The Energon Pub

It's alright to like those guys. Or any other TF. But they are clearly not what people are talking about when they say they want Neo G1 Dinos. And to say they are is being obtuse on purpose.

What's more, none of the more G1-ish Dinos are complete teams. Only the SDCC set is and those guys have a distinctly non-G1 look to them. Unless you want a team full of Grimlocks, classics collectors have been out of luck on the dinobot front.

NOS wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I...kinda want those guys, I will confess (although I'd prefer different versions of the molds).

I have them. They're fun and were worth the retail at the time. Hard to fit them into anything other than a Beast Wars collection though for obvious reasons.

except for all those autobot symbols. the original neo versions would fit better with a BW collection. but these universe/armada/walmart/whatever they are... i wouldnt know where to put them.

shajaki wrote:

NOS wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I...kinda want those guys, I will confess (although I'd prefer different versions of the molds).

I have them. They're fun and were worth the retail at the time. Hard to fit them into anything other than a Beast Wars collection though for obvious reasons.

except for all those autobot symbols. the original neo versions would fit better with a BW collection. but these universe/armada/walmart/whatever they are... i wouldnt know where to put them.

Nah, the Autobot symbols fit fine. Remember how Ravage was technically a Decepticon?

NOS wrote:

shajaki wrote:

NOS wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I...kinda want those guys, I will confess (although I'd prefer different versions of the molds).

I have them. They're fun and were worth the retail at the time. Hard to fit them into anything other than a Beast Wars collection though for obvious reasons.

except for all those autobot symbols. the original neo versions would fit better with a BW collection. but these universe/armada/walmart/whatever they are... i wouldnt know where to put them.

Nah, the Autobot symbols fit fine. Remember how Ravage was technically a Decepticon?

One of the last, if I remember the old show correctly. Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 20 years...

shajaki wrote:

There's really a Dinobot called Slapper? What is it with members of this team sharing their names with derogatory British terms for women?

Cubrar will be my first FansProject Dinobot. My original plan was to get the entire sets of Dinobots from FP, Planet X, ToyWorld, ShuraKing and GigaPower, but with how much these things cost that was realistically never going to happen. Instead I'm going to pick and choose a single example of each character from the various companies. My in-head plot will explain away the aesthetic differences, with each member of the team coming from a different colony of Cybertron that had developed independently from the others. The five then come together, before getting their dinosaurs forms. They may very well look awful together, but that's my running theory.

NOS wrote:

shajaki wrote:

NOS wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I...kinda want those guys, I will confess (although I'd prefer different versions of the molds).

I have them. They're fun and were worth the retail at the time. Hard to fit them into anything other than a Beast Wars collection though for obvious reasons.

except for all those autobot symbols. the original neo versions would fit better with a BW collection. but these universe/armada/walmart/whatever they are... i wouldnt know where to put them.

Nah, the Autobot symbols fit fine. Remember how Ravage was technically a Decepticon?

true. but i see ravage as one who didnt truely "embrace" the predacon upgrade. his panther/bot mode has no organic bits, he still turns into a cassette tape, and still rocks a decepticon insignia. the fact that im arguing this might seem odd, but thats just how my brain justifies these things

Agamemnon wrote:One of the last, if I remember the old show correctly. Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 20 years...

I really miss that show... I didn't really embrace it when it first debuted, but once I gave it a chance I was so hooked and it quickly became one of my favorites. The story was just amazing!

shajaki wrote:true. but i see ravage as one who didnt truely "embrace" the predacon upgrade. his panther/bot mode has no organic bits, he still turns into a cassette tape, and still rocks a decepticon insignia. the fact that im arguing this might seem odd, but thats just how my brain justifies these things

It's all good. I'm only saying that with enough fanfic or imagination or what-have-you it's possible to reason some Maximals wanting do as Ravage did (i.e. insist on retaining Autobot status).

After all, the Dinobots aren't known for conforming or intelligence.

ooooohhhh kaaayyyy....
i got my diaclone cubrar today. and i have some VERY mixed feelings.









perhaps ill start with the good:
that chrome. oh man that chrome is nice. and it feels nice too, not like a transmetal that will flake off in 10 years. the diaclone blue is quite nice, but not the metallic "united" kind we got with diaclone columpio. posability is about what youd imagine (with one strange hindrance). the head/flame turret in his dino mouth is pretty clever. and i just cant get over the dinosaur head sculpt. its sharp and stylized. that mane(?) almost feels like diecast. also, segmented articulated tail? yes please.

now the bad:
-theres a lot of pieces in very close quarters, that bump into each other (even scrape) during transformation. because of that, and those hip joints having to be positioned *juuust so* that its infuriating.
-the internal stem what his tail is connected to feels thin and kinda weak.



-when transformed, the tail comes straight up and actually pegs into place between the wings. awesome right? not really, because that makes his waist swivel and ab joint completely useless.



-the dino mouth flaps down to reveal the bot head (like the G1 toy) but doesnt peg into anything. it can be moved out of place easily when trying to pose the head.

and my most glaring negative point: the bot mode head sculpt. he's got poutier lips than botcon devcon. i really cant stand it.



so in closing, for how much hype i made for myself, im pretty let down. thats not to say there arent positives, and i dont regret buying him. i feel theres more negatives than positives, but the positives are enough for me to still enjoy the figure.

i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Great review Shay-Jay!

His actual G1 Diaclone grandpa is the only Dinobot I ever had as a kid. still have the box and everything.
Hey, could you try robot with tail mode? Opens up some cool new hand to hand battle strategies.

Thanks for this. My 3P cherry remains unsullied and I've really been looking hard at dinobots. I'm kind of waiting to see what Toy World's triceratops looks like. I like the others of there's so far. Plus they are F-ing combiners!

What scale is this guy? Deluxe? Voyager? MP?

After a few video reviews I somewhat expected the issues regarding the tail. Best option I've seen is just to leave it unpegged. Allows you to still have some hip movement. Truly a shame about the head issue though.

Not surprised that the chrome bits are at risk in the transformations and whatnot. Chrome is nearly -always- at risk on figures. When I see these exclusives I think of them as figures not meant to be played with.

In any case, I certainly sympathize with you, Shajaki. Thanks for the pics.

Whoa..... with all those reviews I saw... How is it that I never notice those stupid lips? Noone even mentioned it! WTH!

Still looks cool though. I should be getting the retail version by Friday.

megatronus wrote:Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Just go with the SDCC Dinobots. they're Classicishhhhhhh

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Just go with the SDCC Dinobots. they're Classicishhhhhhh

Haha I've already got those guys

They're OK, but somehow Hasbro managed to make each individual bot look good, but not cohesive as a team. It's weird. Most of them have odd combinations of chrome, gold chrome, bronze paint, silver paint, and brown-ish pieces. I think Platinum Edition Grimlock (from the Bruticus set) goes better with the other SDCC bots than SDCC Grimlock does!

Hmmm... that's not a bad idea...

*cough* *ahem* Anyways... SDCC Dinos are definitely an option, but Takara's (far more expensive) G1-deco versions look much nicer. If they go on clearance, I would probably use them to replace the SDCC ones.

megatronus wrote:

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Just go with the SDCC Dinobots. they're Classicishhhhhhh

Haha I've already got those guys

They're OK, but somehow Hasbro managed to make each individual bot look good, but not cohesive as a team. It's weird. Most of them have odd combinations of chrome, gold chrome, bronze paint, silver paint, and brown-ish pieces. I think Platinum Edition Grimlock (from the Bruticus set) goes better with the other SDCC bots than SDCC Grimlock does!

Hmmm... that's not a bad idea...

*cough* *ahem* Anyways... SDCC Dinos are definitely an option, but Takara's (far more expensive) G1-deco versions look much nicer. If they go on clearance, I would probably use them to replace the SDCC ones.

Really they don't look good as a set? I haven't even taken them out of the box yet. Still got that Slog on pre-order too...

megatronus wrote:Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Well, I own Planet X's Sludge and Swoop and both are pretty solid toys. They're gonna be my Classic Dinobot.

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:Nice pics! Thanks for the early look.

shajaki wrote:i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Annnnnnnd thanks again for this. I'm still investigating the options. Toyworld's out, and FP might be on the way out... perhaps PX will win on technicality?

Just go with the SDCC Dinobots. they're Classicishhhhhhh

Haha I've already got those guys

They're OK, but somehow Hasbro managed to make each individual bot look good, but not cohesive as a team. It's weird. Most of them have odd combinations of chrome, gold chrome, bronze paint, silver paint, and brown-ish pieces. I think Platinum Edition Grimlock (from the Bruticus set) goes better with the other SDCC bots than SDCC Grimlock does!

Hmmm... that's not a bad idea...

*cough* *ahem* Anyways... SDCC Dinos are definitely an option, but Takara's (far more expensive) G1-deco versions look much nicer. If they go on clearance, I would probably use them to replace the SDCC ones.

Really they don't look good as a set? I haven't even taken them out of the box yet. Still got that Slog on pre-order too...

Yea, it's totally weird. All the bronze-brown pieces they use (Grimlock's/Snarl's toes, Slug's tail, etc.), and some other color choices clash with all the chromed action. If they had kept the color palette to black, red, gold and silver, with chromed gold and silver bits here and there, I'd be a much happier camper. As it is, Swoop is the best one, IMO, followed by Snarl.

shajaki wrote:ooooohhhh kaaayyyy....
i got my diaclone cubrar today. and i have some VERY mixed feelings.









perhaps ill start with the good:
that chrome. oh man that chrome is nice. and it feels nice too, not like a transmetal that will flake off in 10 years. the diaclone blue is quite nice, but not the metallic "united" kind we got with diaclone columpio. posability is about what youd imagine (with one strange hindrance). the head/flame turret in his dino mouth is pretty clever. and i just cant get over the dinosaur head sculpt. its sharp and stylized. that mane(?) almost feels like diecast. also, segmented articulated tail? yes please.

now the bad:
-theres a lot of pieces in very close quarters, that bump into each other (even scrape) during transformation. because of that, and those hip joints having to be positioned *juuust so* that its infuriating.
-the internal stem what his tail is connected to feels thin and kinda weak.



-when transformed, the tail comes straight up and actually pegs into place between the wings. awesome right? not really, because that makes his waist swivel and ab joint completely useless.



-the dino mouth flaps down to reveal the bot head (like the G1 toy) but doesnt peg into anything. it can be moved out of place easily when trying to pose the head.

and my most glaring negative point: the bot mode head sculpt. he's got poutier lips than botcon devcon. i really cant stand it.



so in closing, for how much hype i made for myself, im pretty let down. thats not to say there arent positives, and i dont regret buying him. i feel theres more negatives than positives, but the positives are enough for me to still enjoy the figure.

i guess i wanted to post this for those who arent invested in FP's dinobots yet. i cant recommend columpio enough, but if cubrar was your reason to dive in then you might want to do some more homework before you commit.

Awesome pics!


Yeah, my big complaint about this guy is how they handled his tail in bot mode as well.


Such a waste of articulation.

Could you reposition it so it's hanging off his lower back, freeing up articulation at the expense of a little bit of kibble?

Delta Magnus wrote:Could you reposition it so it's hanging off his lower back, freeing up articulation at the expense of a little bit of kibble?

the best you can really do is un-peg the tail from the back. that thin stem that its on kinda zigzags, and youd assume it has two or three hinges to move it about, but its one solid piece. all that said (and when i previously said the stem felt thin and weak), if its unpegged it actually stay nice and vertical. so its not entirely noticable that its not pegged into place.

Yeah, I can see it's all one piece, but from what I've seen of reviews of him it should be possible to configure it such that it doesn't get in the way and doesn't look too bad. I reckon literally just flipping the armature all the way up at the base and flipping the tail all the way down would make it much better looking and free up the waist (and also give him a sorta robo-spine, which is awesome).

Of course feel free to disregard my opinion as I think Beast Wars Scavenger looks awesome (and totally want him too)...

ahh kay. i dont think i understood you at first, but i getcha.

now i think if you tried what youre suggesting, the tail would end up sticking straight out the back. ill try it when i get home, but i dont think the tail base can make that degree of a turn.

and who doesnt like BW scavenger? we talking about the would-be TM inferno? he's so neat that i forget he has drills for hands

Delta Magnus wrote:Of course feel free to disregard my opinion as I think Beast Wars Scavenger looks awesome (and totally want him too)...

Delta, you got Scavanger on the brain today.

ALL HAIL THE AUGER ANT

what better way to answer questions, than with pictures!

Cobotron wrote:What scale is this guy? Deluxe? Voyager? MP?

shajaki wrote:

Delta Magnus wrote:I reckon literally just flipping the armature all the way up at the base and flipping the tail all the way down would make it much better looking and free up the waist (and also give him a sorta robo-spine, which is awesome).

now i think if you tried what youre suggesting, the tail would end up sticking straight out the back. ill try it when i get home, but i dont think the tail base can make that degree of a turn.

i tried it, and this was the best i could do. pretty much what i figured.