TheForgottenTaxi

As Robo Rob said, my assumption was that the quality of the show would be so obvious that most people would like it. Look, the movies have problems (especially the second one), but their influence here is really pretty surface. The designs are reminiscent of the movie, Bumblebee is obviously designed to be the same character, and there is some cooperation with a human government. And that's pretty much it. Is your hatred of the movies really that intense that that's enough to put you off the show? By the way, does anyone remember when Animated designs first showed up and the howl went up that they looked too cartoony, too distorted, too clearly aimed at kids? Or when Beast Wars came on and everyone complained that they didn't turn into cars? I am reasonably certain fans won't approve of a set of designs right off the bat unless they're a direct G1 port. Admittedly, the kids seem out of place. But once you resign yourself to the fact that kids have clearly been mandated, they're at least executed reasonably well. I will agree that the show at this early stage hasn't come close to achieving what Beast Wars and Animated wound up achieving. But those shows came out of the gate with problems too, and took time to grow into their awesomeness. Prime is already pretty dang awesome, and I'm really excited to see what it'll grow into.

I agree with everything you said, but I think you're glossing over how little character development or continuing story arc Beast Wars had in season one. That first season was almost all done-in-ones. Prime has already done one five-part story, and it's pretty early, so I'd give it some time; I'm betting we see some character development eventually. (Heck, the G1 Grimlock example took many years to play out, and was across two writers. Though he did evolve within Furman's run, I think the difference between Tyrant Grimlock and Pretender/Actionmaster/G2 Grimlock is largely one of different writers just having a different take on the guy.) Also, I'm okay if they don't transform for the sake of transforming, especially because some episodes (like Convoy) have given them great reasons to transform. Besides, by the end of the G1 comics and in the G2 comics, there was hardly any transforming. And no one cares because the stories were good.

I'm shocked by all the hate in this thread! I really assumed consensus on Prime would be "Best series since Beast Wars." Seriously, this show seems designed to appeal to adult fans; it's easily the most mature series they've ever attempted. The voice acting is great, the scripting is solid. There's even some cool nods to Transformers lore (Scraplets!). I'm not sure what more you guys want. With Animated, I felt weirdly embarrassed to be watching most of the time. Not Prime. I'm seriously stunned by how good it is. Even my girlfriend is actively interested in it. Yeah, it has its problems. The stakes haven't been clearly defined, the world seems thin, and the overall story has lost momentum since the mini. But these are solvable things. Beast Wars suffered from many of the same problems in season one. So to answer your question: I want it to go on for a good long time. Let's break the record with four seasons!

Just got Generations Wave 3 (Wheeljack, Thundercracker, Scourge and Kup). Let's tackle 'em in that order: Wheeljack: When you open him, you will be in awe of his vehicle mode. Enjoy it, because you will never get him folded up as tightly again. Like Tracks, Wheeljack's back end is frustratingly hard to fold down properly, even once you know the trick to it. Of course, the big difference between Wheeljack and Tracks is the legs, which have been remolded to make clear that the hood of the car is to face forward. The hood is a bit too wide for this to work however, and makes Wheeljack look sort of short and squat. Despite all that, the colors are really nice and the tribute unmistakable. I still recommend it, at least assuming you like the character. Thundercracker: By now, you know what you're getting with the venerable Classics Seeker mold. As with Thrust and Dirge, Hasbro has given us a truly awesome paint job on this one. My only criticism is that the same shade of blue is used on the missiles as the majority of his body, so they look a little redundant sticking out from under his wings in his otherwise excellent jet mode. I would have rather silver missiles or something like that. Scourge: Wow. This guy is truly impressive. When this was first announced, I was annoyed that his alt mode was less G1 accurate than Titanium Scourge. But now that I've got him in hand I can say that this guy is light years ahead of that limited toy. Yeah, the alt mode isn't as accurate, but it fits the character, and is just flat out cool. Plus, for the first time, Scourge has a real transformation, and it's a fun one. Highly recommended. Kup: The cream of the crop. Sure, the door kibble on his arms is annoying. But two truly sweet modes and a nice paint job more than make up for it. The transformation from truck to robot mode is downright cool, with a quasi-automorph quality to it. Transforming back to truck mode is a little less smooth, but it's not a significant flaw. Bottom line: this is an awesome figure, and if you have any interest in the concept you won't be sorry you purchased it.

Like a lot of people, just nabbed WFC Prime, WFC Bumblebee and WFC Thrust. I was on the fence about all these figures, but I'm mostly pleased. Thoughts: WFC Prime: The main event here is the transformation. For me, this transformation just hits that sweet spot between being complex and puzzle-like, but not being fiddly, annoying or frustrating. There are no moments when you think you're gonna break the thing, there's nothing that has to be forced or cajoled. It's just solid engineering. The resultant modes are solid, if unremarkable--and here I'm definitely deducting points just because Prime has been done so many times. But overall, I'm extremely happy. WFC Bumblebee: Less pleased. The robot mode is decent, but the transformation is super annoying, and not all that inspired. Basically, it amounts to shoving everything under the shell that he wears as kibble on his back in robot mode. Worse still, when you're done, there's a small gap between the hood and that shell that shouldn't be there, based on the box picture. Maybe I'm just doing it wrong? Please, someone let me know if I'm missing something. Generations Thrust: Wow. Just wow. Hasbro's really done a phenomenal job on the color scheme here. The predominant maroon has a metallic sheen to it that really just looks classy, the other colors match it extremely well, and there are tons of painted details. I can't compare it to the Botcon or Henkei, which I don't have, but in isolation, it's well worth picking up. It feels like a love letter from Hasbro to the collecting community.