Every now and then a thread will pop up on the boards, normally entitled something like 'What original alt-modes would you like to see made into a transformer?'

Now normally it's a question being directed towards Hasbro, but will the third parties ever try and fill the fandom's yearning for transformers that change into tractors, hearses, buses, traffic signals, phone booths, or another of the myriad weird and wonderful vehicles that have not yet become represented by a good, fully articulated transforming robot toy of the like that we know the likes of Fansproject, MMC, TFC, Maketoys et al are capable of creating?

Fansproject have the desire to make new characters, but they seem to want to go with a Cybertronian aesthetic, simlarly TFC with their Starcats thingy's and possibly the Ares combiner. There was Robo-bus a while ago but that project seems to have come to naught.

I personally think any third party who could create a line of original characters that would compliment the Generations/Classics lines in terms of size and articulation, but with some awesome unusual alt-modes would be onto a cast iron winner. What say you all?

 

Like these guys you mean? Smallish, I admit, with 4 original characters in earth alt modes from TFC.

 

Yes, exactly like that (I'd forgotten all about them!) but in a larger scale to fit with Hasbro's classics lines, and with less of an emphesis on the old standards of cars, tanks and planes, and more on Submarines, Combine Harvesters, Everglade fanboats, Jetski's, and other sorts of hitherto unusual and neglected alt-modes.

 

Those are good. The WW theme is awesome. It would be cool to see more of that. But coming up with ideas for some things that haven't been used to death would be challenging, but fun. I always wanted to see an up to date cosmos, with like a cool future space ship and some chrome on him. I know it's not earthen but you catch my drift.

 

Toyworld did a pretty good job with their throttlebots

 

Friend Those are based of G1 dudes. Subgroup Throttlebots.

 

Also, if you want more emphasis on more neglected alt modes, cyclops and the hos Optimus look pretty realistic too.

 

Oh, I just realized the title said "original" characters. My apologies.

 

Right, but again, I think he's wanting original characters and original alt-modes... not a Quakewave or a HoS Not Shockwave.

 

Regardless of alt made, I would love more original characters in general.

 

To be fair, Aurora is only vaguely based on Searchlight. He's white and blue, and that's about it. Different name, transformation, alt mode, tech specs, size class. He's even an SUV not a car. If Aurora had not been paired with Grind Rod, and been part of the "T" line from Toyworld, would people even know it's supposed to be Searchlight?



It's a completely original earth-based alt mode, Deluxe size toy design. Paint it in any other color, and it would be EXACTLY what this thread is looking for.

 

Yep, whilst I appreciate and thoroughly enjoy the likes of the Stunticons and Throttlebots getting swanky new alt modes, they're just cars, cool cars, but cars none the less, and being homages have to maintain design cues and colour pallettes and what not to the originals. These groups have some really talented designers working for them and I'd love to see them let their imaginations run wild without having to be tied to an existing source material. Not that they should completely neglect the homages of course, after all we as Transformers fans love these characters and we'll always want updated versions of them. But heck, even the Go-Bots had a better variety of vehicular types than the bulk of the G1 cast!

 

It's all in the headsculpt in regard to Aurora. There's no mistaking who is he. He even has little marker lights on his shoulders.

You might as well ditch Classics Bumblebee and any number of other characters if you're going by the "It's not a [g1 alt-mode]" logic.

 

I know this is a bit of a stretch, but these do fall under both "earth alt mode" and "original character", even if they are just recolors of toys that were homages.





Since only four of the Shattered Glass Constructicon appeared in club fiction, two member of Safeguard Perseus are TECHNICALLY original characters, as is Perseus himself. They are NOT based on any character who exists in TF fiction.

Also, that sixth member of TFC's not-Aerialbots who forms the chest of the combiner... not based on anyone right? Original character and Earth mode.

So that 11 third party Transformers with Earth base alt modes and that are NOT based on TF characters.

 

No. I'm looking for stuff that we won't have seen before. Those may be original characters in the sense that their names and colours are unique, but their clearly recoloured toys that were originally Frumble and Ratbat Homages that turn into boring old tapes. Tapes have been done to death. I appreciate what you're saying about Aurora as well, god knows I adore the Range Rover Evoque, but again, it's a car. I look at my collection and I see dozens of cars, trucks, SUV's, but not one Seaplane, or tarmac layer, or steam roller, or Vespa.

 

Well, that's a bit picky. ;-)

3P companies do make original characters, and they do make original Earth-based alt modes, but most toys only have one OR the other.

 

I think I got u now. Pretty much things that really haven't been done before. What bout coke machine, decent monster truck, good speed boat, something along those lines???

 

That said... I wouldn't mind seeing some more original entries... but unless it's by a noteworthy and popular 3rd party... its so high risk that odds are you won't see many in the immediate future... if any.

Steel Core worked because to many it had this Armada Overload/Magnus vibe (disregard if intentional) and because Fansproject has both a solid track record for quality releases and a loyal following.

The Iron Army possibly did well because there were just enough folks who bought PCCs wishing for more out of them... so they filled the gap... Even then, these can be considered WWII-based Combaticons due to the color scheme and that in G1... they were build from scavanged WWII vehicles.

The Maketoys Mobine addons will probably work well because of this same reason... it fixes up the flaw of the PCC line... that, and half of the set is actually used for an IDW "The Fallen" homage.

Long story short... IF there's somewhat original goods by 3P groups... odds are it still has to homage something TF-based... even in small details like decos.

 

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my title and initial post. I'm looking for stuff that we've not seen before, a bit of out of the box thinking. I would even say ok, you want to give me a car, think away from top end sports cars and luxery SUV's, use some imagination. Give me a stretch Limo complete with hot tub, or a Robin Reliant, maybe a pink Cadillac, a London taxi, an invalid carriage, a ride on lawn mower. Be original, we don't need another pick up truck, but a Mescherschmitt Bubble car would be awesome! I say make them original characters because then you're not tied to making it look like something that came before.

 

I honestly think that if the figures were well designed, and were something unique that we'd not seen before (as well of course well constructed and competitively priced) that they wouldn't need to homage, and in fact I think they'd be better off not, because we've seen what happens when you do attempt to explicitly homage, a fair proportion of people will be put off by things like, that's the wrong shade of blue, he was never that short in G1, that face sculpt doesn't resemble him enough etc, etc. It would most definitely be a risk, but one that would be worth taking I think. What could really swing it would be to get a good creative team behind it to create some good fiction, tie it into the existing universe in subtle ways. New designs and new characters can be sold easily if there's some good fiction behind him. I mean check out the comic forums, how many people there would give their left nut for a Generations Rung toy? This is a character introduced into the universe just over a year ago, who's toy would sell out in minutes thanks to the comics. Of course I'm not suggesting hiring James Roberts to write your fiction for you but a few good prose stories or decent comics (they'd have to be much better than FP and PE's offerings though) would do far more to sell it to the fans than a vaguely reminisent paint job or Has ro style name slap.