Transformers Classics Thundercracker

[Self-Modifier]

Those of you who are Transformers fans probably know that Hasbro is screwing the fans over by making Classics Thundercracker (as well as Dirge and Thrust) Botcon exclusives.

Well, that didn't go over very well with me, as my friends and brother can attest from having listened to me complain about this for weeks. But, since I'm not going to Botcon, and I'm certainly not paying the outrageous $300.00 it would cost to mail-order the figures, I've set about making some of my own.

First up is Thundercracker, who I present to you here. I didn't post this on the front page, because, obviously, it's not Joe-related at all. Anyway, let me know what you folks think.

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/mcre12/DSC00293.jpg

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b143/mcre12/DSC00294.jpg

I think he turned out pretty well. It irritates me that he's not "official," but he at least serves my purposes.

Eventually, I'll get around to Dirge and Thrust, but they're not as high on my priorities list.

[Sonneilon]

$300 for a TF??? That is sooooooooooo wrong! Skywarp was my 1st TF and well, YOURS look pretty darn cool. So cool that maybe I should splurge on them. But no.... I must use willpower...

[General Scarlett]

So wait, your telling me that you 'CUSTOMIZED' these??? [SIZE=5] HATCHA MAGATCHA!!!![/SIZE] :cool: :cool:

[Stormer]

So this means the Classics line in stores is finished? Since if they were going to try to continue, even if the line wasn't as successful as they'd have liked, simple repaints (or repaints with slightly retooled wings) would be a no-brainer to keep costs down.

Your Thundercracker looks excellent -- I wouldn't have guessed it was a custom if you'd just put up that Seekers group shot and said "look at my Decepticons!" :)

Ah, con-exclusive toys. Really separates the fans who truly love the hobby from those who can actually afford the things whether they love it that much or not...

[Fisher]

I hope the classics line isn't finished, they are really nice. And that is one excellent Thundercracker custom, Self-Modifier.

The con set is 5 decepticons for $250 I think if you get the bagged ones. Still, only 3 are worth owning, and still, hard to justify that kind of price tag considering they are repaints/remolds of current $10 figures.

Oh, and Sonne, the Skywarp is a Target exclusive that came 2 packed with Ultra Magnus, totally worthbuying due to it's rarity if you can find it.

[Sonneilon]

Fisha, I never saw 'em. I was asked by a friend to look but the way things roll here, we're months behind and stuff.

And SelfMod, thank you for posting these HERE instead of the photos sector, which some people don't seem to understand or comprehend.

[Self-Modifier]

Scarlett: I customized Thundercracker, the blue one. The others were official releases by Hasbro.

Stormer: From what I've heard, the Classics line is indeed finished except for some Botcon exclusives this year. Hasbro will be concentrating solely on movie toys for the foreseeable future. Alternators have also been put on indefinite hiatus.

I agree that Thundercracker would've sold well at retail, but Hasbro seems to think he won't, as he would be nothing more than a second straight repaint of the Starscream mold. My hope is that, since Takara has the rights to all Hasbro's molds and vice versa, eventually the Classics will be released in Japan (they haven't yet), and the Japanese will produce all the Decepticon jets. Even the cost of importing a Japanese Thundercracker would be less than the ridiculous price of the Botcon set.

And I'm of a like mind with you on the subject of con-only toys. It's a neat idea, but it should be used for really oddball characters, not mainstream ones that everyone wants. That way the hardcore fans that go to the cons can get something special, but those of us (like myself) who love the property won't feel that they missed something integral to their collection. I mean, I love the Transformers more than almost anything else, but I can only go to one con a year, and it's always the San Diego Comic Con since that covers lots of different genres and properties rather than just one niche.

Fisher & Sonneilon: The Magnus/Skywarp pack was literally clogging the shelves of every Target near me for about a month, then they all suddenly vanished. I assume they were sent to some toy outlet store or something, since there's no way they all suddenly sold overnight. Unfortunately, where I live, nothing ever goes on clearance. Not at Target, or Wal-Mart, or Toys R Us. You can wait weeks, even months, for something very common to drop in price, but instead of that happening, everyone's stock will just vanish one day. It's really weird since I read about toys going on clearance all the time elsewhere in the country.

Oh, and Sonn-- I just figured it was common sense that since this has absolutely nothing to do with G.I. Joe (unlike my TF crossover story), it shouldn't be posted on the front page.

...Though I do think it would be a great idea to have a section below "Dios" and "Photos" for "Guest Stars," where people could post dio shots of other toy lines. I know someone on the board suggested that a while back, though I don't recall who it was. But I think that as long as there were some rules (with the main one being: Only pictures of toys, not family photos or something), that would be a big success. I know I'd love to post some dio-shots of just Transformers without having to justify them by including Joes, for example.

Anyway, thanks for the comments, gang, and sorry about the novel I just wrote!

[General Scarlett]

[QUOTE=Self-Modifier]Scarlett: I customized Thundercracker, the blue one. The others were official releases by Hasbro.[/QUOTE]


Any way you slice it.................D-AMN you got some mad skills!!! VERY COOL!!! :cool: :D

[Red Sox]

Great job! I want to make one of these myself. I picked up an extra Starscream, but I haven't gotten around to painting it yet. I've got some questions for you. :)

What kind of paint did you use? Who did you use Screamer or Skywarp? I thought Skywarp might be easier because he already had silver accents, but the Target two packs disappeared before I could snag another one.

[Self-Modifier]

[QUOTE=Red Sox]Great job! I want to make one of these myself. I picked up an extra Starscream, but I haven't gotten around to painting it yet. I've got some questions for you. :)

What kind of paint did you use? Who did you use Screamer or Skywarp? I thought Skywarp might be easier because he already had silver accents, but the Target two packs disappeared before I could snag another one.[/QUOTE]

I had the exact same thought about using Skywarp, and the same thing happened to me, so I wound up using Starscream. The paint I use for all my TF customs is Tamiya brand. I think it says on the bottle that it's made for plastics, and it works really well on TFs. They almost seem to absorb the paint into the plastic. I tried it on Joes once, and it didn't work nearly as well, for whatever reason.

But anyway, please show some pics when yours is done!