Transformers Season 1 Boxed Set Reviewed

Literally 1000's of people at this very moment are enjoying a Transformers G1 cartoon marathon of their very own. With the release of the Transformers Season 1 Boxed Set from Rhino Video on 4/23, TF fans are enjoying the original cartoon re-mastered in a high-quality format all over again.

Now that this much anticipated Boxed Set is out, I can tell you it was well worth the wait. Unrivaled in their quality and presentation, the release of these cartoon's marks the continuation of a Transformers revival that is long over due. In near perfect concert with the return of the Transformers comics by Dreamwave productions, the Transformers cartoons will surely lure leagues of fans back to one of the longest running cartoon/toy series' in history.

Sold Out!
And this box set is no exception to the sudden booming interest in Transformers. Just like the comics, stores everywhere were sold out of the DVD set on the first day. "I've had a lot of rather upset people today when they found out they could not get a Transformers DVD Boxed set. " remarked the manager at Suncoast video. Of the stores we talked to, they all said they received just barely enough to fill the pre-orders they had. If your local shop is sold out of them, try online retailers like Amazon.com who are still taking orders for them at only $44.95!

The Packaging
Rhino has done nothing less than a superb job of packaging this set. It really is everything Rhino said it would be. Starting with the chrome gatefold box, the set opens up to expose two illustrations featuring Optimus and Megatron characters from the series. Inside, you'll find a neat little wallet containing two translucent animation cel-type cards marked "Classic Collectable Cel." One depicting Starscream and his co-hort Skywarp transporting energon cubes. The second cel shows an action shot of cassette Frenzy. In addition to the Cel cards the boxed set includes a handy little guide with information on each episode and a rundown on the bonus disk. The set also comes with a $10 discount coupon on your purchase of $17 or more from ActionFigureXpress.com. Pretty cool eh?

The Shows
You know the shows well enough by now so we can spare you the details on each one. A complete listing of the boxed set contents is available here. However, get ready to see your favorite toon in an all new digital way. Completely re-mastered from the originals, the transfers are crisp and clean. Colors are more solid and the definition far exceeds that old color/black and white you watched back in 1985. While the DVDs do expose some of the shoddy animation techniques used in the production of the show, you'll get a view that bests any print you've seen before. The 5.1 Dolby audio encoding is marvelous too. You'll hear characters talking from left to right and other background effects you only get with real surround encoding.

There you have it. I don't want to give awawy so much about this fantastic set that you won't need to buy it. In any event, the real meat in this release is the cartoons. Any Transformers fan will love this set for the shows and the memories.

Transformers DVD Boxed Set Images
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