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Dave's Transformers Page: News and Reviews!
Established January 1996 - over 400 reviews and still going!

Last Updated: 4/16/08


INFO
NEWS

SIGHTINGS

LINKS
Main TF Page
Homepage
Misc TF
2007 Movie
Alternators
Classics
Side Lines
Kiddie Lines
RiD - AEC
Cybertron
Energon
Armada
Universe
RiD
Beast-Era
BW Phase 1
BW Phase 2
BW Phase 3
BW Phase 4
BMac
BWX
Other
Japanese
Artifacts
Lego
Fanfic
Art/Images


    Any section updated less recently than six months ago will have a darker background below, although it's possible I'll slip on keeping this updated.

    Please page down to the bottom for site policies, like my guidelines on linking to my page, buying and selling toys, etc.

INFO STUFF
NEWS     This page contains news tidbits I've gotten from various sources, including from you readers. It does not contain toy sightings (those have their own section now), but it may have pre-sighting reports about upcoming toys. Updated: 3/7/08 TF artist commissioning site
SIGHTINGS     A clearinghouse of sightings information that I've either been sent or culled from various other sources such as newsgroups and chat boards (not to mention my own eyes). Updated: 4/16/08 - Animated wave 1 test-marketing around Cincinnati.
LINKS     A bunch of links I've found useful or interesting. Don't ask to have your site added to this page, and don't take it personally if I don't include your page/webboard/etc. Updated: 2/9/08 with BWTF hiatus noted.
AllSpark
Forum
    I've had this for a while, but it was pointed out that it might get a bit more traffic if it wasn't several pages deep in the Links section. Added to front page 11/22/02. If that link doesn't work (every so often there's an upgrade and the php stuff changes), just go to boards.allspark.com, then Friends of the AllSpark and page down. Not included in the navgrid.
Main TF Page     This page you're on right now. Just mentioning it so you know what the navgrid entry means.
Dave's Online Nest     My root homepage, with links to my vast online empire.
MISCELLANEOUS TF STUFF
The Movie
(2007)
    In 2007, the Transformers return to the big screen! This page will hold reviews of the transforming toys based on, inspired by or otherwise released under the logo of the movie. Updated: 4/8/08 Bumblebee AllSpark Blaster review added.
Alternators     Highly detailed, super-poseable revisions of classic Transformers characters, using licensed actual vehicle modes. Updated: 9/5/07 Decepticon Rumble added.
"Classic"
Transformers
    As a sort of palate cleanser between the A/E/C semi-continuity and the 2007 movie, Hasbro created a line dominated by G1 homages. No particular storyline to go with it, nor cartoon. Expected to continue off and on in the gaps between major lines. Updated: 3/23/08 Guest review of Japanese recolor Megatron added.
Side Lines     This page is for secondary lines I've decided don't merit a "top level" section, but which aren't really part of another section either. Currently includes Star Wars Transformers and the Transformers Titaniums (which was pulled out of Artifacts). Updated: 12/8/07 Star Wars updated.
Kiddie
Transformers
    This page covers the kiddie lines. Tonka 1-2-3 Transformers (aimed at grade school kids) and Playskool's perpetually-renaming Go-Bots (originally Big Adventures Transformers, then Go-Bots Transformers, then just Go-Bots). Also has Robot Heroes and other non-2007-Movie kidstuff, like Optimash Prime. Updated: 2/29/08 with Robot Heroes "The Final Battle" set.
RiD to AEC ERA
Transformers
Cybertron
    As Energon more or less followed from Armada, so Cybertron follows from Energon, completing a loose trilogy. With Unicron's evil temporarily sealed away, it's a race to unlock the secrets of the Planet Keys to prevent Unicron from ever rising again. Updated: 3/17/07 CryoScourge guest comments and updated CyberKey info added.
Transformers
Energon
    A sort of sequel to Armada, with a struggle between Unicron-backed Hyper Decepticons and Autobots who have found the Spark of Combination. Lots of clear plastic stuff, and "Omnicons" that come with lots of Energon weapons and the "Energon Stars" that none of the larger toys have. Updated: 4/1/05 Grimlock and Swoop review added.
Transformers
Armada
    Autobots and Decepticons court a new faction known as the Minicons in an "alternate universe" storyline that keeps the same characters, factions and general themes, but reboots the history. Updated: 12/12/03 with Recolored Sea Team and Emergency Team reviews.
Transformers
Universe
    Unicron seeks out minions from across the multiverse, leading Optimus Primal to a desperate gambit that assembles a matching army to oppose him. This is a strictly recolor line, bringing back molds from the Beast Era (and maybe a few from elsewhen) in garish new colors to represent energon-seething robots. This will likely be a small page, since I own all the original molds and don't care for many of the color schemes. Last updated: 3/26/07 Micromaster Aerialbots review added.
Robots in Disguise     A full return to Autobots, but they fight Predacons. Mostly an import of the Car Robots line from Japan, but with some new molds and some older molds recolored. Has lived on well beyond its time as a dumping ground for recolors and store exclusives. Updated: 11/28/03 with Wal-Mart exclusive yellow Landfill set.
BEAST ERA
BEAST WARS
I've broken Beast Wars into four Phases, roughly representing the stages of its development as I see it.
BW Phase 1     Also known as "Classic" Beast Wars, this Phase covers everything prior to Fuzors and Transmetals. I've broken it into four "waves" of toys. Updated: 9/18/00 with the page being spun off. All material is older than this.
BW Phase 2     Phase 2 of Beast Wars saw the coming of the Fuzors and Transmetals, and lasted two waves. Updated: 9/18/00 with the page being spun off. All material is older than this.
BW Phase 3     Phase 3 was the era of Transmetal II toys, which also lasted two waves. Updated: 5/1/01 with Tripredacus Agent (TMII Cheetor recolor) review.
BW Phase 4     This Phase of Beast Wars is sort of a dying trickle, with Mutant Beast Wars and the Dinobot recolors. Updated: 9/18/00 with page spun off. All material is older than this.
Beast Machines     Covering the 1999 and 2000 TV shows and the toys up through 2001. Organic Maximals (including animal forms previously reserved for Predacons) versus mechanical Vehicons. Updated: 6/28/01 with Blast Punch Optimus Primal review.
Beast Wars 10th Anniversary     To honor the 10th anniversary of Beast Wars, Hasbro is releasing six recolored toys in more show-accurate colors, plus a few new molds. Updated: 7/14/06 with Leaders.
MISCELLANY
TF Japan     Reviews of Japanese Transformers, commentary on the Beast Wars anime and manga. Updated: 12/10/07 with Shoeformer bootlegs review.
Artifacts     If it's not actually a toy widely available in stores, look for it here. This includes fast food toys, comics, reference books, posters, keychains, etc. Updated: 4/13/08 with Focus on Decepticons (IDWG1) in Paper, Movie keychains wave 2 in Plastic.
Lego Robots     Okay, these aren't even by Hasbro. But they're robot toys and they kinda transform, and I've been buying them and reviewing them. Includes Throwbots, RoboRiders, early Bionicle and Exo-Force. Page updated: 4/5/08 Hybrid Rescue Tank review, Mobile Devastator and Combat Crawler X2 code info added.
Tales of the
Intermezzo
    These are short fanfics I've written, which explore ideas I've had regarding the interval between the end of the Great War and the beginning of the Beast Wars, or between just about any two or more eras in the canon. Now includes some non-Intermezzo writings. Page updated: 3/18/08 with "Opt Out"
Art/Images     Opera of the Dvandom, formerly my Protoform Project space. Holds a lot of my art and photos, updated sporadically.


------- Site News and Policies -------
April Fool's Day
    A lot of people think it's funny to mess up news sites with false reports on and around April 1st. Personally, I don't care for April Fool's pranks (okay, I hate them with a passion), so I will not willingly participate in them. Unfortunately, that also means that I need to reject any first-sighting reports for new stuff that come in too close to April 1st every year. This can suck when it turns out Hasbro's actually releasing product around that time, but there you have it. If you have a sighting around that time for something that has not been reported on before here, hold onto it until the 2nd. If I see something myself during the interdict period, though, I'll still post about it.

Site Button
    Every so often, I'm asked if I have an "official" button or banner that can be used by people who want to link to me. I've made a chopped-down version of the logo up top, click here for a copy you can download and use. For the curious, the word "Transformers" is made with one of Neale Davidson's fonts, and the other words are in the font called Sand. Oh, and while the shape of the logo is roughly that of the Autobot symbol, you'll note that the more you navigate this site, the more the red links become purple...so balance is maintained.

Toy Sales Policy
    I'm not selling my own toys. I'm not a retailer. So don't ask me if you can buy toys from me. And because there's serious money involved these days, I'd rather stay officially neutral and not put up any links to sites that do sell toys (although if you email me asking about my experiences with a particular retailer, I'll tell you). I do have places I prefer to shop, but I don't want to give the appearance of being in the pocket of any retailer. If I do put up links in the news section, it'll be for purposes of pointing out new images or new products.
    Similarly, I'm not really in the secondary market...I don't buy or sell old toys, and frankly have no idea what they're worth on the open market or where you'd have a good shot at finding them. I filled my want list years ago, and now really only buy older toys if I stumble across them and think the price is good.

Link Policy
    There's a LOT of good Transformers sites out there. Hundreds, easily. There's no way I'm going to try and keep track of them all. So I'm not going to. My links page is fairly small, and don't try to convince me to add your site if it's not up there (but definitely let me know if I have a dead link to your page!). If you're trying to get some new service (a screen capture archive, a searchable techspec database, whatever) going, I might put a link in the news section for a couple months, and if I think it's a useful site I might then move it to the Links page. However, it should be something significantly new and different, not just a personal art, fanfic or review page.

Images Policy
    This site is intended to be very low on images, mainly because of space limitations on my account. What images I do have, please ask before using.

E-Mail Notice
    If you want to email me a question or some information, make sure your return address is correct. Those with AOL addresses take special note: you may have parental controls set on your account that prevent you from getting email from non-AOL accounts (I guess because unsavory people NEVER use free AOL trial discs), and this does not generate a special error message...so the person trying to reply to your mail just sees that the address is invalid.

    As an adjunct to this, if you want me to reply to you at an address, mail me from that address. Most mailers will let you set a reply-to in your email so that replies automatically go to another address, in the event you have to email me from an address other than the one you want a reply at. In any case, I've gotten enough "message undeliverable" bounces when replying to people's questions that I've stopped trying to redirect them to the proper address. If you want me to answer your questions, please do me the courtesy of having a valid return address on your email.

Feel free to E-Mail me. I usually respond pretty quickly.