The Energon Pub

[Hellscream9999]

So a question for those that scored a Netflix Megatron...is the head issue from Siege still there or not so more or less? This will for sure will determine for me if I should get him or not...my thanks in advance!

It's defintiley still there as there is no way to secure the head in bot mode, but it has a great deal more friction so it doesn't just fall in when you breathe on it, but if nudged with enough fore or just during posing you will have to pull the head out

[G1OptimusPAX]

So a question for those that scored a Netflix Megatron...is the head issue from Siege still there or not so more or less? This will for sure will determine for me if I should get him or not...my thanks in advance!

It's defintiley still there as there is no way to secure the head in bot mode, but it has a great deal more friction so it doesn't just fall in when you breathe on it, but if nudged with enough fore or just during posing you will have to pull the head out

Actually I'd like to add that while I definitely agree with the friction, my neck issue had way more then friction on my netflix megatron. The neck Actually snaps into place. I thought they fixed that issue with these versions, but if yours is still semi-loose then I guess I was wrong, but mine is completely secure

[william-james88]

So a question for those that scored a Netflix Megatron...is the head issue from Siege still there or not so more or less? This will for sure will determine for me if I should get him or not...my thanks in advance!

It's defintiley still there as there is no way to secure the head in bot mode, but it has a great deal more friction so it doesn't just fall in when you breathe on it, but if nudged with enough fore or just during posing you will have to pull the head out

Actually I'd like to add that while I definitely agree with the friction, my neck issue had way more then friction on my netflix megatron. The neck Actually snaps into place. I thought they fixed that issue with these versions, but if yours is still semi-loose then I guess I was wrong, but mine is completely secure

I agree, to the point where the head issue has become a non issue to me.

[Nemesis Destron]

Okay I'm convinced! So has Megatron been on store shelves? I missed out on anyone commenting that he was found in stores.

[Rodimus Prime]

Okay I'm convinced! So has Megatron been on store shelves? I missed out on anyone commenting that he was found in stores.

If you have a Wal-Mart near you, it will most likely have some Megatrons, as they recently got a whole display dedicated to Earthrise, Cyberverse and Netflix. If nothing else, mine has a bunch and I'll get one for you at cost and shipping if you want. Same with Hotlink.

[Nemesis Destron]

Okay I'm convinced! So has Megatron been on store shelves? I missed out on anyone commenting that he was found in stores.

If you have a Wal-Mart near you, it will most likely have some Megatrons, as they recently got a whole display dedicated to Earthrise, Cyberverse and Netflix. If nothing else, mine has a bunch and I'll get one for you at cost and shipping if you want. Same with Hotlink.

Thanks for the comment and the offer Rodimus. I will keep that in mind after I try my luck with 2 local Walmarts to see what I see...thanks again!

[Rodimus Prime]

Okay I'm convinced! So has Megatron been on store shelves? I missed out on anyone commenting that he was found in stores.

If you have a Wal-Mart near you, it will most likely have some Megatrons, as they recently got a whole display dedicated to Earthrise, Cyberverse and Netflix. If nothing else, mine has a bunch and I'll get one for you at cost and shipping if you want. Same with Hotlink.

Thanks for the comment and the offer Rodimus. I will keep that in mind after I try my luck with 2 local Walmarts to see what I see...thanks again!

No problem. Happy to help out fellow fans.

I do have a question for those of you who got into the new IDW comics, starring some of the characters whose toys appear in Siege: how accurate are the toys to the comic representations?

[william-james88]

Okay I'm convinced! So has Megatron been on store shelves? I missed out on anyone commenting that he was found in stores.

If you have a Wal-Mart near you, it will most likely have some Megatrons, as they recently got a whole display dedicated to Earthrise, Cyberverse and Netflix. If nothing else, mine has a bunch and I'll get one for you at cost and shipping if you want. Same with Hotlink.

Thanks for the comment and the offer Rodimus. I will keep that in mind after I try my luck with 2 local Walmarts to see what I see...thanks again!

No problem. Happy to help out fellow fans.

I do have a question for those of you who got into the new IDW comics, starring some of the characters whose toys appear in Siege: how accurate are the toys to the comic representations?

Accurate to a fault, they even have giant peg holes.

[LinaNui]

I am now just one figure (orange rung) away from having all of the "normal released" (- some selects) Siege figures! I think I am just going to wait for the re-release of rung so I don't have to pay $30+ for him now.

I am really having a lot of fun with Astrotrian and I am so glad I finally found him. His size does not bother me at all really just because I have no personal connection to a set height for him. This tender is a great addition as well and I love all the guns. I can not wait to get more of the ER baseformers and create a huge city with my other bots.

I got lucky and scored a Singe for $14 on ebay so now my Spinister is complete! Not much to say since this is like my 6th or 7th time with the mold it feels like. Still happy to have him.

[Rodimus Prime]

As much as I disapprove of the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now, if he were white and purple instead of gray and purple, I'd probably pick him up.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

As much as I disapprove of the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now, if he were white and purple instead of gray and purple, I'd probably pick him up.

*throws RiD Optimus, Armada Optimus, Energon Optimus, and Cybertron Optimus at you. And G1 Optimus and Megatron for good measure. And then waves Earthrise Doubledealer in your face*

They're using the Leader price point that way because all-the-mass-is-one-robot Leaders largely don't work for the cast of '84-'86. And hey, it beats buying a Voyager and then spending an additional $60 to get the accessories from 3P kits.

And who knows, maybe they'll do Astrotrain in that color scheme as a Selects figure.

Word of advice: I do not recommend using strong nail polish remover to strip battle damage paint from the Rainmakers.

[Rodimus Prime]

As much as I disapprove of the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now, if he were white and purple instead of gray and purple, I'd probably pick him up.

*throws RiD Optimus, Armada Optimus, Energon Optimus, and Cybertron Optimus at you.

Those are not the same. They are not voyager + extra crap. Everything outside of the smaller bot is required to make an accurate larger bot. With Astrotrain this is not the case.

And G1 Optimus and Megatron for good measure.

Still not entirely acceptable. Prime needed the trailer to be screen accurate and Megatron needed his extra parts in gun mode as well. Again, with Astrotrain this is not the case.

And then waves Earthrise Doubledealer in your face*

**** Doubledealer. Waste of a leader class spot.

They're using the Leader price point that way because all-the-mass-is-one-robot Leaders largely don't work for the cast of '84-'86.

They shouldn't be made **** leaders then. Make them voyagers and sell them $20 cheaper.

And hey, it beats buying a Voyager and then spending an additional $60 to get the accessories from 3P kits.

That's just it, though. They don't need extra kits and stuff. Astrotrain didn't need it, and neither did Shockwave, if he had been designed better.

And who knows, maybe they'll do Astrotrain in that color scheme as a Selects figure.

Doubtful. Would have been done by now, or at least revealed.

[ZeroWolf]

Problem is with making all them Voyagers is that they only have so many voyager class slots to go around

[Rodimus Prime]

Problem is with making all them Voyagers is that they only have so many voyager class slots to go around

Isn't that up to Hasbro's discretion, though? How many of each spot to select? Or do the retailers have a say from the start? And anyway, the 2 figures in question, Shockwave and Astrotrain, are larger in fiction than the other characters with Voyager figures except Prime and Megatron (who should have been real leaders anyway), so they should have gotten actual leader figures.

[Omegatron.]

Well, there's only so much room in a case. I doubt it would be practical to suddenly switch to larger boxes.

Shockwave and Astrotrain are only very slightly taller than, e.g. the seekers. A classic "full-size" leader would be far too tall.

[Rodimus Prime]

Well, there's only so much room in a case. I doubt it would be practical to suddenly switch to larger boxes.

Shockwave and Astrotrain are only very slightly taller than, e.g. the seekers. A classic "full-size" leader would be far too tall.

Too tall for the boxes? The boxes can be made bigger. Or too tall scale-wise?

[Deadput]

Too tall for the boxes? The boxes can be made bigger. Or too tall scale-wise?

Tall scale wise and I agree.

We have gotten most of the characters that actually fit the actual leader class sizes (like Overlord, Sixshot, etc) and I don't think there is that many left besides I guess characters like Thunderclash or Star Saber (who would probably fit better as a Commander class)

Toys like Combiner Wars Megatron, Seekers or TR Soundwave/Blaster are fine figures but their main problem lies in their height when their out of scale with everyone else, not to mention that some of them were pretty hollow due to their height.

Leader class shouldn't be about how "tall" or whatever they are but about the mass or amount of features they have, stuff like Prime and his trailer, etc.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

As much as I disapprove of the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now, if he were white and purple instead of gray and purple, I'd probably pick him up.

*throws RiD Optimus, Armada Optimus, Energon Optimus, and Cybertron Optimus at you.

Those are not the same. They are not voyager + extra crap. Everything outside of the smaller bot is required to make an accurate larger bot. With Astrotrain this is not the case.

1. Astrotrain and Shockwave are not the entirety of the WFC Leader class. If those are the figures you're pissy about, be smegging specific. What you said was "the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now", which tars every WFC Leader other than Doubledealer with the same brush and implies dismissal of all smaller robot + extra parts figures as invalid uses of the price point. I know some people definitely think that way... If that wasn't what you meant, you should have been more bloody careful with your words.
2. As I see it, the only difference between Astrotrain and Shockwave's extra crap and the extra crap of the figures I mentioned? Is the former's extra crap wasn't used in the show.

And G1 Optimus and Megatron for good measure.

Still not entirely acceptable. Prime needed the trailer to be screen accurate and Megatron needed his extra parts in gun mode as well.

Perhaps, but the toys came first (usually the case, but extra the case with pre-movie G1), and the show models were designed after them. Plus, if the Hasbro releases of the toys hadn't come with the extra crap, the show wouldn't have featured it (we never saw Soundwave's headphones, after all). And again, your wording implied you were writing off ALL WFC Leaders as invalid uses of the price point.

Again, with Astrotrain this is not the case.

You're right, it's not necessary for show accuracy. But it still adds play value, and it is necessary for his FINALLY having a complete locomotive mode.

And then waves Earthrise Doubledealer in your face*

**** Doubledealer. Waste of a leader class spot.

Mm-hm, suuuure, having a Doubledealer that's not gimped and undersize is suuuuch a waste. NOT. He would have been screwed over if they'd made him a Voyager, and the Ultra size class has been retired for over a decade, so...

They're using the Leader price point that way because all-the-mass-is-one-robot Leaders largely don't work for the cast of '84-'86.

They shouldn't be made **** leaders then. Make them voyagers and sell them $20 cheaper.

1. No thanks, I'd rather not have a repeat of Classics Ultra Magnus. And ER Voyager Megs' existence is bad enough, don't need to be double-dipping on that with Optimus.
2. They needed to have some Decepticons at the Leader price point in SIEGE, and Megatron had already been given a Voyager slot.. I think Astrotrain uses it better than Shockwave.

And hey, it beats buying a Voyager and then spending an additional $60 to get the accessories from 3P kits.

That's just it, though. They don't need extra kits and stuff. Astrotrain didn't need it, and neither did Shockwave, if he had been designed better.

1. Reiterate statement about those two not being the entirety of the WFC Leader class
2a. Astrotrain has needed the extra kit since 1986 IMO, plus it makes him stand out further from the TR version... That and I think that as a Voyager he would have wound up with even more hollow spots.
2b. As for Shockwave... He probably would have worked better as a Voyager, but they needed another Leader to be Ultra Magnus' wavemate in a hurry, and Shockwave conveniently had a Leader design prepared thanks to the PotP poll (I remain firm in my belief that SIEGE Shockwave is really a hastily reworked PotP Evolution Leader, it would explain sooo much).
3. I was also thinking of characters yet to be done when I said that. Such as Rodimus Prime... Galvatron if they're going to re-do him (he might get screwed over at the Voyager price point since I think the plastic limit has gone down a bit since TR)...

And who knows, maybe they'll do Astrotrain in that color scheme as a Selects figure.

Doubtful. Would have been done by now, or at least revealed.

Not necessarily, especially if he's a Hasbro-initiated Selects figure (news on those seems to come a lot slower than the Takara-led stuff). Why not allow yourself to have some hope?

[Rodimus Prime]

1. Astrotrain and Shockwave are not the entirety of the WFC Leader class. If those are the figures you're pissy about, be smegging specific. What you said was "the voyager + extra crap Hasbro calls leader class now", which tars every WFC Leader other than Doubledealer with the same brush and implies dismissal of all smaller robot + extra parts figures as invalid uses of the price point. I know some people definitely think that way... If that wasn't what you meant, you should have been more bloody careful with your words.

Alright, I'll give you that one. I should have been more specific. My main problem is with Shockwave and Astrotrain, and Shockwave most specifically. And it's a personal view, influenced by the fact thst he's my favorite G1 Decepticon. So to me the way he was given to us in Siege was very disappointing. They should have left him as a voyager, because the figure itself is great. Or made him a leader, but that would have required both Prime and Megayron to be leaders as well.

2. As I see it, the only difference between Astrotrain and Shockwave's extra crap and the extra crap of the figures I mentioned? Is the former's extra crap wasn't used in the show.

Well when going for accuracy, like the Siege line seemed to be doing, that's a big difference.

Again, with Astrotrain this is not the case.

You're right, it's not necessary for show accuracy.

That's what matters. Everything else is just personal preference on your part.

And then waves Earthrise Doubledealer in your face*

**** Doubledealer. Waste of a leader class spot.

Mm-hm, suuuure, having a Doubledealer that's not gimped and undersize is suuuuch a waste. NOT. He would have been screwed over if they'd made him a Voyager, and the Ultra size class has been retired for over a decade, so...

What I meant was I don't give a **** about Doubledealer. But like I said about the previous point, it's personal preference. I wish the spot would have went to someone else.

And who knows, maybe they'll do Astrotrain in that color scheme as a Selects figure.

Doubtful. Would have been done by now, or at least revealed.

Not necessarily, especially if he's a Hasbro-initiated Selects figure (news on those seems to come a lot slower than the Takara-led stuff). Why not allow yourself to have some hope?

I've been disappointed too many times over the years. And seeing as how WFC has gotten the figures right mostly so far, they're bound to disappoint sooner or later. By keeping my expectations and hope very low, it's a smaller chance of disappointment.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I prefer to be optimistic. On the subject of Shockwave, with as much re-treading as is happening maybe he'll get another go. I'm pretty sure the SIEGE figure is a rush job "Uhh... Crap, we need another C.O.M.B.A.T. Leader to be Ultra Magnus' wavemate... Uhh... Oh hey, Shockwave's popular and we've got this Leader Shockwave design leftover from PotP, let's adapt that."

Re: Astrotrain... I'm a train fan as well as a TF fan, so to me the lack of a tender has always made his locomotive mode look almost as naked as G1 Rodimus Prime's altmode without the camper shell does It's like, steam engines of that sort need a tender to be able to work. Trying to operate one without the tender is like trying to start a car that's missing the gas tank.

Also, have pictures:



Battle Blade Bumblebee was a tall bastard of a Deluxe even for his day.

[Gauntlet101010]

I wonder how many people actually use Astrotrain's parts. Shockwave's armor is pretty cool, if unnecessary, but most of AT's goes right on his back. The only mode it really helps is train mode. And, even then, it's a mess.

[Rodimus Prime]

I swore to not open my Apeface until Snapdragon gets here, so mine is still sealed. But I'm kinda dreading it, having heard the issue with the pink piece.

And I left this out of the other post, but I gotta disagree about Shockwave being in PoTP, I just don't see it, because he never had an evolution or power up gimmick in any fiction. I see what they did in Siege, but like you said, it seems hastily thrown together. If they had him planned for PoTP but didn't have time for him, they would have just released him as he was in a Siege box. Unless you're saying that what we got in Siege is what we would have gotten in PoTP as well. Even if I have to admit that the extra parts made into a hoverboard actually works fine, as it's something I can see Shockwave build for himself. But it still shouldn't be a part of his alt mode.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I swore to not open my Apeface until Snapdragon gets here, so mine is still sealed. But I'm kinda dreading it, having heard the issue with the pink piece.

You mean the transparent blue piece painted pink? For what it's worth I haven't had mine break.

And I left this out of the other post, but I gotta disagree about Shockwave being in PoTP, I just don't see it, because he never had an evolution or power up gimmick in any fiction. I see what they did in Siege, but like you said, it seems hastily thrown together. If they had him planned for PoTP but didn't have time for him, they would have just released him as he was in a Siege box. Unless you're saying that what we got in Siege is what we would have gotten in PoTP as well. Even if I have to admit that the extra parts made into a hoverboard actually works fine, as it's something I can see Shockwave build for himself. But it still shouldn't be a part of his alt mode.

What I'm saying is this:
First, that while Shockwave may not have had an evolution/powerup gimmick in fiction, he was still on that Final PotP Leader poll (as were Arcee and Hound). And we know (or are at least fairly sure) that everybody who was on the poll had an evolution design prepared so that the designers could get right to work on whoever was chosen.
Second, that SIEGE Shockwave's design strikes me as a hasty re-work of said evolution design to fit the SIEGE C.O.M.B.A.T. armor gimmick. Here's why: His extra parts are larger versions of his limbs, and the core robot is between a Voyager and a Deluxe in size... exactly like PotP Hot Rod and Orion Pax.

[Sabrblade]

And I left this out of the other post, but I gotta disagree about Shockwave being in PoTP, I just don't see it, because he never had an evolution or power up gimmick in any fiction.

He was absolutely going to be in POTP if he had won that poll that got us POTP Optimal Optimus. Arcee and Hound never had power-ups either, but they were on the poll too. Whoever won the poll was going to get a power-up whether they ever fictionally had one before or not.

[TF-fan kev777]

And I left this out of the other post, but I gotta disagree about Shockwave being in PoTP, I just don't see it, because he never had an evolution or power up gimmick in any fiction.

He was absolutely going to be in POTP if he had won that poll that got us POTP Optimal Optimus. Arcee and Hound never had power-ups either, but they were on the poll too. Whoever won the poll was going to get a power-up whether they ever fictionally had one before or not.

I'll also take it 1 step further on speculation. My guess is that had Shockwave won the fan poll, his powered up version would have been as Onyx Prime to match up with what IDW was doing at the time. I believe that is why his powered up mode for Siege was just extra limb pieces as it was a rush job since any Onyx Prime bits they might have added under PotP wouldn't match up with the current IWD-verse