Too deep!  

 

You Spanner, you  

hehe

 

If the figure is anything close to the render I'll bite.

 

People need to realise not everyone collects MP-10 Scale.
Everyone should collect G1 only though 

 

Steam space choo-choo doesn't get enough love. Nothing against the modern shinkansen (bullet train) alt mode, but the locomotive has a retro appeal to it for me that's intrinsic to the character.

 

ya me too. although i realize that theres still a large collector base for the smaller sized figures, i think as time goes by more and more of the fan base are leaning towards MP size.

i see so many 3p figures get an announcement and when i see the pics i think "awesome" but then i see that the figure is too small for MPs.

although in this case im not worried as im pretty sure that FT will make an MP level astrotrain as its been casually mentioned by them so i know its on their radar

 

Crap. My apologies. Close, but still a 1940s train.

 

Don't make me feed you to the sharkticons

 

 

@GaussGunner, please update the first post.  

 

None taken, it's rare and doesn't sound like it's spelled so it's hard to remember.

Anyways----yup, I like trains just as much as planes. And G1 Astrotrain is a D52, but is often mis-reported as a C62. 2-8-2 vs 4-6-4, which to train guys is a HUGE difference, totally different class of engine----like fighter vs bomber for planes.

(Though I believe he might actually be a D51----they are more common, but I don't know JNR locos nearly well enough to be sure)

 

What's the update?

 

Well, size and date of release have been announced. Mention those?

 

What he said... Just so we have a central repository of the info.  

 

- Boring post warning! -

You know, now you mention it, you may be right, G1 Astrotrain might be based on a JNR D51, as there were over 1000 of these built, compared to less than 300 of the D52. The Gobots "Loco" toy was based on a D51, as it has this number on a sticker on the toy.
But, looking at detail differences between the D51 and the D52, I still think G1 Astrotrain is a D52. The smoke deflectors have no rectangular cut-out in them and the boiler is a larger diameter meaning no upper cab windows on the D52, and these features match Astrotrain.
But I'd like to know for sure from an official source.
Any early toy G1 experts know for sure?

 

Interesting. This is including the tender car in the alt-mode which neither the toy nor animation included. Thrusters on the rear of that (if they're doing that, can't tell from pic) would be awkward in real life, but… real life… yeah…

 

This is definitely going on my "radar list". As much as I wanted to like the classics Astrotrain, the bullet train mode just killed it for me.

 

It did. I wanted to like it, cuz I like bullet trains, but it was bad.

 

[

I'm not sure what you are getting at. The Diaclone version of 'Hound' was a very accurate Mitsubishi J-59, which was licensed to Mitsubishi by the Jeep/Willys corporation for private sale in Japan (and for the National Safety Force) from 1982 - 1987. It was directly analogous to the North American Willys CJ-3B, and later the CJ-5 model. Much of the time, the Mitsubishi corporation referred to it as the "Mitsubishi Jeep J 59" in print and speak. Jeeps have been built under license by various manufacturers around the world including Mahindra in India, EBRO in Spain, and several in South America, but they have the same designs, same specifications, body panels, and often the same or similar specifications (adjusted for the market they are sold in).

The toy even had "Jeep" license plates in official logo font, and the official trademarked/registered "Jeep" logo printed (and not small) on the front of the Japanese box. Saying it's not a Jeep is similar to saying that a Sonokong or Antex version of a Transformers toy is not an official Transformers toy. Same design, same appearance, different factory.

I'm not going to get into the fact that most called many of the thousands of variations (all licensed) of the dozens of generations of Willys/Overland/Jeep CJ vehicles as "jeeps".

So, I'm not sure what you are alluding to, but I don't want to "argue" further (and still want to get married).

Not everyone collects new MP "scale" (as if there is such a thing - Bumblebee is WAY out of scale with the 1:28 - 1:35 cars and Optimus), but I don't see why one wouldn't - if one is interested in the original characters, designs, and series - and would want to collect CHUGURTS. Those aren't "G1" - They're re-imagined homages to various generations, but they aren't supposed to be figures of the original versions of those characters, anymore than an Binaltech version is the same design/version.

If this were an Astrotrain that turned into a different space craft and a different train, I could see it being in a different scale, but if it's clearly meant to go into an MP collector's collection, why "scale" it differently?

Astrotrain, in an MP line, should be at least as tall as the Seekers. He turns into a space shuttle (multiple times larger than a semi or a fighter jet) and a steam locomotive (which is also bigger than a semi tractor) - one that apparently could carry an entire force of gigantic robots comfortably within a small compartment! Though the animators f***ed that up regularly (as they did lots of "scale"), there were representations in the original series (such as the 'Goodbye Megatron' poster) that recognized that he should be larger.

Then you have no vested interest. Why would you be in the Third Party section, and (further) in a thread for an updated figure?

I love my "G1" Transformers (1984 - 1992), but I also really like some of the Masterpiece and 3P (should they ever be released!) "MP" figures.

 

I think shuttle nozzles on the back of the tender make a lot more sense than in the back of the cab when hauling a tender. As it is he's burning holes in the coal bunker.

Currently the lack of OMS pods on the shuttle bug me the most---the G1 toy had them, and even WB Airburst has something similar. Completely omitting them makes the back end look pretty off.

 

That assumes he's pulling a tender (which he didn't) or anything (which he rarely did) and that they are always on.

In any case, it was just an observation…