Favorite licensed vehicle Transformers (40th)

[Donocropolis]

Smokescreen being the Alternators first release was the smartest move of the line. It just had the right level of visual punch to really get people's eyes on them and get everyone interested.

It's what got me. It was just such an amazing looking design coupled with being a return to "my" Transformers characters (I grew up in the heyday of G1. I was aware that the brand had kept going after I stopped watching, but hadn't really paid to much attention to it.) Plus, the design, the super-realistic car mode, the attention to detail, etc. were all so well done that it felt "adult" enough for me to actually buy as a collectible type thing instead of a "kids toy," as I was way too old for that sort of thing (gotten waaaaay past that hangup now.)

Man, I'd love a fresh take on the Alternators designs in the main line. A new GT that locks together better, a non-frustrating Mustang (use it as Wheeljack first, want to see those colors). A pickup truck, maybe sharing engineering with Hoist/Trailbreaker. The Tracks design. Even just use like the Smokescreen rally color scheme on the Datsun mold, and the Dead end colors on the Sunstreaker mold.

Oh, absolutely. I really wish Hasbro would do more references to Alternators. Give us a Selects Smokescreen in his Alternators colors, or redeco a Windcharger as Decepticharge, dangit!

 

[Sciflyer]

I'd take another Jaguar XK Ravage or Corvette Battle Ravage in a heartbeat.

 

[Andrusi]

If/when I ever actually bother to get rid of toys I don't really want anymore, Smokescreen will probably be the one Alternator I keep.

 

[Sciflyer]

That's basically what I did re: Smokescreen et al. I sold off most of the Alternators I didn't want to keep, but The Su-bro-rus stayed, as did Hound, Mirage, Ravage, and Acura Prowl.

 

[Haywire]

Jaguar Ravage is just so on-the-nose, I can't NOT like it!
Alternators Smokescreen and Silverstreak (Silver Silverstreak?) and Mirage are also favorites.
Not Transformers, but Diarobo is one of my favorite licensed transforming robot series. It died way too young...

 

[tec]

We had it made with Alts back then

 

[Sciflyer]

We sure did. Silverstreak stil looks cool, and that Ford GT40 Mirage remains one of my all time favorite Alternators.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

I want Deluxe Alternators. I want to experience these designs, but the originals are too big to fit with anything but each other.

 

[Donocropolis]

I want Deluxe Alternators. I want to experience these designs, but the originals are too big to fit with anything but each other.

Not going to lie, I would probably re-buy all of them as modern Deluxes if that were a thing.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Like Classics, I appreciate Alternators more and more now that we're getting "proper" updates of nearly everybody. I no longer care even a little bit about certain Alternators molds being the "wrong" choices for the characters. The oddities are endearing now.

 

[lastmaximal]

I definitely agree that it would be sweet to get Alternators looks that can slot into the mainline, scalewise.

That was a wild few years. The debut of Smokescreen and MP/20th Op was one of those rare times where most of the fandom was too stunned and wowed to complain about much (but we recovered quickly), and I remember staring at the photos so much in amazement that they not only could, but did. That this line then ran comfortably alongside the fun and innovation of the Unicron Trilogy was really giving us so much breadth of Transformers creativity.

Then the Movie came and showed (especially as the waves went on and designers hit their stride) that they could do poseable, dynamic robots turning into licensed vehicles via clever and interesting engineering, at mainline scale. But the aesthetic was all their own.

We could definitely use more "this isn't how G1 did it" now, especially since we're already assured that we're not really going to get deprived of "this is how G1 did it" toys.

There really should be room for Alternators in these lines' mold planning, and they don't even have to be licensed. I mean they're even cars, so there's practically a half dozen retools and redecos possible for each one, with plenty coming from their most profitable/marketable era.

 

[Superomegaprime]

Alternators in someways is the line that sort of sits in the middle between the modern complex mainline figures we get and MP before either of them were really a thing, thou First Editon Prime figures bought about the complex almost looking like they jumped right out of the screen figures, thou Alternators I believe was a sort of hit and miss with their figures, but then I only have two of them: Shockwave & Optimus prime and out of the two, I liked Shockwave for his look in robot mode, while Optimus, was kind of meh with parts always falling off his shoulders, I not sure what they were attempting to do with him, while Shockwave is just prefect in a strange way

 

[UndeadScottsman]

Heh, I remember people complaining about the scale between Alternators Grimlock and MP Prime.

Anywho, my licensed vehicle of choice is a space shuttle. Always a sucker for a space shuttle.