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Magdalene Visaggio: There's a ton of great concepts in the old Visionaries cartoon from a storytelling standpoint. The basic structure of the show is super compelling. But I knew that that kind of content wasn't going to fly in 2017. So I approached this much like Ron Moore approached Battlestar Galactica: what's the stuff here that matters, versus what's the stuff here's that's designed to sell toys? We only have five issues to work with, so everything needed to be streamlined; initially that meant paring down the cast and simplifying the magical system, which in the show involves multiple animal totems, with some of the players getting magical staves and others getting the power to control ancient vehicles. I basically stripped everything down to something that wouldn't demand copious explanation: everyone gets a staff that can summon holograms, nobody gets more than one totem, etc.
I also really can't stand it when villains exist for the sole purpose of being evil. So I needed to figure out what exactly separates the Darkling Lords from the Spectral Knights. You know, what is the story the Darklings are telling themselves where they're the good guys? So I landed on the idea that they're both factions of a single organization run by Merklynn – the Visionaries, natch – with different philosophies that went into schism. There's more there that's gonna come into play as the book unfolds.
Fico Ossio: We kept the original concept, the idea behind Visionaries and started from there. After we had the story, we worked on what this world and characters should look like and then matched that with the original designs/characters and IDW's Transformers. But overall we wanted to do a complete update from the original for the most part.
Sarah Gaydos: For me, the key was having a believable situation where both the Visionaries and our current IDW version of Transformers all would exist believably in one place, so it just didn't make sense to stick with a vintage look. Fico did a fantastic job of updating the character design and mechanics of the Visionaries. I couldn't be happier with it!
[...]
SPOILER obviously provided many more big moments in the comics for IDW, and you highlighted some of those moments at the end of the book. Fans will want to see [them] avenged, right?
Magdalene Visaggio: And [they're] not going to be the only one to die before all this is over. This is a high-stakes story that is going to have long-term consequences for the IDW G1 franchise.
Fico Ossio: OH YES! I'm looking forward to drawing that.
Sarah Gaydos: Hell yes, I want to see [them] avenged. This book has real stakes, real emotions at play. Mags is doing a fantastic job with balancing all these aspects of intrigue, betrayal, grief, and somehow packing in a ton of heart all at the same time. And Fico's art, with colors by David Garcia Cruz, captures the incredible visuals of New Prysmos, while still bringing the spirit of Transformers everyone knows and loves to life.
[...]
With magic playing such a big part, you chose some interesting characters to combat that in Wheeljack, a scientist, Breakdown and Ironhide, a typically traditional, protective and defensive voice. Talk about playing those personalities up against New Prysmos, Darkling Lords and Spectral Knights.
Magdalene Visaggio: Ha, yeah. I actually didn't get much of a say in the matter, which I think is really cool. So many other characters were occupied in other books and stories, so these were the face characters that were available – which is kind of exactly how it happens in-universe, too; you don't always get to pick your team. I credit David Mariotte for handing me a group of Cybertronian heroes who would be a great foil to the Visionaries I was reinventing.
David Mariotte: It's true, there are a lot of other Transformers doing a lot of other things right now, but we worked with my predecessor, Carlos Guzman, to figure out a core handful of characters that would be available and a good fit. And a lot of them fell into place naturally. Ironhide is a head of security on Cybertron and suddenly there's this whole city with unknown capabilities that he has to deal with. Wheeljack's a scientist who is suddenly up against a force that defies explanation. Breakdown, and I'll never stop harping on how well Mags writes him, has been a background character for a while now, but he finally gets his chance to step up and show Cybertron what he's made out of.
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Ironhidensh wrote:
So, I kinda feel like this guy is a bit of a sleeper MP. There really hasn't been a whole lot of excitement and build up for his release. At least, that's how I feel, and that's a shame. This guy is absolutely amazing. Seriously, I've only had him in hand for about 48 hours, but I'm ready to put his right at the top of the list of MP figures. Not only that, but its been a hot minute since we got a new carbot, so its nice to get back to that. Lets start of with the alt mode.
Takara really out did themselves this time. They packed a whole lot of awesome into a really small package. Sunny is a standard MP car size, and yet, along with being fully transformable to an amazing robot mode, he actually has two car modes. A standard Countach:
And a "Super Lambo":
Sunstreaker comes with two weapons, and the ability to store them both, at least in super mode. I don't think it works in "regular" Countach mode. Still though, a true MP needs the ability to carry or store its weapons while in alt mode, and Sunny passes the test.
Another neat little add on, you may remember in the original G1 cartoon, in the very first episode (or at least in one of the first parts of the first episode) the scene where Trailbreaker calls for back up, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe answer the call. Sunny pops a little laser gun out of his backside, and blasts away at the Seekers chasing them. Yep, Sunny here can do that.
I was actually going to recreate the scene, but this little project was taking longer than I thought, and I didn't want to transform my MP Sideswipe and Trailbreaker, which is the sole reason you will see 'Breaker in a later photo.
Yes, Sunny is a truly beautiful car mode, and he still has one more really cool and neat feature: pop up headlights!
Its just a really neat and cool feature. It shows the effort, and dare I say, even love of character that obviously went into the design of Sunny. His doors and hood also open up like the real vehicle, but for me, it just exposes the inner workings of the toy. Nice, but not a huge feature for me. I really only have one gripe on car mode, and that is the plastic tires. God, how I hate the plastic tires. Yes, its a dead horse, but Imma keep beating that ****.
Now done with alt mode, we move on to the main event, the robot. The transformation to bot mode is actually fun. With many MP style figures it can be a pain. An amazing one, but a pain still. I really don't think that with Sunny. Its fun and inspired. Honestly, words don't do it justice, you just need to experience it. Here is the glorious result:
Its very toon accurate. Maybe a little too much in spots. For my tastes, I would have appreciated a different head, but nothing is close to a deal breaker. He does have a bit of a backpack though, but I'm making peace with backpacks on MPs. In fact, I'm starting a little club.
He does look good though. He also comes with a lot of accessories. As mentioned, he had two guns:
That he can store in bot mode as well:
I find the leg storage and very neat little trick. He also, as is pretty standard by now with MP figures, comes with alternate faces:
He also comes with a Chip Chase in wheelchair figure, and that silly alien face from a season 2 episode:
When you stand him next to his brother Sideswipe, I feel he clearly stands out as the better looking figure, and not just in his own mind. I've felt for a while now that we need a new Sideswipe, and in my humble opinion at least, Sunstreaker really drives that home. Not that Sideswipe is a bad figure, but you can clearly tell the designers have learned a thing or two. Sunny also looks good with others:
A concern I read early in the thread mentioned his side view mirrors and the possibility of breakage during transformation. While I can see that, I had no difficulty changing him with out damage there. I think that clearance room was very much taken into consideration during design, and that every thing works just fine. If not, Takara has you covered as they have added a replacement set:
This is a very welcome habit that Takara has gotten into.
In conclusion, I have almost no complaints on this figure. Sunstreaker is an amazing work of art, and a worthy addition to any collection. I really can't recommend this figure enough.
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STAR WARS: THE BLACK SERIES 6” WAVE 26 - CPT REX, DJ, REY
Kids and fans alike can imagine the biggest battles and missions in the Star Wars saga with figures from The Black Series! With exquisite features and decoration, this series embodies the quality and realism that Star Wars devotees love.
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TRANSFORMERS POWER OF THE PRIMES LEADER RODIMUS & OPTIMUS PRIME
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HOT TOYS IRON MAN MARK IV & GANTRY
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MARVEL ANIMATED SPIDER-MAN & MARY JANE
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BLACK PANTHER 1/10 ART SCALE DIORAMA SERIES
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RESIDENT EVIL: VENDETTA ARTFX STATUES
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BANDAI JAPAN EXCLUSIVES
Grab your favorite anime, movie, video game, and TV show characters as exclusive collectibles from Bandai Japan! Each limited edition model kit, statue, and figure features series-accurate sculpt and character-specific accessories.
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JUST FUNKY KITCHENWARE & ACCESSORIES
These collectible yet practical items are perfect for fans of The Walking Dead, Cuphead, Rick and Morty, and even Death Note! Anyone can enjoy these cool glasses, mugs, keychains, and more from Just Funky.
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Call it a mood swing or call it a mood SPIN; with Mighty Muggs, heads are going to turn… literally. With 3 different expressions and a classic character design that’ll have collectors doing a triple take, Marvel and Star Wars Mighty Muggs send moods on the upswing. $10.99 Each
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BATMAN V SUPERMAN KNIGHTMARE BATMAN 1/2 SCALE STATUE
Prime 1 Studio is proud to present Knightmare Batman from the Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice film. Knightmare Batman is crafted in 1/2 scale with attention to detail, standing around 43 inches tall. It is a must-have Batman for all DC Comics fans. $2,199.99
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BLACK PANTHER MARVEL LEGENDS
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TRANSFORMERS MASTERPIECE SUNSTREAKER & BLACK CONVOY
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OVERWATCH FIGMA NO.352 TRACER
From the hit video game Overwatch comes a figma figure of the incredibly popular Tracer! This articulated figure features smooth joints, allowing you to pose and display her on her stand. Tracer includes 3 faceplates, her trusty Pulse Pistols, and a Pulse Bomb. $69.99
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TRANSFORMERS NEMESIS PRIME BBTS EXCLUSIVE PREMIUM SCALE FIGURE
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Y-02 DATA COURIER BUZZING
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You focus on the history of a different toy for each of the eight episodes. What did the process look like for picking which toys to focus on?
In picking the toys, we sort of created four categories that we would pay attention to when we were asking whether or not a toy belonged.
Category one: Are the toys still being made today? We didn’t want to look at a toy that was great for three years or even ten years and then went away. We wanted to be covering toys that were relevant 30, or, in some cases, even 50 years ago and are still relevant today.
Category two: If there was a Mount Rushmore of toys, would this toy be selected? Could Optimus Prime be up there? Yeah, so that makes the cut. It means there needs to be a personality or a face.
Category three: Does the toy have a fanatical following? I wanted to find out the history of toys that had conventions where people were dressing up.
Category four: Is there a good story to tell? If there was a toy that became a hit and that was that, we didn’t want to cover it.
Why do you think toys can play such a strong role in shaping us even as adults?
Everyone has an imagination and toys allow you to utilize your imagination more than watching TV or reading books ever could. When I was a kid, there were no toy versions of the ships in Star Trek so I would make my own out of LEGOs. And eventually, I started designing my own Star Trek ships with LEGOs. When I started drawing Star Trek ships in eighth grade, I’m drawing the ones I designed as well as the ships from the show. I wouldn’t have done that without LEGO. Toys allow us to manifest our imagination in a physical way.
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