Video Review of Walmart Exclusive Thundertron, Calcitron and Nightstrike

I'm more than good with my ROTF/HFTD Lockdown, still the best Lockdown so far, even though TFA's version came to a very close second. This Legacy version is disappointing in so many ways. Appearance, articulations & size are all worse. As much as I appreciate its presence among the Junkions on my shelf, the mold is just not great: the hindered shoulders and very loose bicep & elbow joints just bring the score down for me.

That is easily one of the Transformers molds to disappoint me the most and seeing Lockdown with it is the most upset I've felt about a new TF toy.

For anyone still looking, Gears popped up again for ordering on Amazon.

Did something go wrong with Legacy United Tigerhawk? I’ve never seen it at retail. It’s sold out everywhere on line, and even scalper inventories are limited. It was supposed to be refreshed with wave 2 and Sandstorm, but nothing. Sandstorm has arrived, several weeks ago now, but still no new inventory of Tigerhawk. I know the supply chain is still broken, but how can it still be this bad?

At least they spared us car mode comparrisons. shame, a great gimmick for the Lockdown figure to have but another shining example of old transformer toys are better.

Wake me up when they do a proper TFA-style Lockdown remake...

The only reason I'd get that Lockdown is to continue to grow my Legacy Junkion family.

I don't think we've had a video review of Cybertron Hot Shot yet, right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AINPGQCDDQs

There is a lot of news to get through, all dealing with the Legacy line. There is a video review of Cybertron Hot Shot, which you can see below.



We also have new in hand images of Vector Prime from Notrab. Please note that as with previous images from this source, the images do have certain settings set to make the colours and contrast more prominent.



















Finally, here is an image of Ferak in his packaging. This figure will be released exclusively at Walmart.

As much as upset as I am by the lack of Safeguard or those leftover ankle hinges from the previous tooling the more I see of this Victor Prime the more I like. His colors just pop so well and I like all the different ways he can store his key.

It may also help that Cybertron was my first ever TF series and I liked Vector Prime a lot back in the day.

As I thought, the 3D renders weren’t doing Vector any justice. Yes, I think he’s a slight step down from the OG, but I’m also not going to be scouring eBay for an original any time soon. While I wish the cyberkeys weren’t just translucent, I think he’s a great figure overall with some exceptional detailing. Can’t wait to get him, he looks great next to Galaxy Prime

Vector looks as good as I can hope for nowadays. Then I saw his opening hands. Man, I hate those. I've never had a toy with that type of hands that held a weapon good at all. And he's known for his sword.....

Cheetron wrote:Vector looks as good as I can hope for nowadays. Then I saw his opening hands. Man, I hate those. I've never had a toy with that type of hands that held a weapon good at all. And he's known for his sword.....

They are the exact same hands as Jhiaxus, who holds his guns just fine. I'm not too worried at all.

Really need an upgrade kit for VP, even just something to make those vestigial leg hinges look better and maybe extend his alt mode somehow would be good. Looking forward to what Toyhax comes up with, too.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Cheetron wrote:Vector looks as good as I can hope for nowadays. Then I saw his opening hands. Man, I hate those. I've never had a toy with that type of hands that held a weapon good at all. And he's known for his sword.....

They are the exact same hands as Jhiaxus, who holds his guns just fine. I'm not too worried at all.

Similar to Leader Prime's as well and they're perfectly fine.

Emerje

Is it just me, or are the colors in the pictures of Vector Prime like... overly saturated?

Looking at these pics, it only just now hit me that Vector Prime's Critias Gate is now located at the nose of his vehicle mode inside of behind the cockpit where it was on the original toy. His Cyber Key still being in that spot threw me off before now. The Critias Gate being at the very front nose portion of the vehicle mode is really not a good look for the whole vehicle mode.

I gotta say, I'm really digging Vectors Bot mode. His alt mode not so much!

~ Grim

The alt mode is mistransformed except for in the first picture

Sabrblade wrote:Looking at these pics, it only just now hit me that Vector Prime's Critias Gate is now located at the nose of his vehicle mode inside of behind the cockpit where it was on the original toy. His Cyber Key still being in that spot threw me off before now. The Critias Gate being at the very front nose portion of the vehicle mode is really not a good look for the whole vehicle mode.

Razorbeast88 wrote:The alt mode is mistransformed except for in the first picture

Aah, I see what they're doing. They made the nose spin to hide the gate and you're supposed to fake it by attaching the key behind the cockpit. Now I really want a third party to make a part that snaps on behind the cockpit with the gate sculpted on for a proper alt mode.

Emerje

Thanks to a pair of eBay auctions we have our first look at Treds, a rumored Selects figure. For those not familiar with the character of Treds, a brief history lesson. Gobots were a competitor of the Transformers line in the early 80s. Through mergers and acquisitions beyond that, Takara and Hasbro ended up with the rights to use the names of the Gobots characters, which is how we got the name Leader-1 as an Armada character, how Classics Mirage was redecoed into a very suspiciously Crasher-like color scheme and character, and why in 2003, Takara and Ehobby released a set of redecos/retools of some G1 minibots as Gobots characters Pathfinder (Cosmos mold), Bad Boy (Powerglide mold), Small Foot (Gears mold), Bug Bite (Bumblebee mold), Road Ranger (Huffer mold) and Treds (Warpath mold). We've already seen a modern release of Bugbite in Selects, Road Ranger in the WFC Golden Disk collection, and we're rumored to be getting a 3-pack of Small Foot, Pathfinder, and Treds in Selects this year (from Legacy Gears, Velocitron 500 Cosmos, and Kingdom Warpath, respectively).



History lesson over, here are the pictures, from an ebay listing by sellers transmimi and ytsetron, respectively.

















What do you think, Seibertronians? Excited to see some more obscure characters with modern updates? Sound off in the forums below!

I like the mold, and though at 1st glance the snot-colored tone is a turn-off, on closer inspection it's darker than snot. Might make for a decent troop builder.

I've always had a soft spot for Bugbite, Treds and the other GoBots based on G1 "Autobot Mini Vehicles" (and generally for obscure reuses of ancient molds), so I surely hope to see more like this, also in the MP line.

He looks really good. For those who have forgotten, since it wasn't mentioned (and the leak comes from January), Treads is supposed to be in a three pack with Path Finder (Cosmos mold) and Small Foot (Gears mold). They'll make up the bulk of a set that also includes previously released Bug Bite and Road Ranger.

All we need now is an updated Powerglide so we can finish the set with Bad Boy.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:He looks really good. For those who have forgotten, since it wasn't mentioned (and the leak comes from January), Treads is supposed to be in a three pack with Path Finder (Cosmos mold) and Small Foot (Gears mold). They'll make up the bulk of a set that also includes previously released Bug Bite and Road Ranger.

All we need now is an updated Powerglide so we can finish the set with Bad Boy.

Emerje

Yeah with Gears out, the 2 I'm still looking for are Powerglide and Seaspray.

As someone who had GoBots as a kid, for reasons, I'm not exactly eager to get most of them redone. I also get why they're doing this seemingly straight repaint, which is why it doesn't interest me. If the head was sculpted differently it would at least offer something new/different, otherwise it's just a Green Warpath IMO. I also would have preferred a different shade green, something a little more militaristic looking. I don't know what this color is, "forest green"? Pass

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Emerje wrote:All we need now is an updated Powerglide so we can finish the set with Bad Boy.

Emerje

Yeah with Gears out, the 2 I'm still looking for are Powerglide and Seaspray.

Totally this! though here lately I've been thinking of just getting the Legends figure and calling it good, feels like it will take forever to get Pwerglide when they always busy with simple repaints like Treds. We'll definitely get Swerve and Outback long before these two.

Not that I'm against it, I'll buy Swerve as it looks just different enough to be a different Bot.

I know I'll never have that, but I would like some more "cabin head" Go-Bots. Like for example, a modern take on Zeemon. It would be a brand new mold. You could have the option of having the classic "cabin head" look, or you could transform him further by shoving the cabin inside the chest or as a backpack, revealing a new "normal" head.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Emerje wrote:He looks really good. For those who have forgotten, since it wasn't mentioned (and the leak comes from January), Treads is supposed to be in a three pack with Path Finder (Cosmos mold) and Small Foot (Gears mold). They'll make up the bulk of a set that also includes previously released Bug Bite and Road Ranger.

All we need now is an updated Powerglide so we can finish the set with Bad Boy.

Emerje

Yeah with Gears out, the 2 I'm still looking for are Powerglide and Seaspray.

I skipped all the car-based Minibot Deluxes except Cliffjumper (because I never had a G1-looking Cliffjumper). I got all the non-car ones (Warpath, Cosmos, all the Pipes molds) so I too are waiting for Powerglide & Seaspray.

Meh. A literal repaint. Was hoping at least a new head sculpt. This means that the other 2 will be just repaints as well. I may grab them. Treds is a guardian so it’s interesting they’ve made him a decepticon now. Very happy that megahouse is giving us modern remakes of true machine robo and I can have updated gobots. I’m really surprised with hasbro having these rights that this is what they’ve come up with. I have my crasher and I am still disappointed she wasn’t a Porsche and that busted face lol. So when are getting superion in legacy?

Even though each minibot had at least one repaint/retool, what I appreciate about these main characters is that they add some variety.
In the past I’ve said I’d skip Powerglide if/when that release happens, but if I can get Seaspray, Windcharger, and Powerglide before I retire, I probably will.

He's a Decepticon in this continuity because of the first fiction these versions of the Gobots had. A team of both Renegades and Guardians came to this universe, disguised themselves as Autobots and Decepticons, and worked within both factions to find a solution to the event that was destroying their home universe. Treds got in with the Decepticons to basically keep an eye on Bug Bite and Bad Boy.

Following on from the recent in hand pictures of what looks to be an Ehobby recolor of Kingdom Warpath into the Gobots character Treds, we have a look at the second of the rumored three pack, Small Foot, via Reddit user r/cillipod13231322! Unlike the previous few releases of Gobots characters (Road Ranger, Crasher, This figure actually contains some slight remolding in the form of a new face.



As you can see, the sides of the head stay the same, but her face sculpt is much more in line with her depiction in fiction so far.

Here's the rest of the pictures.







At this rate, Pathfinder should be leaked by tomorrow. Are you all excited to see another Gobots inspired figure? Do you plan on picking her up when she's released? Let us know what you think below!

Bounti76 wrote:He's a Decepticon in this continuity because of the first fiction these versions of the Gobots had. A team of both Renegades and Guardians came to this universe, disguised themselves as Autobots and Decepticons, and worked within both factions to find a solution to the event that was destroying their home universe. Treds got in with the Decepticons to basically keep an eye on Bug Bite and Bad Boy.

But even that was a reference to his GoBot toy having the wrong faction sticker, right?

TFWiki says that eHobby Treads' color scheme was based on how Warpath was colored in a Takara catalog or promo, but I'd still like to think it was also referencing that one panel in the first UK Annual where he's colored green, like how Small Foot and Road Ranger's colors were based on that page in 'The Autobot's Lightning Strike' where Gears and Huffer are miscolored. Or was there some other source for those too?

And I'm so glad they bothered to remold her face, looks awesome!

This looks really nice. I'm looking pretty forward to this 3 pack. It's going to be my first time picking up these molds sense I don't have any interest in getting the other releases.

I dunno why, but I've really liked these recolours since the e-hobby set. I may have to grab these!

~ Grim

The new head sculpt is pretty interesting, not just because we got one, but because it's based her Fun Publications (BotCon) Timelines design.



I wonder if that means we could get another three pack in the future?


Just need new Seaspray and we can have a set of Man-O-War (Seaspray), BuggyMan (Beachcomber), and Rest Q (Cliffjumper).

Also this is the early Takara image that inspired the e-Hobby set members Bad Boy and Path Finder, along with Timelines BuggyMan and Man-O-War and FunPub Nacelle.



Emerje

Looks cool , but man I wish we could get actual Gobot reissues.

Emerje wrote:The new head sculpt is pretty interesting, not just because we got one, but because it's based her Fun Publications (BotCon) Timelines design.

Which was itself based on her Hanna-Barbera cartoon face.

As an avid gobot fan why oh why Is she orange lol. I was hoping for red. I get it it’s timeline stuff but man I’m ready for real modern gobot toys

Richeetf's post isn't showing up to quote, but I feel like responding,

As an avid gobot fan why oh why Is she orange lol. I was hoping for red. I get it it’s timeline stuff but man I’m ready for real modern gobot toys

I'd love that too, I just watched the whole series along with an old college friend, and we plan to try out my Battle of the Rock Lords VHS on his birthday. There IS enough of a following, but there's also the 3-way legal tug-of-war between Hasbro owning the characters, Bandai owning the original Machine Robo toys and related designs, and Time Warner owning the cartoon and likeness rights that would be necessary to produce Gobot toys in the Generations/Masterpiece style emphasizing accuracy to vintage fiction that Transformers have been enjoying for 2 decades now. Gobots deserves it, but 3 parties each demanding their pound of flesh just doesn't make it economically viable.

As for orange, I think it comes from this Ladybird illustration I mentioned before:

If someone interpreted blue representing black, in the mighty Marvel tradition, this should explain Road Ranger's Huffer repaint as well, but if anyone has better information that refutes this, please chime in.

I think all Hasbro would need is the rights to the cartoon since those designs were and are different enough from the toys. Hence why Action Toys and Megahouse are able to make toys but based on the Revenge of Cronos Anime.

Wait, why is this new Small Foot orange when the original toy was yellow?



Transformers e-Hobby Exclusives Smallfoot Gallery

Yeah, interesting it’s not more of a straight yellow…. Especially since there aren’t exactly a lot of characters who are a common yellow.
Although there aren’t a lot of characters who have a main color of orange either.
Plus that’s a Yellow-Orange.
Most people don’t realize that the legit orange color is darker and closer to Red-Orange.


If Hastak could ever make updated GoBots, I would most likely buy them. Or at least some of them.
I wasn’t really impressed with the new Crasher.
But from what it sounds, there may be a couple too many hurdles for this to ever happen.

Sowndwave76 wrote:But from what it sounds, there may be a couple too many hurdles for this to ever happen.

Actions Toys was somehow able to get away with making an animation-accurate Cy-Kill face for one of their updated Bike Robo figures in their official Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos line, so it seems other companies working directly with Bandai instead of Hasbro might have it easier.

Sabrblade wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:But from what it sounds, there may be a couple too many hurdles for this to ever happen.

Actions Toys was somehow able to get away with making an animation-accurate Cy-Kill face for one of their updated Bike Robo figures in their official Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos line, so it seems other companies working directly with Bandai instead of Hasbro might have it easier.

Yeah, I have that figure, it's amazing. Those GoBot faces were more like an unofficial bonus than anything.

Sabrblade wrote:Wait, why is this new Small Foot orange when the original toy was yellow?

Timelines colors to go with the Timelines face sculpt.

Plus M Sipher's photos show her as orange instead of yellow.



Emerje

I'll give them points for the new head on Small foot, but it does still looks a lot like Gears with the red front body. If that was a different color or even a much lighter shade I'd be more tempted.

I wonder if that means we could get another three pack in the future?


Just need new Seaspray and we can have a set of Man-O-War (Seaspray), BuggyMan (Beachcomber), and Rest Q (Cliffjumper).

Emerje[/quote]

It wouldn't surprise me to see Man-O-War in the main line with Seaspray going into an Exclusive multipack with how they handled Hound! lol
That said, I probably wouldn't say no to that suggested three pack as I find the Cliffjumper repaint kind of interesting. I'm still waiting on Beachcomber form EE so if a repaint was released and available before I get that in my hand it might sting a little. I'd also go for that Thrust repaint and anyone's listening. Can't say I'm a big enough fan of GoBots to want them all though, I got Crasher because of the unique and striking look to her.

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Wait, why is this new Small Foot orange when the original toy was yellow?

Timelines colors to go with the Timelines face sculpt.

She was yellow in her first Timelines fiction appearance, too.



The same appearance which used the pink color of the face from the toy, while the later one instead made her face the same light gray as her thighs.

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:Wait, why is this new Small Foot orange when the original toy was yellow?

Timelines colors to go with the Timelines face sculpt.

She was yellow in her first Timelines fiction appearance, too.



The same appearance which used the pink color of the face from the toy, while the later one instead made her face the same light gray as her thighs.

I'm sure they had some sort of rationale behind it, either they were trying to meet half way between the yellow and darker orange from Timelines, or basing it on Greg's pic on TFWiki, or maybe it's just bad photography because the truck image looks more like dark yellow than light orange so it might be a little brighter in hand.

Emerje

Is the commander class Armada Optimus prime really that good? My entire collection is a combination of studio series 86 and war for Cybertron figures with an emphasis on an overall G1 aesthetic, but I hate to miss out on something truly special.

Mkdlmr wrote:Is the commander class Armada Optimus prime really that good? My entire collection is a combination of studio series 86 and war for Cybertron figures with an emphasis on an overall G1 aesthetic, but I hate to miss out on something truly special.

Yes, yes he is. He's a truly excellent update.

And a truly great commander figure on his own, even if you don't have experience with the original.