Dramatic Capture Series

LBD "Nytetrayn"

Broke the Matrix
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Ironically, it's in being a space Uber that he isn't so easily replaced by any other Decepticon.
Speaking of space ubers, I know Omega socked Astrotrain that one time, I believe, but have Sky Lynx and Astrotrain ever tussled?
 

lastmaximal

Administrator
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Not to my knowledge. By S3 Astrotrain was very much just another mook rather than a transport, and not one widely used in general -- since there was a new triple-changer to promote, and a fairly set main Decepticon cast in Galvatron/Cyclonus/Scourge/however many Sweeps are needed to sprinkle dialogue across). And I don't think Sky Lynx really had a lot of one-on-one confrontations.

But I may be forgetting a lot.
 

Glitch

Well-known member
Citizen
Sky Lynx and Astrotrain only ever tussled at the start of 'Big Broadcast of 2006' what's interesting is, that episode also featured Omega Supreme's only appearance. He was taken down by a blast from Galvatron's cannon which was set to 'cartoon mode' fortunately for Omega.
Should note, though Astrotrain called Sky Lynx 'Autobot' he really went in. ("Right! the gloves are off!") also Omega curb stomped the Sweeps, Cyclomus suddenly remembered he left the dryer on and fled with the rest.
 

lastmaximal

Administrator
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Apropos of nothing, YouTube recommended Triple Takeover the other night, so I settled in to check it out. I don't think I'd ever seen it before, not in full at least. I'm more familiar with Blitzwing from FFOD than from this, and was thrown by how thick the voice effect on Astrotrain was. (Apparently the wings are only colored like this in two season 2 episodes, but most of season 3, thanks to AKOM. So... are these colors onscreen more often then, and can a case be made for them ending up being the "correct" colors? I don't have a horse in that race, myself, just idly wondering.)

It's... Interesting. Some immortal lines ("you're either lying or you're stupid", "no planet ever lost its orbit...", "I'll splatter [your mind] on the wall and see for myself", "I'm looking for the LEADER of the Decepticons"), but so much weirdness. Long stretches of action (mainly the Autobot siege on Blitzwing's "zone defense" labyrinth) go totally unvoiced, not even as reactions to attacks iirc. It's like a silent movie set to music. Some bits seem unfinished or weirdly assembled, or at least the action isn't clear (Prime just... headlights through gunfire from Megatron and Starscream; the Decepticon battle royale just... Ends offscreen). And of course the usual Old Cartoon casual internal continuity handling and "just go with it" plot (a single water main causes a flood that reaches rooftops of multistorey buildings, or Autobot-waist height; Astrotrain puts a computer in a train and it can respond to voice commands). It's definitely memorable and not boring, and the very idea of an immensely powerful Decepticon knowing he is and wanting to be in charge... And then asking the first human he encounters, a hapless football coach, for advice on how to do that? Wonderful.

It's a FUN episode, with the cons getting to do a LOT. The titular takeover kicks off almost immediately with no fluff (even the opening scene establishing the motivation with the Mount Rushmore of 'cons is awesome) and we don't even see an Autobot until well into the plan taking shape. Blitzwing and Astrotrain enact delightfully shortsighted plans that are fun to watch (and are incredibly successful on Blitzwing's part, as he takes out multiple Autobots). Prime is pretty fun in this too, with his whole "sitting out the infighting" and saucy taunting of Megatron. But the Autobots then offering to let him sit on them is just... Ooookay.

I love how much interaction the Decepticons get. The triple changers bro-ing it up and dunking on Starscream, the Seekers mocking Astrotrain and taking bets on Megatron winning, Starscream actually getting out-usurped.

Due to a number of factors (including waiting to see what SS86 Astrotrain looks like, and preferring to hold on to LG Blitzwing) I still won't be getting the Dramatic Capture set. But it's a great set that makes a lot of sense, and the cartoon colors look well-executed.
 
Last edited:

Gizmoboy

Administrator
Staff member
Council of Elders
Citizen
Apropos of nothing, YouTube recommended Triple Takeover the other night, so I settled in to check it out. I don't think I'd ever seen it before, not in full at least.
I am glad you got to experience this episode. While super cheesy (like a lot of G1) when I was a 13 year old watching this for the first time, I just absolutely loved it. I always liked the Triple Changers, which were a new concept at the time, and to have an episode that highlighted them in this way was just perfect for me.
 

LordGigaIce

Another babka?
Citizen
I'm not kidding when I call it the GOAT episode.

Is it the best episode of tv Transformers has ever produced? No. Not by a long shot.

It is, however, the most entertaining. And not even in a "so bad it's good" way. In a "this is nuts, and Larry Strauss clearly knows that and is leaning into it" sort of way.
And the dialogue snaps on every level.
 

unluckiness

Somehow still sane
Citizen
I'm not kidding when I call it the GOAT episode.

Is it the best episode of tv Transformers has ever produced? No. Not by a long shot.

It is, however, the most entertaining. And not even in a "so bad it's good" way. In a "this is nuts, and Larry Strauss clearly knows that and is leaning into it" sort of way.
And the dialogue snaps on every level.
Triple Takeover is a golden age Simpsons episode dressed as giant robots and I love it.
 


Top Bottom