The Energon Pub

The standard combiners from Combiner Wars/Unite Warriors and Power of the Primes pose an interesting dilemma. They're a respectable size compared to normal-size Transformers thanks to their components being in the same scale as normal-size TFs instead of the limb bots being midgets (something the G1 toys suffered because of), but they're not the mass-shifted "Step on everyone" size from the cartoon.

But there's a way to achieve the effect of that size:

Stand them with Legends/Legion-class figures instead of the normal-size versions!

This is a scaling solution that's even been employed officially. The Gigantion characters from Cybertron are Brobdingnagian by Transformers standards in the show, but their toys are of course still just standard size classes. So Takara included a Legends-class Optimus Prime with the Japanese "Megalo Convoy" release of Metroplex.

And during Combiner Wars itself, there was a Legends-class version of Shockwave to replicate Bruticus taking advantage of being "step on everyone" size to wield Shocky's gun mode (which, unlike Megatron's, does not mass-shift):


Another thing you could do is stand the individual members with buildings that are 1:32 scale (or thereabouts), and then the combined modes with buildings that are, say, 1:144 scale (or thereabouts).

That's one of the things I love about the Legends scale: they're not only good desk caddies, but they make an excellent cast for a display of a base-former, city-former, or in-fiction giant!

Glarryg

I guess it depends on what you have more of.

If I had infinite funds and shelf space? Like, bar none?

I'd go with oversized knockoffs. I found this image quickly searching on Google.




It seems about right to me. And then I'd keep my original uncombined along with them.

The Legends solution is good, but there just aren't enough of them for my tastes. And I have the entire Season 1 cast; I'm not into rebuying the whole lot of them.

That said, since I don't have infinite funds or space I'll just stick with the United Combiners I already have and Maketoys Giant to be Devestator with YotS Omega to be Omega Supreme.

But I will say this: in some setups using small figures is effective in adding scale.

You could also get the USKO Devy off of Sirtoys. Much cheaper than Maketoys Giant.

The thing about rebuying characters at the Legends/Legion size is that being simple and ittybitty makes those figures cheap AF.

I just extend the legs by keeping the deluxes at robot mode heightmmistransformed and then stand something in front of them. Gives a bit of size variation to them too if that's a thing if some are extended/some standard (eg bruticus being taller than menasor). The tank deluxes are the worst ones to use the extended legs with for stability but hey. Also makes them look more proportionate as I don't like the squat/short leg look anyways and would still be putting other figures in front of them to cover it up.

I don't mind cw devy being his size as I display him only with the movie cast anyways and I'm happy his construction vehicles are more in scalet with deluxe vehicle modes - a cement mixer should be bigger than a lambo!. Bizzarely I use a smaller third party devy to go with mps because its vehicles are more detailed tho if I had mainly cartoon mps I'd probably switch them around.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:You could also get the USKO Devy off of Sirtoys. Much cheaper than Maketoys Giant.

The thing about rebuying characters at the Legends/Legion size is that being simple and ittybitty makes those figures cheap AF.

True, but I already have Maketoys Giant and TFC Herc. Plus, I do like Devestator the most out of the combiners, so I want a version that's good and not just acceptable.

I wonder if rebuying the entire G1 cast rally is cheaper than rebuying OS KO, and titan Omega. I don't think the entire cast has even been made. Sure, there's a few guys, but everyone? And there's a sense of futility about it too.

Is any small G1 Starscream really better than ER voyager Screamer for a main display? For myself, I'd rather buy a bigger combiner than smaller, worse, versions of characters I like more.

Again, though, all this is based on the assumption that I have an unlimited budget and space. Which I don't. So I'm sticking with UW Combiners that I already have.

If you're talking about for display, then it is what it is. But If you're talking about photography, then there are ways to play with perspective, angles, and poses.

blackeyedprime wrote:I just extend the legs by keeping the deluxes at robot mode heightmmistransformed and then stand something in front of them. Gives a bit of size variation to them too if that's a thing if some are extended/some standard (eg bruticus being taller than menasor). The tank deluxes are the worst ones to use the extended legs with for stability but hey. Also makes them look more proportionate as I don't like the squat/short leg look anyways and would still be putting other figures in front of them to cover it up.

I don't mind cw devy being his size as I display him only with the movie cast anyways and I'm happy his construction vehicles are more in scalet with deluxe vehicle modes - a cement mixer should be bigger than a lambo!. Bizzarely I use a smaller third party devy to go with mps because its vehicles are more detailed tho if I had mainly cartoon mps I'd probably switch them around.

I tried the same trick with my UW Superion today. It works amazing for display, not so much for posing.

One thing I've wondered about is nabbing some of those Energon limb to CW torso adapters off Shapeways and using them to give my lonely CW Silverbolt the TFC Aerialbot limbs (TFC used to use Energon-compatible combiner ports). That way Superion would be a bit bigger and would also gain nicely anime/Obari proportions. Also the jet modes on those old TFC figures were gorgeous.

But yeah, for actual display and getting the mass shifting shenanigans down your only real option is Legends figures. Myself I'm not a huge fan of mass shifting and I actually like the combiners just being large dudes as opposed to veritable titans (given how big the Transformers are, a to-scale Superion would still be colossal next to us, even if he wasn't big enough to hold Megatron in his hand) but I see the appeal.