Transformers: Age of the Primes toyline discussion || update: Wave 1 Box Art

[Donocropolis]

The G2 Dinobots came out right as I was shifting my interests from Transformers to GI Joe.

Just put a Cobra logo over the Autobot one. He's already the right colors.

 

[Powered Convoy]

I'm sure they'll eventually get to G2 Swoop and he'll come with Grimlock's sword.

Heck, if the rumors of a G2 Dinobot Selects 2 Pack is true, that'd be a good place to stick some swords. Especially if they end up doing two like that.

 

[Dake]

Interesting options but nothing really grabbing me. I feel much less of a need to replace CW Superion compared to Menasor, so that's also easy to pass.

I personally have no negative feelings about the 13 and it seems like a perfectly acceptable forebears trope, but I'm not going to sign myself up for collecting them all either.

 

[Sabrblade]

That said, I don't mind the occasional retread of lore, but I usually prefer expanding on what's there more. Beast Wars is a fine example. It wasn't super-beholden to G1, but it did build upon it.

Which only happened because Bob Forward and Larry DiTillio went online and interacted with the fandom on ATT. They were perfectly willing to take Beast Wars in their own direction, but saw just how obsessed over-protective whiny passionate the fandom was about G1 and its lore that Forward and DiTillio decided to incorporate some of it into Beast Wars. They didn't know anything about the Ark or the Autobot/Decepticon war at first until after reading people's talking about them online. Had they stay away from the fandom instead, Beast Wars could have been a very different show with a very different (but still well-written) story.

I wonder if Archer knew that Energon Megatron looked like G1 Galvatron. Seems like the sort of thing that would pass him by, potentially costing us a really good repaint. Thankfully it didn't, though I do wonder if it was his idea. But I feel like that's the sort of thing you should at least have the presence of mind to recognize the opportunity when something like that comes your way.

From my interaction with him at BotCon last summer, my impression is that he was at least aware of the most important stuff, the big names like Optimus Prime, Megatron/Galvatron, and Starscream, and most basic core aspects of the G1 story. But what he didn't have was an encyclopedic awareness of every B-list character and lower (hence why he was unfamiliar with G1 Wheeljack, who really wasn't as much of a staple character during the 1990s and 2000s).

As far as Energon Megatron resembling G1 Galvatron, that toy was designed by Eric Siebenaler, Takashi Kunihiro, and Hirofumi Ichikawa. They at least had to have known, considering Siebenaler would later be the main designer for the G1-homage-heavy Transformers Animated toyline, Kunihiro was a longtime Takara designer who had been with Transformers since 1986 (the year G1 Galvatron was introduced), and Ichikawa basically knew the ins and outs of the entire brand's history.

Now we just need her doing that with Optimus in vehicle mode.

Then she can be Lori with lore on a lorry.

Cute, but, are fire engines considered lorries? My knowledge of British terminology really doesn't extend much beyond Thomas & Friends.

"Creator" Matrix, it sounded like to me.

The Instagram post from Mark said "The creation matrix can store inside Prima’s chest cavity."

Plus you've now boosted your new OC with a King Arthur backstory that makes him important and might make people interested.

Or they'd consider him a Gary Stu and instantly hate him forevermore "just because".

 

[Sabrblade]

Short of actually featuring, well, Lori.

(Yes, I specifically picked a pic of "Lori with lore")

Heh. As of this typing, this dumb lore pun post got 13 reactions. 13. Of all numbers.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Or they'd consider him a Gary Stu and instantly hate him forevermore "just because".

As someone who studied medieval history and really digs Arthur's mythos... I'd have dug it.

 

[Sabrblade]

As someone who studied medieval history and really digs Arthur's mythos... I'd have dug it.

Frankly, since Prima was the leader with both the Matrix and the fancy sword, I think it would have been more interesting to make any King Arthur analog be him instead, since he's pretty much been a blank slate for most of his existence, only really gaining a personality once the Covenant book was published, and it wasn't a very flattering depiction that basically made him a stick in the mud.

 

[Rustron]

You have me rethinking both of these figures.
The G2 Dinobots came out right as I was shifting my interests from Transformers to GI Joe. I remember seeing them on display in the toy aisle and thinking how cool they looked, but my money was needed to pick up more Joes. I absolutely love the leader Dinobots so I might have to consider picking up the G2 versions as well.
Wasp as a character means little to me. I was not an Animated person the first time around and have been skipping the Legacy versions of the characters to this point. However, the green on him looks absolutely beautiful. Also, while recognizably Animated, he looks like he could fit in with ordinary figures in my collection, which Animated figures don't normally do.

That Wheelie accesory repaint has made me realize just how much I want an Earl Norem colors version of Studio Series Wheelie.

Also, I'd love to see both a Marvel/IDW Sentinel and a Sunbow U-Haul. One could probably be a remold of the other, since U-Haul doesn't have many recognizable features beyond the chest and head. Although I'd prefer them to give each one a unique mold. I'd rather it wasn't a hybrid. At most, I'd accept Marvel/IDW body with Sunbow head.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Frankly, since Prima was the leader with both the Matrix and the fancy sword, I think it would have been more interesting to make any King Arthur analog be him instead, since he's pretty much been a blank slate for most of his existence, only really gaining a personality once the Covenant book was published, and it wasn't a very flattering depiction that basically made him a stick in the mud.

I agree with that. Which means that the Thirteenth could be... anyone. Rik's assertion hints that the people behind Aligned/the Covenant felt someone special had to be #13 but... why? Make Prima the Big Damn Hero and make #13 just... someone else. Easy.

It sounds like Optimus being made the Thirteenth was a combination of no ideas + them overthinking the assignment.

 

[Sabrblade]

I agree with that. Which means that the Thirteenth could be... anyone. Rik's assertion hints that the people behind Aligned/the Covenant felt someone special had to be #13 but... why? Make Prima the Big Damn Hero and make #13 just... someone else. Easy.

The Last Autobot. The Ultimate Warrior. The Soul of Cybertron. The visual basis for Vector Prime's design. He was literally right there, ripe for the picking. But like Logos, they probably didn't know about him for how obscure he was at the time.

And instead of Alpha Trion, they could have used Primon, the actual first Matrix bearer and first of the Thirteen but, say, history forgot his name after he was murdered by Liege Maximo and the Matrix was taken back from the Liege by Prima, the second of the Thirteen who carried the Matrix in Primon's memory but was mistaken for being the first Matrix bearer by all the legends passed down and distorted by history. Alpha Trion would then be among the first of the post-Thirteen normal generation of Cybertronians as per Furman's original intent. But again, Primon was about as obscure and unknown a character as you could get back then, so they probably didn't know about him either.

 

[Donocropolis]

The Last Autobot. The Ultimate Warrior. The Soul of Cybertron. The visual basis for Vector Prime's design. He was literally right there, ripe for the picking. But like Logos, they probably didn't know about him for how obscure he was at the time.

I would totally be down for a Last Autobot, but I could see it being redundant, design-wise, since they already are including Vector Prime. That would make 2 of the 13 pretty dang similar looking.

Now, if they want to do a Last Autobot repaint of Vector Prime as it's own thing, I'd buy it.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Opitmus being the 13th never made sense even in aligned. Like the whole idea is they went from order to chaos, with Prima being the most stick in the mud rules stickler warrior of light and then Liege Maximo and Megatronus on the other side embracing the darkness... and then "the best of them all" just shows up on the farthest side of them?

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

And Roller is confirmed! It seems that we can detach the two separate treads from underneath the rear and combine them to make Roller.

 

[LordGigaIce]

The Last Autobot. The Ultimate Warrior. The Soul of Cybertron. The visual basis for Vector Prime's design. He was literally right there, ripe for the picking. But like Logos, they probably didn't know about him for how obscure he was at the time.

And instead of Alpha Trion, they could have used Primon, the actual first Matrix bearer and first of the Thirteen but, say, history forgot his name after he was murdered by Liege Maximo and the Matrix was taken back from the Liege by Prima, the second of the Thirteen who carried the Matrix in Primon's memory but was mistaken for being the first Matrix bearer by all the legends passed down and distorted by history. Alpha Trion would then be among the first of the post-Thirteen normal generation of Cybertronians as per Furman's original intent. But again, Primon was about as obscure and unknown a character as you could get back then, so they probably didn't know about him either.

Now granted my Marvel G1 knowledge is pretty base level but... wasn't The Last Autobot fairly significant in the Marvel G1 lore? Like ok Logos I can understand, he was from a niche Japanese piece that hadn't even been fully translated into English.
But surely Aaron Archer and Rik Alvarez (head of the TF brand team at the time and the guy who made a bunch of G1 collectors guidebooks, respectfully) knew about The Last Autobot?

 

[Shadewing]

Now granted my Marvel G1 knowledge is pretty base level but... wasn't The Last Autobot fairly significant in the Marvel G1 lore? Like ok Logos I can understand, he was from a niche Japanese piece that hadn't even been fully translated into English.
But surely Aaron Archer and Rik Alvarez (head of the TF brand team at the time and the guy who made a bunch of G1 collectors guidebooks, respectfully) knew about The Last Autobot?

Archer I can see not knowing. Rik I have a harder time believing he wouldn't know of the character to some extent.