How to Roll Out Sider by: PracticeBMX

How Roll Out by: PracticeBMX

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Sir Richard Branson shows off the rocket plane he will use to take fare-paying passengers into space…. From BBC News. Full story

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Ultra Magnus is one of my favorite G1 characters. There’s a reason why the Autobot Matrix of Leadership was left with him when Prime was on his death bed. UM is both an excellent soldier and capable field commander. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he had become leader instead of that punk Hot Rod. Maybe G1 Transformers never would have died and even today we still be in G1 (ok maybe not, but I can dream).

As a toy, UM usually does not get the love he deserves. In almost all toy lines, he is simply a repaint of the Optimus Prime toy in that line (only exception I can think of is TFA, which has a kick-ass UM toy btw). In the Classic line this was as usual the case. Hasbro repainted Prime into white and blue, packaged him along with Skywarp, and released this 2-pack set as a Target Exclusive in early 2007. Don’t get me wrong, I love this mold. Out of all my Prime toys, I rank this mold in the top 3. I just wish that Hasbro gave UM a unique mold, or make tweaks to the Prime mold to make UM stand out a little more.

Enter FansProject. In 2008 they released the TFX-01 City Commander, an armor set for Classic Ultra Magnus. In alt mode, this set is attached as his trailer. In robot mode, the trailer transforms into his armor that is very reminiscent of the G1 character. I won’t go into the details, but this set is perhaps the greatest TF add-on that has ever been produced. The units quickly sold out. It retailed for about $75. I had to ebay mine sometime later at around $110.

As great as TFX-01 was, it was not perfect. TF fans, being what they are (read: super picky), were quick to point out that the set did not include his missiles, and still did not address the issue of his very un-G1-like gun. In response to this, FansProject released TFX-03, an add-on set to TFX-01 that includes both the missiles and a new gun that is more in tune with the design of UM’s G1 gun. TFX-03 includes a few more items that I will go into detail for this post.

I bought TFX-03 from BigBadToyStore. I’ve never bought anything from them before, so as a first purchase I felt it was safe to try something cheap. TFX-03 retails for $11.99 only, not a bad item to try BBTS with. Cheapest shipping option was about $7 which made the whole thing close to $20.

The item arrived one whole week before Thanksgiving, but I was not home so I picked this up in person at the UPS office the next day. I knew there wouldn’t be much in the add-on, so imagine my surprise when they handed me this box. I placed it next to a soda can so you get a sense of the size.

I started to wonder if this would be something extraordinary, to have it shipped in such a large box. Imagine my disappointment when I got home and opened the box.

I put this next to the same soda can to show how puny this add-on set is. I guess for the price, this is what you get. But why did BBTS have to use such a large box? I think they could have used smaller packaging which would translate to lower shipping costs for their customers. So already my impression of BBTS is not that favorable. But this post is not about BBTS so I’ll stop ranting now.

As far as the packaging goes for TFX-03, I’m a little disappointed. Yeah I know it’s just accessories, but I still feel it should have come in a box. This thing feels like a cheap lunch bag. Some fans have pointed out that they did this so you can store the whole thing in the box of TFX-01. Maybe. But nevertheless I’m still not impressed.

I was out of town for Thanksgiving, but I finally got around to opening this today. Inside the package there is one cardboard that serves as the instructions and all the items inside bubble wrap. The pic below shows all the items.

There are two shoulder launchers, each with 2 missiles. The missiles do not fire at all, but they can be detached. There is the G1-like gun. I should have took pics of this, but the gun can transform as well. In this pic here, it is in cannon mode. It can transform into rifle mode. It’s not a complex transformation by any means, but it still looks kinda cool. The items inside the bag are extra replacement faces for the City Commander. My understanding is that it is hard to swap these faces, and I already like how UM looks, so I’m not even gonna bother with these. But in case you’re curious, there are three faces here. The top face in the bag is like the face for Shadow Commander. The middle face is like the one that is on TFX-01, but I think this one has the eyes painted white. The bottom face has UM’s mouth open. If you want to give City Commander a OMG look (like when Galvatron and the Sweeps are shooting him good) then you use this face.

Here is the alt mode with the missiles mounted. On the set I got, the launchers on the right side stays on ok, but on the left side they do not stay on that well. They are attached to the trailer by these slots that fit over some tabs toward the upper-front area. Just shaking the unit a little will cause the launchers to fall off, but I guess this is the best they can do when originally missiles were not designed for it. Also, the gun cannot be attached in the the alt mode, which is a disappointment.

At this point I should mention that there is a combined set that includes both TFX-01 and TFX-03 in one package, released in 2009. The items of TFX-03 are exactly the same in the combination set, but the trailer/armor is tweaked slightly from TFX-01 to better accommodate the new accessories. For instance, there are holes carved into the side of the enhanced trailer, and to attach the missiles you just use the pegs on the launchers. On the 09 version it is also possible to attach the gun to the trailer. I don’t know how, but the instructions show that it’s possible. The combination set retails for about $88 at BBTS, and that’s certainly a better deal than buying them separately. If I didn’t already have TFX-01, I definitely get this new set. Seems like it is better and cheaper too.

Here is the City Commander is robot mode. The missile launchers fit nicely in this mode. There are holes already punched into the shoulders, so you simply insert the pegs on the launchers. Some people have complained that these are loose and that they easily fall off, but mine seems to be ok. Seems fairly tight to me. He is holding the gun in cannon mode. I don’t think it is possible to hold it in rifle mode in bot mode, there is too much in the way.

Another shot of UM with all his weapons. Come and get some.

These missiles here are actual G1 missiles launchers on the original Ultra Magnus. They can be attached to TFX-01 as well, using the same holes on the shoulders. FansProject sure thought of everything. I purposely left one missile out so you see the custom spring I engineered into the launchers. These US G1 launchers originally did not come with springs so the missiles don’t fire at all, unlike their Japanese counterparts. When I was a kid, I found some springs and put them in. Now they fire at least 10 feet. An achievement I’m still very proud of to this day.

City Commander with original G1 launchers attached.

City Commander with ROTF Leader Class Optimus. With the armor, UM is only a tad smaller. I like to see some Decepticons try to mess with these two.

Well folks, there you have it. My final verdict is that TFX-03 is a good add-on, but a little disappointing due to the reasons I mentioned. If I was rating the 09 version with TFX-03 I might give it a higher recommendation, but as for those of you that already have TFX-01, only get the add-on if you really want the missiles, the gun, or the extra faces.

Transform and Roll Out!

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I’ve always wanted to do a group shot of all my Optimus Primes. I didn’t really have anything to do today, other than watch football, so in between halftimes and timeouts I dug out all my Primes from their various hiding spots and assembled them together for a group photo. During the process, even I became amazed at how many Optimus figures I have, and I don’t even have them all. This just goes to show what a popular character the Autobot Leader really is.

From left to right:
Bottom row: Alternator, 2007 Movie (First Strike Voyager class)
Middle row: Cybertron (Deluxe class), Titanium (War Within 1st version), Hybrid (THS-02), G1 (25th Anniversary Reissue), Classic (Voyager class), TFA (Voyager class)
Top row: ROTF (Leader class), Masterpiece (MP-04), 2007 Movie (Leader class)

Below are some of my un-opened figures of Optimus:

Clockwise from top left:
Classic Optimus Prime and Megatron Ultimate Battle 2-Pack (Deluxe class), Robot Masters (RM-01), Alternity (red), Alternity (silver), G1 (2002 TRU Reissue), Encore (01), G1 (25th Anniversary Reissue)

Here is a pic of the Movie Primes in their alt modes:

From left to right:
2007 Movie (First Strike Voyager class), ROTF (Leader class), 2007 Movie (Leader class)

Dune Runner snuck in there, watching from afar, wishing he could hang with the Primes

And in the words of Optimus Prime, Transform and Roll Out!

In an earlier post, I mentioned I am on the hunt for Masterpiece Skywarp. Today around noon I finally found him at the Walmart near my work. There are like 34 sightings on Seibertron by now. I don’t know why Northern California is so slow to get these, but I’m just glad I didn’t miss out on a US Masterpiece Edition. There were close to 2 dozen units of these in the store. The best part… only $55! Everyone else reported $60 so I’m getting a $5 break. Any savings is better than none.

Overall, he is packaged very similar to how MP Starscream was packaged. Check out the pics.

Looks great from the front.
 

I love the side artwork.
 

Conversion Level is only 3?! WTF?! All MPs should automatically be 4.
 

I’m very happy with this find. Another great TF to my collection.

TransFans, get him before he teleports off the shelf. Transform and Roll Out!

I’m normally not a fan of Scout Class figures. I think they’re too small and not worth the value. However the other day I came across this Youtube video by Peaugh. And just so everyone knows, Peaugh is probably THE reviewer for Transformers when it comes to Youtube TF reviews. His status in the TF community is now legendary and I always watch his videos if I’m deciding if I should get a TF figure.

The above video is mostly about Beachcomber. And I’m always excited about G1 characters in any TF toy line. As the video suggests, Beachcomber will appear in ROTF as a repaint of Scout Class Dune Runner. I will be buying Beachcomber as soon as he hits the shelves, but I have no idea how Peaugh gets the figures so early. I don’t think I can wait for Beachcomber, so the next best thing is to buy Dune Runner and check it out for myself, which is exactly what I did.

I’ve had some time to mess this mold now, and I will say that Dune Runner is very cool. He reminds me of Deluxe Landmine from the first movie, but in many ways he is more sturdy. I’ll start with the bot mode since that’s how he’s packaged. I like the overall colors, and he’s nicely proportionate. I think the two guns on this shoulders are very cool, especially for a Scout Class figure. These guns can be adjusted and angled in a number of ways. He’s got a decent level of articulation, he can stand up nicely on his feet, and he holds his poses well. I like his head sculpt too. Most movie figures have this “bug” look that I don’t like, especially in the head design, but I don’t sense that from Dune Runner. If anything, he looks more G1 than ROTF, and in my book that’s a very good thing.

In alt mode, Dune Runner is very nice as well. He is very solid as a dune buggy. The guns in this mode can be angled vertically to make it look like he’s aiming for some Decepticons coming from above. The vehicle mode rolls very nicely on a flat surface. He’s got a fair level of detail in this mode. I’m not sure what is the meaning behind the 0318 painted on the doors. The transformation from bot to buggy is nothing we haven’t seen before and the overall transformation is fairly simple, but keep in mind this is a Scout Class figure, so I’m not exactly looking for originality here.

I do have two minor gripes with this figure. First, from bot to alt mode, it can be hard to get the arms just right to make it fold in. It took me quite a while to figure out the arms are supposed to go exactly. If you don’t get it just right, and side of the buggy won’t line up well and you will see lots of seems on the doors and the roof. The other gripe I have is the price. Sure, at $7.49 he’s very affordable, but considering Deluxe figures only run for $10 and they are twice the size, I expect Scout class figures to be around $5. I guess this is more a complain with Scout Class figures in general and not Dune Runner, but still. If I was very budget conscious, I would not be picking up Scout Class figures. Certainly I would not buy Dune Runner if I already had Landmine (which I do).

But overall, Dune Runner is a very solid mold and I’m glad I picked him up. He is very highly regarded in all the Youtube TF reviews that I have come across, including both SEANxLONG and Optibotimus, in addition to Peaugh. This is the perfect mold to repaint into Beachcomber, because of the dune buggy alt mode, the small size, and the G1-like head sculpt. Dune Runner gets high marks from me and I encourage every TF fan to pick him up. And of course you know I will go out and buy Beachcomber when he appears on day 1.

Here’s to Scout Class figures… Transform and Roll Out!

Now that I have successfully found Insections and Perceptor, my next target to be hunted is the US version of Masterpiece Skywarp.

This is a Walmart Exclusive, as the pic clearly shows. I made a trip earlier today around noon and I did not see him However I did see the other 2-Pack that is shown in the pic here, which may indicate that my Walmart will have it soon (I already have Sideways and I already have the Blowpipe mold as Dropkick, so I will pass on the 2-Pack). I got one Walmart near my work and one near my home, and I’ll be checking both frequently until he is hunted. As of this writing there are 31 sightings on Seibertron. I shop at Walmart frequently anyway (I know, bad habit) which makes this a convenient hunt, but I have made trips to Walmart just to hunt for TFs (another bad habit ) so who knows how many trips I’ll make before I find him. MP Skywarp retails for $60.

Oh, and I did check the Walmart website. Skywarp is not on there. And I’m not willing to pay markup from Ebay or other online sellers, so I’ll be making the trips to Walmart. I really don’t mind. There is something fun about finding TFs in person that the online experience simply doesn’t substitute. It’s hard to explain in words.

The US version is different from the Japanese Masterpiece version. This post explains it pretty well in detail. Basically the US version will have the same face as MP Starscream, whereas the Japanese version has a different “high-handed” expression for Skywarp. I would prefer the Japanese one, but it’s around $100. I don’t think paying an extra $40 for the face is worth it.

“Why are my eyes yellow?”
 

“Ahh… this bed is very comfy.”

“Strike when the enemy isn’t looking… oh wait, you are looking.”

That’s all for now. Until next time… Transform and Roll Out!

There are a whole lotta Transformers in the TF universe. To give them more personality and character, the creators of the show gave many of them interesting speech patterns. Some of them are very charming, while others are just plain annoying.

But you gotta figure that for a race with unlimited technological advances at their disposal, such as transformation, mass-shift, intergalactic travel, and space folding just to name a few, fixing speech patterns for the vocally unorthodox should be a simple matter. My guess is Transformers don’t value speech all that highly, or maybe some of them are simply too proud of their individuality.

Below I present my top 10 Transformers that could use a lesson in speech etiquette. I would love to hear any of these guys make a wedding toast.

10. Wheelie Wheelie talks in a funny way. Wheelie will annoy you every day. Wheelie likes humping Megan Fox’s leg. Wheelie rhymes ’cause Wheelie’s gay.

9. Wreck-Gar Wreck-Gar and the Junkions learned how to talk by watching Earth’s TV. I guess it’s true that TV does turn brain to mush. Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong?

8. Blurr Blur talks so fast and so much to hear what he is saying is abolutely positively definitely impossible and you try and try and try but he keeps talking and he talks non-stop and you try some more and you don’t give up until you get him but it’s just impossible impossible impossible.

7. Waspinator Poor Waspinator. The only TF to come from Beast Wars on this list, Waspinator talks in a high-pitch voice, always refers to himself in the third person, and has silly aliases for everyone. He has a tendency to get himself blown up every episode, only to come back in the next episode (if not in the same episode) to get his big stripey butt kicked some more.

6. Seaspray Someone fix Seaspray’s vocal generators stat. This guy sounds like he is constantly under water and his speech is filled with bubble or gurgling sounds. Sometimes I wonder how other Autobots understand him. However a mermaid did fall in love with him so I guess chicks dig it.

5. Warpath Warpath is one over-caffeinated Autobot. He ends every sentence with a “wham”, “bam”, “zoom”, or “yeehaw”. Dude, chill.

4. Insecticons The Insecticons must be around if you hear speech echoes. It sounds pretty cool at first, but after while they just start to bug (pun intended).

3. Omega Supreme Words few. Talk unnecessary. Resolve unyielding. Firepower overwhelming. Personality boring.

2. Soundwave The king of monotone speaking usually has little to say, but when he does, Deceptioncs usually listen. I like the way Soundwave talks, I can’t explain why. But it is ironic that the Decepticon communications officer, with an audio device as his alt mode no less, cannot speak in less robotic ways.

1. Grimlock Me Grimlock no bozo. Me grimlock love Kup’s war stories. Me Grimlock no like you. Me Grimlock love saying me Grimlock. Me Grimlock number one on this stupid list. Me Grimlock King.

Me Grimlock say… Transform and Roll Out!

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Today I had some spare time so I decided to compile a list of every Transformer that I own. The list only includes TFs I purchased since 2004, the year that I got back into TF collecting. Compiling this list took a little bit of time, but I’m glad I did. Having a list like this puts in perspective just how many TFs I own

Hopefully this list will provide some street cred to my TF hardness. Or just demonstrate how crazy about TFs I really am.

Click here to see the list, or simply click on My TF List on top.

To all the Autobots and Decepticons on this list… Transform and Roll Out!

In a earlier post I mentioned that I must find the 25th Anniversary versions of Insecticons and Perceptor. Yesterday I finally found them at my local TRU. I quickly bought one of each. I know… at $34.99 each they seem a tad expensive, but in the same previous post I went into why I don’t agree. There was still one Perceptor left on the shelve when I left TRU, but no more Insecticons.

Check out the pics below.

I love the artwork and the silver TRU Exclusive sticker on the front. “Decepticon Agents”?! That’s a new one.

“It’s a world where things are not what they seem. It’s a world of heroic Autobots and evil Decepticons who are known as… the Transformers!” They repeated the G1 box descriptions word for word. Awesome!

Both of them with the lid open side by side.

Look at all the details on the Insecticons! They sure don’t make them like this anymore.

Robot, microscope, and… tank! Perceptor kicks ass… or not. He’s a lover not a fighter.

I just noticed that all 3 Insecticons have wheels on the feet in insect mode. Somehow I didn’t think this was weird back in the 80s…

I’m not sure if I will be opening these. In the box they just look too cool and these may be primed to go up in value. We’ll see.

That’s it for now my fellow TransFans. Remember… Transform and Roll Out!

The other day I happened upon an image of movie Optimus Prime, and seeing him with lips just don’t do it for me. That G1 mouthpiece is just too iconic, and seeing movie Prime yap his trap is just silly.

This got me to thinking, what do Transformers need mouths for anyway? Like all machines, they have infinite ways to communicate that humans can only dream of. If they feel the need to “talk”, or if audio transmission is only to communicate with humans, they can easily do it through other standard audio channels. They don’t need to eat. Ingest Energon maybe, but I’m sure they have other means to do so. A mouth for a Transformer simply serves no purpose, but it seems like most TFs have them.

But some clearly do not. So I got to thinking, what are my top favorite TFs that have no mouths? This includes TFs that either use a mouthpiece or is missing a mouth altogether. Below I humbly present my top 10 favorite Transformers that let their actions do their talking for them, instead of their pie holes.

10. Sixshot
Sixshot is unique in the TF universe for being the first TF with 6 modes (I think the only other one is Quickswitch). Truly a one-robot army, he came way too late in the US G1 cartoons to fully make an impact. In the Japanese continuation, however, he has a much bigger role. Sixshot lets all his transformations do the talking for him. It should be noted that his wolf mode does have a mouth, but that’s probably just there to bite all his enemies to shreds. I think my cousin had this toy when we were kids. I believe he was re-issued this decade in Japan, I should hunt one down. Better yet, I like to see a Classic update of this character. To accommodate 6 modes, he’s gotta be Voyager class or bigger. With the toy technology they have today, he would be so awesome. Oh man I’m getting excited just thinking about it.

9. Getaway
I have always loved the Powermasters. The idea that a Nebulan partner transforms into the engine, which then unlocks the Transforming mechanism of the TF, is… well… pretty stupid actually. If I was a TF, and I needed a partner to unlock what I could’ve done any time I pleased, I might as well shoot myself. However, the toys themselves were cool. Getaway made this list mainly because I had his toy as a kid (and I still do, complete, intact, and in good shape with tight joints), and I’m always partial to TFs that I own. But more importantly, the G1 Powermaster figures all had pretty good molds, with cool designs and robust construction. Getaway in my opinion was the best of the Autobot car Powermasters. His alt mode is supposedly a Mazda RX-7, and the robot mode looks nicely balanced. His profile is also unique for being the masterful escape artist, something not shared by any other TF to my knowledge. In the Movie line of toys, he appeared as Breakaway (repaint of Cybertron Excellion), a Walmart exclusive. Getaway did not appear at all in the US G1 cartoons. However, he appeared many times in the US Marvel Comics continuity, and has a significant role in Vol 3 of the War Within series (which is unfortunately unfinished).

8. Bombshell
I have always too loved the Insecticons. Transforming into insects is just too freakin’ cool. I also went into why Bombshell is special for me in a previous post. Bombshell is the only Insecticon without a mouth. Though all Insecticons feed like crazy so I guess they put the mouths in their bug modes to good use. Bombshell has the special ability to mind control his targets with cerebral shells. All 3 Insecticons (and maybe even the deluxe guys from G1) would be good to re-do in the Classic line. There shouldn’t be any licensing issues whatsoever, and with insects the toy designers should be able to get very creative.

7. Scrapper
The Constructicons are one of my favorite sub-groups of all time in the TF universe. They were the first Combiner group introduced, and Devastator gave the Autobots all they can handle. Not only powerful, the Constructicons are also master builders and engineers. It’s hard to say who is the most famous Constructicon, but Scrapper definitely deserves consideration. As the Constructicon leader, he’s always supervising the Decepticon’s latest construction project, whether it be a new weapon, space cruiser, command outpost, or whatever. He seems to take an evil delight in all his creative pursuits, and I love the way he orders the team to unite when the Autobots are about to kick their butt.

6. Wheeljack
The resident “mad scientist” of the Autobots, Wheeljack is always working on something when he’s not too busy helping Ratchet repairing their wounded comrades. Wheeljack is famous for being the first TF we see on screen in the G1 cartoons and for creating the Dinobots. He does not have a mouth at all. When he speaks, the two pieces to the sides of his head lights up, indicating he has communicated. This is actually how I anticipate TFs to talk. Rumor has it that Wheeljack is getting an update in the next wave of Classic figures, something I highly anticipate.

5. Bruticus
Of all the Combiner teams, the Combaticons are my favorite. I remember back in grade school, my classmates and I would argue over which is the best Combiner team. Many voted for the Stunticons, some liked the Aerialbots. They were both good choices, but my vote goes to the Combaticons. Let me explain why. For the Stunticons and Aerialbots, the figures that form the limbs are not at all diverse. All the Aerialbot jets transform the same way, and so does the Stunticon cars (though to a lesser degree). Once you bought one, it’s like you bought them all. The Construction toys were old and outdated by the time the newer Combiners rolled around. And the Protectobots, well, they were a bunch of wussies in the cartoon so I don’t think anyone liked them. Not counting the later seasons, this only leaves the Combaticons. They were powerful in the cartoon, many times beating the other combiner teams. And as for the toy, each limb component were truly unique from each other, in both transformation and alt mode. And they all transform into combat vehicles! I don’t think it’s any surprise that Hasbro re-released this figure set 6 times after G1! That in itself should prove this is the most popular combiner set. My first Combaticon was Blastoff, and I slowly collected the rest as time went. Finding Vortex back then was a real challenge, I think he’s the rarest one out of the five. I still have my G1 set, all complete, the pride and joy of my G1 collection (though Onslaught is getting quite loose). I think all the Decepticon combined forms has the same personality (strong and dumb), but Bruticus comes from my favorite team so I had to put him on here. And when I was compiling this list, it dawned on me that all the Combaticons except for Swindle have mouthpieces, but for the sake of variety I just let Bruticus represent all of them.

4. Shockwave
If I was re-born as a Transformer, this is how I want to look like, because no one would know what I was thinking or feeling. Nevermind not having a mouth, Shockwave is completely devoid of all facial features, except for his iconic cyclops eye. When he talks, the eye starts flashing in sync with his words. So is he talking through his eye? Does the round object on his face function as both eye and mouth? We may never know, but that quality of being extremely efficient matches well with Shockwave’s personality. In the G1 cartoons he is simply the guy waiting on Cybertron (for 4 million years!), but in the comics he is given a much bigger role, often taking command of the Decepticons and conducting unorthodox experiments, such as Triple Changing and Combining technology.

3. Grimlock
“Me Grimlock not kisser, me Grimlock no need mouth!” The bad-ass that is Grimlock represents some of the very best that the Autobots have to offer. Grimlock is one of the Autobot’s most powerful warriors regardless of which TF continuity you follow, but in the US Marvel Comics continuity (and extended in the comic prequel War Within), we see that he is also a very capable leader, even taking on role as Autobot Leader form time to time when Optimus is missing or deactivated. In the cartoons, and especially in the G1 movie, he is often portrayed as the comedy relief despite being very powerful. However, no one forgets that he was the first TF character to have a T-Rex as an alt mode, and that in itself is just too damn cool. Grimlock seems to enjoy his Dino mode a lot more so than his robot mode (in the cartoon anyway), perhaps because as a T-Rex, he’s got a much bigger mouth to chomp his enemies into itty bitty pieces.

2. Soundwave
Ask any true TF fan to name his top 5 favorite Decepticons, and Soundwave is bound to be on that list. The Decepticon communications officer earned his place in TF legend not by being the most powerful warrior, but through his exploits in stealth and cunning, his monotone way of speaking, his non-personality, and last but not least, his numerous henchmen that he can eject as cassettes from his tape deck. As far as G1 toys go, Soundwave is perhaps the most accurate to the G1 cartoon. Let’s face it, the cartoons made most characters look much better than their toy representations (I’m looking at you, Ratchet and Ironhide). Soundwave is the lone exception. If you looked at him in the cartoons and imagine in your mind how his toy would look, well, that’ how it looks. His G1 mold still holds up well today. In fact it’s so good that I don’t think a Masterpiece version can really improve on it, other than making him bigger and perhaps a little more detail.

1. Optimus Prime
Like I would put anyone other than Optimus Prime in the top spot. Optimus Prime is perhaps the most iconic Transfomer of all time. His dedication to the freedom and welfare of all living beings is unrivaled. Optimus has got it all, being both a powerful warrior and capable commander. He (along with Megatron) has appeared in every Transformer continuity and spin-off. The earlier renditions of Optimus all has him appear with the mouthpiece, but later versions of the character tend to give him the lips with the mouthpiece serving as some kind of lower face shield when he’s in battle (such as Beast Wars, the Michael Bay movies, and the Animated Series). I don’t know what is the reason for this evolution, but the G1 purist in me will probably never get used to seeing Prime with moving lips. And I think not seeing the lips gives a character more authority in appearance. This is the design I prefer for Prime. There are many Optimus figures where you can pose him with the mouth shield on or off. Guess how I pose mine?

Honorable Mentions: Warpath, Powerglide, Hoist, Seaspray, Cosmos

Until next time… Transform and Roll Out!

Clickity - click to go to Sam's site!

Sam rolls out his new site, and it is stellar!

Okay, I know you think I am just saying that because it’s Sam and because I’m fangirling a bit over our site being included on the links page (well it is!). But hey, I like to think I’m a straight shooter. And I got this fancy degree in marketing and public relations so I’m full of credibility.

But seriously, it’s a great site. It’s clean, easy to navigate and even strives to get you, the fans, involved.

Like most music sites, it has the typical news, tour dates, biography, etc. But delve inside and it’s way more then an average music site.

First off, I went to check the photos section (duh!) and not only are there the typical promo shots, but also a Fan photo section. Basically, we can all submit our photos of Sam or with Sam and they will be posted in their own album on the site. Kind of like bringing Facebook to the website. It’s really a great idea. And I may or may not have already submitted mine!

They’ve also done the same thing for videos, so get over to the video page and submit your best Sam video there, too. Holding that camera still while telling all your girlfriends to shush while Sam plays has finally paid off for you! (But not you GarnetGurl. You can not submit your video. You know why.)

Another great feature: Ask Sam! Do you have a burning question you’d like to ask Sam? Maybe you clammed up when you met Sam and forgot to talk to him (::cough::LiLi::cough::)? The best questions will get answered and posted for all to see. All I ask everyone is too stay cool with the questions. Actually, all of my readers know this already, but geez I hope other people can follow that rule. You know the rules of our blog? Yeah, they should apply to Ask Sam too.

So Sam, kudos to you and your team for putting together a top notch site. The wait was well worth it! (And thanks for linking to us! We love you so much for that!)

Some of our readers might recall a post I did in late June of this year about an experiment in applying social media-based tactics to broadcast radio. Jelli started off purely online as a service similar to Digg, which allows users to vote news stories “up” or “down” in order to determine what hits their front page, but applied to music rather than news stories. Listeners are able to access the playlists on the Jelli website and their voting is what determines which songs make it to the air.

Jelli  brought its online/user-driven playlist approach to San Francisco’s LIVE 105 KITS-FM last June and the intervening months have seen it become such a success (30-40% increase) that the company has now brokered a deal with Triton Media Group. This is no small feat as Triton is the content provider for over 45,000 radio stations across the United States.

One cannot deny the popularity of user-controlled media, something proven successful on the Internet for several years now. Of course, we can also look at the evolution of websites like Digg to see some possible pitfalls. There will always be those who try to “game” the system, co-opting it in ways that subvert the normal processes.

To their credit, the folks at Jelli seem to have put a lot of thought into this and already have some plans in place to defuse such possibilities. They are taking a page from that other massively popular online pastime: video games. The more users participate, the more opportunity they will have to “power up” their choices like a video game character with “rockets” and “bombs.”

Josh Lowensohn at C|Net News takes a look at their interactivity:

[...] Jelli continues to work on are countermeasures to keep a group of users from completely dominating the listening experience. For instance, each user is given a limited number of “rockets” and “bombs” each day. Rockets let you jump your song, or someone else’s to the head of the queue to give it a chance at playing next. To even those out, bombs (which are given out a little more sparingly) are able to wipe the score of any queued track to zero, which can keep it from making it on air if users don’t vote it back up.

That’s not the end of the game-like experience though. In a call with CNET News on Monday, Jelli CEO and co-founder Mike Dougherty (who was previously TellMe’s VP of biz dev) told me that the bombs and rockets were just the tip of the iceberg and that other gaming “power ups” and ways to earn them were coming shortly but could not give specifics on what they would do.

Now, I am a rarity, a computer geek that does not play video games, but I do know a lot of people who do. Gaming is huge, as sales of units like the Playstation and the Wii easily prove. By adopting familiar mechanics from gaming as well as from social media, Jelli is keying in to behavior patterns that are already entrenched in the vast majority of Internet users.  This familiarity creates ease of adoption and ease of use, two things crucial in maintaining and growing a user base.

I’m really excited to see how this is coming together. It was a mere four months ago that Jelli first brought its music from the Internet to the air waves. Four months and now they are about to be broadcast across the nation (and seemingly in Australia as well). I think that is an unqualified radio success story!

So, what does a radio station have to do in order to integrate Jelli? And what’s the time frame for its roll out? When will Jelli be on-air nationwide? And what about Australia? When will it be available down under? Eliot Van Buskirk at Wired has the answers:

Jelli is now officially in beta. Triton-affiliated stations across the country can choose to install the Jelli server, which sits between into the internet and the station’s live-to-air audio signal path, to run their own customized service, or subscribe to one of two syndicated, cross-country shows, Top 40 Jelli and Rock Jelli. The company expects the first of these to be up and running in January in the U.S., and is also launching in Australia through its partner there, Austereo.

I predicted that this could be big, but I must admit to being stunned to see this explosion of growth.

What are your thoughts on this innovative fusion of broadcast, social media and video game techniques? Let us know here in the comments or on our Facebook Page!

Image: Jelli logo / Fair Use: reporting

Airbus apresentou em Toulouse o primeiro cargueiro com base na família A330. O Airbus A330-200F pode transportar 64 toneladas métricas em distâncias de até 7.400 km, ou 69 toneladas métricas por 5930 km. O primeiro vôo está previsto para o final do ano. Eis a foto da bela aeronave. Vale um clique…

Primeiro Airbus A330-200F (Foto: Flug Revue / Clique para ampliar)

TAM altera horários de voos no Norte e Nordeste devido ao horário de verão 

Airbus A319 da TAM (Foto: Aidan Formigoni / Clique para ampliar)

A TAM Linhas Aéreas informa que, devido ao horário de verão, os voos operados pela companhia nas regiões Norte e Nordeste terão seus horários de chegada e partida antecipados em uma hora em relação ao horário local em vigor. A mudança inclui todos os voos da TAM operados nas seguintes cidades: Aracaju (SE), Belém, Marabá e Santarém (PA), Boa Vista (RR), Fortaleza (CE), Ilhéus, Porto Seguro e Salvador (BA), Imperatriz e São Luis (MA), João Pessoa (PB), Macapá (AP), Maceió (AL), Manaus (AM), Natal (RN), Palmas (TO), Porto Velho (RO), Recife (PE), Rio Branco (AC) e Teresina (PI). Os passageiros podem confirmar os novos horários dos voos pelo site www.tam.com.br , call center (4002-5700 ou 0800 5705700 para todo o Brasil), lojas da TAM ou por meio dos agentes de viagens.

Aeroporto em Volta Redonda

Foi oficialmente anunciada a construção de um novo aeroporto na cidade de Volta Redonda (RJ), cujas obras devem estar concluídas em dois anos. Os planos do novo aeroporto foram já aprovados pelas autoridades responsáveis pelo controle ambiental.

Luz no fim do túnel

O organismo internacional IATA divulgou estudo sobre o desempenho previsto do transporte internacional de passageiros pelas empresas de aviação comercial em 2010, quando deverá ser atingido um crescimento de 4% sobre o total de 2009. Este ano será fechado com uma queda de quase 5% sobre o número de 2008.

Números da América Latina

A ALTA – Associação de Transporte Aéreo da América Latina e Caribe anunciou que no passado mês de agosto as empresas a ela associadas transportaram 10,7 milhões de passageiros, resultado 2,7% superior ao do mesmo mês de 2008. O tráfego (passageiros/Km) cresceu 2,6% em agosto e o aproveitamento da oferta foi de 70,6%, numa proporção de 1,8% sobre o aproveitamento de agosto do ano passado. Entre janeiro e agosto o total de passageiros transportados foi de 79,9 milhões.

Frontier e Lynx saem do Chapter 11

As companhias norte-americanas Frontier Airlines e Lynx Aviation saíram da proteção anti-falência garantida pelo Chapter 11 da legislação dos EUA, juntando-se à Chautauqua Airlines, à Midwest Airlines, à Mokulele Airlines, à Republic Airlines e à Shuttle America na condição de subsidiárias da Republic Airways Holdings.

Carga: Iata prevê crescimento

O organismo internacional IATA divulgou números sobre o desenvolvimento do transporte aéreo previsto para o ano que vem. No segmento de carga aérea a IATA antecipa um aumento de 5,5% em 2010 sobre o desempenho de 2009, quando foram transportadas 14,5% menos cargas que em 2008.

Roll Out do G650

A Gulfstream retirou da linha de montagem seu primeiro jato executivo tipo G650, cujos voos de ensaio começam antes do fim do ano e cuja homologação está prevista para 2011. A aeronave destaca-se por ser o modelo Gulfstream com maior espaço interno de cabina (102 pés X 77 pés), e o mais veloz (Mach 0.925 em cruzeiro) desenvolvido até hoje pelo fabricante, caracterizando-se por asas de novo desenho e alto desempenho e por duas turbinas Rolls Royce RB725.

Goodrich inaugura em São Carlos

A Goodrich do Brasil vai inaugurar, no próximo dia 28 de outubro, na cidade paulista de São Carlos, sua primeira oficina de manutenção, reparo e revisão geral de equipamentos para aeronaves na América Latina e Caribe. É a sexta unidade desse tipo criada pela Goodrich fora dos Estados Unidos, equipada para apoiar tecnicamente equipamentos como naceles, reversores, superfícies de controle de voo e outras componentes de aeronaves. Mais informações pelo telefone (11) 3040-2405.

BAE fecha fábrica

A inglesa BAe Systems anunciou que pretende encerrar as atividades de sua unidade industrial de Woodford (Ceshire), na Grã Bretanha, tão logo ela termine a entrega dos jatos de patrulha marítima “Nimrod” MRA4, que hoje produz para a Real Força Aérea. Os derradeiros exemplares dessa encomenda da RAF serão entregues em 2013, e depois disso os 630 funcionários da indústria serão demitidos.

Galeão ainda está longe de saturar, diz Anac 

Segundo dados apresentados pelo coronel Valdir Padilha, gerente de Malha Aérea Internacional da Anac, o Aeroporto Internacional do Galeão, no rio de Janeiro, deverá apresentar saturação de seus terminais somente em 2013. “Isso é uma previsão partindo do que temos atualmente. Até lá, pode haver investimentos e melhorias e essa expectativa mudar”, afirmou. O pátio do aeroporto deve alcançar saturação somente após 2025, e a pista, em 2023.

Argentina terá voo diário da South African durante a Copa do Mundo de 2010 

A South African Airways (SAA) anuncia que vai aumentar a atual operação de Buenos Aires de três voos por semana para voo diário, de 7 de junho a 18 de julho de 2010, ampliando significativamente a oferta de assentos durante a Copa do Mundo de Futebol que acontecerá na África do Sul no mesmo período.

“Nossa operação para a Argentina foi reiniciada em abril deste ano com três voos semanais entre Buenos Aires e Johannesburg. Com estas frequências adicionais vamos reiterar a expectativa positiva para o aumento no tráfego de passageiros não só da Argentina mas de toda a América do Sul para a África do Sul” durante a Copa do Mundo, afirmou Nelson de Oliveira, Diretor Geral da SAA para a América do Sul.

A aeronave que será utilizada será um Boeing 747-400 com um total de 357 assentos divididos em Classe Econômica e Classe Executiva.

Jad Taxi Aéreo e TWO Taxi Aéreo realizam encontro nacional sobre segurança de voo

Como operar as aeronaves de forma segura e atuar com foco na prevenção de acidentes é o tema do 3° Encontro Nacional de Segurança de Voo, que as empresas Jad Taxi Aéreo e a TWO Táxi Aéreo, ambas pertencentes ao Grupo Jad, realizam no próximo dia 1º de novembro, das 8h30 às 18h30, no espaço de eventos do Quality Resource Hotel, em Itupeva, interior de São Paulo.

Direcionado a clientes, parceiros e a todos os funcionários das empresas, o evento terá uma programação intensa relacionada aos diferentes aspectos de prevenção de acidentes. Para isso, contará com palestras de especialistas como o coronel Domingos Afonso Almeida de Deus, oficial do CENIPA (Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos) órgão do Comando da Aeronáutica, bem como do comandante Davi Branco Filho, da Embraer, e do coronel Davi Campos dos Santos.

A Jad Taxi Aéreo e a TWO Táxi Aéreo operam juntas um total de 26 aeronaves em todo o Brasil e possuem um efetivo de 48 tripulantes, entre comandantes e co-pilotos. Entre as aeronaves estão os Grand Caravan da Cessna, além de modelos Navajo, Seneca e Aero Commander.

“A segurança de voo é uma das premissas de todas as nossas operações, por isso um evento dessa natureza é muito importante para todos os funcionários e clientes, e nos permite incrementar constantemente a qualidade nos serviços prestados”, afirma o diretor Anderson Davo, ressaltando que 95% das operações das empresas envolvem carga e 5%, passageiros.

Serviço:

Jad Taxi Aéreo e TWO: 3° Encontro Nacional de Segurança de Voo

Data: 01/11/09

Local: Quality Resource Hotel, em Itupeva (SP)

Horário: das 8h30 às 18h30

Informações (11) 3129-5158

Pluna voará para Foz e já pensa em BSB, BH e CPQ

A Pluna inaugura no dia 18 de novembro a quinta base regular no Brasil, desta vez em Foz do Iguaçu (PR). A empresa uruguaia fará dois voos por semana, às quartas-feiras e aos sábados, ligando a Argentina, o Chile e o Uruguai à cidade e vice-versa, segundo o gerente comercial da Pluna para o Brasil, Gonzalo Mazaferro. De acordo com o executivo, para 2010 a companhia estuda três novos mercados para operar no País: Brasília (DF), Belo Horizonte (MG) e Campinas (SP). Ainda de acordo com Mazaferro, a nova empresa do grupo fundada na Argentina, a Aerovip, inclusive, já está fazendo os registros com os órgãos reguladores para poder operar no País a partir de 2010.

If you have time to take a break at work,(and you should) then you have time to roll out and use The Stick. 

Original Body Stick

You can use The Stick @ your desk to loosen tight muscles in your back, shoulders and neck. You can also use The Stick to roll out your forearms to avoid carpal tunnel syndrome.

You can use The Stick to warm-up your muscles before you go for your lunch-time run.  Then when you are done, you can use The Stick for cool-down.

You can also keep a TriggerWheel in your desk to roll out the muscles in your neck and forearms.  Ease neck tension by rolling the TriggerWheel over the back of your neck from the base of your spine to the bottom of your neck.

TriggerWheel

Try keeping a FootWheel under your desk to roll out your feet while you work!

FootWheel

The Stick, TriggerWheel or FootWheel do not need any extra equipment like mats or plug ins.  You can get the benefits of massage therapy at any time of the day at your desk.  If you are worried about distracting your co-workers, don’t be.  The Stick virtually makes very little noise and you do not need to go to the ground to use it.

Below is a comment I wrote September 30, 2009 to Government Health IT in response to an article written about a conversation the author had with John Halamka titled, “Halamka: How to build a long distance service for healthcare.” http://govhealthit.com/newsitem.aspx?nid=72152 Most people whose comments I’ve read regarding Mr. Halamka’s vision for how the national EHR roll out might work tend to be quite supportive.  I don’t think my comments fall into the supportive category.  That may account for why they have yet to appear in print.  So, in the spirit of full disclosure, here’s what I offered.

I wrote several weeks ago that we ought to look at the telecoms networks, ATMs, OnStar, or some existing platform. My argument for redoing the national roll out strategy along those lines is that it may provide a way to eliminate the middleman, the RHIOs and HIEs, whose only real role seems to be like a train station in the middle of going from NY to LA. If nobody ever gets on or off, why have it.

The critical success factor of the telecommunications networks is called an interconnect, it’s what gets the call from A to B and provides redundant carriage. It’s also what eliminates the need for a middleman.

The AP wrote today that the current EHR national roll out plan will not work http://ow.ly/rPOH. With all respect to those working so hard on the current roll out plan, I think we need a serious rethink about what type of plan is required for the EHR roll out to work instead of pushing water uphill trying to make the current plan work. Here’s some thoughts I had about how it might be approached.

http://healthcareitstrategy.com/2009/09/27/how-can-ehr-be-made-to-work/