Interesting they originally wanted to make them smaller, but Hasbro wanted bigger. This is probably why alternity is smaller?
That's still one of my favorite articles about Transformers. EVER. Also, the BT Guide is a great book Yes.
Also, I feel like I should have said this before, but to the thread-starter: If you are considering getting into Alternators, I highly, highly recommend you check out as many youtube reviews as possible. That will give you a much better idea of what to expect than promo pictures on BBTS or elsewhere online. Not only of the features and vehicle & robot modes, but more importantly of the transformations themselves. Plus, it will give you a better idea of which ones to get first
*cough* Hound *cough*.....he's near as damnit a Masterpiece as you could get. Grab a winch and some small wing mirrors and hey presto! Alternators are awesome and can really be customised to fit damn close to G1: I just wish Hound's G1 shoulder cannon/Trailbreaker's force field weren't so friggin' hard to find!!
Personally they became pointless as soon as Classics toys started being released. The licensed car modes are great if you're into that.
I love the fact that they're all 1/24 scale vehicles. I'm a big car fan as well so Alt/BTs are just a great mix of two of my favorite things.
There are some collectors out there that all they've wanted from a modern TF line is a "G1 update". While Alternators/Binal Tech certainly tapped into this, I've always believe that this line is not by default that line, nor has it only existed in my collection to serve that purpose. I can certainly see why you'd say this, but I think if someone is only into Alternators/Binal Tech for this reason alone, they've really missed something special from the line. There have been several threads in the last few months in this forum where those of us who enjoy this line have chimed in as to the reasons we like this line so much. For me, the 1:1 - 1:24 accuracy has always been the driving force as to why I've been into this line as a Transformers line. This line taps into the same thing that the '84 G1 cars tapped into - real world vehicles that transform into robots. The movie toys do this as well, but I simply don't enjoy the robot designs as much as I do with the Alt/BT line (since they're a bit more drawn from the Diaclone and G1 robot designs). The Diaclone toys that the G1 cars are made from were made from actual vehicles as well. I certainly can't fault someone for wanting to have, say, an Alt Mirage with "26", "ELF", "LIGER", or "CITANES" on it. However, the Ford GT40 does not have that same heritage and doesn't make sense to me in the regard. As much as I enjoy toy robots, I enjoy toy cars and the heritage cars have as well.
Alternators is still one of my favorite lines. I finally found a Camshaft for a fair price recently and completed my collection
I'm still looking to find a decently priced Camshaft. And to think i passed on it the only time i ever saw it (at a WM)!
Rally racing! Whoooooo! I think this car looks familiar http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_World_Rally_Team