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And here's what my dream Soundwave player would've done...

I know this wasn't really workable for budgetary reasons(Takara doesn't make electronics, so they had to buy someone else's MP3 player), but I would've compromised functionality myself, not by using a crappy barely-functional chinese player chip, but by using larger and more expensive CompactFlash cards instead of the ubiquitous SD format(and definitely not the decidedly NON-ubiquitous MiniSD form factor)..

The reason I'd do this is because CF cards are JUST big enough that he could come with non-functional "dummy" cards that both fit his chest cavity and actually transformed into the tape-bots. No crappy Frenzy&Rumble headphones here!

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See, if they did things your way, that would have been such a better idea--those F&R earphones look really cumbersome and uncomfortable. I don't mind springing for Compact Flash cards--pretty sure they're easier to find than mini SD cards. I'd stand a better chance of spotting a Sasquatch in my backyard than finding one of those mini SD cards in stores.

Edited by GU-11
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My way also has the advantage of acknowledging that MP3 Soundwave is a toy first, music player second.

And that at that price he should bring quality to both sides.

...

For user interface purposes, I'd also replace the cassette non-window with an OLED panel. Not necessarily a particularly huge one, just enough to be useful. Throw his Decepticon symbol up when not actively operating the player.

Basically a Sansa Clip series, just with a CF interface instead of SD.

For a non-electronics company, I do admit that the CF interface is a large obstacle. Takara was basically dependent on someone else's design already doing what they wanted. But getting a decent MP3 player with a display in there should've been doable, and it's appalling that they didn't.

On a personal aesthetics note, I'd make his crotch buttons mirror the original Soundwave button layout. Silver plastic instead of chromed, because the silver won't wear off.

Adds some visual interest to the design, as well as tickling my nostalgia bone. Always felt MP3 Soundwave was just too darn plain.

And now I've spent entirely too much time speccing out my dream Soundwave toy that will never exist.

Edited by JB0
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Wow, looks like the 80's cartoon.

Precisely. I was wishing for a game like this during the PS2 days: a cel-shaded TF game. It worked for Robotech, why not TFs? Turns out a G1 TF game was made for the PS2, but it was on the crappy side. So to see this news is joy, especially if Platinum is the studio behind it.

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I didn't believe it when I saw it, but I'm getting hyped for the Devastation video game. G1 styled TFs in a next gen game. My mind is blown.

that has to be the most exciting thing for g1 fans ever in terms of video games. if this is xbone only i may have to get one...or if its 360 i'll have to dust tha toff and find a new power adapter. lol

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Been frustrated trying to find all the Protectobots. I'd managed to snag First Aid, Streetwise, and Blades on Amazon about a month ago, and Legends-class Groove at my local Target. Around the time I ordered from Amazon, I pre-ordered Hot Spot from them, with a guaranteed delivery date of yesterday. Yeah, that isn't happening. I assume they pre-sold more than they actually got in stock. Meanwhile, BBTS, Captured Prey, and stores like them were sold out of Rook. Amazon had listings for Rook, but from 3rd party sellers who were charging as much as $40 for him.

Well, I canceled my order for Hot Spot, then ordered him (along with Ultra Magnus) from Hasbro Toy Shop, and I got the shipping notice. As for Rook, I've been checking daily at HTS, and nada. On a whim, I checked Amazon again, expecting to see the usual scalper pricing. Happily, it's listed in stock and ships & sold by Amazon. Price is still a tad high, but $18.99 with Prime Shipping I can swallow.

Assuming no issues with Amazon (ala Hot Spot), I should be able to complete Defensor by early next week. Then I just have to try to get my hands on Devastator.

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I still have yet to see any of the Protectobots. Went to Wally tonight, and all they had were 2 Motormasters, 2 Silverbolts, and 3 pegs with RID 1 step changers. That was it for Transformers. Either the store's not ordering stock, or Hasbro's not pumping it out fast enough to meet demand. Either way, it's slim pickings.

I'd like to get Rook and Groove, but honestly, I'm not really into the Combiners. That said, I've always liked the Combaticons, and I definitely want to get Bruticus, if possible. My main draw to TFs are the CHUGS and MP. Since most of the main G1 cast have been done for the CHUG line, the majority of which I own, my collecting has slowed down a bit. I'd love to see an official CHUG Reflector, and all the Dinobots made to strongly homage their G1 toys (I know they made Classics Grimlock, but I didn't care for that figure very much). I'd also love to see a proper CHUG Soundwave and cassettes to round out the Decepticons. Right now, my G1 Soundwave stands tall on my Classics shelf, and he fits in pretty well. I doubt any of my wish-toys will come to fruition, since Takara/Hasbro have shied away from making non-vehicle TFs, other than Beast Wars, but I can hope. I waited 30 years for a proper Prowl; I hope it doesn't take that long, though. :p

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I still have yet to see any of the Protectobots. Went to Wally tonight, and all they had were 2 Motormasters, 2 Silverbolts, and 3 pegs with RID 1 step changers. That was it for Transformers. Either the store's not ordering stock, or Hasbro's not pumping it out fast enough to meet demand. Either way, it's slim pickings.

Last time I saw someone stocking at my pathetic excuse for a MalWart, I made an idle comment about the slim pickings, and they blamed scalpers.

Stores can order as much as they want, Hasbro can ship as much as they want, but as long as it all winds up on eBay anyways...

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I still have yet to see any of the Protectobots.

To be fair, aside from Legends Groove I haven't seen any at retail. I'll have bought all four Deluxes from Amazon and Hot Spot from Hasbro Toy Shop.

Went to Wally tonight, and all they had were 2 Motormasters, 2 Silverbolts, and 3 pegs with RID 1 step changers. That was it for Transformers. Either the store's not ordering stock, or Hasbro's not pumping it out fast enough to meet demand. Either way, it's slim pickings.

Last time I saw someone stocking at my pathetic excuse for a MalWart, I made an idle comment about the slim pickings, and they blamed scalpers.

Stores can order as much as they want, Hasbro can ship as much as they want, but as long as it all winds up on eBay anyways...

I don't know if it's Hasbro, or Walmart, or scalpers, or what. One thing I have noticed, though, is that life brings me around four different Walmarts on a semi-regular basis. One, in North Versailles, stocked Wave 2 of the Deluxes long before any of the others, but hasn't done much in the way of restocking since. Two of the others, Greensburg and Mt. Pleasant, eventually stocked not just Wave 2 of the Deluxes, but even some of the Legends, Wave 1 of the Voyagers, and both versions of Leader Megatron. All three of those Walmarts, weather they have inventory or not, maintain a 3' or 4' section for Transformers.

Sadly, the Walmart that's actually closest, North Huntingdon, was either brutally hit by scalpers (which I doubt) or simply never restocked Generations after Wave 1 of Combiner Wars. Instead, they reduced their Transformers section down to seven pegs. Four of them are for RiD toys. The other three say "Generations" and look like they should be for Deluxes. Two of them have been empty for a long time. The remaining one has two or three AoE figures.

I'd like to get Rook and Groove, but honestly, I'm not really into the Combiners. That said, I've always liked the Combaticons, and I definitely want to get Bruticus, if possible. My main draw to TFs are the CHUGS and MP. Since most of the main G1 cast have been done for the CHUG line, the majority of which I own, my collecting has slowed down a bit. I'd love to see an official CHUG Reflector, and all the Dinobots made to strongly homage their G1 toys (I know they made Classics Grimlock, but I didn't care for that figure very much). I'd also love to see a proper CHUG Soundwave and cassettes to round out the Decepticons. Right now, my G1 Soundwave stands tall on my Classics shelf, and he fits in pretty well. I doubt any of my wish-toys will come to fruition, since Takara/Hasbro have shied away from making non-vehicle TFs, other than Beast Wars, but I can hope. I waited 30 years for a proper Prowl; I hope it doesn't take that long, though. :p

It's funny, but like yourself I've been mostly into CHUGs. In fact, I really didn't collect toys at all, but the first wave of Classics and nostalgia for the Transformers of my childhood actually started my collecting. Unlike you, my collecting didn't naturally slow; whether it was Hasbro's shoddy distribution or retailers' poor inventory decisions, collecting was simply getting too frustrating. Starting with Reveal the Shield, I think... I found Jazz at a Kohl's, Laser Optimus at a small toy store, and Perceptor at a Ross or a Marshall's; I never saw any of those figures at a Walmart, Target, or Toys R Us. And it got worse from there. I think I was kind of lucky to find Chromia, because to this day I've never seen Windblade, Arcee, Jhiaxus, Brainstorm, Leader Jetfire, or Metroplex. On top of the frustration, quality was going down. Newer figures were either shrinking (scout-sized Deluxe IDW Megatron) or filled with great hollow spaces (FoC Grimlock). Between frustration and reduced quality, I actually decided to quit collecting Transformers. And it's actually the combiners that are getting me back into it. I mean, I like Devastator, Bruticus, and Predaking way more than any of the combiners released, and I think Defensor might be one of my least favorite combiners. But I really dig the new CW figures. I mean, they've got simple transformations but are reasonably articulated. The non-jets look have good alt modes (they just need more paint). And as chunky as the jets are with obvious robot junk hanging underneath, I kind of feel like they're not worse than the original Aerialbots in that respect. And I especially dig how Silverbolt becomes a torso. For all their flaws, they're something a lot of other Transformers haven't been for awhile- fun.

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Combiner Wars Bruticus is coming.

I mean, between Alpha Bravo being the spitting image of Vortex and Hot Spot having some weird bits that only made sense if they were going to retool him as Onslaught, we knew he was coming. But it's still nice to have some confirmation, since he's my second-favorite combiner after Devastator.

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Wow. I'm really into what Takara is doing with the UW line. The mold changes on the Constructicons are sweet.

Edit: Ironhide is interesting. Minus the hip kibble, robot mode is very faithful to the cartoon. And yet, the pictures make him look too big next to Optimus, as if he was taking the same protein supplements as Ultra Magnus. :lol: I want to see more. Comparing this to the Voodoo Robots 3P Ironhide/Ratchet mold should be fun.

Edited by technoblue
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Takara's carrying toon-accuracy too far. Are they going to give him hexagon cross-section fingers, just like the CG model, as it was low-poly in that area?

It looks EXACTLY like he did in BW season 1---which is NOT a good thing! The characters were MUCH high-poly and more detailed/textured for season 2 (Transmetals).

Next thing you know, they'll be molding in G1 Season 3 animation errors onto the MP figures...

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