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Is that a freshly new head mold, or an existing one? Cuz it very much reminds me of some version of Soundwave.

color deco and head mold are interesting.
will like to see hime lined up with a few others from the set before i make a decision.

Too much maroon and the wrong head for Machine Wars Hoist. It's a pass. If they are going to give him a new head, why not get the right look for the continuity?





I'd take that head if they were doing a G1 version, maybe that is one of the souvenirs this year.

I don't have a space in my collection for Machine Wars stuff so I'm not interested this year. Saves cash for all those Masterpieces and things that look like Stunticons.

Mkall wrote:It looks nice enough to stand on my Classics Shelf. I'm looking forward to seeing the rest.

Shelf? At this point you mean bookcase, right?

I think I'll save my final thought till I see the alt mode.

I saw this and was all like, "Ha, I'm smarter than everyone. Hoist is green, not black." Then I saw Machine Wars, and now I'm all like "aw, I'm dumber than everyone else."

Looking at this picture in both modes, does anyone else think the Botcon 2007 Huffer mold would have been a better choice ?

Rated X wrote:Looking at this picture in both modes, does anyone else think the Botcon 2007 Huffer mold would have been a better choice ?

Agreed, but they're probably trying to use molds they've never used before and use molds from more current lines. This is a perfect example of why the club needs the ability/permission to do more than just new heads for figures. The one they chose could somewhat work if they were able to add a peg hole to the truckbed and create a tow arm for it on the back that pegs into it. It wouldn't be that hard to kitbash (assuming you had a tow arm laying around).

You'd think that for what these things cost, they'd be willing to do more than they do (I'm sure the club is, but Hasbro probably has some pretty strict limitations on what they are willing to do for these limited exclusive releases).

Aaaaaaaand, I'm saving money already.

Not sure what I was expecting but this might possibly be the least exciting "first reveal" BotCon figure I've ever seen. Here's hoping the next reveal has a little "wow" or "that's really awesome" or "that's very clever" to it.

Well, the color scheme isn't supposed to be judged on how good it is, but rather how accurate it is to the original Machine Wars toy. And they've accurately captured the look of MW Hoist and satisfyingly updated it for the modern day with new and appropriate painted details.

Also, it couldn't have been Cybertron Armorhide for a few reasons - they don't touch Cybertron molds anymore, they don't touch Scouts anymore and they very rarely touch molds they already used as a previous Botcon exclusive before.

The head is supposed to be a dual homage to G2 Electro, some people say that this toy will be repainted into Electro instead of Hubcap.

On the bright side, at least the scalpers will leave this one alone. I need a word more descriptive than 'underwhelmed' to adequately express my feelings on this one.

wait... I know...

MEH

Banjo-Tron wrote:On the bright side, at least the scalpers will leave this one alone. I need a word more descriptive than 'underwhelmed' to adequately express my feelings on this one.

wait... I know...

MEH

I was thinking 'bromidic'.

Sinnertwin wrote:

Banjo-Tron wrote:On the bright side, at least the scalpers will leave this one alone. I need a word more descriptive than 'underwhelmed' to adequately express my feelings on this one.

wait... I know...

MEH

I was thinking 'bromidic'.

Good choice!

Botcon can't win whatever they do with Seibertronian commenters.

They create their own characters, people complain there is no attachement.

They do Shattered Glass, people complain they are too different.

They do G1 characters, people complain that they should have been done at retail.

They do Machine Wars, people complain that they are not wowed by them.

Banjo-Tron wrote:

Sinnertwin wrote:

Banjo-Tron wrote:On the bright side, at least the scalpers will leave this one alone. I need a word more descriptive than 'underwhelmed' to adequately express my feelings on this one.

wait... I know...

MEH

I was thinking 'bromidic'.

Good choice!

Thank you, good Sir!

Rated X wrote:Not really, but the maroon is actually spot on for Machine Wars Hoist and would pass as a red. Not perfect, but the yellow/orange stripe, black paint, and faceplate scream G1 Trailbreaker (toy not cartoon) Botcon usually goes for toy accuracy. It also opens up the door for the mold being used again in the future as G1 Hoist. Just my crazy opinion.

I don't know, I'm not buying that face sculpt as "toy accurate" G1 Trailbreaker.

Trikeboy wrote:Too much maroon and the wrong head for Machine Wars Hoist. It's a pass. If they are going to give him a new head, why not get the right look for the continuity?

Except for those new "ears" on the sides, I'd say that headsculpt captures Machine Wars Hoist quite well in the detailing.

Bass X0 wrote:The head is supposed to be a dual homage to G2 Electro, some people say that this toy will be repainted into Electro instead of Hubcap.

Very well spotted!

Now the choice in alt mode makes more sense, as Electro was a pickup too. I just hope he won't be made of GPS plastic like the original, even for the sake of accuracy. Having an expensive toy fall apart on you is never fun.

Bass X0 wrote:Botcon can't win whatever they do with Seibertronian commenters.

They create their own characters, people complain there is no attachement.

I actually think that they should be doing this as it's original and if the story line is done well with them, makes them desirable to the hardcore market.

Bass X0 wrote:They do Shattered Glass, people complain they are too different.

Actually I love the concept of SG- I just never got into it because I was too broke when preorders hit and soon after the line became scalper fodder to stratospheric levels, pricing me out of getting it.

Bass X0 wrote:They do G1 characters, people complain that they should have been done at retail.

Depends on the characters. Obscure ones, sure. But when you're doing core charactters and essentially turning them into scalper fodder for 99% of the world, then yeah it's a bad choice.

Bass X0 wrote:They do Machine Wars, people complain that they are not wowed by them.

The problem here is how this was sold. They made it sound like it was a continuation of the line with unique characters which would compliment the originals. Hell I was ready to preorder on that premise. But yet what we've been given, if the first character is any indication, is a redux of what we already have. Honestly it's a letdown.

The other thing is that Kup ideally isn't the best mould choice here. Honestly, as much as i detest movie toys, I was honestly expecting them to draw on the Longarm mould if they did go this way for both Hoist and Hubcap as it is an actual tow truck. Hopefully the other reveals are better fits.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:The head is supposed to be a dual homage to G2 Electro, some people say that this toy will be repainted into Electro instead of Hubcap.

Very well spotted!

Indeed! I knew there was something about that head that caught my eye, but I kept thinking it was Soundwave-esque.

Sabrblade wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Bass X0 wrote:The head is supposed to be a dual homage to G2 Electro, some people say that this toy will be repainted into Electro instead of Hubcap.

Very well spotted!

Indeed! I knew there was something about that head that caught my eye, but I kept thinking it was Soundwave-esque.

Say, can GDO accessories be produced stand-alone as they're separate molds (possibly gang-molded with the heads)? Electro wouldn't feel complete without a sword.

Bass X0 wrote:Botcon can't win whatever they do with Seibertronian commenters.

They create their own characters, people complain there is no attachement.

They do Shattered Glass, people complain they are too different.

They do G1 characters, people complain that they should have been done at retail.

They do Machine Wars, people complain that they are not wowed by them.

BotCon and TCC are their own worst enemy. It's because of the hype that they build up around their products that so many people seem to get their hopes up. We've known for almost 2 months that the BotCon 2013 theme was going to be Machine Wars. That's 2 months for speculation to build up in our heads about what the products will be. Those that are passionate about BotCon exclusives each has our own ideas about what would make a cool Machine Wars "revival".

The last really amazing BotCon "set" was the BotCon 2006 Beast Wars themed set. Great set. Filled in a gap in a story many of us love and wanted to know more about. The 2005 set was OK ... I give them a pass on that set because I personally like most of it (including the poor face designs on Ratchet and Ironhide), primarily because everything rides on Deszaras. It was their first set and I think it was a pretty rushed set, so I give them a pass on that one. I still think the 2007 set was really great, but understand the sensitivities that surround it. The initial Shattered Glass set was a fun idea (not my thing but I don't have to like everything) and we ended up with some decently conceived ideas (i.e. Starscream in Jetfire's colors, the Megatron with the early comic head, black Hot Rod, etc). Unfortunately, it's kind of been downhill since. Shattered Glass has been beat to death, the 2009 set was "meh" at best (especially after getting awesome retail versions of Kup and Scourge), I liked the 2010 set but I think they really missed an opportunity by doing G2 right (it should have been called G1.5 Redux, calling it G2 is misleading), the 2011 set was OK but again I think they missed a lot of opportunities, and the 2012 set was SG beaten to death with screwy looking versions of what should have been two of the most awesome BotCon figures ever (Metalhawk and Overlord).

I get the idea of building hype behind an event or product. It's a key aspect of marketing. However, when the end product doesn't end up meeting the extreme artificial hype, disappointment unfortunately ensues. The massive viral marketing scheme behind the flopped "Snakes on a Plane" flick come to mind. Having seen this happen every year since 2005, you'd think the marketing strategy would have changed at this point. Knowing how this song and dance goes every year, I think they should wait to announce the theme and figures until they had everything they wanted to reveal all in one fell swoop. This would end the early speculation that seems to simmer for weeks or months at a time which only leads to disappointment.

xyl360 wrote:

Rated X wrote:Looking at this picture in both modes, does anyone else think the Botcon 2007 Huffer mold would have been a better choice ?

Agreed, but they're probably trying to use molds they've never used before and use molds from more current lines. This is a perfect example of why the club needs the ability/permission to do more than just new heads for figures. The one they chose could somewhat work if they were able to add a peg hole to the truckbed and create a tow arm for it on the back that pegs into it. It wouldn't be that hard to kitbash (assuming you had a tow arm laying around).

You'd think that for what these things cost, they'd be willing to do more than they do (I'm sure the club is, but Hasbro probably has some pretty strict limitations on what they are willing to do for these limited exclusive releases).

Yeah I know they announced that they wouldnt be using Unicron Trilogy molds anymore. For me that sucks though. As a classics collector, I want molds I dont have on my shelf rather than repaints of molds I have that represent an important character. Since I dont really collect Unicron Trilogy, those molds are perfect for classic repaints. I dont need any more Jazz and Kup repaints.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

Rated X wrote:Not really, but the maroon is actually spot on for Machine Wars Hoist and would pass as a red. Not perfect, but the yellow/orange stripe, black paint, and faceplate scream G1 Trailbreaker (toy not cartoon) Botcon usually goes for toy accuracy. It also opens up the door for the mold being used again in the future as G1 Hoist. Just my crazy opinion.

I don't know, I'm not buying that face sculpt as "toy accurate" G1 Trailbreaker.

Im not saying it's a spot on representation, but it does have the faceplate for those who prefer G1 toy accuracy over the cartoon. TFCC always goes for the G1 toy. Plus the head sculpt was made boxy (like Trailbreaker) instead of rounded like Machine Wars Hoist. Pretty funny huh ? Thats why I think the dual purpose was intended. They knew people wouldnt be displaying Kup with their season 1 characters, so maybe they thought some might get a kick out of using the mold as Trailbreaker if they prefer. Kind of like using Energon Wheeljack as Downshift, some people will do it.

Rated X wrote:Im not saying it's a spot on representation, but it does have the faceplate for those who prefer G1 toy accuracy over the cartoon. TFCC always goes for the G1 toy. Plus the head sculpt was made boxy (like Trailbreaker) instead of rounded like Machine Wars Hoist. Pretty funny huh ? Thats why I think the dual purpose was intended. They knew people wouldnt be displaying Kup with their season 1 characters, so maybe they thought some might get a kick out of using the mold as Trailbreaker if they prefer. Kind of like using Energon Wheeljack as Downshift, some people will do it.

Or, as Bass X0 pointed out, the head is meant for a redeco of this figure into G2 Electro (who also had a pickup truck altmode):