Gasaraki's Transformers Classics - Photography, Reviews, & Musings

[GoktimusPrime]

Aaah, the bad old days when Hasbro felt that simply repainting Bumblebee in red made him Cliffjumper <shudder>; it greatly annoyed long time G1 fans who remember seeing the original G1 Bumblebee in both yellow and red (as well as G1 Cliffjumper in both colours too). I've replaced the head on my Classics Cliffjumper w/ that of Generations Cliffjumper (and Gen. Cliffjumper remains in vehicle mode; I pretty much bought that toy to salvage the head ). The head's a different shade of red, but it sure beats staring at a red Bumblebee! (plus Gen. Cliffjumper's 5mm weapon post is compatible w/ Classics Cliffjumper's fist! )

Ahh... the mini-cars. So much nostalgia in these little guys. Bumblebee has eclipsed all others in prominence, but I have much fondness for all of them, even the ones with not much screen-time in the original cartoons. Admittedly though, the toys are quite laughable when I look back at what I played with!

Yeah but don't forget that:
A) The G1 mini-cars came out in 1984, by the standards of their day they weren't bad.
B) They only cost $1.99 each (and you got the 1c change back in those days! #CopperCoins) - the Classicsverse counterparts may be superior, but they came 22+ years later and they cost at least $25 each!

As mentioned before... I currently aim at completing a collection of updates to the G1 roster. Obviously there are some annoying 'holes' still left despite 7 years since Classics debuted, but there are some alternatives in filling almost every character. Here are my thoughts on what may satisfy as an update to the six 1984 mini-bots:

Windcharger:
RTS Scout is the only choice I know of really - a very nice figure which I personally would've preferred in deluxe size.
He's got a fantastic Binaltech (OK Overdrive... I call him Windcharger), but once again, doesn't fit.

It was an odd decision to try and make BT Overdrive into Alt Windcharger considering that the toy was a deliberate and excellent homage to Overdrive. No surprise that it looks nothing like Windcharger. That's why I'm glad that I got BT Overdrive and not ALT Windcharger-who's-not-quite-Windcharger-who-was-meant-to-be-Overdrive-but-he's-Windcharger (#hurtmybrain )

[Sinnertwin]

Yeah but don't forget that:
A) The G1 mini-cars came out in 1984, by the standards of their day they weren't bad.
B) They only cost $1.99 each (and you got the 1c change back in those days! #CopperCoins) - the Classicsverse counterparts may be superior, but they came 22+ years later and they cost at least $25 each!

Comparing them (BB, CJ, Cosmos, Brawn, Warpath, Wheelie) to their updated Legends/Legion counterparts rather than their oversized versions, a BB that cost $2 back in '84 would cost you roughly $5.60-$6 today. The Legends retailed for $7. It's all personal taste, but I prefer the Legends class instead of their bigger versions to create a scale similar to their G1 toys.

[lancalot]

For G1 bumblebee ...and your not worry about 3rd party issue then i recommend the art feather one..a very good g1 likeness.. and he in scale well with the Mp line ...that why i like him ..

[GoktimusPrime]

Comparing them (BB, CJ, Cosmos, Brawn, Warpath, Wheelie) to their updated Legends/Legion counterparts rather than their oversized versions, a BB that cost $2 back in '84 would cost you roughly $5.60-$6 today. The Legends retailed for $7. It's all personal taste, but I prefer the Legends class instead of their bigger versions to create a scale similar to their G1 toys.

Yeah but you're also looking at 25-30 years' difference in engineering. For the equivalent of "30 year old Legion Class toys," I think the G1 Mini Bots are reasonably well made. Except for Wheelie. He sucks, even by G1 standards.

[Gasaraki]

I've replaced the head on my Classics Cliffjumper w/ that of Generations Cliffjumper (and Gen. Cliffjumper remains in vehicle mode; I pretty much bought that toy to salvage the head ). The head's a different shade of red, but it sure beats staring at a red Bumblebee! (plus Gen. Cliffjumper's 5mm weapon post is compatible w/ Classics Cliffjumper's fist! )

So it fits! I had been wondering that... although hadn't researched too much into it. I got the Generations one MOSC sitting around... will have to try it when I get around to open it. I kinda also had in mind swapping the head when I bought the dude. Does the Classics head look any good on the Generations body?

Yeah but don't forget that:
A) The G1 mini-cars came out in 1984, by the standards of their day they weren't bad.
B) They only cost $1.99 each (and you got the 1c change back in those days! #CopperCoins) - the Classicsverse counterparts may be superior, but they came 22+ years later and they cost at least $25 each!

It is AMAZING you guys REMEMBER they cost $2! At that stage of my life I had no concept of money (or value thereof), let alone the price of toys...

It was an odd decision to try and make BT Overdrive into Alt Windcharger considering that the toy was a deliberate and excellent homage to Overdrive. No surprise that it looks nothing like Windcharger. That's why I'm glad that I got BT Overdrive and not ALT Windcharger-who's-not-quite-Windcharger-who-was-meant-to-be-Overdrive-but-he's-Windcharger (#hurtmybrain )

Hahah.... that's a funny anecdote! You might say that BT Sunstreaker and Sideswipe also look nothing much like their homage characters. And... Grimlock!?!? But I guess at least the heads kinda do.

I have the BT myself (personally find the Alternators so much inferior in quality I stopped after getting 1), and think of it as Windcharger in my mind. Seems like perhaps the decision was motivated by Windcharger being a lot more popular as a face/character?? Someone like me, for example, just has no interest in Overdrive (or knowledge for that matter ).

Comparing them (BB, CJ, Cosmos, Brawn, Warpath, Wheelie) to their updated Legends/Legion counterparts rather than their oversized versions, a BB that cost $2 back in '84 would cost you roughly $5.60-$6 today. The Legends retailed for $7. It's all personal taste, but I prefer the Legends class instead of their bigger versions to create a scale similar to their G1 toys.

I think it would be quite cool to have a whole line-up of Mini-bots in the legends class, it's something to hope for. Unfortunately, looking at what's been released (at least considering 1984-86) it looks even less likely that a complete legends update will happen... deluxe seems a bit closer to reality at present...

[GoktimusPrime]

So it fits! I had been wondering that... although hadn't researched too much into it. I got the Generations one MOSC sitting around... will have to try it when I get around to open it. I kinda also had in mind swapping the head when I bought the dude. Does the Classics head look any good on the Generations body?

Narp. Also, the Classics head is a bit too big for the Generations body - he can't transform into vehicle mode properly with it attached. But the Generations head looks pretty good on the Classics body.

Hahah.... that's a funny anecdote! You might say that BT Sunstreaker and Sideswipe also look nothing much like their homage characters. And... Grimlock!?!? But I guess at least the heads kinda do.

The heads most certainly make a big difference (just ask Cliffjumper ). And the bodies do evoke the characters too. Grimlock may not be a robotic dinosaur, but they did choose a beefy muscle car, and the way it forms the robot mode really bulks him up. He even comes with an Energo Sword. The main downside with that toy is the counter-intuitive transformation. But the BT Grimlock mould really does evoke the Grimlock character. I personally didn't think it was the best idea to redeco the mould as Wheeljack; despite the extensive repaint and retooled head, that mould still looks too bulky to be Wheeljack... it's like Wheeljack on 'roids. And Wheeljack with a sword just feels weird (yeah, I know ironic considering the current incarnation of that namesake )

[Gasaraki]

"COMBATICONS COMBINE!!"

Got this a while ago and opened them up for my birthday, along with FansProject's fantastic add-on... but honestly only got this guy to make Colossus. It's a nice little moment to see that Starscream is the perfect guy to pose with him whilst also serving as the perfect size comparator.

The Energon combiners seemed to be little loved given the massive compromises they had, and repainting Bruticus Maximus into the ROTF/Universe version did nothing for the poor guy. United's version improved it a little by getting rid of the horrible translucency of the limb parts (apparently they were hands and feet?), but coloring can really only achieve so much in this case.

Having said that, the color scheme they have applied for United Bruticus is arguably the best of all the versions of the mold, and IMO, the best of the three individual bots here is Vortex. The helicopter is really not bad for the size (and age) of the figure, and the robot is not the eye sore that the other 2 guys are. Onslaught sadly does suffer, but I can forgive the guy some way as it's the natural challenge with torso bots.

Unfortunately the gestalt (United Bruticus I mean) is barely serviceable, and whilst it poses better than G1 counterparts, it's just plain UGLY! I'm not sure whether it's this or the duplicate limb molds that's the most annoying factor...

Ratings:
Character importance 6.5/10 - Bruticus has a spattering of appearances through the G1 continuities, and was involved in some really fun memorable battles in season 2.
Toy 3/10 - Sorry Hasbro/Takara, I really don't like this by itself... Vortex is a small saving grace.

Thoughts and review of the Crossover 02SP kit and Colossus here.

[Gasaraki]

Had been musing a little on FansProject's Last Chance over at the 3rd party acquisition thread. Something about this piece just makes me like it very much, despite the fact that it's US$60 before postage for what is in total not a huge amount of plastic, and it's smaller than the average Deluxe. So what makes me feel happy having forked out that amount?

A number of initial thoughts come to mind. First, it's 3rd party, and given the lower production runs, we accept a higher cost straight off the bat. Second, it's better engineered than the vast majority of TFs, both official and non-official. FP managed to fit a complex very well articulated robot into a very tight car. Probably more than anything, it's the innovation and engineering I don't mind paying for. Third, it's made with a lot of attention and love... the color choice is gorgeous, and pains were taken to homage the paintwork of G1 Deadend's car mode, and the paint apps (including lovely gold on the face) don't leave me wanting.

Interestingly, after fiddling with it a couple more days, a different set of thoughts then came to mind, as it seemed like the reasons why I like this toy so much went even beyond those first thoughts. Just as much, it came down to what makes a great (if not perfect) TF toy, many factors of which this little guy embodies very well:

1. Great robot mode - probably this above most things, it's gotta look great (from all angles, including the back) and pose great. It's gotta have minimal or no kibble. It should be expressive.
2. Great alt-mode - mostly has to look great. If it's an Earth mode, it should resemble what it's meant to be, and shouldn't look like it will transform. Preferably should also look great even from underneath. Wheels should turn, propellers rotate, etc.
3. Satisfying transform - this will mean different things to different people, but I think it should be intuitive, not too simple (and it won't be if the robot is very articulated), but also not frustratingly hard.
4. Media accurate - it should look like who it's meant to be (G1 Ironhide/Rachet, I'm looking at you guys!).

So there's my thoughts on what is probably a very subjective topic. It's those factors that semi-subconsciously, for me at least, makes me like or dislike a toy. Last Chance fulfills many of these factors, and FP can be proud to have put out a figure like this.