It's So Hard To Say Goodbye?

Since I made the decision to both enjoy my collection more, and bring it into focus a bit more, I've been left with some nagging decisions.  All of those decisions were based around a subset of my collection: Alternators/Binaltechs.  When first announced and released, Binaltech was the cream of the crop of the Transformers line.  The detail and articulation combined for a pleasant experience.  Sure, some figures were frustrating and the diecast of the Binaltech tended to weigh down some poseability of certain figures, but the updated versions of some G1 favorites made them great.  That is, until Takara decided to expand and ratchet up the releases of their Masterpiece line.  Suddenly, Binaltech lost it's charm.  I still have the figures, but I haven't touched them in a long, long time.  As such, I came to the conclusion to just sell the Binaltechs and what few Alternators I owned.I've decided to catalog a few of these guys with better pictures and go over what I like and don't like about them. 

The most obvious thing about Binaltechs would be the hyper-detailed vehicle modes.  Looking at the first Binaltech to be released, Smokescreen, the attention to real world detail is amazing.

For those not familiar with this version of Smokescreen, he is Subaru Impreza rally car.  Everything from the rims to the sponsors are as accurate as possible.  The car is just beautiful.

Tracks, even though he's yellow, is still a thing of beauty.  I know that more than a few people were up in arms over this color scheme, but I really like it.  Even the way the hood flips open is a great detail.

Perhaps my favorite vehicle would be Alternators Mirage.

Mirage is a Ford GT and he is awesome.  The deep blue of the paint and the white stripes just combine for a gorgeous, classic look.

The car modes, again, are incredible.  The designers at Takara did an amazing job with each and every car in the line.  The great car modes actually bring out what I feel to be the weak link of the Binaltech line - the robot modes.  A few had eye-catching, such as Tracks and Mirage, but the rest seemed kind of plodding.  Car accuracy was definitely more of a concern on these figures.

Beauty in motion

These two specimens notwithstanding, the rest of the Binaltech figures leave a lot to be desired.  Kibble is pretty much standard with any Transformer, but more so with Binaltech.

Just look at the Smokescreen's feet.  Notice the doors?  I was never fond of this look when he was first released and, over time, it's gotten worse.

Jazz (and Zoom Zoom) suffer from the same malady.  Is the kibble as egregious as what's present on Masterpiece Starscream?  Not really, not if we're talking about the first iteration of Starscream.  For whatever reason, I just really don't like it now.  Could it be that I'm just trying to justify my desire to get rid of them and I'm grasping at straws?

While the engine-as-a-gun gimmick was pretty ingenious upon first release, it has grated on me over time.  I don't have fat, stubby hands, and yet I still have trouble both placing and removing the engine blocks on most Binaltech figures.  I'm not going to go on about the stability issues with some of these guys - I'm looking at you, Grimlock, or the doors that love to constantly pop off. 


So I've made up my mind.  All Binaltech and what few Alternator figures I own are getting sold off to highest bidder.  The pictures I've used for this post are intended for eBay.  However, a funny thing happened while I was cleaning up the first batch of figures.  For the first time since I first opened him, I was finally able to get Alternator Prime into his vehicle mode!  Sad, I know, but since I had buried the instruction booklet in the box and put all of that in a storage tote a few years ago, I couldn't remember that the legs actually retracted!

A dream realized

It's odd how something as simple as playing with a figure for a bit can revitalize the love for an entire line.  I spent the rest of the evening transforming and posing my Binaltechs and found the love for the line again.  The bottom line is that I'm not selling them now.  Life's funny.