Look, I've never seen G1.

'nuff said. Eat some pie.

Smokes,

You have to forgive our obsession with G1 (although I am am not as bad as most, I just want an alt blaster that transforms into an ipod) a lot of us on this list are old men clinging to our youth. our gripe with the colors comes from this. ALT sideswipe red = G1, Alt hound, green =g1, binaltech miester (jazz) white = G1. so if they make a blue corvette, and they do, it would have been nice to have alt tracks, blue = G1, that's all.

 

Hey Madhammer, got any blueberry in honor of tracks

It's not just the Binaltech/Alternators line though. I've heard people yelling about Energon Downshift and Energon Bulkhead. Energon is definitely NOT G1.

It's not just the Binaltech/Alternators line though. I've heard people yelling about Energon Downshift and Energon Bulkhead. Energon is definitely NOT G1.

Well, technically speaking, no other TF line "is" G1, of course. I don't know what the issue is with Downshift & Bulkhead, though. I mean, it's quite clear that Downshift is a BIG TIME Wheeljack homage, but personally I'm not getting the whole Springer/Bulkhead connection.

 

But anyway, "Alternators is not G1" is a non-statement. You have to be clearer about what you mean by that. If you mean "Alternators is not a continuation of the G1 line," then you're absolutely right. If, however, you mean, "Alternators is not inspired by G1," then you'd be completely wrong. After all, the line sure isn't inspired by G2, Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Machine Wars, RiD, Armada, or Energon, is it? It should be perfectly obvious to everyone that Alternators is directly (and solely) inspired by G1. For instance:

 

Alt Smokescreen:

1. Same head shape as the G1 cartoon version (i.e. the chin guard thing)

2. Same head colors as the G1 toy

3. Same transformation as the G1 toy

4. Blue rally car, similar to the G1 toy

5. Same gun shape as the G1 toy

 

Alt Sideswipe

1. Head sculpt taken from G1 cartoon

2. Red exotic sports car as alt mode, just like G1 toy

3. Legs have wheels on the outside, black front, red back, silver feet, blue accents, just like G1 toy

4. Arms have doors at the side and wheels at shoulders, just like G1 toy

 

Alt Hound

1. Green Jeep as alt mode, just like G1 toy

2. Head sculpt taken from G1 cartoon

3. Arms shaped just like G1 cartoon version, down to yellow pinstripes

4. Gun same shape as original toy

5. Similar transformation as G1 toy, down to swinging front wheels

 

Alt Silverstreak

1. Same mold as Smokescreen, just like G1

2. Modified head sculpt reflects differences in G1 cartoon character design

3. Silver street car version of Smokescreen, w/ red accents, just like G1 toy

4. As with Smokescreen, similar transformation and 'bot mode to G1 toy

 

Alt Tracks

1. Chevy Corvette, just like G1 toy

2. Head sculpt completely lifted from G1 toy / cartoon

3. Twin white shoulder missiles, just like G1 toy

4. Fake "roof" on chest in 'bot mode, looks exactly like G1 cartoon

 

Alt Dead End / Sunstreaker (we all know that's who the figure was meant to be)

1. Same mold as Sideswipe; G1 tech specs indicate that Sideswipe / Sunstreaker are "twins"

2. Racing version of the same car that Sideswipe is, just like G1 toy

3. Head sculpt completely taken from G1 toy / cartoon

4. (Dead End) non-street-legal race car, just like G1 toy

 

Alt Meister (Japanese name for G1 Jazz)

1. White sports car, just like G1 toy (Mazda RX-8 isn't even available in white in the US)

2. Head sculpt yet again taken from G1 toy / cartoon

3. Similar -- but not identical -- transformation as Smokescreen / Silverstreak, just like G1 toy

4. 'Bot mode very reminiscent of G1 figure, down to elongated torso

 

Need I go on? Look, if you've never seen the G1 show, or had any of those figures growing up, you just don't understand the real significance of the Alternators line to fans. I know for a fact that if they did a new line of super-awesome animal-based TFs, and called them Optimus Primal, Cheetor, Rhinox, etc., all the BW fans would be jumping all over Has/Tak if they made Cheetor a lion, or Rhinox an elephant, or Primal an orangutan. And then G1 fans like myself could sit back and laugh ourselves silly as we remind you that this line "is NOT BW!"

 

In conclusion, on smithsquared's advice, I'd like to throw a blueberry pie at Alt. Tracks. And while I'm at it, I've got a lemon meringue I've been saving for Alt. Dead End.

 

EDIT:

I know it is inspired by G1, but it is not a direct continuation. I feel that colors shouldn't count as entirly much as everyone thinks they should. I mean I would start ranting and ravng if Rhinox became an Elephant, I was a huge Beast Wars fan. Why? That is simply screwing up their alternate modes big time, but if the colors were off I wouldn't care that much. I'm not trying to sound like say Bodycount here, because I don't mind some G1 homages, what bothers me is everything must be EXACTLY like G1 it seems.

j00 n33d p13

 

P.S. You know, though, even the "G1 continuity" people do have a point. The Binaltech story (also posted on Mazda's web site) talks about Megatron unleashing cosmic rust on the Autobots, and they have to get new bodies etc. I don't consider it to be the same as G1 myself, more like a very sweet homage, but I could see how people would think of it that way.

I know it is inspired by G1, but it is not a direct continuation. I feel that colors shouldn't count as entirly much as everyone thinks they should. I mean I would start ranting and ravng if Rhinox became an Elephant, I was a huge Beast Wars fan. Why? That is simply screwing up their alternate modes big time, but if the colors were off I wouldn't care that much. I'm not trying to sound like say Bodycount here, because I don't mind some G1 homages, what bothers me is everything must be EXACTLY like G1 it seems.

They look like G1 updates to me. Why would they need to be a continuation if they're just an update from the same series?

 

I do think the colors should matter, and think it SUCKS that auto manufacturers using Hasbro as a pack of marketing tools won't let them sell any Alternators that isn't in a color for whatever real car they're selling.