HI everyone,

 

Since the dawn of transfandom there have been those who love the toy lines released and the ideas incorporated into them. There have also been those who choose to hate and criticise almost every decision that the toy giants make, especially when referring to the new (ish) binaltech and alternator lines. I personally am thrilled to be able to purchase toys which are, in my opinion, a reinvention of the series that started the ball rolling for future TF lines, such as beast wars and energon. Although many would argue that BinAlt is not G1, I prefer to think of it as an updated version of the series; same characters but bew cars, storylines and far superior toys.

 

The real question I'm asking is, are people happy with the direction HASTAK are taking with the line? As far as I can tell they are at least taking on board what the fans demand. When fans demanded decepticons, we got dead-end and swindle rather than sunstreaker and trailbreaker. Although they may not have been the first deceps that spring to mind, at least they had some resemblence to the originals, leaving the path clear for fan favourites such as soundwave and starscream to hopefully get more befitting (and hopefully original) molds at some later date.

 

Also, when fans kicked up a fuss about both yellow tracks and red meister, fans cried out for the original colours. Although I personally prefer the yellow and red versions of the cars, I admit that when it comes to robot modes I prefer the original colours for the characters. Again, the toy companies lisetned to the fans while at the same time appeasing the car sponsers and released two versions of each. I personally do not think that the 'yellow plastic is no good' story explains fully the reason for the blue tracks, as I own yellow BT tracks and the plastic yellow parts look fine. It would have been far easier for HASTAK to release one of each colour but instead they made a decision to appease the fan base which has provided them with so much income over the years.

 

Bottom line being, I don't think it's fair to slag off the companies as they are obviously making an effort with this line, to make it a homage to G1 rather than G1 all over again. At the same time it does pay off when fans voice their opinions as consumers to these companies if they make decsions the majority view to be wrong. So who really controls the market, producer or consumer??? Anyway, thanks for reading guys and sorry for the mini-essay, just thought it was something worth discussing.

I only own one. It's OK. I just don't care too much for the line in general. I do think it's cool that they are taking the fans opinions into consideration. I just wish they would do something with the Energon cartoon, because it is terrible. So I guess alternators are alright. I'm a big G1 and Beast Wars fanatic, but for some reason I just can't get into the alternators much. Oh well, just my opinion.

I love them, but I love most TFs. I really love the idea of a real cars with all the logos and everthing. Deadend is cool, but Sun I think would of been cooler & I like the idea of swindle better than trailbreaker. With compaines not wanting war toys with their logos on them I think they are doing a good job. My only problem the are hitting stores so slow.

I am in absolute LUST with the Alternators line. If I had more scratch, I'd bag me some Binaltechs......but die cast isn't a neccesity for me.

 

Incredibly articulate, no mind numbingly easy transformations, reasonable prices, I could go on and on.

 

Another reason for my giddiness - FINALLY bagged an Alternators Hound after too much damn searching. Then...of course......I go to another store looking for Dead End, and THEY have Hound too.

 

So, after 2 months of searching, no Hounds. Then, spot 3 in one day. (Wally World had 2.)

 

I just wish they would be released quicker, or sell better - I work at a SuperTarget and we have had the same 6 Smokescreens and 2 Sideswipes for the last 6 months......no Hounds, Silverstreaks or Dead Ends.

I also am completely thrilled with the Alternators line. It is the very essence of what made transformers cool. That real world things could become robots! The idea of taking actual cars and their makers emblems and using them was genius. The fact that they have made such great transformations and yet in car mode you have a hard time telling it's a transformer is just pure Zen.

 

The one thing I hope they don't do however is get stuck in the car rut. Please please please....make some other real world 1/24 scale vehicles, airplanes, etc. We need Decepticon guys that aren't cars. Stay on theme with the size and realizm, but get us something other than cars.

 

And personally...I think it would have been cool if Hound would have been remade into a Military Hummer. Yes, it digresses from the G1 Jeep, but it's still a real world vehicle and it would have been so cool.

 

My two cents.

Overall, YES, it is a very good line. Just like everything it has it's down sides, but it has DEFINITELY reawakened my Transformer side.

I like the alts, but I could have lived without decepticons, the cool thing is that they look great on display and even non tf fans are impressed by them.... I cant wait for trucks and suv though (and somewhere a tank)

The one thing I hope they don't do however is get stuck in the car rut. Please please please....make some other real world 1/24 scale vehicles, airplanes, etc. We need Decepticon guys that aren't cars. Stay on theme with the size and realizm, but get us something other than cars.

Well, it would have to be either 1/24th scale, OR on scale with the cars - any seeker jets would be a bit big compared to the current crop of Alts if they kept to a true 1/24th scale there.

 

Personally, I'd hope that if they ever did a Starscream or other seeker in the alt line, they would just do him as a jet, not as a car. Obviously goes away from the 1/24th scale, but Starscream is a JET.

 

Now, Megatron.....I think he'd work well as a silver colored Hummer, or perhaps as a German Tiger Tank from WWII. Super detailed, that would rock....just so long as they don't do the barrel as they did with Megs/Galvy in Armada - didn't much care for it just sticking out like a 3rd arm, and it would defeat the whole Robots in DISGUISE bit, with such an item sticking out from nowhere.

The 2 lines rock and are the reason I started likeing transformers again. Thay'rethe best thing since sliced bread.

Alternators and Binaltech rock. I have contemplated selling off all my other transformers just to collect these guys. But since I am such big transformers fan, I doubt that would happen. But I love the line and have come to the conclusion to buy one of each, one Alt and one Binaltech of each mold.

 

Already own.

 

Binaltech Smokescreen #7

Alternator Silverstreak

Binaltech Sideswipe

Alternator Deadend

Binaltech Hound

Binaltech Sunstreaker (Yellow tracks with Deadends head repainted)

 

Just ordered

 

Binaltech Meister (white)

&

Alternator Tracks (Blue)

 

Plan on picking up Swindle when I run across him, but will probably pass on Ravage unless I buy another tracks and do a Clampdown Deepcover homage. (Not sure which is the black version of Tracks, Clampdown or Deepcover, or am I completely off on the names?)