Takara Transformers

[Mandingo Rex]

I'm not impressed by either Mirage yet, and I consider him in the ranks of Autobots to likely be made eventually. I think we'll get a chance at seeing Jazz, Ratchet/Ironhide, Hound, Trailbreaker, Tracks and Mirage (and maybe Cliffjumper) before we'll see official carbots like the Minibots or season 3 guys. Which is fine by me.

Besides Transistor from KFC and Brawny/Huff from Cubex/BadCube, I haven't seen any non-Dinobots that really fit the MP aesthetic for the Autobots. If Omni can get that Sunstreaker moving along to production, I'll include him. But most other stuff hasn't impressed me on the Autobot side.

Apollyon is the first Con after the Coneheads and Quakewave that I considered getting besides Hercules, and now I regret him because he doesn't really fit with the MPs.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

MMC's Mirage looks like it's made of marshmallows and gummybears. Why is everything so rounded?

I'm guessing the soft look is coming from the fact that it's a printed proto similar to Shapeways. Though, it just may end up being "soft".

It's funny. I think the Dx9(?) version is too simple for MP and the MMC version is too over engineered for MP. Neither seems to fit just right.

I'm not impressed by either Mirage yet, and I consider him in the ranks of Autobots to likely be made eventually. I think we'll get a chance at seeing Jazz, Ratchet/Ironhide, Hound, Trailbreaker, Tracks and Mirage (and maybe Cliffjumper) before we'll see official carbots like the Minibots or season 3 guys. Which is fine by me.

pfff...they have to stop making crap like Star Saber first. Seriously, were there really that many clamouring for that turd?

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Star Saber better be the fucking Matt Trakker of the MP line. With them doing trash like Exhaust though? Makes me worry a little that they'll lose focus

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

That kinda lame crap should be left for the Club. TFs have one too, right?

 

[Mandingo Rex]

That kinda lame crap should be left for the Club. TFs have one too, right?

Yeah but fuck that shit. Their sub and figures are always a mishmash of different TF lines. They also don't tend to use anything I collect, like the MP line, anyway.

At least the JoeClub shit is all the same construction.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

That's what I'm saying though...leave that obscure crap that only two people want for the club.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Well my POL just updated... Both Transistor and UM fell into it, but no sign of Soar yet. I'll ship despite Brawny if Soar comes in, but I'm hoping that Brawny comes in stock soon, too. That's going to be a bigass box!

 

[nacho]

Are you concerned about QC on Transistor? I've never bought one of their products, but KFC's reputation made me uneasy about Transistor. Also, I read that a regular non-metallic red version was in the works, so if I were to take the plunge, I'd be waiting on that version and some QC reports first.

He looks great, but I'm still trying hard to stick to my S1-only collection. I already sold my damn coneheads!

 

[Mandingo Rex]

The metallic red doesn't bother me that much. I'd imagine he looks much more metallic due to pics. I'd prefer a regular red one, but I'll take my chances for the time being. I'll likely paint his face and white part of his helmet silver, but he looks pretty impressive.

I've never bought anything of KFC's because I didn't like the designs, not so much the QC issues. I'll give 'em a try this time to try them out.

There aren't a lot of S2 characters I'm really into (and very few S3). UM is a rarity because I've always liked him, and wouldn't get Rodimus again if they made another (will likely only get a Galvatron to display with Rodimus, but I'll be buying no Sweeps or Cyclonus trash) but a lot of the S2 guys blend into S1. I've always liked the cassette-bot concept, and have to get Blaster to go against Soundwave.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Fuck BBTS, they just updated Soar to January (obviously) but I just realized even with the discounted "early bird" at BBTS, that Captured Prey has free standard shipping on items over $150, which makes it about $10-15 cheaper regardless of when it comes in stock at BBTS. I'd ordered Quakewave with CP and was happy with them so I'll give 'em a second go.

I'll ship my POL by Friday if Brawny doesn't come in-stock.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

I love CP. They are almost always more fair on their pricing. Unfortunately, BBTScalpers has more clout with their larger orders and typically get their orders from the distributors first. CP seems to usually be at the back of the line. But I'm patient and don't need to be "FIRST!" and have no problem waiting to not only save a tiny bit of money, but to also be a supporter of the little guy.

 

[nacho]

You crack me up. I have 3 TF's preordered at BBTS, totaling $321.97. Those same three at CP total $317 (if some weren't sold out), a difference of $4.97 on a $300+ order... roughly 1.5%.

So a retailer goes from being "scalpers" to "awesome" over 1.5%? Puh-lease!

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

Heh heh heh. I knew that'd get yer goat.

 

[nacho]

I was just happy to find a Tf-themed "hater" gif

 

[Goldbug]

That's what I'm saying though...leave that obscure crap that only two people want for the club.

Star Saber isn't obscure in Japan.

 

[nacho]

Yes, but while japanese companies invented the transforming robots used for the original TFs, Hasbro and Marvel built all of the characters, backstory, lore, and everything that made the property something greater than a bunch of out-of-scale toys from various companies cobbled together. As a result, US fans feel our version is the "true" version, and as such, the nonsense japanese fiction that followed the original G1 run is essentially considered fan-fic by US fans and not worthy of attention, toy representation, or anything that legitimizes it.

Again, that's the highly biased view held by a lot of (if not most) US TF fans. And as such, Star Saber is a joke, and the japanese fans and their fan fiction should stop forcing that shite into a proper masterpiece line.

I'm not saying it's fair or how it should be, but that's a commonly held view. US fans feel we own the lore, Star Saber simply isn't part of it, and we bristle at the thought of some other country's non-canonical input "wasting" time and resources that could be used to create new MP versions of characters we know and love.

Did I summarize that adequately, Eddie?

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

I was just happy to find a Tf-themed "hater" gif

I didn't see the gif originally, just a blue question mark box. I just image searched it though. Well played!

Did I summarize that adequately, Eddie?

If that was the long way of saying "make stuff for the majority" then yes, you did a bang up job.

 

[nacho]

It was my way of saying that anything in TF that is non-US-G1 is likely unknown to and certainly not cared about by the most important TF fans

 

[Goldbug]

the problem is we U.S. MP fans are the minority
TakaraTomy's customers are not us.
Hasbro hasn't brought enough of them over.
The first car we got was Prowl. Yet why didn't they just give us all 3??? Not only that but I bought mine cheaper from overseas!

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Yeah, I kind of think they lost focus when they hit season 3... (A lot of that shit actually started in season 2 when they go off into outer space to be honest) but Headmasters was probably the beginning of the end as far as I'd consider Transformers lore. They really got silly beyond Headmasters. I've tried to catch up on the Japanese stuff online, but it's just so goddamn silly. Not to mention the names were horrible. Megazarak? Star Saber? Dai Atlas? There's an entire season (Zone?) where the head Decepticon is a fucking demon or some nonsense? And he turns into 3 crustacean aliens? Yeah, fuck that.

I'll let 'em have Star Saber, but wasn't he originally supposed to NOT take a MP slot? If I recall he was supposed to be a one-off for the anniversary. Then they did fucking Exhaust.

I'm generally a completist but I can't buy shit just because it's a numbered release. Exhaust and Star Saber didn't need to be main line releases as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Goldbug]

Ah yes I hear that is "normal" for anime. Remember those Masters series etcs were all made in Japan. Beware the tentakils!!

 

[nacho]

I've tried to watch the japanese stuff, but damn it's painful. The animation quality drops off, the number of errors, contradictions, and subtitle mistakes... I just couldn't make it past about three episodes. Yeah, and the names... they sound more like something out of power rangers than TF. The whole thing got so far beyond the "robots in disguise" theme and the original lore that it's just a hot mess. A mess that shouldn't interfere with a G1 MP line, even if it is made in japan by Takara. Screw those fans and the stuff they like that clearly sucks

 

[pcsguy88]

 

[nacho]

Not gonna lie, I don't even know enough to get the joke, you know, beyond two japanese transformers humping.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

They just look like Gundams. Defeats the purpose of robots-in-disguise transforming when they turn into something that looks like a flying craft made of robot parts.

 

[pcsguy88]

Just something stupid I found while looking for Starsaber.

 

[nacho]

They just look like Gundams. Defeats the purpose of robots-in-disguise transforming when they turn into something that looks like a flying craft made of robot parts.

I find that to be true... yet I feel hypocritical because I really like some G1 stuff that turns into nonsense, such as Jumpstarters, Technobots, and the Autobot Clones. But on the other hand, stuff like Dinobots, Terrorcons, Seacons, Pretenders, and tons of other examples I can't stand for that very reason. I suppose it still comes down to that grand question of whether or not something pushes that magic nostalgia botton.

Star Saber does not. Neither does the lion guy. My exposure to Saber beyond knowing he exists from some crappy japanese TF spinoff is in the IDW comics, where Star Saber is a deranged lunatic... and that makes me laugh.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

See, the only beasts I like are the few cassettes and the Dinobots. I hate Skylynx, Terrorcons, Seacons, Predacons, Technobots, or anything that didn't turn from robot to realistic vehicle/device. Mass-shifting never much bothered me. And Shockwave is probably the only Cybertronian design I tolerate because he turned into something cool and was introduced early on.

I cannot stand Arcee or Wreck-Garr, Kup, Wheelie, Blurr or any of the movie-forward guys besides UM, Hot Rod and maaaaybe Springer, who gets a pass because he's a triple-changer.

 

[nacho]

I don't particularly care about the beast cassettes, but at least they do turn into cassettes, so they do have a normal disguise. The dinobots are ok, just because they were introduced early, and my dislike of them comes from stupidity more than alt-modes that are not remotely disguises.

The '86-'87 stuff like Technobots and Arcee/Springer get a pass from me because they were set 20 years in the future (which might as well be 100 years when you are 11), where even the humans were shown to drive/fly some futuristic looking stuff, so again they didn't seem horribly out of place. I could roll with that. Terrorcons/Seacons however... at no point is robot sea-monster a disguise.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

:lmao: NONE of the animal/beast/insect characters are anything remotely resembling a disguise! Not only do they look obvious as a metal paneled animal, but they are horrificaly HUGE!

I think the only reason I like the Technobots is due to their coloring. I'm a sucker for orange characters...thanks General Lee! But their vehicle modes, I don't give two sh!ts about them.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

I don't care how much it's hyped for the storytelling, the lame CG animation and concept of Beast Wars was beyond fucking stupid to me. Truck not monkey indeed.

 

[nacho]

I think there are only four people that give two shits about beast wars. Four very vocal people who were born in 1990. Forgive me if I completely ignore them. They are only slightly more annoying than the three people that are really into RID/Energon/Armada. (shudders like Sideshow Bob....)

 

[Mandingo Rex]

What in the fuck is up with shipping from etailers? I pushed "ship my shit" at BBTS on the 30th and saw new product go up as "in stock" on Friday, so I know someone's been working their warehouse. Either they're that backed up or they're taking their sweet time.

I'm even annoyed with Captured Prey. At least with him, I think it's one dude working out of his garage or some shit, but it's been 5 days. I won't get any of my items till next weekend at this rate.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

Having the same problem with RK. They sent me a shipping notice 5 days ago and it's still not actually been shipped out. "Origin post is preparing shipment".

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Mine is in Warehouse limbo. Wouldn't be so annoying if it wasn't $800 worth of shit.

 

[nacho]

Since I've been a BBTS customer (about 8 years or so), they normally take about a week to get out of the warehouse. The size of the order doesn't matter, as I've had $1500 PoLs and that's still the norm.

Sure, it'd be nice if they were faster, but 1) who's noticeably faster, and 2) since I've typically waited 5-6 months to ship my pile, what's a few more days? In the grand scheme, it really doesn't matter.

 

[G.I.*EDDIE]

CP and RK typically have very quick turn around times. Usually a day or two. CP takes a week or less once I get notification to get my stuff to my door. RK (normally) takes 5-6 days to get my stuff to me once I've got the notification and that's coming all the freaking way from China. But BBTS has always taken about a week to even get stuff out of their doors. Though, aside from RK, they typically get stuff first, so even if you have to wait an extra week, you'll still get your stuff before you'd get it from anyone else.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

I've never had BBTS take that long. The shipping takes for goddamn ever because it's usually UPS Ground, but they usually process my POL within 2, 3 days max. Sometimes the same afternoon or next morning. Never this long, though.

 

[Mandingo Rex]

Actually, I guess I shipped late in the day on the 31st, not the 30th. Still, it's weird it's been in the warehouse since Thursday.

And I just got my shipping notification from CP. FedEx ground, uuuugh.

 

[nacho]

If you didn't ship until late on the 31st, it's possible that no one even looked at it until yesterday. A lot of businesses were closed for a 4-day weekend, or at the very least, they probably had reduced staff. I'm sure that after lots of people worked extra pre-christmas, a lot of employees take extra time off during new years. It's not exactly the best week to gauge any business's typical turn-around time.