Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 The good thing is: it is as if the toon is aimed/trying to appeal to people who were fans of g1 a lot with all the little homages to it. Its because the cartoon network team working on is is comprised of huge G1 fans, including Derrick Wyatt, the character designer, who also has a huge transformers collection. I think the Animated figures have more expression; there's more character to them. Definitely. It surprises me how the figures can even mimic the posture of their onscreen counterparts, such as Prime and Starscream. The Animated toys are flying off the shelves over here. Same here man. The first walmart I went to had a ton of stuff on the shelves, except for the 2 pack, Lugnut, Grimlock and Cybertron Megatron. A ton of deluxes but not many Lockdowns, Primes or Bumblebees. A week later and all that is left are Black Arachnia and Ratchet. Lockdown was easier to find than Prime and Bee, but now he is nowhere to be found in that walmart. I'm basically set until the Activators and Leaders hit. I found out Black Arachnia has thigh swivels, which increases her poseability even more! Her heels still make it a bitc*h for it to stand though. I just saw Black Friday and she acts like a conniving slurm. That episode gives reason to have not only her, but all the dinobot figures. "Grimlock love spider lady!". "Grimlock go alone!". I also saw "Sari, no one's home", and I want the Constructicons even more. So full of character, even if they don't combine(not sure if they will). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoptimus Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I picked up Animated Ratchet and Prowl this weekend. Both fiigures are great. Look just like the show with minimal cheating on Ratchet and they pose great. I was gonna hold out for Sidecar Prowl but he was so awesome in Fistful of Energon that I cracked. Glad I did. Great figure. One of the best so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha OTS Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I put deluxe Animated Megatron next to my other G1 Megatrons, and it's obviously a much darker shade of gray on the Animated figure. Stil looks nice, and I really like the deluxe proportions when it's standing around other Megatrons. While we're piling on Classics Grimlock, I'll add that he's probably my least favorite Classic. I don't like the tail gimmick, but what I *really* don't like is that he looks more like a walking crocodille than a T-rex. The head just looks all wrong. It's much too flat. He does look nice in bot mode though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted June 16, 2008 Author Share Posted June 16, 2008 BA simply rocks IMHO. Anyways---found a bunch of deep space/silver movie SS at Target, along with Lugnut and most deluxes. Which means someone already bought Grimlock there. Wal-Mart re-stocked (despite the flood) and also got in Bulkhead and Starscream for the first time, but still no Lugnut/Grimlock. I'm still holding off on Prowl, might wait for Samurai armor. Ratchet and Lockdown are still "maybe". (I'm really waiting for Soundwave). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 Lockdown's neat, but Ratchet is pure TF love... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit For Natalie Posted June 16, 2008 Share Posted June 16, 2008 I was watching the DVD that came with the two-pack (essentially, the first episode, but just the part 1, not the whole thing), and I was pretty shocked to see that, while Prime's toys are fairly accurate, minus a few details, that Megatron's Cybertron alt-mode is way off. The most glaring difference is that, like his Earth mode, he carries his Fusion Cannon underneath and pointed outward. The other differences are small and easy to overlook, but I can't help but wonder why they decided to mold the cockpit to the Fusion Cannon and stick the cannon on top of the toy. Not only is it an inaccurate alt mode, but throws off the look of the cannon in bot mode. From the looks of the cartoon, they'd have been better off having the cockpit as a sort of back pack (like his earth mode), that would pull up and over his head, fold the legs up, have the arms make the tail, and peg the cannon to his butt. But what do I know, anyway? I would assume they either worked with earlier concepts, or they just couldn't get that design as a toy, and sort of came up with their own. Or they just made up an alt mode that they thought worked better as a toy given he only appeared in vehicle mode in the cartoon for 20 seconds. The Animated toys are flying off the shelves over here. I've been trying to find another Prowl and Bumblebee for the kiddies, but the stores that had em are either completely sold out or just have a bunch of Ratchets, Blackarachnias, and a smattering of Lockdowns. And still no voyager Prime . So far the line leaves me with little to complain about. It makes me wonder if the JP releases are going to have enhancements like the figures from Classics 1.0. This is what happened to the Voyagers: Those aren't 'samples', but production toys off the line. Of course, western fans should take some blame for providing a lucrative market for this thievery in the first place. I doubt TakaraTomy will release Animated in Japan. Might be too different to what they're used to over there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chindenathus Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I dare say Has/Tak has a pretty serious theft issue going on then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Those aren't 'samples', but production toys off the line. Of course, western fans should take some blame for providing a lucrative market for this thievery in the first place. He shouldn't have a problem moving all those Nemesis Primes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chewie Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 What is that picture of exactly? Someone stole all of those from the factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Holy crap... Hasbro really does need to start cracking down already... look at all those SDCC Nemesis Primes... that's a con exclusive he's got 50 of stolen there... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 That makes me feel guilty for buying a voyager Bulkhead a couple of months back from Ebay. I had no idea there was that big of problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 BA simply rocks IMHO. Her articulation and styling work well, I had her in a meditating position yesterday. Now I had her standing with her arms crossed, standing with the rest of the decepticons. I'm still holding off on Prowl, might wait for Samurai armor. Ratchet and Lockdown are still "maybe". (I'm really waiting for Soundwave). The only bad thing about Ratchet is that he has nowhere to store his tools in vehicle mode, and they fit loosely in robot mode. Other than that great figure, and I was looking forward to it for a long time because he is my favorite character on the show. I did not know his elbows activated his magnet gimmick until a few days ago. Pretty neat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twich Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 just got Animated Grimlock as a sorta late Fathers Day gift from my son....the thing is really awesome and brought back the feelings for the G1 Grimlock I had way back in the day.....my only complaint is there is no place to store the sword when it is in Dino mode....and it says something about Flame Breath using the sword, but I cant figure out if that means it is supposed to attach to him in Dino Mode or not....not very explicit directions, but awesome figure and poseability. Twich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeszekely Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I was at Target last night, and there was nothing but a handful of movie toys. Imagine my surprise to hear today then that Targets are setting up endcaps with Animated toys. I might swing by there and Wal-Mart tomorrow. We're getting close enough to the actual date that I'm hoping to see some, even if I didn't this past weekend. Not sure which ones I'll buy even if I do see them. I'm totally not interested in Ratchet or Lockdown, and I definitely am going to wait for the Samurai Armor Prowl. Much as I like Bulkhead, Blitzwing, and Lugnut, I don't think I like any of them enough to spring for Voyagers. Black Arachnia and Bumblbee, maybe. Grimlock and Starscream, definitely. I think that's about it for the ones that have been sighted, right? As far as other characters go, I do want Voyager Earth Prime and Leader Earth Megatron, as well as Soundwave. Wreck-Gar, maybe, if he's a Deluxe. Swoop for sure, Snarl maybe. Jazz definitely, and Swindle too. I hope Swindle's a Voyager. I'm gonna pass on the Constructicons. I wanted an Ultra Magnus, but it looks like he's going to be a Supreme, and I'm sorry, that's just too much for a character whose little screen time has been mostly bossing Prime around and ignoring the fact that Sentinel's being a dick. Oh, yeah, I'll probably get Sentinel. I'm a sucker for Primes. I don't want to go too nuts with them. The Animated cartoon is great and the toys are awesome, but G1's still my first love, so I've got to save some cash for Universe/Classics, since I'll probably be buying all of them. I just wish Sideswipe was coming before Sunstreaker, since he's the first Transformer I ever owned. Oh, and I also wish that Shockwave was getting a Classics treatment, but that's a pretty minor gripe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 my only complaint is there is no place to store the sword when it is in Dino mode....and it says something about Flame Breath using the sword, but I cant figure out if that means it is supposed to attach to him in Dino Mode or not....not very explicit directions, but awesome figure and poseability. Twich None of us have been able to figure that out either. The sword in the mouth is not very secure since the sword is heavy. I wanted an Ultra Magnus, but it looks like he's going to be a Supreme, and I'm sorry, that's just too much for a character whose little screen time has been mostly bossing Prime around and ignoring the fact that Sentinel's being a dick. He is a leader class figure. The only Supremes are Roll out and Command Optimus(who got shafted in arm articulation, what a damn waste, yea its geared towards kids but such simple, yet important articulation is missing), and Omega Supreme. Wreck-Gar, maybe, if he's a Deluxe. I think he is a voyager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB0 Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I demand Roller! Voyager class at the minimum! Okay, seriously... I want another Shockwave. And Dinobots(which we're actually getting). I ALMOST got Prowl the other day, and I'm very glad I didn't now that I know there's a revision coming. Anything else is gonna be highly dependent on how it looks on the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 (edited) Does anyone have a pic of the animated Starscream/Cyclonus custom. I saw one about a week ago and can't find it again. Come to think of it, I saw a yf19 custom using the SS mold also. Edited June 17, 2008 by Alex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kanedaestes Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Man i bought Lugnut last night. Everytime i am next to a walmart i go hunting for more figures. I would say that these are my favorite transformers right now. I pretty much over look any other types from any other series. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roy's Blues Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I just received this for Los 6.17.08 - Transformers News Solicitations arrived this morning regarding new Transformers arriving this Fall. It appears the next Masterpiece figure will be MP-07 Thundercracker. The new Binaltech mold has identified as the Nissan GT-R. There will be a Red and Silver version of this mold. We are unclear if the two versions will be the same character or two different characters. As soon as find out we will update the listings. The Classics Henkei! line continues with C-09 Sideswipe, C-10 Streak, C-11 Ironhide, C-12 Ratchet, D-05 Octane and D-06 Galvatron. Carlos David H, your prayers have been answered! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit For Natalie Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 (edited) Holy crap... Hasbro really does need to start cracking down already... look at all those SDCC Nemesis Primes... that's a con exclusive he's got 50 of stolen there... There's also a couple of Crystal Convoys up the back, too. All of the toys out now using the Classics 2006 molds (Botcon 2008, SDCC, Henkei) are being manufacturered by TakaraTomy, who traditionally seem to have much tougher security (or just less intense interest) in their leased factories, judging by the fact that, until 2006 or so, we didn't see test shots of their stuff on eBay. Holy crap... Hasbro really does need to start cracking down already... look at all those SDCC Nemesis Primes... that's a con exclusive he's got 50 of stolen there... One of the problems is none of the toy companies actually own the chinese factories that produce their toys, and they go to factories based on the costs of doing business with them and their safety record. Transformers has an unusually intense focus for test shot and proto thieves for some reason, even before the TF movie. .my only complaint is there is no place to store the sword when it is in Dino mode....and it says something about Flame Breath using the sword, but I cant figure out if that means it is supposed to attach to him in Dino Mode or not....not very explicit directions, but awesome figure and poseability. Twich It appears to be a feature they dropped, but forgot to remove from the paper work and packaging. Edited June 17, 2008 by Fit For Natalie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeszekely Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 (edited) He is a leader class figure. Well, that's a little better, but honestly, if Hasbro wants to sell me an Ultra Magnus bigger than a Voyager, Magnus had better do something really cool between now and the end of the season. EDIT: Hit my local Target and Wal-Mart, and what can I say except that this region sucks. There was no endcap at my Target (although it looks like they might be doing something with a Speed Racer endcap... I'll check back later in the week). There was a solitary peghook with four lonely Deluxe figures hanging from it. Mind you, I don't think someone cleaned them out already, as the shelves were full of movie Scouts. That peghook was simply the only place slotted for Animated toys. Wal-Mart was little better. They had a pair of the Battle Begins packs out, and two peghooks with a total of six figures. If I wanted, I could have had Prowl, Bumblebee, Lockdown, Ratchet, or Blackarachnia. Surprisingly, I was most tempted by Ratchet. His figure looks a lot more tempting than I would have thought from the cartoon. But I ultimately held off on buying any more for the time being. No Voyagers, unless you count the Starscreams and Bulkheads I'd already found last week at Toys R' Us. Edited June 17, 2008 by mikeszekely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HoveringCheesecake Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Goddamn yes MP Thundercracker in November. I won't jump on the pre-order until I see some painted shots but still FINALLY I can have the three seekers. I've been wanting them for 20 years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alpha OTS Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 Ok, are they making this cartoon for kids or for adult fans? In "Autobot Boot Camp" we had the introduction of Cliffjumper, Ironhide, Waspinator, and Shockwave! It's not going to be at all surprising if we get Bumblebee repainted into Cliffjumper *and* Waspinator(unless they have something else planned for him, but as is he's awfully close in design), and an Ironhide repaint of Ratchet. Was Longarm supposed to resemble anyone? He didn't look familiar at all. Then in the "SUV" episode we get Swindle, and he mentions the Vok! This is like reference city! And damn it, I want action figures of the humans! In "Rise of the Constructicons" we got Scrapper and Mixmaster acting like your typical construction guys, which in itself is funny enough, but then they really drive the parody home with the sexist remarks as the "cute" car drives by and then the beer drinking at the bar after the end of the work day. Make no mistake, that's what it was. I think it's awesome, but I wonder if the kids are *getting* any of this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 (edited) I'm pretty sure robot falling in love with a car that it thinks is another robot (of the opposite sex) has been done in other shows. Beer? I'm just a little kid what are you talking about? It was oil.. It's entirely possible to be g1 fan friendly and fun for little kids to watch. Think 90s Batman cartoon: not 'aimed at kids' but appeals to everybody including kids. But strangely the look of them IS kiddy (exaggerated body shapes) instead of normal. (ie old x-men toon) It's hard to tell. This and the new spiderman cartoon are the two best cartoons I've been watching so far. It's cutting into my anime watching time. Edited June 17, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Hingtgen Posted June 17, 2008 Author Share Posted June 17, 2008 MP-07 better be *deep* *metallic* blue. If either of those aspects are missing, it's a deal killer. Non-metallic deep blue? Pass. Metallic light blue? Pass. G1 toy colors only. Thundercracker's coloring should look like a blue sports/muscle car---a rich, deep blue (not "old-person-car" blue) that is distinctly metallic/sparkly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chowyunskinny Posted June 17, 2008 Share Posted June 17, 2008 I just received this for Los The new Binaltech mold has identified as the Nissan GT-R. There will be a Red and Silver version of this mold. We are unclear if the two versions will be the same character or two different characters I'm a little disappointed that NOW there's gonna be a Nissan Binaltech. Although the WRX is nice, it would have been rad if Prowl, Streak and Smokescreen were Nissans. Actually come to think of it, it's even more annoying now because they are doing yet ANOTHER Subaru WRX as BT-19 Bluestreak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Hunter D Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I'm just glad that another Binaltech mold is being made, with a GTR alt mode no less. Not to mention a die cast version of the Convoy mold MINUS the pervy anime girl figure-yay! (I missed out on KISS Convoy) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fit For Natalie Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I'm pretty sure robot falling in love with a car that it thinks is another robot (of the opposite sex) has been done in other shows. Beer? I'm just a little kid what are you talking about? It was oil.. It's entirely possible to be g1 fan friendly and fun for little kids to watch. Think 90s Batman cartoon: not 'aimed at kids' but appeals to everybody including kids. But strangely the look of them IS kiddy (exaggerated body shapes) instead of normal. (ie old x-men toon) It's hard to tell. This and the new spiderman cartoon are the two best cartoons I've been watching so far. It's cutting into my anime watching time. I wouldn't call the 90s Batman cartoon as not being aimed at kids, but more being written to allow people of all ages to enjoy it. The sequel series Batman Beyond was similarly quite mature in its own way, but was created solely to sell toys, according to the showrunners. If you're still talking about Batman, the style isn't kiddy, its stylised. I believe the term they came up for the look of the series was 'Dark Deco'. Ironically back in the early 90s Batman caught flak for being 'anime looking' despite the style being created by Americans (and never mind anime and manga being heavily inspired by American animation). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
promethuem5 Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 That Batman cartoon is still one of my favorite cartoons of all time, and still holds up perfectly to viewing now that I'm 19... I think it does work very well, just like TA, in that it's got a stylized art style that makes it fun to watch, and really fantastic writing good for younger and older viewers alike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I was going to hold out on Prowl and wait for the armored version but I couldn't resist getting an Animated fix when I was at Target yesterday. I'm very happy I picked him up, he's easily one of the best TF figures ever made (as most people have already said). His proportions and parts fit in both modes is excellent and his articulation is fantastic. It's not quite at the level of Classics Mirage, but it's damn good. This guy is top notch hand-candy. I even enjoyed doing the thigh modification (I love mods that just require a screwdriver). I wasn't going to get all of the Animated toys but now that their numbers are growing on my shelf I can't help but think how cool it would look to see them all together. I typically don't feel that way with toy lines, but these Animated guys have so much character and personality and they're so well done that you almost expect them to start moving on their own and have little battles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1/1 LowViz Lurker Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 (edited) When I say the "look", I mean the body proportions not the dark look of the series. Of course that dark, moody imagery is part of what made it look great. Just that if they had used x-men style realistic figures with the dark approach (set at nighttime when batman fights crime) I would have liked it even more than the exaggerated body proportions of big square jaw, wide chest, skinny lowerbody. You know it's a bit like how people whine in the macross toy forum about the toynami 1/100 vf-1 toys having the oversized shoulders. I'm pretty sure one of the earliest comments about the TFA toon before it actually started and people only had a picture of the characters to go by was that: "geez...why do they have to make them look all deformed like that?" That's not to say that having them be expressive is bad or anything, just that NOT having them be stylised like that isn't going to suddenly make Transformers animated suck in any way. (because other cartoons like 90s spiderman or x-men didn't suffer in any way without being that way, right?) But the big head of spiderman in spectacular spiderman, and the square jaws of characters in TFA is distracting to me. It just is. Not that there is anything wrong with it.... Edited June 18, 2008 by 1/1 LowViz Lurker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 When I say the "look", I mean the body proportions not the dark look of the series. Of course that dark, moody imagery is part of what made it look great. Just that if they had used x-men style realistic figures with the dark approach (set at nighttime when batman fights crime) I would have liked it even more than the exaggerated body proportions of big square jaw, wide chest, skinny lowerbody. You know it's a bit like how people whine in the macross toy forum about the toynami 1/100 vf-1 toys having the oversized shoulders. I'm pretty sure one of the earliest comments about the TFA toon before it actually started and people only had a picture of the characters to go by was that: "geez...why do they have to make them look all deformed like that?" That's not to say that having them be expressive is bad or anything, just that NOT having them be stylised like that isn't going to suddenly make Transformers animated suck in any way. (because other cartoons like 90s spiderman or x-men didn't suffer in any way without being that way, right?) But the big head of spiderman in spectacular spiderman, and the square jaws of characters in TFA is distracting to me. It just is. Not that there is anything wrong with it.... I completely understand. I was one of the folks who originally balked at the first images of TFA. I was immediately turned off and a little shocked, and my reaction was to just make fun of it. Once TFA became more of a reality and after I watched the first episode and started looking at the toys, my dislike vanished. I'm not sure why my strong reaction against it would so quickly dissipate, but that's how it is. Also interesting is that same phenomenon didn't happen for me with Beast Wars. I instantly was turned off and distracted by the CG and character designs and even after watching several episodes and checking out some toys it never went away, and I still feel that aversion to Beast Wars. There are some random characters and toys here and there that I like but on a whole I can't stand it. I know it has a huge fanbase though and I'm happy those folks are getting some nods with Animated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vermillion21 Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 Finally found some of the TF:Animated toys last night at the local stores. Picked up Deluxe Prowl, Ratchet, Black Arachnia, Optimus Prime, & Lockdown. Also found Voyager Starscream, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Lugnut, & Bulkhead. It was an expensive night!!! Opened all the Deluxes and they rock!! Simply awesome!! Didn't see Grimlock, nor Bumblebee at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 I even enjoyed doing the thigh modification (I love mods that just require a screwdriver What does it do? Finally found some of the TF:Animated toys last night at the local stores. Picked up Deluxe Prowl, Ratchet, Black Arachnia, Optimus Prime, & Lockdown. Also found Voyager Starscream, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Lugnut, & Bulkhead. It was an expensive night!!! Opened all the Deluxes and they rock!! Simply awesome!! cool.gif Did you buy the voyagers, and if you did, how does voyager Prime compare with his deluxe counterparts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eriku Posted June 18, 2008 Share Posted June 18, 2008 (edited) What does it do? It increases his knee articulation. It's really simple, takes a minute and is completely reversable if you don't like it. If you look at Prowl's thighs you'll see a gold panel on the outside of each one. This panel prevents the knees from making their full range of motion. All you have to do is remove the screw from each one, pry the panels off, swap them (left panel on right thigh, right panel on left thigh) turn them upside-down and screw them back on. Doesn't get in the way of transformation or anything else and gives Prowl better knees. Best of all it's simple, non-invasive, quick and reversible. Edited June 18, 2008 by eriku Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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