The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[technoblue]

And now we have early prototype images of the new MP Screamer. This first straight-on shot has me scratching my head since the proportions look squished, but I'm very much into the transforming null rays and articulated hands.

The side profile doesn't look bad at all to my old eyes, and now I'm really curious to see where the alt-mode cockpit is hidden if that bot-mode cockpit is there just for show. The torso seems nice and compact.

 

The backpack is looking cleaner than I expected too, especially given all the foldy alt-mode bits that are bundled in there. The legs look to have a nice shape from the side and back angle, and the detail on the hinged intakes is nice to see.

Let's not forget the improved butt flap engineering. Finally, the line can move on from MP-22. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by technoblue

[danth]

Looks good to me, although it'll probably cost $500 so I would only ever enjoy it in pictures.

Like someone else said before, I don't understand splitting the wing to "hide" the tail fins rather than just folding the tail fins behind the wing. Either way seems just a visually complex, so why over-engineer it?

[sh9000]

Entertainmment Earth and Dorkside Toys are both good stores.  I buy most of my toys from Dorkside.

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, danth said:

Looks good to me, although it'll probably cost $500 so I would only ever enjoy it in pictures.

Definitely. The price and quality of the final version are still big concerns. It'll be nice if Takara gives us some relief but I also don't want to be disappointed so I'm not expecting too much in that regard.

1 hour ago, danth said:

Like someone else said before, I don't understand splitting the wing to "hide" the tail fins rather than just folding the tail fins behind the wing. Either way seems just a visually complex, so why over-engineer it?

That's a good question. I find the whole backpack area quite curious. It looks like there is a lot of folding along the roots (?) for both the main wings and the tail fins which tuck away the vertical stabs. I really like how the pointy bits of the same wing roots now fold up and tuck out of the way to help preserve leg articulation, which is a change from MP-3 and MP-11. Also, the cockpit transformation is completely different. No more splitting real cockpit parts apart like on the G1 toy, MP-3, and MP-11 but that now begs the question how will it all work? Anyway, as long as the changes keep from creating a frustrating complexity, I'm okay with it. I mean, I do like a good puzzle now and then.

32 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Entertainmment Earth and Dorkside Toys are both good stores.  I buy most of my toys from Dorkside.

Nice! Thank you for that confirmation, @sh9000. 

Edited August 24, 2020 by technoblue

[mikeszekely]

I don't think it looks as bad as the CAD file suggested, but I don't think it looks good enough to replace my Maketoys ones, either.  From the back he looks cleaner, but from the front he's definitely got a case of taking the Sunbow art too literally, and the proportions are kind of squat as a result.  The null rays look exceptionally bad.

[lechuck]

That Starscream is shaping up nicely, the feet, lower legs and chest intakes all look appropriate.

And I just love that Takara places an emphasis on engineering great articulation into their MP toys.

Expecting this to be around 35k Yen, never liked any of the existing toys so I'm in regardless.

[Mechapilot77]

other than the articulation,  i can't say i like where this is going.  the cad renders actually looked better.  he has teh opposite problem from meteor.  giant head instead of a pin head.  mp-11 got the head size right IMO.    even mp-3 was acceptable sort of.  not sure why there is another smalle rwing behind the wing.  it looks like it folds over as their is a hinge looking htin on the leading edge of eh actual wing.  is it actuallyt he tail planes?   if so they are too large.  actually on secodn look that isn'ta  hinge but something for those tailplaines i'm guessing to tuck behind?  call me old fashioned but i like all that in the lower legs somewhere even if its visible.  this sunbow accuracy obsession leads to worse lookign figures.  yes it looks more like the toon model but i guess thats ot what i want.  haha.  heck i prefer soemthing even more toy like i guess .  this artwork ain't bad.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Starscream_%28Transformers%29.jpg

not that we'll get something like that ever even if they do a plus toy variant but doesn't that look refreshing cmpared to slavish toon look?

[M'Kyuun]

4 hours ago, Mechapilot77 said:

other than the articulation,  i can't say i like where this is going.  the cad renders actually looked better.  he has teh opposite problem from meteor.  giant head instead of a pin head.  mp-11 got the head size right IMO.    even mp-3 was acceptable sort of.  not sure why there is another smalle rwing behind the wing.  it looks like it folds over as their is a hinge looking htin on the leading edge of eh actual wing.  is it actuallyt he tail planes?   if so they are too large.  actually on secodn look that isn'ta  hinge but something for those tailplaines i'm guessing to tuck behind?  call me old fashioned but i like all that in the lower legs somewhere even if its visible.  this sunbow accuracy obsession leads to worse lookign figures.  yes it looks more like the toon model but i guess thats ot what i want.  haha.  heck i prefer soemthing even more toy like i guess .  this artwork ain't bad.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/59/Starscream_(Transformers).jpg

not that we'll get something like that ever even if they do a plus toy variant but doesn't that look refreshing cmpared to slavish toon look?

What looks like a second wing on the back is actually the lower wing panel; the wing splits apart allowing the tail boom and stabs to sandwich within the main wing surfaces. I might've considered it elegant engineering if they'd kept the hinges internal and unseen. But, the hinge for opening the wing surfaces is huge and can clearly be seen. My concern is that it won't tuck away flush in fighter mode, either, leaving a huge hump just under and slightly behind the leading edge, which will be clearly visible from straight-on, spoiling (both figuratively and literally) the wing profile. I too think they should have just found a way to tuck them into the lower legs, as there's already a big panel there with what looks like some sort of swiveling mechanism built into it. The idea of employing a false chest doesn't enthrall me, either, although that seems to be the case. I like the solution Maketoys employed, where the actual canopy is supplemented in bot mode by just a little bit of faux canopy to finish the look. I don't see the need for a false cockpit, just better engineering to use what the alt mode provides already. The other design choice that favors my bent toward Maketoys is the fact that, despite a small buttflap, its overall back kibble is relatively minimal and more compressed, enabling a thinner side profile. From the profile pic of V2 doing his ab crunch, there's a bit on the back of his lower waist that looks to me like it needs to be untabbed from all the upper back kibble. I wonder how that's going to impact waist swivel? The legs are cleaner on V2 than Meteor, even with the big hinge, but honestly, the tail booms on Meteor's legs never really bothered me. The deep knee bend is nice; the enhanced articulation is definitely a good selling point for Takara's offerings; for the last few releases, however, other factors have dissuaded me from going in on the official toys, especially when I felt third party got it closer to what I wanted in a MP figure. I'll echo @mikeszekely's sentiments concerning the null rays; those things are chubby, stumpy, and just the wrong shape altogether to my eyes. They should be thinner and longer, extending beyond the hands. The only good point I see about them is that they appear to hinge into place for fighter mode (why else would that linkage be there?). Hopefully, they'll get a lot of fan feedback and change them before final production. 

So far, I'm not seeing a lot to sway me away from the Maketoys version; both nail the essentials of the toon look pretty well. I definitely don't like the look of the giant hinge connecting the lower wing surface on the Takara V2, but how it looks in fighter will be a big deciding factor. I think we've all come to expect by now that with jet-formers, the alt mode is always the sacrificial lamb, and I fear that may be the case with this toy. It remains to be seen. Hopefully fighter pics will come soon.

Edited August 24, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[Dobber]

That HUGE hinge on the bottom of the wing to allow the wing split obviously can’t recess and will be a huge eyesore in the alt mode. Like Danth was quoting it seems pointlessly complicated and comprises the alt mode.

Chris

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, Dobber said:

That HUGE hinge on the bottom of the wing to allow the wing split obviously can’t recess and will be a huge eyesore in the alt mode. Like Danth was quoting it seems pointlessly complicated and comprises the alt mode.

Chris

I don't know, it looks like it has room to recess underneath the wing to me. I guess we'll see when we catch a glimpse of the alt mode prototype. Maybe at that point Takara will have a color test ready too? I'm not too fussed about the issues or the quirks at this stage. To me it seems like they're experimenting with the proportions of the early grey proto to see what works and what doesn't work so well. The null rays are a big clue since the pin mechanism shown here and in the CAD files lends credence to the idea that they are meant to transform into the thin, longer, more familiar pieces and Takara (for whatever reason) just isn't ready to show off that feature.

With any luck, it will work as they intend and there won't be any compromises to get there.**

** I'm reminded of how MP Hound's integrated shoulder cannon got in the way of a simpler head transformation. Let's avoid that!

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

My knee jerk reaction is that it looks like a "chibi"- fied Maketoys seeker toy. It just looks Takara's re inventing the wheel on this one, so it's looking like a pass for me.

[M'Kyuun]

At this stage, with only a gray proto to go on, and no idea what the fighter mode looks like, I think it's a bit too early to drop the gavel. I have niggles, but I'm not going to discount it just yet. I still need Starscream and Thundercracker to complete my first season MP Seekers, so if this ends up turning out well, I may just be in for two. Honestly, I hope it does. Gonna be expensive, though.

[mikeszekely]

49 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

At this stage, with only a gray proto to go on, and no idea what the fighter mode looks like, I think it's a bit too early to drop the gavel. I have niggles, but I'm not going to discount it just yet. I still need Starscream and Thundercracker to complete my first season MP Seekers, so if this ends up turning out well, I may just be in for two. Honestly, I hope it does. Gonna be expensive, though.

Even if they don't plenty of people will buy them just because they're official.  That'll hopefully drive down the prices for Maketoys' to more reasonable levels, since they don't seem keen on reissuing them.

[M'Kyuun]

10 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Even if they don't plenty of people will buy them just because they're official.  That'll hopefully drive down the prices for Maketoys' to more reasonable levels, since they don't seem keen on reissuing them.

Odd that, as it seemed like a good seller to me. But then again, the lack of any notable presence by Maketoys  this year is concerning. I  still have their take on Thrust PO'd, and that toy was serendipitously supposed to come with wing fillers for Skycrow, the only other Maketoys Seeker I own. I hope they're still in the game. If nothing else, they offer a  far more affordable alternative, especially now that Takara have thrown in.  It's fair to say that V2 will likely fall into the $250-300 range. That stings a bit.

However, with an official one out, odds are more likely that the market will be flooded with used copies of Maketoys Seekers, so if V2 ends up sucking, I'll probably pick up a Meteor & Lightning to fill the ranks.

 

As for filling out my Generations ranks, my Target Seeker 2-pack should be arriving on Saturday. It'll be the first time since I started this hobby in '84 that I'll have all three first season Seekers standing together on a shelf. I own all three of the Classics Seekers, but Skywarp came boxed with the Ultra Magnus recolor of Classics Prime, and I never opened them- they're still MISB somewhere amongst the many boxes of toys I've accumulated over the years. As it turns out, it was a Target exclusive, too.

[Mechapilot77]

FWIW if anyone is interested in titan omega or commander class jetfire....they are getting reissued for original retail prices (too lazo to find out where but i know at least bbts hasit up and they are calling them reissues.)  commander class siege jetfire is IMO one of the gem of the modern rfc mainline transformers.

 

oh this week's tuesday announcement is some redeco of one of the "fastrack" (who i have no idea who he is, hasn't shown up in netflix's series yet)  called Black roritchi.  no idea who that is other than its a japnese g1 thing and he goes with scorponock/black zarak?

[danth]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

It'll be the first time since I started this hobby in '84 that I'll have all three first season Seekers standing together on a shelf.

Random question. On the '84 Seekers, did the wings push in flush to the main fuselage in alt mode? I've been looking at lots of pictures online and it looks like maybe they were mostly flush in '84 but reissues got "gappier" for whatever reason. I never had any version of the G1 mold, but if I ever buy one, I want to "mind the gap" so to speak.

[technoblue]

I think I'm going to pass on Roritchi. Fasttrack was a little more interesting at first, but I ultimately opted out on him too. I guess I'm not much of a Scorponock/Black Zarak fan.  Happy for those who are excited for this one, though. The gold on Roritchi certainly makes him pop.

Wishing I held onto my ER Trailbreaker order. The early reviews are very positive.

Edited August 25, 2020 by technoblue

[danth]

Man, things have gotten dangerous for me. I'm buying Transformers now. I was trying to keep it only to old school GI Joes, Macross, and Mospeada. And Legos. Er, and some other stuff. But this year alone I bought/pre-ordered Earthrise Cliffjumper, Starscream, and Sunstreaker, Smokescreen, and Ironhide, as well as MP-07 Starscream, MP Thrust, and even a third party Optimus and Grimlock.

I blame Earthrise TF's. They're just too good. They kinda sucked me in.

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, Mechapilot77 said:

oh this week's tuesday announcement is some redeco of one of the "fastrack" (who i have no idea who he is, hasn't shown up in netflix's series yet)  called Black roritchi.

Which one aren't you familiar with?  G1 Fasttrack was a very monochromatic drone figure that came with G1 Scorponok, and transformed basically like a G1 headmaster with his arms straight up instead of straight down.  The new Earthrise version is a modern "weaponizer" update, much like Cog (who originally came with Fort Max) and Sixgun (who originally came with Metroplex).  (Technically Brunt, who originally came with Trypticon, too, but G1 Brunt didn't have a robot mode.)

I think Fasttrack was called Roritchi in Japan.  Black Roritchi (who's really more of a Gold Roritchi) came with the Japan-only Scorponok repaint Black Zarak, so Gen Selects Black Roritchi is the same updated Fasttrack in G1 Black Roritchi gold.

36 minutes ago, technoblue said:

I think I'm going to pass on Roritchi.

I'm going to wait and see.  I mean, I wound up buying the Powerdasher repaints of Sixgun, Cog, and Brunt, and Black Roritchi seems no more or less valid of a character than they.  I guess I just want to see how good Fasttrack (who I'm kind of excited for) is.

58 minutes ago, danth said:

Random question. On the '84 Seekers, did the wings push in flush to the main fuselage in alt mode? I've been looking at lots of pictures online and it looks like maybe they were mostly flush in '84 but reissues got "gappier" for whatever reason. I never had any version of the G1 mold, but if I ever buy one, I want to "mind the gap" so to speak.

I never had any of the original toys as a kid, but I can confirm that the Walmart reissue Starscream is pretty gappy.  Thing is, the inner edge of the wings have cutouts to go around the the base of the vertical stabs, and the peg holes aren't flush with the rest of the fuselage.  Seems to me that if the peg holes were flush (and the pegs shortened as needed) the wings could be flush, or at least a lot less gappy.  Perhaps the mold was changed to give the wings a little more clearance for robot mode?

 

Anyway...

Tonton Review posted a short video on Youtube with the first look at Kingdom Core-class Rattrap.  Some highlights:

So this new Core-class is going to be fairly small.  Rattrap will be smaller than the already-Legend-ish Deluxe-class Bumblebee.  I see a few more ball joints than I'd prefer, but given the size it's forgivable.  I'm kind of hoping those ankles are ball joints; I don't feel like like regressing back to the days when foot articulation was a rare treat instead of standard.  Doesn't look like he as a waist swivel, either, but I can confirm wrist swivels.

Here he is with the previous Deluxe-class Thrilling 30 Rattrap, and he's just over half the size.  Given the smaller size of the new figure I don't think he looks too bad, but the new figure could definitely use more paint.

Back view.  Kibble's not looking any worse than the Deluxe.

Rat mode looks fine.  The underside is either cleaner than the Deluxe, or at least better at hiding the robot stuff at this angle.  Looks like it'll have less articulation than the older Deluxe-class, but again depending on the price I think it's forgivable at this size.

Long story short, I don't think this is necessarily an "upgrade" if you have the Thrilling 30 version, but if they price it around the $10 mark I think I'd rather buy this than a pair of Micromasters.

[tekering]

10 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I can confirm that the Walmart reissue Starscream is pretty gappy.  Thing is, the inner edge of the wings have cutouts to go around the the base of the vertical stabs, and the peg holes aren't flush with the rest of the fuselage.  Seems to me that if the peg holes were flush (and the pegs shortened as needed) the wings could be flush, or at least a lot less gappy.  Perhaps the mold was changed to give the wings a little more clearance for robot mode?

No, the mold was always that way... even before Transformers.

[technoblue]

33 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I'm going to wait and see.  I mean, I wound up buying the Powerdasher repaints of Sixgun, Cog, and Brunt, and Black Roritchi seems no more or less valid of a character than they.  I guess I just want to see how good Fasttrack (who I'm kind of excited for) is.

Fair point.  I’ve been quite happy with all the Weaponizers that have been released to date, the Powerdasher repaints too. Giving it more thought, skipping Fasttrack and Roritchi just because I’m not picking up Scorponock seems silly.

[mikeszekely]

38 minutes ago, tekering said:

No, the mold was always that way... even before Transformers.

Yeah... you might be underestimating the gap on the reissue.

[M'Kyuun]

59 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

 

 

 

So this new Core-class is going to be fairly small.  Rattrap will be smaller than the already-Legend-ish Deluxe-class Bumblebee.  I see a few more ball joints than I'd prefer, but given the size it's forgivable.  I'm kind of hoping those ankles are ball joints; I don't feel like like regressing back to the days when foot articulation was a rare treat instead of standard.  Doesn't look like he as a waist swivel, either, but I can confirm wrist swivels.

Here he is with the previous Deluxe-class Thrilling 30 Rattrap, and he's just over half the size.  Given the smaller size of the new figure I don't think he looks too bad, but the new figure could definitely use more paint.

Back view.  Kibble's not looking any worse than the Deluxe.

Rat mode looks fine.  The underside is either cleaner than the Deluxe, or at least better at hiding the robot stuff at this angle.  Looks like it'll have less articulation than the older Deluxe-class, but again depending on the price I think it's forgivable at this size.

Long story short, I don't think this is necessarily an "upgrade" if you have the Thrilling 30 version, but if they price it around the $10 mark I think I'd rather buy this than a pair of Micromasters.

The T30 Rattrap was, and remains, the best version of the character to date. The Kingdoms doesn't look bad for what looks to be legends scaled (guess that's what "core" is now?), but given what a company like NewAge or Magic Square, for that matter, would do, it comes across as a bit lackluster.  Pass for now.

The only Kingdom figure I really have any serious interest in is Dinobot, as all previous main line Dinobot figures left a lot to be desired. If they make him at a voyager scale, I'm hoping he'll be a good looking figure in both modes, but much more fun to transform than the MP.

 

The gap on that Wally reissue G1 Starscream is a bit extreme, especially when seen next to the original Diaclone toy. Sheesh.

Edited August 25, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

7 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

The only Kingdom figure I really have any serious interest in is Dinobot, as all previous main line Dinobot figures left a lot to be desired. If they make him at a voyager scale, I'm hoping he'll be a good looking figure in both modes, but much more fun to transform than the MP.

Presumably you mean the only Beast Wars Kingdom figure? Because I know you want Cyclonus.

I'm not sure how many Beast Wars figures I'm in for.  Honestly, Thrilling 30 Waspinator is the only Beast Wars figure I've ever bought, because I'm not really into robots with organic alt modes.  That said, I've got significantly more disposable income than I did when I started collecting, and between that, the fact that the show was actually pretty good, and me softening in my old age I expect I'll at least pick up the "main" cast of Cheetor, Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Dinobot, Black Arachnia, Megatron, Tarantulas, Waspintaor, Terrorsaur, and Scorponok, assuming they do them all.

While I'm thinking about it, while I hope they continue to support G1 I'm also open to them revisiting Armada, if not the entire Unicron Trilogy.  Same deal, I'd be in for the "main" characters (Optimus, Hot Shot, Red Alert, Megatron, Starscream, Cyclonus, and Demolisher, probably also Jetfire, Scavenger, Tidal Wave, Thrust, and Sideways).  Maybe RiD 2000, too, I really want Prime/Fire Convoy, Rail Racer, Ultra Magnus, Megatron, Sky-Byte, Gas Skunk, Slapper, Dark Scream, Scourge, and Ruination.  My problem with an RiD line is that I don't really care about the other Autobots.

[danth]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

No, the mold was always that way... even before Transformers.

 

35 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Yeah... you might be underestimating the gap on the reissue.

Good comparison there. Jives with the pictures on https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Starscream_(G1)/toys too.

Thanks guys.

[Mechapilot77]

1 hour ago, mikeszekely said:

Which one aren't you familiar with?  G1 Fasttrack was a very monochromatic drone figure that came with G1 Scorponok, and transformed basically like a G1 headmaster with his arms straight up instead of straight down.  The new Earthrise version is a modern "weaponizer" update, much like Cog (who originally came with Fort Max) and Sixgun (who originally came with Metroplex).  (Technically Brunt, who originally came with Trypticon, too, but G1 Brunt didn't have a robot mode.)

I think Fasttrack was called Roritchi in Japan.  Black Roritchi (who's really more of a Gold Roritchi) came with the Japan-only Scorponok repaint Black Zarak, so Gen Selects Black Roritchi is the same updated Fasttrack in G1 Black Roritchi gold.

I

 

As a kid I was sort of "done with" transformers toys by the time season 3 came out and none of the toys looked good to me (except magnus but i mean he was really a diaclone thrust into the 2rd season bot lineup).  i vaguely remember scorponock looked cool although never having seen him in the toon at that age i'm not sure why...so never knew much about the original scorponock toy other than i'm not getting that because its too expensive and i wont be ble to convince my parents ist educational.  had no idea abou tfastrack.  i did have metroplex though so i knew about sixgun and scamper.  that being said i just got the new scorponock but wont be playing ith it for a while...probably going into storage for a rainy day sometime after i move out to the burbs. haha.  maybe i sould pikc up fasttrack to go with him since they belong together it seems.  lol

Edited August 25, 2020 by Mechapilot77

[M'Kyuun]

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Presumably you mean the only Beast Wars Kingdom figure? Because I know you want Cyclonus.

Yep. At the moment, I wasn't thinking about the G1 stuff falling under the title. i stand corrected, and yep, definitely down for Cyclonus, and likely most of the other G1 characters.

9 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I'm not sure how many Beast Wars figures I'm in for.  Honestly, Thrilling 30 Waspinator is the only Beast Wars figure I've ever bought, because I'm not really into robots with organic alt modes.  That said, I've got significantly more disposable income than I did when I started collecting, and between that, the fact that the show was actually pretty good, and me softening in my old age I expect I'll at least pick up the "main" cast of Cheetor, Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Dinobot, Black Arachnia, Megatron, Tarantulas, Waspintaor, Terrorsaur, and Scorponok, assuming they do them all.

While I'm thinking about it, while I hope they continue to support G1 I'm also open to them revisiting Armada, if not the entire Unicron Trilogy.  Same deal, I'd be in for the "main" characters (Optimus, Hot Shot, Red Alert, Megatron, Starscream, Cyclonus, and Demolisher, probably also Jetfire, Scavenger, Tidal Wave, Thrust, and Sideways).  Maybe RiD 2000, too, I really want Prime/Fire Convoy, Rail Racer, Ultra Magnus, Megatron, Sky-Byte, Gas Skunk, Slapper, Dark Scream, Scourge, and Ruination.  My problem with an RiD line is that I don't really care about the other Autobots.

My preference is far more for the bots transforming into something mechanical, but I did enjoy some of the solutions employed in the BW toys to make the transformations possible.  Actually, IIRC, I didn't buy a whole lot of the organic creature toys, but I did buy some. The polar bear was the first one I ever bought, as well as the first release of Primal and Megs as a bat and an alligator, respectively. I bought them before the show even started airing, so imagine my disappointment when the polar bear dude wasn't in there. As for Primal and Megs, the ape and T-Rex modes were definite upgrades. TBH, I think the only original core BW figs I own are Primal and Megatron- oh, and Inferno "For the Royalty!"; I can't recall how many others I bought, but I remember most of them didn't really appeal to me. I had far more interest in the toys when Transmetals came along, and I know I bought a slew of those guys.  I liked the aesthetic for Beast Machines, as well, and I bought a few of those too. I regret that I never picked up a copy of the more show accurate Thrust toy they made.

As for what follows Kingdom and the WFC line, my preference is for them to do something completely new. If indeed they revisit RiD or the Unicron Trilogy, unless they pepper  something G1 or Animated in there, I'm pretty much out. I didn't like the shows at all, but I remember, b/c I'm a TF fan, and that's what was on offer at the time, I bought a number of toys from that era.  Anyway, I generally form a sentimental attachment to my toys, but I never did with any of the toys from that whole period. The designs didn't appeal to me, and I thought the toys I did buy were rather poor. However, I think I'm in the minority so far as my opinion and interest in RiD and Unicron Trilogy goes. If they do revisit those shows next, I'm happy for the fans who will finally get updated toys for their collections. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

11 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

As for what follows Kingdom and the WFC line, my preference is for them to do something completely new. If indeed they revisit Armada or the Unicron trilogy, unless they pepper  something G1 or Animated in there, I'm pretty much out. I didn't like the shows at all, but I remember, b/c I'm a TF fan, and that's what was on offer at the time, I bought a number of toys from that era. Likewise with Robots in Disguise; it was the follow-up to Beast Machines and the return to vehicle alt modes.  Anyway, I generally form a sentimental attachment to my toys, but I never did with any of the toys from that whole period. The designs didn't appeal to me, and I thought the toys I did buy were rather poor. However, I think I'm in the minority so far as my opinion and interest in Armada and Unicron trilogy goes. If they do revisit those shows next, I'm happy for the fans who will finally get updated toys for their collections.

See, I had G1 Transformers right up to the Pretenders and Micromasters.  But I was 13 when G2 hit and definitely in that "I'm too old for toys" phase, preferring instead to play video games.  I was only dimly aware of Beast Wars, which I dismissed as stupid.  I was in college when RiD was on, and while I thought it was great that they were back to vehicles and often looked at the toys while working at an Ames department store I didn't pay it too much attention.  Skipped the Unicron trilogy, too; I was young, newly married, didn't have a ton of disposable income and still only vaguely aware of the adult collecting.  I didn't finally start buying Transformers again until Classics.

Around the time I did start collecting again I went back and watched all the shows.  And you're right, RiD and the Unicron Trilogy were both pretty bad.  However, divorced from the bad anime and without memories of the original toys I'm a fan of some of the designs.  Bruticus is my favorite G1 combiner, so Ruination is right up my alley.  Scourge was the OG Nemesis Prime (yeah, technically Powermaster Optimus had the "nucleon quest" black repaint, but I think that was still supposed to be Optimus).  And RiD Optimus is one of my favorite non-G1 Optimus designs.  My holy grail would be an MP version.  I'm a fan of Armada Prime, too (but more for his regular mode than his super mode).

[sh9000]

https://dorksidetoys.com/collections/new-pre-orders/products/transformers-war-for-cybertron-siege-commander-class-wfc-s28-jetfire-figure

https://dorksidetoys.com/products/transformers-wfc-siege-titan-class-wfc-s29-omega-supreme-figure

I’ll order them later today.

[Mechapilot77]

23 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

https://dorksidetoys.com/collections/new-pre-orders/products/transformers-war-for-cybertron-siege-commander-class-wfc-s28-jetfire-figure

https://dorksidetoys.com/products/transformers-wfc-siege-titan-class-wfc-s29-omega-supreme-figure

I’ll order them later today.

dorkside has been great for me.  i use them because they are qucik, things are shipped well and i can defer tax payment on the items until i file taxes and report them as use tax.  :-P

[M'Kyuun]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

See, I had G1 Transformers right up to the Pretenders and Micromasters.  But I was 13 when G2 hit and definitely in that "I'm too old for toys" phase, preferring instead to play video games.  I was only dimly aware of Beast Wars, which I dismissed as stupid.  I was in college when RiD was on, and while I thought it was great that they were back to vehicles and often looked at the toys while working at an Ames department store I didn't pay it too much attention.  Skipped the Unicron trilogy, too; I was young, newly married, didn't have a ton of disposable income and still only vaguely aware of the adult collecting.  I didn't finally start buying Transformers again until Classics.

Around the time I did start collecting again I went back and watched all the shows.  And you're right, RiD and the Unicron Trilogy were both pretty bad.  However, divorced from the bad anime and without memories of the original toys I'm a fan of some of the designs.  Bruticus is my favorite G1 combiner, so Ruination is right up my alley.  Scourge was the OG Nemesis Prime (yeah, technically Powermaster Optimus had the "nucleon quest" black repaint, but I think that was still supposed to be Optimus).  And RiD Optimus is one of my favorite non-G1 Optimus designs.  My holy grail would be an MP version.  I'm a fan of Armada Prime, too (but more for his regular mode than his super mode).

Some nice history there, thanks for sharing. I was thirteen when Transformers landed in '84, and after watching that first three-parter, I was solidly hooked. The maturity, the story, the portrayal of both bots and humans- everything about it was next level awesome to me.  I continued through first season loving pretty much every ep. "Fire on the Mountain", IMHO, was the weakest ep, but still enjoyable for T-cracker's making fun of Starscream and for the rare appearance of Skyfire. I never developed the "too old for toys" phase, but b/c I was acutely aware that it was unseemly at the time, I kept my buying on the downlow. Come second season of Transformers, the writing took a definite turn away from what IMO made first season so enjoyable; the maturity in the first season's writing was lost, as well as the sense of urgency to stop Megatron. It devolved into silliness, and in great dismay, I stopped watching it with any regularity. I'd catch an ep here or there, but I was usually disappointed in the direction they'd taken. Characters like Powerglide and Warpath annoyed the ever living crap out of me- just couldn't watch it when they were on. Terrible! When the '86 Movie hit theaters, I was excited, but also apprehensive. I never got to see it in the theater, so I ended up seeing it on VHS at a friend's house. I thought it was so-so. The animation in some scenes (the breaking beakers of chemicals when Unicron attacks Krannix's planet still stands out in my mind as one of the most beautifully animated scenes) was well above par for that time. But the quick and cheap deaths of the Autobots, the death of Prime, Blurr, Daniel, the transition of Megs into Galvatron, the Quintessons, the Junkions, and other assorted items annoyed and dismayed me. So, while there are some things about the Movie that I like (the entire Prime and Megs showdown, Unicron's transformation), it didn't have the impact on me that it has had on so many other Transfans. First season set such an indelible tone in my head, and I wish to this day that they had continued on with it into the following seasons. Alas, not to be. I bought a toy here and there pre and post Movie, but after I graduated in '90, I was off to Okinawa for two years, which was pretty much a Transformers blackout, as our programming was very select on the military's Far East Network, or as we called it, the "Forced Entertainment Network", which heavily favored sports, a topic for which I have never had any use. I am nerd to the core. To their credit, though, Star Trek Next Generation was on there. One would think being in Japan would have been a grand opportunity, but I was a very narrowminded 19 year old with little interest in learning about my host culture, a fact that makes me want to travel back in time and administer the grand-daddy of ass-kickings to my younger self. I did buy my first Gundams over there, though.  I remember seeing the train Transformers in a toy shop not far from base, but I didn't buy them. I wish I had, as they were in Japanese packaging, and they were never sold here in the States. Anyway, my interest in TFs didn't pique again until Beast Wars, although like many, I was iffy on the whole organic alt mode thing. The show was fantastic, though, and once they moved into Transmetals, I got more into collecting. RiD and the Unicron Trilogy didn't interest me much beyond a few toys- the shows were unwatchable. The advent of MP-1 in 2003, followed by Classics in 2007 set me on the road to becoming a much more dedicated collector, as the G1 influence of those figures struck a chord that remains at the core of why I'm a fan. As long as it never diminishes, I'll probably keep buying these little plastic puzzle-bots until I croak.

I'm also from PA, so I used to buy a lot of my TFs at Ames (and Fisher's Big Wheel). In fact, I think I bought G1 Prowl, my first TF, there. Small world. 

Edited August 26, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[M'Kyuun]

Just received my copy of WFC commander class Sky Lynx, and despite historically not caring for the character or his design, I gotta gush about this toy. First thing was the heft and substantial-ness of this thing. There's no die cast to speak of, but it feels heavy , especially the Lynx half, and solid in hand. It's incredibly detailed all over- I don't think there's a blank surface on it anywhere. The number of points of articulation is incredible, and fortunately, thus far, they're tight enough to bear that weight. I was especially surprised by the legs on the Sky half, as his bird legs always look too skinny in pics; however, in hand, they're actually 1/3 the width of the shuttle, and have five points of articulation from hip to ankle, including two  in-line swivels. The fore and aft toes can rotate, and when each is rotated 90 degrees relative to the foot, it looks like it's ready to grasp prey. I still wish the toes could splay, as I think it would help the look of the feet, but with so much range of motion possible from the legs, I give it a pass. The wings, too, are on multi-hinged linkages that offer any number of posing possibilities. I expected the neck to be pretty limited , but again, Hasbro surprised me with the range of motion, both up/down and left-right that really offers some very expressive posing. The head is on a ball joint which offers 90 degrees of up/down, 360 head swivel, and just a smidge of confused dog. The mouth can open (and the tongue has a flame thrower mounted to it), but the box art is deceiving, as it's open range is fairly limited. Still with all those sharp little teeth, he looks menacing.

The Lynx also benefits from a pleasant amount of articulation, including limited range double-jointed knees which can give the impression of digitigrade posture for the back legs. I guess you could do it with the front legs, too, as they're basically identical, but it would look weird. The front shoulder blocks can also pivot out away from the body, so that's an extra bit that HasTak didn't have to do, but I'm glad they did. The aft body is hollow, and there's a door strategically placed to cover his backside. I guess if you put minicons in there, had Lynx in a squat and opened that door, he could literally poop out his passengers. As EmGo likes to say, it's a thing you can do if you wanna do it. 

I haven't put Sky Lynx in his base mode yet, but one negative I have about my copy is that the side panels to which Lynx's back legs attach, which are on hinges for base mode, do not tab very firmly and tend to pop open every time I try to manipulate the back legs. I wish they'd put some sort of a snapping or locking connection there. The friction tab just isn't up to the task.

The connection between Sky and Lynx is solid, though. It takes a bit of a push to set the aft tab before snapping the front of the shuttle down, but once it's in and snapped, it holds together firmly. Given the heft of this toy, that's a good thing. The resulting dino or dragon mode is splendid. All that articulation lends itself to all sorts of posing possibilities, and the size of the figure gives him both presence and a sense of menace, especially with that spikey grin. This is definitely a gem within this line. Highly recommended.

[JB0]

On 8/8/2020 at 9:56 PM, mikeszekely said:

Are you going to pick this one up?  I recall that you have the MMC one, and I'd love to see them side-by-side.  I'm debating on whether or not to track MMC's down myself.  That and their Springer.

So... I actually put in an online order for the new Sky Lynx. And while waiting for someone to ship it, I actually found one in stores. I was stunned, I have literally never seen anything in this size bracket show up on retail shelves in any store in my area, when they stock anything at all. Last I was through, they didn't even have a space on the shelf FOR this bracket.

Once I recovered from my confusion and disbelief, I realized I could cancel my online preorder and actually buy Sky Lynx off the shelf like a normal person(for definitions of normal that include thirty-something men buying children's toys).

It was a good day for the local Target, as in addition to one Sky Lynx, they also had a bunch of Earthrise Starscreams snuggled in with the lone Grapple and pile of Astrotrains. The leftover Siege stuff was only about two thirds of their stock instead of 90%.

 

I'm actually impressed with the amount of articulation Hasbro and TakaraTomy packed into this Sky Lynx. I expected no side-to-side joints in the neck and got two. But boy do I wish Sky's tail had even one side-to-side hinge in it.

In some respects Sky Lynx is objectively better than Magna Inventa. The legs on Sky are much larger and thoroughly ratcheted. The armature that lets you raise the wing forward and up from its shuttle location is a very nice touch(Magna avoids the weird-looking wings by flipping them 180 and then folding out HUGE blue panels... devoid of any molded detail). And I adore the full-length cargo bay doors(which aren't really possible on Magna Inventa since part of the shuttle body folds away during transformation, allowing a larger neck).

Hasbro's tolerances have let me down, though. Sky Lynx has a few joints that just can't hold their weight, and one's in a wing armature. But all his ratchets are nice and firm, and every joint of the Lynx legs is ratcheted. (No CW collapsing under his own weight nonsense)

 

Scale-wise, Earthrise Sky Lynx looks like Magna Inventa's kid brother. And this thought makes me smile.

 

[M'Kyuun]

Agree about the tail having no sideways  motion- would have been nice. I also wish Lynx's feet could rotate ; they're fixed forward, but they do have an excellent range of up/down, and lots of ankle rocker, so you can really splay his legs out at the hip with feet flat in  an aggressive posture. The Lynx can rotate his neck side to side, but the range is laughable. I wish they could have improved that a little, or make the head itself rotate. The head can rotate longitudinally very minimally, and has a small range of up and down, but no side to side, which would have been more useful.  IMHO, it's probably the weakest area for articulation between the two figures.

I never looked at any of the third party takes on Sky Lynx, but your pics really show just how much detail, even from a distance, that HasTak put into this figure by comparison. In case no one noticed, the Autobot symbols on the wings are backed in gold, rather than just placed up against the white background. It 's a nice touch that looks sharp. I definitely prefer HasTak's approach to the wing mechanics; it has a nice organic look to it, and due to the multi-hinged ratcheting armatures, the wings can be oriented through a nice range. 

I finally put mine in base mode. It's meh, but kinda cool that they still managed it without too many compromises to his crawler/Lynx modes, other than the weak tabs that are supposed to secure the panels to which his back legs attach. Ironically, they lock in the base position with a snap, but not in Lynx/crawler mode. That and the friction joints at the 'elbow' of the wing armatures (mine are already too weak to bear the weight, but the body joint has a strong ratchet) are the only major issues with mine. Oh, and one of the tail linkages on mine is missing a pin, but it works just fine for now.  Overall, excellent toy.

[tekering]

42 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I also wish Lynx's feet could rotate ; they're fixed forward, but they do have an excellent range of up/down, and lots of ankle rocker, so you can really splay his legs out at the hip with feet flat in  an aggressive posture.

Yeah, the legs are very well-articulated...  

...so why would the feet need to rotate?