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RhA wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Hate to say it, but I can kinda see X's point. TFs by default are male. It comes from being a boy's toyline and doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's what it is. Even the very androgynous ones can be safely assumed to be male until conflicting evidence exists. So female TFs need a bit more work to work.

Although, if we're being perfectly far, having a female voice actor in a cartoon would fall into the "bit more work" category to me. I have no problem accepting this toy as female and if I did watching the show would soften that stance. I think the lipstick helps. It's completely redundant and unnecessary, on a robot, but so are beards and who wants something silly like an unbearded Unicron or Wreck Gar?

But I wouldn't be able to accept a repainted Classics Seeker as Slipstream with no moulding changes made. Especially since it's such a common male body type. It wouldn't satisfy my desire for Slipstream as a female version of the Seeker mould and any artist drawing it would likely feminize it. If it were a different, less commonly male associated mould, it may be a different story.

Does Strongarm strike you as female?

Madeus Prime wrote:Okay, I'm afraid I'm taking the side of those disappointed in Strongarm's toy and general design. If they just could've made her the tiniest bit more feminine, in toy and cartoon, I would be a happy collector. But so far, she's probably my least favorite figure I've bought in the past six months.

Without sounding sexist here, but am I the only one who would like to see some less hard-ass female Transformers? I'm sorry, but TFP Arcee was horribly boring, she was just predictable. Oh look, a Autobot loses their partner, they want revenge, they are willing to deviate from the mission to do so, they have a nemesis who is usually of the same gender. Sorry, overwrought and overboring. Give us a female TF who is capable of laughing or smiling and not just being snarky and mean.

Wolfman Jake wrote:Kinda funny how the phrase "Not to sound sexist, but..." is almost always followed by a sexist statement.

Human beings don't have to conform to certain body types as dictated by a culture's own ideals of gender-biased beauty or role assignment. We come in all shapes and sizes, male or female. [and other good stuff]

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

RhA wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Hate to say it, but I can kinda see X's point. TFs by default are male. It comes from being a boy's toyline and doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's what it is. Even the very androgynous ones can be safely assumed to be male until conflicting evidence exists. So female TFs need a bit more work to work.

Although, if we're being perfectly far, having a female voice actor in a cartoon would fall into the "bit more work" category to me. I have no problem accepting this toy as female and if I did watching the show would soften that stance. I think the lipstick helps. It's completely redundant and unnecessary, on a robot, but so are beards and who wants something silly like an unbearded Unicron or Wreck Gar?

But I wouldn't be able to accept a repainted Classics Seeker as Slipstream with no moulding changes made. Especially since it's such a common male body type. It wouldn't satisfy my desire for Slipstream as a female version of the Seeker mould and any artist drawing it would likely feminize it. If it were a different, less commonly male associated mould, it may be a different story.

Does Strongarm strike you as female?

Just by looking at the toy (and packaging) and being completely unfamiliar with the show?

Only due to the lipstick. If I came across the toy without the lipstick and didn't already know it was female I wouldn't know.

RhA wrote:Her looks can go both ways, I guess. Even as a toy, IMO. I'm predisposed to seeing them as male, but now I know Strongarm is a female, my brain agrees.

What struck me about your post was that you used a seeker mold as an example. Starscream himself always was a bit ambiguos, him being male or female is very much in the eye of the beholder. There where enough people back when that saw ol' Screamer as a woman. If I'm not mistaken the French geewun cartoon portrayed him as female.

RhA wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

RhA wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Hate to say it, but I can kinda see X's point. TFs by default are male. It comes from being a boy's toyline and doesn't make a lick of sense, but it's what it is. Even the very androgynous ones can be safely assumed to be male until conflicting evidence exists. So female TFs need a bit more work to work.

Although, if we're being perfectly far, having a female voice actor in a cartoon would fall into the "bit more work" category to me. I have no problem accepting this toy as female and if I did watching the show would soften that stance. I think the lipstick helps. It's completely redundant and unnecessary, on a robot, but so are beards and who wants something silly like an unbearded Unicron or Wreck Gar?

But I wouldn't be able to accept a repainted Classics Seeker as Slipstream with no moulding changes made. Especially since it's such a common male body type. It wouldn't satisfy my desire for Slipstream as a female version of the Seeker mould and any artist drawing it would likely feminize it. If it were a different, less commonly male associated mould, it may be a different story.

Does Strongarm strike you as female?

Just by looking at the toy (and packaging) and being completely unfamiliar with the show?

Only due to the lipstick. If I came across the toy without the lipstick and didn't already know it was female I wouldn't know.

Her looks can go both ways, I guess. Even as a toy, IMO. I'm predisposed to seeing them as male, but now I know Strongarm is a female, my brain agrees.

What struck me about your post was that you used a seeker mold as an example. Starscream himself always was a bit ambiguos, him being male or female is very much in the eye of the beholder. There where enough people back when that saw ol' Screamer as a woman. If I'm not mistaken the French geewun cartoon portrayed him as female.

Va'al wrote:In addition to the point made by Wolfman Jake (got the right wolf this time!)

Va'al wrote:In addition to the point made by Wolfman Jake (got the right wolf this time!): from what we currently know about Strongarm, she's a fairly by the book, tough cop type of character. On top of that, in the clip posted by Sabrblade, she's making jokes, teasing BB, smiling alongside kicking robutt.

Va'al wrote:Also, she's written by Mairghread Scott, among others, who has shown (in my opinion at least) she can write different types of characters in the comics - which you seem to enjoy.

Va'al wrote:So far, then, she's different from Arcee in a number of aspects.

On the other hand: We have only just started seeing non-hard-ass types of male Transformers. On the third hand: Comics are a mainstream media.

Seibertron wrote:Strongarm's voice actor is the very talented Constance Zimmer. Many of you will recognize her as Dana from HBO's Entourage.

Madeus Prime wrote:

Seibertron wrote:Strongarm's voice actor is the very talented Constance Zimmer. Many of you will recognize her as Dana from HBO's Entourage.

Seibetron, you just got an ace in my book.

william-james88 wrote:Yup, Starscream was a woman in G1. They make a fun nod to it in TF Animated.

Sabrblade wrote:Slipstream wasn't necessarily a nod to Starscream being feamale in the French dub of the G1 movie, but more just something that we're not supposed to question. The aspect of Starscream's personality that she represents is officially something we're not supposed to know.

Sabrblade wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Yup, Starscream was a woman in G1. They make a fun nod to it in TF Animated.

Slipstream wasn't necessarily a nod to Starscream being feamale in the French dub of the G1 movie, but more just something that we're not supposed to question. The aspect of Starscream's personality that she represents is officially something we're not supposed to know.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Here are are exact venues and conditions:

Bumblebee
Toys 'R Us Japan nationwide, after spending 3,000 Yen on Transformer Adventure product

Steeljaw
Ideon Group, Bic Camera (excluding the Dotcom campaign), Kojima, after spending 3,000 Yen on Transformer Adventure product

Strongarm
Toy Park, Yamada Denki, Shirobotan, Yodobashi Camera, after spending 3,000 Yen on Transformer Adventure product