M'Kyuun Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Shogo Hasui said that he wanted to work in CW Devastator because he figured that this would be the only opportunity for him to work on a Masterpieceish Devastator. So he tried to incorporate as many ideas he had for Masterpiece Devastator into the CW toy. I don't think this would make a Masterpiece Devastator impossible but highly unlikely as long as Hasui works for Takara. There exists quite a disparity between the quality of design and engineering in his MP toys as compared to either version of Devastator, IMHO. I wouldn't have even guessed he was part of the Devastator design team, honestly. But I guess he and the rest of the team were under more restrictive constraints for the CW line than the MP line. Shame really; such iconic characters as the Constructicons, and Devastator by extension, should have been given their just due, since he's arguably the best known and probably the most popular of the combiners, and he still would have sold well at the $200, even $250 price tag for improved individual bot modes. Oh well, at this point, it's a dead horse, and I shan't beat it any longer. Looking forward to more G1 MP goodness for 2016. Since we already have Ironhide, Ratchet, and Shockwave coming, I wonder who the next figures will be. My hope is for Jazz, Hound, Mirage, and maybe Brawn, Cliffjumper, or Huffer for the Autobot camp, and V2 Megatron, Reflector, Insecticons, or a new F-15 design (the current one is ok, but not without its flaws) to help fill out the Decepticons. It's a shame we probably won't get MP Constructicons, as they made their appearance in the first season, and quite often thereafter in numerous episodes and the Movie. Third parties to the rescue! Also curious to see what Takara rolls out for their Beast Wars MP line. I wish Alex Kubalsky still worked for Takara- that guy was an amazing designer, and I think he'd have been a great asset for the MP design team. Quote
skullmilitia Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 One of the Takara reps has said there is a prototype of the MP Constructicons and a 3D printed Bruticus in thier office. They just don't know how to release it. Quote
Scyla Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 If anyone is interested here is the quote from the interview in Figure King 210: Q: In total, this is considerably close to the G1 version, right? A: Concerning the points that are designed based on the original G1 version, it's constructed similar to a masterpiece (transformer). The toy of course incorporated elements of the anime design. In fact to clear the tight development schedule, there are parts where I apropriated ideas for use in an MP Devastator that I had written down a long time before. I thought: "doesn't this seem like the only chance I can make a giant MP Devastator, if I do my best here then the thing that the fans eagerly waited for can be realized". I had the sense that there was nothing like it before. If it surpassed a masterpiece wouldn't that be terrible (smile). (source: http://tformers.com/takaratomy-designer-shogo-hasui-translated-interview-from-figure-king-210-all-about-devastator/27275/news.html) Quote
David Hingtgen Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 One of the Takara reps has said there is a prototype of the MP Constructicons and a 3D printed Bruticus in thier office. They just don't know how to release it. Hasn't 3P shown that $100 per member for a combiner team is supported by the fandom? Does Takara need even more than that for their budget/sales? Quote
JB0 Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 I'd wager that the unlicensed transforming robots don't move anywhere near the volume TakaraTomy expects. Quote
skullmilitia Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 Takara would follow a more economic design probably and release individual figures. 3rd party sales wouldn't even be something they would care about. legit business doesn't look at knock off markets for actual sales estimates. I would imagine the sales of the new Devy and combiner wars would be how they sell to a budget commission. Quote
M'Kyuun Posted January 5, 2016 Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) To that end, I hope CW Devy does well enough to spark Takara's interest in putting out a MP version. I'd be really happy if they sold maybe two figs a year for around $80 a figure. That'd be a nice pace, and I could afford to get the whole team, and still pick up the other MP releases. Plus new valks. And LEGO. Gaaah! too many expensive addictions. Edited January 5, 2016 by M'Kyuun Quote
myk Posted January 5, 2016 Posted January 5, 2016 It's still cheaper than cars and motorcycles... Quote
CoryHolmes Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 Any updates on the new Headmaster line coming out? Especially Fort Max? Quote
VF-19 Posted January 6, 2016 Posted January 6, 2016 Has anybody spotted Onslaught in stores yet? My local Toys R Us (all three of them), currently only have the Protectobots, and it was only by sheer luck I managed to snag Bruticus' limbs. Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 6, 2016 Author Posted January 6, 2016 Any updates on the new Headmaster line coming out? Especially Fort Max? How up-to-date are you? So far we know we're getting Voyager Galvatron and Sentinel Prime, Leader Blaster and Leader Powermaster Optimus Prime, Deluxe Hardhead and Skullcruncher (who has been renamed Skullsmasher), a couple Legends-class cassettes, and a few of a new class called Titan Masters that are basically more heads with small vehicles that can be used on other Titans Return figures. We know that all the characters I've mentioned are new molds, that Powermaster Prime is going to be a heavy retool of Leader Ultra Magnus, and we know that Sentinel, Galvatron, and Blaster are all triple changers. Galvatron has a space fighter mode and an artillery mode, Blaster has his radio mode and a "base" mode, and Sentinel has a shuttle mode and a "battle tank" mode that looks an awful lot like a train, leading to speculation that a Voyager Astrotrain will be an inevitable repaint. Given the fact that pretty much all the Titans Return Legends are cassettes (and technically, Buzzsaw is already in the tail end of Combiner Wars) I'd venture that a Leader Soundwave retool of Blaster is also inevitable. A Titan-class Fortress Maximus has already been announced, as well as the fact that Trypticon will be the next Titan. Whether or not he'll be part of Titans Return or whatever Hasbro/IDW cook up next is yet to be seen. Finally, most recently some blurry pics turned up of what may or may not be a Deluxe-class Blurr. As far as when we'll start seeing them in stores, who can say? The Combaticons are just starting to turn up in stores, and there's still another wave of Combiner Wars after that before Titans Return starts rolling out. Has anybody spotted Onslaught in stores yet? My local Toys R Us (all three of them), currently only have the Protectobots, and it was only by sheer luck I managed to snag Bruticus' limbs. Nope, and not for looking either. I've found the limbs in a few stores now, though. I'm actually thinking about picking up a few extra; I want to get another Vortex, pop the head off and repaint it as Blast Off, then stick it on Blast Off. I'll put a different head on the extra Vortex, repaint him, then pair him with Offroad and two other CW limbs that I'll repaint, pick up Cyclonus, and then I'll still have an equal number of Autobot and Decepticon combiners when I inevitable start collecting parts of Sky Reign. Since Bruticus is my favorite combiner, I wound up caving and ordering one of the ridiculously marked-up Onslaught's on Amazon, and I've got Shockwave coming from HasbroToyShop. Honestly, I can live without Piranacon, Abominus, and Computron, so that should just leave me with Predaking as a must-have, so I guess I'm going to have to go third-party. Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 6, 2016 Author Posted January 6, 2016 If you have to order from them, HasbroToyShop is FAST. I ordered Legends-class Combiner Wars Shockwave just yesterday morning and I picked the cheapest shipping option, listed as 7-10 business days. Fed Ex startled me by ringing my doorbell and dropping it off this morning. Lately, the Legends-class has been pretty great for the price. Sure, you don't get much in the way of accessories, if any, you get hollow spots where bigger toys might have fold-out panels, and the transformations are pretty simple. But they've been solid representations for the the characters with great posability. Shockwave continues that trend, with a well-proportioned, good-looking bot mode and an alt-mode that looks like G1's minus the hand grip and trigger. I consider that a small loss, honestly. On his own, as a flying cannon, I wouldn't think he'd need a a hand grip. Instead, he's got a fold-down 5mm peg so he can be wielded by other larger Transformers, including Combiner Wars Bruticus (although the instructions tell you to plug him into Bruticus' back... go figure). Honestly, despite being a Legends-class, he's much better than the Deluxe-class Fall of Cybertron toy. He'd be good as he is as a Deluxe, and I think the basic design with some better engineering that comes with a larger you would even make a good Voyager. He's so good that if I see another in stores, I might pick up another and repaint him as Shockwave's green brother from Energon. Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 Some pics to go with my thoughts on Legends-class Combiner Wars Shockwave. Despite being a Legends-class, it's a pretty great look for Shockwave. Plenty of joints for plenty of poses. Space cannon alt-mode, despite the lack of a hand grip, is unmistakably Shockwave. He even has the view scope. This peg is folded in for solo Shockwave. But it can fold out, like this... ...so he can be wielded by Bruticus (sorry, Motormaster is standing in for the yet-absent Onslaught), or any other combiner... ...or most Transformers with the standard 5mm peg-hole-fist. My one and only complaint is his size. Shockwave is alternately Megatron's right-hand man back on Cybertron, or one or one of the few Decepticons smart enough and strong enough to go up against Megatron. This tiny Shockwave doesn't really convey that. Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 OK, so first there was the reveal that Botcon would have an exclusive "Dawn of the Predacus" combiner, with existing molds repainted with new heads inspired by Beast Wars. Except only 4 were straight-up repaints... General Ramhorn is actually a retool of Brawl, without the tank cannon and instead a new accessory that's a cockpit/drill. Then there were some "I heard from a friend that knows a guy who works at Hasbro"-style rumors that Hasbro is going to release a Combiner Wars Computron, and the reason it wasn't announced was because the Titans Return leaks had them accelerating the end of Combiner Wars. It's one of those things that you wanted to discount entirely, given the sketchy source, but at the same time one that makes sense. Hasbro has been HUGE on reusing the Combiner Wars molds, yet two of the Aerialbots jets haven't had any repaints, and neither has Brawl outside of a Nosecone-esque Botcon-exclusive. Plus, they actually did release Scattershot. And, according to the rumors, Lightspeed would be a retool or repaint of Unite Warriors Deluxe-class Groove. Hmm... And now, we have an inventory listing for a $99.99 Computron gift set at Toys R Us. So, looks like there might just be something to these rumors after all. While I've never been huge on Computron, if this is for real I'll probably (try to) grab one. Quote
Guest davidwhangchoi Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 While I've never been huge on Computron, Grimlock is sad. Computron is best Quote
Scyla Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Hopefully the Unite Warriors Computron will have a better combiner head. So what are the chances that Hasbro will make a strange decision with one of the members? Maybe Strafe will be Slingshot again? Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 7, 2016 Author Posted January 7, 2016 Grimlock is sad. Computron is best I've always preferred the Decepticon combiners, so for me Bruticus is best, the Predaking, then Devastator, then Menasor. Superion and Defensor get a little love for being Menasor and Bruticus's rivals. Computron was just too little, too late I guess. Likewise, I've got no special attachment to Abominus (aside from having Hun-Grr as a kid) or Piranacon. Hopefully the Unite Warriors Computron will have a better combiner head. So what are the chances that Hasbro will make a strange decision with one of the members? Maybe Strafe will be Slingshot again? Dollars to donuts says Scattershot will be identical to the regular release, or at best with a more reddish-orange. paint. Quote
Silverstreak Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 One of the Takara reps has said there is a prototype of the MP Constructicons and a 3D printed Bruticus in thier office. They just don't know how to release it. Where was this? Quote
Tking22 Posted January 7, 2016 Posted January 7, 2016 Damn, when is MP Ironhide releasing? I've got mine locked down at HLJ, and I NEED him. I know HLJ says January, anything more firm then that? My B-Day is the 29th of this month, him, Figuarts Bruce, and my Chogokin X Figuarts Hulkbuster would be a super sweet present to myself. Quote
abbadon Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Damn, when is MP Ironhide releasing? I've got mine locked down at HLJ, and I NEED him. I know HLJ says January, anything more firm then that? My B-Day is the 29th of this month, him, Figuarts Bruce, and my Chogokin X Figuarts Hulkbuster would be a super sweet present to myself. According to Amazon Japan, MP-27 is scheduled for January 30 release. Quote
JB0 Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I've always preferred the Decepticon combiners, so for me Bruticus is best, the Predaking, then Devastator, then Menasor. Superion and Defensor get a little love for being Menasor and Bruticus's rivals. Computron was just too little, too late I guess. Likewise, I've got no special attachment to Abominus (aside from having Hun-Grr as a kid) or Piranacon. In honesty, as a grumpy adult, the biggest problem with a lot of combiners is the lack of any cohesive appearance. There may be a loose mold theme, but there's usually such a wild assortment of colors across the parts that it looks like the combined form was trapped in a paint factory explosion. Devastator, Predaking, and Computron all avoid this by applying a common color theme to all members of the team. Superion has a cohesive color scheme, but it's applied kinda lopsidedly. Also, I have no nostalgia for them as the only combiner I ever owned was Monstructor, and he's lame. Quote
myk Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 Similar situation here; the only combiner I had back then was Voltron... Quote
JB0 Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 I had a Voltron. The little one with windup motor wheels so the lions would roll across the floor. My mom forced me to give him to my sister because she was throwing a fit and I "have enough Voltrons already". So I had to stand by while she broke or lost every part of the only complete Voltron I ever owned, to this day. But I'm not bitter, no sir! Quote
Guest davidwhangchoi Posted January 8, 2016 Posted January 8, 2016 (edited) I had a Voltron. The little one with windup motor wheels so the lions would roll across the floor. My mom forced me to give him to my sister because she was throwing a fit and I "have enough Voltrons already". So I had to stand by while she broke or lost every part of the only complete Voltron I ever owned, to this day. But I'm not bitter, no sir! what happened to the metal one? didn't like it? "FORM FEET and LEGS!..." Edited January 8, 2016 by davidwhangchoi Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 9, 2016 Author Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) In honesty, as a grumpy adult, the biggest problem with a lot of combiners is the lack of any cohesive appearance. That never bothered me. Still doesn't. In fact, the various colors sort of reinforce the idea that the big guy is made of five separate guys. And it's the reason why I could tell you exactly who all five Combaticons are, but it took me until I got Combiner Wars Devastator to bother to learn the individual Constructicons' names. I had a Voltron. Who also lacked a cohesive color scheme, I might add. EDIT: Well... I think I've decided what to do about my Combiner Wars teams, so that I don't have any extra guys. I'm going to try really hard to pick up Sky Lynx, Smokescreen, Wheeljack, and Hound, but no way in heck I'm buying Trailbreaker. That's easily the worst Combiner Wars mold, and the previous Generations Trailbreaker isn't that old. So Alpha Bravo will fill that space. Of course, Sky Reign, Optimus Maximus, Defensor, and Superion will outnumber Bruticus, Menasor, and Devastator, and I'd still have Offroad just hanging around. So I picked up Cyclonus. I plan to try to get another Rook, who I'll repaint with a black and red or black and purple color scheme, and call him Generations Barricade. I'm also going to get a second Vortex. I'll repaint Vortex's head to look like Blast Off, then stick that head on Blast Off. I'll repaint Blast Off's head in gray, keep Vortex's overall gray color scheme but tone down the rest of the colors, and call him Generations Blackout. Then I'll either get a second Wheeljack or a second Smokescreen. If I end up with Wheeljack, I'll paint him black and green and make a Generations Lockdown. If Smokescreen, I'll repaint him red and yellow and make Generations Knockout. Or I'll do both if I can't find another Rook to make Barricade with. And if Computron becomes a reality, well, then I'll keep my Autobot/Decepticon balance with a third-party Predaking. Because you can't have combiners without Predaking. Edited January 9, 2016 by mikeszekely Quote
mikeszekely Posted January 9, 2016 Author Posted January 9, 2016 Hisashi Yuki tweeted the silhouette of what is quite obviously Unite Warriors Bruticus. And while the position of his right arm makes it difficult to discern many detains, his shoulder appears to be the front of Blast Off, folded back in the Combiner Wars style we're used to... but shorter and thicker than Fireflight mold we got for Combiner Wars Blast Off. Almost like a shuttle... So, yeah, Hasbro can eat a ****. And if they do, at some point, bring Unite Warriors Groove and Blast Off to the states, I'll have enough ******* extra limbs to make a whole ******* combiner. And on that note... will I shell out big cash for UW Defensor just to have a Deluxe Groove for a leg when I at least have a Legends-class Groove? No. Will I shell out big cash for Unite Warriors Bruticus just to have a Blast Off that's a shuttle with a proper head? Yes, yes I will. And hey, maybe Brawl will actually be green on him. And if I do end up buying Unite Warriors Bruticus, what I ought to do is repaint the entire Hasbro Bruticus into Ruination. Quote
Guest davidwhangchoi Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 hahaha love the passion^ Bruticus baby! Quote
M'Kyuun Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 (edited) I've been waiting for TT's Bruticus to be revealed, expecting that they would make a proper shuttle mode Blast Off, so this is good news. Hopefully clear pics will emerge soon so we can see what's on the table. I do have to wonder, though, if TT are willing and able to make all the limbs of these things properly relative to their originals, why isn't Hasbro just releasing the same toys? I'd expect, given their close working relationship, that Hasbro are aware of TT's plans, so it perplexes me that they are releasing substandard versions of these guys with sh!tty paint apps, improper limb alt modes, and in Devastator's case, lack of articulation, among other features and details. I know the argument will come that Hasbro sees these as purely children's toys and that the kids will neither know nor care that these updated versions of old toys are not entirely accurate to their originals; however, Hasbro is acutely aware that there are a lot of grown men and women filling their coffers with hard earned cash these days, and we have financial resources far exceeding that of Hasbro's intended demographic, which they also know. They also know that we know our sh!t when it comes to these toys, and every subpar release is a huge disappointment, which drives folks like me to wait for TT's eventual superior release. Which brings me back to my original question: why not just release the same toys as TT? More and more, these shenanigans are compelling me to buy the TT versions...so yes, as Mike so elegantly stated above, Hasbro can , indeed, eat a d***. One gripe for both versions, however: I wish they'd ditch the awkward and insufficient hand/foot/weapon accessories and just make proper feet and hands, similar to what Perfect Effect are doing. It would vastly improve the look and articulation of the combined modes, even if the hands and feet just have to be set aside when they're not joined. Small price to pay, methinks. Edited January 9, 2016 by M'Kyuun Quote
JB0 Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 what happened to the metal one? didn't like it? "FORM FEET and LEGS!..." I had the green lion and yellow lion. And I loved them until the plastic parts broke. Yellow lion lost an ear, green lion's jaw fell off. But they were the only two I had. Quote
David Hingtgen Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 . Which brings me back to my original question: why not just release the same toys as TT? I believe it comes down to price-point as the main reason. Hasbro has very strict cost/price points that all releases must fall into. Take deluxe Groove---I believe it may simply cost more to produce than other CW limbs, so Hasbro won't release it here at a standard deluxe price-point. And they sure can't sell it as a voyager. Thus--they don't sell it at all. Whereas Japan--they can put whatever price it needs to be. 2200Y alongside 2400Y deluxes? Not a problem, AFAIK. And especially not a problem with a gift set, as there's no "set class" for those as a rule. Quote
M'Kyuun Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 But to my thinking, if TT are going to produce these as a gift set, much like both CW and UW Devastator, why not just do that with all of them? It seems to be that would be a cost effective measure, since TT are producing them anyway. All they need to do is increase the production run, which generally saves money over the long term rather than making special variants like TT are doing. If both companies release sets of the same figs, it would likely cut costs on both sides. I guess not, since that's not what Hasbro is doing, but it makes more sense to me to make identical products for both companies. Moot point. As long as Takara continue to put out improved versions of the TFs I want, they'll be getting my money. Hasbro can suck it! Quote
Sandman Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 I recently decided to pick up some combiner wars figures. Not really into non-mp TF toys but i was bored and it scratched an iche to buy something in the store rather than have to mail-order it. Picked up most of the Optimus combiner at walmart. Started looking around town at other stores. Couldn't find any anywhere. What the hell? Even walmart only had a very minimal selection. Why are these so hard to find? Is this how it is everywhere else too? I can't believe Hasbro can't get these into stores considering how many billions of dollars the movies make. Quote
JB0 Posted January 9, 2016 Posted January 9, 2016 That never bothered me. Still doesn't. In fact, the various colors sort of reinforce the idea that the big guy is made of five separate guys. And it's the reason why I could tell you exactly who all five Combaticons are, but it took me until I got Combiner Wars Devastator to bother to learn the individual Constructicons' names. [Voltron] also lacked a cohesive color scheme, I might add. Voltron has a very symmetrical outline, and it pulls him together. Very few Transformers combiners have that symmetry. I guess that's by design, since most of the classic combiner 'bots were designed to be swapped around between teams and between mount points. I can't believe Hasbro can't get these into stores considering how many billions of dollars the movies make. Everyone knows Hasbro only sells on eBay. Any Transformers you see in stores were mis-shipped. Quote
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