Your fan thoughts on Takara MP-17 & 18 being Prowl & Smokesc

[andersonh1]

Have we ever gotten an E-hobby blue Bluestreak recolor? That would seem like an obvious figure for them to make, assuming they're still around.

[Shockwave]

I have an inexplicable obsession with Diaclone blue Bluestreak. Seriously. I really cannot explain it. It's not my favorite car, he's not my favorite character and yet, every time they release Bluestreak, I want it to be blue like the Diaclone one. I think maybe I just really like that color for the character more than what we got. And, I guess maybe there's a part of my brain that thinks it makes more sense to call him bluestreak if he's actually blue rather than entirely silver. Plus, I would like them to just once actually match the toy inside the box to the artwork outside the box. They've never done that ever. Except for the Universe version. I dunno, I guess I just never liked the fact that as a kid, the toy in hand looked nothing like the picture on the box. Plus, I've never been a fan of the silver color scheme.

Man, you put way too much stock into boxart. It's wrong-headed thinking like this that makes you commit the sin of liking Jazz with door-wings.

Eh, I always liked the fact that he wasn't blue, so you knew that the name referred to his personality, not just his appearance. And again, I really like the color scheme.

See, that's the wierd part! It's just Bluestreak. Like, I don't keep wishing for Hasbro to put out a Skywarp with purple tailwings and mostly purple guns and I actually am indifferent on Jazz's Wings. I can take 'em or leave 'em. But in the case of Bluestreak it was so jarring because the box art and instructions and almost everything official (with the exception of the cartoon and comic) showed him in blue but the toy was just so completely different. And let's face it, in a toy line where telling the difference between one character and another is largely through color, that's a pretty big difference. It's almost like putting Skywarp in Starscream's box and saying that Starscream is black. This is even to the point where IDW has unofficially made Bluestreak and Silverstreak two different characters.

Also, there has never been a reissue of the blue Diaclone version. The one E-hobby did was to reissue the Diaclone version with the black hood and roof and even then the box art didn't match the toy. They also did an all chrome version for some wierd reason.

[Onslaught Six]

They also did an all chrome version for some wierd reason.

All-chrome Bluestreak and all-gold Jazz were rare Diaclone contest prizes or something back in the day. The eHobby versions (or whatever they were) are tributes to those

This is even to the point where IDW has unofficially made Bluestreak and Silverstreak two different characters.

I still don't believe this. I seriously think somebody just messed up.

Unless someone (a writer, an editor, whoever) actually says "Bluestreak and Silverstreak are different guys" (or a character says it in dialogue, or there's a major plot point of them both being around) then I'm going to assume somebody messed up, or is going by some Hasbro or editorial edict or another. (I wouldn't put it past Hasbro to see a comic and go, "No, he's named Silverstreak now," and then completely ignore any protests.)

[Shockwave]

There is precedent for that argument by Hasbro themselves as late as last year. The Kreon in Diaclone colors is named Bluestreak. The GDO legends figure in the original silver is named Silverstreak. So clearly, Hasbro themselves are now making a distinction. I do see what you're saying about the comics though, since there's only been one panel in RID showing "Bluestreak" throughout the entire series. It does raise questions. Was it an error? Was it on purpose? It also depends on where Silverstreak is since we really haven't seen him since ongoing.

Oh, wait, nevermind, he just died a few issues ago.

[Shockwave]

There is precedent for that argument by Hasbro themselves as late as last year. The Kreon in Diaclone colors is named Bluestreak. The GDO legends figure in the original silver is named Silverstreak. So clearly, Hasbro themselves are now making a distinction. I do see what you're saying about the comics though, since there's only been one panel in RID showing "Bluestreak" throughout the entire series. It does raise questions. Was it an error? Was it on purpose? It also depends on where Silverstreak is since we really haven't seen him since ongoing.

Oh, wait, nevermind, he just died a few issues ago. And I even found the issue, not three pages into it they actually call him Bluestreak and it's the silver version. So I guess that answers that. Color me wrong.

[Onslaught Six]

Kreon, being a building block line, may fall under different trademark restrictions than traditional toys. Or, Hasbro recently got Bluestreak back, and is slowly reintroducing it.

[Dominic]

The recent "Legends" scale figure is called "Bluestreak". I am guessing that Hasbro is going to use both names for one character as using a trademarked name helps to protect it.

it is probably best to assume that Bluestreak and Silver Streak are the same guy, regardless of the mistakes that show them as different guys. But, it is also probably safe to assume that some fan-driven back-writing will find find its way to being official at some point. (IDW has recently reconciled the contrary Reflector appearances between "Spotlight: Wheelie" and AHM.)

Dom
-would guess that "2 different guys" is the easiest explanation, but is not anticipating that to be the explanation that eventually becomes official.

[JediTricks]

I've always found Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen to be unpleasantly rote releases when done in G1 style. I'm yet to be impressed by MP Sideswipe, if the US release can stay under $40 then maybe I'll change my mind but so far the pics sure as shit haven't said anything amazing to me, and the scale is SO small that the figure really doesn't look in any way "masterpiece", so if these 3 are like that then I don't think I'll give a care about them either.

The thing to keep in mind is that few G1 characters ever got *good* toys relative to G1. Yes, TFU Prowl is a great figure. But, it is not a good representation of Sunbow/Marvel Prowl.

Fans of Brawn had to wait until 2009 to get a good representation of the character. And, some characters have yet to be made as good toys.

TFU Prowl is not a great figure, it's a mediocre figure.

As for Brawn, some fans are still fucking waiting, and the upcoming GDO figure is questionably acceptable at best.

I'm hoping it'll be blue. Probably not, but I'm going to hope.

Why on earth would you want it to be blue? These things are made to hew as closely to Geewun as possible, and Bluestreak's always been silver (in a rather snazzy color scheme, if I do say so, myself). You can't even swing Dom-logic on this one, since I can't think of a single story Bluestreak even appeared in where he was blue, and the one you had as a kid certainly wasn't.

Besides, we've already got Smokescreen as the blue use of the mold.

It looked pretty good on the not-US-released Diaclone figure shown and in the G1 art, since it was using a colorscheme similar to Datsun's at the time. The silver on production Bluestreak was kinda boring by comparison, and the CHUG release was visually too similar to Prowl. I know it's a bit on-the-nose, but I would also prefer an actual blue Bluestreak.

Have we ever gotten an E-hobby blue Bluestreak recolor? That would seem like an obvious figure for them to make, assuming they're still around.

The only blue Bluestreak is the Binaltech release, if you can believe it.

[BWprowl]

and the scale is SO small that the figure really doesn't look in any way "masterpiece", so if these 3 are like that then I don't think I'll give a care about them either.

I'm curious about this: Would you actually prefer that Sideswipe (and Prowl) be as tall as Optimus Prime, and thus out of scale?

TFU Prowl is not a great figure, it's a mediocre figure.

It's not a bad toy, in my opinion. Biggest issue I have is that the head sticks up a bit much for my taste, but otherwise it's got a lot going for it. The shoulder and foot articulation is very nice, and the flip-up shoulder launchers are cool.

As for Brawn, some fans are still fucking waiting, and the upcoming GDO figure is questionably acceptable at best.

I think Dom was referring to Universe Brawn, which was released around 2009. I don't own that one, but it seems like it would be fine, as far as Brawns go.

The silver on production Bluestreak was kinda boring by comparison, and the CHUG release was visually too similar to Prowl. I know it's a bit on-the-nose, but I would also prefer an actual blue Bluestreak.

I guess it all comes down to personal taste. I love the silver body/black hood with the red on Bluestreak, all blue is just kinda 'meh' by comparison, and like I said, not too different from what Smokescreen does.

Don't know where you think Universe Smokescreen is visually similar to Prowl, he's completely different, his bold silver and dark red setting him clearly apart from Prowl's clean black-and-white look.

I continue to find it hilarious that all three Datsun/Nissan/Whatever guys got released within waves of each other in the same line, while people had to wait for like five years to get all their Seekers.

[Onslaught Six]

It's not a bad toy, in my opinion. Biggest issue I have is that the head sticks up a bit much for my taste, but otherwise it's got a lot going for it. The shoulder and foot articulation is very nice, and the flip-up shoulder launchers are cool.

Let's not forget the fact that the toy is impossible to transform without his doors falling off. (Seriously. At this point I just pop them off, and pop them back on when the rest of the toy is transformed.)

I do like the launchers and how they give us the option of having Prowl (or any of them) with or without launchers, in case, for example, you're a cartoon purist who hates launchers on Prowl. I love options with toys.

I continue to find it hilarious that all three Datsun/Nissan/Whatever guys got released within waves of each other in the same line, while people had to wait for like five years to get all their Seekers.

Remember though, Hasbro released Starscream, Skywarp and Ramjet all in Classics. If they had replaced Ramjet with Thundercracker, there might've been retailer pressure, and at the same time, it would've made the Coneheads a lot more expensive to produce later on. (Imagine the Botcon toys were just all the Coneheads. People might be even more livid, and there'd be far less reason for Hasbro to release them.)