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I've finally reached that point in setting up my TF collection room ... Alternators and Binaltech.

Unpacking them, I'd remembered the major figures. Smokescreen, he started it all. Sideswipe, he came after Smokescreen. Grimlock and his annoying pain in the arse double hip rotation point.

But the one thing I'd forgotten, was this guy.




This guy, was released in 2006. Yeah, fourteen years ago. Yes, it's been that long since we've had Alternators, sadly, this meant we didn't get Frenzy to match.

This figure is awesome. Transforming from a Honda Civic Si, Rumble is quite different from all other Alternators, in that he has no hands.


Instead, he has PILE DRIVERS!


These, are a bit of a let down. They're "spring loaded" but once they're deployed they get a little floppy.

They definitely put some thought into this figure. In addition to his pile drivers, they also incorporated the look of his cassette chest.

Not only that, but back mounted weapons (ala G1) are also included. One of which, like virtually all other Alternators, formed the engine in vehicle mode (with the spare fitting into the boot/trunk)

Transformation is standard for the Alternators line, in fact, it's probably the most simplest.

As I said at the start, I had forgotten about this guy. Before I moved he sat in alt mode, which, if you looked at it, it could have been anyone (provided you ignore the rego plates). So finding him today and getting to transform him and display him was fun. He's definitely a forogtten gem in my collection.

When Alternators started, I was going to skip the entire line. Then I got Smokescreen as a birthday present, and I got hooked. I started buying any and all that I saw in stores. I got around to buying all of them, except Optimus Prime and Rumble. I don't know if he even saw a release in stores, because I never saw him. I do think it's best that he got so many G1 homages, even if the piledrivers come loose after a while. The only thing I don't like is the gold on his forehead. Makes it look like he's wearing a crown. They should have kept his head black. It would have been more accurate, looked better and they would have saved on the paint. In the end I don't regret not getting him, since for me it would be weird to have Rumble without Frenzy. Is he regular sized or is he smaller in vehicle mode as well?

And holy crap I know what you mean about Grimlock. I had problems with his hood as well.

All I have of Alternators is a Smokescreen arm I found in the detritus under a thrift store shelf.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:All I have of Alternators is a Smokescreen arm I found in the detritus under a thrift store shelf.

We all have to start somewhere.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I don't know if he even saw a release in stores

He was a Walmart exclusive apparently.

Buggered if I know how I got him then.

I sold many Alternators that were sub-part and lame. But I kept 5 or 6 that I never put away in storage and find simply amazing.

And Alternator Rumble is one of them. What baffle me the most is how and WHY did HasTak never bothered to make the easy Frenzy repaint? Rumble is his unique mold and making his brother was basically free money. Oh well.

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As for the "hidden gem", I can only go with Animated Voyager Bulkhead. It's been years since I transformed him and I just did yesterday. His only fault is he's not in scale with anyone. But his design is just PERFECT. He's fun to transform and his vehicle and robot mode are MASTERPIECE level of show accuracy.

Animated Voyager Bulkhead is one of the BEST Transformers in my collection and it's baffling he was ignored for so long. The only Bulkhead that was superior to him is the Prime First Edition.

-Kanrabat- wrote:And Alternator Rumble is one of them. What baffle me the most is how and WHY did HasTak never bothered to make the easy Frenzy repaint? Rumble is his unique mold and making his brother was basically free money. Oh well.

Tail-ender syndrome, Walmart exclusive Rumble, Ravage, and SDCC Hot Rod were the last of the line from Hasbro as they moved on to the first movie line as their licensed cars line of choice. I'm more surprised that Takara Tomy didn't jump on them since Binaltech would continue for another two years after their release.

As far as forgotten gems go, I'm a sucker for Allspark Power Stockade. I bought him and Incinerator while at an anime convention that year (2008). I keep forgetting about him, I'm not even sure where he is right now, but then I look at one of the SS Dreads and want to dig him out again.





He's such an imposing looking 'Con that almost has a Nemesis Prime vibe about him thanks to his Allspark turquoise. The big arms with big articulated hands and extending wrists are one heck of a feature! Yeah, he's got a lot of window kibble hanging from his arms, but there's something kinda neat about the way they catch light. Plus his alt mode is a Sector Seven SUV.



This would have been an excellent figure to repaint into RID X-Brawn, but for whatever reason they decided to go with Gears of all characters. Not a big fan of that redeco though his alt mode is sorta X-Brawn-ish.



Emerje

-Kanrabat- wrote:As for the "hidden gem", I can only go with Animated Voyager Bulkhead. It's been years since I transformed him and I just did yesterday. His only fault is he's not in scale with anyone. But his design is just PERFECT. He's fun to transform and his vehicle and robot mode are MASTERPIECE level of show accuracy.

Setting up the Animated portion of my collection was fun. Not a fan of the cartoon aesthetic, but damn did it produce some very unique and absolutely amazing figures.

Emerje wrote:As far as forgotten gems go, I'm a sucker for Allspark Power Stockade.

He's a great figure! What I really liked about it him was he didn't have that ugly monster/alien look that a lot of the 'Cons were subjected to. He could easily fit into a non-movie line up.

Okay, Rumble looks awesome. As for the hidden gem within my collection, I have to pick Prime Prowl. He's just a really fun guy.

Emerge, the Stockade/Gears mold from the 2007 Movie line will always be one of my favorite. I could never get rid of them!

I definitely still have a soft spot for my Alternators. My favorite was, and still is, Hound. Among the ones I owned, Hound was the most fun one to both transform and actually play with.

I even made a sort of "Gerwalk Mode" out of him that I would pretend was being controlled by the adult Spike Witwicky in a scenario where Hound's mind was taken offline and needed Spike to defend his body until his mind could be restored. Of course, I didn't have any Spike figure to sit in Hound's driver seat, so I just had to imagine that he was there.

I have Alternators Hot Rod in my current Hot Rod display. Still like how he looks overall. Never got too into the line, although I really like the concept of cars with engines and interiors that also transform.

I sold off almost all my Alternators a few months ago, barring Bluestreak and GT-R Maximus, whom I guess doesn't count as an Alternator? Anyway...

I used to like the Alternators, but over time they just collected dust for me as I found them to be fiddly and not fun to play with. They just didn't do it for me anymore.

My Hidden Gem, 2007-movie Dropkick. I love the guy.


Transformers (2007) Dropkick Gallery

The weirdest thing to me
is the fact that Rumble
the mitless wonder
is delivered in the same case
as this magnificent piece of work:

Ravage!
the jaguar that transforms into a Jaguar!!




NOICE!

I adore how Rumble looks. The chrome piledrivers, the wonderfully detailed cassette chest, the swish car mode, the headsculpt, he even has his back guns! A shame they never did a blue version really.

As far as hidden gems in my own collection, I'd have to vote for the Energon flak tank mold from the Bruticus team. He's a really, really cool figure- decently poseable for his small size, fun to transform, has a rotating turret and elevating guns in his tank mode, and a really interesting robot mode- I like to think of him and his mold mates as "Tank Seekers", as he has a bit of a Seekery look to him with the shoulder pylons, arm guns and tread "wings".

I never got into the Alternators line and didn't even know there was a Rumble. I picked up Skids years ago and stopped there. Not for any particular reason, just never pursued any additional figures. Seems like Frenzy has been getting the shaft for years then. The Alt figure reminds me of this guy.



Not only in just appearance, but in the US only half of the duo was released.

I picked up the Hasbro PRID Rumble and have since re-purposed him as Frenzy and then gave AM Rumble his pile drivers. I have the "bastard set" with my other cassette bots.

My only regret with the Alternator cassettes is the fact that we will never see Laserbeak.

@Z3ROhour Given what I've heard about Alternators hands (and my experience with hands that use the same peg system), Rumble being a "mitless wonder" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:@Z3ROhour Given what I've heard about Alternators hands (and my experience with hands that use the same peg system), Rumble being a "mitless wonder" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What's wrong with the hands on Alternators?
I almost owned them all at some point and I still own 5 or 6. I never ever had any problems with them holding their guns, no matter who.

This guys is one these figures that don't need to be remade at the same size,because they nailed it the first time.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:@Z3ROhour Given what I've heard about Alternators hands (and my experience with hands that use the same peg system), Rumble being a "mitless wonder" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What's wrong with the hands on Alternators?
I almost owned them all at some point and I still own 5 or 6. I never ever had any problems with them holding their guns, no matter who.

I've heard that the weapon pegs aren't always the most reliable thing, and I've noticed a tendency to pop loose with both Sparkdrinker and Cybertron Optimus' gun, which use the same system. Leobreaker's whip and Wing Saber's sword hilts are a bit more reliable, but still.

-Kanrabat- wrote:My only regret with the Alternator cassettes is the fact that we will never see Laserbeak.

Considering how much of a mess Ravage looks like in jaguar mode, I can only imagine how awkward Lazerbeak would have looked.

Burn wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:My only regret with the Alternator cassettes is the fact that we will never see Laserbeak.

Considering how much of a mess Ravage looks like in jaguar mode, I can only imagine how awkward Lazerbeak would have looked.

Well, Ravage is indeed a mess, but he's cool with his mess.
This just make me want to see a full car with a clean underbelly and complete interior become a condor even more!

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:@Z3ROhour Given what I've heard about Alternators hands (and my experience with hands that use the same peg system), Rumble being a "mitless wonder" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What's wrong with the hands on Alternators?
I almost owned them all at some point and I still own 5 or 6. I never ever had any problems with them holding their guns, no matter who.

I've heard that the weapon pegs aren't always the most reliable thing, and I've noticed a tendency to pop loose with both Sparkdrinker and Cybertron Optimus' gun, which use the same system. Leobreaker's whip and Wing Saber's sword hilts are a bit more reliable, but still.

Instead of relying on hearsays, why don't you try getting some Alternators yourself?
Used, they could be at a reasonable price. And if you love your premium paint job and diecast, go for Binaltech.

I recommend these molds and their repaints:
Prowl, Hound, Rodimus, Skids, Jazz. Rumble and Jaguar Ravage if you're not afraid to think outside the box.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:@Z3ROhour Given what I've heard about Alternators hands (and my experience with hands that use the same peg system), Rumble being a "mitless wonder" isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What's wrong with the hands on Alternators?
I almost owned them all at some point and I still own 5 or 6. I never ever had any problems with them holding their guns, no matter who.

I've heard that the weapon pegs aren't always the most reliable thing, and I've noticed a tendency to pop loose with both Sparkdrinker and Cybertron Optimus' gun, which use the same system. Leobreaker's whip and Wing Saber's sword hilts are a bit more reliable, but still.

Instead of relying on hearsays, why don't you try getting some Alternators yourself?
Used, they could be at a reasonable price. And if you love your premium paint job and diecast, go for Binaltech.

I recommend these molds and their repaints:
Prowl, Hound, Rodimus, Skids, Jazz. Rumble and Jaguar Ravage if you're not afraid to think outside the box.

I'll pass. I do want to get an Alternators Hound at some point to do a Jurassic Park Jeep repaint, but other things have decidedly higher priority.