The Energon Pub

Because of this conversation, I decided to move my MPs, BT's and Alts in to my toy room for display, and move other things to shelves in the basement. I haven't messed with these guys in a long time.

So I handled all the BT figures, and the Alts I had open, plus all the MPs released to this time.

Reminiscing, MP Megatron is much less stable than I remember, and the head looks much worse than I remembered also.

But back at BTs and Alts, when handling them the BTs do feel so much more awesome to the touch, although on display one can hardly tell the difference.

I also discovered that I STILL hate ALT/BT Sideswipe, which is a shame because I love the character. Windcharger/Overdrive is odd, but the Dragstrip version is much better.

Alternators are way better.. sold cheaper, and no diecast, so no worries on rust issues.. which means the alts will outlast the Binals..

Victory!

some plastics (under the right circumstances) will last for 5 thousand years before they begin to break down..

Yeah, the handling experience of a Transformer that is largely die cast in construction is one thing I put on the pro list for BTs and Alternity figures for that matter.

I really like Sideswipe too but the Alt/BT incarnation just doesn't do it for me. However, the changes in colour and mold in Sunstreaker/Dead End are enough for me to want one of those two in my collection.

I love the Decepticharge repaint/retooling of Windcharger/Overdrive. I'm trying to find a good deal on it.

skywarp-2 wrote:Alternators are way better.. sold cheaper, and no diecast, so no worries on rust issues.. which means the alts will outlast the Binals..

Victory!

some plastics (under the right circumstances) will last for 5 thousand years before they begin to break down..

Yeah, this is something I've been thinking of. Down the road, how will my metal figures hold up? Especially if the paint gets chipped and the coating is compromised, exposing the die cast metal to ambient humidity. I also have that concern for my Alternity Convoy and Megatron.

Convotron wrote:I really like Sideswipe too but the Alt/BT incarnation just doesn't do it for me. However, the changes in colour and mold in Sunstreaker/Dead End are enough for me to want one of those two in my collection.

I actually find Sideswipe to be the better fig between him and Sunstreaker. Don't yet have Dead End so I can't say for certain, but I believe his mold is identical to Sunstreaker's whereas Sideswipe had a handful of differences...the convertible, back end of the car, head mold. The alt mode seems more solid for Swipe, too...the panels and pegs hold tighter and looks more like a model car. That may just be due to my Streaker, but I got it MISB and take care with my figs, so I dunno.

Convotron wrote:Yeah, the handling experience of a Transformer that is largely die cast in construction is one thing I put on the pro list for BTs and Alternity figures for that matter.

I really like Sideswipe too but the Alt/BT incarnation just doesn't do it for me. However, the changes in colour and mold in Sunstreaker/Dead End are enough for me to want one of those two in my collection.

I love the Decepticharge repaint/retooling of Windcharger/Overdrive. I'm trying to find a good deal on it.

skywarp-2 wrote:Alternators are way better.. sold cheaper, and no diecast, so no worries on rust issues.. which means the alts will outlast the Binals..

Victory!

some plastics (under the right circumstances) will last for 5 thousand years before they begin to break down..

Yeah, this is something I've been thinking of. Down the road, how will my metal figures hold up? Especially if the paint gets chipped and the coating is compromised, exposing the die cast metal to ambient humidity. I also have that concern for my Alternity Convoy and Megatron.

It has taken me time and reading lots of posts on people who own diecast transformers as well as other toys.. and though they feel more expensive and substantial, metal rusts and corrodes over time and is very sensitive to weather conditions..especially humidity..

so I have become a huge fan of the Henkei/Classics because of this very thing.. and so going forward, I'd prefer an all plastic transformer.. no diecast, and no rubber tires..

it just lasts longer.. and makes me feel like my collection (if taken care of properly) is in some ways indestructible!!

Kibble wrote:

Convotron wrote:I really like Sideswipe too but the Alt/BT incarnation just doesn't do it for me. However, the changes in colour and mold in Sunstreaker/Dead End are enough for me to want one of those two in my collection.

I actually find Sideswipe to be the better fig between him and Sunstreaker. Don't yet have Dead End so I can't say for certain, but I believe his mold is identical to Sunstreaker's whereas Sideswipe had a handful of differences...the convertible, back end of the car, head mold. The alt mode seems more solid for Swipe, too...the panels and pegs hold tighter and looks more like a model car. That may just be due to my Streaker, but I got it MISB and take care with my figs, so I dunno.

I feel exactly the opposite about which is better.

From the mold, I think Dead End's color scheme does him the most justice. However, I find this to be more than adequate for Sunstreaker as well. As happened with this came out, it may be my feelings about the color red that they used, or something, but I feel this is not the version of SS that it could have been.

There's also a charm and character to plastic Transformers. Plastic has its own benefits for tactile experience!

tigertracks 24 wrote:From the mold, I think Dead End's color scheme does him the most justice. However, I find this to be more than adequate for Sunstreaker as well. As happened with this came out, it may be my feelings about the color red that they used, or something, but I feel this is not the version of SS that it could have been.

I agree about Dead End's color-scheme...and it's not one of my favorite Alt/BT molds to begin with, but I do like Swipe's head mold better, and like I said, the alt mode (for me at least) looks and seems tighter, literally. Seems to peg in better and I don't really notice the seams or cracks at all with him. Could it have had a little better design overall? Definitely...

Convotron wrote:There's also a charm and character to plastic Transformers. Plastic has its own benefits for tactile experience!

that is probably the greatest thing about plastic..

the option to buy another cheaply and kitbash!!

like this plastic and awesomely redone Hound as Swindle!


not to mention all those cool alternator customs out there whose plastic body and cheap price made those artists of customization produce the best damn remade figures I have ever seen in some cases..

Definitely!

With metal figures, they're too "precious" to really do much with. They're excellent display pieces but I would like display pieces that I'm not afraid to handle from time to time.

I don't want to read the whole topic, but here's my two cents...

I own some BTs and a lot of Alts... both have their strong and weak points, but in the end I'm glad I went with Alts. Most of them look as good as their BT counterparts, with some exceptions. And they're almost always cheaper.

The BTs can be hard to pose, as the metal makes them top heavy. Especially my Skids, his ankle joints are a little weak. They should've designed them with ratcheting joints, for figures this big. I haven't had many problems with paint chipping, but I don't transform them much.


IMO these are the BTs that are a must, they just look so much better:

Skids - way better looking and more G1 than Alt

Smokescreen - the paint job is gorgeous. The Alt's bare blue plastic looks so cheap. I'm really sad I didn't get the BT, but it was my first ever figure from the line, and I didn't even know. By the time I did, it was too late, and I can't justify buying another.

Prowl - Not quite as necessary as the others, but I think the color scheme is nicer than the Alt.


Now there are actually some Alts that don't just look as good as the BTS, they look even better:

Sunstreaker - Color scheme is all-around nicer. Better shade of yellow, better placement of red & black.

Rodimus/Hot Rod - It's a matter of opinion, but I like the Alt's G1 homage more than the realism of the BT. Weird, because normally Takara goes for the homage factor more than Hasbro.

I love the Alt Skids so I plan on getting the BT Skids when the opportunity presents itself.

BT Smokescreen seems to be the unanimous pick from the fan community. I only wish I could find one that I could afford. For now, I'll be more than happy with the Alt version.

I'm not digging the Prowl Alt/BT design...yet. My opinions have changed so much lately as I've dived into the world of collecting.

Sunstreaker was the first Alt I saw that I immediately said "I like this much better than the Japanese version.". Yeah, I just find the use of red and black in the robot mode more appealing than the mostly yellow and some black in the BT version. The shade of yellow looks more appealing and the use of black in alt mode breaks up the bland pure yellow look of the BT paint scheme. From a strictly visual design standpoint, Alt Sunstreaker wins hands down.

My brother has Alt Rodimus and it's such a cool figure. I love the alt mode. The joints are all nice and tight and even though its hefty for a plastic figure, the poseability is just fine. I can't imagine how the the ball joint ankles would hold up under the BT version's weight.

Convotron wrote:My brother has Alt Rodimus and it's such a cool figure. I love the alt mode. The joints are all nice and tight and even though its hefty for a plastic figure, the poseability is just fine. I can't imagine how the the ball joint ankles would hold up under the BT version's weight.

There actually isn't a true BT die-cast version. There's the kiss version, but that too is plastic.

Kibble wrote:

Convotron wrote:My brother has Alt Rodimus and it's such a cool figure. I love the alt mode. The joints are all nice and tight and even though its hefty for a plastic figure, the poseability is just fine. I can't imagine how the the ball joint ankles would hold up under the BT version's weight.

There actually isn't a true BT die-cast version. There's the kiss version, but that too is plastic.

Very interesting! Then if I can find the Kiss version at an affordable price, I may have to snag it.

Kibble wrote:

Convotron wrote:My brother has Alt Rodimus and it's such a cool figure. I love the alt mode. The joints are all nice and tight and even though its hefty for a plastic figure, the poseability is just fine. I can't imagine how the the ball joint ankles would hold up under the BT version's weight.

There actually isn't a true BT die-cast version. There's the kiss version, but that too is plastic.

Oh yeah, I forgot about that. But Rodimus' ankle joints are pretty good. Skids' are definitely the weakest. Next would be Grimlock/Wheeljacks' hip joints.

Kibble wrote:

Convotron wrote:My brother has Alt Rodimus and it's such a cool figure. I love the alt mode. The joints are all nice and tight and even though its hefty for a plastic figure, the poseability is just fine. I can't imagine how the the ball joint ankles would hold up under the BT version's weight.

There actually isn't a true BT die-cast version. There's the kiss version, but that too is plastic.

It's not going to be easy. He is easily the most popular of the KISS line, although, I really like Autolooper/Autotrooper too!!!!

I think the Autorooper figure is cool! It doesn't hurt that I really dig the Meister mold. I like the Japanese police/Prowl colour scheme and the head sculpt is nifty. The gallery of it shows a traffic cone blaster...so quirky and odd. I dig it, haha.

Convotron wrote:I think the Autorooper figure is cool! It doesn't hurt that I really dig the Meister mold. I like the Japanese police/Prowl colour scheme and the head sculpt is nifty. The gallery of it shows a traffic cone blaster...so quirky and odd. I dig it, haha.

Plus he comes with a kremzeek 'bullet'...

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Convotron wrote:I think the Autorooper figure is cool! It doesn't hurt that I really dig the Meister mold. I like the Japanese police/Prowl colour scheme and the head sculpt is nifty. The gallery of it shows a traffic cone blaster...so quirky and odd. I dig it, haha.

Plus he comes with a kremzeek 'bullet'...

Really? Wow, you know, that's the kind of odd quirky detail that makes something like this figure go from a novelty figure I put on my list of "odd things to look for if I can remember to" to the "must get at some point" list. Seriouly, a Kremzeek bullet...that's so crazy cool.

Convotron wrote:

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Convotron wrote:I think the Autorooper figure is cool! It doesn't hurt that I really dig the Meister mold. I like the Japanese police/Prowl colour scheme and the head sculpt is nifty. The gallery of it shows a traffic cone blaster...so quirky and odd. I dig it, haha.

Plus he comes with a kremzeek 'bullet'...

Really? Wow, you know, that's the kind of odd quirky detail that makes something like this figure go from a novelty figure I put on my list of "odd things to look for if I can remember to" to the "must get at some point" list. Seriouly, a Kremzeek bullet...that's so crazy cool.

Yeah, besides the little cones you can make into a gun, it comes with a solid Kremzeek, smaller than the one that came with MP Megs, but also not transparent, which I believe makes them look a lot better. Fun times! :kremzeek: (There should be a smiley for this)

Haha, yes! A Kremzeek emoticon is sorely needed.

Unless you're going the MISB route, I'd suggest getting the Alternators figures. Alternity and Binaltech toys are seriously fragile, and the die-cast part make them necessarily top-heavy. My Alternity Super Back Convoy could fall over if a roach burped next to it.

However, if you have a dedicated glass display for your figs and don't play around with them much, Binaltech and Alternity TF's are aesthetically superior to Alternators. Yep, these figures look as good as those Burago model cars, even on close inspection. Compared to Binaltech and Alternity, you just can't help but feel that the Alternators looks somewhat cheap in their plastic selves.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Convotron wrote:I think the Autorooper figure is cool! It doesn't hurt that I really dig the Meister mold. I like the Japanese police/Prowl colour scheme and the head sculpt is nifty. The gallery of it shows a traffic cone blaster...so quirky and odd. I dig it, haha.

Plus he comes with a kremzeek 'bullet'...

The Japanese certainly do love their quirky gimmicks and add-ons.

Thanks for the great advice!

It'll be a while before I can invest in glass displays, mainly due to space limitations of where I live. I may have to leave my Super Black Alt Convoy in its packaging when it arrives for fear of damaging it.

And I'll never be able to look at traffic cones again without thinking of Kremzeek. Damn youz, Kiss Players! Damn youz ta heck!!!

I just got BT Arcee and BTA Broadblast aka Broadcast aka Blaster.

These purchases really do a lot to sure up my love of these toys and of the line.

There was a time where I considered selling off my entire Alt/BT collection. I'm glad I did not act on that impulse now.

I personally only own a few BT diecast figures when compared to the number of plastic Alternators. Where as only one Alt has disappointed me due to cheap plastic look-i-ness (Sideswipe), all of my metal BT figures have some kind of nagging flaw resulting from paint. None of these flaws are all that bad, but I know they're there. It's kidn of a hard balance to strike accepting the interesting heavy material for the occasionally bad paint app, bulge, or scratch.

By the way...Arcee? Way less crappy than I initially expected. She's quite striking to see in person. Recommended, especially since BBTS has them priced crazy low right now.

Counterpunch wrote:By the way...Arcee? Way less crappy than I initially expected. She's quite striking to see in person. Recommended, especially since BBTS has them priced crazy low right now.

Thanks for making me spend $42 more dollars. Jerk