2015--looking back!

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Brendocon 2.0
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Post by Brendocon 2.0 »

Clay wrote:Has this become a comic thread and is now too late to reply to the original topic?
Yes it has. No it isn't, but we reserve the right to continue this around you.
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Okay then!

Comics: I put the collected volumes of IDW stuff on my Amazon list as a reminder to get them at some point. So I'm almost ready to start!

Toys: Pretty scant year, overall. From about June onward, all I've picked up are the Takara Superion and the Hasbro Menasor and Ultra Magnus. Would like to assemble the Protectobot set next but I never saw them at retail. Having now seen the Combaticon limbs at the store, I'm guessing the local retail shops skipped a wave or two.

Third Party stuff: I think I completed the Warbotron Bruticus set in May and the Unique Toys Abominus in August. Also got Felisabre to round out Feral Rex in the spring. And Crox! And maybe also that was the year I got the Fansproject Rodimus Prime set from Denyer.

But basically from about August onward I've picked up very little of anything as I haven't had the money to spare while finishing up my MA. The irony sucks. I've been collecting these things for 70+ years now and when Hasbro (and others) finally start churning out the combiner stuff I've always wanted, they do it when I can't justify the cost. Or they make a Devastator that's awful and I have to pass on grounds of self-respect. Ho-hum.

Fandom: Can't comment much on the fandom at large as I don't interact with people outside of this forum too much, but [url=http://****notfw2005.tumblr.com/]http://****notfw2005.tumblr.com/[/url] (should be f u c k, but the autocensor kills it) came to my attention last year; it's both funny and depressing. Also, back in the summertime I had a fellow message me about modifying the legs on the Alternator Optimus prime since I made a tutorial about it years ago... I ended up having him send the legs so that I could do the modification and sent them back, at which point he was a very happy camper. It was random and kind of endearing to help someone with it all these years later.

I also started using Skype with some members here and learned that I've been mispronouncing peoples' names for the past decade.
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Brendocon 2.0
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Post by Brendocon 2.0 »

That Tumblr gives me a sad.

Comics shouldn't be topical or deal with issues or reflect the world or have depth because it might challenge my viewpoint so just sell me toys.

I need a drink.
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

Jesus H Christ.

Too many gems to pick from in that woeful parade. I think my favourite bits would be about how management are making Transformers more inclusive at the expense of their core consumer (i highly doubt many children give two sh*ts about a comic they aren't reading) , and the lengthy debate over whether a 'girl' is a good choice of brand manager for Hasbro's boys toys, because how would she know what boys want? Along with that all time classic 'I'm not a homophobe and have many gay friends, but [homophobic diatribe follows]' when discussing genderless robots being gay because they have relationships and emotions and stuff.
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Sades
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Post by Sades »

Clay wrote: but I also started using Skype with some members here and learned that I've been mispronouncing peoples' names for the past decade.
Hound and I are eternally grateful that you had clothes on that time you accidentally answered your Skype call with the camera on.

Comics: Eh, I read the comics thread now and again but that doesn't mean I know what's happening. Not really following comics; Hound managed to follow the latest for the first half of the year, I suppose I could go and have a look at those. but I probably won't.

Toys: Big ol' Combiner Wars year. For us, anyway.

Superion (opted for Slingshot), Menasor (opted for Brake-neck), Leader Class Megatron (from SOMEONE AWEEESOME THANKYOO AGAIN. we have box to send, unfortunately it's going to be living in our closet for awhile longer). I think that's it...

Oh, Hound talked me into a CW Devastator, which technically will happen in a couple of weeks and I'm only mentioning it here because I'm still bitchy about it and need to whine or else I will be filled with mute annoyance every time I have to look at his smug plastic face (Devastator, not my husband). /weprobablycan'taffordthisbutwe'redoingitanyway

Fandom: I live here and pay little attention to things that happen elsewhere.

I think I managed to avoid saying I'd be somewhere and then backing out this year, so that's nice.

Thoughts for 2016: PaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddlesPaddles. Everything else is meh, unless I somehow also manage to snag a Sencho Barbossa at some point.

Edit2: (paddles)Oh, it was Planet X. This 3rd party shit is confusing.

... I think I'm still gonna find a Barbossa, though. Also, CW Skylynx.
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inflatable dalek
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Post by inflatable dalek »

Wait, you're expected to wear clothes when Skyping?
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Tetsuro
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Post by Tetsuro »

Brendocon 2.0 wrote:That Tumblr gives me a sad.
Tumblr gives me a sad period.

Except the ones full of porn.

Also what is the deal with Cyclonus and Tailgate anyway?
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Cliffjumper wrote:As a side-issue which discussion about DDW and IDW's early material across threads, it's interesting that the comics seem to benefit from a weird inversion of the recepticon given to the cartoons. Whereas new TF cartoons are pilloried for not being the same as the old stuff, all your Trukk Not Munky shit and that, both DW and IDW's early output was wildly overpraised. Later, the same stuff was used as an unflattering comparison, often by the same people - Furman's a joke now but there was nearly a fatwah issued when he was elbowed.
Meant to reply to this bit weeks ago...

I think the context of the time is important when you look back on how people responded to the early Dreamwave and IDW books. People loved Dreamwave at first just for existing and being G1, and then they loved Furman's IDW stuff for not being Dreamwave. Honestly, I think the fandom at large would have loved anything that came out at those times. Even AHM or the Costa stuff, which were almost universally reviled at the time they were running, would probably have gotten plaudits had they been the first new G1 media in forever.

Once that "new car smell" went away the fandom quickly went back to hating practically everything, and there was, what, four years in the middle of the IDW run where every single thing they published bar Wreckers got roundly shat on as it was coming out. And even now, MTMTE is the only book that seems to be able to muster more than a vague "m'eh", as even the people who like Windblade or not-RiD don't seem to like it all that much.
Brendocon 2.0 wrote:I'm more interested in how it stacks up against its contemporary titles that are chasing the same demographic. Is it as good as Morning Glories, Sex Criminals, Slott/Allred's Silver Surfer, Saga, Wicked & Divine, Chew, Invincible, Casanova, Black Science, Manhattan Projects, Thief of Thieves, etc. The stuff it's actually competing against for my time and money.
If you approach MTMTE as a comic fan first and a TF fan second you're definitely going to butt heads with a lot of people in the fandom, because a lot of us are coming at it from a very different angle.

Speaking for myself, I don't follow any other ongoing comics right now. That's not to say that I don't read other books, because I have done and still do quite a bit of that when I have the time. But generally I just grab a trade or download a bunch of stuff when the mood strikes (i.e. I marathoned probably five years' worth of Green Lantern books over the summer). But I don't read MTMTE because I'm looking for a good comic. I read it because first and foremost I'm a Transformers fan, I like to consume new TF media every once in a while and in spite of all my griping the book is still far and away the best TF media on the go at the moment. It's certainly not the best comic I've read in the last few years, but if I'm in the mood to be entertained by Transformers there's really not other good choice right now.

Similarly, there have been hundreds of actually good action movies over the last decade, but if I want to watch one with Transformers in it I've only got four choices. The Dark Knight or Casino Royale do the genre a lot better, but they don't star Autobots, so they don't scratch that same itch.
Brendocon 2.0 wrote:Comics shouldn't be topical or deal with issues or reflect the world or have depth because it might challenge my viewpoint so just sell me toys.
As with any fiction, telling a good story should come first. Social commentary is all well and good, but when the storytelling starts to strain under the weight of it, it's time to scale it back. MTMTE was on the right side of that line to start, but in my opinion it's moving in the wrong direction pretty quick. To me, it doesn't really matter what the social commentary is advocating for -- it needs to be a distant second priority to actually telling the story, or the story won't be any good.

I remember Grant Morrison had something to say about that when he stopped writing Animal Man...that he'd given up the title because it was bringing out the worst in him and he couldn't stop using it as a soapbox for the things he believed in. Even at his worst Morrison still made the book entertaining, but Roberts, as beloved as he currently is, is no Grant Morrison.
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Tantrum
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Post by Tantrum »

Comics - I don't collect TF comics, but I did get enough Combaticons to put the CW pack-in comics in order and read them. It was a decent way to spend an evening, but I doubt I'll ever read them again. I had read them as I bought the toys, but there'd be enough time between waves that I'd forget what was happening.

Toys - I've picked up most of the non-Devastator CW toys I found, skipping only Ironhide, Prowl, and some Legends figures. Barring some QC issues with Hot spot and Cyclonus, I'm satisfied. I'm looking forward to Wheeljack, Sky Lynx, and Computron.

I got a good look at a Dev once and wasn't impressed. There were quite a few sloppy paint apps, and other than that, the figures looked pretty plain. The original designs were for much smaller figures; scaling those up means they look simple/cheap. It also seems like Hook's crane doesn't extend, Mixmaster's drum doesn't trun, and Scavaenger can't swivel. When I first saw photos of CW Dev, I thought it looked more like a proof of concept than a finished design, and haven't found reason to change my mind yet.

I got 4 RiD 2 toys: Steeljaw, Strongarm, Drift, and G1 deco Grimlock. Steeljaw and Grimlock share a transformation technique I hadn't seen before. The sides of the robot chest (along with the shoulders) detach from the center of the robot chest. This gives Steeljaw a wide, broad-shouldered torso without affecting the proportions of the vehicle mode.

In Grimlock, this is used to replicate the G1 transformation scheme without having to move the entire chest on what would have to be a very small plastic lever. The result is the best non-MP update of Grimlock I own. There's virtually no back kibble, a vast improvement over the Energon toy. And, there's no gap in the dino chest where the robot head can be seen like the Animated toy. My only concerns are much-maligned elbows, and that the joints that slide out like BH Twinstrike might loosen just as fast. The latter tab into place in both modes, so that's not much of a problem.

Most car-bots have some way of extending them selves when they transform into bot mode. Either the legs extend, or something folds away. Drift and Stringarm's car modes are basically the robot stood straight up with vehicle parts wrapped around them. That may make for an easier transformation for kids, but the robots are much smaller than you'd expect compared to similarly sized vehicles from other lines.

Cartoons - The new RiD cartoon is OK, it's just aimed more directly at a younger audience than other TF cartoons of late. Like Warcry said about the comics, if I'm in the mood to be entertained by TFs, this is what's available now. The voice acting is good, and I like the hybrid-animal bot designs.

I did finally watch Beast Wars in late 2015. It's quite good, but doesn't live up to the hype. That might just be because cartoons in general have gotten better, so my subjective standards are higher. I'm maybe 2/3 through Beast Machines now.

Fandom - I usually stick to here. I found some good threads on custom Kreons and Construct-bots on tfw2005, which led me to check out some of the news and CW threads there. The updates can be informative, but too often the threads devolve into the stereotypical internet, like spending two pages bickering over whether this is the right place for bickering.
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