Official Transformers G1 Thread

Originally posted by OB1-adobe
My biggest beef with the show (besides the bad scripts and shoddy animation), is that in season 2, a bizillion characters show up with no explanation. Except for the Aerialbots, combaticons, and vehicons of course.

Season 1 we got:

Autobots: Optimus prime, wheel jack, Trail breaker, cliff jumper, prowl, blue streak, brawn, bumble bee, Jet fire, snarl, grimlock, slag, sludge, swoop, Iron hide, ratchet, Jazz, hound, huffer, gears, mirage, sunstreaker, and sideswipe

Decepticons: Megatron, Starcream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Rumble, Frenzy, Ravage, Lazerbeak, Soundwave, Shockwave, Reflector 1, reflector 2, reflector 3, Bombshell, Kickback, shrapnel, Longhaul, Mixmaster, scavenger, bonecrusher, hook, scrapper, and Devastator if you want to count that.

Lets see in season 2 all of sudden these characters come along. Some introduced but mostly out of the void:

Autobots: Omega supreme, Perceptor, Tracks, Silverbolt, air raid, slingshot, skydive, fireflight, Smokecreen, blaster, red alert, inferno, grapple, hoist, beach comber, powerglide, cosmos, warpath, seaspray, steeljaw, ramhorn, eject, rewind, and maybe the protectobots

Decepticons: Astrotrain, blitzwing, Ramjet, Dirge, thrust, brawl, blastoff, swindle, vortex, onslaught, dead end, breakdown, motor master, wild rider, dragstrip

In anycase they could have had these charcters, the autobots anyway, appear via transport through omega supreme. Imean they just show up out of now where, What where they hangen out in the breakroom the whole time.

I realize its 30 minute toy commercial, and my comments also display how it was, but come on, that could have made a good story.

Yeah I had beef with that too, but hey, it worked without a charm. Kids don't care about backstories, they wanna see their toy onscreen.

If you're gonna pick fault in one thing contained in the TF universe, you might as well pick out how many animation, physics, dubbing, colouring and continuity errors there were.

It's a show, intended as a 30 min commercial, that just happened to be very entertaining now and then, to many folks. Why does any of that matter?

-AC

Did anybody read the comic book?

U.S or U.K?

Originally posted by OB1-adobe
Did anybody read the comic book?

U.S or U.K?

I missed alot of the comics because I would always spend my money on Spider-Man comics, but from what I read they were really good. The artwork on the each and every bot was detailed and amazing. I highly appreciated those days when computers played a minor role in coloring and whatnot, back when they used hand drawings. They looked so great.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
If you're gonna pick fault in one thing contained in the TF universe, you might as well pick out how many animation, physics, dubbing, colouring and continuity errors there were.

It's a show, intended as a 30 min commercial, that just happened to be very entertaining now and then, to many folks. Why does any of that matter?

-AC

Nah, I saw no faults in it. Having characters without fleshed out backstories was a godsend to me. It meant less time to bullcrap around and more time for them to transform and fight. Althought it slightly bugged me to not know their origins, it was cool with me. The physics were quite humorous as well as the dubbing. I've seen Naruto episodes with worse dubbing. The coloring errors are also not a problem. mid-season episodes of The Simpsons had coloring errors as well as a few Family Guy episodes.

But it's those, how do I call them...? "unpleasant Die-Hard" TF fans? Yeah, let's go with that. It's these people who give loyal fans such as you and I a bad name AC.

In a weird twist of maturity, I'm sensible enough to admit I enjoy watching the cartoon, I've already lept the chasm by saying I enjoy spending time on Transformers, whatever format or platform it may be. It's just a passtime I enjoy.

It's these people who sit there watching it, still, and pull out errors with such a high and mighty aura about them. "Pfft! How does Astrotrain carry them all? Bit silly, isn't it? *Continues watching.*". Just don't watch, save us all a reputation.

-AC

Originally posted by OB1-adobe
Did anybody read the comic book?

U.S or U.K?

I've got a couple which marvel did.

Originally posted by Alpha Centauri
In a weird twist of maturity, I'm sensible enough to admit I enjoy watching the cartoon, I've already lept the chasm by saying I enjoy spending time on Transformers, whatever format or platform it may be. It's just a passtime I enjoy.

It's these people who sit there watching it, still, and pull out errors with such a high and mighty aura about them. "Pfft! How does Astrotrain carry them all? Bit silly, isn't it? *Continues watching.*". Just don't watch, save us all a reputation.

-AC

Yeah I know. And don't get me started on the toys! I loved TF figures, growing up I always saw them as such an industry changing product. I mean seriously, they packed in two toys at once. Never could really afford a toy truck and a toy robot growing up, so my folks bought me an Optimus Prime for my birthday once. Killed two birds with one stone seeing how I wanted a big robot and a truck for my birthday.

Originally posted by Kazenji
I've got a couple which marvel did.

I have the first 3 issues.

Does anyone know if the U.s #1-80 run is available on TPB?

I found these on Youtube, Japan continued the series after U.S aired 'rebirth' with a new one called transformers Head masters

Checki it out:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YzoHoHWxZL4&mode=related&search=

http://youtube.com/watch?v=sv5AxlqMXvk&mode=related&search=

What I thought was cool was seeing Jazz, Hound, and sideswipe again next to the 86-87 era charcters. Sinice here in the U.S, a six changing decepticon transformer named Sixshot took precious animation precedence over pre-established characters that was'nt selling anymore.

However, I can't watch this for a few reasons.

#1 quality on youtube sucks
#2 Its in Japanese wich is annoying
#3 I hate Japanese cartoons anyway (everything is so stock)

I was hardcore in the eighties and have been revisting it for the last few years.

I had most of the 80s marvel g1 run. (English and American)
(I stopped buying when it went all black and white and stuff like 30 or so issues(?) after the Underbase saga. I never bothered with G2 as I had some living/getting out of the house to do back then. 😛

Scans are widely available nowadays.

I felt that the cartoon introduction of the Aerialbots was adequate...
The Stunticons and Combaticons too.
But I hear you about the Protectobots. It was like WTF...?
Back in the day we considered the advent of the afformentioned "special teams" or 'post-devastator-gestalts' to be the beginning of the 'second wave'(which is important not to get confused with the official 'G2'.)
Tracks, Hoist, Smokescreen, Skids, Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge etc too....
Those guys seem to come from nowhere.

By far the most "where the feck did THEY come from?" episode for me was the whole "The rebirth" thing. Dave Wise- who wrote it -also feels that way about it. It apparently was meant to be a 5-parter, then the TV peeps wanted to make it a 3 parter, leading to the intros and character time being compromised a little.

I still have some of my 80s stuff, most of which got given away by my Mum and Dad when I moved out....

Superion, Menasor, Bruticus, Ultra Magnus, Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust, Outback, Beachcomber and clone Shockwave and a few others.
Bought re-issue Tracks and Red-Alert was bought Skywarp recently. 🙂

I also got in alternators Silverstreak (Bluestreak) Swindle and MP-01 Masterpiece Optimus Prime. Thy're the nuts and Bay should've taken note when conceptualising the updated designs for the recent movie, imho 😛 (I like the bumblebee design in that, though.)

Alternators Bluestreak and Smokescreen are amazing, Alternators Prowl should have been the same model.

-AC

Originally posted by Sadako of Girth
MP-01 Masterpiece Optimus Prime.

Wow, how much did that one set you back?

It's available in stores...it's not an old figure.

Around £40, and I saw it in Canada for $79.

-AC

It cost me just under 80 quid after I was done importing etc..... I bought it in 2005.... (The black gun version)If you buy the new ones, be careful, the plastic red parts dont match up so well with the painted die-cast parts. Especially the one with the trailer.

Oh I hear you about the alternators Prowl mould.

What were they thinking....?
Fans have since kitted their own BS/SS mods and done a convincing Prowl or two. Shame to have to though....

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings... AND that Bay guy too. 😛 "

Mwahahahahahahahhhhhhhhhhhhh...
(Note the classics Jetfire and Bumblebee lurking in the background.
I forgot to mention those.... I bought the Starscream too. It Rocks.)

Nice, is that the Takara version? It doesn't have the battle damage on it.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=bq1_6D9QS9Y

Awesome, by the way.

-AC

Thanks mate. Nahhhhh I just used some window cleaner to remove some of it.

IE: Round the forearms and a bit on the chest, which as its not there in robot mode, didn't make sense to me.
(The chest grille isnt the same as the truck mode's one. They different pieces on this.) I left it round the knee joints though as it looked logical and cool.

*BTW if any of you want to do the same with yours, be VERY careful not to get any of the window cleaner on the upper arms.
The paint on the Autobot insignia and the silver below just above the elbow joint are made from the same paint as the smoke damage effect and will come off just as easily...!*

Still gonna get the long stacks though (as featured on the Takara version), as this health-and-safety short stacks lark is for numpties... 😛

Have always loved that vid. "Then thats what you'll be known as.... Shitpiece." Pure class.

Did you ever pick up Masterpiece Megatron? Don't, if you haven't.

Also, Masterpiece Starscream was reissued with his G1 colours if I remember, I'm on the hunt for that, as the other one looked NICE despite wrong colour scheme.

If you have any G1s you wanna get off your hands, Sadako, give me a shout.

-AC

Nahhh no Megs as yet.

Yeah that looked pretty good, that G1 repaint.
Cant wait 'til Skywarp (pics are around of that) is offically released (and when they get round to Thundercracker too, that set'll be a must. 🙂 )

Okey doke. 🙂

I'm lookin' forward to Thundercracker too.