Fit For Natalie

Anyway, the point was that Hasbro/Marvel's characterisation is what sells Transformers in the US and Japan. Its been pointed out that sentient robots are not uncommon in Japanese robot culture, but I suspect the difference TF had was that the Transformers acted just like everyday humans (especially the Autobots), with a strong emphasis on western values (Takara's TF guys have said they admire that about TFs). G1 Prime and Beast Wars Primal were popular because they were american characters, and thus different. Subsequent Convoys were generic japanese heroes, either stereotyped badass loners (Big Convoy), mecha with a hot shot pilot who came to the job unwittingly (Masterforce Ginrai) or cardboard cut out pompously heroic Big Man (Just about all of them eventually). Very unimaginative. Diaclone, if it was made into an anime, seemed like it would be 'Just Another Japanese Mecha Series', but with cars and trucks instead of military robots. No doubt there would be love triangles, friends made and broken, betrayals and all the other generic things you find in many, many mecha series. On a side note - I love Armada Starscream. Such a tortured character.

How charming.1. G1 Convoy and Beast Convoy were the most popular versions of Convoy, both were american creations. After the US G1 series ended with the Rebirth, Takara took over creative control of the series beginning with Headmasters, and changed the tone of the series from a US-style cartoon to a more traditional anime. According to the japanese fandom, this lead to a drop off of interest. The height of this was during the very non-Transformer-like Super God Masterforce series when the primary series writer clashed with the fandom. Where Takara has taken a heavy hand in the dubbing and change of tone of a US series has also affected its popularity. The initial dub of Beast Wars, while changed in tone to make it more child-friendly, was popular and sucessful. However, Takara's japan-made follow ups, Beast Wars The Second and Beast Wars Neo, were much less popular. While the japanese fandom enjoyed the US's season 2 and 3 of Beast Wars (prpesumebly from local subs), they openly hated the japanese dub of those seasons, Beast Wars Metals, which completely changed the tone from a dark, serious series to light-hearted camp. For some reason Megatron sounded like a woman. I could go on about the subsequent Car Robots series that nearly sent Takara into serious financial difficulty. 2. The apparent fact that Japanese fans prefer Alternators to Binaltechs was stated in The Transformers Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide (published by Aspect, originally released March 2005) in an interview with Takara. 3. Binaltech did not sell very well. Binaltech Asterisk went on clearance, and had complaints of poor quality control (in particular Alert had poor parts fitting in vehicle mode). Kiss Play is a similar line in concept to Binaltech Asterisk, except its plastic and its sexualised. There is criticism from the Japanese fandom about Kiss Play, they think its a stupid idea. EDIT: The webmaster of Invincible Robot Laboratory, a japanese site (who also owns Alt Prime and Alt Nemesis Prime) says Kiss Convoy has loose joints and has a tendancy to fall over.

I think they are actually trying to move the transformers line up to the adult market. Transformers in Japan is on par with Pokemon and Naruto as prime time kiddy stuff (thus the kiddy storylines? )...so by including loli characters, they wanna market transformers to the otaku crowd which is obviously the bigger market. Of course it alienates the old fans....but as a business decision, it might be wise. Shrug. 424229[/snapback] But the thing is, Takara themselves were responsible for dumbing down Transformers so significantly in the first place. TF usually does well over there where Takara preserves the US influences and takes a less heavy-handed approach when dubbing the cartoons. Its when they try to make Transformers a generic japanese Super Robot Hero series that problems set in and interest goes away.As for Binaltech, its difficulties stemmed from the fact it was expensive, even by Japanese standards - it was an expensive collector line that had very frequent releases. Takara admitted that Japanese collectors preferred Alternators because they were more durable and more playable (no paint chips and such). Importing Alternators from Asia is cheaper than buying BTs locally. Kiss Play is a variation upon the failed Binaltech Asterisk line, but is NOT die-cast metal but is even MORE expensive. That can't be a good business decision. Takara is merely aping other japanese toy companies - making a mad dash to grab any and every well-known japanese designer and artist, regardless of their forte. In this case, its a guy who does lolicon ecchi, and its being sold as such. Transformers is far in the back of Takara's mind when they were doing this.

The problem is the artist they hired for this project, Yuki Oshima, is well-known for his underage/lolicon art, and they more or less let him do as he wishes (so long as it wasn't actual pornography).Japan should keep its disgusting sexual deviancies out of my Transformers. Takara can't do ANYTHING right with Transformers. Just let the US make the show, import it, dub it (without dumbing it down as they did with Beast Wars and Beast Machines) and watch the money roll in. While the japanese fandom isn't appalled (since its alot more normal to them), they do think its a STUPID idea, and are annoyed because its also the only TF line they have for 2006. Lately they seem to be importing US TFs.Generally they prefer importing Alts to play with, but are annoyed that these are merely repainted Alts that cost 1800 yen more.

I bought Alt Prime today and (with a paint pen) painted his waist and shoulder pads silver, like Kiss Convoy. Saved myself money, as well as embarassment and shame from never dealing with a toyline that has representations of underage-looking bondage (I mean, dude, Hot Rod's chick has a collar around her neck and is tied up).

I'm sorry. Toy makers cannot reproduce "treachery and speed." Do you really want a toy that can steal your wallet really fast? 423738[/snapback] We already have a toy that can steal your wallet really fast. We have two actually: Yamato's 1/48 VF-1 and Yamato's 1/60 VF-0 423740[/snapback] Well, I'd want him to steal other people's wallets instead, or have he befriend others and betray them. By stealing their wallets. Really fast.A SCHEMING toy, that's a different story. Seriously though - since this is a reimagination of Starscream, I wish they had put swords in those.... things on his hips. It would be a nice link to the other major Starscream (Armada/Energon/Cybertron) who is portrayed as a swordsman. At the very least having swords stored inside would give those hip things SOME function in bot mode.

Its stupid because not only does it annoy Takara's potential overseas customers, but it also annoys the customers in Japan. TF is almost dead in Japan from Takara's mismanagement of the line over the past decade.Rumours abound that 2006 will be the last year Takara is directly involved with Transformers, especially considering Hasbro is taking a much larger role in engineering the toys now (Beast Wars X Primal and Megatron are all Hasbro toys). Apparently Takara has very little to nothing to do with the movie line next year. They have jack all to do with the movie aside from a press release in 2005 saying they are happy that a movie is being made.

I just want my Starscream toy, with his schemes, his treachery and his speed. I care not a whit for 'real-world accuracy'.

LOL! I believe it went out the window way before metroplex and trypticon. Originally they were meant to "blend" with watever planet they land on so as not to cause "KULCHAAAAA" shock to the native life forms. Its like they'd get shot on sight and taken as invaders if they appeared as their original blobby-metal state self. So if they wanna stay disguised, they could remain as cars/trucks/postboxes/fondue pots and not talk. But notice early into the series, they just make "public appearances" everywhere helping the needy or causing wanton destruction with newscasters reporting their exploits as well as the general public taking these aliens quite lightly as their saviours. "Yay the autobots are here. We're saved!" So much for robots in disguise. So since disguising themselves was out of the picture, let's introduce giant autobot city and deceipticon base. XD Nothing's cooler than a transforming city. 422443[/snapback] Robots In Disguise was mostly a marketing slogan to sell the fact that they are robots that turn into other stuff, even though other lines had already done so. More often TFs use their alt modes as a form of locomotion and combat than as a useful disguise.Metroplex and Trypticon served as a component of the respective headquarters of the Autobots and Decepticons after the movie, so they're not really disguises. Teletraan-1 reconfiguered the heavily-damaged, stasis-locked Autobots and Decepticons into Earth vehicles and mechanical objects because they were the only things on Earth it recognised. By the time of Beast Wars, they were advanced enough to recognise and take on organic forms, even though their pre-Beast Wars bodies were entirely mechanical. Besides, TF isn't meant to be taken Ultra Earnestly Serious With Exacting Detail like Macross or Gundam, and to try and take them on with that mindset is pointless. TF is meant to be fun. Unlikely to happen - they did a Springer update back in Energon, and he's probably too obscure to do again. I'd expect somebody like... Blitzwing before Springer.

Pics of Soundwave and other Titaniums here.

I actually don't know what the hell David is talking about I'm more of a tank man myself

Perhaps they found a problem? Takara usually modifies a design when they discover a problem, before it goes into production.

Randy Savage makes a poor Transformer. Instead of fighting other Transformers, he keeps wanting to tell you about Slim Jims and picking fights with Hulk Hogan over Miss Elizabeth.OOOHHHH YEEEAAAHH.

Takara are still using the factories Hasbro leased for Transformers production - that's probably why their Primus release has a Cyber Key instead of a un-numbered Force Chip, and why a Takara-exclusive GF Soundblaster popped up with Hasbro security/theft deterent paint on its face and canopy. This all makes sense, as Hasbro's own Primus and Soundwave were in production at the time, lessening costs for Takara (they wouldn't need to set up a new production line).It also makes sense for Takara to continue using Hasbro's factories for toys like Kiss Convoy and MP Starscream - if they are producing so few TFs (with an uncertain future for the line), they don't have to lease factories to produce these new toys, saving them alot of money. So that's probably why Starscream here has Hasbro security paint.

I don't think its such a bad thing, especially considering Hasbro has worked on Zoids before (engineering wise) and TakaraTomy owns both Zoids and part of Transformers. Besides, its not indentical.Hell, Don made the Cybertronian Lio Convoy a heavily reworked Liger Zero. Better to have a visible screw that helps durability than to have an exacting collector replica that doesn't pretend to be a toy that breaks as soon as you look at it in a funny way. Given their pedigree, I tend to trust Takara's engineering decisions even if I question their creative decisions.From what can tell, even when Takara designs TFs for their own market, they design them with US toy laws in mind (hence long firing missiles and pop-off parts/difficult to break parts). And that's a GOOD thing if you're the sort of person who actually plays with his action figures

Back in 2003, Aaron Archer admitted that Neo Unicron had more detail than Armada Unicron, but when on to state the floppy, unstable problems the design had, as well as it being very expensive to produce (despite it being around the size of RID Super Mode Prime). I think Primus has surpassed Neo Unicron in detail now, partly due to Hasbro's input - Takara's initial design was more of a plain sphere with guns. Hasbro requested the addition of random cities, as well as recognisable locations from the Dreamwave and Iacon as seen in the DK Tranformers Ultimate Guide book. Don Figueroa (who seems to be designing alot of TFs these days) seemed to base Grimlock's beast mode on the Zoids Genosaurer and Beserk Fuhrer. Very similar armoured tyrannosaurus modes with the head and segmented tail.

They won't - Cartoon Colours Starscream (with crown) will cost more money and is only available through Takara's subscription fee-based STARS club. No doubt they will do TC and Skywarp if Starscream does well enough.Unfortunately, Takara knows the draw of Kawamori's name in Japan, and will flog the regular releasing according to his preferences to maximize the potential sales. The fact that MP Starscream is a Transformer is FARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR BEHIND in second place in their minds. And I'm pretty sure Mr Kawamori didn't give a flying crap about TFs. I mean look at Figure OH!'s promo of the figure - they show the plane's features, but barely the ROBOT. This is a toy made to be sold primarily to fans of Macross, fans of Mr Kawamori's mecha designs, general fans of japanese mecha and fighter place replicas. Not Transformers customers, and that is a tragedy for Transformers in Japan.

One problem I have is this - vehicle mode ultra accuracy has never been (and should never be) the most important factor in designing a Transformer. Its about designing the character of the toy, infusing it with personality as representations of living beings. (This seems to be more in line with Hasbro thinking than Takara, the latter of which having never designed the originals as alien sentient beings and thus still tend to think of vehicular TFs as Diaclone mecha, if their wanting to redo new TF/Diaclone is any indication). If Kawamori and all you Macross fans really wanted a variable F-15 Valkyrie... why not have Big West license the plane and turn it into a robot? Then wait X number of years for Yamato to make a hyper accurate scale model-esque collector toy that doesn't need to deal with any Transformers homages and character-accuracy. Easy.

I though the first version looked fine from behind. As for it not 'needing' big legs because he flies... that's one of the weakest arguments I've ever heard. A similarly weak argument I can counter with is the fact most vehicular Transformers designs have large legs, a part of common TF design. That's why guys like Cybertron Thundercracker look so odd by TF standards, even if not for his giant gun arm. I think the first prototype was a happy marriage between the original toy, the cartoon model (and modern comic representations) and a real F-15.

Hasbro will not be releasing MP Starscream. If they ever release him, September 2007 would be the earliest. I'm thinking its because of a lack of retailer support given 20th Prime's sales difficulties. Or its another 'Takara exclusive' dealio where they won't let Hasbro use their stuff (which has happened before).

Who cares? Its bloody disgusting. Japan should keep their quasi-pedophilic sexual deviance subculture the hell OUT of Transformers. Takara shouldn't scrape the bloody bottom of the barrel so hard to appeal to perverts, if that is their target market now. Another problem is Takara's marketing is focusing on the underage-looking girlies, not the Transformers. Apparently there will be a large version of Marissa Faireborn with a tiny Alt Prime to go with the upskirt police girl with tiny BT Meister. I hope this is a bad joke, because while other major kids robot lines farm out their popular female characters to companies like Yujin to make scantly clad 'DX' girlie figures, I don't believe Gundam or Zoids have gone as far as have a young girl tied up in bondage with collar and lock around her neck.

Cartoon colours Starscream will be sold for 12,000 yen on Takara's STARS membership club (which has a fee). New in DESPERATE TAKARA MARKETING TF Kiss Hot Rod and Bondage Girl! "We at Takara-Tomy believe that by combining Giant Robots with Underage-looking sexual content, we will corner the market in Giant Robots with Underage-looking sexual content!" - Takara-Tomy Chairman of Marketing. Japanese TF fans are apparently rather upset with this line.

Hasbro has revamped their www.transformers.com website. Includes news that Nemesis Prime will be sold at the Hasbro Toy Shop for $24.99 starting on July 20th at 9:00 AM EST.

Nah, but likely it will be PG-13 at most in the US.There were a number of crazy people who jumped on the Transformers bandwagon (there have been alot since 2004) that demanded that Transformers will suck unless it was rated R18 with explicit human violence. And sex. YES, inappropriate sex in a movie based upon a toyline sold to kids. You know, because all the 'True Fans' are adults now who can handle seeing Spike have sex with his girlfriend. Morons.

I'm not judging your sense of taste, but often in artistic endeavours, less is more. The suggestion of great violence if quite often more dramatic than outright violence. eg, somebody dying with little blood is of more emotional effect (especially if its a good guy) than having blood splattered all over them and leaking out of their body; or having somebody executed off camera based on the reaction of the other characters rather than seeing their brainpan emptied from their head.Also, rampant violence has the stigma of being low-brow. Transformers media won't (and never will be) high art, but violence for the sake of violence and 'being cool' to sate the bloodthirst of a minority of viewers will do nothing but damage the image and reputation of Transformers as a relatively well-known franchise. Its also in poor taste. The movie will have violence (of the robot kind) in it, but I doubt it will have the serious violence you may be after. It just doesn't suit the license, to be honest. (Oh, due to the nature of comic books and their relatively small circulation, readership and demographic, they can afford to have more violence. Plus, on the big screen Wolverine as a hero would be EXTREMELY unsympathetic, if not outright a source of disgust if he was as violent in the movie as he was in the comics.)