Transformers Super Thread 9

[SuperHobo]

Got my FP Bruticus upgrade today from Frank and Sons. A pretty solid set. However, my Blast off came with a cracked hinge , but thankfully the dudes at Franks were nice enough to replace mine . So after fiddling with these guys for a couple hours I noticed that the plastic quality definitely feels like a step down from their Springer and city commander trailers. Its not cheap KO plastic (far from it), but it doesn't feel as beefy as the previous FP stuff. Other than that paint is sharp, joints are solid (for now ) and they look great when combined! I happy am to report that the articulated beam fingers aren't floppy and quite solid and theres even a peg on the hand to securely lock the guns in no FLOP! I'm glad I got this set (finally !) and as always be careful fiddling with these guys. Even though they give off the allusion of being mere scout class Transformers you'll need to step down a little and take care when transforming these guys. I'll try to post some pics later.

A little note for new owners: make sure you unlock Blast off's arms before trying to unlock the nose of the drone when going from drone to robot mode

Another little note: I talked to the dudes at Franks and they told me from their source that they'd get MP Rodimus in for $150 so hopefully it will be that price and not the $200

Edited August 29, 2010 by SuperHobo

[RD Blade]

The MP pricing is getting silly, though. Takara Grimlock should've been bigger for the price asked. I get that engineering and production costs are factored in, but the MSRP is too far ahead of inflation for them to be shrinking the scales as well.

[mikeszekely]

The MP pricing is getting silly, though. Takara Grimlock should've been bigger for the price asked. I get that engineering and production costs are factored in, but the MSRP is too far ahead of inflation for them to be shrinking the scales as well.

I think the US prices have been better than the Japanese prices. But I do wish Grimmy had been priced closer to the Seekers than to Prime.

[CoryHolmes]

Odd. My local tru had Grimlock at about$60 CAD. Not bad for that toy, I figure.

[GU-11]

Still waiting for WFC Megatron and Soundwave to hit the shelves at my local TRU. When the heck are these two supposed to be officially released, anyways?

[Scream Man]

What's wrong with just bigger? In Grimlock, I got a toy that looks spot on in both modes and can be easily converted between them on a whim. Contrast that to Megatron, who was such a pain to transform that I'm pretty sure I'll never do it again. Or Prime, who's truck sides are missing doors and windows (and who's trailer is sold separately). Or the Seekers, with their extra kibbley bot modes.

I can't help it that Takara got Grimlock right back in the 80s, but a Transformer doesn't need to be overly complicated to be a Masterpiece in my book... just awesome. That's why Grimmy's actually my favorite so far.

Rodimus is looking good, but time will tell. The Takara release is too rich for my blood anyway.

Agreed with everything you said about Grimlock!

i want this so bad it hurts. Ill be getting the Japanese version ASAP. AWESOME looking toy!

[mikeszekely]

Still waiting for WFC Megatron and Soundwave to hit the shelves at my local TRU. When the heck are these two supposed to be officially released, anyways?

Not sure exactly, but I was under the impression that Megatron and Straxus/Darkmount are due before Soundwave (and Red Alert).

I love the Classics/Universe/Generations figures, but I wasn't a huge fan of the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe mold. I might skip Red Alert.

[RD Blade]

Odd. My local tru had Grimlock at about$60 CAD. Not bad for that toy, I figure.

Oh, absolutely. I was referring to the Takara import version from two(?) years back which was going for more than double that.

[mikeszekely]

Oh, absolutely. I was referring to the Takara import version from two(?) years back which was going for more than double that.

Which still gives me hope that Hasbro might bring us a domestic MP Rodimus for $99 US.

[eugimon]

What's wrong with just bigger? In Grimlock, I got a toy that looks spot on in both modes and can be easily converted between them on a whim. Contrast that to Megatron, who was such a pain to transform that I'm pretty sure I'll never do it again. Or Prime, who's truck sides are missing doors and windows (and who's trailer is sold separately). Or the Seekers, with their extra kibbley bot modes.

I can't help it that Takara got Grimlock right back in the 80s, but a Transformer doesn't need to be overly complicated to be a Masterpiece in my book... just awesome. That's why Grimmy's actually my favorite so far.

Rodimus is looking good, but time will tell. The Takara release is too rich for my blood anyway.

He's just limited in posability in both modes, a gimmick that removes articulation. Part of why I pay the higher prices for MP and even Leader class molds is for the engineering and articulation. The seekers may be kibbletastic but their transformation is fun and yeah, Prime doesn't hold up so well after all this time but he's still got way more articulation than Grimmy as well as more metal and he's a damn sight more imposing than grimlock due to his size and heft.

Grimlock just feels, to me, like a big step backwards.

[Uxi]

Am I the only one that thinks that car mode looks "off"? I mean, I've seen the movie a zillion times, and own the G1 reissue so I have a pretty good mental image of how it "should" look I think.

http://twitpic.com/2iyxuo/full (can't embed)

The tail pipes are bothering me far more than the hood, but yeah that's an issue, too.

Oh, absolutely. I was referring to the Takara import version from two(?) years back which was going for more than double that.

We're always going to get raped on imported grey-market Takara, though. US Masterpiece releases have been pretty good (if you can stomach things like Prime's smokestacks - I couldn't so got a set on evilbay which solved 75% of my grief and haven't taken the time to get the dremel to get it up to 90% satisfaction).

[RD Blade]

Which still gives me hope that Hasbro might bring us a domestic MP Rodimus for $99 US.

I'm sure Hasbro will do a US release. And the $99 ballpark sounds about right. But not knowing for certain if and when compels me to go with the import. Not to mention the fact that every MP has been altered for US release. Some for the better, IMO, but some...not so much.

The tail pipes are bothering me far more than the hood

The tailpipes are just mistransformed. The hood is the real problem.

US Masterpiece releases have been pretty good (if you can stomach things like Prime's smokestacks - I couldn't so got a set on evilbay which solved 75% of my grief and haven't taken the time to get the dremel to get it up to 90% satisfaction).

Did you get the chromed die cast smokestacks? I picked those up, too. Dremel?!? Does the battle damage bug you that much?

[mikeszekely]

He's just limited in posability in both modes, a gimmick that removes articulation. Part of why I pay the higher prices for MP and even Leader class molds is for the engineering and articulation. The seekers may be kibbletastic but their transformation is fun and yeah, Prime doesn't hold up so well after all this time but he's still got way more articulation than Grimmy as well as more metal and he's a damn sight more imposing than grimlock due to his size and heft.

Grimlock just feels, to me, like a big step backwards.

Grimlock's articulation isn't that bad. His knees, elbows, wrists, and neck are equal to the other MPs. Yeah, he's got limited ability to move his arms away from his body at the shoulder, but so do Prime and Megatron. And while the Seekers have better motion there, but their hips are limited by both their plane kibble and their skirt armor, so Grimlock has them beat there. They also can't turn at the waist the way Grimlock can.

Actually, Prime and Grimlock have fairly similar ranges of motion. Prime has better ankles (a downside to Grimlock's transformation) and fingers, that's about it.

Where you see "fun" in the Seekers transformation, I see "less of a pain than Megatron, more of a pain than Prime." I played with Starscream a bit when I first got him, but I've transformed Skywarp maybe once. They both just stand on their shelf with Megatron, who will probably not be moved let alone transformed (I got him posed in a stable position that looks good on his tiny ankles).

It really doesn't matter to me that Prime has more metal. And while Prime may look more imposing next to Grimlock due to his larger size, Grimlock looks plenty impressive on his own, next to the Seekers (or Rodimus, when he comes out), or next to most other Transformers.

[eugimon]

True, the range of motion between Prime and Grimmy is similar but Prime's hands swivel, the fingers are individually articulated, he's got little moving pistons in his joints, he has pop open leg vents, shocks on his wheels, a gimmick that doesn't hurt his articulation, his skirt is made of moving panels rather than just rotating (even the seekers had moving panels) a good deal of Prime's joints are ratchets while Grimmy has a bunch of friction ones and, what's most important to me, a transformation that is an interesting evolution of the G1 transformation, not just an upscaled one. Now, I'll admit that G1 Grimlock's transformation really didn't need fixing in the same way that the rest of the MP line did in order to get to a anime accurate bot mode... but they could have easily increased his range of motion in either mode to compensate. If they had dumped the glowy hand gimmick they could have given him pull out arms and given him a double jointed elbow, for instance.

I won't argue with you on the seekers, cuz for me, they also marked a decline in the MP brand. The hip kibble and skirt severely limits their leg movement, a transformation that pretty much causes a key joint to fail... but I give it points for having an intricate and novel transformation and for having a number of gimmicks packed into a smaller toy.

Anyways, I'm not saying he's a bad toy. I think he's WELL worth the 60 bucks I paid for him. I just don't think he measures up well to MP Prime. And from what I've seen of MP Roddy, he looks more like what I came to expect from the line.

[areaseven]

Here's one reason to pick up WFC Deluxe Soundwave:

[eugimon]

too bad in bot mode WFC Soundwave looks like he has a giant ass.

[M'Kyuun]

That boom box mode is kind of a stretch. I haven't played the game yet, so I'm not sure if he actually assumes a boom-box mode officially, but I'm inclined to say, "why would he?" other than as a fan-nod to the original character. Millions of years before the boom box was invented....before he sided with the Decepticons, Soundwave, in a prescient move that would echo across time and space, transformed into a radio, and in true Macross style, laid down the beats in a futile effort to make his fellow bots, "give peace a chance."

While I like my MP Grimlock (Hasbro version), I have to say that MP Prime still epitomizes what the MP line should be, IMHO. Granted his truck mode suffers, but in his bot mode, he is pure awesome: big, hefty, lots of die-cast, full of nifty features and details, extremely well articulated for such a large figure, and pretty spot-on with his robot mode. MP Megatron is pretty cool, but he's overly complex with a lot of kibble, hindered and limited articulation, and a lot more license taken with the bot's look. The MP seekers stray quite a bit from their G1 look, and I wish that Takara had used or released seperately, their original, more G1-esque F-15C styled seeker.

Picked up my first HA fig: Jazz. The original Deluxe was absolute crap; this toy makes up for it in spades. Although I'm not crazy about Bay's bot aesthetic, there is enough of G1 Jazz in this fig to make me like him. The toy has decent, not great, articulation, matches his movie incarnation pretty well, and features a retractable visor( nice surprise). The motorcycle/ weapon is alright..points for creativity and for adding additional playability to the set. I didn't bother taking Capt Lennox out of his plastic and rubber band cocoon, but he does have some pretty good poseability for such a small figure(shoulder, hip, and knee joints allow him to sit in the car or assume a rider's position on the bike). Although he lacks proper seats for the Lennox fig, he does have a center console and a steering wheel. I got a little Alternators vibe from him. Overall, a pretty decent fig.

[areaseven]

That boom box mode is kind of a stretch. I haven't played the game yet, so I'm not sure if he actually assumes a boom-box mode officially, but I'm inclined to say, "why would he?" other than as a fan-nod to the original character.

The boombox mode is seen only on the ending credits of the game.

[one_klump]

Ok, I had heard that the game was pretty good, but that music is straight up EPIC lol

[protostar8]

Am I the only one that thinks that car mode looks "off"? I mean, I've seen the movie a zillion times, and own the G1 reissue so I have a pretty good mental image of how it "should" look I think.

http://twitpic.com/2iyxuo/full (can't embed)

Yeah, I've thought something looked weird about the car since I saw it. It's still nice, but it just doesn't look quite right based on my memories of Hot Rod, which are mainly from the movie. I just watched it again the other day too. Hopefully it's just mistransformed somewhat in the display (displays are notorious about not taking that extra 5 min to make sure everything is seated correct and aligned correctly).

Here is the vid from the movie of his best scene.

The car CLEARLY has a downward slope to the front end and windshield which isn't really there in the toy. Though I have a sneaking suspicion that the toy is supposed to look more like the movie. If you examine where the windshield meets the back roof, there is a triangle shaped gap, which tells me the windshield isn't sitting flush and should in fact be more angled. Perhaps the hood actually is supposed to be angled down more b/c it's not supposed to be flat, it's supposed to have a nice slope to it. It could all be a case of not taking time to make sure it's perfectly transformed for the display (and if you look at Rodimus Prime's back pack, you know they didn't take time to make it all look perfect)...

[Guest sh002]

movie hotrod

[protostar8]

movie hotrod

Nice screenshot. That shows how much his hood is supposed to be sloped DOWNWARD. Still hoping he was just mistransformed.

[David Hingtgen]

Soundwave is also in boombox mode right at the start of the fight--that's how he's hiding. (and it actually kind of works)--a big truck in the corner of the room would be obvious.

[CoryHolmes]

I al sot feel sorry for FP. Their next project is a Rodimus Prime update but I will say that their robot mode feels much more 'Prime-like' than this MP. Beefier shoulders and legs make for a more imposing robot. I guess that's part of the sacrifice of having a Hot Rod in the toy, eh?

[eugimon]

the newark CA TRU has around 5-6 animated rodimus in stock and a handful of cybertron ironhide for anyone still looking,

[Scream Man]

And its worth getting them, both are great, though Rodimus is the better of the 2 i feel.

[GU-11]

Not sure exactly, but I was under the impression that Megatron and Straxus/Darkmount are due before Soundwave (and Red Alert).

I love the Classics/Universe/Generations figures, but I wasn't a huge fan of the Sunstreaker/Sideswipe mold. I might skip Red Alert.

I haven't even found Megatron in TRU yet. I'm not exactly a fan of Darkmount and Red Alert either, so the only ones I'll be hunting for are Megs and Soundwave.

Here's one reason to pick up WFC Deluxe Soundwave:

Is that an official mode, or was it improvised? Not perfect by any means, but I'd definitely be displaying him in this mode once I find him at TRU.

[areaseven]

Is that an official mode, or was it improvised? Not perfect by any means, but I'd definitely be displaying him in this mode once I find him at TRU.

It's an improv. None of the prototype pics ever showed this mode, and it's most likely not in the instruction manual, as the video reviewer did mention that the boombox mode is unofficial.

[Faceless One]

An interesting fan mode for HFTD Tomahawk.

Found here,

http://www.hk-tf.com/discuz/upload/viewthread.php?tid=18624&extra=page%3D1

Edited August 31, 2010 by Faceless One

[mikeszekely]

This is a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt. But the rumor says Hasbro's bringing MP Rodimus out in the States. Except he won't have the Rodimus Prime trailer, and they're going to make him a Targetmaster.

#$@% Targetmasters. I want my damn trailer. I know I'm a minority, but I wanted Rodimus Prime. I got enough Hot Rods.

[Uxi]

Is the head a switcher like Starscream, if so you still get Rodimus Prime Robot... I don't really want the Space Winnebago and would probably just leave it in the box.

[mikeszekely]

Is the head a switcher like Starscream, if so you still get Rodimus Prime Robot... I don't really want the Space Winnebago and would probably just leave it in the box.

No clue. But I want the Space Winnebago.

[Scream Man]

U know I did wonder about the lack of Targetmaster gun. That's aboutt he only thing missing from the rodimus package to give him everything!

But yeah Ill still get the Japanese version.

[eugimon]

yeah, I can do without Prime's trailer but the space winnebago was one of the key things that told informed the viewer the difference between hotrod and rodimus.

[David Hingtgen]

Optimus being dead was enough of a clue for me. That even works for later eps where Prime comes back to life.

If Optimus is around, Rodimus isn't.