Maz's Articles & Reviews

Whenever you see discussions about the best Transformers from a particular line or era, over a big enough sample, you can see patterns emerging and the same figures can rise to the top of most collectors’ lists. Once in a while, a certain Transformers toy, concept or aesthetic will be loved by many, and disliked by a few. Inspired by a fascinating thread on TFW2005 started by user NotRamjet97 called ”Unpopular Toy Opinions”, I thought I’d stick my neck out this week and share some of my own feelings on certain figures that might be considered scandalous in today’s scene.

Unpopular Opinions | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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All the best
Maz

Good article Maz. It appears that you and I share many of the same opinions. Combiner Wars toys are some of the best TFs we have had for a while... as long as you don't combine them (And I love combiners). CW Megs is very unappealing and while I agree with your assessment of Ultra Magnus, I will be picking it up. It's just a shame that the alt mode doesn't reflect the comic.

RID looks cool. I haven't seen many toys on shelves here yet but I did pick up warrior class Grimlock and think he's great. I have also preordered Drift because I think he looks like another top toy.

Generations Arcee is another that I don't get. Yes, it's a nice little deluxe, but hardly worthy of the "OMG AWESOME!!" the fandom has given it. PE Motorbot fills the Arcee spot in my collection and that is still a great toy after being out quite a few years now.

:)

Interesting. I can see your reasoning behind a lot of those points, especially on the CW Leaders and Arcee. Megatron should have been more poseable, and Ultra Magnus' alt-mode is pretty silly. I'm still picking him up for that awesome bot mode as that's how I display my figures.

Devastator in still on the fence about - won't scale with the rest of the CW combiners and I've already got Green Giant.

But I to the combiners, I see your point there, but I'm going to disagree (aren't opinions great?)
I quite like "oddness" or strange proportions of the combiners,as when you stick 5/6 robots together, you're not going to get a perect humanoid shape. And I like that. I will also admit to liking (the Takara version of) FOC Bruticus for similar reasons (plus I like the concept of each character having their own shape hand/foot, rather than the G1/CW extra parts.)
I'm also liking the fact that Menasor is ever so slightly taller and bulkier (due to the limb bots) than Superion, which fits his role as a melee bruiser, while Superion is all firepower with his own gun and Poserglide* as a weapon.

Arcee is an ok figure, nothing special, could have been better, could have been worse. I think her popularity is based on the fact that she's the first G1 inspired official release, and is close enough to show accurate that people overlook the flaws.

The movie-verse aspect is interesting - the toys (and character designs) actually look like non-human robots, with vehicle bits attached indicating their disguise - which makes more sense than G1/Classics designs where they're made up of vehicle parts.... And I like how free-form and non-human some of them have ended up. I think the main complaint is that for exactly the reasons I like them, they don't fit that well into a classics verse or traditional display.

*"Poserglide" was a typo, but caused me to giggle as it fits his character well enough that I left it there.

Optimus Prime! Transforms from tractor trailer to robot with headquarters and back. That’s the whole point of Transformers, figures that can be converted between modes. While the process of going between configurations is an important one, we can often attach more importance to factors such as appearance, scale, accessories, aesthetics, posability and the like. But this week, I will be listing my personal top 5 transformation sequences across all the official Hasbro and Takara Tomy Transformers toys that I have had the pleasure of experiencing.

While I accept that my personal experience will automatically exclude entire categories of Transformers like Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Generation 2, much of Car Robots, TF Prime, Unicron Trilogy, Machine Wars etc, I have faith that any reader will understand that I cannot have owned every Transformer ever, and that my own circumstances have forced prioritised buying and collecting as well as periods of non-collecting upon me. Therefore all will hopefully accept this as nothing more than the opinion of one fan, enthusiast and collector.

Top 5 Transformations | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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All the best
Maz

Maz, great article as always! It reminds me of the reason why I love Transformers (and possibly helps explain why you couldn't resist putting newer transformers on your list): engineering.

The marvels of Transformers toy engineering and design never cease to amaze me. My jumping on point back from childhood to collecting Transformers in adulthood was the Binaltech series, which was such a marvel of engineering (if not always enjoyable as toys).

You mentioned so many engineering moments that I also had the feels for in your review: almost everything about Magus and Bumblebee, and - oh my - the Masterpiece cassette-bots!

I just love it when parts tab or lock into place securely. There's no better feeling. Sometimes when I realise there's a tab that I'd previously missed it's like some kind of divine epiphany.

I'd love if you would do an article about your top 10 Transformers engineering moments, even though it might end up with a lot of overlap with this article!

The title of this piece sounds a bit ridiculous as we all know the Generation 1 Transformers Autobot "Ironhide" as a red figure and character, but as a Japanese Takara Diaclone it was a black figure. A Car Robot No.2 Black Nissan Onebox Cherry Vanette, to be precise, and the second ever Diaclone Car Robot to be released all the way back in March 1982. This was also available as the Diakron DK-2 in North America in 1983 (and Finland in 1984/5) in black, together with a black release in Italy under the GiG Trasformer banner, and then came the red.

Square One: Diaclone "Red Ironhide" Quickie <- CLICK TO READ

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All the best
Maz

"Vanette transforms into Autorobot"... it's almost like Hasbro just thought "hey, let's shorten that to van transforms into Autobot!" lol

There’s a difference between fake or counterfeit Transformers that are meant to fool collectors into thinking they are buying official product and a bootleg that is immediately distinguishable from a Hasbro or Takara figure. While both are intended to profit from and take unlicensed advantage of the Transformers brand and its supporters, some collectors can find themselves quite drawn to particular knockoffs. This week I’ll highlight a few that have stood out to me as being more than just fakes.

In Good Kompany | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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All the best
Maz

What will happen to our toys when we die? This is a question that numerous collectors have asked themselves and each other throughout this age of adult collecting. Inevitably, as the original generation of Transformers children and collectors starts moving into their 40s and later, thoughts start turning to the twilight of our lives and what will become of the tonnes of plastic we have amassed. This is understandable as everyone must at some stage decide what happens to their most beloved possessions, and as is the case with many Transformers collections, their financially or physically significant possessions. So, again, what will happen to our Transformers when we die?

All Our Toys | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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All the best
Maz

Great article Maz! And such great collections. I just about wet myself when I saw the Optimus Detolf's :p

It's certainly a tricky question to be asking - especially since majority of collectors are only middle aged and should still have a long life ahead.

I like the idea of being buried with 1 or 2 figures that held sentimental value in my life, which I plan to do also when the time comes. The rest of my collection I hope can be given/sold to other collectors - especially the really old vintage G1 stuff. I'd like to know that the figures which have survived so long, will continue to be looked after rather than just thrown away.

I keep a spreadsheet of everything I buy with how much it cost at the time. While it is useless for future market value - I think it still gives a good indication of what would be reasonable prices for selling if my partner or other family members had to sell.