The Energon Pub

Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:44 am

After being unable to keep up with anything after RID and Cybertron figures, I almost started getting the ROTF and movie figures, but thought they were extremely crappy, especially given the prices...

Are the Generations figures any higher quality, in terms of standing on their own, transforming, and staying together?? I saw quite a few ROTF figures that seemed to naturally lose parts as part of the transformation and then just snap back on...

I have Soundwave and Thrust still in the packages, but don't want to take them out if they will break as soon as I touch them. Gotta figure out if I should get more, or just preorder all the United versions.

Oh yeah, how about the Animated Megatron? The Deluxe, not the big straight-legged thing.

News Credits: 15 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:06 am

I have Thrust, Drify and WFC Bumblebee. No issues with any of them. All joints good, paint apps ok.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:26 am

Swage66 wrote: I saw quite a few ROTF figures that seemed to naturally lose parts as part of the transformation and then just snap back on...

That's actually because of modern toy laws. Parts pretty much HAVE to be able to pop off like that, or they could break and become a hazard.

News Credits: 15 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:27 am

ah yes, Drifts doors can easily come off as they are on pop on/off ball joints but you have to give them a good tug or bend them too far for that to happen.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:35 am

Yeah I get the part about the law, but those ROTF figures just seemed like they had enough glue to stay together in the package and then fell apart when you took them out. I dunno. I am kind of a picky bastard lol.

News Credits: 15 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 9:36 am

Nothing wrong with being picky.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:02 am

Well, I've had no problems like you describe with the ROTF figures, myself.

As for the Generations figures:

1 ) Drift is a character I despise. He's a Marty Stu, forced into the G1 era by his creator who seems to practically be in love with him. However, the figure is nice, if not the best. His shoulders have limited articulation, and his alt mode is too bulky to be a sports car, and yet not "tough" enough to be a muscle car.

2 ) The WFC figures so far (Soundwave, Megs, Prime, and Bumblebee) are excellent, my only gripe being Megatron's alt mode(s) looking like garbage.

3 ) Thrust... GET. HIM. NOW. Open his package, and set him free, he's effing awesome!

4 ) Darkmount's ankles are tougher than they look, and I've had few issues with him. His clip-mount guns are decent, and his articulation is pretty durn good.

5 ) Overall, I haven't had the issues you describe in Generations, either. And I'm not too gentle with my figures, either - and neither is my cat.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 10:35 am

Damn, got some serious info going now lol. I'm not sure if I have any WFC...But I assume I do since they say Cybertron on 'em. Unicron and Galvatron I think...I have probably almost a hundred still in boxes (Just random finds) from the last few years, I am at the point I can't bring myself to open them. Or sell them. Maybe I should go on Hoarders.

Thrust was the first Generations I got, and that was simply based on how nice it looked. I had to get Soundwave, well, cuz he's gangsta. Plus he had 3 modes it looked like.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:11 am

Swage66 wrote:Damn, got some serious info going now lol. I'm not sure if I have any WFC...But I assume I do since they say Cybertron on 'em. Unicron and Galvatron I think...I have probably almost a hundred still in boxes (Just random finds) from the last few years, I am at the point I can't bring myself to open them. Or sell them. Maybe I should go on Hoarders.

Thrust was the first Generations I got, and that was simply based on how nice it looked. I had to get Soundwave, well, cuz he's gangsta. Plus he had 3 modes it looked like.

The WFC figures are the Generations "Cybertron" figures - so far it's Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, Soundwave, and Megatron. The designs are based on the War For Cybertron video game. Unicron and Galvatron aren't part of that, especially since they came out BEFORE the game did.

News Credits: 60 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:12 am

Seen some Blurr figs with a bit of paint app issues.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:18 am

Well nevermind then. Way too many acronyms flying around this place.

In that case, I just have some random ones with Cybertron on the box, lol.

What can I say, my education level on TF does not coincide with my obsession for obtaining!

News Credits: 5 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 11:51 am

We have STILL only gotten wave 1 around me, but out of WFC Prime, Drift and Thrust I haven't run into any problems.

I did hear that Prime Evil got a Drift with a half painted face or something.

Tue Oct 12, 2010 1:57 pm

I have had NO problems with the Hasbro stuff what so ever and I have all of the new Generations stuff. It's always the Henkei Takara stuff I have problems with. Especially seekers. Wow....but I like all of the Generations stuff so far. Man, with all the trouble I have had with the Henkei stuff, no paint problems, just loose joints and parts that wont fit correctly, I sure hope the Transformers United stuff is better.

News Credits: 1 · Tue Oct 12, 2010 6:39 pm

Just my two cents' worth, but while the Generations line is pretty solid for the most, I've encountered a couple of QC issues with WFC Bee and Soundwave.

I've so far bought most of the Generations line (WFC OP, Bee, Megs, Soundwave, Thrust, Drift, and Red Alert), and of the seven, Bee and Soundawave do have their own issues.

Starting with Bee, the black paint apps on his chest area is uneven; actually, it's dented. No real biggie since WFC CG models the characters all weathered up, scratched and dented in the game, but a bad paint job is a bad paint job.

Soundwave fared worse. His left elbow joint is loose to the point of being floppy. Even without holding a gun, it's so loose that it literally just flops around like a limp noodle. The reason is because some fool at the factory inserted a smaller sized hinge pin into the elbow joint--it was small enough that I could visually tell the difference just by comparing the left and right elbow joints.

While I was able to fix that up with a touch of nail polish to the hinge pin, the coup de gras came in the form of a deep scratch on the left panel that hides Soundwave's head in alt mode.

In the end, I ended up buying a second Soundwave. And this time, I checked both sides of the elbow pins to make sure they're not noticeably smaller, and snuck a peek at the panels to ensure there were no scratches.

To be honest, there's probably only one bad fig out of a thousand or so in a model, but you might want to be a little more careful when you check your figs at the store.

Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:08 am

I have had a few issues with certain things across the different lines, but I can't say a certain issue is really a tell-tail issue with any given line so much. Loose joints tend to be a general Transformer issue, and there is an occasional issue with paint apps, but nothing out of the ordinary. I always look through as many example of each figure as I can before buying a copy though.

I think Generations is just as good if not better than the previous Classics and Universe lines.

Swage66-how did you decide on your username? I am wondering because I was in a band called SWAGE before I moved to Minnesota a couple years ago.

Wed Oct 13, 2010 3:31 am

Every WfC Prime I've gotten (I returned three before I gave up) has had stress marks around the pin that keeps the wheels in place on the right leg. Not visible in robot mode, but you can tell during the transformation that too many transformations would cause the plastic around the pin to break right off... so I don't transform him anymore.

My WfC Megs and Soundwave are fine aside from some minor paint issues.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:40 am

I haven't seen this mentioned yet, but I have encountered an issue with Darkmount, specifically his weapon. The gray piece on the end of the tank barrel/axe was glued on crooked on the figure I bought. This not only looks sloppy in alt mode, but it also prevents the part that slides on the barrel from going down all the way without using some force. I have since inspected several individual figures on store shelves, and many others seem to have similar crooked nozzles, but in varying positions. This isn't so much a QC issue, but more of a design flaw. That piece should have had a peg and keyhole to ensure it would be attached correctly.

In summary, when selecting a Darkmount, make sure you're getting a straight barrel.

Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:11 am

@Prime - I used to have a job making metals into tubing, wire, and solid bars. After making the bars, the first process to make anything useful was swaging. Pretty hardcore lol. It's like running a jackhammer sideways, you have to heat the metal over 1400 C, then stick it into a machine with rotating dies to form the tube/bar. By far the hardest, and most fun job I ever had. Just kinda stuck with me.

As for everyone else, thanks for the lookout. I noticed the Classics seemed more sturdy than the ROTF and I started picking them up based on that and the character selection. Generations looks like a good buy. Cuz I def won't be buying anything I have to correct out of the package, lol.

Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:13 am

My WFC bumblebee is a bit loose in the legs - they're rather spindly and have some odd extra joints in the thighs but overall he's pretty solid.

Other generations/classics I've had aren't lacking in quality (barring the droopy ironhide/ratchet head, sticky prowl paint, a scratched sunstreaker windshield, WFC optimus stress marks on head, a wack acid rain mismold on the plastic bar that connects the chest to the nosecone section). Hmmm, come to think of it... :-?

Nahh, they're too cool. I accept the flaws graciously.

Wed Oct 13, 2010 12:07 pm

Oh, I should add that I've encountered the usual semi-loose ball joints on Prime and Soundwave, but that's nothing new and nothing some clear nail polish didn't fix (on Prime; I have yet to treat Soundwave). Also, I've only seen two Blurrs, but the paint on them looked pretty horrid -- which is why I passed on them. Hopefully I'll see one with better paint at some point.

News Credits: 2 · Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:19 am

Ok then, after searching for this topic and just commenting on another regarding Soundwave I just read that someone or someone's too had Soundwave issues namely with his arm/arms and fists. Anyone else?? Is it possible that the Takara version could possibly have better QC?

I also watched an on line reveiw for Red Alert and this guy was pist at production all around. He stated that the plastic felt and looked very shotty, and that the paint apps sucked vs. Henkei version. He also went on to say that the rotating windshield to raise his head literally popped off he said. I don't remember if he said it was more than once. I would really appreciate everyone's feed back becasue I just bought him too and it's unopened until I can make a choice, thanks all!

Sun Nov 07, 2010 3:26 am

Swage66 wrote:@Prime - I used to have a job making metals into tubing, wire, and solid bars. After making the bars, the first process to make anything useful was swaging. Pretty hardcore lol. It's like running a jackhammer sideways, you have to heat the metal over 1400 C, then stick it into a machine with rotating dies to form the tube/bar. By far the hardest, and most fun job I ever had. Just kinda stuck with me.

Aha, I see. Thanks for responding. It is pretty rare when the term even comes up, so it made me take immediate notice.

News Credits: 2 · Sun Nov 07, 2010 5:09 am

Nemesis Destron wrote:I also watched an on line reveiw for Red Alert and this guy was pist at production all around. He stated that the plastic felt and looked very shotty, and that the paint apps sucked vs. Henkei version. He also went on to say that the rotating windshield to raise his head literally popped off he said. I don't remember if he said it was more than once. I would really appreciate everyone's feed back becasue I just bought him too and it's unopened until I can make a choice, thanks all!

The windshield issue happened once to me, but I think it was my own fault. I have never had this issue with my Classics Sunstreaker though.
Paint apps aren't really that different from each other IMO, I do like the red head on the Henkei version better since it's more G1 accurate, but you can easily paint or vinyl dye the generations one.
Plastic quality feels the same as my Sunstreaker and joints are very tight.

Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:29 am

Nemesis Destron wrote:Ok then, after searching for this topic and just commenting on another regarding Soundwave I just read that someone or someone's too had Soundwave issues namely with his arm/arms and fists. Anyone else?? Is it possible that the Takara version could possibly have better QC?

I also watched an on line reveiw for Red Alert and this guy was pist at production all around. He stated that the plastic felt and looked very shotty, and that the paint apps sucked vs. Henkei version. He also went on to say that the rotating windshield to raise his head literally popped off he said. I don't remember if he said it was more than once. I would really appreciate everyone's feed back becasue I just bought him too and it's unopened until I can make a choice, thanks all!

I have had problems with neither Soundwave nor Red Alert. Soundwave is tight all around and has a good paint job, and same goes for Red Alert. I really think it's luck of the draw sometimes.

Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:29 am

I've had no problems with Generations figures so far, and I'd say they feel more quality than the second wave of Classics Deluxes did (Prowl, Hound, OCtane...). Dont have Drift yet, hoping to fix that today though, but he looks purt sturdy. Thrusts' wings feel a little flimsy, but I think it's just the way they're made, like their shape and whatnot. Generations figures are the bomb so far, and agreed with the Darkmount ankles thing....they're not as flimsy as they looked in pictures, least wise not to me.