What a time to be a Transformers fan! With the Rise of the Beasts movie to hit cinemas in two months, it seems promotional events are happening left, right and centre!
Wednesday night saw the VIP Opening Night for the Transformers: More than Meets the Eye art exhibition at King’s Comics.
Promotional Blurb: Radio Velvet, Kings Comics and Hasbro, a global branded entertainment leader, are pleased to present Transformers: More than Meets the Eye – a world-exclusive exhibition, celebrating the incredible universe of Transformers, through the eyes of its fans and collectors, plus, six acclaimed artists.
Being everyones favorite exhibitionist, Big Angry Trev was invited along to the exclusive VIP opening night of the exhibition, and what an exhibition it was!
King’s Comics and Radio Velvet went all out in setting up a dedicated space for this exhibition. The floors, walls and even stairs were covered in Transformers art. Sniff… it felt like coming home.
The FloorThe Stairs
The Walls
Toy Exhibitors
Along the outer walls were display cabinets full of Transformer products, classic and new. Cabinets were set up by Hasbro, Lobos Collectables and even Kings Comics themselves.
In what was a wonderful nod to the part the fandom plays within the Transformers brand, several prominent Australian collectors were invited to display parts of their personal collections. Jason Murray’s display, along with his huge collection of Transformers pins, was enough to make the most hardcore fan drool. Lisamaree Chiu’s highly impressive collection of Optimus Prime’s from multiple Transformer continuities showed how the character has changed and evolved over the years. Kelvin Chan, as well as helping set up the comic display for Lobos Collectables, devoted much of his own display to the work of late Australian artist Andrew Sorohan. Kings Comics employee ScottSheens had a wide and varied display, including a wonderful cityscape made up of G1 figures.
Display by Jason MurrayDisplay by Lisamaree ChiuSo many Optimus!Display by Kelvin ChanDisplay by Scott Sheens
A couple of fans even got to present multiple cabinets. Michael Vella’s multitude of Bumblebee’s, many of them quite rare, were very eye catching. And there wasn’t a fan present that didn’t contemplate what it would be like to own his showing of sealed G2 Stunticons! Ben Keenan had an incredible display of different Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime toys, and a collection of boxed G1 figures that would bring a joyful tear to the eye of the most hardcore Geewunner.
Bumblebee’s by Michael VellaVarious by Michael VellaHot Rod display by Ben KeenanBoxed G1 display by Ben Keenan
All the fans putting on displays were in attendance at this VIP event. This meant that guests could ask questions about individual pieces and added that extra delight to the proceedings. And for the exhibitors, they got the thrill of rubbing shoulders with local Transformers royalty – lucky ducks!
Lisamaree & Big Angry TrevJason Murray and Big Angry Trev both point to their personal idolMichael Vella & Ben Keenan with expressions of joy and awe – both appropriate responses
Meet the Artists
Of course, it would hardly be an art exhibition without artists. Running down the centre of the room were huge bio’s of each artist, giving an insight both into their art and the artists themselves.
For young and young at heart
Something I have personally loved is that both the Roar & Snore Beasts Base Camp and the VIP Art Opening event were accessible not only by the invited adult fans, but children too. My son Orion adored being able to stay overnight at the zoo, and felt like a celebrity when the friendly Hasbro staff at the art show all recognised him from The Transformatorium video and helped ensure he had a wonderful time! Thank you to Double Jump Communications too for helping to coordinate such fantastic events!
Father, son & Optimus at Roar & SnoreFather, son & Optimus at Art Exhibition
The More than Meets the Eye Exhibition will be on display at Kings Comics from the 6th to the 30th of April. I highly recommend even the most causal Transformers fan take the opportunity to visit and become entranced by what is truly an enriching experience. Full credit to curator Eddie Zammit, he’s put on a heck of a show!
Have you been yet to see this awesome exhibition? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
Pipes and Huffer have the same alt mode but different robot modes. Which is your favourite?
Such cute little alien war machines!
It’s true that most of the 1986 Autobot Mini-Vehicles are just slight retools of their 1984 counterparts. The likes of Swerve, Tailgate, Hubcap and Outback are simply recolours of Gears, Windcharger, Cliffjumper and Brawn respectively with new face sculpts (OK, Outback got a new gun as well which was pretty slick).
However Huffer and Pipes are the exception. As well as a new colour scheme and face sculpt, the Transformation from Robot Mode from Vehicular mode was slightly changed. Instead of the cab of the truck becoming a hood as it did with Huffer, it became a backpack for Pipes.
But are their alt-modes really the same?
One of these trucks is not like the other one
Well, yeah, for the most part. But there are subtle differences. The moulded grill and headlight motif on the front of the truck has been slightly changed from Huffer to Pipes. The tail-end of the trucks tray, which becomes the robots feet, is slightly more pointed on Huffer than Pipes. Perhaps the most notable difference besides the colour scheme is the smokestacks, which on Huffer and slightly indented, whilst on Pipes they are well and truly, well… pipes.
Overall the differences are negligible, but far outweigh the differences between the other mini-bot recolours of that era. I’d be hard-pressed to say which I like more as both have their charms.
Robot Modes
Huffer: “My elbows go the wrong way!” Pipes: “At least you can still pick stuff up”
Here is where the differences really stand out. As stated, Huffer has a sort of canopy whereas Pipes has a large backpack. From the back Pipes is easily the weaker of the two, having an entire truck cab hanging off his back. However this is where his weaknesses end. His arms are far superior to Huffers, and whilst Huffer could be said to have hands of a sort, it’s the orientation of his arms that lets him down, resembling some form of preying mantis idue to the backwards elbows. The head of Pipes too is superior, having an actual sculpted head that sits in front of the backpack, rather than some form of wide mask half-hidden under a hood.
So to answer Katrina’s question, I have to give it to Pipes, on the whole he is an improvement on his predecessor.
Huffer, being a legacy character from the 1984 cartoon, has turned up in multiple toylines such as KRE-O, Power Core Combiners, Timelines and even Transformers Prime. Pipes however has only had another two outings, both retools of existing Huffer figures. So lets have a look at these to see who is the superior in these new iterations of classic characters.
Combiner Wars
Prime-wannabe’s
If there is one set of Huffer/Pipes figures where the alt-modes are exactly the same then it is Combiner Wars. Not only are the altmodes the same, but the robot modes are exactly the same too, the only differences being in colour scheme and sticker placements. As such, it’s pretty much impossible to pick one over the other. I will say I never understood why they gave Pipes a red face, he looks like Tracks squat brother (or me when I’ve been out in the sun too long).
Kingdom
We finally busted into the Deluxe Class!
The third outing of Pipes, being again a retool of Huffer, is in the Kingdom line. I found both these toys to be quite clever and both are certainly the most toon-accurate versions of the characters we have ever had in their robot modes. Highlights for me included that Pipes now has pipes attached to his outer forearms like in the cartoon instead of the toys arms functioning as the pipes themselves. Huffer now sports a canopy of sensible size, and the way the sides of his alt-modes tray join together to form a very Halo-esque weapon is a really cool idea. I couldn’t fault either of them.
Pipes & Huffer: Both ready to smoke you!
In their vehicular forms, the fronts of the vehicles are actually (bar colour) exactly the same, having less differences than their G1 toy counterparts. The differences only seem to be at the back, where Pipes is toting his pipes and Huffer’s gun and shield serve to form a tray.
But wait, there’s more!
Can’t decide between Pipes and Huffer? Why choose either when you can have Puffer!
Puffer: ‘Even I haven’t heard of me before!’
Soooo…. The story behind this is that in certain parts of the world, when Pipes was released he was a straight up recolour of Huffer, rather than a retooled version. The storyline behind Puffer is that Huffer and Pipes got sucked into a time-vortex (as one does) and they were fused together into the one being. Like so many other extremely obscure characters (who can easily be recoloured from an existing figure), Puffer now has his own official toy. This Puffer though, is essentially Pipes slightly recoloured and with a G1 toy accurate head. Whilst there is little of Huffer to see in this figure, if you can’t decide which you like more out of Pipes and Huffer, then Puffer may be for you!
A reminder that Prime and Magnus aint the only Autobot trucks on the block
Well, for me it is hands down Pipes, and for me that is a purely sentimental reason. Pipes was one of my first ever Transformers, and was the first Transformer I ever got a double of when a mate gave me another one for my 9th birthday. Still have them both too 😊. I liked in the cartoon how Pipes seemed to straddle between mechanic, field medic and a quasi-field commander, whereas except for lifting the odd mammoth, Huffer seemed to do nothing but whine, barely built anything and for the most part simply vied with Gears for title of biggest complainer on The Ark.
G1: Emotions aside, talking about toys then I feel that Pipes has the better robot mode, despite Huffer having hand indents. Vehicular, despite the minor differences, I don’t favour one over the other. Winner: Pipes
Combiner Wars: Exact same vehicle mode so no favourite; in robot mode I gotta take points off Pipes for having the red face. Winner: Huffer
Kingdom: A draw, as though I like Huffer’s robot mode that smidge more, and he has the cool gun and shield that become the truck tray, Pipes finally has dedicated extra pipes, living up to his namesake. Winner: A draw, with a special shout out to Puffer for being such a unique character.
Got anything to say about the figures examined, or Pipes and Huffer in general? Pop it in the comments section below!
And so it begins, the great cataloging for my personal and ever expanding Transformers Collection!
And what better place to start than where the whole shebang kicked off – G1! Listed sequentially, and with accompanying photographs, here is the G1 Decepticon toys I have amassed over the last 35+ years.
Transformers Generation One Decepticon Collection
(Note: All figures in photographs listed from Top Left to Bottom Right)
And so it begins, the great cataloging for my personal and ever expanding Transformers Collection!
And what better place to start than where the whole shebang kicked off – G1! Listed sequentially, and with accompanying photographs, here is the G1 Autobot toys I have amassed over the last 35+ years.
Transformers Generation One Autobot Collection
(Note: All figures in photographs listed from Top Left to Bottom Right)
‘What is the worst figure in your collection and why should we all own it?’
First off I’m taking a stab in the dark that Steve is talking about Transformers since that is what I am best known for collecting. Well Steve, given I’m at the 4500 mark for the amount of Transformer action figures I own, there are a fair few contenders for the mantle of Worst. So lets narrow it down to Transformer figures that actually transform and go from there:
Firstly – both these toys have irritatingly simple transformations, even for G1 toys – one move for the legs, one move for the arms and one move for the body/backpack.
Secondly – awful heads! Scoop’s is ridiculously small, making him look like a little yellow guy wearing a huge orange sumo suit, whereas Crancase has just an orange blob for a face, making you squint to make out any detail whatsoever.
Thirdly – bad bodies. Neither of these toys have any articulation to speak of. Scoop’s chest sticks out so far his little hands barely reach past it, and those hands don’t even have peg holes to hold his Targetmaster partners. Lots of Transformer toys have decent sized backpacks, but I’d struggle to think of any that have a proportionately bigger one than Crankcase which towers over the back of him to a ludicrous degree. And while Scoop as a Targetmaster can’t hold guns, neither can Crankcase who is a Triggercon. What’s the point of being a gun-themed robot if you can’t even hold a simple blaster?! As for having legs that actually separate, forget about it.
‘We aint got no thumbs Luitenant Dan!’
Why you should own them?
Both toys have really nice altmodes for their time, with Scoop being a front-end loader that can actually move his scoop, and Crankcase being perhaps the only Decepticon toy of 1988 that had an altmode disguise that could actually work as a disguise, rather than being a huge monster or a neon-coloured vehicle. The Targetmaster and Trigger gimmicks are good fun and they both had interesting roles in the IDW comics. Plus who doesn’t love some G1-goodness 😉
Firstly – loose ball joints. The joints in his shoulders and legs are atrociously loose, making him very hard to pose in robot mode, he is fiddly as hell to try and get to stand in any decent pose without his sword drooping towards the floor.
Secondly – Worst. Dragon-mode. Ever. His dragon mode is absolute shite! Looks absolutely awful, like someone was building a robot alpaca and lost the instructions half way through. There have been a lot of great dragon Transformers over the years and they do not invite Steelbane to their parties.
Why you should own him?
Probably the coolest ‘knight’ looking Transformer toy ever in his robot mode with lots of detail, even on the sword. There were four Knight toys from The Last Knight film and he is the best looking of the lot, with the others compromised by either missing faces or their combiner gimmick. Even if you were not a fan of the film, having a Transformer who looks like he should have been kickin it with Arthur & Merlin is pretty boss.
Firstly – terrible proportions in both modes. Even being a Rescue Bot which is a line known for its more basic toys due to the age demographic they are made for, the vehicle mode is too snub-nosed and the robot mode doesn’t even remotely resemble the cartoon. And what’s with the big goggles – she looks like she is going scuba-diving while flying a WWI plane!
Secondly – the broken transformation spring. This was a toy made for tiny kids and with one transformation movement. It is unbelievable that there was so little quality control that she got released when the spring that allows the transformation was broken in 95% of the figures. Any child given this figure would have been supremely disappointed and their parents feeling ripped off.
Your Quickshadow toy is going to spend more time looking like this than a robot or car
Why you should own her?
Errr… that’s a toughie. There really isn’t anything to recommend the figure at all. At most I would say that she was the first female Rescue Bot which gives the toy some novelty value, and that her on-screen character was very cool. Coming across as a very chilled and aloof British Secret-Agent type gave her a personality we have not seen in Transformers before or since, it’s a shame she didn’t get more airtime than she did.
Oh Skids you poor dear you – always overlooked. Skids remains to this day perhaps the least well known and recognisable of the Autobots from the 84/85 G1 cartoon. With very brief and unmemorable appearances in only 2 episodes, even the likes ofGrapple and Huffer have proven more popular and its only hardcore G1 & Comic enthusiasts who really know who Skids is. Skids appeared in the Movieverse as well but, besides a similar alt-mode, had nothing in common with his G1 counterpart and is a distorted version of the character everyone would like to forget.
However Skids has managed to do something that Hoist, Trailbreaker and even Jazz have not – he’s got himself a Masterpiece toy! So let’s have a squiz at the new MP Skids.
Skids turns into a fairly realistic rendition of a 1980’s Honda City Turbo hatchback. Whilst not a sexy sportscar, it’s a pretty nice looking vehicle form. What I particularly like is the sloping roof and front grill.
Different parts of Skids open up as well, much like an Alternators figure. The side doors open, the bonnet opens to reveal an engine inside and the hatchback opens to reveal storage space. This storage space will contain a little scooter in the retools of Skids such as Crosscut, and it is a shame Skids did not come with one himself.
Because Skids appeared so little and so infrequently in the cartoon, the designers were not forced to incorporate all the different gimmicks shown on screen, like with so many other Masterpiece figures. So Skids is very basic in that he comes with no interchangeable faces, no special gimmicks and only his two guns like the original toy had.
That said it’s a very nice looking figure with articulation in the neck, shoulders, elbows, knees and ankles, making him very easy to pose.
Much more basic than a lot of other Masterpiece figures, but not irritatingly simple either. In fact I find it a nice change of pace for a MP to have a straightforward transformation with a few clever moves (such as his ankles and shoulders) rather than something overcomplicated which is going to require you give up a portion of your day to complete.
Skids is perhaps the most basic Masterpiece we’ve had in a long time, harkening back to the days of MP Sideswipe. He is pretty no-frills with no interchangeable faceplates, special gimmicks, intricate engineering or vast assortment of accessories. However what he is also lacking is the exorbitant price tag that most MP’s go for as well.
I*’m the cheap one
At around $100au he’s eminently more affordable than most of his counterparts. Add to that a fun and straightforward transformation and Skids becomes a breath of fresh air in a line that is replete with expensive and often overly complicated figures. Skids is well worth his reasonable price tag and a welcome addition to the MP Autobot Cars line-up.
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
Toys you think are objectively bad but for some reason you still love the things.
We all have a few in our collections, or at least we can think of ones out there that would fit the description.
G1. Home to the 3-step changers.
For his first foray into the Podcast world, Tets of Tets’ Toys & Shenanigans decided to do a Podcast on this very topic, centered around Transformer toys specifically. This included several guests including Paul and in the latter half yours truly (I come in at the 33:30 mark).
So sit back and listen to what TF nuts do best – talk about the toys we love (even if we think they are not very good).
It’s been a few months since the last installment, but we have another entry in the ever popular Transformer Fan Interviews! In this latest interview with Aussie TF collectors we are talking to Trent, a good bloke who is always willing to help a mate out with a sought toy, or provide some online sparring to entertain and amuse.
Name and/or nicknames: – Trent
Family? Yes
Career? Tiny cog in the ever churning capitalist machine
How would you rate yourself on a C scale, C10 being MISB Mint perfection, to the lowest C1 ‘junker not worth it even for parts’? C6 – 99% complete but has significant wear in joints and stickers are faded. It would also appear that there are no reprolabels available for my model.
How would you rate your attraction to Big Angry Trev? With one being ‘very’ to 10 being ‘I purposely shave my head and paint a red dot on top in the hopes Trev mistakes it for a giant breast and lavishes it with his tongue’? – Sorry. I’m not attracted to overcooked lobster.
Editor’s Note: Smarmy arsehole
Fan/Collector since (year)? So, I was thinking about this a few weeks ago. I was trying to figure out when I got my first Transformer. The earliest TF memory I have was of stealing a G1 Hot Rod from the kid that lived across the street. He brought it over to play with and I thought it was so awesome that I hid it under my bed and he went home having forgot about it. My elaborate ruse came undone however when I took it to school and the taxi driver noticed that my shiny new Hot Rod was the same as the shiny new Hot Rod that the kid across the road had lost. So I sadly marched over to his house and proclaimed that I had found it under the lounge! Hooray!! After that I recall a G1 Optimus and Ultra Magnus showing up as well as a Kup. It kinda snowballed from there. I stopped collecting once I hit year 6 or so and agreed to sell all my TFs to assist with some family financial troubles.
I watched a bit of Beast Wars when I was a teenager but it wasn’t until my 20’s when I saw an Armada Starscream in K-Mart that my interest rekindled. I loved that Starscream and still have it today. I collected quite the number of Armada, Cybertron, G1 reissues and so forth but stored them all at my mother-in-law’s place when we bought our first home. It wasn’t until some years later I went back to get them that I realised she threw them all out without even asking me. While at the time I was beyond pissed these days I don’t hold it against her though as they are just things, not people. These days I collect a bit of everything. MP, G1, Generations, Cyberverse, third party, whatever tickles my fancy really.
Transformers Allegiance, if you had one? I suppose it’d be Autobot? Being a Decepticon seems like a lot of effort. Like Megatron would expect you to do things, and not pay you overtime for it. Optimus seems a bit more laid back. Like he’d let you take of early on Friday and would understand if you threw the occasional sicky on a Monday.
Your Techspec motto if you had one? Megatron can kiss my shiny metal @*$!
Editor’s Note: Referencing Whirl referencing Bender? Very meta.
What existing, official Transformers character best describes you? G1 Outback
Which special ability of any Transformers character would you want to have for yourself? Mirage’s invisibility. Maybe then I could get a minute of peace and quiet.
What drew you to Transformers, making you become a fan/collector? Giant fighting robots that transform. I’m a bit of an engineering nerd. I’m not an engineer, because that would be a horrible job. But cool engineering of any kind fascinates me and I have a very logical brain. So I view them as a sort of 3D puzzle.
Do you think you will collect Transformers until you die? I ask myself this a lot. I’ve been through enough up and down collecting phases that I’m not too bothered when I get a bit bored with the franchise. In fact I’m probably not at my most interested right now. I have a ton of unopened TFs and my displays are in a bit of disarray. However I know I’ll come back around. And my son is obsessed with TFs and playing games with him is seriously one of the highlights of my life. But will there be a time to get out of the hobby? I’m not one who sees this hobby as an investment. If you think you’re gonna cash out of this hobby ahead or even anywhere near equal are you need to go speak to a financial advisor and prepare yourself for a shock. But that’s not why I do it. I buy them because I think they’re really neat. And as long as I enjoy them, then I’ll keep them. I think my son will happily take my collection when I die and that would be the best possible outcome for me. As it is he’s become somewhat of a TF collector himself and the grand old age of 6. He’s particularly into toy photography and he’s not bad at it. I’ve added a few of his photos for a bit of fun.
The kids got talent!
Do people outside of the hobby know you collect TFs (like at work/school)? Maybe 6 people at work know. I don’t advertise it. I work in a blue collar industry and while I don’t care what other people think of me, I also don’t see the point of making my life harder than it has to be. Because while some of my colleagues are great people, they’re old school and if they found out I collected toys, there’d be no malice in it, but I’d literally hear about it every single work day until they all retired or I left because I work with some BIG personalities.
Were your family/parents supportive of collecting toys or did you have to hide your passion from them and friends? Family aren’t worth squat if you have to hide who you are from them. My dad kinda rolls his eyes and grumbles at the money I sometimes spend but he’s cool. My mum usually notices when I add new ones to my displays and asks me about them. My brothers are cool too.
Editors Note: I get the feeling Trent’s son approves of his hobby as well
What does your partner think of your hobby? My wife is the most awesome person ever. I couldn’t ask for a more supportive partner even though she’s not into any of my “Nerd Stuff” as she calls it. She bought me that Armada Starscream all those years ago and more recently, when I was worried about the cost, told me if I didn’t preorder the HasLab Unicron, she’d do it herself. I sometimes feel really bad because she doesn’t collect anything. So I make sure when something does catch her eye, she gets it.
Have you attended any fan-meets, Fairs, Conventions? Been to lots of Paramatta Toy Fairsover the years. I don’t live in Sydney so it’s always a bit of a hike for me to get to these things. Been to a few Penrith fairsbut my god! I don’t go that far on holiday so I only went to them on occasion. And now with COVID canning everything I haven’t seen anyone all year. I do have a chat group with a few fellow TF collectors and that has actually grown into solid friendships with all of them so that is great. We are always there to chat with one another and they have helped me through a few rough times, if only by making me laugh.
Editor’s Note: Back atcha buddy
Any creative endeavours with Transformers (drawing, writing, customising, etc)? I did draw an Optimus Prime the other day. We had a new appliance delivered and my son wanted the box to turn into an art space. I’d just like to let IDW know that I am available and that I’m sure we can work out a mutually agreeable fee.
Favourite series/era/year, and why? The default answer is G1. I grew up with it, it’s what started it all and it still permeates every part of the franchise to this day. But to leave that as my answer would be a disservice to the franchise. I think there are so many good stories and toys that the franchise has put out over it’s life that they need a mention. Animated would be the one that comes to the forefront of my mind. It was so divisive when it came out. The new aesthetic and take of the story was a radical departure from what had come before and even I didn’t like it at first. But it grew on me and now my animated figures are a highlight of my collection.
And as a subgroup, even though it is G1, I can’t not mention Micromasters. Any TF fans with kids will know what I’m talking about. They are just so much fun and so easy. Once you add in the big sets like Skystalker or Countdown, maybe throw in a G1 Fort Max as a base and watch your kids play, or even play with them, you really have distilled the whole franchise down into its purest form.
Collect any comics? I collect the collected IDW editions. I’m about 5 years behind but slowly catching up. On my ipad I have read up until around the time that Megatron defeats the DJD and just haven’t had the time to go back to them to finish them, but I will.
Favourite Comic issue/story, and why? I love Autobot Megatron in MTMTE. The idea of a reformed genocidal maniac responsible for the deaths of billions of beings across the galaxy getting stuck on a ship sharing command with an egotistical brat, an almost OCD second-in-command and a crew of clowns on a quest is a marvellous concept. The way James Robert’s was able to set the light, humorous tone but also incorporate moments in which the gravity of who Megatron was and what he had done was fully realised by the reader was great writing.
Favourite Cartoon episode/story, and why? I, like everyone else, was always partial to Call of the Primatives. I wish the whole series could have been animated to that level.
Favourite Character, and why? My favourite character has always been Ultra Magnus. I have a strong suspicion that the G1 UM was the first TF I ever got. And I loved it. I remember playing with it and taking it everywhere. I even kept it in its box.
You can imagine my disappointment then when nearly every iteration of Magnus throughout the franchise has been, in my opinion, a chump. G1 Magnus was this hulking, powerful bot yet hardly ever did anything of value. Animated UM was an arrogant tool, only outdone by Jerky McJerkface himself. The original Marvel run saw him have a very cool story however it eventually led to a very unsatisfying end. IDW MTMTE was good and his latest iteration, the Netflix Siege version, had a decent ark I suppose but still didn’t live anywhere near up to the expectations 5 year old me had.
I’ve always wanted to see Magnus as a more measured, logical and restrained version of Grimlock. A powerhouse that could unleash hell when he needed to but was always conscious of the fallout and collateral damage that doing so would cause.
Sexiest Transformers (robot) Character? Rung. Because I’m sure there’s fan fiction about that alt-mode…
Which Transformers character would you want to exist for real? Sky Lynx. Because Sky Lynxis awesome and anyone who disagrees can bugger off.
Approx TFs toy collection count (or give a range like 200s, 300s, etc): 200-300? My collection has always been this evolving thing. But it’s starting to climb in numbers. Especially now my son is kinda a young collector.
I think our sons would get along real swell
Sealed collector or out-of-packaging collector? Open them. Let your kids play with them. Otherwise you’re just like The Man Upstairs in The Lego Movie.
How much do you think you’ve spent on your collecting habit? Lots.
Any rare/expensive figures in your collection? A few. It’s not why I collect plus I’m also terrible at picking what will go up in value. In fact if I ever buy a TF because I think it’s going to be rare/worth something, just hold off until it’s on clearance for $10.
What interesting Licensed Merchandise items do you have? None that I can think of. I like commissioning comic artists but haven’t gone nuts with that. I got this earlier this year as a group by a friend organised. It’s wonderful.
First Transformers toy? G1 Ultra Magnus (I think)
One toy you most want? MISB G1 Ultra Magnus. I’d love to have a pristine example of the toy that started it all for me.
Editor’s Note: Wow – you are really into Magnus eh! Remind you to show you my one from the Titanium toyline 😉
The centrepiece/favourite toy in your collection at the moment (and why)? Not a toy but that megaposter I mentioned earlier. Every time I take a moment to stare at it I notice something new.
Favourite toy in your early years of collecting? So as to give a different answer, I’ll say my G1 Galvatron. That was a cool toy.
Worst toy(s) ever in your opinion? Those things from the last year or two that only half transform. I can’t even….
Editors note: I agree! Those figures from Cyberverse that don’t transform fully are total shite!
Toy(s) that were most disappointing when you got them? The recent Earthrise Quintessonwhen I got it was disappointing. I mean it looks great, until you transform it into that jail thing and then it’s like, what is even going on here?
Thoughts on gimmick and non-convertable Transformers toys? Gimmicks can be successfully integrated, they can also ruin a toy. MP-44 is an example of a toy that had a gimmick successfully integrated.
Which single TFs toy should every fan own? I suppose a G1 Optimus. It’s not the first, but it is a defining toy that is still being released today.
Which Transformers toy/product would you give as a wedding present? I mean, I wouldn’t. But maybe a Chromedome/Rewind cake topper?
Do you collect other toys? Lego sets that catch my eye. I have a UCS Millennium Falcon sitting in the bottom of my wardrobe to be built when I eventually get a house with somewhere to put it. As well as some other cool sets. I still have a few classic space sets from when I was a kid.
I also collect Macross Valkyries. Although I don’t get anywhere near as many of those as they aren’t cheap. I also just realized you could probably call me a Voltron collector.
What is your favourite TF themed post on this website? What website? Does Trev have a website? I never even suspected.
Editor’s note: Double Smarmy arsehole
How did you find out about www.bigangrytrev.com ? Trev never shuts up about it.
Editor’s note: Fricken Triple-smarmy arsehole!
Many thanks to Trent for this interview (I think) . Got any more questions for Trent? Pop them in the comments section below and I’m sure he’ll happily answer them.
This month – January 2021 – marks 20 years of me being an adult collector of Transformers.
It also marks the 20 year anniversary of my first (very short lived) marriage. And the two are not unconnected.
As a kid we didn’t have a great deal of money, though I never went without a roof over my head or food in my belly so we did OK. I’d get a few transformers each year with my bit of pocket money I earned mowing the lawns at home or turning in rabbit skins when visiting my dad. And I sometimes got a Transformer for a birthday or Christmas as well.
My collection circa 1987
In my teens G1 was coming to an end. However this was also the time that my mother began running a small Toys & Gifts shop. This meant that I could get my Transformers wholesale! It was also the time of reissues so as well as being able to purchase Micromastersand Action Masters at cost, I was also able to grab theCombaticons, Arielbots, Protectobots and even a few bigger figures like someDinobots & Autobot Cars. Yes sir, it was a golden time.
Primus bless reissues!
Sadly I strayed in my late teens as so many young men do. G2 didn’t hold much appeal for me and suddenly beer and girls were very interesting. So my collection, which at the time equalled 1 gross – 144 figures (if you counted individual bots such as Micromasters and Target Masters) – was put away in a box and did not see the light of day for many years.
I never stopped loving Transformers, even when I moved to Melbourne to go to Uni. But once again partying, friends and girls seemed somehow more important. I hated BeastWars (I appreciate it now but back then thought it was an abomination) and sometimes my mates used to get me liquored up and goad me into a ‘trukk not munkey’ rant. To be honest to this day organic alt-modes still do little for me. So Transformers stayed waaaaay in the background of my existence.
Now comes January 2001
I got married. Stupidly. It was partly as I’d always been too lazy and cowardly to break up with the girl and partly because she had a balcony you could do Shakespeare from (I was young, shallow and dumb OK – a large chest seemed more important than a pleasant personality!). A couple of dear friends of mine were filming the wedding for us and asked what present we would like. I replied filming was more than gift enough. When they persisted I said jokingly ‘Get me a G1 Optimus Prime’.
Well the night of the wedding we are unwrapping gifts. I’m trying to stifle my boredom as they are mainly ‘grown-ups’ gifts like linen and breakfast trays (once again – I was 23 and immature). Then I unwrapped the gifts from Tammy & Michael.
And there… lo…. was a loose GENERATION ONE OPTIMUS PRIME!!!
Me on honeymoon with Optimus Prime. I swear he got more action than I did
There was also a Wreck-Gar(whom I already had but now they could ride each other!) and a Chop Shop. I squealed like an excited schoolgirl! For me it was the highlight of the night!
And thus after nearly a decade away, I came back to Transformer collecting. I discovered eBay and found so many G1 toys that my ranks quickly swelled. With a new career I had more money, and from big toys like Omega Supreme, Metroplex, Sky Lynx & Trypticon, to smaller figures like the Throttlebots, those G1 gaps were filling fast!
7 months into the marriage it ended. Shan’t go into details but let’s just say my ex worked in education and I discovered she was doing some very ‘private tuition’ with one of her teen students and leave it at that. So the marriage died which in the long run was one of the best things that could have ever happened to me; I ended up moving in coincidentally with the friends who had given me Optimus. But though my marriage was dead, my love for Transformers was thriving! I continued to buy G1 stuff online, and the new Robots in Disguise toys hit the shelves in Australia, bringing back all the concepts I loved like vehicular transformers and combiners.
My G1-cartoon cast in the early 2000’s
My collecting has continued ever since. By the end of 2001 my collection, which had stagnated at a count of 144, was over two hundred and I had no inclination to just how far it would end up going! I’ve continued amassing Transformers right through all the cartoons from Armada to Cyberverse, throughout all the live-action movies and especially the G1-inspired toylines such as Generations, right up to the latest Earthrise figures. I’ve travelled many parts of the globe and brought back figures you couldn’t find in Australia. I got married again 12 years ago but this time it was for all the right reasons and I couldn’t imagine loving my wife more. If I’m 100% honest the fact that she is so tolerant of my hobby makes up a small part of that (only a small part, there are a plethora of wonderful things about her to love!). And my kids love to play Transformers with their Dad!
They even have their own playtables set up – bless their hearts
Now 20 years on I’m sitting at around the 3500 figures mark along with about another thousand pieces of TF merchandise, have my own Transformatorium shed and indeed this blog where I often share my love of the hobby. So I’m a pretty damn lucky guy!
“Who says I have an obsession?!”
I can’t even remember the exact day in January 2001 I got married on, but I damn sure remember getting that G1 Optimus Prime.
I find it hard to resist buying an Arcee figure. As a multiverse collector this is the case with a lot of G1-originated characters for me, but there are characters that I nearly always get and Arcee is one of them.
Why? Not sure. Maybe because she was such a well known character from the 1986 movie, as well as Seasons 3 & 4 of the G1 cartoon but never got a toy of her own. I had to wait until I was in my 20’s before I got my first representation of her as a statue bust. But since then I’ve gotten her in so many lines –Alternators, Energon, Prime, Animated, Thrilling 30, Qand most recentlyCyberverse andEarthrise. Heck, I even have her inMouse Padform! However none of these figures ever really captured Arcee for me and how cool she is, especially her vehicle form.
Arcee is getting the Masterpiece treatment as we speak and that figure is due to be released soon. But in the meantime I did something I almost never do. Despite having about 3500 Transformer figures in my collection, you could count the amount of 3rdparty figures I own on one hand. Given some of the complaints about the aesthetic of the new MP Arcee coming out, I decided to shell out and purchase a 3P figure of her where the aesthetic goes in theopposite direction. So lets take a look atEX-01ArceeNICEEfromBIGFIREBIRDTOY.
The packaging wont win design awards for subtlety……but then neither will the toy inside
Robot Mode
“Hi everyone! I’m the toy your girlfriend probably hates”
Aesthetic
An incredibly stylized version ofArceeNicee. Considering the popularity of the differently styled aesthetic ofAnimated, I’ve never really understood why Transformers would not try for a Japanese influenced Anime theme. This figure isextremelyanime in its aesthetics, from the long slim limbs to the quasi-angelic wings and armour that almost appears to be a battle bikini. It really is a fantastic looking figure. Before we go further however, lets address the elephants in the room…
“What? These? My lovely lady lumps?”
Let’s get this out of the way. Yes she hasboobs. Her armour is specifically shaped to enhance this. There is no getting away from it and given the picture on the front of her box it seems that this is supposed to be a big selling point forArceeNicee. Now I totally get this kind of thing not being everyone’s cup of tea. Completely understandable. But here’s the great thing….
…. If you don’t like it you don’t have to buy it. Lucky you!
“Lets all just get along eh mate!”
Interchangeable Body Parts
Nicee comes with two heads, two chests and 8 hands (4 left and 4 right). The reason for so many hands is each one is designed to hold a different weapon, be it blunt or ranged. They look rather skeletal and kinda freaky to be honest. The chests are completely identical except one is white and the other is shiny white. The heads are slightly different to each other, in particular the face. For those of you who don’t likeArceeNicee having metal hair, you can remove it. This is one of the instances where the figure lets me down – I wanted her to have a head more in keeping with her usual look, and while removing the hair allows this, it also leaves a big gap above her forehead which ruins the effect. So if you are not a hair fan too bad – better a bob than a hole in the head I guess.
Poseability
The figure has really good tight joints and multiple points of articulation. She is able to be put into all manner of poses and stances, balances fairly well and possesses good flexibility.
“4 million years old and not a touch of arthritis!”
Vehicle Form
How friggin sexy does this look! As I’ve mentioned I don’t usually buy 3P figures but if they are all like this then I understand why people do. Nicee puts every Arcee figure in my collection to shame. The aesthetics are just wonderful; the sleek lines and subtle curves interspersed with straight lines really make this a beautiful alien car to behold.
The paint job is very high quality and the bright translucent blue used for the windscreen, headlights and taillights ad a nice counterbalance to all the pink and white. There are all sorts of little details that add to the beauty of this figure, in particular I like the steering dash and moulded seats.
Weaponry
Nicee comes with multiple weapons including spear, sword, pistol and shield. Also you are able to remove her backpack and combine it with the spear into a sort of energy bow. Given her ability to be put into all manner of poses this sets you up for some great battle shots!
Transformation
The transformation is fairly straight forward and the instructions make it look more complicated than it actually is. In fact it is sorta reminiscent ofThrilling 30 Arcee. The shield becomes the top of the vehicle but this is no way means she is a simple partsformer. My only two gripes would be that if you don’t position the high heels just right they can impede the front wheels rolling in vehicle mode, and that there are lots of little tabs that need to go together – often when you are tightening one another pops out of place. However a good transformation on the whole. You may find it convenient to take her hands off when putting her in vehicle form.
Worth Getting?
This on the whole is actually a pretty great figure, and given how expensive 3P items are the price tag is fairly acceptable. But what is going to be the deciding factor for people here isn’t going to be the articulation or transformation or plastic quality – it’s going to be the aesthetic. Some people are going to think this figure looks great, some are going to think it’s an abomination. So if the idea of an anime styled transformer appeals to you then you are going to love Nicee. If the idea of transformers being sexualized in any fashion is enough to send you on a month long twitter tirade then steer well clear. Just remember no matter what side of the fence you fall on, don’t hate on the other side – just be…. Nicee.
Got something to say about this figure? Pop it in the comments section below!
