Transformers

[Blaine]

It's quite impressive the movie does in 2 hours what it took Hasbro seven years to do, namely when they introduced the Actionmasters (Transformers who don't transform) and finally jumped the shark, after poking it a bit with the Headmasters ("My head turns into a little man! That's CRAZY SHIT!!!") and Pretenders ("Ha ha! I will disguise my 40-foot-tall robotic body inside a 40-foot-tall humanoid or weird freaky alien shell! Because that's far less noticeable than me just turning into a car!").

It's not as lame as what finally killed the Go-Bots (y'know, that other transforming robot show.)

For a minute there, Go-Bots were a serious contender as the better show and toyline. I remember having fights with another kid over the fact that Optimus Prime was way cooler than Leader-1 (but having to concede that Cy-Kill was a pretty cool toy).

But Go-Bots lost steam quickly. And before long they were in deep second place. So what do the Go-Bots do? They take on the Transformers head on, by making a MOVIE for the theaters. Not only that it comes out 6 months before the Transformers movie.

They hinge everything they've got on a new premise. They have created a movie... about robots... transforming into.... ROCKS! FUCKING ROCKS!

Because there's nothing more fun that a toy that doubles as a robot AND a worthless piece of mineral you walk on. Or throw. Because they're everywhere. Oh yeah, that beats the hell out of a car or a jet.

Good thinking Go-Bots.

[Werthead]

I recall one where Optimus Prime's head got detached and tossed around like a football, but I don't know if he was actually considered 'dead' at that point. I'd probably have to go to the parents house and dig this shit up. Packed away over a decade ago with alot of my other toys.

He wasn't. Shockwave captured Prime's head to extract the Creation Matrix from it (since he didn't know the Matrix is in fact inside Prime's chest) and, in the comic continuity, used the vestiges of Matrix power inside Prime's brain to create the Constructicons. The other Autobots eventually managed to rescue Prime's head and reconnect it to his body. Prime went postal on Shockwave's ass and buried him in a swamp for several months. In the meantime Soundwave became Deception leader (Megatron was also non-functional for several months) and achieved the Deceptions' biggest victory during their exile on Earth. I think Furman later commented that Soundwave was actually a far superior leader to Megatron, Shockwave, Starscream, Ratbat, Galvatron, Bludgeon or Thunderwing (some of the other 'con commanders during the course of the TF G1/G2 lifespan), challenged only by Scorponok.

Prime's first death in the comic was atrocious. He and Megatron fought inside a VR simulation (for reasons too shit to go into now) and Prime won, but in the process killed some of the bystander characters. Wracked with guilt (for KILLING NON-SENTIENT COMPUTER GAME CHARACTERS), Prime blew himself up, but it was okay as the guy in charge of the VR simulation SAVED OPTIMUS PRIME'S ENTIRE BRAIN AND MEMORY ONTO A 5" FLOPPY DISK This was later used to restore Prime as a Powermaster. This storyline was not the comics' finest hour

[Calibandar]

I've watched a bit of the old cartoon this weekend and also saw some of the recent Transformers cartoons and I just have to say, people can say what they want about the old cartoons, I personally thought they were fantastic, but when compared to the new ones like "Armada" "Energon" or "Transformers Cybertron" there is just a world of difference.

The animation style in the new ones is all so much like the Japanese anima/Pokemon/Dragonball style, which blows. Then they have multiplied the number of annoying human kids. The animation doesn't look better in this one, just different. There are some newer shows from the 00's which do have better animation than the Transformers original cartoon but this new TF shit is definitly not it.

When I watch the old cartoon now it is no longer as cool as it was when I was a kid, and I figure most people now in their 20's and 30's who saw it then would have that. But when you watch these new ones, they seem to be geared to a much younger audience, somewhere between 3-8 year olds.

[Werthead]

The new Transformer cartoons are all pretty shite, even by kids' standards. The problem is that all of the newer cartoons are collaborations between US and Japanese studios, but with equal creative control. So whilst the plots are slightly more comprehensible than the average Japanese kiddy anime, they're still pretty appalling. Why some TF fans have embraced these new shows is beyond me.

A more adult-oriented Transformers G1 anime, on the other hand, could be awesome.

[EHK for Darwin]

Oh I absolutely agree that the new cartoon look blows. Heavy trend towards shit anime everywhere you look. Never understood that shit. Big heads, bug-eyes, brightly, unnaturally colored hair, exxagerated characteristics and mannerisms....How the fuck is that appealing? How does that become the standard? Why all the hate for realistic proportions?

The shit is evil and needs ot be banned.

[Werthead]

I watched some of the Japanese G1 cartoons (they carried on for two or three years after the US show ended in 1987) and that was even worse, seeing the same things being applied to the G1 characters we all know and love. Urgh. They did kill Optimus Prime again (for good, IIRC) and blew up Cyberton, which I suppose was kind of cool but otherwise the voice acting was terrible (the English dubbers couldn't afford any of the English-speaking cast from the US show), the animation lacklustre and the stories inane drivel of the highest order.

[EHK for Darwin]

If their art sucks and has nothing but grossly exxagerated proportions for everything. And their voice acting is atrocious. And their stories (for the kids shows) are either inane drivel or incoherent messes...

How the hell do the Japanese get a reputation for their quality animation?

[Matrim Fox Cauthon]

If their art sucks and has nothing but grossly exxagerated proportions for everything. And their voice acting is atrocious. And their stories (for the kids shows) are either inane drivel or incoherent messes...

How the hell do the Japanese get a reputation for their quality animation?

For the stuff not aimed at the 6-13 age group.

[Derfel Cadarn]

I do know that I didn't really take care of my toys as a kid. Actually, I was downright brutal. Thank god (most) Transformers were well made back in the day because it was amazing how many times Soundwave got hit with a GINORMOUS energy blast and got thrown against the wall as hard as a 5 year old can manage.

I wasn't THAt bad with my toys but I did manage to fuck my Optimus Prime up. I'd had my Ultra Magnus toy for all of 10 minutes (8th birthday) and since the cab was basically just a white Prime, I decided to use Prime instead of the Ultra Magnus cab ... and when I removed the Ultra Magnuss head from Prime, Prime's head came off too. I guess the Ultra Magnus cab section had a slightly thinner head than Prime.

Incidently, in the cartoons/comic did we ever see Ultra Magnus in just his cab robot form?

Oh, and I *think* Bumblebee wins the prize for G1 'upgrades'. The original Bumblebee became Goldbug, then became Bumblebee again as a Pretender, then became an Actionmaster (i.e couldnt transform). I think Prime draws with him (assuming there was a pretender Prime which I *think* there was), Original Prime - Powermaster Prime - Pretender Prime - Actionmaster Prime.