Transformers Legacy toyline

[LordGigaIce]

Seriously though, I am glad that you liked it. The initial concept had some great potential and some of the toys really showed off what the line could do, like Cyclonus and Demolisher. However, the rest of the line was mostly a disappointment to me. Coupled with the low quality of the tv show, I just don't have the fond memories of that line. Although I do love the Unicron repaints we got in the armada line.

I love the original Armada line. No it's not perfect, and a lot of the updates of those characters in various Generations lines have done those designs justice, but I still love the originals with their gimmicks and everything.

And as for the tv show... hot take here. Armada is my favourite Transformers cartoon. Not the best, no, but it's my favourite. I'll re-watch it just for fun. I don't do that with Animated or Prime or anything that's come out since. It's mostly Armada, Cybertron, and Beast Wars.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

We would remember Armada as one of the best shows if it had just gotten an adequate dub.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

The first chunk of Armada is tedius as all hell, though halfway through it starts actually getting surprisingly good and ends on a very high note.

I think it might have the only cartoon episode focused entirely on the Decepticons (aside from some Autobot cameos in teh last scene) They even change the opening sequence narration to be Decepticon focused.

 

[Sabrblade]

Thankfully, after all these years, the original Japanese version, Legends of the Microns, is finally available to watch in full with English subtitles.

I think it might have the only cartoon episode focused entirely on the Decepticons (aside from some Autobot cameos in teh last scene) They even change the opening sequence narration to be Decepticon focused.

TF: Prime would later usurp it from that claim, by having at least two Decepticon-only episodes.

 

[The Predaking]

We would remember Armada as one of the best shows if it had just gotten an adequate dub.

The Hooks Edit of them back in the day was passable, and he speed that show up and cut out a lot of pointless pauses and crappy dialog, as well as pushing whole episode arcs together into one episode. All that to make it decent at the time. So with that, I think that even with a great dub, it wouldn't have been anywhere close to Beast Wars, Transformers Prime, or Animated, or even G1. The show was just not that good.

 

[The Predaking]

I love the original Armada line. No it's not perfect, and a lot of the updates of those characters in various Generations lines have done those designs justice, but I still love the originals with their gimmicks and everything.

And as for the tv show... hot take here. Armada is my favourite Transformers cartoon. Not the best, no, but it's my favourite. I'll re-watch it just for fun. I don't do that with Animated or Prime or anything that's come out since. It's mostly Armada, Cybertron, and Beast Wars.

I rewatch Beast Wars and Prime a lot. I need to rewatch G1 and Animated again. I bet I can get my girls hooked on Animated.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

I bought most of the Armada line and regret having done so. Ginmicks over quality. I'm glad we're finally getting better figures although omitting the Minicons for dinner if these releases was a bad idea.

 

[ZacWilliam1]

I think Armada is probably the most "Fun and Best Kid Friendly" TF Toy Line. The toys aren't the most poseable or adult collector friendly but they are the most fun to play with and for a kid, and Armada Megatron despite the lack of leg articulation may be the most fun TF ever with a great look and so many play gimmicks.

The Cartoon? It's not good writing or acting wise. I got married maybe a dozen episodes in and didn't have cable at our first apartment so never got to see the rest. I've owned the box set for years now, I've tried to watch through at least three times. I have yet to make it through the first half.


-ZacWilliam, the concepts and characters in the toon are not bad I WANT to like it, but the writing is dull and generally just kinda dumb/bad and the poor acting/directing doesn't do it any favors.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Thankfully, after all these years, the original Japanese version, Legends of the Microns, is finally available to watch in full with English subtitles.

I appreciate it but I've always been a dub over sub guy

I rewatch Beast Wars and Prime a lot. I need to rewatch G1 and Animated again. I bet I can get my girls hooked on Animated.

I can't rewatch Prime. It's so self-serious and dreary. And Animated rubbed me the wrong way when it was out and nothing's really done much to change my mind on it.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

The Hooks Edit of them back in the day was passable, and he speed that show up and cut out a lot of pointless pauses and crappy dialog, as well as pushing whole episode arcs together into one episode. All that to make it decent at the time. So with that, I think that even with a great dub, it wouldn't have been anywhere close to Beast Wars, Transformers Prime, or Animated, or even G1. The show was just not that good.

I don't mind a slow pace. I would argue that Armada's second half had more impact because that slow (even, tedious, perhaps) first half lulled us into complacency. Nobody expected it to escalate like that.

It looks better and better every time something else has Unicron show up too quickly.

 

[Echowarrior]

Well, fortune smiled on me today. I found Tow-Line at a Target! Also, Cloudcover arrived in the mail, and it looks like Laser Cycle is on the way. Yay!

And getting back in line with recent posts...Armada had some neat toys. Gimmicky toys, but neat toys. I'm glad we're getting modern updates for them, and wouldn't complain if we got one for Scavenger.

 

[Haywire]

Right now, in a room full of Transformers from across all Generations, Haywire3 (who will be 5 on Friday!) will grab Armada Megatron and a couple Minicons to play with out of all of them. The Armada figs were great toys!

I wouldn't mind an update of Scavenger (one with actual feet), but they'd have to keep the working tank tread arms, and I don't think that's happening any time soon. What we really need is a new Armada Smokescreen!

 

[Princess Viola]

Right now, in a room full of Transformers from across all Generations, Haywire3 (who will be 5 on Friday!) will grab Armada Megatron and a couple Minicons to play with out of all of them. The Armada figs were great toys!

I wouldn't mind an update of Scavenger (one with actual feet), but they'd have to keep the working tank tread arms, and I don't think that's happening any time soon. What we really need is a new Armada Smokescreen!

why do we need a new armada smokescreen, you can probably still find the original warming pegs somewhere

 

[CoffeeHorse]

A new Scavenger could be cool. I'd be happy ditching working treads for greater long term durability. The original treads have held up surprisingly well, but I don't trust today's materials to be as good.

 

[Haywire]

why do we need a new armada smokescreen, you can probably still find the original warming pegs somewhere

Oddly enough, after I posted, I dug this gem out of storage...working winch, head that moves with the boom, flip out missile launcher; Megatron may have lost his place as favorite tonight...

 

[ZacWilliam1]

What is really impressive about Armada in the modern context is they are largely simple enough for a kid to TF easy, full of fun gimmicks and really really thick blocky and solid/durable by modern standards.

Todays kids aimed figures sometimes, sometimes, still get the gimmicks, but they're almost always either complicated to get modern poseability and/or thin-plasticed and fragile feeling for budgetary reasons.


-ZacWilliam, I could give a kid most Armada figures with no worry about breakage on a level unmatched by modern stuff.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

I think Armada is probably the most "Fun and Best Kid Friendly" TF Toy Line. The toys aren't the most poseable or adult collector friendly but they are the most fun to play with and for a kid, and Armada Megatron despite the lack of leg articulation may be the most fun TF ever with a great look and so many play gimmicks.

The Cartoon? It's not good writing or acting wise. I got married maybe a dozen episodes in and didn't have cable at our first apartment so never got to see the rest. I've owned the box set for years now, I've tried to watch through at least three times. I have yet to make it through the first half.


-ZacWilliam, the concepts and characters in the toon are not bad I WANT to like it, but the writing is dull and generally just kinda dumb/bad and the poor acting/directing doesn't do it any favors.

The Unicron trilogy (or those Samurai combiner abominations for TF Prime "Go!") seemed to be TT's final stab at competing with Bandai's sentai ranges of toys via the Transformers brand. After that, they aimed themselves at collectors in their CHUG and MP lines and used other, localised robot toys (tomy car/train bots, etc) to complete in that market?

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

The Cartoon? It's not good writing or acting wise. I got married maybe a dozen episodes in and didn't have cable at our first apartment so never got to see the rest. I've owned the box set for years now, I've tried to watch through at least three times. I have yet to make it through the first half.


-ZacWilliam, the concepts and characters in the toon are not bad I WANT to like it, but the writing is dull and generally just kinda dumb/bad and the poor acting/directing doesn't do it any favors.

I'll always advocate for the back half. I'd say if you haven't made it there already, skip to where Thrust first shows up and go from there, or just on to the second half entirely. (I personally really liked Jetfire's debut, his first combination with Optimus, and the debut of Tidal Wave, if I was to pick and choose from the first half.)

If nothing else, it has one of the best Optimus vs. Megatron/Galvatron fights of the entire franchise, I think. I used to rate it as THE best, but... we've had a lot since then. I'd need to rewatch and reevaluate the rest.

You can even find videos where they just cut the other stuff happening around it, and focus on the fight.

I'm also going to say that Armada and Energon were going when my friends and I started doing the RPG that my Mega Man Legends stories are based on. That fact is... not entirely insignificant, let's say. And the two are kind of tied together in my mind as well.

...come to think of it, it's funny we get the new Armada toys in Legacy around the same time I rebooted that story. Certainly puts me in a mind of wanting that new Optimus even more, though!

 

[Shadewing]

I always felt Armada started to get good around the 13 episode mark, once the Star Sabre is completed. The stuff before that was mostly world building, but after that we started getting the threads of on going plot.

 

[Sciflyer]

I remember sticking with the first 8 or 10 episodes but kind of falling off afterward. I still picked up the toys that I liked, since they were my main focus, but maybe I will give the rest of the series a watch at some point.

I agree that there was/is a lot to like about Armada. I recall being a little bit disappointed/put off at first by the lack of articulation, especially coming off the heels of the Beast Era and Car Robots / RID. But the toys were just engineered so well and were so much fun, that I didn't mind after a while. I would love updates of Red Alert, Demolisher, and Cyclonus, in particular.