Universe2.0/Generations Review Thread

[BWprowl]

Dom
-might use that SS from Digital-toys to make SG Thundercracker.

I've been thinking about painting a ClaSeeker into this scheme myself, but I'd directly refer to it as Actionmaster Thundercracker. I desperately hope we see this scheme on the toy officially at some point, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Onslaught Six]

AM Thundy? Nah, I'd make up a new name and personality for him, like I did with Slicer. Slicer is now Armada Wheeljack. In G1. I guess he can still have Hot Shot as the guy who supposedly leaves him, if we ever get a G1 Hot Shot.

[Onslaught Six]

(and want to double my writing mileage by cross-posting here, at CA, and TFV)

However, your mileage may vary.

If not for "All Hail Megatron" #6 and a raondom issue of Marvel's "What If?" series, I would call the break a wash.

Atomic Robo volume 2 #5 came out. I got the TPB of the first volume for Xtmas, and I must say, Dom, you simply need to read this comic. It's great stuff.

Based on what I have seen, (I do not have one yet, but have examined one in the package), this iteration of the mold has the problems that the Japanese Starscream has, namely the mono-chrome nose-cone on the jet. Besides being bland, it is inconsistent with the character's traditional look.

As bland as it is, and inconsistent with G1 Starscream's toy, ClaScream, and MasterScream, it 'is' consistent with the original animation model--which is probably where Takara is getting it, and why Hasbro is following suit.

Grade: B Worth getting, even on the after-market, especially if you do not have any other iterations of the mold. The character bio on the back, like many for the line, is exceptionally well written, showing real insight into a

Into a what? Into a what?!

I really cannot give points for Ravage's cassette form fitting into the old Soundwave figure.

Because such a feature is 'expected,' or because you don't enjoy the novelty of New Ravage Fitting Into Soundwave?

Despite the thought put into justifying the inclusion of the Ravage figure, the toy itself is lacking. Truth be told, the original figure, (based on a mold that is older than I am), has more articulation than this one. In practical terms, Ravage can.....just stand there. He can look up. He can look down. And, unless you want him to be presenting, that is about it. For the amount of moving parts this toy has, it is incredibly boring to fiddle with. On the other hand, it is a small part of the set.

His lack of articulation is a downside, but on the other hand...he can pretty easily stand! That's something he's got on G1 Ravage, who falls over if there's a draft in the room.

Neither Nightstick nor Cyclonus incorporates much, if anything, that was not possible in the 80s. But, the designers of the current toys clearly put in more effort than the designers of yesteryear.

I think that's debatable, really. I'm not going to say that the TFs from 86-87 were the best toys ever, or anything, but they were working from outdated animation models due to timetable issues (the same problem the recent movie had, incidentally) and were the first TFs that Hasbro was making 'on their own' as opposed to just using moulds from Takara (or other companies in the case of Jetfire et al.) It's the same problem Armada had--new guys to the table who weren't familiar with what they could do (or what was expected of their toys, perhaps) and created toys that just weren't up to par.

[Dominic]

Atomic Robo volume 2 #5 came out. I got the TPB of the first volume for Xtmas, and I must say, Dom, you simply need to read this comic. It's great stuff.

I read some "Atomic Robo" on FCBD. it was not bad, but not worth starting a new subscription for, expecially when my regular store uses the modern scheme of "no back issues to speak of". As it is, I am regretting those 2099 bundles I have picked up recently.

As bland as it is, and inconsistent with G1 Starscream's toy, ClaScream, and MasterScream, it 'is' consistent with the original animation model--which is probably where Takara is getting it, and why Hasbro is following suit.

I tend to reflexively use the old comics, which often assumed a colored nose-cone. (I did not get a G1 Starscream until I was about 20, so the toy model means litle to me.)

Grade: B Worth getting, even on the after-market, especially if you do not have any other iterations of the mold. The character bio on the back, like many for the line, is exceptionally well written, showing real insight into a

Into a what? Into a what?!

[/quote]

An iconic character. Sorry. I was on a shitty connection yesterday that made typing and such difficult. That, and a few distractions led to the above error.

I really cannot give points for Ravage's cassette form fitting into the old Soundwave figure.

Because such a feature is 'expected,' or because you don't enjoy the novelty of New Ravage Fitting Into Soundwave?

[/quote]

I do not expect it. But, something like that is a nice extra when the toy has basic functionality, like articulation. But, I do not reward extras if they flub the basics.

His lack of articulation is a downside, but on the other hand...he can pretty easily stand! That's something he's got on G1 Ravage, who falls over if there's a draft in the room.

Neither Nightstick nor Cyclonus incorporates much, if anything, that was not possible in the 80s. But, the designers of the current toys clearly put in more effort than the designers of yesteryear.

I think that's debatable, really. I'm not going to say that the TFs from 86-87 were the best toys ever, or anything, but they were working from outdated animation models due to timetable issues (the same problem the recent movie had, incidentally) and were the first TFs that Hasbro was making 'on their own' as opposed to just using moulds from Takara (or other companies in the case of Jetfire et al.) It's the same problem Armada had--new guys to the table who weren't familiar with what they could do (or what was expected of their toys, perhaps) and created toys that just weren't up to par.

I am going to say it. Most G1 toys are crap.

They were lackluster at the time, and they have not aged well. Saying "it is better than G1 Ravage" is like saying you can outrun a gimp. And, regardless of the reasons why, there were some terrible G1 toys, and Cyclonus was one of them. Outdated character sheets or not, aside from the packaging, the only time the character model looked like that god-awful original Cyclonus figure was the first chapter of "Target 2006", where I am pretty sure the artist was using toys for reference.

There was no reason for the original Cyclonus toy to look as bad as it did.

Dom

[Onslaught Six]

I read some "Atomic Robo" on FCBD. it was not bad, but not worth starting a new subscription for, expecially when my regular store uses the modern scheme of "no back issues to speak of". As it is, I am regretting those 2099 bundles I have picked up recently.

That's half the fun, though, the issues are self contained. You don't need to subscribe to it, you can just pick up an issue here and there.

I tend to reflexively use the old comics, which often assumed a colored nose-cone. (I did not get a G1 Starscream until I was about 20, so the toy model means litle to me.)

Fair enough, but there's the precedent. It's not a very 'good' precedent, and I don't like it, but hey.

I do not expect it. But, something like that is a nice extra when the toy has basic functionality, like articulation. But, I do not reward extras if they flub the basics.

Ah, I see. I tend to come from the school of thought of Cool Extra Stuff Makes Up For Minor Basic Flaws. For example, Heavy Load has a cool bio and a nifty colour scheme, which makes up for his one arm sucking.

There was no reason for the original Cyclonus toy to look as bad as it did.

Well, no 'good' reason, but it did look that bad, and there was a reason for it--cause and effect and all that, yeah? Ooh, philosophical debate.

I haven't slept and I had too much caffeine. Sorry.

[Dominic]

That's half the fun, though, the issues are self contained. You don't need to subscribe to it, you can just pick up an issue here and there.

I am not above picking up random issues out of curiosity and such. And, comics should be kept accessible. But, with a book that is fairly new, (less than 5, or even 10, years old), I do not like having random issues around, as those are more clutter than anything else. I like having complete runs. With long running books, I can tolerate gaps, so long as I have a cohesive run, say for a writer or artist.

This nicly limits what I buy, and the clutter in my collection.

Fair enough, but there's the precedent. It's not a very 'good' precedent, and I don't like it, but hey.

How is the ocmic not a "good" precedent? Much of G1, including the cartoon, was incluenced by the comics. And, contrary to popular belief, many of the early issues of the comic were good, often better than average.

Ah, I see. I tend to come from the school of thought of Cool Extra Stuff Makes Up For Minor Basic Flaws. For example, Heavy Load has a cool bio and a nifty colour scheme, which makes up for his one arm sucking.

I see a lack of articulation, especially on a toy of a character that is supposed to be nimble, as more than a basic flaw. (The fact its analogue from 25 years ago, based on a mold that is as old as I am, had more articulation does not mitigate this.) Ravage is a piece of junk. (I may be able to improve it a bit with some Steeljaw guns, as part of a conversion, but that does not help the core toy.)

I like Heavy Load's arm cannon when it is open. Of course, that leaves the risk of the missile popping out and getting lost.

Well, no 'good' reason, but it did look that bad, and there was a reason for it--cause and effect and all that, yeah? Ooh, philosophical debate.

Cyclonus was an affront to the natural order of things, plain and simple.


Dom
-wants more "they shoulda done it this way" toys in "Universe".

[andersonh1]

It's been years since I've seen the original Cyclonus toy, but I recall being mainly annoyed by the legs folding up under the plane, which to be fair is a common flaw with Transformers aircraft. Other than that, I liked the plane mode which was nice and flat and sleek, with the exception of the face that was plainly visible underneath the cockpit.

In some respects, Cyclonus didn't transform all that differently than Vector Prime. The legs folded out from underneath the plane, while the nosecone folded back behind the head. The arms just sat on the side, and perhaps the shoulders moved up and down to get the arms in the correct position. Yeah, Cyclonus is blown away by the modern redesign, but most of the G1 characters we've seen are in the same boat. I love G1 toys, but the new figures definately improve on them.

Admittedly I'm working off memories from 20 years ago, so feel free to correct me here.

I'm just glad to have an actual G1 Cyclonus figure in Universe so that maybe I can forget that figure of the same name from Armada. That was an extremely unimpressive Transformer, in my opinion. And it doesn't have the excuse of being created 20 years ago.

[Dominic]

"Armada" Cyclonus was a great. 4 live hard-points, and a Minicon that can meaninfully combine with the vehicle mode, on top of a solidly engineered rotor gimmick.

That is one of those "get every iteration of the mold" toys in my collection.


Dom
-has "Cybertron" Buzzsaw as well.

[andersonh1]

"Armada" Cyclonus was a great. 4 live hard-points, and a Minicon that can meaninfully combine with the vehicle mode, on top of a solidly engineered rotor gimmick.

That is one of those "get every iteration of the mold" toys in my collection.


Dom
-has "Cybertron" Buzzsaw as well.

I hated that toy. The robot arms and legs are not hidden at all in copter mode, just folded away, and the top of the head is very obvious on top of the copter. The gimmicks may be very good, but the helicopter is incredibly unconvincing. It's a pile of lumpy parts that only vaguely looks like a vehicle. That's on top of the playskool color scheme and orange face.

The only version I actually owned was the urban camo version from Energon, and I ended up selling it on Ebay. The toy just had no appeal for me.

[JediTricks]

I will add to the chant that Cheetor sucks, and is not the kind of figure you want to buy because "he's so crappy he's interesting", this is just bad execution with nothing to offer.


I like Hound and Ravage, both seem like they need more detailing to pull it off, but overall I think both are entertaining figures in their own rites.