In Japanese Exo Suits (エクソスーツ) are called Excel Suits (エクセルスーツ) -- I've known this for aaages but only today did I realise why. The 'xo part of "Exo" sounds like a bad word in Japanese.
The G1 Trainbots were originally going to have Western names, not Japanese ones. They would have been...
[* (JP name) (<meaning>) = (PROTOTYPE WESTERN NAME)]
* Getsuei <Moonshadow> = NIGHT
* Kaen <Blaze> = POWER
* Seizan <Blue Mountains> = PLANE
* Shouki <Shouki> = MACH
* Suiken <Hydrosphere> = STORM
* Yukikaze <Snow-Wind> = SNOW
* Raiden <Raiden> = GRAND LINER
I was just watching someone on Youtube transforming Masterpiece Star Saber. The transformation and 'Evolution' gimmick (as they'd call it in PotP) reminds me of G1 Powermaster Optimus Prime (the original from 1988, not TR). Even the way Saber (the small robot) folds up to form the torso of the bigger robot is similar to the Optimus Prime. I've never owned a Star Saber toy in any form before, so I've only just realised this.
Someone noted on Seibertron the other day, that the Japanese Legends versions of Misfire and Slugslinger, have their waist/crotch pieces swapped over (JP Misfire has TR Slugslinger's crotch, and JP Slugslinger has TR Misfire's).
I guess they are exactly the same to fit with either toy, and just have some surface resculpting on them... so I wonder if there was a reason why TakaraTomy decided to swap them around.
All these years watching Transformers The Movie and it's never occured to me before today that the gun emplacement above Blurr's parapet might actually be manned.
I've always thought of it as an automated gun, but maybe some unseen Autobot was inside and died when Devastator crushed it.
Iv'e always considered its non specific/errating firing and aiming to point to it's automation.
www.mariokart64.com
--------------------------------------------------------
"Sometimes, the wrong thing feels so right"
--------------------------------------------------------
Considering how few Autobots we actually see in the city in the movie I always thought the city was mostly empty. After all it was only a handful of Decepticons that attacked Autobot city yet they nearly won. Sure Devastator was key, but if the city was full of Autobots you would expect at least one Autobot combiner to be present.