(JAN-2013) Hasbro Gen1 Cartoon - Comments and episode reviews

[griffin]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?

When did you first see it?

Is it recommended viewing for others?

If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.

(The 1986 Movie can be included here as well)

[Starscream77]

Love the cartoon, i grew up on it.
I know a lot will say it was an animated sales catalogue but my fond memories and even rewatching it these days brings a lot of enjoyment.

I always used to get up early in the 80's to watch it everytime it was on and i would recommend to any newer fans who havent seen it

I know i will be raising my little ones on this cartoon :)

[Megatron]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?

When did you first see it?

Is it recommended viewing for others?

If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.

(The 1986 Movie can be included here as well)

I missed out on G1 and Transformers in general when it was first aired. I began watching it in about 2007 on DVD.

I think the G1 cartoon is very funny. The way that the characters act on the show, some of the (bad) storylines, and the way that they have the "good" Autobots and "evil" Decepticons so clearly marked out where the Autobots always win in the end, well, yeah, I've just got to find it funny. Of course, it was G1 that set the standard for the general theme of Transformers (as well as many of the characters) used in all subsequent shows and movies of the franchise.

Despite all its flaws however, the cartoon is still highly enjoyable to watch. It's the original, "grass roots" continuity of Transformers that helped kick off the huge, long-running and ever changing franchise that it is today.

Recommended viewing? For already established newer fans, yes. For potential fans that know nothing about Transformers but want to give it a go? No. I'd recommend that they watch Tf: Prime first (or the live action movies since they would have already seen or heard of them). Then when they watch G1, they'll hopefully have a much better understanding and appreciation of what started it all.

Oh, by the way, I (Is hate too strong a word? Probably.) really dislike the events of the 1986 movie. Seriously, Galvatron? Yuck. So seasons 3 & 4 are ruined for me. Bring back Megatron, please. :(

[5FDP]

I love it and continue to watch it everyday... or rather every night before I go to sleep :D

I remember seeing the very first episode screening on Saturday morning and was so excited by it, that I recorded half the episode to BETA to re-watch over and over. I didn't manage to see the movie at the cinemas (my parents never took me) however to this day, my Xmas tradition is to watch TF:TM which I have done every year since 1988.

Would I recommend the series to someone who hasn't seen it before; probably not. By today's standards it's seriously dated.

[kaiden]

its the best.

i would recommend it only to mecha lovers.

[liegeprime]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?

It's what I grew up on. Still awesome for me, in a nostalgic way but yeah nowadays you tend to see all the flaws that way back you never did and some times think some dialogue are quite corny heheeh. :D So glad they managed to remaster it digitally.

When did you first see it?

When I was in 5th grade - it was a Friday night cartoons on Channel 9 (govt. channel) in Philippines same timeslot though with He-man :(:( (channel 7) so I had to keep flipping the TV ( in black in white too :p)

Is it recommended viewing for others?

For all those who grew up around that time yes, they'd get a kick out of it Im sure , nostalgia an all that.

For newer generations, unless they're really into TFs they might find a lot of inconsistencies and think the toons, topics are kinda dated. Although Id prolly recommend some of the story arcs that are quite memorable and worth watching - e.g. More than meet's the Eye (1st 3 epsiodes(pilot), Starscream's Brigade, Heavy Metal War. - The are awesome self contained arc IMO


If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.
(The 1986 Movie can be included here as well)

Re watching the dvds, you do tend to see and notice now the inconsistencies in drawing, coloring especially for background characters. :p

Wish they didn't cut some of the stuff in the movie - some of which are included as special features in the DVD. Would've helped explain some things fans had to imagine what happened to who instead due to some scenes not included.

[Skullcruncher]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?

A bit, I didn't like Galvatron and Scourge scared me a little in the episode when he used the matrix. I remember loving the combaticons as I had swindle and always wondered why Grapple was only in a couple of episodes as I had him too! :D

When did you first see it?

On VHS!! Well I was into GI Joes, my friend TF's so it would have been 1988 or maybe 1989 that I first saw the toys and his mum would put the VHS on while we played with the toys. Remember NZ was exactly 18 months behind the US with transformer releases.

However the first time I saw it on TV was on Channel 3 in 1993 or 1994? It was on the weekday mornings and the ordering of the episodes was confusing to say the least. They went from series 2 to series 3 and then at the end of series 3 broke the movie up into seperate episodes. God I remember how much that confused me. I only realised in 2002 that I had watched the movie in serial form without know it was transformes the Movie!

Is it recommended viewing for others?

What Liege said :)

[Stug]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?
I loved this cartoon as a kid. Playing Saturday morning sport, I rarely saw it first hand; but Dad allowed my sister and I to choose one Saturday morning cartoon each that he set for recording on VHS. I don’t think I have to elaborate which one I nominated... :) The cartoon forms the basis of my knowledge of The Transformers universe and provides a reference for the characters and their look... I lapped up almost every episode up to the movie!

When did you first see it?
I saw MTME Part 1 when it was first aired. I don’t know how or why I knew it was on – I vaguely remember hearing it was going to be on, forgetting about it but then just happening to have the TV on when it started.

I’d be interested if anyone can tell me when that may have been? I seem to recall knowing the characters from drooling over the first catalogue before seeing the cartoon and I think I was on school holidays; so in my mind that places it 84/85 Christmas holidays? I think it was also repeated (or even first aired) in a lunch time or matinee slot... or maybe that's when I re-watched the video recording? - I did that a lot!

Is it recommended viewing for others?
I’d recommend it to diehard fans who want to see where the characters of today evolved from (or nostalgia if you'd already seen it). But recommending it for entertainment value – I don’t think so. Viewing for that reason I think would leave you disappointed. I don’t think it has the refinement of contemporary cartoons for much the same reasons as others have stated and the advances in animation methods since then date it badly.

If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.
(The 1986 Movie can be included here as well)
I go back and watch it quite often - mainly my more favoured episodes. I won't offer reviews but just a general observation - is anyone else struck by the abundance of renewable energy utilised worldwide in the mid-80s?!

[Bidoofdude]

What do you remember?
I remember staying up at 7:30 for a lot of 2005, watching reruns of G1. It made me feel great and having grown up with the Cybertron cartoon, there were very narrow limits on what characters I wanted, since only a handful looked vaguely like their G1 counterparts.
So, it was up to me to use my imagination.
I remember watching the insecticons for the first time and then grabbing my brother's Batman's green backpack thing, which came across to me as Shrapnel.
Of course, like many, I too jumped around making transforming noises and contorted my body to weird and wacky shapes.
I especially remember trying to transform myself like Galvatron, which, in that age, I thought was quite convincing, seeing as he has a quite simple transformation.
Those were the good old days where I had not a worry in the world. :D Good times. Make me smile.
What was weird was, I would always note when it went into season 3, which I referred to as something like: "Prime dead Galvatron is Megatron episodes", or something of that nature. :D:p I would love that shift in season, as it went through the whole G1 Cartoon many, many times.
The weirder part was that I soon got sick of no prime and longed for the day that they would go to season 1 and 2, but when I watched 1 and 2 for a long time, I longed for the day that Season 3 would start and Galvatron would rear his awesome face.:D I was a weird kid back then. Super short hair. Those were the days.
I would definitely recommend this show for anyone even interested in Transformers, as it kind of provides a basis for recognizing particular characters.
It may not have the best development or continuity, or a good story for that matter, but it wasn't about that when I was 5/6. It was about seeing the characters.

I would like to add another question. What are your favourite episodes and some that you particularly remember?

For me, I definitely remember Web World, as it has left some kind of imprinted thought that Galvatron would become Megatron again when he turned white/grey.
I remember MTMTE parts 1,2 and 3, along with five faces of darkness.
I remember thinking that Earth was destroyed and they were all lost in space, which, even now seems quite logical, apart from a few Earth-based episodes.

Overall, I will always love the original cartoon more than anything else, as it is what I remember and cherished as a child.
Good show!:D

[Bidoofdude]

I missed out on G1 and Transformers in general when it was first aired. I began watching it in about 2007 on DVD.

I think the G1 cartoon is very funny. The way that the characters act on the show, some of the (bad) storylines, and the way that they have the "good" Autobots and "evil" Decepticons so clearly marked out where the Autobots always win in the end, well, yeah, I've just got to find it funny. Of course, it was G1 that set the standard for the general theme of Transformers (as well as many of the characters) used in all subsequent shows and movies of the franchise.

Despite all its flaws however, the cartoon is still highly enjoyable to watch. It's the original, "grass roots" continuity of Transformers that helped kick off the huge, long-running and ever changing franchise that it is today.

Recommended viewing? For already established newer fans, yes. For potential fans that know nothing about Transformers but want to give it a go? No. I'd recommend that they watch Tf: Prime first (or the live action movies since they would have already seen or heard of them). Then when they watch G1, they'll hopefully have a much better understanding and appreciation of what started it all.

Oh, by the way, I (Is hate too strong a word? Probably.) really dislike the events of the 1986 movie. Seriously, Galvatron? Yuck. So seasons 3 & 4 are ruined for me. Bring back Megatron, please. :(
You would have been so boss watching web world as a kid. I thought that he was becoming Megatron again.

If you set aside your love for Megatron, which is understandable (who doesn't love guns and robots?!), you may be able to see that Galvatron is really his own character and the only thing relating him to Megatron in any way is his origin, which doesn't change much, as he is practically completely different /unique in terms of mind.
I would treat Galvatron as a different character, if you wanted to appreciate him more. :D

[Megatron]

...
For me, I definitely remember Web World, as it has left some kind of imprinted thought that Galvatron would become Megatron again when he turned white/grey.
...

Where he would finally wake up from a really long and horrible nightmare? :D


You would have been so boss watching web world as a kid. I thought that he was becoming Megatron again.

If you set aside your love for Megatron, which is understandable (who doesn't love guns and robots?!), you may be able to see that Galvatron is really his own character and the only thing relating him to Megatron in any way is his origin, which doesn't change much, as he is practically completely different /unique in terms of mind.
I would treat Galvatron as a different character, if you wanted to appreciate him more. :D

:confused: But I don't know how to put aside my love for Megatron... :o :D I haven't seen Seasons 3 or 4 of G1 yet. They're next on my 'to watch' list. I'm not really looking forward to them, but I agree with what you said; Galvatron should be treated as a totally separate character (gladly in some official continuities he actually is!), that way it will make those seasons more bearable for me to watch.

Btw, Cybertron was the first Transformers series I ever watched, and Cybertron Megatron was the first Megatron I ever knew about. :D I would wake up really early every Saturday morning (I think it was) just to watch that show. :p

[Iriorne]

:confused: But I don't know how to put aside my love for Megatron... :o :D I haven't seen Seasons 3 or 4 of G1 yet. They're next on my 'to watch' list. I'm not really looking forward to them, but I agree with what you said; Galvatron should be treated as a totally separate character (gladly in some official continuities he actually is!), that way it will make those seasons more bearable for me to watch.

I read something a while back which seemed to me to be a very wise way of dealing with this sort of problem. Essentially, treat all the different incarnations and stories as legends or myths, passed on over thousands of years and embellished and altered along the way.

It was originally in reference to Star Wars which arguably suffers more than other media properties due to their drive for a single canon continuity with the unfortunate side effect of rendering some very good stories apocryphal.

In any case, I think it's a good way to enjoy each story on its own terms, explain away inconsistencies between different series (or within them!) and gives you license to 'pick and choose' your own personal continuity.

The G1 cartoon, for all its flaws, is the iconic Transformers media for me. I used to watch the G2 incarnation (G1 butchered with a CG intro and new transitions) whenever I could and loved it. I recently picked up the new remastered DVD sets and I'm working my way through them.

As others have said, the stories are quite simplistic and sometimes don't make a lot of sense. I'd definitely recommend viewing at least a selection of episodes though as the cartoon was the origin of the voice of Optimus Prime and, along with the comic series, set the scene for everything that followed.

One thing that really bothers me though: Why did Megatron call a retreat every time one of the Decepticons stubbed their toe? If they pushed the attack they could wipe out the Autobots with minimal losses. ;)

Episodes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_transformers_episodes) that I can remember from way back include:
More Than Meets the Eye 1-3
Dinobot Island 1-2
Prime Target
Starscream's Brigade + Revenge of Bruticus
BOT

Most of those are probably pretty iconic, except Prime Target. Not really sure why that one stuck with me. :confused:

[Megatron]

I read something a while back which seemed to me to be a very wise way of dealing with this sort of problem. Essentially, treat all the different incarnations and stories as legends or myths, passed on over thousands of years and embellished and altered along the way.

It was originally in reference to Star Wars which arguably suffers more than other media properties due to their drive for a single canon continuity with the unfortunate side effect of rendering some very good stories apocryphal.

In any case, I think it's a good way to enjoy each story on its own terms, explain away inconsistencies between different series (or within them!) and gives you license to 'pick and choose' your own personal continuity.

Actually that's a really good way to look at it because it keeps the option open that something may or may not be true, as with myths, rather than say that something is absolute fact and I have no other choice but to acknowledge it a certain way. Very helpful, thanks. I also tend to 'pick and choose' my own ultimate continuity already anyway. :)


The G1 cartoon, for all its flaws, is the iconic Transformers media for me. I used to watch the G2 incarnation (G1 butchered with a CG intro and new transitions) whenever I could and loved it. I recently picked up the new remastered DVD sets and I'm working my way through them.

I have the earlier G1 DVD boxed sets, when they first came out. What's different in the remastered ones and do you think they are worth getting, even when I already have the non-remastered ones?


One thing that really bothers me though: Why did Megatron call a retreat every time one of the Decepticons stubbed their toe? If they pushed the attack they could wipe out the Autobots with minimal losses. ;)

I'm not sure but I always got the impression that destroying all the Autobots wasn't a primary goal of his, at least not initially. To begin with, all he wanted was to steal all of Earth's energy so he could get the f*** off this planet and go home. :D It wasn't until later, when the Autobots just kept showing up and getting in his way EVERY SINGLE TIME he set out to do something, that he finally got fed up with them, lol. I dunno, but I'm kind of glad he backed off a lot of the time... maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all? :p :D

[Iriorne]

I have the earlier G1 DVD boxed sets, when they first came out. What's different in the remastered ones and do you think they are worth getting, even when I already have the non-remastered ones?

I'm not sure, and it seems to be very difficult to work out. It seems like there have been a couple of US releases, the first by Rhino which used pre-broadcast tapes, introducing animation errors, some of which they attempted to correct, and added in additional sound effects.

The original Australian release by Madman may use the broadcast masters but with Rhino's audio mix and a poor attempt to trim out the commercial bumpers on some of the earlier sets.

Subsequently, Shout! Factory has re-released the G1 set cleaning up a lot of the animation and audio errors introduced by Rhino. However the restoration required the use of some sub-par source material resulting in jumps in visual/audio quality within episodes.

This latest remastered release from Madman may be based on the Shout! Factory. I haven't noticed any obvious wayward sound effects, quality changes or bumper chops on the episodes that I've watched (about 2/3rds of season 2) but it's possible I just wasn't paying attention.

You can check out youtube for comparison videos between the rhino release and the broadcast version. I couldn't find any examples of the Rhino sound effects for comparison but by all accounts they were pretty obvious.

Whether they're worth re-buying will depend on how much you care. It seems like the original Madman release was alright, in which case I would suggest it's not worth the bother unless the added sound effects, if they exist, really bother you. Unless you're doing a direct side-by-side comparison you're probably not likely to notice much/any difference between the releases.

Packaging wise, each remastered set is in a slim-line multi case so they take up minimal shelf space and they have some slick cover art as well as original G1 box art on the back. I suggest waiting till JB Online have a 20% off sale if you're keen. :)

Here's a second opinion from a thread on these forums: http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=14430

Sources:
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Kid_Rhino
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Shout%21_Factory
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Madman_Entertainment
http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/showthread.php?t=20561
http://transformers.wikia.com/wiki/Madman_Entertainment


I'm not sure but I always got the impression that destroying all the Autobots wasn't a primary goal of his, at least not initially.

Perhaps, but it was clear from pretty early on that the Autobots weren't going away. Half of Megatrons problems were caused by Starscream, who he should have vapourised after his first betrayal as an example to the others. The rest was failure to use his resources effectively and not having an actual strategy. Still, perhaps it's fitting... Megatron was always a bit unstable and impuslive and the cartoon would have been much less interesting if he'd won after the fifth episode. :D

[Bartrim]

I'm in the process of educating my 6 year old son with G1. He loves the whole first disc, The Ultimate Doom, The whole Bruticus bit at the end of Season 2 and the movie. He has good taste in G1 episodes:cool:

[Megatron]

...
Perhaps, but it was clear from pretty early on that the Autobots weren't going away. Half of Megatrons problems were caused by Starscream, who he should have vapourised after his first betrayal as an example to the others. The rest was failure to use his resources effectively and not having an actual strategy. Still, perhaps it's fitting... Megatron was always a bit unstable and impuslive and the cartoon would have been much less interesting if he'd won after the fifth episode. :D

I disagree. Killing Starsream would have entirely changed the dynamics of not only their relationship but also Megatron's personality as well. I wouldn't describe Megatron as unstable; impulsive, yes at times, but so was Optimus (the episode where he goes off to try and save Elita-One, the episode where he goes off to deal with the Dinobots by himself, to name a few, etc...). In terms of not having an actual strategy, the Autobots were the same way; it seemed that everything was thought of/planned/acted upon in the moment.

Anyway, thanks for the info about the DVDs.

[GoktimusPrime]

First watched the G1 cartoon in 1985 - religiously watched it every Saturday morning where I would try to record every episode on VHS. It was hard when it was being showed by some Channel 10 show (with some stupid mascot called "Marty"), because they kept interrupting the cartoon with LOTS of segments that I never cared about. Transformers for 5 minutes - commercial break - now let's watch footage of people riding BMX bikes or surfing - commercial break - or have stupid in-studio games and competitions with random kids - commercial break - oh, here are some competition prizes - commercial break - 3 minutes of Transformers - commercial break - and let's talk about random crap - commercial break - and now back to the Trans--, oh no, we're out of time, see you next week!

I'm serious. There were times when the CRAP that happened in between Transformers episodes went for so long that the "Pause" function on my video player timed out and stopped... which also rewinded the tape by a few seconds, so if I hit record again I would tape over a last few seconds of episode just before I hit pause. :mad: And there were a few times when they just DIDN'T show the rest of the episode because they just RAN OUT OF TIME!! What?!? :eek: I can't stand these kinds of shows... just show the damn cartoon. Have a bit of goofy fun between cartoons, but no interruptions while they're on please!

I like the G1 cartoons, but I must admit that my liking comes from personal nostalgia. It's not something that I'd recommend to people today who haven't grown up with the cartoon. The animation is inconsistent and seemed to get worse as the series progressed. Probably because they invested less money into the cartoon as it progressed. Season 1 and the movie were mostly animated by Toei in Japan, but then from Season 2 onward some episodes were outsourced to AKOM in South Korea... basically the better animated eps were Toei, the crappier ones were AKOM -- and as the outsourcing to Korea increased, so too did the quality of animation decrease. Most Seaosn 3 eps were animated my AKOM, a few by Toei, and the best animated S3 ep "Call of the Primitives" was animated by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (who also animated Mighty Orbots). Season 4 was entirely animated in Korea... can you tell? :p I know Korean animation is a LOT better now, but sadly not in the 80s where it was mostly cheap and nasty.

The characters in the cartoon aren't really characters, but one dimensional caricatures, and as such the stories are character driven. It's a lot like the Michael Bay movies in that sense, which is why I've often said that the Bay movies did capture the spirit of the G1 cartoon quite well (especially the first one). Of course, the G1 cartoon was better in that it didn't allow the story to be over dominated by worthless humans and even the most generic Transformers still at least remotely looked kinda like Transformers instead of random metal monsters. :p

I quite enjoyed most of the stories in Seasons 1 and 2, but I felt that the story quality declined in Seasons 3 and 4. On one hand, it was cool that they tried to "mature" the story by making it more science fiction and making the Transformers' adventures span across space and not just on Earth. Oh, and it was the future. :) And it was a good idea to change the leaders too. But it suffered too much from, "Good idea in concept, didn't work out so well in practice." Problems included:
+ Rodimus Prime worrying too much about not being Optimus Prime. No, you're not Optimus. Accept it and move on. Because he didn't, it really held back his potential as Autobot leader.
+ Galvatron just sucked... sure, G1 comic Galvatron was crazy too, but he was demigod powerful kickass crazy, whereas G1 cartoon Galvatron was embarrassingly crazy... like that relative you never want to invite to your wedding.
+ WHY were the Dinobots suddenly kid-tarded?!? Sure, they were never Rhodes scholars to begin with, but they weren't infantile tard monkeys either! In Seasons 1 and 2, the Dinobots just traipsed around kicking butt... in Season 3 most the Dinobots were pretty lazy, and Grimlock just went about being clumsy and stuff. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
+ Wheelie. If Grimlock wasn't Jar Jar enough, they gave us Wheelie. The high pitched voice and rhyming is one thing, but the fact that he and Daniel just wasted SO much screen time and contributed so LITTLE to the actual plot of the story was just stupid. The exact same complaints that Star Wars fans made about Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace... little wonder that Wheelie, Daniel and Jar Jar are often compared. Hey, at least Jar Jar helped make the Empire... don't see Wheelie doing that. "Who the f$% is this Autobot?!" - The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime
+ Wheelie and Daniel's time wasting meant that a lot of other toys got less screen time... how about giving us more action from Tailgate, Swerve, Pipes or HUBCAP!! Hubcap's a WAY better toy than Wheelie (who's easily the crappiest of all the G1 mini Autobots) and yet he got ZERO screen time!

[Megatron]

+ Galvatron just sucked... sure, G1 comic Galvatron was crazy too, but he was demigod powerful kickass crazy, whereas G1 cartoon Galvatron was embarrassingly crazy... like that relative you never want to invite to your wedding.

QFT. :D ;)

That was an interesting read, Gok. :cool:

[5FDP]

I quite enjoyed most of the stories in Seasons 1 and 2, but I felt that the story quality declined in Seasons 3 and 4. On one hand, it was cool that they tried to "mature" the story by making it more science fiction and making the Transformers' adventures span across space and not just on Earth. Oh, and it was the future. :) And it was a good idea to change the leaders too. But it suffered too much from, "Good idea in concept, didn't work out so well in practice." Problems included:
+ Rodimus Prime worrying too much about not being Optimus Prime. No, you're not Optimus. Accept it and move on. Because he didn't, it really held back his potential as Autobot leader.
+ Galvatron just sucked... sure, G1 comic Galvatron was crazy too, but he was demigod powerful kickass crazy, whereas G1 cartoon Galvatron was embarrassingly crazy... like that relative you never want to invite to your wedding.
+ WHY were the Dinobots suddenly kid-tarded?!? Sure, they were never Rhodes scholars to begin with, but they weren't infantile tard monkeys either! In Seasons 1 and 2, the Dinobots just traipsed around kicking butt... in Season 3 most the Dinobots were pretty lazy, and Grimlock just went about being clumsy and stuff. Oh how the mighty have fallen.
+ Wheelie. If Grimlock wasn't Jar Jar enough, they gave us Wheelie. The high pitched voice and rhyming is one thing, but the fact that he and Daniel just wasted SO much screen time and contributed so LITTLE to the actual plot of the story was just stupid. The exact same complaints that Star Wars fans made about Jar Jar Binks in The Phantom Menace... little wonder that Wheelie, Daniel and Jar Jar are often compared. Hey, at least Jar Jar helped make the Empire... don't see Wheelie doing that. "Who the f$% is this Autobot?!" - The Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime
+ Wheelie and Daniel's time wasting meant that a lot of other toys got less screen time... how about giving us more action from Tailgate, Swerve, Pipes or HUBCAP!! Hubcap's a WAY better toy than Wheelie (who's easily the crappiest of all the G1 mini Autobots) and yet he got ZERO screen time!

Reading that reminded me of this (http://www.cliffbee.com/wks3.htm) ;)

[Skullcruncher]

lol at fanboys getting up in arms over any character in a cartoon made over 25 years ago. Sure Wheelie is annoying as hell, but the casual watcher dont seem to mind him - my girlfriend thinks hes funny and my friends who come over when reminising can always remember his character, and for some reason many had his toy. To me hes like members on message boards you always want to slap in the face with a dead fish every single time they post.


** Fanboy Rage ahead, chance of foaming at the mouth - 97.5% **

Ultra Magnus I curse and hate your hopeless character and nasty prime ripoff toy to the ends of the earth, if you had the balls of Hot Rod, toys that I had -Outback and Pipes - would have got way more screentime, maybe then I could have seen Outback host a barbie and Pipes... ummm.... do something!!!

** Fanboy rage over **


Back to the real world, the whole Jetfire/Skyfire situation was confusing - here on screen he was skyfire but the catalogue it was jetfire, we concluded it must just be a coincidence that they look the same! :D

[5FDP]

Back to the real world, the whole Jetfire/Skyfire situation was confusing - here on screen he was skyfire but the catalogue it was jetfire, we concluded it must just be a coincidence that they look the same! :D

We must've been watching different cartoons because they (animation model vs toy) looked nothing alike to me :p

[Skullcruncher]

We must've been watching different cartoons because they (animation model vs toy) looked nothing alike to me :p

:D I was 5 or 6 how old were you?

[Paulbot]

There was Skyfire on the cartoon and Jetfire in the catalogues and they looked kind of alike (both big white and red jets) but it got more confusing that the comics had Skyfire in them but he was called Jetfire.

I think Grimlock cleared it up though in Grim Grams that the dumb stubbies making the cartoon got the name wrong and that was enough for me. :)

For some reason though I never noticed until I was older that Jetfire in the catalogues looked like a veritech from Robotech :o


No hatred for The Early Bird Show please. I would however get up early each Saturday to watch episodes on The Early Bird Show. I was so dedicated I even remember watching some of "Only Human" while I was in hospital in 1987.

I'm not sure why I didn't tape to keep any episodes, but it just wasn't something we did in my family. I did tape and keep TFTM though. And if I could pick a video to borrow from the video shop it would be TF episodes.

I remember them being repeated in full in around 1991/92 at 330pm. Had to rush home from school to see them. I think that was the first time I ever saw the Rebirth episodes. And I missed the time they showed Five Faces of Darkness back to back in the 80s.

I rewatched all of series 1 and 2 when Madman brought them out on DVD and enjoyed them. Series 3 though I lost interest about halfway through and I would rarely revisit those episodes even today. It's all that outerspace/future/Quintesson stuff. I do like Transformers a bit more grounded. And besides the animation was better in many of the earlier eps (although there are some stinkers like The Core in there too).

I'd say most of favourite episodes come from series 2. I particularly like the two parters (Dinobot Island, Desertion of the Dinobots, Megatron's Master Plan, Key to Vector Sigma).

[5FDP]

:D I was 5 or 6 how old were you?

I was a child prodigy ;) :p :D

[Bidoofdude]

Megatron, I can see you loving Cyclonus.
Sure, he's no subject to Megs, but I think you would... like his loyalty.
Watching Galvatron beat up his troops in Five Faces was pretty funny.
Sure, animation wasn't its best, but there is a real sense of nostalgia that results in many (including me) liking any episode, regardless of not-so great plots.
Like Gok said, the stories may have decreased, but there's really a heavy sense of nostalgia and there's nothing wrong with that.
Looking back, I now know how I took a carefree young life for granted.
It seems like a paradise in my mind now, of when I was little, sitting on the floor, pretending my little matchbox construction vehicles were constructicons.
Those were the days...:);)
I long for those days and now I worry about every single thing.

[Megatron]

Megatron, I can see you loving Cyclonus.
Sure, he's no subject to Megs, but I think you would... like his loyalty.

Hey, Bidoof. There's about as much chance of me loving Cyclonus as there is of me loving Wheelie - in other words, none. :D I mean, loyalty's great, sure, but it's not everything and besides, he's loyal to Galv not Megs, like you have already pointed out.


...
Like Gok said, the stories may have decreased, but there's really a heavy sense of nostalgia and there's nothing wrong with that.
Looking back, I now know how I took a carefree young life for granted.
It seems like a paradise in my mind now, of when I was little, sitting on the floor, pretending my little matchbox construction vehicles were constructicons.
Those were the days...:);)
I long for those days and now I worry about every single thing.

Aww... why, what's worrying you?

I get an image in my mind now of a cute li'l Bidoof playing on the floor with his l'il bitty toys... :D:p

[Bidoofdude]

With the basically white hair and his silver and yellow construction vehicles. In jumpsuit one pieced pyjamas. :D

As for Cyclonus, I just have this weird feeling that he'll appeal to you randomly, when you get to watching S3. I have no clue as to why.

You know, the basics. Afraid of being late, (even when I'm 5 minutes early) Missing things etc. Things like that. :p

[BigTransformerTrev]

Remember much about the cartoon?
Box Set DVD's sitting proudly on my shelf, know every episode by heart!

If so, what did you think of it?
Loved it! Adored it! The be-all and end-all of cartoons!

When did you first see it?
When the very first episode of it aired on Saturday morning cartoons here in Australia. Was (and still am) a cartoon nut and it totally blew me away. After watching He-Man and Inspector Gadget for years, he was something even better! Was an addict by the end of the opening credits.

Is it recommended viewing for others?
Heh - when all the lads come round for a few beers, at a certain point of the evening the sport goes off and the TF DVD's come out. At work, at the end of each term when we have a relaxed day or two my class always has to watch the 86 movie. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

[1AZRAEL1]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?
I haven't watched it in a couple of years, but I liked it when I was a kid, but it's quite dated now. Still like it though.

When did you first see it?
I would have been really young, cannot remember how young though. Do remember watching (and taping) the movie on tv.

Is it recommended viewing for others?
Yes to see where it all began for most of us.

[Ultra Mackness]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?

Most of my memories of the cartoon are fondly nostalgic. I recall being engrossed in the deep and complex storylines that were laced with intrigue and surprise.

Of course watching it as an adult I gained a different perspective, to the point where I probably avoid watching certain episodes.

When did you first see it?
I first saw it on the Early Bird Show, 1985. Like Gok, I used to get a bit irritated at the way the show was split into 3 minute segments that were sandwiched between other activities, but that was because Saturday morning was chores morning so I had to sneak watching some of the show before my parents caught me and redirected me to something else.

Is it recommended viewing for others?

Of course! :)

[Hursticon]

Remember much about the cartoon? - If so, what did you think of it?

I remember enough of the cartoon to enjoy it residing behind Rose-tinted glasses, as the cartoon really does not stand the test of time & I find myself remembering more key-moments from episodes than actual episodes in their entirety.

I think the thing I remember most fondly is the persistent battles that really did a good job of making it feel like a planetary civil-war was taking place, as the sheer volume of individual characters was insane but often you would only ever see those characters for a couple of episodes & then they'd disappear forever.

The character designs for the cartoon/s (I'm also referring to the Japanese series) were clearly heavily derived from their real-life toy counterparts, with some necessary liberalities often taken with certain areas/appendages that didn't appear to translate well to screen.

The voice acting of the casts are what I think are the longest lasting testament to G1 outside of the toys, as every subsequent iteration has retained some semblance of the original character deliveries that were defined with both Western & Eastern G1 cartoons.



When did you first see it?

The 1st time I saw the G1 cartoon I was technically too young to remember it but my Mother tells me that when I was 2-3, Transformers was the cartoon that I 1st actively responded & paid attention to.

My childhood recollections predominantly derive from the late re-runs & G2 'Cybernetic Space-cube' series at ages 3 onward & I feverishly watched every episode I could, hired every VHS I could and generally hunted down everything Transformers I could get my hands on with my mighty allowance of $1.00 a month - The movie I ended up wearing out several VHS cassette tapes & to this day remains one of my fondest childhood memories.



Is it recommended viewing for others?

If you've not seen the original Western G1 cartoon by now, you're truly not missing out on anything.

That said if one is curious enough, I would recommend seeing at least up to & including the '86 movie; The movie is the best executed 'episode' of the Western cartoon bar none & if you can stomach it, I would then consider watching the 3rd season.

I'd also highly recommend the Eastern/Japanese series:
-Headmasters
-Masterforce
-Victory/Zone

They're excellent series in their own right, if not a erring a little more along the Anime side of things; the voice acting is superb & are just as memorable as their Western counterpart.

When it really comes down to it though, I honestly would not recommend the original Western G1 cartoon (Other than the movie) to anyone as it has not aged well at all; the animation is horrible, the stories are cliché riddled & not particularly enjoyable as an adult at all and truly are little more than 24 minute toy commercials.

For me, I like to leave the cartoon to my memories & have now come to consider the Marvel G1 comics as my source for G1 narrative.



If you haven't watched it yet, or in a while, now is the time to re-watch it and review it as you go.

This will not be occurring save for perhaps, specific story arcs; the cartoon is just far to hard to watch &/or stomach nowadays to the point where I literally do not enjoy it anymore - Only the 1986 'Transformers: The Movie' is rewatchable as it stands on its own above the rest of the Western cartoon.

[KalEl]

Remember much about the cartoon?
If so, what did you think of it?
Was great as a kid and quite enjoyable now, especially the fun of the animation errors and inconsistency. I remember heaps as i watch it every couple years all the way through.

When did you first see it?
Early 90s

Is it recommended viewing for others?
Highly, as a transformers fan its a must watch, especially the up to and including the movie.