The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[M'Kyuun]

I'll give props: that's a nice looking Devastator. I just can't absolve Has/Tak for the mostly poor individual Constructicon bot modes. Pass.

[dapro]

My bad, it is made by Hasbro. Looks to have cheap plastic but it looks good in MP scale though. For $150, it ain't bad to just be a pose on MP shelf.

Edited May 31, 2015 by dapro

[Gakken85]

[RD Blade]

I can already see some spots that will be custom painted on mine.

[Gakken85]

It's a good cheap option for people thinking about spending $350 on a Maketoys version.

I'm still sitting here waiting for MP constructicons.

[eriku]

Curious that they all seem to have such strong negative reactions to the original one because it looks older. I didn't really judge cartoons based on age when I was a kid. I loved new stuff but I also had favorites that were much older like Flintstones, Peabody & Sherman, Underdog, etc. I just liked cartoons, and even super old black & white TV shows. I guess I was an oddball. Still am.

[RD Blade]

I liked that vid. Very funny.

[RD Blade]

Seems much less likely at this point.

Edit: This is in response to an apparently deleted post.

Edited June 1, 2015 by RD Blade

[Gakken85]

How you figure?

Nah. It'll come. Just won't be any time soon haha

After they finish all the autobots.. haha. If they are making stuff like Road Rage they will do constructicons.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Gakken85

[mikeszekely]

I liked that vid. Very funny.

Yeah... except for the part where they keep reminding me how old I am.

Curious that they all seem to have such strong negative reactions to the original one because it looks older.

A little, at first, but most of the kids said they were curious enough that they wanted to watch the old one. And I give those kids credit for picking up, even at their age, that Hollywood and TV types are out of ideas and are just recycling stuff from before.

Oh, and major props for recognizing that G1 Optimus > Bayverse Optimus.

[Gakken85]

They liked G1 Optimus better.

Some designs never die.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

that vid, the kids don't know what they're talking about, megatron doesn't wear a t-shirt

[JB0]

Oh, and major props for recognizing that G1 Optimus > Bayverse Optimus.

Cue the live-action defenders explaining how it proves the cartoon was dumb crap for kids and the new ones are for mature adults.

[anime52k8]

Cue the live-action defenders explaining how it proves the cartoon was dumb crap for kids and the new ones are for mature adults.

Who are these live-action defenders of which you speak?

[JB0]

I'm sure there's one lurking around here somewhere.

I know I've seen people insisting the live-action movies are great and what is anyone complaining about. With some serious putting of words in mouths and grand warping of reality to make their points.

I maintain the less-unpopular opinion that each subsequent installment is less bad than what came before, and if the trend continues they are dangerously close to actually making a movie worth watching.

[M'Kyuun]

Michael Bay is the bestest director ever and his movies are nothing less than high art! :wub: :wub: :wub:

Totally going to Hell for typing every word of that. The only two positives are that Hasbro is making money from them, thereby staying in business, and the movie designs pushed Takara into uncharted territory, and we were the benefactors of that experience as it was applied to TF designs in a number of toylines. Otherwise, nigh unwatchable atrocities all.

[Silverstreak]

I'm sure there's one lurking around here somewhere.I know I've seen people insisting the live-action movies are great and what is anyone complaining about. With some serious putting of words in mouths and grand warping of reality to make their points.I maintain the less-unpopular opinion that each subsequent installment is less bad than what came before, and if the trend continues they are dangerously close to actually making a movie worth watching.

I think you have it around the wrong way. The first one is a cool popcorn movie. Flawed, but enjoyable. After that they all went horribly downhill. So much so that I couldn't even get more than halfway through the 4th one before losing interest.

[JB0]

Oh, the second half of the 4th one is wall-to-wall action. Classic Micheal Bay mispacing.

The first one is just painful. It's all bad writing and almost no robots shooting robots. What little action IS there is edited so haphazardly you can't even tell what's going on.

The second one at least delivers on the promise of robots shooting guns at each other.

[Silverstreak]

Yeah, but I hold the first one in such high regard purely for the opening scene with Blackout taking out the military base. It has a cool soundtrack too.

ROTF is easily the worst of the lot though. While it has a few good fight scenes, it was far outweighed by all the bad stuff.

[mikeszekely]

I'll give props: that's a nice looking Devastator. I just can't absolve Has/Tak for the mostly poor individual Constructicon bot modes. Pass.

More for me, then.

In all seriousness, it's a huge, adequate Devastator at a third of the price of the superior but smaller Giant that my wife will actually allow me to own. That's enough for me.

[M'Kyuun]

More for me, then.

In all seriousness, it's a huge, adequate Devastator at a third of the price of the superior but smaller Giant that my wife will actually allow me to own. That's enough for me.

If you like it, it makes you happy, and the wife is accepting, then that's all that matters...maybe not in that order, though.

[eriku]

I may be the only one among the legion of TF fans the say it, but what really turns me off of the new Devy is the size.

I'd prefer it to be much smaller, the same size as the other CW combiners. I'm glad plenty of people are happy with it so far though.

I'm sure that, like Metroplex, it will sell swiftly and probably sell for double the price a year later.

Got my replacement Slingshot today from Amazon. It's not without it's problems, but loose joints and a couple paint chips are better than the bent tail fin and blackened canopy of my previous one so I'll just be content with it. I'm happy to have Superion finished now, even though I am constantly eyeing the Takara version because I like the colors and paint apps better. Grrr...

I also got a Minimus Ambus today from a TFW forum member who didn't want it. Aside from being cool because it's IDW Minimus, the diminuitive size makes me long for some modern Micromasters. It's exactly the same size and transforms in the same way, but with better joints. Anyway, now I can pass on Hasbro's Magnus and get Takara's.

Edited June 1, 2015 by eriku

[Mechapilot77]

so i'm way out of the loop...is CW devy already out or are these pictures coming from insiders etc? or is he out in china? i also saw an sdcc special version (chromed purple drum was one of the differences while on my phone the other day) which i'm not interested in but is this one of those metroplex deals where the sdcc one comes out first and then th emass release?

[RD Blade]

so i'm way out of the loop...is CW devy already out or are these pictures coming from insiders etc? or is he out in china? i also saw an sdcc special version (chromed purple drum was one of the differences while on my phone the other day) which i'm not interested in but is this one of those metroplex deals where the sdcc one comes out first and then th emass release?

The pictures appear to be from insiders. SDCC takes place in early July, while the retail Dev is scheduled for an August release.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

anyone know with trypticon will hit the U.S.?

[dapro]

The CW Devy has a small head to me.

Edited June 3, 2015 by dapro

[VF-2SS-BloodPhoenix]

So with all the billions the movie franchise is raking in for Hasbro, their main TF products go reverse in quality and become more cheap looking?

I'm sure it makes sense to hold onto every dollar they make now and skimp on product quality, because when the IP hits a low, it probably will die and so will their profits.

Anyway, with all that money Hasbro's made, I was expecting all their TFs to be of Masterpiece quality, not this cheap hollow, bland painted, low quality, Chinese knock off looking stuff.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

They can't be ALL masterpiece quality, kiddies are and will always be the target. And with parents giving feedback stating TFs were getting far too complicated, current toys aimed for the kids will be even more on the simpler side.

[mikeszekely]

Anyway, with all that money Hasbro's made, I was expecting all their TFs to be of Masterpiece quality, not this cheap hollow, bland painted, low quality, Chinese knock off looking stuff.

I don't even know why you'd think that's a reasonable expectation. I mean, I don't know if you're talking about what's on pegs in general or specifically about the Devastator dapro posted pics of that we've been discussing, but...

They can't be ALL masterpiece quality, kiddies are and will always be the target. And with parents giving feedback stating TFs were getting far too complicated, current toys aimed for the kids will be even more on the simpler side.

Even if we take complexity out and use the argument that the Generations subline is arguably aimed at older collectors, it's still ridiculous to expect Masterpiece quality from a non-Masterpiece toy. Masterpieces come out much slower, as I assume they take longer to design, and an MP car that's slightly larger than a Deluxe but smaller than a Voyager runs, what, around $50-$60, if you got the Japanese version? I think TRU wanted $69.99 for MP Prowl? And you think it could even be mathematically feasible to have that sort of quality in a $15 Deluxe-class that needs to turn not just into a bot and a car/airplane, but also use a similar transformation to pretty much everything else in the line (lately) so that it can also turn into an interchangeable arm and leg? Unless you were talking about Devastator... but I'm going to ask the same thing. MP-10's around $150-$200, right? I think Hasbro said Devastator will be $150, so again, you really think you're going to get the same quality as MP-10 at the same price, when Devastator is more than twice as tall and has to come apart into six separate bots, each with their own construction vehicle mode in addition to being part of Devastator's body?

Now look, I'm not saying that you should buy CHUGs or Devastator if you don't like him, especially if you're used to collecting Masterpieces, or the expensive Macross Valks, or some other toys that cost more and have higher quality. It's perfectly reasonable to say something like, "aside from the Masterpieces, current Transformers releases are too simple and seem sort of cheap, so I'm not interested in them." But seriously, look at the price tag, and have some realistic expectations. It's flat out ridiculous to complain that mainstream retail toys marketed for kids aren't MP quality at a quarter of MP prices.

[M'Kyuun]

Playing devil's advocate, from 2007 until about 2013, deluxes were better quality with more complexity, better paint apps, and less hollow areas for about $10-12. CW and RID figs are very simplistic, with a lot of hollow areas, very minimal paint apps, for about $16. There's a remarkable step back in quality, for which we pay an additional $4. My TF buying has lessened considerably as a result.

The price-to-quality ratio really becomes jarring when one considers that Alternators sold for about $20 at retail for what was a near MP grade toy from '03-'07ish. I agree with MikeSzekely that Generations & RID are not MP grade toys and shouldn't carry the expectations of such; however, given the success of the live action films, the continuing popularity of the TF brand across multiple merchandising platforms, and the increased prices at retail, Hasbro would be sitting quite well financially, and the quality of their products would reflect. I know the Star Wars stuff looks pretty good these days, but TFs, at least in part, look to have been the victims of serious budgetary restraints. I think it's also odd that the MP line is almost entirely Asian exclusive, with only infrequent, limited, and more expensive releases through TRU exclusively stateside. I can only assume that MPs don't sell well, which seems odd to me given that there is a huge fanbase here, many of us who grew up watching the original show/movie, with much more disposable income and a nostalgic compulsion to own these things. The successes of the various third parties adds credence to my argument. There is undoubtably a market for MP TF toys in America, but apparently Hasbro doesn't think so, for whatever reason.

To end on a positive note, the regular CHUGs line, apart from most of the CW stuff, still seem to be holding in their overall quality. Arcee, Chromia, Springer, Powerglide, Shrapnel, and Bombshell are all really well done, esp Arcee.

[David Hingtgen]

Anyone want my CW Wildrider? I intentionally passed on the Dead End version of the mold, waiting for this one----and he just doesn't make a good leg. Almost all my CW limbs are "arms" at this point, I really need more/better legs! And he's only a decent arm, not a good one. So I really have no use for him, as I am absolutely not completing a CW Menasor (cuz Motormaster sucks). I've already nail-polished the heck out of his hips and hand-foot connector, so they are tight and can certainly hold up weapons/poses very well as an arm now. I did that before his first transformation, and only after trying out arm and leg modes did I realize I didn't really like him.

[VF-2SS-BloodPhoenix]

My statement earlier is in regards to the overall quality of the TF line since the price of oil skyrocketed.

I guess I shouldn't be upset about toys made for kids, because I'm not buying any of the Combiner War stuff. I've cut down alot on my buying habits. I'm becoming that old cranky man that sees everything as junk and just expects better outcomes.

M'Kyuun already goes into detail on the dip in quality from Hasbro.

BTW, what are CHUGS? I haven't paid much attention to what's going on here or there lately. Getting old, lol.

[mikeszekely]

BTW, what are CHUGS? I haven't paid much attention to what's going on here or there lately. Getting old, lol.

Classics/Henkei/Universe/Generations. Although they've had more labels than that now (like Combiner Wars, Legends, Unite Warriors, Reveal the Shield, etc), it's become a blanket term for the Transformers line that is, essentially, updated versions of G1 (and occasionally Beast Wars or Armada) toys vs Transformers lines representing current movies or shows.

[mickyg]

Don't know where else to post this, and feel free to suggest other spots, but I'm trying to figure out who this is:

My son's into legion/legends class toys at the moment and this was his first, given to him by his friend.

He was told it was Cliffjumper but when I searched for it to find more info recently, I couldn't find anything at all.

I originally thought it was a licensed transformers toy but maybe that's not even right.

If it helps, it looks like a cross between a Porsche (Jazz) and a Nissan 370z to me.

Any ideas?

By the way, I love these cheap little toys! So much G1 in them at a tiny price and tiny size. And best yet, my little boy is into them at the age of 6. Brings a tear to my eye.

Edited June 4, 2015 by mickyg

[mikeszekely]

Don't know where else to post this, and feel free to suggest other spots, but I'm trying to figure out who this is:

Bot mode pic? I mean, from the alt mode, it's definitely a repaint of Legends Jazz, but TFU says it was never repainted or remolded, so...?

Edited June 4, 2015 by mikeszekely