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Post by Gunman_sr5 on Jun 3, 2006 21:53:00 GMT -5
Just to create some (whats the word) discusion. I have an off the wall question that there is no right answer to. In fact I can't think of an answer for it from myself at the moment. Here is the question. What would make up the perfect transformer? Story, mold specifics, or anything else you can think of. I will get back to this and answer later on in the discusion if I can think of anything.
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Post by Jo'Roq on Jun 3, 2006 22:14:10 GMT -5
Oy, way to go with the easy questions ..... I'll have to think on this one.
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Post by Jo'Roq on Jun 20, 2006 10:17:40 GMT -5
After quite a bit of thought, here's my parameters for a "perfect" transformer:
1. The alternate mode is an actual (or similar, for trademark and property rights considerations) vehicle - basically the early G1/Alternators style. The recent Armada/Energon/Cybertron line has been full of stuff that had me asking "what is THAT?" (to pull a quote from a recent botcon, "we took a few liberties with the alternate mode"). Its kind of hard to be a believable "robot in disguise" if you don't look like anything else on the planet.
2. Another "throwback" to G1 - take the storyline from the "beginning" of the TFs lives on earth. No RID-style "we've been here for years and have several secret bases", no Armada-style "we're just here to prevent the Decepticons from finding the current story gimmicks and taking over the universe", just a plain old-fashioned arrival on earth (whether deliberate or crashed) and having to deal both with the "normal" people and with the realities of being alien war-machines on a new planet (i.e., suspicious governments, supply/Energon issues).
3. Another big part of the storyline - drop the stereotyped plotlines. As far as I can recall, the only Megatron that was never renamed to Galvatron was in BW/BM - and he went through 3 body changes in BW (original, TM, and TM2) and 6 in BM (stripped down TM2, Noble/Savage, the giant floating head, the insane red spark, drone, and TM2 Primal clone). The whole Megatron becomes Galvatron angle is rather old and boring (and is now a reason to sell a repaint as a new character), where in G1 it was a new and unique idea to play with. And Unicron has become yet another tired old horse in the various TF continuities.
4. No repaints just for the sake of repaints - give me actual characters. If that means having a small toy line - get some good writers to add more characters to the show and use them more than once! Prime examples (excuse the pun) - "Magnus" (unarmored Ultra Magnus), Sunstorm, and Nemesis Prime. All of these have become such stock "characters" now that fans start wondering what the repaints will look like as soon as they see promotional images of unreleased Optimus and Starscream! Repaint sets like the G1 Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp seekers are good because they are all separate characters presented individually on the show as more than just a one-shot to sell a new figure.
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Post by Destro on Jun 20, 2006 13:18:24 GMT -5
For me, there is no answer. I might be able to tell you what the perfect tf would be for me, but for everyone as a whole, there is no answer.
I would want a cybertronian alt mode w/ good articulation, a g1-esque storyline, (or maybe even make it completely on cybertron w/ no humans; I'd like to see that in the states sometime..), actual character development (he/ she's not the same from beginning to end; they mature, make decisions that change them, etc.).
I agree w/ jo about galvatron; if you're gonna use him, make him more than a repaint (although toy-wise I do like energon galvatron a lot more than e-megatron; he's a great homage). While I do like ss/tc/sw, to me in a sense it's just like nemesis prime and magnus; sure they're different characters, but they haven't been used that way since g1 (and armada ss saying "I look like t-cracker!" doesn't change that). I think the thing is many collectors, myself included, will buy these repaints. I like nemesis prime and ultra magnus repaints (some of them, at least). I buy the seekers and um for nostalgia, and nem prime bc black repaints are often cool and I like the original nem prime, rid scourge.
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Post by Destro on Jun 20, 2006 17:26:27 GMT -5
1. The alternate mode is an actual (or similar, for trademark and property rights considerations) vehicle - basically the early G1/Alternators style. The recent Armada/Energon/Cybertron line has been full of stuff that had me asking "what is THAT?" (to pull a quote from a recent botcon, "we took a few liberties with the alternate mode"). Its kind of hard to be a believable "robot in disguise" if you don't look like anything else on the planet. Thread hijack in progress! To be fair, though, a lot of the cybertron bots aren't on earth. They all look like stuff to me (futuristic/cybertronian cars, jets, construction vehicles, ect), just some aren't earth vehicles. I know we've been through this before, I'm just trying to understand. What do you think of the g1 toys/characters that don't have earth modes (ie, movie and post-movie characters)?
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Post by Jo'Roq on Jun 20, 2006 18:57:13 GMT -5
I don't mind a futuristic flare, as long as the future isn't whacked out on the sauce. Characters who were never "reformatted" for another planet can pull off a futuristic/Cybertronian design, but when the toy design gives a good looking bot mode but the alt mode looks like a narrow flatbed with twin drills welded on front and a crane/grapple/other hook design glued onto the back framing some some kind of impressionistic "radar" array .... what kind of sense does that make? I like alt modes to LOOK like something real (or at least, something designed for a specific function) rather than an amateur kitbash designed just to fold up/out the cool robot parts.
The later and post-movie G1 figures still at least had a resemblance to something real (Sharkticons aside, they are a special case). Some of the Cybertron molds I still can't identify on sight what the alt mode is even supposed to do.
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Post by Darthfather2005 on Jun 20, 2006 22:35:16 GMT -5
Just a side note, what if they did a true reboot of G1 with the original characters, same or simular voice actors (If they are dead). And Have the same guys who animated Justice League or Teen Titans do the animation. Also bring in GOOD writers from other GODD animated shows. Now that would be cool.
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Post by Destro on Jun 20, 2006 23:28:43 GMT -5
Just a side note, what if they did a true reboot of G1 with the original characters, same or simular voice actors (If they are dead). And Have the same guys who animated Justice League or Teen Titans do the animation. Also bring in GOOD writers from other GODD animated shows. Now that would be cool. I'd say go for it; let them update g1 like other old great toons hav been (tmnt, heman, batman, etc). I would love a darker g1, like the new tmnt.
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Post by Destro on Jun 20, 2006 23:34:14 GMT -5
I don't mind a futuristic flare, as long as the future isn't whacked out on the sauce. Characters who were never "reformatted" for another planet can pull off a futuristic/Cybertronian design, but when the toy design gives a good looking bot mode but the alt mode looks like a narrow flatbed with twin drills welded on front and a crane/grapple/other hook design glued onto the back framing some some kind of impressionistic "radar" array .... what kind of sense does that make? I like alt modes to LOOK like something real (or at least, something designed for a specific function) rather than an amateur kitbash designed just to fold up/out the cool robot parts. The later and post-movie G1 figures still at least had a resemblance to something real (Sharkticons aside, they are a special case). Some of the Cybertron molds I still can't identify on sight what the alt mode is even supposed to do. hey, I like menasor (is that who you're talking about? If you're referring to metroplex, he's an actual earth vehicle)! I like him bc he doesn't look like anything I've ever seen; he's an other-worldy construction vehicle, so, in a way, he shouldn't look like anything I've seen before. I don't know of any cybertron alt mode that I couldn't immediately identify other than metroplex and menasor. Which ones are you referring to?
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