I'm considering trying to collect some of these figures (and some of the Kiss Players versions...) and I was curious as to what you guys opinions were on them. Were they good? Worth the money you'd have to pay now? I know I'll be getting Prowl at least, but I'm curious about the others...
Yeah, I like them. Good luck with the Kiss Players versions; they go for big bucks. I'd love to someday get the KP Rodimus, but that is unlikely to happen for me. But with this line, keep in mind that while the vehicle modes are absolutely mind-blowing... the robot modes very much are not. The value of these toys, imo, is 85% vehicle, 15% robot, whereas with most Transformers, it's the opposite for me. Personally, I prefer the Binaltech versions for the die-cast and better paint jobs (sometimes drastically better), while some people prefer the Alternators versions because being all-plastic can sometimes make them more stable for posing, not to mention being slightly cheaper (at least back when they were new). Anyway, yeah, try them. Pick one up and see what you think.
I got two Alts for sale, one being Prowl. I think they're a hell of alot better than those $30 HA figures. These were retailing at $20 back then. You could still get some of them for around that price. They were all good, some being far better than the others. Bot modes are hit and miss some times, but that just depends on you. They all seem to fit well with MP-01 if you have him.
I love alternators, beatiful vehicles and solid robots. The weapons are the weakest part. Shockblast/wave, ravage, mirage, etc are great
I thoroughly disagree with you. The robot modes (with the exception perhaps of the Skids mold) were AMAZING. So many of the robot modes were the closest we had come to cartoon accuracy. I thought they were all done extremely well, especially Mirage, Hot Rod, Hound and Tracks.
Are we talking about the same toy line? Cartoon accuracy? None of them were even the same vehicles as in the cartoon. And Rodimus? I have that toy and love it to death (and recommend it to the thread-starter), but the robot mode is clunky as hell and in NO WAY resembles the cartoon whatsoever.
Even Optimus? That was one of the worst looking robot mode Primes I've ever seen. As SouthtownKid has said, none of them were accurate and thats because they were all based on current cars at the time. Hound was probably the closest of them all to resembling G1.
That is a case where the Binaltech paint helps a LOT. But you still look at the robot and can't help think WTF?
I have Prowl, Prime, Jazz/Meister, Hound, Smokescreen, Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, Grimlock, Tracks (with the flame hood Reprolabel sticker), & Rodimus. Hound is easily my favorite of them all, but I might be biased because of his Jeep Alt. & G1-esque transformation... Some of their transformations can be tricky (I can almost never get Prime's trunk completely closed, while Jazz & Grimlock's arms can be a pain to transform back & forth... However, I think that the Alternators (and though I don't own any; the Alternity) line doesn't get the fanfare it deserves...
Best: XK Ravage, Ford GT mold (Rodimus/Mirage), RX8 and Subaru molds, Hound/Swindle Jeeps If you're new to Alts, any of the above will make you a fan for life if they're your first intro to the series OK: Rumble, Viper molds, S2000 molds (I don't like it, but lots of others seem to), Corvette molds (though I like them better than that, a lot of people don't) opinions vary, if any of these are your first intro to the series, it may take more convincing, but they're all solid molds and still better than the best HA in my own opinion Meh: Optimus/Nemesis Prime (bot mode sucks), Skids (Fat Bastard), Mustang (frustrating transformation that isn't worth it after awhile). They're not terrible, but I wouldn't make any of these your first or second experience with the series Never got the Acura mold, kinda wish I had at some point
i love them and have all the alts, have been debating on getting the binaltech only characters sometime as well, they fit well with mps
I'm complete in Binaltech and have all of the remaining Alts.. It's in my top 3 lines out there, and like brr-icy said, they go very well with MPs
I recommend all of em My favorite mold is the RX-8. Meister works exceptionally well and so does Shockblast[wave]. The KP Hot Rodimus is a personal favorite of mine (I have an extra mib; if anyone is interested feel free to pm me).
Oh Alternators, how can I forget the line that single-handedly jump started my obsession with collecting. My all time favorite is the Subaru WRX. Mostly because I drive the exact model of that toy. So awesome!
I had nearly all the Binaltechs at one stage, and they're great for what they were - there's no question transformation engineering has come on in leaps and bounds, and some of the robot modes do show their age now (and certainly aren't "cartoon accurate") - BUT if you've not had them before, you should pick some up. KP Rodimus is the one I still have, easily the best one for me - and far superior to the later Hasbro/SDCC version. Alt Mirage is also awesome, of course, and my one regret is selling the seethru BT-18 "Electro disrupter" version; should have kept that! BT Hound & especially Swindle I think are underrated, and actually pose brilliantly in robot mode (even with the die-cast weight); I had Swindle in an off-balance "running" or creeping sort of pose for years, never toppled over. BT Dead End and Shockwave also looked great in bot mode. I also liked the later (vaguely Movie-themed) BT Jazz, "Argent Meister", with the silver paint and the spoilers and skirts on the RX-8. Alt Rumble is another one i think is hugely underrated - looks a bit crap just standing, but if you hunker him down and roll the shoulders so he looks like he's pounding, it brings him to life. Rumble and what I think of as the "proper" Alt Ravage (the Jaguar XK, not the Corvette mould painted black with a cat head) were more imaginative and interesting than some of the others. Shame we never got a Lazerbeak of some sort.
Thanks guys! I think I'm going to try to track down a Prowl (He's one of my favorite Autobots) and either Hound or Swindle (My dad has a Jeep like their alternate modes, so I think it would be neat to have that, and since you said it's one of the best molds) and then I'll see where it goes from there!
I've got a complete set minus the Decepticon repaints. The figures that stand out to me are Hot Rod MIRAGE Hound Grimlock, it says a lot when dude is not a T-rex and you still like him. Windcharger for being cool and unique. The line in general is a good one but those 4 moulds really stand out to me.
[plug]If you haven't read it - old article but still a good read The Track to Binaltech Creation [/plug] I only have Rams and think they are quite neat. When Alts were popular I was new to TFs, and they were way too complicated for me. I think I am ready now (looking for Mirage/Roddy and/or Tracks).