Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

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Originally Posted by roller

Snookums where is G1 transforming Snarls copyright stamps?

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Originally Posted by liegeprime

Inner right thigh sweetie:p

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You two gunna get a room or what? :eek:

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Originally Posted by liegeprime

Q: Is there any significant reason - e.g. back story/history- as to why the Alternity Megs and Op comes in 3 variant colors? oh and is it just colors that varied - same vehicle type/class/model?

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From what I remember: The Red Prime is G1 Prime (or a G1 like prime), the Silver one is an Alternate Universe Prime, who comes to make Prime an Alternity.
The Black one is a Nemisis Prime who reforms and becomes a good guy again, although he is a whole lot more aggressive.

Not sure about Megs though

Hello all =o)

Well, I have been a member here for over a week now, and I have gathered a list of questions that have been sitting in my brain for some time that I hope you guys would feel kind enough to help me with =o)

Well, here goes:

-Going by Wave order, RotF Arcee, Thrust etc have not yet arrived in my local area (latest stock I've seen is Blaze Master/Ice Cream Twins/Dead End etc), yet I have seen reports of Aussies having bought them at their local stores already. So would it be wise to just be patient for the new stock to come in, or should I be scouting eBay for them because I may have already missed them? The release date on the schedule says October 1st, but department stores are lousy for doing anything by the book.

-When/how do I qualify to be made a member to view the private pages? I would very much like to use the trade pages to possibly trade out some figures I have for some new ones, and also to see what others have for sale to extend my collection.

-Do we have any members here that are a source of 'reasonable' imports? By this, I mean someone who regularly orders direct from Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy that you can place an order with, but doesn't hide costs in the postage like so many do on eBay (e.g. $24.95 for deluxe figure, $55.00 postage... -.-).

-Do we have any members here that are good with pricing? As I am a collector on a tight-ish budget, I would like to know that what I may possibly spend on an import/rareity on eBay is a decent deal, if that makes any sense (e.g. Alternity Convoy (Red) on eBay for $AU90.00+$AU30.00 postage = good deal or way too much?)

-Is this a fair community in general when it comes to trades? Say, for example, do people gladly trade something they want for something you want (of similar value ofcourse), or do they ask for overheads etc? Dunno if that makes sense sorry, I'm hell tired, but basically, is it all in the name of Transformers fun and fairness, or in the name of profit?

Thanks in advance everyone =o)

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

Hello all =o)

Well, I have been a member here for over a week now, and I have gathered a list of questions that have been sitting in my brain for some time that I hope you guys would feel kind enough to help me with =o)

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Welcome.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

Well, here goes:

-Going by Wave order, RotF Arcee, Thrust etc have not yet arrived in my local area (latest stock I've seen is Blaze Master/Ice Cream Twins/Dead End etc), yet I have seen reports of Aussies having bought them at their local stores already. So would it be wise to just be patient for the new stock to come in, or should I be scouting eBay for them because I may have already missed them? The release date on the schedule says October 1st, but department stores are lousy for doing anything by the book.

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Wait. You should see them in store soon enough.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

-When/how do I qualify to be made a member to view the private pages? I would very much like to use the trade pages to possibly trade out some figures I have for some new ones, and also to see what others have for sale to extend my collection.

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Patience grasshopper. All in good time.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

-Do we have any members here that are a source of 'reasonable' imports? By this, I mean someone who regularly orders direct from Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy that you can place an order with, but doesn't hide costs in the postage like so many do on eBay (e.g. $24.95 for deluxe figure, $55.00 postage... -.-).

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We do group orders from retailers and wholesalers on a regular basis to cut costs but no one buys from Hasbro or Takara directly.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

-Do we have any members here that are good with pricing? As I am a collector on a tight-ish budget, I would like to know that what I may possibly spend on an import/rareity on eBay is a decent deal, if that makes any sense (e.g. Alternity Convoy (Red) on eBay for $AU90.00+$AU30.00 postage = good deal or way too much?)

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Just ask the question regarding each individual item when you are looking at it. Many, many members know what a bargain and what a rip is.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

-Is this a fair community in general when it comes to trades? Say, for example, do people gladly trade something they want for something you want (of similar value ofcourse), or do they ask for overheads etc? Dunno if that makes sense sorry, I'm hell tired, but basically, is it all in the name of Transformers fun and fairness, or in the name of profit?

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In general, yes. Many people sell here at an excellent price from time to time. Some people try to sell but not make a loss and hardly anyone here tries to sell at an exorbitant profit.

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

(e.g. Alternity Convoy (Red) on eBay for $AU90.00+$AU30.00 postage = good deal or way too much?)

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I'm not sure if its a good deal or not, but Shin Tokyo has the Alternity's for $90 members price. That way you can pick them up yourself without the hassle of postage driving up the cost.

IMO, if you can find the red Convoy for under $100, you're doing well. As for the rest of the line, up to $60 and you're doing well.

EDIT: These prices included shipping

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Originally Posted by Jaisun

Alternity Convoy (Red) on eBay for $AU90.00+$AU30.00 postage = good deal or way too much

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wat the? My friends and i each bought MISB red alternity convoy for 66AUD shipped, back in march-ish with a group order.... and i thought that $66 was expensive at the time. LOL.

120AUD is a big rip off IMO...I should have bought more if i knew it was gonna blow out to be that much in such a short period of time...
Its also pewny compared to the alternators/binatech scale and doesnt have as much die cast parts as you would think...

but meh, what do i know about current market values on ebay...

@TheDirtyDigger

Thank you for your answers, very appreciated =o) Sorry if I came across as impatient, it was merely a curiosity.

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Originally Posted by Gutsman Heavy

I'm not sure if its a good deal or not, but Shin Tokyo has the Alternity's for $90 members price. That way you can pick them up yourself without the hassle of postage driving up the cost.

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Wow, good to know, ty =o) I doubt they'll have a red Convoy, but worth a try. Should at least score a silver Megs =o)

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Originally Posted by bruticus

wat the? My friends and i each bought MISB red alternity convoy for 66AUD shipped, back in march-ish with a group order.... and i thought that $66 was expensive at the time. LOL.

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Hehe, I'd gladly shell out 66 clams for one of those, but because I've been collecting 'out of the loop' until now, I had no idea on new releases, release dates etc.

Thanks to all =o)

Can someone with attatik catalogue please tell me the rairty ratio for Energon Starscream (Vehicle mode)?

Also verify the differences of HOC Starscream from Boss Coffee promotions and Botcon

Can someone verify that IDW energon TPB page picture quality is worse than the original DW release?

Is there a comic frame or some reference to show Atari being prosessed by Starscream in the Kissplayer comics?

Any details on Botcon 2006 Megatron availability?

thanks

One of my sons asked me this...

Are there more Autobots in total than Decepticons?

I'm inclined to say yes but if anyone has a qualitative answer I'd love to hear it.

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Originally Posted by snaketales

One of my sons asked me this...

Are there more Autobots in total than Decepticons?

I'm inclined to say yes but if anyone has a qualitative answer I'd love to hear it.

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That is correct, there are more Autobots then decepticons. There are always more heroic characters then evil ones in all the Tf series.

cept Machine wars i think, i believe they were equal

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Originally Posted by snaketales

One of my sons asked me this...

Are there more Autobots in total than Decepticons?

I'm inclined to say yes but if anyone has a qualitative answer I'd love to hear it.

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Sorry but Im too lazy to do headcount:o
Just with looking at my collection of G1, G2, Classics/2.0 Universe, Animated, Alternators - Yes the Autobots outnumber the Decepticons.


For the movie though theres more Decepticons than Autobots
The rest I cant really tell:o

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Originally Posted by snaketales

One of my sons asked me this...

Are there more Autobots in total than Decepticons?

I'm inclined to say yes but if anyone has a qualitative answer I'd love to hear it.

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There are more Autobot toys than Deceptions. We have also seen more Autobot characters than Decepticons. Whether there are more Autobots than Decepticons from an in-universe point of view, however, would depend on the franchise.

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

Can someone with attatik catalogue please tell me the rairty ratio for Energon Starscream (Vehicle mode)?

Also verify the differences of HOC Starscream from Boss Coffee promotions and Botcon

Can someone verify that IDW energon TPB page picture quality is worse than the original DW release?

Is there a comic frame or some reference to show Atari being prosessed by Starscream in the Kissplayer comics?

Any details on Botcon 2006 Megatron availability?

thanks

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Can anyone please help Bread out with these queries? I know the answer to none of them.

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

Can someone verify that IDW energon TPB page picture quality is worse than the original DW release?

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Verified


i saw it last week

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Originally Posted by autobreadticon

Can someone with attatik catalogue please tell me the rairty ratio for Energon Starscream (Vehicle mode)?

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I don't know exactly how rare it is, but I'd say it's pretty rare. I've collected quite a lot of TF Attacktix boosters and I've never come across that figure. But this is just a personal anecdote, I don't have any more solid evidence.

For international purchases, is there an alternative to paypal? I'm after something a little more secure but just as easy to use :confused:

Define what you mean by "secure".

I thought Paypal was secure?

Bank account, credit card details are kept private from the seller... buyer protection... etc :confused:

Yeh but if something goes wrong, paypals buyer protection is limited for purchases outside of the hellgates of ebay. i.e there's a chance you won't get your money back if the seller pulls a macdodgy.

I was told "escrow" is a safer option by the owner of transformerland, was hoping there'd be other popular alternatives out there which I don't know about.

Is there'd a word? It doesn't look right :D

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Originally Posted by canofwhoopass_87

Is there'd a word? It doesn't look right :D

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In Australia, yes =oP It's our tradition to lazily abbreviate spoken words, and no one, I repeat, NO ONE can ever take that away from us! The ultimate example being our stereotypical catch phrase; G'day =oP

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Originally Posted by canofwhoopass_87

Yeh but if something goes wrong, paypals buyer protection is limited for purchases outside of the hellgates of ebay. i.e there's a chance you won't get your money back if the seller pulls a macdodgy.

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Credit cards offer this basic protection, and thus, any credit-card-funded PayPal transactions are also covered by your credit card company. Ask your issuer for information on their Transaction Dispute process.

How much does the Animated AllSpark Almanac cost?

i saw it in Sydney for $30

Could someone please provide a link to the differences between the two MP Grimlocks? Not having a search option is giving me the s**ts...

Original MP Grimlock pic
Toy Hobby MP Grimlock pic

Basically the latter is repainted with US G1 comic colours and has a crown instead of the tray and helmet thingy.

Woah...definately prefer the original colors...awesome...I know which one to buy now (if ever I give into temptation...which I know I will soon...)

Thanks for that info!

link from September Acquisitions

Are Perceptor and Insecticons re-issues of the G1 mold (like Takara Encore) or are they brand new Universe molds (with articulation, etc)?

re-issues

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Originally Posted by The Last Second Sniper

link from September Acquisitions

Are Perceptor and Insecticons re-issues of the G1 mold (like Takara Encore) or are they brand new Universe molds (with articulation, etc)?

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Reissues. Strange thing is for an US release, the missile on Perceptor haven't been changed to massive long ones to suit new toy requirements, like the ones on Pinkimus, and you have to put the labels on the Insecticons, but Perceptor has all his labels put on in the factory.

Also the instructions are crap as per most recent TF releases. I used Botch's online instruction site to look up the original instructions for all four of them.

Perceptor's missile launcher's launching mechanism is most likely rendered inoperable. When the first Hasbro reissues came out a lot of people complained about the unsightly over-lengthed missiles, so Hasbro compensated with subsequent reissues by keeping the missiles the same length but making the launchers inoperable. Unfortunately with early reissue moulds Hasbro seems reluctant to modify them this way, hence why Pinkimus has those f'ugly missiles even though it's a relatively recent reissue.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

Perceptor's missile launcher's launching mechanism is most likely rendered inoperable. When the first Hasbro reissues came out a lot of people complained about the unsightly over-lengthed missiles, so Hasbro compensated with subsequent reissues by keeping the missiles the same length but making the launchers inoperable. Unfortunately with early reissue moulds Hasbro seems reluctant to modify them this way, hence why Pinkimus has those f'ugly missiles even though it's a relatively recent reissue.

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Yeah, the launcher has been crippled on Perceptor. Time to pull a pen apart for the spring :D

I was thinking of posting a followup query on the Hasbro Q&A section. But since I'm not sure bout how to ask, I opted to put it here first.

Last year (Oct 2008*), Hasbro mentioned that they "will evaluate the possibility for one retailer exclusive item in 2009 from the Takara range".

Question that I would ask the board:
1) Are there any Takara toys been released here locally this year?

Question to Hasbro if the answer to above is no or not yet by the time that Oct/Nov Qs are to be submitted.
2) What is the outcome of the evaluation? Are we still yet to expect a Takara exclusive this year (like MP Grimlock or alternity for example)?

*Source

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Originally Posted by griffin

5 - Are there any plans to bring over more Japanese Takara exclusives, like Masterpiece Convoy and Ultra Magnus?
We do have visibility to Takara exclusives and we will evaluate the possibility for one retailer exclusive item in 2009 from the Takara range. As background, on top of getting retailers to range the more expensive Takara product range, it is not an easy process to get Takara product into Australia given the nature of the product. Hence we are never able to offer the entire range but rather a select one or two.

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does anyone know of any good sites or ebay sellers that have Japanese transformers for sale such as Headmasters and powermasters and alike

Ebay is all I can think of. My advice is do an advanced search for 'G1 headmaster' under the toys category, make it a saved search (that way you'll get emailed whenever a new headmaster is put up on ebay) and also tick 'available to Australia'.

ksgj3 has a few, but mostly expensive MIB/MISB.

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show:confused:

sorry if the qusestion is hard to understand :o

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Originally Posted by rampagesss

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show:confused:

sorry if the qusestion is hard to understand :o

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It depends. The first two years of G1 were toys first. The new characters in Transformers: The Movie were designs before toys, but the rest of the Season 3 characters were toys first. Beast Wars was toys first and scanned in 3D to make their animation models. Beast Machines was like a blindfolded game of Chinese whispers in a hurricane between toymakers and animators (and a bit of both). Most of the Japanese cartoons including Robots In Disguise were toys first, as was 'The Unicron Trilogy'. The 2007 movie and ROTF were designs before toys. Animated was more of a symbiosis between animation and toys. So yes, it varies.

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Originally Posted by rampagesss

Ok something i have always wondered, what comes first the cartoon and movies or the toys.

e.g. do hasbro and others design the toys first then draw the cartoons around how the toy works and looks. Or does the cartoon come first, then they have to make it look like it does on the show

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Generally speaking the toys come first. If a decision is made to put a toy into a cartoon or comic book then they have to design a cartoon or comic model based off that toy.

It basically worked like this:
G1: toys first, comics second, cartoon third
G2: toys first, comics (and cartoon, though there wasn't much originality in it) second
BW: toys first, cartoon second, comics third
BM: toys first, cartoon second, comics third (though as Sky Shadow said, the communication between toy designers and animators wasn't done very well)
Car Robot (RID): toys first, cartoon second, comics third (not that we got many)
Unicron Trilogy: toys first, comics and cartoon second
Movie: movie first, toys and comics second
Animated: toys, cartoon & comics conceived simultaneously (more or less)

So _usually_ the toys come first, but there are exceptions.

Is this statement true?

***Just a quick note to those who collect Transformers out there: With the exception of a select few figures or figures which were only released in Japan, it is common consensus among most Transformers collectors that many of the American versions of these figures are more collectible and sought after than their Japanese counterparts (some are even USA only exclusives), and thus are more more valuable. (This is obvious when comparing the prices the figures sell for!)***

It's off some guys eBay page selling "Heroes of Cybertron" figures on US eBay