not really liking the arms.. lol.

 

Eeeehhhh....he looks alright..not my favorite design, but if I see better pictures I may be convinced to pick him up. Are he and breakaway going to be in the movie together?

>__> I wish there were some comparisons between like Barricade or Sideswipe..something I have instead of the helicopters..but I do like how closely scaled they are. =P

 

chicken legs and rediculous "arms"... no buy

 

I don't insist all TFs be humanoid. But I expect them to look like something. And the oft-spouted excuse that Bayformers are simply "original and different" is also problematic. Many of them are as "original and different" as those old Go-Bot planes, that had horrible proportions, useless looking limbs, and badly designed transformations. This Blazemaster is really little different than those. It may be different, but it displays a real lack of innovative problem solving within the design.

Thank you.

"Brainwashed" might have been a little strong, but in terms of an empirical assessment, there is something there. When Transformers adhered to a humanoid aesthetic, you could actually judge them on their level of success... are the proportions balanced? Is the articulation sufficient? Is the kibble managed? Can the bot strike a dramatic pose? ... etc...

With a lot of these non-movie Bayformers, it's rather obvious that the designers didn't feel the need to hold themselves to ANY standard, or aspire to any particular outcome, which means "innovative" problem solving is pretty much a nil consideration. Instead they freely turn out awkward beasts with no consistent aesthetic. With no "ideal" there's really nothing to be said about how they achieve a "final" transformation or work within their limitations. They could quite literally stop anywhere along the design process, and call it done, and apparently many fans wouldn't even notice. They'd just exclaim over how "original" the design is.

Maybe I'm a bit cynical... *shrug*

zmog

 

Not terrible, Blaze Master is definitely not a highlight of the movie line.

 

True, but the outcome of this experiment should be a lesson in what to avoid.

I would fault the chicken legs in this case. For a bot with a fat, pot-bellied torso, they've given him some of the longest, scrawniest chicken legs imaginable. There can be few combinations of physical characteristics more goofy and gimpish. It also makes him remarkably top-heavy.

Even though you can straighten them out, you can't convert them to work like regular legs.

But there is a certain logic to him having bird legs. Flying bots like Starscream and this guy, well, they're like birds. Also this kind of leg design would function better from the point of view of having a soft landing to cushion the force of hitting the ground.

I still think it looks dumb. And I hate chicken legs. For one thing they are a lot harder to balance. You have extra articulation in the leg, which invariably give way at the loosest joint. Unlike a human knee they cannot lock in position, and must be permanently bent.

 

Snipped this little part as it brings up a good point; I think they did stop the design process prematurely (before they bothered to work out how to give him decent hands) and many fans have noticed. The lack of proper hands have been a pretty consistant gripe with him (even with people like me who like the weird, unconventional bot modes). Some just overlook crappy design elements because they otherwise like whats going on with the figure (or they just really want any excuse to bolster their Autobot ranks   ) for others, it's a deal breaker.

Call me crazy, but for some reason that's what I really like about his design.

 

I love his design, but I might not have enough money to pick him up. Also, I think a lot of you guys are missing the point of the "chicken legs" on some of the movie-bots. They have flying alt-modes, therefore their robot modes have bird-like aspects. It makes perfect sense, even if you don't like how it looks.

 

This.

Oh hell yeah! You know you want to do it Hasbro, give us a cephalopod bot. It can be movie Octopunch.

 

I imagine you are a bit cynical, because this block of text implies that the designers just phone in movie bots and don't care about them because of how you view the designs.

 

oh you think?

 

Ok, Like the vehicle mode and color scheme, does remind me of Dinobot as well.
But with the Channel 7 markings I can't help but think he's a newsbot for Autobot TV, I can just hear him.. "Optimus Prime and Megatron-Rumble in the desert!" Does Jetfire make it, does Prime fly? More film and interviews on this late breaking story at 11!! Join us on Autobot 7, your link to all things Allspark and Autobot!!" This is Blaze Master reporting live, now back to the studio."

 

to add something,
I'd say I've noticed that a lot of the non movie, completely original bots', heads are keeping in theme better with their bodies. Dune Runner actually has flood lamps built into his head for instance. Blaze Master has a birdish face, that still manages to look great. What I like better of these original designs, is the lack of fake shapes; like Sideswipe's abdomen for instance - which is not part of his vehicle, nor does it take the form of the complementary lines. It seem too forced as apposed to Prime's abdominal area or Blaze Master here.

I would love a Springer repaint or Blades repaint here!

 

^^^ This  

Another bot mode with duel sword action, and another helicopter bot that's not another bloody Blackout repaint! What's not to like?

I like chicken legs myself. They look interesting and I find them pretty fun to pose, and although his are a bit on the skinny side I think they're in keeping with the character. The only thing that does bother me slightly is the amount of white he has, especially on the rear rotors and his chest in bot mode. with all the grey plastic Hasbro's been using I would've thought they'd have gone with that and he'd look tons better. Nothing a bit of silver paint can't fix though.

Also I'm surprised no-one picked up on the fact that his torso is mistransformed in this gallary. what they've got as his chest and covering half his face is actually his belly, and the nose cone swings further down almost between his legs like this:

http://www.tfw2005.com/resources/attachment.php?do=fullview&attachmentid=11054

I know it's photoshopped, but that's what he should look like

 

Everyone's turning this into a Breakaway hate thread now?
I love Breakaway, he's got an awesome gerwalk-ish robot mode, and his kibble actually has a purpose.
Blaze Master though... Had potential, but those arms. those horrid, horrid arms.

 

what about breakaway's big guerrilla feet? Looks real appropriate for jet! right! I'm diggin this Blaze Master Mold, if that means I have to go cry in a corner... so be it!

 

Not too shabby, but why do I have a sudden craving for KFC? 

 

It's because of that damned Colonel Sanders!! He puts an addictive chemical into his chicken that makes you crave it night and day!!

 

why do i get the strange feeling that his lack of "proper" arms is connected to them having to shove that damn blade spin gimmick in?