The Great Cybertronian Write Off - Week 1

Welcome to the first weekly summary of The Great Cybertronian Write Off (GCWO)! The GCWO is a project started by Transformers Square One (myself), Sixo, Toybox Soapbox and tikgnat that aims to provide daily Generation 1 Transformers content for fans to enjoy during the indefinite period of lockdown and social distancing many of us are now experiencing as a result of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic of 2020. This weekly series of blog posts should allow you to keep up-to-date with all the content produced as part of the GCWO across all three of us!

For The Love Of Arms Micron

I'll be the first to admit I don't know anywhere near as much about modern day Transformers as I should, historically being more interested in vintage stuff. I make discoveries these days that are approximately 3 to 10 years behind everyone else! I have been told that Arms Micron toys from Takara Tomy were not met with as much positivity as someone such as myself, walking into it years after launch, are feeling towards it upon discovery and experience. The Japanese TF Prime figures were not more show accurate than the Hasbro versions, and did not feature extra or accurate paint application. In fact, they went completely the other way, and that is the crux of what I find attractive and special about them.

New Arrivals - Late November 2014

A sales list I might have added, but the odd new figure does creep in the other direction now and then. In the picture above you can see the Mastermind Creations Reformatted R-08Z Zinnia, extra Masterpiece Wheeljack with hypno-lunchbox and coin and a Takara Tomy Japanese Animated Blurr. I finally added a new 1/55 Macross figure as well after months off from that project. Here's a quick run-through.

Any Excuse...

I'm sure I'm not the only person who has ever tried to think of ways of letting their Transformers collection infiltrate their workplace. I've been trying for years to think of an excuse, and last month I managed to finally find a way of embedding the toys into something I do at work, which was deliver staff and teacher training to further education lecturers.

Oversized TF Prime Wheeljack Bootleg

I've mentioned this beauty a few times, so it's high time he got his own feature. As soon as I learned of the Chinese oversized bootleg of Transformers prime Wheeljack - possibly my favourite deluxe class figure ever - I raided Taobao to find one. The toy is roughly leader class size in height and has the exact same transformation and proportions as the deluxe, but of course is constructed from lower quality materials. It also comes in a hilariously inaccurate box. "Taikongshenrs", anyone? Truly, this is one of the best KO Transformers I've ever seen.

New Arrivals - Late October 2014

The curse is broken! I finally have in my collection an EZ Collection Smokescreen, the Takara Tomy version of the Cyberverse Smokescreen in show accurate colours, presented with gorgeous paint application. I had tried to get this figure from Asia on 3 previous occasions, one got destroyed and returned to sender, two got lost in the mail, and finally via Taobao I have this last variant of the mould I needed. Far too much hassle for such a readily available little figure. Then again, I wasn't going to pay $50 on eBay so...anyway, read on for the other new arrivals.

EZ Collection Wheeljack (& Star Hammer)

One of those "Why didn't anyone tell me this exists?" purchases. Even though I have all the variations of official TF Prime Wheeljack and 5 bootlegs of various sizes and styles of the figure, I didn't know there was a Legion/Cyberverse class Wheeljack in the correct show colours. I previously only had the Hyperspeed Marlboor-coloured Cyberverse Wheeljack, but upon discovering this release...well, here we are. It seems mini Wheeljack is attached to a giant thing called Star Hammer. Well, at least it has a badass name.

New Arrivals - October 2014

Mercifully haven't done one of these posts for a while as they were literally taking over the blog, and October has been much slower in terms of arrivals which again I am pleased with, but here's a quick run down of what's new. In this first picture you can see a number of figures already reviewed on this blog like Human Alliance Leadfoot, KO Animated Activators Lockdown and the wonderful die cast KO Activators Bumblebee, but also a sealed Takara Tomy Animated Electrostatic Soundwave, sealed Hasbro Animated Rodimus Minor and sealed Hasbro Animated Ironhide (none of which are sealed any more) and Hasbro Animated Skywarp.

TFCC Chromedome

I had some vague recollection of a TFCC Chromedome exclusive being announced as a repaint of some toy that was recommended to me, looked at the pictures and decided it looked far too odd and irrelevant so its memory was lost to history. Then I fell head over wallet in love with the TFPrime Wheeljack mould, so a BH Wheeljack, Dark Energon Wheeljack, Arms Micron Wheeljack, Arms Micron Wildrider and Prime Dead-End later, I realised one I had completely forgotten about, and it coincided with Chromedome's reduced panel time in More Than Meets The Eye, so I placed a pre-order with TFSource for this beauty. Not long after Chimungmung started sending out well-priced stolen Chromedomes and Stylors without mailer box or paperwork (and then slightly more expensive ones after they realised it was selling out too fast), I received notification that my official one had begun its journey.

New Arrivals - Mid-September 2014 (Part 1)

After buying every comic-related appearance of Shane McCarthy's brand new IDW Transformers character "Drift" in almost every cover variant available, it was about time I bought the toy! But that's for a different dedicated post, I also came into possession of my seemingly favourite thing in the world, more repaints.

Mould Completion (New Arrivals - Late August 2014)

A superb weekend of deliveries, both postal and in person, from friends and strangers. The theme is most definitely mould completion and variants from Transformers Animated to Prime, FOC and Generation 1. Variety is what it's all about when it comes to keeping the hobby fresh, but the fact is I already own every mould featured in this post. A leopard cannot change its spots, eh?

All Stars

A very very short post dedicated to some of the most outstanding Transformers and 3rd Party toys I've had the pleasure of experiencing in the last 12 months, and posing them together as a rather spiffing group of marvels. If you could just imagine buying a collection, or receiving a package or lot containing all these figures, could it ever be topped?

New Arrivals - Mid August 2014 (Part 2)

When I started this blog I did not expect to be posting "Oh look what I just bought" segments every bloody day, and I still don't expect it to continue in that vein. For now though, it's what is dominating my hobby time, especially as I am constantly looking at moulds and toy lines I had ignored up to 2 months ago. Almost every direction my collection is going in right now is a result of toys people have placed in my hand and said "I dare you to hate that". This is the result. 

New Arrivals - Mid August 2014 (Part 1)

Another chapter in the conveyor belt of new arrivals in August. I'm really not wasting any time blasting through Transformers Animated, and I've started on Transformers prime and Beast Hunters - although very select moulds. There is a mix of BotCon and online purchases in this installment. Chronological order has gone out the window as I cannot recall what arrived when, or with what. I just know what I haven't pictured yet! Yeah, real healthy way to go about my collecting. Beats waiting 14 years for a Joustra Diaclone Sunstreaker though, eh?

(Many) New Arrivals - Early July 2014

Writing to be kept to a minimum. Too many Transformers arrived in early July. Loads of photographs, no captions. Animated, Animated, Animated and even a reissue and a TF Prime toy. It's been an amazing/atrocious couple of weeks, have been well and truly jettisoned from the wagon and reversed over repeatedly. So without further ado, here's the first avalanche...

My Daughter's First Decepticons

Apparently my sweet and innocent little sweetheart did "not have enough Decepticons", so the corrupting influence otherwise known as Morg has attempted to balance the fight against my daughter's growing Autobot ranks. Seeing Transformers products through the eyes of a young child has certainly opened my mind, as the Fall of Cybertron Data Disks would never have registered on my radar had Morg not kindly gifted them to my girl. 

My Daughter's New Recruits

For those of you who read my post on My Daughter's Transformers, you'll be thrilled/horrified to know she's added more troops to the roster, through no choice of her own! Her growing collection of Transformers is fueled by inspiration that lies somewhere between her fascination with certain members of my collection and her father's need to collect vicariously as his own activity has ground to something of a halt recently. Here then, is the result.

Selling Art Is Hard

When Alternators and Binaltech were huge, I bought as much original box artwork for the Alternators toy line as I could get my hands on. Why? For investment purposes? Hell no, have you seen the artwork for Alternators? Created by Transformers comic and toy industry legends Marcelo Matere, Alex Milne and Guido Guidi amongst others, they were the lovechild of the best official TF artists around and the best looking Transformers toys we'd had in years. If I had not bought them at the time when they were offered by the artists themselves at conventions, I might have lost the chance to get them forever. Having these pieces of unobscured, full-size history was the mightiest honour and pleasure an Alternators/Binaltech fan could experience. And I loved them, and displayed them fully.

My Daughter's Transformers

Pooky's bots

Like just about any other parent who has an interest in Transformers - be it collecting or reading comics, watching cartoons etc - I've introduced the hobby to my child as well, in this case my 2-year old daughter. Nearly all of it is aimed at older kids, but with supervision I've been confident she won't do herself - or the toys - any harm.

Although in the case of Masterpiece Smokescreen, I was happy to look the other way.