The Energon Pub

[Sabrblade]

I actually wanted the Arcee release to look like her IDW self rather than a mock up of the G1 design.

That one we can attribute to TakaraTomy designer Hironori Kobayashi, who designed the figure at his own personal insistence. As it was Arcee, he wanted to give fans the Arcee toy they've been wanting for 28 years, and had to really push for Hasbro to let him design it as close to the G1 animation model as possible, since Hasbro was more wanting an updated design that differed from the original G1 design a la the other Classics-style figures.

In fact, Hasbro was even considering wanting an Arcee toy that could possibly retooled into new Blurr toy, but Kobayashi-san, along with Yuki Ohshima, managed to convince them how cool a G1-faithful Arcee would be, and so Hasbro accepted.

Though, Hasbro's Arcee isn't quite an exact match for G1 Arcee, color-wise, what with all the black parts it has. But Takara's Arcee will be colored much more faithfully to the cartoon.

[shockblast2]

i was excited for devastator until i read the part about it being a leader & voyagers along side the high price point, cant afford to drop that much cash in one shot on a dust collector nor do i have the shelf space for something that big. Oh well more money for video games i guess

No one knows a release date (I would bet end of the year actually) so start saving now. $5 a week, you'll have it saved up (and then some) in six months!

As your friendly neighborhood accountant I fully agree with this financial planning in order to acquire a Devastator! However, one would need to save $5 a week for 33 weeks in order to over the package plus taxes. That would put you at mid September to afford it. If you want to save for it in six months, you will need to save 6.35 a week.

Awesome suggestion Burn! There are NO excuses for not buying a Devastator for your home! MONEY is no object!!

[shockblast2]

I actually wanted the Arcee release to look like her IDW self rather than a mock up of the G1 design.

That one we can attribute to TakaraTomy designer Hironori Kobayashi, who designed the figure at his own personal insistence. As it was Arcee, he wanted to give fans the Arcee toy they've been wanting for 28 years, and had to really push for Hasbro to let him design it as close to the G1 animation model as possible, since Hasbro was more wanting an updated design that differed from the original G1 design a la the other Classics-style figures.

In fact, Hasbro was even considering wanting an Arcee toy that could possibly retooled into new Blurr toy, but Kobayashi-san, along with Yuki Ohshima, managed to convince them how cool a G1-faithful Arcee would be, and so Hasbro accepted.

Though, Hasbro's Arcee isn't quite an exact match for G1 Arcee, color-wise, what with all the black parts it has. But Takara's Arcee will be colored much more faithfully to the cartoon.

That dirty son of a bitch.

Buy a third party Arcee if you want G1!

I REALLY like IDW Arcee. Even the red over the pink is better in my opinion!

I really hope they do not try that crap with Leader Ultra Magnus. I hope it looks just like IDW Magnus. Thanks for the info Sabre. Damn, how did you know all that?

[Sabrblade]

I really hope they do not try that crap with Leader Ultra Magnus. I hope it looks just like IDW Magnus. Thanks for the info Sabre. Damn, how did you know all that?

There was an interview with him about the new Arcee toy in Figure Ō magazine #202, which was translated into English - http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=102429&hilit=+202#p1624650

Personally, I'm glad they made Arcee so faithful since I don't care much for Classics-style updates (unless there's fiction attached to them). And it makes sense to do Arcee right the first time (since this is her first true figure that's neither a redeco nor part of separate continuity family like Energon or Animated), before doing updated versions of her in later toys.

[shockblast2]

All new mold?

For $180, it better do my taxes as well.

With all your "GEEWUN" comments, I was under the assumption that you wouldnt be among the population of people that have to file taxes. You seem to have a problem with collectors in their 30s and older.

No, that would be silly and hypocritical as I am 34 years old myself. I like geewun, or G1. What I don't like is arguing day in and day out with people about the specifics of mine collection and how I classify it versus yours.

Why would I have a problem with collecting if you are 30 years or older? Now, I do take issue with people who have delusions that Hasbro is something more than a toy company that primarily produces toys for children. If they create something for the children that appeals to us, then great! Buy it up! I did, and still do. But, I have no delusions on what Hasbro should and should not be producing.

Do you know any members like that?

I tend to think of the CHUG lines as being aimed at the adult collector market and kids being the secondary market. Kids dont give a crap about G1 characters or figures that homage them. Hasbro has plenty of lines geared toward todays youth such as TF Prime, RID, Movie lines, and rescue bots. Theres no shortage of lines geared towards kids. Any of the CHUG lines are clearly geared towards people our age who grew up with G1. Im 38 so by the time I stopped collecting G1 stuff around age 12 im sure you were exposed to the tail end of G1. Granted that was the action master era which sucked, but dont act like you had no exposure to G1 in the 80s. Now if G1 didnt tickle your pickle and the nostalgia factor isnt there for you, thats another story. CHUG lines have been a home run since they arrived in 2006. They have inspired older fans like me to get back into collecting and have carried the nostalgia to a younger generation to enjoy.

I like G1 and always have. And I was a fan since 1986. My first TF was Ravage. I watched the 1986 movie in theaters. Hell, I cried when Optimus died, as sad as that is.

However, the Classics line is over. It ended in 2007 and Universe ended in 2009. Although the toys used G1 characters and redesigned them for modern day, this was done to introduce the children to the characters of yesterday, NOT to market to adults. The fact that the toys themselves say "for children six years and up" is solid proof of that. Not to mention the fact that they reside in the toy aisles, and not next to the power tools.
Again, Hasbro does think of us when creating some of these toys, but their bread and butter is the children. As it should be. Toys are primarily for children.
I do think you are completely wrong when you say that children do not care for the Generations figures. Mine love them and like to hear me tell them about the characters. If you showed my boys a picture of most G1 characters they could tell who they are. As a matter of fact I just bought the Hoist rescue bot for my sons, and the first thing they asked is why he wasn't green. They also asked if Medix is supposed to be Ratchet. If all they knew was the new stuff and movieverse, they would not have made those connections.

[Burn]

Kids dont give a crap about G1 characters or figures that homage them.

My 9 year old nephew would disagree with this statement. He's only ever watched the G1 movie, never the cartoon, but he knows which figures and characters are from G1 and which are from more of the modern lines.

You'd be surprised how much kids would know about G1.

As your friendly neighborhood accountant I fully agree with this financial planning in order to acquire a Devastator! However, one would need to save $5 a week for 33 weeks in order to over the package plus taxes. That would put you at mid September to afford it. If you want to save for it in six months, you will need to save 6.35 a week.

I did the figures in my head and it's too early to be utilising the OTHER brain cell!

Besides, I'm only a Financial Controller, what do I need Maths for?

[shockblast2]

Kids dont give a crap about G1 characters or figures that homage them.

My 9 year old nephew would disagree with this statement. He's only ever watched the G1 movie, never the cartoon, but he knows which figures and characters are from G1 and which are from more of the modern lines.

You'd be surprised how much kids would know about G1.

As your friendly neighborhood accountant I fully agree with this financial planning in order to acquire a Devastator! However, one would need to save $5 a week for 33 weeks in order to over the package plus taxes. That would put you at mid September to afford it. If you want to save for it in six months, you will need to save 6.35 a week.

I did the figures in my head and it's too early to be utilising the OTHER brain cell!

Besides, I'm only a Financial Controller, what do I need Maths for?

Ah, a fellow finance professional! That is AWESOME, my friend! I figured you might be something to that nature because of your comment. Usually only accountants look at things from that perspective.

Again, excellent suggestion. Hell, even the children can afford this one with this planning. Even if the allowance is only $5 a week, I am sure dad will fill in the gap. Hell, I would buy my sons one each if they saved money for that long without spending it!

As far as your comment to X, I agree. My prior post lays that out. And I have four examples of my own.

[shockblast2]

I really hope they do not try that crap with Leader Ultra Magnus. I hope it looks just like IDW Magnus. Thanks for the info Sabre. Damn, how did you know all that?

There was an interview with him about the new Arcee toy in Figure Ō magazine #202, which was translated into English - http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=102429&hilit=+202#p1624650

Personally, I'm glad they made Arcee so faithful since I don't care much for Classics-style updates (unless there's fiction attached to them). And it makes sense to do Arcee right the first time (since this is her first true figure that's neither a redeco nor part of separate continuity family like Energon or Animated), before doing updated versions of her in later toys.

What I don't get is why they just didn't make a release of G1 Arcee, market it as such, and even put it in a grid packaging just like the old toys? When I look at my Acree among my other IDW figures it looks kinda out of place. But, I so like it. Just think that an IDW Arcee would have been more suitable for this current line. Again, I don't know what would have hindered Hasbro from doing what I mentioned. If anything they could have released it in the Encore line or something. Of course, I am sure the geewun fans are glad they didn't, because the price point would have been much higher.

[william-james88]

G1 ended over 20 years ago. If you mean its influence, then yes, it will always be the core of Transformers because it started it all. And while I respect the line for what it was and still is, it is definitely long dead. If anything, this is a new generation of our old favorites. Just like G2, which took over for G1 when it ended. And in my opinion, this generation, or G3 as I like to call it, is far superior to its predecessors. This doesn't take away from G1 however, because without the original we have nothing.

Thats a nice way of seeing it and I can totally get behind it. I did mean the influence (for Devastator) and also the toys in this case.

[Sabrblade]

What I don't get is why they just didn't make a release of G1 Arcee, market it as such, and even put it in a grid packaging just like the old toys?

Well, it's gotta go in some existing line, as there's presently no line with the kind of packaging as the G1 toys had. And with it being of modern day engineering, it'd look a little out of place among the 1986-developed toys from an engineering standpoint.

Again, I don't know what would have hindered Hasbro from doing what I mentioned. If anything they could have released it in the Encore line or something.

Except that Hasbro has no ties to the Encore line, which is all Takara.

Then again, Whirl and Roadbuster were likewise very G1-based (not as much as Arcee, yet still close), but with IDW-based heads.

Ah well.

[shockblast2]

G1 ended over 20 years ago. If you mean its influence, then yes, it will always be the core of Transformers because it started it all. And while I respect the line for what it was and still is, it is definitely long dead. If anything, this is a new generation of our old favorites. Just like G2, which took over for G1 when it ended. And in my opinion, this generation, or G3 as I like to call it, is far superior to its predecessors. This doesn't take away from G1 however, because without the original we have nothing.

Thats a nice way of seeing it and I can totally get behind it. I did mean the influence (for Devastator) and also the toys in this case.

Yep, total respect to g1. It is the original, and will always be the basis for the TF lines in general, present and future. As a matter of fact I use its foundation for my collection. I fully expect a Legends Kickback, and Legends Brawn, Warpath, Seaspray, Beachcomber, Pipes, Outback/Fallback, and Wheelie in the line this year sometime. And in the future I would like to see a proper IDW Reflector, amongst a few others from G1 that we have never seen. But with some new ones as well. I would love to see an IDW Bulkhead, for example!

[Diem]

Again, I don't know what would have hindered Hasbro from doing what I mentioned. If anything they could have released it in the Encore line or something. Of course, I am sure the geewun fans are glad they didn't, because the price point would have been much higher.

'Cept Hasbro don't do the Encore line. And also the Encore line is for, you know, reissues, not brand new molds.

If Arcee were a character who already had a CHUG counterpart (like, say, Combiner Wars Optimus) I think people would be happy with an IDW version. But since this is the first G1-verse figure of her (not counting Timelines/Binaltech) it's not unreasonable for fans to want a little fan attention here.

I totally agree with IDW-homaging figures, since MTMTE is the best TF fiction there is at present, maybe ever. But give me the choice between a version of a figure that I've had in mind for decades and a version that first came up a few years ago I know which is more important.

[Sabrblade]

Venksta has chimed in about Catz's Devastator info, specifically the "Leader" figure claim:

Read carefully what Catz' information says. His source claims one of the constructicons is a leader size. And does not mention how many constructicons there are in total. Also, based on what I've found out, Catz's source only saw a photo of Devastator, not the actual toy physically. Is it possible the main torso looks like one big figure, when its really comprised of two figures, like the traditional Devastator design?

[william-james88]

I actually wanted the Arcee release to look like her IDW self rather than a mock up of the G1 design.

That one we can attribute to TakaraTomy designer Hironori Kobayashi, who designed the figure at his own personal insistence. As it was Arcee, he wanted to give fans the Arcee toy they've been wanting for 28 years, and had to really push for Hasbro to let him design it as close to the G1 animation model as possible, since Hasbro was more wanting an updated design that differed from the original G1 design a la the other Classics-style figures.

In fact, Hasbro was even considering wanting an Arcee toy that could possibly retooled into new Blurr toy, but Kobayashi-san, along with Yuki Ohshima, managed to convince them how cool a G1-faithful Arcee would be, and so Hasbro accepted.

Though, Hasbro's Arcee isn't quite an exact match for G1 Arcee, color-wise, what with all the black parts it has. But Takara's Arcee will be colored much more faithfully to the cartoon.

WOW, such great stuff Sabr! Cobotron, did you read this? Arcee was designed by Takara and not Hasbro, that's amazing! Also, good to know Hasbro is aware that their current generations Blurr doesnt make the cut.

[Sabrblade]

WOW, such great stuff Sabr! Cobotron, did you read this? Arcee was designed by Takara and not Hasbro, that's amazing! Also, good to know Hasbro is aware that their current generations Blurr doesnt make the cut.

More on this here - http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=102429&hilit=+202#p1624650

[Shuttershock]

All new mold?

For $180, it better do my taxes as well.

$179.99 Canadian. The expected U.S. price with the current exchange rate puts it at about $149.99 USD. Going off the difference between the G1 Insecticons reissue in the Canadian listing ($99.99) versus the US shelf price ($79.99), the $149.99 estimate for the US price is very likely.

Ok, I will do my own taxes, but the little green son of a **** better at least take the trash out once a week.

Long Haul: REMOVE! REMOVE! I didn't join this outfit to be a dump truck!

[william-james88]

Venksta has chimed in about Catz's Devastator info, specifically the "Leader" figure claim:

Read carefully what Catz' information says. His source claims one of the constructicons is a leader size. And does not mention how many constructicons there are in total. Also, based on what I've found out, Catz's source only saw a photo of Devastator, not the actual toy physically. Is it possible the main torso looks like one big figure, when its really comprised of two figures, like the traditional Devastator design?

Ok, this Venksta guy definitely has an idea what's up.

Oh and I didnt know the encore line was takara. Then the G1 rereleases make sense since they are being released under Hasbro this time around. It's like last year's predaking. The reissues may have been done before by Takara but now it's Hasbro's turn. However, that makes it infinitely weird why the Hasbro version of the insecticon costs more than the Takara rerelease. Do you guys know if the Hasbro Platinum Predaking was more expensive than the Encore one?

[Sabrblade]

However, that makes it infinitely weird why the Hasbro version of the insecticon costs more than the Takara rerelease.

Takara's last rerelease of the Insecticons was in 2004 in their Transformers Collection line. The last rerelease the three had was from Hasbro's 2008 Universe line in 2009.

Do you guys know if the Hasbro Platinum Predaking was more expensive than the Encore one?

There wasn't an Encore Predaking. Takara's last Predaking reissue was the "Welcome to Transformers 2010" reissue, and the 2004 reissue before that.

[Robogeek1973]

Venksta has chimed in about Catz's Devastator info, specifically the "Leader" figure claim:

Read carefully what Catz' information says. His source claims one of the constructicons is a leader size. And does not mention how many constructicons there are in total. Also, based on what I've found out, Catz's source only saw a photo of Devastator, not the actual toy physically. Is it possible the main torso looks like one big figure, when its really comprised of two figures, like the traditional Devastator design?

Very interesting.


Now I'm excited again.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Do you guys know if the Hasbro Platinum Predaking was more expensive than the Encore one?

There wasn't an Encore Predaking. Takara's last Predaking reissue was the "Welcome to Transformers 2010" reissue, and the 2004 reissue before that.

The "Welcome to Transformers 2010" is what he was referring to, a common thing to do since Encore was still running at the time of its release.

[Deathsaurus1]

Maybe it's the Michael bays testicular devastator hahahahahhaahaahaha.

[Diem]

Maybe it's the Michael bays testicular devastator hahahahahhaahaahaha.

[Cobotron]

WOW, such great stuff Sabr! Cobotron, did you read this? Arcee was designed by Takara and not Hasbro, that's amazing! Also, good to know Hasbro is aware that their current generations Blurr doesnt make the cut.

I DID! Very interesting. Love knowing that Takara went to bat for all that is good and right. But this raises one question. If the masters were at the helm, why the heck do her arms just dangle in Alt mode instead of pegging in neatly. As I just got her yesterday, I will spend the rest of the evening analyzing, surveying her more carefully.

Sabrblade - thanks for the link to the interview.

[Mr_Autobot411]

ITS ABOUT EFFING TIME HASBRO......

TYRPICTICON IS COMING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BOOOOOO YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Peridot]

WOW, such great stuff Sabr! Cobotron, did you read this? Arcee was designed by Takara and not Hasbro, that's amazing! Also, good to know Hasbro is aware that their current generations Blurr doesnt make the cut.

I DID! Very interesting. Love knowing that Takara went to bat for all that is good and right. But this raises one question. If the masters were at the helm, why the heck do her arms just dangle in Alt mode instead of pegging in neatly. As I just got her yesterday, I will spend the rest of the evening analyzing, surveying her more carefully.

Sabrblade - thanks for the link to the interview.

I might be misremembering it, since I only fiddled with a friend's copy once, but one of Arcee's pistols stores underneath her car mode and tabs into her hands, locking them in place.