Author Archives: Maz

About Maz

Diaclone and G1 TF collector & writer from the UK. Also write for & own TF-1.com.

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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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 …

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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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Binaltech BT-01 to BT-04

Start of something beautiful


Licensed real-life vehicles, strong homages to Generation 1 Transformers, updated interpretations with much-improved posability and action figure technology, aimed at the collectors moreso than children, feverishly lapped up by fans during their pomp. No, this is not another article about the new Masterpiece Transformers toy line, I am talking about Takara’s Transformers Binaltech chapter, a series of toys that these …

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What Now? (The New Masterpiece – Part 2)

Geneva Motor Show 1971?


What if Hasbro don’t release the Lamborghini Countach moulds as part of their Masterpiece Transformers line? What if Takara Tomy don’t do a second production run of either toy and instead move along to the other Autobot cars beyond Prowl, Streak and Smokescreen? Prices will continue to rise, that’s what. There’s not currently a whole lot of …

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Good Good Timing (The New Masterpiece – Part 1)

Photobomb!


My timing was not good. Just as the hysteria and popularity surrounding the Takara Tomy Masterpiece Transformers line was reaching record heights and the most popular items were selling out at all online stores, I finally cracked and decided to pursue a new Masterpiece collection. With the only options being the second-hand market or eBay, prices are escalating to the …

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Giftset Gallery – The Popular

Various Transformers giftsets


By definition, a giftset should be something that brings happiness. Not just one Transformer, but sometimes five or six, all of which interact with each other to create something more than the sum of their parts, expecially in the case of the combiner sets. Add in a reassuringly large box covered in artwork, a shedload of accessories, and a healthy dose of …

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Collector Interview 11 – Benjamin Davis

I'd look smug too if I had what's in those cabinets


It’s time for another Source Blog Interview, and we like to think that as we approach a year’s worth of contributions from our esteemed group of selected interviewees, we’ve offered a nice spectrum of gathered experience and eye-candy across the field of vintage Transformers and pre-Transformers collecting. This month, although we …

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