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Ebay user Yayabeee has posted some comparison images of Hasbro's and TakaraTomy's versions of Breakaway and Sideways. The Japanese versions appear to have darker color schemes. Whose version do you like better? Check out some of the images below:
Stay Tuned to Seibertron.com for the Latest News & Information!
Peaugh has posted a video review on YouTube of the currently unknown jet from the upcoming Transformers Revenge of The Fallen toy line, last seen here. This offers a good look at the figure, and it's transformation. To see the review, click here.
Welcome to the March edition of the Transtopia newsletter. This month features Repaints, Customs, Scratchbuilds, Featured Art, and an Artist Interview. Shattered Glass characters are very popular this edition. Remember, to check out the Transtopia forum for the latest action.
How to Showcase Your Work
The newsletter is your opportunity to show off your work and talent. We rely on your articles, artwork, and customs to make it interesting. Entries will be reviewed on a monthly basis. You can submit your work here: Repaints, Kitbashes, Scratchbuilds Fan Art Fan Fiction Guides
Make a Difference, Join the Newsletter Team!
Want to contribute to help out with the Transtopia newsletter? Join our team. We have a couple roles to fill. Duties require a few hours each month. PM Dead Metal if interested.
Newsletter Credits:
Design - Flix
Formatting - Stormrider
Fan Art - Mykltron
Editing - Stormrider
Do you have modeling or art tips to share with other members? Why not write a guide? Feature tips from - repainting, kitbashing, drawing, sculpting, and even computer graphics: Send an email to Transtopia.Guide@gmx.de for details.
This month I would like to draw your attention (pun not intended) to sketch by HOWEE74 of TFA Prowl flying TFA Prowl Transforming through the air as he transforms from bike to bot.
This picture impressed me as soon as I saw it due to the skill involved in drawing it so accurately and the effectiveness of the shading. Originally it was drawn in pencil then overdrawn with a fine pen before being darkened in Photoshop. If you look closely you'll see that some parts (like the windshield) have been edited using Illustrator to create a smooth and shiny effect. You may also notice that the beginning and end pictures are darker than the mid-stages of the transformation.
He seems to have caught these stages beautifully and really conveys a sense of motion. Although each image is so clear and lacking motion, blurring it suggests a slow-motion scene.
It probably took many hours of fiddling and experimenting to find the right poses for each individual picture so please leave him your comments and praise here, I am sure h will appreciate it. Also take some time to look at his other works on his Deviant Art page, there are other great thingsthere.
A round of applause goes out to all of our other art entries from February.
Send us your artwork!
Art entries are reviewed on a monthly basis for the newsletter. Send your entries here.
Do you often think up Transformers stories in your head? It is time you put it to paper and submit it to the Fan Fiction page. Entries will be reviewed monthly.
Remember we have a theme for the month - "Transformers Go To The Movies." What does that mean? Whatever you want. Transformers starring in films, TFs watching films, TFs covered in a pile of DVDs, whatever that topic suggests to you is what I want to see. Funny, serious, romantic, tragic, anything. If that topic immediately makes you think "Oh, that would be a story about..." start writing it down.
A quick recap of the rules (don't worry, there's not many):
1) 10,000 word limit. Rough guideline to start with, I won't be automatically disqualifying anything that comes in over.
2) Decent spelling, grammar and punctuation. Run a spell check over your story, and maybe get a friend to read it before submitting.
3) Be specific as to where/when the story is set. So what continuity is it in (G1 comic, G1 cartoon, Armada comic, etc) and where is it set? Before the events of the show/comic, after, during? If during, where does it fit?
4) Fan characters are fine, but please avoid making them those annoying "I am more powerful than any other Transformer!!!" types. Also, consider if there's an under-used existing TF who'd fit the needs of the story just as well as someone new. Existing characters are almost always more interesting to everyone else.
This month's Artist Interview comes from our friends at TF.SG, who recently interviewed the Transformers artist, Altitron. Many of you know Altitron because he is an active member in Transtopia. Altitron has won several Transformers art contests in the past, including some on Seibertron. One of his current projects has been the box art for Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime, which was presented last month, here.
1. Ok dude, tell us more about yourself like which country are you from, your age and occupation, and maybe attached a photo of you too! Give us more info, the more the merrier!
Well, lets start off with a proper introduction. My name is Brett Wolff, I am 25 years of age, married to one beautiful woman, Lisa, and we are expecting our first child in April, Blake.
I am an American, but do not claim any state in particular as I was a Navy brat, and moved around quite a bit. I myself have been in the Navy going on eight years now, and currently serve my country on a military installation in the prefecture of Kanagawa, on the mainland of Japan.
2. We all know about your fan art and how you have the uncanny ability to mesmerize us. Care to share you how did you get started?
I started drawing when I was about three years old, with crayons and any surface I could get my hands on, be it paper, walls, tables, whatever.
The thing is, my parents never punished me for what I was attempting to do, they just wanted me to keep it on the paper. Once they got that message across (with maybe a spanking or two), they never did anything but help to promote my imagination and desire to create something.
They always encouraged my artwork from the very beginning, even when it was only artwork to them. Twenty years later, and here we are today.
3. So which are your favourite works?
My favorite work of all time is The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine, by Jacques-Louis David, seen below:
I have been fortunate enough to have seen this masterpiece in person, at the Louvre in Paris. It is a massive painting, spanning 30 feet high and 50 feet long. It is a truly awe-inspiring work that leaves you breathless.
I am also a fan of anything painted or sculpted by Michaelangelo, and Raphael School of Athens is another of my favorites.
Some of my more modern favorites are the works of the legendary Frank Frazetta. He is best known for Death Dealer, a Black Knight-esque character whose depictions have been used by many bands for their album covers. Frazetta also did many illustrations of Tarzan, from Edgar Rice Burroughs novels. He is the father of modern day pop-sci/fantasy artwork, and I have always drawn inspiration from him.
On the other side of the world, Sesshu Toyo is a favorite Japanese master of mine. His suibokuga, or ink paintings, are beautiful. 6 of his works are regarded as national treasures in Japan.
Growing up with comic books, I always imitated Joe Kubert, Chris Bacchalo, Joe Madureira, and more recently, Adam Hughes.
My first taste of Japanese art came when Chrono Trigger landed on American shores, and I fell in love with Akira Toriyamas character designs. My interest grew in the art I could not find at my local comic shop, and when I was old enough to afford my own comics, I started importing the masters of Japanese manga.
My favorite work from Japan is the 6-tome Akira masterpiece by Katsuhiro Otomo. I am also a huge fan of anything done by Masamune Shirow, like Ghost in the Shell and Appleseed. Kaneda, the Major, and Briareos are some of my favorite characters.
I will also admit that I am a huge fan of the Dinotopia books by James Gurney. The first things that I drew that someone else could identify when I was young were dinosaurs, so when these books came out back when I was 12 or so, they were the greatest things I had ever seen. I still read and flip through them today, and they still bring out that child-like wonder.
4. Any works in progress from your side? If you allow us a little sneak preview that is!
Well, by now I am sure you have all seen the Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime box art that I am working on for Griffiths custom-made resin kit. And if you have not, here it is
I plan to have that finished shortly, so you can expect to see color teasers rolling out very soon.
I have been working on a series of Transformers pinups that I have titled Civil War.
This is a collection of works depicting desperate battles between some of the brands most notorious rivals. The first of these planned pieces was Shockwave VS Grimlock, which I believe I have shared on the forums, and is included in my artwork collection on the sites photo gallery. I am currently working on Soundwave VS Blaster, so expect to see a teaser of that on the boards pretty soon.
5. We all know you as a TF fan-artist, any plans to cross over to say, fan fiction or customs?
I have been doing customs work for quite some time now. My website has a small section dedicated to it. I got into customizing by way of wanting to repair some of my old and busted G1-era figures. The first of these were Shockwave and Sky Lynx. They were bought in a non-functioning status, and I did what I had to do to get all the electronics and sounds working as they were intended. It only got worse from there.
I've done a Dawn of Future Past Terrorsaur, made from a Beast Machines Obsidian, and I am currently working on what I call Predaking 2.0. I believe that monster has his own thread in the customs forums. I do what I can, off and on in between work, the wife, my addiction to Warcrack, and commissioned artwork, so it is much more slow going than anything else that I get to work on.
I do have the rest of the Decepticon combiners planned for my 2.0 series. I just got my hands on the Classics Special Edition Dragstrip, so I can finally begin my Menasor project. Look out for it!
As for fan fiction, I never really wrote any myself, outside of MU roleplaying back in the day, but if I were to read something that really inspired me, I would not hesitate to bring it to visual life (I am looking at you, TwilightStorm).
6. So do you see yourself as a fan or a collector?
How can you not be both? I love Transformers. I collect Transformers. Everyone in my family knows it. They look out for me. I have toys sprawled all over my room, from G1 to movie,
I am into about anything and everything Transformers-related. My in-laws have been buying our baby silly little Transformers items, so they have not only accepted the madness, they are contributing to it.
7. Having interacted with the folks of TF.SG in the forum section, in your opinion, are there any differences between us and other members in the international TF community?
Everyone seems extremely nice and well-intentioned. I have yet to read through a single thread that devolved into a mud-slinging argument, or any post that contained less than complimentary remarks. There are arguments, but they have always been kept civil and respectable. That is something that is extremely rare these days.
Things sometimes get out of hand on the OTFCCs boards, and I have to pay to post there.
The folks at TF.SG are extremely friendly, and it is very refreshing. Everyone seems much more tight-knit and familiar, as well. I suppose that comes from the majority of the members being able to meet one another in Singapore. Maybe one of these days I will drop by.
8. Oh, by the way, do you have a blog or a website? Care to tell us how they come about?
I have no blog, but I do have a website. Well, two - sort of.
My personal, professional website can be found at the following address: [url">http://www.thepimpsled.com/
I also run a gallery through Deviant Art, simply because it is just so easy to update and keep that way. It is often more up to date than my own website, which takes a bit of time and effort to maintain the polished, business look.
You can check it out by following this link: [url">http://altitron.deviantart.com/
9. Have you won any awards or accolades for your masterpieces?
I won a sweet polo shirt from TF.SG for one of the contest!
I won a monthly art contest at Seibertron.com with my Shockwave VS Grimlock piece.
I won Most Outstanding Student¢ in my 7th grade art class. And at BotCon, I won a Participant ribbon!
In high school, I won a design contest for my towns annual founders Day Parade, a weekend celebration they hold every year to celebrate the towns founding. I got my picture in the paper, alongside my art teacher and the sponsor of the event. I think that is when my parents first realized that my artwork may actually be worth a damn.
A few years later in high school, when I was a Junior, I entered a few of my watercolor paintings that I had done as a Freshman into a very large competition in central Texas. There were something like 250+ schools represented, and over 3,000 works were entered from all over the state. The gallery only had room for about 500 works, so just to have your art shown was an accomplishment in itself.
Of the three that I entered, all three were shown. One of my works won Honorable Mention honors in a small field of 25 or so, and another placed in the top 6. So I feel I did fairly well in such a large field of competing artists, and with works that were at that time two years old. It was something to be proud of, to say the least.
10. What do you wish to see most eagerly in ROTF?
Transformer dialogue! After the euphoria and wonder of seeing a new Transformers movie in the theatre wore off, I was very disappointed in the first movies lack of character development and screen time for the guys the movie was named after.
All collected, the Transformers had about 5 lines of meaningful dialogue, and 90% of it came from Prime. I really want to see the movie focused on the Transformers. They have eons of history, and each of them has no doubt lived for centuries. I would like the movie to get down and show you who these guys really are.
11. Yes, we know it a cliched type of question, but we would like to know who is your favourite TF character of all time!
Shockwave! I just love the guy, his personality (or lack thereof).
I am a very rational person myself, as my wife would attest. I do not do anything without there being an explicit reason for it. I do not enjoy being wasteful, and I am very prudent in what I do. I see a lot of myself in Shockwave, although I have to admit that I am not /that/ dedicated.
12. What is your favourite TF series by the way? Do you have any favourite toy?
My favorite series to watch would be Beast Wars. G1, while I adore the toys more than any other, had a very kiddy, campy show. Now that I am 25, I laugh at what I see.
Beast Wars, while degrading to slapstick humor at times, still manages to be very gritty towards the later seasons. It gets SERIUS Beast Wars Megatron is probably the best-written villain of any Transformers series we have had. I mean, the guy conquered Cybertron. Who else has done that? Nuff said.
My favorite toy (thus far) is Masterpiece Megatron. I've broken him in two spots (inner lower leg red hinge clip on the first day I owned him, and about a year or so later I cracked some small black piece attached to the die cast 'spine' trying to remember how to transform him, LOL), but I'm still awe-struck today when I look at him.
The only thing wrong with him is that not everything really sits flush and perfect as it is depicted in images on the box and instructions in gun mode.
But it is still a marvelous piece of engineering. Although I do wish that he was packaged with the extended scope and stock as found in the add-on set from... TFSource? Not sure, but I wish he came with that stuff anyway. Mine's got a bit of cosmic rust on the feet, but I actually like it. Gives him some shit-stompin' character, in my opinion. I just think he's the best looking figure in my entire collection. G1 had a great alternate mode - the pistol fit in your hand perfectly - but the robot mode looked nothing like the cartoon.
The Masterpiece version... especially when stood next to Prime... it's like /finally/, everything you imagined as a kid, and in the flesh - or plastic and die cast, as it were. :> I could have stopped collecting Transformers entirely after purchasing MP-05, and I would still be happy today.
13. Given a choice of a massive project which is rather ambitious, what would you chose to do? Any person or people whom you want to work with in particular?
I have a few graphic novels that I would like to write and illustrate in the future, when I finally get around to putting all of my ideas on paper. I sketch characters and locations from time to time, but nothing more than what I would call R&D work for the moment.
I also want to make a full conversion mod for Warcraft 3, turning it into a Transformers RTS. I do not have any experience with 3D modeling at present, but that will change when I get my collegiate schooling nailed down.
As for my most ambitious goal, I have wanted to do a retelling of Dantes Divine Comedy as a series of graphic novels for quite sometime now. I even went so far as to call Penguin Publishing in New York and ask them about rights licensing. Someday, I will get it done.
After a temporary hiatus, the Buried Treasure feature on Seibertron.com has now returned!
The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years. Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.
We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.
For me, one of the best post-Beast Wars Transformers toylines was the Cybertron series, and one of the best figures of the line (or any line for that matter) was the deluxe-class Decepticon Dirt Boss, a futuristic monster-truck from the Planet Speedia (or was it Velocitron?).
Originally released under the ackward name "Inch Up" (stop giggling!) in the Japanese Galaxy Force series, Dirt Boss was released as part of the first wave of Cybertron figures to hit stores - but as the line gained in popularity, the mold fell behind. Dirt Boss was never re-released in any subsequent wave of figures and as of today has never been repainted or remolded, though anyone who owns this toy will surely agree that the mold has great potential.
As I mentioned in the inaugural review of Cybertron Cannonball, one of the greatest things about the Cybertron line was its brilliant package design. As you can see, the card backing takes the shape of the Decepticon insignia and Dirt Boss's mainly purple colour scheme meshes very well with the packaging, creating a great look overall. The boxart features an angry-looking Dirt Boss, and it's a great interpretation of the character - better than in the cartoon anyway.
The back of the card gives us a glimpse at Dirt Boss's gimmicks (I'll get to those in a minute), as well as his bio and tech specs. Everything is very crisp, clear & uncluttered. A very nice piece for MOC collectors.
But leaving Dirt Boss in his plastic prison isn't doing this great figure justice, let's take him out and see what he can do!
Dirt Boss's vehicle mode is a wicked-looking futuristic monster truck. As far as TF vehicles go, this one is really unique and is unlike any monster truck you'll see on this planet (and I'm assuming your reading this from planet Earth). His colours here are mainly purple with green as a strong secondary colour and nice silver detailing on the hood, on the roof (with molded spotlights) and on the side of the truck. There are also some green exhaust pipes in the back and some green tubes on the hood, next to the truck's exposed engine-thing, while four green headlights decorate the grey bumper in the front. The colours are very reminiscent of classic G1 Decepticons, making this cool TF even better for having a sense of history.
The wheels and suspension take up about half of the entire truck mode. Everything here is mostly green and while the wheels may look black, they are actually a slightly transluscent dark red. What is most bizarre is how the wheels are attached to the truck - instead of having each wheel attached to the vehicle's main body, the wheels are attached to each other on each side with a connection to the truck's main body in the middle of the wheel segment. Those big wheels of his roll very nicely on carpeted surfaces, giving him great play value for the kiddies. It really looks like he's driving on two giant lollipops, but I think it looks hardcore awesome.
Just sayin'.
So there, soak it in - this really is an awesome looking truck. It looks aggressive, dangerous and it just screams "King of the Road" - oh, and while you're at it, pop in that Cyber Key, and see how Dirt Boss is "King of the Offroad" as well...
One great thing about Dirt Boss is how his Cyber Key gimmick works in vehicle mode. The line was full of hit-or-miss key gimmicks, but Dirt Boss's really shines and is possibly the most unique (and the most fun) of the entire series! Pop in the key and the suspension of the truck buckles and lowers, giving Dirt Boss a sleeker "race car" look. The play value in the vehicle mode is amazing, all it takes is a Cyber Key up the rear-end and you've got a whole different vehicle!
Transforming Dirt Boss to robot mode is easy, and great fun as well. The truck's hood unfolds into two halves, revealing both his legs. Fold out the headlights and bumper to make the feet and pull down the sides for his arms. The back end of the truck folds down and a compartment opens to reveal his head - but this can't be done if the wheels are up in "monster truck" mode as there isn't enough room to fold the piece down. Not to worry, as the designers found an ingenious way to solve this problem - simply rotate the hips around (which needs to be done anyway) and the wheels will automatically spread out as if the Cyber Key was inserted! No key needed! An Automorph gimmick years ahead of the '07 Movie line! Very clever engineering - another thing to love about this toy!
There's too much to say about how great a toy Dirt Boss is in robot mode. His truck mode is brilliant, but his bot mode is one of the coolest-looking Decepticons I've ever seen. The green and purple colour scheme continues in bot mode, with some added purple on the legs and black on the arms. My only complaint is that there is no paint detailing on the inside of his legs, and the purple panel for his head rests on green plastic, not purple, which looks rather strange. It is worth noting that this is not the case with his Galaxy Force counterpart Inch-Up (I said stop giggling!), who has solid purple throughout the robot's body and detaling on both sides of his legs, making for a much more unified look in bot mode. Dirt Boss is also very tall for a Deluxe-class figure, so that's great as well.
In this mode, the truck's giant wheels stick out on both sides - not only do they look cool, but they also have a practical use as they help balance out the toy, allowing for many great poses. And as far as poseability goes, Dirt Boss has it made. His head can swivel almost 360 degrees and his arms can move up or down, swivel at the elbows and even rotate complete around where the arms meets the shoulders.
His lower body is even more flexible (stop giggling! I didn't even say "Inch-Up" that time!) as his waist can rotate 360 degrees, his legs can rotate completely at the hip-joint and his knees can bend up or down and rotate 360 degrees as well. His long feet and "bell-bottom" legs give him just the support he needs. Getting this guy in awesome action-poses is a breeze, and there is no struggling and random toppling-over like with many other modern TF figures.
One of my favourite things about Dirt Boss is his head sculpt. The designers created a head as unique as the rest of the toy, abandoning the old symmetrical faces and giving Dirt Boss a targeting rectacle eye-patch (with three different lenses! Check out the attention to detail!) as well as an asymmetrical head crest. The silver on his face really brings out the "don't mess with me" expression, and I love the little green goatee thing.
Something else that sets Dirt Boss apart from the rest is how his Cyber Key gimmick works in robot mode. Instead of unlocking the same mechanism in both modes, Dirt Boss's gimmick is entirely different in his robot form. Instead of lowering the truck's wheels, the Cyber Key flips out two shoulder-mounted cannons - which is great since Dirt Boss, sadly, does not come packaged with any weapons.
All in all, Dirt Boss is one hell of a great toy - and one of my all time personal favourites. He is a one-of-a-kind figure with great play value all around, great looking vehicle mode with a unique gimmick, an awesome robot with amazing poseability and great engineering. All that at the Deluxe-class price-point - you really get your money's worth, and then some! I would personally recommend Galaxy Force "Inch-Up" (ha! I get it now!) if only for the better paint application, but if you can get your hands on any version of Dirt Boss, do it! This is one amazing figure that every fan should own, and love as much as I do! Thanks for reading!
Links:
Visit the Cybertron Dirt Boss gallery by clicking here
...Or find your own buried treasures by visiting all the toy galleries here!
* If you would like to write a review for our "Buried Treasures" feature, please send a private message to Skowl on the Seibertron.com forums!
Thanks to s250 for pointing us in the direction of a new video of iGears Auto-Scout tape. In the video we see a small display of the simplistic, albeit fun, transformation accompanied by the contemporary rock style of Coldplay in the back ground.
E Online has posted a video review from the recent Toy Fair. The review gives a more in depth look at Movie Devastator and Bumblebee Blaster as well as two GI Joe toys.
The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years. Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.
We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.
The Mini-cons are something that are starting to be forgotten in the Transformers franchise. The current Universe line has updated Jolt, and offered a set of Mini-cons exclusively to K-Mart stores, but that would be about it. Mini-cons are really cool, and in some cases probably the closest things to Transformers accessory sets this fandom may see for a long time (well, as far as official products go anyway). So that’s why I’m looking at the Emergency Mini-con team, a set that is truly more than meets the eye.
Each of the three figures included in this set have three modes. Firebot Transforms into a fire engine, a robot (surprised?) and a missile pod. Prowl the police car has the third mode of an blaster/gun, and Makeshift transforms into a V-22 Osprey and a twin barrel gatling gun. Out of the three, Firebot is definitely my favorite, so I‘ll start with him.
Let’s look at his fire engine mode. It’s pretty simple, but detailed. There’s even a small translucent hose in the front of the truck. He has two Mini-con ports to combine with a larger figure on top of him. Unfortunately their positioning is a little poor, and he is not as flattering when combined in this mode.
His robot mode is nice, it's well detailed and articulation is good for a figure of its size. He doesn’t have any hands, but what appear to be guns in their place. Thus, he has a little more firepower than the average Mini-con or small-sized Transformer. A creative touch if you ask me.
There’s lots of little mechanical details that garnish this mode. There’s also good use of different colored plastics and paint applications. Little things like his visor, and chest details get painted, which makes him look less bland.
Now in missile pod mode he’s truly a gem. Transforming him into this mode is rather simple. You push his arms down, which also moves the position of his Mini-con ports, then fold him in half. Now the positioning is much better for his Mini-con ports. He looks just like how a missile pod should, and not much like a fire engine. Simply plug him onto any Mini-con port and voilà, extra firepower for any Transformer (with the Mini-con ports, of course). He’s pretty much an accessory like this, but I think that’s exactly what makes him so interesting.
Onto to Prowl, he has the vehicle mode of a police car. Again, he’s detailed, but the translucent blue doesn’t blend well. It works, but I would have preferred a solid color instead. Regardless, the color scheme goes together pretty well, and the blue plastic is dark enough to not be that noticeable.
In robot mode he’s pretty good. Not as interesting as the other figures included in this set, but nice none the less. He has ball joints in his shoulders, and hinge joints in his legs, so he can pose pretty well. I somewhat dislike that his head is one piece with his upper body, but he does plenty to make up for it.
His third mode is a gun, and this is how I like the figure best. He can be held by any Transformer with 5mm holes in their hands, so he’s not limited to just figures with Mini-con ports. He looks better as a gun than he does as a robot, and I find him most useful in this mode. His head is as stated above, one piece with the part of him that becomes the barrel of the gun. This makes his face somewhat less noticeable, which is nice.
Then last but certainly not least is Makeshift. He transforms into an Osprey helicopter in vehicle mode. It’s well detailed and the propellers even spin. The cockpit is painted silver, and there’s even this neat little emblem on his rear wing. There’s not really any kibble in this mode and he looks clean.
In robot mode he almost looks imposing, which is a little uncommon for an Mini-con. Don’t get me wrong, I adore the little things, but it’s sort of the same with the Generation 1 Mini-bots. Bumblebee for example isn’t the least bit imposing, but this guy is different. He’s real bulky in some aspects and the fingers he has adds to his badass-look. He’s just not that “innocent little guy” most Mini-cons/Mini-bots come off as.
His articulation in this robot mode is decent, with joints in his fingers/claws, shoulders, and kind of in his legs. Unfortunately, his legs are pin joints that only bend to the sides, meaning he can’t strike too many poses. But he looks good enough in static poses to make up for it anyway.
He also transforms into a gatling gun as stated at the beginning of this review. While not quite as recognizable as say, Firebot, it’s still an imaginative and detailed alternate mode. There’s many little orange details that can be seen here, it’s nice that they went trough the trouble of making him so detailed in this mode. As a weapon, he works as that nice little bit of added firepower, perfect for an larger figure.
(Armada Emergency Mini-Con team with 2004 Universe repaints)
All in all, this is a set Mini-con collectors should pick up, and more casual collectors should carefully consider. These three Mini-cons are loads of fun that compliment very well the larger figures you might find in you collection.
Transformers Generations 2009 Vol. 1 got released in Japan. I snagged a copy yesterday and I'm glad that I did. It is a feast for Japanese Transformers fans.
This book is very similar in style and presentation to the Japanese Transformers Collection 2007 book. In fact, this book begins where Transformers Collection 2007 left off.
There are 100 pages of photographs, captions (in Japanese), drawings, and a mini comic. The purpose of the book is to showcase all of the TakaraTomy Transformers from the past two years, which was executed very well. You'll find lots of detailed pictures showing numerous angles and gimmicks for each figure. In some cases, may be too much. Everything is printed on high quality paper, which allows magnificent detail to be shown. Each figure gets 1-4 pages. The book covers Henkei, Alternity, Binaltech, Masterpiece, Encore, Marvel Crossover, and miscellaneous figures like exclusives and branded labels, like Music Label.
Alternity Convoy is the first thing you'll encounter when you open the book. A whopping 10 pages are devoted to him. Takara isn't pulling any stops with this little guy's promotion. Too bad his release date couldn't be as determined. Alternity Megatron is not featured in this book.
The Henkei figures cover all of them from Optimus Prime to Dinobot. Japanese exclusives are also shown. Each figure is displayed in 2-5 shots. A frame with the Hasbro version is included for comparison. The only Henkei figures not included were Red Alert, Smokescreen, and the Minibots (they'll probably be in volume 2).
For the Binaltech & Masterpiece section, expect to see: Arcee, Blue Streak, Argent Meister, Convoy, MP US Edition Starscream, MP Thundercracker, and Grimlock. The details of Grimlock include the transformation process. Sorry...can't give away secrets...
The Encore section is another worthwhile feature. The book covers the figures from Ironhide through Hoist. (Optimus, Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave were covered in Transformers Collection 2007). The cassettes and Bruticus were not included, but they will probably be in the next volume.
The miscellaneous figures include: Disney Label, Music Label, Marvel Crossovers, and Encore exclusives. Chrono Label is not included.
Now for the fun part! The reason why this book is called "Generations" is because it connects all 25 years (And if you’ve been paying attention - you'll also know that is the campaign theme on Takara Transformers website). http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/25th/25th.html
So, where the first half of the book focuses on the present; the second half focuses on the past. The entertainment begins with G1 Optimus Prime. Have you ever imagined attending an Optimus Prime party? Take every G1 Optimus Prime ever made (legitimately by Takara & Hasbro) and let them strut around on twelve pages. There are over two dozen Primes, and they all want their picture taken. It's like a Prime convention. What is particularly cool about having all the Primes together for a family reunion is that you can see all the big and small variations between each figure, trailer, andor box. Attendees at this party include Diaclone Prime; 1984&85 Prime (first, second, and third runs); Pepsi exclusives, Goodbye Convoy, Lucky Draw, G2, New Year Specials, Commemorative Series, etc?Eunning all the way up to the present. Prime fans might want to get the book just for this alone.
The other cool feature of this book is the concept art. Some very intriguing, old, and outlandish drawings have been pulled from some dusty archive hidden below Takara's HQ. There are drawings of Powered Convoy (Ultra Magnus) with armor resembling Go-Bot power suits; motorcycles for instance, are used for his arms and legs. Other cool drawings include a Robotech looking Prime featuring a different transformation and a trailer that transforms into a combat vehicle; Mirage, Inferno, and Sludge are also included, in addition to a slew of others you wouldn't recognize.
I highly recommend this book if you are into concept art and like referencing Japanese figures from numerous angles.
The excitement continues to build in Transtopia. Lots and lots of repaints, kitbashes, and scratchbuilds. New members and veterans have posted many awe inspiring figures. If you are interested in doing customs but don’t know where to begin, then check out the Transtopia forums for tips from the experts: Transtopia
The newsletter has undergone a face lift, thanks to Seibertron member, Flix for his creative design work. We also have a winner to announce from our banner contest featured last month: Technically Weird gets the bragging rights to show off his artwork as one of our subheaders. http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y289/Angelic_Prince/seibcontest.jpg
We thank everyone for their participation. You can check out the other entries here
And remember, to check out the Transtopia forum for the latest action.
-Stormrider
How to Showcase Your Work...
The newsletter is your opportunity to show off your work and talent. We rely on your articles, artwork, and customs to make it interesting. Entries will be reviewed on a monthly basis. You can submit your work here: Repaints, Kitbashes, Scratchbuilds Fan Art Fan Fiction Guides
Newsletter Credits:
Design - Flix
Formatting – Mattyc1007
Fan Art - Mykltron
Fan Fiction – Sledge
Editing – Stormrider
This month’s featured artist is Kyrie with his computer design Valkyrie, a female quadrochanger.
(click the link to see larger pictures)
Not only has Kyrie designed a fully transforming character, but he also has presented it beautifully as if it were a photo gallery of an actual figure. The transformation process between modes gives us an indication of how much thought and planning must have gone into it, while touches of realism are included - such as light glinting off the corners, shadows and reflections.
Using the extremely sleek car mode as the starting point, Kyrie used engineering drawing techniques to design the robot, followed by the other two modes. Once those stages were complete, Maya 8.0 was used to create the 3D work of art presented here.
The first thing that struck me about this figure was the amount of blue that was used. Beautiful as this colour is, a little more variety of colour may make it easier to understand, although gold and dark grey have been used for some internal parts.
What I particularly like about the robot’s design is how femininity is suggested through slenderness of build rather than actually giving her breasts like Blackarachnia. Another noteworthy feature is what appear to be gun holsters on her hips in robot mode, although we can’t see any guns. If that’s what they truly are then it’s very cool and this should be used on some real TF toys. Perhaps the only thing missing would be fold-out claws for the front feet to match the rear in tiger mode making her more ferocious.
I’m sure Kyrie would appreciate your feedback on this stunning creation, so please leave your comments on the Valkyrie thread here.
Honorable mentions this month go to Nench for his eye appealing Unicron creation. Click here.
Send us your artwork!
Art entries are reviewed on a monthly basis for the newsletter. Send your entries here by February 28th for the March newsletter.
Do you have modeling or art tips to share with other members? Why not write a guide? Feature tips from - repainting, kitbashing, drawing, sculpting, and even computer graphics. Send an email to Transtopia.Guide@gmx.de for details.
- by Sledge
Hello, fellow Seibertronians, and welcome to the Fan Fiction section. First things first, last month's winner. Sabrblade takes it with the first installment in his "Machine Wars: Transformers – The Fanfic Series." In his own words, it's "within both the U.S. and Japanese G1 animated continuities without interfering with each other." I don't know about you, but I think that's pretty ambitious, and I'll be interested to see how it pans out. Chapter 1 can be read here, with chapter 2 here. If you enjoy those, start pestering Saberblade to write more. Well done, Saberblade, and I hope to see more writing from you soon.
This month is going to be slightly different, as we're setting two contests:
The first is for the end of February. As that's only two weeks away, and that doesn't leave much time to come up with an idea AND get the final version written, February's competion is open to any TF fiction you've got ready for judging at the end of the month. So if you've got something already written, or have a great idea ready to go, this is for you.
The second is for March. For this one, I've decided to mix things up a little by setting a theme. What I'd like to see is something on the topic of "Transformers Go To The Movies." What does that mean? Whatever you want. Transformers starring in films, TFs watching films, TFs covered in a pile of DVDs, whatever that topic suggests to you is what I want to see. Funny, serious, romantic, tragic, anything. If that topic immediately makes you think "Oh, that would be a story about..." start writing it down.
A quick recap of the rules (don't worry, there's not many):
1) 10,000 word limit. Rough guideline to start with, I won't be automatically disqualifying anything that comes in over.
2) Decent spelling, grammar and punctuation. Run a spell check over your story, and maybe get a friend to read it before submitting.
3) Be specific as to where/when the story is set. So what continuity is it in (G1 comic, G1 cartoon, Armada comic, etc) and where is it set? Before the events of the show/comic, after, during? If during, where does it fit?
4) Fan characters are fine, but please avoid making them those annoying "I am more powerful than any other Transformer!!!" types. Also, consider if there's an under-used existing TF who'd fit the needs of the story just as well as someone new. Existing characters are almost always more interesting to everyone else.
And that's all there is to it. Now you have the easy bit of writing it, which involves (if I may paraphrase Douglas Adams) staring at a blank screen until blood appears on your forehead. Please don't bleed on your keyboards, just have fun.
Hey Transtopia folks - Burn wants to interview you. How did you get into Transformers? Why are you addicted to kitbashing? What was your first repaint like? What do you do with your spare time?
Don’t keep Burn waiting any longer – he’s getting bored at work. Send him a PM here.
The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years. Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.
We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.
Octopunch. The man who shot Primus right in the bloody face. What’s not to like about this guy already? As far as the character goes, he’s got a pretty impressive CV going on. He was a pretty important Decepticon in the Marvel Comics series of the late 80s, even being a member of the prestigious Mayhem Attack Squad. And he’s a Pretender, which is probably one of the most interesting of all the gimmicks Hasbro has ever tried on Transformers, but there’ll be more of that later. He’s also a noted treasure hunter, so perhaps he should be doing these Buried Treasure reviews instead of me. But most importantly, he shot Primus in the FACE. What have you done lately that’s so manly?
Picking up Octopunch’s robot toy, you’d be forgiven for being a little sceptical. Standing a paltry two inches tall, he can see eye to eye with most of today’s minicons and is positively dwarfed by the legends size class. But he manages to pack quite a lot of awesome into that little stature.
Being slightly more articulated than most toys of his size at the time, he’s capable of quite a few interesting positions, and that arm-mounted gun of his just seems to ooze authority, with his raised-fist, menacing-look appearance.
Flip him over, slap in his beast mode legs and gear up those pincers, and you’re presented with probably the best-looking crab in the Transformers range, complete with back-mounted rifle for extra kick. The pincers are nicely articulated, too, and clever use of the shoulder joints can achieve a few nifty ‘scuttling’ poses. This is not the kind of crab you want to wake up with after a shifty encounter. But wait – he’s a crab? Well, that’s just the worst naming disaster since the wheel-free Flywheels. Or… is it?
The true beauty of Octopunch comes not from his neat, but titchy, inner robot, but from his being two toys at once. And, since the Transformers are technically two toys at once anyway, I guess we’re looking at three ways to have your Octopunch and eat it. One look at the Pretender Shell and you’ll know exactly why the lad’s named what he is.
But first, a note on Pretenders. Originally, the Pretender line was created to market simple action figures and Transformers at the same time, with the robotic transformer being stored inside the organic shell, which opened in two pieces. The first range of Pretenders featured tall, lanky, incredibly simple Transformer toys, whose alternate modes tended to look a bit less like planes, trains and automobiles and a lot more like a robot doing some very, very simple yoga. However, by the time Octopunch and his Mayhem Attack Squad buddies came around, the overall toy had been reduced in size, but the quality of the robots increased dramatically, albeit at the cost of a bit of ‘parts-former’ additional piece interplay. Go ahead, compare Octopunch or his contemporaries, such as Pincher or Bludgeon, to the earlier efforts such as Submarauder, Bomb-Burst or Skullgrin, and the improvements should be clear. Of course, this game of one-upmanship just went too far when the pinnacle of the line appeared, with the shells transforming into alternate modes of their own and fitting inside even larger shells which transformed too. Yes, my head hurts as well.
Anyway, let’s get back to specifics. One look at Octopunch’s Pretender shell, with its gruesome Scooby-Doo villain appearance, and you’ll see where his name stems from. Each of his arms is accompanied by two additional tentacles, although each three-limbed cluster moves at the shoulder as one piece. The olden-days deep-sea diving helmet is removable, but please, for the love of God, don’t do it. Under its enticing mystery, there’s a whole world of frighteningly terrifying in there. Octopunch’s face can probably be best described by imagining the following words all at once – tusks, brains, bolts and plates, and that episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog with the space-dudes with foreheads supported by sticks on wheels.
I warned you.
Upon regaining composure after than initial shock, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that not a single piece of Octopunch should ever go missing if you pay attention – those beast mode legs that didn’t store inside his shell actually attach to the back of the shell’s backpack, while the smaller red gun affixes to the inside of the rear half of the right leg.
When holed up inside his Pretender shell, Octopunch is armed with a bizarre gun-like contraption, which I have to admit is a huge disappointment for anyone who was expecting the brutal-looking trident he often carried in the comic series – for some reason, the Decepticon Pretenders (Octopunch, Stranglehold and Bludgeon) were all illustrated with mêlée weapons, but came packaged with ranged weaponry. Ah, Hasbro, how you mocked our childish enthusiasm.
Unfortunately for the shell, it features another let-down, but one that was ubiquitous to the entire Pretenders line – it displays a range of motion similar to that of myself with a hangover: little more than flailing arms and a blank stare. Due to the position of the shell’s halves, only the (oddly rubbery) shoulders feature any articulation, with everything else being solid hard plastic.
Overall, however, there’s something deliciously charming about Octopunch, and I don’t mean as a fried entrée. The Pretender line, with its novel approach and delightfully different appearance, means that any of its components are a welcome addition to any collection, but it’s truly the smaller, later Pretenders who show off the best of the range – and if you’re going to go looking for a real ‘buried treasure’, you really can’t go wrong with a man who shot his own god right in between the eyes. So what if it was by accident...
Links:
Visit the Octopunch gallery by clicking here
Visit the Bludgeon gallery by clicking here
Visit the Stranglehold gallery by clicking here
...Or find your own buried treasures by visiting all the toy galleries here!
* If you would like to write a review for our "Buried Treasures" feature, please send a private message to Skowl on the Seibertron.com forums!
* Price and quantities subject to change. Shipping costs, taxes and other fees not included in cost shown. Refer to listing for current price and availability.
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