Actually, The Rebirth did get a Japanese dub in 1996 and was originally released in Laserdisk and DVD formats before getting its first Japanese TV broadcast in 2007 on Cartoon Network Japan.

 

Yes, and HM, MF, and Victory DID get US releases on DVD a few years ago.

What's so hard to understand about G1?

The original G1 toys are the primary source of everything. That includes toys from the US, Japan, and Europe.

The original main continuities are the US cartoon and Marvel Comics.

In the 4th season, Japan decided to go a different direction with the cartoon (which is good since it was canceled in the US).

The Marvel Comics had the US and UK stories, which again, were the same except the UK had a lot more stories that didn't always mesh with the US stories.

So the actual G1 stories were splintered from the beginning.

IDW is merely using the characters from G1 as the primary source and adding in stuff from other series as needed.

 

Ignoring the massive pile of stupidity that is Aligned a.k.a. Hasbro's attempt at a more long-term continuity, you are whining about continuity about 80's cartoon shows that were barely continuity-minded within seasons let alone cohesively as a series.

Trust me, if you told Hasbro execs 30 years ago the TF franchise would grow to its modern day size, they'd think you were high or something. Particularly after the misfire that was TFTM in 1986.

Well, technically yes, IDW did sort of finish out the old comic run from the Marvel era (by basically terminating whatever the hell the story was and subbing in their own thing, I never read it, personally).

But IDW's main comics are only G1 in so far as it's using the characters. Otherwise, saying IDW is true G1 continuity is like saying Marvel G1 comics are also in continuity with the cartoon.

Who cares about Japanese continuity in a thread that's supposed to be about a freakin' $150 toy that got shown off last weekend?

You forgot the elevator crank's location in robot mode - FM doesn't get away that easily  

You do realize G2 never happened in Japan, right?

That is correct, actually.

 

Funny thing is that the 86 movie arguably sealed the property into its cult status. Nothing more metal than going to the theater and watching your heroes die onscreen.

 

Transformers: G-2 (toyline - Transformers Wiki)

It actually did.

 

Not quite. Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory all follow from the Japanese version of the American G1 cartoon, in which The Rebirth was ignored. Japanese G1 and American G1 have always been different.

Think of it like Robotech vs. Macross. Robotech started with the same source material (Macross), but with a different dub that essentially turned it into a different story, with different sequels than the sequels of the original Macross. Only it was reversed for Transformers: The Japanese redubbed the American cartoon to suit their own storyline, which carried over to the Beast Wars cartoon (which is also part of the Japanese G1 continuity but very different from the American cartoon in terms of dubbing and story.)

Because apparently there was some talk earlier in the thread about repainting this new Fort Max into Grand Max or Brave Max, and the conversation veered that way.

 

I'm solidly sure that Rebirth is listed as Season 3 (end of it, but still Season 3) practically everywhere, canon-wise or not.

No. I'm stating that the whole continuity thing is farce (pretty much your statement: Aligned is a massive pile of stupidity).

Considering it's been brought up several times, apparently several people  

There was a G2?  

Boldfaced & underlined: This is kind of my point. So why call it a continuity when it truly doesn't "continue"?

Then this brings us back full circle to my original statement --

 

Unlike the American G2 fiction which consisted of a Marvel comic series, the Japanese G-2 fiction consisted of some short manga pieces taking place sometime after "Return of Convoy" (itself made up only of manga). It's completely different than the American version of G2.

I never called it that.

 

You are quite mistaken,
Amazon.com: Transformers Season 3 Part 2/Season 4 Boxed Set: Jack Angel, Roger C. Carmel, Jim Cummings, Paul Eiding, Richard Gautier, Aron Kincaid, Mona Marshall, John Moschitta Jr., Samantha Newark, Frank Welker, Gregg Berger, Corey Burton, Andy Kim

Amazon.com: Transformers: Seasons Three & Four (25th Anniversary Edition): Peter Cullen, Frank Welker, Chris Latta, John Walker: Movies & TV

 

Well, whadaya know. There really was some sort of Generation 2. Wow HasTak's marketing sucks something fierce  

I never said you specifically did.

So it was rebranded as Season 4? Again, I learned something new. Other locations/sites listed those 3 episodes as the end of Season 3. I wonder if that was changed last minute or was originally listed that way by error. Thanks for provides sources  

 

Dunno where you saw that, but it was always separate from season 3,

The Transformers (cartoon) - Transformers Wiki

 

Where is the Fort Max talk

 

Not to mention a score by Vince Dicola, heavy metal for the soundtrack (and Weird AL) to boot. Seriously, the music in TF86 was damn near perfect. And while 86 sealed the deal for me, it also almost made me leave the franchise because the seasons following the movie was so weak comparatively.

 

Any idea when Titans Return Fortress Maximus will be in stores?

 

Still love that '86 movie and I've never liked metal music!

The first time I saw it, I was waiting for Metroplex to burst out during the battle of Autobot city, but it just never happened.

When are we going to talk about Fort Max again?

 

One would assume he'll follow the pattern of Metroplex and Devastator - he'll have a premium deco at SDCC and see the retail release soon after (early August)

 

Gonna take it back to Fort Max for a sec.

I think he turned out about as good as can be expected for being a Metroplex retool. Enough of him has been remolded to give him his own look, distinct from his mold brother, and the color palate makes him look a lot less bland than 'Plex's endless spans of bone white plastic. Cerebros looks great. Moving MP's shin planks to Max's arms to form his ramps was a brilliant reuse of parts.

BUT.

Again, like Metroplex, the alt mode (or "modes" if you're feeling charitable) are awful. And worse than the G1 source material. I owned Fort Max as a kid. What made him great (apart from his size) is that he folded up into a base that actually looked like something. Ok, maybe you'd be hard pressed to figure out what it was...but it looked cool and imposing and he actually transformed. His iconic alt mode has been ditched in favor of something infinitely lazier and less interesting; a robot lying down and (maybe) doing the splits. Yeah, I get that the G1 figure could also do this "battle station" pseudo form, but when Hasbro omitted his actual alt mode, they earned two words from me:

Ugh.

Pass.

 

All I want to know is can fort max head look left and right?

 

I can't tell from the stock photos that Cerebros has proper knee articulation... He only does if he has a second hinge behind his knee armor.

 

He most likely does. The real question is, will he support the weight of the soundbox and batteries