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Transformer of the Day for November 10, 2009

DEPTH CHARGE

-Faction: Maximal
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-1998)
-Function: Aquatic Forces Commander
-Motto: “Follow My Orders or Get Out of My Face“
-Notable Toy: Ultra (Hasbro, 1998)

Notes: Other than saying I am not going to make any Dark Knight comments, I am not going to make any Dark Knight comments. Instead I want to talk about the name. Because Depth Charge was only the second Maximal whose name did not instantly tell you his transformation. Oh, it’s pretty easy to figure out that he’s a water-based mammal, but nonetheless, it is not automatic. A nice change I think.

I know I literally just got done saying that we were back on track, but then work and insufficient daylight hours got in the way of keeping to that pledge. Characters went up with unformatted pictures (like Megatron, Predatron and Crosswise) or missing pictures entirely (like Bumblebee and Rav). And then the posts just stopped for the weekend, leaving Onslaught, Cheetor, Brushguard and Heatwave stranded.

When it rains, it pours.

However, I’m happy to report we are back on track with pictures ready to go for future entries until the end of the month. Now I just have to make sure to write them all. But as a bonus, I had the chance to fix some previous posts. Like replacing the picture of Dirge in February, Tigatron from April, and Grimlock in September.

Transformer of the Day for November 9, 2009

SPINISTER

-Faction: Decepticon (Targetmaster)
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Aerial Assault
-Motto: “Respect Your Foes Abilities As You Would Your Own“
-Notable Toy: Deluxe (Hasbro, 1988)

Notes: Early on in Generation One, Hasbro fell into a pattern with its Decepticon forces. Each year, it would release a series of three deluxe jets to round out the battle force. Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp arrived in 1984. Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust arrived in 1985. For the 1986 movie, there were only two fighters in Cyclonus and Scourge, and very space-based in terms of vehicle modes, but they were quickly followed in 1987 by Triggerhappy, Misfire and Slugslinger. But 1988 saw the break in this pattern. Oh there was still a trio of reinforcements, just this time only one was a jet (Needlenose), while Quake was forced to ground and Spinister took advantage of his helicopter mode. Still, it is nice to do things in threes.

Transformer of the Day for November 8, 2009

HEATWAVE

-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Shattered Verse (2008-Present)
-Function: Weapons / Systems Design
-Motto: “This is Quantum Hexi-crypto, Totally Unbreakable; I’ll need Three Minutes.“
-Notable Toy: Exclusive (Hasbro, 2009)

Notes: You will have to forgive me but I don’t know how to classify Heatwave. He’s clearly of two worlds, being part of the Universe line of toys that have been part of the Transformers Collectors’ Club official annual premium (and the leader of the group of combiners now certainly known as Nexus Prime). But he is also an officer from the Shattered Glass universe, a heroic Decepticon uniting two Autobots and two Decepticons who are all something more. Gotta say though, I personally would have preferred the solid colours of the prototype (as shown above) to the translucent colours of the actual release.

(Apologies and thanks to transformersclub.com for the toy pics.)

Transformer of the Day for November 7, 2009

BRUSHGUARD

-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Armada-Energon-Cyberton (2002-2006)
-Function: Scientist
-Motto: “Toxins are the Weapons I Wield“
-Notable Toy: Basic (Hasbro, 2005)

Notes: Resembling an evil Brawn, with Wolverine-style claws, Brushguard is a pretty sturdy toy given the era from which he originates. I really had to go with the Universe carded figure that was available through discount store Dollar General, just because it really highlights the pale blue in a way that the original packaging does not.

Apologies and thanks to shmax.com for the toy image.)

Transformer of the Day for October 6, 2009

CHEETOR

-Faction: Autobot
-Era: Beast Wars (1996-1998), Beast Machines (1999-2000)
-Function: Jungle Warrior
-Motto: “Attack with Quickness and Leave the Enemy No Time to Think“
-Notable Toy: Titanium (Hasbro, 2007)

Notes: While Cheetor got terribly serious and became a bit of a spoilsport in Beast Machines, it was nonetheless great to watch his evolution over 78 episodes in Beast Wars and Beast Machines. So many good toy choices too, but in the end I went with the much missed (by me at least) Titanium version for the big reason that it was the both the only Beast Machines release in this format and the first official release of swords. And no Night Slash Cheetor doesn’t count!

Transformer of the Day for November 5, 2009

ONSLAUGHT

-Faction: Decepticon
-Era: Generation One (1984-1992)
-Function: Combaticon Leader
-Motto: “The Mind is the Greatest Weapon“
-Notable Toy: Voyager (Takara, 2008)

Notes: I opted to use the Universe reissue for the featured toy, if for no other reason than the original deluxe 1986 mould has been redone to death. Onslaught in 1986, Great Cannon (for Japan) in 1992, Classics Onslaught (in Europe) in 1992, neon Onslaught in 1994 (for G2), Mega-Octane in 2001, Exclusive Mega-Octane in 2003 and Universe Mega-Octane in 2004. Plus, it’s really cool to see Monzo getting some love. That said, I love this rendering of Octane from the old Marvel comic. A fitting sub-commander pose indeed.

Due to a glitch on the blog, I was unable to get into my planned entries for the latter part of October and finalize them for their debut. Although the glitch was corrected by my webhosting service, I then didn’t have the time to go back in and make the necessary corrections, on account of the work underway on this year’s halloween costume. Which this year consisted of my first ever attempt at a Transformer, in the form of Starscream.

There is a lot of win mixed into a lot of fail in this costume. Suffice to say, there will be a longer future post outlining the work that went into this creation. I am nonetheless pleased to note that all that work did result in a win as best costume at the annual Comic Book Shoppe masquarade ball despite the costume’s flaws. Like, you know, the ability to breathe in that mask.

In any case, I’ve taken today as a chance to go back and correct my previous oversights. Here is your chance to see my thoughts on such noteable transformers as Sling, Doubleheader, Soundwave, Flak, Sixshot, Silverbolt, Bludgeon, Bumblebee, Megatron, Rav and Predatron. And hopefully we can finish up our 25th anniversary run without further interruptions…

Transformer of the Day for November 4, 2009

CROSSWISE

-Faction: Autobot (Spy Changer)
-Era: Robots in Disguise / Car Robots (2000-2001)
-Function: Gravity Ninja
-Motto: “Lighten Up”
-Notable Toy: Single-Card (Hasbro, 2003)

Notes: X-Car in Japan, Crosswise makes the list because he’s my favourite of the first six Spy Chargers mold, which were adopted from the first six Generation Two Gobots. His is the same form as G2 Highbeam, Botcon Nightracer and G2 Goldbug Bumblebee. And given the multitude of package and colour variants for him, he nonetheless just looks so sharp on this single card release.