Transformers Site Articles News on Seibertron.com

Transformers Mosaic: "Reflective Identity"

Date: Wednesday, February 11th 2009 3:38pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

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Views: 22,909

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

REFLECTIVE IDENTITY

Story by;
Martin “Tron Program” Fisher

Art by:
Rick “Recmac” McGroarty

Colors by;
Javier “Shinobi Rendar” Reyes

Additional Colors, Edits & Letters by;
Tim Shin

HMW: The first trailer for HMW2 is here!

Date: Tuesday, February 10th 2009 5:01am CST
Categories: Site News, Site Articles, Game News, Press Releases, Digital Media News, Heavy Metal War
Posted by: Psychout | Credit(s): Omega Sentinel

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Views: 67,891

We've known that this has been coming for years.

Since the Heavy Metal Warriors first faced off against each other back in 2003 we have seen HMW grow and develop into the wargame we all know and love to hate, but we also knew its time was running out and a new world would one day take its place.

Then, a month ago, this was released: The first teaser for HMW2.
The first peek into a whole new world and whet the appetite for what was to come.

Now, thanks to Omega Sentinel, we can get our next insight in to how some aspects of the future of Heavy Metal War will change.
Concentrating on the new dual-wield weapon systems and introducing the concept of 'Spark Points' to your transformations, the programmer who has taken Heavy Metal War and made it just that little bit more Heavy presents...


Alts and Ammo! The second trailer for Heavy Metal War II
Sorry the quality is kind of bad. Best I could do with a short amount of time.


There ya go folks, the words of a genius.

Got an opinion or questions about the video?
Wanna find out more about HMW2?
Never even heard of HMW!?!

Then join us in the organised chaos that is the Heavy Metal War discussion boards for more information, discussion, insights and arguments about the future of HMW, and more.

Visit for the game, stay for the Bounty Hunting...

Transformers Mosaic: "Heroes"

Date: Monday, February 9th 2009 2:58pm CST
Categories: Site News, Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

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Views: 33,372

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

HEROES

Story & Letters by;
Carlos “ Synapse” Oliveros

Art by:
Ivan “Decep” Mas

Colors by;
Rafael “Fargnay” Yanez

Transformers Mosaic: "Outcast"

Date: Sunday, February 8th 2009 3:14pm CST
Categories: Site News, Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 31,273

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

OUTCAST

Story by;
Franco "Me Grimlock" Villa

Art & Colors by;
Waseem "Ninjha" Basher

Letters by;
Eamon B. Zubia

Buried Treasure Review - Octopunch

Date: Saturday, February 7th 2009 8:46am CST
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Skowl | Credit(s): Jeep

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Views: 56,286

The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years. Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.

We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.

___________________________________________________________________

Buried Treasure - Octopunch (Generation 1 series - 1989)

By Jeep

Octopunch. The man who shot Primus right in the bloody face. What’s not to like about this guy already? As far as the character goes, he’s got a pretty impressive CV going on. He was a pretty important Decepticon in the Marvel Comics series of the late 80s, even being a member of the prestigious Mayhem Attack Squad. And he’s a Pretender, which is probably one of the most interesting of all the gimmicks Hasbro has ever tried on Transformers, but there’ll be more of that later. He’s also a noted treasure hunter, so perhaps he should be doing these Buried Treasure reviews instead of me. But most importantly, he shot Primus in the FACE. What have you done lately that’s so manly?



Picking up Octopunch’s robot toy, you’d be forgiven for being a little sceptical. Standing a paltry two inches tall, he can see eye to eye with most of today’s minicons and is positively dwarfed by the legends size class. But he manages to pack quite a lot of awesome into that little stature.



Being slightly more articulated than most toys of his size at the time, he’s capable of quite a few interesting positions, and that arm-mounted gun of his just seems to ooze authority, with his raised-fist, menacing-look appearance.



Flip him over, slap in his beast mode legs and gear up those pincers, and you’re presented with probably the best-looking crab in the Transformers range, complete with back-mounted rifle for extra kick. The pincers are nicely articulated, too, and clever use of the shoulder joints can achieve a few nifty ‘scuttling’ poses. This is not the kind of crab you want to wake up with after a shifty encounter. But wait – he’s a crab? Well, that’s just the worst naming disaster since the wheel-free Flywheels. Or… is it?



The true beauty of Octopunch comes not from his neat, but titchy, inner robot, but from his being two toys at once. And, since the Transformers are technically two toys at once anyway, I guess we’re looking at three ways to have your Octopunch and eat it. One look at the Pretender Shell and you’ll know exactly why the lad’s named what he is.



But first, a note on Pretenders. Originally, the Pretender line was created to market simple action figures and Transformers at the same time, with the robotic transformer being stored inside the organic shell, which opened in two pieces. The first range of Pretenders featured tall, lanky, incredibly simple Transformer toys, whose alternate modes tended to look a bit less like planes, trains and automobiles and a lot more like a robot doing some very, very simple yoga. However, by the time Octopunch and his Mayhem Attack Squad buddies came around, the overall toy had been reduced in size, but the quality of the robots increased dramatically, albeit at the cost of a bit of ‘parts-former’ additional piece interplay. Go ahead, compare Octopunch or his contemporaries, such as Pincher or Bludgeon, to the earlier efforts such as Submarauder, Bomb-Burst or Skullgrin, and the improvements should be clear. Of course, this game of one-upmanship just went too far when the pinnacle of the line appeared, with the shells transforming into alternate modes of their own and fitting inside even larger shells which transformed too. Yes, my head hurts as well.



Anyway, let’s get back to specifics. One look at Octopunch’s Pretender shell, with its gruesome Scooby-Doo villain appearance, and you’ll see where his name stems from. Each of his arms is accompanied by two additional tentacles, although each three-limbed cluster moves at the shoulder as one piece. The olden-days deep-sea diving helmet is removable, but please, for the love of God, don’t do it. Under its enticing mystery, there’s a whole world of frighteningly terrifying in there. Octopunch’s face can probably be best described by imagining the following words all at once – tusks, brains, bolts and plates, and that episode of Courage the Cowardly Dog with the space-dudes with foreheads supported by sticks on wheels.



I warned you.

Upon regaining composure after than initial shock, you’ll be pleasantly surprised that not a single piece of Octopunch should ever go missing if you pay attention – those beast mode legs that didn’t store inside his shell actually attach to the back of the shell’s backpack, while the smaller red gun affixes to the inside of the rear half of the right leg.



When holed up inside his Pretender shell, Octopunch is armed with a bizarre gun-like contraption, which I have to admit is a huge disappointment for anyone who was expecting the brutal-looking trident he often carried in the comic series – for some reason, the Decepticon Pretenders (Octopunch, Stranglehold and Bludgeon) were all illustrated with mêlée weapons, but came packaged with ranged weaponry. Ah, Hasbro, how you mocked our childish enthusiasm.



Unfortunately for the shell, it features another let-down, but one that was ubiquitous to the entire Pretenders line – it displays a range of motion similar to that of myself with a hangover: little more than flailing arms and a blank stare. Due to the position of the shell’s halves, only the (oddly rubbery) shoulders feature any articulation, with everything else being solid hard plastic.

Overall, however, there’s something deliciously charming about Octopunch, and I don’t mean as a fried entrée. The Pretender line, with its novel approach and delightfully different appearance, means that any of its components are a welcome addition to any collection, but it’s truly the smaller, later Pretenders who show off the best of the range – and if you’re going to go looking for a real ‘buried treasure’, you really can’t go wrong with a man who shot his own god right in between the eyes. So what if it was by accident...

Links:

Visit the Octopunch gallery by clicking here
Visit the Bludgeon gallery by clicking here
Visit the Stranglehold gallery by clicking here
...Or find your own buried treasures by visiting all the toy galleries here!

* If you would like to write a review for our "Buried Treasures" feature, please send a private message to Skowl on the Seibertron.com forums!

Previous Buried Treasure Reviews:



Cannonball by Skowl



Snapdragon by Jeep



Cybertron Downshift by Chuckdawg1999



Frostbite by Duke of Luns

Transformers Mosaic: "Dellusions"

Date: Tuesday, February 3rd 2009 10:50pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 20,882

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

DELLUSIONS

Story by;
James O’Callaghan

Art by:
Wade 2501

Letters by;
Joana “Khaamar” Lafuente

Transformers Mosaic: "Serve and Protect"

Date: Monday, February 2nd 2009 3:00pm CST
Categories: Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 25,144

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

SERVE AND PROTECT

Story by;
Alysha Mck

Art, Colors & Letters by;
Benjamin Galley

Transformers Mosaic 3 Pack

Date: Sunday, February 1st 2009 8:20pm CST
Categories: Site News, Comic Book News, Site Articles
Posted by: i_amtrunks | Credit(s): Richter

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 38,996

The Universe of the Transformers is vast, and populated by many characters. Their universe is a large tapestry, made up of the stories and points of view of countless experiences that serve the larger whole.

These are some of those stories. This is:


It should be noted that while this project has been recognized by IDW Publishing and Hasbro, none of the works presented have been commissioned or solicited by either company. The stories are not official canon, except where noted. These stories are the result of Transformers enthusiasts taking the time out of their busy days to contribute to a universe they love. No one has been paid for the production of these stories.

Transformers Mosaic FAQ, click here

BETRAYING ME

Story by;
Martin ‘tron prgram’ Fisher

Art by;
Mike “Optimus 8404” Ackerman

Colors by;
Ian “Botmaster 2005” Lea

Letters by;
Dave “Mach Sabre” Reynolds.

---

MEGATRON’S REFLECTION

Story, Art, Colors & Letters by;
Cory “JetstreamX” Holmes

---

AT THE CROSSROADS OF DESTINY

Story by;
Joey Ashley

Art, Colors & Letters by;
Cory “JetstreamX” Holmes

The Countdown To Extinction Has Begun!

Date: Sunday, January 25th 2009 11:36am CST
Categories: Site News, Site Articles, Game News
Posted by: First Gen | Credit(s): The Official Seibertron RPG

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Views: 53,825

The two war torn factions of Autobots and Decepticons continue their furious rampage on planet Earth. With destruction mounting heavily, the people of Earth feel helpless to combat it until a massive discovery is made.

Suspecting the humans have somehow tapped into Cybertonian technologies, the Decepticons call upon the one Transformer that can spell certain doom for them: Megatron!

Meanwhile, the Autobots repair their fallen comrade Jazz, only to discover what the Decepticons have done and call upon the only Autobot that can help ensure the survival of Earth, Optimus Prime.

The battle rages on with the arrival of the two leaders when the mystery behind the humans understanding of Cybertronian technology is revealed....



The next phase of the Official Seibertron.com RPG is about to begin. Enter the fray and help your faction on to victory. Will the powerful Decepticons reign supreme throughout the Universe, or will the valiant Autobots stop them? You decide.

Join the Official RPG here.

Buried Treasure Review - Cybertron Downshift

Date: Friday, January 23rd 2009 5:39pm CST
Categories: Toy News, Reviews, Site Articles
Posted by: Skowl | Credit(s): Chuckdawg1999

Discuss This Topic · Permanent Link
Views: 52,268

The year 2009 marks the 25th anniversary of the Transformers franchise. To celebrate this incredible milestone, Seibertron.com will look back at a quarter-century of great Transformers toys, bringing back into the limelight some brilliant figures that have fallen through the cracks over the years. Once a week, a fan (be it a member of the staff or a user on the site) will have the opportunity to write about one of their favourite "hidden gems" of the Transformers Universe, and have their review posted on the site's front page.

We hope this feature will be a great success, and that many of you will be encouraged to look back at the last 25 years of Transformers and perhaps take a worthwhile second-look at some real unsung classics of the Transformers universe.

___________________________________________________________________

Buried Treasure - Downshift (Cybertron series - 2006)

by Chuckdawg1999

Thinking back to the period of time before Cybertron hit I remember being quite anxious. Having been generally disappointed by the lackluster Energon line and accompanying cartoon I was starting to believe that perhaps the newer lines of Transformers were best left to those younger than I. Thankfully I was wrong and the first prototype shots of the new figures assured me that I was in store for something worthwhile. At the time I was co-writing the Cybertronian Enquirer with “Professor” Mike Kaye, he and I were on different sides of the debate of streamlined vs. boxy robot design. While he liked what he saw of Cybertron he wasn’t as excited as I was. As the line progressed Cybertron became my favorite line of the Unicron Trilogy while the good professor lamented the lack of articulation. I would constantly recommend figures to Mike saying this one or that one was quite good or had a great Cyber-key gimmick, but it took a exceptionally special figure to bring the professor and I to a common ground. That figure was Downshift.



Downshift’s vehicle mode looks like it was taken directly from a 60’s Steve McQueen movie. I can picture in my mind some hard-nosed PI flying over a hill on the streets of San Francisco his muscle car wearing the scars of hard use. I was slightly disappointed that Downshift’s bio revealed that he wasn’t some sort of Cybertronian PI. Sure we have Nightbeat but besides Jim Rockford we had Thomas Magnum so a second TF PI would’ve been ok with me. While green and black are the predominant colors for Downshift, and look quite nice I must say, there is some silver used for his bumpers, grill, and engine. Smoked orange plastic is used for the windows and headlights. This car just looks cool.



Downshift comes with two spring-loaded rocket launchers that can be mounted on the figure in a few ways; in vehicle mode they can be pegged into each door giving the car an armored vehicle look. Imagine driving through rush hour traffic with those babies by your side. I would’ve liked it if Hasbro found a way to incorporate the launchers into the design of the car giving it a more streamlined look but that’s small potatoes and doesn’t hurt the figure at all.



Thinking back if there was one universal complaint about the Cybertron figures it was that sometimes the slots for the cyber-keys didn’t blend in as well as one would’ve liked into the vehicle or robot mode. Downshift is one of if not the only figure where that isn’t a problem. There is a small hatch that when closed is flush with the rear window. Once the key is inserted Downshift’s front grill springs open becoming some sort of capture claw. In this mode Downshift begins to remind me of a MASK era vehicle.





Transformation is intuitive and a joy for your hands. In robot mode you’ll notice that like his Energon counterpart Downshift’s head is a nod to G1 Wheeljack. Another nod to the old ‘jack is the ability to attach the rocket launchers onto Downshift’s shoulders as well as being able to hold them as traditional guns. I prefer the one on, one off look as it gives him a real rugged badass look.




While the professor thought Downshift was going to be another brick-fest Transformer even he was pleasantly surprised by Downshift’s extensive articulation. While I don’t look to be able to put my figures in various yoga poses I do enjoy the occasional run-and-gun stance.



When first released Downshift was a touch under the radar due to his brief appearance in the cartoon which is a shame since I feel his character, with the proper development, could’ve been a significant part of the series. While I can’t comment on any other use of the mold I can tell you that Cybertron Downshift is a solid investment and a great figure to fool around with. Grab him now before the Cybertron figures really shoot up in value. Thanks for reading.

Links:

Visit the Downshift gallery by clicking here
...Or find your own buried treasures by visiting all the toy galleries here!

* If you would like to write a review for our "Buried Treasures" feature, please send a private message to Skowl on the Seibertron.com forums!

Previous Buried Treasure Reviews:



Cannonball by Skowl



Snapdragon by Jeep