D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Stickered up Jazz, and hot damn does he look great. they did a pretty damn good job with this Classic pretender!
bodrock wrote:Two-fisted ACTION, Jazz!! Love it
Li’l Jazz’s alt mode is perfect, too.
bodrock wrote:LOVE all 3!!! I still want a MunkyTrukk Op!
Doesn't that defeat the purpose/function of a pretender?ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I wouldn't. I prefer the idea of their true form being the same size as their peers, and the human (or animal, or humanoid monster) disguise being smaller.Rodimus Prime wrote:I do like the idea of the shell and inner bot being sold separately, but I would do it the other way.
Multipart armor that can be put together would work. It worked for Godbomber, and that was 30 years ago. Engineering and design has advanced since then, I'm sure it could be done. Start with the inner bot and build the armor around it.The problem with that is that unless the shell was done as multipart armor or a vinyl-and-fabric costume, it would be just as bricky as the shells of old.Rodimus Prime wrote:Make the shell deluxe and the bot legends class. Or if it's financially feasible, the shell voyager and the bot a deluxe, and have the smaller bot actually fit inside the bigger one, like an actual pretender.
It does defeat it except narratively, but the tradeoff is that it A. prevents the robot and the disguise from impairing each other's functionality, B. Potentially better conveys the idea that that's an actual human/animal/monster the robot is disguised as, and C. Prevents any silly misconceptions about gratuitous giant humans. *looks pointedly at Budiansky*Rodimus Prime wrote:Doesn't that defeat the purpose/function of a pretender?ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I wouldn't. I prefer the idea of their true form being the same size as their peers, and the human (or animal, or humanoid monster) disguise being smaller.Rodimus Prime wrote:I do like the idea of the shell and inner bot being sold separately, but I would do it the other way.
Oh, it absolutely could be done - just look at SIEGE Ultra Magnus. But you'd have to do that rather than a traditional shell if you wanted articulation while keeping things all-plastic. Of course, it would undercut the disguise factor....Rodimus Prime wrote:Multipart armor that can be put together would work. It worked for Godbomber, and that was 30 years ago. Engineering and design has advanced since then, I'm sure it could be done. Start with the inner bot and build the armor around it.The problem with that is that unless the shell was done as multipart armor or a vinyl-and-fabric costume, it would be just as bricky as the shells of old.Rodimus Prime wrote:Make the shell deluxe and the bot legends class. Or if it's financially feasible, the shell voyager and the bot a deluxe, and have the smaller bot actually fit inside the bigger one, like an actual pretender.
That would make it easier to design the figures, because it's easier to put a robotic armor around a non-robotic base figure. The problem with that is that it would no longer be faithful to the source material. Transformer Pretenders are inner robots with outer non-robotic shells, for the expressed purpose/function of pretending to be something else. If that's inverted, it becomes confusing and kind of against the grain. And don't rag on ol' Bob, he did what he could with what he was given by Hasbro. Cloudburst and Landmine were in Masterforce before they made it to the comics, so Budiansky didn't really have a choice. Now, if you want to talk about them being with the giant amazon women, that's different. But who's to say they don't exist out there somewhere in the cosmos? Bob was a pretty creative guy.ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I suppose another thing you could maybe do would be to invert the way Pretender gimmick works and have the human/monster/animal be a small action figure that tucked inside the torso of the now-outer robot, the conceit being that they're "growing" into their true form.
I don't know if Magnus is a great example, his armor does nothing without the inner bot in either mode. Yeah, he might be the closest to the concept, but it's still no cigar.Oh, it absolutely could be done - just look at SIEGE Ultra Magnus. But you'd have to do that rather than a traditional shell if you wanted articulation while keeping things all-plastic. Of course, it would undercut the disguise factor.
Well, they managed it 33 years ago, and it worked well enough. I would think they could do the same now, except make the shells more articulate instead of just hard single pieces, (all it takes is hinges in the knees and elbows) and make the inner robots a bit more detailed, but honestly they would work just the way they are, if the outer shells are improved upon.Honestly, the Pretenders concept is interesting, but it's something that's awkward to translate into toy form.
ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:The problem with that is that unless the shell was done as multipart armor or a vinyl-and-fabric costume, it would be just as bricky as the shells of old.Rodimus Prime wrote:Make the shell deluxe and the bot legends class. Or if it's financially feasible, the shell voyager and the bot a deluxe, and have the smaller bot actually fit inside the bigger one, like an actual pretender.
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