The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[M'Kyuun]

 

The aft section is most definitely supposed to share the same tapered appearance as the front of the ship. I wonder if there are going to be a couple partsforming bits to replicate that shape to cover the knee holes? They didn't quite execute the recessed sections in the middle very well either. I wonder what they did with the fifth center engine bell?

It's a shame when the official toy has so many instantly recognizable flaws, and you're thinking in the back of your mind if (insert third party of choice) had done this, it'd be far more accurate. It's especially gulling when they can tailor the bot mode however they need to to ensure that the Ark mode is nigh on perfect. Gah!

[mikeszekely]

34 minutes ago, Mechapilot77 said:

it inlcudes a teletran one that converts into that smaller robot i guess?

Yeah.  The first robot pic in Jeremy's post is the Ark, the second robot is Teletraan.

Galvatron was also officially revealed, as well as Scorponok.  No, not the ER Titan.  Kingdom Scorponok is the BW version.

Preorders for all three are going this Friday (I expect some other stuff, like Kingdom Rodimus Prime, too).  Pulse Premium members will have a five-hour head start on preorders at Pulse.

35 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

So, usually I complain about the lack of TF toys in my area, specifically Walmart, but yesterday after I got my first Covid shot, I decided to pay a visit to the nearby Wally (where I used to work, as it happens), and I was pleasantly surprised to find the retro-HeadMasters (Skullcruncher, Highbrow, & Weirdwolf), as well as the ER Prime three pack, and, IIRC, a few of the SS86 figs. Since I already have all the TR  Headmaster deluxes, I passed, although I was tempted to get another Weirdwolf since mine cracked a little at the hinge behind his wolf head. Anyway, today, I went to the usually stark and depressingly empty TF aisle of my local Wally  to find the newest batch of Netflix recolored deluxes hanging on the pegs, as well as two ER Arcees. they also had three copies of Deep Cover sitting on the overstock shelf, for some odd reason, as there was an a completely empty peg for Gen deluxes. I put the copy of DC that I took down on a peg, so hopefully some kid walks away happy. My copy's in the mail so I left all three. Anyway, I didn't bother picking up any of the Netflix figs, although I was tempted to get the rusty Cybertronian Datsun fig, simply b/c I like the mold and he's another variant. But  I didn't didn't grab any of them. My shelves are overcrowded as it is, with still more Kingdom figs coming, so I'm trying to be a little choosier. Anyway, just wanted to let folks know in case they were looking for one of these.

I stopped at my Walmart to get some meat for picnic.  The only Transformers they had at all were a few SS86 Blurrs and two Netflix Wheeljacks.  And I actually want several of the new Netflix Deluxes (although by now I'm pretty much caught up on the rest).

1 hour ago, Negotiator said:

Thanks. So pulse sends me link to hasbro CS.  From there we do a live chat and identify the toy.  Unfortunately inferno is out of stock in their warehouse.  The rep offers that the warehouse team pick out a transformer of equal value for me. I was like huh?? What if I already have the toy that they pick out for me?? Anyway from there the rep offers me a return/refund and emails me a return slip. Note their warehouse inventory is not the same as pulses inventory. I guess there's not much they could really do at this point as far as a proper replacement. 

That does suck, but at least it's a mainline figure that you'll likely still be able to get.  I know someone else who finally managed to get his hands on a Walgreen's-exclusive Earthrise Bluestreak only for it to have the same missing wheel problem.

[Jeremy007]

More ark pics:

 

 

[Mechapilot77]

40 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

 

The aft section is most definitely supposed to share the same tapered appearance as the front of the ship. I wonder if there are going to be a couple partsforming bits to replicate that shape to cover the knee holes? They didn't quite execute the recessed sections in the middle very well either. I wonder what they did with the fifth center engine bell?

It's a shame when the official toy has so many instantly recognizable flaws, and you're thinking in the back of your mind if (insert third party of choice) had done this, it'd be far more accurate. It's especially gulling when they can tailor the bot mode however they need to to ensure that the Ark mode is nigh on perfect. Gah!

that last point.....YES!  its not like they were designing to a premade robot mode form.  just take the Fricking iconic looking arc and transform it into a workable looking massive robot.  its almost as if they didn't care the ark ship mode doesn't look right.  someone will make partsforming filler pieces.  i hope they're molded professionally though and not a 3d printed garage shop job because those pieces will be huge.  that being said it still looks pretty good overall as  giant ship turning into a massive autobot...the price is OK for something like that...actually pretty damn good (3P would be double the price if zeta's studio cell is anything to go by...same-ish size).  so when is the nemesis or the revenge gonna appear as  giant purple decepticon robot?  haha (and yes i know the revenge turns into 9.5 inch high shockwave if you're  lemontree toys fan). 

[mikeszekely]

Before I get too excited for the next wave, maybe I should finish up the second wave, eh?  Today we're moving on to Kingdom Voyager-class Dinobot.

Dinobot's a pretty big fella, slightly taller than wavemate Inferno and similar in height to Optimus Prime (about the same to the top of the head, but his eyes, shoulders, and pelvis are lower).  I'm not super into Beast Wars, but a head or so shorter than Megatron and taller than Primal tracks with what I remember.

Dinobot's definitely not without his flaws.  His head looks fantastic, but he's missing the tawny stripes on his arms and torso, a ton of different colors on his feet, and although he's got some gold paint on his ribs and crotch he's got none of it on his shins.  Plus, I hate to see the hollow cutouts in his forearms and the back of his biceps.  That said... have you seen basically every Dinobot toy that isn't he MP version?  Even with some missing paint apps Kingdom Dinobot is by far the most accurate mainline representation he's gotten, without the chunky dino head dominating his whole torso of the original toy.  He's even got the more heroic, tapered torso and none of the weird color choices of the Universe version.

Dinobot comes with two accessories that are fairly iconic for him.  He's got his sword, and it's looking fine with an orange hilt and a purple blade.  Then he's got his... gun? My first though was that it looks a bit unfinished, as the sides are the same brown plastic as the outside and it seems pretty hollow.  The inside could have been painted pink, but after looking at the MP version I guess this is actually fairly accurate.  Anyway, the handle of the sword can plug into the middle, and the ends close around it to become part of Dinobot's tail in alt mode.

Dinobot's head is on a ball joint.  His prominent chin keeps him from looking too far down, but his upward and sideways tilts are pretty good.  Shoulders rotate and can extend over 90 degrees.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees.  His wrists swivel, plus then can bend in and out, and his weird fingers can open and close.  His waist swivels.  His hips can go 90 degrees forward and laterally, but they're limited due to the shape of his butt to just a little bit backward.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend slightly over 90 degrees.  His ankles can tilt up slightly, down a good bit, and can pivot 90 degrees.

Both of his palms have 5mm ports in them, so you can plug the sword or the "gun" into them.  He's also got 5mm ports in his heels and on the outsides of his knees, plus one under his backpack.

If you like, you can plug the sword into the "gun" while he's holding it.  I think that's something the Universe toy did.  Maybe you could do it to the original, too?  Or, you can store the "gun" by closing it up and plugging it into his backpack, where it ends up in alt mode anyway.

And here we have Dinobot's raptor mode.  Tough to get a definite height comparison with Megatron here because Megatron's got so much more articulation. The transformation is pretty interesting, too, with parts of his dino thighs folding from his torso over his robot shoulders and biceps and his dino arms coming out of the sides of his torso while his lower legs split in half and everything tucks up underneath in a manner that's sort of similar to the original Dinobot toy, except backward.

I think dino mode is a mixed bag.  It's tough to say that the alt mode is more "realistic" like the other Beast Wars characters in Kingdom, because real velociraptors were more like mean turkeys with bigger claws and teeth, but I do think the proportions are a bit better than the cow-bodied, skinny-necked animation model that the MP is based on.  From some angles he looks pretty good, with the outside of his robot thighs and knees dong their best to blend into his flanks, and the lighter tan color showing up a bit.  That said, even though they're brown his robot feet still look like robot feet on his dino butt.  He's got some pupil-less eyes on the back of his thighs, as well as some blue with the gold ribs from his robot mode.  And from a couple angles you can see some of the orange robot parts peeking out from his chest, underbelly, and near his butt.  Again, though, I'll refer you to the original Dinobot toy, with it's super prominent robot legs not-really-hiding underneath, or the Universe toy with the weirdly clawed chest, or even the extremely panely MP Dinobot that still had a bit of visible robot parts around the dino's pelvis and simply note that it must be very difficult to translate the Mainframe robot model to anything close to a dinosaur without anime magic.

While I'm willing enough to forgive some alt-mode aesthetics that were sacrificed for robot mode there's definitely some areas that could have been improved.  Dinobot can look up and down while in dino mode, and his mouth can open, but he's got no neck swivel.  His dino arms have shoulders that rotate and move laterally plenty, elbows that bend 90 degrees, and ball joints in the wrists that allow them to swivel and fold against the forearm for transformation, but he doesn't have bicep swivels, and his hands are molded with that downward bend.  While technically his hips can move laterally, doing so opens him up and exposes his mashed up robot-legs, and they don't have any foward/backward movement anyway.  His knees, ankles, and the claws on his fee can bend, and his ankles can swivel.  He's got no tail articulation, but raptor's used them more like a stiff rudder for balance anyway.

Also, does Hasbro think dinosaurs get punched in the face a lot?  Because this is the second dino after Grimlock that's missing his front teeth.  Actually, maybe I should double check on Paleotrex and Megatron...

Overall, Dinobot has his issues.  I'm especially crossing my fingers and hoping some third party can make new dino hands with better articulation.  However, they're mostly in dino mode, and I've often said that if sacrifices have to be made to one mode to get the other right it should be the alt mode that suffers.  His robot mode is, after MP-41, the best representation of the character in toy form that's ever come down the line, and this one costs something like $160 less than MP-41.  If you're a fan of the character, Dinobot's definitely worth picking up.

Edited April 7, 2021 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

Hasbro production numbers and EAN numbers have supposedly be leaked for a number of Transformers.  Some of them are stuff we know about by now, like Galvatron and the Ark, and rumored stuff I've talked about like Studio Series 86 Slag, but I figured I'd highlight a few I haven't mentioned here yet.

F0485 Tra Gen Project Bat.  Some people are telling me it is Batman-related but it's not a Batmobile, others are saying it's definitely not Batman.

F1207 Tra Gen Prime Optimus Prime.  No description, but it seems like it's a new figure and it'll be more expensive than the Leader-class.

F1815 Tra Gen Selects Artfire. Now give me Hauler!

F1618 Tra Gen Selects Galvatron & Unicron pack.  Not sure what sort of Unicron is coming in this pack, but I'm hearing Galvatron might be a translucent reformatting sort of thing.

F1208 Tra Gen WFC Sideswipe and Night Prowler.  Could be the rumored Earth-mode Sideswipe.  Night Prowler is apparently another repaint of Cheetor.

F2822 Tra Gen WFC K Golden Deluxe Jackpot.  Jackpot was an old G1 Action Master.  It's been suggested that this could be a repaint of Studio Series 86 Jazz.

F2817 Tra Gen WFC K Golden Voyager Tigatron.  This will be a repaint of the previously-leaked Kingdom Tigatron.

As for these, I actually have mentioned their rumored existence already, but this is looking like more confirmation, especially with a rumored IDW Shattered Glass miniseries to support it.

F2705 Tra Gen SG Deluxe Blurr

F2704 Tra Gen SG Deluxe Goldbug

F2912 Tra Gen SG Voyager Megatron

F3003 Tra Gen SG Commander Jetfire

Edited April 9, 2021 by mikeszekely

[Wolf-1]

5 hours ago, Negotiator said:

Thanks. So pulse sends me link to hasbro CS.  From there we do a live chat and identify the toy.  Unfortunately inferno is out of stock in their warehouse.  The rep offers that the warehouse team pick out a transformer of equal value for me. I was like huh?? What if I already have the toy that they pick out for me?? Anyway from there the rep offers me a return/refund and emails me a return slip. Note their warehouse inventory is not the same as pulses inventory. I guess there's not much they could really do at this point as far as a proper replacement. 

That is actually a little better than I was offered on my Drizzt/Guenhwyvar combo.  Figure showed up and had no movement in his right arm from the elbow down; should have had double-jointed elbow and wrist swivel.  Contacted Pulse CS and was simply told I could receive a refund or another figure of the warehouses choice from any of their other lines, including MLP; mind you, Pulse was still selling the figure.  When I suggested I be able to choose the "line", not even the figure, it was a no-go.  Hasbro is not in my good graces as a company.  Few weeks later, they sent a link for a ranking on my issue; that didn't go well for them.  Technically it's still an open issue as nothing has been resolved, just dropped!

[David Hingtgen]

"A similar toy of equal value" has been Hasbro's most common solution to TF's missing parts since at least RiD. (RiD 2001, not 2015).   Actually getting parts or the same figure happens, but don't expect it.   Sometimes they do "go up a size" and will replace your deluxe with a voyager, etc.  But again---you might already have it.  

[technoblue]

7 hours ago, lechuck said:

Woah! Skywarp looking good, nice semi-gloss paint/plastic black with a fitting tone of purple/lavender. Shame it's TT Mall exclusive again.

Can't wait to get this new seeker mould in hand.

Seriously. I've ordered Skywarp at The Chosen Prime but I'm really excited to see Starscream in hand when he's released in June/July. 

I'll be sticking to the three main seekers at MP scale, so I'm also hoping that Takara hits it out of the park in the quality department.

[sh9000]

I’m still going to buy it.

[M'Kyuun]

I'm on the fence for the Ark. I like the bot mode a lot, but since the Ark is the star of the show, if you will, I'm pretty disappointed with the lazy and  inaccurate design, not to mention the big gaping holes on either side. Guess my question about whether or not it has the center exhaust bell got answered.  I suppose I should have known better than to raise my expectations.  I am digging Kingdom BW Scorponok, though, and thus far, he's my only guaranteed buy for now, unless they throw MP Skids in there, too. Even with that we're getting boned, as the Diaclone colored version comes with more accessories for the same price. Why couldn't they put the same stuff in both?  grrrr

Anyway, Hasbro's sending out emails for folks to reserve a 'spot at the party' for tomorrow's pre-Fest event on Pulse. I don't recall their doing that for PulseCon, and this sounds like it's going to be a similar event. Anyway, just thought I'd tell folks planning to get in on it to check their email so they can confirm their reservations.

[tekering]

31 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

I’m still going to buy it.

And I won't, thanks to that pic you just posted. 

That huge chunk bisecting the engine bells is inexcusable.

[JB0]

I'm honestly pleased with the Ark toy, aside from the large gaps on the sides. I feel like there ought to be panels folding over those.

While I grant it is not show-accurate(and there's no such thing as comix accurate, with Marvel drawing it different every time), I like how it looks.

 

I probably would've skipped it if they hadn't also included Teletraan-1 as a converting robot. I was kinda hoping for a second that the Teletraan-1 robot would attach the rest of the ship as armor to make the Ark-bot, but... nope. 

[Mechapilot77]

12 hours ago, tekering said:

And I won't, thanks to that pic you just posted. 

That huge chunk bisecting the engine bells is inexcusable.

no 5th bell!!

[danth]

Wow, HasTak is really phoning it in.

After 40 years of tech advancement, improvements in CAD software, rapid prototyping, cheaper plastics, etc, it's just not enough for them.

They need to go cheaper.

They're still going to give you gappy, mediocre toys with major concessions and puzzling deviations from the source material.

The robot mode posability and proportions have improved, but nothing else. Alt modes are generally worse than in 1986.

[danth]

Obviously the MPs are generally really good. Which is why I mostly buy those.

[M'Kyuun]

Concerning the Ark, the problem with the gaping holes could have been addressed with a couple hinged clamshell panels, but as it is, even with a third party add-on, the shaping is going to be difficult to capture accurately. I think I'd rather prefer entirely new legs that offer the fifth engine and proper sides that match the original design, which would be a costly add-on. Looking at it anew today, I just have to wonder incredulously how the designers looked at this and called it good as a final product. 

Edited April 8, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[danth]

41 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I just have to wonder incredulously how the designers looked at this and called it good as a final product. 

I'm guessing it's the higher ups calling it "good enough" at a certain point. Just like they do with video games. The designers could do better with more time and more money, but they don't get more, because why would they? Profits come first, and people are still going to buy this stuff no matter how mediocre it is.

[mikeszekely]

I'm down to the Kingdom Deluxes, and despite paying extra for 4-day shipping UPS immediately flagged my order with a delay and is now saying Tuesday (seven days after shipping), so Airazor is out.  (Note to future self, just go for the cheapest shipping in the future.)  Holding off on Huffer still, so I guess that leaves us with Ractonite.

Like Paleotrex, Ractonite's got some issues with proportions.  His legs are a bit short, especially from the knees down, and his arms are a bit long.  That said, I don't think his issues are quite as bad.  He's not actually reaching to the ground like Paleotrex, and he's not packing those thunder thighs.  He's stocky, but that thickness combines with his helmet to give him an appearance akin to a knight in armor.  The skull on his right shoulder is almost balanced by the pelvis on his left.  That said, I really hate his lack of hands.

Note that, per the instructions, the configuration in my first picture is his official robot mode.  However, he actually came out of the box with the skull shoulder turned around and his arm coming out of the mouth.  That's actually pretty cool.  I'm not sure which way I prefer it.

Also like Paleotrex, Ractonite has a mask that can fold down over part of his face, which in my opinion enhances that armored knight look.  I'm not sure if this is supposed to be based on anything the way Paleotrex's was the original Primal toy's mace.

Anyway, as a Fossilizer Ractonite doesn't have accessories, he's made of them.  I pulled him into this many parts without realizing that the horn on the nose of the skull and the two big spikes on the frill come off.  Speaking of the frill, mine comes off of the skull fairly easily.  However, it connects with a large block tab that really only fits into the skull, so I haven't found any use for it that doesn't involve leaving it attached.

Ractonite's head is on a ball joint with a little up/down tilt and minimal sideways tilt.  His shoulders rotate, no problem, but lateral movement depends.  His left arm can only get about 45 degrees at a hinge that's actually shoulder level, but there's a hinge at the top of his shoulder pad that can go nearly 180 degrees.  In the "official" configuration his right arm can get about 75 degrees of lateral motion.  He gets slightly better out of the alternate configuration, but still less than 90.  His biceps swivel.  His elbows are double-jointed and get almost 180 degrees of curl.  The 5mm pegs at on the heels of his alt mode that pass for his hands can bend up.  His waist swivels.  His hips can go 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend 90 degrees.  His ankles can pivot up to 90 degrees.

As a robot you'll have a little piece of tail left that I suppose is Ractonite's weapon.  It has a 5mm port on the base that fits onto the peg that passes for either hand.

Ractonite's alt mode is a skeletal Styracosaurus.  It looks pretty good, again, a bit more cohesive than Paleotrex.  Transformation involves ripping the robot apart and piecing him back together until you've got a dinosaur.

Ractonite doesn't have a ton of alt mode articulation.  His head can tilt sideways by rotating it around where it's pegged in, and he can look up and down a little.  His mouth opens.  His front legs can swivel, move forward and backward, and bend at the knee, but there's no lateral movement or ankle articulation.  He's got limited waist swivel.  His back legs have quite a bit more articulation, as they can rotate and move laterally at the hips, swivel at the thighs, bend at the knee, and pivot at the ankles.  His tail has two hinges that can move up and down.

Of course, part of the Fossilizer gimmick is that after pulling Ractonite apart you can put his parts back together into various weapon-like arrays for other characters to carry.  These lances, clubs, shields, and hammers are some of ones suggested in his instructions.

I'll say this much, I like Ractonite better than Paleotrex.  I think he works a little better in dino mode, and a lot better in robot mode.  But, and I think I touched on this last time, brand new characters that make bone clubs for other characters do not have the same appeal as underused citybot companions that turn into guns.  So, get him if you think you want him, I guess, but I see no real reason to recommend him.

[M'Kyuun]

It's a shame that Hasbro has strong-armed the reigns of Transformers from Takara; if Takara was still allowed to do their own versions of these toys, their version of the Ark would likely have been far better.  I prefer the Japanese design philosophy of designing the best toy possible, and then assigning a value, rather than working backwards from a fixed budget and settling with whatever's been cobbled together.

I was so looking forward to this guy; he was going to be my first titan class toy, but the more I see that Ark mode, the more put off of it I am. Guess that's $150 saved, but honestly, the disappointment hurts more than the expenditure.

Commenting on Ractonite, there's a part of me that wants to love these things; dinosaurs are cool, and a transforming dinosaur skeleton should hit that sweet spot, but for some reason, these just aren't doing anything for me. I will say that both Ractonite and Paleotrex look good in their dino skeleton modes, and I appreciate the amount of articulation they have. The bot modes, however, just aren't very good. Admittedly, turning the skeleton of anything into a robot is a pretty tall order, as there's not really a lot to work with, so I guess they did the best they could. I'm not at all a fan of yanking them apart and using their bits to forge weapons and such- it's too much of a contrast to see a 'high tech' robot bearing what looks like stone aged weapons. Not even a svelte bot like Huffer can make it look good. If Hasbro wants to do dinosaurs, there are four more Dinobots begging for updates to stand alongside Grimlock, and I think I speak on behalf of the majority of TF fans when I say that's what we really want.

@mikeszekely If you've got your Huffer review ready to go, go ahead and post it, man. I'm not due to have my copy til Monday. If I see the review posted, I'll just skip over it until I have mine. I deeply appreciate the courtesy, but don't hold back on my account. The world needs more Huffer.

Edited April 8, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

43 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

@mikeszekely If you've got your Huffer review ready to go, go ahead and post it, man. I'm not due to have my copy til Monday. If I see the review posted, I'll just skip over it until I have mine. I deeply appreciate the courtesy, but don't hold back on my account. The world needs more Huffer.

It's probably going up tomorrow. The pictures have been taken, they're cropped and ready on the computer, and Huffer's sitting in front of my monitor waiting for his articulation test. I'm just unhappy that I paid extra to get Airazor here by Friday only for them to delay my package. It's like, if I didn't mind to wait until Tuesday I could have saved $4 for the cheaper shipping.

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

It's probably going up tomorrow. The pictures have been taken, they're cropped and ready on the computer, and Huffer's sitting in front of my monitor waiting for his articulation test. I'm just unhappy that I paid extra to get Airazor here by Friday only for them to delay my package. It's like, if I didn't mind to wait until Tuesday I could have saved $4 for the cheaper shipping.

Shipping's a funny thing. For example, I'm expecting a package from Pulse that shipped just this past Saturday, originally scheduled to be here tomorrow, but bumped out to Monday. I ordered the new Discovery Space Shuttle LEGO set on Sunday, and it's showing out for delivery today. Both are coming by FedEX.  The TFs are coming from PA, and the LEGO set shipped from IL, so although the LEGO set originated a little closer to WA state, it's not such a great distance that one would expect four additional days of travel for the TFs be required.  FYI, according to tracking, the TFs in question are currently in Oregon, so they may still show up tomorrow or Saturday.  

Anyway, I'm sorry to hear that you specifically paid extra to get it there quicker, only to have to wait anyway.  It shouldn't happen, but it does.  

I wonder if anyone here has stuff potentially on the Ever Given, which was infamously stuck in the Suez for about a week. Talk about an unscheduled delay.

Edit: Pulse premium event is about to start

Edited April 8, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[David Hingtgen]

I went to Target, intending a quick run for milk and pancakes:

[M'Kyuun]

Very good figs, both. If you forgot the pancakes and milk, you should be forgiven.

I wish the entirety of the line was done at least as well as these two figs.

 

So today's Pulse event, which was essentially a little primer for Premium members before tomorrow's main event was mostly geared towards Marvel fans. They showed off the Haslab Sentinel, which looks pretty cool. If I was a Marvel collector, especially X-Men, I'd be down for one. They had Taboo from Black-Eyed Peas as a special guest. Not only is he a bonified toy collector and geek, but he's been writing for a few titles at Marvel, and he talked about how much toys and pop culture had influenced his life and his art. Wrapping up the event was a quick concert by the Cybertronic Spree.Gotta admit, I was grinning ear to ear through the whole set. I hope we get more tomorrow.

There really wasn't much branching from Marvel today. Tomorrow, all the brands will be covered, and I hope they talk about the development of The Ark, as I'm curious about the decisions, good and bad, behind it. Hopefully they'll do some reveals as well. I'm hoping for Slag, personally, and any other Dinobots they choose to grace us with under the current Kingdom and SS86 lines.

 

Edited April 8, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

I peaked in on the today thing, but got bored.  All I really care about is the preorders for new Transformers.  Of which, as you guys probably guessed, I'm in for pretty much all of it, despite any misgivings I have.  Scorponok, the Ark, Galvatron, Rodimus, all of it.

My wife will take our kid to school tomorrow so I can virtually attend the main event.

[mikeszekely]

So I don't know when it's coming or if it's going to be a regular release or a store-exclusive, but I've got sources telling me Terrorsaur is coming.  Sources are telling me that he's a retool of Airazor, and as such won't be totally cartoon-accurate.  One specific example I was given is that his wings will but upside down compared to the cartoon in robot mode.

At this point, with Scorponok's reveal and Rhinox and Waspinator heavily rumored to appear later in Kingdom I think we'll just need Tarantulas to complete what I consider the core Beast Wars cast, although at this point I wouldn't say no to Depth Charge, Quickstrike, Inferno, and Rampage.

[M'Kyuun]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

So I don't know when it's coming or if it's going to be a regular release or a store-exclusive, but I've got sources telling me Terrorsaur is coming.  Sources are telling me that he's a retool of Airazor, and as such won't be totally cartoon-accurate.  One specific example I was given is that his wings will but upside down compared to the cartoon in robot mode.

At this point, with Scorponok's reveal and Rhinox and Waspinator heavily rumored to appear later in Kingdom I think we'll just need Tarantulas to complete what I consider the core Beast Wars cast, although at this point I wouldn't say no to Depth Charge, Quickstrike, Inferno, and Rampage.

Referring to your prior post, you've got a good wife. 

I saw the same info on Terrorsaur on Twitter this morning; not sure if the same guy is your source, but they said the same stuff.  Sounds like it's going to be a rather heavy retool, but I already like the Airazor mold, so converting a falcon into a Pterosaur shouldn't be too much of a stretch. hopefully he'll be one of the reveals today. I'm already totally digging Scorponok- that scorpion mode looks awesome, one of the best beast modes in the line so far.  I'm completely on board with all the other figs you mentioned, especially Inferno. "For the Royalty!"

I'm still on the fence for The Ark- like Unicron it has its warts, but also like Unicron, it's unique, and I really dig the bot mode. That Ark mode, though.  I'm sure some third party will attempt band aids for it, but the gulling fact is that it shouldn't need them. Knowing myself, I'll cave and get him and hope for decent add-ons to come about later on. Still not sold on Galvatron, but Rodimus is a definite buy. 

Well, just 37 minutes til it starts, so I'm gonna go get a drink and a potential snack and wait for the goodness. Good luck to all of you watching and waiting for POs!

Edit: So Pulse's timer was off and I came in almost an hour too late to see the beginning of the TF panel. Regardless, I caved and PO'd everything except the Shattered Glass Blurr,  the $700 Robosen Optimus, Tricranius, and Wingfinger, although I think the latter is the best looking of the dino skeleton figs thus far. If I see him in the store, I may pick him up. I'm such a sucker for this stuff.

Edited April 9, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

They're talking Power Rangers.  Is Transformers done?

Well, we've already seen the Ark, Rodimus, Scorponok, and Galvatron, so just focusing on the new stuff...

Kingdom Voyager-class Rhinox

Deluxe-class Wingfinger

Deluxe-class Tracks

...who does have his flight mode.

Shattered Glass Blurr

Blast Effect pack with Deluxe Tricranius.

Robosen Optimus Prime

Preorders are up now if you're a Pulse Premium member, otherwise they go up at 5:00pm EDT.

I'm passing on Tricranius because I don't care for Fossilizers or blast effects that much.  Likewise, Blurr looks cool but I'm not sure I'm going in on Shattered Glass.  I preordered Rhinox, Wingfinger, Tracks, Scorponok, the Ark, Galvatron, and Rodimus though.  That said, I hope the 9/1/21 date is a placeholder and that a.) we don't actually have to wait that long, and b.) the classes are staggered and ship in separate orders.  If I get one $400 order my "good wife" is going to murder me to death.

As for Robosen Prime, it's a really cool programable robot you can control with a smartphone.  It transforms on it's own.  But... it's $700.  Unless the US wants to give me another stimulus check I can't justify it.  Not saying it's not worth it, just that I can't justify spending it.

Oh, in non-reveal news a question was asked, "will we see the other Dinobots in the Studio Series?"  The answer was simply to wait for a Fan Friday in May...

Edited April 9, 2021 by mikeszekely

[technoblue]

So from this round of pre-orders, I'm sticking with Rodimus Prime, Galvatron, and...Tracks. I'm actually relieved that Hasbro was able to give Tracks painted rims without any visible plastic clips for alt mode. The pins on the rear wheels are okay. That transforming Optimus Prime from Robosen Robotics looks incredible, and the programming gimmick seems like it will be quite fun to learn and use, but the timing is off for me. At this point, it's way out of my budget. 

Edited April 9, 2021 by technoblue

[M'Kyuun]

28 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Deluxe-class Tracks

...who does have his flight mode.

Oh, in non-reveal news a question was asked, "will we see the other Dinobots in the Studio Series?"  The answer was simply to wait for a Fan Friday in May...

Yep, the Transformers panel is over. I didn't catch that question about the Dinobots, but another Fan Friday in May speaks to potential. I hope they have the rest of the team ready to go.

I'll add that Tracks' trunk missile launcher can rotate to follow his head rotation, so that's a neat extra bit. More than likely it rotates for transformation anyway, but I'll take it. It looks good- they got pretty close to the Classic Corvette look without getting a license. Glad he has the flying car feature, too. I loved that about his G1 toy.

I wish Mark had shown off more of Rhinox's articulation in Rhino mode, but I kinda got the sense that, much like the T30 Rhinox, rhino mode is pretty much a statue. The T30 Rhinox is still an impressive figure, so I'm curious to see improvements, if any. The rhino's mouth articulation looks better anyway.

 

Edited April 9, 2021 by M'Kyuun

[Negotiator]

I went in for the Ark (sold out at the moment now), galvatron, rodimus, & tracks. 

Curious for those  outside of california/LA county,  are you taxed this much?

This is for the ARK.

Subtotal	$159.99
Shipping	$0.00
CA STATE TAX	$9.60
LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT TAX SP	$3.60
CA COUNTY TAX	$0.40
LOS ANGELES CO LOCAL TAX SL	$1.60

Total

$175.19 USD

[mikeszekely]

21 minutes ago, Negotiator said:

Curious for those  outside of california/LA county,  are you taxed this much?

Nope.  I just pay a 6% PA sales tax, which looks about the same as your basic state tax.  One county over in Pittsburgh you'll pay an extra 1%, and in Philly an extra 2%, but that's it for PA.

On the flip side, I think we pay a lot more for liquor since you can only get it from state-run stores here.

EDIT: If Transformers is done, I'm done. Glad for the Power Rangers and GI Joe fans, but I've got other things to do.

Edited April 9, 2021 by mikeszekely

[sh9000]

I want a Titan class Nemesis to go against the Ark.

I’m down for the rest of the Dinobots.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Self transforming OP for $700

This would have made my head explode when I was 9 yrs old.

Aw hell, my head still blew up when I saw the video.

Edited April 9, 2021 by Valkyrie Hunter D

[jenius]

My brother just asked what I want for my birthday.... I always have room for another OP.