Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 11.

No. 12 appears here.

Number 11: Bantor
Series: Beast Wars
Allegiance: Maximal
Sub-Group: Fuzor
Function: Jungle Warrior, Demolitions
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

I thoroughly enjoyed Beast Wars. Its definitely one of the better Transformers series, probably my 2nd favorite, next to G1. BW does have a certain amount of silliness that can turn off the uninitiated, such as how the Predacons like to say “Terrorize” when they transform, or how various characters transform into the beast of their namesake (eg. Rattrap, Rhinox, Waspinator, etc). But behind all this cheese is a solid plot, and once the series get going, it can be hard to stop watching (I watched all 3 seasons on DVD). And as a G1 purist I most definitely like that fact that BW ties into G1. Bantor did not appear in the BW TV series, and I am certainly no authority on Beast Wars so I cannot say if he had any comic book appearances. He is a Fuzor, a sub-group that has in their alt modes a combination of two individual beasts. Bantor is a strange combination of lion and mandrill. Those crazy Hasbro toy designers… I want to know what they were smoking when they created this mix.

No. 10 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 12.

No. 13 appears here.

Number 12: Catilla
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Pretender
Function: Surveillance
Cat Alt Mode: Sabre-Toothed Tiger

I’m not a big fan of Pretenders. I had a few of them back in G1, including Cloudburst, Finback, Skullgrin, and Roadgrabber. Even Pretender version of Jazz. The shell gimmick serves absolutely no purpose. Catilla was a Pretender Beast, a variation of the standard Pretender theme in which a TF in its beast alt mode hides inside a beast shell. The pic above is Catilla in its sabre-toothed tiger alt mode, and not the shell itself. I think the character had a few appearances in the G1 US Marvel Comics continuity, but my memory of those stories are shaky at best. (BTW, I do have a pretty good collection of G1 Marvel Transformers comics. Next time I go home I should take pics of them). Catilla’s character profile lists him as a silent stalker that likes to observe from the shadows before he strikes. Sounds like he could be a private investigator if things with the Autobots don’t work out.

No. 11 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 13.

No. 14 appears here.

Number 13: Lionizer
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Actionmaster
Function: Aerospace Engineer
Cat Alt Mode: Lion

Two Actionmasters two days in a row! That should be a crime, but I need to list these guys before I get to the cool TFs with real cat class and style. Lionizer is the Targetmaster partner of Rad (one of the dumbest names in the TF Universe, IMO). He transforms from a lion to an atom-smasher rifle. A quick search for this duo on Wiki reveals that they did appear in an Actionmaster commercial in which Rad even had a speaking role. Sometimes I think about hunting down at least one Actionmaster toy just to see if they have some hidden potential that I may have overlooked, though I have a feeling I’m not missing anything. But anyway, this is the last Actionmaster on this list. Rest assured there are no more.

No. 12 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I’m continuing the countdown of the top 15 big cats of the TF Universe during the 15 days of the celebration in honor of the year of the Tiger. Today we’re at no. 14.

No. 15 appears here.

Number 14: Catgut
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Actionmaster
Function: Gunslinger
Cat Alt Mode: Tiger?

I hate Actionmasters. Transformers that don’t transform simply should not have been made. Catgut is only on here because I need 15 cats and he should be glad he’s not at the bottom. The function listed above is really for Treadshot, and Catgut serves as his weapon. Catgut does transform, from gun to some kind of cat/tiger/panther type animal. I don’t think the duo has an appearance anywhere. That’s probably just as well. They’re getting their 15 minutes of fame for today’s post on this blog, and that’s already more than they deserve.

No. 13 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

Happy Chinese New Year! I wish everyone happiness and prosperity in the new year ahead. For those that don’t know, Chinese New Year is also known as the Spring Festival. It is a 15 day celebration that begins with the New Year (on the Chinese Lunar Calendar) and ends 15 days later on the day of the Lantern Festival. My friends from China tell me that, where they come from, many businesses literally shut down for the entire period in celebration of the event. Its too bad we don’t have something similar here in the United States (I work 9 to 6 and live a cubicle life, so I could certainly appreciate the 15 days off).

This is also the year of the tiger. People who belong to this Chinese Zodiac is said to be lucky, vivid, lively, and engaging. Tigers are well-liked because of their charming personality. They are courageous and do not shy away from competition, though they can be restless and obstinate.

In honor of 15 days of the Spring Festival and the Year of the Tiger, I will count down the top 15 big cats in the TF Universe over the next 15 days, until we get to number 1.

Have a safe and happy Chinese New Year! And to quote Brian Setzer: “I got cat class and I got cat style.”

Number 15: Snow Cat
Series: Universe
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Mini-Cons, Ground Surveillance Mini-Con Team
Function: ???
Cat Alt Mode: White Tiger

This is no. 15 so I’m really digging into the bottom of the TF barrel here. This Snow Cat (pic above) is not to be confused with the character of the same name from the Unicron Trilogy. The toy comes in a Universe Armada 10 pack that might be a K-Mart exclusive if I remember correctly. Not sure if this is a new mold of a repaint of something previous, but the transformation appears to be extremely simple, like all Mini-Cons. I don’t think this Snow Cat has an appearance anywhere. But he is a White Tiger so very appropriate for today’s posting.

No. 14 Tomorrow… Transform and Roll Out!

February looks like another good month of robot action. I have acquired even more transforming robots. They are:

Robotech Masterpiece BETA Fighter VFB-9H by Toynami
This is a figure I have wanted for quite a while now. Toynami has made a reputation of producing figures of sub-par construction (I heard the Maia Sterling Shadow Alpha was even recalled), but the Beta appears to be the exception. I’ve seen very favorable reviews of this piece on many Youtube videos and blogs, so I look forward to this fighter with high anticipation. Word is that Toynami contracted a new factory in China to produce their figures, and the improved results are reflected in this piece. Prices over the holidays hovered around $130 to $140 at the low end while some dealers were asking $160+. So yesterday when I saw this on Ebay for $114 shipped Buy It Now, I jumped on it immediately. Actually, this was the price of many dealers and I don’t know what accounted for this price drop. Maybe all of a sudden Toynami recovered a lost stash somewhere, or maybe they simply decided to make more, who knows. But I’m glad I waited. I paid this morning and I’m hoping to get it by this weekend. I will be doing a review of this for sure. Stay tuned.

Transformers Animated Leader Class Bulkhead by Hasbro
Transformers Animated is officially over so I’m buying its figures while they’re still up for grabs. There’s not a whole lot left in the stores at this point. Last week I was once again at TRU to return my Samurai Prowl because of the broken peg issue. While I was there, I saw that they were clearing out all TFA Leader Class figures at $20 apiece. The only thing they had was Bulkhead. I’ve heard good things about him, and he is one of the central 5 Autobots in TFA, so I went ahead and bought him. That was a good decision b/c I am very impressed with this figure. He’s got a sturdy frame and nice clicky joints. The toy captured the Animated look extremely well, and his transformation is unique without being overly difficult. I won’t go into all the details here since I plan on doing a full review. But at $20, you owe it to yourself to get this if you haven’t already. At this price he’s one of the best TF values around.

Transformers Alternity Bumblebee by Takara
I was very impressed with Alternity Cliffjumper, and so I was also on the lookout Alternity Bumblebee. I generally don’t like buying repaints, but I’m a sucker for repaints of G1 characters. About 2 weeks ago, my buddy Gemini informed me that OtaCute had these on sale at $24.99 each. They also offer SAL shipping, and for one Alternity figure its about $8. I thought this was way too good to be true. But at this price we could not resist. Gemini already had Bumblebee and needed CJ, so we decided to combine our orders and save even more on ship. The grand total for 2 Alternities plus SAL ship came to only about $60. I still had my doubts, but this week they arrived just fine. OtaCute came thru no problem! These prices are unbeatable and I will definitely check OtaCute from now on when I need Japanese TFs. I already opened CJ so I will most likely keep Bee in the box.

More Robots = More Awesome. Transform and Roll Out!

I must have missed the official press announcement for this, but apparently we have an release date for Transformers: War For Cybertron. Amazon has this game listed for release on June 22, 2010. I will be counting down the days!

For those that missed it, the most recent trailer appears in a previous post. For pics of the upcoming toy figures, click here.

 
More WFC news means even more Dr. Seuss:

One Shall Stand. One Shall Fall.
War For Cybertron will make TransFans of all.
Hasbro and Activision, a dream team they make.
All sales records, this masterpiece will break.
June 22nd 2010, that is the day.
Transformers will rock, unlike Michael Bay.
Friends and family, you will not miss.
This shall be a package of pure gaming bliss.
Choose your platform and players be ready,
to kick ass on PC, PS3, or Xbox 360.
The war begins and this battlecry we shout,
“Until All Are One… Transform and Roll Out!”

It is that time of year when the Razzie Awards recognize Hollywood for extreme suckage of epic proportions. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen gets the proud distinction of having nominations in 7 different categories of the prestigious award. They are:

• Worst Picture
• Worst Actress (Megan Fox)
• Worst Screen Couple (Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox or Shia LeBeouf and any TF)
• Worst Supporting Actress (Julie White as Mom)
• Worst Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel
• Worst Director (Michael Bay)
• Worst Screenplay

TF2: ROTF does face some steep competition for the honor of Worst Picture, including All About Steve, G.I.Joe: Rise of Cobra, Land of the Lost, and Old Dogs.

Regardless of the outcome, 7 nominations is more than ample proof that Revenge of the Fallen belongs in the abyss of suck.

Go Michael Bay! I am behind you 100% to win! Transform and Roll Out!

This morning I was shooting the bull with my coworkers around the water cooler, and we got on the subject of talking about boats. One guy here in the office is big on boating and we will probably all go out to his place and chill on the river this upcoming summer.

But this gets me thinking… what are some Transformer boats? I couldn’t think of that many. The boat is a very scarcely used alt mode in the TF universe. I’m not sure why that is. I’m no toy designer, but a boat TF does not seem like it would be difficult to design. There are boatloads of cars and jets already (pun intended). Sea vehicles, such as battleships, tankers, and cruise liners, would be very refreshing additions.

As it currently stands, there are only a handful of boats in the TF universe, and I will do them justice by listing them in a top 10 list. I’m being very generous with the definition here. For this listing, a boat is any vehicle that primarily traverses on or under water. And even with such a broad definition, coming up with 10 TFs was difficult. So this is basically a list of 10 TFs that transform into watercrafts.

10. Submarauder
Series: G1
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: Pretender
Function: Undersea Warfare
Boat Alt Mode: Cybertronian Submarine

 
 
 
I tried to leave Pretenders off this list, I really did. I’ve ranted about how lame they are. But I ran out of boats and I needed one more to round out a top 10. Believe it or not, there are quite a few sea vehicles in the Pretender line. Why did I choose Submarauder? Because he has a submarine alt mode, which is unique to this list.
 

9. Quickswitch
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Six Changer
Function: Assault Warrior
Boat Alt Mode: Cybertronian Hovercraft

 
The first Autobot Six Changer, Quickswitch makes this list because he does have a hovercraft mode. I never really liked this guy’s toy, probably because he’s got a lame looking robot mode and a questionable color scheme.
 

8. Seawatch
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Micromaster Rescue Patrol
Function: Search and Rescue
Boat Alt Mode: Hydrofoil

 
As part of the Micromaster Rescue Patrol, Seawatch is dedicated to protecting the sea environments and stopping oceanic misdeeds, such as polluting and poaching. A little known fact is that Seawatch loves to watch “Baywatch”. He has petitioned numerous times to change his name to Baywatch but Optimus would not have it.
 

7. Manta Ray
Series: G2
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Rotor Force
Function: ???
Boat Alt Mode: Racing Boat

The only G2 character on this list, Manta Ray is one of the first original G2 characters (as in not a G1 repaint). Hasbro picked a really good alt mode here and was daring enough to try something different from G1. Rotor Force figures have a gimmick where the rotor can be launched as a spinning disc, the perfect toy for another boring office meeting.
 

6. Thunderblast
Series: Cybertron
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: None
Function: Aggressive Oceanic Soldier
Boat Alt Mode: Cybertronian Attack Boat

 
 
As one of the very few female Decepticons, Thunderblast knows how to manipulate weak-minded TFs of the male variety. She uses her sexy fembot mode and her sexy boat mode to get what she wants. Horny Decepticons are usually too willing to oblige.
 

5. Dreadwing
Series: Energon
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: None
Function: ???
Boat Alt Mode: Cybertronian Gun Boat

 
Dreadwing’s toy looks extremely cool. This is the kind of boat figures I envision Hasbro releasing in the Classics line. I might hunt down this figure if I can fine one at a reasonable price.
 

4. Mirage
Series: Energon
Allegiance: Decepticon
Sub-Group: None
Function: ???
Boat Alt Mode: Cybertronian Gun Boat

 
Not to be confused with G1 Mirage, this figure and Dreadwing (see above) are redecos of each other. However, I think Mirage came first and so he’s ranked higher on this list. Mirage also seems to have a fair amount of screen time in the Energon Animated series and I think his original name was Tidal Wave. I can’t find Function listings for Energon characters. I guess they do whatever they please.
 

3. Depthcharge
Series: ROTF
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: ???
Boat Alt Mode: Stealth Boat

 
Depthcharge is a scout class figure from the ROTF line. ROTF figures generally do not have their functions listed in their bio on the back of the box (I’m beginning to think Functions are a G1-only thing). I’m not sure if Depthcharge has an appearance in the film. Actually, I’m not sure he as an appearance anywhere. This Depthcharge (spelled as one word) is not to be confused with Depth Charge of Beast Wars lore. Similarly, HsunamiPrime is not to be confused with Hsunami Prime.
 

2. Broadside
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: Triple Changer
Function: Air/Sea Assault
Boat Alt Mode: Aircraft Carrier

 
Broadside is perhaps the only aircraft carrier in TF history. As one of the few Autobot Triple Changers, Broadside also has a jet mode. In G1 Animated and some Dreamweave renditions, he is depicted as being very large, which makes sense. I think an aircraft carrier would better suit the Decepticons since they have an air force worthy of it. I would love to see Broadside remade in the Classics line as an Ultra Class Triple Changer. Hasbro will probably never do it, because they are allergic to good ideas.
 

1. Seaspray
Series: G1
Allegiance: Autobot
Sub-Group: None
Function: Naval Defense
Boat Alt Mode: Hovercraft

 
Arguably the most famous TF on this list, Seaspray made his debut in Season 2 of the G1 Animated series and is the first bot in TF history to have a water-based alt mode. His most notable appearance was in the episode “Sea Change”, and his peculiar way of speaking has won the hearts of women everywhere (ok maybe not, but Alana digs it). It appears he has a toy in the Classics line planned for later this year. I’ve ranted before about how they better not forget Seaspray in the Classics line and it looks like my prayers are answered. 🙂
 

Nice Boats! Transform and Roll Out!