There were simplistic transformations then just as there are today and always have been.

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I don't think it's soley about the simplicity.

 

Using this guy as an example, it literally looks like a big cat stood on it's hind legs.

That's not a transformation, it's just articulation.

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That's a terrible example.  There's more to transforming BM Cheetor than that pic makes you believe.  It would also help as Edgewise and I pointed out that you use a BW toy, not BM.

 

Now THIS particular Transformer looks like you just stand him up as well.  BUT, there's more to it than meets the eye.  Just like BM Cheetor here.

2) Back then, and now still, I don't like 95+% of the beast-TFs.  Mainly because they're like: "I'm a quadri-pedal animal!  I'll just stand up on my hind legs, and I'll say that I've transformed!" Optimus Primal's design tops the cake for me, though.  He might have been a great leader and an amazing character in the show, but transforming form a bipedal humanoid figure to another bipedial humanoid figure with the same arms/legs was ulgh to me.  (Unfortunately, it's a syndrome that plagues TFs even today; look at GF Ligerjack or GF Flame Convoy...)

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:pfx

 

Yeah, I think that's the big problem I have with them... it seems like such a cop out! 

There were simplistic transformations then just as there are today and always have been. There's also plenty of simplistic vehicle transformations(Vector Prime is horribly simple... fold legs back, leave arms right were they are... so "I'll just stand up on my undercarriage and say that I've transformed!"). Many of the Beast transformations were highly innovative(and still are today: Cy. Snarl)

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Well, to me, it's a bit less of the "simplistic transformations", and more of the "arms become arms, legs become legs" concept.  Sure, Vector Prime has a very simple transformation, but at least he goes from a Star Wars thing to a robot.  His arms and legs aren't visibly arms and legs (respectively) in alt mode.

 

Definitely, GF.Fangwolf/Cyb.Snarl has a very innovative transformation, as well as GF.Saidos/Cyb.Backstop (despite the fact that he looks, well, like a piece of crap, to put it bluntly).  I think very highly of those two and some others just for that.

Go back to Vector Prime, he doesn't really have a transformation, it's just articulation. What joints on him are for transfomation and not articulation? The wings, nosecone, and arm pads that are arguably just kibble?

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But he still conforms to "more than meets the eye".... when you look at his alt mode, there's very little similarity in the form when compared to his robot mode. Most of the BW figures I see all suffer from the quadraped-to-biped syndrome, where thier robot modes aren't much at all different from the alt....

 

Where's the magic in standing up? I did that this morning.  coo-coo-chee-coo-chee!

Well, to me, it's a bit less of the "simplistic transformations", and more of the "arms become arms, legs become legs" concept.  Sure, Vector Prime has a very simple transformation, but at least he goes from a Star Wars thing to a robot.  His arms and legs aren't visibly arms and legs (respectively) in alt mode.

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I appreciate arms becoming arms and legs becoming legs over Vector Prime's arms and legs becoming purposeless kibble. His arms and legs aren't visibly arms and legs in alt mode because his alt mode doesn't have arms and legs, but they are visibily his robot mode arms and legs and are visibily purposeless appendages in that mode.

 

There's also few BW where the arms and legs both respectively become arms and legs. 1 pair is quite common, and is quite common in the G1 Dinobots as well. If that is your main gripe the "95+%" figure is waaaaaay off.

Go back to Vector Prime, he doesn't really have a transformation, it's just articulation. What joints on him are for transfomation and not articulation? The wings, nosecone, and arm pads that are arguably just kibble?

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But he still conforms to "more than meets the eye".... when you look at his alt mode, there's very little similarity in the form when compared to his robot mode. Most of the BW figures I see all suffer from the quadraped-to-biped syndrome, where thier robot modes aren't much at all different from the alt....

 

Where's the magic in standing up? I did that this morning.  coo-coo-chee-coo-chee!

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So I suppose you would just LOVE to transform Big Convoy/Nemesis Prime then, no?  I mean, he may be a brick in beast mode, but atleast he's got legs that are hidden and arms that are hidden too, don't forget he looks more 'robotic' in robot mode as well.  Not to mention the huge ass gun he's got that forms his beast head.  Plus the transformation is probably one of the most difficult (used loosely here) in the whole Beast Era of Transformers.  Definitely MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE with him.  Only downside, too much clutter in robot mode from the panels that COVER UP his robot parts. :roll (<--- paragraph said in sarcastic manner for those who can't catch it, but it is all true about this figure)

 

They made use of the WHOLE beast form to create the robot.  If that meant using arms as arms and legs as legs so be it.  It's the price you pay for beast Transformers.

There's also few BW where the arms and legs both respectively become arms and legs. 1 pair is quite common, and is quite common in the G1 Dinobots as well. If that is your main gripe the "95+%" figure is waaaaaay off.

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Yeah, sorry about the exaggeration of "95+%", but you get what I'm saying.  ;)

 

True, there were some number of G1 bots that were designed this way, and hey, it bugged me back in the G1 days too.  :)

 

I guess in the end, I prefer my TFs to turn into cars...

But he still conforms to "more than meets the eye".... when you look at his alt mode, there's very little similarity in the form when compared to his robot mode. Most of the BW figures I see all suffer from the quadraped-to-biped syndrome, where thier robot modes aren't much at all different from the alt....

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I see tremendous similarity between VP's robot mode and his alt mode. The top of the ship just looks like his chest, the back of the ship is his crotch, his robot mode arms and legs are just tacked on and wouldn't be part of the ship if one was designing just a ship.

 

BW designers had to fit all the robot parts into the set anatomy of the animal, just like good Alternator designers need to fit it into a real car. Vector Prime's a lazy design comparatively.

 

"Most" BW figures suffering from quadriped-to-biped syndrome is even an exagerration since somewhere close to half were insects/arachnids.

They made use of the WHOLE beast form to create the robot.  If that meant using arms as arms and legs as legs so be it.

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I have no complaints about Big Convoy.  Despite the "arms is arms, legs is legs", they did a whole lot with the body that makes it completely different in both modes.  I just found a bit too many (for my tastes) of BW/BM had similar looking bot and alt modes.  It's just the ones like, say, Transmetal 2 Cheetor, that didn't impress me...

 

It's the price you pay for beast Transformers.

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Which is why I like to stick with car Transformers. :thumb Go Binaltech/Alternators!

Which is why I like to stick with car Transformers. :thumb Go Binaltech/Alternators!

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:pfx

 

Well said.