Is the Rise Of The Beasts WheelJack Head design really that bad? I really love his new head design

Discussion in 'Transformers Movie Discussion' started by DotmOptimusPrime23, Jan 3, 2023.

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Is ROTB WheelJacks head design really that bad?

  1. Yes

    59 vote(s)
    43.1%
  2. No

    12 vote(s)
    8.8%
  3. I think I'll get used to it

    27 vote(s)
    19.7%
  4. He'll yes

    2 vote(s)
    1.5%
  5. Not really

    8 vote(s)
    5.8%
  6. Hate it

    24 vote(s)
    17.5%
  7. Love it

    2 vote(s)
    1.5%
  8. Can't decide

    3 vote(s)
    2.2%
  1. Starscreamsgal

    Starscreamsgal Well-Known Member

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    They may not change it that much, but they can still make changes. Even with toys and reading material out.

    I keep bringing up the incident involving Megatron's head from 2007, but that's the best scenario I can think of for this sort of situation, so here I go again...

    Back in 2006/2007, Paramount/Hasbro released promotional CGI renders of the transformers characters for Bay's first film. I'm sure you know what i'm talking about. Megatron immediately got torn apart by fans because he was all spiky and silver and essentially, looked like a jumbled mess. The part of him that the most criticism, however, was his head. It was this weird, diamond shape, you could barely see his eyes, and he had this 'lipless', bared 'teeth' look going on around his mouth. People were pissed and at the last minute, animated adjusted Megatron's head to what we have in the 2007. You can see his eyes, he's got 'lips' and his overall head is a different shape. Yes, there were toys that were already made and tie-in books that had already been printed/published with his old head design, but the changes were made.

    Come to think of it, they tweaked Ironhide's image just a tiny bit. If you look at the early cgi renders, Ironhide has a black 'nose plate'- you can can see him with the nose plate in some of 2007 children's books too- but in the films, he's got that silver 'nose' with the star-like opening.

    What i'm getting at is...they absolutley can make adjustments to Wheeljack...if they wanted to.

    And of course, we aren't saying "Change everything! Change the body shape! Change the colors! Make him a sports car! Completely redo the head!" I'll admit...that last point would be nice, but realistically speaking...if they can just add the head fins, I think a lot of us would feel a lot better about the design. I mean, I'll still hate the giant glasses (I wear glasses myself, but I hate the giant glasses trend that's going around...hence my dislike of Wheeljack's design) but at least he'll have something that we can look at and say "Yep. That's Wheeljack alright."

    Right now, it's more like "That's Wheeljack? Alright, if you say so..." which doesn't put people at ease.

    Now, on a final note as I wrap up my 'essay'...according to a leak (which I am now taking all leaks/claims and rumors with a grain of salt)...during the final battle of the ROTB, Wheeljack's glasses flip up and a mouth mask slips into place. But there's still no fins.

    If film makers/animators don't want to go through the hassle of adding the fins in every one of Wheeljack's scenes, then the one thing I can suggest them doing is having the glasses flip outward instead of up that way we get a least a little nod to his Bumblebee film form.

    I think that's all I have to say about this...for now.
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2023
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  2. Music

    Music Primetimus Prime

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    Yes, they took a unique head and made it generic and "nerdy" because the filmmakers think we're too stupid to figure out that the character is supposed to be smart.
     
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  3. Paok

    Paok Well-Known Member

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    This is a perfect example, of how inferior fiction, like the movies, make me appreciate how many cliches and pitfalls G1 could easily have fallen in, when shaping the world of Transformers, but didn't. Wheeljack could easily have been imagined as a nerdy inventor stereotype back then and it would make even more sense to resemble Urkel back in that era. Truly taken for granted.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
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  4. MattDallas

    MattDallas Well-Known Member

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    It's just not Wheeljack anymore, plain and simple. Just give this character a new name and be done with it.
    WheelJack was never a geek. He was more of a rough Brooklyn accented engineer grease monkey. I think the only reason Bob Budiansky characterised him as an inventor was because the original toy looked like he was in a white coat with black gloves.
     
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  5. Moy

    Moy Constructicons!

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    Nice concepts, bit it's not happening in the film.
     
  6. Cosbydaf

    Cosbydaf Well-Known Member

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    I can't see how this design is anything other than a downgrade, except for the sort of person that's like "I hate G1 so much that literally anything else is an improvement."
    Unless they're just really into caricatures.
     
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  7. Paok

    Paok Well-Known Member

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    In general, this is, ultimately, the question that G1 and Beast Wars fans have been asking for years.
     
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  8. Music

    Music Primetimus Prime

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    I like how the filmmakers looked at all these Wheeljack designs:
    Wheeljack-designs-comparison.jpg

    And was like, nah, this design is better looking and a good representation of the character:
    782f6314e980b80bc438872e73547535 (1).jpg

    INB4 someone uses Armada Wheeljack as a poor justification for why the ROTB design is good.
     
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  9. Mglaighton120

    Mglaighton120 Well-Known Member

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    I get why people don’t like it, but it’s crazy to me just how strong everyone’s opinions are based on a leak of a children’s toy. Every iteration of transformers after G1 has had different designs for classic characters. Animated’s version of Prowl was wildly different from the G1 iteration, but has become a fan favorite of the series since then. I think people should at least wait till we have footage of Wheeljack in the film before getting so upset over it.
     
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  10. Rob

    Rob Prowl Fan

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    Is what I would have preferred? Nope!

    Am I willing to look past it if the movie is good? Totally.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
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  11. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member

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    The thing is that TFA Prowl was also a neat gold and black cop robot with cool baggy pants, while this is a Urkel joke with a hideous too-uncanny too-detailed robot face with disgusting metal lips. I am extremely open-minded about redesigns and even I think it's lame, because it is lame not because it's difference.
     
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  12. MattDallas

    MattDallas Well-Known Member

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    Yes, lets just give this new interpretation a chance.



    Just like we did with Skids, Hot Rod, Onslaught etc.
     
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  13. cybeast

    cybeast Freelancer Pun Maker

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    My point is, even if they change it, SoyJack most likely will still sport that carricature stupid nerd look, which what people are having problem about.

    People are upset because it's the design they loved, which got changed into something... unrecognizable, and a walking stereotype of nerd.

    Not only that, SoyJack also feels detached from the rest of the cast, which has design similar or recognizable to their G1 self. He's not even on the same color ffs.

    You can just name him "Que" or "Perceptor" or "NerdBot69" or whatever and nothing will change.
     
    Last edited: Jan 3, 2023
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  14. Cosbydaf

    Cosbydaf Well-Known Member

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    And to add to that, the much bigger meta problem - Why get excited for any character, if they're liable to end up like this?
    One of the biggest reasons so many people wanted a reboot (assuming this is one, and assuming we ever get a straight answer) was to get away from stuff like this.
     
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  15. TF Hot Rod

    TF Hot Rod Legacy TFA enjoyer

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    Yes 100% yes.

    He has such a good head design that has been pretty consistent even when the design isn’t G1 looking (Cybertron Downshift, Alternators WJ) along with as someone who loves G1 WJ’s design it sucks to see this. The van alt mode I think was a good choice and I like the colors and the body we have seen so far but that face…Wheeljack is a butterface.

    And another side here is why it’s bad is because this is a sequel to Bumblebee and everyone returning from that movie’s head designs are pretty consistent from what we saw in BB with modifications, yet Wheeljack is the only one changed this much.
    422298C7-52AA-40DD-82DB-34E29DE8C2A1.jpeg

    Also all they had to due was keep the face the same and the design would not get the hate its getting as fan art done on Twitter has shown.
    F3F65DCC-5DC5-4142-8DDE-53EA86077792.jpeg 9855C508-3DFB-461B-8E98-2D7959FA11A9.jpeg FAA29C27-2E3F-49B6-A333-A1642D561AB0.jpeg
    Literally the same design as what we saw basically but the only big change is the head.

    Is it gonna make me not watch the movie? No not at all but it truely sucks that a character I was super looking forward to’s design looks the way it does.
     
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  16. cybeast

    cybeast Freelancer Pun Maker

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    Annddd I just saw Cheetor ROTB's bot mode.

    Honestly this... thing really doesn't have a place in the movie being named Wheeljack.

    Just call him Transit and make him killed in the first 3 sec of the movie.
     
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  17. Novaburnhilde

    Novaburnhilde Destron Enforcer

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    [​IMG]
     
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  18. CyberstormSM

    CyberstormSM Turbo-Revvin' Young Punk

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    This isn't entirely true. Perceptor being a badass marksman was introduced in AHM, which came out in 2008. A lot of people took issue with that change, too.
     
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  19. cybeast

    cybeast Freelancer Pun Maker

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    Name him Que and no one will have any problem with him.

    Seems in line too, since Que himself looks like Einstein, it'd be in his character to model himself like "someone smart".
     
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  20. Starscreamsgal

    Starscreamsgal Well-Known Member

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    At this point, I think this movie is a reboot. And I’m not just saying that cause I’m still hoping for an actual BB sequel. I feel like this is a reboot, but they (Lorenzo/paramount/Hasbro) just don’t want to admit it.

    Steven Caple has already stated it feels like a reboot, only to be silenced by Paramount/Hasbro.

    In all, I feel like they’re gonna pull the same stunt they pulled with the Bumblebee film. For ages, it was said to be a prequel and then at the last minute, there were like “No. It’s a reboot. Never mind the tie-ins with the Bay films, it’s a reboot.” That’s what I think is gonna happen, and if it does, I’d be completely fine with it.

    I’d go so far as to say I’d be fine with Wheeljack’s appearance if that was the case because it’s a new continuity. Yeah I’d still think he looks weird, but there wouldn’t be this whole “why does he look like this in one film while looking completely different in the ‘direct sequel” issue.