Toy Review - JP TFPrime & Microns AM01-AM06

[Paulbot]

Skywarp is a repaint of FE Starscream right? Not a new toy? It's colour scheme does look the best of the Japanese toys so far.

[STL]

I've been reading a bit about these and the displeasure in having to apply decals / stickers. I wonder what has changed in the last 28 years that Transformer fans now don't like to apply stickers. Are we all just getting lazy?

If it weren't for tech specs, robot points, and stickers I doubt Transformers would even be around today.

For me, TFs these days and when I was a kid was the transformation. I loved robots and I loved the engineering. Stickers contribute to aesthetics but they're not the reason I'm buying. I dont' care much for tech specs unless they're physical cards but Takara have gotten quite bad at consistently supplying those across a line.

I doubt I'd collect TFs today if it was all about robot points, tech spec cards and stickers.

Skywarp is a repaint of FE Starscream right? Not a new toy? It's colour scheme does look the best of the Japanese toys so far.

Yes, it is the FE. It's best with straight paint apps other than Optimus. Do highly recommend it.

[5FDP]

Skywarp is a repaint of FE Starscream right? Not a new toy? It's colour scheme does look the best of the Japanese toys so far.

Skywarp in any series is always the best His theme song should be 'Back in Black' by ACDC

[GoktimusPrime]

Stickers have often been a cheap/lazy way to add additional detail to toys. Extra paint apps and sculpting are usually better ways of achieving greater aesthetic results. On the whole, stickers were generally phased out in 1996 with the advent of Beast Wars. BW gave us a new 'generation' of TF toys that relied more on detailed sculpting, paint/colour apps (including airbrushing on some toys) as well as tampographed insignias/decos on some toys (e.g. Transmetals). Stickers were fine for G1 and G2 - and indeed some G1/G2 reissues come with some tampographed decos/logos that were previously stickered. But by contemporary standards it seems antiquated.

The only toy in this line I'm interested in getting is Skywarp - cos he's Skywarp. But I'm gonna get him shipped to me w/ MP Sunstorm & Utd Artfire, so I won't have him in my hands for some time yet. I want a Deluxe Ratchet, but I'm hoping that Hasbro will release their version here. Or should I get a Takara Ratchet just in case HAS AU doesn't pull through? <rubs.chin>

[SkyWarp91]

Oh man that Ratchet and his sword micron...

Oh man...

*proceeds to take off shirt*

[GoktimusPrime]

I personally don't care for the Mini-Cons... it's the main 'bots that interest me.

Speaking of Mini-Cons, the Autobots' Mini-Cons' names are transliterated in this thread (and possibly other Anglophone sources) as:
Ōpī, Bītsū, Shieru and Arue. These names are actually kinda like "codes" for the names of their Autobot partners, and should be transliterated thusly:

Ōpī = OP
Bītsū = B2 (because Bumblebee is AM02)
Shieru = CL
Arue = RA

The Decepticon Mini-Cons' names seem to be play-on-words based on their bestial robot modes.
e.g. Megatron's is Gora, and the Japanese word for gorilla is "Gorira." Soundwave's Mini-Con is Zori and the Japanese word for scorpion is "Sasori". I'm not sure about Baro (Skywarp's MiniCon) or Jita (Terrorcon Cliffjumper's Mini-Con) cos I have no idea what Baro's robot mode is mean to be, and Jita's robot mode resembles ROTF Ravage's robot mode... but the Japanese word for jaguar is "Jagaa" (which was G1 Ravage's JP name). <shrug>

Is it just me, or does OP resemble G1 Shockwave?

[SkyWarp91]

Is it just me, or does OP resemble G1 Shockwave?

Yep, saw that too.