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Top 5 Transformers Who Abandoned Their Faction

Date: Saturday, February 11th 2017 11:58am CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal

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Views: 130,255

Every 2 weeks, Seibertron.com brings to you a Top 5 and occasional Top 10 list written by william-james88. But this week, we are gonna shake some things up a teensy bit. Guest analysis D-Maximus_Primal is here to give you a Top 5 list centered not on toys, but on the fiction that we all love to read and then buy the toys as a result. These are all the opinions of 1 person, so treat them as such as you read along. The point of these sorts of things is to have a lot of fun as well as get the community to tell us what you really think of the shape-shifting toys and characters that we all love. So strap in tight folks! All previous lists can be found here.


Top 5 Transformers Who Abandoned Their Faction

Now when it comes to Transformers, we generally have the 2 opposing factions, whether they be Autobot/Decepticon, Maximal/Predacon, Autobot/Predacon, Rescuebot/Morbot, etc. We usually like to think of the characters being dedicated to one side and only that side, and eventually winning or losing to their respective rivals. But oh so often this is nowhere near the case. Transformers are not black and white; rather, they have so many shades of gray that there are times that you can never truly be sure of a character's true sides and motive. For this reason, we have many different characters that have left their respective faction, whether it be from anger, sadness, betrayal, confusion, and occasionally mind control.

The purpose of this list is to look into those many characters that have left their faction in favor of either another faction or to abandon factions altogether. The list takes into account how important to the overall story the Transformer in question is with his/her actions and how this changed the course of that Transformers Series.

5. IDW Thundercracker

Our list starts off with the blue version of the original Seeker trio. When it came to TV shows, Thundercracker never got a good rap seeing as how he was simply a look-alike to one of the bigger shows stars and basically was second bananas to most everyone else in the show. Now the comics have done him far more justice. Initially joining up with the Decepticons to fight against inequality and to rule by means of "Peace Through Tyranny," All Hail Megatron showed us a different Thundercracker. Thundercracker hated slaughtering people and he realized that the Decepticons were not fighting those worthy of their attention. Realizing just how lost they had all become, he abandoned his Decepticon counterparts as Megatron fell to Optimus Prime and Spike Witwicky to save the humans and Autobots still in New York city. He took a hold of the nuclear missile aimed at them, took it to space, and destroyed it. All he got in return was a blast to the face from an angry Skywarp.

He would go on to play pivotal parts in the 2009-2011 ongoing, serving as air reinforcement for the Autobots at times and even turning down an invitation to rejoin the Decepticons. After the war ended, he simply chose to live on Earth, away from Cybertron, until the Cybertronians returned, and he once again stood more Autobot than Decepticon, helping save the humans from a zombie Thrust/Ramjet armada, interpreting Buster the dogs speech to show that Blackrock was shady and that the Autobots were not bad, and even saving Sunstreaker from Galvatron's mighty fusion cannon after combining with him among others against his will.

Thundercracker has done a lot to make up for what he had been a part of, and has proven to be an honorable character that, while gruff, is a good person at Spark.



4. Prime Dreadwing

Dreadwing was always my favorite Decepticon from Transformers: Prime, and I'll tell you why: he was never a truly bad guy. He may have fought for the bad guy and he may have been an explosives expert who blew up people, occasionally without them even knowing it, but he had something that no other Decepticon had: Honor. He cared deeply for his brother, and when he felt his death, he flew all the way to Earth to look for who had killed him and he would avenge his brother. Once he arrived though, he showed a distinct difference from his fellow Decepticons. He served Megatron with honor, preferring to get his mission done and preferably do it as clean as possible, even if it meant letting some Autobots live.

As Season 2 went on, we saw Dreadwing, now serving as second-in-command, gradually progress as a character. He went on questionable missions with Megatron, such as stealing Liege Maximo's arm. He also began to see that Megatron was not as morally balanced as he thought, as he dealt with Megatron not only letting Starscream live, but also welcoming him back into his ranks with full repairs, all after finding out Starscream had revived his brother as a zombie. The final straw broke, He decided the Decepticons were no longer the right people for him, but he refused to join the Autobots. So he did the only thing he could: He stole the Forge of Solus Prime, gave it to the Autobots, tried to kill Starscream to avenge his brother, and finally falling to Megatron in response to his threat against Starscream, one of the saddest deaths in Prime. But, as a result of his actions, the Autobots were able to make it to Cybertron and thus prevent Megatron from gaining total victory.

Dreadwing proved to be a conflicted character, between his brother and the Decepticons. And he made the tough choice and he made it when it counted. He is the reason Prime even went on from this point for had he not, Earth would be simply a new Cybertron. His betrayal ultimately led to Earth's salvation.



3. Dark of the Moon Sentinel Prime

Now this is a character that had to make his impact fast as he only had 2 and half hours to do so, and an impact he did make. In the past, Sentinel Prime had proven to be a jerk when he was given characterization or Optimus Prime's predecessor when he wasn't given it. When we came into the movie, Sentinel was assumed to be the ultimate good, the thing that would turn the tide against Megatron and the new and all-powerful Shockwave! But then, Sentinel outdid both of them. Quickly. Without any sort of warning, he turns out to be Megatron's partner, kills Ironhide (and Mudflap and Skids technically), teleports an armada of Decepticons to Earth, seemingly removes and destroys the rest of the Autobots, and begins to enslave humanity, not caring even a bit.

While ultimately falling in battle, Sentinel made a huge impact in the movie-verse. For one thing, he was the first bot to turn out to be a bad guy. For another, he declared that he was the Autobots, essentially helping to set up the Autobots future troubles since they too could be the big bad that brings about Armageddon. But, probably biggest of all, he shattered Optimus Prime, showing him what he thought had to be done and doing it with no regards for others, and then almost succeeding with the side effect of destroying part of Cybertron in the process. Sentinel has proven to be the traitor to his kind that the movies will be known by (at least so far).



2. IDW Megatron

If you thought this one would be left off the list, then you really don't know how big this one gets. Megatron. An Autobot.

Yes that's right. How best to finish off a 12 issue crossover event that shattered the multiverse and set up Season 2 for both Ex-RiD and MTMTE? Make the big bad from Transformers lore a good guy. Yep, that'll work!

Megatron, finally realizing how far he had fallen from his days of peaceful reform, took up the badge of his friend Bumblebee and made it his own. In the 2 years and some odd months since, Megatron has proven to be an interesting character. He finds it hard to resist at first, letting slip his hatred for organics and his desire to see himself survive. But then the wake-up calls start hitting hard and fast. Within 6 months of each other, he finds out that the Universe would be vastly better had he not existed, and that he is responsible for so many dead that is is almost unfathomable. And then he is given the showdown with the very figurehead of his evil and the notion that he will not survive. And we see just how far he has come. He hates who he was and he hates seeing what he created. He now rejects violence and he simply wants nothing more than to make up for his past mistakes, something almost no one is willing to let him do.

And his actions have had far reaching consequences. As a result of what has happened, Galvatron has taken over and the Decepticons are in shambles, some even choosing to go the route of doing good or just trying to live on in the post-war era. Soundwave feels so betrayed that he turns the humans against the Autobots thanks to Megatron's defection. Even the Decepticon Justice Division now reforms for the sole reason of picking up where he left off, after killing him first.

So Autobot Megatron has shattered his own world, his home universe, and the fiction behind Transformers. The ultimate evil is now the good. This is almost good enough to make number 1, but there is a very obvious reason why Megatron is not #1...



1. Beast Wars Dinobot

This character was a no-brainer really. This Beast War combatant started out as a Predacon, became a Maximal, switched back and then returned to the Maximals, and everytime he did switch something significant happened. The first time he switched sides, he evened the odds of Maximal to Predacon, and would go on to make a big battlefield difference due to him being a warrior. When he switched back, he would harbor in the Golden Disk saga which would eventually lead to Megatron learning he was on Prehistoric Earth and that he could change history. And when he changed to Maximal one last time, he faced down his former Predacons and won, destroying the Golden Disk and severely damaging Megatron's plans, at the cost of his own life. And when he died, it was with honor and he proved to be one of Cybertron's greatest heroes.

Few Transformers characters have proven to be as popular and as important as Dinobot. He was a Beast Wars star and still is to this day. He is the ultimate example of a bot who changed sides, and in the end made the biggest difference he could while proving to be true to the side that he joined with and died for.



Honorable Mentions

Prime Knockout is worthy of note considering he is the only Transformers: Prime character to officially switch sides and he did so to help stop Starscream and enable the Autobots to actually fight back against Unicron in Predacons Rising.

Armada Wheeljack was also up for consideration, but ultimately while he and Hot Shot had a lot of issues and eventually he got mostly over them, he didn't play the pivotal role I felt the others played in their respective series.

Revenge of the Fallen Jetfire was also a pivotal character as he helped the Autobots actually find the Matrix in the movie and essentially revived Optimus and then gave him a power boost, but there was much more that could have been done with him. He needed a bit more to live up to his potential.

Review of IDW Transformers: Till All Are One #7

Date: Wednesday, February 8th 2017 12:22pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW

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Views: 36,707

Synopsis
As Windblade and her team fight their way through Elita-1’s Titan, Carcer, they face opposition at every turn to stop them from awakening the sleeping giant… and they soon find out why!



Story

Till All Are One is still keeping up the tension and the storyline that was so quickly done with in the Titans Return mini-arc (the trade was only out these past weeks, with MTMTE and Transformers joining the One-shot - all of these, their casts, and the covers and credits can be found in our database entries), and it does it in a very natural way, not forgetting its other sources and bringing in some very intriguing twists.



The major players, as we know are Starscream and Windblade, the Council and Cybertron on one side, Elita, Obsidian and Strika, and her crew on the other (there is also the faction of undead titans, I guess, like whatever - again, full cast can be found here, though beware of some spoilers), and it's in the contrasts between the characters and the writing of their interactions that the meatier stuff comes out.



In particular, Strika and Obsidian get a nice dose of spotlight each this month, with the latter already playing a fairly major, menacing role on the Council as the bearer of bad news (backed up with facts and data), and we also finally see what the former can do, dipping into both of their seeding in the Beast Machines series.



What we also get in the issue, which is exciting and almost a little surprising, I'll admit, is a direct link to information and story development that were achieved in the Revolution tie-in issue for this series, in the form of the issue's resolution/cliffhanger... and more on that below.

Art

Sara Pitre Durocher delivers yet another pearl of linework and layouts, with some truly memorable Starscream and Elita-1 condescending looks, and some impressively expressive faceplated faces (Obsidian and Strika are but two). The concluding pages echo the very first Windblade series, too, with some other hints towards the Revolution tie-in, again.



Joana Lafuente adds to the excellent linework performance, once more, too - the panel below I believe proves it marvellously: the lighting, the shades of purple, the way they work with the inking beneath them, almost drowning out everything else in the image, all goes to show how the visual language of the medium can be fully employed.



Likewise, the lettering in the example above is an integral part to the frame (and the storytelling), actually adding weight to the word itself rather than just remaining sound - Tom B. Long does this often, and still well. The covers are also this month a full IDW TF grouping too, with Pitre Durocher on main, Priscilla Tramontano on Chromia's criminal cover, and Joana Lafuente (thumbnail) joining the theme of her other two pieces this month.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

Till All Are One was ramping up the tension since issue 5. It took a potentially good story seedling in Titans Return and made sure it took roots in the ongoing series, while also connecting previous aspects of Transformers lore, the expanded mythos we are encountering across IDW, and bringing in a new-but-old major player, if the last page is to be believed.



We will not know what makes Elita and her crew so adamant to protect their Titan-ship, until another month at least, but we can enjoy just how hard, how strenuously, how viciously, how well laid out and constructed each scene is, and how the visual and verbal languages are co-deployed for this month. Very, very good indeed.

Seibertron.com Transformers Photo Challenge #17: H-O-R-S-E

Date: Monday, February 6th 2017 9:32pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Contests
Posted by: no-one | Credit(s): Carytheone

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Views: 36,311

Welcome fellow Seibertronians to another round of the Seibertron.com Transformers Photo Challenge. Every challenge has a theme and suggested guidelines to follow. To participate, just post your pictures in the discussion below. The TFPC is just about having fun and is for all skill levels. Previous challenges can be found here.

This challenge is going to be a little different than our previous ones. This time around you will be challenging your fellow fans to a little game of Transformers H.O.R.S.E.

The rules:

Your picture must include the same mold as the previous post (any deco is allowable).

Copy the pose as close as possible.

Add an additional bot in a creative pose.

The next player only needs to have the last bot added and then add one of their own. There will be only two bots in each picture.

Exclusives are allowed if they are of a readily available mold.

No 3rd party figures (3p accessories/upgrades are ok).


I'll start round one with the classics Prime mold.


Just do it!
Now it's time to challenge your fellow Seibertronians to setup their bots and show you what they got

IDW Lost Light #2 Review

Date: Wednesday, February 1st 2017 9:59am CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: D-Maximal_Primal | Credit(s): IDW

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Views: 40,359

Synopsis
Rodimus and Co. find themselves in a dangerous place. Even more dangerous than on a planet that exploded from the inside. That’s already pretty dangerous. But where they are now? Oh boy.



Story

Well, where do I begin?

We'll start with this: we have some plot action moving forward, like a lot. We've wrapped up the DJD battles, and we have moved on and started to venture back into the quest, despite the fact that we aren't on the ship and no one from the ship even makes an appearance for yet another issue (it's been almost a year). Taking cues from Drift and another member of the cast, we are progressing towards something quest related. It also appears that another long standing plot point is set to be resolved, which is exciting and interesting the way that it will end up getting done.

A second point of contention for attention is Megatron. As revealed last issue, half of the storyline is now occurring in a universe where Megatron never existed. What can we expect out of this you may ask? Well, I can tell you that Megatron is an interesting character to watch. Seeing his reaction to his new surroundings as well as what has transpired certainly places Megatron in an interesting situation that, in this issue at least, receives a deal of interest from reader and characters in the story. Overall, the "Megatron in a universe where he never existed" arc is doing good, and is keeping with the established traits Megatron has started to show over the past year. While we have yet to see what will become of Megatron and the functionists, it is comforting to know that he is still sticking close and comfortable with his developed path thus far.



The parts of the story touching on Tailgate and Cyclonus are very well done as well, and it will be interesting to see how these 2, Rung, and Megatron come through the rest of the arc.

Art

Art duties are once again taken up by Jack Lawrence, and 2 issues in I have yet to be completely impressed. The artwork, while not bad, does not feel like it fits the narrative of the book. The artwork comes across as slightly too exaggerated, with certain characters that have mouths suffering some with expressions. Proportions and some poses do not appear properly either, and characters such as the the Functionists enforcers and Swerve suffer for it. The enforcers just don't look as intimidating as they were portrayed originally, while Swerve pulls off a very awkward looking pose considering his design.



Joana Lafuente takes up coloring duties once more, and she does some very good work with the different shades for the different settings of this book. The coloring of Cybertron is appropriately very dark and very dreary, and the mixes of the burning colors with dark reds and red mixes make for a very convincing dark age.



Meanwhile, the coloring of Necroworld is also well done, with the sunset painted in beautifully alongside the darkness of night when Cyclonus and Tailgate go for a stroll. It doesn't matter where it is, the colors work.



Once more, Tom B. Long delivers in his lettering. The various points in time when characters get thrown and slammed around are pronounced with very convincing and very entertaining lettering, and the dialogue is done very well. Once more, a bang up effort.

Final Thoughts



Since the ending of More Than Meets The Eye and the beginning of Lost Light, I have had a hard time getting into the new book/season 3. While I can definitely state some positives, such as continuing with the same characters, touching more on the Functionists universe-a real treat really-and bringing another long-standing major plot thread forward, there is a disturbance in the force. A few complaints that I have.

The main complaint would be the art. It doesn't feel like it suits the book, and it feels at odds with what was previously established. It makes some scenes just difficult to look at and enjoy while reading the commentary. It feels more rounded, less detailed, and more "Robots in Disguise cartoon" than "More Than Meets The Eye."

The other major complaint comes from characters both new and not seen in forever. It was last March where we saw the mutineers take over the ship, and we have yet to touch on them again, which is a real disappointment for me. I've been aching to see this part of the crew and see what's happening in the fallout of the mutiny. I've also not taken very kindly to the new characters introduced. Anode has put me off quite a bit as she has generally come across to me as an unlikable character. Lug is a bit better, but I am unimpressed by either. It feels like the new characters are hogging some spotlight from those that really need it AKA the mutineers.

Overall, the book is not bad, it really isn't. Megatron in the Functionists universe, Rung, and Cyclonus and Tailgate are all great positives for the current ongoing. But it doesn't have that magic that it used to. The writing is still quite good, but the art and storyline don't match up to my liking, and I hope that we can work towards reclaiming some of that harmony for me.

Review of IDW Optimus Prime #3

Date: Wednesday, February 1st 2017 3:11am CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW

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Views: 35,838

Synopsis
An uneasy peace between Optimus Prime and the newly arrived Junkions is threatened by Soundwave’s discovery within their massive ship…



Story

First of all, I apologise for the lateness in this review. There is a life outside of this screen, and it is getting messy and busier by the day. Still, duties are duties, and I thank you for not giving me flak for dropping this a week later. And I hope you picked it up, because there is plenty to talk about in this third issue of Optimus Prime.



We reach the third issue, the central one in the first arc of this new book at the hands of John 'Continuity' Barber, and we check-in almost directly with Thundercracker's work-away-from-work as deals start taking place with The Crown Jewel of The IDW Universe - apparently - and some more backstories get filled in, via Marissa Faireborn.



The other major storylines, however, are even more intriguing, with Soundwave's inner monologue proving the caption commentaries this issue, as we dive back into his first encounter with Orion Pax, as they were very much (but maybe not) on the opposite sides of the beginning of history - compared to where they both are now. For however long.



That, while taking the current plot forward as well, as we find out what happened to Cosmos, the cassette-birds, and the whole idea of the Decepticon commune in spaaaace, in Barber's probing of the Junkions' intentions on Earth. Plus. in much better characterisation that previous works by the same author - we re-visit Jazz' character concept of understanding Earth culture, Jetfire's early motives, Prowl's Prowlness - and lots and lots of Thundercracker.

Art

I really do like Kei Zama's work, if that hadn't been clear in the previous posts about this series, and I believe we get to see a different side of her art in this issue: more humans, more organic cast, more humour to work with alongside the political intrigue of both past and present. And I'm satisfied we what we find - though there is always a touch of the sinister in the inks.



You want a darker tone to your stories? You want police/cop drama set in the past? You want political intrigue and chess-playing in the past and the present? Get Josh Burcham to add colours to Zama's linework: it plays with the heavy inks beautifully, it doesn't sacrifice diversity in the palette, and it delivers a great looking book.



Likewise, the lettering is an incredibly nice touch on top of what the art and dialogue already carry, as Tom B. Long's caption are never intrusive but still always there for new and old readers alike (the added snark in them is a bonus). The covers are a full IDW TF roster too, with Zama and Burcham on main, but Andrew Griffith and Josh Perez (thumbnail), Joana Lafuente, and Casey Coller all deliver some truly exquisite variants.

Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

The series is working very well, as looking at the reviews so far will have suggested, and what we find in issue #3 is a slower pace than the previous two, maybe not needed, maybe necessary, definitely present. That does not slow down the book's build, at all, but it will give a distended - and humorous at several points - read compared to the other book out this week, and compared to recent TAAO issues - so they work well in parallel at that, nicely scheduled IDW. (Totally not a dig at IDW's scheduling spoiling TAAO.)



There is plenty of humour too, as we see some of Barber's early RID work shine back through, and we get a very good look at Zama's style all round, as more organics, more beastformers, more humans, more facial expressions join the cast and the fray for the issue. As I said, the speed of the plot may have taken a slight slower route, but there is plenty to enjoy nonetheless.

Top 5 Transformers Toys which are better than their Update

Date: Saturday, January 28th 2017 12:30pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 78,903

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Top 5 Transformers Toys Better Than Their Updates

Let's face it, older Transformers toys can't really be compared to the modern toys due to the evolution in transformation, getting far more complex, the sleekness of the robot modes and the improved articulation. But that's fine, it doesn't take anything away from the older toys, it just makes us appreciate them in their own nostalgic bubble for the fun toys they were (and still are). We can respect the legacy of the original toys and have fun with the updates, be it in the Masterpiece or Classics line. However, 2016 taught me that there are original toys that not only hold up but offer so much more than their updates, and which I would definitely recommend getting over their updates. I looked for others that fit the bill and made a list so let's get to it!


5. Beast Machines Tankor compared to Generations Tankor

I have already raved about the original Tankor toy on three seperate lists: the best tanks, the best cybertronian vehicles and the best gimmicks since his double light piping gimmick is just too good, and that was just one of his 4 percfetly integrated gimicks which also included a spring loaded missile and optional twin buzzsaws which moved as you rolled him. He rightfully fits in all these lists since he is an excellent toy. The one thing he didn't do is look like the animation model, which plagued all Beast Machines toys, and that's it. I dont know about you, but that takes nothing away from this toy beign awesome. Proof of that comes with the update Tankor got in the Generations line. That toy looked show accurate and that was it. The articulation didnt seem to evolve in 15 years, all the gimicks were gone, the transformation was simplified (to reflect the show) and he just felt so light. And his accuracy was automatically gone when put next to any other figure since he was made into a puny deluxe, dwarfing him in size from what he looked like on the show. But that generations toy still has a place, I bought a few and made them the drones accompanying the awesome original Tankor toy.




4. G1 Megatron compared to MP05 Masterpiece Megatron

I have a hard time understanding what they were going for with the initial MP release. It's as if all they did was just make the G1 toy insanely more complex, fragile and annoying to transform. This reminds me of a bad third party toy. I am talking about the ones which look different from the animation model to avoid being sued and then overly engineer something to the point where it's not fun to transform and far too fragile to do so. So you just transform it once (or never if it's in robot mode) and then leave it on a shelf forever, hoping it doesn't fall since it doesn't stand too well. I am not saying the G1 toy is better at everything, but MP 05 doesn't improve anything about the G1 toy. It doesn't look more like Megatron than the G1 toy did, nor does it have better proportions (those legs, yeeesh). I made a chart to show you what I mean:



So all in all, I personally think the G1 toy is better. It's more fun to transform and has greater playability in both modes. Plus the gun mode is far more accurate to the actual gun size wise. If you had to choose between these two figures, you are better off with the G1 toy (they cost about the same anyway).




3. Beast Wars Cheetor compared to [url=[url=/transformers-toys/gallery/classics-universe/cheetor/1677/1/]Universe - Classics 2.0 Cheetor[/url]

The pictures just work better than my words here. It looks like they just made it different for the sake of making him look different without thinking of making him visually appealing. The original was well articulated already and looked closer to the animation model, which the Universe toy doesn't look even close to, so I don't really know what purpose the Universe toys serves or who would want it.





2. G1 1986 Sky Lynx compared to Generations Combiner Wars Sky Lynx

I think Generations Skylynx has a really cool looking combiner torso, I can't deny that. It acts as a fun what if, for sure, but that toy cannot in anyway replace the G1 toy as a decent representation of Skylynx in a collection (unlike Titans Return Blurr, who is a great update regardless of the gimmick he comes with). As described two weeks ago, there is a great history regarding G1 Skylynx and how it is different from every other Transformer toy, like his robot mode being the combination of two beasts . There is a ton of play value with that G1 toy, with it having 6 separate modes: Shuttle, transport rig, shuttle on transport rig, bird, lynx, mecha dinosaur. Also, the size works well for a toy that turns into a space shuttle. The update reduces the impressive size and while gutting the electronics feature is expected and not the worst thing, it removes the fact that he is the combination of two beasts. We don't get a separate Lynx component (which kind of blows when your toy is called Sky Lynx) and instead of the unique combination reinvented, we just have him turn into a combiner torso like every other voyager in the line. Or right, and it's a voyager, not the size I would expect for the magnificent skylynx (who transports Autobots through space).










1. G1 1987 Fortress Maximus compared to Generations Titans Return Fortress Maximus

My opinion here is very similar to what I said abut Skylynx regarding playability being gutted but it is augmented here due to this toy not even being an original mold and being stuck with random vestigial features of Metroplex. I think this quote that I found on the boards sums it up well:

partholon wrote:Am I the only one that finds it baffling that the G1 bot with probably the MOST guns has bugger all in this update?
It's just mad.
I do agree that his city mode sucks. I mean Jesus! And I dont see why they couldn't have added a flap to the ramps so they cover his hands in city mode and actually touch the ground. I get ya can say its aircraft landing strips in battlestation mode, but it just looks weak in city mode. If I get the guy I'm going with some of the fan modes to try and ape his original better- bar that mess around with the surperfluous joints to come up with something I think looks better myself as just having his battlesation mode do the splits isnt up to scratch.
I agree with what some have said about not giving a toss about electronic lights and sounds. I'm buying a transformer- the alt modes the most important thing to me, not some "whoop whooop" nonsense.

You are not the only one Partholon. I know many say he has a great robot mode and that's how they will be keeping him, but that kind of defeats the point of him being a Transformer. The only kind of Transformer that makes him is an oversized action master. However, there is a silver lining. This lackluster release for what was once an iconic toy ends up bringing the original G1 toy back in the spotlight and lets it keep it's well earned place on the pedestal. There was no toy like G1 Fortress Maximus and now we know he cannot be defeated. No one has as glorious a base mode with as many fun playability features. And lucky us, since an Encore reissue of the original toy was released in very big numbers, owning the G1 toy is no longer a pipe dream. The G1 toy is now affordable and I strongly recommend it as it is one of the greatest Transformers toys of all time and definitely the number one toy which is better than its update.

Can someone lend me a gun?

Honourable Mentions:

I would like to mainly discuss the Titanium line here since that in general is my honorary mention. I dis have a Titanium toy on the list at first, it was Titanium Optimal Optimus. From a nice big toy, we get a small one with lame articulation and the lack of a Beast Mode (on a freaken Beast Wars character!). But then I saw that it didn't gel with the rest of the list. It didn't feel like Hasbro trying to update anything, just present characters in a different way. Kinda like the World's Smallest TFs line. They came after the G1 toys, but aren't trying to better them or update them, just present them differently (in this case, that means all die cast). That's how I feel about the Titanium line. Because or else, this whole list would be that line right? Like Fire Convoy and Optimal Optimus who are missing modes and Soundwave, which doesnt hold a candle to the original. Even though they are legitimate updates, they don't feel to have the same intentions as the other ones on the list. At least to me.

Review of IDW #Revolutionaries #1

Date: Wednesday, January 18th 2017 4:45am CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Va'al | Credit(s): IDW

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Views: 39,617

Synopsis
THE REVOLUTION MAY BE OVER--but the future is just beginning! Ripped from the pages of the hottest crossover of the year, the REVOLUTION team of John Barber and Fico Ossio continue the action! KUP is a CYBERTRONIAN literally older than the universe; ACTION MAN is the ultimate special agent trying to live up to an impossible legacy; MAYDAY is a G.I. JOE leader trying to rescue her first command; and BLACKROCK is a CYBERTRONIAN that thinks he’s a human. It takes the mind-bending clash of ROM versus MAJOR BLUDD and the OKTOBER GUARD to bring this unlikely team together... and the secret they learn threatens to unravel the entire universe.



Story

Whatever your thoughts on the IDW Hasbro franchise crossover event, Revolution did happen, and we have now entered the phase titled Reconstruction (but not really). The multiple universes now coexist, and a new book in particular emerged from the rubble: Revolutionaries #1.



John Barber takes the helm of this new venture, which feeds off some of the tracks set in pre-Revolution Transformers comics - and the start of the issue clearly shows that, by having its timeline show more TF lore than any other book so far - alongside otherwise series-less Action Man/Ian Noble, and the full return of GI Joe (in some way or another).



Blackrock does mostly steal the spotlight, as we have come to know him in his early days, and after his discovery of his Cybertronian origins - no sass was lost in the transition, no ego was too bruised to recover - and he seems to be working mostly for himself once more; even after the events just happened, the various human factions are not particularly keen to collaborate.



Then enter Kup, and his partnership with young Action Man operative Ian Noble - if GB is the sass, the duo are the other side of the chemistry that keeps the book together. There are witty exchanges, playing on established TF concepts but not too heavily given the new audience, and the story does not bode badly at all for the future of the ongoing.

Art

My apprehensions about the art, especially when it had to do with non-human characters in the Revolution books, seem to have faded a little here, as Fico Ossio brings out some strong work even in Kup and ROM's designs - though Blackrock's features can still throw me a little off at times.



Similarly, Sebastien Cheng's colours still have that glossy finish that works really well as an eye-catching piece of art, but can get in the way of fully enjoying - and potentially understanding - the more crowded scenes. I do feel, however, that it works perfectly in sync with the lineart, and there are no problems in the issue itself!



Tom B. Long has his hands full with the art, too, as had happened before - and the task of keeping who's who clear in a book as busy as this is not an easy one, but he does manage to make it the least cluttered as possible. As for the covers, there are a slew of them, from Tradd Moore/Felipe Sobreiro's main, via TF veterans Andrew Griffith/Thomas Teyowisonte Deer and Sara Pitre Durocher's variants (thumbnailed), plus the usual Paul Pope/Kindzierski, Sonny Liew, then Tone Rodriguez/Jordi scuin and Ossio and Cheng's own take - and the retailer exclusive Jed Dougherty/Jason Millet variant, too. Phew.


Thoughts
Spoilerish ahead

I can't shake the feeling that his book is what Revolution could have been/wanted to be, had it not been dumped into one event, one book, one giant mess of clashing factions within a core story (heavily pivoting on Transformers... and ROM the Space Knight): a monster of the week format with overarching mythology; likeably unlikeable characters; hints and nods to the various fandoms, global scope and scale of casts and settings - though with one major issue...



...more traditional GI Joe fans may not like this new incarnation of their team. And that is fine, obviously, but I'd be interested to hear the opinion of readers with feet more in that than the robot pool of things to confirm my suspicion. Not the redesigns, or retakes on the characters, but how the new dynamics work, and who they're pitted against in the series as a whole. That said, I enjoyed the read, and would suggest giving the book a try!

Images of Titans Return Sixshot Showing Flying Wolf Mode and Connection to Other Bases

Date: Sunday, January 15th 2017 10:36am CST
Categories: Toy News, Site Articles
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 51,586

From the moment he was revealed, there was some confusion over Sixshot's base mode. Since he is a leader under the Titans Returns line, he should connect with the other leader bases, but he only has six modes, as the name implies, so does he have a base mode? Well, for this line, his tank mode serves also as the base mode. It is where you will find the best way to connect him to the other bases and the mode which offers the most Titan Master connection points (when the wings are extended). The wings allow to position the base/tank in different configurations with the bases, and the images below show that. You will also see how you can also get the 7th mode, the flying wolf, which was seen in the Headmasters series.

Top 5 G1 Transformers Toys Not Designed by Takara

Date: Saturday, January 14th 2017 11:59pm CST
Categories: Site Articles, Editorials, Top Lists
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 68,289

Every two weeks, Seibertron.com brings you a Top 5 list related to all things Transformers written by me, your fellow editor. These are my opinions (just like movie or game reviews hosted by sites are still just the opinion of one person) so what matters most is what you guys think of the topic or list, and I hope to see your own lists or comments on omissions and ranking. Let's have fun! All previous lists can be found here.


Top 5 G1 Transformers toys not designed by Takara

For those who do not know, the initial Transformers toys were actually just toys from Japanese (and Korean) toylines licensed by Hasbro with a few changes. For instance, one of the toylines whose toys became Transformers was called Diaclone and consisted of tiny figures which drove, flew and manned these transforming vehicles. That would explain why the cockpits are so detailed and have seats for small figures in the initial Transformers cars and planes and why the original Dinobots have seemingly random flaps that can pop out to seat tiny figures too.

Hasbro simply sold these toys under a new brand and took away the idea of little figures piloting the vehicles. This is just one example, and Hasbro licensed a bunch of toys from different toylines to be sold under the Transformers brand, which explains its great diversity (like a gun fighting a truck!). However, most toys were licensed from the same Japanese company, Takara, which Hasbro still partners with today to bring us Transformers toys. That explains the semi cohesiveness and similarity in design and transformation among the toys. BUT, there are a few toys from this first generation that came from other companies ... and it shows. Let's take a look at the five I find most interesting.

5. Roadbuster from Takatoku Toys

Roadbuster was first released as Takatoku Toys' "Mugen Calibur" from the Dorvack toyline (where Whirl is also from). Unlike the others on this list, his aesthetic works pretty well with the Takara figures. He is definitely more of a heavy dutytoy (bigger too) with a bunch of bad ass accessories that, while are awesome, do make him quite a pain to collect these days.






4. Sky Lynx from Toybox (designed by Tomy)

This guy is quite interesting since even though he was designed by the toy giant Tomy in theme with their Zoids toyline, he was actually commissioned and owned by Toybox. The really interesting part is that as far as I know (please state otherwise in the comments), the first release of this design is actually by Hasbro through the Transformers brand. So Skylynx was first issued by Hasbro, through a license with Toybox, designed by Tomy. And yes, you can totally tell he is not Takara, as there is not much order to this stupendous toy. He is a bird, a lynx, a space shuttle with a transporter and what looks like a Sauropod. Plus, there is a motor for it to walk (like many Zoids toys). It is such an otherworldy design in the G1 line that even the Marvel comics had a hard time making sense to his transformation, choosing to just make him a straight up triple changer (having shuttle, bird, and lynx modes only).




3. Omega Supreme from Toybox (designed by Tomy)

Like Skylynx, this toy was also from Toybox but designed by Tomy. However, Tomy had designed him inline with their Plarail toyline which dealth with train sets (which is still going strong today). This more than explains why Omega Supreme dissasembles himself transforms into a track system for a tank to move along it. If you ever wondered why Omega Supreme does not transform like regular Transformers do, this should explain it. Unlike Skylynx, he was released by Toybox as Super Change Robo Mechabot-1. This toy had a very different color scheme than how he looked once Hasbro licensed the toy from Toybox.








2. Shockwave from Toyco.

Shockwave was first released as "4 Changeable Astro Magnum" by toy company, ToyCo. Here is the kicker, ToyCo was Korean and not Japanese making this the very first Transformers toy not designed by Japan. They licensed this toy to several American distributors and toy makers which gave way to similar non-Transformer toys using the same mold being released in 1985, including a RadioShack exclusive called "Galactic Man" (who was dark grey). Because Hasbro was not the only one to use the licensed mold, they started sticking rubsigns on their toys to show that theirs was the official Transformers toy (this was also done to distinguish their transforming toys from the Gobots). Another cool thing to note is that unlike most G1 toys, especially all the ones designed by Takara, this toy has a very nice amount of articulation for his time.






1. Jetfire from Takatoku Toys

Of course this is #1. It is by far one of the best toys of the G1 era due to its detail and complexity. Also, his robot mode is not at all what one would expect from a Transfomrers toy. He looks more like a Macross figure (for obvious reasons we will further explore) and has a more prototypical Japanese look compared to the other licensed toys (the color scheme doesn't help reinforce this notion). The reason for him being the odd man out in a Transformers line up is because he was from Takatoku Toys. He was part of their Macross VF-1S Super Valkyrie series. Unlike the other toys listed above, this series, like Transformers, lives on to this day. They are now owned by Bandai, the other Japanese toy giant (who made the original Gobots back in the day, through a smaller division called Popy, to compete directly with Takara's Transforming toys) and are the most complex and expensive transforming figures on the market today. Hence why it was such a treat for Hasbro's lawyers to have found a way to keep giving us toys based on this design such as the Generations Jetfire in 2014. Finally an afforable toy based on a Macross design.








Honourable mentions: The Deluxe Insecticons and Whirl.

Pictorial Review of Takara Transformers Legends LG39 Brainstorm

Date: Wednesday, January 11th 2017 2:44pm CST
Categories: Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: william-james88

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Views: 28,045

Fellow Seibertronian Cyberpath has a splendid pictorial review for us of the recently released Takara Transformers Legends LG39 Brainstorm. He compares it to the previous Takara Brainstorm release and we see here how giving the old one's guns to new Brainstorm works out. Enjoy!


LG39 Brainstorm -- Takara's final Autobot Headmaster of the original group. Shipped one month after the last batch and arrived almost at the same time.

Brainstorm looks fantastic! The proportion of the body; the contrast of the colours--!




I've already had a Brainstorm that I liked (LG09) but ordered this one too just because of scale & compatibility; I wasn't enthusiastic about it but it turned out great!




The face sculpt is really well done -- detailed and crisp. But he doesn't look like the Brainstorm that I know as he's got a mouth. There's space between his jaw and "helmet" so I might try to somehow fashion a faceplate for him that would tab there.

Hey this kind of works, no?




Yet another Autobot Headmaster that's supposed to have twin-guns but doesn't. Instead he was packed with the generic gun that Chromedome came with. He can however wield LG09's guns! The colour is not exactly the same, but it works.





I was glad to find out that you can transform him without removing the nosecone, but you can remove it if you want a less prominent back.




The articulation is very good, he's even got waist rotation that's not related to transformation; so far only the Decepticons have had it.




He's got the exact same thighs as Chromedome and the shin-transformation is similar.

The transformation is cool and impressive, love the fin storage, the way the back-rest changes into his abs; the windshield, it's all pretty great for a deluxe.




And the jet mode is just as nice as the robot! Though I'm surprised there is no peg hole for a stand.




Brainstorm's drone buddy is a little more interesting than Chromedome's. And it's got this motorbike type mode.




Didn't think I'd have a Headmaster, much less all of them (and two Brainstorms!) but here we are..