Hehe, well: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/1078004-bring-back-alternators-binaltech.html?posted=1#post13799675 :)
Going back to the niche aspect of where the line is now, I really don't think that such a line is sustainable in any way now. Masterpiece is REALLY what most collectors of the line originally wanted anyways, and it's proven to be sustainable to keep marching on. Others have moved to Classics/Generations. Most collectors have abandoned the Alt/BTs to focus on either of those. I really think most of the people still excited about the line are the ones who post in our Appreciation thread...and there's not many of us left. :(
Rumble especially feels more like a "toy" and less like a "collectible." The spring-loaded pile drivers especially make this figure feel different. An arm swapping>pile drivers would have felt more in tune with the rest of the line. It is what it is now, though. The 1:24 scale, rubber tires, detailed interiors, officially licensed cars, integrated weapons, and opening car features ARE indicative of the line, though. Those are the things that make the line distinctive from the rest of the Transformers lines. To omit those things is taking away from what makes the line what it is, for better or for worse.
I dunno. A part of me actually likes that ALT/BTs are a bit more obscure now. It hardens back to the time period in which it's entrenched. I suppose if things were revisited, I'd prefer a handful here and there. I'd want characters that weren't done - no retreads of characters we already have. I think they need to be done a certain way, too. I'd like packages like BadCube - minimalistic so as to look less generic and more high end. Figures need to blend with what we have and not stand out. The KO BTs are much of what I like for the most part - I'd just like better quality :) What about you?
I saw that alphatron creep is on your friends list. Take him off. He targets female (or supposedly female) users, prying into their personal info and trying to hook up with them. He came after me once (even though I'm not female) and tried guilt tripping me into adding him onto his friend list. I managed to stop him, but I went through his VMs and a lot of the convos he has with other users are pretty invasive. He's banned right now, but he'll probably be back. Just avoid him.
I wouldn't recommend it to be honest. I was scared doing it to my Acid Storm when I removed the camoflage deco and repainted the stripes on it. I swapped out the green canopy for a Junker TC's yellow canopy. I did mar the plastic a bit. On my custom Redwing (that I'm still procrastinating on xD ) I did it there too because the original from the TT Sunstorm got cracked.
Unfortunately the iGear canopy is a darker tint of orange: iGear: [IMG] Hasbro Starscream: [IMG] Needless to say, if you use the iGear one, not only would you have to paint the frame of the canopy, but it won't match the windshield on Hasbro's MP-07
Well it is extremely difficult to get the nose section apart as they used a ton of glue to glue on the panels that hide the screws necessary to be removed for dismantling. Unless you're taking apart an iGear seeker (which did not have any glue in any of those panels), then I wouldn't recommend trying. To swap out canopies, you kinda have to carefully wedge the two halves apart (hopefully without breaking anything) and wiggle the old canopy out and wiggle the new one in. It takes a bit of force, but you have to be careful with it or you'll marr some plastic at least.
