The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Hikuro]

I just got legacy Bombshell after a long long wait, pretty much completing my Insecticons. And then I started going over my list of missing characters to the collection.
I know I'm missing Rumble and Frenzy....but I dunno who else!
I've got:
Megatron, Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Soundwave, Ravage, Lazerbeak, Shockwave, Ramjet, Dirge, Thrust, Blitzwing, Astrotrain and Reflectorx3, Kickback, Bombshell and Shrapnel,  Stunticons, then I got the Maketoys Constructicons, I had no interest in the Titan's class versions at all though they're yellow so they tend to be more G2-ish than G1.
So I think besides Rumble and Frenzy I pretty much have all of the Season 1 & 2 Decepticons don't I?

Autobots I got a little more work to do......I don't have Swoop, and my Skyfire is sitting in my pile of loot at BBTS, and while I do have year of the Dragon Omega Supreme with Maketoys add-on, I don't have the Titan's class Omega Supreme.....I never saw him in person at stores and cons want triple the price. 

[mikeszekely]

For Decepticons you're missing Buzzsaw (but if you can live without him, the only way to get him is to buy Legacy United Soundwave... then again, that'll also net you a Rumble, so...), and the Combaticons.  You may also want a bigger Megatron, since he's a little short compared to the upcoming SS86 Optimus.  Good news, though, SS86 Megatron and SS86 Construticons are coming next year, and we're expecting Combaticons in the mainline in 2026.

Are you doing the 86 movie/Season 3?

For Autobots, I guess I'd need a list of what you have, but it's a safe bet you're missing Windcharger, since everyone is waiting on an update of him to finish the Season 1 Autobots.  

[pengbuzz]

On 8/26/2024 at 4:56 AM, JB0 said:

And how do you even DO Diaclone x Transformers in a meaningful sense, particularly with a character that originated as an unaltered Diaclone toy in the first place and has never strayed very far from that origin?!

For Diaclone X Transformers: if it were my call, I would do the Diaclone figures as human-researched copies of Cybertronians that were built to fight the "alien invasion" (Autobot/ Decepticon forces). It would have to be like Marvel G1, where the Autobots were mostly in hiding while the Decepticons did what they wanted, and the government studied them clandestinely with surveillance during their skirmishes. Once enough intel was gathered ( and perhaps some captured specimens to work from ), they then start buildign their own forces to counter them.

[Hikuro]

15 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

For Decepticons you're missing Buzzsaw (but if you can live without him, the only way to get him is to buy Legacy United Soundwave... then again, that'll also net you a Rumble, so...), and the Combaticons.  You may also want a bigger Megatron, since he's a little short compared to the upcoming SS86 Optimus.  Good news, though, SS86 Megatron and SS86 Construticons are coming next year, and we're expecting Combaticons in the mainline in 2026.

Are you doing the 86 movie/Season 3?

For Autobots, I guess I'd need a list of what you have, but it's a safe bet you're missing Windcharger, since everyone is waiting on an update of him to finish the Season 1 Autobots.  

The Megatron I'm using is the Toyworld Hegemon, he's pretty much perfect in my opinion. I do have Combaticons when I went to look back and double check, they're the combiner wars set, if a better set comes along then yeah they'll get replaced.


Decepticons Season 3 without renaming Season 2 characters I got: Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, Trypticon, Octane, Terrorcons, Runabout, Runamuck, Trypticon.
I don't have the Sweeps army or Predacons since again, didn't really like them being Titan class like the Constructicons. 

Autobots Season 1/2 I've got: Optimus, Prowl, Bluestreak, Hound (generations), Jazz(SS86), Ironhide, Ratchet (earthrise sets), Wheeljack, Cliffjumper, Bumblebee(Netflix), Aerialbots(Combiner Wars), Seaspray, Beachcomber, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker, Preceptor, Blaster, Brawn, Chromia, Elita One, Firestorm, Moonracer, Trailbreaker, Grapple, Hoist, Inferno, Huffer, Mirage, Smokescreen, Tracks, Windcharger, Warpath, Skyfire, Gears (on preorder) Defensor (Combiner Wars), Cosmos, Smokescreen, Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, Powerglide (Generations Ultra Class.....meh)

Autobots Seasons 3/Movie: Hotrod, Rodimus Prime, Kup, Arcee, Ultra Magnus, Wheelie, Daniel, Pipes, Wreckgar, Springer (WFC version & Wreckers), Sandstorm (Generations), Blur, Chase (legends generations class) Computron (Combiners Wars Takara version) Eject, Metroplex, Broadside, Tailgate (generations), Junkheap. 

I know I'm missing Skylynx cause he's pretty expensive and I only ran into him 1 time and didn't have the 80 bucks to buy him, Goldbug cause he was that 4 pack and didn't have the 75 bucks.
As for Season 4 characters on both sides, I've got pretty much all the Headmasters they've released including Fort Max and Scorponok, and some of them are Takara variants for better accuracy. 

And I even have some of the Japanese characters like Overlord, Starsaber, Deathsaurus, modded Powermaster Optimus Prime/Ginrai, but no Dai Atlas cause I heard that toy is TERRIBLE, and couldn't get my hands on Super Megatron cause.......that's expensive for a Voyager class retool.
 

[JB0]

8 hours ago, pengbuzz said:

For Diaclone X Transformers: if it were my call, I would do the Diaclone figures as human-researched copies of Cybertronians that were built to fight the "alien invasion" (Autobot/ Decepticon forces). It would have to be like Marvel G1, where the Autobots were mostly in hiding while the Decepticons did what they wanted, and the government studied them clandestinely with surveillance during their skirmishes. Once enough intel was gathered ( and perhaps some captured specimens to work from ), they then start buildign their own forces to counter them.

I'd arrange a Decepticon/Waruder alliance.

With both sides intending to betray their allies and seize Earth's freezon and energon for themselves once the Autobot and Diaclone forces are defeated, naturally.

[sh9000]

Interview with Gregg Berger.

 

[lechuck]

Official solicitation images for MPG-14 God Bomber. There will also be a Takara mall exclusive MPG-14S variant which contains more parts to recreate the prototype version of God Bomber. This is similar to what they did with MPG-06S Kaen, where there will be a bigger box to house MPG-09 God Ginrai.

https://www.taghobby.com/archives/804744
https://www.taghobby.com/archives/805118

[lechuck]

[Scyla]

Preorder for MPG-14S at Anime Export (¥35800 pay now): https://www.anime-export.com/index.php?product=83592

[sh9000]

Interview with Frank Todaro.

 

[Hikuro]

21 hours ago, sh9000 said:

Interview with Frank Todaro.

 

I've worked on a few projects with Frank back in the old days, standup guy, and he actually does a fairly good Welker Megatron voice. 

[Chronocidal]

I have to ask, are the upside-down logos on his lapels just a coincidence, or a reference? XD

[mikeszekely]

29 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

I have to ask, are the upside-down logos on his lapels just a coincidence, or a reference? XD

Since Chris Latta died Todaro was picked to voice Starscream when they had the first few episodes in theaters a few months back.  I assume the Decepticon badges are upside-down because, in the cartoon, the badges on Starscream's wings are upside-down when he's in bot mode.

[sh9000]

 

Interview with Arif S. Kinchen.

 

[Chronocidal]

14 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Since Chris Latta died Todaro was picked to voice Starscream when they had the first few episodes in theaters a few months back.  I assume the Decepticon badges are upside-down because, in the cartoon, the badges on Starscream's wings are upside-down when he's in bot mode.

That's what I was wondering, I remember hearing that discussion once or twice with different Starscream releases.  Amusing to me that he picked up on that and carried it over into those pins.  

[mikeszekely]

12 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

That's what I was wondering, I remember hearing that discussion once or twice with different Starscream releases.  Amusing to me that he picked up on that and carried it over into those pins.  

His pocket square also makes for a little white-and-red stripe.  His wardrobe choices are clearly very intentional. 😁

[Hikuro]

19 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Since Chris Latta died Todaro was picked to voice Starscream when they had the first few episodes in theaters a few months back.  I assume the Decepticon badges are upside-down because, in the cartoon, the badges on Starscream's wings are upside-down when he's in bot mode.

Which is funny cause Daniel Ross, another guy I worked with had been the go to voice for Star Scream for the 2007 film games mainly the big console games, and the Nintendo DS Autobot/Decepticon games. The first time I worked with him he was doing Star Scream in a fan production of Robot Masters. A few years ago he was the main guy for Donald Duck until I think 2022 or something along those lines.

I believe Jon Bailey while he's not in these episode readings was also the voice of Shockwave and Soundwave in the Bumblebee movie, and he's once again the voice of Soundwave in Transformers One. Great guy, miss talkin to him on the weekends. 

[mikeszekely]

I've got a tiny yet somewhat anticipated release on my hands.  Do good things come in small packages?  This one is Studio Series 86 Core-class Steeljaw.

I get that Core-class figures are small and don't get a ton of budget, but c'mon.  What's up with that face?  He's barely got any cat ears, and there's a seam running right down the middle of his head that I can't get to close any more than that no matter how hard I squeeze.  The seam doesn't look great on the top of his head, but the split in the bottom of his jaw makes him look like one of the aliens from Predator.  Hasbro put some red paint inside his mouth and some splashes of white on his teeth, but I'm not painting the teeth helped or hurt when his fangs are more like little nubs.

I do kind of want to give Hasbro some credit for engineering Steeljaw's mane into a proper box around his neck area.  And at first glance he's got his wing guns.  But those guns seem a little big... and they're not even attached to his wings!

I can't be the only one amused by the placement of that rivet in the middle of his posterior, either.  If you have a cat, you know what I mean.

I'm thinking a lot of Steeljaw's budget when to accessories.  As it turns out, his back and tail are a separate part.  His wings are, too, and they plug right into the holes on the sides of the back.  There's an alternate back that is missing a tail and has the round parts of the wings pre-attached but not the wing portions are clipped off.  And finally, there's a big gold speaker.

Steeljaw's articulation is, to be frank, terrible.  Nothing in his head or jaws, nothing in his tail.  Each of his four legs are pinned at the shoulders/hips and can swivel, but they can't spread or swivel, and he's got no articulation in his elbows/knees or wrists/ankles.  Since they' just pegged in you can change the angles of his wings a bit, or you can swivel the guns on his hips.  That's it.

To use the speaker with Steeljaw, first you have to remove the regular back with the wings, then pop on the alternate back piece.  It has a large tab on the top that fits into a slot on the side of the speaker.  Are we supposed to pretend his wings and tail turned into a speaker?  I don't remember that from the cartoon at all, and certainly not the '86 movie.

The more likely use for the speaker is with Kingdom/Legacy/SS86 Blaster.  The back of the speaker is sort of a squarish opening with a little notch.  Line up that notch with the back of Blaster's hand and it'll slide snuggly over his fist.  While we're at it, since Steeljaw's backs use a 5mm peg to plug into a hole on his body, you can also plug them into 5mm ports on Blaster's body, like the ones on his forearms.

Steeljaw's engineering is very simple.  His back and wings partsform right off.  His front legs fold back, then his back legs tuck underneath, leaving his hip guns tucked neatly along the sides.  The section with his mane and head folds forward then splits in half and splays out to the sides.  You finish him off by tucking the halves of his head in.  

I like that the one side of him has a painted reel and a window to the see the tape spooling... but why is the other reel not painted?  Both the faux reels on the other side are.  I don't have much to say about this mode's aesthetics... it's a rectangle, what do you want?

You want it to do stuff?  I guess you can turn him cassette face down and plug his back in.  With the little gap where his mane sits higher than the hinge and the flat part of the back that normally sits against his main sticking up it almost looks like a seat.  Maybe Steeljaw's alt mode is secretly some kind of Star Wars landspeeder?  I don't know what you're supposed to do with his accessories, really, but the rectangle itself does fit into Blaster's chest, and that's all we really wanted.

So there you have it... objectively, Steeljaw's not very good.  Better than Ravage, at least, but worse than Ratbat, Laserbeak, or the humanoid cassettes.  And Ravage, at least, has the excuse of being a Micromaster.  At retail he was packaged with a whole second tape at the price that Steeljaw alone is going for.  Why?  I'd have gladly given up on the extra back and speaker if Hasbro would have even just added elbows and knees to Steeljaw himself.  The value isn't here.

And yet, Soundwave's had two different releases for Laserbeak, two for Ravage, a Ratbat, and both Micromaster and Core-class releases for Rumble and Frenzy.  Later this year we're finally getting a release for Buzzsaw.  So far Blaster's just had Eject, whom he came with, and Rewind, who came with his Twincast repaint.  For a lot of us, Steeljaw is filling a gap, and I sincerely hope Ramhorn comes sooner rather than later.  If, like me, Steeljaw is going to fill a void in your life then by all means get to filling.  If you're more of a Season 2 guy and don't feel like Blaster really needs tapes, though, you'll be saving money on an honestly pretty poor figure.

[mikeszekely]

I've noticed that Walmarts (except my local one for some reason) are starting to get displays in the main aisle for Transformers One.  If you happen to check it out, you might find a Walmart-exclusive Prime Changer, the Quintesson High Commander.

Well, it's not the Quintessons I grew up with.  The only thing about them that's even in the ballpark is the tentacles dangling from his rounded bottom... at least I assume that's his bottom.  I haven't seen the movie yet, but the impression I get is that the green plastic behind him is meant to evoke more tentacles, and that the "foot" he's standing on won't really be part of the CGI model.  But I don't hate it.  The vibe is sort of techno-organic stone... almost like something the Protoculture might have cooked up.

Scale is the main thing to talk about.  I don't really mind Pax and Bee being the same size, even though Prime is usually bigger, because they're depicted as pretty similar in height in the trailer.  But, even if I assume Sentinel is also the same height as Pax and Bee, in the trailer the Quintesson High Commander picks Sentinel up and lifts him to be face-to-face.  But here, the QHC is like eye-to-nipple with Sentinel.

Not much to see from the back and sides.  More green plastic, hollow forearms, but the kinds of things we've (unfortunately) come to expect from a Transformers toy in this price bracket.

The Quintesson High Commander's sole accessory is this single Energon cube.  I feel like I've seen this cube before.  Did a couple come with reissue G1 Insecticons?  Some War For Cybertron Trilogy accessory pack?  It's a semi-solid pink, and rubbery in texture.

QHC's articulation is pretty limited.  His head is on a hinged ball joint.  The hinge gives him a slight downward tilt, but because the stem comes straight out from his chest swiveling his head on the ball tilts his head sideways.  He can't actually turn his head to either side.  His shoulders are also ball joints.  They swivel backward in an unrestricted fashion, but his chest actually blocks them from swiveling forward.  At least they can move laterally 90 degrees.  His elbows are also ball joints, bending 90 degrees and doubling as bicep swivels.  He doesn't have wrist swivels... or really wrists or hands at all.  Just pokey stumps without even a 5mm port.  No waist swivel either, though you can use the hinge on his back to tilt him a little.  His tentacles are hinged at the base so you can splay them out, but that's about it it.

QHC can't really hold the Energon cube with his hands, but he can store it inside his body.  Open his chest, lift the spikey bit, and you'll see a square hollow behind it.  Just plug the cube in and close him back up.

Or don't, because you need to open him up like that for transformation.  Turn his head upside down, pull out the red part of his chest, then use the hinge to fold the head around to the other side, then close the red part back up.  But, leave his chest open.  In fact, lift the pelvis flap, then spin the chest 180 degrees.  Straighten his toe and heel as much as you can, tuck the tentacles in as close as you can to his "foot", then fold his chest down and tab it place.   Finish him off by rotating his shoulders so his arms are running along side his body toward his "foot", and bend and turn his elbows so that tabs on them will plug into the foot.

Will the Quintessons even transform in the movie?  I don't know.  While simple, I do think this is more of a transformation and an identifiable alt mode than the Earthrise Quintesson, so I'll give it that.  Again, the rocky techno-organic look gives me Protoculture vibes, so I don't hate it.

The Energon cube stores in a square-shaped hollow under the spaceship's nose... which happens to be the exact same spot it was stored in for bot mode.  As a matter of fact, you don't even have to remove the cube to transform him.

The Quintesson High Commander is... fine.  Realistically, the Prime Commanders are the "main" toys for the movie, marketed toward kids, and I expect that this is a reasonable facsimile of what kids will see, with a simple transformation to a spaceship.  Presumably adult collectors will want to wait for a hypothetical Studio Series version, with the caveat that this is out now and a Studio Series version hasn't even been announced.

[M'Kyuun]

On 9/7/2024 at 11:18 PM, mikeszekely said:

His pocket square also makes for a little white-and-red stripe.  His wardrobe choices are clearly very intentional. 😁

Yeah, definitely not random. he did a decent job as Starscream, too. His Wheeljack wasn't there, but y'know, they had a lot of guys doing voices back in the day and even with all their talents, few VAs really have the range of Frank Welker or Scott McNeil. I wish they'd called on more of the OG VAs to do voices for this production, but some of them may be retired, unavailable, or sad to say, one with the Matrix. I enjoyed it more for the effort, but I still prefer the original voice track- I just think they nailed inflection, tone, feeling, etc so well in those first three episodes. It set the stage well for seasons to come, though I feel like they departed from that more serious tone in the second season and beyond. Anyway, it sounds like both Frank and Arif have serious reverence both for the show and certainly for the older generation VAs who brought those characters to life so vividly and memorably in the original show, and for that alone, I'm glad they had the opportunity to do the voices in place of Chris Latta and Scatman Crothers, two cartoon VA greats who definitely left lasting impressions. I'll toss Kasey Kasem in there, too. 

 

As to '86 Steeljaw, I knew beforehand what I was getting, but somehow having it in hand only deepens the disappointment at just how poorly done it really is. @mikeszekely's comparisons with Eject, arguably the best cassette bot thus far in this sub-micro-cassette scale that Hasbro created for WFC/Legacy, highlight even further just how craptastic Steeljaw is. Added to the lackadaisical engineering and lack of articulation the need to partsform part of the lion mode and the supposed esteem of the Studio Series line is dubious. The G1 toy was far better executed. It may have been a lion shaped wafer, but at least the wafer became a recognizable lion with articulated legs (3 points both fore and aft). This thing looks like a yellow Pomeranian. I can live with the accessories partsforming, though I'd rather they integrate given advancements and progression in transforming toy techniques. At this thing's scale, though, some concession is understandable. I'd have rather they just replicated the g1 toy at the smaller Legacy scale- at least it would have had more poseability and a better cassette mode. Like most of Hasbro's cassette efforts thus far, it only cements my profound hope that Dr. Wu will get around to making all the main cassettes as there's a need and a want there, at least on my end.

Regarding the TF: One toys, my Wally has them, or had them as of last Tuesday. I want to see the movie, but honestly, the aesthetic, especially concerning the alt modes, doesn't grab me. My feelings in that regard aren't hurt, as space is really becoming an issue for me. To that end, any toy I feel I can skip without regret, I happily do so. 

[mikeszekely]

8 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

This thing looks like a yellow Pomeranian.

Can't unsee, thanks for that.

[JB0]

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

The vibe is sort of techno-organic stone... almost like something the Protoculture might have cooked up.

He's got some Guyver vibes to me.

...

And that whole series is ALSO "things the Protoculture might have cooked up and then irresponsibly discarded somewhere".

 

 

It's kinda sad, though. I think Quintesson has a more credible jet than... pretty much any Transformer that is supposed to turn into a jet in the last decade.

[M'Kyuun]

8 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Can't unsee, thanks for that.

I'm here for ya! 😜

[Chronocidal]

7 hours ago, JB0 said:

It's kinda sad, though. I think Quintesson has a more credible jet than... pretty much any Transformer that is supposed to turn into a jet in the last decade.

I hate how accurate this is.  A flying tentacle space monster makes a more streamlined and more airworthy-looking aircraft than the bots that actually turn into aircraft.  

Edited Wednesday at 03:42 PM by Chronocidal

[sh9000]

Interview with Paul Eiding.

 

[mikeszekely]

Earthspark has turned out to be one of my less-liked Transformers shows.  I'm not even sure if I bothered to watch every episode.  That said, I did admire that they tried to create some new characters and do something different, and I was interested in having the Maltobots in my collection.  They came out of the gate with a Deluxe Twitch, and they got Nightshade in the initial build-a-figure group.  Thrash was one of the initial Warrior-class figures, but he managed to get a Deluxe glow-up.  I very nearly caved and ordered the Warrior-class Jawbreaker, and I'm glad I didn't, because not long after hearing that Earthspark is dead we suddenly got a Deluxe-class Jawbreaker.

My gut reaction was to think, "man, these proportions are terrible!"  Terribly accurate, actually.  I went back and looked, and sure enough, Jawbreaker's arms really do hang that low.  The sculpt is actually pretty decent, it's the colors that are a bit off.  The teal paint that they slathered on the front of his thighs doesn't belong there, it belongs on his biceps and pelvis.  His forearms are molded in yellow plastic with orange paint, but the orange paint doesn't cover enough; there should be no yellow on his forearms.  That goes for his hands and the tops of his feet, too, which should match his thighs.  To add to the odd paint choices, his torso is molded in the same dark plastic as his pelvis, and that's accurate!  So why'd they paint most of it orange?  The part that they didn't paint is the only part they should have painted, because it should be red.  I don't like Earthspark enough to pay more than regular US retail, but if you're really picky you could import the Takara version, which has an accurate deco.

Back and side views... a bit hollow in spots, and I can't remember if the dino head is supposed to be that visible.  But the claws on the forearms check out.

Jawbreaker comes with a pair of guns and a tail.

Jawbreaker's head is on a ball joint.  Can't really look down, but he's got decent enough sideways tilt and he can look up.  His shoulders swivel, and they have hinges nearly 90 degrees of lateral movement, but unfortunately they're on the wrong side of the swivels.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows bend 90 degrees forward or backward.  No wrist swivel, but his entire forearm swivels below the elbow, so that kind of works.  No waist swivel.  His hips are ball joints that go 90 degrees forward or backward, but only about 45 degrees laterally.  No thigh swivels.  His knees bend over 90 degrees.  No up/down tilt on the feet.  He technically does have ankle pivots, though they're very limited.

The tail has a hinged 5mm peg that lets you put it in his hand like a whip.  He can also hold the guns, but if you need a place to store them there are 5mm ports on the outsides of his shoulders for the guns, and his tail can plug into the 5mm port on his butt.

Jawbreaker's transformation is pretty easy, but a tad finnicky.  Rotate his head, then flip the dino head up and over his face.  Keep pushing on it so that his robot head collapses into his chest.  Untab the sides of his torso (revealing his little dino arms) and just hinge them out of the way.  Bend his lower body backward and fold his legs lower legs behind his thighs.  If you did it right, notches in in the back of his feet will line up with the ridges on the back of his collar.  Once the legs are in place, you can use the hinges to swing the sides of his torso back.  The finnicky  part is that there's two slots on the insides of those torso bits, and they need to line up with tabs on his robot hips and his legs near his ankles.  Turn his forearms below his elbows so the claws are facing forward, then unfold the claws (which will cause the hands to swing to the back).  Lastly, take his tail and plug it into his butt.

From the front the dino mode doesn't look too bad, though if you get low enough you can kind of see through his legs.  He's also got the color issues that carried over from bot mode.  From the back and side, though, we have issues.  He's got giant robot feet sticking up off his back.  You can more clearly see that his legs have holes in them, but also robot fists just hanging out back there.  At least his tail looks a lot better than the Warrior-class version.

Jawbreaker's dino head can't swivel or tilt, but his jaw opens.  His little dino arms are on ball joints so they can swivel and splay outward a little at the shoulders.  His hips are his robot shoulders, so they do have the swivels and lateral movement, though technically in dino mode they're supposed to be tabbed into a fixed position.  Likewise, his bicep swivels are retained as thigh swivels, and and his elbows-turned-knees still bend 90 degrees in either direction.  He still has the swivel below the elbow/knee.  And technically the digitigrade ankle has some tilt based on how much or how little you fold in his robot hands.  The claws can tilt down, due to how he transforms, but not really upward, and he has no dino ankle pivot.

His tail's 5mm peg was hinged, you recall, so it can tilt up.  As for his guns, they plug into his dino hips... which were his robot shoulders, which is where they stowed in bot mode.

Jawbreaker's not the worst of the Earthspark Deluxes.  That honor probably still goes to Megatron or Prowl.  He's not one of the better ones, though.  Unless you really want all the Terrans, it's probably best to avoid this one.  If you do want all the Terrans, then you probably have the same question I do... where the heck is Hashtag?  So far the only figure for her has been a Tacticon (though a Warrior-class figure is supposedly coming).

 

[Old_Nash_II]

Happy 40th Anniversary

 

[Black Valkyrie]

 

80s vibe. 

 

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

I want a Studio Trigger anime TF more than ever. That was awesome.

[mikeszekely]

If there's one thing I've picked up from my last two reviews, it's that we skew older on this board and Earthspark or even Transformers One isn't going to spark the same interest toy-wise as the mainline.

Unfortunately, there hasn't been much in the way of new stuff in the mainline lately (though hopefully the next wave of United and/or Studio Series starts shipping early, and we get some good new reveals at Pulsecon tomorrow).  In the meantime, I have a few repaints for you guys.  It's basically the remainder of Walmart's exclusive Star Raiders capsule (since it seems unlikely at this point that I'm going to find a copy of Filch...).

Up first we have Deluxe-class Road Pig, who is straight up Junkion Crashbar with a new head.  Same tailpipe accessories, same saddlebag guns, same one removable tire that turns into a bladed weapon.  Which, hey, kind of vibes with the new ninja face.  Anyway, as more repaint than retool he's got details like spikes on his shoulders, asymmetric legs, and a lack of a windshield that deviate a bit from his original G2 toy.  However, (almost as if they planned this all along😉) the trio of lights on his chest is a pretty good match for the G2 toy, and the curved pipe pieces are done in translucent pink to mimic the light-up tailpipe weapon of the G2 toy.

Transformation is the same as Crashbar.  This of course means that, aside from still being a black motorcycle, his alt mode isn't particularly close to the G2 toy.  But one of the more amusing things they did copy from the G2 is the "Transformers" brand tampoed on one side of the gas tank.  So much for being in disguise, eh?

I think Road Pig is ok.  He's not super accurate to the G2 toy, but probably the best an obscure G2 character is going to get for an update.  And at least the Crashbar mold was the better of the two Deluxe Junkion molds.  I'm just wondering if we might yet get a Soundwave based off the canceled G2 toy the way we got the canceled G2 Jazz out of Road Rocket.  Regardless, at a Deluxe price he's worth checking out if you're digging the idea of filling out a G2 collection, but you're not exactly missing much if you're Sunbow G1-only.

Up next we have Thundertron.  He's marked as a Leader-class, despite being a little more expensive than a regular Leader, and despite being mostly the same figure as the Voyager-class toy that was released earlier this very same year.  The most obvious difference is the color, with the blue plastic a bit brighter, the blue paint swapped for a brighter and more metallic blue, and the copper paint swapped for gold.  It's harder to tell, because it's only some of the gray plastic, but stuff like his sword, his coattails, and the outer toes on his feet are a darker gray.  From the neck down, the only mold difference is that his right hand has been replaced with a hook.

From the neck up, he's got an entirely new head sculpt.  The shape of his helmet is different, and they painted the lines in the white part (which is a bit closer to the original Prime toy).  His mouth is a bit smaller, with a new more elaborately-sculpted beard below his more gaunt face.  His left eye doesn't seem to have the scars anymore, and is smaller, while his right eye is covered in a (somewhat softly molded) eye-patch.  The new head, taken with the right hand that's been replaced with a hook, sort of gives the impression that the regular United release is a younger version of Thundertron, and the Star Raiders version is an older version that's been through some stuff.  You can further that visually by leaving his foot attached on the original release but partsforming it onto the sword and going with the peg leg on the Star Raiders version.

With the head and hand tucked away in alt mode, though, color becomes the only visual difference there.  Now, just my opinion, but the hook hand, new head, and brighter colors make me prefer the Star Raiders version, but the differences are minimal enough that it's not exactly worth picking up Thundertron for Thundertron alone if you already bought the United version.  Which really begs the question, why did Hasbro do this?  Like, yes, I get that they like to get an extra use or two out of a mold, but as a toy-only character from late in the Prime line Thundertron was already an obscure enough of a character that I questioned his presence in United in the first place.  Not even a year later and we're getting the arguably superior version in a store capsule where he kind of always belonged, if you ask me.  And capsules are planned out in advance.  Hasbro knew they were doing Star Raiders for Walmart.  Am I to believe that Hasbro wanted to do Thundertron for Star Raiders, but couldn't think of a another use for the mold, so they came up with an alternate Thundertron head and slotted him into the mainline?  It's already been pointed out, though, that this mold would make for a pretty good Cyberverse Thunderhowl... Hasbro probably should have done Thunderhowl in United and only put out one Thundertron this year.

If you do have United Thundertron, what would tempt you to buy another one?  And how does he go from a Voyager to a Leader?  By packing in more pirates!  One of those would be Nightstrike, who's a retool of Micromaster Ratbat.  If you're not familiar with Nightstrike, I don't blame you.  He was a minor villain in the 2015 version of Robots in Disguise.  He had a bat alt mode; his robot mode wasn't seen until he appeared in the Titan Titans toyline.  Star Raiders Nightstrike leans into that lack of a bot mode in the cartoon by making the bat mode his alt mode.  And now his alt mode is... well, if you squint at it right, the black markings make a stylized skull on a white background, like an inverted Jolly Rodger.  Nightstrike, then, turns into the Star Raiders' pirate flag.

If you look at the top of Thundertron's shoulders, you may have noticed that his left shoulderpad has a 5mm port on the top, but his right has a pair of slots.  Turns out, these slots are just the right size for Nightstrike's feet, allowing him to perch on Thundertron's shoulder like a pirate's parrot.  What's funny is that the shoulders are not remolded from the United release; Siege Ratbat could always perch on United Thundertron's shoulder.  We just never thought to do it.

Nightstrike as a character doesn't necessarily impress me, especially as RID 15 was so bad that I definitely couldn't get through it and have no recollection of him.  As an accessory, though, I dig him.  He's not exactly worth re-buying Thundertron for, though, nor does he alone justify the price tag.

There's one more figure in the box, though... Deluxe-class Calcitron.  Calcitron is bascially Magneous with a new head and a a brighter, blue deco.  Unlike Nucleous, the head is the only part that's remolded from Magneous.  It's fine, though.  I like the new head, it reminds me a bit of Rock Lords Saberstone, and the blue deco really pops on him.  As much as I've railed against gimmicky original characters taking up slots, and as much as I've pointed out that they don't actually bear all that much aesthetic similarity to the Rock Lords that supposedly inspired them, and for all I've pointed out that it's kind of weird that they're rock robots that turn into rock vehicles instead of just being robots that turn into rocks like the Rock Lords, they've honestly been my favorite gimmick since the Weaponizers gave me all the missing guys packed in with the G1 citybots back in the day.

I can't help but notice, though, that this is really the third use of the Magneous mold.  And when Geocron hits we'll have two of the little Core-class rock bike dude.  But the best Armorizer mold has only been used for Shard.  At this point, it's making it hard for me to imagine that Calcitron is actually with the Star Raiders.  Instead, I imagine that the Autobots war with the Decepticons has taken the them to the planet Infernac, where there's a bunch of dudes like Magneous, Calictron, Nucleous, Bouldercrash, and Geocron who all serve their Queen Shard.

And that sort of makes Calictron the highlight for me.  If you don't have any Thundertron, then buying the Star Raiders set is worth it to get the best version of an alright figure, a bat that turns into a pirate flag, and another cool minion for Queen Shard.  I recommend it!  But if you already have United Thundertron double-dipping on him just to get Calcitron and Nightstrike is a harder sell.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/09/12/takara-missing-link-g1-arcee-sunstreaker-revealed-520822

 

[Dangard Ace]

Also revealed

 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/09/13/haslab-omega-prime-color-prototype-on-exhibit-at-the-transformers-40th-anniversary-expo-520851

 

Japans 40th is pretty much stealing todays HasPulseCon thing thunder.

[Dangard Ace]

4 minutes ago, Black Valkyrie said:

 

https://news.tfw2005.com/2024/09/12/takara-missing-link-g1-arcee-sunstreaker-revealed-520822

 

 

Don't forget  there's a new G1 Sunstreaker mold.  The way the legs in the prototype are rotated make me think that's a Missing Link toy.   FYI:  Takara lost the OG G1 Sunstreaker molds so this showing up is exciting.  Means Official DInobots, Wheeljack can possible be back on the table.

[Black Valkyrie]

2 hours ago, Dangard Ace said:

 

Don't forget  there's a new G1 Sunstreaker mold.  The way the legs in the prototype are rotated make me think that's a Missing Link toy.   FYI:  Takara lost the OG G1 Sunstreaker molds so this showing up is exciting.  Means Official DInobots, Wheeljack can possible be back on the table.

 

It could be possible, I wish Bandai would the same for Macross. 

 

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, Dangard Ace said:

 

Don't forget  there's a new G1 Sunstreaker mold.  The way the legs in the prototype are rotated make me think that's a Missing Link toy.   FYI:  Takara lost the OG G1 Sunstreaker molds so this showing up is exciting.  Means Official DInobots, Wheeljack can possible be back on the table.

At this point, just about any character is possible, with Jetfire likely one of the few exceptions due to licensing. Not sure where Porche stands at this point, but VW capitulated to the almighty lure of lucre years ago over their ridiculous "no war toys" stance, so hopefully Porche will follow suit and we can have a proper licensed Jazz. I'm not really into this line so much as I prefer the look and engineering of modern toys; however I'd be remiss if I didn't admit a certain nostalgic tug towards G1 Prowl, my first TF toy, or G1 Megatron whose toy I always wanted but to date have never owned. A Missing Link version of both would certainly be welcome. Soundwave and his cassettes as well. I wonder how they'll approach Ironhide and Ratchet given their desire to so closely match the OG toys. There wasn't much to work with regarding the robot portion of those toys, with most of the van being made up of the treaded weapons platform, or "tread sled" as I like to call it.

Arcee is an interesting surprise, although I confess it's not doing much for me. I applaud the effort, but to my eyes, it communicates the odd and awkward proportions inherent of many of the G1 toys. Sunstreaker, however, looks pretty good to me. When they get around to Hound, I'm curious how they'll address the OG toy's stubby T-Rex arms to actually make them proportionate and useful. As I mentioned, my toy collecting interest lies elsewhere for the most part, but I concede to curiosity how Takara will approach certain characters, given the limitations of the OG toys, and who among the expansive pantheon of characters will get the ML treatment. I'm happy for G1 collectors, as this breathes new life into an old line of toys, kinda giving us a retrospective look at how the toys may have been had the technology and mindset been advanced at the time. It's cool and I look forward to seeing where Takara goes with it and what surprises it may hold. Arcee certainly make the list.