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Transformers On the Move Again
jonerik writes "In a sequel of sorts to Monday's post on Max Headroom, the Associated Press (by way of CNN) is reporting on the revival of the Transformers. Perhaps the ultimate '80s TV cartoon experience, the Transformers were (and still are) also marketed as a seemingly endless collection of toys; robots that could transform into cars, trucks, planes, and almost anything else their designers imagined. Rhino Records has just released a 4-DVD boxed set of the show's first season, and Hasbro is considering a reissue of the original '80s toy line, something that Japan's Takara Toy Company has already done, with great success."
I caught the new transformers on TV a few weeks ago and didn't like it. Actually I'm not into a lot of old TV shows I used to watch as a kid. They seem boring and childish now.
Not the "bread van that turns into a killer robot" again. I hate those toy tie-ins.
The new DVD set is very good. They remastered all of the sound to DD5.1 and touched up the color on the film. The sound is very good, as they split up the channels and really use the sub-woofer and rears. The video is very clear and doesn't look dated or faded like some others.
I hope they reissue the toys in the US, I'd buy some. I just won't pay what the Japanese imports cost.
i wish stations like maybe cartoon network would play more original 80's cartoons like transformers...even more then that, i'd love for them to play the original 80's G.I. Joe...although, i think i read somewhere that it would just cost too much money for someone to aquire those rights...but to me it seems silly, becuase if this transformers thing works, then there will be millions to be made with toy lines, and video game tie ins...the same thing could work with G.I. Joe....could you image a G.I. Joe vs. Cobra real-time strategy game like Red Alert, or Galactic Battle Grounds...now that would be cool...
excpet no one ever dies in G.I. Joe...
"Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true." - Homer Simpson
Screw the kids. Optimus prime needs to be in my computer room next to his 20 year old brother.
The 1986 _Transformers The Movie_ included cast voice cast:
Lenard Nimoy
Robert Stack
Orson Welles
(the guy who did the micro-machines commercials)
Judd Nelson
It was not a small thing to be able to assemble a cast like that for any animated film.
Craig Steffen
http://www.craigsteffen.net
There is also always a lot of Transformers stuff for sale at Ebay pretty much at all times.
Transformers were my life when I was in second grade. Soundwave! Braun! Starscream! Damn, I couldn't do math or read out loud worth a crap, but I could transform those sucksers in about 1 second. I still have a box of them in the basement back home where I grew up... maybe I'll drag them out next time I'm home and pop in the dvds :)
Oh yeah, anyone remember MASK? I really got into these, too, after Transformers. Cars turning into tanks, cool little action figures, fun story... still love that crap and I'm 26 years old! Ahhhhhh....
If Slashdot is where the spelling-challenged go when they die, I'm in heaven.
My nephew is now 5. About a year or so ago, I gave him one of my old transformers - the last one I had left (after selling most of them, loosing them or violently throwing them against my bedroom wall)
It was the same one as is the cover picture for the transformers home page
He was absolutely thrilled and has spent many hours playing with it
and thats all without the TV series to get his interest going
I do hope they bring transformers back
but I think it would be better as a new cartoon rather than just reshowing the old ones...
get some new high tech transformers too
This is perfect. Just think about the advertising crossovers.
Who here wouldn't be interested in a bright yellow BumbleBee Edition VW Beetle, complete with AutoBot logo on the hood?
------
Today's Top Deals
From what I can tell of the current line, it still reeks a bit of the beast wars transformers crap they pulled.... let's face it, robots that transform into animals make even less sense than the robot buildings Tom Hanks showed off on "Big". Cars and other machinery are still the way to go, and those poor decepticons aren't going anywhere if some of the best of them transforms into nothing more than a shark. Anyway.....
;)
The 2-for-$10 packs they sell at Wal-Mart are good enough to make me and my 3-year-old daughter happy. She loves her "bobot cars".... All they need is to pull down on the nosecone, or pull up the spoiler, and poof, it transforms
I mean look at how well that show took off when this generation of rug rats caught site of it on Cartoon network.....
:-)
now they have a full product line of toys, they have a movie on its way, they have a live state show.
transformers is next, then Heman, then thundercats, then thundar the barbarian......my god I feel like a kid again
I just hope that the reisuence of the transformer toys are Quality, not the plastic crap that they came out with later on, that stuff sucked and barly worked.
I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
I never could get into the original transformers. The animation was so bad -- but beast wars. That show was gorgeous. And the story line was completely cool for a kids show.
I would hurry home every afternoon to watch it. And there are still some episodes that I missed. If all the episodes of Beast Wars are available on DVD I would buy that in a heartbeat.
.
It's hard to believe that's how Micronians are made. Why don't we see it right now by having you both kiss one another?
According to sites that monitor this sort of thing, demand has already oustripped the first run. So if you're late in coming, you'll have to wait for a second run of DVDs.
Compared to the toys from the first series the line of toys now don't look all that nice to me...
This is more or less a tryout of re-introducing series which were hits back then.. probably hoping they could have the same impact on toy sales as their first line...
Like most American animation (which we call "cartoons") Transformer storylines weren't all that deep. One particular thread that was pretty cool involved the last fight between the Autobots and Decepticons, particularly when the Autobot leader, Optimus Prime, "dies," and Megatron is transformed by some planet-sized robot (Omicron?). The storyline advances a bit to the figure where a Prime successor has to deal with Galvatron, a crazier, more powerful version of Megatron.
Sure, it was a little reaching, but for the time (pre-"Batman:TAS", which I consider the start of the American animation renaissance where storyline and animation quality began anime-like improvements) Transformers was pretty good. Its animation was better than many other shops. However, Batman:TAS and other WB shows ("Justice League" being the most recent) is, in my opinion, good American animation that has matured and doesn't insult young or old. Imagine a Transformers show directed by Paul Dini...
Mind you, I was watching this stuff first-run in my latter years of COLLEGE, so not only am I old and still remember this stuff, but I would still pick the series Voltron (I prefer the Lion Robot over the Car Robot) over Transformers any day. I would recommend Transformers to my son for some early-years robot geek action since I think he's a little young to handle Dad's obsession with BattleBots.
And don't get me started about that pesky Sabon and his Power Ranger crap that stole ideas for both Transformers and Voltron, and even the "G-Force" old anime. Ugh.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
No offense, I love my EZ Pass, but robotic dogs that kick ass are way cooler. :^)
Do you remember how bad some of the shows you used to watch actually were? I mean, it's nearly impossible to sit through an episode of Thundercats and actually enjoy it. Or try "Transformers: The Movie"... though the VAs they picked up were impressive at the time, there were some horrible parts to that movie. And it didn't even exploit the full potential of the Stunticons ;)
We don't remember how bad these shows were. This is because there were a lot of shows that made the popular ones look great by comparison....
As seen on this slate article:
According to information released by the Dallas Fort Worth Airport, an even more detailed list (requires Adobe Acrobat) was issued by the FAA in February that helpfully advises passengers not to bother trying to bring automatic weapons, hand grenades, blasting caps, or meat cleavers. Also banned are corkscrews and toy transformer robots.
The ultimate network admin tool needs HELP!
That was a good Sequel/prequel series. The Beast Wars were from the future but ended up on Earth after the Autobots crash and before Humanity had gone anywhere. If I remember correctly, they (the good guys) won the Beast Wars and took Megatron (or what ever they called him) back to Cybertron (the future Cybertron).
Then they started another series based on those characters that took place on Cybertron after they had returned to the future. The end of that series resulted in Cybertron being some sort of organic/tech world. It has been a while since I saw those series, but atleast they finished both plots. Sometimes we don't get that lucky.
I don't like the New Transformers because it was too different.
At the next eco-hypocrisy-meeting, count the private jets used to get to the meeting. Should be interesting to see that
The highlight of my weekend is STILL Saturday morning cartoons, 20 years after most people stop watching.
That and that whole not working it's the weekend bit make for a happily spent Saturday...
Never understood transformers. Why can't people just choose AC or DC and stick with one instead of all this waffling back and forth.
Karma: Good (despite my invention of the Karma: sig)
In the toy re-issue, I really hope they go with the die-cast metal that the 1st and 2nd generation Transformers were all made from. Not entirely, sure, but a h311 of a lot better than the plastic, "breaks-in-10-minutes" schtuff they hawk now.
Die-cast or bust! (wow, a double pun. That should set me for the week...)
AHHHHHHH! I'm burning with goodness again!
- Reakk, Sluggy Freelance
Is anyone else tired of nostalgia like me? I have become so frustrated at the entertainment industry that can only recycle crappy shows and cartoons. Next thing we will see are the "Baby Transformers" or the "Tranformer Kids". Don't even start me on Joise and the Pussycats or Jabber Jaws.
Sorry, I have been real bitter about modern cartoons since Scrappy Doo fscked Scooby Doo. Those meddling marketing executives!
Strange women lying in ponds distributing swords is no basis for a system of government.
Let's not forget He-Man. Go find some sound clips somewhere, he sounds like a perverted old man. "When I hold up my magic sword..."
Check out Robotech.com for information on the complete series DVD boxed sets, new toys and the release of the upcoming video game.
http://www.kubuntu.org/
Yeah, Voltron would be nice. I loved that show as a kid. I didn't like the newer version (CGI).
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Perhaps the ultimate '80s TV cartoon experience
MY GOD! Don't tell me some people really think that!
Actually, as the guy who originally submitted this piece, I don't think for an instant that Transformers was a particularly great cartoon. But at 38 I'm probably about ten years older than most of the people on here who were big fans during its original run. What I meant by "ultimate '80s TV cartoon experience" had more to do with the sheer scope of the tie-in between the show and the toys. Certainly, there were other shows that did the same thing, but I don't think any of them had a product line of that size.
...That if they do it, they do it properly. The ORIGINAL Optimus Prime had a die-cast cab. None of this cheap plastic crap, there were some real METAL parts in there.
:D
And while the Beast Wars toys were complete crap, the show (made by Mainframe...the guys that did Reboot) was fantastic. They even made little comments that appealed to old Transformers fans, like Optimus Primal looking at the screen and saying that Die Cast construction was a 'lost art'.
He was called Skyfire on the show and Jetfire on the box when you bought the toy. And for the record, you're not the only one who was jealous he didn't have one when he was a kid :)
From hell's heart I fstab at /dev/hdc
Hey now, watch the wrestling bashing. Some of us Geeks like both, and my wife likes both as well. Lucky for me we tend to despise dubbed anime, so we don't watch cartoon network shows, of course, we don't have a TV either so...
Anyways, we watch wrestling taped by a friend of ours, and get our Anime DVDs/VCDs from our obscure anime junkie friends. So yes, Anime and Wrestling can live harmoniously together.
Kintanon
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
I believe this says it all:
http://truemeaningoflife.com/oldwisdom.php?topid=2 4605&responses=4
BilldaCat
It's "Thundercats are on the move, Thundercats are loose."
Transformers are "more than meets the eye."
I just got an image of a Autobot that transforms into an electric shaver. LOL!
--
"Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
Those were much better toys in the late '70s, early '80s era.
Ahh, now there was a show, Galaxy Rangers. It was IMHO, the precursor to the modern Batman/Justice League cartoons (called here, the "Renaissance").
Galaxy Rangers was well animated, with a more adult darker storyline. It didn't run for very long, but hell, if Cartoon Network is bringing back the Thunder Cats, they should at least bring back Galaxy Rangers... and leave the transformers where they belong, in the trash bin.
Toddlers are the stormtroopers of the Lord of Entropy.
The Takara Car Robots/Robots in Disguise toys are awesome. Tons of moving parts. The new Optimus Prime (who's now a firetruck) has this big-ass shoulder cannon with little plastic missles that fire.
:)
Even the combiners have tons of mobility (aside from Ruination, the motionless combaticon gestalt who's just a Bruticus re-release anyway). Rail Racer, the bullet train combiner, for example. Very poseable, and he looks like he's built for speed, like some kind of hi-tech ninja.
And the best combiner of all: Omega Prime. He's the Optimus Prime/Ultra Magnus combiner. He stands over a foot high! There's little contacts inside Ultra Magnus' body that change what the electronic sound gadget will say. When they're combined, he says different things than when they're seperate. A cool little touch.
The only problem with the Takara combiners is that they're *way* top heavy. You've got to balance them against walls or bookshelves. Don't even *breathe* on Omega Prime.
Oh man. I'm such a nerd.
But thanks for reassuring me about the fact that you don't think the cartoon was great! Makes me hope there is some sanity out there.... ;o)
Black holes occur when God divides by zero.
Scooby Doo didn't "begin" the Transformers resurgence. Transformers never actually died out -- Hasbro's been keeping the brand active ever since the mid-80's, in one form or another.
What's new here is the activity with the "Generation One" line of toys, from the mid- to late-eighties before "Generation Two" and, eventually, "Beast Wars". And the reason is simple: all the fans who've been actively demanding DVD releases of "Transformers: The Movie" for years and snatching up mint-in-box versions of every TF toy that's come out since 1990 are now in their mid- to late-twenties, with oodles of disposable income. It's now economically feasible for a company to release the entire first season of TF cartoons on DVD, or for a fairly small company to license a new comic book based on the original toys, because the fans now have money and even the people who haven't thought about TF since the movie was released have enough money to start reliving their childhoods.
If Hasbro decides to re-release the original G1 toys the way Takara is in Japan, rest assured there will be a sizable audience of buyers. Meanwhile, the new "Armada" toys, comics and cartoons coming out are being targetted towards children, not collectors (despite reusing many G1 names and faces) -- because, hey, they're still toys, right?
There's just something about these toys that people love, and never forgot about. You ask me, it's the attention to detail -- all of the G1 vehicles were modelled on real cars, trucks and planes, and even the Dinobots and Insecticons were identical enough to their organic counterparts to impress. The robots were a bit chunky (okay, a lot chunky in most cases), but still beautiful in their own way.
These are exactly the reasons I love the "Robots in Disguise" toys, incidentally -- authenticity and elegance, with the added bonus of much, much more posability for the robots. "Armada" may take the posability tack, but the vehicles aren't "real" anymore and the robots are far less elegant. I may buy them, but probably not. G1 is where it's at for me.
Here's an excerpt from a memo I found in the dumpster behind Hasbro Corporate HQ.
Step 1: Create line of toys.
Step 2: Create TV show about said toys.
Step 3: Use TV show (see step 2) to brainwash an entire generation of children in the wealthiest market on the planet.
Step 4: Children spend all parents money in attempt to collect entire production line of toys.
Step 5: Children grow up, discover sex, lose interest in silly toys.
Step 6: Repeat steps 1-6 using a new line of toys to brainwash a new generation of children. By this time, the children from the first round of brainwashing will be adults and entering the workforce.
Step 8: Reissue toys and tie-ins from original product line. Brainwashing still intact; all disposable income funneled to toy manufacturer.
So, yes, I'd say it's definitely more than meets the eye.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
There is a tribute to Blaster (got to love that transformer) at X-Entertainment.
This is just hilarious!
Black holes occur when God divides by zero.
I'd buy a re-release of the original G1 Megatron in a heartbeat. If you had parents who disapproved of 'gun' toys, you know how much you lusted after that beautiful silver Walther P-38 with all the accessories you can imagine.
Of course, I really wouldn't try to walk around with it on the street. You've heard enough stories of the police shooting someone who had a replica gun that was actually a cigarette lighter.
The first issue is long sold out (poor you, it was really, really good); the second issue should be out next week.
Moderators should have to take a reading comprehension test.
....I had all of my old transformers up in my cube in my last job, and people would come in, hell bent on asking me some question.
They would see the giant pile of transformers, stop in the middle of what they were asking me, point at their favorite transformer, say "I remember THAT one!", and be gone for the 10 minutes as they played with all the transformers.
Often, they'd leave without asking me anything. They were great!
???
Where can I obtain this special edition DVD and in what Region is it?
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
Yeah, but isn't it only 4:3? I refuse to buy a DVD that isn't widescreen unless the original composition wasn't widescreen (and Transformers: The Movie was 1.85:1 originally)
STOP MISUSING APOSTROPHES, YOU MORONS!!!
(Ripped from my Transformers webpage...)
TV Guide: Cybertron Edition
7:00 AM - Amazing Inventions!
Infommercial. Host: Swindle. This week includes a home fusion cannon kit, a plant that grows After Dark screen saver modules, and a one-way dimensional portal. All for only 12 trilitres of energon resin.
Operators are standing by.
8:00 AM - Cooking with Slag.
Yet more barbecue recipes. Today, Slag shows us why flamethrowers and cooking assistants don't mix.
8:30 AM - Transmaniacs.
Cartoon. Yakko decides to play with Shockwave and learns the meaning of "radiation sickness". Broadside sings the "International Friendship Song"
8:00 AM - Time Machine.
Science Programming. Eight o'clock??? erceptor, will you turn that #@^^%#! thing off?!
10:00 AM - Decepticon Workout.
Trypticon demonstrates how to tear apart vicious and deadly Autobot enemies.
Today's victim: Bumblebee.
10:30 AM - Rush Limbaugh.
Rush gripes about the growing controversy sweeping the nation: Rumble and Frenzy -- which is which? Also, a commentary on Megatron's and Optimus's new looks, and why Transformers would want to put their own names across their bodies..
11:00 AM - Special: Funeral.
Rumble and Frenzy locate the station Rush broadcasts from. Special appearance by Scavenger.
11:30 AM - Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Science Fiction. [Yes, even Cybertron gets this show] Riker tries to make the moves on Elita-One, only to get stomped on when he asks to see her hard drive interface card. Also: Data learns to transform into a warp nacelle.
12:30 PM - Movie Matinee: "Terminator 3."
In a misguided attempt to get a date for the Skynet dance, the T-1000 pursues Linda Hamilton across Cybertron. Guest stars (in order of appearance) Prowl, Optimus Prime, Groove, Blades, and Octane.
3:30 PM - Cybertronian Gladiators.
Game Show In the season premiere, the Gladiators replace the rubber balls in the cannon with Prowl's acid pellets. Will the competitors notice?
4:30 PM - Baywatch: The Director's Cut.
Don't even ask.
5:30 PM - The Simpsons.
Mr. Burns buys the smelting pits and gets Homer thrown in. Bart accidentally says "Eat me!" to Weirdwolf.
6:00 PM - Kung Fu: The Legend Lives On.
Ultra Magnus, a very, very distant relative of Kwai-Chang Cain, conveniently loses all his weapons and has to face Devastator in one-on-one personal combat for the fate of the planet. Again.
7:00 PM - Tales of Earth.
Documentary (part 6 of 12). The Cybertronians first encounter the Swarm, Megatron takes Optimus apart, and Omega Supreme invents the galaxy's largest Oreo cookie. Narrated by William Shatner.
8:00 PM - Vilnacron 90210.
Drama. Orion Pax runs against Decatron for class rep, and Groove tries Enerweed in the little robots' room. Arcee meets her evil twin sister and gets her boyfriend stolen. As always, Hot Rod just stands around looking cool, doing nothing, and occassionally giving out sagely advice.
9:00 PM - Combiner Variety Hour.
Variety. Bruticus does a puppet show, and Superion tries to reassemble himself while running on stale Pepsi instead of energon. Predaking shows off his latest magic act: walking through the Great Wall of China *without*
alerting local authorities.
10:00 PM - Brady Bunch: The Next Generation.
Comedy. The Dinobots kill several dozen innocent humans and are sent to bed without supper. Arcee asks Davy Jonesicon out on a date.
10:30 PM - The Gunman.
Galvatron meets a diabolical new villain with the power to destroy the planet -- and promptly blows his head off. Flashbacks provide blatant filler for the rest of the episode.
11:30 PM - Saturday Night Live.
Host: Soundwave. Musical guest: Ratbat. Sketches consist of recycled old skits, except that they occasionally change some of the names in them. Concludes with scenes from the time Sludge hosted the show and was startled by a loud noise.
1:00 AM - Late Night Theater. Tonight: "Godzilla vs. Wheelie." A highly emotional story about a lone Autobot who gets really drunk one night and calls someone "a stupid overweight squishy." For mature (over 5 million vorn) audiences only.
3:00 AM - Closing Commentary.
Grimlock points out several flaws in the philosophy of Socrates and meditates for continued peace in the universe. Guests include Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Wrapper, a new Autobot who transforms into a straitjacket.
I reckon it just wouldn't be politically correct to have toys that turn into guns these days. Sometimes I really miss the 80s.
Just when I bought a batch of copied tapes for a small fortunes, I see DVD that are released... dang...
:)
:) (gun, lights, buzzer :) ) Megatron kept breaking up at the rotation axis of the gun (who got one that isn't slacked or glued?) but overall they were VERY educative toys (remember building omega supreme as a kid the first time?) and very durable (with a few exeptions). Too bad today the tv series of the newer generation totally suck and the toys as well.
I should do that with all the shows that I loved when I was young, lucky how I am they would probably all come out in DVD... of course if I expect that... oh forget about it
But seriously, transformers the 1st and second generation were really cool, as I kid I really loved playing with these toys, Soundwave was the coolest robot in the show and shockwave was one the coolest toy
If they can release the full G1 and G2 original in DVD I'll buy them all.
--- Metamoderating abusive downgraders since my 300th post.
These aren't reissues of the original toys. These are cheap plastic copies of the original toys. The original toys were made with die-cast metal parts and heavy duty joints, in order to withstand frequent transformations and active play. These... things will not give you the feeling of solidity and value that made the originals so collectible.
The xxAAs mist be so proud. No copyrights to pay, no original thought to interfere with the ads. And its all gravy as far as they're concerned.
Look forward to the annoying theme music to play in the next elevator you ride. Look for the posters to be in front of your face at the urinal next time you take a piss in a bar.
And its so great. Computer animation... Like computers don't go on strikes or demand a salary. And its not like the Transformers are likely to demand a Union is it?
Look forward for Final Fantasy 2 through N as soon as production costs come down and Squaresoft's copyright has lapsed or been bought for a off-key song.
And as for plot, writers, cartoonists and any of those creative PainsInTheAss. Well they can just starve in the street. And if their clothes rot off, they'll just be arrested and carted off to somewhere where they won't cut off the view of the billboards.
You have NO IDEA of how much retro sucks or how well it plays into the hands of the xxAAs.
Are we so unimaginative, so bereft of creativity that we have to revisit Gilligan's fuckin' Island every fuckin' year while he original cast and crew drop fuckin' dead of old age? Is someone building a fuckin' shrine to Burt fuckin' Ward yet? Are they playing William Shatner's greatest hit in the chapel?
And some moron is trying to get Elvis a (post-humous) honorary degree in MUSIC. Like give me a fuckin' break already. I didn't like him all that much when he was alive. He was mouthing along with the Check Records list. He couldn't sing that well either. Like Billy Idol with his sneer and his failure to properly pronounce the title on "White Wedding."
Jeez... Got a fuckin' hand-basket? Lets set it on fire and climb the fuck in.
MSBPodcast.com The opinions expressed here are my own. If you don't like 'em... Think up your own stuff.
"Wasn't it Gargoyles that started the animation ren in America?"
I wouldn't think so. Batman:TAS arrived around 1992. Gargoyles didn't show up until around 1998.
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
IIRC, I don't think you missed anything between that cube nonsense and beast wars.
Mod point free since 2001
I don't know how much air-play it got outside Canada (though it must have got some), but Mainframe Entertainment [mainframe.ca] (best known for their "Reboot" CG animated series) put out a series of CG-based animated television programmes called "Beast Wars" and subsequently "Beast Machines" back in the late-90s. At first these struck me as simply Mainframe strutting out it's incredible CG capabilities. But as the series progressed I realized that this was actually Transformers-for-Adults. They created a fairly sophisicated story line and some some decent characters for an animated series. A few episodes would even qualify as half-decent SF, IMHO. I have since gone back and watched some of the old Transformers cartoons from the the 80's and must say, they are best left to the eight year-olds that many of us were when Hasbro first brought them out. I hope Hasbro considers using Mainframe again for any new "Armada" cartoons.
So yes, Anime and Wrestling can live harmoniously together.
I'm sorry, but anyone over the age of twelve who openly admits liking "Professional Wrestling" immediately gets added as a "Foe" in my slashprefs.
Ack.
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
For those that don't know www.transfandom.com is the place to get up to date information on transformers. Also this past year they re-released most of the original 1984 tranformers and some from 1985. Optimus prime, the evil jets, many of the cars etc. Ultra magnus is scheduled to come to the USA shortly and if you go down to your toys-r-us you will see it in there computer. A new comic is coming out (is out actually) with some really good artwork done. Just about each page could be a poster. They are also putting out a number of high quality posters
v e/autobots 4.jpg
Also if you want a in box brand new Optimus Prime the have re-released him and you can pick him up at any transformers site. www.bigbadtoystore.com is one such place.
For those that missed it the Robots In Desgise were pretty good. The autobots being cars, firetrucks, etc ruled and I even imported the (2 foot tall) fortess maximus from japan (which might come to the us this christmas)
Remember Jazz, well you can buy him for $35 come June, but don't expect this reproduction to last very long (being one of the most saught after repros)!
Also those expensive pvc's from japan are coming to america shortly and also will be at toys-r-us for a _lot_ less.
Good luck actually finding this box set. Everywhere you go you wont be able to find it. So if you do think ebay... Rihno even stated something about being sold out.
Some Posters:
http://www.cableone.net/skydive/dreamwa
http://www.tfgen3.com/comics.shtml
The one of Prediking vs protectobots and arialbots is my favorite and I have that one to be framed.
Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
Maybe using Jetfire would be a bit rough... consider the He-Man universe though. My weapon of choice would be Ram-Man, of course!
mark
If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe. -- Carl Sagan
For those of us who liked another show, Voltron, visit this link for a start on more about the show's Japanese origins:
http://www.arus.org/voltron/anime.html
Vos teneo officium eram periculosus ut vos recipero is.
Just thought I'd point out rec.toys.transformers.moderated (which I help moderate) and alt.toys.transformers. They're the big discussion centers of Transformers fandom, and a good place to keep up with what's going on in the fandom world.
:)
And don't forget BotCon! I've been there a couple of years...it was a blast. I'm looking forward to a time when I might be able to go again.
Heh. CNN is actually coming fairly late to this whole Transformers revival thing. I was there while it happened.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
I received the conclusion to the American (and UK) comics in a graphic novel for Christmas and surprisingly it was still facinating to read. I would love to see the DVDs released here in the UK - my boxed video collection is starting to suffer over the years.
In terms of links for Transformers, I'm told the place to go in general is BigBot. Another good link is the Transformer Episode Guide - I was amazed at just how few I'd actually seen.Finally if you like the UK comics don't miss Steve's Transformers fansite - Homepage which has links to the original Marvel comics. If you ask me, I think the comics were better than the cartoons but the movie did a remarkable job of trying to bridge the two.
I'm sorry, but anyone who is so intolerant of others gets in my "Foe" list immediately.
Uhhh... That's pretty intolerant of me, isn't it? Darn, it won't let me add myself to my Foe list!
Same here. Around or just after the time the headmaster's came out Hasbro seemed to switch to some super nasty cheap grade plastic for the toys. While they could get away with this for the physically smaller toys and insignificant characters (like the micromasters) I think they lost credibility with PowerMaster Prime (I think that was the one). So plasticy and the paint and colours were too dull. Having said that the orginal Optimus Prime was pretty fragile - it's rare to see which was "used" and doesn't have a broken trailer...
Ah, MASK -- such memories :). Does anyone know where I can get episodes, tape-trading or otherwise?
Alex Bischoff
HTML/CSS coder for hire
Sadly, it is only 4:3. Made me want to return it almost immediately. I attempted to find a spot on Rhino Records site to complain. I don't get why companies would release something in a obvious pan and scan format. I still haven't been able to relive that movie because it was only out in theater once...
While it looked pretty cool as a gun, the original Megatron was a bad toy. As a robot toy Megatron looked awful and the number of pieces that the scope had were just annoying. Coupled with that the thing was just too fragile and there was barely anything to "transforming" it.
I don't see how people can disparage wrestling by reflex. The atheleticism necessary to cary out the spots they do is incredible. And not only to they have to be athletic, they have to be capable of some decent acting, and I'm not talking about their spoken character parts which can range from really well spoken to unintelligible. I'm talking about selling the moves so that it looks like they did get hit, and it looks like they are in pain. The people are talented. Go throw yourself off of a 20 foot tall tower onto a table and see how you feel the next morning. Wrestling is entertainment, but it's also inceredibly physicly demanding.
Kintanon
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
You do realize that Nintendo is still pumping out Mario-related games every month, and some of these are the most anticipated releases for the 80s/Nintendo/whoever crowd?
Altough I do agree with you, the TF movie was about as ahead of its time as anything kids ever see. Picked up the movie soundtrack CD and movie DVD (UNEDITED, yes, Spike DID say "shit") within the past couple of months myself, and they're both still very watchable/listenable.
Endless arguments over trivial contradictions in books written by ignorant savages to explain thunder in the dark.
That was funny! And since I'm a fan of yours, your post is modded at 4! :)
See, it really does work...
(P.S. I'm not intolerant of others, I'm intolerant of stupid redneck garbage on television, and those who would support it to lower the LCD factor (see The Onion) of American culture.)
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
I watched wrestling (WWF, Hulk Hogan and Rowdy Roddy Piper) as a child. My brothers and I had most of the 10" rubberized action figures. It was lots of fun. Sometime around when I turned 14, though, you could see the lame acting was just that. Yes, picking people up and dropping them on their face without injuring them takes some skill, but it's not one I find culturally acceptable. (The punches and kicks have always looked fake, just watch for when the camera has the "wrong angle.")
Now we've progressed (Oh yes, I've seen WWF Raw and WCW in years of late, while channel surfing, including the very well-built and seemingly couth Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) into nothing but petty "my woman can maim your woman," Jerry-Springer-outtakes full of censored screaming vulgarity and profanity, stupid stunts, lights, smoke, shiny things, chair-and-cinderblock to the cranium violence-- and, to add insult to injury, corporate-greed-frenzied merchandising! Any physical stamina required to pull off the intricate choreography of "wrestling" is lost in this tripe, and any doubt of the danger involved died with The Anvil when he fell from the roof during a failed stunt.
Ladies and gentlemen, is this what you want the world to identify as "American entertainment?"
SlashSigTheorem: Humorous, Political, Critical, Constructive- If you have a
and the Micromachines guy
Mitch "Motormouth" Moshita(sp?). I also used to have his album, "Five Minute University". I'm trying to track down another album of his... I think it was called "Moby Dick in 30 minutes".
Skevin
"Twice half-assed makes an ass whole." --Solomon K. Chang
ohhh this is not by reflex. this is from hours upon hours of having to sit through every pay per view, monday night RAW and thursday night Smackdown when I cant win the battle. :D
While I have appreciation for the athletics involved, the rampant use of steroids (and yes it does go on...), the exploitative use of women (come on.. maybe two of em aren't just big breasts and long legs), the trite dialogue, and use of heros such as "Stone Cold" who exemplify the 'fuck you' attitude, doesn't rank highly in my opinion.
It's a soap opera for men, and as an entertainment/escapism show, it ranks high. But as intelligent entertainment.. it's not my cup of tea.
What's very sad is that I can now follow along with most of the story lines and history (my SO likes to give background info as we're going along). And yes i know i could leave the room or whatever..but i'd rather spend time with him even doing something i hate than isolating myself for four hours every week, limiting even more of our time together.
In retaliation, I make him sit with me and watch Neon Genesis
Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo - H. G. Wells
While I have appreciation for the athletics involved, the rampant use of steroids (and yes it does go on...), the exploitative use of women (come on.. maybe two of em aren't just big breasts and long legs), the trite dialogue, and use of heros such as "Stone Cold" who exemplify the 'fuck you' attitude, doesn't rank highly in my opinion.
I do agree with you that not enough of the women are really chosen for their athletic ability. But using Stone Cold as an example of a 'hero' pushed by the corporates is a bad one. He originally was supposed to be a heel (a bad guy), but everyone liked him, so they set him against Vince and made him a hero, because that's what the fans wanted.
I think he's an obnoxious ass and prefer The Undetaker and his more quiet style of intimidating beatdowns (After all, who's crazy enough to mess with a guy with a Tattoo on his THROAT??!?!), the Rock is a really dynamic personality and a GOOD actor when he's given the lines to work with. A few other wrestlers are genuinely good actors as well.
Oh, and Neon Genesis isn't exactly the height of intellectual entertainment either, as much as I love the subtitled version.
Kintanon
Check out JoshJitsu.info for Brazilian Ji
Cor!! I remember Danger Mouse from the early days of Nickelodeon. I don't suppose there's any chance of the Tomorrow People coming back, is there?
Hey kids, there's only 5 days left 'til Yak Shaving Day!
http://www.takaratoys.co.jp/TF/scf/mega_01.html
What's with this naming stuff? All the other names are right.. Optimus Prime (arguably the coolest damn cartoon character ever) is Convoy/Conboy?
On the website http://www.takaratoys.co.jp/TF/scf/mega_01.html they attempt to translate the expression "More Than Meets They Eye" From English to Japanese back to English. Check out what it translates to!
When I was your age...
We didn't have none of them Transformers - We had "Conformers", and your Transformers ripped off their theme song from us:
Conformers.
Campaigns full of lies.
Democrats wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the Republicans.
Skevin
"Twice half-assed makes an ass whole." --Solomon K. Chang
Only on Slashdot...
Breakfast served all day!
The current Megatron also has a "giant hand" mode, which I'm told is just the right size to hold G1 Megatron. The new Megatron in the upcoming line of toys will be a tank. As for Grimlock, the name for the current character in the original Japanese version of the current show is "Build Hurricane" and was not intended by Takara to be related to everyone's favorite Diaclone T-Rex in any way. Hasbro chose to use the name Grimlock as either a way to hold onto the "Grimlock" trademark or as an attempted nod to older fans, depending on who you ask. Overall, the design of the Autobot construction team is quite G1-ish, and should appeal to fans of the older style. The Decepticon combiner is a simple repaint of the G1 Combaticons, but with all die cast parts replaced with plastic of course. Finally, the Autobot trains are really nifty, I think they offer the best comprimise between poseability and G1 style "blocky" design.
"Remember, there never were pineapple-almond cookies here."
What's interesting about the comic book is, besides the fantastic artwork -- that is it actually has an interesting story so far:
To quote from TheFourthRail:
"Sure, this book will appeal to the grown-up reader who cherished the Autobots and Decepticons during his childhood, but it's not just the reader that's grown up. There's a darker edge to this incarnation of Optimus Prime and company. This is Transformers as conspiracy-theory book, and it's far more interesting than I ever would have expected."
Also, check out the cover of the page. The art style is in a high-quality anime-like style. It looks like something you'd find in a cell animation than in a manga-type book. This is how Transformers are suppose to look! You'll find more at the comic's producer, Dreamwave Productions.
After posting the previous message, I realized to my horror that I might have suggested a way of circumventing a protection device. Therefore, I take back everything I said. Don't try to hack Transformer packages!
You know, a little potting compound will usually prevent your transformer from vibrating, it's usually a good idea to fix them, the constant 60 hz vibration will eventually wear joints and wires out.
I've had enough abrasive sigs. Kittens are cute and fuzzy.
All they're doing with most of the RID characters is recyling the names. The original Car Robots names were more creative. Changing Fire Convoy to Optimus Prime, Dark Convoy to Scourge (Imagine if Optimus Prime had an evil clone. He's one badass mofo.), Gigatron to Megatron, God Magnus to Ultra Magnus, Build Hurricane to Grimlock. That kind of thing. Some of them (the combaticons and spychangers) are just the opposite. G1 characters with new names. There were some improvements though. The bullet train team actually got names in the US.
:)
And I love the fact that 90% of them are combiners. When I was little, I was always hoping Devastator would make an appearance, because big robots that make an even bigger robot are just too cool for words. Now I get to see Ruination, Landfill, Railracer and Omega Prime. And the latter three are the height of coolness. It's about time the Autobots got some truly heavy firepower.
Anybody ever consider a Beowulf cluster of Transformers?
The new line of transformers are much crappier though. I remember my transformers being heavy, made of metal, and *real* rubber for tires, and real tank treads, etc. Now it's all just plastic crap, plastic wheels and treads that don't move, parts that don't fit together perfectly, etc.
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?