Jump to content

What is so good about G1?


prime_time

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 297
  • Created
  • Last Reply

It's the beginning. Without it our franchise doesn't exist. It established the personalities that have given to every TF series there-after. It created a lasting enough impression to keep the franchise going for 20+ years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I do think the basic character design is one of the best. The cartoon designs are fantastic, and I think have yet to be topped by any series. Now, the toys... not so much... they are flawed and in a lot of ways inferior to the modern ones, but the character designs from the show are top-notch, in my book.

 

Also, I liked the variety of alt-modes in G1. I mean, camera, cassette recorder, fighter jets, guns... all on one side. Nowadays it seems like everyone's "Cybertronic Truck" or "Cybertronic Jet Fighter."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ReverendNash and Soundwinder both have great points.

 

Basically, the G1 cartoon is the basis that everything else is based on. Character designs, personalities, who's what alt mode, even voices, it all harks back to G1.

Every relaunch of the TF brand has G1 to thank for its inspiration.

Beast Wars and Beast Machines were sequels to the G1 series. RiD, Armada, Energon, Cybertron, the live action movie series, and Animated are all reboots of the original G1 cartoon.

Aesthetics and plot points may have changed slightly, but the story's always based on the G1 arch; two waring factions of transforming robots come to Earth in search of their race's primary fuel source.

Yes, G1 was cheesy, and the show can basically be summed up as a weekly half-hour toy commercial. The uniqueness of the characters, and the imaginations they inspired, however, have laid the foundations for every Transformers series to date.

You may not like it (and I wouldn't blame a few newer/younger fans if they don't), but the success of G1 is why Transformers is still a viable franchise today.

 

The toys too also played an huge part in that. Compared with today's toys, they flat out suck (with a few exceptions). Compare Classics Starscream with G1 Starscream. No contest, the modern Classics version is the better figure.

Back in the mid 80's-early 90's, however, they were amazing. Realistic Earth vehicles and objects that can turn into robots. They were revolutionary for the time.

This also ties into Soundwinder's point.

I would say the selection of alt modes during G1 has never been surpassed by any franchise. Realistic guns, cars, jets, tape players, cameras, robotic animals that turned into tapes. They may be primitive by today's standards, but they, like the cartoon, inspired minds all over.

I would personally like to see a little more variety in alt modes myself these days. The Real Gear movie sub-line had the right idea, but it fell short when it came to execution (well the camera guys were pretty cool).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's the beginning. Without it our franchise doesn't exist. It established the personalities that have given to every TF series there-after. It created a lasting enough impression to keep the franchise going for 20+ years.

 

:pfx

 

I have no problem acknowledging G1 for what it was but to think it was the definitive Transformer cartoon/toy line is just mediocre.

 

Nostalgia does absolutely nothing for me this day and age when everything to follow has been progressively better.

 

Not growing up with having a lot of the original toys or seeing most of the cartoons the dvd releases and commemorative series were both a real eye opener.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nostalgia does absolutely nothing for me this day and age when everything to follow has been progressively better.

Well I wouldn't say that. Most of G1 was more watchable then most of A/E/C.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

For me, G1 Transformers allows me to relive childhood memories of growing up in the Eighties, the prime time for boy toys and cartoons.

 

I also like the fact that every Generation 1 Transformer toy made actually made an appearance in the cartoon, except for a few. Unlike today's line of Transformer, or as far back as Beast Wars, characters were made just to make the current line of toys expanded upon without actually having an appearance in the cartoon for kids to "fall in love with". With Beast Wars and on, there were so many repaints that had no actual place in the current universe that it was sickening. However, with Generation 1, all the repaints were actually portrayed in the cartoon and given personalities for me to fall in love with and drool over owning thier toy counterparts someday (e.g. Bumblebee/Cliffjumper, Prowl/Smokescreen/Bluestreak, Starscream/ThunderCracker/Skywarp, etc.). Too me, that's what makes G1 Transformers the best of all the rest.

 

One other point I like too add. Also, during the Generation 1 era of Transformers Hasbro really did not spare any expense to to give us AWESOME figures. I mean we saw Transformer toys that were huge as 2' tall (i.e. Fortress Maximus) along with other large toys like Trypticon, Metroplex, Omega Supreme, Gestalts, etc. However with today's Transformers, it just seems like Hasbro is just giving us the bare minimum to say there is a new Transformer line. We'll never see as much effort put into a Transformer line, on Hasbro's part, like we did with Generation 1 Transformers. Same goes for Gi Joe as well. With the USS Flagg (A 7' long freakin AirCraft Carrier...nothing has ever come close to that amount of plastic used), Tomahawk, Terror Dome, GI JOE Headquarters, etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Why inseed.

 

First off, there was the toys of course. Takara has produced some of the best looking robots ever, with a style of it's own. Back in the day the idea of robots that change into other things was very limited, some based on take a part and put together to convert, or really simple and crude designs. Along with the Macross jet, Transformers, or I should say Diaclone and Microman, started to change toy robots. In the era of Rubix Cube, hot wheels and shogun warriors, this one toy line combined several key features of rival lines.

 

The show. I have told this story many times, but at the time we had things like Heman, and Scooby Do, and it was good. Then came a whirl wind of Gi-Joe and then the shocking Transformers. I remember getting a few Joes, and hanging with my friend, we were all excited to watch the new cartoon show. He had a bunch of the toys so of course I wanted to play. The show came on, we were in awe, especially of Snake Eyes, Duke and Scarlet (who's voices sounded like Bruce Banner and his GF). Credits rolled and by chance we waited a minute before shutting the TV off to go play Gi-Joe in the back yard...Transformers EXPLODED on the screen and our reaction to the battling robots in the opening sequence was "What the heck is THAT?"

 

The story, I swear to this day, the original story is still the best, far better in my oppinion to even the new Movie. The Bad guys were here to steal Energy and take over the universe, and the good guy cars were here to stop them. John Wayne led the good guys, and the Bad guy turned into Darth Vaders shot gun. Cool jets, and cars, and machines, especially soundwave, cassette tapes were the rage at the time. That story, simple, not cutsie anime stuff, and done really well. The animation was very good also, nothing like the beatten to death Filmation Heman style show.

 

No kids running around causing trouble, no lesser cutsie characters to an extreme, no majorly dumb jokes and very un like the usual anime style series.

 

Get More Than Meets The Eye and see for your self. There's a reason the franchize is based on the characters created there.

 

Remember the original Diaclone series had no characters, it was like Macross, just machines or Mech's controlled by humans. We owe the eternal struggle between Autobot and Decepticon, Optimus vs Megatron to this original series.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


×
  • Create New...
Sign Up For The TNI Newsletter And Have The News Delivered To You!


Entertainment News International (ENI) is the #1 popular culture network for adult fans all around the world.
Get the scoop on all the popular comics, games, movies, toys, and more every day!

Contact and Support

Advertising | Submit News | Contact ENI | Privacy Policy

©Entertainment News International - All images, trademarks, logos, video, brands and images used on this website are registered trademarks of their respective companies and owners. All Rights Reserved. Data has been shared for news reporting purposes only. All content sourced by fans, online websites, and or other fan community sources. Entertainment News International is not responsible for reporting errors, inaccuracies, omissions, and or other liablities related to news shared here. We do our best to keep tabs on infringements. If some of your content was shared by accident. Contact us about any infringements right away - CLICK HERE