Neo G1

When I was growing up it was all about Transformers - the Transformers that came to be known as Generation 1. When I started collecting again in the 2000's, to start with it was all about reissues of those figures.

We are now in a position where G1 has come back round again - it started off with a few homages in Energon, Alternators, Masterpiece and then finally a hull blown lines of homages - Classics. Classics turned into Universe (Classics 2.0), which has now turned into Generations. From the recent Botcon we've found out we're getting new versions of Jazz, Scourge, Tracks, Grapple, Windcharger and more.

Newer lines have been much more G1 in nature - Animated and to a certain extent the Movie line have definite nods to Generation 1. Comics have also played their part - first Dreamwave then IDW. Generation 1 is alive and well. It's a fantastic time to be a collector and fan!

One of the figures we've got in Generations is Drift - an IDW creation, we're also getting a Straxus (Darkmount) - a Furman/Marvel creation. All this is an updated G1 - modern toys - detailed and posable, darker storylines. Neo G1 perhaps, but what is Neo G1?

I think Classics/Universe/Generations is Neo G1, as are the DW/IDW comics - they take the characters we know and love and have built on it, characterising some of the lesser used characters and creating a few new ones.

If someone had asked me a few years back which characters I'd like in the upcoming Classics line, I'd have said all of the Season 1, 2 and 3 characters (and feel free to miss out Wreck-Gar). By the end of Generations I think we'll be pretty close to this, but Hasbro being the clever blighters they are always give us a bit more.

I look at my collection now, which is essentially 'Neo G1' and see alot more than just those characters from the first 3 seasons. Some of these are characters from other lines - Beast Wars, Armada, Energon and Cybertron lines which aren't G1 but I try and fit them into my made-up toy universe (Cybertron Scourge for instance).

Then there are characters from the latter end of G1 - Micromasters and Pretenders for instance, who have also got figures that I just can't say no to (Movie Bludgeon for instance), then there are characters who have been 'upgraded' - Powerglide and Seaspray, who aren't faithful to their G1 selves, but (in the case of Seaspray), are fantastic looking toys which are hard to ignore.

Then there are 'new' characters (quite a lot created by ehobby) - Drift and Hailstorm who have to be slotted in somehow. My original 'vision' of the characters from Seasons 1, 2 and 3 has cleverly been expanded to include Beast Wars, the Terrorcons from Energon, and the various Cybertron repaints as various vaguely G1 characters (Vector Prime anyone?).

I reckon about the only characters left who need figures are Wheeljack, Blitzwing, Trailbreaker/Hoist and Gears. Once we've got them I think I can give up collecting, and you know, I think Hasbro knows that so are in no rush to release them - they know I just can't ignore all the other things they release.

Halfway through 2010!

So we're almost halfway through the year (and I haven't blogged since the New Year), so it seems a good time to reflect on what the year has brought us and how it's going.

The branded Movie line slowly seems to be drying up, and hopefully the shops are gearing up for Transformers Generations (and the Hunt for the Decepticons line Seaspray), and in fact a few places such as Australia have got them already.

I'm passing on the announced War for Cybertron figures, not that I think they're bad figures but I don't need another Prime, Megatron et al. Drift and Straxus (Darkmount) seem full of promise though, and we've got Botcon in a few weeks which hopefully will set the stall for the coming months. Personally I'm hoping for an announcement of a Jazz (I'd be happy with a War for Cybertron figure), and then maybe a Wheeljack, Blitzwing and Scourge. I can hope!

It sounds like we might get a few of the '86 Movie cast as well (such as a repaint of Drift as Blurr), so I can't wait.

The 3rd party releases are going along nicely as well - Springer, Rumble and Frenzy already, with Bruticus and Arcee lined up. Let's hope that Fansproject keep up the good work - it'd be great to see the Broadside and other figures mentioned a while back (I know Arcee's not Fansproject!). An Energon Devastator upgrade would also be awesome, but perhaps Crazydevy will do the honours. I've been getting their G1 parts and they seem to be pretty solid.

Takara are still doing some awesome stuff - the G1 Unicron looks utterly fantastic and hopefully we'll get Device Label Blaster soon.

Marvel Universe is still going strong and there seem plenty of great figures about to be released (already appearing in some places) - Ghost Rider, Captain Britain, Mystique, Archangel and Juggernaut. Galactus is a while off but is set to be an awesome figure. It seems a bit of a shame that figures appear on ebay before an official unveiling but hopefully SDCC in July will provide a few surprises. I'm hoping for a few 'filler' figures - Invisible Woman, Rogue, Beast, Professor X to complete the Fantastic Four and the X-men. I'd love to see a Carnage in the Spider-man line as well, preferably with more articulation than Venom though.

There are a few other lines and figures that I'm following - Hulkbuster from the Iron Man 2 line, the PopCo Nintendo 5" Waves 02 and 03 seem a very long time coming - I still want to see Wario, Princess and Bowser. Yoda in the Transformers Crossovers is also on my to get list, it looks ridiculous, but it seems a bit late in the day for me to start criticising the line!

It will also be interesting to see what happens with Infinite Heroes. It was recently announced that Bandai have got the license for a new Thundercats line, so my dream of articulated figures looks like it might come true. Hurrah!

I'm still picking up some G1 figures on ebay, left on my 'To Get' list are the combiner cassettes (Grandslam, Raindance, Beastbox and Squawktalk), the Monster Pretenders and the Terrorcons. I still long for the day when I'm just 'cherry-picking' from the Marvel Universe and Transformers Classics 3.0/4.0/etc lines!

It occurred to me the other day that I quite miss the Takara Collection days - the excitement of the news of the next release, it arriving in the post and the ritual of the opening. No umming and arring about whether to wait to see if it appears in shops here or just to bite the bullet, and buy it on ebay. Having said that, nothing quite matches the thrill of the hunt - finding the figure you want and buying it in person is great. I still remember very fondly successful trips where I've got the last one in a particular shop.

Drift, Straxus, Seaspray and the Marvel Universe figures should be out soon. Let the hunt begin!

Wish List for 2010!

We're only 2 weeks into the new year so I thought it would be a great time to create a 'wish' list for the year, a list of 50 figures I'd like to see.

I will stick to the two groups I'd most like to add to - Marvel/DC 3.75 inch figures and Transformers Universe. I'm not too worried about which line they're in or whether they're official (e.g. FansProject) - just whether they fit the aesthetic. I'm also assuming we get the figures that have been announced such as the Galactus figure in Marvel Universe, Two-Face in Infinite Heroes, Warbot (Springer) from FansProject and Blaster in Device Label, etc.

(No particular order)

01. Carnage
02. Sandman
03. Elektra
04. Kingpin
05. Ghost Rider
06. Beast
07. Rogue
08. Apocolypse
09. Sentinel
10. Mr Sinister
11. Professor Xavier
12. Pyro
13. Quicksilver
14. Invisible Woman
15. Riddler
16. Penguin
17. Mr Freeze
18. Poison Ivy
19. Bane
20. Harley Quinn
21. Jazz
22. Stepper
23. Wheeljack
24. Tracks
25. Skids
26. Trailbreaker
27. Hoist
28. Grapple
29. Windcharger
30. Gears
31. Huffer
32. Seaspray
33. Powerglide - Legend
34. Galvatron - Voyager
35. Scourge
36. Sandstorm
37. Kup
38. Blurr
39. Perceptor
40. Reflector
41. Sunstorm
42. Whirl
43. Runabout
44. Runamuck
45. Shockwave
46. Motormaster - Ultra
47. Hot Spot - Ultra
48. Rumble
49. Frenzy
50. Blitzwing

I reckon if I can get a quarter of those, I'll have done well! I'd be quite happy with repaints/remolds for some, even re-releases in the cases of Apocolypse and Sentinel (Marvel Legends). Some I'd like a particular size - most of the Transformers as deluxes, but the Minibots as legends and a few as scout size (Reflector, Rumble, Frenzy).

I'd also love some bi-plane seekers, ala the Hearts of Steel comics but they don't quite fit the Universe aesthetic so I left them out.

I'm working on customs of Shockwave, Reflector, Runabout, Runamuck, Sunstorm and Whirl, but it'd be great to have the real thing.

I'll see how I got on in December!

New Aquisitions and New Year

Having got back to Europe, I shipped my pile of loot from BBTS, it really was like several Christmases at once! I've opened most of the Transformers Universe and Marvel Universe (3.75") lines. Still a few more to go, which I'm spreading out over the festive period.

Anyway, it's almost the end of the year and indeed the end of the decade. There seems to be lots of 'best of's at the moment so I thought I'd join in, and give my own 'best of'. (Transformers naturally.)

It's a best of list from all time (not just the last year or decade) and I've gone for 15, no reason really other than that's how many I came up with when I made a list of my favourite figures. So here we go, in no particular order:

1). Henkei Dinobot - I should emphasise that this is the Henkei version, and not the Universe version for the simple reason of being the right colour. This figure is cartoon accurate, a dinosaur, has a sword and is doesn't fall over due to good size feet. Spot on.

2). Masterpiece Grimlock - Again, a dinosaur with a sword which is always a winning combination. Super detailed, and a faithful upgrade from G1. You can even change his visor from G1 toy accurate red to anime accurate blue, the ultimate Grimlock figure.

3). G1 Steeljaw - I'm a big fan of the cassette-formers and although Steeljaw may not be the best (I think Laserbeak takes that award due to being the least 2-dimensional), or even have done much in the fiction (take a bow Ravage or Rumble), I like him simply because he's a lion, and possibly because he's an Autobot. Oh, and he was the first cassette I got.

4). G1 Sixshot - A brick certainly, but in my opinion one of the best bricks. Granted as an adult collector posability is everything, but as a child that really wasn't a worry, and in fact the great thing was that they were some of the few toys that could actually stand up on carpet. Sixshot has a great colour scheme (much better than say Greatshot), and in the (Japanese) cartoon he killed Ultra Magnus, then ultimately switched sides. Brilliant! (Does anyone else find Ultra Magnus annoying!?) If I could the 10 year old me a present Sixshot would be the one. He also has 6 modes including a plane and puma. Hours and hours of fun.......

5). Universe Sunstreaker - Lamborghinis are one of my favourite cars, and yellow Lambos in particular. Universe Sunstreaker is anime accurate, and another fantastic update to a classic character. On a side note, I'm not such a fan of Universe Sideswipe; the head sculpt just isn't as good and I suspect the Sunstreaker aspect of the toy was designed first.

6). Cybertron Scourge - Well, Galaxy Force Flame Convoy really since I own the Japanese version. In my opinion, the best dragon transformer, bright colours and nicely posable. He also owns an axe, and is another one of those characters who switches allegiances. (Seems to be a reoccurring theme in this list.......)

7). RID Scourge - Again, actually Car Robots Black Convoy but the figure that started off the Nemesis Prime trend of repaints. Teal and black looks far better than the original Optimus Prime colours, and again, he has a sword which really seals the deal. He holds a unique place in my collection, the only G2 figure, the only RID figure and I got him because he's awesome, not because he fits in with my collection at all.

8). Beast Wars II Halfshell - G1 Snaptrap to you and me, I like this guy because he's a turtle, has a great colour scheme, and because has a sword. He also forms the body for one of my favourite G1 combiners. Enough said.

9). G1 Deszaras - Emperor of Destruction in the Victory series. One of my most expensive figures but one of my favourites. His dragon/bird monster head is all chrome, it's one of the few figures that chrome actually really works well on. For me, a big dragon with big wings, and a vicious looking face is always a winner.

10). G1 Smokescreen - not including Sideswipe who I had as a kid, Smokescreen was my first Autobot car and I was surprised how small he was. The diaclone line had some great figures, but the Datsun mold has to be one of the best (hence being used 3 times I guess), and I think Smokescreen has the best colours out of the 3, as well as being a sports model which always helps.

11). G1 Sixtrain - I've always had a soft spot for Micromasters, Trains and combiners, so Sixtrain is a winning (excuse the pun) combination. Good colour scheme as well.

12). G1 Sludge - I could have gone for any of the original Dinobots really, but I opted for Sludge. I remember as a kid being amazed how he formed such a long dinosaur whilst not being that tall a robot. He's the most posable out of the original dinobots, and one that needs an update.

13). Universe Onslaught - A superb example of how a bit of extra size can make for a much better toy (Galvatron, I'm looking at you). I think he also looks genuinely threatening, almost like he's wearing a gas mask (maybe more creepy than threatening). FansProject are making an upgrade kit for Universe Bruticus, which in the name of only having one version of a character means some sort of rotation system will be needed.

14). 10th Anniversary Beast Wars Megatron - You know, the retooled version of the original. Anime accurate, a dinosaur, etc. No sword, but a fine toy none the less.

15). Classics Bumblebee - Similarly to Onslaught I guess, bigger is better. The best G1 Bumblebee in my opinion, a simple but effective transformation. Maybe I just like yellow Transformers..... I also have the legends version, and so suffer with the dilemna of whether to go with the clearer superior deluxe version, or the legends version which makes more sense scale wise with the other (legends) minibots.

So there you go, my favourite 15 figures. Plenty of room for discussion (particularly if you're not a sword and dinosaur fan!). Happy New Year!!!

Back in Europe

Well, it's December, I'm back in Europe and desperately trying to fit all my figures on a small set of shelves. Something's got to give!

Over the course of moving, packing everything up and remembering how much stuff I gave other people to look after. I've got a lot, I reckon in 2 years I've almost doubled the number of figures I have. (Actually looking at how much I've spent, probably doubled and some.....)

Anyway, it's really sunk in now just how much I have. There's so much that frankly until my kids (which don't exist yet) leave home, I'm going to have to adopt some sort of rotation system.

First things first; prioritise; my must display toys are the Marvel Universe/Infinite Heroes figures, Classics/Universe Transformers and my animal themed G1 Transformers. I was originally going to go with the usual Autobot/Decepticon/Seasons 1 and 2/Movie split for my Transformers but upon re-reading my War Within comics, something better occurred to me:

In the second volume when Prime and Megatron are missing, the respective faction further sub-divide - Autobots, Wreckers, Lightning Strike Coalition, Decepticons, Predacons and Ultracons. Brilliant! I then realised that the characters featured are the usual Season 1 and 2 'formers supplemented by some of the later Decepticons. Which are mainly Animal Transformers. I had a figure of most of the characters featured - Classics/Universe for most of the early characters, and then G1 figures for the later characters. This was a much more interesting way of displaying my figures.

With the Chaos Trinity as an extra faction (with Movie Bludgeon when I get him), plus borrowing a bit from later comics, the Resistance (Hot Rod and co), and the Dead Universe (IDW), plus a bit of imagination, pretty much every character had a faction. Each faction would then get a shelf. I think there will still need to be some rotation but I think it'll work a treat. Photos soon!

3.75" Figures

I have finally got my hands on a couple of Infinite Heroes and Marvel Universe Figures, and I can't help feeling a little disappointed with Mattel. They have really dropped the ball with the articulation on the Infinite Heroes figures (I read this in many reviews but now I have them in hand it's really sunk in). The legs go up and down. That's it! And virtually no accessories, were it not for the fact I really want some Batman figures to go with the Marvel Universe line I think I'd leave it and wait a couple of years until they finally release something that you can actually pose - basically unless the legs are dead straight it's not going to stand.

I got the Universe (new) Punisher figure as well, annoyingly he's quite a bit bigger than the Wolverine Origins figures, and I'm not as happy with him as I was with Deadpool and Wolverine. (I think the Universe figures are 4" rather than 3.75".)

Still, minor irritations aside, it's quite amazing to be collecting something which is relatively cheap. With the second Transformers Movie in full swing, it's a good opportunity to save a bit of money. I'll pick up Ravage and that Bludgeon figure mentioned at Botcon, but other than it's cheap days. Takara will be releasing the Device Label Figures in a couple months, and presumably FansProject will start releasing some stuff, but other than that I'm concentrating on the 3.75/4" comic book figures.

It's not just about saving money though, it's about space. I'm moving back home this week (having been overseas for 2 years), and it's just dawned on me quite much stuff I've acquired. There are figures stashed absolutely everywhere, on my desk at work, in the living room, bedroom and in the garage. I've got a couple more G1 figures I want to pick up, and then that has to be it. There are a couple of figures I'm tempted by, but I have to draw the line. If they reissue a figure, I might get it, but otherwise I'm done with ebay. It's time to enjoy what I have.

Alternators, Binaltech and Masterpiece

So it was Botcon 2009 this week, not much for people who aren't fans of the Movie line but a couple of snippets of interesting news.

There's a Voyager Bludgeon with swords, I have a particular weakness for Transformers with swords, and a Movie inspired figure is no exception. (I also splashed out $100 on a Drift figure which is going to be released at a Singaporean convention, hope I don't regret that.) There's also going to be a couple more reissues - Perceptor and the Insecticons, I've already got a couple of sets of Insecticons but I'm sure you can never have too many....

Perhaps the most significant bit of news is that the Classics/Universe line will return in Autumn 2010. I'm particularly happy about that, I'm also quite grateful about the delay, I've almost got all the G1 figures I want, that means between now and then there will be a couple of 3rd party figures (FansProject mainly), Device Label, Marvel Universe and that's it. I'm sure my wallet will be extremely grateful if I can resist other temptations.

The other exciting thing about Botcon for me was the exclusive Razorclaw figure, I wasn't there so had to resort to ebay. Expensive but not too bad (compared to 2007). I was thinking he would look pretty sweet displayed next to Jazz ala the Jazz IDW spotlight. Given that Razorclaw is a voyager then perhaps Alternator Jazz would be the way to go.

I have Alternator Grimlock and I intend to get Masterpiece Grimlock. I'm considering getting Alternator Ravage (Jaguar version). I have thus far resisted all other Alternator/Binaltech and Masterpiece figures. Initially this was because the figures didn't really appeal to me - had they got a Lamborghini or Volkswagon license (you can see what figures I wanted) I would have gone for them. As it was, Smokescreen was nowhere near his G1 self and I don't really like the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe figures. Equally I couldn't quite convince myself on the Megatron and Starscream Masterpiece figures.

So far so good, combined with the massive cost of getting those figures (especially now), it's looking like quite a good decision. Additionally I didn't want to start collecting a 4th G1 set (after G1, WST and Classics/Universe). But somehow those figures are calling out to me, especially when you see some of the stuff Reprolabels have done......

And then there's also the issue of scale, the Alternator line fits in very nicely with the 3.75 inch scale figures. I'm not a fan of GI Joe but there are a few pieces of artwork which makes me think that human figures display well with bots, and so the Marvel Universe figures with Alternators would look pretty cool. (It's a shame the last Marvel/Transformers crossover was so lame.)

So I want some figures, but certainly not all of them. But where to draw the line? I think the best place to start is with the Masterpiece figures. It then follows that given the distinct lack of Decepticons in the Alternators line that any collection I start would be Autobot based. (I would have to make an exception should a Soundwave Masterpiece figure be created though.)

I used to display my sports car based G1 figures together (Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Jazz, Smokescreen, Tracks, Mirage, Stepper, Wheeljack and Hot Rod). All of those characters have Alternator figures, perhaps with a bit of customisation thrown in, that could work quite nicely.

Maybe I'll just pick up Jazz and see how it goes.