Transformers questions by newbies, and not-so-newbies

[griffin]

Whats TCCA?

TCCA - Transformers Collector Club of Australia, started late 2014 (I believe) on Facebook.
OTCA - Ozformers Transformers Club of Australia, started late 1996.
(all these weird acronyms these days )

TCCA is the fifth group/community/club for Transformers that we've had in Australia, and as I always say, it is better for variety to have a choice (as long as there isn't targeted competition from them against us)... as this site will never be able to cater to everyone's tastes, and it is better that fans go where they get the most enjoyment from this hobby.

[GoktimusPrime]

Grimlock and the Dinobots were pretty forgettable characters in Season 3, so I don't blame you for not remember. Of course, they still manage to have loads more characterisation than the Dinobots in AoE. #shotsfired

None of the Takara MP's (or any other Japanese Transformers) I have ever brought in Hong Kong have ever had English or Chinese instructions. Only Japanese.
If you are getting a Japanese MP from HK with Chinese instructions I'd be checking its authenticity. Perhaps Hasbro China (as opposed to Hasbro HK) do something like AU and customise their instructions for their mainland customers?

All I can say is "Google Translate is my friend" regarding how I and others I know here in HK overcome trying to figure out our instructions on our MP's.

I've never purchased a Japanese MP from mainland China, only a Hasbro MP (Acid Storm). The instructions were just a Chinese translation of the Hasbro instructions, which as we all know has bugger all text on it anyway so there's not much to translate. I've only ever seen Japanese MPs in China at specialty import stores. Of course, finding legit Transformers anywhere in China is freaking hard.

So wait... Hasbro HK are willing to go to the trouble for minting exclusive coins for their imported MPs, and they initially hired a HK based translation company to translate MP Wheeljack and Bumblebee's instructions into English (or some language approximating English ) for Hasbro AP's Anglophone markets, but don't seem bothered to translate the instructions/booklets into Chinese for their own domestic market?

Relying on Google Translate must be horrible. I just spent the last 2 hours translating a unit of work I developed in Japanese into German using Google Translate. I know that most of the translations are wrong. I've just sent one of my files to a native German teacher, and I'm going to get another one to proofread my other file. The Google translated stuff is nothing more than placeholders just to give the German teachers a rough idea of what I'm trying to achieve.

[Sinnertwin]

Their mental regression was painful to watch

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Dunno if this has been asked before, but is there any information on how the transformation sound was made?

[Paulbot]

Dunno if this has been asked before, but is there any information on how the transformation sound was made?

The old Alt.Toys. Transformers FAQ described it such

The Transform sound begins as an 8 hz pulse repeated five times for 0.7 seconds each repeat whose pitch can be represented by the absolute value of a declining sine wave, with each zero-to-zero arc of the wave representing one of five cycles of the repetition. The actual value of the sine wave can be modified by factor N which is multiplied into the X value but divided into the Y value, which means that although the actual pitch is largely indefinite, in analog terms when the transform pitch is higher the length of each pulse is shorter, and conversely when the pitch is lower the length of each pulse is longer.

Remember in the old days when FAQs for subjects were useful and substantive info dumps that now day we have Wikipedia for.

[GoktimusPrime]

It's transform static I tells ya! Static!

[Bladestorm]

Relying on Google Translate must be horrible. [snip] The Google translated stuff is nothing more than placeholders just to give the German teachers a rough idea of what I'm trying to achieve.

Google Translate is a beast. It doesn't translate Traditional Chinese to English well AT ALL (but that's for another forum). I have found the Japanese translates enough to interpret the instructions when combined with the pictures for MP figures.

I don't know what the logic is behind not having "local language" instructions. I would have to translate either way though unless English was included. Admittedly all the MP's I've ever purchased are from Tak Tomy cases and the boxes inside generally aren't double (or triple) taped like the Hasbro direct stuff (eg Platinum Editions). Perhaps the distribution process is different or the cost to add the extra paper isn't justified as locals would just source from Japan given the pricing. I often wonder if the coins are produced to give the local suppliers a sweetener to entice people in Asia (but outside Japan) to buy local.
Not all local HK suppliers get the coins though as some bypass Hasbro HK and source direct from Japan so if you are buying MP's and you WANT the coin you have to check if stores include it before buying/pre ordering.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Google Translate is a beast. It doesn't translate Traditional Chinese to English well AT ALL (but that's for another forum).

I get handed BING and Google translated stuff all the time as "students work" which I find hilarious as I'll be reading their wrk going, 'Ok, a little bit starnge, but I can tell what they are trying to write' and the next paragraph/line is an incomprehensible line of words, that are English, but don't manage to convey any meaning. Much like posts on some american message boards

The old Alt.Toys. Transformers FAQ described it such

Remember in the old days when FAQs for subjects were useful and substantive info dumps that now day we have Wikipedia for.

While googling, I think I found a copy of that page :

http://206geek.com/how-were-the-tran...-effects-made/
Interesting about the TFing noise, as well as Soundwaves voice. I can pull off a fairly convincing Dr Claw, I might try and whip up a Soundwave sample for giggles.
Interesting. Just to add a bit of info, it turns out that many cartoons of the 80s used sound effects from the warner bros sound fx library. Which is why they share many of the same FX.

This includes Star Trek noises (the photon missiles fx show up everywhere) and you often hear the same FX on He-man, TF, Dungeons and Dragons, as well as countless others.

[prjkt]

Quite a few Star Wars FX ended up in TF as well, blaster fire and the tie fighter engine are probably the most obvious.

[griffin]

Did anyone here follow the "Ask Vector Prime" thingy on Facebook in the last year?

I never followed it, but noticed it's impact on the TFwiki, with a lot of pages noting additions/retcons that reference AVP.
In theory, it was a good idea (from the perspective of those young, or still young at heart) to try to explain the loose ends, errors and contradictions in the Transformers fiction universe, but ultimately, most of us older fans have already created our own explanations for things, and I heard that there were many who would reject and dispute things that were being posted by "Vector Prime" (otherwise known as Jim Sorenson for the Collector Club).

Anyways, it has come to an end.