<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: This guide was less than what met my eye
Review: Before I decided to purchase this book sight-unseen, I had in my possession a different TransFormers recognition guide that one of the co-authors of this guide (Harold Tietjiens) and the same publishing company (Antarctic Press) had put out some time ago. This prior publication featured both color photos and info on several offerings from the first couple series of US-release Gen One TransFormers toys, as well as their technical specifications, various power & skill ratings, and brief description from each figure's original packaging. Also given were pics of the various parts and accessories that came with each toy as well as brief discussions of each toy's Japanese roots, and synopses of the US TV series' first 29 episodes, the US Marvel comic series' first 20 issues, and the four-part G.I. Joe/Transformers crossover comic. As you might have guessed, I decided to buy this book with the expectation that it would be laid out in pretty much the same manner as the other guide, only expanded and tweaked a bit. Unfortunately, when it finally arrived I found myself highly disappointed-- all this offered were various color photos (in robot & vehicle mode) of every known TransFormer ever released in the US, from Generation One all the way through to Robots in Disguise. Each toy's name was listed in alpha order along with the series it hailed from (Gen One, Gen Two, Beast Wars, etc), the subgroup it belonged to (Constructicon, Dinobot, Headmaster, etc) and its allegiance (Autobot, Decepticon, etc). Other than that, however, there was no further information given, save for the introduction that discusses how the toys were indexed by scale and sub-indexed alphabetically, and a quick-reference table in the back. No Japanese back story, tech specs, or TV show/comic book synopses are given. Needless to say, the reality was something of a letdown when compared to my expectations. Even my having bought it through an Amazon marketplace dealer at a little over half the original cover price did little to ease my disappointment. And speaking of prices, I found the thirty US smackers they were askin' for this thing to be pretty steep. Even though it's chock-full of color photos and printed on glossy paper stock, it's just not worth that much to me. Perhaps if it were a hardcover rather than a glorified magazine, then it'd likely be a different story. Otherwise, your money would be better spent on a few of the TransFormers toys that are listed in this guide... 'Late
Rating: 
Summary: TOYS
Review: Credit to the authors for listing all the Transformers. I was hoping that the book would contain detailed pictures and perhaps some backdrop, biography or other interesting information. The only information is what season the particular Transformer first appeared in and what size it is. I say "size" because the pictures are all pictures of the TOYS made in the USA. No artwork. Again, credit to the authors for their thoroughness, but I was hoping for a little more.
Rating: 
Summary: Cybertronian I-N-D-E-X! Get it? INDEX!
Review: This book was meant to be an INDEX to the Cybertronian Manuals. It's an amazing book and is extremely helpful as an INDEX! If you want details on each of the individual TF's, buy the Cybertronian MANUALS! That's what those are for. This book is great for identifying and indexing your Transformers - which it was made to do. I love this book and reference it almost daily because, sadly, I sometimes forget the names of my 2000+ [two thousand plus] Transformer collection. I keep a copy with me at all times. This book is well worth the price and is a great buy - you won't regret this one if you know what it's for. [INDEX!]
<< 1 >>
| 
