there goes my kitbash from an h2 model kit.i thought that would work nicely against the ram optimus.which cadillac?do we know?does it look in anyway like a pimpmobile like a lot of those?

 

Thank you! I knew I knew that quote from somewhere but couldn't place it  

 

Depends. Diecast looks better if you want to display them; but if you intend to transform them regularly, plastic is more durable.

In terms of appearance, two Hasbro and Takara versions of Smokescreen couldn't be any more different, with flat blue plastic vs. shiny painted diecast and shiny painted plastic; the other end of the spectrum would be Hound and Swindle, where the only real difference is literally the weight.

Later down the line, you get another dimension with drastically different paint applications as well, started by Wheeljack, continued by Prowl and reaching its peak with Sunstreaker and Skids.

There's also mold differences such as Binaltech Wheeljack's longer neck or Binaltech Overdrive's larger visor. And let's not forget Binaltech Overdrive's long gun barrel, whereas Alternators Windcharger has a castrated gun because Honda USA are pantsies.

A Cadillac XLR.

 

It's not for lack of trying. The Hound remold was going to be Trailbreaker, but fans were whining for Decepticons so he ended up being Swindle instead. Bumblebee and Cliffjumper designs were made, but Volkswagen refused to grant the license. The Dodge Ram was meant to be Ironhide, but Takara refused to design a pick-up truck unless it was Convoy.

Only for the past ten years or so.  

 

Only if you like your toys' paint being scratched while transforming it and being totally topheavy in robot mode.

 

Fair enough, but there are definitely some loopholes in those reasons.

They might have released Swindle because fans whined for Decepticons, but what was the excuse for using the Hound mold a third time for Rollbar? While I am glad that Trailbreaker ultimately didn't turn out to be a jeep (the Nemesis Prime mold is far more fitting imo), they absolutely could have done it if they wanted to *after* Swindle happened.

As for Ironhide, using that mold for Prime *in Japan* makes sense, but I'm sure Hasbro had enough power to rename it to Ironhide over here, not unlike how they renamed Overdrive to Windcharger.

Concerning the hubub surrounding Bumblebee & Cliffjumper not being made because Volkswagon declined the license - which royally sucked because the design sketches we saw were indeed awesome - I find it a little hard to believe that they couldn't have sought out alternate options instead. There are a TON of small compact sports cars out there to choose from, so I'm not sure why the BB/CJ designs had to start & stop with Volkswagon.

Believe me, I know they *did* try to make these characters happen... it's just a shame that the books were closed so quickly and that other options weren't put into motion. I guess the saving grace is that we can at least use the existing molds to make some of these figures a fan-made reality - Prime into Ironhide, Nemesis Prime into Trailbreaker, Prowl into Red Alert, and if you're real crafty, Jazz into Bumblebee & Cliffjumper (though the Classics versions work pretty well).

 

Don't forget to point out the other big difference between Binaltech & Alternators - THE reason, in fact, that I decided to collect Alt's instead of BT - most of the BT car models have the steering wheels reversed on the right hand side instead of the left as found in North America.

That might seem like a miniscule thing to some people, but it's nevertheless worth pointing out for someone weighing their options of which line to start collecting. In my case, it was absolutely a deal breaker when it came to spending that much money on the imported diecast versions.

 

Trailbreaker:

As Hasbro have proven time and again, they CAN'T use the name. Why they didn't release a repaint of Swindle in Trailbreaker colors but call him "Overhaul" or "Trailblast" is beyond me, though. Although the fact that Ricochet (who was in the same wave) was already black might have had something to do with it. I do consider Rollbar THE single most boring redeco in the entire line, though.

Bumblebee:

Rumor has it that the MINI Cooper which was announced by BBTS would have been Bumblebee. However, since we never found out whether the MINI was actually going to happen but ultimately got cancelled, or whether it was just a false rumor, it's hard to tell. Would make it two failed attempts, though.

Windcharger:

I doubt Hasbro renamed Overdrive for the US market because they preferred the name "Windcharger". Trademark reasons would be my guess ("Overdrive Arena" is already owned by the Testor Corporation in the "toys" field). And releasing a toy that obviously sports an Optimus Prime head but is called "Ironhide"? Can you imagine how much bitching THAT would have caused?

Steering:

The steering wheel variants for the Binaltech versions affect only vehicles by Japanese manufacturers (except for Smokescreen, who's based on an existing rally car that has a European/US style steering wheel), namely Streak, Meister, Overdrive, Laserwave, Prowl, Skids, Alert and Broadblast. That's eight out of 19 (not counting variants like red/white Meister). Hardly "most of them".

 

Exactly. I use the name Trailbreaker merely for the sake of recognition - I could care less what Hasbro actually calls him on their packaging. Trailblazer, Trailraider, Trailblast... it doesn't matter.

I heard about the Mini Cooper thing too, but also heard that they're also owned by VW - which meant another automatic no-go where licensing was concerned.

No, G1 name recognition would be my guess. It has nothing to do with their preferance. Or like you said, it could have also been trademark reasons. Doesn't matter much anyway, the fact is that he *was* renamed into a character fairly recognizable with the G1 audience, whether by default or not.

Who said anything about releasing it with a Prime head or in addition to Prime? I meant *instead of* Prime. As in, let Japan keep him as Convoy, but throw on a new head over here and call it Ironhide. These companies work in tandem and I'm sure they could have come to an agreement about what the mold ultimately became dependent on their territories.

No need to get snarky about it or split hairs. Fine, it might not be "most", but it's certainly *enough* to warrant mentioning. It's not a complaint either - just pointing out a very obvious difference to the lines that most people never think to mention. Everyone focuses on the diecast vs. plastic or slight mold variations like head paint or weapons, but the reversed steering columns is certainly just as valid a point/concern if you're expecting North American cars when you open the box.

 

Because then we would have had a bunch of US fans whining "how come Japan gets an Alternators Optimus and we don't?" And if Ironhide was already released here as a red Ram, Hasbro wouldn't subsequently release another red Ram that had an Optimus head and a couple different paint aps in bot mode. They'd look too similar in the packaging, and Hasbro avoids that whenever possible (remember Armada Tidal Wave's color change?).

 

I firmly believe that when it came to the majority of people who collected Alternators, they did so in an effort to align them with their Masterpiece Prime to some degree, subsequently meaning that many - hell, I'll even say most - of them would have probably been more than fine with getting Ironhide instead of yet *another* quasi version of Prime... especially if it meant never getting IH at all.

I could be totally wrong, but that's my personal view of it.

 

Mini is actually a subsidiary of BMW, not Volkswagen. I suspect the lack of a Mini Cooper BT/Alt has more to do with Mini creating its own robot mascot for marketing purposes.

Although Volkswagen's pacifist philosophy WOULD explain why there has never been a Lamborghini Alternator, as Lamborghini was purchased by VW back in the late '90's.

On-topic, I collect(ed) primarily Binaltechs, only dipping into Alternators if there weren't BT equivalents. For some figures (Sunstreaker and Skids, in particular) the paintjob was dramatically different enough that it justified getting both. Of the two lines, I prefer the Binaltechs. Sure, they're expensive and a little top-heavy, but to me they just looks and feel classier. The fact that they are actually painted makes them look much more like real automobiles, and much more like a collector-oriented line. As for paint chipping during transformation, it's not like I transform them much anyway.... they just sit on the shelf in robot mode, lookin' cool.  

 

It's not over for me since I'm getting customs.

 

Lots of cool info. One thing, is I have to agree that I don't like the red Dodge Ram as Optimus Prime at all...I would've much preferred he was painted and called Ironhide, even if it meant no Prime. To me, Prime has always been a big rig (yeah, I'm stuck in G1 days). Im not all that ecstatic with the robot mode of the Dodge Ram either. His shoulders just look funky. I currently have Alts. Sunstreaker and Ricochet. I plan on getting Battle Ravage next and then probably Swindle.

 

good luck finding them.
all that's left here is the same skids at wm that nobody wants.

 

Good luck, BK...Alts are starting to get pretty expensive now. Especially the good ones, like Mirage, Prowl, Wheeljack and Grimlock. Hell, loose Mirages are going for like..50 bucks now. And the rest are going for almost 40. At those prices, I'm tempted to sell my Mirage, Prowl and Grimmy.

 

sold my sideswipe for $30,and he's not even that valuable.my grimlock went for $60.
you're setting out after them a little late,bk.

 

Don't let ayone charge you too much for Swindle he shipped in multiple waves and was never really popular, so you should be able to find him with ease, at modest prices.