Transformers

[Clayface]

Ok, anyone out there a fan of the old show (G1)? Or the newer ones (beast Wars, Beast Machines, RID, etc)? Lets discuss!

I've always loved the Transformers series, and now that they're in a bit of a come-back, life is good. First we got some of the old G1 episodes on tape. Then the Canadians (and those of us lucky enough to know where to shop online for Candian goods) got some of the Beast Wars on VHS.

Then, along came the greatest of all - Transformers on DVD! Transformers: The Movie on DVD - a sweet, sweet DVD to have in your collection. More recently, those lucky canadians got a DVD of the first 7 episodes of Beast Wars (which I did manage to get my hands on). And, for those of you that have been keeping up on your homework, we now see that some of the classic G1 episodes are coming to DVD soon.

Has there ever been a better time to be a TF fan?

[Doubledealer]

Originally posted by Clayface
Has there ever been a better time to be a TF fan?

Mebbe back in the 80's when I shoulda bought more G1 toys. I loved the old show. I hated Beast Wars at first because it wasn't G1. A friend convinced me to watch more of it for the old school references and not long thereafter I loved the damn show. I loved it not just because it was a continuation for the transformer universe but for the damn fine storytelling. Can't quite say the same for Beast Machines. But that's ok. Robot's in Disguise is coming soon and that means a new tf cartoon to watch and (kinda) new toys to collect.
Hmm. Actually yer right. Right now....life am good.

[Clayface]

My story is pretty much the same as yours. I was a big fan of the show back in the 80's. To this day, one of my clearest childhood memories is sitting in the theater watching TF: The Movie on the big screen. That was so sweet.

When I first heard of Beast Wars, I was hesitant, but figured I'd at least check it out. I saw an episode or two, and I hated it. Not only was it not vehicles transforming to robots, but it computer animated, which I didn't care for at the time. After a while, I started hearing rumors of the various references to the original series, and about the appearances of G1 characters. So, I had to see those episodes. And when I saw them, I became hooked - great writing, great characters, and an obvious love for the original material. The things they did on those episodes were incredible, and I just had to see the rest of the series.

Now, here I am a while later, and I've got all the Beast Wars eps on tape or DVD, and my apartment is littered with Beast Wars TFs mixed with various Batman figures and the like.

I really, really hope they're going to release the rest of the Beast Wars episodes on DVD eventually, and hopefully a good chunk of the G1 eps too.

I'm sort of divided on the Beast Machines thing. So many fans of Beast Wars are so rabidly against BM. Eh. I don't know. It had its moments. It wasn't as good as Beast Wars, but I didn't think it was the travesty that others made it out to be. But, hey, I've always had a unique outlook on things.

[Doubledealer]

I used to be a strong advocate for Beast Machines during it's first season. The new character designs took a little getting used to but I ultimately dug them. The plot moved at a snail's pace yet it had some cool twists and turns. Especially the season finale. Good cliffhanger stuff.

Then season 2 came and I found myself losing interest fast. I just couldn't find myself getting engrossed in the current storyline, especially the new characters. If you're gonna bring in some new characters, they gotta be cool, interesting or appealing in some shape or form. And the old cast seemed to stagnate in terms of development. And if you don't care for the characters you feel the same about the show.
I haven't seen the last couple of episodes of Beast machines and I doubt I'll get a hankering to see them anytime soon.

I'd still like to see them expand on the TF continuity beyond beast machines. Mebbe jump ahead a couple hundred years and see what transformers are like then. But until then, bring on the DVDs.

[Samhaine]

I must say, I was dissappointed with the ending of Beast Machines. It started off well, and the first season was good, but then Megatron's a giant head and now there's a sentient plant......

But I liked how Silverbolt was portrayed.

[The Mad Hatter]

Anyway, I loved Transformers as a kid, and I've enjoyed the various Beast shows. But... the original show hasn't held up well for me. I went back and watched it a couple of years ago now that I'm well into adulthood (25, in case anyone cares), and was heartbroken to discover how bad a show it was. The animation was crap, there was little character development, cliches grew wings, etc. etc.

But I'm going to keep my eyes open for the new show, and the new toys look pretty darn sweet.

[Clayface]

Originally posted by bloodone
I must say, I was dissappointed with the ending of Beast Machines. It started off well, and the first season was good, but then Megatron's a giant head and now there's a sentient plant......

But I liked how Silverbolt was portrayed.

Personally, I really liked the giant Megatron head - now if they had only done something interesting with it. I was hoping they were going to go more along the lines of Megs becoming the new Unicron, but they just seemed to let this great chance pass them by.

I really liked the idea of Botanica. Its a cool idea that wasn't used very well. Her plant mode was a terrible design, and could have been better. And her powers we just plain stupid. But I really like the idea of a plant-shaped alien being - its too bad it was so poorly executed

And of course, i wasn't all that thrilled with the ending to the series. But, hey, things can change. As we already know, we're getting RID next, so we don't even have to deal with the ending to BM.

[mxyzptlk]

in the good old us of a we have got beast wars on cable tv(upn)

"morons we have morons on are team"mxyzptlk

[Clayface]

Originally posted by mxyzptlk
in the good old us of a we have got beast wars on cable tv(upn)

"morons we have morons on are team"mxyzptlk

Umm, you sure about that? I'm in the US, and I have cable, and we don't get Beast Wars anymore. In fact, i just looked it up on the tvguide site, and they don't have alisting for it. Besides Fox owns it, and I'm pretty sure UPN is not related to Fox, so I'm not sure how UPN could have the episodes. And the Fox episodes are terribly edited, but the DVDs aren't.[/COLOR]

[mxyzptlk]

i have not seen within the month but i would not have known about if i had not seen it i think upn just bought the reruns.

[optimal321]

Yeah, the Beast Machines ending was no where near as cool as that of Beast Wars.

[CatGoddessBast]

Beast Machines was a thing that should not be. They should of just made season 4 like they had origonally planned instead of a quest to make money with poorly designed toys.

As much as I loved Beast Transformers I'm still looking forward to getting back to the old style with Car Robots.

[Vigo Sprax]

Originally posted by mxyzptlk
i have not seen within the month but i would not have known about if i had not seen it i think upn just bought the reruns.

Okay, first of all - UPN isn't a cable network, its a broadcast. Most likely they don't broadcast in your area/they have no signal, so the only way you get them is through cable (WB is like that here).

They probably do have a license to the reruns, and this isn't necessarily all UPN stations but maybe just your local/regional affiliates, its most likely considered in syndication. My local CBS affiliate has Seinfeld reruns, NBC has UPN reruns, etc...

[CatGoddessBast]

Beast Wars got canned so Fox could show more Digimon.

Beast Machines got canned so Fox could air Los Luchadores. Out of the frying pan and into the fire kinda thing if ya ask me.

Fox probably wont be doing anything with BW or BM until after there done with Car Robots/Robots in Disguise thats supposted to start sometime this summer. I think Cartoon Network may also get BW back and do kinda like they did with Batman. Aired one show while another simmilar show is beaing aired on another network. But with the new CEO they got who knows.

[Vin]

With "Transformers: Armada" premiering this fall on Cartoon Network, things will certainly be heating up! I am looking forward to the new series. Should be promising.

[Christopher N. Denner]

Well this thread certainly came back from the dead.

La Viva Transformers!

[JohnCrichton]

Rock.

Well, my "problem" began as a child, when around 3rd or 4th Grade I think it was that the commercials first hit the screen.

I think the first one I remember was for the comic book. And there were multiple Optimuses and Megatrons and so forth all on the screen, rushing across a battle field and Braveheart style exploded into an all out war.

Then news of the TV show came and I was hooked. As a kid I wasn't even trying to be a collector. I just needed toys that could transform! So I got a good mix of Go Bots, generic, and Transformers. Cliffjumper, Brawn, Megatron, Galavatron, Rodimus Prime.... and I think that was it for the TFs.

I never got to see the movie in the theatre, thus never got to see the things of myth and legend that others saw. My friend, Butter, he recalls seeing Shockwave's actual death and him being eaten alive. And after Optimus's body turned black and grey, it supposedly crumbled to broken parts and dust. Nor did I get to hear all the original cuss words in there.

I rented it in High School after the things of TF became memory, and then it all came back to me. My jaw up and dropped as I watched hero after hero just get blown away! Still, I completely and utterly loved it.

After that somewhere in my college years Beast Wars came and I immediately hated it. I mean they tossed out cool cars, and trucks and made the animals for seemiingly the sole purpose just to make them animals. I watched the show once reeaaalllly early in the morning and just couldn't focus. I rolled my eyes at the CGI and the story I just didn't get.

Then like with everyone else... a friend sat me down and explained how the show fit into the grand sceme of the TF continuity. I watched the season finale of the first season, my jaw once again hit the floor and I was utterly hooked ever since!

Best TF series ever in terms of quality.

Beast Machines I thought was cool at first. But gradually as the "plot" unfolded it just seemed more and more absurd and not nearly as smart as the first series.

Rhinox deserved a much better death than he got for all he did for the Maximals in BW. Waspinator just arrived on Cybertron out of the blue. I mean, the combined efforts of the Maximals and Predicons couldn't get off the planet, but somehow Waspinator did it all by himself?

And the characters seemed to completely and utterly forget who they were in the previous season.

Cheetor was no longer the kid and forgot his affection for Black Aracnia... suddenly he's a leader?

Rattrap who was one of the hardest fighters of the bunch and next in line for leadership is a computer hacker coward.

Nightscream was ugly as hell.

Optimus was manic depressive.

And Cybertron got turned into a jungle????

I think not.

Only constant cool character was Jetstorm. And we lost him to Silverbolt, who was awesome in BW, but... I found unremarkable in BM.

I picked up the fansub of Robots in Disguise before it came out here. Wasn't impressed infact, if you knew the original translation, it's just mind boggling how incredibly nonsensical it was. I mean, no dub job has ever deserved so much credit for making a series better through changing the story in the dubb.

I've been following each issue of the new Pat Lee comic and it seems TF is back on its way to greatness. Really looking forward to seeing the Rise of the Transformers again on my favorite cartoon block, Toonami!

[CharlesRB]

Ah, yessssssssss, the Dreamwave TF comic... It's cool, but I still prefer the old Marvel one.