Remember when...

[lcz128]

Classics was first being announced and information was only slowly, slowly trickling out - it was 2006, and I was in a comp lab in the IS building and I was looking at the old Don Figoera sketches...
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/lcz128_photos/Transformers/optimusclassics.jpg (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/classics-11/transformers-classics-optimus-prime-robot-mode-design-sketches-4692/)
*side note: where on earth does that gun come from? The bumper? :S
Awesome stuff...
Then when they were finally released, I know I had to try hard to chase down a Jetfire for myself... that said, I ended up getting bumblebee and rodimus off casefresh's website... heh-

How'd you get into classics?

It's my predominant line now - and I am not really intending to collect much else other than to 'complete' it ...

Just thought it'd be interesting to discuss your first reaction to classics, and then the followup of Universe 2.0 - I only just now found this image of Sunstreaker/Sideswipe:
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y17/lcz128_photos/Transformers/SunstreakerSideswipeSDCC2007.jpg (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/universe-classics-20-29/transformers-universe--classics-20-wave-1-line-up-163856/)

Did you see it sooner? (heck, anyone still got those concept drawings? Cause I *love* concept art :D)

What an utterly exciting time in toys :) Now, I'm eagerly awaiting Classics 3.0 news...

[Vector Prime]

I got back into collecting after I watched ROTF and was disappointed by what M.Bay had done to my beloved childhood characters! (I mean, Jetfire was now a geriatric old dude?)

I thought I would get some TF toys to display to help preserve my childhood memories of the characters as opposed to what Hollywood had done to them, so I went in search.

Because I had been out of it so long, I wasn't aware of all the releases over the years - Armada, Energon, etc, so I did a bit of research into the various lines.

I wanted something that reminded me of my G1 toys as a kid, but slightly better engineered since I wasn't too keen on brick like articulation and no poseability.

And that's how I stumbled across the Classics/Universe 2.0 line - it was love at first sight!

I was like 'wow', here were faithful interpretations and re-imaginings of my classic G1 toys but with modern engineering and articulation - totally cool!

I think in my first month I bought something like 20 of the Classics/Universe range and haven't looked back since.

They are the core of my collection, even though I have slightly branched out into other lines (Cybertron, Energon, etc), but for me, they have a very special place in my heart since they're what got me into collecting TFs again.

I can't wait for Universe 3.0 either... hopefully HasTak won't continue the Bayverse character designs and end up stuffing them up!

[Tabias Prime]

I love the Classics range, their not quite the same as we remember them being from gen 1 but how they should of been.I suppose we have some of the Gen 2 and Beast Wars toys to thank for the advancements in poseablity.

[GoktimusPrime]

You have some late G2 toys and the overwhelming majority of Beast Wars to thank. :) I saw photos of the toys online first which piqued my interest, and yeah, grabbed them as soon as I saw them on toy shelves at Target and Kmart. :D

[optimus1]

I wasn't looking at the online sites at that time and it was only by looking at my local Kmart that I saw them for the first time - Voyager Optimus Prime and Megatron :)
No 2nd thoughts for me, I got them straightaway!

- Prime - A red truck (not a fire truck :D)
- Megatron - A gun! Not a tank, T-Rex, hover jet, car, etc, he's a gun! :eek:
I didn't mind the colours, since he was grey enough for me and he had no gimmicks other than to transform :p
- Plus they had rubsigns! since i was a kid, i only ever saw rubsign transformers as 'true transformers' since they were what I saw in the original cartoon.

[kup]

I unexpectedly stumbled onto the Classic toys by pure surprise at a Target. I was looking for Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toys and there I saw what were faithful representations of G1 Starscream, Hotrod and Bumblebee!

At the time I was only after G1 and Beast Wars since I never got into any of the post 2000 cartoons or lines (RID/A/E/C) so finding these was like..WOW!!

I bought one of all the Classics characters Target had and then I went into the hunt for more from other retailers. I was a total noob at collecting back then with a collection that could fit on top of my computer and I was yet to join OTCA. I think that due to my excitement of this new toy line directly representing G1 characters that I decided to look into Australian related Transformers activities online. I stumbled onto a Aussie Fan convention announcement but I was a week late!! :(

However that announcement although obsolete, pointed me to this community and here I am. How Classics helped me to find OTCA :)

[GoktimusPrime]

- Megatron - A gun! Not a tank, T-Rex, hover jet, car, etc, he's a gun!
I didn't mind the colours, since he was grey enough for me and he had no gimmicks other than to transform
The colours bugged me a lot. Some people don't like the fact that Megatron is based on a Nerf Avenger as opposed to a realistic gun like a Walther, bug considering the legality around it I can easily forgive Hasbro for making that decision. But I've never liked Classics Megatron's 'clown colours.' :/ I remember seeing a lot of people posting pics of their custom repaints of their Classics Megatron in more G1 colours getting that toy. I nabbed Henkei Megatron as soon as he came out and shortly after sold my Classics Megs. :)

I do agree that having rub signs is a really cool part of Classics, and it's something I miss with "Classics 2.0" Universe, although having tampographed insignias looks nice too.


I saw what were faithful representations of G1 Starscream, Hotrod and Bumblebee!
I wouldn't say "faithful" because the toys don't look like any previous incarnations of those characters, but I think they are good "updates" of those characters using contemporary toy engineering. :)

I wish they made a Classics cartoon or ongoing retail comic series (instead of the occasional Universe mould making a 'guest appearances' in otherwise non-Classics stories (-_-)). :(

P.S.: Anyone else here really want a Deluxe "Classics" Jazz?

[heroic_decepticon]

I love the Classics. Have been (re)collecting G1 for a number of years already when the Classics were released. So I was there at the beginning snapping them up.

For awhile they were great. But as Vector Prime and Optimus1 would know, I've since sold most of my Classics figures (between the 2 of them, they bought most of my Classics).

The designs were great, but overall, the toys just didn't do it for me. They lacked something, be it chrome, die-cast parts, sticker sheets, accessories or, some x-factor I just can't put my finger on. I started growing not so fond of them and subsequently sold them.

I still prefer to collect pure one G1. Sure they could be (and in most instances are) like bricks, but they still in general exude a class and elegance the subsequent toylines can only aspire to.

Articulation is not a major consideration because I don't play with toys, whether G1 or Classics, like I used to. Articulation don't matter when they are just standing on shelves. :D

I now only mainly have Henkei Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge. I had to keep the seekers because they had knee joints and upper legs (and in this respect beats G1!).

[1AZRAEL1]

P.S.: Anyone else here really want a Deluxe "Classics" Jazz?

Yes :p

I quite like Classics/Universe 2.0 figures, and first saw Grimlock at the Parra Fair shortly before they were released in retail. (Some guy brought it in and was selling it for $30) Shortly after that I started to see them trickle into stores and bought them when I saw them, though I still missed getting Mirage (and passed him up again 2 fairs ago for lack of funds :()

[kup]

I wouldn't say "faithful" because the toys don't look like any previous incarnations of those characters, but I think they are good "updates" of those characters using contemporary toy engineering. :)


They are faithful representations because they directly and unmistakeably represent those characters - I am not referring to the engineering. It's not like A/E/C in which there was a Starscream that shared many character traits to the original but was mostly based on the G1 character rather than directly being him as a character (or design for that matter).


I think we all want a deluxe Classics Jazz. If Hasbro doesn't make one for Classics 3.0 (or whatever is called) then they are dumb :p

[5FDP]

I heard about Classics when the news broke on the international forums and after I found the first two - Bumblebee and Astrotrain, I was immediately hooked. They're a great update to the original characters I grew up with.

[Wheel-J]

In 2006, I was by myself when I unexpectedly saw that white & orangey fighter plane on a toy shelf. :D I really would want to share that joy at that time, I could've screamed, delighted to what I discovered, good thing I brought my sanity along. I never had known or opt to recognize any other TFs post the G1 series. And from henceforth, like many here, I have tracked all figures which have been released on the classic lines. :) And I'm glad I did!

[GoktimusPrime]

They're a great update to the original characters I grew up with.
Swoop got kinda gipped though. :p

[Vector Prime]

Swoop got kinda gipped though. :p

:confused: Have I missed something?
I wasn't aware there's a classic version of Swoop?

[kup]

:confused: Have I missed something?
I wasn't aware there's a classic version of Swoop?

There isn't really. He is just a minicon repaint. These 'Classics' minicon repaints have been generally ignored by fans as part of their Classics collection. They have also been mostly ignored in fiction aside from the Botcon07 comic which had Swoop as a 'blown up' character based on the minicon repaint.

http://www.transformersclassics.com/gallery/Hasbro-Photo-Archive/dinobot_minicons_robot

Very lame. I didn't get it.

[Vector Prime]

Very lame.

I concur on that one... thought there was a classic deluxe or voyager collector's club exclusive that I missed out on or something :p

[Seraphim Prime]

There isn't really. He is just a minicon repaint. These 'Classics' minicon repaints have been generally ignored by fans as part of their Classics collection. They have also been mostly ignored in fiction aside from the Botcon07 comic which had Swoop as a 'blown up' character based on the minicon repaint.

http://www.transformersclassics.com/gallery/Hasbro-Photo-Archive/dinobot_minicons_robot

Very lame. I didn't get it.

Well, to call them repaints isn't actually correct. True they did get repainted 3 or four times after their initial release but their Classics release was their first one.

The story goes that those figures were supposed to have been sold as new moulds as part of the Cybertron line in the mini-con two-packs that were being progressively released. Why this didn't happen, I'm not sure. But Hasbro tried to get them released and so got them out in sets of three as part of the Classics line.

Unlike Kup, I snapped these all up because I'd become quite a fan of the mini-cons, but they've never really been part of my classics line-up. Although I did like The Collector's Club story with them tieing them into the "Generation 3" universe that Fun Publications has seemed to have created out of the Classics toys.

[5FDP]

It's a real shame that we will never see Cosmos, Wheelie, and Warpath released at retail. Even the previous wave before that (Brawn, Beachcomber, and Bumblebee) saw limited release but at least that was something. I really liked these little fellows.

[1AZRAEL1]

It's a real shame that we will never see Cosmos, Wheelie, and Warpath released at retail. Even the previous wave before that (Brawn, Beachcomber, and Bumblebee) saw limited release but at least that was something. I really liked these little fellows.

They did, just not in this country. If you ask nicely enough, someone over in New Zealand might be able track them down for you ;)

[5FDP]

They did, just not in this country. If you ask nicely enough, someone over in New Zealand might be able track them down for you ;)

Thanks 1AZRAEL1. I was originally going to order them from RK when they were first released, however couldn't justify the shipping for 3 small items.

They're not really that high on my 'want' list, it just would have been nice to see local distribution.

[GoktimusPrime]

RE: Classics Swoop
What Seraphim said. :) Also, Classics Swoop has made a canonical appearance in that Mini-Con form meaning that he has officially become a Mini-Con in Classics lore. Gipped!

[Paulbot]

I don't recall what my first thoughts about classics were. I would have seen the news and pics on here but it hasn't really stuck in my memory other than being excited about the return of triple changers in the form of Astrotrain.

I remember being one of the first to find the figures in Melb, finding and buying Rodimus at David Jones on the spot instead of waiting for the sale starting in a few days. And I clearly recall the trouble I had getting Grimlock around Christmas time and the impossible to find Jetfire which Iceburn helped me out with (when I first met Iceburn too if I recall).

I do recall seeing the first pictures from SDCC of the new classics and being very excited about Sunstreaker/Sideswipe but confused by Tankor (as they had pictures of real vehicles on the slide with a drawing of the robot mode).

[lcz128]

Awesome to read everyone's recollections..



I do recall seeing the first pictures from SDCC of the new classics and being very excited about Sunstreaker/Sideswipe but confused by Tankor (as they had pictures of real vehicles on the slide with a drawing of the robot mode).

Do you know anywhere online with those images still? :O

Cause the Sunstreaker Sideswipe concept ones look great and I'm so curious :D

[kurdt_the_goat]

These aren't first images, but there's some cool pics at these links:

Interview with Alex Kubalsky (http://pingmag.jp/2007/06/29/transformers/)

Alex Kubalsky Site (http://www.kubalsky.com/) (No surprise he was responsible for the excellent Universe/Henkei Hound & Ravage)

Grimlock sketches (http://tformers.com/transformers-tf-classics-grimlock/6042/news.html)

[Paulbot]

I've got the Tankor photo saved somewhere. I'll dig it up

[Vector Sigma 13]

I reccon those tankor pics came out just after i got into collecting, must have been around 2006/ 2007.

I first saw Hotrod and Starscream at retail but wasnt interested initially. It was only down the track that i got interested. I Bought classics Bumblebee of an Ozformers member (Cant remember who) who was my first figure of that line.

[5FDP]

I believe these are the pics you guys are talking about -

http://photos.actionfigs.com/data/2554/SCC_4015_resize.JPG

http://photos.actionfigs.com/data/2554/SCC_4014_resize.JPG

[Paulbot]

Yes that's the Octane pic I meant.

[kup]

Octane sure went through some radical changes. Too bad we didn't get something closer to that concept pic.

I am curious, I wasnt an active community member before classics and from my perspective they appeared out of thin air as i first learned of them when i first saw them at Target.

Was there a 'built up' to classic with news, announcements and concept art as we currently get for new toys or did Classics just suddenly happen?

[Seraphim Prime]

I don't remember it too well, but I do remember the first talks being of a filler line between the end of Cybertron and the first Transformers movie which would revisit classic characters with modern technology. I don't remember what was revealed when though.

[GoktimusPrime]

Octane sure went through some radical changes. Too bad we didn't get something closer to that concept pic.
...or name. :/

[5FDP]

Was there a 'built up' to classic with news, announcements and concept art as we currently get for new toys or did Classics just suddenly happen?

The only real annoucement was made on the Hasbro website and frontpaged on the fan sites. There were also early pictures posted of the toys, most of which I have saved. If anyone would like to see these, let me know.

[heroic_decepticon]

I don't recall there being any build up to Classics.

The first fans heard of it was when concept sketches of Astrotrain surfaced and most people (at Seibertron at least) though it was a fan made kit-bash or custom because it was so darn accurate and represents what fans wanted of an Astrotrain toy. Soon, that became known as Classics and then Bumblebee and a few other concepts surfaced. At the time, there was even an interview with the designer of Mirage and Bumblebee on Seibertron (not sure where now).

[DarkHyren]

In my travels I saw alot of the different figures at the time when the Classics series came out, but I just couldn't bring myself to think about collecting again.
Needless to say I'm kicking myself at this point as there are a few I saw that I really should have gotten.
It's a nice series (along with the last Universe series which got me collecting again).
Classics Jetfire is definately one figure I would like to get.