The Energon Pub

Well, alrighty. JUST to appease Sledge, don't call it Doubledealer. Just plain Dealer will do. Perhaps even *gerund/adjective* Dealer.

Also, Sledge, the original Countdown didn't even have a bot mode whatsoever. That's far worse by your logic than lacking a third mode, when the vehicle alt and bot modes of CR Red Alert are a very believable and obvious homage.

Countdown had a robot mode.

I can see that a Decepticon mode is a key part of Doubledealer's character but the way I think about it is that such a homage would be a pre-powermaster/ pre-Decepticon mode version of the character.

I don't think his background has ever really been explored in any fiction other than the IDW-verse, but that he started off as an Autobot who got disillusioned and got upgraded to be a Powermaster with Decepticon mode sounds pretty feasible to me.

I guess it's a bit of a mute point really, he's being repainted as Countdown and Hasbro wouldn't repaint a figure twice. Or would they.....

Sledge wrote:Countdown had a robot mode.

Wasn't it just a rocket launch platform that turned into a Micromaster base?

edit: Oh, my bad. Countdown is the tiny red Micromaster dune buggy that comes with the rocket base. That's pretty bad as homages go too, he transforms into his house now?

It sorta makes sense and sorta doesn't. I can see the idea behind it, but Countdown's old base was a rocket launch pad so he could go on space adventures. Now he turns into a missile launcher. Bit of a come down for him, unless he launches his missile in the direction he wants to go, then transforms really fast and grabs onto it.

Sledge wrote:It sorta makes sense and sorta doesn't. I can see the idea behind it, but Countdown's old base was a rocket launch pad so he could go on space adventures. Now he turns into a missile launcher. Bit of a come down for him, unless he launches his missile in the direction he wants to go, then transforms really fast and grabs onto it.

Transforms and grabs on? Nah. Just launch the missile and miraculously transform from the missile alone when you get there. G1 Omega Supreme anyone...

My personal thoughts on Doubledealer:

I think of Double Dealer as a backstabbing bastich who plays both ends against the middle. The fact that he transforms into two sepperate 'robot' forms to do so is simply a tool to help that process along. I think Double Dealer could still work quite well in that capacity, no matter what his alt forms were. Alternate modes are a component of a transformer, yes, but they are not the Most important part. The focus of any character should be their personality. It doesn't matter if Megatron transforms into a gun, a tank, or a freaking Shoe, he's still Megatron.

Its also almost astronomicly unlikely that we will Ever see a Double Dealer classics figure. He didn't appear in any of the cartoon, and to my memory this IDW oneshot is the Sole comic appearence he's made. He's not getting a new toy. Out of the current molds available, CD Red Alert is the best stand in for his Robot mod design. He would be the best...really Only choice for the character.

As a sidebar.....Disapointed we're not getting Perceptor. I was very hopeful. I might repaint Countdown as him...we'll see.