The Grand Transformers Thread
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Thanks, much appreciated. I first saw the SUnbow series over my dad's old apartment. He bouht me Bluestreak, Optimus Prime and other TF toys.
As for the movie... I'm just not in the mood to see it right now. I can barely do anything.
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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Sounds like your dad was a fan too, or at least supported you as one. That's cool.
Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, behold, a transphobe's take on TF One:
The irony is, I believe many LGBTQ+ people are taking the exact opposite message.
The irony is, I believe many LGBTQ+ people are taking the exact opposite message.
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A lot of bigots seem to have the same weird problem with understanding stories in that specific way.
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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A lot of activists seem to have a problem with inserting their flavor of politics into everything whether it fits or not
OK, it's been over 23 hrs, I don't think it counts as a doublepost, so what do y'all think of these?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUwEhDf2WMc
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHgXXuFukVg
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOWgXTeS0gI
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57qAn_YFjoM
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUwEhDf2WMc
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHgXXuFukVg
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOWgXTeS0gI
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57qAn_YFjoM
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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Wow... seeing them intercut like that really drives in how much of a giant steamer of a waste dump Bay took on the franchise. Like holy shit, he just made #3 on my Time Machine Murder List
In what way?
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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Both in that Sentinel really did not come across as being redeemable if shown mercy and there was no greater authority to turn him over to for his crimes, so what exactly did OP think they should do with him, and in that he immediately condemned Megatron as being irredeemable after that. Basically, he took exactly the wrong lesson from the situation, even if fromour perspective we know it takes some really extreme circumstances (as in the IDW comics, TF Prime, or EarthSpark) to get him to reform and let go of the need to let no other be in a position to control him, and (as with G1 Galvatron going utterly batshit crazy to the point even the other Unicron-rebuilt Decepticons sent him off to get therapy in S3, and the events in that episode) how bad the result is if someone forces it.
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OP straight-up said it, they shouldn't start the new era with an execution. Sentinel has already lost, killing him in hot blood at this place, at this time, accomplishes nothing. Killing Sentinel may feel good in the moment, it may given D-16 personal satisfaction, but it doesn't actually accomplish anything useful for the Cybertronian people, nor is it going to make D-16's anger and humiliation go away, and it turns what they just accomplished from a Revolution for the good of the People into D-16's Personal Revenge, from a needed Reform into a Coup.
Like, Sentinel absolutely should be punished, but that's not a priority. Right now, they need to take the momentum of showing the people of Iacon the truth and turn it towards the important goal of fixing things, of freeing the miners, getting them back their Cogs, and kicking the Quintessons off the surface. Killing Sentinel just gives false catharsis and blunts that momentum.
I mean, from a historical perspective, I think everyone agrees that Muammar(sp?) Gadaffi(sp?) being pulled out of his bunker and torn apart by an angry mob was not helpful for Libya, or the rest of the world?
And also, D-16 himself is clearly in a really bad place psychologically RN and what he needs is to calm down and start thinking with his head and not his cannon; I've seen several people declare that they didn't see that sequence as OP trying to save Sentinel, but as trying to save D-16.
Like, Sentinel absolutely should be punished, but that's not a priority. Right now, they need to take the momentum of showing the people of Iacon the truth and turn it towards the important goal of fixing things, of freeing the miners, getting them back their Cogs, and kicking the Quintessons off the surface. Killing Sentinel just gives false catharsis and blunts that momentum.
I mean, from a historical perspective, I think everyone agrees that Muammar(sp?) Gadaffi(sp?) being pulled out of his bunker and torn apart by an angry mob was not helpful for Libya, or the rest of the world?
And also, D-16 himself is clearly in a really bad place psychologically RN and what he needs is to calm down and start thinking with his head and not his cannon; I've seen several people declare that they didn't see that sequence as OP trying to save Sentinel, but as trying to save D-16.
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Deeply deserved, but once he was gone there was nothing to unify people against long enough to actually get the existing state working, though splitting the country along the lines it did end up does more closely reflect how it was historically before Europeans walked in and carved arbitrary straight lines through things to make their maps look good, and no one has really recognized that divide internationally to my knowledge yet beyond supporting different sides as a proxy war. Not a bad example, but the reality is more nuanced.
If Sentinel was kept around until a government could be formed to try him and the High Guard could be integrated enough to not run off to keep being bandits with vaguely revolutionary intentions for Megatron's issues to bounce off of and make both worse then they would have presented a much more united front against the Quintessons, though Starscream's seeming mockery of Orion's talk of unity may reflect a history not as united as he dreamed it to be, which may make the Libya comparison more fitting.
If Sentinel was kept around until a government could be formed to try him and the High Guard could be integrated enough to not run off to keep being bandits with vaguely revolutionary intentions for Megatron's issues to bounce off of and make both worse then they would have presented a much more united front against the Quintessons, though Starscream's seeming mockery of Orion's talk of unity may reflect a history not as united as he dreamed it to be, which may make the Libya comparison more fitting.
If Gun becomes his default response to his emotional troubles, is it any surprise he becomes a gun in the end?
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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"If you seek vengeance, first dig two graves: One for your foe, and one for the bleeding heart "heroes" who will try to stop you."
"Such heroic ninsense."
- Megatron, probably
"Such heroic ninsense."
- definitely Megatron
So, it's been a week since I've seen it, a thought:
Am I crazy or misremembering, or does this hold up?
-So, yeah, they portray Orion as doing all this crazy stuff and D-16 as his long suffering friend who has to clean up after him, but like...they also make it clear that Orion isn't doing it for himself, he's trying to help other people. He also, notably is entirely willing to accept the consequences of his actions. After both the mine explosion and the Iacon 5000, almost the first thing out of his mouth when confronted by an authority figure was insisting that he is at fault, he is to blame, and he should be punished, no one else.
-D-16 is from the beginning taking the easy way out. Not only is his goal to just keep his head down and work hard, but he isn't willing to seriously argue with OP when he proposes they do crazy things, and until that moment in the cave, he is unwilling to seriously rebuke him either, always insisting that he is ok with the outcome, that he forgives him, that he isn't really mad at him, even when he very clearly is, because it's easier than risking losing OP's friendship.
-Also, from the very beginning, OP has a Vision. He has a goal in mind of making their world better, and the hting is he isn't just impulsively doing shit for fun, he makes plans. And when they don't work he comes up with new ones on the fly to replace them! Also, notably several of his plans only failed because they're based on the flawed assumption that the people in charge would be willing to fix the flaws in the system if said flaws were pointed out and a better way was presented.
-Actually, this is important, because OP's response to finding out the Truth is, once again to Make A Plan to fix it. WHile he undergoes character development, he doesn't fundamentally change as a person...and if you think about it, neither does D-16. because he's still taking the path of least resistance, he's still doing what's easier for him. The only change is that, now that he's a big powerful Trasnformer instead of a small. weak Miner, instead of keeping his head down, what's easy ot is to shout and break things.
-And notably, it doesn't actually help! Like, yeah, he gets the High Guard on their side (which was OP's idea, remember), but then proceeds to squander that by making a loud speech that gets them captured. And his refusing to kneel to Sentinel was badass and all, but it didn't accomplish anything; OP showing up with an army and a plan did.
-Like, D-16 says he's done saving Orion, but Orion just saved HIM, and also the reason OP needed saving is because he was trying to save D-16 from himself!
-And then, having removed all opposition, what does Megatron do? He makes an angry speech and starts wrecking stuff, heedless of the fact that he's hurting innocent people.
-In contrast, after defeating him, OP's first act is to start the Energon flowing, the second is to start handing out Cogs, and the third is to start forming a new government. His last scene is giving the Quintessons an ultimatum and taking the fight to them. Megatron's last scene is making a speech to the people already following and swearing to one day take revenge.
-In short, the movie does an excellent job of showing why OP is The Guy and Megatron isn't and crucially, it does so by showing that ultimately, while Megatron talks a big game, when it comes down to it, OP is the one who gets results. Getting angry and hurting the people who hurt you feels good, but having a vision of a better world and making plans to achieve it works.
-D-16 is from the beginning taking the easy way out. Not only is his goal to just keep his head down and work hard, but he isn't willing to seriously argue with OP when he proposes they do crazy things, and until that moment in the cave, he is unwilling to seriously rebuke him either, always insisting that he is ok with the outcome, that he forgives him, that he isn't really mad at him, even when he very clearly is, because it's easier than risking losing OP's friendship.
-Also, from the very beginning, OP has a Vision. He has a goal in mind of making their world better, and the hting is he isn't just impulsively doing shit for fun, he makes plans. And when they don't work he comes up with new ones on the fly to replace them! Also, notably several of his plans only failed because they're based on the flawed assumption that the people in charge would be willing to fix the flaws in the system if said flaws were pointed out and a better way was presented.
-Actually, this is important, because OP's response to finding out the Truth is, once again to Make A Plan to fix it. WHile he undergoes character development, he doesn't fundamentally change as a person...and if you think about it, neither does D-16. because he's still taking the path of least resistance, he's still doing what's easier for him. The only change is that, now that he's a big powerful Trasnformer instead of a small. weak Miner, instead of keeping his head down, what's easy ot is to shout and break things.
-And notably, it doesn't actually help! Like, yeah, he gets the High Guard on their side (which was OP's idea, remember), but then proceeds to squander that by making a loud speech that gets them captured. And his refusing to kneel to Sentinel was badass and all, but it didn't accomplish anything; OP showing up with an army and a plan did.
-Like, D-16 says he's done saving Orion, but Orion just saved HIM, and also the reason OP needed saving is because he was trying to save D-16 from himself!
-And then, having removed all opposition, what does Megatron do? He makes an angry speech and starts wrecking stuff, heedless of the fact that he's hurting innocent people.
-In contrast, after defeating him, OP's first act is to start the Energon flowing, the second is to start handing out Cogs, and the third is to start forming a new government. His last scene is giving the Quintessons an ultimatum and taking the fight to them. Megatron's last scene is making a speech to the people already following and swearing to one day take revenge.
-In short, the movie does an excellent job of showing why OP is The Guy and Megatron isn't and crucially, it does so by showing that ultimately, while Megatron talks a big game, when it comes down to it, OP is the one who gets results. Getting angry and hurting the people who hurt you feels good, but having a vision of a better world and making plans to achieve it works.
Am I crazy or misremembering, or does this hold up?
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Not crazy, that is getting down to the core of it pretty well I think. Which as a message that is pretty good. Angry speeches to a roaring crowd of people who already follow you doesn't fix things, actually thinking about the results you want and working for them no matter the obstacle does.
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All right. It's October. So you know what? I'm still gonna do my Month Of Macabre! Some of the worst toys in my collection! The bottom of the barrel.
Some rules/guidelines. I'm only doing toys I currently own. So no Titans Return or Generations Galvatron, no Six-Inch Titanium Megatron, no Six-Inch Titanium Optimus Prime.
So I'm gonna start with what I consider to be, taking into account the time and price point, the worst combiner ever made. or at least the head-swap/redeco of it. Folks, I present to you...
Fall of Cybertron Ruination. Part One: Whirl
Ruination is made up of five Wreckers, each a head-swap and redeco of the Combaticons, with bonus weapons. They were released in 2013 as part of the Fall of Cybertron line. Although they do range in quality, all share charcteristics of being under-designed, feeling cheap, with bad ball-joints and tolerances. The limbs have instructions to only transform into either an arm or leg, not both. And for me that's VERY frustrating. I'm starting with what I feel to be the 'best' of them, Whirl.
Whirl transforms into a Cybertronian helicopter. There's not much to say about it. It's a nice alt mode. I like the nose gun. His bayonet-pistols can attach to the skids, Unfortunately, you can't mount them and his weapon at the same time.
Transformation is pretty nice. The cockpit forms the legs, the midsection forms the arms. The head folds out of the tail. And here he is. Honestly... it's not 'bad', especially compared to the ones I'll be reviewing later on. He balances well. He can hold all three weapons at once. His articulation is decent.. but the ball-jointed albows are weak and popped out three times. The rotor just hangs from the left arm and really gets in the way. He's got a back, at least.
He has instructions to turn him into a leg. And this is where he kinda falls apart. Literally. The top part doesn't peg or slide or attach in any way to the 'foot'. So it can flop about a bit. it's a shame. If it did that then I would rate this toy as pretty good. Instead, it just ranks as good.
Whirl is the best of a bad bunch. He's not horrible overall, but he's got some flaws here and there. Tune in tomorrow for the next Wrecker... Topspin!
Some rules/guidelines. I'm only doing toys I currently own. So no Titans Return or Generations Galvatron, no Six-Inch Titanium Megatron, no Six-Inch Titanium Optimus Prime.
So I'm gonna start with what I consider to be, taking into account the time and price point, the worst combiner ever made. or at least the head-swap/redeco of it. Folks, I present to you...
Fall of Cybertron Ruination. Part One: Whirl
Ruination is made up of five Wreckers, each a head-swap and redeco of the Combaticons, with bonus weapons. They were released in 2013 as part of the Fall of Cybertron line. Although they do range in quality, all share charcteristics of being under-designed, feeling cheap, with bad ball-joints and tolerances. The limbs have instructions to only transform into either an arm or leg, not both. And for me that's VERY frustrating. I'm starting with what I feel to be the 'best' of them, Whirl.
Whirl transforms into a Cybertronian helicopter. There's not much to say about it. It's a nice alt mode. I like the nose gun. His bayonet-pistols can attach to the skids, Unfortunately, you can't mount them and his weapon at the same time.
Transformation is pretty nice. The cockpit forms the legs, the midsection forms the arms. The head folds out of the tail. And here he is. Honestly... it's not 'bad', especially compared to the ones I'll be reviewing later on. He balances well. He can hold all three weapons at once. His articulation is decent.. but the ball-jointed albows are weak and popped out three times. The rotor just hangs from the left arm and really gets in the way. He's got a back, at least.
He has instructions to turn him into a leg. And this is where he kinda falls apart. Literally. The top part doesn't peg or slide or attach in any way to the 'foot'. So it can flop about a bit. it's a shame. If it did that then I would rate this toy as pretty good. Instead, it just ranks as good.
Whirl is the best of a bad bunch. He's not horrible overall, but he's got some flaws here and there. Tune in tomorrow for the next Wrecker... Topspin!
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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In shop watching news, 86 OP aka MP-44 At Home was very briefly listed for the $89.99 MSRP with delivery in about two weeks on Amazon in the small hours of the morning (US EDT) but back to just the grey-import scalpers at this point. I'd expect normal stock to hit soon, though, so keep an eye out. It's OP and the anniversary year so they'll probably try to keep a good supply on sheelves for a while, but I got surprised by how fast 86 UM vanished and jumped up to collector-market prices and missed out on him, so, you know, gather ye energon blooms while ye may. Commander Class toys don't usually go on discount in online spaces.
Meanwhile, actual MP-44 is in stock at BBTS, and for well under to hundred dollars - $175.99 - if you've been waiting on one of those. No trailer included this time, but there are 3p options if you really want one to match, and that much less toy closet or shelf space occupied if not.
Finally, the 86 Scrapper preorder I got in when it was accidentally listed early back at the beginning of August now lists a delivery date in may, so that's probably a decent guess at when they'll actually start appearing, though they do tend to like giving more pessimistic estimates that far out. The original December date was never that plausible, but this sounds a bit more solid.
Meanwhile, actual MP-44 is in stock at BBTS, and for well under to hundred dollars - $175.99 - if you've been waiting on one of those. No trailer included this time, but there are 3p options if you really want one to match, and that much less toy closet or shelf space occupied if not.
Finally, the 86 Scrapper preorder I got in when it was accidentally listed early back at the beginning of August now lists a delivery date in may, so that's probably a decent guess at when they'll actually start appearing, though they do tend to like giving more pessimistic estimates that far out. The original December date was never that plausible, but this sounds a bit more solid.
DracoDracul
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I have to be honest, I don't like the way MP-44 transforms, it seems so fiddlely and unintutative compared to MP-10.
Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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Yeah, I have to say that S86 OP has quelled any lingering urge I felt to get MP-10 or MP-44. Not that thoat weas terribly strong to begin with, since I have MP-01 and about twenty other OPs besides, but you know, it's OP. Everybody loves Space Dad.
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All right. Time for the next review. Again, this one isn't 'horrible', but... could be better. Folks, it's time for...
Ruination Part Two: Topspin
Topspin transforms into a Cybertronian... shuttle? Fighter jet? It's a flying thing, at least. And honestly, it's pretty good. Unlike Whirl, he can mount all his weapons to his alt mode. Although the gun on top looks a little goofy to me.
Transformation is a good sequence. The legs unfold from the back. The top bulge becomes shoulder pauldrons and the arms, and the head comes out of the chest. And we get...
It's a nice robot mode mode. He's got good articulation overall, and thanks to his numerous ports he can mount his weapons in various ways. However... his shoulders are pretty hollow, and the stems his arms are mounted to can detach a bit too easily. Although compared to some of the others he's practically a solid brick.
His instructions are for leg mode only. And overall... it's a solid leg. Unlike Whirl he tabs together solidly, but he also doesn't have the most stable base. Again, he's one of the good ones for this set.
Unfortunately... tomorrow we do one of the BAD ones. Playtime is over, folks. For tomorrow, I review... Roadbuster. Prepare for pain!
Ruination Part Two: Topspin
Topspin transforms into a Cybertronian... shuttle? Fighter jet? It's a flying thing, at least. And honestly, it's pretty good. Unlike Whirl, he can mount all his weapons to his alt mode. Although the gun on top looks a little goofy to me.
Transformation is a good sequence. The legs unfold from the back. The top bulge becomes shoulder pauldrons and the arms, and the head comes out of the chest. And we get...
It's a nice robot mode mode. He's got good articulation overall, and thanks to his numerous ports he can mount his weapons in various ways. However... his shoulders are pretty hollow, and the stems his arms are mounted to can detach a bit too easily. Although compared to some of the others he's practically a solid brick.
His instructions are for leg mode only. And overall... it's a solid leg. Unlike Whirl he tabs together solidly, but he also doesn't have the most stable base. Again, he's one of the good ones for this set.
Unfortunately... tomorrow we do one of the BAD ones. Playtime is over, folks. For tomorrow, I review... Roadbuster. Prepare for pain!
DracoDracul
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I only have the mold because BBTS had a huge overstock of Shattered Glass MP-10 circa 2018.
Edit: This is also why I have Year of the Goat Soundwave
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Czlyydwr Llrngwl
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I got a KO ss38 to be my SG OP, along with another in Nemesis black and teal - the half-flayed bayfromer look actually works in Chuuni Mode colors. Even the blue and grey Night Operations repaint of the original 2007 leader class, or whatever they called it, though that one was of course in the 2012 house fire and would be stupidly expensive to replace now... just not as actual Optimus Prime. I half wonder if the way bayformus prime turned into a face ripping psycho over the course of drvelopment and a major antagonist for TLK wa spurred on by being given that tobo-zombie aesthetic and thenliving down to it, actually, except the TLK knight look is actually pretty cool if you divorce it from the expectations that go with the Transformers name, unlike most other bayformer entries that just look like a pile of twiddled metal shreds with a car part here and there.