Re: Remembering that our old toys actually exist!
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2021 5:44 pm
Do it! If the neighbours don't think you're weird you're not trying hard enough.
True story: the Transformers branding was so subtle that I didn't even realize they WERE Transformers at first, until I looked at the cross-sells and saw characters named Optimus and Megatron. But tricking kids younger than me into not realizing the line was related to the definitely unpopular G2 probably helped a lot with those younger kids giving it a chance.Skyquake87 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 27, 2021 1:38 pm The brilliant graphic design work that accenutated 'Beast Wars' over Transformers - it felt new.
Re: Beast Machines, I feel like the fandom's burning, collective hate for the line has faded a lot as time went on but it's amazing how loathed this toyline was in its day. I missed out on seeing the line first-hand since it fell squarely in the timeframe where my parents were embarrassed that I still liked toys, but before I could drive by myself to a store to look at them. I wound up picking up a few at the now-sadly-defunct local toy clearance outlet circa 2003, though. And I hated them! I like them a lot more now though. I think the diversity of the Movie designs helped me retroactively appreciate these toys...albeit not until after I got rid of some of them.
For a line that almost no one seems to like, it's amazing how much some of the toys go for! Hammerstrike is a figure I mean to pick up one day but he's rare and expensive for a non-show nobody. Battle Unicorn too, IIRC.
Longhorn is my boy! And also a great example of what I didn't "get" about BM originally. Most Transformers are designed with a cool robot in mind and the other mode is their secondary mode. But these guys? Their beast modes are their "real" selves and the robots are the alt-mode. Once that clicked for me, all of the line's design choices suddenly made sense. Longhorn is a fun bull. Way more dynamic in beast mode than most Beast Wars quadrupeds. In robot mode...less so, but still neat.
Thanks to the Universe toy that came out a few years later, he's also a member of the exclusive "non-show toys who got new bodies" club along with Cybershark, Spittor and Iguanus, and that earns him a special place in my heart as well. I love the idea that these random dudes are off having life-altering adventures of their own (and of course, me being me I'm also trying to write said adventures...)
Buzzsaw is neat. The spring is an odd choice but he cuts a mean silouhette in both modes and he has a real novel tansformation. He's maybe also a member of the same club as Longhorn and co. too, if you go with the assumption that he's the same guy as BW Buzz Saw and they just called him a Maximal because they didn't want a third faction hanging around.
I don't think I see Geckobot in your crew but there's another good example of how much they prioritized the beast modes. Lots and lots of colour in a very interesting beast mode, but a robot mode that's almost monochrome.
I own the Universe version of Night Slash Cheetor. He's super neat. I enjoy the gimmicks and I like how tall and lanky the robot is, but what I enjoy the most is the vicous-looking cat mode.
I used to have Mirage and Scavenger. I HATED them. Don't have them anymore and actually really wish I did. Actually I bought a replacement Scavenger last week and should be getting it in a week or two. Never owned Spy Streak but I do have Universe Fireflight and I really like how the one arm can either be a huge shield or a nasty, intimidating claw. Obsidian is probably my favourite of the Basics I've owned, because the helicopter mode is so lively and colourful.
I'd love to pick up the RiD repaints of those four one day too.
I'm pretty sure the only bigger Vehicons I own are the Universe versions of Skywarp and Strika. Skywarp is still my preferred version of the character after all these years (and Deluxe Jetstorm was basically the "Seeker" of the early 2000s, yeah?), but Strika is probably my least-favourite Vehicon. The gimmick is nice but both modes are kinda ugly.
This group was such a weird mishmash of designs! You had a couple first-year BW toys, a few Transmetals, a few BW Neo toys...They don't really feel like a group that "belongs" together at all but I still like a lot of them as individuals. Dinotron is charming. Terranotron is shiny (and I love the mold, as I said before).Airraptor is super eye-catching and colourful. Striker is really unique but that's mostly because he's shamelessly parading around in a stereotypical Indigenous dressup that would get Hasbro in super hot water if they released it today. He's not a great toy though I do like the stegosaurus mode.
I honestly think Triceratron is the worst Transformer I've ever owned. Mine is the ugly as sin grey Universe version, which doesn't help, but the mold isn't much fun in general, IMO. Having half a triceratops on one shoulder wasn't a great design choice.
I'd love to track down Rapticon and Magmatron one day!