One of the big reasons I can see why people don't like any of the movie toys that didn't actually show up in the film is that they have no basis in that storyline. How do they fit in? Granted, Incinerator may look cool to some, but where was he in the movie? I know it's up to imagination, but if a line is heavier on non-media related figures than the ones that actually showed up, that could be a very valid reason for not liking the series.

 

 

YEP! I absolutely REFUSE to purchase any MOVIE TF that wasn't in the movie - I don't care if it's a character I absolutely love. Part of that is what you say - but there is also the aspect that I threw myself into being a completist in another series (BT/ALT and MP) which do NOT have the storyline - but I find more collectable and enjoyable. Thus you get into "REASONS" for liking the toyline (ie, to play with or collect for poseability and admiration). I don't need another line to be completist about, and thus my REASON for collecting the MOVIE line is "ONLY" as a reflection of the storyline/Movie. I refuse to get into the fray of runs of different color (prime is now blue also); and tons of characters that were not even in the movie. They are doing this for toy SALES alone, and milking it for all it's worth. I don't blame them, but it defines the toy series and where they will go with it, and THAT has an impact on my view of the toy series also. The purpose of the BT/ALT line is not to release 10-15 new toys a year and go for sales volumes. Just saying, toy line purpose and direction also has a bearing on people's views of the toy series. It's a lot more than just one thing.

 

 

One other quick sidenote on the movie also -- I LOVED the movie and think it's a RECREATION that keeps the SAME SPIRIT of the original G1 for a whole new generation. I think the movie had enough success to attraction a generation - not just already TF enthusists. THAT to me, makes it a HUGE success. I kow tons of people that knew almost nthing about TFers and yet thoroughly enjoyed the movie as an action film.

 

THAT SAID, I am not a fan of the faces he chose to use. I really hate the alien-esk robot faces and jagged edges he decided to go with. I think he could have drawn more on the G1's from faces and thus drew upon their Character developement association already. But I think Michael Bay did this on purpose and wanted to create HIS OWN version. AS a G1 fan, it leaves me wanting and a tad disappointed. But when I'm purely objective and take the movie as it's own on face value -- I think he did a wonderful job. Personally, I purposefully avoid everything I can read about mvoie #2 - I don't even want to know what characters will be in it - NOTHING. I want to go in and experience as much as possible without previous knowledge and enjoy it for what it is. I hope #2 is as good as the 1st. That will determine if I grab toys from #2 or just stay with my #1 originals and call it done.

One of the big reasons I can see why people don't like any of the movie toys that didn't actually show up in the film is that they have no basis in that storyline. How do they fit in? Granted, Incinerator may look cool to some, but where was he in the movie? I know it's up to imagination, but if a line is heavier on non-media related figures than the ones that actually showed up, that could be a very valid reason for not liking the series.

 

 

YEP! I absolutely REFUSE to purchase any MOVIE TF that wasn't in the movie - I don't care if it's a character I absolutely love. Part of that is what you say - but there is also the aspect that I threw myself into being a completist in another series (BT/ALT and MP) which do NOT have the storyline - but I find more collectable and enjoyable. Thus you get into "REASONS" for liking the toyline (ie, to play with or collect for poseability and admiration). I don't need another line to be completist about, and thus my REASON for collecting the MOVIE line is "ONLY" as a reflection of the storyline/Movie. I refuse to get into the fray of runs of different color (prime is now blue also); and tons of characters that were not even in the movie. They are doing this for toy SALES alone, and milking it for all it's worth. I don't blame them, but it defines the toy series and where they will go with it, and THAT has an impact on my view of the toy series also. The purpose of the BT/ALT line is not to release 10-15 new toys a year and go for sales volumes. Just saying, toy line purpose and direction also has a bearing on people's views of the toy series. It's a lot more than just one thing.

It's business. The movie line was (and still is in some parts) the flagship Transformers line. It ran for close to one year. You can't hope for a line to survive for a year on just media-characters alone. There just isn't enough. You need to supplement the line with other characters, and some of those supplements came from the movie game.

Now granted, Hasbro probably shouldn't have stretched the movie line out for a year, but given that they decided to go in that direction, they would be crazy not to introduce toy only characters.

If you really want to know how these extra characters fit in, read IDW's Reign of Starscream.

 

Besides, it's trend that's not exclusive to the movie line. All lines do it. BW, BM, RiD, A/E/C, etc.... they all featured toy-only supplementary characters to fill out the lines. By all accounts Animated will do this to. It's just the nature of the toy business.

It's business. The movie line was (and still is in some parts) the flagship Transformers line. It ran for close to one year. You can't hope for a line to survive for a year on just media-characters alone. There just isn't enough. You need to supplement the line with other characters, and some of those supplements came from the movie game.

Now granted, Hasbro probably shouldn't have stretched the movie line out for a year, but given that they decided to go in that direction, they would be crazy not to introduce toy only characters.

If you really want to know how these extra characters fit in, read IDW's Reign of Starscream.

 

Besides, it's trend that's not exclusive to the movie line. All lines do it. BW, BM, RiD, A/E/C, etc.... they all featured toy-only supplementary characters to fill out the lines. By all accounts Animated will do this to. It's just the nature of the toy business.

 

 

I completely understand this. I truly do. But it's an aspect that i've never been into or that attracted me. It's a part of the original G1 that turned me off. Even back then I never got a toy that was outside of the series. Only in BT and MP lines am I a completist on - and it's because I like the aspects of SCALE... REALISM... and that they are all the same (cars). The MP line more out of some G1 nostalgia.

 

Again, I understand and have no problem with them doing it. But I never had a G1 outside of the story lines, and I"ll not buy a Movie TF that is outside of it also. I have no desire to go after IDW's explaination or anyone else's. I just don't have the desire. I realize some people will and that is cool. But I also have no desire to read 'comics' for a storyline either. It's just not my thing.

 

I collect BT/MP for the toyline themselves - not the storyline. They are small works of art in my view.

 

I have my G1's for nastalgia.

 

I collect Movie TF's as movie representatives only - thus I'm not really into comis or any other forms of storyline to expand the TF series universe.

 

That's just me. That's why I say, I think people collect different toy series for different reasons.

[Off Topic]

 

MH, your sig is the greatest ever. Where did it come from? Did Mr. America himself have a picture commissioned or is that a fan work?

 

[/Off Topic]

It was a rejected alternate cover for "Petra Means Rock"

 

though I suppose nobody will get that

I always love toys that aren't in the show. Then they can be what ever I want them to be. Screw the bios and what not. Also I enjoy having a large army of bots and these guys help flesh it out. But I'm not to keen on repaints. Unless they've been remolded or the repaint is really, really nice.

[Off Topic]

 

MH, your sig is the greatest ever. Where did it come from? Did Mr. America himself have a picture commissioned or is that a fan work?

 

[/Off Topic]

It was a rejected alternate cover for "Petra Means Rock"

 

though I suppose nobody will get that

 

That was one of their best CD's actually... to go from such hard rock.. and then end on the final song of praise. For those that enjoy contemporary christian music.. it's truly a classic and that CD is an incredible journey. I had no idea that was artwork from that CD, but it makes sense, as the album cover did still use a similiar styled shield.

 

I've always had great admiration for Petra in their ability to put out a classic rock feel and music without diluting their purpose or message for the sake of just 'making it in the business' and that CD was an awesome compilation. Great classic CD.

 

I am glad they didn't go with that artwork tho. It caught my eye when I first saw it also - but the FACE they put on it, looks a bit more like political satire - almost like artwork you would see from Rush Limbaugh or something.

 

 

here is the artwork they went with (just did a quick search) - funny to find it still for sell considering it was released back in the late 80's.

[Off Topic]

 

MH, your sig is the greatest ever. Where did it come from? Did Mr. America himself have a picture commissioned or is that a fan work?

 

[/Off Topic]

It was a rejected alternate cover for "Petra Means Rock"

 

though I suppose nobody will get that

This Means WAAAR!

 

lol

 

My parents came back from Glorieta, NM with that album (This means War, not Petra means Rock). This is when I was starting to get really in to music, listening to stuff like Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Black Sabbath almost religiously. My dad (who's Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Iron Butterfly, and other albums I was "borrowing" in the first place) brought it home and said "Hey, check this out!" and we listened to a couple of songs. He was like "Isn't it cool that a CHRISTIAN band can rock so hard?"

 

Uh, yeah, dad. :roll

 

Now I feel kind of bad because my son does that to me sometimes (Not often!)

 

I found out it was my mom's fault because she looked at the lyrics to the song Dyer's Eve from the ...And Justice For All album. One day we got in a huge argument about my choice in music and she brought that out and showed it to my dad. "What do you think of this??!!" My dad read the lyrics and said, "It sounds like they're really angry at their parents." Without missing a beat, "Let's go get supper."

 

Joke was on her anyway because I always stopped the tape before that song. I hated it.

Very interesting! Did they explain why red was more difficult and costly?

Not that I recall.

 

something to do with the lighting on camera or something i think

 

i won't watch my dvd again (film was good in the cinema but in all honestly it does suck on dvd) but it does mention the "red problems" or something on the extras somewhere

 

:thumb

I really dig the idea behind Classics, although I'm refraining from buying them. They're mostly good designs, and the characters have been pretty well chosen so far. There's the occasional repaint copout like Ultra Magnus, but in general, they're pretty sharp. Especially Sunstreaker and Prowl... they're not licensed vehicles, but look close enough to still count. And the designs are FANTASTIC updates!

 

Wow MR, I would have thought that you would at least have Classics Bumblebee and Cliffjumper to use as placeholders for their missing Alternators. That's what I did until I made my Alt. Bumblebee but I'm still using CJ until I can make his Alternator head. I bought Rodimus but his arms sucked so I gave him away and Mirage was just too goofy looking for my taste but Ironhide, Prowl, Bluestreak, Sunstreaker and Sideswipe will be bought. Of course you probably knew I'd buy Sideswipe as he's my favorite car from G1.

 

The design aspect that seems to have been lost over time is the ability for Transformers to hide in plain site. The 2007 movie characters are the first to do that in a long time besides the Alts and MPs. After the G1 designs went all "future" on us, I stopped liking them. Besides a select few, I never did like any of the TF:The Movie characters (nor any after, really), aside from Ultra Magnus, Springer and Hot Rod. No longer were they "Robots in Disguise", they were just "Robots that turn into something semi-robotic-with-wings-or-wheels".

 

I agree with you. I think the best example of useless transformations is apparent with the lack of votes for Beast Wars figures. But damn, I really liked the show. I also liked the original Transformers movie but the newer designs that were introduced like that of Hot Rod, Springer, Kup and Arcee would attract too much attention to hide from anything. But I must admit that Hot Rod has always been one of my favorite characters from G1. I'd prefer him to appear in Transfomers II instead of Arcee.

 

Alternators were the first series in a LONG time to give us any sort of scale, AND to immaculately transform into real-world replicas of existing vehicles.

 

And there you have it, robots that transform into real-world replicas!!! Complex? Yes. Fragile? Some. Expensive? No! It's the most bang for your buck of any line. Eye-candy? The best. Realistic vehicles? Yes! They even come with steering wheels that turn, reclining seats, rack and pinion, rubber tires WITH tread as well as doors, hoods and trunks that open. Some even come with suspension!

I totally left out Beast Wars. I don't even consider that one a series. It's like "Batman Forever" and "Batman and Robin", and Superman III and Superman IV... I just ignore that they ever happened.

 

I've never watched the shows, but once 3D got introduced, it's like the animation suffered in other ways. I just couldn't watch them. Sure the old G1 show had massive errors, but there seemed to be more of a craft to it. You'd think with the addition of 3D capabilities, it would improve the animation... but to me it seems like it gave them ways to cut corners and not care as much. The only non-2007 Transformers animation I've seen done right in 3D is fan fiction... I think that 3D fight between MP Prime and MP Megatron is about the most awesome thing to ever happen to animation for Transformers.

 

But again, for me it had a lot to do with the shows not appealing to me that I didn't like the toys. Of all of them though, Beast Wars is my least favorite. Once they got back to machines, they saved face a good deal, but I haven't really gotten into any character stories since G1. Armada and the like always seemed like a bad marionette show. They just can't bring the life out of the 3D renderings like they could with cell animation.

 

It wasn't just the show animation either, the toys themselves just looked a little wonky. Never made sense why they'd have to disguise themselves as animals... The Dinobots and the cassette animals I always forgave because they were awesome, but I utterly HATED the Insecticons, Trypticon and Scorponok. What's the point of turning into giant robotic animals or insects? It didn't even make cool toys in my mind. And that was my thinking as a kid.

 

I bought some for a cousin, but never got back into TFs until Alternators came out. Then, I jumped back in on my plastic crack binge and only stopped when they quit making them... But that Skyline prospect is AWFUL tempting! Let's hope the character choice isn't way off like the last few Alternators were...