Transformers are way better than Gobots

[Surf Digby]

Speaking as someone that had Gobots (or Robo-Machines, as they were called at the time), and also had Pathfinder, that's a weird choice to bring back.

Surely Turbo, Cy-Kill, Leader 1, Scooter, the blue futurist tank, etc. would be a better option?

[BigJag]

I'm guessing these figures were easy to do. These versions of Pathfinder, Smallfoot, and Treds. Are just recolours of Cosmos, Warpath, and Gears. I'm not quite sure how it's explained in the lore. However these are actual Transformers that jumped into the Go Bots dimension. The Go Bots that actually carry the names look a lot different to these new figures.

I think Hasbro are testing the waters with this release.

Cykill, Turbo , and Leader 1 are iconic characters that would deserve their own moulds. That'd require a large investment on the manufacturing side. There is also a rights issue. Hasbro don't own the IP for the Go Bots figures. Bandai have that, and the line is still active in Japan.

 

Edited June 14, 2024 by BigJag

[BigJag]

40 years of Transformers.

It's not 40 years long. Quite manageable.

 

[Matthew]

(Not sure why the text here is so large, apologies!)

Watched Transformers One last night. And it’s a great film.

 Thought I’d hate it as it isn’t the Optimus Prime voice, but its very good.

 Great origin story that’s beautiful to watch, little nuggets that explain the beginnings of the story between Optimus and Megatron

Edited October 9, 2024 by Matthew

[BrodyGraham]

Yeah, just got back from Transformers One and I really enjoyed it. Lots of fun.

Best Transformers movie since '86 and I really enjoyed the Bumblebee movie.

[davertfnewman]

It's a lot of fun, like the TMNT movie from last year, which similarly got most of the trailer-highlighted comedy out of the way in the first thirty minutes before tightening up. A shame it's shit the bed at the box office as I'd love a sequel with Dinobots and Constructicons in it.

[BigJag]

Just got in from watching Transformers One. It's very nicely done. I liked the world they built and keeping it on Cybertron was a welcome decision. There's been a lot said about it having failed at the box office. That's surprising considering the questionable quality of a lot of Cinema releases. Those that haven't watched it at the Cinema have missed out. There's still a small window of opportunity should anyone want to catch it at a movie house. Definitely track it down on whatever home platform is available.

It's a worthy successor to TFTM.

[BigJag]

https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers-coming-soon/

There's a Transformers store opening up in Battersea Power Station on Wednesday. Going to make the effort to get there before Christmas.

https://tfnation.com/mini-con-reading-24

There's also a mini-convention in Reading tomorrow.

[DEF]

1 hour ago, BigJag said:

 

https://tfnation.com/mini-con-reading-24

There's also a mini-convention in Reading tomorrow.

Yep, me and the family are going. Never been to a transformers con before so I'm pretty hyped. Hopefully get a sketch cover from an artist or two and a couple of new toys.

Also I'm patiently waiting for the Dynamite Transformers trading cards I backed on Kickstarter. Wasn't cheap but I got a buttload to look forward to.

[DEF]

On my way home from TF Nation Reading and it was really good fun. Pretty busy which is a good sign. Hopefully it will be a yearly event.

The highlight was my better half buying me this bad boy...

I've told this story before here so I'll be brief. As a kid I loved Mindwipe and was all set to buy him on one of the rare occasion I was allowed to buy a new toy.

However I'd seen an advert for the Pretenders the day before and chose the utterly cack Pretender over him when it came to decision time.

I can still remember the crushing disappointment when I opened it up in the car on the way home. So some 30 years later, today I finally got a Mindwipe.

Also I got these awesome original art commissions of Seaspray. My favourite Transformers toy. The artists were both thrilled to do him because nobody ever wanted a Seaspray before. The full body by Kris Carter and the headshot by Ed Pirrie.

Finally I had a nice chat with Nick Roche and bought this original art sketch of the big man from him.

[davertfnewman]

Glad you had a good time. I go to the main TFN event every August in Brum, and while it's declined in recent years, it's still a highlight of the summer for me and good to see friends and people I know and pick up a few bits.

[LSM]

https://batterseapowerstation.co.uk/retailers/transformers/

For anyone interested there's a new Transformers shop that's opened up this week at the Battersea Power Station.

Various bits of merch there including t shirts, comics, funkos, books, toys, Robosen's as well as other knick-knacks.

There's also a couple of photo op areas where you can have you picture taken with models from the recent Transformers One movie as well some digital photo ops with some G1 characters.

I popped along today and it was a fun little experience as well as picking up a few bits and bobs.

[air_raid]

Festive greetings from Cybertron.

Edited December 25, 2024 by air_raid
Now go read Stargazing. “Merry Christmas, kid.”

[air_raid]

As we hurtle towards the 40th anni of the animated movie quicker than Blurr pacing back and forth the deck of the Milennium Falcon travelling at hyperspeed past the event horizon of a White Hole, I've been considering a really deep dive into the movie, in terms of the four different versions of the story - the first script (completely different story), the second script (the story we know and love), the storyboards, and the eventual film as recorded. Plus, knock on effects for S3 of the cartoon, and "future" storylines in the comic (UK version in particular). I'm fascinated by which 84/85 characters were/weren't slated to feature, who did/didn't/was slated to die (or not), whether they eventually did/didn't and why. It's big can of worms, comic especially - Jumpstarters/Roadbuster/Whirl alive in "Peace" in the distant Rodimus future despite being killed by Galvatron in Time Wars in 1989, Technobots being killed by Starscream in the Underbase story despite being alive long enough in a 2009/10 Rodimus future until Strafe gets killed by Unicron-possessed-Rodimus... but still being alive in "Peace." Inferno dying in Legacy Of Unicron, only to be one of the last three Autobots alive in Rhythms Of Darkness. I could go on and on, brushing much of it under the carpet under the banner of "a future doesn't mean the future." It's what Furman would have wanted, given that he both wrote Unicron to pluck Galvatron from a future in which he wins, to send him back to 1992, AND then wrote Unicron to die at the hands of Optimus Prime despite also writing many stories in which the Movie happens and Rodimus leads. Ho hum.

Anyway, gentle reader, the reason for this premature mind-dump is... HOW did I only notice the other day, thanks to watching the movie on a big telly, that it's GEARS sat close to Ironhide on Moonbase One?? I knew Gears was initially scripted to appear (and indeed die) in the story for many years, but I can't believe I only just realized he's visible.

I mean, we all spotted Bluestreak/Huffer/Grapple, but... Gears was there the whole time too. Huh.

 

Edited January 10, 2025 by air_raid
WE GOT A SITUATION OUT HERE

[BigJag]

Came across this at Game Shack Level 2 in Leicester today. As far as I'm aware they're quite rare in the UK.

With @air_raid reminding us that it's the 40th Anniversary. Does anyone know if we'll be getting any Cinema showings of TFTM?