All in on Unknown Evil.
Or Star Saber, I guess, because I'd like to see his IDW incarnation fleshed out better.
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Transformers |OT| Transform and roll out...
- Thread starter Mike M
- Start date
All in on Unknown Evil.
Or Star Saber, I guess, because I'd like to see his IDW incarnation fleshed out better.
Voting is open now!
http://transformers.hasbro.com/en-u...f-primes:27F9B879-5056-9047-F5B7-E5C51F996F4A
It's funny how their bios reference elements from both the current IDW comics state of affairs and classic characterizations, resulting in some fascinating ambiguity for those that are now completely different like Arcee, Megatron or Star Saber.. I personally voted for Arcee because I want to see a fembot rule (disappointed that Windblade isn't an option).
I went Arcee, Primal, Star Saber.
Interesting that they put Primal in the "Chaos" trio, but his bio referencing "Sometimes crazy works" kind of justifies it, I guess.
Weltall Zero
Member
Wait, you have three votes? I thought we only got one.
Edit: Ah, I see, one per group. Went Arcee, Unknown, Megs. Unknown is pretty obviously Deathsaurus from Victory, in case anyone might not have noticed (not exactly the most prominent bot to western audiences).
I didn't really like any of the candidates; Hasbro sure captured the spirit of a real-world election.
Edit: Ah, I see, one per group. Went Arcee, Unknown, Megs. Unknown is pretty obviously Deathsaurus from Victory, in case anyone might not have noticed (not exactly the most prominent bot to western audiences).
I didn't really like any of the candidates; Hasbro sure captured the spirit of a real-world election.
BattleMonkey
Member
You vote on three categories. Then there is going to be a 2nd round of votes where we choose from one of the three contenders voted in.
Probably. All those kids who watched Munkey probably voted for him, and Megs is a G1 icon.
TLK toyline starting to leak out:
Deluxe class Bumblebee (maybe a preview figure? Like the Preview Optimus, it's an AoE repaint, but that makes way less sense for Bee) and "Berserker". Also, Deluxe Barricade maintains the Protect and Serve knuckle dusters, which I was worried would get left out since they're finer details on increasingly simpler sculpts with less paint detail, so that's pretty much a shoe-in for the greatest Transformer of all time. AoE Slash is getting a repaint too, to round out the first wave.
Also, the control sheets for One-Step Changer Barricade and Hound:
Deluxe class Bumblebee (maybe a preview figure? Like the Preview Optimus, it's an AoE repaint, but that makes way less sense for Bee) and "Berserker". Also, Deluxe Barricade maintains the Protect and Serve knuckle dusters, which I was worried would get left out since they're finer details on increasingly simpler sculpts with less paint detail, so that's pretty much a shoe-in for the greatest Transformer of all time. AoE Slash is getting a repaint too, to round out the first wave.
Also, the control sheets for One-Step Changer Barricade and Hound:
aparisi2274
Member
TetraxShards
Member
I'll get mine from Toy Dojo (delayed a bit cuz of Chinese New Year) for $179.99 shipped. Give a Google search for MAS-01 Optimus to get more details. He's 1:18th scale so he goes with 3 3/4" GI Joe's. He doesn't transform so he's an official product by a 3rd party designer. Reviews have been good so far.
edit:
I like Bens Collectibles reviews so here's a decent look at him in motion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qiKPxiJMWqs
edit 2:
Megatron is planned as well, so, fuck yeah
Haloid1177
Banned
MMC Kultur came in stock at BBTS today. Hype!
I have the third party Tailgate and can also recommend it highly. Looks just like him. If you like MTMTE Swerve there's a really great 3rd party Swerve out there too.
Wow, those are awful. The Barricade shot leaves off the 1/3 of car mode that hangs off his back unless you remove it. Berserker has so much plain grey on him it's almost insulting considering what they're charging. And then a Bumblebee mode I never wanted and a Dinobot I already own and regret. Easy pass on this entire line so far.
Mine showed up yesterday from PlanetSteelExpress. He's pretty huge, and the transformation is refreshingly simple for a third party figure. Couldn't ask for a much better representation of the character.
Unfortunately for me i'll have to wait for the reissue -.-
One bit of warning on Tarn: The backpack doesn't open up quite as far as I'd like in order to get his head out (although it's possible I'm doing something wrong). When you flip his head out be very careful about the pointy bits on the Decepticon mask clearing the backpack properly, because I suspect they could snap off very easily if pressure was put on them at the wrong angle.
*spoiler warning for all of MTMTE*
I re-read MTMTE, now understanding the foreshadowing and being more invested now that I'm mostly able to differentiate who all these robot toys are (Prowl, Ratchet and Pharma look the exact same!) and I reaffirmed that it's one of the best comics I've read in years, but I also found a handful of nitpicks that I want to throw out:
I re-read MTMTE, now understanding the foreshadowing and being more invested now that I'm mostly able to differentiate who all these robot toys are (Prowl, Ratchet and Pharma look the exact same!) and I reaffirmed that it's one of the best comics I've read in years, but I also found a handful of nitpicks that I want to throw out:
The Necrobot is wasted.
- This guy was one of the coolest additions to the book, and when we finally return to him he's just dead. There could have been so much more explored with him but it amounts to nothing in the end.
Skids and Ravage's death felt really anticlimactic.
- Skids dies for a three page power up that does nothing, and Ravage basically just pops up to get torn in half by Tarn with no buildup. I'm fine with people dying, it would be silly if the crew finally fought the DJD and faced no casualties, but I felt the way they down was disrespectful to their characters, Skids especially, especially when Megatron stomps in and destroys the DJD single handed. It's even more annoying that, if Megatron stuck around for three more seconds, he could have gotten Skids back onto the table and he could have lived! My Nautica/Skids ship is ruined!
Tarn being Glitch was dumb and he should have been Roller.
- I know James Roberts said that it was always going to be Glitch, but it felt like a twist for a twist's sake. Glitch had no characterization where at least Roller had his self esteem issues and was accidentally forgotten by Optimus.
The message from the future in issue #1 was just a joke.
- This just sucked.
You seriously expect me to believe THUNDERCLASH went along with the mutiny?
- He's Thunderclash! He saves orphans from exploding suns! He would never be on board with abandoning anyone to Overlord and the Galactic Council.
Or is he dead? He got collapsed by Sunder so IDK.
- This guy was one of the coolest additions to the book, and when we finally return to him he's just dead. There could have been so much more explored with him but it amounts to nothing in the end.
Skids and Ravage's death felt really anticlimactic.
- Skids dies for a three page power up that does nothing, and Ravage basically just pops up to get torn in half by Tarn with no buildup. I'm fine with people dying, it would be silly if the crew finally fought the DJD and faced no casualties, but I felt the way they down was disrespectful to their characters, Skids especially, especially when Megatron stomps in and destroys the DJD single handed. It's even more annoying that, if Megatron stuck around for three more seconds, he could have gotten Skids back onto the table and he could have lived! My Nautica/Skids ship is ruined!
Tarn being Glitch was dumb and he should have been Roller.
- I know James Roberts said that it was always going to be Glitch, but it felt like a twist for a twist's sake. Glitch had no characterization where at least Roller had his self esteem issues and was accidentally forgotten by Optimus.
The message from the future in issue #1 was just a joke.
- This just sucked.
You seriously expect me to believe THUNDERCLASH went along with the mutiny?
- He's Thunderclash! He saves orphans from exploding suns! He would never be on board with abandoning anyone to Overlord and the Galactic Council.
Or is he dead? He got collapsed by Sunder so IDK.
Weltall Zero
Member
For the love of god, spoiler tag all that stuff! A line of forewarning is not nearly enough for anyone browsing!
That said, I disagree with virtually every single of your nitpicks:
- People die in stupid ways, that's the entire point. If you want to see every death be a noble sacrifice to save everyone, this is definitely not the series for it. I mean, those aren't even the most tragically pointless deaths in the comic. Remember Trailcutter?
- As far as I'm concerned, the necrobot's purpose was completed as soon as the truth about him was revealed, Megatron got in the path to redemption, and Rewind got hope. If anything I didn't even expect him to show again, dead or alive.
- Tarn being Roller was far too obvious to have turned out to be true, I was bracing for the disappointment that it would indeed be the case but hoped Roberts woudn't disappoint, and indeed he didn't. For me by far the best part of the Glitch reveal is going way back to his introduction and reading the offhand sentence "he's able to shut down non-sentient machinary on contact. Someday he'll be able to do it at a distance".
- While the circunstances when the message is sent are humorous (I mean, this IS MTMTE), the warnings were mostly about real dangers, even if the outcomes often turned out fine (as pointed out). Frankly there was no getting out of this one, considering they should have actually heard it by the time they send it; they went back to Cybertron, which I suspect might not have been Roberts' intention as it was forced for the Dark Cybertron crossover. I'm willing to concede that this is disappointing if you were expecting a single grand revelation.
- The situation with Megatron is a highly ambiguous one when looked at it objectively, and if forced to make a decision, I have a feeling Thunderclash might not be OK at all with the idea of forgiving a mass murderer wholesale, especially since he's basically new to the ship and barely knows the new Megatron; the Rodimus crew (and us by extension) are only OK with it because we've been there every step of the way. Remember that Getaway had no clue anyone else but the Galactic Council would be there: the DJD and Overlord are as much a surprise to him (if he even knows by now) than to the away crew.
- As far as I'm concerned, the necrobot's purpose was completed as soon as the truth about him was revealed, Megatron got in the path to redemption, and Rewind got hope. If anything I didn't even expect him to show again, dead or alive.
- Tarn being Roller was far too obvious to have turned out to be true, I was bracing for the disappointment that it would indeed be the case but hoped Roberts woudn't disappoint, and indeed he didn't. For me by far the best part of the Glitch reveal is going way back to his introduction and reading the offhand sentence "he's able to shut down non-sentient machinary on contact. Someday he'll be able to do it at a distance".
- While the circunstances when the message is sent are humorous (I mean, this IS MTMTE), the warnings were mostly about real dangers, even if the outcomes often turned out fine (as pointed out). Frankly there was no getting out of this one, considering they should have actually heard it by the time they send it; they went back to Cybertron, which I suspect might not have been Roberts' intention as it was forced for the Dark Cybertron crossover. I'm willing to concede that this is disappointing if you were expecting a single grand revelation.
- The situation with Megatron is a highly ambiguous one when looked at it objectively, and if forced to make a decision, I have a feeling Thunderclash might not be OK at all with the idea of forgiving a mass murderer wholesale, especially since he's basically new to the ship and barely knows the new Megatron; the Rodimus crew (and us by extension) are only OK with it because we've been there every step of the way. Remember that Getaway had no clue anyone else but the Galactic Council would be there: the DJD and Overlord are as much a surprise to him (if he even knows by now) than to the away crew.
Weltall Zero
Member
I wish! We have people in here starting to read it every few days or weeks, which is good enough in itself.
Also I edited in my opinions in the post above.
Anywho
Trailcutter's death was perfect in its pointlessness. The slow buildup to the reveal that the bot they're trying to help is Vos, Trailcutter continuing despite everyone bailing the further they go, and just when you think he's safe you find out he's trapped in his field with Kaon.
Ravage deserved a better sendoff, like it would be completely fixed if we saw him fight Tarn for just a bit, and Skids just feels pointless, but not in the way that Trailcutter's death was emotionally devastating. It just happens and it sucks. It feels like the kind of thing that could be easily written around.
I see where you're coming from with Glitch, and yeah Glitch's power, in hindsight, is Tarn's, but I still hate it. I know that the final bout was about breaking down the DJD into tiny, pathetic, hypocritically violent chumps who get torn apart by Megatron, but Tarn being someone as insignificant as Glitch just makes him too pathetic in the end. Roller, at least, would allow for some kind of emotional response.
Plus Glitch getting un-empurata'd and getting a regular head and pair of hands back feels like a cheap shot
My gripe about Thunderclash was mostly a gag but it does feel weird at best that he'd leave Rodimus and co. to the Galactic Council (since none of them, not even Getaway, knew that the DJD were coming).
I'm really looking forward to that plotline coming back, especially with characters we've actually followed like Perceptor and Riptide, and Getaway finding out he's responsible for Skids's death. I'm guessing the robots found in the Necrobot's basement will be the new crew.
Ravage deserved a better sendoff, like it would be completely fixed if we saw him fight Tarn for just a bit, and Skids just feels pointless, but not in the way that Trailcutter's death was emotionally devastating. It just happens and it sucks. It feels like the kind of thing that could be easily written around.
I see where you're coming from with Glitch, and yeah Glitch's power, in hindsight, is Tarn's, but I still hate it. I know that the final bout was about breaking down the DJD into tiny, pathetic, hypocritically violent chumps who get torn apart by Megatron, but Tarn being someone as insignificant as Glitch just makes him too pathetic in the end. Roller, at least, would allow for some kind of emotional response.
Plus Glitch getting un-empurata'd and getting a regular head and pair of hands back feels like a cheap shot
My gripe about Thunderclash was mostly a gag but it does feel weird at best that he'd leave Rodimus and co. to the Galactic Council (since none of them, not even Getaway, knew that the DJD were coming).
I'm really looking forward to that plotline coming back, especially with characters we've actually followed like Perceptor and Riptide, and Getaway finding out he's responsible for Skids's death. I'm guessing the robots found in the Necrobot's basement will be the new crew.
One of the later flashbacks shows Glitch with normal hands again, implying he's going through the process of being de-empurataed. I don't agree with any of your nitpicks, really, but this one is just off in the weeds. The Glitch reveal is one of the most honestly played reveals I have ever seen in fiction of any kind.
He's a character whose defining visual element is his single eye. Him just getting a new head feels unfair if we're meant to solve that mystery (since one of the most important scenes for Tarn is when we see him close his eyes), especially since there's only two other important characters who have actually undergone Empurata, Shockwave and Whirl, and we've never seen someone repaired (in MTMTE anyway, I don't know if that's happened in one of the other books).
Him getting new hands (I did not catch that tbh) and his powers naturally progressing into Tarn's makes sense, especially the latter where Roller would lack that explanation, but I think it could have been done better.
Him getting new hands (I did not catch that tbh) and his powers naturally progressing into Tarn's makes sense, especially the latter where Roller would lack that explanation, but I think it could have been done better.
Dongs Macabre
aka Daedalos42
I think the Tarn reveal would have been better if Roberts hadn't set up Roller to be the obvious red herring.
Roller is only a prominent red herring if you've been following speculation online. The implication in the actual text is pretty subtle overall, and every time Roller is implicated, there's a hint about Glitch nearby. Sometimes in the same panel.
Dongs Macabre
aka Daedalos42
There were a lot more hints pointing to Roller, though. I like that Tarn turned out to be Glitch, since that was my theory about his identity, and I do think there were just enough hints pointing to it being him, but Roller was definitely set up as the "obvious" candidate. Roberts even brought him back again right before the reveal.
I haven't! I'm not sure it's for me, but I might end up pushing through. I love the old IDW comics, but Last Stand of the Wreckers and the final issue of that original run that transitions into MTMTE turned me off hard, plus I really hate the art...But I love well-written comics and Transformers, so I don't consider myself a total lost cause. I might get all up in it one day.
Anyway, spoiler tags appreciated; thanks for adding them.
As someone who just barely has any interest in all this junk about dumb robot toys, it's probably one of the best comics I've ever read.
We'r'e told sometime in the series that it became possible to fix Empurata but not many who were subjected to it were known and the two most well known cases had reasons not to fix it completely.
Because of the Shadowplay done to him Shockwave didn't care about his face and body but did fix his had. In RID it was shown he originally he had claw arms like Whirl but then after joining the Cons installed a normal hand to better interact and a cannon arm to better fight.
As for Whirl he didn't fix it because he didn't want to let go of his hate as he's afraid he would be hollow without it.
Because of the Shadowplay done to him Shockwave didn't care about his face and body but did fix his had. In RID it was shown he originally he had claw arms like Whirl but then after joining the Cons installed a normal hand to better interact and a cannon arm to better fight.
As for Whirl he didn't fix it because he didn't want to let go of his hate as he's afraid he would be hollow without it.
Heck, he was even there when Orion Pax recommended Megatron's book to Roller.
I'm not saying it wasn't intentional, I'm saying it's not nearly as cut and dried as people claim. It was just intentionally foregrounded as misdirection, but if you go back and look, he played it fair. The Roller theory has been trumpeted up and down the internet for a long time, to the point that it seemed people had decided it was true by default.
Originally I did think it was Roller, but after I while I changed my mind. I didn't call it as Glitch but I knew it couldn't be Roller because Roberts just isn't that obvious. Ever. Complaining about it strikes me as similar to getting mad at a magician for distracting you during a trick. It's kind of how it works.
Originally I did think it was Roller, but after I while I changed my mind. I didn't call it as Glitch but I knew it couldn't be Roller because Roberts just isn't that obvious. Ever. Complaining about it strikes me as similar to getting mad at a magician for distracting you during a trick. It's kind of how it works.
That's the problem - I love the dumb robot toys, and the writing and art feel like too great a departure from the representations I prefer. If I cared less about Transformers, I'd probably find MTMTE easier to appreciate.
In other TF news, Sovereign finally fought his way out of Canadian customs (massive delays in January, not sure why), so he should be here next week. Still time to disrupt plenty of coronations.
which representation do you prefer?
The G1 cartoon, and the pre MTMTE IDW stuff.
ah, I get ya. i don't know much about the older IDW stuff, but I'm a big fan of G1, and that's for me why I like the MTMTE stuff so much. There's not really a whole lot to G1 honestly for understandable reasons, but that they can take that and expand it into something like that is really impressive. And at the same time it still carries that G1 love too. For me it's everything that I like about G1 x 1000.
action figure all the way.
It's funny, that's really not a perspective I ever considered. I'm so enamored with the cast and interpersonal relationships, but I like them because of this series. I didn't care who Whirl, Cyclonus, and Ultra Magnus were before I read this series, but now they're "my" versions of those characters, and seeing them written differently in something else feels like it'd turn me off.
Exactly! For me, it's the G1 cartoon and movie. I feel like the original IDW comics built on that universe and those characters in a way that worked for me, but from what I know of MTMTE, it seems like a much greater departure in a very different direction.
Have you tried the other IDW stuff? Transformers Robots In Disguise (which then just became The Transformers, relaunched as Optimus Prime a while back) and Windblade might be more up your alley.
Weltall Zero
Member
I love Transformers more than I love virtually anything else. Seriously, it's hard to find someone crazier than me about Transformers, I grew up buying the toys and the comics during the mid 80's, I have several hundreds of the toys, and so on. And MTMTE is, by far, the best thing to ever happen to Transformers. It will make you proud of being a Transformers fan, and I don't just mean proud as in "I don't care Michael Bay raped my childhood in the ass, I still hold dear to my awesome G1 and Generations stuff", but "I'm proud of loving a franchise that has produced this literal work of art.".
But that's the entire reason Roberts chose perfect nobodies for most of the cast. I mean, what is your headcanon characterization of Tailgate? Or Swerve? Or Whirl?
There really are only three well known characters in the comic, and those are Rodimus (who is IMHO given an amazing characterization based on aspects that both fans liked and disliked about him), Magnus (which I won't say anything about for reasons), and Megatron (whose journey is absolutely fascinating to watch).
Also the reason why MTMTE is such a work of art is precisely because it departs so much from the same old. Once you read it you'll realize that Transformers only told the 10% of stories you can tell during wartime, and there's a whole 90% of stories that can be told without the war constantly writing them.
And another thing: Roberts is like G1 fanboy number one. The amount of obscure G1 references the comic weaves in constantly is staggering, and better, he goes out of his way to patch holes all along G1 canon, like inconsistencies about how Transformers are born/created. And it does so with such grace and wit that these explanations become fascinating parts of the Transformers mythos than in turn spawn many plot points. MTMTE has enriched the G1 TF universe more than any other work.
Seriously, you owe it to yourself to read it. And in the off chance you dislike it, it doesn't change what you love about G1!
I dunno, I think David Willis has everyone beat on being The Transformers Guy.
But, yeah, while I don't have the same connection to Transformers as other people, really I only like Beast Wars and thought Prime and the RiD cartoon are decent enough for fans, but MTMTE is seriously too good to pass up. I'd recommend it to anyone.
But, yeah, while I don't have the same connection to Transformers as other people, really I only like Beast Wars and thought Prime and the RiD cartoon are decent enough for fans, but MTMTE is seriously too good to pass up. I'd recommend it to anyone.
This. I just started reading MTMTE last week and the post-war setup has been very refreshing for a franchise that has more or less been Autobots whacking Decepticons for 30+ years. Can't believe I held off reading it for so many years.
5 volumes in and Roberts already got me to buy a Transformers figure. A Takara Tomy Legends Skids for a mere 1800 yen plus 980 yen shipping from Mandarake.co.jp (They have a few more available at that price). Also bought a Maketoys My First Blaster for $9.99 with free shipping. Now I have to get me a legends Swerve.
SiegfriedFM
Member
This. I just started reading MTMTE last week and the post-war setup has been very refreshing for a franchise that has more or less been Autobots whacking Decepticons for 30+ years. Can't believe I held off reading it for so many years.
5 volumes in and Roberts already got me to buy a Transformers figure. A Takara Tomy Legends Skids for a mere 1800 yen plus 980 yen shipping from Mandarake.co.jp (They have a few more available at that price). Also bought a Maketoys My First Blaster for $9.99 with free shipping. Now I have to get me a legends Swerve.
I'm making my way through the IDW collections because I can't be bothered to import individual TPB:s, so I'm going to go into Primacy next (2-3 years old?). But yeah, this story sells toys like never before. It used to be "heck yeah, I want a plane that turns into a robot". Now it's "that guy is the best, you must have him".
Still tragically denied Rung and Nautica.
Weltall Zero
Member
Nautica is rumored (via leak that IIRC has been proven right so far) to have an upcoming Titans Returns deluxe. I'm quite excited, but let's see if it materializes, and also how well the Titan Master head design works with her...
I wonder if anyone will be able to make a decent Rung figure, he's so spindly. If anyone does it I guess it's almost certainly going to be a third party one, especially considering
his alt mode
Egh. I otherwise like Metzen but I dislike everything Transformers I've read from him, and I hate Livio Ramondelli's art with a passion. I have trouble imagining how you can dislike MTMTE's art and be able to stomach Ramondelli's, but to each their own, I guess.
I dunno, Roberts wrote a whole G1 fanfiction novel more detailed than any actual canon TF prose, before being hired to work in any official TF material. His issues' "Continuity notes" and "Transformers references" on TFWiki are routinely like four times as long as any other writer's issues'. Speaking of which, I very dearly recommend everyone that's read the comic to check them out, they're sometimes easy to miss because many of the former are several real time years' apart, and many of the latter are obscure as hell.
