UT Minicon list

Acronyms and abbreviations are fun. That, or these lines don't deserve quite enough respect for full names.
Robots In Disguise, Armada, Energon, Cybertron - there, that's their names, happy now???
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Dominic
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UT Minicon list

Post by Dominic »

Nothing yet. But, given that I am sorting for a large scale purge, it makes sense to do this in the near future.

This is going to be similar to the key list I am working on, coving UT Minicons and related recolours. As of now, I do not plan to include later Minicons such as the PCC, Soundwave's tapes or similar items. (I might make another list for those.)

Now, to update the key list some more.


Dom
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Shockwave »

PCC I would include as "Minicons" mostly on account of the fact that they actually have the Powerlinx ports. Soundwave's minions however, I wouldn't really call "Minicons" since they've always been their own separate characters on par with most full sized bots. And of course, the lack of any gimmick activation ports.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Dominic »

Soundwave's tapes have been listed as Minicons on re-issue packaging. (Lewis, who is a huge GeeWunner, flipped his shit over this. I laughed at him.)

Similarly, the line between Nebulan and Minicon has blurred, which Caliburn (BC04) being described as both and other characters using character models based on one but the label of the other.


-Descriptive Dom....
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Shockwave »

And I don't blame you. They have also been referred to as minicons in the comics as well but I guess I like to narrow the term "Minicon" to refer to a small Transformers that has the ability to augment larger "regular" sized TFs in some way, rather than just leaving the description to cover any smaller sized TF. Cause if that's the definition then a good portion of both the '84 and 85 characters would qualify.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Dominic »

The tapes are subordinated to, and augment, Soundwave. So, by your standard, they still would qualify as Minicons.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by BWprowl »

Dominic wrote:The tapes are subordinated to, and augment, Soundwave. So, by your standard, they still would qualify as Minicons.
How do they 'augment' Soundwave, exactly? He can't strap them to anywhere on his person to give him some sort of power upgrade.

My rule's simple: If it ain't got a Powerlinx port, it ain't a Mini-Con. Case closed.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Shockwave »

BWprowl wrote:
Dominic wrote:The tapes are subordinated to, and augment, Soundwave. So, by your standard, they still would qualify as Minicons.
How do they 'augment' Soundwave, exactly? He can't strap them to anywhere on his person to give him some sort of power upgrade.

My rule's simple: If it ain't got a Powerlinx port, it ain't a Mini-Con. Case closed.
Thanks Prowl, I think this is pretty much where I was going with this.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Dominic »

Hasbro has listed "Cybertron" Lazerbeak (and possibly TFU Blockrock) as a Minicon. And, "Universe" Nightstick (sold with Cyclonus) is also a Minicon on some lists.

There are two keys (Optimus and Demolishor) that have Minicon plugs.


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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by BWprowl »

Dominic wrote:Hasbro has listed "Cybertron" Lazerbeak (and possibly TFU Blockrock) as a Minicon. And, "Universe" Nightstick (sold with Cyclonus) is also a Minicon on some lists.
Given that Hasbro couldn't even decide what Blockrock's name was on that packaging, I'm not inclined to believe them in their classification of him; you certainly can't argue that they've never just plum gotten stuff WRONG on this sort of thing before. I stand by my original definition.
There are two keys (Optimus and Demolishor) that have Minicon plugs.
Making those Cyber Keys with Powerlinx ports on them. I think it's pretty easy to say that, given that those keys aren't little robots that transform and don't even have 'names', that they couldn't be misconstrued as 'Mini-Cons'.

You get too technical on these things, Dom. A little common sense and using your head will let you tell what are Mini-Cons, but you get so caught up in goofy stuff some intern at Hasbro doodled on a reissue box, or ports they molded in to maintain functionality on Armada repaints, that you end up 'technically' counting stupid shit like Cyber Keys or G1 casettes as 'Mini-Cons' even though we all know that's not right. Mini-Cons is Mini-Cons, tapes is tapes, Cyber Keys is Cyber Keys. Universe Nightstick is a Targetmaster partner/Nebulan, Blockrock and his assorted repaints are just a reimagined Laserbeak/tape-esque partner.
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Re: UT Minicon list

Post by Onslaught Six »

Yeah, some copy writer at Hasbro or somebody decides, "We need to keep the Minicon trademark active this year; what can we shove out that has a name on that? Oh, we're reissuing Soundwave? Good, call his tapes Minicons. Why? I don't know, they're tiny dudes, whatever, who cares?"
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
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