2009 will mark the 25th Anniversary of the Transformers toys, comic books, and cartoon.  I find it hard to believe that they've been around that long.  It just doesn't feel like it's been 25 years since Optimus Prime, Megatron, Jazz, and Starscream burst forth on an unsuspecting world to create a phenomenon that would still be going strong a quarter-century later.  Naturally, Hasbro plans to celebrate this event with the Transformers Universe line where they will release a number of toys celebrating 25 years of Transformery goodness.

To kick things off, Hasbro has released a modified reissue of the original Optimus Prime, hitting Wal-Mart stores now for pennies under $70.  I say modified because the smokestacks are shorter than on the original or the recent Japanese Encore version.  Despite the argument that Prime is a "collectible," he's still a toy and must pass US safety standards.  So, the smokestacks have to be trimmed down.  Optimus also sports a slightly different paint job, to better match his appearance in the original cartoon.

But wait, there's more!  Also included in this gift set is an Autobot symbol shield that can either stand on your shelf or clip to your belt.  Pressing the button at the top of the symbol activates the transforming sound or key phrases spoken by Optimus Prime himself, Peter Cullen.  The beginning (or end if you prefer) of the cycle has a really short excerpt from the original Transformers theme song.  Also included is a reprint of the very first issue of the Marvel comics 4-issue mini-series that went on to produce 79 more issues afterwards as well as several miniseries, including a cross-over with G.I.Joe.

The last piece of this 25th Anniversary box if fun is a DVD that features the original 3-part Transformers cartoon series, More Than Meets The Eye.  This is the series that changed the Transformers from just a toy line filled with robots to a world-wide phenomenon.  It features the story that brought the Transformers millennia-long war to a familiar blue and green planet called Earth.  The Autobots befriend a couple humans while the Decepticons rape the world of it's natural resources.  It's slightly dated, but holds up well I think.

While some fans balk at the shortened smokestacks and the different colors, I applaud Hasbro for bringing back this icon to the toy shelves.  The price tag is a little steep and some already plan to wait for what may well be the inevitable clearance.  Look at it this way, the toy originally sold for $40 I believe.  Add $10 for the DVD and maybe $5 for the comic book, since that's what some individual issues go for these days and if you account for inflation on the 1984 dollar, it's not a bad deal.  If you're a fan, support Hasbro and pick this set up.  I don't think you'll be sorry.

To be honest, I'm a little surprised I have this set.  I just showed it to my wife while we were at Wal-Mart earlier today and she said to put it in the shopping cart.  I am the luckiest man in the world.

Where to start?

The last couple weeks of training have gone well, more or less.  My head seems so full of new information that at times I believe it will explode, raining bits or cranium all over my classmates.  I've started to make friends with some of the people in my class.  Unfortunately, the ones I'd actually like to hang out with after work live in either Seattle or Everett.  I suppose if it's meant to be that something will work out.  There are a couple *cough*three*cough* of people in my class that annoy the living crap out of me.  All are know-it-alls and all apparently love the sound of their own voice.  One of them bugged the crap out of me so much during a lunch break that I almost called HR on him.  My wife talked me out of it.

During breaks and lunches, I've managed to finish reading my copy of Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.  It's a wonderful read for those of you Star Wars fans out there that want to know some of what happened between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.  The story was expanded on so much from the graphic novel and PSP version of the game that it makes me wonder if any of the missing material that I read in the novel are in the X-Box 360 or PS3 versions of the game.  So now, naturally, I want either of those systems so I can play The Force Unleashed on the bigger screen.  Since I'm making more money now, it might be a possibility later on.

In one of my more recent blogs, I touched on my scoring of new Transformers; Universe Ironhide, Sideswipe, and Silverstreak.  Well, I finally took some pictures of them today since it was sunny outside and I was able to clear a shelf off in the living room.  The pics came out all right, I'd say.  I still miss my old camera.

Here we have Ironhide and Silverstreak.  Once upon a time, Silverstreak used to go by Bluestreak, because his character "talked a blue streak."  For some reason, Hasbro can't seem to trademark or copyright that name, so they went with Silverstreak, which means nothing.  He's Bluestreak to me.  He and Ironhide are together because they had a significant scene in the original Transformers 3-parter where Ironhide chased after the Decepticons after a battle and Bluestreak went to bring him back, but instead joined Ironhide.  Despite their efforts of listing lazily to the right, Ironhide got shot down by the Decepticon Skywarp, landing in a lake, and Bluestreak went in to get him.  Jazz used his grappling hook to bring them both to shore and they lived happily ever after.  Also, Ironhide should have a cannon, that can double as a sword, but our cat Fiona knocked him off his shelf and I can't find it.

Up next are the original Autobot brothers; Sideswipe and Sunstreaker.  The neat thing about them is that except for their heads and paint schemes, they are exactly the same toy.  Hasbro designed them that way on purpose.  If you turn either one 180 degrees at the waist in robot mode, you'll see the chest of the other on the back.  Sideswipe is the eager, angry brother, bent on bending as many rules as possible to get the job done.  Sunstreaker, on the other hand, is vain and a little egotistical, spending his down time making sure he looks good.  I admit that I never really cared for either of these guys back in the day, but these modern versions are pretty darned cool.  The original toys, especially Sunstreaker's, were really crappy, even by 80's standards.  Shame it took the powers that be almost 25 years to do them justice.

Last weekend, I went to Wal-Mart for something.  I can't remember what my intention was other than to maybe just look around since I don't get to stop into stores during the week anymore.  I wasn't expecting to find anything, so I was pleasantly surprised to see the Wal-Mart exclusive Star Wars Legacy Collection A-Wing Fighter.  The basic mold is the same one used for the previous versions of the toy, though the electronics from the original are long since gutted.  This time around, the A-Wing has a newly-molded instrument panel, which is a nice improvement over the previous version.  Also included is Green Leader from Return of the Jedi, Arvel Crynyd.  This is the guy that flew his damaged A-Wing into the bridge of the Super Star Destroyer at the Battle of Endor that caused the Imperial vessel to crash into the second Death Star.  Arvel uses the same body as Tycho Celchu from the 30th Anniversary Collection, but sports a new head and helmet.  This is Arvel's second figure and while not completely accurate, it's a lot better than the last one, which was also a Wal-Mart exclusive.

Yesterday, I took the second assessment test at work for new recruits.  They gave us two hours and I used almost all of it too.  It was hard and I didn't leave with much confidence.  Sure, it's open book, open Intranet, but I couldn't find a lot of the answers - only half-answers that I hope led me to the correct option on the test.  Needless to say, the bus ride home was a somber one, depite it being Friday.

Which reminds me of Thursday after work.  My wife and I came out of the building a little later than usual and saw the bus at the stop across the street.  So, we started to run while in the crosswalk.  I don't know what happened, but the top half of my body was apparently going faster than the bottom half and I lost my balance.  I thought I could roll it off, but the crosswalk was at the top of a hill and therefore at an angle.  I hit the ground and hit it hard, landing on my left knee and upper arm and scraping the area in-between my left ring and middle fingers.  As I fell, I could hear my wife calling out to me.  I've never heard her sound more panicked.  I scrambled to get up and continue, waving at the bus.  But, he didn't see either of us and drove off.  So, we sat down and my wife apologized over and over for telling me to run.  I told her it wasn't her fault that her husband was clumsy.  When we got to the parking garage after the bus ride home, I hit my knee on the glove compartment, sending more pain through.  Let's just say that it's three days later and I'm still in pain, but no bruises.

To leave on a high note, we went to Target this afternoon after having lunch with my Mom at Panda Express.  We were originally going to meet at Black Angus, but they changed their hours and don't open until 3pm, which is way to late for lunch in our case.  It was an enjoyable meal, though it would have been nicer in a booth than at a small table.  But, it was the company that was important, not the location of the food.  Those were secondary.  Afterwards, we went to Barnes and Noble, where I saw way too many books I wanted and left with none.  Mom bought herself some romance novels, but she can't find a couple books that were supposed to be out at the beginning of the month.  It's weird.  Maybe next time though.

Anyway, while we were tooling around Target, we picked up the Incredible Hulk on DVD as well as Family Guy volume six.  Target's version of the Family Guy set includes a poster and script from the 100th episode.  Neat.  While the wife went looking at cat food, I perused the action figure aisle.  I was hoping to find Transformers Animated Ultra Magnus, but ne was absent.  I did, however, find a couple new Star Wars battle packs and after talking it over with the misses, came home with the B'Omarr Monastery Assault set.  It features Anakin Skywalker, a Battle Droid, and two STAPs (Single Trooper Aerial Platform).  This set is inspired by the scene in the Clone Wars movie where the Republic is climbing the cliff face on Teth to rescue Jabba the Hutt's son from his kidnappers.  The STAPs are redecoed from the Episode 1 toy and feature stands for display that double as "controls" for play.  There's a button underneath that, when pressed, raises the platform the figure stands on slightly and launches the "missiles" from the guns.

The Battle Droid looks to be a redecoed version of the carded version in stores now.  I don't have it, so i can't say for sure.  It definitely has a more animated vibe to it's look that the other versions of the Battle Droid I've owned in the past.  From the packaging, it appears as though you can disassemble it, but I didn't feel like prying it off it's perch to find out since he's held together with a bunch of those little clear rubber bands.  His backpack falls off easily and reveals a nice lightsaber scar on it's back.  Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

The real prize of this set is Anakin.  While he shares the same mold as the single-carded version, he has superior articulation.  This Anakin has knees and ankles, which make positioning him on the STAP a lot easier and makes him more fun to play with.  His head looks to be a little different from the other version as well, though it may be the superior paint job on this version.  Anakin also sports cloth for his lower Jedi robes, another advantage over the other version.  It's funny.  Usually the pack-in figures are the ones that are lower in quality or lacking in articulation.  While this version of Anakin does lack the force blast launcher and "rope," it is the superior of the two.

Transformers Cybertron tells the tale of the Autobots searching the galaxy for the legendary cyber planet keys that, when combined with the Omega Lock, will save their home planet of Cybertron from an ever-growing black hole created from the destruction of Unicron. The Decepticons want the keys and lock as well, but merely for the power they possess. Thus, the war between the Autobots and Decepticons rage across several planets in the latest Transformers series to hit DVD.

The animation and voice acting is very well done. Gonzo, famous for their anime, does a superb job with the CG used for the Transformers and the cell animation used for the non-Cybertronian cast. They don't mesh perfectly, put it's a better effort than older attempts to mix CG and cell animation.

Garry Chalk and David Kaye once again reprise their roles as Optimus Prime and Megatron. With the exception of "Robots in Disguise" and the more recent "Transformers Animated," They have played those characters, or incarnations of, for over 10 years.

The rest of the cast does a fine job, though the producers this time around decided to give the cast of characters an international flavor. Jetfire is Australian, Red Alert is British, Scattershot and Thundercracker speak with a southern accent, Backstop is Jamaican, and one planet is home to nothing but Irish Transformers. It takes a little getting used to, but it works out all right.

The story starts with the Autobots evacuating Cyberton to Earth. Here, they will be in disguise and cars, trucks, scooters, phone booths, and traffic lights, just to name a few things. During a surprise attack by Megatron (who steals the map to the keys) and Starscream, Landmine is warped to Earth where he's found by three human kids; Coby, his brother Bud, and their friend Lori. The kids help patch him up and thus the war is brought to Earth.

Eventually, the Autobots find their way to two other planets, Velocitron (the Speed planet) and the Jungle planet, always two steps behind the Decepticons. Fonrtunately, our heroes have teamwork on their side and despite both sides gaining allies, the Autobots come away from both planets with the keys and the lock.

Starscream later betrays Megatron and finds his own army of Decepticons to find Earth's key. Eventually, the battle goes to Gigantia, where the final key is located and a very long and dangerous battle is fought between the Autobots, Megatron's Decepticons, and Starscream. I won't tell you how it ends, but being it's a cartoon I'm sure you can figure the basics out.

This show was not made with the US audience in mind. It was produced in Japan and edited for America. There are a number of inconsistencies the editing creates and while it's branded as the sequel to Transformers Energon, it doesn't make sense since in that series, the humans worked with the Autobots and were well advanced in their technology. Cybertron places Earth in a more believable modern setting and the human populace doesn't know there are aliens among them for about half the series.

All things considered, Transformers Cybertron is an enjoyable show to watch. The transformation sequences get old quick though, since they reuse the footage almost every time someone transforms, especially Optimus Prime. However, it's beautifully made with a great cast of actors. If you're a Transformers fan, you should check this series out.

In the summer of 1984, my father took me to the Sears store at the Tacoma Mall in Tacoma, Washington. There, on an endcap, were a group of six small vehicles encompassing eight pegs (four across and two down). These "Transformers" were new to me, having grown up with toys from a galaxy far, far away. And I was intrigued. These vehicles could change their shape into robots. On the back of each was a card, detailing that toy's particular character and stats. Not only were these Transformers essentially two toys in one, they had life to them as well. So, with my allowance in hand, I took one up to the cashier and thus began my collection of Transformers.

Tech Specs
Autobot: Gears
Function: Transport / Reconnaissance
"Nobody wins a war - somebody loses."

Gears is anti-social, a self-proclaimed misfit. Finds fault in everything and everyone. Acts this way to help cheer others up as they try to cheer him up. Tremendous strength and endurance. Totes heavy loads long distances. Launches to height of 20 miles, floats down on compressed air. Becomes an easy target due to limited maneuverability. Can detect infrared.

Strength: 8 Intelligence: 7 Speed: 6 Endurance: 8
Rank: 6 Courage: 9 Firepower: 1 Skill: 7

What drove me to pick Gears out from the other five Mini-Bots? It was his character more than anything. Here was a hero who possessed great strength and courage, yet was anti-social and found fault in everything. He reminded me of myself and that seemed to make him all the more special to me than your run-of-the-mill robot toy.

Set Includes
Gears is an unknown model of 4WD off road truck. Measuring at 2" long, 1½" wide and 1¼" tall, he is mostly blue with black tires, windows, sunroof and hood with red compartments in his bed and bumper. His front grill is chrome. Gears doesn't roll especially well, due to the tread on his tires. But, with a good push, he can go a decent distance.

Start-Change-Finish
To transform Gears in to robot mode, follow these easy steps. Start off with flipping the truck bed back to form the legs. Stand him up, pull the front wheel sections out and rotate the hands forward to your liking.

Transformation Completed
Standing at 2 3/8", Gears is ready to do battle with the evil Decepticons, or just gripe about battling them. He possesses four points of articulation: shoulders and knees. His upper torso is predominantly red, as are his lower legs. His arms are blue and his upper legs are chrome. Interestingly, his face appears to be divided into three separate sections; his blue visor and silver mouth-plate in the center and two smaller silver sections to the right and left of the main area. There is a small sticker in the center of his chest pointing downwards that feature a yellow vent ending in a small, red triangle. An Autobot insignia sticker is one what would be the equivalent of his belt buckle.

Overall
Understand that I am biased towards Gears. He was my first Transformers toy ever and his character is one that I can identify with. So, he gets fairly high marks for that alone. He does look decent in both modes, especially considering his age. So, if you have a hankering for some old school charm that won't ruin yourself financially, consider picking up Gears. Who knows? You might be the one to finally cheer him up for good.