The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Valkyrie2008]

Better later than never!

[treatment]

Wheeljack hogs the sofa...

[technoblue]

HA! Jackie is all, "Sorry, fellas. I need to take a load off the ole' servos."

[Kanedas Bike]

^LOL at the Minion (or whatever those little yellow dudes are called from Despicable Me) just off camera.

-b.

[mikeszekely]

Didn't open and play with my new all my new CHUGs yet, but some impressions of the two I did open.

Gears (Legends): While I'm not really keen on the $10 price points that Legends figures go for these days, Gears is actually pretty awesome. He's got no wrist or ankle articulation, and his head doesn't turn (although it can look up and down), and his waist doesn't swivel... but (aside from the head) I could say that about a lot of Deluxes. Heck, some Voyagers don't even have the waist. His elbows bend 90 degrees, and his knees a bit more than that, plus his shoulders and hips are ball joints, so he's actually got a better articulation than I expected. Honestly, he's a lot more poseable than previous CHUG Legends (ala Brawl, Beachcomber, or Wheelie), and he's a bit taller too. Really, I think he's closer to the old Scout class. His gun isn't just a gun, though. The current Legends gimmick is that the gun also has a bot and alt mode. Eclipse's bot mode is about what you'd expect. His arms can rotate at the shoulders, and that's the whole of his articulation. Flip the nose and wings down, and now he's... I'm going to say drone, because he's got no cockpit. A drone with a clearly visible little guy under it. From drone mode, pull the handle down from under the nose, then grab his chest and pull his body open to reveal a gatling gun, then bend his body down so his face his behind the barrel, flip the wings up, and gun. It's not great, but considering it has an alt mode, it's actually slightly more impressive than, say, Scoop or Cyclonus's Targetmaster partners.

Roadbuster (Voyager): He's a tad disappointing. That lack of wrist and waist articulation I'm so willing to forgive on a Legends figure isn't as easy to forgive on a Voyager. Actually... he has basically the same articulation as Gears, just with ankle articulation and he can actually turn his head. He doesn't seem to have the best QA, either... there's a few spots of orange overspray on the brown, and his knees and shoulders are a little loose. His right knee is particularly bad... like, if both knees were that bad, he wouldn't be able to stand. What he does have going for him is the sculpt... it captures the essence of the G1 toy (despite the covered cabin), but gives him more bulk. He also comes with four guns (including one that shoots a spring-loaded missile), a missile launcher (that doesn't shoot missiles), and a with a slot and a 5mm peg. Roadbuster's got tons of peg holes in both modes, and the weapons themselves (aside from the tube and missile launcher) have a few peg holes too, so you can mount the weapons separately or combine them into one giant gun, your call. Two of the guns have their pegs on joints, so they can aim upward when pegged onto his shoulders or the roof of his alt mode. Also, like his Dorvak buddy Whirl, Roadbuster comes with a sticker sheet.

[treatment]

Heard Tom Babbler likes Wheeljack. So I put Wheeljack on Wheeljack to wheel Jack. or something...

[JB0]

A drone with a clearly visible little guy under it.

So you're saying Targetmasters are now built to the same engineering standards as Leader-class toys? What a world we live in.

[Silverstreak]

^Funny cause it's true!

[Smut Peddler]

A limited edition 30th anniversary chromed out mp 5 megatron. Bah, i want a new updated megs, not a chromed out old and fugly one

[Kanedas Bike]

A limited edition 30th anniversary chromed out mp 5 megatron. Bah, i want a new updated megs, not a chromed out old and fugly one

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/transformers-masterpiece-47/masterpiece-megatron-mp-05-30th-anniversary-exclusive-rerelease-181307/

-b.

[technoblue]

A limited edition 30th anniversary chromed out mp 5 megatron. Bah, i want a new updated megs, not a chromed out old and fugly one

I agree. I wonder if the speculation over at Transformer World is correct and this is the last gasp for the mold? It would be nice to have another Masterpice Destron leader resized to MP-10. And I would certainly buy a well done version 2 Megatron or an all new Galvatron within MP-10's scale. I'm interested in seeing where Takara will take things since a few of the recent interview have hinted at more Decepticons.

For Destron Commanders, it would be nice to see Cyclonus, Scourge, and Straxus, along with Takara's own version of Shockwave. There are so many choices.

[Scyla]

Now that Hasbro is remolding Leader Class Jetfire into Thundercracker I wonder if I should cancel my preorder with HLJ and take a leap of faith that HasTak will also do a Skywarp repaint. Skywarp would fit so much nicer in my collection but since we've never gotten a MP-11 Skywarp I'm not sure I should take it for granted that HasTak will release all the seekers (Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker).

[mikeszekely]

A limited edition 30th anniversary chromed out mp 5 megatron. Bah, i want a new updated megs, not a chromed out old and fugly one

Compared to the awesome MP releases we've had with Prime, Soundwave & cassettes, Grimlock, and the Autobot cars, MP-05 just looks terrible. Skinny limbs and too-huge canon. The legs especially look like Megs was in a fight and someone blew most of his leg armor off, leaving just the skeletal inner frame.

And this new chrome edition somehow manages to look worse.

So you're saying Targetmasters are now built to the same engineering standards as Leader-class toys?

To be fair, a Leader-class toy has slightly more bot articulation...

...than the gun for a Legends-class toy. Yeah.

EDIT: Just saw the pics of Leader Thundercracker. Looks really good, and you almost can't tell it's the same mold as Jetfire. I'll probably pass, though, as a Leader Thundercracker would look really weird with the all my Deluxe CHUG Seekers.

The new RID figures look pretty bad, too. What's Warrior-class? Toys that are crappier than Deluxe but at the same price point?

Finally, the new "Combiner Wars" Voyager Optimus doesn't look quite as bad in the package as he did in the stock photos from awhile back.

Edited October 9, 2014 by mikeszekely

[Scyla]

I think I heard in the WTF@TFW podcast that the Warrior class will replace the Deluxe class if I remember it correctly.

Edited October 9, 2014 by Scyla

[anime52k8]

Hasbro's aerialbot look incredibly meh, but they still look better than the TFC's uranos. As for leader thundercracker, I'm not nearly as OCD about TC's shade of blue as david, but even I think it looks pretty bad. I think I should just grab leader jetfigher, since it's got a better head sculpt anyways (the more VF-1 looking sculpt).

[mikeszekely]

So, my thoughts on the rest of the my recent CHUG finds...

Sky-Byte (Voyager): I watched the old Robots in Disguise/Car Robots show, and Sky-Byte was definitely one of the more memorable characters, plus his recent appearances in IDW's comics already integrate him with G1, so sure, why not. He's a bit of a shellformer, and fitting the panels together in shark mode can be a bit of a pain. His shark mode is actually pretty good, although his red eyes look more like a bug than a shark, and his back is arched in a way that would make sense if he were a whale or a dolphin, but sharks don't swim like that.

His bot mode is a little more mixed. Unlike the original toy, the shark's head is actually his chest, so it sticks out more than you'd expect and gives him a skinnier look. There's almost nothing to his lower legs... but I think that's fairly accurate to the original. His head looks a little off... maybe they should have made his eyes and mouth bigger? He's also sort of stuck looking downward. For the most part, though, he's a decent toy for $20 that's recognizably Sky-Byte.

Waspinator (Deluxe): Speaking of recognizable, Waspinator was hands down my favorite Beast Wars character. I skipped Dinobot, Cheetor, and Rhinox when they were released, but I've had a place in my CHUGs shelf for a Waspinator since the one from Animated, and his recent appearance in the IDW comics doesn't hurt. In bot mode, he's a fantastic toy. Aside from the insect legs on his robot legs the likeness is spot on. He can't turn at the waist, but otherwise his articulation is good. Transformation's a little tricky, and his alt mode is isn't quite as perfect as his bot mode. He's got visible robot arms long his sides, although from what I can tell of the original toy (which I never owned) his robot arms were kind of visible there, too. Also, instead of becoming his rear legs, his robot legs kind of fold up under his body. From the sides and top it doesn't look too bad, but from the front or bottom he's got a noticeable chuck of legs where a bee chest would be. I'm not a fan of the wing-flapping gimmick, either, as I'd prefer to be able to position his wings myself. Overall, though, this is one of the better recent Deluxes.

Skids (Deluxe): Although he had almost nothing to do with the G1 cartoon, he had a serious story arc in the original Marvel comics, and I actually had those issues as a kid. Then of course, there's his awesome arc in the extremely awesome Transformers: More than Meets the Eye (aka best Transformers comic book ever). Skids was probably the one I was most pissed I couldn't find (now Swerve and Tailgate), and therefore the one I was most excited to have found. Sadly, he's not the best. In bot mode, his shoulder articulation is severely limited, and despite having large feet, he's almost too back heavy to stand up. Like most Tranformers (I guess recent Masterpieces have me spoiled), he has no waist articulation. Leg articulation is fine. In addition to the guns built into his forearms and shoulders, he comes with a pair of handheld guns that can combine into a bigger gun. Transformation is simple yet interesting, and while his alt mode is a far cry from the minivan it was portrayed as in the cartoon/Marvel comics, I think it's an appropriately modern take on the Honda City that the toy was meant to be.

Goldfire (Deluxe): I had the original Goldbug as a kid, the Marvel comics where Bumblebee became Goldbug, and Goldbug's sole cartoon appearance was in one of my absolute favorite arcs. They can call this toy Goldfire all they want, the toy can be Bumblebee's last IDW appearance, the toy's packaging can even state that "Goldfire" is Bumblebee rebuilt, and Goldbug's original G1 origin can be Bumblebee rebuilt, but in my mind he's Goldbug, the totally separate character featured in Spotlight: Metroplex. In a world where Bumblebee has become on of the most popular Transformers and gets like a dozen new toys a year, I'm glad to actually have Goldbug.

There's not a lot to say about the toy that hasn't been said already about the earlier mold that was actually Bumblebee. He's got a big chunk of car roof on his back, and his door wings are sadly stuck to his shoulders and can hamper some poses. Articulation is average, and his transformation is pretty simple. I do like the gold and black paint better than the lighter yellow and white paint on Bee, though, and I love the fact that he's Goldbug.

[David Hingtgen]

Hasbro's aerialbot look incredibly meh, but they still look better than the TFC's uranos. As for leader thundercracker, I'm not nearly as OCD about TC's shade of blue as david, but even I think it looks pretty bad. I think I should just grab leader jetfigher, since it's got a better head sculpt anyways (the more VF-1 looking sculpt).

TC is my all-time fave TF, so you can just imagine how picky I am about *his* coloring.

[Scyla]

I think we all know by now how picky you can be regarding the color of your toys.

*cough cough* Renewal VF-25S *cough cough*

[Kanedas Bike]

So an update came out about the Hasbro Asia MP-10 re-issue, it comes with Vector Sigma. Received an email from BBTS concerning my pre-order the other day and here is a link to TAG Hobby's coverage;

http://www.taghobby.com/1-0/1-1/hasbro-asia-2014%E5%B9%B410%E6%9C%8815%E6%97%A5%E7%99%BC%E5%94%AE-%E5%86%8D%E8%B2%A9-transformers-master-piece-optimus-prime/

-b.

[Gakken85]

Anybody else laughing their ass off at the MP-04 Megatron re-issue.

Lets get a new mould already.

[jenius]

So an update came out about the Hasbro Asia MP-10 re-issue, it comes with Vector Sigma. Received an email from BBTS concerning my pre-order the other day and here is a link to TAG Hobby's coverage;

http://www.taghobby.com/1-0/1-1/hasbro-asia-2014%E5%B9%B410%E6%9C%8815%E6%97%A5%E7%99%BC%E5%94%AE-%E5%86%8D%E8%B2%A9-transformers-master-piece-optimus-prime/

-b.

Thank you for posting that. I got the update from BBTS and was wondering what a Vector Sigma was. I'm still wondering but at least now I have a picture.

[mikeszekely]

Thank you for posting that. I got the update from BBTS and was wondering what a Vector Sigma was. I'm still wondering but at least now I have a picture.

In the G1 cartoon, Vector Sigma is a mysterious supercomputer that needed a key to activate. Megatron stole the key to Vector Sigma from Alpha Trion and used it to program the Stunticons with real personalities. Because Megatron still had the key when he went back to Earth, Alpha Trion merged with Vector Sigma so that Prime could use it to give life to the Aerialbots.

In the very short 4th season, Vector Sigma causes Earth's sun to go supernova, Spike and the Nebulans divert the power to Cybertron, bringing about a new golden age (seriously, Cybertron turned golden).

In Transfomers Prime, after Optimus uses the Matrix to defeat Unicron, it's left empty. Jack Darby goes to Cybertron with a key Prime had given him before hand that happened to be the Key to Vector Sigma. On Cybertron, he used Vector Sigma to reprogram the Matrix.

In the IDW comics, Vector Sigma is the physical form of Primus.

[jenius]

I've decided to watch G1 again in my spare time (been working on it for a long while) but I'm only in late season 2 at this point so I appreciate the info.

[mikeszekely]

I've decided to watch G1 again in my spare time (been working on it for a long while) but I'm only in late season 2 at this point so I appreciate the info.

Yeah... there's some gems to found, for sure, but for the most part the G1 cartoon is getting by on nostalgia.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Yeah... there's some gems to found, for sure, but for the most part the G1 cartoon is getting by on nostalgia.

as a kid from the 80's, i whole heartedly disagree with this statement

Edited October 12, 2014 by davidwhangchoi

[JB0]

as a kid from the 80's i, i whole heartedly disagree with this statement

As another kid from the 80s, I disagree with your disagreement.

The show's kinda awful, albeit that special kind of awful that falls out the other side and becomes self-parody.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

As another kid from the 80s, I disagree with your disagreement.

The show's kinda awful, albeit that special kind of awful that falls out the other side and becomes self-parody.

no way! traitor! betraying your childhood heros. G1 forever.

[JB0]

Hey, at least I can still WATCH Transformers. MASK is just painful. They aimed for a higher quality, so it loses the camp appeal without actually being good enough to watch on it's own merits.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Hey, at least I can still WATCH Transformers. MASK is just painful. They aimed for a higher quality, so it loses the camp appeal without actually being good enough to watch on it's own merits.

i still dont know what the leaders mask did. i just remeber some asian guy driving a truck sayin "lifter on!"

[JB0]

i still dont know what the leaders mask did. i just remeber some asian guy driving a truck sayin "lifter on!"

Tracker's mask could do everything any of the other masks did. That's why it was called Spectrum.

Spoilers: I did not know the word 'spectrum' when I was young enough to appreciate MASK.

MASK hijack successful. This is no longer the Transformers thread.

Edited October 12, 2014 by JB0

[Scyla]

I wonder how a collector oriented MASK toy line would look like.....

...anyhow. Give me Skywarp HasTak NAO!!!!

[RD Blade]

I still want MP-11 Starscream in this part of the world.

[Kanedas Bike]

As another kid from the 80s, I disagree with your disagreement.

The show's kinda awful, albeit that special kind of awful that falls out the other side and becomes self-parody.

no way! traitor! betraying your childhood heros. G1 forever.

Disagree, or agree or whatever with both of you. As another kid of the 80's the only good G1 was TF:TM. The series is kinda hard to watch in my advanced age.

I still want MP-11 Starscream in this part of the world.

QFT. Greater availability to Masterpiece releases priced at or below retail would be amazing.

-b.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Tracker's mask could do everything any of the other masks did. That's why it was called Spectrum.

Spoilers: I did not know the word 'spectrum' when I was young enough to appreciate MASK.

MASK hijack successful. This is no longer the Transformers thread.

did not know that. (never seen him use it)

any truth to mp-10 takara colors coming back?

[RD Blade]

Tracker's mask could do everything any of the other masks did. That's why it was called Spectrum.

The wiki says otherwise. There were two versions of the Spectrum mask, each with different abilities, which could be what gave you the impression that it can do everything.