The Energon Pub

Totally agree with you about Wheeljack. The pictures don't do him justice, the backpack doesn't feel nearly as cumbersome in hand, especially when it's all pegged together (surprised it pegs into his wings like that). He really earns that Voyager price point, arguably more than 86 Ironhide. The shield worries me, the hinge doesn't have grooves so you really have to twist it to take it apart. I doubt I'll be putting it back in "road" mode any time soon. It's so odd to me that they didn't gang mold the shield with the rest of the figure, it's not like they can use it elsewhere. My only complaint is there seems to be some tolerance issues with his leg panels, you can either snap the back in securely or the side in securely, but not bother, one side is always just barely holding on.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:Totally agree with you about Wheeljack. The pictures don't do him justice, the backpack doesn't feel nearly as cumbersome in hand, especially when it's all pegged together (surprised it pegs into his wings like that). He really earns that Voyager price point, arguably more than 86 Ironhide. The shield worries me, the hinge doesn't have grooves so you really have to twist it to take it apart. I doubt I'll be putting it back in "road" mode any time soon. It's so odd to me that they didn't gang mold the shield with the rest of the figure, it's not like they can use it elsewhere. My only complaint is there seems to be some tolerance issues with his leg panels, you can either snap the back in securely or the side in securely, but not bother, one side is always just barely holding on.

Emerje

I haven't had any issues with his leg panels, but I fully agree he feels much more voyager than the SS86 Ironhide mold.

I really do love him, I feel oddly very attached to him

We have a new review for you for the upcoming Legacy United Deluxe Sideburn Transformers toy. This is a straight redeco of Cyberverse Shadowstriker with a new head. At least that's what it looks like, if you spot more retooling, let us know. This toy is scheduled for a mid summer release as part of United wave 3, along with a repack of Strongarm, a third Infernac deluxe and Cybertron Hot Shot.

Sowndwave76 wrote:Times have definitely changed…
There’s almost nothing in this mainline that’s appealing to me.

Sums up how I've been feeling about it. I mean Gears is nice looking but not one that I'm really gung ho about getting, there are several I want to see which is what holds me back from getting some of these other due to lack of space. Why get them if I'll inevitably have to ditch them in favor of the ones I actually want more if released later on?
That said, is Gears even considered mainline being that it's not available at Amazon?

Speaking of Gears I tried to order him and another at Gamestop because they were offering free shipping on preorders $59+, unfortunately at checkout they wanted to charge $7.99 each item because they had different shipping dates.... So I canceled the transaction because if felt like BS since basically nothing arrives on the same day.

william-james88 wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:I wonder if the Dodge Viper license is prohibitively expensive, or they just didn't feel it was worth it?

They never use vehicle licenses for Legacy figures. I guess its not part of the line's budget.

Then I'm guessing that means the only way to see VW Bee again is in SS86? That said, looking back I don't recall any license releases for that line either. Not that it matters because none of them ever have the car makers logo on them anyway even when they are. As an aside, Tracks looks very close to what a corvette does from that era silhouette wise. And that was Kingdome mainline so I'm often baffled by how they release what where. lol

Till-all-R1 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:I wonder if the Dodge Viper license is prohibitively expensive, or they just didn't feel it was worth it?

They never use vehicle licenses for Legacy figures. I guess its not part of the line's budget.

Then I'm guessing that means the only way to see VW Bee again is in SS86? That said, looking back I don't recall any license releases for that line either. Not that it matters because none of them ever have the car makers logo on them anyway even when they are. As an aside, Tracks looks very close to what a corvette does from that era silhouette wise. And that was Kingdome mainline so I'm often baffled by how they release what where. lol

Or as a Generatins/Legacy exclusive, which is how it has released both times so far.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:Times have definitely changed…
There’s almost nothing in this mainline that’s appealing to me.

Sums up how I've been feeling about it. I mean Gears is nice looking but not one that I'm really gung ho about getting, there are several I want to see which is what holds me back from getting some of these other due to lack of space. Why get them if I'll inevitably have to ditch them in favor of the ones I actually want more if released later on?
That said, is Gears even considered mainline being that it's not available at Amazon?

Speaking of Gears I tried to order him and another at Gamestop because they were offering free shipping on preorders $59+, unfortunately at checkout they wanted to charge $7.99 each item because they had different shipping dates.... So I canceled the transaction because if felt like BS since basically nothing arrives on the same day.

Yeah, Gears isn't exactly the most thrilling character for me either, but I'm happy they made him and he does look pretty on point.
In fact in some ways the designers did a better job with him than Brawn imo.
I'm no TF collection expert, but after being in the game for almost 20 years, I would totally suggest holding off on anything you're feeling "mehhh" about. I hear you about space. I'm in that same boat. But these days, it's even more so a cost issue. And not that I can't afford figures... I can basically buy whatever I want (an example is I am buying two of every Dinobot; I have two sets of Stunticons, I'll get two sets of Constructicons, etc.). But it's more and more difficult justifying the cost of each figure... Getting Gears online and not getting free shipping means he's right around $30. Even though that's become the norm, that's steep for a deluxe figure. Btw he was on Amazon but sold out and hasn't been re-listed since.
Here's something else I've done-- I've made a list of characters I know I want if made/released (and of course look good). There is always an exception, a surprise, etc. that I end up buying, but those are usually few and far between. Not to mention, if you really stick to your "most wanted" list (assuming it's somewhat limited), then an occasional exception isn't any sort of issue. Once characters are initially announced/leaked, some do land on a "maybe" list. Legacy Sandstorm is an example (and I've already decided he's a "pass").
What I've found nice about my "maybe" list, is it becomes a really fast and easy decision once I see images of the figure. Again, Sandstorm is an example. I'll never spend money on a figure that I think looks "mehhh". This applies to my most wanted list as well. If somehow SS86 Springer is completely underwhelming, I'll skip him. I get buyer's remorse so freaking easy, which also helps me know when I should pass on a figure. Lastly what I'll add to this, is that there's usually a way out; multiple times (although not often) I've bought a figure that was just above "mehhh" status... I held onto it, kept it sealed, and mulled it over. A few times I decided if it went on sale, I'd do the return/re-buy it thing, then I may be willing to keep it. However, a couple of those times no sale happened during the 30-90 day return window I had, and just made the return. This is one advantage of buying through Target, Amazon, and even Walmart.
That's enough about that from me.
But good luck getting Gears if you still want him.
So far I've missed out on Origins Wheeljack because I really didn't think the preorders would sell out as fast as they did. I'm giving it a couple more weeks before I even think about considering the aftermarket.
But yeah, Gears is the only mainline figure I plan on buying for this entire year.

Bro, I haven't even found all of Wave 1 yet in Las Vegas and I went hunting last week

It seriously blows me away how slow the Targets and Walmarts in this city are to restock. Though I hear that's apparently a West Coast USA problem in general?

NotFrankeSisto wrote:Bro, I haven't even found all of Wave 1 yet in Las Vegas and I went hunting last week

I haven't even found wave 1 of legacy evolution

I got my copy of Gears yesterday from Hasbro Pulse. Overall a good figure, my copy had tight joints so thats definitely good. I really didn't do a true size comparison. I have him on my Autobot diorama near Brawn and Beachcomber. From that point of view, i think he looks great amongst his fellow Autobots. I haven't transformed him yet but maybe later on. I am not crazy about the vehicle mode, so for my purpose he will be displayed in robot mode.

SGM

A note, looking on Hasbro Pulse, looks like Legacy United Leader Class WFC ER Optimus Prime is available again for pre-order. Thats as of 1022 am, central time.


SGM

OMG I'm having a huge mental moment!

Anyway our YoutubeR friend PrimeVPrime has posted a review for TAKARA TOMY NEMESIS BRIDGE 3-Pack...'nuff said!

Nemesis Destron wrote:OMG I'm having a huge mental moment!

Fixed it for you, you got part of the time stamp stuck in there.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:OMG I'm having a huge mental moment!

Fixed it for you, you got part of the time stamp stuck in there.

Emerje

Aw damnation....thanks Emerje!

SGMLordMirage wrote:A note, looking on Hasbro Pulse, looks like Legacy United Leader Class WFC ER Optimus Prime is available again for pre-order. Thats as of 1022 am, central time.


SGM

Is this any different than the earlier release? Does he have yellow eyes? Is there any other paint differences? Thanks

TK415 wrote:

SGMLordMirage wrote:A note, looking on Hasbro Pulse, looks like Legacy United Leader Class WFC ER Optimus Prime is available again for pre-order. Thats as of 1022 am, central time.


SGM

Is this any different than the earlier release? Does he have yellow eyes? Is there any other paint differences? Thanks

Nobody knows, but probably not. Hasbro hasn't said anything about changes and all of the photos in the listings are the same ones from the Earthrise release.

Emerje

In the photos I saw, he had yellow eyes and just overall looked to have more of a toy deco.
Which imo also stood out with the stripes on the trailer.
What initially caught my eye was that the inner sides of the lower legs were blue and not gray.

Having the Autobot 5-pk in hand has further confirmed that I’m a big fan of the non-metallic paint for figures’ faces. I really wish Hastak would do this with all future G1 characters.
Sunstreaker has suddenly become one of my favorite Autobot (non-Dinobot) figures.

Sowndwave76 wrote:In the photos I saw, he had yellow eyes and just overall looked to have more of a toy deco.
Which imo also stood out with the stripes on the trailer.
What initially caught my eye was that the inner sides of the lower legs were blue and not gray.

Yes, those are the original stock photos. That figure went through a bunch of changes before release.



Emerje

I just got Animated Optimus Prime. Appart some parts of the transformation that are a bit tricky and the dire need of gap fillers, he's WAY better than the original IMO. I may be buying the Reprolabels to complete his "geewun" look.

Took Starscream to work this week, he is really good






And here is he with the OG

They got him pretty close and accurate, a bit better than the Armada Screamer.

Now if only we could get a Commander version to go with the OG Supreme Screamer...

Rodimus Prime wrote:They got him pretty close and accurate, a bit better than the Armada Screamer.

Now if only we could get a Commander version to go with the OG Supreme Screamer...

I bet some Chinese smart-ass will make an oversized K.O sooner or later.

Speaking of size, if we follow the old Cybertron standards, that new Screamers could be a deluxe.
Or would it?

-Kanrabat- wrote:Speaking of size, if we follow the old Cybertron standards, that new Screamers could be a deluxe.
Or would it?

I don't have any Cybertron deluxes, but here's Energon Rodimus:



Starscream is still clearly taller (and of course much better articulated and less hollow).

-Kanrabat- wrote:Speaking of size, if we follow the old Cybertron standards, that new Screamers could be a deluxe.
Or would it?

The original was a Voyager and the new one is only a little smaller so it would still be a Voyager by the old standards.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Speaking of size, if we follow the old Cybertron standards, that new Screamers could be a deluxe.
Or would it?

The original was a Voyager and the new one is only a little smaller so it would still be a Voyager by the old standards.

Emerje

Yeah.
The proof is that Screamers is the sane size as the Classic voyager Optimus Prime.

I'm at work so I can't post a picture, but if anyone can do it in the meantime...

Transformers Legacy's Commander Magmatron is out in Asia (predominantly Honk Kong) and in the UK thanks to InDemandToys. So fans have him in hand and are giving us the best look at this figure, and comparing it to the original. We have a pictorial review that delves into that by TheDapperScrapper. Read it below.

The full dinosaur set comes out really well with them, all being bigger and more articulated than the original.
The new textures and colours also makes them really eye catching.
I like the newer, more realistic style better for the dinosaurs but actually prefer the original look of the Pterosaur.



The Giganotosaurus is easily my favourite of the individual beast modes.
Loving the spiked spine running down the figure and how thick and chunky he looks.
Also nice to have the mechanical robot leg pieces tucked away.



The Elasmosaurus/Plesiosaur is nice in the way that it looks more realistic with it's shorter yet chunkier neck that actually looks more pleasing and proportional.
The downside is that it's not super long and bendy like the original which was always fun.
Although I'm fine with it how it is, I wouldn't mind seeing how an upgrade kit would look with a long and way more bendy neck would be.



Not much to say on the Quetzocoatlus other than it's bigger and better articulated without the original flapping-wing gimmick.
I much prefer the original neck and head design over the new one and also the flexy/rubbery wings I hope will hold up to time.



The big bad himself, Magmatrons combined mode is suitably towering and feels much more solid than the original.
Couple of things I'm not keen on is the rubbery sword that stores in the Gigas tail. It clips in very securely which means it bends and flexes quite a bit when you try to unclip it/pull it out. (Hoping for a hard plastic upgrade kit)
Also wishing for an adapter to mount the Plesiosaur shield on the side of the arm rather than just the back.



Just a nice standing pose with his sword down.
Took me a while to get it so the Legacy's sword wasn't bending all over the place.



Bit of a cheat here in that I unclipped the waist swivel which does give you an ab crunch to work with but you can hide it with camera angles.
Also, as I got my old one down for these comparison shots, i managed to show he's no slouch either for posing.



Lastly, the magmasaur.
Just a big, silly chimera mode and although it's not as clean looking as the original, the increased side gives it such a presence.