The Energon Pub

I would love another shot at Nightbeat, but not with the current Minerva / Elita-1 mold.

Ha really needs to be headmaster.

And he hasn't really been given a proper update. 3 updates and none work 100%.

The better one seems to be the Botcon Exclusive even if it is using the Energon Hot Shot mold.

And the titan master just has the most awkward expression.

Mkall wrote:I cannot for the life of me imagine how they'd make a masculine-style Nightbeat and a Feminine-style Minerva out of the same mold.

Why? Nightbeat wasn't exactly Cybertron Optimus Prime lol. Just do a normal Nightbeat and color-swap it, maybe have new thighs and pelvis a la MP Road Rage.



(on a tangent, it's clear that Kingdom Tracks' issues are down to them trying to recreate the MP at the Deluxe price point).


The somewhat-more-shapely arms from the animation model would have to be toned down or tossed for the sake of transformability.

Mkall wrote:She's also a better representation than her most recent homage:

Strictly speaking the most recent Minerva was the one from the LGEX God Ginrai set, but the Legacy figure is indeed a step up from DVD-exclusive Minerva-colors Thunderblast.

Overcracker wrote:I would love another shot at Nightbeat, but not with the current Minerva / Elita-1 mold.

Ha really needs to be headmaster.

And he hasn't really been given a proper update. 3 updates and none work 100%.

The better one seems to be the Botcon Exclusive even if it is using the Energon Hot Shot mold.

And the titan master just has the most awkward expression.

Ironically, there's probably more fiction where Night Beat isn't a headmaster then where he is (in fact aside from the toy, there's probably only the marvel comic). I came to live the character from IDW 1.0 where his head stayed attached to his shoulders.

ZeroWolf wrote:Ironically, there's probably more fiction where Night Beat isn't a headmaster then where he is (in fact aside from the toy, there's probably only the marvel comic).

And Marvel only barely qualifies, too. Only one small UK-only story did Muzzle ever appear to detach from Nightbeat's body.

The only story ever that actually gave any attention to Muzzle as a character separate from Nightbeat was Fun Pub's semi-obscure one-shot comic "Cheap Shots".

Unless one also count Legends Nightbeat who was both a Headmaster (but only a head with no designated Transtector body) and an evil (or at least, morally gray) version of Minerva that caused a fair amount of trouble in the Legends World.

I'll say it again. Nightbeat and Minerva should be two separate molds, but with the same vehicle mode.

Simply because Minerva is very feminine with her shapes while Nightbeat is your typical male.

ZeroWolf wrote:Ironically, there's probably more fiction where Night Beat isn't a headmaster then where he is (in fact aside from the toy, there's probably only the marvel comic). I came to live the character from IDW 1.0 where his head stayed attached to his shoulders.

True, but still who thinks of Nightbeat and doesn't immediately gravitate towards him being a Headmaster.

It's still strange Habsro did not just repaint TR Hot Rod into Nightbeat with a new head. The silhouette would have worked fine in blue and yellow.

Overcracker wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Ironically, there's probably more fiction where Night Beat isn't a headmaster then where he is (in fact aside from the toy, there's probably only the marvel comic). I came to live the character from IDW 1.0 where his head stayed attached to his shoulders.

True, but still who thinks of Nightbeat and doesn't immediately gravitate towards him being a Headmaster.

Anyone who didn't grow up with the G1 toy, that's who. Lotta folks in this fandom were born after 1988.

And, if I'm being completely honest, all the fiction Nightbeat has ever appeared in put way more importance on him being a detective than on him a Headmaster.

Sabrblade wrote:

Overcracker wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Ironically, there's probably more fiction where Night Beat isn't a headmaster then where he is (in fact aside from the toy, there's probably only the marvel comic). I came to live the character from IDW 1.0 where his head stayed attached to his shoulders.

True, but still who thinks of Nightbeat and doesn't immediately gravitate towards him being a Headmaster.

Anyone who didn't grow up with the G1 toy, that's who. Lotta folks in this fandom were born after 1988.

And, if I'm being completely honest, all the fiction Nightbeat has ever appeared in put way more importance on him being a detective than on him a Headmaster.

He can be a detective and a headmaster.

Also, none of the updates so far have actually been headmasters, so him being a headmaster at least once would be nice. Those of us who were born before 1988 and grew up with the headmaster version are also part of this fandom.

-Kanrabat- wrote:I'll say it again. Nightbeat and Minerva should be two separate molds, but with the same vehicle mode.

Simply because Minerva is very feminine with her shapes while Nightbeat is your typical male.

I agree with this. Although I am one who likes his figures to stay as cartoon/comic accurate as possible. So a more curvy feminine Masterforce Minerva is preferable. Also I really like IDW 1.0 Nightbeat, even if Marvel Transformers #62 Matrix Quest is one of my favs, still I would like him in the former body/mould. But I would want both as Headmasters.

-Kanrabat- wrote:I'll say it again. Nightbeat and Minerva should be two separate molds, but with the same vehicle mode.

Simply because Minerva is very feminine with her shapes while Nightbeat is your typical male.

We know hasbro can do it looking at the Dreadlock toys from Dark of the Moon.

@overcracker I get wanting at least one version as a headmaster but hasbro have been on a comic/animation accurate binge lately.

ZeroWolf wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:I'll say it again. Nightbeat and Minerva should be two separate molds, but with the same vehicle mode.

Simply because Minerva is very feminine with her shapes while Nightbeat is your typical male.

We know hasbro can do it looking at the Dreadlock toys from Dark of the Moon.

@overcracker I get wanting at least one version as a headmaster but hasbro have been on a comic/animation accurate binge lately.

Unfortunately yes. Which is why I still find it strange the one line he would have fit in as a headmaster with no one batting an eye at it and with a mold already available in Hot Rod that kind of works for him, and all they managed to give us was a titan master with an awkward expression and a tank / jet accessory.

But hey, I'll take a non headmaster Nighbeat if he gets a decent car mold.

ZeroWolf wrote:

william-james88 wrote:I had the luxury of seeing Minerva in a store, and going "Nope" and walking away. Decent figure, but I don't have the money or space to just buy a placeholder.

Question is, how long will we be waiting for a better one?

A fair point, but in actuality, I'm wanting this mostly for my daughter. So we are ok with firsts.

She has TR as her Arcee (although many have been released since 2017), she is content with the one she has. Same with Elita. We only got the Netflix version because PotP was in Orthiia combined mode. She has no interest in Legacy Elita, but we can get that same mold as Minerva, and have it be something new.

Considering the only 2 versions of Nightbeat I have any connection to are RG1 and IDW2005, and he was not a headmaster in either, I really don't mind Nightbeat not being a headmaster.

I did get my Minerva and Bomb Burst. Both are pretty neat. I like Bomb Burst even if his head feels a bit odd/out of scale. He will go great with the other Pretender cons. And then i like Minerva, her mold is pretty fun, and I like the colors. I am very happy with her. Now I just need to decide if she goes to JG1 or the Wreckers shelf.

Completely forgot about this, but i did get Blitzwing as well. He was at Target for $20, so I figured why not given that deal.

He isn't bad. I like him as a robot, especially with the gauntlets, I love those things, and they are the main reason why I got him. He is fun in robot mode.

Jet mode just needs completely ignored. It is just as bad in person as in photos. It sucks.

Tank mode is OK. I hate the cockpit, but the rest of the tank mode is pretty solid. It is probably the only alt mode he will see again.

So overall, solid 8/10 for robot, 5.5/10 for tank, and 1/10 for jet mode? I am OK with the price I paid for him, but I am glad that that price is what convinced me to get him, full price would not have worked for me.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Completely forgot about this, but i did get Blitzwing as well. He was at Target for $20, so I figured why not given that deal.

He isn't bad. I like him as a robot, especially with the gauntlets, I love those things, and they are the main reason why I got him. He is fun in robot mode.

Jet mode just needs completely ignored. It is just as bad in person as in photos. It sucks.

Tank mode is OK. I hate the cockpit, but the rest of the tank mode is pretty solid. It is probably the only alt mode he will see again.

So overall, solid 8/10 for robot, 5.5/10 for tank, and 1/10 for jet mode? I am OK with the price I paid for him, but I am glad that that price is what convinced me to get him, full price would not have worked for me.

$20 bucks is pretty hard to pass up, I dont blame ya there. I've seen him on shelves a couple of times now and passed each time simply because as you mentioned, that jet mode is just a drag man, specially coming off the Titans Return one (which I technically only own as Megatron) who frankly, was pretty solid in all three modes

M. Spector wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Completely forgot about this, but i did get Blitzwing as well. He was at Target for $20, so I figured why not given that deal.

He isn't bad. I like him as a robot, especially with the gauntlets, I love those things, and they are the main reason why I got him. He is fun in robot mode.

Jet mode just needs completely ignored. It is just as bad in person as in photos. It sucks.

Tank mode is OK. I hate the cockpit, but the rest of the tank mode is pretty solid. It is probably the only alt mode he will see again.

So overall, solid 8/10 for robot, 5.5/10 for tank, and 1/10 for jet mode? I am OK with the price I paid for him, but I am glad that that price is what convinced me to get him, full price would not have worked for me.

$20 bucks is pretty hard to pass up, I dont blame ya there. I've seen him on shelves a couple of times now and passed each time simply because as you mentioned, that jet mode is just a drag man, specially coming off the Titans Return one (which I technically only own as Megatron) who frankly, was pretty solid in all three modes

I agree on the TR Blitzwing.

Funny thing is, outside of Animated, i really don't care that much about Blitzwing, but I now have all 3 of his generations toys, even though i didn't intend to get his TR or Legacy versions. And as bad as this may sound, the T30 one is still my favorite of the 3.

Let me explain: T30 has the face swap gimmick that i love, I actually enjoy the tank mode despite it's faults, and the jet mode is equally likeable for me despite the faults.

I got TR to give to flywheels as a head, but he reverted to Blitzwing following Siege Flywheels. I still like him, the alts are still solid, even if I like the figure more as Megatron, and that Megatron remains my main Megatron figure (did not get any version of normal megatron from siege/ER).

Legacy has the best robot mode, I will admit, but the jet mode doesn't hold a candle to my enjoyment of the other 2, while Tank mode is about on par.

So that's why T30 remains my favorite, though all 3 have qualities I enjoy despite not really liking the G1 character

Metroplex: Defender of the Desk.

still the best Titan we have gotten, no doubt.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

M. Spector wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Completely forgot about this, but i did get Blitzwing as well. He was at Target for $20, so I figured why not given that deal.

He isn't bad. I like him as a robot, especially with the gauntlets, I love those things, and they are the main reason why I got him. He is fun in robot mode.

Jet mode just needs completely ignored. It is just as bad in person as in photos. It sucks.

Tank mode is OK. I hate the cockpit, but the rest of the tank mode is pretty solid. It is probably the only alt mode he will see again.

So overall, solid 8/10 for robot, 5.5/10 for tank, and 1/10 for jet mode? I am OK with the price I paid for him, but I am glad that that price is what convinced me to get him, full price would not have worked for me.

$20 bucks is pretty hard to pass up, I dont blame ya there. I've seen him on shelves a couple of times now and passed each time simply because as you mentioned, that jet mode is just a drag man, specially coming off the Titans Return one (which I technically only own as Megatron) who frankly, was pretty solid in all three modes

I agree on the TR Blitzwing.

Funny thing is, outside of Animated, i really don't care that much about Blitzwing, but I now have all 3 of his generations toys, even though i didn't intend to get his TR or Legacy versions. And as bad as this may sound, the T30 one is still my favorite of the 3.

Let me explain: T30 has the face swap gimmick that i love, I actually enjoy the tank mode despite it's faults, and the jet mode is equally likeable for me despite the faults.

I got TR to give to flywheels as a head, but he reverted to Blitzwing following Siege Flywheels. I still like him, the alts are still solid, even if I like the figure more as Megatron, and that Megatron remains my main Megatron figure (did not get any version of normal megatron from siege/ER).

Legacy has the best robot mode, I will admit, but the jet mode doesn't hold a candle to my enjoyment of the other 2, while Tank mode is about on par.

So that's why T30 remains my favorite, though all 3 have qualities I enjoy despite not really liking the G1 character

T30 is my favorite as well, the jet mode for me kinda blends in with the fall of cybertron type designs, and I love the tank mode. I also got him for the face swap gimmick because that's such an awesome part of the character but unfortunately the head on mine ended up breaking, so I got the upgrade kit to fix the shoulders and give him the idw style head. And I love that too! I didn't like the titans return version too much, but I didn't really like that line in general. Only TR figure I have is broadside. And I wanted to like legacy version but Jet mode is pretty bad and the headsculpt just looks too much like the thwomp from mario bros for me. Saved me money though
That being said, if there's a Blitzwing down the line with the 3 faces I won't hesitate to pick it up

For anyone else who has legacy Elita One, do you have the annoying QC issues?]

Razorbeast88 wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

M. Spector wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Completely forgot about this, but i did get Blitzwing as well. He was at Target for $20, so I figured why not given that deal.

He isn't bad. I like him as a robot, especially with the gauntlets, I love those things, and they are the main reason why I got him. He is fun in robot mode.

Jet mode just needs completely ignored. It is just as bad in person as in photos. It sucks.

Tank mode is OK. I hate the cockpit, but the rest of the tank mode is pretty solid. It is probably the only alt mode he will see again.

So overall, solid 8/10 for robot, 5.5/10 for tank, and 1/10 for jet mode? I am OK with the price I paid for him, but I am glad that that price is what convinced me to get him, full price would not have worked for me.

$20 bucks is pretty hard to pass up, I dont blame ya there. I've seen him on shelves a couple of times now and passed each time simply because as you mentioned, that jet mode is just a drag man, specially coming off the Titans Return one (which I technically only own as Megatron) who frankly, was pretty solid in all three modes

I agree on the TR Blitzwing.

Funny thing is, outside of Animated, i really don't care that much about Blitzwing, but I now have all 3 of his generations toys, even though i didn't intend to get his TR or Legacy versions. And as bad as this may sound, the T30 one is still my favorite of the 3.

Let me explain: T30 has the face swap gimmick that i love, I actually enjoy the tank mode despite it's faults, and the jet mode is equally likeable for me despite the faults.

I got TR to give to flywheels as a head, but he reverted to Blitzwing following Siege Flywheels. I still like him, the alts are still solid, even if I like the figure more as Megatron, and that Megatron remains my main Megatron figure (did not get any version of normal megatron from siege/ER).

Legacy has the best robot mode, I will admit, but the jet mode doesn't hold a candle to my enjoyment of the other 2, while Tank mode is about on par.

So that's why T30 remains my favorite, though all 3 have qualities I enjoy despite not really liking the G1 character

T30 is my favorite as well, the jet mode for me kinda blends in with the fall of cybertron type designs, and I love the tank mode. I also got him for the face swap gimmick because that's such an awesome part of the character but unfortunately the head on mine ended up breaking, so I got the upgrade kit to fix the shoulders and give him the idw style head. And I love that too! I didn't like the titans return version too much, but I didn't really like that line in general. Only TR figure I have is broadside. And I wanted to like legacy version but Jet mode is pretty bad and the headsculpt just looks too much like the thwomp from mario bros for me. Saved me money though
That being said, if there's a Blitzwing down the line with the 3 faces I won't hesitate to pick it up

Apparently we are the weirdos but T30 Blizwing is the one I have as well and liked most. That said I think Legacy one is better all around, but not a figure I feel like I need to replace at his price.

T30 Blitzy looks o.k. His Jet Mode could be better, but is not terrible. It ends up, much more streamlined than Legacy that's for sure. Though I never liked the big gaping hole in the middle.

Mine unfortunately is falling apart. The soft rubbery piece that holds his head to the spring loaded panel dried and snapped off. Guess keeping him in Jet mode was a bad idea, and his little wing panel sheared off the swivel for some reason.

Legacy overall looks much better in Tank mode and robot mode though.

RodimusPrimeUkraine1 wrote:For anyone else who has legacy Elita One, do you have the annoying QC issues?]

What QC issues? Do you mean the gaps of the hood and sides?

That's no QC. That's a design flaw. Minerva is the same.

No, this gap. And the bobblehead doll syndrome.

Same thing. A design flaw.
Having no gaps at all is pretty much mission impossible.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:And as bad as this may sound, the T30 one is still my favorite of the 3.

I don't have all the Blitz's, but I feel the same way about T30. I stiull like him, despite the flaws.

However, I replaced the head with a 3P one. Mine just wanna turn and I didn't like how puffy it looked.

But now that it's mentioned I think I stored mine in jet mode too. When I have a chance maybe I ought to change that ...