3P, if you find this, screw it, just steal my idea:

For the toy, don't bother trying to actually make him into a triple/quadruple changer. You're not going to be able to make enough people happy.

Focus on the fact that he has 2 robot modes and exploit that.
Aircraft Carrier Mode
Jet Mode
Robot 1 Mode
Robot 2 Mode

So, where can we look at for reference on doing such a thing successfully?

First, we have Siege/ER/Kingdom Ultra Magnus. A king of partforming and also having ulfolding panels.
Studio Cell and HasLab Unicron are also great examples. You have a large Alt Mode with lots of panels. One successfully hides them, the other folds them down a lot because it's mostly just a big shell.

Secondly, and this is the major part where we can exploit the 2 bot modes (optionally), look at the Power of the Primes leaders.
Orion Pax/Optimus, Hot Rod/Rodimus, these are figures that incorporate multiple Robot forms (1 small, 1 large) that combine into a large alt mode, and can separate and have a smaller/less complete alt mode.

So... Robot 1, would be around Springer's size, and would need to actually be capable of either a lot of forms (Robot, Jet, being part of the ship, and being part of the large robot), or simply having parts attach to it like the aforementioned Ultra Magnus.

Robot 2, or maybe just "shell/docking station for robot 1" or even "armor parts for robot 1" would make up the bulk of the ship and the bulk of the Combiner-sized variant of Broadside.

Accessories: Miniature Jets for Carrier Mode (one could even be Broadside himself ), that could form together to make a weapon?

TL;dr: Broadside can be successfully accomplished by avoiding the idea that you need to make him a single robot.

 

While I would love to see a MP broadside would have to be the size of zeta toys Devastator (and still not to scale )unless they do what hasbro did with the original toy

 

I believe Broadside can be done without too much trouble by either XTB, FT or OM... The 3 companies have proven that they can pull off amazing bots.

Out of those 3, I think only FT have the balls to make it combiner size.

 

They have the balls to announce it at combiner size. Now whether it’s ever actually released is another story.

 

They did?

 

Two robot modes? Is that in an obscure comic or something?

I only know the toy, and that jet mode was godawful. I'm only interested in Legends, but assuming MFT takes it on, as they're the only ones doing triple changers, I'll only really be interested if they make the jet mode something recognizable (F-14, etc) and not look like crap. But looking at their past work, they're delivering a toy jet copy of Blitzwing, not a real MIG, so my guess is they go for toy accuracy, which will look.. presumably, just as bad as Octane in plane mode if not worse.. ha.

So my guess no matter what, this guy would look like crap without doing something creative like one robot, that splits into a carrier AND a jet that goes on top of it or something, that would be the best of a bad situation, but of course, not accurate to anything and so a non-starter.

 

I think something along the lines of Double Evil size would be a happy medium. No need to be an aircraft carrier either; just something boaty, something jetified and a recognizable bot mode. I'd just like a decent interpretation of the character on my shelf; it doesn't have to be slavishly toon accurate.

But lets face it, if the current crop of MP companies can't be bothered with a niche character like this. Hell, we haven't even got a decent version of Sandstorm yet, so what chance does poor ol' Broadside stand? A figure like this would require actual effort on their part, and it's far easier to fart out another carbot, rake in the cash and call it a day.

 

Considering he would need to be Omega Supreme height, it shouldn't be that difficult to turn a bot of that size into a triple changer, especially considering that both his alt modes are not exactly intricately shaped. It's a carrier and an aircraft, I mean... It has to be doable.

 

Pics of both attached from the G1 Cartoon Continuity.
White head Red Face has been sized at around Dinobot/Jetfire Size
Grey (white?) Head blue eyes has been sized at season 3 Triple Changer size, Combiner Size, and at Jetfire Size (shown here - though he could arguably be Combiner Size here, and be standing further back).

Pretty sure these guys were probably both intended to be different characters, and both had Broadside slapped on them in the cartoon. He's definitely one of the biggest errors/discontinuity I've seen so far.

 

I think a Mechanic STUDIOS could do it pretty well too. I'd love to see a version inspired more by the unused prototype in the toy catalog than the final product

 

So the smaller robot becomes a jet, which combines with an aircraft carrier to become the larger robot?

I could totally get behind that. Makes way more sense than just having an aircraft that turns directly into an aircraft carrier.

 

Well an aircraft carrier is essentially a giant flat surface, turning that into a jet and robot would be easier than a jet and a tank I'd imagine. We have like two released Blitzwing and a third on the way, *someones* got to tackle Broadside surely.

 

Well I didn't mean in terms of engineering, just in terms of concept. Making an aircraft carrier that turns into an aircraft is like if they'd made Soundwave into
a triple changer that turns into both a cassette player and a cassette. Basically it's just an extremely poor use of the alt mode's potential.

 

I forget where I saw the pic, but someone made a digital repaint of the recent Hasbro Titan-Class Ark in sorta-Broadside colors which made me think of making a similar compromise; why NOT make him a space ark? Then he's both an "aircraft" and a "ship", just with one transformation (and also large). Just a thought.  

 

yeah, the scale disparity always bugged me between the carrier and the jet, though to me it would be odd to have a modern carrier with a scifi Ark alt. I'd prefer a modern carrier and a... uh..... oil rig? NASA shuttle + launch pad? ore trawler? not sure what else is modern, and ideally land based but has a similar scale.

 

Interesting...I could see the carrier being more hollow and collapse down to transform to Jet mode. Still have the old FP version. But you see the real challenges trying to go from a huge carrier to a small jet. The character and vehicle choices were cool but just not practical as toy.

Heck, just focus on the carrier mode and call it SDF-1   , oops, I mean Broadside and I'd be happy!

 

I actually think this is a pretty cool idea!

 

I'd be happy with a fanstoys phoenix (jetfire) sized broadside. Bring it!

I think I read somewhere it was one of those things where they had a sketch and maybe a proto. Maybe one animation studio was using the wrong one. Memory is fuzzy, but I think something along those lines. The old fansproject one had the ability to swap looks... it's pretty neat.

 

Legend game for me. Make the bot nice (not the version with the red face) about the size of MFT Huge Dragon, make the carrier look nice, I'll accept the less than plane mode, with triple changers one mode most suffer.

 

GI Joe USS Flagg = Autobot Broadside

This the way. Go big or go home!