The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[dapro]

TT Delly is better than Hasbro, but if the cost is twice as much, I'll get the Hasbro.

Not too sure on Ironhide yet, need more pictures.

Not really a fan of BW. The one picture of the gorilla, does it even have articulation? Looks like a freaking statue.

[VF5SS]

Ironhide fits in the trailer, just like in the show.

[VF-Zer0S]

I grew up on Beast Wars so the new Optimus Primal is great news!

[Dangard Ace]

TT Devy has redesigned/better elbow joints! Now to keep my Hasbro Devy pre-order or get the Unite Devy....

http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/20/tokyo-toy-show-transformers-panel-roundup-masterpiece-ironhide-unitw-warriors-devastator-more-293880

[eriku]

I'll take one Ironhide and no Munkky.

Cool to see Robokong getting a MP toy though, the critter fans rarely get any toys at all.

Edited June 20, 2015 by eriku

[M'Kyuun]

Y'know, it sours me on this hobby when Hasbro will go the cheapest route possible and release substandard versions of their toys at retail, while Takara, generally, always improves the same product for Japanese retail. In the case of Devastator, the improvements are blatant, and I wonder if Hasbro knew they were going to make those improvements, but settled for the lesser articulated figs for NA distribution? If so, that's a serious dick move on their part, and they won't get my money. Actually, for all my ranting, even after the added elbow joints, Bonecrusher and Scavenger remain the best two designs out of the team, and they're the only two who weren't modified. Seems to me, they should have been the standard for the rest.

My initial thought upon looking at MP Ironhide was that he looked like 3rd party, with the hip kibble and really plain red legs. Granted, hip kibble aside, he looks like his cartoon self. I am glad to see the cannon can mount to his back (would have been incrementally cooler if it extended/retracted out of there, but just glad it's included). It's also kinda neat that he comes with his mobile weapons platform, only I don't see the treads. Guess it's his stationary weapons platform now. Love all the little add-ons. This bodes well for the inevitable Ratchet, as he'll no doubt come with his welding arm and various tools. Wish they'd put some little bit of mechanical detail on the shins, as they look really plain and need something to break it up. Overall, though, that's a pretty good Ironhide, and he'll be a welcome addition to my MP collection.

[UN Spacy]

MP G1 Ironhide and BW Monkey?!?

[Dangard Ace]

and now from BotCon....Sky Lynx combiner!

http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/20/botcon-2015-hasbro-post-panel-case-pics-294031

and Bruticus got revealed too. Blast Off is an aerialbot repaint. Boo! We're all gonna wait for a Space Shuttle from TT!

[treatment]

and now from BotCon....Sky Lynx combiner!

http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/20/botcon-2015-hasbro-post-panel-case-pics-294031

and Bruticus got revealed too. Blast Off is an aerialbot repaint. Boo! We're all gonna wait for a Space Shuttle from TT!

Yeah.

Yet another wait for the Takara Unite Warrior version for Bruticus.

Damn Hasbro laziness. Such deliberate Hasbro TROLL and FAIL with their WTF Blast-Off version...

Edited June 20, 2015 by treatment

[treatment]

tfw-article getting updated with moar pics incoming:

http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/20/botcon-2015-hasbro-post-panel-case-pics-294031

here's tiny Shockwave...

Edited June 20, 2015 by treatment

[Scyla]

TT Devy has redesigned/better elbow joints! Now to keep my Hasbro Devy pre-order or get the Unite Devy....

http://news.tfw2005.com/2015/06/20/tokyo-toy-show-transformers-panel-roundup-masterpiece-ironhide-unitw-warriors-devastator-more-293880

If I'd be into CW Devastator I would go with the Unite version. The one reason is the painted chain mount on Bonecrusher.

I also don't understand why HasTak opted for not remolding the Alpha Bravo mold in any way. It would be easy for Blades to switch the missiles for something less militaristic. On Vortex the could have included a cannon that rests on the back of the lower legs or bulk out the helicopter to differentiate it from Alpha Bravo/Blades.

Also Blast Off is not a jet!

Warbot Ron is clearly the superior toy!

[skullmilitia]

I wonder if Primal would be using the new technology coming out of Hong Kong. Pliable rubber compound, 3A has been using without issue.

That would make the internal skeleton capable of creating poses, and the body able to be in pieces, but look flawless.

If they use that, they will no doubt be more expensive, but seriously as perfect as it can get. Very interested to see if that's what Tak

is going to use for Primal.

[mikeszekely]

Hasbro's really milking the Combiner Wars molds for all they're worth, eh? I mean, we really didn't need a white repaint of Prime (still as Prime, no less), limbs for the first release would have been enough. And speaking of limbs, that's three releases for the Alpha Bravo mold, three for Breakdown's mold, four for Dead End's mold (not counting Wildrider), and four for Offroad's mold. Yeesh.

Well... the Takara improvements to the Constructicons are irksome, but I could have sworn Hasbro said they designed them that way for stability in Devastator mode, so I dunno. I think I'll just buy the Hasbro version, because it'll be the cheapest, and it'll be in Devastator mode 90% of the time anyway.

With regards to Bruticus... Yeah, I'm bummed that Blast Off is a Fireflight repaint instead of a new mold, but given how they're milking these molds I'm honestly happy enough that Brawl and Swindle look like new molds (meanwhile, Vortex and Onslaught are logical remolds, so no complaints there). And here's the thing... if I buy the Hasbro one, and eventually Hasbro brings over a better Takara Blast Off and Deluxe-class Groove as online specials like Slingshot and Wildrider, then Rook and Hasbro Blast Off can go with Offroad and Alpha Bravo to be limbs for Optimus. Because, coming to my next point... I'm really not interested in repaints that have little resemblance to their G1 characters that already have better Generations versions, just for the sake of repaints. Mirage, Smokescreen, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, and Wheeljack are definite passes for me. Hound depends on how the Swindle mold looks on him, Prowl and Ironhide are maybes because they're important characters who's previous CHUG molds I don't really care for.

As for Sky Lynx, I could give or take him.

[eriku]

Wow, that Sky Lynx combiner. That...sure is a thing.

[Sandman]

So what the deal with combinder wars? Everyone is a combinder now? Is there a story behind this toyline?

[Tober]

More information from MP Ironhide designers has been released. The hip panels can rotate around to the back. The extra piece is seperate and does not form part of the van.

[eriku]

While I love G1 Ironhide's sled, I honestly have no interest in one that is just some extraneous accessory and doesn't form part of the alt mode.

Actually I don't want most of the stuff he comes with. Just gimme Ironhide and a gun at a lower price and I'm good.

Not that I want to deny anyone the extra goodies (I'm sure most appreciate them), I just think it would be cool if there was a 'stripped down' option.

[mikeszekely]

So what the deal with combinder wars? Everyone is a combinder now? Is there a story behind this toyline?

Well, kind of. Honestly, I don't know if Hasbro is making combiners to compliment the Combiner Wars story, or if IDW is shoveling out Combiner Wars because it's what Hasbro wants. If I had to guess, though, I suspect the latter. I've been a big fan of IDW's G1 comics, even through their lows (All Hail Megatron, anyone?), but Combiner Wars was just terrible.

To summarize,

Optimus took a band of Autobots to Earth because they found evidence that Alpha Trion was there. Turns out that some human has access to a bunch of Cybertronian tech, including the Enigma of Combination. The Enigma is a relic that belonged to Nexus Prime, one of the 13 original Primes. Nexus had used it to combine Cybertronians with "beasts" some 8 million years ago, and Galvatron killed him and tried to get rid of the Enigma by sending it to Earth. Scoop, a religions nut, managed to get the Enigma and take it to Starscream on Cybertron. Starscream first lets Swindle use the Enigma on the Stunticons, then Swindle and Mensasor attacked a colony world called Caminus through Metroplex's space bridge. Starscream then used the Engima on to repair Superion, allowing Alpha Bravo to take Slingshot's place, figuring that if Superion saved Caminus from Menasor, and Superion works for him, that he'd be seen as a hero.

Things go a little awry when Prowl brings Devastator back, so the Enigma gets used on the Protectobots. Prowl gets arrested, Starscream gets Scoop to take Scrapper's place (and Hook goes back to being the head), all four Combiners start fighting and trashing the place, Prowl uses the Enigma on himself, Prime, Hound, Ironhide, Mirage, and Sunstreaker, and the newly-formed Optimus Maximus helps Defensor and Superion subdue Devastator and Menasor.

At the end of the day, Starscream is still in charge of Cybertron, and a council is formed to represent Cybertron and the colonies. Defensor and Superion still work for Starscream, Menasor, Devastator, and Prowl end up in jail, Prowl and Prime aren't friends anymore. The end, until whatever else comes next.

For what it's worth, as bad as Combiner Wars was, More Than Meets the Eye has been excellent.

[technoblue]

More information from MP Ironhide designers has been released. The hip panels can rotate around to the back. The extra piece is seperate and does not form part of the van.

Nice. Very nice. Thanks for the update, Tober.

[M'Kyuun]

So Hasbro took the effort to make two new molds and a heavily modded Hot Spot for the Combaticons, and then said "F"-it when it came to Blast-off. I hope Takara rights that wrong, and it's available at a reasonable price. Pretty cheap of them. Edit: Looking again at the pics, I noticed that Swindle is a dune buggy instead of a Humvee. Why, Hasbro? The whole point of the Combaticons is that they are military vehicles and a shuttle. That's the appeal. Why are changing stuff that no one wants changed? Even Animated Swindle achieved a Humveeish look. At least 3rd parties get the vehicle modes right. Disappointing.

Shame they couldn't make Ironhide's accessory tray fit into his alt mode somehow, with tiny retractable treads. Good to hear the hip kibble can disappear; makes you wonder why they displayed him with it out.

As for Beast Wars MP; I'm kinda meh, despite how much I love the show. I've picked up a few of the recent Generations releases (Waspinator, Rhinox, and Rat-trap), all of which I love, and they do it for me for collecting purposes. Now if TT does use some kind of rubbery skin to make the figs look seamless, and it works really well, I may have to reconsider. I hope the focus on BW doesn't mean they're halting production of the G1 characters...they've got their hook in me and now I want them all. But at the very least, we'll get Ironhide and Ratchet in the forseeable future.

Looking through the BotCon pics: What the heck is mini-Shockwave's alt mode supposed to be? He doesn't look like a space gun. Nice to see Chopshop, but where's Kickback? Also saw a mini-bird TF that turns into a yellow square...anybody know what the alt mode is supposed to be? I can't believe they made Sky Lynx. Wasn't crazy about him in the 80's, and nothing's changed since then. I will say, though, they made a nice looking modern version of him. He's just not my cup of tea.

Edited June 21, 2015 by M'Kyuun

[Gakken85]

Combiners were always a gimmick, but a cool one.

Why buy one toy when you need 5 to make your kid happy?

Hasbro kind of struck gold with this new line though.

I hate to be a snob, but I see the new combiners as so cheap in quality, yet really expensive to own. It's like over $100 or 125 to complete one? People buy-in because the individual purchase is small, but it adds up to a lot of money to "catch em all".

2-3 of those things is and you've put 300-400 bucks into wal-mart formers. You could invest into a really high quality Maketoys or something.

Edited June 21, 2015 by Gakken85

[mikeszekely]

What the heck is mini-Shockwave's alt mode supposed to be? He doesn't look like a space gun.

Space gun... er, Bruticus' gun.

Nice to see Chopshop, but where's Kickback?

Darn good question.

Also saw a mini-bird TF that turns into a yellow square...anybody know what the alt mode is supposed to be?

Buzzsaw. The yellow square is supposed to be a data slug.

Anyways... I finally completed the Protectobots, and I picked up Ultra Magnus while doing it.

Rook is pretty cool. I mean, his alt mode is kind of meh, but as an original character the designers to liberties to stuck pegs and peg holes everywhere. This gives him a lot of options for how he carries not just his own, but other weapons. The peg holes on the front of his fists are a little odd, as is his claw weapon thingy (someone else suggested that Hot Spot's a firefighter, Blades is search and rescue, First Aid is a medic, Streetwise is a cop, and Rook is on litter clean up), but hey, he can do Hulk hands. That's pretty cool.

Hot Spot's kind of a mixed bag. I mean, he's a good looking bot with great articulation that turns into a sort of fire truck thing, if you squint at it right. The problem is his ladder. Not matter what you're doing with him, it's in the way. I think he'll be more fun as Onslaught.

Defensor's combined mode is pretty good, if you can keep Hot Spot's legs in place. Dunno if they're all like this, but mine kind of slouches forward. Hot Spot's guns peg together very loosely, though, and I wish like Superion or Ultra Prime's guns it had peg holes to stick more weapons on it. I also think it's weird that Hasbro's "official" combination has Rook as the left arm, and First Aid moving to Groove's spot. I mean, you'd think that Rook would just take over for Groove, and if you really wanted Rook to be an arm move Blades, because Blades/Alpha Bravo are the worst arms in the whole Combiner Wars line. Oh, and Legends Groove sucks as a chest piece as much as he sucks at everything. Here's hoping Hasbro brings over Takara's Deluxe Groove later, even if only as an online dealie.

Oddly, I have Menasor in his traditional G1 arrangement, and I have Defensor in his traditional arrangement with Rook in Groove's place, but I insist on using Fireflight and Slingshot as Superion's legs and Air Raid and Skydive as arms. Go figure.

Ultra Magnus is pretty sweet, and very faithful to his appearance in More Than Meets the Eye. His transformation makes sense without being overly simple, and he looks great in both modes. I only have a few minor complaints. For one, in alt mode his cab is like half the size of Combiner Wars Prime or Motormaster. Two, he really needs more paint. I mean, I don't mind the white thighs; even though the G1 toy and the MTMTE version have read thighs, white is what I'm used to. But he needs more blue on his crotch and hips, and arguably on his forearms. Three, I wish Minimus Ambus could be pegged onto the car carrier. Those minor gripes aside, he's really one of the best non-Masterpiece Transformers in quite awhile.

I hate to be a snob, but I see the new combiners as so cheap in quality, yet really expensive to owne. It's like over 100 to complete one? People buy in because the individual purchase is small, but it adds up to a lot of money.

2-3 of those things is and you've put 300-400 bucks into wal-mart formers.

They are cheap, sure... but no, just cheap all around. A complete combiner is around $85 (4 Deluxes at $15 a pop, one Voyager at $25, assuming no discounts). A little more than an MP Autobot car, a good bit less than MP Prime. That puts three of them at around $255, which means you can complete around six Hasbro combiners for around the cost of one 3rd-party combiner, or two MP Star Sabers.

As I've said before, it's fair enough if you find the lower-quality of Combiner Wars specifically or CHUGs in general to be off-putting, especially if you're collecting the MP line. You definitely get what you pay for, and if you shell out for an MP or 3rd-party toy you're definitely going to end up with a toy that's a lot nicer than Hasbro's CHUGs, no doubt. But for $85, you get five reasonably-articulated robots that turn into reasonable vehicles and can combine into bigger reasonably-articulated robots larger than MP Prime or MP Soundwave. That might not be something you're interested, but it's really not that bad, considering.

[Old_Nash]

Well, kind of. Honestly, I don't know if Hasbro is making combiners to compliment the Combiner Wars story, or if IDW is shoveling out Combiner Wars because it's what Hasbro wants. If I had to guess, though, I suspect the latter. I've been a big fan of IDW's G1 comics, even through their lows (All Hail Megatron, anyone?), but Combiner Wars was just terrible.

To summarize,

Optimus took a band of Autobots to Earth because they found evidence that Alpha Trion was there. Turns out that some human has access to a bunch of Cybertronian tech, including the Enigma of Combination. The Enigma is a relic that belonged to Nexus Prime, one of the 13 original Primes. Nexus had used it to combine Cybertronians with "beasts" some 8 million years ago, and Galvatron killed him and tried to get rid of the Enigma by sending it to Earth. Scoop, a religions nut, managed to get the Enigma and take it to Starscream on Cybertron. Starscream first lets Swindle use the Enigma on the Stunticons, then Swindle and Mensasor attacked a colony world called Caminus through Metroplex's space bridge. Starscream then used the Engima on to repair Superion, allowing Alpha Bravo to take Slingshot's place, figuring that if Superion saved Caminus from Menasor, and Superion works for him, that he'd be seen as a hero.

Things go a little awry when Prowl brings Devastator back, so the Enigma gets used on the Protectobots. Prowl gets arrested, Starscream gets Scoop to take Scrapper's place (and Hook goes back to being the head), all four Combiners start fighting and trashing the place, Prowl uses the Enigma on himself, Prime, Hound, Ironhide, Mirage, and Sunstreaker, and the newly-formed Optimus Maximus helps Defensor and Superion subdue Devastator and Menasor.

At the end of the day, Starscream is still in charge of Cybertron, and a council is formed to represent Cybertron and the colonies. Defensor and Superion still work for Starscream, Menasor, Devastator, and Prowl end up in jail, Prowl and Prime aren't friends anymore. The end, until whatever else comes next.

For what it's worth, as bad as Combiner Wars was, More Than Meets the Eye has been excellent.

I like much of continuity from IDW, they need a game or something.

And MTMTE is a Justice League from J. M. DeMatteis and Keith Giffen with TFs^^

[Valkyrie2008]

So what the deal with combinder wars? Everyone is a combinder now? Is there a story behind this toyline?

I Thought I was the only one here that got lost when everyone started talking about combinder wars.

More information from MP Ironhide designers has been released. The hip panels can rotate around to the back. The extra piece is seperate and does not form part of the van.

On an official MP toy, I thought it looked kind of strange with those hip panels in those positions. I bet a lot of folks are dying for MP Ironhide, as for me, he’s not one of my desirable characters, but I'll still get it for my MP collections.

[dizman]

Lotta good announcements so close together, I'm in for a takara Devastator and MP Ironhide. Can't believe they made a new sky lynx, it's so stupid I have to get it .

[M'Kyuun]

Well, my wife sent me on a mission to Wally today, and as usual, I went straight to the toy aisle before attending to my assignment. With the usual lowered expectations, I surveyed the TF area, and nearly missed the small collection of Warrior Class Protectobots sitting haphazardly on the bottom shelf (there aren't even any pegs for Generations). It looked like they had about two of each, so I snagged Rook. Not a bad fig, but characteristically simple. They also had several Silverbolts and Motormasters, but no Hot Spot. They have no Legion sized figs at all, not even a peg for them. I was hoping to get Groove, too, as I like motorcycle TFs. Anyway, just wanted to spread a little happy TF sighting news. Hope everyone else finds them too.

[Gakken85]

Probably one of the best Transformers cosplays I've seen.

[mikeszekely]

Any of you guys ever order from Dork Side Toys? If so, how are they?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i just paid for mp-10 (x2) preorders from NY

[dapro]

i just paid for mp-10 (x2) preorders from NY

I am waiting for anime export to bill me for shipping.

[Gakken85]

Nothing from HLJ yet.

[David Hingtgen]

They are cheap, sure... but no, just cheap all around. A complete combiner is around $85 (4 Deluxes at $15 a pop, one Voyager at $25, assuming no discounts). A little more than an MP Autobot car, a good bit less than MP Prime. That puts three of them at around $255, which means you can complete around six Hasbro combiners for around the cost of one 3rd-party combiner, or two MP Star Sabers.

Where are you finding deluxes for 15 nowadays? They're 17-18 most places, and darn close to 20 with tax. Times 4. A complete CW combiner is over 100, most anywhere you could buy it.

[Gakken85]

I thought most of the combiners were five pieces.

[mikeszekely]

Where are you finding deluxes for 15 nowadays? They're 17-18 most places, and darn close to 20 with tax. Times 4. A complete CW combiner is over 100, most anywhere you could buy it.

They're $15.29 at my local Target. If you want to be super technical, ($15.29 x 4) + $24.99 and 6% sales tax in Westmoreland County, PA, is $91.32.

EDIT: Heck, you want to go with Hasbro Toy Shop's "official" pricing of $16.99 for a Deluxe? $67.96 for two, + $24.99 for the Voyager torso, $92.95. Toss in the sales tax and you've got $98.53, still under a Benjamin (the shipping is free over $50; if you want to pay more to expedite it that's on you, not the toys).

I'm not denying that some stores won't mark them up (*cough Amazon cough TRU cough*), but it's definitely possible to get a CW combiner for under $100, and it's supposed to be.

And whether you get one for $85 pre-tax or got ripped off at TRU and paid, I don't know, $120, my point's the same. A CW combiner is one retail Voyager and four retail Deluxes, with all the ups and downs that come with that. They're not Masterpieces, and they're not 3P (where one combiner limb costs around as much as a whole CW combiner). If you'd rather pay more for more quality and stick with the MPs and 3Ps, that's a perfectly reasonable choice as a collector. But ultimately a CW combiner is still four Deluxes and a Voyager, we've (mostly) all had experience with Hasbro's Deluxes and Voyagers, and it should be no surprise what you're getting into. Just because these particular four Deluxes and one Voyager are gimmicked to stick together doesn't mean the resulting gestalt is going to somehow morph into MP quality.

Edited June 23, 2015 by mikeszekely

[VF-19]

I thought most of the combiners were five pieces.

They are, with an optional legends figure that usually ties into a team.