Transformers

[Ben]

Anyone familiar with a TF website that would have pics of the various toy releases from the last couple years? 

Ben Yee's site bwtf has a lot of really good pics and descriptions of all Transformer toy lines, but it's not quite complete.

The two "biggest" sites in terms of content out there seem to be Seibertron and Transformer World 2005.

Thanks for the great links guys!

I go by inadvertent imitation over at Seibertron too. I like that place. 

[efranks]

Someone doing a review for CoolToyReview.com by any chance?  How do they like it, have you heard?  Is it basically the current robot mode just with a new outter shell or is it all different?

   E...

It's not Curto, if that's what you're thinking, but it is a member over at RS.  Check the Transformers thread in the CTR section of the Forum over there.  He posted pics and gave a review. 

You know, I found those photos after I posted.  It looks pretty good, I'm definitely going to pick that figure up when it hits.

   E...

[spiderpumpkin]

tfu.info is a good resource.

[iFett]

I found Prime, Bumblebee, & Blackout 3" movie titaniums last night.  I thought these things got cancelled or what not, but it was nice to finally get something new in this line as I haven't seen new SW/BSG stuff in months.

[Ben]

I don't know if you guys saw these or not, but David Willis of Shortpacked! infamy toured Hasbro and took a couple of pictures of some great 6" Titaniums I'd have given valuable pieces of anatomy for.

Arcee and Shockwave

Cybertron Bumblebee and Classics Cosmos

Hopefully, Cosmos, Arcee, and Shockwave get funneled into the 2008 Classics line. 

[Brian]

I'm sure you guys are more than familiar with the line, but I noticed that WIZARD has a nice little guide covering the Transformers Classics line so far.

I'm really torn on what to pick up.  I guess I'm hyped up on Transformers after seeing the movie, and I've been wanting to pick up a couple for a long time now.  Now I can't decide whether to go the Classics route, or the movie route - with Bumblebee and Prime being the two I'd like to get (or at least start with).  I was thinking the Robo Vision Target version for Prime if I went the movie route, since its more affordable.  Looking at those classics pictures though, it really brings back G1 memories .  Decisions, decisions.

[iFett]

ick   I think it's safe to say that Hasbro intends on repainting/rescaling most of the movie toys as they're planning on milking this line until well into 08.

Payload...kinda looks like a milk truck...hmm

Final Battle Jazz  I sure hope he comes in two pieces 


Unrelated.....Death Star now with Tie Fighters

[DoctorPadawan]

I find the fact that Final Battle Jazz is packaged in robot mode to be pretty telling, especially since the official photos just released to the TF fan sites make it look like the battle damage is minimal in robot mode and practically non-existent in alt mode.  And I have no idea who thought "Recon Barricade" was a good idea; I would assume this same person was responsible for the Cruisemissle Trooper back in the late 1990's.

From what I can tell so far (the game is pissing me off to no end right now), there are a variety of Decepticon drones to be had.  Swindle is one of them, along with Dropkick and I would assume Dreadwing; there is also (so far) a Swindle-esque drone that changes into a forklift and a larger "let's piss DP off due to his lack of skill with video games" drone that changes into a tow truck and swings his chain around endlessly, knocking Ironhide three miles away from any potential cars (okay, so he only does that to me). 

Anyway, enough complaining about what, by and large, have been some really fun toys.  Target has, as I think iFett mentioned earlier, placed Unleashed Bumblebee and the Titanium Prime three-pack on clearance.  If anyone is considering getting the UL Bumblebee, I have one and think it's really well done and easily worth the 13 dollars it's going for on clearance.  Given the fact that there are more than a few around, though, you could probably hold out for another week or so and get it a bit cheaper.

[iFett]

Ya, I haven't bit yet on that titanium 3 pack as my local Targets just started stocking it a week or so ago and they're still not moving at the $9 price...Same with the Unleashed BB at $13 even though I bought him at full price...I just hope that the Prime can make it's round - I thought that one was rather interesting.  I'm sure I can pluck em off when they hit 75% off.  Robovision Prime can't be too far off from clearance hell as well.

[Neal]

This may not be news to anyone, but I saw the first wave (Megatron, Bumblebee, Barricade) of the Robot Replicas series today at a local K-Mart.  Sure, they don't transform, but they look pretty damn sweet.

[Brian]

I had some gift card money to spend at Target, so I decided to try a couple of the Transformers.  I picked up the movie Bumblebee (which seems to be really scarce around here now), and the Target Exclusive Robo-Vision Optimus Prime (last one at our store).  It seems like the Transformers toys - particularly these two - have been selling like crazy here now.  I haven't sat down and "transformed" one of these probably since I was a kid, so that brought back some memories.  I have to admit it kind of got me interested in Transformers again, although I definitely don't need something else to collect.  Damn all these 80s property revivals .  Part of me is thinking about picking up some of the Transformers classics here and there (Prime/Bumblebee now, then when they start coming out again) - and if I'm not too completist about it, I might be able to get a few.  I was hoping to stick to mainly Star Wars from now on, especially with the Marvel lines dying down a bit - but with the 25th Joes and now Transformers, its tough to pass up these 80s properties.

[iFett]

Welcome back Brian      

I'm glad that the movie sparked enough interest for at least one of you guys to pick up a few of the toys so I hope that it brought back some good memories for you.  Some of these things can get so complicated that I can't even fathom how a little boy would even know where to begin as even Hasbro's directions can be quite confusing at times, but the two you picked is a great start.  Just hopefully not that start of another large collection for your sake (money/space wise) 

I had a couple SW figs/ships growing up, but Transformers and Joes was such a HUGE part of my childhood.  I got back into SW/Transformers/GI Joe in 2000, but I unfortunatly had to nix my Joes in 2002 as three lines was simply too much to handle at the time.  Outside of MASK, it looks like I'm back to everything I was into as a kid.

[Brian]

Some of these things can get so complicated that I can't even fathom how a little boy would even know where to begin as even Hasbro's directions can be quite confusing at times, but the two you picked is a great start.

Yeah - coming from an admitted novice since I haven't "played" with these since the G1 ones from my childhood - it seems like some are pretty tough to transform, and I can't imagine a kid figuring them out as you said.  Bumblebee is simple, Prime isn't bad either (although it did take me a little bit longer than Bumblebee).  I know we picked up an alternators T'former for our nephew a couple Christmases back (and got a free one), and neither one of those seemed exceptionally simple to transform.  I'd just as soon they be on the simpler side, so it doesn't take me a half hour to transform back and forth .  Now I'm really debating on whether or not to pick up some of the classics - especially since that line is coming back now.

[iFett]

Voyager Prime & Dlx Bumblebee 2 pack  Looks like a no brainer and something Hasbro should have offered at launch..

G1 Starscream Voyager

Thundercracker Voyager

Rescue Ratchet Voyager

G1 Jazz Dlx

Longarm Dlx

Dropkick Dlx

Unleashed Megatron

Unleashed Prime

Looks like Hasbro is still tweaking with the tube packaging for the Unleashed stuff...I dunno...these two just look very small for $19.99

Whewww....I'll take a break now.

[DoctorPadawan]

I only have one Alternator (Ricochet) and he is a royal pain to transform, so I can't imagine how a child would be able to convert him without cursing like a drunken bending unit.  Sometimes I rationalize it by saying that smaller hands might be able to do the transformations a little easier, but then I look at those IKEA-esque instructions and wave off that rationale.

Brian, as someone who just recently fell back into the TFs with the Classics line, I can say that you need to set limits for yourself as to what you will and won't buy.  I've only bought one TF since I returned to the line last fall that I regret buying (Titanium 6 inch Soundwave), and after that, I swore to myself that I wouldn't buy anything outside of Classics and/or the Movie line that I didn't really like.  So far, though, outside of the mini-cons in the Classics line and the ancillaries, Scout class, and Real Gear stuff that isn't Laserbeak in disguise, I've stuck to that.

That being said, if I had to suggest any Classics stuff as a must-have, it would be:

-Voyager Optimus Prime
-Deluxe Bumblebee (based on what you've said)
-Voyager Jetfire (just beyond cool)
-Deluxe Starscream (because it's Starscream)

Or if you want to just act like a giddy kid again (which I can neither confirm nor deny I do when I got these), I'd suggest picking up the Robot Heroes line.  Look at how little Shockwave is! 

This may not be news to anyone, but I saw the first wave (Megatron, Bumblebee, Barricade) of the Robot Replicas series today at a local K-Mart.  Sure, they don't transform, but they look pretty damn sweet.

I'm going to be all over these.  Thank you for the heads-up, Neal.  I'll wade through the debris at the local K-Mart and see if these are there yet.

Oh, and major spoiler for the TF video game which by all rights SHOULD translate to toys given how Hasbro is making so many characters from the game into toys....






Keep scrolling......Spoiler ahead.....
















Shockwave.  As a huge purple gun emplacement and very similar to a movie version of the G1 character in robot mode.  Hasbro, make this ASAP.