Should-But-Probably-Won't-Be Alternators

Rhymus · Post by **Rhymus** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 3:26 pm

The title should make this list self-explanatory...

Topping the charts on this list: Unicron! A fully transformable monster planet in 1:24 scale, right? Sounds like a good idea to me, but for some reason, i've got a hunch Hasbro won't go for it.

Others might be passed over according to the same "just too big" logic, even though they're so much smaller--the so-called "Base-bots" Omega Supreme, Fort Max, Scorponok, Metroplex, and Trypticon, plus Sky Linx--anyone else? Oh, yeah, i know...

Gestalts (a.k.a. Combiners)--still too big, with the added complication of making their component characters fit together, especially when the original G1 manifestations thereof were not done to scale with one another. (Someone mentioned this about the Constructicons, and hey, Bruticus, who do you think you're kidding, with a Jeep the same size as a space shuttle?)

And they may not make Alternators of anyone with an animal alt-mode. No Dinobots! No Insecticons! *whimper*

Furthermore, there are a lot of Transformers with size-change issues, and while most of them can be redesigned around that problem (for example, don't imply that the Autobot Minicars shrink when they transform), there are some cases for which i can't see solutions. At the moment, the list consists of Megatron (as a gun--he might be okay if they make him a tank like in G2), Soundwave, Blaster, Astrotrain, Perceptor, and Reflector.

And since the Alternators line seems to be based on the very cool idea of officially using specific make and model vehicle modes, anyone with futuristic/Cybertronian alt-modes is most likely out of the running, too.

*sigh*

Oh, well. Even if i'm right (although i'd be glad to be proven wrong in this case), Alternators still kick butt. (Go, Grimlock! Oh, wait, we said no Dinobots. Scrap!)

Post by **Time Traveller** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 5:32 pm

dude, you got animal alternators... beast wars! though they weren't redesigns of old chars, i think that's as close as you'll get unless some crazy taxidermist... nevermind. i guess megs wouldn't look too bad as an m1-a1 tank, but he's evil and... the US is the good guys right? besides. the m1974 (an iraqi desert storm tank) sucks. now if the Mk. IV tiger was modern....
there's another series that could be awesome. WWII vehicles.
the jeep, the kubelwagen, half tracks, tanks, planes.....*oodles* sorry. a Mk iv tiger would just kick too much butt as a tf. another more 'unobvious' choice... masterpiece prime's trailer! he has a hitch, which leads me to believe there's possibilities... ah well. we long time tf fans should have a say in hasbro's decisions.

Rhymus · Post by **Rhymus** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 7:38 pm

Didn't really get to see much of the Beast Wars show, but based on the toys and what little i did see of the show, i wasn't impressed. i mean, the CGI on the show was kind of cool, but it couldn't make up for a premise i couldn't get into. i'd have preferred a show with that kind of CGI, but characters and stories like G1. But i guess the movie that's on its way will do that, and that is very cool.

But returning to the matter at hand, as Alternators or not, i think i prefer android animals like G1 had to anything like the Beast Wars beasts.

And now, to put us back off track, since you deal with the subject, T.T., maybe you could explain to me what role time travel played in the Beast Wars?

Speaking of war, i don't know Earthling war machines, only war machines from a galaxy far, far away. But you're right that it would be commercially unsound to make the political faux pas of making your bad guys' leader a U.S. military vehicle, especially in light of current events.

So let's talk about historical events instead. i read about (never actually saw) a graphic novel series--by Dreamwave, i think--doing a G.I.Joe/Transformers crossover set during the World War II era. Instead of the Transformers crashing and waking up themselves, they crashed, Cobra (G.I.Joe's enemy organization, from what little i know of G.I.Joe) found them, and repaired/rebuilt them as fairly mindless mechs with "current" (this takes place during WWII, remember) vehicles as alt-modes. i don't know how that played out.

i'll close this post out with a return to the subject named as the title of this thread. Well, half return to the subject. Does Masterpiece Prime's hitch look like it's designed to make the rig look realistic, or like an actual model trailer could hook to it? i guess that might be hard to tell, if it was done well. At any rate, i think the trailer should be made available so anyone who wants to "complete" Optimus would be able to (assuming Roller's inside the thing), while those with a little less money to burn could buy just model of Prime's most iconic (that's a real word, isn't it?) aspect. However, i'd guess the odds of Hasbro actually making a trailer are about fifty-fifty.

Post by **Time Traveller** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:24 pm

yeah, i always wanted to see a straight-up transformers show based on BW technology. i did like the show, and it does coincide with stanard trasnformers doctrine, up until beast machines. that's when i stopped watching. as for the time travel, i haven't been able to figure out the time travel continuity for BW yet.
as for the novel thing, i think that was marvel, i'm not sure. i lost track of all that stuff after marvels g2 comics. however, if i recall, in either the comics or the show, there was a WWII battle scene on some island, and years later, starscream came back and used the left-behind vehicles to create the combaticons.
masterpiece prime's trailer hitch is the only part that isn't realistic, and seems almost pointless unless it were to hitch something. however, i'd think it a lot less likely that we see a trailer. and if we do, we won't get it in the states, those lucky japanese will get it.