The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[mikeszekely]

And if you want the Menasor gift set it'll be available to preorder on August 1st.

[technoblue]

After taking a break from the mainline, I’m in for 86 Ultra Magnus for sure. Dreadwing too. Possibly Strongarm. Still thinking over the Studio Series WFC Optimus, although the DNA set that’s on pre-order looks nice and resolves most of my concerns.

Edited July 22, 2023 by technoblue

[sh9000]

https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-legacy-evolution-g2-universe-grimlock-1

 

[mikeszekely]

24 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-legacy-evolution-g2-universe-grimlock-1

 

Thanks, been waiting for that one. Grimlock and Dead End were the only ones I really wanted.

War Dawn will go up Friday.

[Radioguy]

Damn. Missed it there.

[Hikuro]

Lil bummed to of missed that chance, but that's still not the G2 Grimlock I want....and this one even has the standard g1 autobot logo....that ain't right.

[mikeszekely]

5 hours ago, Hikuro said:

Lil bummed to of missed that chance, but that's still not the G2 Grimlock I want....and this one even has the standard g1 autobot logo....that ain't right.

I think the blue G2 Grimlock is more well-known, but (and maybe this is a bit hypocritical given how much I don't like some of the other decos in this Walmart line) there's someone about a neon yellow tiger-striped T-Rex that just appeals to me.

[tekering]

7 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

there's someone about a neon yellow tiger-striped T-Rex that just appeals to me.

Mattel's new "Hunt 'n Chomp" Tyrannosaurus Rex: 

Doesn't appeal to me, though. 😅

[M'Kyuun]

5 hours ago, tekering said:

Mattel's new "Hunt 'n Chomp" Tyrannosaurus Rex: 

Doesn't appeal to me, though. 😅

I've mostly limited my toy purchases to Transformers and LEGO, but that doesn't stop me from admiring good toys on their merits. This looks amazing and if I were into creating a dino collection (apart from Dinobots), this and the other JP dinos from Mattel would be must-buys for the quality of their sculpts and presence. It's a shame they're not more poseable, though.

[mikeszekely]

7 hours ago, tekering said:

Mattel's new "Hunt 'n Chomp" Tyrannosaurus Rex: 

Doesn't appeal to me, though. 😅

Not enough neon yellow.

[Scyla]

Is there anyone that is not disappointed that the tiger stripes aren’t running throughout Grimlock's body?

I found it shocking that it is only on the lower legs.

[tekering]

11 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

if I were into creating a dino collection (apart from Dinobots), this and the other JP dinos from Mattel would be must-buys for the quality of their sculpts and presence.

Mattel's JP toys display quite well with some of your higher-end Transformers figures, actually... 😁

[sh9000]

https://hasbropulse.com/collections/new/products/transformers-legacy-evolution-war-dawn-2-pack

[mikeszekely]

War Dawn is up for Pulse Premium members. If there's any left they'll be available to non-premium members at 1:00pm EDT.

[mikeszekely]

11 hours ago, Scyla said:

Is there anyone that is not disappointed that the tiger stripes aren’t running throughout Grimlock's body?

I found it shocking that it is only on the lower legs.

The deco is based on artwork released by a former Hasbro employee that only depicted robot mode.  I guess it's accurate, btu I wouldn't have minded seeing the tiger stripes on his back (which you couldn't see in the robot artwork anyway).

[Scyla]

2 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

The deco is based on artwork released by a former Hasbro employee that only depicted robot mode.  I guess it's accurate, btu I wouldn't have minded seeing the tiger stripes on his back (which you couldn't see in the robot artwork anyway).

I understand that there is no reference for having the tiger stripes over the whole body but to me it is a case were it would make sense to have it all over dinosaur mode and it would make the toy more coherent.

I'm sure Hasbro didn’t paint the stripes for "accuracies" sake and not for some petty reasons like saving money. 

It just looks bland and honestly quite cheap. It is just not what I would have imagined when we first heard about Tigerstripe Grimlock.

[sh9000]

On 7/22/2023 at 4:03 PM, mikeszekely said:

And if you want the Menasor gift set it'll be available to preorder on August 1st.

Cool.  I'll be looking out for that.  It's getting a little crazy with so many preorders across many different lines these days.

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Cool.  I'll be looking out for that.  It's getting a little crazy with so many preorders across many different lines these days.

Tell me about it. I made a chart to keep track of everything I have preordered, where I preordered it, and when the release date is.

[Hikuro]

I'm tempted on getting the war dawn set...but then I'd have to get the hero is born set and that's an expensive one. 

[Black Valkyrie]

I hope its true : 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/07/30/rumor-possible-articulated-g1-optimus-prime-toy-in-the-works-491906#images

 

[JB0]

19 minutes ago, Black Valkyrie said:

I hope its true : 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/07/30/rumor-possible-articulated-g1-optimus-prime-toy-in-the-works-491906#images

 

The original toy, only with modern articulation? Hot.

 

Though I note the original toy actually has pretty good arm articulation.

[technoblue]

4 hours ago, Black Valkyrie said:

I hope its true : 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2023/07/30/rumor-possible-articulated-g1-optimus-prime-toy-in-the-works-491906#images

 

Most excellent, if true. 

I wonder, could it be a new line from Takara? If so, what other figure might they do? I think G1 Soundwave is a good candidate.

[VF-19]

Menasor is up for pre-order...  If you're a premium member.

[sh9000]

Preordered the Stunticon Menasor Multipack and Bombshell at Hasbro Pulse.  Passed on Detritus.  I want Hound to be released instead.

[M'Kyuun]

On 7/30/2023 at 10:53 PM, JB0 said:

The original toy, only with modern articulation? Hot.

 

Though I note the original toy actually has pretty good arm articulation.

The original did in fact have above average articulation; however, IMHO, the OG toy looks a little wonky compared to the likes of ER Prime. I'm not sure I'd want to plunk down the cash for it now- 20 years ago, without a second thought. But my tastes have changed since growing old..er, and I prefer the finer things, or more accurately, the more refined things within the hobby. That is, is you consider the latest Hasbro/Takara-Tomy offerings to be a step up from G1, which I most emphatically, in most instances, do. For those who've pined for this as I once did, however, I hope it happens.

13 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Preordered the Stunticon Menasor Multipack and Bombshell at Hasbro Pulse.  Passed on Detritus.  I want Hound to be released instead.

Thanks for posting; I had no idea new stuff was going up today. Got everything I wanted, so thanks again!

[mikeszekely]

I preordered all the wave 4 stuff, but I passed on Menasor.  I do like the toy-style tampos on the cars and might have bought been willing to buy them separately, but without remolded heads for the Stunticons and a remolded head and chest for Menasor I can't really justify another $190 on Menasor.

[JB0]

3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

the OG toy looks a little wonky compared to the likes of ER Prime.

I like the purity of the original design. There's no bits to fill gaps, no fake grills, no disappearing wheels and bumpers. What you see is what you get. The resulting wonkiness is charming. 

I'm not saying Earthrise Prime is bad. I just miss having an Optimus where his pelvis is the truck's bumper and his abs are the truck's radiator, ya know?

 

It feels sometimes like modern Transformers designs are backwards. They aren't robots in disguise anymore, they're vehicles in disguise. They make a cool-looking robot, then try to figure out how to turn it into a vehicle without compromising that robot. In extreme cases, it seems like any evidence the robot HAS a vehicle mode is considered a design failure.  

So I am all for an extreme throwback design, and admittedly shocked that I'm apparently not the only one.

...

I'm wondering if this is an "MP Skids did better than we expected" thing. Because it had a similar "just make the original toy more detailed and articulated" design ethos, and if it showed there's actually a maket for that... obviously the next retro mold would be Yet Another Prime.

[mikeszekely]

23 minutes ago, JB0 said:

I like the purity of the original design. There's no bits to fill gaps, no fake grills, no disappearing wheels and bumpers. What you see is what you get. The resulting wonkiness is charming. 

I'm not saying Earthrise Prime is bad. I just miss having an Optimus where his pelvis is the truck's bumper and his abs are the truck's radiator, ya know?

 

It feels sometimes like modern Transformers designs are backwards. They aren't robots in disguise anymore, they're vehicles in disguise. They make a cool-looking robot, then try to figure out how to turn it into a vehicle without compromising that robot. In extreme cases, it seems like any evidence the robot HAS a vehicle mode is considered a design failure.  

So I am all for an extreme throwback design, and admittedly shocked that I'm apparently not the only one.

...

I'm wondering if this is an "MP Skids did better than we expected" thing. Because it had a similar "just make the original toy more detailed and articulated" design ethos, and if it showed there's actually a maket for that... obviously the next retro mold would be Yet Another Prime.

I get your point, and I agree, to the extent that I prefer robots with obvious alt mode parts, and transformations that don't use faux parts.  But hey, Magic Square figured out how to make a transforming Optimus Prime that does use the same grill for truck and robot mode, yet somehow made probably the most cartoon-accurate Optimus available.  Some of the wonkiness in the G1 toys was that they were designed as human-piloted mecha, not alien robot lifeforms, but as alien robot lifeforms I expect them to have functional, articulate, proportional bodies.  I guess what I'm saying is that the G1 Optimus toy is very iconic as a toy, but not necessarily the character.

That said, I'm kind of interested in this Missing Link Optimus, simply because the G1 toy was so iconic and I think it'd be interesting to see it with modern accessories and articulation.  I'm just not sure I'm in for an entire line of "G1 but with articulation" Missing Link toys.

[M'Kyuun]

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I get your point, and I agree, to the extent that I prefer robots with obvious alt mode parts, and transformations that don't use faux parts.  But hey, Magic Square figured out how to make a transforming Optimus Prime that does use the same grill for truck and robot mode, yet somehow made probably the most cartoon-accurate Optimus available.  Some of the wonkiness in the G1 toys was that they were designed as human-piloted mecha, not alien robot lifeforms, but as alien robot lifeforms I expect them to have functional, articulate, proportional bodies.  I guess what I'm saying is that the G1 Optimus toy is very iconic as a toy, but not necessarily the character.

That said, I'm kind of interested in this Missing Link Optimus, simply because the G1 toy was so iconic and I think it'd be interesting to see it with modern accessories and articulation.  I'm just not sure I'm in for an entire line of "G1 but with articulation" Missing Link toys.

You stated it more clearly than I did, but that's how I feel, too. As to the line in question, I feel like the Legacy Insecticons are already fulfilling the premise, as they're probably the closest interpretations of the G1 toys thus far, although Bombshell isn't quite as faithful as the other two. I'd be down for all the cassettes to be made with better articulation, and possibly Prowl, although I think the ER version is nigh perfect. I, too, get the nostalgic appeal; it just doesn't grip me as much as it does others, but I'm certainly not opposed to a "Missing Link' line. Chances are high, I'd get the bug, too, and start picking more of them up b/c G1. You can take the kid outta the 80s, but ya can't take the 80s outta the kid. 😁

[Black Valkyrie]

 

https://www.timeextension.com/news/2023/07/hasbro-keen-to-work-with-nintendo-sony-microsoft-or-sega-to-create-transformers-based-on-consoles

 

[JB0]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I guess what I'm saying is that the G1 Optimus toy is very iconic as a toy, but not necessarily the character.

That's fair. But personally, I had the toys a lot longer than the cartoon was on the air(and also some of the catalogs weirdly continued to exist in my possession as time capsules), so my image of many characters is shaped a lot more by the toy than the cartoon.

 

 

 

Going off the rails a bit here...

I think the cartoon designs veered too far into "a human wearing some cardboard boxes" territory. What's proportional for a human is... well, proportional for a human. I say this while readily acknowledging that Ratchet/Ironhide was, ummm, special. Even where the cartoon designs are preferred, I wish they had more of the toy "imperfections."

And my favorites are things like Warpath and Shockwave, where there are some very-clearly inhuman things going on. My childhood robot design checklist was basically "mouthplates are better than mouths, visors are better than eyes, weird claws are better than hands, built-in weapons are better than handheld ones, and robot dinosaurs can break all the rules", and my tastes haven't changed much since then... except that somewhere along the line, I added "sexy girl robots can break all the rules"...

Generally-speaking I like my robots a little less human and a little more alien. Obviously, Shockwave was basically the coolest dang thing ever. If he'd had a claw for his remaining hand, he'd be perfect. While I never had Whirl as a kid, the picture in the catalog was love at first sight.

 

If I had my way, there'd be a lot more "weird" robots in the line today. Goofy limb proportions, claws where fingers should be, too many limbs(shout-out to the four-armed toasterbot!), wheels and treads and thrusters on the feet(Rollerskating carbots versus rocket-skating jetbots!)... you get the idea.

But my tastes seem to be a bit unusual for the fanbase, and definitely don't align well with where the brand has gone. Which isn't to say I don't still find some of what comes out really cool, just that it's... less cool than it could be?

[mikeszekely]

I'm going to have a hard time finding these Toxitron figures, aren't I?

[JB0]

 

50 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I'm going to have a hard time finding these Toxitron figures, aren't I?

Oh dear... that doesn't bode well at all.

[Chronocidal]

What even is going on there?  Massive production snafu?  Or maybe worth picking up as a collector oddity?

[sh9000]

They look like figure swaps at Walmart or Target.