What do we have from G1 with this line?

[JediTricks]

I was watching some G1 cartoons last night after reviewing Jazz and Tracks and playing War for Cybertron, and it got me thinking about what all the Classics lines have delivered for the G1 faithful in this particular style (no reissues of other lines). Rounding 5am, I came up with a list of figures I had. In no particular order...

Autobots:

1. Optimus Prime
2. Ironhide
3. Jazz
4. Hound
5. Tracks
6. Bumblebee
7. Sunstreaker
8. Sideswipe
9. Prowl
10. Jetfire
11. Powerglide
12. Inferno
13. Hot rod
14. Mirage
15. Grimlock
16. Ultra Magnus

(To be clear, I didn't really want to include Magnus, it's a cop-out without his trailer, but what ya gonna do?)

Decepticons:

1. Megatron
2. Starscream
3. Skywarp
4. Thrust
5. Ramjet
6. Dirge
7. Astrotrain
8. Octane
9. Ravage
10. Onslaught
11. Galvatron
12. Cyclonus

(I'm not counting the OP vs Megs 2pack since Megs there is G2. I don't care if Inferno is claiming to be G2, it's too slight a difference to matter.)

Comics characters:

1. Straxus
2. Drift
3. Thunderwing

Figures in the line that I don't have:

1. Cliffjumper
2. Cosmos
3. Wheelie
4. Warpath
5. Beachcomber
6. Brawn
7. Acid Storm (I really have a hard time counting this as anything)
8. Bluestreak
9. Smokescreen
10. Ratchet
11. Silverbolt
12. Red Alert
13. Blurr
14. Skullgrin.

(I'm not going to bother listing the Ultra-class repaints or anything from a convention.)

Figures coming soonish:

1. Wheeljack
2. Thundercracker
3. Windcharger
4. Rumble
5. Perceptor
6. Wreck-gar
7. Grapple

Recent figures in other lines that pretty much count here:

1. Huffer (PCC)
2. Seaspray (ROTF)

All told, that's 54 Classics-styled G1 characters! That's a heck of a run, I had no idea I had that many. The Legends minibots situation is a downer, but again, what ya gonna do? I honestly don't know why Hasbro is dragging their feet at re-releasing some of these figures and their repaints. At the very least Starscream could use another pass with better paint, Skywarp was missed by many, Smokescreen deserves a better pass, Ratchet and Ironhide deserve figures that don't have a million ugly seams, and I'd like to see Hasbro finally get a blue Bluestreak done mainly just for a better-looking Bluestreak figure than the rather unfortunate Silverstreak they did (I know he's not supposed to be blue in color but in language).

Who still needs to be done? I'm thinking mainly from the cartoon, so Trailbreaker, Gears, Soundwave (!!!), Laserbeak, Shockwave, Reflector, Slag, Sludge, Swoop, Snarl... and then we'd get into combiners so I'll just stop here.

[BWprowl]

Even if Skywarp could use a rerelease and Ratchet/Ironhide could be done a bit better, I'd rather they didn't. Those toys have been made already, move on to other guys (or, here's a craaaaazy thought: totally new characters in a totally new setting!). Anything to stop this from turning into GI Joe with four new slightly different Storm Shadows every time the line changes its name.

You should probably add ROTF Bludgeon to that 'pretty much' list.

[138 Scourge]

Oh, about Trailbreaker...there is a Legends version of him showing up. They got around the naming problem by going with "Trailcutter". I'm of two minds about it, on one hand, Trailbreaker looked like one of the bigger Autobot car fellas, so getting demoted to Legend is kind of unfortunate. On the other hand, tiny little truck makes about as much sense as Warpath's tiny little tank or Brawn's tiny little jeep.

[andersonh1]

Since I'm a diehard G1 fan, it goes without saying that I've been very happy with the whole Classics/Universe/Generations line from day one. Not to mention the odd extra like Bludgeon or Seaspray from the movie line that are clearly based off of G1 characters.

[JediTricks]

Even if Skywarp could use a rerelease and Ratchet/Ironhide could be done a bit better, I'd rather they didn't. Those toys have been made already, move on to other guys (or, here's a craaaaazy thought: totally new characters in a totally new setting!). Anything to stop this from turning into GI Joe with four new slightly different Storm Shadows every time the line changes its name.

My thinking is that they have good molds that a lot of collectors didn't get to enjoy fully due to paint issues or just plain missing out on them, not like how GIJoe Sigma Six ran itself into the ground. It's not like there's an Ironhide figure every other wave, it's been years since it came out. Plus, they've done nearly all the main G1 characters already, if you don't want it to be like GI Joe then you don't want to see it inundate itself with tons of anniversary figures that nobody wanted to remember in the first place.

You should probably add ROTF Bludgeon to that 'pretty much' list.

Someone on SSG said the same thing. I don't know if I feel Bludgeon fits in the Classics style enough, his aesthetic is taken largely from the movie line, specifically the limbs. I am on the fence though.

Oh, about Trailbreaker...there is a Legends version of him showing up. They got around the naming problem by going with "Trailcutter". I'm of two minds about it, on one hand, Trailbreaker looked like one of the bigger Autobot car fellas, so getting demoted to Legend is kind of unfortunate. On the other hand, tiny little truck makes about as much sense as Warpath's tiny little tank or Brawn's tiny little jeep.

Yeah, I thought of that, but I ended up drawing a line with Legends which basically I said "if it was a minibot to begin with, then it's ok to be a small-scale TF, but if it was a larger figure, then no." Besides, there are zero trucks in the dlx line, trucks are cooler than SUVs and minivans.

Since I'm a diehard G1 fan, it goes without saying that I've been very happy with the whole Classics/Universe/Generations line from day one. Not to mention the odd extra like Bludgeon or Seaspray from the movie line that are clearly based off of G1 characters.

When Classics started and then ended with a handful of figures, I never expected to have 50 of 'em to choose from.

[138 Scourge]

Oh, about Trailbreaker...there is a Legends version of him showing up. They got around the naming problem by going with "Trailcutter". I'm of two minds about it, on one hand, Trailbreaker looked like one of the bigger Autobot car fellas, so getting demoted to Legend is kind of unfortunate. On the other hand, tiny little truck makes about as much sense as Warpath's tiny little tank or Brawn's tiny little jeep.

Yeah, I thought of that, but I ended up drawing a line with Legends which basically I said "if it was a minibot to begin with, then it's ok to be a small-scale TF, but if it was a larger figure, then no." Besides, there are zero trucks in the dlx line, trucks are cooler than SUVs and minivans.

Yeah, and I thought of that. There's precedent for Brawn and Warpath to be tiny, so it's okay for them, but for a guy like Trailbreaker, that was good-sized to begin with, you want a comparably sized toy. I do too, actually, I've always liked Trailbreaker. He had one of the most useful powers of the first couple seasons worth of Autobots, but he just did his job and didn't make a big deal out of it. And the original toy, was, as I recall, pretty dope.

But if we can get mini-bots at the larger sizes, I suppose the equal and opposite reaction is regular-sized bots getting kicked down a couple size classes. I'd rather have Deluxe Trailbreaker than Ultra Powerglide, but if the Legends version is all that's gonna happen, I'll take it.

[BWprowl]

JT, I just realized... why do you have Thunderwing under the 'Comics Characters' heading. You know he had a G1 toy, right?

[Shockwave]

I would also put ROTF Hoist in the "pretty much" category as well. He really does seem to display well next to other classics. Which I can say since I now have enough space to do this.

Also, JT probably has Thunderwing listed as "Comics only" because that's the only fiction he was featured in.

[JediTricks]

I realized the other night that nobody's said anything about Insecticons. No love for Kickback, Bombshell, or Shrapnel. I can't entirely say I'm surprised, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to get one, and between the Energon line and the ROTF line, we have 2 decent insect-themed TF molds, but they're definitely not exactly G1 Insecticons. So, anybody want to champion their cause?

Yeah, and I thought of that. There's precedent for Brawn and Warpath to be tiny, so it's okay for them, but for a guy like Trailbreaker, that was good-sized to begin with, you want a comparably sized toy. I do too, actually, I've always liked Trailbreaker. He had one of the most useful powers of the first couple seasons worth of Autobots, but he just did his job and didn't make a big deal out of it. And the original toy, was, as I recall, pretty dope.

But if we can get mini-bots at the larger sizes, I suppose the equal and opposite reaction is regular-sized bots getting kicked down a couple size classes. I'd rather have Deluxe Trailbreaker than Ultra Powerglide, but if the Legends version is all that's gonna happen, I'll take it.

I can't get behind downsizing. I can barely get behind upsizing like on Powerglide and Seaspray, but the opposite I just cannot dig. You are totally right about Trailbreaker, he's not a showoff or asking for recognition, he's just there occasionally busting Brawn's chops and quietly serving his buddies. I never had the original figure, but the Hilux is a badass truck, nigh unstoppable.

JT, I just realized... why do you have Thunderwing under the 'Comics Characters' heading. You know he had a G1 toy, right?

Yes, I am aware of that, but the figure was pretty blah, and the only reason anybody gives a crap about the new figure is due to his comic characterization. So mentally, that's where he ends up in my head.

Plus, anything that was a Pretender to begin with is a bit hard to take seriously as a G1 TF in my book.

I would also put ROTF Hoist in the "pretty much" category as well. He really does seem to display well next to other classics. Which I can say since I now have enough space to do this.

I totally forgot about that figure, it was in only 1 exclusive repaint pack and didn't make my radar. Interesting choice. In vehicle mode I could maybe see it, but in bot mode I remember this figure being a bit Baytastic, is that not the case with the green version? It's hard to tell in the pics I have seen. The head is somewhat similar to Hoist, that's for sure.

[138 Scourge]

I realized the other night that nobody's said anything about Insecticons. No love for Kickback, Bombshell, or Shrapnel. I can't entirely say I'm surprised, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to get one, and between the Energon line and the ROTF line, we have 2 decent insect-themed TF molds, but they're definitely not exactly G1 Insecticons. So, anybody want to champion their cause?

I wouldn't mind a new Insecticon team, but they did just do the rerelease of the originals (which I totally missed dammit), and that might have people satiated as far as bug-related bots go for now. It'd be interesting to see where they'd go, design-wise, with the Insecticons this time around. For my part, I'd hope for updated versions of the mechanical bugs like the G1 variety over, say, making 'em more BW-esque, where they turn into organic looking bugs and organic bug-looking robots. Though, if they wanted to modify Shrapnel and Bombshell some so that they more closely resembled real insects, I'd be okay with that.

EDIT: Not so much something we're missing, but something I wouldn't mind is more of the movie characters. I know "Generations" is filling in most of the gaps in a movie lineup now, but if this line or the next version of it featured a Springer, Arcee, or Sharkticon, I could get behind that. Or a new version of Ultra Magnus, I know they did him already and all but dang. I am pretty much ecstatic that we get Kup, Wreck-Gar, and especially Scourge out of this go-round.