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[Weltall Zero]

Shipping is the killer for Canadians. Lots of these places do free shipping to the States over a certain threshold, but no such luck for those of us up north. Ordering from the Asian stores is just as expensive.

Not to turn this into a "I have it worse than you", but I live in Spain. Aside from 80% of it all never officially reaching here, when you import you get hit by transcontinental shipping plus around 40% extra (I kid you not) as customs and taxes.

This is particularly stinging right now as I just ordered TFs from the US this week, for the first time this year. Specifically, I ordered Whirl, Brainstorm, Tailgate and Swerve from Amazon. No points for guessing what work of fiction incited me to buy them!

Let this double as a PSA that Voyager Generations Whirl is $15.48 right now, so there's never been a better time to put a psychopathic empurata victim on your shelf.

 

[NEO0MJ]

So I decided to mess around with some of my Transformers today and I forgot how much of a pain classics Galvatron was. So many different and tiny parts.

Not to turn this into a "I have it worse than you", but I live in Spain. Aside from 80% of it all never officially reaching here, when you import you get hit by transcontinental shipping plus around 40% extra (I kid you not) as customs and taxes.

I know your pain ;-;

 

[Tizoc]

I'm re-reading Dark Cybertron since I ordered the TPBs to continue my collection.
This really should've been 2 books each with its own writer instead of meshing them together.
No offense to Barber but James' writing is the one saving grace of this story, also

Spoiler

the Rod Pod.
The Rod Pod

Also this line can never get old
"Decepticons are obsessed with combining. Put two of 'em in a room and within seconds one will be standing on top of the other's shoulders. Fact."- Swerve
Especially when the very first combiner was Devastator

 

[Tizoc]

I would like to take this moment to re-iterate just how batshit fucking insane

Spoiler

Pharma

is.
I don't even remember exactly what made him go crazy but this is one Bot you want to extinguish their spark no questions asked.

 

[Drayco21]

I would like to take this moment to re-iterate just how batshit fucking insane

Spoiler

Pharma

is.
I don't even remember exactly what made him go crazy but this is one Bot you want to extinguish their spark no questions asked.

I was under the impression that it was having to

Spoiler

continually escalate the amount of T-Cogs he needed to pay off the DJD that broke him- another Autobot twisted by their sadism.

Really hope we see him again in some capacity

Spoiler

since his corpse was dragged into who even knows where.

Also really hope he gets a toy someday.

 

[Tizoc]

I was under the impression that it was having to

Spoiler

continually escalate the amount of T-Cogs he needed to pay off the DJD that broke him- another Autobot twisted by their sadism.

Really hope we see him again in some capacity

Spoiler

since his corpse was dragged into who even knows where.

Also really hope he gets a toy someday.

Speaking of which

Spoiler

he was dragged by tentacles...Quintesson tentacles maybe?

I'm actually re-reading the TPBs of MTMTE, they're still fun and entertaining, and man

Spoiler

Rung not being a monoformer after I suspected him for so long was done so wonderfully.
I also feel bad for him at the fact that even after 6 million years, people can STILL get his name wrong

 

[Weltall Zero]

I'm re-reading Dark Cybertron since I ordered the TPBs to continue my collection.
This really should've been 2 books each with its own writer instead of meshing them together.
No offense to Barber but James' writing is the one saving grace of this story, also

Spoiler

the Rod Pod.
The Rod Pod

Also this line can never get old
"Decepticons are obsessed with combining. Put two of 'em in a room and within seconds one will be standing on top of the other's shoulders. Fact."- Swerve
Especially when the very first combiner was Devastator

That is probably my favorite line in a comic packed to the brim with instant classics. I nearly died laughing when I read it the first time.

As for Dark Cybertron, it's the lowest point not just of MTMTE, but RID too. It was simply an awful, ridiculously drawn out retread of every single Transformers cliche. When I was reading MTMTE for the first time I unwittingly skipped over them because they weren't labeled as MTMTE issues in the Humble Bundle pack: I read all of Dark Cybertron later, when reading RID, and you could still feel the huge drop in quality.

It's just as well that MTMTE seems like it's going to be exempt from crossovers after that one, even if Combiner Wars, while nothing to write home about, was a huge improvement over Dark Cybertron.

Somewhat tangentially, I'm also slightly confused as to how the TF Devastation and subsequent games fit in with the comics, as Hasbro alledges they do. The games obviously take place pre-end of the war, yet Superion and Defensor, formed after the war, feature in Devastation's postscript scene. I'm getting the impression Hasbro intends the games and comics to fit with the toys, not each other, in a similar way to how the original G1 cartoon and comics fit with the toys but conflicted with each other.

 

[Savitar]

It felt like you could cut off the first half of Dark Cybertron and only have to deal with the last half and be better off for it. It's when everything really happens in a big way anyways.

 

[Tizoc]

Yeah it'd just be their own continuity and following the themes.

 

[Tizoc]

Gonna be picking up my copy of Chaos Theory next week along with Chibi Robo.
I was kinda bummed that the 2 parter Roberts wrote was in this particular TPB, as I don't care of the Rodimus story in it. Thankfully I got it for cheap (under $5) so it was sorta worth it.
Once I get a good Bookshelf I'll show case my TF comics and have them arranged chronologically as possible.

BTW does the hardcover for Last Stand of the Wreckers have stuff not in the paperback ver.?

 

[Aske]

Goddamn, the IDW comics are amazing. I love what they've done with Galvatron and Cyclonus (the whole Nemesis Prime plot is about to kick off) and I find the new take on Arcee absolutely fascinating. Really smart to dig into questions like where gendered Cybertronians came from.

Megatron's origin and the genesis of the Decepticons...I have mixed feelings. The Decepticons are almost all too dickish to all be products of a righteously indignant oppressed underclass.

I prefer the G1 cartoon's explnation: Decepticons are hard-wired to be warlike by virtue of their Quintessonian design because they were creates to be war-machines, while Autobots were designed to be labourers who naturally lean towards empathy and peace. Having all Cybertronians be equal prior to the war and choosing which faction to side with based purely on politics doesn't account for the Decepticons' near universal lack of compssion for other life forms, penchant for torture, or lust for power.

Regardless though, the writing, reimagining, plot-threading, and art are all straight up magical for a TF fan. Cool to see the inspiration behind the High Moon videogames too.

 

[Drayco21]

Megatron's origin and the genesis of the Decepticons...I have mixed feelings. The Decepticons are almost all too dickish to all be products of a righteously indignant oppressed underclass.

This is probably my biggest issue with the series so far as well; I love the new backstory for the Decepticons, and I think it makes Megatron the most compelling he's ever been- but it did seem like it took a while for people to start writing the Decepticons like they actually had this basis.

I mean, I grant that generations of brutal warmongering would naturally do a serious number on them, and what the cause eventually mutates into over the course of the war would naturally draw out the worst of the worst to their banner, but it's often felt like we don't even see a glimmer of what they were in almost any of them.

I do think they've gotten better over time though- the recent emphasis on Soundwave and his cassettes, Thundercracker, Krok and the MTMTE Decepticon team, Deathsaurus, Swindle and most of the 'Cons that crop up to help Caminus and hang out at Blurr's bar all seem to be re-emphasizing that nature. It's come a long way from Megatron talking about happily striding across oceans of dead because he likes killing, and the Decepticons uniformly thinking police brutality and beating up NAILs is rad.

 

[Aske]

Yes, you either have to write them all as products of a specific sub-culture, which has to leave room for good Decepticons and bad Autobots whose individuality is not sufficiently bent by social pressure; or you make the 'Cons evil and the 'Bots good, and ensure there's a logical reason for the uniformity of their personalities.

At this early point in the comics, they're trying to keep the lack of moral ambiguity dictated by the cartoon (with the obvious handful of exceptions), but couch it in a world that seems too complex for such hard black and white cultural lines to exist.


On a different note, I've been wondering if Scourge will show up in the comics - and if the writers can make me stop hating the character. I can't stand his design: he's not visially distinct from his lackies, he has no personality, his pink claws are stupid, and his alt mode is like a goofy space hovercraft. He is the worst thing about G1 season 3. There. I said it.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Scourge doesn't really have much of a role in these comics, unlike Galvatron and Cyclonus.

Having all Cybertronians be equal prior to the war and choosing which faction to side with based purely on politics doesn't account for the Decepticons' near universal lack of compssion for other life forms, penchant for torture, or lust for power.

Not all cyebrtronians are equal, though. Plus this helps explain why the Decepticons have very unmilitary-like members and vice-versa with the Autobots. As the story goes on some Decepticons will be shown to be more empathetic while some autobots can be dicks.

 

[Aske]

Scourge doesn't really have much of a role in these comics, unlike Galvatron and Cyclonus.



Not all cyebrtronians are equal, though. Plus this helps explain why the Decepticons have very unmilitary-like members and vice-versa with the Autobots. As the story goes on some Decepticons will be shown to be more empathetic while some autobots can be dicks.

Good stuff on both counts. The fleshing out of the whole mythology has definitely tossed out more positives than negatives so far. I always loved Blurr as a toy, but was so disappointed with him in the movie and on the show. IDW Blurr is a Blurr I can love again. Can't believe there's actually a comic-accurate third party rendition of this guy (SXS Overclocking).

 

[Tizoc]

Glad you re enjoying the series Aske.

Just wait til Last Stand of the Wreckers and Chaos Theory+Chaos stories, from there much of Cybertronian civlization's society etc. gets expanded and fleshed up on.

 

[Tizoc]

Uh guys and gals, so in the latest MTMTE issue was see this this in the final page
http://i.imgur.com/ef30uqf.jpg

And well from the finale of Vol. 5...
http://i.imgur.com/beX52yr.jpg

WHAT IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS IS GOING ON FAM?!

Also these are the best Decepticons ever

Spoiler

They ACTUALLY editted the Cybertronian equivalent of the Wikipedia
No wonder their profiles sounded absurd

 

[NEO0MJ]

Also these are the best Decepticons ever

Spoiler

They ACTUALLY editted the Cybertronian equivalent of the Wikipedia
No wonder their profiles sounded BS

What, you mean they're lying? How dare you!

 

[Tizoc]

What, you mean they're lying? How dare you!

I knew something was up if Misfire

Spoiler

fired a bullet through a bullet shaped hole in a slightly larger bullet.
THAT SENTENCE MAKES NO SENSE!

 

[Savitar]

I could almost see the real TF wiki getting edited by one of the writers in his game of meta.

Sins of the Wreckers issue one, isn't that suppose to be out?

Or are we all waiting for the TPB.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

Just wanted to point out that HLJ is shipping my MP Tracks. Can't wait!

 

[Savitar]

I saw BBTS has MP Ratchet up too, I didn't even know he was being made.

 

[BattleMonkey]

I saw BBTS has MP Ratchet up too, I didn't even know he was being made.

Was just announced yesterday I believe officially

 

[Tizoc]

If everything goes well within the next year I might get a Soundwave figure for my brother's B-day come October.

 

[NEO0MJ]

If everything goes well within the next year I might get a Soundwave figure for my brother's B-day come October.

That's pretty cool of you. Me and my bro stopped liking the same things when we became 8/9.

 

[Jobbs]

For some reason Ratchet more than most others makes me feel like a kid again.

 

[tuffy]

Putting Autobot symbols over the red crosses on Ratchet's shoulders and roof is a clever way to avoid being sued without changing his color scheme too much.

 

[Savitar]

For some reason Ratchet more than most others makes me feel like a kid again.

It's kind of like he stepped off the cartoon.

 

[Weltall Zero]

Goddamn. It was obvious it was coming after Ironhide, but I didn't expect it to be this spectacular. I can feel future me breaking my "no masterpieces" rule again. My poor wallet... ;_;

Also, for you fucking lucky Americans: Arcee and Chromia for under 7 bucks each:
http://www.seibertron.com/transform...omia-arriving-at-ollies-bargain-outlet/34181/
I would pick extras for repainting and gifting if I wasn't living in the wrong continent. If you don't have them and don't take advantage of this offer, please turn in you TF fan credentials and contact the nearest mod for permaban. You monster.

 

[Jobbs]

It's kind of like he stepped off the cartoon.

When I was a kid, like really young, my mom got me Ratchet and I just remember being freaked out by his utterly bizarre robot mode. It stuck with me, that memory.

 

[tuffy]

It's easy to appreciate how the cartoon and comic's more liberal interpretation of the characters was such a good idea. Nobody wants to remember that Ratchet originally looked like this:

 

[Weltall Zero]

Yeah, original Ratchet seemed like it was made on drugs. Dat head which is a sticker on a flat tab. Wonder if that was the inspiration for the "flatheads" in the functionist timeline?

Speaking of MTMTE and panels (OK, so it's more of a non-sequitur), does anybody have Generations Brainstorm? I just got it along Whirl, Tailgate and Swerve, and I love it, but I thought the flip panel with stats was tacky as all hell. I painted white over it and placed an Autobot logo sticker over it. Talk about an improvement!

 

[Tizoc]

What in the name of Primus is that poor Unicron spawn abomination lol.

OK sorry for talking about the comic series yet again but I just got TF: Chaos Theory, which contained James Roberts' 2 parter which focused on Optimus and Megatron and man he does not let any panel go to waste. It may appear as a lot of dialog but at least he gets the pace going. I do think it's kinda funny how quickly things happened in the flashbacks and Megs really does feel like a totally different character to how the later issues portray him, though he likely finally realized he done fucked up by the events of DC.
Anyways art is passable and I just love how Orion Pax has been a badass this whole time.
I am a little confused though as to why the Senate cops wanted Whirl for.

 

[Weltall Zero]

What in the name of Primus is that poor Unicron spawn abomination lol.

OK sorry for talking about the comic series yet again but I just got TF: Chaos Theory, which contained James Roberts' 2 parter which focused on Optimus and Megatron and man he does not let any panel go to waste. It may appear as a lot of dialog but at least he gets the pace going. I do think it's kinda funny how quickly things happened in the flashbacks and Megs really does feel like a totally different character to how the later issues portray him, though he likely finally realized he done fucked up by the events of DC.
Anyways art is passable and I just love how Orion Pax has been a badass this whole time.
I am a little confused though as to why the Senate cops wanted Whirl for.

Chaos Theory is, as far as I'm concerned, indispensable part of MTMTE, more so even than Death of Optimus. It lays out several scenes and conversations that are revisited several times during MTMTE and given new meanings. This is where it resembles Watchmen the most.

As for Whirl, you mean why the senate screwed him over (empurata and all that) or why they sent him to Megatron's cell? The former is

Spoiler

because he escaped his preordained job by becoming a watchmaker,

the second is, simply,

Spoiler

to kill Megatron before he becomes a threat. He just botched the job

.

 

[Barrow Roll]

It's easy to appreciate how the cartoon and comic's more liberal interpretation of the characters was such a good idea. Nobody wants to remember that Ratchet originally looked like this:

I liked how they borrowed the windshield thing for the War Within design of Ironhide.

 

[TangoAlphaLima]

It's easy to appreciate how the cartoon and comic's more liberal interpretation of the characters was such a good idea. Nobody wants to remember that Ratchet originally looked like this:

My first Transformer ever was G1 Ironhide. Surprisingly that didn't stop me from collecting, and I'm still here.

I liked how they borrowed the windshield thing for the War Within design of Ironhide.

That was a cool design choice. And Bumblebee's alt form from WW looked a lot like he did in the G1 pilot.

 

[NEO0MJ]

Something's been bugging me recently. Why is it portrayed that in old Cybertron your position in society was influenced by your alt mode when it's also been shown that most can alter it, sometimes in extreme ways like for example Grimlock.

 

[Beth Cyra]

I liked how they borrowed the windshield thing for the War Within design of Ironhide.

Goddess damn War With In was so good for me. Easily the top of both storyline and design.

 

[MattKeil]

Goddess damn War With In was so good for me. Eadily the top of both storyline and design.

Yeah, War Within was really good. Sucks they never found a way to migrate it over to IDW from Dreamwave.

 

[Tizoc]

Chaos Theory is, as far as I'm concerned, indispensable part of MTMTE, more so even than Death of Optimus. It lays out several scenes and conversations that are revisited several times during MTMTE and given new meanings. This is where it resembles Watchmen the most.

As for Whirl, you mean why the senate screwed him over (empurata and all that) or why they sent him to Megatron's cell? The former is

Spoiler

because he escaped his preordained job by becoming a watchmaker,

the second is, simply,

Spoiler

to kill Megatron before he becomes a threat. He just botched the job

.

Ah the 2nd one actually explains it, especially if we take into consideration

Spoiler

they attempted to change Megs' personality as seen in the Brainstom goes back to the past story arc

Something's been bugging me recently. Why is it portrayed that in old Cybertron your position in society was influenced by your alt mode when it's also been shown that most can alter it, sometimes in extreme ways like for example Grimlock.

A government turning a blind eye to some things isn't uncommon in various fiction.

 

[Barrow Roll]

Goddess damn War With In was so good for me. Eadily the top of both storyline and design.

Don Figueroa's artwork and designs were sublime. I had this poster hanging in my room when I was a teenager.

One of my favorite figures from back then was Galaxy Force Starscream because of how it was clearly influenced by the War Within design.

 

[Mindwipe]

Something's been bugging me recently. Why is it portrayed that in old Cybertron your position in society was influenced by your alt mode when it's also been shown that most can alter it, sometimes in extreme ways like for example Grimlock.

While you could, it was hard and expensive and not something open to the lower classes.

We see the functionalist council exempt someone from their alt mode in exchange for discovering a 1%er for example. The council could grant it as a boon in exceptional circumstances, and we see that body swapping was a thing for those with more "blessed" alt modes (speedster ones for example in Shadowplay), in return for money. Lots of caste systems in human history only really apply to the rump of society and are possible to buy their way out of if you happen to be good or lucky enough to amass significant wealth.

Bear in mind Grimlock's changing happened after the war broke out, and the old Cybertronian rules of society were breaking down. Subsequently alt mode changes were probably much more of a tool of wartime necessity, especially for off-world operations, than they were cultural taboo and limted to the elite as they were pre-war.

 

[NEO0MJ]

A government turning a blind eye to some things isn't uncommon in various fiction.

It wasn't anything underground, though. But in most cases it was after the fall of the functionalists so maybe that's why.

Edit: Oh, Mindwipe went into more detail before I posted this.

 

[Herbs]

For some reason Ratchet more than most others makes me feel like a kid again.

it's the ridiculous in real life color scheme i think. so bright and red!

 

[Savitar]

Something's been bugging me recently. Why is it portrayed that in old Cybertron your position in society was influenced by your alt mode when it's also been shown that most can alter it, sometimes in extreme ways like for example Grimlock.

Everything we've seen portrays those who are beast such as Ravage, Laserbeak etc. as basically just that, beast. To befriend them as Soundwave did was considered insane. As for bots that transformed into beast didn't Galvatron go on a crusade to basically wipe them out along with various other kind of bots. From what I recall he or Nemesis clearly had a negative opinion of beast bots like Rhinox and would be put in their place.

I read that as dead.

 

[Tizoc]

Last Stand of the Wreckers is still sooooo good. Decided to re-read it recently and its pacing is fast and gets straight to the point to progress the story. I like it also gave 2 issues to build up some of the cast but still have the story progress even a little bit.
I mean hell Ch. 2 ends with Verity's team right in front of Overlord.

Shit it just occurred to me:
TRANSFORMERS MUSOU

 

[Beth Cyra]

Don Figueroa's artwork and designs were sublime. I had this poster hanging in my room when I was a teenager.

One of my favorite figures from back then was Galaxy Force Starscream because of how it was clearly influenced by the War Within design.

Yeah i just loved all the designes. Prime easily being my favorite version.

Plus the gave Prime a good name for once. Optronix>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Orion Pax

 

[JLynn]

I have Generations RoadBuster waiting for me when I get home. It was $15 so I couldn't resist. Anything about him I should know? And is it me, or is CW Megatron (Non Armada version) creeping up in price?

Also, any news of the next Hasbro MP release?

 

[Weltall Zero]

Um, weird question, but if anyone here has CW Mirage (or Drag Strip, I guess), is he taller in leg mode than other bots in the line, like all the Protectobots? Or is there any trick to its transformation? Mine seems to remain a few millimeter taller than any of the Protectobots in leg mode no matter what, which means he's useless as a leg (the combined mode is unbalanced) unless I get any other that is as tall.

 

[Drayco21]

Um, weird question, but if anyone here has CW Mirage (or Drag Strip, I guess), is he taller in leg mode than other bots in the line, like all the Protectobots? Or is there any trick to its transformation? Mine seems to remain a few millimeter taller than any of the Protectobots in leg mode no matter what, which means he's useless as a leg (the combined mode is unbalanced) unless I get any other that is as tall.

The bottom piece with the car mode spoiler where the port for the foot can actually tab out and fold backwards onto the leg, revealing a better fit for the leg mode and making it the same size as the rest of the deluxe legs.