The Random Transformers Thoughts Thread

[Lint]

Watching the 1986 movie with my kids today, the following occurred to me:

[High_Q]

I wonder how many people will go into Walmart, see the Titanmaster reissue and think they are a G1 Headmaster reissue???

Probably quite a few. The later season toys aren't as familiar to casual fans as the 1984-85 cast, so they probably think these are the original molds. But seriously, Hasbro can't even get the correct top flap design (uses the earlier seasons logo colour and tagline ) for these G1 homages.

[Paulbot]

To this day many of my favourite G1 characters are the ones I bought as a kid. Take Skullgrin for instance. He's my favourite pretender, but also the first one I got (on holiday!) but if I was looking at the Pretenders objectively today I'm not sure I'd guess that.

[Tha_Phantom]

But seriously, Hasbro can't even get the correct top flap design (uses the earlier seasons logo colour and tagline ) for these G1 homages.

Probably a very intentional move so these can't be passed off as original vintage if the box gets separated from the toy. I like that there are subtle differences like that personally.

[Paulbot]

We’re gonna get all of the 1984 line up in WFC except Buzzsaw. Buzzsaw will end up in some Bumblebee II Walmart exclusive five pack with a Leader toy that will cost over $150 to import won’t be?

I haven’t forgotten MP Ratbat!

[GoktimusPrime]

TL;DR: The average Beast Wars toy has nearly triple (x2.6) the articulation of an average G1 toy.

Extended Edition

Not including variants or reissues, there are 456 Transformers in Anglophone G1, and 104 Transformers in Anglophone Beast Wars. This means that G1 is nearly quintuple the size of BW - an approximate 5:1 ratio. Using random.org I selected a sample of 50 G1 toys and 10 BW toys, then counted the points of articulation on these toys. The 10 Beast Wars toys yielded an average of 12.3 points of articulation, whereas the 50 G1 toys averaged 4.7 points of articulation.

And for anyone who cares, here is the sample that I tested...

Beast Wars
Rattrap (original) 9 points of articulation
Prowl (Magnaboss) 10 PoA
Manterror 15 PoA
Spittor (original) 12 PoA
Cheetor (Transmetal) 12 PoA
Injector 13 PoA
Terragator 12 PoA
Megatron (Transmetal 2) 15 PoA
Scarem 10 PoA
Tigatron (Transmetal)* 15 PoA

Generation 1
Bluestreak 6 PoA
Bumper 4 PoA
Windcharger 4 PoA
Buzzsaw 6 PoA
Starscream (1984) 2 PoA
Sludge 9 PoA
Powerdasher (Cromar) 0 PoA
Shockwave (1985) 11 PoA
Barrage (Insecticon) 8 PoA
Ransack 4 PoA
Long Haul (1985) 4 PoA
Mini-Spy (Buggy Type) 4 PoA
Mini-Spy (Jeep Type) 4 PoA
Galvatron 8 PoA
Blast-Off 4 PoA
Onslaught 5 PoA
Fortress Maximus 10 PoA
Sureshot 2 PoA
Afterburner (Technobot) 3 PoA
Strafe 2 PoA
Chase 0 PoA
Skullcruncher 8 PoA
Hosehead 3 PoA
Groundbreaker 6 PoA
Splashdown 8 PoA
Squawktalk 2 PoA
Quake 3 PoA
Bomb-Burst 6 PoA
Bugly 6 PoA
Roadgrabber 3 PoA
Windsweeper 2 PoA
Tentakil 3 PoA
Bumblebee (Pretender) 6 PoA
Doubleheader 6 PoA
Pincher 6 PoA
Starscream (Pretender) 4 PoA
Icepick 2 PoA
Storm Cloud 3 PoA
Airwave 3 PoA
Optimus Prime (Action Master) 7 PoA
Over-Run 7 PoA
Greaser 3 PoA
Overflow★ 3 PoA
Megatron (Action Master)※ 7 PoA
Treadshot 7 PoA
Grit 3 PoA
Powerflash 7 PoA
Bombshell (Action Master) 7 PoA
Thunder Clash 2 PoA
Fearswoop 4 PoA

------------------------------------
Notes
*I don't own Transmetal Tigatron, so I used X9 Metals Ravage instead, since it's the same mould
★I don't own Action Master Megatron, but all AMs have 7 PoA
※I don't own Overflow so the PoA has been estimated based on looking at photos

P.S.: It took me over 5 hours to collect and process this data.

[griffin]

Most fans who were around during the Beast Era (waaaay back in the late 1990s), were familiar with Transmetal Scavenger being generally accepted as being the Transmetal version of Inferno.... and there was even a pre-production figure of Scavenger in a 1998 issue of Tomart magazine (image link might have limited access) with "Inferno" printed on the toy (like all Transmetals)... but now it looks like one of the working names for the original Inferno toy could have also been Scavenger, as one of the packaging mockups has been revealed, showing the name Scavenger on the Inferno biocard (on the back of the box).

That doesn't necessarily mean that the 1997 Inferno toy was originally going to be Scavenger... it just means that when packaging mockups were done, the name hadn't been finalised yet, and different name options were still being tested, which Hasbro does all the time...

These were on display at BotCon 2005, with Jetstorm being called Dragonfire. (and on an early toy listing for Fuzors, a preliminary name for Injector was Aquasting)

[DELTAprime]

I got my Gen Select Cordon and Spinout today. I really think the mould is average at best. I'm glad I stuck with my Henkei Sunstreaker instead of buying an Earthrise Sunstreaker to replace him.

[nalops]

Is/Was SS Scrapmetal really rare or something? I saw someone selling it for $80 and a few posts desperately looking for one. I recall stumbling upon one and just buying it at Target or Kmart but would never thought it was hard to find or anything.

[Sinnertwin]

Is/Was SS Scrapmetal really rare or something? I saw someone selling it for $80 and a few posts desperately looking for one. I recall stumbling upon one and just buying it at Target or Kmart but would never thought it was hard to find or anything.

It wasn't. I can only assume its buyers late to the pre box set devastator party pushing the demand up.