The Energon Pub

[First Gen]

Pete Sinclair of The Official Transformers Collectors Club has posted an update regarding the December/ January edition of the Club Magazine along with info on the next membership exclusive figure.

According to the post, the next issue of Master Collector will be the last, making way for an online auction site for the newsletter that can be found at MCAX.com. The site will be available to all club members and info on that will be posted in the near future.

The 2010 Club exclusive figure will be DION. Dion will be a repaint of Universe 2.0 Hot Shot that will be featured in the next club comic/ prose fiction story. Images to be available shortly.

Finally, the Punch/ Counterpunch figure pre order will be up soon and the 2nd club figure has been approved and in its beginning stages.

So much good stuff is in store for Club members for 2010, if you haven't joined yet, you can do so by clicking here.

Not sure if the Club is for you? Did you know that Seibertron.com has a special Q & A forum that Pete Sinclair is kind enough to answer? Check it out and find out why the Club may be right for you by clicking here.

Keep your optics locked right here at Seibertron.com, your Ultimate Transformers Resource!

[Mkall]

ooo, that's pretty cool. I can't wait to see him.

I wonder if it will be the Universe version or the Henkei version? It's sounding like the Universe version sadly.

[Editor]

After seeing the picture of him on the club site, I am just disappointed.

However I can just imagine Walky jumping out of skin that Hot Shot was getting this kind of attention.

If they do pull a miracle together and use the Henkei moldings I will be happier, but it's sad they can't at least replace the side mold and replace the mini-con than re-use Jolt.

[Firebird]

Yay free toy! The colors look ok, But I don't like how he is Elite Guard.

Also I'm guessing they are using the Universe version of the mold so we won't get the guns. It is specifically mentioned as the 25th anniversary mold.

[El Duque]

Brutal! The one original mold out of the Classic/Uni line that I don't like. Oh well at least he's the free figure, maybe the plastic used on this version won't feel like a KO.

[Heckfire]

You gotta be KIDDING me! That piece of garbage figure is the freebie? Ugh...I'm seriously considering canceling my membership now...of all the figure molds they could have used, they chose U2.0 Hot Shot? It's unposeable, pops apart whenever you transform it, the robot mode doesn't fit together properly and the vehicle mode is ugly. They may as well have given us a friggin' Happy Meal toy, it would've been better designed than this refuse.

At least it's a freebie. Maybe if I get ROTF Devastator, I can feed it to him, along with my previous U2.0 Hot Shot.

[King Henrik]

hmm i wonder who jolt will be...

[Sabrblade]

Hopefully he'll look better than this:

hmm i wonder who jolt will be...

Maybe Barrelroller's best friend?

[Razorclaw0000]

I feel really luke warm to this. It's not a good mold. Hell, the Armada mold is nicer.

I'm just really "meh" about it. But it is "free".

[Blurrz]

Well, if there are any members who are discontent with the figure, there's always your friendly news crew member from Canada who would appreciate any freebies.

[Crystal Rodimus]

I like that they're using Dion as a character, but that mold is one of the worst in Transformers history. Maybe it's THE worst.

[Dagon]

I feel really luke warm to this. It's not a good mold. Hell, the Armada mold is nicer.

I'm just really "meh" about it. But it is "free".

I'm with you. As awesome as it always is to get Club news, and as happy as I usually am with the Club figures, this is just not as exciting as I was hoping for when I saw the news on the sidebar of the site today. Have to wait and see I guess.

[UltraPrimal]

Well, it's a blue and orange Hot Shot. I wish it was the Takara version with the guns, not the neutered Hasbro version.

I guess we know what the other 2 characters are. Orion Pax and Ariel. But what are the molds going to be?

[Diem]

At Club headquarters...

A: Let's do it.

He rolls a die. As it spins, we see names on each face: Dion, Defcon, G1 Sentinel Prime, Flame etc. It lands with "Dion" facing upwards.

A: Oooookay.

He rolls another die. This one reads: Hot Shot, Galvatron, Ironhide etc. It lands with "Hot Shot" facing up.

A: Okay. Yeah. Whatever. Done.

[Dagon]

At Club headquarters...

A: Let's do it.

He rolls a die. As it spins, we see names on each face: Dion, Defcon, G1 Sentinel Prime, Flame etc. It lands with "Dion" facing upwards.

A: Oooookay.

He rolls another die. This one reads: Hot Shot, Galvatron, Ironhide etc. It lands with "Hot Shot" facing up.

A: Okay. Yeah. Whatever. Done.

I wasn't at the production meeting for this figure, but that sounds about like what probably happened to me.

[Editor]

Now that I have time to cool down after my previous negitive post, I find I am actually more angry so permit me while I [rant]

Free? I think not. Can you tell me that you sign up for the magazine and possible web content and feel the money you paid gets you every pennyworth that you feel you that the figure is a freebie?

Seeing I need to pay the Canadian rate so i'm paying more than most people in the club, i can honestly say of the $70 odd I need to pay for a 1 year membership that the majority to that goes to cover the cost and shipping of the exclusive figure.

I don't see a free figure that should cost $15.00, I'm paying $40 for it.

I'm not complaining because I feel I am getting what I am paying for, but to accept that the figure is free, and that the content the club provides is worth the full amount is nothing short of a joke.

And honestly I can see 6 years back when FunPub took over the club and convention thinking about what they could do, and making the choice then and there to commit to the 5 year Nexus plan, but that means they have had 5 years to research what has Hasbro missed that the fans what, or notice how much people got behind the Shattered idea, and in the end what do they offer? Dion, freaking Dion on a mold that has more bad press than good, and bearing that it's the weaker of the two molds that fans know about.

I knew that I would get my hopes up if I had wasted time wondering what was coming, and I'm not surprised that a classics mold was used as I did expect that, but this is just fail, and again leads me to wonder is FunPub letting the TF side of things be run with fans in mind, or just pocketing the money, doing the bare minimum, and concentrating on the Joe side of things. I thought it was a bit silly when I found out their exclusive was a ARAH Big Lob, but that move sounds golden compared to this.

Please FunPun, show us the communication logs between you and Hasbro to show you were trying and not just doing the same minimum effort that you showed going to print and release of Heatwave naming the combiner with the same name as an adult pleasure tool.

They better have something major to announce for the club buy exclusive after Punch/Counterpunch, because I just do not see a return on investing in next year so far.[/rant]

And to think they could of had a winner if they had done Shattered Soundwave in the Ironhide mold.

[Blurrz]

LOL. Classic Diem.

[Razorclaw0000]

I do agree with you, Editor. That's why I put free in quotes. (I didn't think your rant was directed at me, but it's so hard to read tone out of text.)

This is not "by the fans" or "for the fans". You want to repaint something, repaint the Bullet Trains. Bring Music Label Soundwave without electronics. Bring Device Label Blaster without the electronics.

I swear that the '07 mess with the seekers has got them so gunshy about doing anything the fans actually want because they want to alienate anyone. It's ridiculous.

[First Gen]

Guys, guys, guys. I don't wanna seem all Pro Fun Pub here, but there are alot of factors that go into securing a club exclusive. First, I believe, is rights to the mold to be used, what concept they can use so that they can use if for a year or two to come and trying to figure out what figures will go with it and so on.

It's not like they have the pick of the litter with molds they can use and just say "Alright, lets take Universe Inferno and make him Grapple", HASBRO gives them molds they can use and they gotta work with that.

Besides, I think the color scheme really works with the mold and the prospect of expanding Elite Guard figures is really appealing.

[Name_Violation]

"WhY mY ShOuLdErS hUrT?"

lol

[UltraPrimal]

I swear that the '07 mess with the seekers has got them so gunshy about doing anything the fans actually want because they want to alienate anyone. It's ridiculous.

Most of the things said in this thread I don't agree with per-say, but this I do. I thought the whole point of the survey they give out at BotCon every year and the forums is to figure out what the fans want. That is not to say they don't. Just look at last years BotCon exclusives. Kup, Scourge and his Sweeps, Banzaitron, Leozack, Razorclaw, Elita-1, and Skyquake were all big hits with the fans. Sadly Flak and Landshark were not. Plus we got Punch/Counterpunch coming soon. But yes, I do agree that when it comes to the Seekers level of want and need, TFCC wusses out.

That said I think Dion will look good standing next to Orion Pax and Ariel, whatever molds they will be. Also question to Editor and anyone else who feel they don't get their money's worth from their membership, do you go to BotCon and buy the members only exclusives like Nightbeat and the Seacons? If you don't, then I'd say you should either start coming to BotCon and buying the club exclusives or just stop subscribing because it's not worth it otherwise.

[Zeds]

OMG use Wheeljack from Armade. The only mould worthy of a repaint!

[ShGarland_1383]

I want to see how the actual figure turns out, but going by the art at the TFCC site, I'm kind of optimistic.

And isn't Timelines #4 this year's Botcon comic? Because I bought it from the club, and I don't remember there being a bio of Dion...

OMG use Wheeljack from Armade. The only mould worthy of a repaint!

I kind of wish they would. I mean...I've always wanted to see Armada Wheeljack repainted, and I believe they can do better than the Shattered Glass...thing...

[Editor]

Also question to Editor and anyone else who feel they don't get their money's worth from their membership, do you go to BotCon and buy the members only exclusives like Nightbeat and the Seacons? If you don't, then I'd say you should either start coming to BotCon and buying the club exclusives or just stop subscribing because it's not worth it otherwise.

Sadly, Botcon is just too far out of the way most years to be able to get to, I tried to get to LA while it was on the West Coast but sadly the timing of the con this year (in the final planning days of another Convention I help run) just was not doable. As for the exclusives thru the club, I have not used my club access to get those (but I have bought some items from the club) as I'm just not as into the ones they have done so far, which is part of the reason I am excited to see P/CP, and I really hope that the new one they are going to announce soon will be more exciting.

I have no doubt that dealing with Hasbro is not an easy task, and they are confined to a number of issues, but for a character like Dion to get this treatment just seems a bit wrong. The mold doesn't even say Dion, I have an easier time it it was primarily molded in red and called 'Turbo' or 'Overdrive' as the alt-modes fit better, Heck mold him black and call him 'Scamper' it would fit him better. As it is, we'll see what happens, who knows maybe the colors in alt-mode will pop and override my nerdrage at who he is. And in that case, I may just end up getting him and calling him "Alley-Viper" Hot Shot

[First Gen]

OMG use Wheeljack from Armade. The only mould worthy of a repaint!

You mean other than this:




Or was that a hint of sarcasm I detected.....