Against Better Judgement

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

I would love to say my current collection is full of bots that are all 100% winners, that every toy I now own was bought with the absolute confidence that I would enjoy the experience. I can't, of course; I doubt many of us can. We all have a few toys that were impulse buys that never lived up to expectations or maybe there are those who were bought knowing full well we'd never be able to enjoy them due to one particular factor, maybe a fiddly transformation or a lacking amount of paint. 


With that in mind, I have some very mixed feelings over Masterpiece Inferno. 

Objectively it's a great toy, with amazing articulation, a fun transformation (the ladder trick is magical) and has some great heft. The paint finish is gorgeous and the head sculpts, while not in the style of early MP cars, are delightful. Subjectively however, I just don't like the way he looks. 

I'm not a fan of the cartoon focus and even with the toy-esque grill and head it's not enough to ground him in the Hasui style of the first few MP cars. The detailing is too plain, especially with regards to the legs and head "wings". The grey used for the head and hands, while pleasing, leans too far into the cartoon column of influences which also informs the lack of detailing on his alt mode and of course some very particular accessories. Visually, Masterpiece Inferno is not my jam. 

Waste of plastic

It's an odd position to be in, aware of the many high points but not on board with one key aspect, possibly the most important: aesthetics. Next to Prowl and Sideswipe he's distinctly different and needs some of the other cartoon focused MP toys around him to better blend a display together lest he stick out like a sore thumb. 

Abomination

Much better

So why did I I buy Inferno knowing that I would never be happy with the style in which this toy was made? Well, I went against my better judgement, placed my faith in the reviews plus Takara's track record and took a chance, one that has thankfully paid off. 

Moving on......

I also have some very mixed feelings over Omnigonix Spinout.

Objectively it's a terrible toy with horrendous build quality, limited articulation, questionable design choices, poor paint applications, a frustrating transformation and is widely regarded as a failed product. Subjectively though.......

Oh by the Gods I love it! Spinout clearly takes more from the Generation 1 Sunstreaker toy which suits me just fine. He's taller than Sideswipe (as he should be!) and has that huge chest piece. The head sculpt is sharp with a fantastic stern expression and even with the disastrous build quality the resulting bot mode is very clean with zero unnecessary back kibble *cough* Sunsurge *cough*. I was on board for this toy as soon as initial renders were released and even when the tragic reality of the final product was revealed, I still wanted this guy ASAP. 

Spinout was the first (and probably last) offering from Omnigonix, a brand new third party company. The toy had all its flaws laid bare in reviews and even before release was a well documented train wreck but it looked amazing and was perfect for my preferred flavour of MP toys. I abandoned all of the standards I would normally hold a third party toy against and bought Spinout entirely based on looks, in spite of my better judgement. 

As odd as my position on MP Inferno, Spinout leaves me equally perplexed. It's a terrible toy that I've only transformed two or three times and not due to a difficult transformation but that it's just so fragile and so poorly made it's more like performing delicate surgery than having a puzzle you can fiddle with while watching CNN. Where Inferno ticks every box on my list other than aesthetics, Spinout flunks the test like a champ but somehow manages to get by purely on his good looks. Maybe it's fitting that a toy of Sunstreaker is of little substance and is just about good looks. 

All of our purchases should have some forethought behind them. Maybe just a quick glance at what looks good or if you expect it to have a great build quality with a fun transformation. Sometimes we weigh up multiple offerings from different companies in a bid to decide which out of the fifty three Third Party Springers to buy. When it's a mainline release from Hasbro or Takara this is an easier process to bypass. Sling some money at a deluxe and if it's not *that* good then it's not a big loss. The same cannot be said for third party and Masterpiece toys however. 

When the price tag often rings in at around three times that of a first party mainline toy, uninformed or impulse purchases shouldn't really be on the agenda, unsure if we'll even enjoy the figure or not. We shouldn't be blithely buying toys......except that we definitely do. 

My recent neuroticism over my collecting habits might be getting stale but I can't help but think we surely want to have control over what we buy. Aren't we able to make rational purchases based on a set of standards and not just "ooh shiny!" as was the case when I picked up Spinout? There were reports of broken and missing parts straight out of the box but I didn't care, I wanted this toy. I don't want to use the word "need" but it had to be part of my collection. Should we be spending £100+ on a toy that doesn't even fit a preferred set of aesthetics as was the case with MP Inferno? 

Probably not but they are toys and maybe we get to be a little irresponsible when it comes to our plastic crack. I know I like to keep things on a serious note but maybe it's healthy to splurge a little and just throw some money around.


And on that note, keep it #Refined. 



Follow Dorian on Twitter @Vigadeath

Generating Habitat - TF Photography Outdoors

 - Ben Watson

Spring is finally here, so it's time to kick back and catch some rays but if you're anything like me, you'll be catching them with the lens of a camera. When people ask me about my hobbies, I say "photography". What I don't say is "taking pictures of toys outside" which is actually what I mean. I hugely appreciate the kind words I've received over the photos of mine that have been featured on the blog so far but if I'm being honest, I don't feel like they're my best work. So this week I'll be showing you why I love outdoors toy photography more than anything else. 

         

Nothing lights a subject like natural light. Your eyes are made to appreciate sunlight and while moody lighting can be effective, nothing creates a bold and colourful image quite like taking it outdoors. Ok, my own lighting set-up could be leagues better and maybe that leads me to feel like I can't take good photos without the power of the sun but not only do you generally get a better picture at the end, the process itself is so much more fun.

A huge part of that fun comes from finding surroundings that fit the figures you're looking to capture. Where does a giant robot or a tank or a frog actually fit? What feels like the right habitat for these things to exist in? What's the quality of the earth under those treads like? Do the plants in the background compliment the figures colours? Does this look right? Once again, you can say that snapping bots under lights in a swish indoors set-up yields great results but these characters wouldn't exist in a formless void or on a giant desk or the top of a bookcase. Where can you summon a sense of action, of being rooted in the scene? Where human clutter doesn't exist. The great outdoors.

Stone and leaves and bare soil don't need to instantly betray scale. The small can seem as gigantic as fiction would have you imagine. Battle scenes suddenly become believable. But at a much more simple level than all that (one which I might favour the most) rugged vehicle modes come into their own and occupy a space you would expect to see real life equivalents in. Each picture can become some snapshot of a narrative if you really want. This is where I find a real flair can enter into the whole process of meticulously posing your latest plastic prize. And, boy do I mean "meticulously" because as soon as the wind picks up (usually just as you're about to hit the shutter button) and you curse under your breath, you've got to pick up and repose your subject. But it's all part of the fun in the end.

The elements pose a challenge sometimes and of course a certain risk too if you've picked up something old and expensive to shoot. I'm not saying I'd be out there in the pouring rain because it's really only when the sun begins to flicker out of the clouds that I sense it's time to get back to it but not every day stays as brilliant as when you start. Sometimes slightly bleaker skies can work with you but who really wants to look at that? Nah, give me an idealised blue sky every time.

The ability to capture seasonal ephemera, like Windblade's cherry blossom there is also a great inspiration. If I'd not seen that and turned up a week later, the blossom would have all blown away and there'd be no grimace worthy Japanese stereotype to capture. Some days the surroundings can give you all the ideas you need and other days all it takes is to get out there with a bot and find somewhere good to plonk it down. I'm not about to make it look like I do any kind of planning with all this, it's very spur of the moment - which is what it should be. You never know how long the sun will last. I like to think it's kinda zen that way. Life's impermanences. 

I've been photographing figures out and about in gardens and quiet places like this for years now. I'm still learning. I'd like to say I'm improving but for me it really isn't so much about the end product. I'm happy with the shots shown here, but for every one there's another three that I regard with a sour look. It's all about trying to capture a good shot for me and it doesn't always pay off. But where's the fun in instantly snapping a magazine quality pic every time? Outdoors shooting like this certainly throws up a lot more in the "error" column of "trial and error" but that's why it's so much more satisfying to finally get that photo you're happy with.

I've been light on words this time round because I hope my pics speak for me, but the last thing I want to do is make this about me. I want to inspire you to get out there and find the spaces that your fave figures fit into. When the sun's out, get out there and leave that photo tent behind. Have some fun and play with your toys! This is really the only way I'd say I still do. Engage the imagination while you're looking for that nice angle to show off your latest purchase and just enjoy the whole process. Feel that sunshine, listen to the birds, smell the grass, try not to hurt yourself on old rubble. And when you're done maybe share your pics with us via our Twitter or the Facebook page. Come on, go get some vitamin D! 

Follow Ben on Twitter @Waspshot23 

Getting Out

 - Dorian MacQuarrie

I need a break. A break from collecting, a break from toys, a break from cleaning and posing and sorting and tidying and just (!!!!!!!)........I need a break.

You may have seen this sort of comment before, when collecting turns from a hobby into a burden. I imagine some people who have experienced this might think they are "done" with toy collecting, or at least maybe just collecting a particular brand of toys. I've seen numerous posts on social media and forums where an individual goes through this and suddenly thinks they now have to sell their entire collection as their interest in toys has waned. Madness. 

I am definitely not in that position right now but I am in what I'd call a collecting trough. Peaks and troughs, ups and downs, mountains and valleys, triangles and......upside down triangles.....

I have been here before though and it's something I expect to happen at least once a year. Maybe it's through a lack of relevant releases or compelling fiction or maybe it's actually other worldly stresses impacting on my free time but the overall result is a disengagement with Transformers and toy collecting in general. This trough is normally followed by a peak in another interest, which would traditionally be tabletop wargaming but I've yet to feel the usual stirrings within that herald a return to miniatures so maybe there's a new hobby on the horizon for me. Far from being concerned about this disinterest I actually think it's quite healthy. It's good to have a number of different interests that provide a multitude of experiences and it's only natural these will come and go, taking different priorities in your life. I think to chain yourself to one hobby, one collection, one interest is frankly, bizarre. 

Even while in this trough I still exist as a fringe collector and supporter of transforming robots. I like to keep an eye on new releases and developments but I definitely do it at arm's length. It's happened enough times and with a certain regularity that I know it will pass and in a few months time I'll be sitting atop a collecting peak, marveling over my latest third party acquisition. I'd never consider myself "done" with collecting. 

But say the day does come, when you hang up your gloves and give up the game, and this disinterest develops into a full divorce from collecting, how do you know when you're done? Do you feel it coming? Are there portents in the sky and then you know, "yes, I am done with collecting". Do you feel a growing disinterest in transforming robots? Going from the buying everything and anything to just a few select lines and finally to just one or two purchases here and there? Is it the creeping feeling that you're not getting the same buzz once associated with the new-toy-joy but you keep buying them anyway? Or even the feeling that you're surrounded by shelves and shelves of toys, suffocated by a mountain of plastic that you're no longer that keen on?

Or what if one day you just wake up and think "right, I'm done now".

In an effort to understand this better I reached out to the community to hear from those who would consider consider themselves "done" or at least on the outside of what one would consider an active collector.

George Daniel Lea:

"It's an odd thing, being outside the fish bowl occasionally glancing in, especially when you've been happy inside the glass most of your life.
In the case of my participation in Transformer collecting hobby-dom, I've been a happy inhabitant of the outer edges of that particular fish bowl for as long as I can recall, at least until recent years.

I was born in 1984; the year the original waves of The Robots in Disguise first hit toy shelves; when the cartoon began to air and the comics saw print. As such, I cannot recall a time when they did not exist; they have always been a part of my world and influential upon my imagination. Whilst I obviously came into the original toy line rather late (it wouldn't be until around 1987 I started to become consciously interested), I was a rabid and eager consumer of the toys, cartoons and comics; the designs, characters and lore of the Transformers fascinated me, as they did an entire generation of children at the time. I distinctly recall crafting elaborate and lengthy scenarios with what few of the original toys I possessed; scenarios that were, in many respects, my first stories, though I rarely (if ever) wrote any of them down. In that regard, along with the other material that obsessed my developing imagination, the Transformers were part and parcel of my evolution into a storyteller; I cut my teeth crafting scenarios that the cartoons and comics did not; where they did not satisfy. 
In that, the Transformers, along with myriad others, far from becoming influences that stunted or directed my imagination, became the medium of its evolution and efflorescence. Even when many were putting aside the ephemera of childhood (in compliance with cultural dictate, largely driven by fear of embarassment), such things continued to fascinate and obsess; whilst my collecting slowed, it did not diminish, nor did my consumption of the fictional material that continued to swell into new and previously unimagined realms (Beast Wars, Beast Machines et al).

So, how does something that has exercised such a profound influence upon a developing state of mind wither almost into obscurity? Because that is most certainly the state I find myself in today; not alienated from the subject matter or its communities as such; still engaged and interested, but at a much greater distance and without any particular engagement, barring one or two notable exceptions.

It would no doubt help this article were there something profound or traumatic to comment on; some life-changing event or experience that shifted my perspectives or that repelled me from the hobby.

Unfortunately, I can't claim that; there is no clear or particular moment at which this transition occurred. In truth, I barely even noticed it, until I realised that the figures I'd purchased around that time (many of which were extremely rare and expensive) were sitting on shelves or in boxes gathering dust, hardly touched.

Nor was there any great lamentation; no wailing or gnashing of teeth at the realisation; it was simply a faintly surprised acknowledgement that the person who engaged so deeply with that subject does not exist any more.

As to how or why this transition happened, who can say?; In terms of the states and vicissitudes of our own minds; our states of consciousness, we cannot even pretend objectivity. The best I can do is hypothesise, and even then only in the most vague terms:
However, that doesn't necessarily explain the waning of my personal interest in the subject, which never relied on notions of community or tribal identification; that always only ever refered to itself for justification.

I note that the waning of my interest coincides with the publication of my first story collection, Strange Playgrounds, to mention my more concerted engagement with the independent publishing communities. This might have something to do with the waning of established interests and hobbies, in that it requires so much time, energy and engagement in order to sustain, alongside the writing itself, which is now so part and parcel of my daily process, it cannot be divorced. In that, the natural waning of things that drain my mental and emotional resources and that are superfluous to that greater interest becomes inevitable, and a sacrifice I am happy to make.

It also may be the case that the Robots in Disguise have simply provided everything they can for me; I do not believe in synthetically sustaining fascination or interest where it clearly does not exist or does not wish to be; doing so only has the effect of souring and corrupting what experience one has (and this stands for far more than mere incidental hobbies; I feel the same way about romantic relationships, friendships etc). I would rather let that particular bird fly than keep it caged and insist that I still love it when everything in my heart and soul tells me otherwise.

That said, I cannot and will never dismiss it entirely; I still cast the occasional eye over developments in the Transformers universe; will still engage with the comics and cartoons as and when they snare my interest.

But this is a far cry from the obsessional consumption of previous years; a far more distant and considered approach, that may yet have the effect of kindling something deeper. Or not.

For me, that particular era or episode of my life is over; transition has occurred, however unwittingly, and I have no scavenger's inclination to pick over old bones (even when they're my own)."

Whether George is a typical case of disengagement or not his overall experiences run parallel to my own. A rabid consumption of material which often slows down and eventually peters out. In his case real world priorities such as writing and publication have taken centre stage but therein lies a comment regarding the effort required in collecting. Keeping up with releases, curating your collection, going out and about on a toy hunt, these things all require an input of energies of some kind and often when other creative or professional endeavours are underway collecting will be the first to fall by the sidelines. 

His remarks about the "Robots in Disguise" having simply provided everything they can reminds me of my own position with regards to the mainline toys from HasTak. When Titans Return was announced I was definitely interested to see what was on the cards but I knew already that I would maybe pick up a release or two and not full waves of toys as I would have several years ago. The product no longer serves my needs at large, I am no longer accounted for in the target market. That's fine as it is clearly a directional shift on my part and the product HasTak put out these days is still quite good, maybe not Classics/Universe 2.0 levels but it's solid. It does leave make me aware that had I not taken up third party offerings so heavily I would quite possibly have dropped out of the Transformers scene altogether. They have provided something of a lifeline as through 3P I remain connected to the wider Transformers community through forums and social media groups. 

Sami Sadek:

 "As a former collector I felt the need to leave the “interest” largely because I find that there isn’t much of an enjoyment to really be had from it. I retired from collecting back in 2013 mostly because I felt burned out by what was being put out, nothing was grabbing my attention and the need for space was starting to wane a bit. 

As a fan of Transformers I’ve always loved the fiction and the rich and deep mythology in its various forms of media, to me that has always come first over the need to buy a piece of plastic. There is the troubling issue that a collection can never really be 100% complete because for each line that is brought out millions more toys are added to it, the problem with ever completing a collection of something means extra space is needed and that means having to sell off more of your collection to add more to it. The interest of Transformers occasionally has a few slumps through the years that really make a fan lose the drive and motivation to get invested, various lines that are either recycled toys with different colours or unnecessary gimmicks and the occasional merchandise that sits on the shelf, it’s hard to feel the love for a franchise that often at times goes through the motions and feels the need to focus on just selling toys than putting any creative thought or effort into seeing something go in a much different direction that isn’t just about selling a lump of plastic.

What usually happens when an interest becomes too expensive and space consuming is that eventually you move onto other interests and hobbies you enjoy. Aside from being interested in Transformers I’m also an artist, a photographer and a blog writer and when I’m putting my own time and effort into something that I enjoy that I can create something different with then I feel that has more meaning than just buying toys and watching them catch dust.

Transformers is always going to be around and there will always be shelves upon shelves of toys for people to buy, but after a while it becomes too much to just buy a toy and then not play with it, the hobby eventually becomes too expensive to pursue when you are after a figure that is incredibly rare or very big compared to the smaller ones that are released.

The one aspect of the fandom that I find engaging from going to conventions such as Auto Assembly & TFNation is that the people are of a wide variety, their love for not just buying the toys but enjoying the stories that are told in Transformers and meeting the creators who put that out there I.E. the voice actors, writers, artists. While it’s a mixed bag the people are the beating heart of what make Transformers enjoyable and their enjoyment, their enthusiasm and their drive to see what else can make this franchise so investing are what I enjoy the most when coming back and revisiting this.

Where I stand in this hobby of Transformers is that the toy collecting really has kind of halted for me, I’ll always love this franchise and I’m always open to whatever is put out there. Personally though I think the need to buy more toys and then sell more toys to buy more toys really becomes too exhausting to deal with and when you are not able to keep up with the line that is being put out and the figures that are released aren’t standing out then it feels like too much pressure to get invested in."

Both George and Sami bring up a key factor in disengagement and growing interest: a lack of material fit for consumption. Be it the toyline, the fiction or even the brand direction, once a resource has dried up people will move elsewhere to indulge their creative needs or even just for a fresh hit of plastic crack. Sami's comments also highlight the pressures of trying to keep up to date with new releases which might have once been a thrill in itself but is all the more damaging once that particular experience ends. One of my previous troughs was very much brought about by a lack of access to new toys, both through a lack of availability in shops around the UK and personal financial pressures severely reducing my disposable income. 

It could be argued that maybe some people were never the biggest fan or supporter of something like Transformers if a lack of suitable material was enough for them drop out of the hobby. Surely something that could have taken up so much of your time, space and money can weather the storm of a few poor releases and a paltry amount of fresh media? Maybe so but I think to cling onto a hobby or interest in the vain hope that "it'll get better eventually" is folly and it is better to move on to new pastures. 

What is reassuring though, that even when collectors consider themselves "done" or on the outside of collecting circles, relationships built through the hobby persist and are thankfully not reliant on being an active collector. As Sami said, the community is very much the "beating heart" of the hobby and does more to keep people involved and engaged than any new release from HasTak could ever hope to achieve. 

Until next time, keep it #Refined



"Strange Playgrounds" written by George Daniel Lea is available at www.strangeplaygrounds.com

Follow Sami on Twitter @sadeksami91

Follow Dorian on Twitter @Vigadeath

Sins of the Wreckers : The Visual Storytelling of Contrast, Scale and Composition.

 - Leigh Gregurke 

Sins of the Wreckers (2016) Written and Drawn by Nick Roche, Colours by Josh Burcham with additional colours by Joana Lafuente, letters by Tom B. Long, edited by John Barber. Published by IDW.

In the last five years we have seen an escalation of quality in the depiction of character relationships through wonderful and considered writing in Transformers comics. Sins of the Wreckers is an excellent example of visual storytelling, using a series of elements to show and demonstrate characters interactions to the reader. Roche's both written and drawn work is heavily informed I think by contrast and tone, both visually and in its written narrative. In this three part series I will investigate a number of panels and pages and shed light on the visual language and methods that had me so engaged.

IDW

The opening page acts both as an establishing shot of setting but also of tone. Intersecting the stark blackness of our setting of space we find predominantly contrasting white cuts that promote our eye to move through the image. A journey towards both the falling character Kup and then directional to earth, our destination. Each inset panel slowly reveals an element previously abstracted and ties to the presented text information suggesting mystery and disappearance. Even with the contrast of tones, the common connection between the coldness of the winter landscape and space, the restriction of visual information and the importance of light connect the spaces. The illumination in the final scene as the lights hit the rabbit switching its tone from grey to white suggests not only contrast and shift but informs us that brightness also can have an obfuscating effect. This element of sourced light is again used in the off colour Kup, heavily illuminated at one side suggesting another object off camera and then called back upon later in the book in a pivotal moment as pure white light is utilized to establish pivotal junctures. I feel as if we are shown hints of what to expect, this is a dense work that demands examination.

IDW

It is only when he is alone in a moment of solitude, a rare switch to an ordered 9 panel page by Roche in this book, that Kup is often upright and centered, detached in his own space. The prevailing expectation of Kup's age is evident but also his stress, tiredness and struggle with his own conscious state is displayed visually. A sombre moment as he pleads with Springer to 'wake up' the final panel returns to an isolated and again slumped Kup, contextually we question the target of the monologue.

IDW

In contrast to Kup, Arcee is dynamic and recurrently angled in an A shape pointing towards the top of panel. Roche uses a number of low angled shots to demonstrate her posture, power and control of a scene often in a stark contrast to the other figures. I think it could be said a lot of artists have struggled at times to entertain the traditional curved lines of Arcee but still create a blunt sense of aggression and intent but Roche pulls his lines and curves long. Extenuating a worms eye approach especially in scenes with Verity, we see an exaggeration of the dominance. Roche allows the hard angle of the sword in overwrought perspective to draw our eye and its presence somehow straightens the angles of her form . The choice to position the image against a white ground is not uncommon in sequential art but has a certain musicality in this book. The key beats and impacting moments are chosen to be illuminated and exist against white or exist purely as white, drawing back to our opening page and continuing that method in a final inset panel faded to black giving a stark contrast.

Something else I love in the above page is the visual pathway the road, as minimal it is the image provides. Like the slashes of Arcee's sword the mark making is aggressive, the road crosses down and then back and finally in rhythm down again, reminding me of some of the wonderful visual poetry of Miller/Janson's Daredevil. The artist directs the movement on the page and it reads quick, the mark making like the opening page direct your eye and set its speed.

IDW

The relationship of perspective and power between characters is continued with Hubcap and his crew mates. Although we are not unfamiliar with Impactor looking down on a character the framing of him in the foreground, not even creating an eye line with Hubcap further diminishes his scale in the shot creating clear information about the status relationship. Without the words, just through posture, scale and framing we get a clear visual identity. Even Roadbuster with his lack of facial features is importantly placed between the two figures demonstrating his balance in the conversation.  

This relationship's relevance emerges as the story unfolds and is perhaps most wonderfully executed when upon entering the Noizemaze we see a very visual juxtaposition of power. Roche once again exaggerates an angle, slumping Verity and playing the distortion of the space as Hubcap now towers in the frame. Hubcap reaches forward and is now cast in shadow......obfuscated. A tremendous visual switch that reflects the narrative arc of the character who is primarily informed by the perception of power and status as we fade again again to black. The final visual arc of Hubcap (page not pictured) has him reasoning for his life with Prowl. Roche places his figure stuck at the bottom of panels, emerging only with his torso or head as he pleads and often in long shot extenuating his small stature. A simple flat shot, an A+B camera angle would have not been able to convey the same information visually that these panels do, the choices make it all work.

IDW

There is something I am drawn to when an artist takes to writing their own work, perhaps it is that ability to know the subtext you wish you transmit and being able to code visual elements that a writer may not have the tools to express. Roche's work on Sins of the Wreckers, I believe is worthy of deeper inspection than it garnered upon release and I recommend taking up the book again and just examining how the story is told visually, seeing the patterns and understanding the choices at artist makes.


Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you have not done so, I recommend picking up the collected trade of Sins of the Wreckers, more than likely available to be ordered through your local comic store.

This is part one of a three part analysis, in the next piece I will dissect symbology, literary reference and conscious/sub-conscious themes. 

As always, keep it #Refined


Follow Leigh on Twitter at @AmbushThem

Transforming Designs Too Good To Be Transformers

- mantis nine nines

As I have discussed here before, the Transformers brand was founded on designs picked from multiple toy and animation properties. In many ways G1 is an all-star sampler of the best in late 70's and early 80's engineering. Using this foundation, Transformers has built its own identity, with the various design teams making subtle and not-so-subtle references to other franchises through the years. The result is over 30 years of great looking robots. A person who just collects Transformers would have a rich variety to choose from, but there is still some great stuff that would never make it to your shelves.
So let's take a look at some of the best robots that will never be Transformers:


The Garland (Megazone 23)

This sweet one man Mecha captures a realistic but sci-future vibe that is perfect to my taste. The design could fit into Patlabor, Akira, or a million other classic anime worlds. The bike mode looks fast and powerful, and comes in several different colors. The robot mode is a unique combination of vaguely Macross elements, and has a sweet pure industrial head design.

The closest Transformers equivalent is probably Cybertron Ransack. Robot mode is average, but his sweet little cyber-bike works for me in every way.

Ransack GTS photos by Ben Watson

VB-6 König Monster  (Macross: New Horizon)

The VB-6 takes the most powerful and brutish Destroid in the Macross continuity and somehow turns it into a flying triple-changer. The star of these forms is what would normally be called the Gerwalk mode, a chicken-walking throwback to the original Monster. Not so much a tank as a battleship with legs, this thing bristles with more firepower than any Transformer I'm aware of.

 Blitzwing may have ordered from the same menu, but the VB-6 has a level of beef and scale that blows him out of the water.

The Orguss (Super Dimension Century Orguss)

Super Dimension Century Orguss has a unique art deco aesthetic I find refreshing in a sea of designs that are either square and blocky, or almost purely organic. The Orguss is fictionally huge, almost a city-bot, and it's a goddamn quad changer! The "tank" mode is the weakest with its exposed hands, but still has enough unique features to get a pass from me. Especially since the jet, gerwalk, and robot modes are so cool.

Sixshot may have 2 more modes, but still can't match the Orguss for pure artistic beauty.

The "Cyclone" Mospeada Ride Armor (Genesis Rider Mospeada)

There was never a chance the Cyclone could have been part of Transformers since it relies on an exposed human pilot in both modes. That fact aside, we can concentrate on just how gorgeous the design itself is. There are several different types of Cyclone, each featuring a different forearm weapon, and also a female model. Each has their good points, with my favorite being the Close Combat model with its retractable vibro-blades.

The closest TF parallel is Armada Sideways, though his rider integration is limited to more of a headmaster thing.

Sideways Photos by Ben Watson

So what do you think? Are these indeed too good to be Transformers? Let me know what bots you would have picked, and as always thanks for keeping it #Refined!

Follow Dan on Twitter @mantisninenines

Femmebots: Why All the Fuss?

 - Erica Walsh

Female-aligned Transformers characters have existed since the dawn of the franchise's hay-day. Similarly, women fans, contrary to popular belief, have been with the line since its inception. However, many fans still call the need for characters like this into question.

What originally drew me to the franchise as a wee young'n was my interest in the source material. You cannot deny the long-lasting effect it has on drawing in children and young people - case in point, robots being cool as hell.

However, a unique point for Transformers is that each robot is a character with depth and personality in and of themselves, which is not only awesome but also inspires a level of empathy in non-human characters that most kids wouldn't find anywhere else (except for like Gargoyles or something). For me, as with lots of other people, this interest in the characters of the TV shows and associated media is what made me want the toys. This of course leads into why the franchise has stuck with us this long; the toys are some of the best engineered and most fun for kids that you can get. But you know all that, lets get to the meat and potatoes.

Now I know all that guff just now about relatable characters and stuff probably seems really irrelevant, but trust me, it's important setup. See, when I was growing up (around the time the Unicron Trilogy was the dominant source of Cybertronian entertainment), it was pretty much just Boys Toys on the TV constantly. I loved Transformers, but as a child with budding realisation of her gender, I held the distinct notion in my head that somehow my favourite thing Wasn't For Me. But that all changed when Transformers Cybertron began airing and my tiny baby eyes widened at the sight of Override, Leader of Velocitron.

At the time, I was not aware of there being any prominent female Transformers characters and seeing a character on screen who was cool, took part in a lot of action, was a Kickass Red Sports Car and also a GIRL really gelled with my preferences. The long and short of it is that Override made me feel like hey, maybe this kind of stuff is for girls too! From here I was smitten, and have been ever since.

Being a kid at the time, I couldn't have known what the general consensus on girl-bots in TF was but as I grew older and ventured into the online world of fandom it became pretty clear that Transformers fans (and yes, mainly the men) didn't have a high opinion of the phenomenon. It was either “this is a BOYS toy-line, no girls allowed” or “well they're ROBOTS so why have gender anyway?”. There was even a time where, despite my absolute love of girl-bots, I even aligned with this latter viewpoint. After all, they ARE robots, why should gender even matter? It's all about the toys anyway.

But in remembering my roots – OUR roots, my opinion changed. The reason we as kids were drawn to Transformers instead of say, Zoids or Gundam (although there was a lot of crossover in our ranks) is because the robots THEMSELVES were people we could relate to and see ourselves in. Because despite robots not having gender in the technical sense, you can't deny that the reason many boys saw themselves in characters like Bumblebee or Hot Shot or Red Alert or whoever is that they are obviously SUPPOSED to be read as male, as boys. And if boys can have cool puzzling robot toys of characters they relate to, why not us girls too? Especially since a lot of femmebots have had a really good stint as toys.

This brings me to something that friends of mine will know as The Girl Shelf.

Steadily, I've found my collecting habits skewing towards the feminine persuasion when it comes to which Transformers I want and which ones I don't. Obviously there will always be a place in my heart for Optimus Prime and Megatron and Soundwave, but right now (and I suspect for the foreseeable) I'm mostly interested in femmes. And frankly, it's much more interesting to me to find out which characters are, in the modern setting, considered to be girls, and which toys from the brand's long history are up to snuff to represent this facet of their character.

The best part is that current trends in Transformers marketing (albeit slowly) seem to be moving in favour of more girls filling out a robot nerd's toy shelves. More toys of classic Femmebots are coming out lately (like Arcee and Chromia in the Generations line) and original characters that hail from more modern cartoons (such as Strongarm from RID2015 or Slipstream from Animated) are feeling the love too.

Fan votes have given us characters and groups such as Windblade (who is a key player in the modern IDW comics and a mainstay in the current cartoon) and the Rust Renegades/Torchbearers (six new femmes that combine into the first original full female Combiner, Victorion).

Even 3P offerings have tapped into this well of potential in recent years with releases like iGear's Roswell and the truly amazing MMC Titanika!

Toy collecting is a tough habit to keep up in today's economic climate, I find. Toys cost more than they used to, and although many love the return to the franchise's beginnings as of late, I understand the frustration of paying more to get a slightly updated version of a figure we might already have. Because of this kind of G1 fatigue, I feel like femmebots are always something we have to fall back on as something fresh, new and interesting. Like let's face, it you can't rehash old girl-bot toys if they didn't exist back then to begin with!

And yeah it gets tedious, what with obscure one-shot characters ret-conned to be female and overpriced convention exclusive ladies a hundred-fold. However, I can't say this has ever threatened my enthusiasm. In the end, it will always come back to these amazing female characters I've related to since I was a kid, and as long as that throughline remains strong, I'll be as smitten with the toys of these characters like I was when I was nine.

As always, keep it #Refined.

 - Follow Erica on Twitter @TransSoundwave