Like I said, it’s all a question of $$$.
I don’t think Roadbuster is worth the money or hassle though.
I don’t think Roadbuster is worth the money or hassle though.
Post Pictures of your Transformers, Let's see 40 years worth of Transformers!
- Thread starter Ave Destron
- Start date
ANIME SWORD FIGHT
G1 Optimus wants to get in on the "Knight Optimus" trend from TLK and RiD '15
G1 Optimus wants to get in on the "Knight Optimus" trend from TLK and RiD '15
Presumably, someone must have sorted out rights somehow, since Discotek released the whole series in their SD on BD line. Assuming they actually licensed it, I'll have to go check the case and see what it says...
ANIME SWORD FIGHT
Now, who going to fall down first before the real victor emerges?
To be fair, was Roadbuster even worth the money and hassle back when we got his Thrilling 30 toy in 2014?
I can't imagine them having not licensed it. Otherwise, Discotek would have released it illegally.
I wasn't aware that T30 Roadbuster was licensed from Bandai (or whoever the **** owns the Dorvack rights), which is literally what we're talking about right now.
I think.
I think.
He's worth it to me.
So according to TF Wiki the Dorvack moulds that became Whirl and Roadbuster have Ashi Productions copyrights stamped into them and the company's AP logo was included on the Transformers G1 packaging from Hasbro for those toys.
So it seems that the Dorvack IP- including the character designs and moulds- are the property of Ashi Productions which still exists as a private employee owned animation studio in Japan.
It may be the case where Bandai owns the physical moulds but can't reissue them as Dorvack characters without a licence from AP.
anyhow
I don't think any of this is relevant to a potential new Roadbuster toy. As Princess Viola implied, the T30 toy didn't licence anything from Bandai, AP, or anyone else involved in Dorvack.
Roadbuster is the kind of character where as long as his vehicle mode is some kind of chunky green and orange military vehicle you're good, and that's what they did with T30, staying clear of looking like the original while still feeling like an update of the original.
So as long as they go that general route again... I don't think they have to worry about licensing anything from anyone.
So it seems that the Dorvack IP- including the character designs and moulds- are the property of Ashi Productions which still exists as a private employee owned animation studio in Japan.
It may be the case where Bandai owns the physical moulds but can't reissue them as Dorvack characters without a licence from AP.
anyhow
I don't think any of this is relevant to a potential new Roadbuster toy. As Princess Viola implied, the T30 toy didn't licence anything from Bandai, AP, or anyone else involved in Dorvack.
Roadbuster is the kind of character where as long as his vehicle mode is some kind of chunky green and orange military vehicle you're good, and that's what they did with T30, staying clear of looking like the original while still feeling like an update of the original.
So as long as they go that general route again... I don't think they have to worry about licensing anything from anyone.
I have always thought that the T30 Roadbuster toy was just okay. I appreciate the integration of modular weapons, and his transformation is easy and fun. However, I felt (and still do) that the arms were spindly and overly long, and everything south of his knees should be a page one rewrite. His alt mode is okay. A decent enough update, but not really the flat, broad, Jeep/Toyota/Humvee/whatever design cues that I associate with him.
For me, the Roadbuster situation is a bit like T30 Jetfire. At the time, T30/LG Jetfire felt like a decent enough place holder for an updated toy. However, the Siege Commander hit all of the notes that I wanted in a true, modern update. I just want a similar update for Roadbuster. Not saying he needs to be a Commander, but I feel like the current team would be capable of cranking out a nice version that homages the original.
TL;DR: It's not a bad toy; it's pretty fun to fiddle with. It just doesn't particularly scratch my itch for a true update to the original toy, which is what I would prefer.
For me, the Roadbuster situation is a bit like T30 Jetfire. At the time, T30/LG Jetfire felt like a decent enough place holder for an updated toy. However, the Siege Commander hit all of the notes that I wanted in a true, modern update. I just want a similar update for Roadbuster. Not saying he needs to be a Commander, but I feel like the current team would be capable of cranking out a nice version that homages the original.
TL;DR: It's not a bad toy; it's pretty fun to fiddle with. It just doesn't particularly scratch my itch for a true update to the original toy, which is what I would prefer.
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I hinted at it when I mentioned John Warden wanting another shot at Roadbuster when I said "y'all are in luck" instead of "we're in luck" because...
I kinda like T30 Roadbuster. Whirl is more of a mixed bag because they tried to shove two versions of the character design onto one figure but Roadbuster came out a-ok.
His biggest determinant is that his stickers are, as is the case with most Hasbro offerings, subpar. Otherwise though? I enjoy him a lot. He's chonky and ratchety, two quick ways to my heart.
Funnily enough I love that toy too and prefer it to the Siege Commander.
Sunbow Skyfire just does nothing for me whereas T30 Jetfire has the Macross Valkyrie stylings I want out of Jetfire.
I agree with this, I just think it depends on what they use as their base.
People have mentioned wanting an IDW Roadbuster and I'm not sure I'm into that. Roadbuster should be a bigger guy- I think Voyager or a Voyager sized Leader with accessories is perfect- but I don't need him towering over everyone else.
I'd like something that skews closer to the original toy's general aesthetic, maybe the
Marvel Comics character model for inspiration. I think the current team could do good things there.
An IDW take though? No thanks, I don't need my Roadbuster that huge.
T30 Roadbuster is a catastrophe. The arms are messy because... because. I guess they were determined to get rid of the backpack and the wheels had to go somewhere, but Roadbuster is the one bot where it's debatable whether you even want to do that. But okay. I'll take the reimagined look for what it is. It's still an unpleasant thing to handle because there is absolutely no rhyme or reason as to which joints are tight or loose (before the soft ratchets destroy their own teeth and they become loose too). Grand prize goes to the tight shoulders on wiggly transformation joints. The torso wants to come apart before the shoulders will move, because nothing in the torso actually tabs together in any way. That's just clumsy.
The one thing that should be the toy's saving grace is the modular weapons. It's a great idea on paper. In practice, the options feel surprisingly limited. There's really only a couple ways any of the weapons were designed to fit. It feels like an early rough draft rather than a finished idea.
Aside from the things mentioned, he has ugly flipper feet and terribly designed knee joints that make bending them in any way look awkward. He’s okay overall but is easy to see where improvement is needed.
Toy Deco Enjoyers, unite
I prefer that Cyclonus paint job over the show verison
SS86 Sweep needs some stickers to really fit tbh.
I want a Cyclonus in those colors without the tacky sticker tampos
