Unicron: 19 years of toy history

Nevermore · Post by **Nevermore** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:12 pm

Courtesy of Erik B.

http://www.transformersontheshelf.com/UnicronPage.html

Plus: Some really cool old toy catalogs.

http://www.transformersontheshelf.com/catalogueJCP.html

Note the use of the term "Seekers" (capital "S"), in 1984...

StoneCold Skywarp · Post by **StoneCold Skywarp** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 7:36 pm

interesting and informative read.

Post by **Clay** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:13 pm

Fascinating...

Unicron: I never realized the Neo figure is actually smaller than the Armada figure, and how much cooler the Armada figure actually is. (usually, the delusion of 'whatever I don't have is the superior version' fogs judgment, but not this time). Also, both 80's prototypes are absolutely hideous.

Catalogue: That gives me a taste of what I've wondered for a while now: what were the suggested retail prices for G1 figures? It'd be really interesting to look at the original prices versus size and compare them to the newer figures. Nevermore, your checklists don't go back that far

SynjoDeonecros · Post by **SynjoDeonecros** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 8:52 pm

Personally, out of all three versions, I like the BW Neo one best. Give it a few tweaks and stuff, and it would actually fit very well with Cybertron Primus, I think. The first version looks like something a 3 year old would make out of Duplo blocks, while the Armada one...well, it looks more like what a 10 year old would kitbash out of BW Neo Uni and those same Duplo blocks. The fact that they made a fairly show-accurate and fully posable Unicron toy that transforms into an actual ROUND planet form, years before Cybertron Primus, is really an incredible feat. If only they could've reused the BW Neo mould for Armada Uni...but then again, Armada wasn't the greatest line out of the bunch.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:20 pm

BW Neo Unicron simply rocks. Best dark god figure so far. It's a real pity it didn't come out.

So, back in the 80ies you could get a leader for 25 dollars, whilst today they cost 40? Considering that:

a) Cybertron Prime and Megatron have electronics
b) Megatron has insane amounts of articulation
c) They are both designed to combine with current and older figures
d) They are much bigger
e) Prices always go up

I think that retailers were stealing people back in the 80ies

Autobot cars had decent prizes, so does Soundwave. But nobody else.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 10:27 pm

Originally posted by Nevermore

http://www.transformersontheshelf.com/catalogueJCP.html

Note the use of the term "Seekers" (capital "S"), in 1984...

Aye, for classic characters Silver Plane and Blue Plane...

Nevermore · Post by **Nevermore** » Thu Sep 08, 2005 11:41 pm

Originally posted by Cliffjumper
Aye, for classic characters Silver Plane and Blue Plane...

You always find a hair in the soup, do you?

Looks like the toys' names were not finalized yet. Same for the Autobot cars.

Zisteau · Post by **Zisteau** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 5:42 am

Neo Unicron was great...except for that half a planet hanging off his back.

EDIT- oh yeah, and I had one of those Kronoform Robot Time Machines when I was a kid. Those scans are bringing back all kinds of memories.

Post by **Clay** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 5:56 am

Originally posted by Zisteau
Neo Unicron was great...except for that half a planet hanging off his back.

Yes! Exactly! With the Armada one, they managed to reconcile the planet mode with the robot, instead of just having a very 'robust' figure like the 80's one or the Neo one.

Plus, it has just as much detailing as the Neo one, and articulated hands to boot. Thus, Armada Unicron > Neo Unicron.

SynjoDeonecros · Post by **SynjoDeonecros** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 9:10 am

Originally posted by Clay
Yes! Exactly! With the Armada one, they managed to reconcile the planet mode with the robot, instead of just having a very 'robust' figure like the 80's one or the Neo one.

Plus, it has just as much detailing as the Neo one, and articulated hands to boot. Thus, Armada Unicron > Neo Unicron.

"Reconcile". As in "build the BW Neo version, but with grossly disproportioned arms, legs, and chest, and whose planet form looks more like a blocky deflated basketball than an actual planet". Yes, I do believe they reconciled the two forms very well :rolleyes:

Seeing the kind of work they did on the BW Neo version and on the new Primus toy, I find it shocking just how lazy the Armada Unicron mold seems to be. Then again, the whole Armada line seemed really lazy as far as molds go (with a nominal of exclusions, of course). I do hope they remold him again; I would pay good money to have a true toy version of the character that's worthy of joining Primus on my shelf.

Nevermore · Post by **Nevermore** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 11:02 am

I bet if the Neo Unicron actually got released, a lot of people would start complaining because it's not half as good as it looked in the pictures.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 12:45 pm

Exactly. Y'know, the worst thing for the status of a Unicron toy was actually releasing one. It's like that stony silence when they reissued Stepper and everyone was left silently thinking "people paid a grand for this ugly Jazz recolour?"... It's like the best thing that ever happened for the Fort Max toy was Hasbro not bringing it out for RiD.

Sonic500 · Post by **Sonic500** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:10 pm

didint even know there wa a Unicron toy.
it looks cool but i bet it wasint fun to play whit.
i mean all it transformes into is a Ball.
pretty crappy.
still he was powerful in the Movie.

Nevermore · Post by **Nevermore** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 2:45 pm

Originally posted by Sonic500
didint even know there wa a Unicron toy.
it looks cool but i bet it wasint fun to play whit.
i mean all it transformes into is a Ball.
pretty crappy.
still he was powerful in the Movie.

You did read the page I linked, did you? And not just glanced at the pictures?

Wildfire Herald · Post by **Wildfire Herald** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 3:42 pm

Man, I think Armada Unicron is cool! The Neo version looks cool, but his feet are silly looking and he has half a planet hanging off his back. For all of you who complain that Armada Unicron's planet mode is blocky or stupid or whatnot; you design one then. I eagerly await your perfectly spheroidal planet mode which not a hint of a robot mode is visible in.

SynjoDeonecros · Post by **SynjoDeonecros** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 4:53 pm

Originally posted by Wildfire Herald
Man, I think Armada Unicron is cool! The Neo version looks cool, but his feet are silly looking and he has half a planet hanging off his back. For all of you who complain that Armada Unicron's planet mode is blocky or stupid or whatnot; you design one then. I eagerly await your perfectly spheroidal planet mode which not a hint of a robot mode is visible in.

Ah, that's not the point I was getting to. Armada Unicron was stupid BECAUSE he was blocky, with his massive forearms and shins/feet not only greatly detracting from the toy's overall look, but also doomed the toy with a transformation that left one side nearly totally flat. Again, I direct you to the BW Neo mould and the new Primus toy; very good molds that actually has a rather convincing planet mold. Yes, the Armada Unicron was cool from a homage standpoint, but under further scruitiny as a toy, it was sorely lacking in the realism and nearly-clean transformation that they've shown with RiD, Energon, and Cybertron (though, admittedly, the entire Armada line seemed to be a step back in Transformer mold technology). Like I said before, it looked like someone kitbashed a few items off of the BW Neo mold and slapped them on a figure made out of Duplo blocks; not nearly the kind of quality we expect from Hasbro and Takara, nowadays. We don't need to design the toy ourselves, because we know Hasbro and Takara DO HAVE the technology and knowhow to make believable planet-formers. Seeing the kind of progress they made in such toys by the time BW Neo came out, and seeing the Armada toys, you can't help but wonder just how much interest and faith Takara and Hasbro really had in the line.

Nitpickimus Maximus · Post by **Nitpickimus Maximus** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 6:22 pm

Originally posted by Sonic500
didint even know there wa a Unicron toy.
it looks cool but i bet it wasint fun to play whit.
i mean all it transformes into is a Ball.
pretty crappy.
still he was powerful in the Movie.

Don't make me smack you. Learn to type.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Fri Sep 09, 2005 7:15 pm

Originally posted by Nitpickimus Maximus
Don't make me smack you. Learn to type.

Easy there hombre. How about some thoughts on the Unicron figures instead of just bashing somebody?

Post by **Clay** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 6:45 pm

Originally posted by Nevermore
I bet if the Neo Unicron actually got released, a lot of people would start complaining because it's not half as good as it looked in the pictures.

Exactly! That's why I think Armada Unicron is the better of the two: I'm fighting against the old, damaged logic of "whichever one I don't have is the better one".

dedicon · Post by **dedicon** » Sat Sep 10, 2005 8:22 pm

"Say boy, which one do you like best?"

"The not released one!"

Actually, I like the Black Unicron from Energon best....He is the one I DON'T have.

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