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Transformers: Age of the Primes toyline discussion || update: 2026 Computer Listings - Big Convoy, Quickstrike, Armada Sideways, and more.
- Thread starter TriBlurr
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Let's see, growing up... which Transformers did I have with funky gimmicks, and how many did I really use?
I had all six Throttlebots. Loved the designs, but I don't think I ever used the pullback motors much except on the rare occasion I took one into the kitchen. Wasn't great for carpets, you see. Would have liked if they could have at least raised their arms, though. For any sort of offense, I think I imagined them having lasers in their headlights or something (making Searchlight a boss), while in robot mode, they basically just used their rubsigns as fancy Care Bear Stares.
Jumpstarters, maybe I did a bit more? Twin Twist was the only one I had, and he was my first Transformer, too. But again, carpets.
I did make my Sparkabots spark with my hand a fair bit, though. But they could lift their arms, so I didn't mind either way.
I think those were the only ones I had with gimmicks that weren't things like combining, partners, flip-out weapons, multiple modes, Pretender shells, etc.
I had all six Throttlebots. Loved the designs, but I don't think I ever used the pullback motors much except on the rare occasion I took one into the kitchen. Wasn't great for carpets, you see. Would have liked if they could have at least raised their arms, though. For any sort of offense, I think I imagined them having lasers in their headlights or something (making Searchlight a boss), while in robot mode, they basically just used their rubsigns as fancy Care Bear Stares.
Jumpstarters, maybe I did a bit more? Twin Twist was the only one I had, and he was my first Transformer, too. But again, carpets.
I did make my Sparkabots spark with my hand a fair bit, though. But they could lift their arms, so I didn't mind either way.
I think those were the only ones I had with gimmicks that weren't things like combining, partners, flip-out weapons, multiple modes, Pretender shells, etc.
Similar experience here. My bedroom had carpet, so I didn't get much chance to use my Jumpstarter (only had the one) in his full glory, but I did rev him up on the palm of my hand to get his auto-transform gimmick going. I had Flamefeather, so I would run him against the wall to get the sparks going, though I much preferred the button-activated version that Doublecross had. I did LIKE firing missiles, but I have to admit that it led to lost pieces more often than not, but I LOVED articulation. The Transformers that could actually MOVE were always amongst my favorites. I remember being super impressed that Quake could both raise his arms AND aim them slightly left or right due to his transformation joints.
That would be WHY it didn't blind me!
Which I think is part of the reason we've seen so little on the "revisit" front. There's just too many gimmicks that would impact Hasbro's ability to retool and resell the molds. Double so for the Autobots, whose combining is, I don't feel, feasible with the current line and budget structures of the brand in the Generations segment.
The fact the line was also an anniversary type line and tipped its hat to so many prior characters (most of whom have gotten better/more desired interpretations) is also a strike against it. Do we really need Energon MeGalvatron when we have a solid version available, and in a form that appeals "more" to the adult fanbase?
That said, Rodimus and Prowl are my FAVORITE reinterpretations of those characters and I'd LOVE to see them get brought back with improvements that can be accomplished by omitting the combining.
That said
And for the record, I was primarily being a sarcastic ass because the collector mentality HAS pushed "fun" out a LOT of toy lines, not just Transformers. Either through the demand for "MORE (...at lower prices)", or insisting every toy must be a complex puzzle or be loaded with over a dozen points of articulation.
Much of the current status quo, where there are now "kids toys" and "collector items", can be attributed to trying to placate an aging buying base that is, sadly, making up more of the action figure buying segment.
It's not an "anti articulation" sentiment. I said when Cyberverse was revealed, I was disappointed that any sort of elbows or knees were lacking. I've been espousing my love for stuff like the Rise of the Beasts Beast Alliance (particularly, the Weaponizers). Stuff like the RotB Core line, Beast Alliance, or the Prime Changers, or the Ultimate Optimus Primal (the "old Leader" sized figure with Voyager complexity and a bunch of gimmicks), to me, shows there still remains a solid middle ground of "good enough" that can appeal to older collectors...but not completely cost out the kids segment.
Me? I was a character driven consumer. Did I want my Batman figures to move like GI Joe? Sure, but I was a Batman fan and that's what I had. Similarly, my most played with Transformers were the Powermaster Optimus Prime and Pretender Legends because of the CHARACTERS, not whether they had articulation or not.
But speaking of "costing out" the paint budget, Grimlockimus on Instagram posted a gorgeous custom paint job on Prima, based on the TFOne deco:
Grimlockimus on Instagram: "Transformers Age of the Primes: Prima Prime."
4,218 likes, 56 comments - grimlockimuscustoms on March 17, 2025: "Transformers Age of the Primes: Prima Prime.".
www.instagram.com
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Sure, but I'd wager we are all.
I loved my G2 Prime and Starscream, because of the characters.
But I'd be lying if I said I didn't care that they couldn't move like some of my other action figures.
Like yeah, Batman couldn't move like GI Joe and as a Batman fan I just liked having a Batman... but the articulation wasn't just something I didn't care about either.
This isn't an either/or thing. And I think we tend to project our current desires/wants/frustrations onto our kid selves, or kids today.
Trying to get myself back in the headspace of being 7-8, when G2 was popping off? I can absolutely remember both enjoying my toys but also being kinda bummed they couldn't move like they could in the show.
This is nothing new. I have the two Brave MPs Takara did and they're annoyingly complex compared to what they have to do, for the sake of feeling like "premium" items. And these figures are what? 20-25 years old?
But mostly when I see the "fun" zapped out of toylines it's in stuff like Star Wars Black Series where Imperial Diplomat #2638 or Republic Senator #6302 are clogging up shelves and pegs because kids don't want "old man in robe" quite like they want Darth Vader or Han Solo. To be perfectly honest I don't know very many adult collectors who want that either
But I digress.
My main point of contention is that it seems any time we get a UT character done in Generations there's always some nudnik who holds the original figure on some pedestal and laments that the new version lacking spring loaded gimmicks or electronics is some regrettable downgrade, and this is always paired with some snark about how increased articulation is Bad Actually
Nah. Sorry. F Armada Red Alert's woo woo woo. I didn't even like that as a teenager. The new version is more accurate to the animation model, is more articulate, and doesn't have that annoying electronic gimmick? I... don't see the issue.
The only Armada gimmicks I've absolutely missed are Starscream's wing sword and Megatron's hand knife. Every other omission is one I'm 100% fine with...
... and I don't think kids are gonna mind, either.
Bare minimum: include the darn Mini-Con. Even if it doesn't activate a feature. The new Armada toys are objectively less fun without their little buddies.
Shame they killed the Core class. That would've been a great way to get some Minicons made.
This is nothing new. I have the two Brave MPs Takara did and they're annoyingly complex compared to what they have to do, for the sake of feeling like "premium" items. And these figures are what? 20-25 years old?
But mostly when I see the "fun" zapped out of toylines it's in stuff like Star Wars Black Series where Imperial Diplomat #2638 or Republic Senator #6302 are clogging up shelves and pegs because kids don't want "old man in robe" quite like they want Darth Vader or Han Solo. To be perfectly honest I don't know very many adult collectors who want that either
But I digress.
My main point of contention is that it seems any time we get a UT character done in Generations there's always some nudnik who holds the original figure on some pedestal and laments that the new version lacking spring loaded gimmicks or electronics is some regrettable downgrade, and this is always paired with some snark about how increased articulation is Bad Actually
Nah. Sorry. F Armada Red Alert's woo woo woo. I didn't even like that as a teenager. The new version is more accurate to the animation model, is more articulate, and doesn't have that annoying electronic gimmick? I... don't see the issue.
The only Armada gimmicks I've absolutely missed are Starscream's wing sword and Megatron's hand knife. Every other omission is one I'm 100% fine with...
... and I don't think kids are gonna mind, either.
I don't understand a lot about the Star Wars fandom, so I hesitate to comment on much about the toylines. But producing obscuros and generics is something I want Transformers to be able to do as well, so sometimes it's just the bullet that must be taken. Idk.
I also don't want to flatten the field too much and assume that people are ONLY either "more articulated contemporary engineering yay" or "older engineering with big gimmick energy yay"... Although I definitely see some people ARE of that mind. Or are at least comfortable saying things to that effect.
Which is fine. For so long even here, people made a big deal about WOO WOO WOO WOO and Scavenger's stompy stompy and whatnot, none of which I really was attached to. But most of those I remember were ALSO resigned to the idea that remakes wouldn't be able to bring everything back.
I mean, I get it. There are things I miss from the remakes too, albeit ones I feel are much smaller -- Excellion not having the blaster pipes behind the door panels irks me more than I expected for such a small detail. And I wanted that shiv, dammit. (I'm greedier though, I'd have liked at least some of the panel-y stuff in addition to the shiv.) And it IS nice when stuff comes back; for all its design flaws (I mainly dont like the legs, and the car mode is quite flat and stretched) I appreciate how Hot Shot has the axlezooka AND the opening bumper.
But I'm going to be as dismissive of such complaints as I was with "ehh, this new Optimus doesn't have diecast" or "this thing lacks this other G1y thing" and other stuff from 20 years ago. That aspect of history was always going to repeat, especially once production budgets fell enough that we would clearly lose 90% of Armada Megatron's swag. Anyone pining for the WOO WOO WOO WOO either has the original or misses it or somehow waited 20 years to get one. Either way, letting that go is the only way to peace, because you're not getting the 2002 toy in 2025.
I'd rather get at least 2-packs like the Siege/Earthrise Micromasters. Make them versus sets like the Cybertron releases and release two teams that way.
Main difference is that obscure transformers tend to be unique designs/colours (even if they're just straight repaints), while obscure/generic Star Wars characters are 90% just a boring human.
If it was a cool-looking alien or droid, that'd be something, but no one's getting excited for Another White Dude In The Background.
In Star Wars, that White Dude probably has a name, a backstory, and a major role somewhere in the Legacy novels. And somehow he's a Jedi despite them all being purged.
Jedi used to number in the ten thousand; it's not surprising a few dozen slipped through the purge. Galaxy is a big place.
I would be fine with a deluxe-size pack of 3-4 Minicons or a combination of Minicons and weapons if we never get a Core size class or equivalent again. Really wish Hasbro would lean into some kind of multipack of smaller figures to hit the existing price point rather than just not do smaller figures.
Minicon four packs at the deluxe price point, featuring an old team with a thematically appropriate partner for an already released figure. Say, Sparkplug and the Street Action Team, or Swindle with the Star Saber to go with Starscream.
Didn't Evan say they were looking into ways to get some Minicons who were missed out there?
I understand it fairly well. I'm married to a Stormtrooper/Imperial Black Series collector.
By and large, an obscure Transformer is still gonna be a cool robot who turns into a vehicle or animal. That alone will make it appealing in a way random old dudes in robes just aren't.
Like jokes about Jedi survivors aside, at least they come with a lightsabre. Most of these generic officials and the like don't have much of anything.
I don't disagree with any of that. But me not understanding that fandom leaves me outside the space of whether or not there might actually be some interest or excitement from getting Rando Citezeann in his second Cloud City attire. There's absolutely none for me (and I'm right there with you and the others on that) but I'm content to chalk that up to me possibly just not getting it.
There absolutely is a market for that stuff. It's just that it's probably smaller than the production runs these things need. It seems like every Star Wars section of every Walmart and Target toy aisle I see is just generic background peeps in robes and non-descript military uniforms.
Fans are fans and you'll always have people who want Genticu Charictu from Star Wars: The Imperial Middle Management Sitcom on Disney+ but I'm wondering how kids would view this stuff. Back when we were kids this sort of divide between kid and collector lines just didn't exist.
So I'm trying to imagine what a 7-8 year old would think today. And even a generic background Transformer seems like it would be more appealing, just because it would be a cool robot who can transform into something. As opposed to some random Imperial diplomat from some Star Wars show who only showed up in the background.
I just chuckle at not understanding the desire for background nobodies while we get stuff like Diaclone recolors or generic Seekers or guys who appeared in one or two issues of a comic back in the 80s. Their Rand'oum N'Boudi is our Straxus or Crosscut or Acid Storm.
I get the desire for generic background nobodies.
I'm just trying to think things through from an "appeal to kids" perspective. Crosscut or Acid Storm or Straxus probably appeal to kids in a way The Client from the Mandalorian doesn't.
Acid Storm is still a robot who turns into a jet, and that is conceptually much cooler to a 7-12 year old than Werner Herzog in a space bathrobe.