But with the (admittedly notable) exception of Prime, everything that could be licenced has been licenced. I get it about the toonier, plainer-looking robot modes, I do, I really do - but I don’t see any evidence TT are abandoning realism in the alt modes. Again, not saying that can’t change in the future (hell, this whole conversation is predicated on the idea that the long-established convention of not making something without a repaint character option is overturned, though I guess there is Overcharge) but it hasn’t happened thus far. And just to reiterate, in the main precedent we have - Bumblebee - in the battle between real world and toon alt mode, real word won out.

 

Same way Megatron wasn't a Walther P-38.

Generic spaceship/train, generic plane/tank works for me. I'd only be picking up Astrotrain anyway.

You're right on the money. I think Ironhide could've been made more complicated, but Kobayashi worked out a transformation that was elegant and didn't have too many parts, which allowed them to give him a shedload of accessories instead.

Ultra Magnus would've been interesting with a higher budget for sure. I love MP-22, but I always welcome better articulation. That said, I do love 22's transformation as is.

Tracks is interesting because he's Kobayashi's first carbot. And actually Sunstreaker is Kobayashi's second - a hell of a difference in pretty much every aspect except toon accuracy (Tracks is already really good at that).

At the moment it's hard to complain about it when we're getting less releases in a year, and if this slower pace continues then it's fine. But imagine Prowl, Bluestreak and Smokescreen all coming out now in the space of 4 months and each costing Sunstreaker prices. Still, the increase in price really shows in the quality of Sunstreaker in pretty much every way.

 

That's why he won't look real world and even the debate we have about the minibots. How far do you go real world, where the alt mode no longer looks like the character in question. It's not as much a problem with the Diaclones as we can pretty much tell what the make and model of those are.

 

That wouldn't be that bad compared to the 2015-2016 run: Tracks,Road Rage,Red Bee,Clampown,UW Devastator, Thundercracker,Ironhide,Ultra Magnus reissue,Hot Rod, Ramjet,Shockwave,and Ratchet. Now that was a wallet beatdown. Price isnt as big of a problem as long as they are spaced out or you've had time to prepare.

 

@Sam is right - Megatron's alt as well as the jets (especially the coneheads) and Soundwave and his tapes - all unlicensed alts that probably could have been licensed. The "real car series" is almost like an MP sub-line, though. TT obviously sees getting licenses for the carbots as an important selling point, but Sunstreaker and his super tuner alt mode show while TT sees carbots having is important, getting them to look like the character is equally important. Sunstreaker just wouldn't be Sunstreaker without his fictional custom mode. I think the same is true for the Fusos and their fictional back ends. Blitzwing and Astrotrain wouldn't be Blitzwing and Astrotrain without all that kibble all over their alts.

 

They don't have to license the tank, the jet, the train, or the shuttle though, they're all vehicles commissioned by a government institution for use by the respective army or other agency, and the steam engine is a tool so old it's actually public domain (I mean they're not even used in that form anymore). Even if they want to go to the accuracy of a specific model, licensing isn't an issue.

Essentially, there's no legal reason that I know of - admittedly, I don't know law on that stuff, but I do know a bit about licensing military vehicles due to this forum - would mean that the alt-modes in question for the Decepticon Triple Changers may be a non-issue.

 

Hmmm... I’d say yes and no. (This debate is annoying me because I’m arguing with the people I respect most on this board - it’s making me rather question myself...) I agree about the coneheads and I think you have a point there. I’ve got all three of the fuckers sitting in my room and it didn’t occur to me. Fair enough. But that mould in its first and second variants got a lot of hammering before they adjusted it for Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet. They’d released six to eight (depending on where Sunstorm and Acid Storm fit in the release schedule) perfect F-15s before they went in for the Ramjet wing tweak. The Fuso arse ends? Well, maybe... the thing is, it’s one thing to be a little creative with the layout of a fire truck. It’s another thing entirely to have a tank turret dangling off the bottom of a plane for no good reason.

Soundwave and Megatron I’d dispute, though - I’m talking about vehicles here. Besides which, Soundwave was never based on any specific model of a microcassette recorder, was he?

Hey, I’d love to be wrong because triple changers would be great things to have, albeit I still don’t think they’ll happen anyway due to budget and repaint issues. I guess we’ll see what happens. I just won’t be holding my breath.

 

I’m not sure why anyone would think that a Takara would need to license any of the modes on any of the triple changers . They weren’t real world to begin with . So the whole “ it’s impossible “ theory goes out the window . I still say Astrotrain is first . He was first on the scene , he also had an entire episode dedicated to him , AND , ( the cherry on top ) , he’s got repaint potential.

 

Yeah, I’ve never said they have to get the licence, I’ve said that the precedent up to now is for them to do that anyway, because they want these damn things to look like Masterpieces. My argument is that if they’re making a MiG they will want it to look like a MiG and not a giant pizza slice with a great big tank cannon swishing around between its undercarriage. But hey, I could be wrong - my case is based on what we’ve seen so far. Other people clearly think it’s headed in a different direction, and that’s fine - what do I know? I just go off of what we’ve seen before.

See above

 

I don’t remember him being an exact proportioned Mig though. Not like the seekers where they were F-15’s through and through. Again , his tank was just a generic tank ... All the same can be said for Astrotrain , and so on an so forth. Toon accuracy is the new direction . If it needs a license , they will no doubt find a way to obtain one .

 

Well, yeah that's fair. I think in the case of Blitzwing, they'd have the hardest decision to make, because that jet mode really does look terrible on the cartoon. On the other hand though, it'd be pretty funny to see that jet mode on a flight stand next to the seekers  

Actually, Broadside would probably be the hardest one, because you know they'd try to make the aircraft carrier mode at least a little bigger, and it would just turn into a total disaster.

 

The only way my scale OCD can handle characters like Broadside is to pretend they don't exist.  

 

Does this basically set in stone triple digit prices for every Diaclone carbot except for Skids? If it is then my wallet will be in a lot of pain soon  

 

Figure king should be out today or tomorrow no?

 

Hmm, as others have said, I'd want an MP Blitzwing to look like the second picture. It's just not the character if it looks like a real fighter jet. This is the same argument as with the super-deformed minibots, like Cliffjumper is supposed to be a Porsche yet the animation model doesn't really look like one. I didn't even know what kinds of cars the minibots were supposed to be before I discovered TFWiki...with the exception of Bumblebee, who I always knew was a VW Beetle, which speaks to how recognizable the car is even with super-deformed proportions, and probably why Takara made MP Bee a real VW with no problem. Now I'd be fine with minibots with realistic alt modes (as long as the bot mode looked like the character), but not with triple changers. Just doesn't feel right to me for those characters not to have the kibble-infested alt modes. So give me a wedge-shaped jet with a tank turret, please!  

I can say in all confidence Takara will never do an MP Broadside (watch me look like a fool when MP Broadside is announced in the latest Figure King  ). He had only a handful of appearances in the toon and is just generally an unloved oddball of a character with all his scale issues. Any of the five other G1 triple changers have a better shot at being made than him.

 

funny you mention Diaclone, since Blitzwing was the ONLY Diaclone Triple Changer that made it over to Transformers   after being repainted from Overcharge

 

Wasn't Astrotrain supposed to be in Diaclone before the switch over to TF's?

 

Did you mean to make a reference to Men at Work with this comment? If so, bravo. It doubles nicely with the actual Decepticon name. Haha

 

supposedly, but I never manage to find evidence to it, there's speculation tho   so we're not totally OT haha

 

You know, you put that image in my head, and, well... I'm not going to lie, I got a little stiff. It moved, just a little.

Eager for new pics of MPM Ironhide and Shadow Panther are we?

I did indeed. Xaxis and I were quite chockers of rippers there for a while (I think we might owe Colin Hay a tenner, actually). Oi!