kabosh on their paint apps. Prime doesn't look too red, well no more than basic mode RID Prime, if you just give him a little silver. Some paint and a couple measly decals and he's got DIGNITY again! Maybe tf's should start coming with the metalic sticker sheets again... Though I never got those things on right. My G1 Prime always looked like he had a drinking problem.

Wow, you guy's respond fast! Oh, and thank you for the warm welcome. As my poor wife can attest, I've got too many toys already and a lot of Primes, and I sure didn't need this guy, too. I have an Aniversery Prime, with cool custom stacks from Ages Three and Up that really spruce up his truck mode, and he looks great in the glass case-- but he's seems a little to big to me to keep with my other Alternators. I think that predesposes me to try and get an Alt-sized Optimus that works. BTW, Prime was one of my childhood heroes along with Superman and Batman. It probably didn't hurt that my dad had a trucking business and owned COE Freightliners from the late 70s/ early 80s; I'd come home from school and it was like having Optimus in my backyard!

Hello, my name is Gojira and I frankly love my Alternator Dodge Prime. I know he's been as vilified as Hoover's responce to the Great Depression, and I'm not saying that Hasbro's version is PERFECT, but I hope after a few months of cool-down time and a new year it would be o.k. to give the guy a little praise. First off, if Alt. Nemesis Prime and Kiss Convoy have shown anything, it's that the Dodge Ram mold has a lot of promise. Especially if you transform the guy right and extend the legs (yes, they are meant to extend)! I discovered that feature on accident and afterward it was like Prime had a growth spurt! Honestly, the problem with Alt Prime is that Hasbro basically sent him out unfinished. I understand that they had to cut costs after putting out such a big toy for the same low, low price of $20, but what you get out of the box looks like a prototype. Well, you know what, I went to my local hobby shop, bought some supplies, and added those few finishing touches-- nothing drastic. I used Testors acrylic paint, Pactra Trim Tape for silver racing stripes, and a Monokote Trim sheet to add a little chrome (yes, CHROME!). By the way, Monokote Chrome is the coolest stuff ever-- perfect to add headlights to G1 minibots or cover up unsightly highlight colors on Classics Primes. The result: He's a completely new 'bot! In fact, I have both Alt Prime and Kiss Convoy and I actually like the American version BETTER! Partially because the Alt isn't encased in a thick layer of scratch-tastic enamel-- I swear a little paint thinner and he'd look like Dreamwave's Ultra Magnus... Oh, well, at least I didn't spend those $80 on drugs or a contribution to re-elect the President or anything. Really, I think most folks just didn't give Dodge Optimus a chance because they couldn't accept him as a pickup or they thought he was taking something away from Masterpiece Prime. I mean if a guy has been a GoBot, a bat, and a fire truck, why can't he be a pickup, too. Afterall, what else do you think the legendary John Wayne would drive after his horse was rustled!

That is so awesome that you raised this question! Infact, it's ironic because I've been thinking of posting a little fan fiction here that would add to the mythology in a way that draws from the G1 cartoon and Marvel comic and offer a way to have both Primus and the Quintessons (my main objective would be to explain why Autobots have genders...). Anyways, to add to the little history lesson/ book report, the matrix was a program in the earlier issues of the comic, which is why Shockwave needed Optimus Prime's head(!) to create the Constructicons. The power of the matrix was also transferable, and for a while, was carried by Spike's brother Buster Witwicky! By about issue 60, and heavily influenced by the cult classic movie, Simon Furmon made the matrix into a tangible object; it was unfortunately lost in outer space with Optimus Primes original body. The writers of Beast Wars expanded the Matrix to be both a Place and a thing. It became the heaven where the sparks of all good transformers went after they went permanently off-line, instead of just a storage vessel for the wisdom of Autobot Leaders. For in the comic it was the "Creation Matrix", the life essence of Primus, but in the cartoon it was only the Matrix of Leadership. Beast Wars drew from both sources. your friend, Gojira Oh, and see issue #74 of the Marvel USA series, where it's explained that after creating the Transformers as a peacekeeping force, Primus distilled the bulk of his powers into a "genetic matrix" that could be past down by the spiritual leaders or "primes" of his children. The big guy then went nappy-time in the heart of his adopted form Cybertron.