The Energon Pub

News Credits: 1 · Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:52 pm

Just picked up a new turret for G1 Blitzwing, as I lost it some 20 years ago. Since then he hasnt been in tank mode. I cant remember/confirm which end is the front. I've seen it done both ways in many photos, and it looks like in the package the tank front/turret points in the same direction as the nosecone, but that doesnt necessarily mean it's correct. :-?

I even tried figuring it out by checking photos of the actual type 74 tank but no luck. Anyone know definitively?
Thanks.

News Credits: 241 · Tue Sep 18, 2012 3:31 pm

In the animated series and Dreamwave comics at least, the barrel always pointed in the direction of the jet mode's nosecone. However, the toy instructions do the exact opposite.

News Credits: 4 · Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:09 pm

he's an ambi-turner.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Sep 18, 2012 5:22 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:In the animated series and Dreamwave comics at least, the barrel always pointed in the direction of the jet mode's nosecone. However, the toy instructions do the exact opposite.

Ah, I forgot about the instructions. Hmmm, guess there is no right way.?

Thanks for the info.

craggy wrote:he's an ambi-turner.

Ha, I guess he is.

News Credits: 60 · Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:26 pm

Follow the instruction mode, Being a fictional vehicle but just take it for granted that this is reality, wouldn't a tank look goofy driving it backwards?

News Credits: 9 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:03 am

If you have the nosecone at the front the turret would be set slightly further back, wouldn't it? Isn't that how they're supposed to be?

News Credits: 241 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:21 am

I've taken a closer look at the tank itself and the original toy, and have come to the conclusion the realistic orientation is with the cockpit in the back.
The end opposite of the cockpit is sloped, a detail shared with the actual vehicle, plus there seem to be headlights sculpted onto it. The back is completely straight on the actual vehicle, and while the toy lacks a proper back end it's not hard to imagine it being straight as well.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:19 am

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I've taken a closer look at the tank itself and the original toy, and have come to the conclusion the realistic orientation is with the cockpit in the back.
The end opposite of the cockpit is sloped, a detail shared with the actual vehicle, plus there seem to be headlights sculpted onto it. The back is completely straight on the actual vehicle, and while the toy lacks a proper back end it's not hard to imagine it being straight as well.

Awesome! I see what you mean. Thanks a lot! :BOWDOWN:

So, that means that the instructions were correct, but the cartoon and in box orientation of the figure are incorrect? Crazy. It's interesting to see all of the variations of transformations/orientations of transformers from one official piece of media to another (boxed figure, instructions, picture on the back of the box, pictures in the catalogs included with the figures, officially licensed books like "Transformers Vault"). I've also noticed this is common with G1 sticker placement. I know it doesnt matter but I'm a little OCD with the g1 figures, I want everything to be complete and as intended.

Another one that has been driving me crazy is the placement of those red stickers on G1 Soundwave. I believe they are supposed to go on the cannons, but I see them on the front of the legs when in alt mode all the time. It really looks correct that way too!

News Credits: 241 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 9:26 am

You mean the trapezoid-shaped ones? They go on the batteries.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 10:13 am

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You mean the trapezoid-shaped ones? They go on the batteries.

Yes, exactly, and I agree, however, I've seen them so often placed like in the picture below that when I look at mine in alt mode it looks like they are missing.

reduced-g1lsound-l.jpg

News Credits: 12 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 3:27 pm

As a kid, and even today, I could never figure out which end was supposed to be Blitzwing's front. I think I usually used the nose-cone end as the front.

Wed Sep 19, 2012 5:56 pm

yea my brother used to gripe about that when we were kids, but I always played as Astrotrain who had an obvious front and back.

To make things more messey I beleave that Blizwing came in his package in tank mode with nosecone forward. I personly display him sloped/headlight forward though.

News Credits: 60 · Wed Sep 19, 2012 8:04 pm

JackStraw wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:You mean the trapezoid-shaped ones? They go on the batteries.

Yes, exactly, and I agree, however, I've seen them so often placed like in the picture below that when I look at mine in alt mode it looks like they are missing.

reduced-g1lsound-l.jpg

If you follow the "Cassette man" incarnation, those trapezoid like decals had some words printed on it. The correct placement should have been on what his shins would be in robot mode.

But in his "Soundwave" incarnation, though it looks cool but kind of goofy with decals on his "batteries" (also, the words on the decals are now gone.....iirc it was Cassette man )

Back to Blitzwing, as I mentioned before, the tank mode is based on a Soviet Russia era T series tank. Take a look at Jane's military hardware book or wiki as reference. The front of the tank has those two rectangular headlights. So again, a real tank would look goofy driving backwards or if it did drive forward with the turret facing backward, then by standard military practice means that the tank is like waving a white flag with no intention of any offensive actions.

News Credits: 9 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 4:28 am

I think I used to pretend the nosecone was at the back just so it wasn't really visible.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:42 am

Fenrir - I know it's the second time you stated about the tank driving backwards or forwards with the turrett backwards, but I still dont understand what you're getting at, sorry, can you explain? Also, I thought I read on TF Wiki that it was modeled off of a Mitsubishi Type 74 tank not a Russian tank, or is it the same thing?
Thanks.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:48 am

Mykltron wrote:I think I used to pretend the nosecone was at the back just so it wasn't really visible.

I used to put the turret in the front for the same reason; I felt like the turret sort of hid the nosecone a bit. Also, the end without the nosecone looks like it should be the rear, IMO.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:21 am

Just found a pic from the book in the Takara Reissue, too big to post from my phone. Shows it BOTH ways. Although the pic one on the left hand page is a drawing with the nosecone in front, the body of the tank slants forward like the real tank the way Jelze pointed out. But, on the toy, that slant down is on the opposite side. I guess there really is no "right way". Weird. Also, the Takara reissue 17 has the tank packaged with the turret facing the opposite side of the nosecone, which is the opposite of how the original was packaged.

News Credits: 60 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:25 am

JackStraw wrote:Fenrir - I know it's the second time you stated about the tank driving backwards or forwards with the turrett backwards, but I still dont understand what you're getting at, sorry, can you explain? Also, I thought I read on TF Wiki that it was modeled off of a Mitsubishi Type 74 tank not a Russian tank, or is it the same thing?
Thanks.

Sorry for the mix up. D@mn triple changers :lol:

I mixed MiG 25 Soviet jet with the Japanese tank model. My bad.

Anyway, as a trivia on tank warfare etiquette, tanks do have a front and back, though they can run in either directions. So if you drive a tank towards an enemy fortification/position and have the intention to surrender, you turn the turret in reverse. Rules of war, Geneva Conventions etc has the opposing side honor bound not to shoot your head off.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:31 am

fenrir72 wrote:
JackStraw wrote:Fenrir - I know it's the second time you stated about the tank driving backwards or forwards with the turrett backwards, but I still dont understand what you're getting at, sorry, can you explain? Also, I thought I read on TF Wiki that it was modeled off of a Mitsubishi Type 74 tank not a Russian tank, or is it the same thing?
Thanks.

Sorry for the mix up. D@mn triple changers I mixed MiG 25 Soviet jet with the Japanese tank model. My bad.

Anyway, as a trivia on tank warfare etiquette, tanks do have a front and back, though they can run in either directions. So if you drive a tank towards an enemy fortification/position and have the intention to surrender, you turn the turret in reverse. Rules of war, Geneva Conventions etc has the opposing side honor bound not to shoot your head off.

Very cool, I never knew that.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:42 am

Here's a little something that seals the deal:

Clearly shows the cockpit in the back in tank mode.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:51 am

Awesome. And I want one of those.

News Credits: 241 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:16 pm

JackStraw wrote:Awesome. And I want one of those.

e-Hobby Overcharge has roughly the same deco, is more readily available, and should hurt your wallet a bit less than the Diaclone original. Plus, you can have him be whatever faction you want

News Credits: 12 · Thu Sep 20, 2012 12:31 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Here's a little something that seals the deal:

Clearly shows the cockpit in the back in tank mode.

Interesting, but I don't see how that "seals the deal". We've got conflicting answers coming from cartoons/comics, toy packaging, instructions, and artwork. I don't think an old Diaclone ad is necessarily the ultimate authority.

I think the likelihood of figuring out which is "correct" is about equal to the likelihood of settling the RIRFIB/RIBFIR debate. In other words, there is no "correct" answer.

For what it's worth, nosecone-in-front seems to be the most popular choice. I pulled up all the eBay listings for G1 Blitzwing, and at least 9 out of 10 had the nosecone in the front in their pictures.