The Energon Pub

News Credits: 251 · by **Mindmaster** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:30 pm

Bullycon wrote:What I take from that is that none of these guys are actually Rainmakers. Maybe they are just using the name for trademark purposes?

That makes sense. I wonder if this means that Acid Storm will soon be joined by his fellow Rainmakers... :-?

News Credits: 251 · by **Mindmaster** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:34 pm

gavinfuzzy wrote:Well i guess that means we'll see another 3 billion Starscream repaints.

I don't mind at all. Seekers were the Vehicons of Generation One: the more the merrier! :lol:

I wouldn't mind to see even Slipstream come from the Seeker mold. The TFSS Slipstream is a good figure, but a little expensive for my taste.

News Credits: 65 · by **Wolfman Jake** » Thu Jun 27, 2013 11:36 pm

gavinfuzzy wrote:Well i guess that means we'll see another 3 billion Starscream repaints.

I scream, you scream, we all scream for STARSCREAM! :grin:

News Credits: 456 · by **Sabrblade** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 12:17 am

This just means now that there are more than merely three Rainmakers. These guys are all Rainmakers, but not THE Rainmakers we saw in "Divide and Conquer". They are now retroactively all part of the same group, with only three of its members having shown us what Rainmakers are capable of before now, leaving three of their other ranks having not yet gotten their time in the sun, er, rain. :-B

News Credits: 2 · by **Banjo-Tron** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:18 am

I already bought these 3 off eBay, it's cheaper than me flying to attend Botcon, I guess! That 'Rainmakers' thing just seems to be an error, or perhaps an earlier intention to produce them before they realised that Acid Storm had already been done. Anyhow, I'm really pleased we have the 3 un-named seekers who appeared in the first episode. I always liked the colour scheme of the turquoise and purple one. I am disappointed that Sunstorm does not have white forearms, however. But overall, this looks to be a great set.

News Credits: 1 · by **Sodan-1** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 4:50 am

And the Club balls' it up again! :BANG_HEAD:

So the three G1 Seekers to sport those colours were never referred to as Rainmakers? Hasbro have said that Sunstorm was never actually a member of the Rainmakers? And Acid Storm's bio names him as a member? And yet somehow the Club has managed to ignore all of that. Is that right? 8-}

Maybe it's the knowledge that they'll be next to impossible for me to obtain subconsciously affecting my opinion, but I don't think they look all that amazing.

by **Coptur** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:17 am

I do get fed up of these endless debates about sunstorm/rainmakers.

the slight difference in the animation model (from a show rife with animations errors from beginning to end) and people trying to create two characters...really they're both yellow give the rainmaker post to sunstorm it make sense does it not. Hasbro have likely changed their mind on that comment like they're always changing things within the transformers franchise why not this one.

Even the rainmakers term was fan made for crying out loud, i'm not here for endless debates with ifs', buts and maybes'.

the fact with these 'characters' they were only just space fillers for the sake of having fillers in episodes.

to me hasbro current 'official' stance (from a few years ago will be ignored)

Acid Storm
Sunstorm
Bitstream
Hotlink
Slipstream
....Link

Yes name another random coloured seeker end it with link and you have a team of six with a working theme

ELITE Team
Starscream
Thundercracker
Skywarp

'Cone' Heads (they don't refer to themselves as this)
Dirge
Thrust
Ramjet

News Credits: 1 · by **Wreckgar** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:12 am

Just a heads up for any poor sap like myself who's trying to get these guys on ebay - The same buyer seems to be the highest bidder on almost every auction. Even on the secondary market, the scalpers are taking no prisoners with these.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:43 am

I see no problem with FunPub expanding the Rainmaker team to include 3 more generics. Or with them just merging the teams (maybe the comic will clear that up).

News Credits: 2 · by **Banjo-Tron** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:54 am

Wreckgar wrote:Just a heads up for any poor sap like myself who's trying to get these guys on ebay - The same buyer seems to be the highest bidder on almost every auction. Even on the secondary market, the scalpers are taking no prisoners with these.

Yeah, bite the bullet, and get in early I reckon. There are a couple of 'buy it nows' doing the rounds, that's what I did - it takes a lot of time and energy to track multiple bids, especially if they are being scalped or shill-bidded up.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:10 am

All I can say is, wow. The Classics Starscream mold has gone through hell and back; 3 BotCons (2007, 2011 and 2013), 8 times US retail, 6 times Japan and an additional 6 for Asia. What a trooper. :APPLAUSE:

As for these "Rainmakers", they're a nice extra, but not really mandatory for me. Deco layout's the same (in fact, I think they match Henkei Starscream's) just different colors. Kinda the reverse of last year's Junkions: same colors but different heads.

If I were to get them, they'd really be labeled "generics", as I have the Hasbro versions of all 6 original Seekers, each with a different pattern on the wings, making them unique. :lol:

by **SentinelA** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 10:45 am

I'd like to have these but I doubt I'll ever be able to afford them. The CHMS seekers will have to do which is okay since I have 20 seekers including repaints.

by **Metrosuplex** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:07 pm

grimdragon2001 wrote:so wish I could afford to get these guys

Ditto.

I wonder why Hasbro doesn't produce these for retail, as a sub-generations line. With the exorbitant prices some of these TF's get on eBay, I am saddened by how the majority of the profit will go to the poachers and not Hasbro itself.

I can't figure out the business model. Hasbro should want to flood the market and reap as many sales as it can, but when it comes to collectors, it seems to go the limited route. :-?

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:10 pm

Metrosuplex wrote:
grimdragon2001 wrote:so wish I could afford to get these guys

Ditto.

I wonder why Hasbro doesn't produce these for retail, as a sub-generations line. With the exorbitant prices some of these TF's get on eBay, I am saddened by how the majority of the profit will go to the poachers and not Hasbro itself.

I can't figure out the business model. Hasbro should want to flood the market and reap as many sales as it can, but when it comes to collectors, it seems to go the limited route.

Do parents want to buy a whole fleet of jets for their kids, all the same toy just in different colors? No.

News Credits: 409 · by **Stormrider** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 5:40 pm

How did the names Bitstream and Hotlink come about?

News Credits: 3 · by **Midnight_Fox** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 6:52 pm

Any board member at botcon willing to try and grab a set for me?

News Credits: 402 · by **Mkall** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:07 pm

Stormrider wrote:How did the names Bitstream and Hotlink come about?

I believe they were mentioned in one of the Transformers Novels.

News Credits: 251 · by **Mindmaster** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 7:09 pm

Mkall wrote:
Stormrider wrote:How did the names Bitstream and Hotlink come about?

I believe they were mentioned in of of the Transformers Novels.

Yep, in "Transformers: Exodus".

News Credits: 409 · by **Stormrider** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:39 pm

Mindmaster wrote:
Mkall wrote:
Stormrider wrote:How did the names Bitstream and Hotlink come about?

I believe they were mentioned in of of the Transformers Novels.

Yep, in "Transformers: Exodus".

Thanks

News Credits: 2 · by **xyl360** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:47 pm

Well, I broke down and bought a set on ebay for around $200 shipped. I just can't resist that Seeker mold, although I'm still waiting for these guys (in proper colors, note the particular shade/tone of the blue one and the white limbs etc.):

I've got the purple CHMS seeker (3 of them) and he's colored perfectly to match the middle one I think. He just needs a hose attachment which can be arranged (were I stickler for weapons accuracy with these guys). But that blue. No one has done one in THAT shade of blue, especially with white extremities. I foresee a custom on the horizons. I just have to paint match what is essentially Ultra Magnus' cartoon shade of blue (darker/less pastel than the G1 toy).

It's funny, I never did buy into the CHMS Rainmakers and only got the standalone orange Sunstorm which has the white arms etc. I still have too many damn Seekers though (Henkei, Classics, Asia Exclusive 3 packs etc.). My fleet is getting pretty large at this point with at least 2 of every 'official' G1 Seeker and now more 'subsequent' Seekers.

News Credits: 1 · by **Gauntlet101010** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 8:59 pm

Geez, I wish you woulda waited. I'm here to say Big Bad Toy Store has preorders for $144. Which is better than ebay prices right now and possibly the lowest these guys will go for. Unless they prove to be massively unpopular.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/prod ... ode=retail

Anyway, I look forward to add these guys to my collection. I have many of the CHMS guys, but you can't really have too many Seekers. That's the great thing about them that the original series did - any color scheme can work as a generic in your collection.

News Credits: 1 · by **Bumblevivisector** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 9:13 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Metrosuplex wrote:
grimdragon2001 wrote:so wish I could afford to get these guys

Ditto.

I wonder why Hasbro doesn't produce these for retail, as a sub-generations line. With the exorbitant prices some of these TF's get on eBay, I am saddened by how the majority of the profit will go to the poachers and not Hasbro itself.

I can't figure out the business model. Hasbro should want to flood the market and reap as many sales as it can, but when it comes to collectors, it seems to go the limited route.

Do parents want to buy a whole fleet of jets for their kids, all the same toy just in different colors? No.

Tragically, that's absolutely right. At my favorite TRU, a brother and sister (about 5 and 7, respectively) were walking from action figures to Lego with their mom, the tyke holding Armada/Universe Ramjet, with those extra minicons for nothing beyond the $20.00 Voyager price. Probably their best exclusive in the entire Unicron Trilogy. But then the girl realized, "Wait, he already has that guy, only he's black and called Skywarp," to which the mom responded by putting it back and substituting it with three clearance Built-to-Rule sets for the same price; a great deal to a parent's logic, but jeez that kid was so clearly let down that I give him credit for not crying.

No, legions of repaints are for us collectors, not kids. It's just a law of economics.

News Credits: 461 · by **mooncake623** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 1:55 am

Finally bit the bullet and got these guys for $185 shipped from a retailer.

Toy Arena wants $220 for these.
missed out on BBTS and TF source's 145. sad. =/

I think the main draw of these guys for me is the bio cards. =X

News Credits: 1235 · by **LOST Cybertronian** » Sun Jun 30, 2013 5:12 pm

For those of you interested in the BotCon 2013 Rainmakers souvenir set, it looks like the first set to sell out at the show. This info was tweeted by BotCon yesterday. They also added that it was the largest run ever done for a BotCon souvenir item.