The Random Transformers Thoughts Thread

[KELPIE]

I much prefer the toy colours, they pop..more? better? What is the correct term here?

Or as Grimlock would put it, "More better!!"

[GoktimusPrime]

As early as 1985, I would have other kids tell me that I was "too old for toys" because the packaging says that it's for anyone age 5 and under. Of course I constantly remind them that it says "Ages 5 and UP," and even as a 7 year old, I understood that this was a minimum age for safety reasons, not a maximum age thing. But naturally this fell on deaf ears and I would be bullied for being an open toy collector.

Imagine if those people applied the same logic to other things, like say alcohol consumption. (－‸ლ)

...on the plus side, I would sometimes get free toys from these people who laughed at me for playing with toys. Like my Powermaster Optimus Prime. The original owners of that toy (my own cousins!) kept on pointing and laughing at me, giving the toy to me telling me to "have this stupid baby toy, you big baby!" They laughed even harder when they saw how happy I was at scoring a free PM OP. 30 years later, they're not laughing anymore, but I'm still stoked to have this toy.

[DELTAprime]

I really think this guy is overthinking the music of the 1984 Transformers intro. He says it's really confusing from a musician's perspective. Personally from a Transformers collector perspective, I think he's overlooking the fact it was a cartoon designed to sell toys in the 80s and subsequently didn't have the greatest quality control over its production.

[Dkaris]

I've wanted a tigatron figure for a while. Thinking of either picking up the voyaver from Amazon or paying the extra and getting the bw-11 jungle warrior from Ali. Anyone have any advice on which I should get?

[Sinnertwin]

I really think this guy is overthinking the music of the 1984 Transformers intro. He says it's really confusing from a musician's perspective. Personally from a Transformers collector perspective, I think he's overlooking the fact it was a cartoon designed to sell toys in the 80s and subsequently didn't have the greatest quality control over its production.

Not really, only because I think we've become so accustomed to 4/4 beats that most anything else sounds alien when you try and break it down.

[Seraphim Prime]

I really think this guy is overthinking the music of the 1984 Transformers intro. He says it's really confusing from a musician's perspective. Personally from a Transformers collector perspective, I think he's overlooking the fact it was a cartoon designed to sell toys in the 80s and subsequently didn't have the greatest quality control over its production.

I think it's a fascinating investigation - I've enjoyed a few of his other videos breaking down popular themes.

It's an interesting look into reverse engineering sheet music from an existing song - I think he use a word other than transcribe which I thought is an interesting process.

I think ultimately the odd timings come from two or three sources - it's digital music, so layers are not being transposed specifically on the beats, some of the lines work with an anacrusis to preempt your expectation and thus be more exciting, and "battle to destroy the evil forces of the decepticons" is intentionally syncopated - again to add interest.

But it seems like the three layers were not done as one piece - instead the layering was done in post production, so they don't always work in the same timing, which is why you have the layers come in and out in different sections.

[KELPIE]

I'd also say that the beginning of the closing credits has been looped to lengthen the audio to match the credits.

Nothing to base that on, other than the fact that I always thought that is what had happened.

[GoktimusPrime]

Masterpiece and On-Brand Parallel Substitutes

We all know that MP are far from completing the G1 cast; and this isn't a criticism towards the line. It is more focused on quality over quantity; in terms of volume, we have CHUG. But having said that, there are some toys that I use as stand ins to interact with my MPs until MP fills those gaps. And for me, that parallel substitute line is a combination of Binaltech, Alternators and Alternity (I'll just collectively call them all "BT"). The reason for this is that Masterpiece debuted shortly after BT, and was initially scaled for MP (e.g. MP4 Convoy's trailer is 1:24). For this reason, I've always used BT cars in tandem with MP1 (etc.), but then in 2012 MP Cars started becoming a thing. Since then, they have slowly but surely made my BTs redundant for the purposes of being MP substitutes (I still enjoy them as BTs though).

Anyway, here is my current list of First Year Transformers; and which ones I have as MPs and which I only have as BTs... as well as ones that I have neither of (and thus these characters don't exist in my expanded MPverse):

• Optimus Prime: As the very first MP, naturally I've always had this toy as an MP. I do own all 3 versions.

• Bluestreak: MP18 has now superseded my BT Streak. I own regular, blue and silver versions. Bluestreak was my first Autobot Car, so he's got a special place in my heart.

• Jazz: My BT Meister (and Zoom-Zoom) continue to act as my de facto MP Jazz, until whenever Porsche decides to relent on the licensing for TFs.

• Hound: This is the one exception where the MP has not made BT Hound completely redundant due to the MP's poor QC. I display MP in robot mode and BT in Jeep mode and I never transform the MP. QC issues aside, BT Hound just has a hands-down superior jeep mode.

• Ironhide: BT doesn't exist, so yeah, just the MP here.

• Mirage: As with Jazz, my Alternators Mirage is my de facto Masterpiece until whenever the owners of the Ligier licence allows TFs to use it. I also have the clear BT version.

• Prowl: As with Bluestreak, although I only have 1 version of this toy.

• Ratchet: MP only, as with Ironhide.

• Sideswipe: MP has superseded BT Lambor.

• Sunstreaker: MP has superseded BT Sunstreaker.

• Trailbreaker: nothing exists yet, but looking forward to getting MP Trailbreaker to finally fill this void!

• Wheeljack: MP has superseded BT Wheeljack. Unlike other BT Cars that I still enjoy as BTs, I cannot say that I enjoy Wheeljack as much. Because the truth is that I've never loved this toy as it shares all the issues with BT Grimlock; mostly that annoying counter-intuitive transformation that's more laborious than fun to play with.

• Brawn: Nothing exist. Unfortunate as Brawn was my very first Transformer.

• Bumblebee: MP21 has superseded Alternity Bumblebee, although I still really like Alt'y Bumblebee as a contemporary robot in disguise. I see way more Suzuki Swifts on the road today than VW Beetles.

• Cliffjumper: As with Jazz, Alternity Cliffjumper is my de facto MP until Porsche relents. But even if they do, Alt'y Cliffy will still appeal to me for the same reasons as Alt'y Bumblebee (and I see more red Swifts IRL than yellow).

• Gears: Nothing exists.

• Huffer: Nothing exists.

• Windcharger: As I own BT Overdrive, I personally cannot accept Alternators Windcharger as Windcharger. So for me, nothing exists (but technically, yes, we do have ALT Windcharger). I recently made a retrospective comparative review between Overdrive and Windcharger.

• Megatron: I have both MP Megatrons (main versions, no variants).

• Soundwave: MP13 Soundwave, yo.

• Buzzsaw: MP... needless to say, because there are no BT Cassettes.

• Laserbeak: MP

• Frenzy: MP

• Ravage: MP; although I do own both BT and Alternators Ravage. BT Ravage is the nicer toy (even if he is just a retool/repaint of Tracks), but I love the concept of Alternators Ravage as a Jaguar X9. I also like the fiction behind BT Ravage; very cool.

• Rumble: MP. I also love how Frenzy and Rumble's piledrivers are compatible with the G1 toys.

• Skywarp: MP3 (Hasbro ver). I never got Alternity Skywarp.

• Starscream: MP6. I never got Alternity Starscream.

• Thundercracker: MP7. I do own Alternity Thundercracker. Not a great toy, and the Mitsuoka Orochi is considered to be one of the world's ugliest cars. But it was on sale and Thundercracker is my favourite Seeker, so... meh.

[griffin]

I really think this guy is overthinking the music of the 1984 Transformers intro. He says it's really confusing from a musician's perspective. Personally from a Transformers collector perspective, I think he's overlooking the fact it was a cartoon designed to sell toys in the 80s and subsequently didn't have the greatest quality control over its production.

I don't think he understands the process that would have taken place here - the words (song) would have been written before the music, so that it includes the primary catch-phrases that the entire Brand was being marketed around - and when the line that first mentions the Autobots waging battle, the word "Autobots" and "Decepticons" had to be condensed (squeeze in an extra beat) so that part of the word doesn't get lost, or it doesn't get dragged out to match the timing of the rest of the tune and then sound out of place.

The "stutter" that he then refers to was just a necessary evil... but also ends up giving the theme-song it's uniqueness, as we can all sing it, complete with the extra beats squeezed in.

[KELPIE]

Masterpiece and On-Brand Parallel Substitutes

While I enjoyed the read, where you refuse 3rd parties some of these gaps may never be filled.