The Energon Pub

robotmel wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:I have always seen Transformers as 'Robots In Disguise' not really rats, ponies, giraffes or beavers in disguise, so thats Beast Wars out.

This sentence doesn't make any sense.

Unless you're treating the robot modes as the disguises.

No, no, sorry, I meant I dont really want my robots disguised as a pony, but as a vehicle.
Who where these beasts hiding from anyway, each other, who also looked like beasts? Where they all based in a Zoo or Safari Park?

Anybody in favor of not taking the "Robots in Disguise" tag so seriously?

robotmel wrote:No, no, sorry, I meant I dont really want my robots disguised as a pony, but as a vehicle.
Who where these beasts hiding from anyway, each other, who also looked like beasts? Where they all based in a Zoo or Safari Park?

They were blending in to their environment, which was a prehistoric world.

Beast Wars was ok. Writing was indeed very good. Hard to watch today with that really primitive CG.

I like seeing new Beast Wars molds, but I am not at all interested in Beast Machines. The show felt like a reboot and I did not like any of the robot modes on anyone. I get what they were doing, but I didn't much care for it.

Looks to me like Tankor is one of the most screen-accurate figures ever made. I'm kind of surprised by some of the reactions.

That being said, Rattrap is the only figure in this Wave I really want at this point. (But if I see Tankor in a store, I'll be tempted to get it.)

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Anybody in favor of not taking the "Robots in Disguise" tag so seriously?

Indeed, "disguise" is subjective. My favorite Budianski story is Return to Cybertron, where most neutral TFs in the Dead End district seemed too broken down to transform, their most plausible attempt at disguise being to pretend they were just random piles of junk when the Hunter Seeker Skyships passed over.

But on Rattrap, while he's not a troop-builder, I'm not the only one considering buying a spare so I can give the extra gun to Universe Dinobot, due to the combined rifle/shotgun's (intentional?) resemblance to the one he used in Coming of the Fuzors, am I?

So if there is a shelfwarmer for this case (and based on the last 2 cases, that's a big IF), it'll be Crosscut, the only wholly G1 guy in the box. Despite his name coming from that same story I mentioned (and my feelings on BM), I love BW enough that the irony does my heart good.

Still, I hope that doesn't happen, because then Hasbro might follow him up with his bodyguard Road Rage and save some of us the expense of getting SG Tracks. Retreading FunPub's ideas works for more than just Seekers.

dende5416 wrote:

robotmel wrote:

Bounti76 wrote:Tankor is from the Beast Machines cartoon, which was the sequel to Beast Wars. It only ran for 26 episodes, though, in 1999-2000.

Cheers.
I never saw any of the Beast Wars or Beast Machines cartoons or figures, totally missed the lot, partly I think due to work, relationships, friends, drink, druqs, music, raves and more!

I have always seen Transformers as 'Robots In Disguise' not really rats, ponies, giraffes or beavers in disguise, so thats Beast Wars out.
Was Beast Machines, well, less beastly and more 'machiney'?

You're really missing out, Beast Wars had some of the best writing out of the Transformers series.

Also: kind of, but only for the villains. The Maximals were all animals still.





Unrelated note: Why not update a mold who was completely murdered like Nightscream or Silverbolt? I mean, original Tankor was bad, but not as bad as those too.

Nightscream. Yes. Redo him. His original toy is a disaster.

Also, where is Blackarachnia? I would love to see her original design get a proper toy.

RiddlerJ wrote:
Nightscream. Yes. Redo him. His original toy is a disaster.

I bought one on eBay, MISB, and the plastic was so brittle it shattered the first time I tried to transform it. Luckily I didn't pay much for it, but I was bummed because it was a wicked looking figure.

Mindmaster wrote:So am I the only one that actually, genuinely likes this Tankor?

No. I'm here to love this figure to death also.

PrymeStriker wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:So am I the only one that actually, genuinely likes this Tankor?

No. I'm here to love this figure to death also.

I rather like it, too.

And count me as another who hates seeing 'robots in disguise' taken so seriously.

GuyIncognito wrote:

RiddlerJ wrote:
Nightscream. Yes. Redo him. His original toy is a disaster.

I bought one on eBay, MISB, and the plastic was so brittle it shattered the first time I tried to transform it. Luckily I didn't pay much for it, but I was bummed because it was a wicked looking figure.

Ouch, even I can sympathize with that. It's because the translucent plastic's too thin right? No chance he has GPS sparkles?

In all seriousness, Nightscream's Happy Meal toy might just be the best representation of him, not just due to scale issues (which apply to BM Rattrap too), but because the wings properly end up on his feet; alas it lacks the ultra toy's swingset mode.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:And count me as another who hates seeing 'robots in disguise' taken so seriously.

Count me among that number as well, especially since that whole disguise thing was tossed out the window in the very first episode of G1.

robotmel wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:I have always seen Transformers as 'Robots In Disguise' not really rats, ponies, giraffes or beavers in disguise, so thats Beast Wars out.

This sentence doesn't make any sense.

Unless you're treating the robot modes as the disguises.

No, no, sorry, I meant I dont really want my robots disguised as a pony, but as a vehicle.
Who where these beasts hiding from anyway, each other, who also looked like beasts? Where they all based in a Zoo or Safari Park?

1. There were no horse altmodes in Beast Wars*
2. "Disguise" wasn't the point of altmodes in Beast Wars. Nor was there any other option besides rocks, plant, fungi, bacteria, etc. for them to scan.



* -- Before anyone else speaks up, Beast Wars Neo is a different series and completely beside the point I'm trying to make, so Mach Kick doens't apply to this.

This is probably the lamest Generation's figure to that ever was and ever will be.

Bow your head in shame Hasbro! SHAAAAAME!!!

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:I have always seen Transformers as 'Robots In Disguise' not really rats, ponies, giraffes or beavers in disguise, so thats Beast Wars out.

This sentence doesn't make any sense.

Unless you're treating the robot modes as the disguises.

No, no, sorry, I meant I dont really want my robots disguised as a pony, but as a vehicle.
Who where these beasts hiding from anyway, each other, who also looked like beasts? Where they all based in a Zoo or Safari Park?

1. There were no horse altmodes in Beast Wars*
2. "Disguise" wasn't the point of altmodes in Beast Wars. Nor was there any other option besides rocks, plant, fungi, bacteria, etc. for them to scan.



* -- Before anyone else speaks up, Beast Wars Neo is a different series and completely beside the point I'm trying to make, so Mach Kick doens't apply to this.

He was obviously exagerating to make his point that animal alt modes were silly to him by mentioning ponies. And his initial statement also made perfect sense for anyone that understood the context, and then assumed the issue was with the fact that the robots didn't turn into vehicles anymore, not that the vehicles turned into animals, I mean come on.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

PrymeStriker wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:So am I the only one that actually, genuinely likes this Tankor?

No. I'm here to love this figure to death also.

I rather like it, too.

I'll order us some "Team Tankor" shirts and other miscellaneous merchandise. #teamtankor

It's a flawed, imperfect figure, but I still want it.

MINDVVIPE wrote:He was obviously exagerating to make his point that animal alt modes were silly to him by mentioning ponies. And his initial statement also made perfect sense for anyone that understood the context, and then assumed the issue was with the fact that the robots didn't turn into vehicles anymore, not that the vehicles turned into animals, I mean come on.

When I see this all I can think of is Raphael as the Nightwatcher from the TMNT movie a few years back.

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

robotmel wrote:I have always seen Transformers as 'Robots In Disguise' not really rats, ponies, giraffes or beavers in disguise, so thats Beast Wars out.

This sentence doesn't make any sense.

Unless you're treating the robot modes as the disguises.

No, no, sorry, I meant I dont really want my robots disguised as a pony, but as a vehicle.
Who where these beasts hiding from anyway, each other, who also looked like beasts? Where they all based in a Zoo or Safari Park?

1. There were no horse altmodes in Beast Wars*
2. "Disguise" wasn't the point of altmodes in Beast Wars. Nor was there any other option besides rocks, plant, fungi, bacteria, etc. for them to scan.



* -- Before anyone else speaks up, Beast Wars Neo is a different series and completely beside the point I'm trying to make, so Mach Kick doens't apply to this.

I'll be stupid and say "Beast Machines" and "Battle Unicorn"

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I'll be stupid and say "Beast Machines" and "Battle Unicorn"

There were no disguises in the Beast Era.

Bumblevivisector wrote:But on Rattrap, while he's not a troop-builder, I'm not the only one considering buying a spare so I can give the extra gun to Universe Dinobot, due to the combined rifle/shotgun's (intentional?) resemblance to the one he used in Coming of the Fuzors, am I?

i thought it more resembled the hand gun he used in code of the hero.

GuyIncognito wrote:

RiddlerJ wrote:Nightscream. Yes. Redo him. His original toy is a disaster.

I bought one on eBay, MISB, and the plastic was so brittle it shattered the first time I tried to transform it. Luckily I didn't pay much for it, but I was bummed because it was a wicked looking figure.

mine didnt break right away, but he's deffinately broken now. same clear plastic. bleh. and yeah, not entirely accurate and way out of scale, but he looked pretty cool.

Bumblevivisector wrote:Nightscream's Happy Meal toy might just be the best representation of him.

its sad that thats the truth...

Sabrblade wrote:"Disguise" wasn't the point of alt modes in Beast Wars.

true, but you have to admit that the original fur coats they had were perfect. could you tell cheetor from an actual cheetah? its better than vehicles (that may have never even existed on earth) with big faction insignias stamped on them.
(predacons dont count for this argument )

If the beast modes weren't disguises, what WAS their purpose?

GuyIncognito wrote:If the beast modes weren't disguises, what WAS their purpose?

Protection from radiation, transportation, alternative means of combat (depending on the forms scanned), forms to allow internal repairs and recovery to take place without shutting down into stasis lock (for minor damage and if nowhere near any CR Chambers or CR Tanks), leisure activities outside of the bases, etc.

Besides, who would they be hiding from? Rocks? Plants? Other animals? No sentience or sapience there.

Sabrblade wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:If the beast modes weren't disguises, what WAS their purpose?

Protection from radiation, transportation, alternative means of combat (depending on the forms scanned), forms to allow internal repairs and recovery to take place (for minor damage and if nowhere near any CR Chambers or CR Tanks), leisure activities outside of the bases, etc.

None of those purposes require them to look like a living species of animal. That's like saying the reason soldiers wear camouflage is to keep warm and provide pockets. That's why they wear clothing, but that's not why their clothing has camo patterns. I guess I should rephrase my question:

Why did they choose alt forms that look like animals, if not for disguise?

GuyIncognito wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:If the beast modes weren't disguises, what WAS their purpose?

Protection from radiation, transportation, alternative means of combat (depending on the forms scanned), forms to allow internal repairs and recovery to take place (for minor damage and if nowhere near any CR Chambers or CR Tanks), leisure activities outside of the bases, etc.

None of those purposes require them to look like a living species of animal. That's like saying the reason soldiers wear camouflage is to keep warm and provide pockets. That's why they wear clothing, but that's not why their clothing has camo patterns. I guess I should rephrase my question:

Why did they choose alt forms that look like animals, if not for disguise?

Cuz it was the best option for them to choose from, considering their only other options were rocks, dirt, plants, water, bacteria, etc. as there was nothing else on the whole planet to scan.

But the primary reason was protection from energon radiation. Their mechanical robot forms were vulnerable to the lethal radiation, so a mechanical altmode would have been just as susceptible. The organic outer layers of their beast modes blocked off the poisonous radiation and thus protected them.