I'll get the ball rolling...
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ZOMG! When was Peter Cullen at Paddy's Markets?
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Shortly after evicting those Seven Bogans (click on the image)
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
From here:
Heh, and one could say that G1 Topspin was a pretty lacklustre toy which became a legendary character in the G1 comics - as did a lot of other characters who actually had pretty ordinary figures. Bludgeon, Thunderwing, Carnivac, the Battlechargers, Ratbat etc.Originally Posted by Maruten
But I think your point is well said and it demonstrates the core strength of the Transformers franchise: good toys. A good toy will sell itself, regardless of what the character is like. And conversely a good Transformer character won't sell as well if the toy sucks. G1 Wheelie didn't peg warm because the character was annoying, it shelfwarmed because the toy sucked. Titans Return Wheelie on the other hand has been a strong seller. G1 Kup got a lot of canonical exposure but that toy was a horrific shelfwarmer because it was such a weak figure. And of course, we know that the first year of Transformers grossed US$1,400,000 in the US market alone by the end of 1984 - back when the comics and cartoon were still in its infancy. It was really the strength of the toys that would've carried most of those sales. Many of us bought (and continue to buy) good Transformers toys long before we saw/see them appear in canon - if they ever do. Take G1 Hubcap for example. That toy never appeared in any Anglophone G1 canon during the 1980s-90s, yet that toy was a strong seller. It even got a G2 redeco. Hubcap's not even an endearing character - the tech specs bio paints him out to be a selfish butthole (as the IDW comics have recently showcased). The dude's a jerk. But he was a nice toy (even if he was just a redeco of Cliffjumper).
This is why I'm not a huge fan of designing Transformers as screen characters first and toys second. None of the current RiD toys really amaze me -- I find them to be "okay" toys at best, but none of them strike me as excellent (which is why I refuse to pay full RRP for 'em, except the Legends class figures, they're alright
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Don't get me wrong, I am a Topspin fan as I had Topspin since 1985 (he was the first boxed TF I purchased), but...Heh, and one could say that G1 Topspin was a pretty lacklustre toy which became a legendary character in the G1 comics - as did a lot of other characters who actually had pretty ordinary figures. Bludgeon, Thunderwing, Carnivac, the Battlechargers, Ratbat etc.
Could you really call him "a legendary character" in the comic? He was part of a legendary team and died a memorable way* but he otherwise just made up the numbers and did nothing to stand out.
(* now come to think of it both Jumpstarters had injuries in Time Wars that could justify them becoming Headmasters...)
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Legendary may not be the right word, but certainly many G1 characters who appeared in the G1 comics made a bigger impression as characters than they did as toys. I was trying to say that it's kinda the reverse of what younger fans who didn't grow up with G1 may be feeling about recent Generations toys like Topspin who're making a bigger impression than their characters.
And I'm also really happy that Hasbro are now bold enough to go and give many of these lesser known characters new figures. Cos rehashing Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Bumblebee, Soundwave etc. all the time just gets boring. For many of these characters, Generations is giving them the first new toys that they've had ever since G1. Take G1 Top Spin for example - he hasn't had a new toy since 1985!It's pretty cool to see Generations introducing these characters to whole new generations of fans, and for us older fans we get to experience them again in a whole new way.
Although I wouldn't mind them continuing to give us brand new characters too. We've had a few like Drift, Alpha Bravo, Off-Road, Rook, Centuritron, Windblade etc. Some older fans may complain that they're taking up "assortment space" that they'd rather see occupied by known characters, but honestly, younger fans don't know the difference or care. All they see are good toys - as they should. Cos that's what really matters.When I walk through my daughter's school yard I see kids playing with Rook with equal zeal as say CW Sunstreaker. They don't discriminate between these characters as we G1ers do.
I think some older fans forget that in the 1980s-90s, G1 characters were completely new too. When we saw these toys for the first time we were enamoured by them on their own merit as toys and not because of any decades-long nostalgia. I hope that Hasbro keeps this up. My only gripe is the whole Headmaster thing -- totally overdone. As much as I love TR Topspin, I must confess that I would prefer it if he weren't a Headmaster. The Headmaster gimmick adds nothing to the toy (although by the same token it doesn't really detract from it either - it's a fairly non-interfering gimmick). Combiner Wars gave us a lot of gestalts, but not every mould released in that line had to combine. CW Ultra Magnus, Megatron, Pipes etc. weren't gestalts. The TR Legends class figures are nice in that they're compatible with Titan Masters but they're not Headmasters -- I just wish that Hasbro would do the same with a lot of the larger figures. Cos by making everyone into Headmasters it kinda makes the gimmick feel less special.
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I strongly dislike the Headmaster concept but at the moment in my house they are the most popular Transformers.
At 3 and 4 the kids are too young to transform them by themselves but they can't get enough of the little guys driving the vehicles. Brawn/Brawn is literally acting as a teddy bear as I type.
As frustrating as Headmasters are the play pattern is really strong. To the point Trypticon is going from a "maybe if I can sneak it past the wife" to a "loud and proud for the kids" to expand on that play pattern.
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May I ask why you don't like the Headmasters concept? Is it the current overdose of non-HM characters being made into HMs, or a dislike for the concept as a whole?
I love the Headmaster concept, although canon wise I prefer the story of the heads being weak Transformers that make mech suits (Transtectors) for themselves over the human/nebulan combining shenanigans. To me, it makes a lot of sense and adds to the play value of toys a lot.
It's cool to have vehicles and little guys to drive them. Having the littles guys around mean you can have a city for them run around on without it having to be ridiculously large.
I will admit that I really love all the ~masters. Target? Yes please!! Power? They don't quite makes sense... but hey, I still love them!
I do think there's a bit of overkill going on at the moment, buteven with charcters that I wouldn't normally bother with (eg, Croc), I find myself thinking
"Maybe his head robot would be cool for swapping" <insert giggling emoticon here>
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Re. Titan Masters, I've been thinking about it for a while.
As a gimmick I'd rather it was kept for formerly-Headmaster characters, maybe with a few obscure characters as repaints/retools (and the requisite Optimus/Megatron/Bumblebees 'cos they're kind of compulsory) to pad out the line. I'm always up for new versions of long-neglected characters, and these days most of my purchases are the re/premolds rather than the 'main' character so to speak. That's my personal preference as an adult collector.
But.
Credit where it's due, it's a well-realised play-pattern/gimmick, carried across the entire line. Most TFs are designed for and sold to kids/their parents, and in that regard the TR line is very well thought out. Every size class can interact with the others, having the cheaper/smaller toys 'work' with the larger/more expensive toys makes the line far more accessible, the interchangeability is a good idea, the Leader-class 'base modes' all linking up is another clever idea...it's a good idea and it's executed well. In all honesty the gimmick usually - usually - doesn't detract from the toys much if at all, and we're getting some good characters/homages from the line who we haven't seen in years. About the biggest thing detracting from it/holding it back is that it came in after Hasbro's cost-cutting measures kicked in...
TBH I wasn't a huge fan of the Headmaster gimmick in the first place, mostly 'cos losing the heads basically spoiled the toy, but Hasbro's gotten it right here IMO.
Last edited by Ode to a Grasshopper; 31st May 2017 at 11:39 AM.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
There were a few different things going on.
First up they had the bad timing to be at the end of Season 3 and the general decline from there. Arguably the first of the "silly" gimmicks.
They weren't helped by the US take on how they worked. Short lived squishy humanoids giving boosts to million year old robots. At first glance it works, but then you start thinking how it could go wrong.
Then there were the toys. The Diaclones felt premium even if they weren't. Part of it was they were recognizably real vehicles. Note we see more generic cars etc at this time. The Headmasters were part of that slide from larger size, rubber tires etc. Also they were often sci-fi themed. "Cybertronian" can work very well. But often it is an excuse to hide a multitude of sins.
While I don't blame them for the end of the cartoon etc. They just happened to be there and make a good scapegoat.
So, I was poisoned against the concept from the beginning. I appreciate the concept more now. Especially because I have the funds to get the numbers of toys to make the play pattern work. It was really well done this time.
That said I ignore the Titan Master's name and just treat them as small versions/drones of the larger robot.
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