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This is a month too early, but I am pretty sure I won't be online much in a month, so...
On Sep 17, 1984, the original Transformers television series debuted...and thus launched the most important franchise of my childhood. There were just under 100 episodes in four seasons, and coincidentally, nearly 100 Autobots derived from the toylines...and as of this month I'm only a handful short of finally having modern representations of all them. Note this is nearly double the Season 1-2 group I was working on previously, but I guess a lot has come out since.
This isn't just a manchild collection flex. I was intending to ramble about how important the cartoon was to my writing development--I know there's some overlap of fans here, but not THAT much--but to try to be brief...a hasty show produced for a toyline cobbled together hastily by numerous foreign toylines, resulted in a lot of hasty characters. BUT, the producers were also aiming to sell the related toys, and ensured all the characters had distinctive quirks, and individual powers that made them useful in various situations. The toys varied greatly in appearance, and the show was willing to make characters who were overweight, weak, hindered in certain terrains, antisocial, etc etc, while making them all ultimately useful with traits like brains, specialty vehicle modes, fuel efficiency, firepower, etc. Basically, a diverse ensemble cast with a lot of rotation and spotlights. (Notably, that's the backbone of most of my favorite shows, live-action as well.) So while I have never been great with character development--very happy to leave that to teh hubby--I had learned how to mix up and hand-pick groups of characters for any situation, which I did all the time in the Class Menagerie. Granted, my goal was usually causing conflict instead of harmony, but it was still useful.
And another of the most important takeaways from the show is EVERYONE is someone's favorite character. No matter how obscure or awkward the toy was, someone is waiting for an updated toy. So while there certainly are one-off fillers in my comics, I have made a point of trying to give anyone with dialogue a name and at least a minimal background, because they may be useful and important later.
And if nothing else, I don't buy many DVDs, but I did buy the full original Transformers show. Even long-time fans are aware of its flaws, but one thing universally agreed on is that it had an amazing voice cast. They just released the 40th anniversary TV soundtrack and it brings SO many scenes to mind...
Anyway, the point is I would often put the DVDs on as background noise while I was drawing The Class Menagerie and i.s.o., since I could just put one disc on and grind for awhile...I'm very picky about what I draw to--usually music only. I also tend to be very aware of time, as my comics were produced on a schedule, and I like that music playlists--or episodes--last a prescribed amount of time; it helps with pacing. And coloring is BORING, I need some distraction. So you can thank the producers for streamlining my drawing process.
So here's the three separate shelves I have of everyone, and weirdly scaling the photos together makes everyone roughly the correct size, even if the toys aren't. Wondering if there's anyone hardcore enough to tell who's missing, duplicated, or really shouldn't be where they are, but the photo's probably not large enough for that...
And lastly, no, I don't pose these. We own a 95-lb malamute, who knows not to touch these, but also has a very fluffy tail. I opt for stability here!
Everyone © Hasbro/Takara
On Sep 17, 1984, the original Transformers television series debuted...and thus launched the most important franchise of my childhood. There were just under 100 episodes in four seasons, and coincidentally, nearly 100 Autobots derived from the toylines...and as of this month I'm only a handful short of finally having modern representations of all them. Note this is nearly double the Season 1-2 group I was working on previously, but I guess a lot has come out since.
This isn't just a manchild collection flex. I was intending to ramble about how important the cartoon was to my writing development--I know there's some overlap of fans here, but not THAT much--but to try to be brief...a hasty show produced for a toyline cobbled together hastily by numerous foreign toylines, resulted in a lot of hasty characters. BUT, the producers were also aiming to sell the related toys, and ensured all the characters had distinctive quirks, and individual powers that made them useful in various situations. The toys varied greatly in appearance, and the show was willing to make characters who were overweight, weak, hindered in certain terrains, antisocial, etc etc, while making them all ultimately useful with traits like brains, specialty vehicle modes, fuel efficiency, firepower, etc. Basically, a diverse ensemble cast with a lot of rotation and spotlights. (Notably, that's the backbone of most of my favorite shows, live-action as well.) So while I have never been great with character development--very happy to leave that to teh hubby--I had learned how to mix up and hand-pick groups of characters for any situation, which I did all the time in the Class Menagerie. Granted, my goal was usually causing conflict instead of harmony, but it was still useful.
And another of the most important takeaways from the show is EVERYONE is someone's favorite character. No matter how obscure or awkward the toy was, someone is waiting for an updated toy. So while there certainly are one-off fillers in my comics, I have made a point of trying to give anyone with dialogue a name and at least a minimal background, because they may be useful and important later.
And if nothing else, I don't buy many DVDs, but I did buy the full original Transformers show. Even long-time fans are aware of its flaws, but one thing universally agreed on is that it had an amazing voice cast. They just released the 40th anniversary TV soundtrack and it brings SO many scenes to mind...
Anyway, the point is I would often put the DVDs on as background noise while I was drawing The Class Menagerie and i.s.o., since I could just put one disc on and grind for awhile...I'm very picky about what I draw to--usually music only. I also tend to be very aware of time, as my comics were produced on a schedule, and I like that music playlists--or episodes--last a prescribed amount of time; it helps with pacing. And coloring is BORING, I need some distraction. So you can thank the producers for streamlining my drawing process.
So here's the three separate shelves I have of everyone, and weirdly scaling the photos together makes everyone roughly the correct size, even if the toys aren't. Wondering if there's anyone hardcore enough to tell who's missing, duplicated, or really shouldn't be where they are, but the photo's probably not large enough for that...
And lastly, no, I don't pose these. We own a 95-lb malamute, who knows not to touch these, but also has a very fluffy tail. I opt for stability here!
Everyone © Hasbro/Takara
Category All / All
Species Unspecified / Any
Size 3137 x 1174px
File Size 1.06 MB
Listed in Folders
You nailed what I loved about the franchise. It had a huge, interesting cast that made their world feel big and alive. Yes, some of the cartoon's writing wasn't always great, but it had some gems. Oddly, I like season 3 more as an adult than I did as a kid.
I had to stop collecting five years ago when I moved, and most of it is still boxed up, but I have a few on display.
I can see a few things that I'd consider out of place, but can also see why you chose those spots.
I had to stop collecting five years ago when I moved, and most of it is still boxed up, but I have a few on display.
I can see a few things that I'd consider out of place, but can also see why you chose those spots.
They may not be Oscar-winning-written casts, but they were fun, right?
I didn't inherently object to S03, but I am (as should be evident) primarily a car fan, and it annoyed me that they used made-up car models XD
Yeah, moving helped. It's funny how most of this came out the past five years, they're really catering to oldskool collectors now.
Was wondering if you'd weigh in there!
I didn't inherently object to S03, but I am (as should be evident) primarily a car fan, and it annoyed me that they used made-up car models XD
Yeah, moving helped. It's funny how most of this came out the past five years, they're really catering to oldskool collectors now.
Was wondering if you'd weigh in there!
Nice collection, dude! :D :D :D And that's interesting (and kinda touching) to learn how Transformers influenced your comics, particularly the point about how every character is a favorite of somebody. x3 And yeah, I'm similar in that I need music to listen to while I draw. Although it's not always music, sometimes I put on a reaction vid or something similar.
Haha, and that's adorable that you have to protect your things from your giant puppy's tail! XD
Haha, and that's adorable that you have to protect your things from your giant puppy's tail! XD
Awesome collection! I have some transformers but mostly they are g1 faves of mine and some of the beast wars recent remakes. Most of my collection now is tokusatsu based with mainly ultraman, Kamen rider and some sentai. All in vinyl figure form at around 5" tall and easier to find and buy than other toku merch.
Some of my earliest memories include the original cartoon and movie, and seeing Beast Wars in the min-90s helped me through some dark times as well. In the 2000s I was part of the fan group "Iacon Literary Society" for fan fiction, samples of me stuff I still have posted here.
I remember seeing your collection, and it continues to impress me. I only ever had 2 pieces of Defensor, so it was amazing seeing him in his entirety. If anything limits me on collecting stuff, it's fact I have limited storage space.
I remember seeing your collection, and it continues to impress me. I only ever had 2 pieces of Defensor, so it was amazing seeing him in his entirety. If anything limits me on collecting stuff, it's fact I have limited storage space.
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