Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Tantrum
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Tantrum »

I never got a TF: Prime Bee, so I decided to use one from the movie-verse garage 3-pack. This means I brought out my TF: Prime Autobots to see which Bee goes best with them. Turns out it was the TLK wave 3. While determining this, I also played with my TF: Prime Autobots for the first time in quite a while. Part of this includes replacing the mainline Cliffjumper with First Edition in the group, since FE is larger than Bee.

When I first got FE Cliff, I worried about transfroming him. He seemed delicate, like I was going to break something. I haven't played with him since the first month after I got him. This time, I transformed him from car to bot easily. Everything was pretty intuitive. This contrasts with the 3 Bees, especially the TLK Bee, since I already bought him as a stand alone figure a year ago, but still had to refer to instructions for.

I also transformed Bulkhead for the first time in years. It couldn't figure out how to do things in the right order to not snap off the rear fenders, but they snap on easily enough. Getting mainline Cliff into car mode, I appreciated how the exhaust pipes become foot deco.
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Clay
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Clay »

FE Cliffjumper gave me fits for the longest while until I noticed the double hinges in his legs (hips? knees? can't recall). After that, I was quite impressed with him.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Clay »

All of them. All the old toys. Being cooped up in the house, I've adopted a strategy of remembering that I have X, then wait a day or two before digging it out to build up anticipation. And it works. They're all lovely.

Recent tinkerings include Mania King (a third party Galvatron), fansprojects Headmasters, Generations Thunderwing and Black Shadow, and United Rumble and Frenzy.

Anyone else?
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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I don't know if this counts as old, but definitely not remembered. I bought a PotP Outback a while ago, maybe Jan 2018. I remembered buying him, but not where I put him. Turns out, he was in the group of unopened toys under the shelves in my kitchen. I finally took him out of the package. He's a cute little bugger, but the legs don't quite line up in alt mode. He rolls OK, but there's some visible gaps, especially where the shield doesn't quite tab into one of the legs. I've given him a gun from a parts lot I got, I think CW Blastoff, which is appropriately oversized for him.

The other toys in my unopened group are mostly G1 reissues, including Outback. Plus, there's CHUG Punch/Counterpunch (Lambo mold). He was opened by the previous owner, and I have taken him out to look at him, but I haven't transformed him yet.

I also pulled TR Hotrod off the shelf and transformed him for the first time in a while. One of the wheels doesn't roll well, but he looks great.
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Warcry
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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I absolutely LOVE POTP Outback. The figure is exactly what I want out of a small Transformer and a good example of why I miss the Basic/Scout/Legend figures.

And since this thread is alive again...I've spent a ton of time photographing some of my Beast-era toys outside since the weather started warming up. Might as well share some! First up, Silverbolt(s).

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I remember Universe Silverbolt being, like, THE whipping boy for peole who hated the Universe line's aesthetics. And i can kinda see why, he's pretty gaudy. But that beast mode is AMAZING. The robot mode, with its higher proportion of neon yellow and fewer wild accents, appeals less. I can never decide whether I like it or the original better, but normally the Universe toy is in beast mode and the BW one stsys in robot mode, so it works out. Regardless of the flavour, its a really good toy and one of the nicest Deluxes of the era.

But every time I get these two out, I kick myself for not buying BotCon Windrazor for $75ish when I had the chance. Based on recent eBay listings he's solidly out of my price range now.
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Skyquake87
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I love that mental looking Universe repaint of Silverbolt. One day, I'll shall own that. One day...
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Warcry »

He's definitely worth tracking down!

I actually don't care much for Noctorro, but I like how these pics turned out.

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And this is someone that Clay (I think that's who I got it from?) should remember!

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Depth Charge here has become one of my little boy's favourite toys over the last month or so. He loves his disc launcher, mostly, but also the absolutely huge manta ray mode. As an adult, him being a giant triangle in both modes is a bit of a downer since he won't fit in my shelves, like, at all. So this is the first time in a long time he's actually escaped my Beast Wars box, even though I actually really like the figure. I'm glad he's getting some love! He's a really good example of why the Beast Wars Ultras were so much fun. They weren't just "the same, but bigger because scale charts" like so much of what we get nowadays -- they were packed with cool play features that a smaller toy couldn't pull off, too.

I know it's been quite a few years, but this collossal mofo cost what a Deluxe does nowadays, at least in Canada. Really stings when I think of it like that!
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Skyquake87
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I've got regular Transmetal Depth Charge and he is very cool. I really like the colours and his gimmicks are all brilliant - I particularly like his fish gun. I do prefer Rampage though. He's awesome. Big, fantastic chromed orange crab, that turns into a crab tank and then a big ass robot with a gattling cannon. I agree the play features they put in at this scale made these toys such great fun. Sadly, stuff like this is just aimed at collectors now, so play gimmicks are out in favour of 'authenticity' or whatever.

I was messing about with my RID15 Deluxes yesterday, I keep wondering about moving them on, but everytime I see them in the toy chest, they just make me smile. They're really nice, colourful figures with a load of personality. Bisk, Scorponok, Bludgeon and Bumblebee are all excellent. I like they look like the cartoon designs (well, except for Blastcharge) and look to me to be a more successfully realised version of what they were trying to achieve with Animated.
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Clay
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Warcry wrote: Mon May 11, 2020 11:52 pm
And this is someone that Clay (I think that's who I got it from?) should remember!
Yep, I remember him! He sat in a tub in the closet for about a decade because I didn't think anyone wanted it since it wasn't the show-colors. Then you mentioned that you did, and traded the power core dinobots to me for him. So I mailed him off to Canada, and because he had a tracking number, we know that he went to Florida first, because that's on the way north from Kentucky?

Glad to see he's still getting played with. Aye, the disc launcher bit is great. Depth Charge was probably the last of the larger toys to do something neat like that before they started just putting light/sound boxes in, and they don't even do that now.

As for myself, I dug out the Titans Return headmasters and found that Mindwipe's wing had broken. You'd figure the rubbery bits would get brittle and break first, but nope! It was the hard plastic part of the wing that has a pin through it mounting the rubber part (in three pieces, no less!). Have got the offending bit pieced and glued back together, but I'll have to let it set before I can clean out the hole and remount the wing tip.

Also, how's imagur as a file host? I think my photobucket account is still active, but the website is slow to the point of being unusable.
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Warcry
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Skyquake87 wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 3:24 pmI've got regular Transmetal Depth Charge and he is very cool. I really like the colours and his gimmicks are all brilliant - I particularly like his fish gun.
The fish gun is cute! But mostly stays in the toybox for now because Jamie would absolutely lose the missiles and tail. I'm not sure if I've ever seen the original Depth Charge for sale in person (and don't super love buying Transmetals without seeing their chrome in person) but I may have to track one down if my boy is going to claim this one. :)
Skyquake87 wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 3:24 pmI do prefer Rampage though. He's awesome. Big, fantastic chromed orange crab, that turns into a crab tank and then a big ass robot with a gattling cannon. I agree the play features they put in at this scale made these toys such great fun. Sadly, stuff like this is just aimed at collectors now, so play gimmicks are out in favour of 'authenticity' or whatever.
I've definitely never seen a Rampage in person! From the pictures though, he seems like one of those Beast Wars toys that I'd never, ever want to put in robot mode. The crab and tank look super fun but his robot mode just seems weak and awkward in comparison. But, like Depth Charge being a tripod, that's down to the designers caring more about making fun toys than pretty ones.
Skyquake87 wrote: Tue May 12, 2020 3:24 pmI was messing about with my RID15 Deluxes yesterday, I keep wondering about moving them on, but everytime I see them in the toy chest, they just make me smile. They're really nice, colourful figures with a load of personality. Bisk, Scorponok, Bludgeon and Bumblebee are all excellent. I like they look like the cartoon designs (well, except for Blastcharge) and look to me to be a more successfully realised version of what they were trying to achieve with Animated.
I always liked the looks of the RiD Decepticons, but in stores I saw literally none of the ones that I thought looked cool. Which saved me money, at least.
Clay wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 11:03 pmYep, I remember him! He sat in a tub in the closet for about a decade because I didn't think anyone wanted it since it wasn't the show-colors. Then you mentioned that you did, and traded the power core dinobots to me for him. So I mailed him off to Canada, and because he had a tracking number, we know that he went to Florida first, because that's on the way north from Kentucky?
Oh heck, I'd forgotten that he was in THAT package! Didn't it actually make a Kentucky > NYC > Florida > Canada loop too, or something silly like that? I seem to recall it started out going in the right direction before the postal service went nuts.

I actually like the Universe and Armada colours a ton on almost all of the Beast Wars molds that got them, but I know I'm definitely in the minority there. But Primal, Depth Charge, Reptilion, Predacon, Terrorsaur and company are all welcome additions to MY Beast Wars even if no one else loves them!
Clay wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 11:03 pmDepth Charge was probably the last of the larger toys to do something neat like that before they started just putting light/sound boxes in, and they don't even do that now.
Tigerhawk (well, Razorclaw...) has always impressed me too, the way he has so many different spring-loaded gimmicks in his wings. But you're right, from BM on this style of figure would become quite a bit more rare.
Clay wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 11:03 pmAs for myself, I dug out the Titans Return headmasters and found that Mindwipe's wing had broken. You'd figure the rubbery bits would get brittle and break first, but nope! It was the hard plastic part of the wing that has a pin through it mounting the rubber part (in three pieces, no less!). Have got the offending bit pieced and glued back together, but I'll have to let it set before I can clean out the hole and remount the wing tip.
Oh heck! Like you, I've always expected to lose Mindwipe due to the soft rubber going. I wonder if there's a lot of stress on the joint because of the mismatched plastics?

I had to repair Power Pinch (and failed to repair TM2 Spittor) when I broke the BW guys out. It's always sad, pulling out a figure I haven't seen in a few years and realizing that time has gotten to it. :(
Clay wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 11:03 pmAlso, how's imagur as a file host? I think my photobucket account is still active, but the website is slow to the point of being unusable.
It depends on the device you're uploading from, I think. I find imgur pretty good on a computer, but it's annoying to use on a tablet or phone. Also, you need to remember to upload your stuff to a private folder so you don't get random jackasses posting idiotic replies to every image.

Speaking of Universe toys, I took these shots of Frostbite a month or so ago. I love the colours and the details in the mold. It's just too bad that he turns from the most 90s monster dog ever into a tiny gremlin covered in kibble.

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Skyquake87
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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I love Frostbite. Mainly because unlike Cackle, I can play with him without getting covered in a load of glitter. The Transmetal 2 line was bonkers. My favourite is still Iguanus out of that line.

Just been having a rummage and got these two lads out - Starscream and Soundwave from the Machine Wars line of repaints. https://imgur.com/gallery/EBs69W3

I loved Skyquake, but the fragile brown plastic made me cry. He's long gone now, but I really fancied getting the mould again and was lucky enough to snag a MIB example on ebay a few years back. Machine Wars didn't appear over here, so feels like one of those foreign and exotic lines to me. Even though it's a bit disappointing (the small spring loaded vehicles and jets are so bland and the larger figures have had all their gimmicks stripped out). Starscream looks brilliant. The mould looks deadly in black and grey. The big blue chest window is awesome, but it's a shame it just highlights how empty his chest is. Although he's lost his scope gimmick and no longer has a gun, the carpet bombing feature is still intact and is great fun.

Soundwave's murky military colours aren't as much fun as Stalker's (or indeed his later Universe counterpart), but I like them for lending some realism to the mould. Transformation is a winner on this guy and he's a good fun figure.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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I recently dug out my old Cybertron Skywarp while looking for something for the purple end of my cabinet. I picked him up at a con a few years ago as my Thundercracker was long broken. He really is one of my fave jet Transformers even if his cyber key gimmick only really works for his alt mode.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Skyquake87 »

I really wanted to like that mould, because the jet mode is awesome. The robot mode just looks daft with that great plank hanging off one arm. I like that you've got a purple end of your cabinet :D
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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It's the end where all the purple stuff is kept. He is displayed in jet mode for pretty much that reason. Not that I don't like an arm cannon but I can distinctly remember how much cooler it was made to look in the show and that when I took my TC home at 14 and put the key in I was a little underwhelmed.
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Clay
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Warcry wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 1:15 am
Oh heck! Like you, I've always expected to lose Mindwipe due to the soft rubber going. I wonder if there's a lot of stress on the joint because of the mismatched plastics?
It seemed to be the rubber part gripping the pin too tightly and putting the hard plastic part in torsion that it couldn't take, whereas the rubber could bend. Haven't reassembled it yet, but I think it'll be okay.

What won't be okay, however, is my 10th anniversary Beast Wars Dinobot. He was perfectly intact until today. His arm/leg has snapped off :(. I could reattach it by rebuilding the joint with epoxy, but it's not really worth it as I still have the pre-Universe dinobots version of the mold (from ~2002 or so? Grimlock, maybe?). I found this out while digging out all my beast wars figures and giving them a bath with a toothbrush before moving them to an opaque plastic tub. They were all on a shelf with indirect light for years without any discoloration, but apparently some plastics will turn brown in morning light even when inside a clear plastic bin, which I would have thought would absorb the UV light or whatever does the discoloring. Tigerhawk is in pretty rough shape, but Polar Claw, Icebird, and Tigatron (who wasn't actually in the bin) are all okay in normal light. Oddly enough, the Cybertron Beast Wars Megatron (purple dino, deluxe) has sun-browning on him too, so it's not just white plastic.

TL,DR: do NOT leave your toys where they can get any direct sunlight, even inside a clear bin, if you don't want them discolored over time. It's most common among white plastics, but don't assume that other colors are safe.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

Post by Denyer »

Yeah, I'm thinking towards protective barriers for clear tubs catching the last of the evening sun. Or possibly painting them.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Thankfully all mine are tucked away, as I'm not allowed toys out and about around the house.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Skyquake87 wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:04 pm I love Frostbite. Mainly because unlike Cackle, I can play with him without getting covered in a load of glitter. The Transmetal 2 line was bonkers. My favourite is still Iguanus out of that line.
I love Frostbite...until I try to play with him. But I'm glad I have him as a display piece.

I don't have TM2 Iguanus, but I have Reptilion and he's great. The robot mode is super expressive, and I like the look of it...one of the nicer examples of the TM2 "Beast Wars has been assimilated by the Borg" aesthetic.

Prowl is probably my favourite, but unfortunately my Prowl's chrome is about 1/3 gone and every time I pick him up off the shelf I need to sweep up another pile of blue sparkles.
Skyquake87 wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:04 pmJust been having a rummage and got these two lads out - Starscream and Soundwave from the Machine Wars line of repaints. https://imgur.com/gallery/EBs69W3
Oh heck, I had Skyquake as a kid (maybe still have his broken remains in a bin downstairs...) but I had no idea that Soundwave/Stalker was so much smaller. I always figured he and Rotorstorm were big molds too.

I like the colours that MW Starscream got, but I've always liked Skyquake better. Maybe it's just because I knew Starscream didn't have the gimmicks that made Skyquake so much fun. Also, it's impossible for any other colour scheme to top the neon-green light piping.
Skyquake87 wrote: Mon May 18, 2020 2:04 pmI loved Skyquake, but the fragile brown plastic made me cry.
Ironically, my Skyquake's brown bits never broke. Everything else did, though.
Clay wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 3:34 amWhat won't be okay, however, is my 10th anniversary Beast Wars Dinobot. He was perfectly intact until today. His arm/leg has snapped off :(. I could reattach it by rebuilding the joint with epoxy, but it's not really worth it as I still have the pre-Universe dinobots version of the mold (from ~2002 or so? Grimlock, maybe?).
I wouldn't bother. 10th Anniversary Dinobot is a notorious GPS victim...almost every time I see it mentioned online nowadays it's in the context of "it was so pretty, I wish it hadn't exploded". I lost mine to it seven or eight years ago -- the mutant head, one of the robot hands, the peg to attach one of the robot legs to the belly in beast mode, and half the tail all cracked and fell apart.
Clay wrote: Tue May 19, 2020 3:34 amTL,DR: do NOT leave your toys where they can get any direct sunlight, even inside a clear bin, if you don't want them discolored over time. It's most common among white plastics, but don't assume that other colors are safe.
Sadly, I don't think there's much you can really do to stop it. Sunlight (or maybe heat?) seems to accelerate the process but IIRC it's chemical in nature, and just tends to happen as certain plastics get old. Sort of like soft plastics leaking plasticizer (hi, Universe Longhorn!) or clear plastics becoming brittle with age (hi, Power Pinch and Razorclaw!), it's just a thing that happens to old toys. :(

I mean, obviously don't leave them on the windowsill in direct sunlight for twelve hours a day, but even hiding them away in an opaque box isn't going to keep everything pristine for all time. My Powermaster Prime's trailer managed to turn dark brown over the decade or so it was stored away with zero light, and discoloration has happened (albeit less dramatically) to other figures I owned that mostly lived in storage too. So definitely be careful, but don't stop enjoying your figures because you're worried about plastic discolouring either. It's going to happen eventually regardless, so I figure the most important thing is to make sure I enjoy them fully before it does!
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Warcry wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 1:15 am
Clay wrote: Thu May 14, 2020 11:03 pmAlso, how's imagur as a file host? I think my photobucket account is still active, but the website is slow to the point of being unusable.
It depends on the device you're uploading from, I think. I find imgur pretty good on a computer, but it's annoying to use on a tablet or phone. Also, you need to remember to upload your stuff to a private folder so you don't get random jackasses posting idiotic replies to every image.
Okay, additional question. Do you get a persistent account from which you can access all of your uploaded photos, or are you on your own for keeping track of the links?

Also, after playing around with all the beast stuff, I went and ordered a transmetal terrorsaur off ebay as I apparently sold mine at some point. It'll be my luck that the first one turns up after the new one arrives.
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Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!

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Clay wrote: Tue May 26, 2020 1:41 am Okay, additional question. Do you get a persistent account from which you can access all of your uploaded photos, or are you on your own for keeping track of the links?
Either/or, I believe. You should be able to post stuff anonymously if you'd like, but I signed up for an account so I could keep track of my pics more easily.

...which makes it easy to remember I have pictures like this sitting around.

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When you get right down to it, though, these five -- either in toy or TV form -- are what I think of first when I think of Beast Wars. The Transmetal bodies were such a solid step up from their original toys in terms of engineering, and since they were around for the show's greatest heights, they've really come to exemplify the characters for me.

Cheetor here is definitely my favourite Beast Wars toy, and if I made a top-ten list for the whole franchise I think he'd be on it. Rattrap isn't far off of that mark either. Primal is a bit basic by comparison, with a pretty vanilla transformation, but he's a really good action figure in both modes. Tarantulas is probably the weakest of the bunch, but still solidly above average.

I would love so, so much to have a real Transmetal Megatron, but between the cost and the fragility I think I'll stick with Predacon. His earthy colours are great, anyway. And out of all the Transformers I bought as an adult, I think he's probably been played with the most. How can you not love a roller-blading T-rex that turns into such a solid robot?
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