The Soapbox II: The Problem with Jets

[Lord_Zed]

If always using the cockpit for a chest on TF jets is your biggest pet peeve then I think you got of lightly. I'd rather rant about how every recent TF jet has a fat undercarrige, even the classics seekers for all thier funkyness look like they've been putting on weight in jet mode. While I can name countless great car TF's from the past 10 years, I find it difficult to name more than 2 moulds from the jet family, and they'd probably be the new Seeker mould and the MP Seeker mould so 2 for the Seekers.

One of the reasons I'm sure its difficult for the designers to make a great jet mode is perhaps because jets are mean't to be sleek and thin, and somewhat stretched so there's not a great deal of mass to work with, a car on the other hand is pretty much a box with wheels so that's way easier to unfold. In most aircraft the bulkiest parts are the engine and nosecone/cockpit so its no suprise these parts are used for the legs and body the two bulkiest parts of a humanoid. Perhaps if they spent more effort giving the larger TF size classes clever transformations then we'd see some different designs, but they don't instead they go for the easy option and just pack in a fat batter pack, or add a missile gimmick, or other springloaded doodad and voila another flying tank.

My other rant about jets would be they use the same craft over and over again, seems like every second TF jet is a f15 or f16 or a Sci fi flying brick. You'd think they could try something different. I kinda like movie Dreadwing cause they did try things differently in terms of the jet used and transformation, he was half a step in the right direction but once again the gimmicks got in the way, he had to have big fat arms to fire his missiles and what not. Such a cool jetmode and such a bad robot mode, but I still like him better than the movie Starscream toy.

Ah well lets all just hope that they manage to pull of Universe Cyclonus. Cross your fingers everybody.

PS: yeah the pics are good.

[Paulbot]

Skyshadow(Terradive) is one of my favourite toys from the Energon combiners (and Energon in general), and doesn't have a cockpit on his chest or back... it's his foot. Skyshadow was a nice Powerglide substitute, although it's not as flashy a jet as other jet fighters.

[roller]

"The Aerialbots are takin' their shot! Silverbolt blasts the combaticons, they can all be ch ch changed to be re-arranged, to form a super robot

Superion!!!!

TransssssssssssFormers!!!!"

[STL]

Skyshadow(Terradive) is one of my favourite toys from the Energon combiners (and Energon in general), and doesn't have a cockpit on his chest or back... it's his foot. Skyshadow was a nice Powerglide substitute, although it's not as flashy a jet as other jet fighters.

Having recently dug him up to form Superion Maximus, I have to agree he's pretty cool. I like the lack of symmetry, it works very well. I hope they sneak him in as a movie scout.

If always using the cockpit for a chest on TF jets is your biggest pet peeve then I think you got of lightly. I'd rather rant about how every recent TF jet has a fat undercarrige, even the classics seekers for all thier funkyness look like they've been putting on weight in jet mode. While I can name countless great car TF's from the past 10 years, I find it difficult to name more than 2 moulds from the jet family, and they'd probably be the new Seeker mould and the MP Seeker mould so 2 for the Seekers.

One of the reasons I'm sure its difficult for the designers to make a great jet mode is perhaps because jets are mean't to be sleek and thin, and somewhat stretched so there's not a great deal of mass to work with, a car on the other hand is pretty much a box with wheels so that's way easier to unfold. In most aircraft the bulkiest parts are the engine and nosecone/cockpit so its no suprise these parts are used for the legs and body the two bulkiest parts of a humanoid. Perhaps if they spent more effort giving the larger TF size classes clever transformations then we'd see some different designs, but they don't instead they go for the easy option and just pack in a fat batter pack, or add a missile gimmick, or other springloaded doodad and voila another flying tank.

My other rant about jets would be they use the same craft over and over again, seems like every second TF jet is a f15 or f16 or a Sci fi flying brick. You'd think they could try something different. I kinda like movie Dreadwing cause they did try things differently in terms of the jet used and transformation, he was half a step in the right direction but once again the gimmicks got in the way, he had to have big fat arms to fire his missiles and what not. Such a cool jetmode and such a bad robot mode, but I still like him better than the movie Starscream toy.

Ah well lets all just hope that they manage to pull of Universe Cyclonus. Cross your fingers everybody.

PS: yeah the pics are good.

Oh, make no mistake. I definitely agree with your complaints. I just wanted to confine my discussion to the one thing irking me the most since I was trying to find fodder for custom Aerialbots. But you're absolutely right. There's so few good jets out there and Hasbro really need to lift their game. In my mind, it comes down to the Seekers. They're so limiting. I love the homages but the con is that it limits the design and ingenuity that designers might otherwise use if they didn't think within such a limited mindset.

[Tober]

If only...



Oh well.


I lurk on MacrossWorld alot and there is discussion about why most Transformers jets suck from time to time. Basically what Zed said: it's difficult to get alot of volume out of such a highly streamlined machine. Designers are largely forced to add mass to the fuselage and hard points with the hope that no one really notices the underside of the jet as much (see sig). However it is theoretically possible:

[Soundwarp]

Guys, just wanted feedback too. Did we like the pics or would we rather no pics?

Dude that was awesome, i don't usually like reading too much but that was cool!

[STL]

OMG! Tober have those actually been released? I would love a few of them.

[Tober]

OMG! Tober have those actually been released? I would love a few of them.

No, unfortunately it's just a fan work from a 3D art magazine.

I does bear a vague resemblence to the Yamato 1/60 YF-21 tho. Ofcorse being Macross it has the cockpit as the mid section and the legs coming from the fuselage as they almost all do.

[Lord_Zed]

No, unfortunately it's just a fan work from a 3D art magazine.

I does bear a vague resemblence to the Yamato 1/60 YF-21 tho. Ofcorse being Macross it has the cockpit as the mid section and the legs coming from the fuselage as they almost all do.

I love the way the Yf 19, and Sv 51 contort the jets nosecone and fuselage to form the torso. Although its not a huge jump from the cockpit chest they at least alter its shape and cover it up.

[Tober]

I love the way the Yf 19, and Sv 51 contort the jets nosecone and fuselage to form the torso. Although its not a huge jump from the cockpit chest they at least alter its shape and cover it up.

Yep, and ofcourse the VF-25.



Also I completely forgot about Universe Tankor.