The Energon Pub

Sun Mar 21, 2010 12:53 pm

I've being looking at a number of transformers collections online and came across something called Action Masters.At first I found the idea of a line of non transforming transformer toys a bid odd, but after looking at the line and the transforming vehicles and weapons that came with each figure I found it quite interesting.

So what dose ever one else think??

News Credits: 3 · Sun Mar 21, 2010 1:20 pm

I don't own any and am not interested in them. But, if you like Transformers that don't transform, go for it.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Mar 21, 2010 4:43 pm

I got Banzaitron... minus accessories... Sure he doesn't transform, but he's great.

News Credits: 2 · Sun Mar 21, 2010 7:33 pm

You know, when I first saw these, I said, "Stupid. Transformers that don't transform. What an idiotic idea."
But, on a whim (and an insanely low e-bay price), I picked up Actionmaster Rollout with Glitch and I wasn't all that terribly disappointed! Ok, so you have to get past the fact that the transforming companion thing pretty much revolves around "turn this, flip that, yer done," and they're insanely small, especially when they're re-doing pretty large characters (Shockwave, really?), but they sort of have a charm all their own. I also picked up AM Kroc and his partner, the awesomely-named Gatoraider, and I sort of like them now. A couple of articulation points on the main character and the partners are fairly functional!

Now I'm always on the lookout for any insanely low-priced AM to add it to my collection. Give one a go and see what you think! Not for you? Give it to me!

News Credits: 1 · Mon Mar 22, 2010 10:16 am

Non transforming TFs aren't my thing, but the concept has been vindicated in current TF lines. Titaniums, Heroes of Cybertron, and Robot Replicas kind of take the edge out. They shouldn't have made the entire TF line dominated by Action Masters, but they weren't a totally terrible idea in the end.

Mon Mar 22, 2010 1:39 pm

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Non transforming TFs aren't my thing, but the concept has been vindicated in current TF lines. Titaniums, Heroes of Cybertron, and Robot Replicas kind of take the edge out. They shouldn't have made the entire TF line dominated by Action Masters, but they weren't a totally terrible idea in the end.

Yes they were.

Not because they were non-transforming TF's, but because they didn't even deliver on what they promised - Transformers figures as articulated as the GI Joes. They were ActionlessMasters - some of the characters were MORE poseable in their original incarnations (such as Shockwave) than in their AM form. And then there's Ultra Neon Eyeblinding Thundercracker...

Thu Mar 25, 2010 3:10 am

I picked up an Action Master Soundwave back in 2000, and it's a neat little thing.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Mar 25, 2010 6:55 am

I think they're neat, especially the ones with cool transforming weapons or vehicles. I wouldn't mind having a few in my collection, but the ones I see on eBay are usually incomplete, and if they ARE complete they're just too expensive for me. If they were being made today and retailed for like $8-$9, I would buy some.

Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:22 pm

Transformers need to transform.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:19 pm

The only good thing I saw in them at the time was they looked like the animation models.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:35 pm

Valandar wrote:
Gauntlet101010 wrote:Non transforming TFs aren't my thing, but the concept has been vindicated in current TF lines. Titaniums, Heroes of Cybertron, and Robot Replicas kind of take the edge out. They shouldn't have made the entire TF line dominated by Action Masters, but they weren't a totally terrible idea in the end.

Yes they were.

Not because they were non-transforming TF's, but because they didn't even deliver on what they promised - Transformers figures as articulated as the GI Joes. They were ActionlessMasters - some of the characters were MORE poseable in their original incarnations (such as Shockwave) than in their AM form. And then there's Ultra Neon Eyeblinding Thundercracker...

They didn't promise that. They promised "action figures that battle like never before". Since they don't transform at all and instead have other things, as far as TFs go, they delivered. They didn't promise to be as articulated as GIJoes.

Wed Mar 31, 2010 8:37 pm

I've got Starscream becuase I'm a Starscream fan, but other than that I have no interest in them. I thought they were lame as a kid, and my age hasn't changed that. The biggest plus for me is that at least they're all the same height, some you get say, Blaster and Soundwave to scale unlike their original G1 toys, but I don't care about scale in the least, so basically their best point is one I have no use for. They do look much more G1 cartoon like, and that's nice. I also find the accessories to be lame on the whole, but some of the partner robots are kind of cool looking, like the scorpion that goes with Devestator....who throws off that whole scale thing.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:02 pm

the main selling point of am was the novelty of having old characters brought back. for example megatron, soundwave, shockwave, prowl, wheeljack, jazz etc. didnt have toys out since 84'-85'.

another thing is for collecters they are just like cartoon acurate statues. i mean come on, revoltech and robot replicas dont catch to much heat from fans so why should am

News Credits: 241 · Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:26 pm

I'm eyeing some, like Optimus Prime and Megatron, but I'd have to experience them first hand before I can make a final judgment. Action Masters did leave a mark as these figures can attest:

- C-Smokscreen (Rad homage in the head)
- BotCon Banzai-tron
- Movie Legends Sparkcrusher (Gutcruncher homage)

A little warning though. Since all Action Masters share the same type of body construction, they all share the same flaw; their joints, especially the arms, get loose pretty quickly. Finding one with tight joints would be a miracle.

News Credits: 2 · Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:36 pm

Any time a TRANSFORMER doesn't TRANSFORM is a real turn off for me (yes Tfs turn me on so what bro) unless they're Revoltech. I've passed up on many mint Action Masters, the only one that I might ever be interested in would be the Prime with his Truck. It's so ridiculous and yet it's pure awesomeness.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Aug 19, 2010 2:01 pm

A little warning though. Since all Action Masters share the same type of body construction, they all share the same flaw; their joints, especially the arms, get loose pretty quickly. Finding one with tight joints would be a miracle.

So very true.

Our basement was flooded a month ago and, though there was nothing pleasant about that, it did allow me to locate half of my G1 collection that I had not been able to locate.

I remember having AM Inferno and Devastator(yeah, they are both the same size), but had completely forgotten I had Starscream with his "Turbo Jet".

The limbs are quite loose and the overall feel of the figures is that of cheapness.

Overall, the whole idea was rather uninspired(the Marvel comic story of the source of AMs is better than the reality), but at least it was a new idea in the last days of G1 and it was nice to see the return of several characters who had disappeared(re: died) after the '86 movie.

News Credits: 4 · Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:38 pm

Best thing to do is to find one or two characters that you want and try the line out. For me personally, I was never interested in them because they don't transform.

Sat Aug 21, 2010 1:41 pm

I've never understood why Actionmasters get so much crap yet the fans love the cutesy little deformed Robot Heroes crap.

I loved Actionmasters from the start. When I was a kid, AM Megatron was my first Megatron. They allowed us Irish to get characters like Shockwave, Blaster and Devestator very cheaply though admittedly I only saw Shockwave in the shops and Blaster was a gift from neighbours who holidayed in England.

We finally had a Prime that was closer in scale to Motormaster and they looked good with the gestalts.

I like to think that Devestator was based on the Micromaster version hence the small size.

Also the UK comics had Megatron hang around with the Triggercons and Ruckus and Crankcase looked good flanking the Actionmaster. Also liked how the AMs looked alongside the Firecons.

The Actionmasters also gave us new characters like the badass Kick Off from Wreckers and Rollout with Glitch whose MTMTE profile had great potential with Glitch being the actual spymaster getting the braggard Rollout through the missions.

Am I the only one who thinks Energon Divebomb was a homage to Banzai-tron?

I couldn't believe my luck last year when a friend sold me a bag of AM figures with the rare Euro Bombshell for 12 quid.

Just last week at Auto Assembly, I bought AM Starscream + jet for 6 pounds.

Also AM Grimlock and Jazz fitted nicely into their Pretender shells thankfully as the Pretender inner bots for them were crap.

News Credits: 7 · Sat Aug 21, 2010 2:17 pm

At first I didn't like them, like a lot of people above, but I got some in a lot, and they tend to grow on you.

Sure, they don't transform, but you can get them relatively cheap (well, except for the EU exclusive ones - if you don't live here, you'll need to get ready to sell some organs to get them

) and they actually have very nice robot modes.

News Credits: 1082 · Sat Aug 21, 2010 2:35 pm

I've bought a few. They aren't my favorite TF's, but I like what I have. And it is always big for fans for some reason, when AM's make appearances in actual G1 fiction... like Rollout in Last Stand of the Wreckers, Gutcruncher and Banzai-tron in the Hot Rod Spotlight, and Mainframe in the Transformers Animated cartoon.

Sun Aug 22, 2010 3:30 pm

http://custommasters.com/

The sceptics should have a look at this site

News Credits: 1082 · Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:23 pm

Windsweeper wrote:http://custommasters.com/

The sceptics should have a look at this site

I met Prowlpants in person, and purchased a red, clear Prime from him, and a Tigertrack(s).

News Credits: 3 · Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:13 pm

Windsweeper wrote:http://custommasters.com/

The sceptics should have a look at this site

Very nice...but to me Transformers should just transform...nothing else.

Sun Aug 22, 2010 6:57 pm

They were the death of Transformers to me at the time. They sacrificed what Transformers was all about for what? A hip joint? I got Rad and thought, "well this is the end, I guess I'll move on to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles now"

Sun Aug 22, 2010 7:03 pm

I would love to see them get a modern update. I said this somewhere else, but I thought the whole actionmaster concept meant that while they did lose the ability to transform, they still should've had an mechanical advantage over other TF's. The best way I could describe it is that the original Transformers in Season 1 where they were like walking swiss army knifes that changed into things/vehicles. For instance Jazz had a grappling hook and speakers, Sidewswipe's pile drivers, and the countless bots who had a communication device in their forearms. Closest it ever got to that is the Human Alliance figures.

How cool would it be to get a new Banzai-Tron figure that has weapons hidden in its armor? Or additional weapons that can become Samurai style armor for him?

Or a Constructicon whose left arm has a crane stored in it, while the other has a chainsaw in it?

Or a Maximal that had animal drones that change into weapons, comm devices, and armor?

Or an Autobot Medic that can put Animated Ratchet's accessories to shame?

Or SWAT bot whose riot shield had a ton of guns and batons in it?

Ah the possibilities.