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Rodimus Knight wrote:This seems awfully expensive for the complete series in this case.

Maybe the packaging is special or something.

I guess S!F feels obligated to do this since they have a "complete series" release of every other Transformers series they have access to, sans Rescue Bots. I wonder if it will include Predacons Rising or not... This is still my 2nd favorite TF series of all time, but I already own all the season BRD's so really no reason to own this.

Even at full prime right now on Amazon:

Blu Ray S1=40, S2=40, S3= $16, PR=14 Total: $110.00, better than the MSRP for this set, though likely upon release, this set will be closer to $100, so who knows....But I cant imagine what sort of extras would warrant a double-dip, I'm perfectly happy with what I have.

What I would like to see from S!F

Scramble City (*hopefully on the TFTM 30th anniversary release*)
Zone

Full Series sets:

Beast Wars II
Beast Wars Neo
Car Robots/RiD (If S!F can negotiate with Saban to get Power Rangers, they can surely get this...)
Transformers GO!
Rescue Bots Season Sets

o.supreme wrote:Car Robots/RiD (If S!F can negotiate with Saban to get Power Rangers, they can surely get this...)

Except Saban doesn't have RiD. Disney bought it from Saban, Saban didn't buy it back, so now it's in Disney's ownership limbo.

But didn't Disney own the Saban portion of Power Rangers as well?...I just thought there was some way they could work it out. If not then I'll stick with the Malay RiD set I have, but it would just be nice to have a North American release.

o.supreme wrote:But didn't Disney own the Saban portion of Power Rangers as well?...I just thought there was some way they could work it out. If not then I'll stick with the Malay RiD set I have, but it would just be nice to have a North American release.

Saban bought all of Power Rangers back from Disney (including the Disney Era seasons), but not RiD.

Wow that is too bad...Strange...I assume Saban bought back most if not all of their live-action series stuff based on sentai? Now Disney has this thing they have absolutely no interest in promoting, perhaps they don't even realize they have. Hopefully in time however, kind of like TF:TM, Hasbro will actively try to get the rights back.

o.supreme wrote:Wow that is too bad...Strange...I assume Saban bought back most if not all of their live-action series stuff based on sentai? Now Disney has this thing they have absolutely no interest in promoting, perhaps they don't even realize they have. Hopefully in time however, kind of like TF:TM, Hasbro will actively try to get the rights back.

Yeah, the shows Saban bought back from Disney were Digimon, Power Rangers, Masked Rider, Beetleborgs, VR Troopers, Mystic Knights, TMNT: The Next Mutation, and (according to Wikipedia, so take it with a grain of salt) Shinzo. But RiD remains in Disney's limbo.

It's been really quite a while since we heard from animated show Transformers: Prime, but thanks to the show's art director Jose Lopez and his Twitter account, we have some concept art to show off (much like for Robots in Disguise, as seen here). The images below show studies and models for Predaking, Smokescreen, Megatron, Arcee, Cliffjumper, plus a bonus watercolour image of Optimus Prime signed by Peter Cullen himself - check it all out!

Gosh, that water color of Prime is gorgeous! I'd love to have that framed on my wall!

ToaLeePrime wrote:Gosh, that water color of Prime is gorgeous! I'd love to have that framed on my wall!

Heartily seconded!

Hello!

The drawing of Jose Lopez seems to me an excellent work! Try to do the same drawing in microsoft paint!

My regards to Jose Lopez

Bye!

So is it just me, or is Smokescreen basically Hot Rod?

-Young, brash hotheaded kid appeal newcomer
-Despite this has a lot of skill and experience
-Hinted at becoming a Prime


He's basically the same character archetype without all the superficial qualities. I don't know what happened in production; maybe they really wanted to keep the name Smokescreen, maybe they didn't want to turn off people who hated Hot Rod from the 1986 movie, maybe they literally made an original character and it just -happened- to be what an aligned version of Hot Rod would be... I dunno. This dude's Hot Rod to me.

Kurona wrote:So is it just me, or is Smokescreen basically Hot Rod?

And Cheetor. And Side Burn. And Wedge. And Hot Shot. Etc. etc.

Kurona wrote:He's basically the same character archetype without all the superficial qualities. I don't know what happened in production; maybe they really wanted to keep the name Smokescreen, maybe they didn't want to turn off people who hated Hot Rod from the 1986 movie, maybe they literally made an original character and it just -happened- to be what an aligned version of Hot Rod would be... I dunno. This dude's Hot Rod to me.

Well, let's also not forget that, at the time, Hasbro didn't yet have the name "Hot Rod" back like they do now, hence all the Hot Rod toys of the time being called "Rodimus".

Though, if one were to consider the rest of the Aligned media from back then (which was when the old Hasbro brand team was still around and pushing for people to acknowledge the games, books, and comics as well as the cartoons), there already was this guy from the War for Cybertron games:


This guy was obviously meant to be the Hot Rod of the games, but since Hasbro didn't have that name back yet, the games called him "Hot Shot" instead. Why they did this instead of calling him "Rodimus" is because, according to Aaron Archer at the BotCon 2010 Activision panel, the name "Rodimus" didn't fit with the story of the games and, at the time, Hasbro was wanting to tell the story of how the character would become "Rodimus" (alas, they never got to tell this story before the old team was switched out the current team).

Though, the unofficial short story "Bumblebee at Tyger Pax" (written by Alex Irvine, author of the Exodus and Exiles novels) did feature the character during the WFC era already bearing the name "Rodimus", but that the story was unofficial. However, the Retribution novel, which was official, did also feature the guy going by the "Rodimus" name, so he did at least exist with that name at that point.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to get to with all this WFC Rodimus talk is that, since the old Hasbro team was trying to push for every piece of Aligned media to go together, maybe they requested the show to not use Rodimus for the new young Autobot character in the show due to his already having been in the games and because of his then-upcoming role in a novel that would place him on Optimus's team in the ancient past.

Although, according to the Prime season 1 DVD/Blu-Ray audio commentaries, Smokescreen, rather than Cliffjumper, was originally going to have been the Autobot who died in season 1, and his death would have been in the finale instead of Episode 1. IMO, I think this was for the better because, while I still hated Cliffjumper's cheap death, Smokescreen got to live and become awesome for it. He's the best Autobot character in the show, just for his being the sole Autobot on the main team who actually enjoys what he does (Wheeljack does too, but it took him forever to become part of the main cast instead just a guest star).

I've also recently made this parallel with Smokescreen's character arc and that of the stereotypical "millennial". As the stereotypes go (and please bear in mind these are stereotypes), millennials are these brash kids that go around thinking they're going to "make an impact" on the world and become something incredible, but since they were spoonfed the notion that they can achieve anything in life (i.e. trophies for participation, etc.), they end up thinking that the world owes them something, and they expect things to just happen for them. Older generations, however, hope that millennials will one day see that they're not all destined to become the best and that most will just end up as cogs in the machine. Smokescreen's arc plays out like this almost verbatim. He wants to "make an impact" on the world and be something amazing by ending up as a Prime one day, but he almost expects this just to happen for him throughout the run of season two. In the end, he learns that his real place is to be just a good cog in the Autobot machine. It actually sets his arc apart from Rodimus for me because he didn't just achieve Prime status in the end, rather, he realized that he's not entitled to become the greatest thing since Danny DeVito's ass crack.

PrymeStriker wrote:In the end, he learns that his real place is to be just a good cog in the Autobot machine. It actually sets his arc apart from Rodimus for me because he didn't just achieve Prime status in the end, rather, he realized that he's not entitled to become the greatest thing since..

That's one of the things I really enjoyed about Smokescreen's character. He learned humility, at least to a degree. I still recall the line from Predacons Rising about asking "who made him leader" referring to BB with just a slight touch of resentment.

But all that aside, I myself am a bit taken back, as I've heard comments from some that assert that the writers were pandering to "geewun fans" who hated Hot Rod/Rodimus and making Smokescreens outcome the way "they always wanted"

For the record, as a fan of the original series, I never hated Hot Rod or Rodimus Prime. Sure he wasn't as cool as Optimus IMHO, but I had no desire to see him die, or even be replaced. In my mind Optimus was gone forever, and I had to accept the change (prior to obviously adverts of TROOP in late 86/early 87).

The fact that Smokescreen's life didn't follow exactly the path he may have wanted, was what warmed me up to him by the end of the series. Also, since the aligned continuity is still going, who's to say Smokescreen wont achieve some great status in time? I'd love to see his current status revealed as well as the rest of the crew from TFP related at some point in RiD15, whether that happens or not remains to be seen.

I always got the impression people thought millennials were whiny and didn't gave much gumption. That's the opposite of Smokescreen in my eyes. He reminds me more of a 2000's teenager that's a little over exited to prove himself. I originally found his over-eagerness annoying but I grew to like him over the series.

The stereotype that a younger Generation is "lazy" or "entitled" is not just reserved for Millennials, its been that way for a long time. When TF:TM was written, obviously Hot Rod would be compared to "Gen X' ers" like myself that were still very young at the time.

TBH, I don't see younger people as lazy at all (well some are, but that can be said of anybody-middle-aged, older etc...) . One of my co-workers is 15 years younger than me, and is really good at what he does. The problem is, he does think a little too much of himself. Now not to toot my own horn, but I've NEVER been that prideful. To be fair though, I'm not going to use him as the label for all people his age, I know everyone is different. Whether he will humble with age or not remains to be seen.

With the case of the fictional character of Smokescreen in TFP however, I thought he did develop well over time. But honestly in looking back over the course of TFP, I can't say there was a single character I didn't like. Miko was probably closest -but seeing my daughter laugh at her antics endeared me to her somewhat, kind of like Sari in TFA. Had I not had kids, I would have hated both those characters simply based on their annoyance factor.

Can we all just agree that Smokescreen was the best Autobot character in the show for his not only being the only permanent, longstanding member of Team Prime who genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed his job fighting Decepticons, but also for his having the most character growth of all the Autobots, going from a rambunctious yet lovable, optimistic, and clever youngster to a more matured and learned rambunctious yet lovable, optimistic, and clever youngster?

I personally liked Ultra Magnus the most, but Smokescreen's pretty cool too.

Kurona wrote:I personally liked Ultra Magnus the most,

He was okay, but still yet another stick-in-the-mud, which were a dime a dozen in this show.

Sabrblade wrote:

Kurona wrote:I personally liked Ultra Magnus the most,

He was okay, but still yet another stick-in-the-mud, which were a dime a dozen in this show.

Sure, but some people's "stick-in-the-mud" are others consistent, reliable, strong, characters worthy of admiration/imitation. I really like Prime in this series (which I know is incomprehensible to some).

If I had to pick a *favorite* Autobot it would be tough...I like them all, for various reasons, which is why I think this show is exceptional. Usually in every other incarnation, there will be one or two characters that resonate with me, and all the others are *meh" to dislikable.

Even all the Decepticons are pretty cool. Probably the one I like the least is Airrachnid, but I don't dislike her...just like her the least. Probably my least-liked Autobot was BB simply because of the whole Movie "beeping" attribute. In the end when Will Friedle became his VA, his character improved tenfold simply by that fact alone IMHO.

With Rid15 it's been Really difficult to choose a favorite. I like the show well enough, but none of the characters really resonate, and Optimus really isn't enough of a presence. Sure I know he's there, but to me he just really isn't part of the show...I know that makes no sense when I write it in this forum, but in my head it does. I guess my favorite so-far is Drift, he encompasses some of the qualities I aspire to, but not 100%...I'm Hoping season 3 introduces some new characters that I can evaluate.

Smokescreen is easily my favorite Autobot, but Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Ultra Magnus were also great Autobots to have aboard. Each of them had their own character arcs that were beautifully carried through by the end of the show, and each their own distinct personality. Ultra Magnus was a by-the-book commander, yes, but he set himself apart from Optimus Prime because unlike him, Magnus was aware that he was a prick and had some regret for it. Pinning him against the likes of Wheeljack, who had the biggest chip on his shoulder when it came to authority and rules, and for the two of them to mellow out in their respective ways, was what made them both stronger characters. You can actually see this transformation during the events of Predacons Rising, with Ultra Magnus engaging in friendly banter with Smokescreen of all characters and Wheeljack helping Optimus search for the AllSpark without any resentment.

I feel like the weakest Autobots in Prime were the same three Autobots that were weakest in Animated, and I can say that with more confidence now that I'm towards the end of rewatching the latter. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead. I'll give Animated points for giving these three personalities, no matter how cliche, overdone, uninteresting, and lazy they are, but Prime didn't even really manage that. All three of them were very blank characters. Arcee joined them in season three, but thankfully she was an interesting enough in her own right during the first two seasons to warrant the accolades she receives. She and Ratchet were the only characters worth watching on the Autobots side until Smokescreen showed up, unless Wheeljack made one of his guest appearances.

All that said, however, what I liked about Prime was its ability to give both the Autobots and Decepticons an equal hand in being justified fan favorites, unlike Animated or even Beast Wars in some select cases. Dreadwing, Knock Out, and Starscream were all characters I loved to watch, and share equal footing as the best characters in Prime alongside Smokescreen, Wheeljack, Ratchet, and Magnus. With Dreadwing, while I didn't like how they abruptly killed him off, his arc still came full circle and had a powerful moral to tell. "Betraying my kind is not the same as accepting yours" is still a kickass quote, because it not only shows that Dreadwing had the kind of honor to feel disappointed in the Decepticons but still not forgive the Autobots for what they've done to him, but it also teaches people that you don't necessarily have to choose a side. You can tell both sides to f*ck off and abide by your own morality. Meanwhile, Starscream's survival arc is still easily one of the best storylines in the show and Knock Out was both hilarious and fun to have around. That doesn't even account for Soundwave, who was easily the most menacing incarnation of the namesake, and Shockwave perhaps solely for David Sobolov's performance. Megatron even got his moment of salvation at the end of Predacons Rising, which was delightfully unusual.



So, in summation, Prime Seaspray is the best Transformers character ever and is the ultimate waifu.

Sabrblade wrote:

Kurona wrote:I personally liked Ultra Magnus the most,

He was okay, but still yet another stick-in-the-mud, which were a dime a dozen in this show.

What was different about him for me compared to, say, Prime is that they actually kind of explored his character and you really felt how disconnected he felt for everyone; very much a fish out of water. It's a portrayal I rather enjoyed and connected with.

Kurona wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Kurona wrote:I personally liked Ultra Magnus the most,

He was okay, but still yet another stick-in-the-mud, which were a dime a dozen in this show.

What was different about him for me compared to, say, Prime is that they actually kind of explored his character and you really felt how disconnected he felt for everyone; very much a fish out of water. It's a portrayal I rather enjoyed and connected with.

I can see that. Yeah, I'd say, of the stick-in-the-muds, he was one of, if the, best of them.

I think a lot of the characters really changed over the series too. Like Ratchet going from not being able to stand humans but by the end he wants to stay on Earth a little longer. Smokescreen stops being so impulsive and learns to think more. Arcee learns to open up to her teammates despite her fear of loss.