The Energon Pub

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I'm still bummed that the only Earthrise figures I've seen so far are the micromasters. I am excited for cliffjumper.

But with everything going on, it's hardly something to be too sad about

[SpikeyTigertron]

So having opened and played with Earthrise Prime. His transformation shocked me with how different it was. What I don’t understand though.... if they were going to reuse Siege Prime’s legs.... why didn’t they keep the wheel rotation gimmick so that his wheels would be covered in robot mode? Also curious why they swapped the legs left and right?

[SpikeyTigertron]

I'm still bummed that the only Earthrise figures I've seen so far are the micromasters. I am excited for cliffjumper.

But with everything going on, it's hardly something to be too sad about

Ask employees to check the back, that’s how I found Prime

[Jelze Bunnycat]

So having opened and played with Earthrise Prime. His transformation shocked me with how different it was. What I don’t understand though.... if they were going to reuse Siege Prime’s legs.... why didn’t they keep the wheel rotation gimmick so that his wheels would be covered in robot mode? Also curious why they swapped the legs left and right?

The legs are in the same orientation for both... in robot mode. It's the transformation to vehicle mode that switched the orientation of the waist because of the chest twist. As for the wheels, couldn't tell you. Note that on the Siege one the wheels switch sides.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

So having opened and played with Earthrise Prime. His transformation shocked me with how different it was. What I don’t understand though.... if they were going to reuse Siege Prime’s legs.... why didn’t they keep the wheel rotation gimmick so that his wheels would be covered in robot mode?

I can think of three reasons: 1. It probably didn't play nice with the new panels with the trailer hitch, 2. Leaving the wheels out makes him look more different from SIEGE Prime, and 3. Hiding the wheels was stupid in the first place.

[AcademyofDrX]

I don't mind keeping wheels out instead of hiding them, but reusing the Siege legs means it looks really weird in alt mode. Honestly, that's my least favorite part of the figure. Of course, that's still a minor complaint for one of me favorite Generations figures ever.

[Sabrblade]

[LinaNui]

That is a crazy good custom. great work to the creator!

[Munkky]

Having recently seen stock images for Doubledealer, I'm thinking it would be awesome if the mould is one day retooled into a Soundwave. Seeing as his "Powermasters" are made from the same moulds as Soundwave's cassettes, they store in his chest in a similar way, and the shoulder cannon could be reworked into Soundwave's, it would be easy enough to do. The main things that put me off buying Siege Soundwave was the ugly vehicle mode and the battle damage paint details, so I hope either we get a new Soundwave that shares engineering with the Siege Voyager (like they're doing with Megatron) or they use the Doubledealer mould.

[no-one]

That is a crazy good custom. great work to the creator!

It's a digibash, albeit a very good one. Instagram post

[Vic Zanzibar]

I’m a bit surprised we haven’t gotten a Windblade so far in the WFC trilogy. It’s been a while since we have gotten a non-cartoon figure of her.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Well, she was introduced relatively recently to begin with in the Thrilling 30 line. And she had a toy in Titans Return..
WFC has largely been focused on 1984-1987.

[Rodimus Prime]

I don't think we need another Windblade, not for a while. Maybe after WFC is over. But then I hope the design team will start focusing on the Unicron trilogy, so Windblade can wait even longer.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

I don't think we need another Windblade, not for a while. Maybe after WFC is over. But then I hope the design team will start focusing on the Unicron trilogy, so Windblade can wait even longer.

O yeah... so many characters to choose from, most don't even have G1 roots! Which ones got transplanted into G1 tho? I know Demolishor and Hot Shot were...

[aronjlove]

I really like how the effect on the front of Smashdown the effects on the back of Wheeljack make it look like he has thrusters and is going really fast. I hope ER has more gun style effects with the battlemasters and not just explosions.

Was Windblade in the Siege cartoon trailer? I know this is about the '84 bots but it is also about selling figures that are in a cartoon. If she appears in the trilogy then I would expect us to definitely get a figure. But if she doesn't I won't mind her absence.

And thanks to http://www.tubitv.com I'm now able to watch the Unicorn Trilogy and I think it would be awesome to get these characters with today's engineering and materials. I'm not a fan of spring-loaded gimmicks but all the mini-cons could be battlemasters that complement specific characters.

[Emerje]

I don't think we need another Windblade, not for a while. Maybe after WFC is over. But then I hope the design team will start focusing on the Unicron trilogy, so Windblade can wait even longer.

O yeah... so many characters to choose from, most don't even have G1 roots! Which ones got transplanted into G1 tho? I know Demolishor and Hot Shot were...

Drift is always the first one that comes to my mind. Outside of IDW he appeared in that G1 based Robot Heroes "I am Optimus Prime" story book for kids.



Now that's a guy that doesn't get enough love anymore. He's always getting overshadowed by his movie counterpart and while he was in Cyberverse... well he wasn't treated all that well and didn't get a particularly good figure out of it.

Emerje

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Thing is, a fair few of the UT toys (especially from Cybertron) are already up to par (although there are a number who aren't; the Energon combiners would certainly benefit), and their gimmick weapons are signature armament that they'd be lacking without, especially if you're interested in them because of the show. The spring-loading could slide, I suppose.

If they did go for Unicron Trilogy Redux, I'd kinda prefer they use the Commander size class for Optimus and Megs. Particularly for Cybertron. Why? Because the original figures could be reissued sans electronics at that price and be fine (although some tweaks to Megatron's ankles would be nice). That would also allow for a backwards-compatible do-over of Leobreaker.

I don't think we need another Windblade, not for a while. Maybe after WFC is over. But then I hope the design team will start focusing on the Unicron trilogy, so Windblade can wait even longer.

O yeah... so many characters to choose from, most don't even have G1 roots! Which ones got transplanted into G1 tho? I know Demolishor and Hot Shot were...

Drift is always the first one that comes to my mind. Outside of IDW he appeared in that G1 based Robot Heroes "I am Optimus Prime" story book for kids.

Drift doesn't count since he was born in a G1 comic continuity; if Drift is a transplant then so is Impactor.

Now that's a guy that doesn't get enough love anymore. He's always getting overshadowed by his movie counterpart and while he was in Cyberverse... well he wasn't treated all that well and didn't get a particularly good figure out of it.

Emerje

Well, Drift made a very bad first impression on people because he started out as a big-time creator's pet Gary Stu who oozed rabid Jafanboyism, and the storyline that introduced him derailed or abruptly cut off a lot of things. And even the development by more competent writers didn't win everybody over to him.

What I'd like to see after WFC: A line where the Deluxe and Voyager price points are mainly reissues of the Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots, Combaticons, Technobots (using the UW molds), and Terrorcons (and ideally the Seacons, though they'd have to be either stripped down or be online exclusives again), with the Pretender Monsters slipping in if possible and maybe a Scorn retool of Grimlock.
Meanwhile the Leader price point would be filled by Thunderwing, Star Saber, and Victory Leo.

[aronjlove]

http://bwtf.com/news/generations-doubledealer-roadbuster-official-photos
Official Stock Photos for Generations Doubledealer and Studio Series Roadbuster. I can see myself attaching Doubledealer to one of the ends of Astrotrain's launch pad. I'm digging this modular base thing they got going on. I'll have an ICBM and a space shuttle.

[Vic Zanzibar]

I wonder if the Doubledealer mold could work with an extensive retool into Deathsaurus?

[Hellscream9999]

His knees look all wrong, he looks so stumpy

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

How's this look?

I wonder if the Doubledealer mold could work with an extensive retool into Deathsaurus?

It's possible that he could be converted into our favorite flamewar-inducing psychotic mutant chicken, although plenty of new parts would be necessary for it to look good.

[Sentinel_Primal]

Those stock photos just made me realize something: Doubledealer's bird wings look to be on ratchets. That seems odd to me, but it's interesting to note

Also, regarding a potential Deathsaurus from Doubledealer. I doubt it'd be worth the effort to remold it enough to make the mold work. If they're doing a new Deathsaurus, it'll probably be a new mold. Or a Sky Lynx repaint

[Jeddostotle7]

I wonder if the Doubledealer mold could work with an extensive retool into Deathsaurus?

I'd think Deathsaurus is the kind of character they'd either give a unique mold to, or do a retool that feels a little more fitting; this mold wouldn't fit too well IMO.

If we're gonna get a retool of this mold, it's probably gonna be Stalker, Machine Wars Soundwave, or Cybertron Defense Red Alert.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Yeah, while they technically could make flamewar-bait out of Doubledealer he'd really be better served by having his own mold.

[sol magnus]

So I gave my son his Earthrise Leader Optimus Prime yesterday, and i have some things to say about the experience, both for my son and for me. It's going to be freeform, so bear with me.

The first thing I will say is, for all the panels, it's a durable figure. I don't transform my figures very much. Maybe once - and mostly if they start out in vehicle mode, like they did when I was a kid. This is mainly pragmatic. It's not that I don't enjoy transforming them, but I mainly use them as poseable statues, and there's not much poseability in a truck (for instance).

My son (who's seven), however, holds no such pragmatism.

I was reticent about giving him such an expensive toy, as I was worried about it standing up to the demands he would put on it, and the general feeling that it's a "Voyager" I paid "Leader" money for. This was put to rest in about an hour.

While he has definite engineering in common with Voyager Prime, he's more complicated in transformation and thusly worth more money in my view. I think they did a wonderful job on the transformation. I think the only thing I dislike about it is the waste swivel because that's too much a deviation from "Primes five-fold manuever," but it's purely a nostalgia related gripe.

I transformed him to truck and robot and back because my son couldn't figure it out with all the panels. Within two times of this in about an hour, he had it down himself - just from watching me. He transformed that Optimus probably another ten times yesterday and at least twice today, and he's not noticeably degraded in tightness. I told my son about the gray hands and showed him a picture of it - it definitely would have been a problem, so good on Hasbro for addressing that. The chest compartment with the Matrix can be a little tight at times, requiring me to open it for him, but he's getting the hang of that slowly but surely.

For my part - I still don't like the gun. I think they packed in as much as they could for the plastic/money where the trailer is concerned. I will definitely get one for myself when the opportunity presents itself.

The biggest thing in this whole thing for me though, is watching the joy my son gets from playing with his first non-Rescue Bots figure and his years long request - an Optimus Prime with a Matrix. I still have PotP Optimus Prime in it's package, which I actually got for him but backed off of due to the overall complexity (and I haven't changed my mind about it, either). Now I have to figure out what to do with that.