(Re)Discovering older toy lines

[beachcomber]

Hi everyone! So over the past year and a half or so I've gotten back into collecting after about 30 years(!!) away. While I'm mostly up to date with the recent lines, I've found a lot of enjoyment going back to the older lines that I've missed over the years.

I just received some of my first Animated figures from board member iam_trunks who also shared some great info and insight from when the Animated line was released here- which figures are great, which not so much, which ones were hard to find etc.



Back story: I'm collecting Hot Rods, Artfires, and Starscreams (weird combo?)- so I've found some great older Hot Rods (love the Classics mold, need to find an Energon) and while there aren't too many Artfires to grab, there are a TON of Starscreams. I really like the Starscreams from the Unicron Trilogy era and well.. recently found out that I need to have that Machine Wars one. Got some Prime-era ones on the way... and while I might not be able to complete the entire vast range, I'm quite keen to grab maybe 1 of each from the eras).

My question is, what are some of your favorite older lines and characters/figures from those lines? Were there stand outs that to this day, you still love? And for those who know their Hot Rods, Starscreams and Artfires- any I need to find or avoid?

[JJJ]

Animated as a whole (well, the deluxe and up toys, anyway) is awesome. Just finished my collection, and they are some of my very favourite toys. Animated Starscream is a very satisfying toy (and so is the Animated Rodimus I see you have ).

Some of the Thrilling Thirty toys were damned good, and still stack up well with current Generations stuff, such as Whirl and Roadbuster (and Skids, whilst stylistically different in outward appearance, is much like a lot of the current carbots). And I don't think there's been a better Windblade than the original.

There aren't actually very many Artfires, are there?

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I would avoid the Voyager Animated Starscream. I found him to be remarkably flawed with dropping off fingers and other annoyances. However the First Edition Prime version of Starscream is very nice indeedy.

I see that you have the JP release of Hot Rod there. If you feel extremely motivated, I would recommend getting the US release as well. It's coloured very differently, but I think also a bit hard to find.
I highly recommend hunting down the Studio Series Hot Rod and Kingdom Rodimus Prime (does you Rodding go to Rodimus as well?)
Since I mentioned that as well, some not Hot Rod Hotrods; Cybertron Excellon, and even the Armada powered up Hot Shot as well are fun toys. As for a different take, I really like the vehicle mode of Energon Deluxe Rodimus.
Naturally the Masterpiece Ver 2.0. Maaybe, but necessarily the Masterpiece 1.0 version with included Rodimus. I'll leave that up to you. I'm just gonna mention it exists.

Non Transforming wise there is also the revoltech Rodimus, which is kinda fun for the specific era of big-hands-figuoera art work style.

How do you feel about black Hot Rods?- Because they are a thing too. And TBH look pretty good most of the time.

I think Artfire is the smallest number.
G1, United, Masterpice and Generations Seletcs. They seem attainable.

AS for Favourite lines, Animated is of course way up there. I really dig the chunky space modes of Galaxy Force/Cybertron as #1. Helps that it had an dang amazing Optimus toy too. Oh and the Galaxy Force starscream is just fantastic! My fave look for Starscream.
That's all for now, it's almost lunch time

[beachcomber]

Animated as a whole (well, the deluxe and up toys, anyway) is awesome. Just finished my collection, and they are some of my very favourite toys. Animated Starscream is a very satisfying toy (and so is the Animated Rodimus I see you have ).

Some of the Thrilling Thirty toys were damned good, and still stack up well with current Generations stuff, such as Whirl and Roadbuster (and Skids, whilst stylistically different in outward appearance, is much like a lot of the current carbots). And I don't think there's been a better Windblade than the original.

There aren't actually very many Artfires, are there?

That's awesome! Congrats on completing the collection! I'm not sure I will be able to do the same- I've had a look through TFwiki and read up on the Animated line and am probably going to stick to a Hot Rod, Starscream... and an Arcee

Did you source most of them locally or overseas? Members here have been super helpful in getting me some of these older figures which has been great- my next course of action is overseas and whatever pops up on ebay.

I would avoid the Voyager Animated Starscream. I found him to be remarkably flawed with dropping off fingers and other annoyances. However the First Edition Prime version of Starscream is very nice indeedy.

I see that you have the JP release of Hot Rod there. If you feel extremely motivated, I would recommend getting the US release as well. It's coloured very differently, but I think also a bit hard to find.
I highly recommend hunting down the Studio Series Hot Rod and Kingdom Rodimus Prime (does you Rodding go to Rodimus as well?)
Since I mentioned that as well, some not Hot Rod Hotrods; Cybertron Excellon, and even the Armada powered up Hot Shot as well are fun toys. As for a different take, I really like the vehicle mode of Energon Deluxe Rodimus.
Naturally the Masterpiece Ver 2.0. Maaybe, but necessarily the Masterpiece 1.0 version with included Rodimus. I'll leave that up to you. I'm just gonna mention it exists.

Non Transforming wise there is also the revoltech Rodimus, which is kinda fun for the specific era of big-hands-figuoera art work style.

How do you feel about black Hot Rods?- Because they are a thing too. And TBH look pretty good most of the time.

I think Artfire is the smallest number.
G1, United, Masterpice and Generations Seletcs. They seem attainable.

AS for Favourite lines, Animated is of course way up there. I really dig the chunky space modes of Galaxy Force/Cybertron as #1. Helps that it had an dang amazing Optimus toy too. Oh and the Galaxy Force starscream is just fantastic! My fave look for Starscream.
That's all for now, it's almost lunch time

Oh yes, I'm definitely collecting Rodimus too (sorry I should have said Hot Rod/Rodimus...). I've been able to grab the current WFC/SS86 ones so that's been great. I've managed to get a few from board members here (Classics Hot Rod, the G1 reissue, Henkei, MP-28). For MP Rodimus, I had the TRU one, and sold it before I settled on this current collecting focus. I'd like to get MP-09 but... have read extensively on the knee issues. I'm hoping they will do a 2.0 at which point, I am sure I'll get that one.

As for Black Rodimuses... I discovered the Shattered Glass repaint of the Classics mold... the Timelines one... but I'm guessing that will be a real task to track down because... what was it, a Botcon exclusive? I'm also after the Black Rodimus Animated repaint which looks great. I'm thinking I'll have to source that from overseas. I'm not a big fan of how the POTP ones look... unless I'm wrong- are they a good mold?

For Artfires- I'm missing the G1 and the United one but I've found a United one and will probably make that my next purchase.

I am actually keen to sidestep a little... and maybe grab figures like Hot Shot... I was thinking of getting the Powerlinx Hot Shot? (because of the deco ).... oh what is CYBERTRON EXCELLON?? ...... I've looked it up and I WANT. haha. Thanks for the recommendation.... (another to add to the list!)

[JJJ]

Did you source most of them locally or overseas? Members here have been super helpful in getting me some of these older figures which has been great- my next course of action is overseas and whatever pops up on ebay.

The vast majority of them were not only from Australia, but from Ozformers members. In the end, of the 35 toys in my collection, only three (and the last three, at that) came from overseas - Ironhide (because I missed the first one in an e-bay auction, and then got sick of waiting for another one to show up locally), Longarm Prime (because I never saw a complete/unbroken one from Australia), and Blackout (because it was never available here and is hellishly expensive, so any locals who have one bought it to keep ).

However, Animated stuff seems to have kinda dried up here, so you might have to look to E-bay, and the prices are much higher over there (and frequently end up as auctions, which I loathe). On the plus side, a good number of the toys are regularly available. I would advise patience and wait for them to turn up locally before you resort to overseas E-bay - postage is more and more a killer.

Arcee is a very nice toy indeed (I think its the best Arcee toy we've had from HasTak, and likely to retain that status so long as they insist on doing her as a ludicrous sexbot shellformer...), but it is rare and tends to be expensive. But if you're set on her, you won't be sorry when you finally track one down.

[beachcomber]

Blackout (because it was never available here and is hellishly expensive, so any locals who have one bought it to keep ).

Ohh, what is the story behind this Blackout figure exactly? iam_trunks was telling me how difficult it was to get. So Blackout was supposed to appear on the show, but it was cancelled before he did? But they had the toy ready to go and released it anyway? Mass retail or.. I have to ask, how did you get one? An ebay find?

[SharkyMcShark]

Anything from that era (2007-2010) is a go to for me when I'm in the mood for something older. That was the golden era of retail Transformers for me, for both quality of figures and the breadth what was available - often you'd have Movie, Universe 2.0 and Animated figures sharing the shelves.

I also have a fascination with the off-screen Beast Wars era characters that keeps me going back. Figures like Scourge, Jawbreaker, Ramulus, Prowl - basically all of the TransMetal 2 off-screen deluxes - are real rippers.

Ohh, what is the story behind this Blackout figure exactly? iam_trunks was telling me how difficult it was to get. So Blackout was supposed to appear on the show, but it was cancelled before he did? But they had the toy ready to go and released it anyway? Mass retail or.. I have to ask, how did you get one? An ebay find?

Blackout appeared briefly in the same one scene that Rodimus appeared in. I think the idea was that if Animated got a season 4, that the Autobot and Decepticon characters depicted (like Cyclonus, Hot Shot, Strika etc) would feature more, and would all get toys.

Then the show got cancelled. A few of the characters actually got toys (Rodimus, Oil Slock, Blackout) but because it was the back end of line it was really difficult to find them. I seem to recall only Oil Slick made it to general retail. Rodimus never made it to Australia, but was a heavily scalped Toys R Us exclusive in America, along with Arcee. Blackout remained a Takara Asian market exclusive.

Hot Shot made it as far as a gray resin proto.

I really wish we'd seen an Animated Cyclonus...

[JJJ]

Blackout did appear in the show, but very briefly (he got something like a minute on screen, much like Rodimus did - same episode, too, as he was one of Strika's group that Rodimus was fighting). I gather he was going to make a return in the 4th season, which was to be based on Cybertron. Would have been nice, but was not to be.

The toy was released by Takara, but the Hasbro version (slightly different colours) was cancelled, yes. So it is something of a rarity. Yes, I had to buy it from overseas via E-bay, but fortunately I got it for much less than it regularly goes for (when I said hellishly expensive, I meant it - I'm talking $550 and up, plus outrageous postage from the US - even the two cheapies I can see on e-bay today come to over $450 by the time you factor in postage and customs and GST). Just got lucky. I was kinda resigned to buying it at the full normal price at some point off in the future.

[SharkyMcShark]

I now feel like I undersold mine a few years ago

[i_amtrunks]

Having not kept up with eBay etc sales of animated figures, those blackout prices are insane! I paid about $80 plus shipping when it was originally released and managed to get Wreckgar, Grimlock and Decepticon Shockwave from an otca member in Singapore that saved me a tonne of time and money later on (if memory serves only Grimlock got an Australian release).

If I had of known you were also interested in the Unicron trilogy beachcomber, I would have suggested emerging Rodimus, prowl, Starscream (one of my personal favourites, especially the ghost version), Cybertron hot shot/excillion, and if the budget allowed, the mega class coronation Starscream! He may be just a scaled up deluxe (and a simple one at that) but boy he displays well beside a Unicron and Primus.

If you want more interesting Unicron trilogy toys outside of your core three to hunt for, may I recommend the Cybertron defense trio of Scattorshot, hot shot and red alert (plus their original deluxe and scout class Scattorshot), Longrack, Evac, leader Megatron (na na na na na na batman!) And the stupendously amazing leader Prime from Cybertron and possibly scorponok and omega supreme from energon (assuming you have all the money in the world!!!) Armada I can't really go.past tidal wave, but again Goodluck to your wallet.