Thank you!

Unpopular opinion here, but I don't care about alt mode kibble. Never have. Never will. I'm fine either way. Going back to the source material, there were G1 characters who didn't look jack squat like what they turned into, like pistol-mode Megatron. I don't equate alt mode kibble with transformation itself either.

If others prefer robots to have alt mode kibble, that's great, and I hope they enjoy that aspect, but to me, it's never been a core tenet of what makes the fiction and characters.

 

I don't think UTs figures are any less feasible than the official MPMs.
And Hasbro did do a pretty good job with Studio Series Stinger though.

MCU Hawkeye and Scarlet witch are also pretty different from their comic counterparts.

And Starscream does still retain some of his classic details such as the chest cockpit, the wings on his back and his arm mounted weapons.
What does Hawkeye retain other than his bow?

 

In my defense, I didn't recognize those 3 at first. Esp Shocker.

MCU's Parker is one that captures the awkward of a geek the best, IMO. That one I instantly recognize.

In my defense, I didn't recognize those two (and I don't like their movie iteration).

And 3P's figure isn't really feasible for mass retail due to amount of detail/small moving part, which can be a hazard issue (choking problem, etc). Even official MPM adhere to safety rules.

 

Bunch of shapes stuck together vs a badass looking alien.

 

This kinda proved mine and electronics points.

The amount of moving parts on them is about the same as the official MPMs.

 

...but it's a franchise called TRANSFORMERS.

The fact that you've basically proven what I've been saying for years is in fact correct - that you literally would accept just about anything with "TRANSFORMERS" slapped on it, irregardless of whether or not it has robots that turn into things - aside, what exactly would you consider the 'core' tennants of the franchise? Because the fact the toys turn into things is literally the only reason the Diaclone and Microchange lines were ever combined by Hasbro into Transformers. It is quite literally the foundation of this franchise from the exact second it came into existence.

You remove the transformation aspect, and the franchise immediately just becomes some generic sci-fi crap. I legitamately have to know what on Earth you think is more important in a franchise called TRANSFORMERS if it isn't, y'know, TRANSFORMING ROBOTS.

 

If there wasn't a couple of emblems, I would struggle to recognize Lockdown as a Lambo

 

Underlined an exaggeration here.

It's called having your own set of standards; not accepting anything with the franchise's name on it.

 

No reason to sound so angry.

You do realize that was just a typo, right? I was talking about alt mode kibble, not alt modes themselves.

But there's something else that's also important, that in my opinion is equal to transformation, and takes precedence even over the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. In the opening of "MtMtE, Part 1," ...

Many millions of years ago, on the planet Cybertron, life existed. But not life as we know it today. Intelligent robots that could think and feel inhabited the cities.

Yes, the transformation is important, but so is the fact that Cybertronians have thoughts and emotions as well.

 

Given previous statements by you on the matter, I find it hard to believe you wouldn't be all for a Transformers series where the robots didn't have alt. modes. Your favorite film, after all, is the one where transformation itself was removed as much as possible, and you don't consider Bumblebee a Transformers film even though that does more with the very concept of Transformation than all five bay films combined.

That's...not unique unto Transformers. You're literally just saying it's important that the alien robots have sapience. Which is a given since, y'know, they're the main characters.

I mean, based on that alone, you might as well watch a show for freakin' preschoolers with that premise of 'sapient alien robots'.

 

I wouldn't call DOTM Shockwave just a "bunch of shapes," but you're right, BB Movie Shockwave is pretty badass.

 

I'm not going to speak on Galvatross's preferences but here is what I got to say.

Bumblebee and the 5 Bay films are both Transformers. Just different viewpoints on the franchise. One's got softer approach; one is harder.

Transformations have been used for different purposes like
-Be it a disguise to hide from humans (i.e. Bumblebee's Volkswagen mode or Optimus's rusty mode)
-Combat advantage (i.e. The triple changer duo or Starscream's F-22 Raptor mode)
-Infiltration (folks like Frenzy, Laserbeak, Barricade or Soundwave)

Now AOE is not my favourite TF film, it's still the 2007 film for me but the way I see it is that while it's good to have homages to classic roots. I always think it's better to let other iterations form their own identity on their things rather than rehashing. If it's too controversial; of course redesign it.

And yes, this is going to sound like a discourse but this is my favourite example so far of one incarnation of a franchise forming its own identity over the original source material.

Spoiler

Last thing I hope to see ever is saying things like 'my favourite iteration of this is better than yours and that's fact'.

 

Knight's style is closer to the blocky G1 designs than the menacing cool looking Bayformers!

Define "normal", because I think the word you intended to use was humanoid.

He has kibble (torso and calves), but most of the car breaks down to little non identifiable pieces.

There are a lot of body types in the Bayverse, he is just one of the humanoids, that is all.

Check out Peru kill he also "mass shift" and have very little, but accurate kibble, so it is not impossible.

 

While vehicle kibble is nice, I'm personally more concerned with whether the designs themselves are appealing. Stuff like proportioning and color and busyness. Those are more important because they apply to every design (regardless of whether it's a transforming robot).

For instance, movie 1-3 Optimus has a lot more truck kibble than AOE/TLK Optimus, but I vastly prefer the latter. I find the first design too lankly, and I really dislike the proportioning of his (maskless) face. The nose is too big and the mouth sits where his chin should be. AOE/TLK Optimus has better facial/body proportions and looks more 'heroic' overall (which is what the designers were going for in both designs...I just think they did better with the second). This is obviously subjective, but I view AOE/TLK Optimus as a technically superior design. The fact that he lacks kibble is a bit weird, but the rest of the design is so solid that I can forgive it.

 

He doesn't lack kibble.

 

Yes, he does.

Beyond the exhaust pipes and door handles, what on Earth on Prime is recognizably parts of a truck? Where are the tires? The headlights? The hard lines that even suggest he turns into a truck cab?

 

When I said "lacks kibble" I was speaking in broad terms. He certainly has some, just not as many obvious truck pieces as movie 1-3 Optimus.

 

I honestly prefer the earlier Bay designs over the new stuff. Shatter, Dropkick, and Blitzwing are very Bay in design and I really like those three, and VW Bumblebee and BB Optimus are good too. But the other ones are way too G1 for my tastes and people really overhype them. Ironhide and ratchet's faces are worse than any Bay design face.

In regards to Knight Prime, I think that design is awesome and is a great robot design, but not really a great Transformers design. I don't mind designs that hide a lot of vehicle kibble but I do think they need a decent bit on there. Everything else is so cool on him though that I don't really mind for the most part.

 

1. The KSI Transformers are just as much Transformers as Cybertronians. That they have a different mechanism of transformation does not negate the fact they transform from robot to alternate mode.

2. Ironically, Transformium actually strengthens the concept of Transformers, and it's the best Shrek-splanation of what Transformers are made of.

In the first episode of G1, in Beast Wars, and in the live action movies, Transformers are shown to scan alternate modes. Furthermore, in the movies they are shown to do so seamlessly. A programmable metal explains how they could do so seamlessly. It also explains how they can adopt their engineering and their bodies to their alt modes, as they can use the specs of their new alt modes to change their bodies accordingly. Kind of hard to do that with tin and iron and copper and aluminum and what not, let alone do it almost instantaneously.

Furthermore, Transformium explains how Transformers can adapt the textures of Earth's materials. Transformers from Cybertron do not conveniently have paint, rust, rubber, glass, leather, hair, or skin on their bodies. A programmable metal, whose molecules can rearrange themselves to change their texture and reflect light in certain ways, is the best explanation as to how they can disguise themselves in alien textures.

It also fits in well with Lockdown's, "You were built to do as you were told," line, as they were meant to do the work of those who created them and programmed them.

Finally, the Transformium cubeforming transformations are really freaking cool. Shrektastic even!

This is a delusion, if not an outright fabrication.

Never once have I implied, let alone explicitly said, that Bumblebee was not a Transformers film.

In actuality, all seven theatrical Transformers are equally Transformers films. They all have thinking, feeling, transforming, alien robots from Cybertron in them. They all feature the Autobot-Decepticon war in some fashion. That goes for the 1986 film, all five Bay movies, and Bumblebee.

But it absolutely is important. How the Transformers are depicted as sentient beings is the most important aspect for my personal enjoyment of a comic, show, or movie. And, it's literally and prominently in the opening moment of G1, before appearances by any Autobots or Decepticons, therefore showing how important that component of Transformers truly is.