The Energon Pub

[Blurrz]

If you didn't feel that Hot Shot entry all too well, don't worry about it. There won't be any kid favourite characters in this list anymore... Haha PSYCH!

#20 - Movie Camaro Concept Bumblebee

This figure's got a lot of good, and a lot of bad. Now since all we've been talking about is goodness in this list, I'll just get rid of the bad first. Originally this figure is infamous for being way too hard to find in retail. One of the main reasons for this would have to be scaplers. If you don't know what the evil of scalping or scalpers are, then you're probably too n00b with Transformers - Go back to TFW and your one-word spam posting (Wow, where did that rage come from). I guess I will be exhaustive with myself and tell the story from the beginning.



It's Movie time. A month before the release of Michael Bay's 'Transformers', the 2007 movie toy line gets released. For hardcore Transformers fans it was a plus. New Transformers to collect. Everyone didn't really know too much about who the characters were exactly, so everyone picked just about everything. Unfortunately Bumblebee was part of that everything. Old Camaro Bumblebee wasn't the best figure out there. It was decent at best, and sadly the first batch of the figure had a tendency to malfunction. Many of us Transfans were going 'WTF'. Now a month later and the movie gets released. A whole wave of news fans come along, Bumblebee becomes the fan favourite and everyone wonder why that figure has to be so bloody bad.



Then... comes Camaro Concept Bumblebee. The saviour to all Movie Bumblebee fans. The figure got hella popular, way too fast. And sometimes with popularity comes exaggeration of demand. Everyone wanted this figure and there just isn't enough supply for everyone. Transformers waves are packed in boxes with 1x Jazz, 1x Camaro Concept Bumblebee, and 1x Barrioade. Basically there was a freaking Bumbleebee draught, and not even Bumblebee, but everything toy related to Transformers 2007. Scalpers were out in full fashion. Camaro Concept Bumblebee could be bought on Ebay for the low price of $60-70, giving them 4x-5x profit. If you were here on Seibertron during the times, a huge WTF was going through a minds. The only thing we could do is talk about Transformers through the internet, because you never saw them on the shelves most of the time....

And that is the bad.

The 'good' I can talk of Bumblebee just happens to be about the toy. Personally, nothing good came from the popularity of Bumblebee. But sadly whether I like it or not, the popularity of Transformers leading to the increase in Transformers production can be based on the success of the Camaro Concept figure.



Well I can't deny it. The alternate mode - Camaro Concept Car - is bloody sexy. Clear windows. Clear windows. Clear windows. Transformers fans have nosebleeds over it, and when Camaro Concept has it while the Old Camaro didn't.. just made wonders for some fans. There's a lot of accuracy the car has to the real deal, and even if it's not close, then I can't really object because I've never seen a real one in person.



Robot Mode is gorgeous as well. It can do a zillion poses. The only problem I have with it has to be the shoulder pads, which tend to fall off during transformation.



The Gun/Sword weapon is not necessary, and not even Movie accurate but it's still quite slick nonetheless. And the blade is clear! I could go over more of Bumblebee's aesthetics.. but c'mon, I know everyone has this figure. Not because we're breaking the Top 20 of this list, but holy crap how could you miss...



....the many versions Bumblebee had. Ugh. It didn't stop with Revenge of the Fallen, and it definitely isn't going to stop with TF3. Looking back at the other movie figure, the times, and the enjoyment I had with CC Bumblebee, I can't really blame the scalpers. It's a wonderful figure. Over saturated, but wonderful.

If you thought CC Bumblebee would be deeper in this list, let your worries be gone. It just means there's 19 figures that are even more awesome! Tired of my style of writing? No worries either, as a guest appearance from Seibertron moderator Counterpunch is nearing.

[Mykltron]

I'm surprised that this guy made the list but happy none the less. He really is great! (apart from the gun)

[Chaoslock]

I'm not surprised that Cyb Hot Shot made it into top 25, but that a Movie Bumblebee made it in front of all the superior molds of #25-21? I think it is a bit overrated. (OK, I hate Bumblebee , but I won't be surprised if the next tf on the list would be G1 Wheelie)

As for Hot Shot, it is a good mold, and I like the original colors better than the Excellion repaint, but the Goldbug paint is awesome. The Cyb. Defense mode of Hot Shot is slightly better than the car mode.

[Diem]

For me, "Breakaway" (ie. Getaway) was the definitive deco for Cybertron Hot Shot: clean solid colours, nice red transparent plastic and a beautiful homage to an otherwise ignored G1 character. Ace.

Bumblebee I don't really care about one way or another.

[Valandar]

I actually did not LIKE the Cyb Hotshot mold, because the shoulders just don't "work" for me. I would have put any number of Cyb/GF Deluxes ahead of it, especially Cyb Downshift and Sideways.

On the other hand, I DO like the Movie Bumblebee mold. I just did not like how the various repaints were just different versions of BB, barring Cliffjumper of course. "Stealth" Bumblebee, especially could have been renamed, such as Ricochet or even a GoBot homage as Slicks... and could we get something other than yellow, please?

[Convotron]

but c'mon, I know everyone has this figure.[/i]

Not me! Though if I didn't have HA BB already, this version of the character would probably be the single movie BB figure in my collection.

[TurbofireJames]

Was the fan's reception of cybertron hot shot that high? Its a wonderful transformers, but when it was released did it receive instant-classic status like other figures on the list seemed to have gotten?

Love the list btw. I dont post much, but I love reading post like these. Especially when I am looking for new figures to add to the collection. Tis' the season.

[Chaoslock]

Was the fan's reception of cybertron hot shot that high? Its a wonderful transformers, but when it was released did it receive instant-classic status like other figures on the list seemed to have gotten?

There was no classic release back then, so we were happy for every tf we got. As I remember, the reception for the Cyb figures were pretty good, and they are still very good molds (*looks at Cyb Landmine at the desk*) - their gimmick with the cyb keys got very old, very fast, though, thanks for the animes endless cutscenes.

[SJ21]

I don't know what it is about the Cybertron series, but I just can't get into the aesthetic of it. Something about the look of those toys screams cheesy and cheap-looking.

I like the choice of movie concept Bumblebee. As sad as it is, BB is the face of the new movie. I know some of the fandom is tired of seeing BB, but the Camaro concept is a great figure.

[Evil_the_Nub]

I don't get all the hoopla over clear windows. They're good on Alternators and Human Alliance figures because the alt modes are so realistic. On regular figures all they do is show the robot parts crammed into the car. They kill the whole robot in disguise thing.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

I don't get all the hoopla over clear windows. They're good on Alternators and Human Alliance figures because the alt modes are so realistic. On regular figures all they do is show the robot parts crammed into the car. They kill the whole robot in disguise thing.

But solid plastic for windows makes it look cheap. That's how I see it.

[Chaoslock]

I don't get all the hoopla over clear windows. They're good on Alternators and Human Alliance figures because the alt modes are so realistic. On regular figures all they do is show the robot parts crammed into the car. They kill the whole robot in disguise thing.

QFT. A lot of otherwise awesome figures can go down because of parts just springing out of windows (take Barricade for example: The base version was crap because of the clear windows (amongst many other things), the premium, however, had shaded windows, and looked miles better; also, loöok at RotF Prime)

[WolfDawg]

I really like the list so far, but I really don't like Cyb Hotshot/Excellion at all. Just like someone else said, Cybertron Downshift and Sideways are way better Cybertron figures. But again, I agree with all the other picks, even Movie BB (which is one of the best movie molds IMO) I'd go so far as to say that figure alone revamped the TF franchise and fanbase. Keep up the good work Blurrz, I find myself looking forward to the next pick every day.

[Forgotten]

Loving the list, but I think R.I.D. Megs should have gotten a higher spot. On a side note regarding ol' buckethead. He turns into a hand(R.I.D.), a head(R.I.D. Megabolt Megatron), and a foot(Sports Label). I'm wondering if HasTakTomy has a grand design for a build it yourself Megatron combiner. That would be awesome.

[Valandar]

Loving the list, but I think R.I.D. Megs should have gotten a higher spot. On a side note regarding ol' buckethead. He turns into a hand(R.I.D.), a head(R.I.D. Megabolt Megatron), and a foot(Sports Label). I'm wondering if HasTakTomy has a grand design for a build it yourself Megatron combiner. That would be awesome.

Thank you, I'll be sending you the soda cleaning bill for my monitor any day now.

[goshjosh95]

Loving the list, but I think R.I.D. Megs should have gotten a higher spot. On a side note regarding ol' buckethead. He turns into a hand(R.I.D.), a head(R.I.D. Megabolt Megatron), and a foot(Sports Label). I'm wondering if HasTakTomy has a grand design for a build it yourself Megatron combiner. That would be awesome.

That would make for a fun kit-bash project!

[zodconvoy]

I agree with all of the choices thus far with the exception of '74 Bumblebee. Oh, and I think the best use of the RiD Megatron mold is Botcon 2005's Deathsaurus. The black, blue and red coloration is beautiful and the new head is one of the best FunPub has come up with yet!

[kirbenvost]

Excellent choices! I don't collect Beast figs, thus most of the RiD baddies are out, but Megatron looks like a pretty good one.

Excellion is indeed great, though I disagree on the articulation, I find it a little lacking. Otherwise, he's a great figure.

Bumblebee's pretty awesome, though very over-done lately. That certainly fits with the influential aspect, however.

Looking forward to seeing what the next entry is!

[Mykltron]

I don't get all the hoopla over clear windows. They're good on Alternators and Human Alliance figures because the alt modes are so realistic. On regular figures all they do is show the robot parts crammed into the car. They kill the whole robot in disguise thing.

QFT. A lot of otherwise awesome figures can go down because of parts just springing out of windows (take Barricade for example: The base version was crap because of the clear windows (amongst many other things), the premium, however, had shaded windows, and looked miles better; also, loöok at RotF Prime)

Shaded windows are good, but painted windows like the old Movie BB look dreadful.

[Valandar]

I agree with all of the choices thus far with the exception of '74 Bumblebee. Oh, and I think the best use of the RiD Megatron mold is Botcon 2005's Deathsaurus. The black, blue and red coloration is beautiful and the new head is one of the best FunPub has come up with yet!

Umm, '74 Bumblebee isn't on the list - it was only pictured to show a difference between how disappointed people were at "Duckfoot" Bumblebee, and then how excited they were at Concept BB, who was the actual entry.

[zodconvoy]

Umm, '74 Bumblebee isn't on the list - it was only pictured to show a difference between how disappointed people were at "Duckfoot" Bumblebee, and then how excited they were at Concept BB, who was the actual entry.

Yeah, I realize that now. I was checking out the thread on my buddies handheld phonish... thing and the '74 BB's the only pic that loaded and the text was mangled to fit the screen. I just couldn't understand the post.


G1 MEGATRON: These handheld computers are a brilliant covert weapon, Soundwave! Half a dozen Autobots have been wrecked this week alone trying to Tweet while driving! MU-HAHAHAHAHA!

[Autobot Strider]

I think BB deserves to be on this list. Other than Barricade, BB is my only Movie-verse purchase to date. I bought Barricade 'cause he's a Police car, and my Classics Prowl needed a nemisis. BB I bought because I got caught up in the hype, and I wasn't disappointed. Granted, I don't own the '07 version, but instead the '09 mold with the cannon arm (that always falls off) and the much better head sculpt, but it's more-or-less the same toy. I find the transformation to be very easy, and the toy does a good job of capturing BB's movie appearance. It's very poseable, and the auto-morphing parts are pretty cool.

Despite all the Bumblebee hype, it is an excellent toy. Great choice!

[Counterpunch]

#19 Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor or how I learned to stop worrying and love the (God)bomber.

“Prime…when someone asks you if you’re a God you say YES! (because, someone is probably going to build a replacement body for you, minus your actual soul and a random truck driver will find that body, drive it around, and eventually through some kind of Japanese wizardry will come around to looking exactly like you, acting like you, and then just flat out becoming you. Later, we’re going to rebuild you into a remorseless, killing flying-lion thing after you die…er again. We’re…clear on this?)

Oh God Ginrai, if only I could claim to be making all of that up.

Powermaster Optimus Prime or God Ginrai as he’s known both in the Land of the Rising Sun and at your local Anime gatherings is, in one form or another, the replacement for the original G1 Optimus Prime.

Various stories in the comics and cartoons explain the appearance of this version of Prime in different ways. Real Talk here? None of those ways are any good. What is good is this classic G1 toy in all of his incarnations. Much like Street Fighter 2, Powermaster Prime has had several revisions and due to this, I will only discuss the full and final version of the toy (Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor).

Before that, we have to understand a few things about the toy. Originally released in the US as Powermaster Optimus Prime; Optimus Prime was reimagined as a larger, more powerful Ultra Magnus style transformer. Take a look at the size comparisons to the original toy:





That tricked out grill on the front of Prime’s cab there is his Powermaster component Hi-Q/Ginrai:


Transforming Hi-Q/Ginrai into the engine for Prime allowed him to fully transform.


As a child, in my childish ways, I thought this was very stupid. As an adult, I still find it to be very stupid. You see, I was being quite literal when I said that Hi-Q/Ginrai allowed Prime to transform. He was actually locked in cab mode without Hi-Q/Ginrai (though, clever children could push the tab themselves, but that negates my point and ignores the fact that Prime is supposed to be dependent on this process. I rationalized it that Prime was still tired from being dead and needed a kick-start. Now I think he was just being lazy.

So, with all that, your Optimus Prime was freed and you were ready to get him into something more comfortable, like…his trailer. You know, getting Prime unfolded, including the midget, and going back to the trailer sounds like a really, really bad idea for a date…I digress.



This is where it gets fun, because once you’ve folded Prime up and crammed him into his trailer, the result looks something like this:



Welcome to the gun show. Powermaster Prime was armed and sized to match up with Galvatron. No longer did you have to have second rate Ultra Magnus play the big guy to tango with your Emperor of Destruction. No, Prime was ready for all out war with guns, shoulder guns, and a chest full of bling (you should probably note that the original toy from the 80’s had significantly less bling, but hey…we were on our way to a recession and Prime was wise to keep the spending in check).

These pictures show a bit of the difference between the original and the reissue. The reissue being superior to the original release in most every way.





Now, our Japanese friends got a special figure available to them for many years before it was available over here. His name, was Godbomber. When he eventually made it into the US reissue figure, he was dubbed 'Roller'.



He turned into this…battle wagon thing. :/



Who cares right? Well, if you’re a new guy and you think that Revenge of the Fallen was the first time Prime disassembles one of his friends and wears their body parts as a meat (metal?) shield, you have another thing coming. That other thing…is God Ginrai (or Powermaster Optimus Prime with Apex Armor):



Beastly right? In Japan, Godbomber was initially avialable seperately, and later packaged with Super Ginrai. Westerners would have their first shot at him with the TRU Commemerative Reissue figures when he was packaged along with Powermaster Optimus Prime. When all put together, the toy is well sculpted, loaded with fun weaponry, and interesting features. But I know some of you out there are going to cry, “Brick! No articulation. Oldtoyssuck blah, blah.” Well my friends, feast your eyes on this:



Six massive points of articulation! Two of them are even real points of articulation and not just partially transformed pieces of his body.

What else can this toy do? I’ll let the pictures do the work.









No matter what you call him, which version you got, or when you got him, Powermaster Optimus Prime is one of those toys that really shows off the best features of G1. What it might have lacked in articulation, it more than made up for in imagination and playability. The toy gave kids a whole lot to do, it was complex but accessible, and it was fun.

This toy is one of the best 25 Transformers ever. It stands both literally and figuratively above the competition and it set a standard for Prime and combining Primes that is still followed today.

*Post-production notes: I interchange Powermaster Prime, Super Ginrai, God Ginrai, Godbomber, Roller, Hi-Q, Ginrai etc with a fair amount of liberty. The US releases include Powermaster Optimus Prime with Hi-Q and a much later Powermaster Optimus Prime w/Apex armor and Hi-Q (Godbomber is called Roller for obvious reasons). The Japanese had Super Ginrai, Godbomber, and the full God Ginrai set which included Super Ginrai and Godbomber. Any other mistakes I might have made are being purposely glossed over because this is just a bit of fun reading and this figure's history and story are too damn complex to care about in the face of the simple and cool toy we have.

-cp

[Iron Prime]

I love you note CP!

I had this when I was younger and LOVED it! I still remember getting it from my Grandma. It was my first and only Prime until I started collecting again around 2000/2001. Ah the memories, the fond, fond memories.....


(and yes the needing to have Hi-Q to transform 'regular' Prime was silly)

I passed on the re-issue since I had the original - but I wish I hadn't. Anyone know how outrageous this guy is now?

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Nice choice, God Ginrai is my favourite TF of all time as I had very good memory playing with a friend's. Just a few things concerning the names:

1.) Originally, Prime's engine was named "Hi-Q". The reissue renamed him "Ginrai", probabaly for trademark reasons
2.) Who you called "Roller" is actually named "Apex Bomber". Roller is never mentioned in the reissue's Tech Specs per se, as "armored roller drone".

And the God Ginrai reissue is not as outrageous as you may think. It was overproduced, I got mine for €60 or so ($88).