Author Archives: Maz
Transformers GT – Part 1
Gentlemen, start your engines!
What do you get if you cross G1 Transformers characters, moulds from the Binaltech/Alternity conceptual era with Japan’s premier touring car series made famous in the Western world by legendary Sony PlayStation racing series Gran Turismo? Other than the messy shrapnel from my blown combined-hobby-overloaded mind, the result is Takara Tomy’s 2013 exclusive sub-line “Transformers GT”. …
Posted in Source Articles, Transformers GT
Tagged Alternity, Anna, Autech, Calsonic, Convoy, GT-R, Impul, Maximus, Megatron, Misaki, Motul, Nismo, Nissan, Prime, Saber, Star Saber, Super GT, TakaraTomy, Transformers GT, Victory
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2002
Metrotitan - $150 in 2002
I often get told by collectors that they couldn’t possibly imagine starting a pre-Transformers collection due to the staggeringly high prices every item commands nowadays, and it’s true, Diaclone and even Micro Change Series prices do seem to be on a perpetual rise. However, the same collectors are spending hundreds per month on Masterpiece and 3rd Party items, …
Yet More News To Me
Blues Brothers
It’s 2013, approaching 30 years since the launch of The Transformers toy line globally and over 30 years since the dawn of the pre-Transformers “Diaclone” and “Micro Change Series” toy lines in Japan and Europe. There are thousands of Generation 1 collectors and enthusiasts worldwide, there have been dedicated websites for a decade and more. Despite all of that, …
Posted in Diaclone, European Transformers, Japanese Transformers, Mexican Transformers, Micro Change, Minibots, Prototypes, Source Articles, US Transformers
Tagged Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Bumblejumper, Ceji, Cliffjumper, Diaclone, Fortress Maximus, Frenzy, Hasbro, Iga, Mexico, Micro Change Series, Milton Bradley, Optimus Prime, Rumble, Smokescreen, Takara, Transformers, Wheeljack
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Collector Interview 13 – Bryce Rutledge
A wise Ras once said rooms should be measured in 'Detolfs'
Starting off our second year of featured collector interviews on Source Blog is a TFW2005 member who has been getting a lot of positive attention for his exceptional loose toy photography, and deservedly so. He is also an active community member who knows the pain of selling a collection and then …
Posted in Featured Collector's Corner
Tagged 3rd Party, Alternators, Animated, Armada, CHUG, Classics, Cybertron, Energon, G1, Giftsets, Hasbro, Masterpiece, Micromasters, Overlord, Reissues, Takara, Transformers
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(Not a) Vintage Year
Rare toy, battered bubble, what would you do?
Paint chips? Loose joints? Questionable paint application? Damaged packaging? This is all part of the territory when it comes to collecting vintage Transformers and pre-Transformers, whether we’re buying loose or boxed, rare or common. To hear such vociferous complaints from collectors of more recent toys about the same issues can sometimes be amusing, as …
Posted in Diaclone, European Transformers, Masterpiece, Minibots, Reissues, Source Articles, US Transformers
Tagged Autobot, Battle Convoy, Buzzsaw, Decepticon, Diaclone, Fairlady Racing, Frenzy, gold plastic syndrome, Headmaster, Huffer, Killbison, Liokaiser, Lynsa, Masterpiece, Milton Bradley, MP-16, Optimus Prime, Peru, Red Tracks, Skullcruncher, Smokescreen, Transformers
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Binaltech: Asterisk BTA-01 to BTA-03
The human infestation begins
Once in a while, spin-offs can be enjoyed more than the source. I prefer Stargate Atlantis to SG1, Deep Space 9 to TNG, Spawn: The Undead to Spawn and Ketchup to tomatoes. In late 2005, when the main Transformers Binaltech line by Takara in Japan began to wane in popularity, just before it was placed on indefinite gardening leave, Takara …
Posted in Binaltech Alternators, Source Articles
Tagged Alert, Asterisk, Binaltech, Blaster, Broadblast, Crosscut, Dodge Viper, Red Alert, Subaru Impreza, Sunstreaker, Takara, Toyota Bb, Transformers
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Binaltech BT-13 to BT-16
Finish with a flourish
When Transformers collectors speak about Generation 1, the rose-tinted glasses come out and nostalgia colours perceptions. The technology employed at the time of manufacture is now appreciated for what it was in the grand scheme of things, and the figures that made up the line are enjoyed as venerable icons. When collectors now speak of Binaltech, they’re sometimes described as “ahead of …
Posted in Binaltech Alternators, Source Articles
Tagged Alternators, Binaltech, BT-13, BT-14, BT-15, BT-16, Ford Mustang GT, Hasbro, Honda Integra, Laserwave, Mazdaspeed RX-8, Prowl, Scion, Shockwave, Skids, Takara, Toyota Bb, Transformers, Type-R, Wheeljack
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Binaltech BT-09 to BT-12
Experimentation
Cowards play it safe. Think of a breakthrough artist whose first album showed glimmers of massive potential including an unforgettable debut hit that will be chanted in stadiums forever. The second album builds on that potential shown to establish the band as something special, but then comes the difficult third album where a crossroads is reached. Do you go for the same winning …
Posted in Binaltech Alternators, Source Articles
Tagged Alternators, Binaltech, BT-09, BT-10, BT-11, BT-12, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, Grimlock, Honda S2000, Jeep Wrangler, Overdrive, Ravage, Swindle, Takara, Transformers
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Binaltech BT-05 to BT-08
Enter the repaints
Binaltech, Alternators, reissues, Cybertron, Energon, Armada, Classics, Henkei, United, Generations, Movie, Animated, Prime, 3rd Party and Masterpiece, the scenery has been moving rapidly for Transformers collectors in the last decade. For completists the sheer weight of product must have been overwhelming, and for the dabblers not much easier. That’s to say nothing about the distraction of vintage collecting.
Often …
Collector Interview 12 – Brandon Yap
Very well presented
For this month’s dedicated Transformers collector interview, we wrap up the first year of features in style with one of the most impressive and well-known collections in the community, that of popular blogger Brandon “heroic_decepticon” Yap. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have the honour of interviewing some of the hobby’s most respected luminaries in the last 12 …
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