The Energon Pub

mandingo_rex wrote:
What bothers me the most is the turd of a car they turn into. Not sure how popular that car is in Japan, which was probably the deciding factor, but it's not even remotely a car that should have a toy made of it in the first place.

Swifts are popular here (though Cubes are way more popular). I'm not sure what you'd call this breed of car - saloons? mini-SUVs? - but they are incredibly popular as cars. As toys of cars? I'm not so sure.

But I can easily agree with Takara's decision to use the Swift. It looks way different to the other Alternitys, which is a big plus and, more importantly, it strongly resembles the super-deformed, Choro Q G1 versions while at the same time being a real, accurately-proportioned car.

I personally think that it fits in classic,masterpiece,alternators and maybe even movie line because it was base on a real car..

i like my Bumblebee and Cliffjumper fat..not sleek like a Camaro..(just an opinion)

Diem wrote:Swifts are popular here (though Cubes are way more popular). I'm not sure what you'd call this breed of car - saloons? mini-SUVs? - but they are incredibly popular as cars. As toys of cars? I'm not so sure.

But I can easily agree with Takara's decision to use the Swift. It looks way different to the other Alternitys, which is a big plus and, more importantly, it strongly resembles the super-deformed, Choro Q G1 versions while at the same time being a real, accurately-proportioned car.

I'm assuming "here" not being the United States, correct?

Here, they're non-existent on the road, really. I live in California, and I've never seen one in the wild. It's apparently coming to the U.S. in 2010, so we may see them soon enough. That could also be a deciding factor in Suzuki allowing the license... It gives them more market recognition, however small a toy's sales may be. I've seen smaller marketing attempts just to get "the brand out there".

I didn't think about the "Choro Q" shape, but it does mimic that slightly, you're right. Odd little car. Still, it's not a car I'd think a lot of kids would be clamoring for as a toy, but it works for the bot mode well enough.

mandingo_rex wrote:

Diem wrote:Swifts are popular here (though Cubes are way more popular). I'm not sure what you'd call this breed of car - saloons? mini-SUVs? - but they are incredibly popular as cars. As toys of cars? I'm not so sure.

But I can easily agree with Takara's decision to use the Swift. It looks way different to the other Alternitys, which is a big plus and, more importantly, it strongly resembles the super-deformed, Choro Q G1 versions while at the same time being a real, accurately-proportioned car.

I'm assuming "here" not being the United States, correct?

Here, they're non-existent on the road, really. I live in California, and I've never seen one in the wild. It's apparently coming to the U.S. in 2010, so we may see them soon enough. That could also be a deciding factor in Suzuki allowing the license... It gives them more market recognition, however small a toy's sales may be. I've seen smaller marketing attempts just to get "the brand out there".

I didn't think about the "Choro Q" shape, but it does mimic that slightly, you're right. Odd little car. Still, it's not a car I'd think a lot of kids would be clamoring for as a toy, but it works for the bot mode well enough.

"Here" being Japan.

Man. These do not look good... but I'm going to wait for another gallery because this guy seems to like fish-eye lense for some reason.

From the front it's not so bad, but the side view just kills it. I wish it was mistransformed, but that's highly unlikely at this point.

And Indonesia ,
although Honda Jazz is much more popular than Suzuki Swift

And I believe the term for this kind of car is a "City Car" (I know, it doesn't really make sense. lol)

I personally like the card because it somehow resembles mini-cooper without costing and arm and leg of each person in the family to buy (at least here)

Looks like it has great articulation and I love the leg design but the big belly is off-putting. I guess I'll see how much I want it when I see a price.

Mykltron wrote:Looks like it has great articulation and I love the leg design but the big belly is off-putting. I guess I'll see how much I want it when I see a price.

Agreed. I know the big belly makes him look G1 accurate, but there's no reason why a top-range collector's model worth 4000 yen should be slaved to a twenty-five-year-old $3 toy.

Diem wrote:there's no reason why a top-range collector's model worth 4000 yen should be slaved to a twenty-five-year-old $3 toy.

Like being yellow, for example. Or having four wheels. Or being a small car instead of maybe an aircraft carrier. Or being an Autobot instead of a minion of Unicron. Damn stuck-in-the-past toy designers...

Deathsanras wrote:

Diem wrote:there's no reason why a top-range collector's model worth 4000 yen should be slaved to a twenty-five-year-old $3 toy.

Like being yellow, for example. Or having four wheels. Or being a small car instead of maybe an aircraft carrier. Or being an Autobot instead of a minion of Unicron. Damn stuck-in-the-past toy designers...

Yeah, you're missing the point. G1 Bumblebee wasn't potbellied because it was some kind of awesome design choice, it was because of limited toy technology and budget at the time. Hence why his animation model was a hell of a lot taller, trimmer and sleeker, and his Action Master figure was the same way. Even his Classics body was stocky rather than tubby. When they made Masterpiece Optimus Prime, they didn't slavishly replicate his G1 toy's ape-like arms, stumpy legs and box body. No, they created a more idealised version. So don't patronise me for pointing out a legitimate problem with the new figure.

DAMN! now thats a pot belly! and that ninja kick made my day

i still really want that cliffjumper, although that darker red than what was originally shown kinda disappointed me. and i guess i can live w/ the puffy chest

I don't like them, but I really want to.

I canceled my preorders based on the last pictures we got of them and after seeing these new ones I'm glad I did.

Those are sweet....awesome!

(Puts on his Depends)

I think I peed myself a little bit in joy! Now, where's my sponge bath...oh nurse???

Ughhh... Bumblebee and Cliffjumper are so terribly awful I'm actually glad I didn't get Alternity Convoy or Megatron either. Those first two molds weren't too spectacular, and I would have felt conflicted between keeping an Alternity collection complete vs. spending money on these spectacularly bad toys. Even the colors are horrible on both of these.

It really is too bad Takara's designing energy is being wasted on this kind of crap, when it could have been put to so much better use creating new Binaltech vehicles.

I'm in the minority in not liking the red paint used on Cliffjumper. Then again, that type of maroon is my least favorite color for cars in real life too. I'd love to see more of a true red for CJ.

The molds are awsome though. But if I only got one of the two I'd get Bee.

mandingo_rex wrote:Still, it's not a car I'd think a lot of kids would be clamoring for as a toy, but it works for the bot mode well enough.

It's a good thing Alternity isn't a line made for kids...

I don't know, the "next day" has come and I still like the look of Alternity Bumble and Cliff. They're not pretty in a conventional sense but I do agree with El Duque: I like how the designs of these figures are using lots of visual cues from the G1 toys. I do have a soft spot for G1 BB because it was my first Transformer figure.

On the other hand, looking at the bot modes, we see a large chunk of car serving as the torso. I don't know how one would design the figure in such a way to allow "collapsing" to make it look less chunky but also retaining solid structural appearance so we don't see even more panel lines in the alt mode. The figure does kind of look like a cosplayer wearing a BB costume with the "car torso" look going on, hehe.

I do like the alt mode. As someone who likes the basic concept of BB having a compact vehicle alt mode, I think the Swift was a good choice. Maybe there are better compact vehicles out there but I don't think the Swift is terrible by any means.

Something else I noticed is that the figure seems like it should be front heavy due to the hood of the car sticking out. The back is very flat and if it wasn't for the shoulders, there'd be nothing for a counterbalance. I'm still very impressed with the posing shown in the photos considering what appears to be a figure with questionable balance.

Now that I'm involved in Gunpla, I should be able to borrow a hyper bazooka from one of my models and outfit Alternity Cliff with something more interesting than a pair of pistols.

Alright, that does it, preorder canceled. It pains me to do so, but I had to look at how much this is costing compared to how good (or bad) it looks. That's too much for a toy that's barely bigger than a deluxe and looks kind of ugly or poorly designed.

Christmas is coming, and my credit card can't handle an extra $50 right now. I'm sure I can get it when it eventually goes on sale. Or if not, I'm sure I have plenty of time to change my mind.

Therefore, Pile Of Loot SHIPPED!

Convotron wrote:

mandingo_rex wrote:Still, it's not a car I'd think a lot of kids would be clamoring for as a toy, but it works for the bot mode well enough.

It's a good thing Alternity isn't a line made for kids...

Or collectors—adults with childlike minds or buying tendencies who still buy toys—for that matter.

The point was that it's a car that I don't see in high demand for having a miniature, collectible, playable, etc. version made of it. But I'm assuming that they sought out a manufacturer willing to sell the licensing, and a car that fit, and somehow the JDM appeal of the car combined with all that mixed into them making the decision.

mandingo_rex wrote:The point was that it's a car that I don't see in high demand for having a miniature, collectible, playable, etc. version made of it. But I'm assuming that they sought out a manufacturer willing to sell the licensing, and a car that fit, and somehow the JDM appeal of the car combined with all that mixed into them making the decision.

I'm thinking that choosing a suitable car for Bumble's alt mode was among the most important factors in deciding the model of car for the figure. Like Diem said, the alt mode resembles the G1 toys, which ties in with how the bot modes are very much homaging the G1 toy bot modes.

I love the detail but I must say this...

1. Is it just me or does the chest/torso look to bulky for the arms and legs ???

2. Why did they pick the ultimate chick car for vechicle mode ???

Diem wrote:Yeah, you're missing the point. G1 Bumblebee wasn't potbellied because it was some kind of awesome design choice, it was because of limited toy technology and budget at the time. Hence why his animation model was a hell of a lot taller, trimmer and sleeker, and his Action Master figure was the same way. Even his Classics body was stocky rather than tubby. When they made Masterpiece Optimus Prime, they didn't slavishly replicate his G1 toy's ape-like arms, stumpy legs and box body. No, they created a more idealised version. So don't patronise me for pointing out a legitimate problem with the new figure.

Mmyeah, unless you were actually on the G1 design team, you don't actually know that. The Mini-Bots are penny racers. They have squat designs because they're 1:1 scale. Which, by definition, is a design choice rather than your "limited toy technology and budget at the time." Esp since you don't know the budget from Takara's original Microchange project.

And you've clearly chosen to high-jump over my point. Which is that tagging it as just decadently "slavish" and being fixated on a single element of supposed-slavishness, when again, you have no idea of the background, whether Suzuki made them do it, whether a mechanism to collapse the chest wouldn't fit or blow out the cost of the figure, is just stupid. Or in other words, fine, it's a flaw in your opinion. So call it a freaking flaw, don't play this ridiculous card where Takara's the crazy uncle who's "at it again".

Your opinion is your own, but don't pretend to be an expert and present it as fact, when it's patently not.

Deathsanras wrote:

Diem wrote:Yeah, you're missing the point. G1 Bumblebee wasn't potbellied because it was some kind of awesome design choice, it was because of limited toy technology and budget at the time. Hence why his animation model was a hell of a lot taller, trimmer and sleeker, and his Action Master figure was the same way. Even his Classics body was stocky rather than tubby. When they made Masterpiece Optimus Prime, they didn't slavishly replicate his G1 toy's ape-like arms, stumpy legs and box body. No, they created a more idealised version. So don't patronise me for pointing out a legitimate problem with the new figure.

Mmyeah, unless you were actually on the G1 design team, you don't actually know that. The Mini-Bots are penny racers. They have squat designs because they're 1:1 scale. Which, by definition, is a design choice rather than your "limited toy technology and budget at the time." Esp since you don't know the budget from Takara's original Microchange project.

And you've clearly chosen to high-jump over my point. Which is that tagging it as just decadently "slavish" and being fixated on a single element of supposed-slavishness, when again, you have no idea of the background, whether Suzuki made them do it, whether a mechanism to collapse the chest wouldn't fit or blow out the cost of the figure, is just stupid. Or in other words, fine, it's a flaw in your opinion. So call it a freaking flaw, don't play this ridiculous card where Takara's the crazy uncle who's "at it again".

Your opinion is your own, but don't pretend to be an expert and present it as fact, when it's patently not.

Diem's points are entirely valid.
They had squat designs because they were tiny toys AND toy design technology in the late 70's and early 80's when most G1 toys were designed was extremely limited. In those days people were so stunned by the idea of things changing into other things that aesthetics didn't really put us off. Nowadays we demand better looking toys.
Really, what are the chances that Suzuki 'made them do it' and keep such ludicrous bulk? For a toy that size, collapsing the body probably would have been too expensive or difficult so why didn't the designer think 'this looks a bit stupid, I'll try a different design'? They've used a totally new design for Prime and Megatron (meaning these two haven't looked like this before, not that the toy design is radical) so they didn't need to stick to the G1 style body for CJ and BB.
My point: be careful who you flame. I think Diem knows more than you on this subject.

Thank you Mykltron.

Alright, Bumble get! I'll hopefully have the review up in a few hours. First impression: his car mode is REALLY small. Like, smaller than a deluxe.

No need to expound my opinions on this since I think a lot of the why's have been covered, I'll just say that all my complaints about this figure continue to be a problem and it's a huge no for me.

I hope that any future additions to this line are better conceived than this.