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Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

Wednesday, October 24th, 2018 10:44AM CDT

Categories: Site Articles, Editorials
Posted by: william-james88   Views: 35,639

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Unless you have been living under a rock, the theme right now with all things Transformers is G1 (referring to the first generation of Transformers Toys/Characters/Show), now more than ever. I mean, everywhere you look you see callbacks to

G1

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

G1!

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

G1!!

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

G1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro


So basically, right now the theme is G1, G1 and more G1 with the biggest toy output since the brand's inception (4 simultaneous toylines on the same shelf space, not counting retailer exclusive lines).

And I think this is all great and that it's about time we get all this product. The G1 reissues are selling like hot cakes (even at inflated prices for some) so no need to convince anyone that those are wanted and since I will be sticking to toys, I will be looking at my excitement for the heavy G1 theme of both the Generations and Cyberverse lines. While we are getting G1 characters with scales and looks matching the old cartoon for older kids and collectors in the Generations Siege line, Cyberverse provides an entire line of simpler toys at all price ranges and sizes all based on prominent G1 characters with their G1 inspired looks. And those toys are not by the same design team, meaning that the influence is not just the choice of a particular team (or manager) but company wide instead.

Just so you know, I was born in 1988, so my childhood was all Beast Wars and so is all my nostalgia. However, when learning of the brand's history, it is crazy to discount the importance of that first show and those early toys. Especially looking at this all in a retrospective fashion and as a collector, I find that my collection of G1 characters is lacking, especially when it comes to Decepticons at the right scale.

Since I have no particular attachment to a particular representation of a G1 character, what I seek is something of a uniformity. For instance, my season 3 cast is pretty solid, so thanks for that Hasbro and Takara ;)^

But when I comes to bringing out the earlier season bots to do a battle scene, I realize how much of a hodge podge it is. Here are my Decepticons with a placeholder Soundwave and Shockwave (you know, the brand's MAIN DECEPTIONC CHARACTERS!!) and of course no Starscream in sight (due to the very odd looking take of the POTP Voyager Starscream).

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

So that is three characters at the voyager scale fans have wanted for a long time and them missing is obvious. Now, thanks to the Siege line I will have a Soundwave, Shockwave and Seekers that fit to have a more cohesive Decepticon team. And you will notice I did not add Blitzwing in Megatron's triple changer army. I could have but it would have looked a bit weird since he has the same body as that voyager Megatron. It's actually the reverse really, Megatron has Blitzwing's body. It is kind of nuts when you think about it though, but the last time we ever had a G1 styled Megatron toy designed to be principally Megatron in the voyager scale, was 12 years ago, and that one turned into a Nerf gun. So it really is about time that we get the following:

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

I mean here we are after having had amazing updates to combiners, headmasters and season 3 characters and yet the main G1 cast only ever had placeholders. We are finally getting good toys of the main G1 cast at the scale where most characters are available and affordable. How could I not be excited?! And that goes true for the main character of the entire franchise, Optimus Prime.

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro


As you can see above, the choice for Autobot representation in a classics collection is pretty good at the moment but the one character I am missing is, oddly enough, a good Optimus Prime. That character keeps getting released time and time again, for every line but it always misses the mark in some way (and always seems to be opportunistic release due to his common mold sharing). Seriously, we have not had an original G1 styled voyager Optimus Prime mold since the classics version from over a decade ago. And that one was purposefully meant not to be full on G1 themed (with the new alt mode). This Optimus is a manifesto of this line itself. No more fooling around, just a straight up gimmick free toy of a character made uncompromisingly with that character in mind, in a line everyone young or old can access.

Before I move on to Cyberverse, I will leave you with a comment from a friend in our community:

Wolfman Jake wrote:I don't understand how some people could be unimpressed by Siege Optimus Prime and Megatron. They are figures of beauty, and representations of these iconic characters that have been a long time coming. They're the right scale, look right, and aren't mold shares with classically unrelated characters. I remember a lot of people being tired of Bumblebee toys in Generations when the Titans Return Legends Bumblebee came out, despite it being the best Bumblebee toy we've ever gotten in Generations, in terms of scale, sculpt, and G1 likeness. My reaction is "at last," not "oh well, too little, too late."


I am a young father and my kids will always be curious of the toys I have. While it will be fun to have Generations toys of characters they recognize (simply from the brand's general marketing, or the Animated film) that I don't mind showing them (unlike my MP representations), the real fun will come with toys they can actually transform. There is a major aspect that is downright ignored when looking at G1, and that is how accessible the toys were for kids who had no clue what a Transformer was. Technical limitations made that the initial Transformers toys were rather simple, mostly rearranging limbs and extending parts with telescoping. We never really stop and think that this simplicity in design may have contributed greatly to the brand's success.

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

This was, after all, the first time toys of this sort were ever given to kids (in this part of the world) and if they were overly complex (ie, high amount of steps) and frustrating (ie. lots of panels), it might have resulted in a far more niche toyline that is only supported by one or two high end collectibles today. It wasn't the case though, these were simple toys that 80s kids could understand without their parents helping them. Sure, proportions were off and maybe some parts were not very articulated but you could do it on your own. Why can't today's kids be given the same chance 80s kids had when discovering Trasformers toys for the first time?

That is what Cyberverse is all about. It is basically G1 all over again for a new generation. Their designs are a slightly more animated/streamlined version of the evergreen designs Hasbro had developed as an update to G1 designs that can be used across different initiatives for the years to come. While there are some changes to incorporate more recent changes to characters (Bumblebee as a muscle car and Megatron as a tank), the main G1 essence is still very present and instantly recognizable to anyone. And especially recognizable to my three year old who watches the Optimus vs Megatron movie fight on a loop.

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

So thanks to Cyberverse I now have a full array of toys made just with young kids in mind that I can give to my 3 year old so that she can have a pretty good representation of what she sees on screen, whether she watches the new Cyberverse show or the 80s cartoon/film, and which she can transform by herself. The Hot Rod one step even has a sawblade action gimmick like in the 86 film, so she can recreate that action herself instead of me showing her my masterpiece toy from 5 feet away behind an impenetrable glass window.

Transformers News: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro

So basically, Hasbro has finally given us a full blown reboot of G1 in toy for, something that was always teetering at the seams, through two lines. In a few months, I will be able to have a great representation many main g1 cast members at the voyager scale with them looking as they should. And I will have my three year old next to me with her own G1 cast Transforming them back and forth as she watches those same characters onscreen (be it the G1 show or Cyberverse). About time!

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Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990750)
Posted by Quantum Surge on October 24th, 2018 @ 10:52am CDT
I'd rather have each franchise have it's own identity than have the now obligated Geewunwashing.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990753)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:06am CDT
Yeah I kinda wish we’d stop having such a heavy G1 theme anymore. I like seiege just fine but I enjoyed Classics more when it came out and it was G1 characters but with a modernized look. Now it’s just “make it as G1 as possible but with knees and elbows” I get it but I just want something new. Beast wars new. No autobot and Decepticons. Create new factions, entire new fiction for them.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990754)
Posted by william-james88 on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:08am CDT
Randomhero wrote:Yeah I kinda wish we’d stop having such a heavy G1 theme anymore. I like seiege just fine but I enjoyed Classics more when it came out and it was G1 characters but with a modernized look. Now it’s just “make it as G1 as possible but with knees and elbows” I get it but I just want something new. Beast wars new. No autobot and Decepticons. Create new factions, entire new fiction for them.

After seeing so much of "almost G1 but not quite" over the years I think we need this catharsis. We need Hasbro and their head designers to let it out of their systems once and for all, and then I think we can all move on since we have finally had a solid base to move on from.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990758)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:26am CDT
william-james88 wrote:
Randomhero wrote:Yeah I kinda wish we’d stop having such a heavy G1 theme anymore. I like seiege just fine but I enjoyed Classics more when it came out and it was G1 characters but with a modernized look. Now it’s just “make it as G1 as possible but with knees and elbows” I get it but I just want something new. Beast wars new. No autobot and Decepticons. Create new factions, entire new fiction for them.

After seeing so much of "almost G1 but not quite" over the years I think we need this catharsis. We need Hasbro and their head designers to let it out of their systems once and for all, and then I think we can all move on since we have finally had a solid base to move on from.



I know. I’m just so burned out. It’s gets more and more G1 heavy to a point where they’re re-releasing G1 toys. I got plenty of friends that are happy for those and want them but me? There bricks. I haven’t bought a G1 residue sine that 25th anniversary Optimus in 2009 and a year later I sold him.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990760)
Posted by Diaboragon on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:35am CDT
william-james88 wrote:After seeing so much of "almost G1 but not quite" over the years I think we need this catharsis.

I disagree that a character can only be truly G1 if they match their original cartoon model and transformation sequence. I thought "modernizing" the designs and vehicle modes was the right direction for these classic characters, not just slavish G1 aesthetics being repeated over and over.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990762)
Posted by leokearon on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:38am CDT
While I'm happy to see updates of G1 toys, I wish Hasbro would stop doing the same ones over and over again. TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

I really wish they would keep going forward and update things like the 91/92 TFs or do Generation 3
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990763)
Posted by Coptur on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:44am CDT
I think it's important that the characters are recognisable and iconic looking.

Marvel learned the hard way with Spider-Man and DC did with Superman.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990764)
Posted by william-james88 on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:49am CDT
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990765)
Posted by MaximusDanz on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:50am CDT
[anchor=][/anchor] Not gonna lie, I like it, I like G1, But this is overload. transformers has stayed alive this long because it changed things up but right now, everything is g1.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990769)
Posted by leokearon on October 24th, 2018 @ 11:57am CDT
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.


Personally I don't care for scale, especailly as it keeps flucuating

As for (decent) updates)Starscream just got a Voyager in POTP, Soundwave got a Leader in TR, Optimus and Meggie had Yoyagers already in TR. Do we really need new version of characters who had new toys about 2 years ago
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990772)
Posted by william-james88 on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:02pm CDT
leokearon wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.


Personally I don't care for scale, especailly as it keeps flucuating

As for (decent) updates)Starscream just got a Voyager in POTP, Soundwave got a Leader in TR, Optimus and Meggie had Yoyagers already in TR. Do we really need new version of characters who had new toys about 2 years ago

Hell yeah we do, the ones you mentioned dont cut it for me, at all. But thats because
a) I would like unique molds if the characters are not known for having a similar body
b) I (unlike you) care about somewhat of a consisten scale.

I am not alone in thinking the two points above and I am sure i am not alone in thinking that POTP Starsream is not a decent Starscream.

So yes, we do need these toys, thats what the entire article is about. You can always choose not to buy them and wait for Hasbro to release something more up your alley. It would give your wallet a break while mine weeps :)
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990775)
Posted by leokearon on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:10pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.


Personally I don't care for scale, especailly as it keeps flucuating

As for (decent) updates)Starscream just got a Voyager in POTP, Soundwave got a Leader in TR, Optimus and Meggie had Yoyagers already in TR. Do we really need new version of characters who had new toys about 2 years ago

Hell yeah we do, the ones you mentioned dont cut it for me, at all. But thats because
a) I would like unique molds if the characters are not known for having a similar body
b) I (unlike you) care about somewhat of a consisten scale.

I am not alone in thinking the two points above and I am sure i am not alone in thinking that POTP Starsream is not a decent Starscream.

So yes, we do need these toys, thats what the entire article is about. You can always choose not to buy them and wait for Hasbro to release something more up your alley. It would give your wallet a break while mine weeps :)


Personally I loved TR Megatron. Luckily Siege still have stuff I want Hound (missed out on the CW one), Ironhide (who really needs a decent Generations toy), Cog, Brunt and I'm still debating Reflector.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990777)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:11pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.



I don’t know. The classic seeker mold still holds up. People are tired of seeing it yes but it’s enginering and articulation are still up to date. I know people want the mold to be same height as say a megatron due to Starscream but with that comes the fact it’s more expensive which means you will not get every memeber. That’s why I think that mold is still the best version. It’s was well crafted and affordable to make the 5 dozen repaints and retools it got.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990779)
Posted by Gauntlet101010 on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:15pm CDT
I gotta admit, I'm mostly happy with what I already have. Some of these aren't the home runs for me as they are for other fans, like Starscream. Largely thanks to the alt mode. I mean, in one way they're really G1, but in another they make an excellent robot modes, but leave the alt. mode wanting.

But I do have to say - there's something to be said for brand consistency. Although I definitely wouldn't mind if other lines bled into the main one a bit more.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990780)
Posted by Mkall on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:16pm CDT
Randomhero wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
leokearon wrote:TR was great because it was mostly characters who hadn't gotten an update, part of Siege's problem is that it seems to be (mostly) the same old 84/85 line.

But, as stated, we dont have decent updates to many of those characters, like the Seekers, Shockwave, Soundwave. At least not at the proper scale.



I don’t know. The classic seeker mold still holds up. People are tired of seeing it yes but it’s enginering and articulation are still up to date. I know people want the mold to be same height as say a megatron due to Starscream but with that comes the fact it’s more expensive which means you will not get every memeber. That’s why I think that mold is still the best version. It’s was well crafted and affordable to make the 5 dozen repaints and retools it got.

Agreed. I'm too far into my Seeker collection to even think about replacing them
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990781)
Posted by hausjam on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:16pm CDT
You are very lucky to be so happy with Hasbro's new releases. Maybe I am spoiled by the fantastic 3P scene right now, but I find Hasbro's current offerings to be cheap looking, over-priced, and of poor construction. As much as I love MP style, I still love my chug shelf also, and sadly, it won't be expanding much more.

But I don't think you are ever getting an official true G1 Megatron ever again. Definitely not here in the US. And since Hasbro and Takara have virtually merged, there probably won't be an overseas release to import either. Even if they hadn't, the current controversy surrounding gun violence is sure to stop anyone but 3P from making handgun Megatron ever again.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990783)
Posted by ScottyP on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:20pm CDT
One of the primary aspects of Transformers that drew me to become as involved with it as I am was the constant cycle of change. Sometimes things were good, sometimes they were bad, but they were always different. Even with the Unicron Trilogy, Animated, Movies, and Aligned, things felt different even with Optimus, Megatron, Bee, and others around.

I find it weird that all this product that's supposed to be for a long time fan like me is making me disillusioned with the direction of the next year's worth of products. I'm probably most excited for stuff like the Botbots and Studio Series Dropkick, and outside of the Micromasters and Brunt, Siege looks boring to me. I'm not even sure I actually like the Micromasters, I might just like that there haven't been 56 versions of Roadhandler in the past five years.

I think the increasingly homogeneous nature of the product lineup is a recipe for failure, but money talks so maybe it's me with the wrong idea.

Full disclosure: I'm gonna buy all this stuff anyway because even if it's fleeting, new toys still take me away from the oppressive reality of life as a working adult.

I'm just bored.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990784)
Posted by hausjam on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:22pm CDT
Randomhero wrote:I don’t know. The classic seeker mold still holds up. People are tired of seeing it yes but it’s enginering and articulation are still up to date.


I think it's just okay. I have all 6, but they are kind of too chunky for my tastes. And on Starscream etc, I don't like the way the nosecone hangs off the back. I almost would rather they had done it G1 style than having it stick way out on an armature like it does.

I understand some folks will never buy unlicensed, but for me, DX9 did the absolute perfect seeker mold. It's even superior to the masterpiece engineering.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990785)
Posted by CobraKai on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:26pm CDT
I agree. I do love the G1 stuff, don’t get me wrong; it’s why I got so heavy into Titan Returns and am looking forward to Siege, but I also like it when they break away from it. I love the Bayformer designs because it’s own identity. I love the War/Fall of Cybertron designs cuz it was its own identity.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990790)
Posted by ScottyP on October 24th, 2018 @ 12:46pm CDT
CobraKai wrote:I agree. I do love the G1 stuff, don’t get me wrong; it’s why I got so heavy into Titan Returns and am looking forward to Siege, but I also like it when they break away from it. I love the Bayformer designs because it’s own identity. I love the War/Fall of Cybertron designs cuz it was its own identity.

I'm glad you brought up the WFC/FOC videogames. Technically Aligned continuity but really not, and it goes all in with angular, sci-fi inspired designs in fun ways. The story in the games wasn't classic literature but it served the gameplay well and still managed to do new stuff and flesh out some concepts like Dark Energon. It's a good example of something just different enough to be exciting even with a stale base character lineup.

If all Siege amounts to is a bunch of toys then it feels to me like the WFC/FOC stuff, except without a soul. If that spares us from more Machinima that's fine.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990793)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on October 24th, 2018 @ 1:18pm CDT
I really like the Classic seeker mold too, but Siege complements it well with the Voyager tetrajet. I think the Classics will remain the core of my Decepticon lineup, but I'm worried they'll be small to scale between Refraktor and the Siege Autobot cars. On the other hand, they should be fine alongside Prime Wars minibots, Insecticons, and Dinobots.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990794)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 1:27pm CDT
ScottyP wrote:One of the primary aspects of Transformers that drew me to become as involved with it as I am was the constant cycle of change. Sometimes things were good, sometimes they were bad, but they were always different. Even with the Unicron Trilogy, Animated, Movies, and Aligned, things felt different even with Optimus, Megatron, Bee, and others around.

I find it weird that all this product that's supposed to be for a long time fan like me is making me disillusioned with the direction of the next year's worth of products. I'm probably most excited for stuff like the Botbots and Studio Series Dropkick, and outside of the Micromasters and Brunt, Siege looks boring to me. I'm not even sure I actually like the Micromasters, I might just like that there haven't been 56 versions of Roadhandler in the past five years.

I think the increasingly homogeneous nature of the product lineup is a recipe for failure, but money talks so maybe it's me with the wrong idea.

Full disclosure: I'm gonna buy all this stuff anyway because even if it's fleeting, new toys still take me away from the oppressive reality of life as a working adult.

I'm just bored.



I don’t think you have the wrong idea. We grew up with the franchise changing. From G1 to Beast Wars to the Unicron Trilogy and then Animated and Movies and The aligned. Now it’s just going back to g1. It feels like a circle when it was a line.

Maybe we’re both wrong. There are some great toys coming and yes I’m getting quite a few Seige figures to complete my CHUG collection. I honestly wish it was back to 10 years ago when the transformers that were on TV were the main toyline(Animated and Prime) but Generations has become the main line. I know they want to aim Cyberverse at a younger audience which is great but man id like those designs to get the same quality of treatment that Studio series or Seige is getting.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990796)
Posted by Wolfman Jake on October 24th, 2018 @ 1:35pm CDT
I think a lot of people are still missing the point of the enthusiasm for Siege. (I can't really speak to Cyberverse, as that's not for me, and I don't have kids of my own with which to share that line.) What we're getting with Siege is these G1 characters done right. Classics, Universe 2.0, and Generations up to Thrilling 30 had a much different design credo in mind, what with giving us G1 characters in updated designs and modern alt-modes. They played around with scale a lot and played fast and loose with decos frequently (just think of Universe 2.0 Powerglide). It was good for the time, but things took a decided turn to more traditional G1 looks and alt modes with The Prime Wars Trilogy.

We didn't really start from the beginning with Combiner Wars, to be honest. We mainly got the core Season 1 and 2 combiner teams, with a smattering of repaints into early G1 characters to pad out the line. Those repaints were much more akin to the earlier "Classics" takes on the characters than to anything "slavishly" G1. Then Titans Return came, and blew us away with fantastic updates of The Movie and Season 3 characters, the Triple Changers, the freakin' Jumpstarters, and the best updates of many of the Minibots that we'd ever seen. Power of the Primes continued that to a degree with finally giving us the Dinobots, a few more needed Minibots, the Terrorcons, the Predacons, Elita One, Moonracer and Firestar (whom we'd NEVER had represented before at mass retail).

What's missing from this "Rebirth" of G1 is actually the '84 and much of the '85 cast, so it makes sense to finally give them their due, even if we feel like they've been done over and over, they've never gotten the "Titans Return Blurr" treatment, which everyone can agree, is an amazing treatment of a character (especially if you get the Takara version). It's as I said above (where William James quoted me). We had to endure a bunch of different takes on Bumblebee since 2006, none of which were all that satisfying, until we finally struck gold with Titans Return Legends Bumblebee. Now it's time to strike gold with Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, Thundercracker, Soundwave, Shockwave, Sideswipe, Red Alert, Ironhide, Ratchet, Chromia, Prowl, Hound, Ultra Magnus, and many more to come!

Finally, let's also take a look at what else Siege is offering that we haven't had before, such as a Reflector that is the right size and can combine with two other clones to form his camera mode! He's not a tiny converting weapon for a Legends scale figure or an exclusive repaint of Legends Shockwave from BotCon. That's amazing! We're also getting more companion pieces to complete our Titan class figures from the past several years, including Sixgun, Cog, and Brunt! We're getting Micromasters again! We're getting an actual Duocon Flywheels to go with Power of the Primes Battletrap! We're getting Targetmasters to complete Titans Return figures (if you don't have the Takara Legends versions). We're getting OMEGA SUPREME! If you don't want the latest (and arguably greatest) versions of Optimus Prime, Megatron, et al. as listed above, you can still get a lot out of Siege with all of the "first time" updates for G1.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990797)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 24th, 2018 @ 1:36pm CDT
I'm going to echo similar comments here by saying I'm bored with g1 theme, the toys on their own look pretty fun, but I'd rather they were all new characters, we need more alpha bravos and less slingshots. Maybe we will get something new once this trilogy is played out, but we shall see...though given how often they like to reuse trademarks to keep them, I think we'll see many more Primes and megatrons in the coming years.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990798)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 24th, 2018 @ 1:50pm CDT
I've always been an advocate of plot progression. When it comes to Transformers, my interest has always been piqued during the generational shifts.

The generic Earth based designs of Sunbow Season 1 & 2 gave way to the exciting futuristic space age designs of The Movie and beyond. Beast Wars "organics" gave way to Transmetals which begat Vehicons etc etc

Clearly at these points the creativity and imagination of the HasTak designers runs wild and it's often a great thing to behold.

Other than whenever an all new City Bot Scorponok is released to complete my Modern City Bot collection, my only other ongoing collection is Beast Wars Masterpiece. Should that line end (at season one) and Scorponok be released, the ceaseless glut of G1 reissues/reimagingings/homages etc won't open my wallet again.

I was 3 y/o with Transformers The Movie. I got into Transformers from that point. I enjoy when Transformers goes forward, not back. Just look at He-Man or the failed revivals of any other of Transformers' contemporaries. The longer it goes on, nostalgia is a creative poison. When the fans that crave it go away, so does the series that fails to innovate.

I will be watching, for when HasTak next decides to cast G1 aside as they have done before and give us the 'New' and 'Exciting'. Until that happens, watching is all I'll be doing.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990801)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:03pm CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:I'm going to echo similar comments here by saying I'm bored with g1 theme, the toys on their own look pretty fun, but I'd rather they were all new characters, we need more alpha bravos and less slingshots. Maybe we will get something new once this trilogy is played out, but we shall see...though given how often they like to reuse trademarks to keep them, I think we'll see many more Primes and megatrons in the coming years.



There’ll be an optimus in every line of WFC. That’s a given. Titans return gave us four. FOUR Optimus Primes. I’m baffled potp didn’t release a megatron but I guess maybe it’s too bold to attempt a combiner torso of Megatron(IT WOULDA BEEN AWESOME HASBRO) or some insane concoction of an evolution leader class. But let’s be honest, the leader class in Potp were the leaders that were always planned. Even primal in my opinion(I don’t think the fan votes are really legit).

Anyway, no we’ll be getting an optimus and megatron in every line of this and probably a Starscream and more than likely legends will return and more Bumblebees and other minibots. Maybe some day cliffjumper and hubcap will happen
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990805)
Posted by bluecatcinema on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:05pm CDT
It's good to remember your roots. G1 was where it all began, so it's nice that it's getting honored in such a way.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990807)
Posted by AllNewSuperRobot on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:08pm CDT
To be fair, G1 has been honoured for nearly three decades now. Only the Beast Era and Unicron Trilogy forged their own identity. Even that wasn't entirely free of G1.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990808)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:21pm CDT
Yeah and it’s literally been honored since 2004 when Energon was unloading the G1 homepages in that line . The prime wars trilogy was literally recreating g1 characters with knees and elbows. Some are unique looking while some are...well...look at the original headmasters, superion, devastator predaking and good lord Trypticon.

I guess the best thing to expect is a really nice proportioned Omega Supreme. I haven’t followed much talk but I think we can expect him to be the same height as Devastator and Predaking since he’s not technically a Titan like metroplex, fort max and Trypticon. Right?
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990810)
Posted by Octobotimus on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:28pm CDT
why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990812)
Posted by Skritz on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:42pm CDT
It's been nothing BUT Geewun-lite ever since Animated died. Even the Aligned continuity started off with the extremely GEEWUN Cybertron games (which are good, but still). We get it, GEEWUN this GEEWUN that. Hell we even saw a resurgence of Beast Wars-bashing with Power of the Primes.

There's enough good in Siege to make it still worthwhile but if this continues and expand we'll end up with lines consisting of the same characters over and over again. I'm tired of Generation 1, it's trite and overplayed. At least give us the parts of Generation 1 (and 2) that haven't gotten constant exposure. >:oP
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990813)
Posted by MeGrimlock78 on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:44pm CDT
I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30 Canadian. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990814)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:44pm CDT
It's an editorial. It's also a way to get us all talking as we're all the more likely to see it on the menu to the right. It's something in addition to the news :)
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990815)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:47pm CDT
MeGrimlock78 wrote:I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.

Where have you heard this? Walgreens had the siege exclusive deluxe rachet listed for $18.99. Bit of a leap unless you're talking Australian dollars, which I have no idea about.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990816)
Posted by ScottyP on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:57pm CDT
Octobotimus wrote:why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")
Our front page "News", labeled as such, also has subcategories. These are noted at the top of the post above the author's name, and you'll note this one as "Site Articles" and "Editorials". The newspaper has editorials, as do news broadcasts and networks. If you don't want to view such content, I recommend using
https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/ to view by category using the drop-down. Hope that helps!
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990818)
Posted by Skritz on October 24th, 2018 @ 2:59pm CDT
At this point I think Hasbro is just riding our current cultural stasis and obssession with the 1980 and 1990.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990819)
Posted by Randomhero on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:02pm CDT
Octobotimus wrote:why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")



It’s called an editorial. They’re a thing. If a memeber on the site wants to do one they can. Just like the comic and episode reviews.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990820)
Posted by MeGrimlock78 on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:03pm CDT
ZeroWolf wrote:
MeGrimlock78 wrote:I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.

Where have you heard this? Walgreens had the siege exclusive deluxe rachet listed for $18.99. Bit of a leap unless you're talking Australian dollars, which I have no idea about.


Sorry! I did mean $30 Canadian.

Which is on par with TLK Premium figures.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990821)
Posted by ScottyP on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:03pm CDT
MeGrimlock78 wrote:I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.
This is not accurate https://collecticontoys.com/collections ... 3449188410

Unless you meant in Canadough, in which case yes, Deluxe MSRP is close to 30 Canadian dollars (I'm not sure if that listing is MSRP or a little higher, but it's likely close) - which is already the case for Studio Series.

Edit: bad timing! You have pointed out exactly this, ignore me ;)
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990824)
Posted by Octobotimus on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:20pm CDT
Randomhero wrote:
Octobotimus wrote:why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")



It’s called an editorial. They’re a thing. If a memeber on the site wants to do one they can. Just like the comic and episode reviews.

It was still put as news.... and from what i'm seeing, there is no news to be found in it. they can express their opinions and feeling all they want, but this shouldn't be considered news.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990826)
Posted by Wolfman Jake on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:27pm CDT
Octobotimus wrote:
Randomhero wrote:
Octobotimus wrote:why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")



It’s called an editorial. They’re a thing. If a memeber on the site wants to do one they can. Just like the comic and episode reviews.

It was still put as news.... and from what i'm seeing, there is no news to be found in it. they can express their opinions and feeling all they want, but this shouldn't be considered news.


Things like the top 5 lists aren't really "news" either, but they still go up on the front page when they're published.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990827)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:31pm CDT
MeGrimlock78 wrote:
ZeroWolf wrote:
MeGrimlock78 wrote:I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.

Where have you heard this? Walgreens had the siege exclusive deluxe rachet listed for $18.99. Bit of a leap unless you're talking Australian dollars, which I have no idea about.


Sorry! I did mean $30 Canadian.

Which is on par with TLK Premium figures.

No problem ;)^ I forgot about the Canadian Dollar when I posted :lol:
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990828)
Posted by Ultra Markus on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:32pm CDT
Quantum Surge wrote:I'd rather have each franchise have it's own identity than have the now obligated Geewunwashing.

how is it Geewunwashing? its what started the whole franchise we never hear of marvel or dc going way off the original designs for new content or dragonballZ or Gundam its always the same look and inspiration, but with transformers its different? we get G1 haters who think we have to have something different every time, NO! we don't! sure we can create new characters but keeping original characters recognizable is key even when we create new stories it wouldn't be transformers if everything about it was unrecognizable
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990829)
Posted by ZeroWolf on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:34pm CDT
Gundam isn't the best example to use as gundam furthers it's story each time, it doesn't reuse characters all the time, Sunrise have got it in a nice groove now by releasing UC timeline shows and new alternative universe shows.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990830)
Posted by Octobotimus on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:36pm CDT
Wolfman Jake wrote:
Octobotimus wrote:
Randomhero wrote:
Octobotimus wrote:why is a member's feelings on something considered news?

("breaking news!!: i don't like/like something!!!")



It’s called an editorial. They’re a thing. If a memeber on the site wants to do one they can. Just like the comic and episode reviews.

It was still put as news.... and from what i'm seeing, there is no news to be found in it. they can express their opinions and feeling all they want, but this shouldn't be considered news.


Things like the top 5 lists aren't really "news" either, but they still go up on the front page when they're published.

I've also expressed my opinion on those as well, idk why they consider these things as news...
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990831)
Posted by Burn on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:36pm CDT
Couldn't be bothered reading the original article, too long, short attention span, skimmed over most of the comments (it's early!).

As someone who was there for G1 and has a very extensive G1 collection of toys and UK comics, I can safely say that I'm over this G1 influence.

Prime Wars Trilogy was fantastic in that a lot of figures were of characters that haven't really seen the light of day for 30 odd years.

But now we're getting Siege, back to the core group of characters, characters that have had so many iterations over the years. Yeah, I know, there's some characters like the Micromasters that are getting updates, but the bulk of the line so far is your standard core group of characters.

Don't get me wrong, I like what's coming and will be collecting it, BUT ... I just want to see some new characters.

For a franchise with a core gimmick about change, we don't seem to get much change.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990832)
Posted by Burn on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:40pm CDT
Octobotimus wrote:I've also expressed my opinion on those as well, idk why they consider these things as news...

While your opinion is appreciated, it would be better if you were to direct your concerns to news@seibertron.com rather than driving the thread off-topic. Cheers.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990834)
Posted by Skritz on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:45pm CDT
MeGrimlock78 wrote:
ZeroWolf wrote:
MeGrimlock78 wrote:I question slightly the "easily affordable" statement. I've heard on good authority that Siege deluxes will be $30. Which makes getting a Reflector team of 3 (characters who probably should have been legends size, not deluxe) $90 plus tax, unless you can snag them during one of Toys R Us's many sales.

Where have you heard this? Walgreens had the siege exclusive deluxe rachet listed for $18.99. Bit of a leap unless you're talking Australian dollars, which I have no idea about.


Sorry! I did mean $30 Canadian.

Which is on par with TLK Premium figures.


Well, it's a good thing this line isn't full of special teams one need to complete because that's going to hurt the pocket. Seems like almost a 10$ jump, assuming the price include taxes. :(
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990835)
Posted by jtanimator on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:49pm CDT
Here's the thing: I grew up on the Bayverse movies. That's what got me into Transformers. Yet, I am truly thrilled that Hasbro is taking this G1 direction with ALL of their toys lines at the moment. I don't want it to stay like this forever, but all I know is I'm ACTUALLY interested in purchasing a Starscream, Shockwave, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Ultra Magnus, Ironhide, Sideswipe and Soundwave figure for the first time in 5-8 years. And on the same note, this is the MOST excited I've ever been for a Transformers Movie. And ultimately, the excitement for all this comes from the G1 designs. To me, that's where things can't go wrong. So even though I have a natural love and devotion to the Bayverse designs/movies (as many people have with G1), These G1 heavy designs being used is the best thing to happen to hasbro for as long as I can remember.
Re: Why I am Thrilled by the Heavy G1 Influence in Upcoming Toys from Hasbro (1990836)
Posted by SkyFire Prime on October 24th, 2018 @ 3:52pm CDT
I too am thrilled that I'm getting another chance at a clean un-gimmicked Optimus and Megatron.

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