The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

3 hours ago, tekering said:

I love all of Mike's contributions, but this deserves special commendation.  

Robots in disguise!

[JB0]

Arcee's finally unlocked her GERWALK mode!

[M'Kyuun]

Good review, Mike. The GERWALK shot is pretty cool. If they're going to just make the car a shell, it'd be cool if they could somehow massage it into a trenchcoat of sorts instead of the huge backpack. It defeats the purpose of having a lithe robot mode only to be saddled with a backpack that's thicker than the fig itself. At least the forearms on this Arcee contribute to the car mode; that's more than ER Arcee.

I agree with Mike's point about pricing between the WFC lines, and Cyberverse. The former , to my eyes, have always seemed the more premium- better sculpts, more complexity, better paint, etc. The Cyberverse toys have every appearance of appealing to a younger age group 6-10, I'd reckon, and  the quality of those toys adjacent to the more 'mature' WFC lines bears that out, so the pricing should reflect that disparity as well, but it doesn't.  I don't generally collect the Cyberverse stuff, although I may pick up a fig here or there that appeals, so the personal impact is low, but the fairness of it , or lack thereof, bugs me a little.

 

Edited August 18, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[technoblue]

So Hasbro's solution to limitless Arcee toys, all having huge backpacks, is to make a new Arcee with a huge hat?

I don't know what to say, but I applaud their persistence.

[mikeszekely]

Well, so far these Transformer Tuesdays have been pretty painless.  Last week it was a repaint of Airwave.  And this week, it's Bugbite.  Bugbite is going to be a white repaint of Cliffjumper with the upcoming Bumblebee's head, done it white with a purple "mercenary" logo (as seen on Exhaust).  It's exactly the kind of figure that makes me say, "yeah, I kind of want that" but not the kind of figure that'll have me cursing and swearing off Transformers if I can't get one.

I preordered at Hasbro Pulse.

Speaking of exclusives, technically I would have got a package Saturday but my mail was on hold while I was away.  My mail service was supposed to resume today, but nothing came so I called USPS.  They told me to go to my local post office, who didn't actually have my mail and sent me to their carrier annex.  Well, I'd get mad but the carrier annex is literally on my way home, so no harm no foul, and I got my package.  Inside was the Amazon-exclusive Coneheads.

No major surprises here.  They're based on Earthrise Starscream, so pretty much what I said in that review still applies here.  Ramjet's face has a stoic expression, Dirge is yelling.  Both have decos that are much closer to the G1 cartoon than the older Classics/Universe figures, although both sport white/blue thighs instead of the darker color, and both use black for the darker color instead of gray.  Oh, and Ramjet has white hands instead of black, presumably because the other seekers' hands match their forearms and are likely on the same sprues, and changing it just for Ramjet's too expensive.  Their null rays are the same mold as Starscream's, which again is more cartoon accurate.

They didn't change Ramjet's hands, but there are a few mold differences besides the wings.  Their torsos are remolded to give them the extra chest rectangle intake things (even if they are kind of filled in), something that the previous Classics and even the older Takara MPs didn't bother with.  They also have new shin panels with bigger shin intakes and taller knee panels that don't stick out as far from the legs.

In jet mode they lack the "flair" that the Classics toys had, but they do skew more toward the G1 cartoon.  That being said, aside from some black near the intakes neither figure has much black/gray on the top.  And something that didn't bother me as much in robot mode but really stands out to me in jet mode is that they have the same translucent orange canopies as Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, instead of clear or a smokey translucent.  I think that'd have been more accurate.

Unlike the older Classics figures, which actually used the cone head as the nose of the plane, these guys work like the other Earthrise Seekers by carrying the nose on their backs.  The nose folds up to join with the canopy in their chests, capturing their cone heads inside.  This works fine for me; it prevents them from having stubbier noses like the Classics figures did.  The new shins don't work quite as well, though.  You're instructed to close them up, laying them flat against their pelvises.  Thing is, they don't tab or lock in place this way; it's just the friction in the hinge holding them in place.  Like Starscream, they don't have landing gear, but while Starscream rested on his knees and collar Dirge and Ramjet sit entirely on their kneepads.

Anyway, like I said about Starscream, it's slightly disappointing that the mold is so heavily based on a toy that's over a decade old, but it's ultimately still a good mold.  And Dirge and Ramjet are essential characters, as far as I'm concerned, so they get a recommend.  They just really need to follow through on Thrust now.

[technoblue]

I was hoping Bug Bite would be a White VW repaint of Bee instead of a Cliffjumper repaint with Bee's head. 

Oh well, no need to add this one to the WFC collection. Money saved. 

[M'Kyuun]

7 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Well, so far these Transformer Tuesdays have been pretty painless.  Last week it was a repaint of Airwave.  And this week, it's Bugbite.  Bugbite is going to be a white repaint of Cliffjumper with the upcoming Bumblebee's head, done it white with a purple "mercenary" logo (as seen on Exhaust).  It's exactly the kind of figure that makes me say, "yeah, I kind of want that" but not the kind of figure that'll have me cursing and swearing off Transformers if I can't get one.

I preordered at Hasbro Pulse.

Speaking of exclusives, technically I would have got a package Saturday but my mail was on hold while I was away.  My mail service was supposed to resume today, but nothing came so I called USPS.  They told me to go to my local post office, who didn't actually have my mail and sent me to their carrier annex.  Well, I'd get mad but the carrier annex is literally on my way home, so no harm no foul, and I got my package.  Inside was the Amazon-exclusive Coneheads.

No major surprises here.  They're based on Earthrise Starscream, so pretty much what I said in that review still applies here.  Ramjet's face has a stoic expression, Dirge is yelling.  Both have decos that are much closer to the G1 cartoon than the older Classics/Universe figures, although both sport white/blue thighs instead of the darker color, and both use black for the darker color instead of gray.  Oh, and Ramjet has white hands instead of black, presumably because the other seekers' hands match their forearms and are likely on the same sprues, and changing it just for Ramjet's too expensive.  Their null rays are the same mold as Starscream's, which again is more cartoon accurate.

They didn't change Ramjet's hands, but there are a few mold differences besides the wings.  Their torsos are remolded to give them the extra chest rectangle intake things (even if they are kind of filled in), something that the previous Classics and even the older Takara MPs didn't bother with.  They also have new shin panels with bigger shin intakes and taller knee panels that don't stick out as far from the legs.

In jet mode they lack the "flair" that the Classics toys had, but they do skew more toward the G1 cartoon.  That being said, aside from some black near the intakes neither figure has much black/gray on the top.  And something that didn't bother me as much in robot mode but really stands out to me in jet mode is that they have the same translucent orange canopies as Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp, instead of clear or a smokey translucent.  I think that'd have been more accurate.

Unlike the older Classics figures, which actually used the cone head as the nose of the plane, these guys work like the other Earthrise Seekers by carrying the nose on their backs.  The nose folds up to join with the canopy in their chests, capturing their cone heads inside.  This works fine for me; it prevents them from having stubbier noses like the Classics figures did.  The new shins don't work quite as well, though.  You're instructed to close them up, laying them flat against their pelvises.  Thing is, they don't tab or lock in place this way; it's just the friction in the hinge holding them in place.  Like Starscream, they don't have landing gear, but while Starscream rested on his knees and collar Dirge and Ramjet sit entirely on their kneepads.

Anyway, like I said about Starscream, it's slightly disappointing that the mold is so heavily based on a toy that's over a decade old, but it's ultimately still a good mold.  And Dirge and Ramjet are essential characters, as far as I'm concerned, so they get a recommend.  They just really need to follow through on Thrust now.

Beat me to it! My Coneheads came unexpectedly this afternoon, and I took a bunch of pics figuring I'd do a quick writeup in the interim until Mike gave his full review. When I pulled up the thread- Coneheads! 

I'll add a few pics I took for consideration.  I'm also of two minds about this mold; the Classics was well done, but it is over a decade old, and given all the articulation we got with the Siege mold, it would have been nice to get a new mold that carried over the articulation of the Siege version while improving on the shortfalls of the Classics, such as the large gaping hole between the intakes in jet mode. A step back from its predecessor, the ER version has a large hinge under the nose to allow it to split for transformation. It negates any ability to have landing gear, and spoils the sleekness that the Classics enjoys.  I'm also not a fan of the chest band between the intakes in bot mode; it's both inaccurate and irrelevant, and yet it's another of the undesirable holdovers from the Classics toy. Negatives aside, given Hasbro's track record with jetformers, this could have been far worse, so choosing to upscale the Classics toy and make a few changes, for better or worse, seems a good compromise. It's not a bad toy, but having its root design in one from around 2007, it just feels a little dated.

On to the toys themselves. Both of my Conies have nice crisp paint apps, and I'm especially enamored of Dirge's kneecap paint apps, which echo, and IMHO, improve upon, the G1 toy's stickers. They're not exact to the G1 toy, but I think I like this design better. The purple backdrop with small yellow and red details just looks sharp. Both of my figures were pretty tight overall in all the moving parts dept, save for Dirge's right forward winglet. It's not completely floppy, but it gives the impression that floppiness is its eventual destiny. Guess that's just part of getting old, even for toys. I'll echo Mike's sentiments here about the shin panels, as they don't lock into anything in fighter mode, and I can see much handled toys suffering from permanently deployed spoilers in their futures, just waving in the breeze. Not the best.  One cool deco point is that both Dirge and Ramjet have Decepticon symbols on the tops and bottoms of their wings. The regular Seekers only have it on top. 

I always thought it was neat that the engineering differed on the Classics mold for the Coneheads' heads to be the nose of the planes. Of course, it made for a stubbier nose, and the face could be clearly seen from below. Tradeoffs. However, being able to hide the entire conehead inside the forward fuselage in the same manner as the regular Seekers allows for simplicity in the transformation and preserves the longer nose. Unfortunately, it does nothing for that big hinge on the bottom.  C'mon Hasbro, we know you can do better.

Final thoughts: while I wish they'd made more improvements in their translation from Classics to Earthrise Seeker, it's still one of the best jetformers they've produced. Since it's one of their most milked molds in any line, Coneheads were a forgone conclusion, and it's nice to see that these aren't just straight repaints, but have new chests and shins to go along with their heads and wing bits for differentiation. They didn't have to, but I appreciate that they did. I'll be happy to get Thrust, my fave of the Conies, and hopefully, should the Universe smile upon me, the Target Seeker two-pack to complete my collection.

[mikeszekely]

The Coneheads aren't the only thing I got in the mail.  I also got Studio Series Leader-class Overload.

Despite not being any taller to the head than Voyager-class Rampage, Overload feels big.  He's much wider and feels heavier in hand.

Is he screen-accurate?  Well, that's the problem... his robot mode never appeared on screen.  There's only concept art, which informed earlier Legends-class releases, and this Studio Series figure comes across as sort of a hybrid of the concept art (of which there was both a bipedal and a quadrupedal versions) and the Legends version from 2009.  Ultimately I guess it's neither accurate nor inaccurate, but at the very least I can say that it does fit with the other Studio Series Constructions aesthetically.

Like most of the other Studio Series Constructicons Overload doesn't come with much in the way of accessories.  You just get this half a cylinder, and it's included primarily for combined mode.

Overload's head is on a ball joint, with fairly good up/down tilt and no issues turning, but he doesn't have much sideways tilt.  His arms a bit weird.  He's got four of them, but only one shoulder on each side.  That shoulder rotates on a ratchet and can move laterally on another ratchet, and using the shoulder will move both arms.  There's also a ratcheted bicep swivel above both arms that turns them both together.  The inner arms have a bicep swivel and two elbow joints; the upper joint can bend 90 degrees forward and 90 degrees backward, the lower joint can only bend forward but it can bend 120 degrees.  The hooks on the ends of those arms also have a hinge that allow them to curl inward.  A transformation hinge provides the outer arms with a little extra lateral movement.  There are pin hinges where the gray connects to the red and at the elbow on the outer arm, but no bicep swivel so all of that articulation is again lateral.  The red part at the wrist does give the outer arms wrists swivels, though.  There's also a double hinge at the wrist.  No waist swivel or ab crunch.  His hips can go forward 90 degrees and backward a bit less due to kibble being in the way.  They can also move laterally 90 degrees if you move the tires on his hips out of the way (which is easy, since they don't lock in place).  His knees have about 90 degrees of range, but some of that is bending the wrong way.  His feet don't tilt up or down, but they do have 90 degrees of ankle pivot.  All-in-all, I feel like he has a lot of joints, but without bicep swivels on the outer arms and without separate shoulders for the arms your ability to pose him is still fairly limited.

Oh, and the instructions don't mention it at all, but there's a round part on the half-tube that sticks out a bit, and it happens to fit between two tabs on Overload's back like a toilet paper roll.  I have to assume it's intentional.

Overload turns into a truck.  In alt mode he's definitely showing a lot more size than the Voyagers.

Ok, so specifically the concept art suggests that Overload is supposed to be a Komatsu HD465.  And a quick Google search does sort of suggest that the front end of the truck in the movie does sort of look like an HD465, but with the bed removed and replaced with a larger bed on an articulated segment.  Which... maybe that's something that Komatsu really does?  I honestly don't know much about dump trucks.  What I do know is that the toy has a wider grill that covers the spots where some of the lights would be, and it's got none of the safety railing.  In other words, it's changed enough that Hasbro probably isn't paying Komatsu anything for licensing.  Which would be fine, I guess, if the result was a passably realistic articulated dump truck, but it's really not.  The cab section, from the front wheel forward, isn't too bad as long as you ignore the unpainted headlights, but then you run into large gaps where the robot head can peak through, a silver-painted mess of what looks to be wires and such, and very prominent shoulder joints.  It all culminates in an asymmetrical, unfinished bed with gaps and hooks and no room to actually put and haul dirt.  I'm left to conclude that the alt mode is rather phoned in, being somewhat suggestive of being a truck instead of actually being a truck.  I suppose Hasbro was focused on the combined mode, and the alt mode is where they chose to make sacrifices or cut corners.

But hey, you make have noticed little notches on the bed, near the exposed hooks.  A pair of tabs on the half-tube allows you to plug the half-tube in so Overload can haul it.  You know, for that screen-accurate* scene where Overload was hauling around Devastators neck that definitely didn't form from Mixmaster's mixing drum.

*Not at all screen-accurate

Push come to shove, Overload is a better figure than Scavenger, the other Leader-class Studio Series figure (and I feel a bit better about my purchase since Amazon dropped the price by $20 before shipping him).  That's not really saying much, though.  Frankly, Scrapmetal, Scrapper, and Long Haul are the only three out of eight figures that I feel stand on their own merits, so on his own as a single Leader-class figure I wouldn't recommend Overload.  But, as was the case with Hightower, Mixmaster, Rampage, and Scavenger (and/or Skipjack) it's quite likely that you've been collecting these figures to make a Studio Series Devastator, and the individual robots don't matter all that much.

[sh9000]

I’ve stopped collecting CHUG for a very long time but suddenly I have a Generations Scorponok, Snapdragon, and Sky Lynx.  I might as well look for places that possibly still have Omega Supreme and Jetfire for a good price.

[M'Kyuun]

I can't speak to Omega, as I don't own any of the Titans, but Jetfire, or Skyfire, as he should really be called, is a worthy figure. I got delivery notification today that I should be receiving my copy of Sky Lynx next week.  He's never really been of interest to me before, but this is one cool looking toy, and I'm actually a little excited to get him.  I'm hoping Snapdragon, who I've also got PO'd with Pulse, will be shipping soon.  It's a really nice update to a design I've liked since I was a teenager.

The real question in this line is, "Where is Jazz?" We're getting updates of obscure characters, but yet Jazz, who was pivotal to G1, even surviving getting munched by Unicron, remains MIA. Granted, it'll be difficult to top the Reveal the Shield mold, but given how well the ER Datsun Bros have turned out, I have faith that they can create at least as good a figure for this line.

[mikeszekely]

38 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

But, as was the case with Hightower, Mixmaster, Rampage, and Scavenger (and/or Skipjack) it's quite likely that you've been collecting these figures to make a Studio Series Devastator

Well... after nearly a year and a half since Rampage released, Overload is the final part we need to make that Devastator.  So was it all worth it in the end?

While I already showed off the others' combined modes this is Overload's, which I didn't show in his review.  He's mostly going to be the waist, abs, pelvis, and thighs.  You'll need to get him in this position, and get the others ready if you haven't yet.

We can finish off the legs by attaching Long Haul and Rampage.  Each one only fits on a particular side, hence the asymmetry on Overload's alt mode.  Find the slots on the back of the Overload thighs, and slide them over rails on the front of Long Haul and Rampage.

Mixmaster makes the head and part of the back, while Scavenger becomes the upper half of Devastator's torso, including his shoulders and biceps.  Attach Mixmaster to Scavenger using what amount to c-clips.  Then, make sure the side of the wheel with the downward-facing slot is pointed forward and slide it onto Overload's back.  Overload's cab and part of his robot chest and head tuck up against the wheel, and Overload's own legs just kind of sit along the sides.  They don't appear to lock in place in any meaningful way.

While not absolutely necessary, you can put Overload's half tube over the front of Mixmaster's mixing drum.  Again, it doesn't seem to tab or lock in place.  It relies on the fact that when it's properly placed the bottom is slightly narrower than the mixing drum, so you'd have to turn it to get it off, but it's unlikely turn while it's resting against the flayed rear of the mixing drum with the smokestacks holding it in place.

A square peg flips out of Scrapmetal, and it plugs into a port on Hightower to make one arm.  Scrapper alone makes the other.

Scrapper and Hightower both have ratcheted joints with squarish plates on the end.  Those plates slide into cavities on Devastator's biceps, and when fully inserted a flexible tab holds them in place.

And here's the combined Devastator.  I'm a bit surprised by how short he is.  He's got a lot of mass, but he's sort of eye-to-naval with Titan Devastator.

Well, he's a big improvement over either of the 2009 RotF Devastator's in terms of proportions and aesthetics, but he's not without his flaws.  There's a lot more red showing than there ought to be.  Some of that could be mitigated by replacing Rampage (who was colored like the character who fought Bumblebee in robot mode) with Skipjack (the same figure, but done in yellow to give Devastator a screen-accurate yellow foot).  But some of it is because Overload connects to the front of Long Haul and Rampage/Skipjack; this gives him red thighs when the movie had them green and yellow.  Likewise, Scavenger (who is red) makes the biceps but on screen his arms were yellow all the way up to the shoulders.  His back is missing some random fin-like plates and cables, his left arm is missing the cables.  His claws aren't exactly right, and some of the random-bits-of-metal-in-a-blender look has given way to the reality that this figure is made of 8 smaller figures that actually have to transform.

Articulation is not the best, but again better than previous attempts.  His mouth can open and close, but he doesn't really have any other head articulation.  His shoulders have ratchets for lateral movement, and soft ratchets for rotation.  On my copy, the weight of his left arm seems to have pulled the ratchet apart enough that it's just loose friction and doesn't really hold poses.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend on ratchets.  No real wrist articulation, but most of his "fingers" can be manipulated.  He looks like he could have a waist swivel, but if he does on my copy it absolutely will not turn.  His hips are ratcheted for both forward/backward and lateral movement, and he's got ratcheted thigh swivels, but no knees at all.  He does have some ankle pivot.  All-in-all, I think you can get him in some decent poses, but due to limitation in his joints (including the inability to look up, the lack of knees, and no real up/down tilt on his feet) he cannot get on all fours like he did in the movie, which is a bit of bummer.

None of the instructions mention this, but if you've been following them up to this point you'll be left with a "shield" from Scrapmetal and the stand from Rampage.  Don't worry, though, the designers of Studio Series Devastator haven't forgotten about them!  There's a peg hole on his left thigh that you can fit Scrapmetal's shield on (if the yellow looks out of place, again, replacing Rampage with Skipjack is an option).  Then, if you look at his butt there's a peg hole in the midst of the silver-painted wires and junk (we saw in Overload's review).  Rampage's (or Skipjack's) stand plugs right into his butthole.

And now we circle back to my original question: was it all worth it?  I mean, this was four Voyagers, two Leaders, and two Deluxes, which put retail cost at around $260.  DX9's Omega Supreme and Zeta's Unicron were less than $50 more than that, and far better figures.  Sticking with official toys, Titan-class Scorponok is bigger, more poseable, more fun, and $100 less.  Still, at the time of writing this is the best movie Devastator on the market (3rd party "Devil Saviour" is working on one, but so far their Mixmaster looks great but is a nightmare to transform and is riddled with QC issues, and will ultimately cost around $900).  For all of Devastator's flaws, and the flaws of his component Constructicons, he does have a lot of presence fully combined.  So, while I think it's important to know about those flaws and to know what you're getting into, I think it was ultimately worth it, and if you're a fan of the design I'll give him a recommend.

[mikeszekely]

I like Titan Omega, but for as much as he's probably going for on the aftermarket you might be better off preordered DX9's Gabriel off BBTS for $180.

9 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

The real question in this line is, "Where is Jazz?"

I believe he's one of the figures rumored to show up in the Studio Series '86 line.

[M'Kyuun]

Ah, makes sense. Thanks.

[tekering]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

if you're a fan of the design I'll give him a recommend.

Are you a fan of the design?  

Is anyone a fan of the design?  

[mikeszekely]

18 minutes ago, tekering said:

Are you a fan of the design?  

Is anyone a fan of the design?  

It's... grown on me.  It helps if I don't associate it with G1 Devastator.  Generally speaking, I'm not a fan of the Bayverse's tendency to make generic-looking silver robots, or the propensity to have little to no recognizable alt mode bits because the "transformation" involved the entire thing breaking down into millions of shards of jagged metal.  But I do like the idea that the robots, not being a product of human evolution, don't necessarily have to end up with the two-arm, two-leg configuration we wound up with, or that if they do they don't have the same proportions.  Movie Devastator was at least a colorful, memorable character in the film (even if said film was hot garbage).

[JB0]

I really liked that Devastator's face looked kinda like a Sinistar.

Beyond that, I felt "angry giant robot bulldog" was a waste of a character(though it can be sung to the Ninja Turtles opening). But really, most of the Bayformers were a waste of a character.

[technoblue]

On 8/18/2020 at 3:13 PM, mikeszekely said:

Unlike the older Classics figures, which actually used the cone head as the nose of the plane, these guys work like the other Earthrise Seekers by carrying the nose on their backs.  The nose folds up to join with the canopy in their chests, capturing their cone heads inside.  This works fine for me; it prevents them from having stubbier noses like the Classics figures did.  The new shins don't work quite as well, though.  You're instructed to close them up, laying them flat against their pelvises.  Thing is, they don't tab or lock in place this way; it's just the friction in the hinge holding them in place.  Like Starscream, they don't have landing gear, but while Starscream rested on his knees and collar Dirge and Ramjet sit entirely on their kneepads.

I had to highlight this, because the end result is just so awkward when looking at Ramjet and Dirge in alt mode. I wish they had kept the transformation gimmick intact for the shins, even if it made the proportions slightly off skew for the coneheads in bot mode. Having those panels rest on top of the hip skirt looks incomplete--like they forgot to add a folding panel somewhere. Oh well. I have no experience with the older classics mould, so I'm not sure if it works the same way or not with that design, but after transforming these two for the first time I was truly puzzled by the change. IMO, it just goes to show how bot mode is clearly the star for these Earthrise seekers whereas Siege had a fun balance between bot and alt.

Edited August 20, 2020 by technoblue

[Hikuro]

I got my cone heads two pack and was a lil miffed at Amazon as like so many others who ordered from them, received their units with the shipping labeles slapped right onto the actual toy box versus in a box. Man, lots of collectors are just miffed over it. My box received some damage but luckily the figures were fine. 

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, Hikuro said:

I got my cone heads two pack and was a lil miffed at Amazon as like so many others who ordered from them, received their units with the shipping labeles slapped right onto the actual toy box versus in a box. Man, lots of collectors are just miffed over it. My box received some damage but luckily the figures were fine. 

I noticed at checkout that it said something about the box showing what it was, so I clicked the "this is a gift" option. Mine came packed in a brown box with a gift receipt.

[mikeszekely]

Listings are starting to show up in Walmart computers that seem to corroborate the earlier Target stuff.

Deluxe Cheetor, Warpath, and Black Arachnia

Core Optimus Prime and Rattrap

Voyager Optimus Primal and Cyclonus

Leader Optimus Prime* and T-Rex Megatron

*Leader Optimus is listed as "PR," which probably means "package refresh."  That is, it's probably Earthrise Optimus again, just in Kingdom packaging.

[M'Kyuun]

Not a bad lineup, although I wish there was more G1 in there. Still, I have my Generations Rhinox, Waspinator, and Rattrap on display with my MP BW figs. I thought all three were well done. I'm curious to see how the Kingdom figs look, as the BW stuff in the main line has always been hit and miss for me. I passed on Generations Cheetor, as it looked really wonky to me. Likewise Dinobot. The only decent representation of Dinobot thus far is the MP (IMHO), and he's pretty chunky due to basically turning inside out, and sports a cheat for his chest. I notice he's not listed, but I'm sure he'll be in the next wave. Hopefully he'll be leader scaled, as he was taller than Primal in bot mode, and since they seem to be more cognizant of bot scale in this line, it would make sense. With having MP versions of Primal, Megs, and Blackarachnia already, and my enthusiasm for BW toys waning, at least in the MP arena, my excitement quotient is rather low. Guess I'll wait and see how they look/handle, as I don't find the MP versions very much fun to transform. If these are fun to mess with and look good, then I'll likely get them.

Out of all these, I'm most excited for Cyclonus. CW Cyclonus was unmitigated shite. I like Universe Cyclonus, but the prospect of getting a far more G1 representation is exciting.

The last deluxe Warpath was a really good figure; I'm curious to see how they'll make it better. Hopefully there's a deluxe Powerglide coming too. 

It'd be great to get a deluxe Huffer that can tow Prime's mini-trailer (it'd actually scale better to Huffer, methinks). We haven't had a decent official G1 Huffer since the original toy, and it'd be sweet to get him in this line. I've got the Magic Square version standing in, but I'd love to have a properly scaled ER version.

Edited August 21, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Hikuro]

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I noticed at checkout that it said something about the box showing what it was, so I clicked the "this is a gift" option. Mine came packed in a brown box with a gift receipt.

I don’t recall seeing that when I preordered it. I think most people like myself are more about “gotta get it checked out NOW before it’s gone!”

Speaking of which, I just happened to of looked online at target and noticed they’re taking orders again for the seeker two pack of TC & SW, so I did that as well.

now all I gotta do is wait for Thrust to eventually release and I’ll have all my seekers ready to obey lord Megatron!

[mikeszekely]

3 hours ago, Hikuro said:

Speaking of which, I just happened to of looked online at target and noticed they’re taking orders again for the seeker two pack of TC & SW, so I did that as well.

@M'Kyuun

 

3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I like Universe Cyclonus, but the prospect of getting a far more G1 representation is exciting.

I just want it to be bigger than Generations and less awful than CW.

[Negotiator]

cyclonus, but no galvatron?

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, Negotiator said:

cyclonus, but no galvatron?

Not in the Walmart leak, but the Target leak has a Leader-class Galvatron.

[Mechapilot77]

On 8/19/2020 at 10:11 PM, mikeszekely said:

I like Titan Omega, but for as much as he's probably going for on the aftermarket you might be better off preordered DX9's Gabriel off BBTS for $180.

I believe he's one of the figures rumored to show up in the Studio Series '86 line.

that is what i did and while gabriel is an awesome g1 omega....after having watched siege - if you want THAT omega he looks different enough...also if one is building a siege/ER collection gabriel looks off because of the very g1 look that lacks much detail.  titan omega if he is still available anywhere (honestly brick and mortar might be easier at this stage?) looks pretty cool too though i don't like his hips.  also he looks cool in the show so there is that.

[M'Kyuun]

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

@M'Kyuun

 

I just want it to be bigger than Generations and less awful than CW.

Thanks for the shout about the Target Seekers. As I do most evenings, I checked the link last night and lo and behold, they were in stock. Needless to say, I got my PO in ASAP. I checked Wally for Soundwave after that, but he's still MIA. Hopefully that'll get restocked soon, and then I think I'll be good for the exclusives I want, at least for now, or until the next core character they make exclusive. It'll probably be Huffer.

At voyager scale, I think you're going to get your wish for Cyclonus; he should stand at least as tall as Prime and Megs. I'd like to see a pic of his jet mode. Unpainted, the proto still looks pretty good, so I think I'll be rather pleased with his bot mode. Looking at his elbows, looks like only 90 degrees of bend- kind of a bummer. I wish greater than 90 degree elbow and knee bend were part of the articulation improvement philosophy for this line. Then again, it took 35 years to make ankle rockers a standard. Sheesh. Not sure I have another 35 years in me to wait. At that point, I'll be more concerned about my own articulation, or lack thereof.

I think it'd take a concentrated effort to make a worse Cyclonus than CW; I didn't like that mold for Silverbolt, but it at least fit the blocky G1 aesthetic for the character. It was in every way wrong for Cyclonus. I passed on both, no regerts.

I'm surprised Galvatron isn't part of the '86 SS line. Or did I miss something? 

[tekering]

14 minutes ago, Mechapilot77 said:

titan omega if he is still available anywhere (honestly brick and mortar might be easier at this stage?) looks pretty cool too though i don't like his hips.  also he looks cool in the show so there is that.

Unfortunately, the show increases his size to a citybot on the scale of Metroplex (!), so Titan Omega scales with your Siege figures about as well as Unicron does.  

See Prime and 'Bee down there?  

[mikeszekely]

23 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

It'd be great to get a deluxe Huffer that can tow Prime's mini-trailer (it'd actually scale better to Huffer, methinks). We haven't had a decent official G1 Huffer since the original toy, and it'd be sweet to get him in this line. I've got the Magic Square version standing in, but I'd love to have a properly scaled ER version.

So more leaks from Walmart today...

Deluxe:
HUFFER
Pipes
Wheeljack
Tracks
Shadow Panther
Waspinator
Airrazor
Slammer
Wingfinger

Leader:
Galvatron

So I guess you're getting your wish.

I have to admit, I'm curious to see what they do with Waspinator.  I thought the Thrilling 30 version was pretty good already.

Oh, and there's rumors there's going to be some kind of Generations Selects event tomorrow.  A leaked image shows a G2 Sandstorm (which is not a repaint of G1 Sandstorm, but a desert camo version of Ramjet).

[M'Kyuun]

I just saw these listings over on Twitter and figured I'd check in. Along with Sandstorm, who I've never heard of, there's also a G2 Megatron. Never cared for the G2 colorations, so pass. Too, I didn't even bother getting the ER version of Megs; too similar to the Siege toy, and I vehemently dislike his obnoxiously huge cannon sword. IMHO, the Siege version is better.

Huffer! At long last, they're making Huffer!  I'm very cautiously happy.

I'm guessing Wheeljack is a reissue. Tracks is ok, but really, there are so many other characters from first season that still need figs in this line. Huffer's a good sign that more minibots are coming, though. Fingers crossed.

Never heard of Slammer or Wingfinger (terrible name). 

I agree about T30 Waspinator- it's already a really good fig, so I'm not sure how they'll improve on it.  Airrazor's a nice addition; she hasn't had many toys over the years. I wonder if Silverbolt's going to make an appearance, too. His romancing of Blackarachnia was one of the more enjoyable elements of season 2. I wasn't crazy about the Fuzor designs, but Scott McNeil made Silverbolt an unforgettable character.

Anyway, I hope these leaks keep coming, and they keep bringing more good news of additional G1 characters to the line. Hopefully, we'll at least have all the first season characters when they're done. 

 

[JB0]

12 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Never heard of Slammer or Wingfinger (terrible name). 

Slammer is better known by the name "tiny white tank that came with Metroplex".

Wingfinger is probably an error. Wingthing was Soundwave's Action Master partner.

 

Neither character, for lack of a better word, is particularly high-profile. 

[mikeszekely]

Slammer may not be high-profile, but he (and a better Scamper) have been super high on my want list six Cog and Sixgun turned up in Siege.

[mikeszekely]

I got an email from Hasbro Pulse with preorder links, but they don't seem to be working.  They show as being available until you try to check out, then they're suddenly out of stock (and I don't think they actually sold out that fast).

EDIT: Nope, it's showing up as sold out now.  Apparently people really want a brown Ramjet.

I'm always up for Seekers so I want to get Sandstorm.  I think I'm passing on Megatron.  Not because I hate the mold; @M'Kyuun is definitely pointing out legitimate negatives but I do kind of like the more down-to-earth tank mode and I'm definitely in for the regular Earthrise release.  No, I'm passing on Megatron because the robot is still G1 Megatron in G2 colors, and I want a proper G2 Megatron (c'mon, they could even repaint it purple as Hero Megatron/Archforce!).

Edited August 22, 2020 by mikeszekely

[technoblue]

I'm a sucker for the Siege and Earthrise homages to G2, which is funny since the original G2 toys didn't really catch my eye when I was younger.

The new purple and green G2 Megatron will complete my G2 trio since I already have the earlier Selects Siege and Takara Legends iterations. Sandstorm is a curiosity, and I'm happy to see the added camouflage and nose art details. It makes me wish that Ramjet and Dirge had extra apps in alt mode too, like stripes on their wings.

Anyway, I was able to pre-order one of each on Pulse. February is going to be a long wait.

Edited August 22, 2020 by technoblue
oops Takara Legends, not Titans Return

[technoblue]

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

EDIT: Nope, it's showing up as sold out now.  Apparently people really want a brown Ramjet.

Probably a coincidence, but all G2 Decepticons with a -storm suffix have sold out on Pulse. Rotorstorm and now Sandstorm. Wait. Isn't Sandstorm an Autobot Triple Changer?  HaHa, just having fun with that one.  Although it would have been nice to get Sandstorm as a Triple Changer in WFC. I guess getting G2 Sandstorm means that's less likely.

Starting with Sideswipe, the G2 repaints have all impressed me in this line. IMO, I think the latest G2 Megatron purple and green look actually fits the Earthrise mould better than his familiar G1 scheme, especially in alt mode. Yeah, it would have been superb to see more remolding work on his bot mode chest to get the tank shape correct, but I'm not going to be too fussy about it. Hasbro has already shown that they go out of their way to keep costs down. They've been doing that for years across multiple Transformers lines. Oh well. 

For those still looking for Sandstorm, I'm not privy to the reputation of these shops, but pre-orders are still up at Entertainment Earth and Dorkside Toys:

• https://www.entertainmentearth.com/s/transformers/t?query1=Transformers&theme=transformers&landingpageid=5396&filter=Pre-Order&sort=newly-added
• https://dorksidetoys.com/collections/transfomers?page=2

Places like the Chosen Prime and TFSource also still have it on pre-order at a markup.