The Random Transformers Thoughts Thread

[GoktimusPrime]

The Deluxe Titan Masters seem to be selling like hot cakes! Reminds me of the original RiD figures back in 2001 when they were similarly flying off shelves. And just like RiD, TR doesn't even have a current TV show to market it, as opposed to the slower selling Movieverse and current RiD toys, which goes to show that good toys will sell themselves regardless of the existence of a screen media or not.

Hardhead seems to be the most difficult to find. I was looking for another one (for a friend) and I called around several stores before I finally found one, and it was the last one there.

Yes, I recognise that unlike Car Robot/RiD, Titans Return is based heavily off some 30 years' worth of G1 nostalgia. But CR/RiD wasn't, and neither was Beast Wars when it first came out*. And of course, even G1 itself was already selling strongly at first before the cartoon took hold.** That's why I'm not a big fan of Transformers toys being modelled after screen models (i.e. Transformers being made as merchandise for a show or film), rather I prefer it when shows and films are created as 'merchandise' for the toys. Because even if the show or movie tanks, we can still have good toys; but if a show or movie is bad then all we're left with are bad shows and mediocre toys. Just look at Combiner Wars. It's using models based off CHUGUR and MP toys. I'm not a huge fan of the show, but the toys that it's based off are still awesome. I'm sure that there are Lego fans who may not love the Lego Movie but still enjoy playing with Lego.

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*Within its first year Beast Wars had elevated Transformers to become the 3rd best selling action figure line after Toy Story and Star Wars.
**Transformers had grossed US$100 million (or about US$232 million/AU$303 million by today's standards) in 1984.

[Paulbot]

Hardhead's the only one of wave one where Hasbro > Takara so it's no surprise to me he's hard to find. Took me three stores to find mine.

[griffin]

Apparently the voice actor for Gen1 Ramhorn (the rhino cassette) has recently died. John Hostetter was (only) 69.

Talk about being signed on to do a single obscure role... I didn't even remember Ramhorn having any lines. If he did, it mustn't have been many.
It seems strange to have someone signed up to just do the one role, and probably only a handful of lines in maybe one episode... when they could just have one of the other voice actors do it while they are there (and probably not cost anything extra).

[CHILENO20]

Apparently the voice actor for Gen1 Ramhorn (the rhino cassette) has recently died. John Hostetter was (only) 69.

Talk about being signed on to do a single obscure role... I didn't even remember Ramhorn having any lines. If he did, it mustn't have been many.
It seems strange to have someone signed up to just do the one role, and probably only a handful of lines in maybe one episode... when they could just have one of the other voice actors do it while they are there (and probably not cost anything extra).

Episode 74: "Forever is a long time coming"

[UltimateGalvatron]

At Oz Comic Con Sydney yesterday I met Hal Rayle, a.k.a G1 Snarl, Shrapnel and Pipes. He was a super-nice guy, and he signed a group shot of the G1 Dinobots for me!

I encourage anyone TF Fan going to Oz Comic Con today to see him and get something signed!

[GoktimusPrime]

He was here?!? WAAAAAAAARGH! Gah... why do they come when I'm too busy to attend cons?

[UltimateGalvatron]

He was here?!? WAAAAAAAARGH! Gah... why do they come when I'm too busy to attend cons?

Yeah, I kinda fan boyed out when I met him. I shook his hands twice!

[Seraphim Prime]

I went along for the day too. I wasn't going to get anything signed by him at first - I was there largely for Katee Sackhoff, Charles Martinez, and the Stargate Atlantis Panel - but I went along to the Voice Actors panel and had so much fun, and he was just so generous that I got him to sign a Snarl pic for me.

[UltimateGalvatron]

I went along for the day too. I wasn't going to get anything signed by him at first - I was there largely for Katee Sackhoff, Charles Martinez, and the Stargate Atlantis Panel - but I went along to the Voice Actors panel and had so much fun, and he was just so generous that I got him to sign a Snarl pic for me.

Nice! My parents met Karl Urban while I was with Hal.

[Metallikato]

Apparently the voice actor for Gen1 Ramhorn (the rhino cassette) has recently died. John Hostetter was (only) 69.

Talk about being signed on to do a single obscure role... I didn't even remember Ramhorn having any lines. If he did, it mustn't have been many.
It seems strange to have someone signed up to just do the one role, and probably only a handful of lines in maybe one episode... when they could just have one of the other voice actors do it while they are there (and probably not cost anything extra).

That's a shame. He was also in the Clint Eastwood movie Heartbreak Ridge.

Unfortunately there's another one to add to your list too, Norman Alden, who did the voice of Kranix in TF:TM died in 2012.

Episode 74: "Forever is a long time coming"

Yar he's right, Ramhorn has several lines in that episode. I believe he had one line in Call of the Primitives too. I could be wrong on this one but watching/listening to the G1 episodes closely over and over in the early 2000's while working on Seibetron's database, i think it was actually him making Ramhorn's grunts in Madman's Paradise.