Through some dumb decisions that I wasn't aware of until it was too late, *RU-vid is not actually paying me for this video.* I am still getting paid for my back catalogue though, if you have the time, could you help a guy out? ru-vid.com/group/PL4pBFefOBUrAyNV-SnF_ux2sitl0ou77L
You bet! I actually just watched a bunch of your old reviews when you were on the MP side of things, I was very happy that you went to chug scale, it’s what made me want to go to chug
I'm confused about your term of, "diet review". Is it the length of the video? I feel like a diet review would be in the format of a RU-vid short. I love your reviews and skills at stop motion animation btw (I dabble but I don't have proper equipment to make anything decent). Not a critique, I'm genuinely curious.
@@random_toaster Diet refers to how much work I put into this. generally a drive in, transformation, articulation and the transform out are the only things animated. things like skits, jokes revolving around sets and animations, extra bits of fun animation I do, etc are cut from the production process and I just focus on talking with a smattering of stop motion thrown in
I miss realistic vehicle modes. Robots following vehicle mode makes way more sense from a story perspective. It always bothered me in the G1 cartoon that the robot modes had Earth-mode kibble when they still had supposedly Cybertronian alt-modes. Since then the Bumblebee movie has demonstrated that even when the robot modes look a little different, characters can still be easily recognizable as long as the color scheme and general aesthetic is still there.
The Bumblebee movie demonstrated many things, and that's what makes it good. I hope Wheeljack looks the same way he did in Bumblebee, but with new rusty van kibble parts.
@@stivers56 actually I think armarda did funny though that there cybertron robot modes look like they have more earth life features than there actual earth modes
@@cyberfire7191 no no beast wars did if you look close enough in the first episode you’ll notice Megatron lacks any beast kibble prior to assuming his t-rex mode, beast wars ii also reinforces this
The amount of engineering that went into this that it doesn't just have an ugly backpack in robot mode is astonishing. People say modern engineering is incredible, but this was the true prime.
@@pancho855 I own two copies of Smokescreen. There are a few different versions (2 different rally car numbers/drivers/co-drivers). One is the plastic American Alternators version (#8) the other is a dicast Binaltech version (#7). The #8 car Binaltech one I want is also. Apparently Takara released two more in 2004 of the 2004 WRC car. I want those too. 😁
My wife gave this guy as a Christmas gift, it's the only one of the Subarus that broke. Still got 12 of these bad boys and 3 Binaltechs. These toys are real masterpieces, hope transformer reviewers revisited them more often.
Such a good review, man. My first Alternator was Smokescreen and I loved it so much. I remember being hopeful and excited of where the line would go. While the vehicle modes were FANTASTIC, the bot modes seemed to get less and less love. Still a cherished line to this day. 👍🏼
Favorite Alternator was a tie between Windcharger and Hound. Both great vehicles and both great robots. Though the windcharger is a bit more fun to transform. The rollbars on Hound are really fun to transform though. When the Bayfilms were first announced I was with the group of people that thought Bay would use the Alternators/Binaltech lines as a base for the transformers. I mean the work was all done and that would have been a nice thing. Instead we got the robotvomit transformations where Bay was like "Lets see how hard we can work the CGI department" when it came to transforming. These cars and trucks were amazing and it was a shame we never got to see them on the Silverscreen.
“Alternators is 20 years old”. Remember that scene from “The Last Crusade” where the guy chooses the wrong Holy Grail and then ages rapidly until he dies? Yeah, what I’m feeling rn 😂
God I miss this line. I love when you can tell that the car is only slightly buried within the robot and a robot completely vanishes into the car. I can appreciate when everything “alt” disappears when in robot mode. But so often it ends up looking like a glorified shell-former. When done well we get a million small panels that break down and hide all things alt inside the bot mode like many MP figures. When done poorly you get generations Arcee and the like. Transformers shouldn’t be obsessed with trying to hide their car parts. It should go the other way around. Great video btw!
Words can't really express how much I miss alternators, knowing MPs are about cartoon accuracy now I just want a new separate MP line that is based on making transformers but the most realistic way possible as Alternators were, with new cars, different faces, better engineering etc.
I agree in that if they brought back the Alternators, they'd be Masterpiece-priced. Worse, they might be Hasbro Pulse or Amazon exclusives to bump the price up more.
It really is my preference when Transformers prioritizes alt modes over the robot mode. Especially since that real life transforming car showed us that an odd looking robot is more realistic.
it doesn't quite have to be though. take for instance Studio Series Offroad bee. somehow the thing is a perfectly proportionate, and even semi functional mini alternators figure, and yet the robot looks aweomse (with the caveat of faux chest)
I love the Alternators, I have Sliverstreak, Wheeljack, Windcharger, Optimus and my favorites Swindle and Shockwave. They are really awesome, wish we could get some new ones...
Alternators brought me back to Transformer collecting. This mold is why I fell in love again with the brand. To this day I display my Alternator Smokescreen. So ahead of its time.
I love this TF line! I remember being so stoked when Binaltech was announced and the first figures had die-cast and Smokescreen had rally-accurate variants for each driver. Ricochet gets a big pass from me on engineering bc it’s the same mold as that very first toy released, even though it came much later in the line. These figures were incredibly premium for the cost. If they could do another line of these now at around $50-60 USD, I think they’d have a major hit on their hands.
alternators is kinda what ive wanted to do as a 3rdparty line. Like i have this concept for like a modern prime wit ha flat cap that mixs headmasters and alternators so yu can modle the interior. Basicaly my goal ifi can even get it off the ground is 1/24 vehicles that transform but you cant tell from the alt mod and it just looks like its a1/24 model. that why acessories liek the head and weapons ifyou cant intergrate them are seperate parts. If it doesn't help the alt mode it comes packed seperatly.
I admire your ability to get your audience hyped for whatever is the subject of the video. I was entertained all the way through. The use of stop motion, the transitions, the photography, the advertisements, and the actual review, all top tier. If I could subscribe 100 times I would.
What I like about alternators is not only the fact that they have super realistic vehicles is that they make sense because in the movies I wasn’t such a big fan of the bots turning into these rare and expensive cars when they’re supposed to be in disguise, so although the Subaru is a really nice car and make great rally car but people aren’t going to stare at it for as long as they can
Great review. I loved my alternators. Top tip: I took a dremel to the "hip" bits on the top of the legs and carved out the inside corners to allow a LOT more articulation. Now the legs can bend 90 degrees forward.
It's always nice when transformers look like they came from their alt mode rather than wearing parts of it like a poncho. For example, Classics Bumblebee having the front seats as part of the thighs, Starscream's nosecone sticking out from his back, or Frumble's chest looking like a tape
Alternators as a line amuses me because of the sheer juxtaposition between these scale models making compromised but charming robot modes out of Energon-era engineering vs current Masterpiece going out of its way to make the transformations as tedious and convoluted as possible just to make the front of the robot, and only the front, match the G1 animation model.
I actually have a soft spot for the robot modes in this line (yes, even Tracks's). To me, they perfectly capture that stocky and bulked up aesthetic I associate with 2000's Transformers figures.
Maybe you should add the fact that hasbro decide to use all plastic materials for the Alternators series while Takara went crazy with a diecast part for the majority of the car shell parts which add makes it a super premium finish and more realistic feeling on the alt mode itself.
Didn't know there was a Ricochet in this line. I definitely want to make room for some character from this era someday. The Mirage/Rodimus mold looks like fun, as well.
I started off collecting 1:24 scale die-cast model cars as a kid so I begged for these in my collection. Even now I still want them to blend in with my die-cast collection, especially with how you praise the car modes!
Shockwave ended up being a nice looking figure, and prowl was not a repaint of smokescreen/silver streak which was unexpected. Some robots certainly ended up better than others, but it’s still the craziest thing that Ravage got two toys in this line and one of them had a beast mode!
This was the line that got me back into collecting Transformers. I still have them in my collection. You said it...they were the masterpieces of their time.
The only Alternators fugue i was able to pick up when these were in stores (at a Toys'R'Us, no less) was the Shockwave Mazda RX8. Still one of my favorites!
i have th smokescreen version of this, its thte only alternator i ever got, and its one of the oldest toys i own, being a smokescreen fan and a suburu impreza wrx fan, it was the marriage of two perfect worlds, love this figure
This was the line that got me back into Transformers. Classics, and eventually MP took their place but I couldn't wait to hunt down the latest Alternators when they released. The likenesses and familiar characters with the modern vehicles was an absolute stroke of brilliance. So many fond memories of a simpler time... I still find it hard to believe that these haven't increased in value as much as they deserve, after seeing recent figures from the Siege and Earthrise lines going for insanely high $$$. I can still find them at cons for $10-$20 loose, bargains by today's standard.
@@TheLazyEyebrow A few years back, I bought the Binaltech version of Smokescreen for $10. The paint on the BTs is AMAZING compared to the plastic Alts. Paid less than $20 for a boxed BT Prowl as well. I'd rather buy those than any current voyager or deluxe class and pay more.
I was just thinking about Alternators the other day. The only one I have had is Optimus and I always wanted Smokescreen and Skids. Alternators are still very cheap nowadays so I am gonna try and track some down
Wow, this guy looks absolutely awesome! I might have to get him, for some reason the proportions just work for me. As for the gun, I'm just gonna call it a "freeze ray" considering the parts it's made of.
Cool it with the coolant questions. You'll catch the unwanted attention of international coolant conglomerates. They'll put you on ice if you're not more careful.
Alternators was a really good line, tbh I wish that Hasbro did something like this again, I mean I feel that they should do four or five different "main" lines that focus on different things, like have one line that just focus on having accurate robot modes (basically Studio Series but the robot mode takes priority), have another one that does the same as alternators, then make another one that prioritizes articulation, other with playability in mind and finally one that just focus on scale or a normal kind of line where they don't really have a priority so they can experiment and create new molds and characters. It's probably not going to happen, but I think that it would be the perfect way to have something that appeals to everyone while being a profitable franchise for Hasbro.
I still have the silver version of this (Silverstreak) which was awesome because I actually owned the very same colour & model of Impreza in real life, was so cool owning my own car as a transformer!
I actually own a few of these. windcharger is a really solid entry for a vehicle mode. prowl in robot mode is a nightmare. there are some ways to manipulate the parts to make them more manageable and add in some articulation
The seats always bothered me with transformers, I could never understand where they were supposed to go in robot mode and I thought it was just straight up impossible and didn't make sense for them to have. This makes me happy
I feel the same, I always thought a robot transforming into a proper vehicle with an interior for humans was pretty much impossible, I'm glad to be proven wrong.
I'd highly suggest watching the Toy Armada With Aaron Archer episode on Alternators, it's a fascinating listen. It's just such a unique thing that could only have happened during the mid-2000s Era where they were trying to do stuff that was new and unique.
My ideal Transformers line would be a hybrid of Alternators, and Studio Series! Maybe a bit of Human Alliance thrown in there! But if I were to design my own Transformer toys, I’d be sure to build them out of parts and materials that are built to last! AND I’d only add paint where, in car and robot mode there actually WOULD be paint, as I’d try to have as many parts be actual separate colored pieces built INTO the toy itself! And that’s another thing! I want this to be an actual TOY to be played with, and messed with! Without people having to worry about chipped paint or cracking plastic. In fact, I’m thinking of modeling all the parts for a custom Bumblebee toy in blender based on the Pontiac Solstice that we have in our garage! Long story short, Alternators is the GOAT when it comes to figures that are true robots in disguise!!! Human Alliance was like a slightly more budget friendly “alternative” (get it?😂 “alternators”…”alternative”) but seriously, Human Alliance was also an excellent line that gave younger collectors a more accessible and usually easier version of Alternators, based on the original movies! I’d love to make a custom 3D printed TF Toy (or at least a prototype) that captures that same detailed and interactive model car aesthetic that Alternators/Alternity/BinalTech/Human Alliance captures, but with more playable and intricate robot modes that are more like the Studio series, with gymnastic articulation, and secure tabs and stuff but not cringe worthy to get unlocked! (And as shown in your epic review, the ability to build filler pieces out of existing car parts!!! I was blown away at how brilliant that was! AND THATS ALMOST EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD IMAGINE MOST OF A TRANSFORMER TO BE LIKE, AND HOW IT WOULD TRANSFORM IN REAL LIFE: CAR PARTS FOLDING, SPINNING, MOVING AND COMING TOGETHER TO BECOME LARGER PARTS OF ROBOT MODE LIKE THE GUT, OR ARMS OR LEGS!) Anyway, I love the Alternators line, and I love your videos dude! As an animator myself, you are certainly an inspiration to me! I’m currently working on some short stop motion/mixed media animation clips and I just wanna thank you for continuing your awesome, funny, and creative videos!!! Keep it up dude! (And I hope you’re doing well and had a wonderful Christmas!!!)
I have the Smokescreen mold of this figure, which was part of the first wave of Alternators. Looks like they didn't change anything other than color for this repaint.
This was the first Alternators figure I've had and seems to be among the best of the toyline. I've since obtained the Alternators Optimus Prime which makes many more sacrifices in robot mode than this mold.
Love your videos. Just got Galvatron the legacy and coronation Starscream on Wednesday at Walmart. Waiting for a new decepticon which is the apc transformers prime Soundwave he will be also coming with Laserbeak
I saw that Motormaster in the background there! Looks like a Stunticons decision has been made. Psyched to hear your thoughts on him, even the negative ones. The thought occurs that, with his transformation, it's probably possible to have him drive up and transform into a Wonder Woman slashing knee slide. Your craft is wizardry to me, so I'm all talk here, but you're inspirational I guess hahaha
Personally I prefer the Smokescreen version as I grew up on the WRC but I do love this figure’s gaudy look, the aftermarket spoiler is also a good touch
Man, I'd love a new version of the Alternators / Binaltech line. Those perfectly scaled alt modes with better modern robot mode engineering would be unbearably amazing!
If they did do a new Alternators line, I think I'd really like to see them as their G1 alt modes first, then modern vehicles second. Or maybe they could do something crazy and 'alternate' (see what I did there?) between classic and modern between releases. I'm not drooling! You're drooling!
I remember my first transformer was the alternator smokescreen. I would always put it next to my tv when I was playing gran turismo 3 because one of the rally car looks just like him. When I got cybertron hotshot, I was really disappointed because he didn't had the same feature as smokescreen. I was just a kid back then and my expectations were unrealistically high. The alternator toys really set the bar high for me.
i've still got most of my Alternators still in the boxes unopened. Pretty cool, but yeah the robot modes looked Mid at best so I just kept them in the boxes.
