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Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review
Thursday, August 13th, 2009 12:38PM CDT
Categories: Cartoon News, Media, Reviews, Site ArticlesPosted by: First Gen
Discuss This Topic!
Seibertron.com Site Moderator Supreme Convoy has been kind enough to draft a detailed review of the Shout! Factory Transformers Matrix of Leadership DVD Boxet for your reading pleasure. You can purchase this set at transformerscollectorsset.com.
Hitting on all the fine points and comparisons between previous releases of the Generation 1 series cartoons, this informative review is a must read for any Seibertronian considering buying the set.
Without further ado, here's the review:
I originally set my San Diego Comic-Con 2009 budget to $300 on merchandise. Last year’s budget was around the same price so I figured it was a good number. However, on the first hour on the floor I destroyed that budget. I saw the Transformers and GI Joe boxsets for $150 and $155 respectively. A number of thoughts went through my mind as I stared at these beautiful looking DVDs.
"I can save money on shipping now and pick these up."
"I already have the Rhino sets. Hell, I just paid $140 to get Season 2 Part 2 and Season 3 Part 2/Season 4. Do I really want to double dip?"
"Where the hell am I going to put these?"
"OCD collector Supreme Convoy needs these."
"Shiny!"
The Shout employee wanders over to me and says they include a GI Joe poster and Megatron poster signed by Frank Welker with purchase at San Diego. Needless to say, I gave him my credit card immediately. Of course, I had to increase the budget during Comic-Con as the weekend went on.
On to the set ...
Video & Audio
The video quality is practically identical to the Rhino release. I couldn’t spot any differences between the two. However, Shout didn’t include the extra sound effects that Rhino made for the previous release. While this didn’t necessarily bother me, Shout does a great job on presenting what the cartoon would’ve been like during the 80’s without any artificial alterations.
The greatest improvement that Shout made is the simple menu screens. Rhino had a complicated menu screen when you wanted to pick individual episodes where you slowly had to move the cursor to start the episode. With the Shout release, all you have to do is go down a list and pick an episode.
Packaging
I absolute love how the box pulls open like the actual Matrix of Leadership. The set includes a souvenir book and magnets with the Autobot and Decepticon logos. The souvenir book is a bit misleading. It’s mostly an episode listing for the entire series; it also includes bios for characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. These bonus items aren’t exactly a draw for me.
Though for $5 more, the GI Joe complete boxset is made of metal and plastic and includes a dogtag flashdrive with two comics on it (the comics are very brief but the flashdrive itself is pretty neat!). That set is classier looking and feels more durable. I’m concerned about damaging the cardboard Matrix box. Though there is a charm to opening the Matrix box like Rodimus Prime
Bonus Features
For me the highlight of Shout’s release are the documentaries, each running about 30 minutes:
1. Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen - The Origins of The Transformers
2. The Combiner: Forming The Transformers Animated Series
3. The Headmasters: Voicing The Robots in Disguise
4. The Autobots, The Decepticons & The Fans
5. Into the Creation Matrix: A Conversation with Bob Budiansky
The documentaries are fascinating and go into details that I don’t believe have been covered before in either the Rhino DVD’s or even Michael Bay’s Transformers bonus features. We learn things such as a Hasbro executive’s son named the toyline Transformers and created the Autobot and Decepticon fraction names. The documentary even goes into how the Marvel Comics did the heavy lifting on the Transformers back story. Bob Budiansky even presents original documents and treatments he used to create profiles such as Starscream and Megatron.
While the Rhino sets has interviews from different actors and creators, they always felt like the filmmakers took out the interview tapes and edited down to 10 minutes. It’s serviceable but doesn’t go too in depth and frankly boring to watch. Shout Factory has created compelling documentaries that are entertaining yet informative.
The most bizarre thing is that commercials for the toyline blur out the child actors. I suppose Shout could not secure the likeness rights to those children. It’s a bit distracting while watching the commercials but I’m sure you can find those easily on YouTube. (Note: I also did not realize that the faces were blurred out on Sony’s release of Transformers: The Movie).
The voice actor roundtable doesn’t include Peter Cullen but it’s still pretty fun. It’s great when the actors go on a tangent and talk about other things such as old time radio shows and the process on voice acting.
The greatest bonus materials for me? The original scripts! The DVD includes PDFs of the Transformers series bible, scripts, and and dialogue scripts. For someone who wants to know the pre-production side of a cartoon, this is an incredible look!
Of course, I love the Transformers fans documentary ... mostly because it features Seibertron.com and my screen name is featured for a few seconds
Closing Thoughts
My main focus while tearing through the boxset was to look at the brand new extras and check out the quality on the episodes. I didn’t really feel the need to review the series as a whole because most of us have seen them all. Though in my case, I still haven’t seen a handful of them so it’s a treat to watch them and feel like a kid again.
Once I’m completely through watching the series, I will be jealous of the people that have never seen the original Transformers cartoon and will watch it for the first time through this set.
Since the video and audio qualities are almost identical to the Rhino release, this would be a cautious purchase for those that already own them. I went in wanting the extras and actual Matrix box. For those who never owned the Rhino DVDs and want a better deal, I believe the individual season sets might be cheaper to purchase as opposed to the Matrix boxset. Even though I love the GI Joe box better, this packaging is still excellent and will look spectacular on a collector’s shelf amongst toys. I highly recommend the Shout's Transformers sets and the Matrix set for the hardcore fans.
Seibertron.com, your Ultimate Transformers Resource!
Hitting on all the fine points and comparisons between previous releases of the Generation 1 series cartoons, this informative review is a must read for any Seibertronian considering buying the set.
Without further ado, here's the review:
I originally set my San Diego Comic-Con 2009 budget to $300 on merchandise. Last year’s budget was around the same price so I figured it was a good number. However, on the first hour on the floor I destroyed that budget. I saw the Transformers and GI Joe boxsets for $150 and $155 respectively. A number of thoughts went through my mind as I stared at these beautiful looking DVDs.
"I can save money on shipping now and pick these up."
"I already have the Rhino sets. Hell, I just paid $140 to get Season 2 Part 2 and Season 3 Part 2/Season 4. Do I really want to double dip?"
"Where the hell am I going to put these?"
"OCD collector Supreme Convoy needs these."
"Shiny!"
The Shout employee wanders over to me and says they include a GI Joe poster and Megatron poster signed by Frank Welker with purchase at San Diego. Needless to say, I gave him my credit card immediately. Of course, I had to increase the budget during Comic-Con as the weekend went on.
On to the set ...
Video & Audio
The video quality is practically identical to the Rhino release. I couldn’t spot any differences between the two. However, Shout didn’t include the extra sound effects that Rhino made for the previous release. While this didn’t necessarily bother me, Shout does a great job on presenting what the cartoon would’ve been like during the 80’s without any artificial alterations.
The greatest improvement that Shout made is the simple menu screens. Rhino had a complicated menu screen when you wanted to pick individual episodes where you slowly had to move the cursor to start the episode. With the Shout release, all you have to do is go down a list and pick an episode.
Packaging
I absolute love how the box pulls open like the actual Matrix of Leadership. The set includes a souvenir book and magnets with the Autobot and Decepticon logos. The souvenir book is a bit misleading. It’s mostly an episode listing for the entire series; it also includes bios for characters like Optimus Prime and Megatron. These bonus items aren’t exactly a draw for me.
Though for $5 more, the GI Joe complete boxset is made of metal and plastic and includes a dogtag flashdrive with two comics on it (the comics are very brief but the flashdrive itself is pretty neat!). That set is classier looking and feels more durable. I’m concerned about damaging the cardboard Matrix box. Though there is a charm to opening the Matrix box like Rodimus Prime
Bonus Features
For me the highlight of Shout’s release are the documentaries, each running about 30 minutes:
1. Triple Changer: From Toy to Comic to Screen - The Origins of The Transformers
2. The Combiner: Forming The Transformers Animated Series
3. The Headmasters: Voicing The Robots in Disguise
4. The Autobots, The Decepticons & The Fans
5. Into the Creation Matrix: A Conversation with Bob Budiansky
The documentaries are fascinating and go into details that I don’t believe have been covered before in either the Rhino DVD’s or even Michael Bay’s Transformers bonus features. We learn things such as a Hasbro executive’s son named the toyline Transformers and created the Autobot and Decepticon fraction names. The documentary even goes into how the Marvel Comics did the heavy lifting on the Transformers back story. Bob Budiansky even presents original documents and treatments he used to create profiles such as Starscream and Megatron.
While the Rhino sets has interviews from different actors and creators, they always felt like the filmmakers took out the interview tapes and edited down to 10 minutes. It’s serviceable but doesn’t go too in depth and frankly boring to watch. Shout Factory has created compelling documentaries that are entertaining yet informative.
The most bizarre thing is that commercials for the toyline blur out the child actors. I suppose Shout could not secure the likeness rights to those children. It’s a bit distracting while watching the commercials but I’m sure you can find those easily on YouTube. (Note: I also did not realize that the faces were blurred out on Sony’s release of Transformers: The Movie).
The voice actor roundtable doesn’t include Peter Cullen but it’s still pretty fun. It’s great when the actors go on a tangent and talk about other things such as old time radio shows and the process on voice acting.
The greatest bonus materials for me? The original scripts! The DVD includes PDFs of the Transformers series bible, scripts, and and dialogue scripts. For someone who wants to know the pre-production side of a cartoon, this is an incredible look!
Of course, I love the Transformers fans documentary ... mostly because it features Seibertron.com and my screen name is featured for a few seconds
Closing Thoughts
My main focus while tearing through the boxset was to look at the brand new extras and check out the quality on the episodes. I didn’t really feel the need to review the series as a whole because most of us have seen them all. Though in my case, I still haven’t seen a handful of them so it’s a treat to watch them and feel like a kid again.
Once I’m completely through watching the series, I will be jealous of the people that have never seen the original Transformers cartoon and will watch it for the first time through this set.
Since the video and audio qualities are almost identical to the Rhino release, this would be a cautious purchase for those that already own them. I went in wanting the extras and actual Matrix box. For those who never owned the Rhino DVDs and want a better deal, I believe the individual season sets might be cheaper to purchase as opposed to the Matrix boxset. Even though I love the GI Joe box better, this packaging is still excellent and will look spectacular on a collector’s shelf amongst toys. I highly recommend the Shout's Transformers sets and the Matrix set for the hardcore fans.
Seibertron.com, your Ultimate Transformers Resource!
Credit(s): Supreme Convoy
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| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972706) Posted by Rodimus Prime on August 13th, 2009 @ 3:05am CDT I've been wondering about this. Thanks, SC! This helped me a lot. I thought a copy of TF:TM 86 was included, but I guess not...I have already bought the season 1 set, and I will just pick up the individual seasons as they come out. IF they all come out... | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972806) Posted by Darth Bombshell on August 13th, 2009 @ 9:22am CDT
Season 2 Part 1 is coming out September 15th. As for the rest, we don't know yet. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972901) Posted by Powermaster Jazz on August 13th, 2009 @ 1:11pm CDT I have the season 1 boxset.....Shout also restored the animation that was lost when Rhino remastered it. The extra mistakes that Rhino added are gone. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972906) Posted by NuclearConvoy on August 13th, 2009 @ 1:15pm CDT I did the math and I am fairly certain that, at the prices set, the big boxsets are actually cheaper than getting each individual part of a season. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972929) Posted by Supreme Convoy on August 13th, 2009 @ 2:03pm CDT
Yeah, I thought it would come with the movie as well. No biggie. Though fun fact: The GI Joe boxset has 17 discs but 18 spots. The open space is labeled GI Joe: The Movie. I emailed Shout about it and they mention they will be releasing the animated movie next year! | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972953) Posted by Sabrblade on August 13th, 2009 @ 2:43pm CDT Supreme Convoy, thank you so much for this review. But I must know something that wasn't covered in the review. In what order is each episode of the series placed in in this set? In previous releases, the episodes tended to be places in production order. However, this order would conflict with just a few of the episodes' airing orders (which, at times, seemed more correct than the production order). Not to mention that the Rhino sets ordered the season 3 episodes quite differently from their production order to fix some of these conflicting episode orders, while at the same time rearranged several other episodes that had no order problems at all. So basically, what is the order that each episode is placed in this set? | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972967) Posted by NuclearConvoy on August 13th, 2009 @ 3:05pm CDT
That would have been awesome for the Transformers release. Lately it seems like GIJoe fans are getting a lot of cool stuff that is just "that much" better than the Transformers equivalent (not talking live action movies). This set and the Joe one, the two collectors clubs wherein the Joe club actually regularly gets exclusives to buy etc. Also, thinking how much I wanna buy the Joe boxed set now. I love GIJoe, but I love TFs more, I had to pick one or the other. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (972995) Posted by rpetras on August 13th, 2009 @ 4:02pm CDT Thank you for the review! I've been wondering if it was worth it for me to upgrade from the Rhino sets, and the answer seems to be not really. I did get the Shout box set of GI Joe and I LOVE it. It is a very nice collector set with a great container and nice bonuses. I would absolutely buy more series from Shout, and if I didn't already have the TF set I'd be all over this collector edition. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (973019) Posted by omega666 on August 13th, 2009 @ 4:26pm CDT I love Transformers more than G.I. Joe but since I already have the Rhino version, I'll get the G.I. Joe set. When It's time to upgrade to Blue ray then I'll think about getting another G1 collection. Money is tight now so I'll go with Joe. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (973329) Posted by tom brokaw on August 14th, 2009 @ 1:17am CDT awesome review.... one day i'll own all the og episodes | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974146) Posted by TFfanatic714 on August 14th, 2009 @ 11:43pm CDT Is this Box Set going to be released in stores? or is the only way you can buy it is by ordering it online? Please, anyone who has information about the Transformers 25th anniversary Matrix of Leadership Edition, please let me know. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974168) Posted by Sabrblade on August 15th, 2009 @ 12:08am CDT Yeah, it's coming to stores soon, too. Though, it will be pretty pricey. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974272) Posted by TFfanatic714 on August 15th, 2009 @ 6:16am CDT What is the release date for when this box set is going to be released in stores? Because I know that season 2 part 1 comes out next month in September, but for the rest, I don't know, and if they do come out, it's going to be a while, I'd rather just buy the entire show instantly. Is the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero 17-DVD Box Set Green Case going to be released in stores as well? | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974352) Posted by Sabrblade on August 15th, 2009 @ 9:59am CDT Not sure. Sometime this month or next, maybe? I tried looking up the release date in the place I normally look for DVD release dates, but it had the SDCC date listed, which has already passed. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974578) Posted by fenrir72 on August 15th, 2009 @ 7:01pm CDT @ SC. As I already own the Rhino set, which is said to be stockful of animation errors (due to the source of the masters used) is this version the same incarnation? Having retained the animation errors? (i.e. in MTMTE part #3 when Nemesis 2 takes off just before Optimus "borrows" Sideswipe's rocket pack, the space cruiser was distinctively absent while in the preview shot narrated by Victor Carroli the space cuiser was present) Thanks for the clarification  | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974664) Posted by Supreme Convoy on August 15th, 2009 @ 9:41pm CDT
Out of curiosity, I watched both versions of More Than Meets the Eye and the Nemesis is missing from both Rhino and Shout's release. Good eye! | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (974731) Posted by fenrir72 on August 15th, 2009 @ 11:43pm CDT Ouch! This means they(Shout) used the masters with the errors. I read somewhere that there were supposed to be two versions broadcasted back in the the 80's. The site which I can't for the love of heaven recall, showed to shots of "Fire in the Sky" or "The Ultimate Doom" IIRC showing an error where Bumble B entered Skyfire overlapping the entry hatch while another shot was corrected. In my country where it was aired, the error version was used. Anyways besides the Easter eggs you mentioned, this is then no different from the Rhino version (sans the bang-bang sound effects)right? Thank you for the clarification. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (976522) Posted by TFfanatic714 on August 18th, 2009 @ 9:29am CDT Also, will the G.I. Joe A Real American Hero collector's set be released into stores as well? | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (1004565) Posted by GadgetMeli9685 on September 28th, 2009 @ 10:53pm CDT
I was just thinking that as I was reading through this review. Two words:  DO WANT!!!!!!!!! | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (1007193) Posted by [JRX] on October 6th, 2009 @ 8:21pm CDT I got mine in the mail today, and I just had to share this before finish opening it up... This is the top of the box, and those little dots are two rows of that weird clear adhesive (if you've bought a picture frame or a mirror, this stuff was probably used to adhere a label to the smooth surface). Along the back of the box are three more rows! The stuff is easy to removed, but each dot is about the consistency of boogers. Am I the only gross'd out by this stuff? I'd almost rather open up Unicron with safety scissors... almost  | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (1007344) Posted by ponycorn on October 7th, 2009 @ 11:34am CDT You're not the only one grossed out by the "boogers" JRX. Maybe I'm not the only one displeased with the packaging either? I love the set, I just wish the packaging was different, perhaps more like the Cybertron and Energon box sets that came out recently. The big "opens like the matrix" box is too awkward to use for anything but long-term storage. I ended up just storing it in my closet where I keep other TF related empty boxes. That leaves me with the flimsy cardboard inner DVD cases hanging out by my TV. Also the double stacked DVD holders inside annoy me. How much do I not like the packaging? I'm considering buying a pack of those thin plastic DVD cases and switching them all over to it. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (1007356) Posted by NuclearConvoy on October 7th, 2009 @ 12:29pm CDT
I actually love the "opens like the matrix" box. I was annoyed at removing all those boogers, but it wasn't such a hassle that i was annoyed or grossed out. I kinda like that texture. It is fun. I don't find the Matrix Box unwieldly or awkward at all. | |
| Re: Transformers "Matrix of Leadership Edition" DVD boxset review (1007604) Posted by Gandalf on October 8th, 2009 @ 1:23am CDT
Those "boogers" can damage packaging over time. I recently bought unopened copies of the Limited Edition Lord of the Rings DVDs released in 2006. The DVD cases were a nice, fold-open cardboard case with design graphics from the films on the back. Over those designs were a sheet detailing the information about the film's features, etc. These sheets were glued on with that "booger" substance, and it had made a large, greasy stain that almost soaked through the sheet. Being a completist, I keep those sheets...and these were almost ruined. I had to remove them very carefully to prevent the greasy spots from tearing. Luckily it hadn't stained the cardboard case itself, but I fear that it will over time on unopened copies. Anyway, it was a nasty mess, and I recommend removing this substance immediately after purchase. | |
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