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View Full Version : A difficult Encore decision



Adzma
21st March 2008, 07:47 AM
Well, I'm interested in expanding my encore collection further than just Megs and Soundwave, and I'm tossing up between Jazz and Sky Lynx. I could get both, but I just can't decide if I want to spend the money in one go. What I'm interested in is what you guys would go with. Who'd choose Jazz and who'd choose Sky Lynx? I'm thinking maybe Jazz first since he's cheaper but I just can't decide. Oh the agony! :p

Soundwarp
21st March 2008, 08:26 AM
Omega Supreme

Adzma
21st March 2008, 09:28 AM
Well he's a candidate as well. ;) Luckily though I get to wait until June before taking any serious action.

kup
21st March 2008, 09:36 AM
If its between Jazz and Sky linx, go for Sky lynx. Its more likely that there will be more future releases of Jazz than there will be of Sky lynx.

GoktimusPrime
21st March 2008, 11:16 AM
Sky Lynx. To date Jazz has been reissued four times. Sky Lynx has never been reissued before. So in the long run I reckon it'd be easier to find Jazz than Sky Lynx.

The_Damned
21st March 2008, 01:03 PM
jazz is really cheap but dude all i am going to say is SKY LINX!!

STL
21st March 2008, 01:34 PM
Sky Lynx. To date Jazz has been reissued four times. Sky Lynx has never been reissued before. So in the long run I reckon it'd be easier to find Jazz than Sky Lynx.

Same reason for me too.

Pulse
21st March 2008, 02:10 PM
Get Encore #09 http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TAK10798&mode=retail

You know you want them :D

turtle boy
21st March 2008, 02:18 PM
could do what i did, just buy ever encore to date in under 2 weeks:p I seriously did..

Rampage
21st March 2008, 02:24 PM
Jazz is a more important part of the TF universe so i'd go with him

Sky Lynx is my most hated Tf btw so i'm biased on this

GoktimusPrime
21st March 2008, 03:56 PM
Sky Lynx is my most hated Tf btw so i'm biased on this
Even more than this guy?

http://starsmedia.ign.com/stars/image/article/847/847909/wheelie-transformers-001_1201322660.jpg
http://www.tftm.net/images/toys/toy_wheelie.jpg

iceburn
21st March 2008, 06:24 PM
going other suggestions:
- save money for omega supreme else get the lot one at a time...
they're all still available at many online stores for these later encore TFs

kup
21st March 2008, 06:56 PM
Even more than this guy?

http://starsmedia.ign.com/stars/image/article/847/847909/wheelie-transformers-001_1201322660.jpg
http://www.tftm.net/images/toys/toy_wheelie.jpg

IDW is going to make him cool, remember? :p

Paulbot
21st March 2008, 07:54 PM
Like the others have said Jazz has been resisused a lot and likely will continue to be, whereas Sky Lynx due to size, rights and being a less popular character may not.

1orion2many
21st March 2008, 10:49 PM
:) I voted Jazz but just remebered I can get SkyLynx for $100 Aus, that's including postage. I don't know if this is any cheaper than what your going to pay but if not PM me for details.:D

roller
22nd March 2008, 04:07 PM
skylynx will get you out of your jynx

Adzma
23rd March 2008, 07:50 AM
Well the majority has ruled in Sky Lynx's favour, so I'm currently browsing for a good deal. 1orion2many has pointed me in a good direction, and now I am awaiting a response from his dealer, (sounds like doing drugs :p).

jaydisc
23rd March 2008, 09:47 AM
Sky Lynx is my most hated Tf btw so i'm biased on this

I couldn't agree more, and yes, he's WAY crappier than Wheelie. It's a simplistic, silly, oversized, gimmicky toy.

GoktimusPrime
23rd March 2008, 12:22 PM
While Sky Lynx isn't the most amazing toy in G1, I would still say that he's not the worst and certainly not worse than Wheelie.

First of all, Sky Lynx's vehicle modes look pretty decent for what they're meant to be, especially the shuttle mode. Aside from the lack of a black underbelly and visible robot leg kibble it's a decent looking shuttle that also features the actual thruster configuration used on NASA shuttles. And the leg kibble is forgiveable by G1 standards considering that the inside of the shuttle already houses the very long tail. The way the neck extends and the formation of the 'frill' on the neck is also cleverly done IMO. The mouth is well concealed in shuttle mode and looks nice in robot mode with the teeth and gun. The reissue looks nicer in that it as extra paint decos on the inside of the mouth that further accentuates and highlights the details of the palates and gun.

The rolling platform doesn't seem to resemble any realistic ones used by NASA but it's passable - you can tell that it's meant to be a rolling platform carrier for a shuttle. The opening canopy in the shuttle mode is a nice touch too. The transformation of the dinobird mode is pretty nifty for a G1 figure. The transformation is very simple, but in spite of being the housing for the main electronic gimmick, the toy still effectively transforms from a platform into a puma. The toy isn't trying to be too ambitious; although the electronic gimmick is very dominant in this toy, it doesn't overwhelm it and smother it as a Transformer action figure, like say with Ultimate Bumblebee. By G1 standards neither its vehicle nor robot modes are really compromised by its gimmick. The platform rolls and the puma's legs can move. What more would you want from those modes? Ultimate Bumblebee on the other hand - from all the reviews I've read and from what I've seen of it in package in stores - seems to have a dodgie looking car mode and underwhelmingly craptacular robot mode. By contemporary standards Ultimate Bumblebee seems to be a toy that is overwhelmingly smothered by its gimmicks - to the point where it's more gimmick than action figure. I would not say the same for Sky Lynx - by G1 standards it still plays as an effective shuttle, platform, dinobird and puma Transformer. Sky Lynx also has the luxury of being very unique and the only member of his class.

Wheelie on the other hand is part of the Autobot Mini-Cars and compared to all other Mini-Cars he is easily the weakest of the group. Bumblebee is a VW Beetle, Cliffjumper is a Porsche 944, Beachcomber is a buggy, Cosmos is an Adamsky flying saucer and Seaspray is clearly and hovercraft... Wheelie on the other hand transforms into a... car. Of some vague description. The greys also clash badly with the oranges.

But the real weakness of the Wheelie toy lies in the robot mode. As dirge's review states, the robot mode is "a horrible orange hunchback thing which seems to have been sacrificed for the car mode" and I couldn't agree more. The lack of hands in this mode is also really poor. I hate how his forearms just end in stumps. Yes, there are attempts at moulding hands on the inner sides of said stumps, but when I first got this toy in 1986 it was several weeks or months later that I even noticed that HasTak had attempted to sculpt hands on it! Okay, Cosmos lacks hands too - but you could believe that the thrusters on his forearms could be guns... and the cartoon/comic made them into hands (you could believe that they could be fingers). Wheelie on the other hand, until you look closely, just looks like a double hand amputee.

Okay, I'm going to start comparing the characters now, so if anyone feels that this shouldn't factor into the appreciation of TF toys, then stop reading now. :)

Sky Lynx may be an arrogant prat, but unlike Wheelie he actually makes more substantial contributions to continuity. And that has long been Wheelie's main point of contention amongst those who hate him - the fact that he contributes virtually nothing to TF lore.

The only really useful thing Wheelie ever in the animated continuity was in Transformers The Movie where he helped the Dinobots to locate Hot Rod and Kup. That's it. There's really nothing else he ever did that couldn't have been accomplished without his presence. Finding that Quintesson ship; Hot Rod, Kup & Co. could've done that if they ever bothered to look behind them. Transporting Metroplex's transformation cog to Earth? It was Sky Lynx who rescued Blurr, Wheelie and Marissa and finally delivered it to Earth. Getting drunk in The Headmasters and making an ass of himself? Definitely could be passed.

Wheelie's appearance in the G1 comics was very brief but tolerable - he rescued Wreck Gar from Quintessons and helped him to fight against them.

In both the comics and cartoon Sky Lynx acted as intersteller transportation for fellow Autobots and their comrades - much like Astrotrain's role for the Decepticons in the cartoon. Not the most glorious role, but important nonetheless (even if Sky Lynx saw it as beneath him). Sky Lynx was vital in forming the Autobot-Decepticon Primitives Alliance (ADPA) and leading them to Primacron and the Oracle. It was also Sky Lynx who found and delivered a Quintesson to ressurect Optimus Prime.

In the G1 comics Sky Lynx made a noble attempt at rescuing three human children from being executed by the Dinobots (they had been convicted of conspiracy with Blaster, who'd been convicted of treason) - it is unsure if Sky Lynx could've battled the Dinobots without endangering the humans since Blaster turned himself in to prevent that battle from ever taking place. The incidences with the Cosmic Carnival and Meccanibals wasn't too important, but it did result with Sky Lynx encountering the Powermasters and Autobot Pretenders (Landmine and Cloudburst), the latter which proved very useful when Sky Lynx rescued Landmine and Cloudburst from the Decepticon Powermaster jets and also captured their Nebulans, which the Autobots used as hostages to blackmail the Meccanibals into restoring all of their former victims.

Sky Lynx's canonical appearance isn't the greatest, but he only really appeared when he was needed. Wheelie's canonical appearance is mostly very forgettable, yet he had a very prominent and recurring appearance in the cartoon! He was like Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. They both keep appearing in multiple scenes where they're not really needed - i.e.: they're not making any substantial contribution to the story, yet they're getting a disproportionate amount of limelight and attention!

And while Sky Lynx may sound like a snoot, at least he doesn't talk with a high-pitched BABY voice and speak in badly strung rhymes all the time!!

jaydisc
23rd March 2008, 12:49 PM
The toy isn't trying to be too ambitious

Woah. You can say that again.

The shuttle is a shuttle with a head and a tail. The platform is a headless puma lying down (great transformation ;-)) The suspension of disbelief is non-existent. And I think the electronics focus is entirely responsible for the figure's shortcomings.

Your analogy of Wheelie to the other minibots is flawed. Complaining about the realism of Wheelie's alt mode would be the same as complaining about the realism of the alt modes of Kup, Hot Rod, Cyclonus or Scourge. These figures alt modes were not designed to be of Earth.

And while I really shouldn't even be entertaining the comparison, why don't you compare the monetary value. It's one thing to spend less than $10 on a toy and be disappointed, but over $100? Your analogy to Ultimate Bumblebee is definitely more appropriate, and I couldn't agree more. They're both poop.

And lastly, regardless of any further comparisons, just remember that comparing poop to smellier poop doesn't stop the original poop from being poop.

Adzma
23rd March 2008, 03:44 PM
Sky Lynx's canonical appearance isn't the greatest, but he only really appeared when he was needed. Wheelie's canonical appearance is mostly very forgettable, yet he had a very prominent and recurring appearance in the cartoon! He was like Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. They both keep appearing in multiple scenes where they're not really needed - i.e.: they're not making any substantial contribution to the story, yet they're getting a disproportionate amount of limelight and attention!

And while Sky Lynx may sound like a snoot, at least he doesn't talk with a high-pitched BABY voice and speak in badly strung rhymes all the time!!
Just thought I'd point out that you're comparison between Jar Jar Binks and Wheelie is 100% accurate. Jar Jar was meant to be a comic element for children in TPM, since Lucas maintains that Star Wars is a kids' franchise. Wheelie could've been an attempt of the same thing for the G1 cartoon. I personally have no idea whether this was effective for kids since I was first introduced to Wheelie when I was about 12 or 13 and so his weird rhymes and whatnot irratated me a little, but maybe if you showed him to kids of about 5 to 9 or even 10 they might respond differently. Anyway, while I do think that Sky Lynx was an arrogant SOB when it came to his cartoon personality, I do think he has a nifty toy. :D Jazz has just been pushed further down the track.

dirge
23rd March 2008, 10:03 PM
Sky Lynx might not be too ambitious, but the toy works in what it set out to achieve. Wheelie does not. So for me, there's no contest there.

GoktimusPrime
25th March 2008, 09:54 AM
And while I really shouldn't even be entertaining the comparison, why don't you compare the monetary value. It's one thing to spend less than $10 on a toy and be disappointed, but over $100? Your analogy to Ultimate Bumblebee is definitely more appropriate, and I couldn't agree more. They're both poop.
Sky Lynx has a slight advantage here in that he's quite unique. He's the only member of his class, if he even has one. :p

Wheelie on the other hand is a mini-car, and IMO the worst of that sub-class and the worst value for money. Again, you compare him with any of the other 1984-86 Autobot mini-cars like Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Beachcomber, Tailgate, Outback et al and Wheelie just pales in comparison.


And lastly, regardless of any further comparisons, just remember that comparing poop to smellier poop doesn't stop the original poop from being poop.
Anything is good if you have low standards! ;D

This should be the motto of the World Taekwondo Federation (Olympic Sport Taekwondo). :)

jaydisc
25th March 2008, 10:44 AM
OK, pardon my crude drawing, but this is what would Movie Prime would have looked like if the Sky Lynx designers were put in charge.

Alt mode:

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/primelynxaltmode.jpg

And ooooooooooooohh! Look! Lynx mode!!!! How clever!!!

http://lindalane.com/temporary/tf/primelynxlynxmode.jpg

Paulbot
25th March 2008, 11:03 AM
That'd make a good Cyberslammer. Although it looks a bit more like a dog than a lynx. :)

GoktimusPrime
25th March 2008, 12:44 PM
LOL!! :D Reminds me of the crude drawings that Dave Barry did in "Dave Barry Does Japan." :)

STL
25th March 2008, 04:50 PM
Dear god. I believe I just read the funniest post ever.

autobreadticon
25th March 2008, 05:09 PM
i go with jazz, but the new encore mini-bots are sizzle nizzle

dirge
25th March 2008, 06:59 PM
Wheelie's low pricepoint makes him far less of a risk to purchase. So even if you hate him, you wouldn't feel so annoyed as if you hated Sky Lynx.

Whether or not Sky Lynx offers much for his pricepoint (I think he's simple for the size and price) doesn't change the fact that Wheelie utterly fails at his size and pricepoint.

jaydisc
25th March 2008, 07:11 PM
This is all pretty moot as Adzma has chosen Sky Lynx, but all this talk of Wheelie has been an unfortunate digression and has taken away from the primary point.... which is... Sky Lynx is an over grown Cyber Slammer.

dirge
25th March 2008, 07:40 PM
Yeah but Sky Lynx's gimmick actually works, at least.

1orion2many
25th March 2008, 09:51 PM
:confused:I couldn't find any other thread Encore related even though I'm sure there is somewhere so I'll post this here. Please ignore the KO's
http://www.ikana.com.au/catalog.php?category=Transformers%20Toys%2FBooks%2 FDVD this is mainly for the Encore Skylynx. William the owner had sold his first lot but has just got another shipment in today i believe.:)

STL
25th March 2008, 10:43 PM
Yeah but Sky Lynx's gimmick actually works, at least.

Gimmick or not, I agree w/ Jaydisc's picture and assessment. I do have a love for the mold as Jaydisc is aware and tried convincing him myself :p but have come to terms that ultimately the transformation is terrible. He is, for all intents and purposes, an oversized Cyberslammer.

The walking gimmick really isn't that difficult or unique. A lot of the dino-rider toys at the time had the same ability. I still do find Sky Lynx to be neat b/c I think visually he looks very cool compared to the likes of Wheelie or Blurr or Sparkabots.

So yes ultimately the toy is a crap Transformer from an engineering point of view but that doesn't take away his scale and visual appeal for me. It's the type of collector I am. Hell, I'd rather buy at $300 statue than hunt down G1 Scorponok. I'm just not afraid to admit it.

Adzma
26th March 2008, 07:28 AM
This is all pretty moot as Adzma has chosen Sky Lynx, but all this talk of Wheelie has been an unfortunate digression and has taken away from the primary point.... which is... Sky Lynx is an over grown Cyber Slammer.
Oh don't stop just because I've already made my choice. I love the pointless banter on this board. :D That picture you drew was hilarious!

GoktimusPrime
26th March 2008, 11:36 AM
we just like to mess with your mmMmmMMMiiiiIiIiIIIinnNnNNnnNNNdDddD!1! :p

http://www.game-addicts.com/wp-content/HomerSimpson42.gif

Paulbot
26th March 2008, 11:42 AM
I already voted Sky Lynx but having received Jazz today I want to double the vote for Sky Lynx. Jazz loses something in the reissue/remould/reissue process where as Sky Lynx looks just right.

And ok some people don't like Sky Lynx, but it's a 1986 toy built around a gimmick (that works) with a more complex transformation than a lot of other new toys from that year, and a more realistic and fun alt mode than any of them.

roller
29th March 2008, 10:19 PM
so what was the final outcome?

skylynx?

Borgeman
29th March 2008, 11:56 PM
yeah it was

George

kup
30th March 2008, 01:48 PM
I honestly don't see what's so bad about Skylinux.

It beats crappy Windows any day!

Adzma
31st March 2008, 07:13 PM
Well I was away for the last week but my Sky Lynx arrived on Friday, along with my Takara Classics Prime, so I got to open them up today. I haven't done much with Sky Lynx yet, but I'm please with my purchase. I was surprised by his size actually, I thought he was tiny. But yessum, thanks for the input all you Sky Lynx lovers out there.