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I'm posting because War for Cybertron is going to be Hasbro's TF toyline for 2010, apparently, and it's going to be just as awesome as the game. You're looking at the robot mode for WfC Bumblebee, and it's clear proof that the Transformers' classic and beloved G1 designs could easily have been updated and modified for modern audiences and still be both cool and visually coherent, but Michael Bay did not want them to be. It's going to be a good year for Transformers fans. A very good year. (Via 16bit)
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nflsmc: He. He. No. If anything, Hasbro is pretty pleased that the movies have made their Transformers toys more successful than they've ever been. Also, the movies have vastly increased the brand awareness of Transformers. The movies have essentially cemented the idea internationally (except in Japan) that transforming robots = Transformers. That's worth its weight in gold in terms of marketing. Tell me, how many of people on sites of this nature were aware that Transformers still existed before the announcement of the live-action movies? Probably not many, unless they were specifically Transformers fans involved with the Transformers fandom.
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Actually, he couldn't have been a Beetle no matter what, VW forbade it a while back iirc...
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optimus versus megatron and the fallen scene. skullfuck. eye-gouge. that is all.
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Sounds like the Classics line to me.
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They still would have sucked every bit as much, but at least they wouldn't have made me want to gouge my eyes out. @Geoff: I agree. They all just looked like chrome junk piles.
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Seconded.
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If they'd used G1 designs I'd at least have been able to tell a lot of the robots apart, as opposed to just seeing identically-coloured masses of gears and mechanical parts running into each other. As I've said before, the idea that Bay and ILM know more about character design than John Romita is ludicrous.
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No one has any problems with the movie toys (well, aside from the poor quality control / bad engineering problems). The issue is with the butt-ugly CGI models.
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I'm sending this article to my sister...there's no way she can live without knowing this...
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i'm sure if the game and toyline do well they'll commit to a second wave in the line. the first 4 or 5 figures are just obligatory tie in merch to test the market. ...not like anything with a tf logo on it wont sell like hotcakes.
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hugo weaving did the movies, this is james remar, the guy from the warriors movie from the 70s also played raiden in the second mortal combat i think.
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Hells yeah! Sign me up for these toys over the ROTF figures any day.
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you know how fickle the fandumb is...
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Honestly, I don't get why people are talking about how this is better than a movie-style design, when this pretty much looks like someone took a movie toy and stuck a G1 head on it. Also, I'm liking the WfC designs so far, but I really hope their alt-modes don't actually look like Earth vehicles, like having passenger spaces like the G1 cybertroninan designs did.
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Nice!
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I heard they're only making War For Cybertron toys for Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave. I mean, the first half of 2010 is finishing up the ROTF line, then we'll have WFC as well as another small line in the vein of Classics/Universe. This isn't going to be too big because they've gotta start up the TF3 line about 14 months from now.
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Can't wait for these toys. I still don't get the bayformer hate. I mean, the movers sucked. I can kinda enjoy the first one, ROTF was pointless (except for forest fight and Soundwave) but I like the ILM robot designs a lot. Worked perfectly in the medium, filled the role of alien robots, and gave me some sweet ass toys to buy. ROTF Leader class Optimus is one of my favorite TF toys, and the most impressivley engineered mainline TF ever. But I do also love the WFC Designs. Its like they took the classic G1, mixed in some Animated and War Within design elements, and gave it a gritty metal movie style texturing. I'm sold on the art and setting. I hope we get some nice story elements and solid gameplay!
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Yeah, that's more along the lines of what I was getting at. Instead of, "let's make this super-faithful design for the die-hards that have been Transformers fans for 20+ years," they thought, "let's make this shit look SICK so we can impress everyone else in the world who doesn't know who Peter Cullen is."
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We can hope,we can hope. TILL ALL ARE ONE.
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Bayformers can osculate my skidplate.}-[ That is is just AWESOME! When they put out the Optimus Prime figure,guess what I'll be spending my tax refund on. =D
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I think everyone is missing the point of the Bay Transformers: CORPORATE SPONSORSHIP. There is no way Bay could have used a VW Beetle for Bumblebee since GM was paying to have their cars in the movie. So, Bumblebee becomes a Camaro (and conveniently, one that morphs into next-years model). And as long as they're redoing the vehicle models, why not redo the robot modes also? I wonder if the designers really said "the new design looks cool" or if they said "let's push CG to the next level" and not worry about how different these look from the original designs. Plus, the new head designs come with 200 moving parts to show off the CG, but the old design barely had any moving parts! Could the G1 designs work in a live-action movie? Of course. Just search the Internet for fan-made images of G1-style CG models in photo-real images.
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I don't think the movie's story would have sucked less or that it would have been more successful, but better robot designs would have at least eliminated one major problem many of us have.
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He was a bit more proportionate in the cartoon and comics.
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If there's one thing I don't like about "War for Cybertron" in general, it's the massive wave of "TEH MOVIES SHOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE THIS!" that's coming with it. I'm not going to waste my time trying to defend some of the choices Bay made (it would be pointless since nothing short of an apology written in his own blood as he dies from a self-inflicted shotgun blast to the gut would set things right to most of you), but do you honestly think the movies (RotF in particular) would have sucked less if they used G1 designs? If the story was 100% the same, but instead they had used the blocky, candy-colored robots, do you honestly think the movie would have made millions of dollars more? Regardless, War for Cybertron is only going to have four figures in the line (Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron and Soundwave).
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bumblebee always looked like that, he was a god damned Volkswagen bug in G1. also look at the screws on his inner leg, judging from that the toy will be quite small for the amount of articulation it seems to have.
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bumblebee always looked like that, he was a god damned Volkswagen bug in G1.
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I think it's probably because kids relate better to al modes they can identify, like cars and planes. However, the Unicron Trilogy featured a lot of futuristic and probably Cybertronian designs, as did later G1.
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Although I have to say, I don't like that Bumblebee toy. He looks like a fat guy with no neck and long, skinny legs. Overall, I've found the aesthetic of the War for Cybertron designs to be lacking. They're close to being good, but there's something ugly and unappealing about them.
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Hopefully there will be a sequel where they go to Earth and get re-built in classic Gen 1 style. My only question about this game is why Megatron sounds like he's being voiced by Hugo Weaving in the trailer. Was Frank Welker not available or was he just tired of ripping his throat to shreds doing Megatron's raspy voice? ;)
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Looks like I need to start putting money away so I don't end up going hungry again after an insane TF shopping spree...
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I want to see Megatron. Now.
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Hasbro got freaked out when the post-TFTM futuristic toys bombed?
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It'll be interesting to see what the toy looks like in a picture without so much airbrushing. Still looks great so far. With these, the game and a new comic by Roche it's gona be a great year TF wise.
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I think the Bayformers are sexier. yes I said that. not saying the films were any good, mind you.
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Bay wanted to make the Transformers frightening, and he did. The funny thing is, we had an idea back in the pre-movie days at ToyFare to re-imagine all of the 1980s properties as horror films. The Thundercats were werewolves, G.I. Joe was about a demonic Cobra cult, He-Man was a Van Helsing type who hunted monsters, and the Transformers were horrible aliens hiding among us with sinister intentions. It never reached the art stage, but they probably would have been pretty freaky. Little did we know that we would have been creating a Bay-esque monster. Still, this is awesome. I'm gonna focus on the positive. Cool Cybertronian TF toys! Why have they not made more Cybertronian modes before now?
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Well, if we're lucky, Paramount might do to Bay what Sony did to Raimi and Spider-Man: after the third movie (I think he's contracted for three), they'll boot him and then "re-boot" the movie franchise, which could allow them to use more G1-faithful designs. Hey, one can hope.
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I ain't loving those skinny thighs but I reckon I'm going to love this line. Any designs that move away from the Baybots are fine by me.
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It seems as this is Hasbro's way of saying "Dear Michael Bay: Fuck. You."
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I'm tired of the argument that designs closer in style to G1 just COULD NOT have worked in the film, when the truth is just that Michael Bay DID NOT WANT to use them. Thanks for pointing that out!
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This is just the pause line between movies, much like Animated was. The Bay designs will be back in full force in 2011 (I thought that was when the next movie's due).
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oh i completely agree Rob! a good year in-DEED!! this badass cybertronian Bee design definitely makes up for that sorry excuse of a metallic puke Bay DARED to associate with this classic character. i think i've FINALLY found just the thing to block the memories of robotic balls from my mind forever! thanks Rob!
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at least it looks like Hasbro has decided to try and go back to the roots of the transformers by making the line be on the war for Cubertron. and not looking like some thing that belongs better in a cheesy bad sci fi. looks like bay formers have been given the heave hoe in the line
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