Burn wrote:Let it be known, I murdered Amelie.
Accidentally.
Seibertron wrote:The original Pretenders are 6 of my all-time favorite Transformers toys, even to this day. I don't know why I have such affection for those guys, but I do. Maybe it's because my Mom wouldn't let me buy Fortress Maximus at the time because she thought it was too much money for one toy so instead I ended up buying the wave 1 1988 Pretenders. They were featured pretty heavily in the American comics. There was just something about them that I loved.
It also didn't help that before I discovered the Internet, I had found a dealer at the Motor City Comic-Con in Novi, MI that was selling bootleg tapes. He had a Masterforce tape playing on the small TV he had on display. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. Japanese cartoons of Pretenders and Powermasters. Unbelievable! The cartoons didn't end, just in America! I bought a couple of the bootleg tapes and quickly became obsessed with finding out as much information as I could about the Japanese cartoons and their exclusive toys. The video tapes I bought were a collection of early Masterforce episodes and some Victory episodes spliced in between. I was quite simply in awe watching animated cartoons of the Pretenders. It was very fascinating to me!
Without having the Internet at the time to read about this stuff, the next year was a pretty wild year of discovery for me about the Transformers. I think that year might have been one of my favorites of the 26/27 years I've been a fan. You couldn't duplicate that year in today's world because of sites like Seibertron.com, YouTube.com, Wikipedia, and events like BotCon. It was a rather priceless and dated moment in my life that eventually lead to the Transformers fanzine (Trans-Forum) that I did from 1996 to 2000 and to Seibertron.com which launched in 2000.
I've wanted to do these galleries for the past 7 years. The fact that it took me 7 years to do galleries of 6 of my personal favorite Transformers demonstrates that I don't take pictures of toys that are only of interest to me. Reflector and the Technobots are another example of more Transformers that I can't wait to do galleries for.
Optimutt wrote:Great galleries, as usual, Ryan! I'm with many others here in that the pretenders definitely have a place in my heart. I had T-Wing, Landmine, Grimlock, Starscream, and the 4 air and land 'con Pretenders and all are a whole lot of fun despite their simplicity.
Quick questions in regards to Crossblades - how exactly did you lighten his colors? Did you actually soak the whole toy in hydrogen proxide for a whole week? Does that work on any TF? Have you tried it on G1 Jetfire, who is a notoriously bad yellower?
El Duque wrote:Great galleries as always. I find these particularly helpful since the Pretenders are the current G1 figures I'm collecting. Right now I only have Skullgrin, Bludgeon, and the Monstructor crew.
Razorclaw0000 wrote:Mega Pretenders!
Also, do you have the beast Pretenders, like Snarler and Catilla?
I had Groundbreaker and Iguanus as a kid and really loved them.
It Is Him wrote:Mega Pretenders.
I've been reluctant to buy anymore Pretenders. Nearly half the ones from my childhood have spotting (like in Bugly's gallery) and sticky, melty paint. They're kinda gross to touch and look at. The only ones that managed to avoid it are the small 1989 Pretenders (Bludgeon, Pincher, etc.). It's all Florida's fault.
Seibertron wrote:It Is Him wrote:Mega Pretenders.
I've been reluctant to buy anymore Pretenders. Nearly half the ones from my childhood have spotting (like in Bugly's gallery) and sticky, melty paint. They're kinda gross to touch and look at. The only ones that managed to avoid it are the small 1989 Pretenders (Bludgeon, Pincher, etc.). It's all Florida's fault.
Hot soapy water did wonders for the "sticky" feeling that the Pretender shells had. I put some dish soap on the toy, rubbed the soap in with my hands, and then rinsed them off with hot water. Took care of the problem!
I have a feeling that the "spotting" is the same problem as the yellowing. I bet that's just the bromine gas from the fire retardant in the plastic that's coming to the surface, or collecting beneath the surface. I bet a hydrogen peroxide bath for a week or so with some UV light would take care of that problem as well. Going to have to experiment on my extra Waverider and Skullgrin in the near future.
It Is Him wrote:That's excellent! I'll have to try the soap trick next time I pull them out of storage. Hydrogen Peroxide baths are a little too extreme in my case. I'd rather live with yellowing than risk melting my toy.
It Is Him wrote:Speaking of fixes, I just heard about the hair dryer trick to fix stress marks. I don't know if you've tried it, but it worked wonders on my Blitzwing's wing tip after he fell off the top of my shelves. The hair dryer isn't a 100% fix, but the stress mark is nearly impossible to see now. And strangely, his wing leg that wasn't very good at catching in place, now works flawlessly. Go figure.
Noideaforaname wrote:
Hey, it's these guys. And Skullgrin.
And with Bludgeon, Thunderwing, and Alice, we've been getting a lot of Pretender references lately.
...Just without the Pretender concept (except for Alice, but she didn't get a toy).
Here's hoping for more.
Seibertron wrote:It Is Him wrote:That's excellent! I'll have to try the soap trick next time I pull them out of storage. Hydrogen Peroxide baths are a little too extreme in my case. I'd rather live with yellowing than risk melting my toy.
Hydrogen Peroxide, especially the 3% solution that you can get at any store like Walgreens, Target, Walmart, etc, shouldn't melt the plastic. I don't even think the 30%+ stuff would do that. Here's what a 3% H2O2 bath did for my Crossblades that sit next to a window for a week.
Seibertron wrote:It Is Him wrote:Speaking of fixes, I just heard about the hair dryer trick to fix stress marks. I don't know if you've tried it, but it worked wonders on my Blitzwing's wing tip after he fell off the top of my shelves. The hair dryer isn't a 100% fix, but the stress mark is nearly impossible to see now. And strangely, his wing leg that wasn't very good at catching in place, now works flawlessly. Go figure.
Hm ... i'll have to give this a try. I'm having the stressmark problem with the small wing tips on my Masterpiece Seekers from being in storage. Not sure how to store their wings without damaging them or without putting them back in their boxes.
It Is Him wrote:That's pretty amazing. You know, my beat up G1 Jetfire could definitely use an H202 bath, and I don't think I would mind if I accidentally ruin it, even if it is that rare sticker variant. I'll have to think about it some more.
It Is Him wrote:It's easy. Just borrow your wife's hair dryer, set it to high heat and low blast, or whatever settings those things have, and let'er'rip. Hopefully you'll see a difference after a minute or so. The trick also worked decently well on Animated Arcee's hands. As for storing them, try a little bit of bubble wrap.
3.8TransAM wrote:No meet up Ryan, heard u couldnt make it at the last minute, was looking forward to meeting you in person.
3.8TransAM wrote:I love the Pretender galleries. Might have to try the soap wash on the few I have as well. I can't believe how that Crossblades u have came out, looks great for a before and after deal.
3.8TransAM wrote:I can admit to anyone here thinking that a clean up can't do wonders, start busting out 20+ yr old figures u have and played with when u were a kid and put them on display now. I think a few of mine changed colors when I did it over the summer. Warm water with a little soap and then just warm water and nice towels to dry them with(not soaking them obviously)
3.8TransAM wrote:Pretenders aren't my favorites by far, but I don't understand all the hate poured on them. Everyone wants to army build, now u get two for one
3.8TransAM wrote:Oh yeah, the original stickers for the Pretenders really sucked it, are those repro labels or whose? I'd be amazed if you say original? Even new the ones I have never stuck well.
It Is Him wrote:It's easy. Just borrow your wife's hair dryer, set it to high heat and low blast, or whatever settings those things have, and let'er'rip. Hopefully you'll see a difference after a minute or so. The trick also worked decently well on Animated Arcee's hands. As for storing them, try a little bit of bubble wrap.
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