The Energon Pub

[Mykltron]

I've got the add-ons ordered now I just need to track down the original team for less than the cost of a kidney. If anyone knows where I can get it for less than 60GBP please PM me!

[Trikeboy]

Blast-off and Swindle look fantastic. Hope Fansproject decided to make the others as well, the Hasbro figs suck hard.

Yeah, a part of me wanted to buy two bruticus and two crossfire sets so I could have them in robot mode. However, the Crossfire figs in robot mode totally outshines the Hasbro attempt it would look weird having them in robot mode. These guys are staying in combined mode which is so lucky because combined mode is a million times better now. Hasbro really should be ashamed of themselves for their attempts. Superion, Devastator and Bruticus were among the weakest part of the Energon line in my opinion.

[Convotron]

This is such a great step up in design evolution from the Aerial Team Appendage kit.

I really like how the weaponry and parts are incorporated into both the combined and separate forms so well. There doesn't seem to be any part wasted.

Munitioner and Explorer are quite a break through in my opinion. People in the fan community seem to often underestimate the difficulty of designing functional transforming toys that not only work well but also look good. The figures look like they have an impressive range of articulation and posing ability. Look at how they can be posed with such wide legged stances while having the soles of their feet flat or nearly on the surface. That's still a rare feat in the mainline TF toys.

I wasn't going to buy this set, even though I have RotF Superion and the Aerial Team Appendage kit but I'm feeling extremely tempted to add these latest Crossfire products to my collection.

[King Henrik]

hey seibs, do you think it would be possible to get a shot of the energon set combined with crossfire? Some of us weren't smart enough to pick the universe bruticus set...

[Stixx]

I also would like to see what he looks like combined with Energon Bruticus, and Compared to G1 Bruticus as well.

[Gauntlet101010]

Oh, one question:

Can he hold WSTF Shockwave? Those hands give me some hope and I bought the sucker to be held by the guy. If not, maybe I can use some invisible elastics to do the trick...

You must've missed some pics! Here you go



http://www.seibertron.com/toys/gallery. ... &start=181

I did miss that! Looks awsome! I dunno if it's collective consiousness, but both of these guys came out at exactly the right time.

I dunno if it's fair to say Hasbro dropped the ball with the Energon combiners. They aren't bad and they only had permission to do so much. But I gotta say that FP brought this guy to a whole 'nother level.

[Mindmaster]

How come 3rd party companies do a ton better than Hasbro? -sigh- It's times like these when I really wish I could order online.

[Midnight_Fox]

How come 3rd party companies do a ton better than Hasbro?

Because they're not limited to materials that have to stand up to the rigorous play that children put toys through, probably.

[Skullcrunchberries]

Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

[Seibertron]

hey seibs, do you think it would be possible to get a shot of the energon set combined with crossfire? Some of us weren't smart enough to pick the universe bruticus set...

Not at this time ... I've got my hands full with too many other galleries at the moment. You guys are going to have to use your imagination for that combination.

[Seibertron]

I also would like to see what he looks like combined with Energon Bruticus, and Compared to G1 Bruticus as well.

Got G1 Bruticus covered as well. Here's an image with a link to the rest of the comparison pictures.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

How come 3rd party companies do a ton better than Hasbro?

Because they're not limited to materials that have to stand up to the rigorous play that children put toys through, probably.

They're actually focused on the collectors, not the kids and their parents. As a consequence though, the prices are high thanks to material costs, Research & Development and production numbers (lower numbers mean higher prices), especially the last since we are so few in number compared to Hasbro's focus. Note that the third parties can't go and produce a lot for two reasons:

- The production costs would go through the roof, and at a certain threshold, they may even lose money per unit. It's a delicate balance between production costs, margin of profit and final cost to the consumer. Basic economics.
- They use the same facilities as some other, larger companies. As such, they have to carefully plan their turn when the larger companies have had theirs.

[El Duque]

How come 3rd party companies do a ton better than Hasbro?

Because they're not limited to materials that have to stand up to the rigorous play that children put toys through, probably.

They're actually focussed on the collectors, not the kids and their parents. As a consequence though, the prices are high thanks to material costs, Research & Development and production numbers (lower numbers mean higher prices).

Bingo! We have a winner.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Oh, this is TOO much! Hasbro, you dropped the ball here. Ugh, I can't wait for my pre-order to come through!

A devastator add-on... I don't think it'd be possible, to be honest.

[JaAm!]

100% Win!

[Defect]

seeing as this guy seems to be a big combiner how does he look next to g1 trypticon And on another note well done yet again Seibertron!

[alexison]

Nice!

Now bring on devastator add on....

I would squeal with joy at news of this. I bought my Devastator from a guy on eBay. He didn't include the energon weapons, aka the hands and feet, even though they were pictured. After I brought it to his attention, he said he would send them to me and reimburse me 15 bucks for the trouble. His eBay account soon became inactive...

[Convotron]

How come 3rd party companies do a ton better than Hasbro?

Because they're not limited to materials that have to stand up to the rigorous play that children put toys through, probably.

They're actually focused on the collectors, not the kids and their parents. As a consequence though, the prices are high thanks to material costs, Research & Development and production numbers (lower numbers mean higher prices), especially the last since we are so few in number compared to Hasbro's focus. Note that the third parties can't go and produce a lot for two reasons:

- The production costs would go through the roof, and at a certain threshold, they may even lose money per unit. It's a delicate balance between production costs, margin of profit and final cost to the consumer. Basic economics.
- They use the same facilities as some other, larger companies. As such, they have to carefully plan their turn when the larger companies have had theirs.

Midnight_Fox and JelZe GoldRabbit are on the money.

I think that if you set the original Energon/Super Link Bruticus Maximus beside the modified version that uses Munitioner and Explorer, and strictly compare them in that isolated situation of looking at the figures in a straight comparison, certainly the latter is the "better" combiner.

However, if you look at the original Energon/Super Link Bruticus Maximus design, consider that it's a toy created as a part of an extensive toyline. It has to adhere to certain guidelines for that toyline's products(ie. aethetics of the toyline, toy design consistency such as specific parts count for each size class, etc.).

Now look at the Munitioner and Explorer add-on sets and consider that they're basically standalone products with the sole purpose of enhancing the Bruticus Maximus combiner. There's more freedom for the Crossfire designers to work with and an entirely different set of considerations for their target customers(collectors who are primarily interested in display pieces as opposed to kids who are interested in toys to simply have fun with).

I like Bruticus Maximus(out of the 3 Energon/Super Link combiner sets, it's my favourite) and if I look at it in the context of being an Energon toy, it fits in with the rest of the toyline and though I'm not a fan of the energon hands and feet parts, they make sense due to the fiction established by the cartoon.

The reason why FP and any other 3rd party company out there can create great upgrades or figures of their own devising is because they aren't hindered by the need to create a product to fit into a larger product line.

I also think it's interesting that there's a grouping of "3rd party" companies together as if the majority of 3rd party products are "better" than what Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy produce. As far as I've seen, only Fansproject consistently produce products that are widely considered to be well designed and basically good products. No other 3rd party company has FP's performance record at this point. So to say "3rd party" companies produce "better" figures/toys than Hasbro is flawed statement. It's mainly FP that can be credited with most of the 3rd party products that people often praise. Many, if not most, other 3rd party products are mediocre at best, while a few seem to be good like the Gear of War accessories(though they're basically expensive weapon sets while most of FP's products are extensively engineered and functional accessories or figures).

[Irken17]

And of course, the only Energon combiner I have is the one with no add on kit by fans project

[Tigertrack]

So how's the stability? The strength, and the balance? DO you feel like you have to be really careful when connecting him? Posing him?

I really like what I see. Should be a fabulous piece to add to the collection.

[CircuitBreaker]

My Vortex had the misassemble issue where he has 2 left legs. Will this hinder the combination?

[autobot-jolt]

beautiful..just beautiful..wish i could afford it.

[Trikeboy]

My Vortex had the misassemble issue where he has 2 left legs. Will this hinder the combination?

Well, the reason for it being delayed was because it wasn't fully compatable with all versions of Bruticus Maximus. The issue might have been addressed. The best bet would probably be to contact Fansproject.

I also think it's interesting that there's a grouping of "3rd party" companies together as if the majority of 3rd party products are "better" than what Hasbro and/or TakaraTomy produce. As far as I've seen, only Fansproject consistently produce products that are widely considered to be well designed and basically good products. No other 3rd party company has FP's performance record at this point. So to say "3rd party" companies produce "better" figures/toys than Hasbro is flawed statement. It's mainly FP that can be credited with most of the 3rd party products that people often praise. Many, if not most, other 3rd party products are mediocre at best, while a few seem to be good like the Gear of War accessories(though they're basically expensive weapon sets while most of FP's products are extensively engineered and functional accessories or figures).

Completely agree with that. I got a delivery from BBTS consisting of Hearts of Steel Prime and Warbot Defender. I opened Prime first and noticed the quality of the plastic straight away. It looks great on the shelf but when you pick it up if feels really cheap. When I opened Warbot Defender, it felt like I just picked up an original G1 toy. In fact I was almost 5 years old again. The diecast and plastic was fantastic. It is a solid figure and one that is a centerpiece to anyones collection. I have no problems preordering Fansproject items because I know the quality of the final product will be on par with an official product or better.

I have Valkyrie on the way to me now but after reading reviews, I am concerned after reading the reviews.

[Gauntlet101010]

I kinda feel bad for Impossible Toys a bit on Valkerie. They made the Quints and she's, pretty much, the exact same quality (great mold, rather poor paint). However, unlike the Quints people are generally blasting them on it. But they aren't Hasbro or Takara; they are not professionals.

Valkerie is in no way comparable to Warbot Defender. Fansprojects is really the exception rather than the rule when it comes to 3rd party products in terms of their quality.

[El Duque]

I wish they would have made a replacement head for Onslaught to give him his G1 look. With all the extra stuff that gets added on to him I'm kind of surprised they didn't.