The Energon Pub

Because a lot of them seem to be: move one or two parts, click them out, and then they look like their first alt. mode but with wings more.

Not dissing triple changers - I would love a couple - but they need to be done well for them to be worth more than your normal 2-mode TF.

depends on how they execute it. one of my fave 3changers is BW2 Galvatron, sweet dragon mode and ok drilltank mode. most of the Beast Wars Transmetals are cool triplechangers too, though most of their 3rd modes only consist of flipping a few panels here and there (i.e. TM Cheetor), but they were well-executed.

for me, it's not worth having a 3rd mode if it's going to be unplayable or makes the figure fall apart easily.

zemper wrote:depends on how they execute it. one of my fave 3changers is BW2 Galvatron, sweet dragon mode and ok drilltank mode. most of the Beast Wars Transmetals are cool triplechangers too, though most of their 3rd modes only consist of flipping a few panels here and there (i.e. TM Cheetor), but they were well-executed.

for me, it's not worth having a 3rd mode if it's going to be unplayable or makes the figure fall apart easily.

BW2 Galvatron is my fave triple chager too!

For Triple changers i think Blitzwing will always take the cake. both alt modes look exceedingly good. Of course the Robot mode suffers a little, but what G1 figure didn't.

For newer Figures, I think Scorponok (Energon or Cybertron), Is thebetterone.

With RID Galavatron and 4 of his 10 modes being in close second. Plane, Robot, Griffin, 2 headed Dragon.

Not really. But everyone wants them. Hmmm

I love multichangers. Doubledealer (triplechanger powermaster), Apeface & Snapdragon (triplechanger headmasters), Metroplex, Fortress Maximus, Blitzwing, Octane, Astrotrain...

I agree, I think Blitzwing is one of the best triple changers.
I'm bidding on one right now.

It really depends on personal taste, age, and stuff like that. Can't just say that they all fit one category.

Blitzwing is really good. Except for the arm design.

speaking of triplechangers, i just want to say how sweet and how underrated classics Astrotrain is. he's really actually one of the better releases: great G1 updated homage and functional modes. the toy's actually pretty solid in any mode. the robot mode is pretty stable and the shuttle mode is awesome, even has retractable front landing gears. heck, i'm even liking the bullet train mode.

only thing is mine came with a semi-loose right shoulder (or is it a common defect?) but for the price i acquired it (a little less than $9 USD-converted) it's a great toy.

zemper wrote:speaking of triplechangers, i just want to say how sweet and how underrated classics Astrotrain is. he's really actually one of the better releases: great G1 updated homage and functional modes. the toy's actually pretty solid in any mode. the robot mode is pretty stable and the shuttle mode is awesome, even has retractable front landing gears. heck, i'm even liking the bullet train mode.

only thing is mine came with a semi-loose right shoulder (or is it a common defect?) but for the price i acquired it (a little less than $9 USD-converted) it's a great toy.

Yeah. I appreciate the tons of improvements done to this mold, and still retain the G1 homage. I wonder why many don't like it.

doubledealer is awesome!

great missile tank mode, great robot mode, great "falcon" mode!

The original Astrotrain was one of my favorite Transformers. He was the first triplechanger I owned as a kid.

Now as for Apeface... he's probably one of the top ten ugliest Transformers, if not number one. His jet mode is okay but not great and he's not so bad in bot mode but that ape mode... well let's just say he looks more like an ape's butt then an ape's face.

Probably one of my favorite Triple changers in recent years, if you could technically classify him as such, is RiD Prime. Just an all around awesome figure in whatever mode he's in plus he is a combiner as well.

Swerve wrote:Probably one of my favorite Triple changers in recent years, if you could technically classify him as such, is RiD Prime. Just an all around awesome figure in whatever mode he's in plus he is a combiner as well.

speaking of multimode Primes, i'm surprised nobody mentioned Cybertron LC Optimus Prime yet. i'll give a comment later on this, once i get home and open this MISB sucker. can't wait.

Triple Changer Headmasters(Horrorcons) were the ultimate to me. Snapdragon & Apeface.
The coolest part was the headmaster was the head in both robot AND animal mode.

Yes

iron maniac wrote:Triple Changer Headmasters(Horrorcons) were the ultimate to me. Snapdragon & Apeface.
The coolest part was the headmaster was the head in both robot AND animal mode.

I never had Snapdragon but I had Apeface. I always found it hilarious that the place the headmaster connected as the head in ape mode is actually the butthole for bot mode.

Swerve wrote:I never had Snapdragon but I had Apeface. I always found it hilarious that the place the headmaster connected as the head in ape mode is actually the butthole for bot mode.

Well, most monkeys and apes do have infatuations with scratching their butts.....

Makes me wonder how the newest upcoming triple changer will turn out.

Animated Blitzwing's gimmick of "changing his face" sounds pretty cool. And from the sketches we've seen both of his alt modes look nice.

I think in G1, most of them were amongst the nicest toys in the line, as the level of detail, posability and realismn was smaller, so the disadvantages of tripplechangers were less obvious.

In more modern lines.... Well classics astrotrain was pretty disapointing IMO. The trainmode was uter rubbish, the robot mode soso at best, and yes ok, the shuttle was rather nice (if odd having half a train cab on each side).

Off hand I cant think of any other proper tripple changers (robot mode plus two distinct and recognisabley different alt modes) in the last 3 or 4 lines.

I love the G1 triplechangers. Blitzwing is the top o' the line I think as well, and I would say they are more playable than like, a regular 2 mode G1 figure. More recent attempts and triplechangers have been pretty lame but are still a great idea. Sure, Blitzwing has stumpy arms, but does flipping scorpian mode arms backwards to act as jet parts, does that really count as an improvement over a plane with a tank turrent hanging under it? Talkin' 'bout Cyb/E Skorpanok here, his jet mode is cool, but how much of an improvement is it over G1 triples? I don't think it is much. Flipping up some jets on TM Cheetor, does that even count as a separate transformation? I know it does, officially, but I have a hard time considering that as a distinctive 'mode'. Like is Prime in 'attack mode' becuase he's holding a gun as opposed to when he isn't?

Overcracker wrote:For Triple changers i think Blitzwing will always take the cake. both alt modes look exceedingly good. Of course the Robot mode suffers a little, but what G1 figure didn't.

For newer Figures, I think Scorponok (Energon or Cybertron), Is thebetterone.

With RID Galavatron and 4 of his 10 modes being in close second. Plane, Robot, Griffin, 2 headed Dragon.

What he said.

G1 Blitzwing and Astrotrain are STILL 2 of my fav TFs. I think I'd put RID Megs (or Galvs, same thing) above that Scorponok. I really didn't get into a lot of RID, but that Megs was a gem.

I like Classics astrotrain. I really like the bot mode, and the train mode actually makes more sense than the shuttle mode to me. But I don't love his design like I did his G1 counterpart.

There have been so many multi-changers in recent lines though, it is hard to say.

Hey you forgot sixshot one of the most beloved of the multichangers.

Like many people have said, Blitzwing is a good example of a triple-changer done right. Sandstorm, too, qualifies in my opinion. On the other hand, G1 Springer makes me want to cry. The transformation between both alt modes is minimal and they both look fundamentally like the same vehicle.

There's no rule-of-thumb for a triple-changer's overall appeal if that's what you're asking. Their merits are subject to the execution and aesthetic value of all three modes. For what it's worth, the number of modes is an indication of the toy's potential. Whether or not that potential is realized all depends on the skill and ingenuity of the engineer.

I have a special place in my heart for the orignal g1 astro train both of his forms were very different the only part you could see from his shuttle mode in train mode was the thrusters but otherwise there was none of his shuttle mode showing. If that is what your talk about I also loved blitzwing I just never got a chance to get him.