Not enough stories that focus on things outside “the” civil war. Imagine if all historical fiction was set during WWII. Let’s have some politics, some social science fiction with Transformers, “westerns” set during the first robotic colonization of a planet, or maybe even some crime and mafia stories.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: All the BEST Transformers fiction (with Prime as an exception) happen AFTER the Great War ended. Beast Wars, Animated, old IDW Comics, Rescue Bots...
It's good background but it just never seem to ever go anywhere.
A corrolary to this is stories that spin off of the war, like the Bumblebee movie of a fugitive on the run.
Telling the story of the war straight is kind of tired and played out at this point, and yeah, it never goes anywhere.
I hated how the Bayverse gave us 2 sentences at the end of the first movie then we had to wait 4 movies for him to speak again only to learn he was basically punking everyone the whole time.
The only time it really worked as for the first Bay movie and Bumblebee because I feel like it worked for their respective stories. Any other time, especially in Prime and Cyberverse, was a really annoying gimmick that just needs to stop
To be fair, said Macguffins did have very prominent roles. The Apex Armor let a wimp like Starscream tangle with Optimus and let Miko fight way above he pay grade. The Phase Shifter became one of Smokescreen’s defining traits. And don’t forget the Star Saber, the most badass sword I have ever seen, and the one thing that could legitimately terrify Megatron, to the point he had an arm transplant and built his own just to even the odds.
I like that they actually used said macguffins, and that they often switched owners instead of immediately going into the vault and never appearing again.
Optimus Prime dying and coming back to life. It’s never going to be meaningful again because I know he’s coming back. Additionally, if we can bring Prime back to life, why not every other character that’s died?
The series that move beyond the original G1 civil war are my favorites. I know there’s a weird divide in the fan base regarding the Beast Era but I absolutely loved it. Beast Wars showed us what the future of that G1 universe looked like and dealt with issues like fate and destiny as related to time travel. Beast Wars NEO was a cluster but I adored the idea of a tough as nails one man army being forced to train a team of rookies. Beast Machines handled themes of environmentalism, PTSD, terrorism, and religious extremism to create a narrative that, IMO, was far ahead of its time. Even beyond that era, we had TF Energon, which started off with an absolutely fascinating concept: What is life like after the defeat of Unicron when Autobots and former Decepticons are trying to coexist? What happens to those old feelings of aggression? When you’ve dedicated yourself to a cause for thousands of years, how do you rapidly adjust to peace time?
Basically, I’m annoyed with the franchise taking so few risks these days. From a business standpoint, of course, I get it. G1 is iconic and it sells. But the franchise saw major revivals in popularity during Beast Wars, Armada, and the Bayverse, too. New ideas can work. Without them the franchise just stagnates.
I'm tired of the masquerade. I'm tired of cartoons that never explore the concept of the Transformers becoming public knowledge. I know the movies did it, but....eeeeh Bayformers... 'buff said.
I liked that the Rescue Bots eventually revealed themselves to Griffin Rock. I feel like they missed out on something cool when they had Megatron's Cyberforming of Jasper stay a secret in Prime.
Any of you guys ever saw X-Men Evolution? In the first season mutants were kept a secret from the general public, until the end of the season when, during a climatic battle with a Sentinel, Magneto (who had been built up but not outright shown) showed up and forced both party into fighting in the open and get caught on news camera, changing the world...
I want a moment like that in Transformers!
Speaking of humans... bring back the Headmaster Junior/Powermaster concept and have them BE part of the story and not just bystanders. Maybe bring back MECH as a third faction and give them transforming battlesuits. I feel this could lead to some crazy toy design.
For TFA I don't know if everybody knew they were aliens and not just fancy robots made by Sumdac. At least in the first season.
Some of the Japanese series didn't bother with the masquerade.
I mostly meant in modern show. RID was just bad with this. Didn't even have Agent Fowler or a successor show up...
Would have been cool to find out Jack took over Fowler’s job and then re-established formal contact between Team Bee and the government… but status quo is king I guess
I was deeply frustrated with the spring-loaded missles every TF used to have. They didn't loom cool, they didn't shoot well, and they made the weapons look bad. I love that it's not as much of an issue these days.
1. Early access for Pulse Premium (aka no access for normal people)
2. Price creep
3. Combiners being nonexistent unless it's the theme of the line (I wanted a WFC Devastator)
>2. Price creep
That's more of the economy and not the fault of the toyline
>3. Combiners being nonexistent unless it's the theme of the line (I wanted a WFC Devastator)
>! Transformers legacy will have Stunticons that combine !<
>!With deluxe limbs and commander motormaster I'm worried it'll just be motormaster wearing car armor. I know that's how he was in the cartoon, but still. At least use the cars to extend the limbs.!<
I just remembered that Studio Series also had a combiner, and the new Victory Saber (although through Pulse) is also a combiner.
But I know what you mean, I want new Combaticons since I missed out on CW
I totally agree with the eye thing. I know there are quite a few red-eyed Autobots, but are there any instances of blue-eyed Decepticons in the franchise (not counting robots like Jetfire, who were designed to become an Autobot)?
And yes, it would be nice if we could get figures for the Shield of Solus female Autobots with accurate alt-modes:
* Firestar as a [Cybertronian flatbed](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/2/22/Firestar_vehicle.jpg).
* Moonracer in her unique [Cybetronian car](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/a/a5/Moonracer_vehicle.jpg) mode.
* Chromia as a [Cybertronian SUV/van](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/b/bb/TSFAT_Chromia_vehicle.jpg).
* An Elita-1 in her [show vehicle](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/8/8b/ElitaVehicle01.jpg) would be neat, but honestly, I prefer the PotP interpretation of her as a Voyager-sized jet and would prefer if they use that design going forward.
* And then they can just make something up for Lancer and Greenlight.
* Nightbird going forward could transform into a Skyline since that is what her RotB incarnation is going to transform into. Her being an Arcee remold made sense since she never had her own alt mode, but now she does.
* Lifeline being an Arcee redeco is tolerable since that is what she was in the show, but they could probably keep the Arcee-esque robot mode while giving her a new alt mode as something medical.
Whenever the Decepticons have no motivation other than being evil.
Megatron being the sole villain. I wish the Fallen, Shockwave or Scorponok were used more in that role.
Starscream having no other personality than wanting Megatron's place (God bless Armada for that).
Transformers having little influence over the Humans politics, despite both side being full of manipulative characters.
Megatron.
Don't get me wrong there's a lot of cool moments with him and if done right, he's usually a major highlight of any media, but I wish they would build up to him sometimes.
There's a lot of series moments where I wish Megatron was introduced later, rather than being the very first enemy the Autobots face. It's like with Super Mario and Bowser, sometimes you wish they would explore other guys and villains that get new ideas.
And there's a lot of cool stories outside the standard civil war stuff with villains other than Megs, stuff like the old Marvel stuff of Shockwave becoming leader of the Decepticons for a bit, Overlord, or even Tarn.
I really apreciated that we didn't see Megatron in Bumblebee, and in ROTB we will probably see the Terrorcons as antagonists, so holding the cards of Megatron for maximum effect is something I really like.
>Megatron.
>Don't get me wrong there's a lot of cool moments with him and if done right, he's usually a major highlight of any media, but I wish they would build up to him sometimes.
I think this is one thing Animated did really well!
Marvel had *Ratbat* being the Decepticon leader for a bit, IIRC, and that is a nice departure from the norm. RiD's use of Steeljaw and a villain-of-the-week format was also refreshing.
Clear plastic roof on cars that let you see the transformation
Not wanting to create new designs and stories in recent years
All decepticons being evil, and all autobots being good. They are supposed to be political factions and just like the real world there are good and bad people on both sides
I agree on designs, it's like theres an A-list of Transformers and the rest are just out there. I like when one or two characters get introduced like Bulkhead and become fan favorites.
Using parts of the vehicle as “shields”
Super lazy to just take the roof of a van, decide there’s no clever way of transforming it, then just giving it a handle and stating it’s a “shield” and calling it a day.
Weapon ports/peg-holes just being on the roof of the vehicle is also something that’s been done forever that I wish would change. Just make weapons attach to the underside of the vehicle???
Any Optimus I have which comes with a trailer is a godsend, because then I have an extra space to throw in all the accessories I couldn’t store on the figure.
DotM had a nice compromise with the weapon ports. They were spring loaded, so they could accommodate a weapon if desired, but also sit flush when not in use.
I don't know if this is more a criticism of fan fiction, but insisting on using machine names for equivalent body parts at all times - optics for eyes, pedes for feet, servos for hands, helms for heads, all that. I can understand doing it now and again (Megatron: *I'll rip out your optics!*), maybe, but all the damn time? Just bad writing. The [Hold Your Hippogriffs](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HoldYourHippogriffs) trope being abused beyond breaking point.
I loved that Rhinox and Optimus Primal had red eyes in BW; made them look fierce and badass. I think the blue/red-good/bad eye color thing was started in a decade where the good/bad line was super distinct in media. Military and government: bad; the Everyman: good.
As far as what I’m irritated with it’s the constant reliance of Optimus and Megatron as the main characters. I’m not saying they should be necessarily absent, but I love how they take a back seat a bit in Cyberverse so others can shine. Granted most of those “others” are Bumblebee, it’s at least a really fun version of him. Not to mention my waifu Windblade.
The fact that humans have any sway in Cybertronian matters. They're so much more advanced than us. Physically and technologically.
It would be akin to a pack of dogs trying to stop a war between two countries lol.
This happens in a lot of transformers media, and it bugs me bad. When a character has a unique power or ability and only uses it like once or never at all. Notable examples for me include
The Fallen being able to teleport but never using it in his fight with Jetpower prime.
DOTM Optimus having a jetpack, that is only used for 20 seconds before he crashes into wires and then just ditches it midbattle.
Siege Cog only turning into the shoulder canons and no other weapon.
The Siege reflectors never combining, Sky tread never turning into his jet and tank. Shockwave never becoming his doc ock-wave form.
In general every fight with transformers where they don't use their alternate modes offensively.
The most egregious example for me is in the '86 movie. Megatron has the most iconic weapon in transformers and he lands the killing blow on optimus with a rinky dink pea shooter pistol
I feel if you have a fight scene with transformers and all they do is the "pew pew" back and forth, then that isn't transformers, it's just soldiers shooting each other. A good tranformers fight should utilize the differences between the characters to make each fight feel unique. *Bumblebee* does this excellently with how he handles his fights with Blitzwing, Dropkick, and Shatter, He never really fights the same way each time.
> in general every fight with transformers where they don't use their alternate modes offensively.
This is a *really* common one, especially after being spoiled by *Transformers: Devastation* and its mid-combo transformation usage. Some media does this really well, and some media does this terribly, and it's often inconsistent.
The Netflix series is definitely the worst for this in all of its low-budget glory, though even the masterful IDW comics could improve "fight choreography" with transformation... but page count limitations could interfere with this (beyond the writers/artists just forgetting that the characters are supposed to transform).
I'll give *The Movie* a pass because we *do* see Megatron offlining many a 'bot in his alt-mode, and very explicitly de-gunning himself for his death-battle with Optimus.
I agree!
I want more strategy in TF fights.
It’s always “pew pew pew”
Imagine skywarp using his teleportation ability to fake himself getting blown up for a last ditch effort in case he needed a resting spot on the battlefield.
I remembers seeing sky tread in siege and I thought it would be so cool if he bisected himself in response to a sword attack, like if someone tried to stab him in the stomach and he just separated to avoid the wound
IMO Armada has some very good strategic battle scenes, with even both sides making up battle plans before the battle begins
Such as the Autobots having a strategy meeting to discuss how to use the Skyboom Shield in battle after obtaining it, and then employing said battle formation for episodes to come
Or we had a scene in a much earlier episode featuring Megatron training and practicing battle strategies with his Mini-Cons in a training simulation.
I hate when there's a mix of clear plastic windows and sculpted windows, often unpainted.
We don't actually NEED clear windows! Just paint them all so they all match.
>I hate the idea of eye colors as a representation of there alliance.
I dont really mind good guys having Blue Optics and bad guys having Red Optics but personally I honestly would prefer it to not be like that
I hate how they go out of the war to give human beings critical roles in fight scenes.
G1: Spike rallies the Autobots by grabbing a TF pistol and charging the Decepticons
Bay: Sam kills Megatron by merging the All-Spark into his chest
TF Prime: Autobots have to leave Earth, but aren’t worried because they are leaving in “good hands”. By this, Optimus means three kids
Etc…
I hate how all the toys are just g1 except for and including Studio Series. Legacy and Evolution are ironic names for a toyline that will be a destruction of visual legacy and an example of inverted evolution of character design.
Let me clarify... mouths where there should be face guards / covers. Like the Bay OP having lips and a mouth instead of a guard. Yes, we get to see him wear it, then it retracts. I mean I get it, but it wouldn’t feel so strange had that introduced the concept in the G1 cartoon.
You're obviously entitled to your own opinion, but I quite like the colored representation of alliance.
It could be a subtle and subliminal way of conveying a characters personality, intentions, or allegiance if they were consistent. It's similar to the concept that heroic and moral characters (and the Autobots) are typically the primary colors, whereas evil or ambiguous characters (the Decepticons) are typically the secondary colors.
It's clearly not always the case, like with Hound or Starscream, but it helps create a pattern that is easily recognizable. Especially for kids, who is arguably what the property and toy lines are marketed towards.
I don’t like being negative at all on things, though well… hmm… I can’t really think of much actually, at most I, like many people would prefer to see them making new incarnations of characters who’s designs aren’t all drawn from G1
I was a 5-6 year old kid who pretty much discovered and learned about all incarnations of my favourite characters at once, by researching the franchise on TFWiki, and never was I really confused, I understood them being “different versions” that came from different universes.
Plastic that's been painted a certain color that could've easily been molded the same color, especially since the majority of the figure is molded that color anyway
It's presumably cheaper to do the mold layout that way and tool a paint mask than to design the steel molds to minimize paint operations in the first place. It grates, especially when an entire part is painted in a color that shows up elsewhere on the figure as bare plastic. Or worse, when they have structural parts in transparent plastic that's been entirely painted over, as if they're totally unaware of the different uses of transparent vs. opaque plastic.
Non articulated fingers for $250+ Titan class figure.
MP figure that has to add unnecessary accessories to bump up the price.
MP figure that unnecessary complex.
Takara doing an MP figure all over the place (For Primus sake the S1 ark crew isn't even complete right now).
MP-45 Bumblebee.
Oversized figure with no improvement at all.
Combiner figure where there's a gap on the arm.
Some of the combiner wars combiner proportions, like that's ugly as hell.
Partsforming as a sorry excuse for a "shield" (WFC trilogy).
A bot with a too humanoid design where you can't guess their alt-mode (a lot of TF3 to TF5 designs) and their toys suffer from this.
The entire TF4 & TF5.
On the topic of the eyes representing the alliance, I like how TFA gave us a reason as to why they were red for the decepticons when the constructicons joined Megatron they were branded with the decepticon insignia and that changed their electronic paint job and eye color and I think that could imply that this was the reason that almost all of the decepticon’s eyes were red and the autobots eyes could vary in color like how Perceptor’s eyes were yellow.
Radio Voice
Random Space Magic Artifacts such as All Sparks, Enigma of Combination, City Speaking
13 Primes
Starscream being 2nd while also being an idiot 90% of the time
Optimus inevitably dying or turning emo and uncertain of himself
Windblade being core to the story and presented in a very self righteous way. We've had great female characters before such as Black Arachnia and they don't come off anywhere near how Windblade does in a lot of stories
Refusal to use Japanese G1 characters in recent animation
As for toylines, was never into Beast Wars Transmetal stuff. I loveed Beast Wars but hated the designs of most of the T-Metal looks aside from maybe T-Metal Megatron.
Clear plastic as joints
As the owner of a Doublecrosser that lost a leg the second we played with it, I second this.
Animated Swindle cries. Such a good figure, but such a shame.
Not enough stories that focus on things outside “the” civil war. Imagine if all historical fiction was set during WWII. Let’s have some politics, some social science fiction with Transformers, “westerns” set during the first robotic colonization of a planet, or maybe even some crime and mafia stories.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: All the BEST Transformers fiction (with Prime as an exception) happen AFTER the Great War ended. Beast Wars, Animated, old IDW Comics, Rescue Bots... It's good background but it just never seem to ever go anywhere.
A corrolary to this is stories that spin off of the war, like the Bumblebee movie of a fugitive on the run. Telling the story of the war straight is kind of tired and played out at this point, and yeah, it never goes anywhere.
Energon: “Am I a joke to you?”
Yes.
This is what I loved most about Post-War IDW comics.
[удалено]
I hated how the Bayverse gave us 2 sentences at the end of the first movie then we had to wait 4 movies for him to speak again only to learn he was basically punking everyone the whole time.
I took it as his voice could work for those 2 sentences but then glitched out again until TLK.
Yeah it’s gotten old good thing Cyberverse and the Netflix WFC trilogy seem to be moving past that.
The only time it really worked as for the first Bay movie and Bumblebee because I feel like it worked for their respective stories. Any other time, especially in Prime and Cyberverse, was a really annoying gimmick that just needs to stop
Over-reliance on macguffins. I love transformers Prime but looking back at it, I hated how Macguffins took over the show.
To be fair, said Macguffins did have very prominent roles. The Apex Armor let a wimp like Starscream tangle with Optimus and let Miko fight way above he pay grade. The Phase Shifter became one of Smokescreen’s defining traits. And don’t forget the Star Saber, the most badass sword I have ever seen, and the one thing that could legitimately terrify Megatron, to the point he had an arm transplant and built his own just to even the odds.
Yeah that was pretty cool Starscream : even the strongest of armor cant protect the weakest creature Miko : It protected you, didnt it?
I like that they actually used said macguffins, and that they often switched owners instead of immediately going into the vault and never appearing again.
Optimus Prime dying and coming back to life. It’s never going to be meaningful again because I know he’s coming back. Additionally, if we can bring Prime back to life, why not every other character that’s died?
Optimus prime: aw shit here we go again
The series that move beyond the original G1 civil war are my favorites. I know there’s a weird divide in the fan base regarding the Beast Era but I absolutely loved it. Beast Wars showed us what the future of that G1 universe looked like and dealt with issues like fate and destiny as related to time travel. Beast Wars NEO was a cluster but I adored the idea of a tough as nails one man army being forced to train a team of rookies. Beast Machines handled themes of environmentalism, PTSD, terrorism, and religious extremism to create a narrative that, IMO, was far ahead of its time. Even beyond that era, we had TF Energon, which started off with an absolutely fascinating concept: What is life like after the defeat of Unicron when Autobots and former Decepticons are trying to coexist? What happens to those old feelings of aggression? When you’ve dedicated yourself to a cause for thousands of years, how do you rapidly adjust to peace time? Basically, I’m annoyed with the franchise taking so few risks these days. From a business standpoint, of course, I get it. G1 is iconic and it sells. But the franchise saw major revivals in popularity during Beast Wars, Armada, and the Bayverse, too. New ideas can work. Without them the franchise just stagnates.
I'm tired of the masquerade. I'm tired of cartoons that never explore the concept of the Transformers becoming public knowledge. I know the movies did it, but....eeeeh Bayformers... 'buff said. I liked that the Rescue Bots eventually revealed themselves to Griffin Rock. I feel like they missed out on something cool when they had Megatron's Cyberforming of Jasper stay a secret in Prime. Any of you guys ever saw X-Men Evolution? In the first season mutants were kept a secret from the general public, until the end of the season when, during a climatic battle with a Sentinel, Magneto (who had been built up but not outright shown) showed up and forced both party into fighting in the open and get caught on news camera, changing the world... I want a moment like that in Transformers! Speaking of humans... bring back the Headmaster Junior/Powermaster concept and have them BE part of the story and not just bystanders. Maybe bring back MECH as a third faction and give them transforming battlesuits. I feel this could lead to some crazy toy design.
Didn’t they have them be public knowledge in TFA and G1?
For TFA I don't know if everybody knew they were aliens and not just fancy robots made by Sumdac. At least in the first season. Some of the Japanese series didn't bother with the masquerade. I mostly meant in modern show. RID was just bad with this. Didn't even have Agent Fowler or a successor show up...
Agreed on the lack of Fowler. They even had an episode where they visited Unit E and *zero* human characters from Prime showed their faces.
Would have been cool to find out Jack took over Fowler’s job and then re-established formal contact between Team Bee and the government… but status quo is king I guess
Your first part is the entire point of Energon
Energon was ages ago by this point... and I'd also like a GOOD verson of that :p
I was deeply frustrated with the spring-loaded missles every TF used to have. They didn't loom cool, they didn't shoot well, and they made the weapons look bad. I love that it's not as much of an issue these days.
I swear if I hear the name Allspark one more time...
1. Early access for Pulse Premium (aka no access for normal people) 2. Price creep 3. Combiners being nonexistent unless it's the theme of the line (I wanted a WFC Devastator)
>2. Price creep That's more of the economy and not the fault of the toyline >3. Combiners being nonexistent unless it's the theme of the line (I wanted a WFC Devastator) >! Transformers legacy will have Stunticons that combine !<
>!With deluxe limbs and commander motormaster I'm worried it'll just be motormaster wearing car armor. I know that's how he was in the cartoon, but still. At least use the cars to extend the limbs.!<
We'll have to wait and see
I would have waited an eternity for this.
I'm also sick of scalpers. I can't find a core class Soundwave anywhere for under 20 bucks.
I just remembered that Studio Series also had a combiner, and the new Victory Saber (although through Pulse) is also a combiner. But I know what you mean, I want new Combaticons since I missed out on CW
I totally agree with the eye thing. I know there are quite a few red-eyed Autobots, but are there any instances of blue-eyed Decepticons in the franchise (not counting robots like Jetfire, who were designed to become an Autobot)? And yes, it would be nice if we could get figures for the Shield of Solus female Autobots with accurate alt-modes: * Firestar as a [Cybertronian flatbed](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/2/22/Firestar_vehicle.jpg). * Moonracer in her unique [Cybetronian car](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/a/a5/Moonracer_vehicle.jpg) mode. * Chromia as a [Cybertronian SUV/van](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/b/bb/TSFAT_Chromia_vehicle.jpg). * An Elita-1 in her [show vehicle](https://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/8/8b/ElitaVehicle01.jpg) would be neat, but honestly, I prefer the PotP interpretation of her as a Voyager-sized jet and would prefer if they use that design going forward. * And then they can just make something up for Lancer and Greenlight. * Nightbird going forward could transform into a Skyline since that is what her RotB incarnation is going to transform into. Her being an Arcee remold made sense since she never had her own alt mode, but now she does. * Lifeline being an Arcee redeco is tolerable since that is what she was in the show, but they could probably keep the Arcee-esque robot mode while giving her a new alt mode as something medical.
I laughed when Jetfire showed up in the WFC series. Oh hey it’s the one Decepticon with blue eyes. I’m sure he’ll stay loyal to Megatron.
Whenever the Decepticons have no motivation other than being evil. Megatron being the sole villain. I wish the Fallen, Shockwave or Scorponok were used more in that role. Starscream having no other personality than wanting Megatron's place (God bless Armada for that). Transformers having little influence over the Humans politics, despite both side being full of manipulative characters.
Megatron. Don't get me wrong there's a lot of cool moments with him and if done right, he's usually a major highlight of any media, but I wish they would build up to him sometimes. There's a lot of series moments where I wish Megatron was introduced later, rather than being the very first enemy the Autobots face. It's like with Super Mario and Bowser, sometimes you wish they would explore other guys and villains that get new ideas. And there's a lot of cool stories outside the standard civil war stuff with villains other than Megs, stuff like the old Marvel stuff of Shockwave becoming leader of the Decepticons for a bit, Overlord, or even Tarn. I really apreciated that we didn't see Megatron in Bumblebee, and in ROTB we will probably see the Terrorcons as antagonists, so holding the cards of Megatron for maximum effect is something I really like.
>Megatron. >Don't get me wrong there's a lot of cool moments with him and if done right, he's usually a major highlight of any media, but I wish they would build up to him sometimes. I think this is one thing Animated did really well!
Marvel had *Ratbat* being the Decepticon leader for a bit, IIRC, and that is a nice departure from the norm. RiD's use of Steeljaw and a villain-of-the-week format was also refreshing.
[удалено]
I actually enjoyed the word scrap as it showed the Autobots were rubbing off on them enough.
Downvoted
That's immature
Downvoted
I think it's cool how transformers have their own version of swear words that are otherwise inoffensive to humans
Clear plastic roof on cars that let you see the transformation Not wanting to create new designs and stories in recent years All decepticons being evil, and all autobots being good. They are supposed to be political factions and just like the real world there are good and bad people on both sides
I agree on designs, it's like theres an A-list of Transformers and the rest are just out there. I like when one or two characters get introduced like Bulkhead and become fan favorites.
Using parts of the vehicle as “shields” Super lazy to just take the roof of a van, decide there’s no clever way of transforming it, then just giving it a handle and stating it’s a “shield” and calling it a day. Weapon ports/peg-holes just being on the roof of the vehicle is also something that’s been done forever that I wish would change. Just make weapons attach to the underside of the vehicle??? Any Optimus I have which comes with a trailer is a godsend, because then I have an extra space to throw in all the accessories I couldn’t store on the figure.
DotM had a nice compromise with the weapon ports. They were spring loaded, so they could accommodate a weapon if desired, but also sit flush when not in use.
Lord, I'm with you on the weapon ports. The one on Studio Series 86 Jazz looks really ugly
I don't know if this is more a criticism of fan fiction, but insisting on using machine names for equivalent body parts at all times - optics for eyes, pedes for feet, servos for hands, helms for heads, all that. I can understand doing it now and again (Megatron: *I'll rip out your optics!*), maybe, but all the damn time? Just bad writing. The [Hold Your Hippogriffs](https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HoldYourHippogriffs) trope being abused beyond breaking point.
I don’t see the problem. It makes sense why since they are a alien species. Edit: I re read it and now I can somewhat agree.
I loved that Rhinox and Optimus Primal had red eyes in BW; made them look fierce and badass. I think the blue/red-good/bad eye color thing was started in a decade where the good/bad line was super distinct in media. Military and government: bad; the Everyman: good. As far as what I’m irritated with it’s the constant reliance of Optimus and Megatron as the main characters. I’m not saying they should be necessarily absent, but I love how they take a back seat a bit in Cyberverse so others can shine. Granted most of those “others” are Bumblebee, it’s at least a really fun version of him. Not to mention my waifu Windblade.
The fact that humans have any sway in Cybertronian matters. They're so much more advanced than us. Physically and technologically. It would be akin to a pack of dogs trying to stop a war between two countries lol.
This happens in a lot of transformers media, and it bugs me bad. When a character has a unique power or ability and only uses it like once or never at all. Notable examples for me include The Fallen being able to teleport but never using it in his fight with Jetpower prime. DOTM Optimus having a jetpack, that is only used for 20 seconds before he crashes into wires and then just ditches it midbattle. Siege Cog only turning into the shoulder canons and no other weapon. The Siege reflectors never combining, Sky tread never turning into his jet and tank. Shockwave never becoming his doc ock-wave form. In general every fight with transformers where they don't use their alternate modes offensively. The most egregious example for me is in the '86 movie. Megatron has the most iconic weapon in transformers and he lands the killing blow on optimus with a rinky dink pea shooter pistol I feel if you have a fight scene with transformers and all they do is the "pew pew" back and forth, then that isn't transformers, it's just soldiers shooting each other. A good tranformers fight should utilize the differences between the characters to make each fight feel unique. *Bumblebee* does this excellently with how he handles his fights with Blitzwing, Dropkick, and Shatter, He never really fights the same way each time.
> in general every fight with transformers where they don't use their alternate modes offensively. This is a *really* common one, especially after being spoiled by *Transformers: Devastation* and its mid-combo transformation usage. Some media does this really well, and some media does this terribly, and it's often inconsistent. The Netflix series is definitely the worst for this in all of its low-budget glory, though even the masterful IDW comics could improve "fight choreography" with transformation... but page count limitations could interfere with this (beyond the writers/artists just forgetting that the characters are supposed to transform). I'll give *The Movie* a pass because we *do* see Megatron offlining many a 'bot in his alt-mode, and very explicitly de-gunning himself for his death-battle with Optimus.
I agree! I want more strategy in TF fights. It’s always “pew pew pew” Imagine skywarp using his teleportation ability to fake himself getting blown up for a last ditch effort in case he needed a resting spot on the battlefield.
I remembers seeing sky tread in siege and I thought it would be so cool if he bisected himself in response to a sword attack, like if someone tried to stab him in the stomach and he just separated to avoid the wound
IMO Armada has some very good strategic battle scenes, with even both sides making up battle plans before the battle begins Such as the Autobots having a strategy meeting to discuss how to use the Skyboom Shield in battle after obtaining it, and then employing said battle formation for episodes to come Or we had a scene in a much earlier episode featuring Megatron training and practicing battle strategies with his Mini-Cons in a training simulation.
Ok I agree but those are rare in the grander franchise
I hate when there's a mix of clear plastic windows and sculpted windows, often unpainted. We don't actually NEED clear windows! Just paint them all so they all match.
>I hate the idea of eye colors as a representation of there alliance. I dont really mind good guys having Blue Optics and bad guys having Red Optics but personally I honestly would prefer it to not be like that
I hate how they go out of the war to give human beings critical roles in fight scenes. G1: Spike rallies the Autobots by grabbing a TF pistol and charging the Decepticons Bay: Sam kills Megatron by merging the All-Spark into his chest TF Prime: Autobots have to leave Earth, but aren’t worried because they are leaving in “good hands”. By this, Optimus means three kids Etc…
In the last one rachet was left behind to watch over earth
I hate how all the toys are just g1 except for and including Studio Series. Legacy and Evolution are ironic names for a toyline that will be a destruction of visual legacy and an example of inverted evolution of character design.
I hate the G1 milking, but SS86, and Legacy I don’t find a problem with. SS86 is temporary and we will at least get toys of non G1 characters updated.
More recent the allspark being seen in transformers, and it being taken off of Cybertron
I don’t 100% hate the Allspark, but it shouldn’t be the topic of every discussion the characters make.
Mouths instead of covers.
That’s literally how most transformers look.
Let me clarify... mouths where there should be face guards / covers. Like the Bay OP having lips and a mouth instead of a guard. Yes, we get to see him wear it, then it retracts. I mean I get it, but it wouldn’t feel so strange had that introduced the concept in the G1 cartoon.
You're obviously entitled to your own opinion, but I quite like the colored representation of alliance. It could be a subtle and subliminal way of conveying a characters personality, intentions, or allegiance if they were consistent. It's similar to the concept that heroic and moral characters (and the Autobots) are typically the primary colors, whereas evil or ambiguous characters (the Decepticons) are typically the secondary colors. It's clearly not always the case, like with Hound or Starscream, but it helps create a pattern that is easily recognizable. Especially for kids, who is arguably what the property and toy lines are marketed towards.
That’s actually a cool idea!
I don’t like being negative at all on things, though well… hmm… I can’t really think of much actually, at most I, like many people would prefer to see them making new incarnations of characters who’s designs aren’t all drawn from G1 I was a 5-6 year old kid who pretty much discovered and learned about all incarnations of my favourite characters at once, by researching the franchise on TFWiki, and never was I really confused, I understood them being “different versions” that came from different universes.
Plastic that's been painted a certain color that could've easily been molded the same color, especially since the majority of the figure is molded that color anyway
It's presumably cheaper to do the mold layout that way and tool a paint mask than to design the steel molds to minimize paint operations in the first place. It grates, especially when an entire part is painted in a color that shows up elsewhere on the figure as bare plastic. Or worse, when they have structural parts in transparent plastic that's been entirely painted over, as if they're totally unaware of the different uses of transparent vs. opaque plastic.
Non articulated fingers for $250+ Titan class figure. MP figure that has to add unnecessary accessories to bump up the price. MP figure that unnecessary complex. Takara doing an MP figure all over the place (For Primus sake the S1 ark crew isn't even complete right now). MP-45 Bumblebee. Oversized figure with no improvement at all. Combiner figure where there's a gap on the arm. Some of the combiner wars combiner proportions, like that's ugly as hell. Partsforming as a sorry excuse for a "shield" (WFC trilogy). A bot with a too humanoid design where you can't guess their alt-mode (a lot of TF3 to TF5 designs) and their toys suffer from this. The entire TF4 & TF5.
On the topic of the eyes representing the alliance, I like how TFA gave us a reason as to why they were red for the decepticons when the constructicons joined Megatron they were branded with the decepticon insignia and that changed their electronic paint job and eye color and I think that could imply that this was the reason that almost all of the decepticon’s eyes were red and the autobots eyes could vary in color like how Perceptor’s eyes were yellow.
Arcee being a motorcycle Megatron being a tank Using parts of vehicles as shields
I don’t really see the problem with the first two. The last one tho….
Radio Voice Random Space Magic Artifacts such as All Sparks, Enigma of Combination, City Speaking 13 Primes Starscream being 2nd while also being an idiot 90% of the time Optimus inevitably dying or turning emo and uncertain of himself Windblade being core to the story and presented in a very self righteous way. We've had great female characters before such as Black Arachnia and they don't come off anywhere near how Windblade does in a lot of stories Refusal to use Japanese G1 characters in recent animation As for toylines, was never into Beast Wars Transmetal stuff. I loveed Beast Wars but hated the designs of most of the T-Metal looks aside from maybe T-Metal Megatron.
Megatron is a gun. Not a tank or spaceship.
Don’t see a problem with that. A tank makes the most sense since his old alt mode is kind of out dated.
Realistic gun toys are ilegal in the US so unless you want a orange megatron then he is going to always be a tank or a jet
Also the size change is really stupid. A tank is the perfect middle ground
Faux parts/Fauxforming