The Energon Pub

Thanks for the heads up! Ordered!

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You guys give me the FOMO as well.
I'll see if I can trade-in some stuff at my local geek store to get one.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

I hate to say but I don't think the 25th figures will be in scale with the Thunder Machine and the Retro figures.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

I hate to say but I don't think the 25th figures will be in scale with the Thunder Machine and the Retro figures.

They're a little taller in the cockpits, but they still fit, at least based on my experience with the other two. I hate the articulation and sculpts of the O-ring figures, so I'm mixing and matching.

As for scale, 5mm at 1/18 isn't going to make me lose any sleep at night.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

I hate to say but I don't think the 25th figures will be in scale with the Thunder Machine and the Retro figures.

They're a little taller in the cockpits, but they still fit, at least based on my experience with the other two. I hate the articulation and sculpts of the O-ring figures, so I'm mixing and matching.

As for scale, 5mm at 1/18 isn't going to make me lose any sleep at night.

Good to know they fit. My experience back during the era was mixed, some fit with the vehicles available at the time, some didn't.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

I hate to say but I don't think the 25th figures will be in scale with the Thunder Machine and the Retro figures.

They're a little taller in the cockpits, but they still fit, at least based on my experience with the other two. I hate the articulation and sculpts of the O-ring figures, so I'm mixing and matching.

As for scale, 5mm at 1/18 isn't going to make me lose any sleep at night.

Good to know they fit. My experience back during the era was mixed, some fit with the vehicles available at the time, some didn't.

This is the Walmart exclusive retro Cobra Commander in the Megatron HISS tank. Based on what I've read, this is the same scale as the 25th anniversary line. There isn't any extra clearance, but he fits.


I thought I'd posed Joes in the Striker, but maybe not. There's plenty of headroom but not much legroom, and Cobra Commander was just not fitting in there. I'll have to try some other figures to see if that is going to be a problem with the larger scale. I'm not particularly worried; I may just want to hang on to the retro O-ring figures as drivers while I was planning to unload them. Like the Striker, the Thunder Machine should have plenty of headroom, but the legroom might be the bigger issue.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ScottyP wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Soundwave is pretty damn awesome but 150$can plus taxes is a bit ruff. Paying for it would be a bitch. So I'll just sit like a good boy for a sale.

The last couple of these say this is sagely advice.

My dumbass just went and grabbed one on Amazon anyway

My plan was also to wait for a sale. Then it sold out for pre-orders on Amazon. Once it came back in stock FOMO took over and mine will be here today. Of the 3 released so far and the upcoming Triple T, this is the one I wanted the most, so oh well, full price it is. I'll hate myself later if it does stay in stock long enought to get a discount.

You did the right thing, my gut tells me that this has a lower production run than the other sets and won't be around. Plus this is by far the best set in terms of playability and you get a Masterpiece figure included as well.

I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting it, but Pulse, EE, and BBTS are all still taking preorders. Both of the previous sets received steep discounts. I would be surprised if this sells out anytime particularly soon.

I'm waiting for my pre-order from Pulse to ship. While I'm waiting, I ordered 25th anniversary figures for other Dreadnoks so I can have a whole squad in place when it comes in.

I hate to say but I don't think the 25th figures will be in scale with the Thunder Machine and the Retro figures.

They're a little taller in the cockpits, but they still fit, at least based on my experience with the other two. I hate the articulation and sculpts of the O-ring figures, so I'm mixing and matching.

As for scale, 5mm at 1/18 isn't going to make me lose any sleep at night.

Good to know they fit. My experience back during the era was mixed, some fit with the vehicles available at the time, some didn't.

This is the Walmart exclusive retro Cobra Commander in the Megatron HISS tank. Based on what I've read, this is the same scale as the 25th anniversary line. There isn't any extra clearance, but he fits.

PXL_20231130_191108787.jpg

I thought I'd posed Joes in the Striker, but maybe not. There's plenty of headroom but not much legroom, and Cobra Commander was just not fitting in there. I'll have to try some other figures to see if that is going to be a problem with the larger scale. I'm not particularly worried; I may just want to hang on to the retro O-ring figures as drivers while I was planning to unload them. Like the Striker, the Thunder Machine should have plenty of headroom, but the legroom might be the bigger issue.

Legroom is an issue, might have been that way on the original.

The Super7 Re-Action Joes are good alternatives to fill in Megs's and Bee's extra seat.

-Kanrabat- wrote:The Super7 Re-Action Joes are good alternatives to fill in Megs's and Bee's extra seat.

Late next year Super7 is going to start releasing O-ring figures in the vintage Hasbro style at around the ReAction price point. They're promising characters from the cartoon and comics so there's bound to be some figures that will look good with these Collaborative figures. I'm personally hoping for an Old Snake (I know we got one from Fun Pub, but not in the vintage style).

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:The Super7 Re-Action Joes are good alternatives to fill in Megs's and Bee's extra seat.

Late next year Super7 is going to start releasing O-ring figures in the vintage Hasbro style at around the ReAction price point. They're promising characters from the cartoon and comics so there's bound to be some figures that will look good with these Collaborative figures. I'm personally hoping for an Old Snake (I know we got one from Fun Pub, but not in the vintage style).

Emerje

Oh, that's great news!

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:The Super7 Re-Action Joes are good alternatives to fill in Megs's and Bee's extra seat.

Late next year Super7 is going to start releasing O-ring figures in the vintage Hasbro style at around the ReAction price point. They're promising characters from the cartoon and comics so there's bound to be some figures that will look good with these Collaborative figures. I'm personally hoping for an Old Snake (I know we got one from Fun Pub, but not in the vintage style).

Emerje

For that matter, Hiya Toys is doing a line of 4" Joes for anyone like me that prefers a more modern look. Scale/fit may still be an issue, and those designs are more like Classified than the vintage toys or the cartoon.

I know they were marketing the collab figures as "the toys you wish you had when you were a kid," but the TF engineering is way too complex to meet that standard, even if it's still well short of Generations. I'm not sure how I would describe my own collecting philosophy here, but it's best satisfied with the modern Hasbro 25th anniversary figures rather than the more contemporary retro or advanced figures. If they hadn't done the retro modern wave at Walmart just a few years ago, I might not have bothered with any 4" Joes at all and just relied on the O-ring pack-ins, but I always liked the 25th anniversary style, even though I sold my small collection years ago.

This is also a good example of how complicated toy collecting is now. There are at least two or three broad categories of Joe, split across multiple product lines in multiple companies, with almost all of those styles being decades old. I don't want a modern vintage-style figure or a contemporary modern-style figure, I want a retro modern-style figure. (And don't confuse that with a modern retro-style figure.)

To be less of a jerk and to maybe help anyone else thinking of getting involved with this mess, here are broad categories that I'm aware of. Dates may not be 100% accurate.

Vintage style 3.75" O-ring:
Hasbro 1982-2007
Hasbro retro O-ring 2020-2023
Super7 O-ring 2024-

Retro 3.75" 5 POA:
Super7 ReAction 2021-present

Modern 4":
Hasbro 2007-2021
Hiya Toys 2023-present

Of course I FOMO'd too fast.

Joe Soundwave is now available at Amazon.ca for only 111$ instead of 150$ from the independents shops.

https://www.amazon.ca/-/fr/F7138/dp/B0B ... 4b9bf7d0d6

I may have paid more than I would have liked, but I can say that Soundwave may be the best set so far just for the main bot alone. No spaghetti steps, solid overall, and no in-your-face hollows appart the space where the fists store for vehicle mode. Plus the kibble is set to a minimum. I also love that crazy Mad-Max style vehicle.

I'm looking forward the upcoming Kup & Slaughter to join the crew!

I grabbed it from Amazon too. It looks great. Best set yet, at least fromt he looks of it. Love me a Soundwave. Kup is an interesting choice for the next one since we have a Megatron and no Prime still. Maybe they'll close out on him?

At some point I have to get more Cobra guys that I like. I appreciate that these come with old O-ring Joes, but I like a modern look, so I'll be on the lookout for the 25th anniversary figs. I lucked out an a Joe lot, but am missing Cobra and I gotta have Baroness in there.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I grabbed it from Amazon too. It looks great. Best set yet, at least fromt he looks of it. Love me a Soundwave. Kup is an interesting choice for the next one since we have a Megatron and no Prime still. Maybe they'll close out on him?

At some point I have to get more Cobra guys that I like. I appreciate that these come with old O-ring Joes, but I like a modern look, so I'll be on the lookout for the 25th anniversary figs. I lucked out an a Joe lot, but am missing Cobra and I gotta have Baroness in there.

The Walmart retro releases from a few years ago are similar to the anniversary figures and they're very cheap. I just bought a Baroness from that line last week for a little bit more. Pulse says they're shipping Soundwave next week, so I'll have to get the whole crew together then.

I'd heard this Soundwave was a big improvement over Megs and Bee, glad to see that is in fact bearing out. Still not my cup of tea, but glad they are improving

4" scale Joes really aren't compatible with these retro-friendly vehicles. There was no contortionist pose that could fit a figure in the canopy, and the running board pegs are too large. I'm stubborn, though, I'm not going to let that stop me. This is probably marginally less dangerous than hanging on to the outside of the car?


I never went in for Classified because I always liked the Joe vehicles the best. Now I understand better why they pivoted to that and kept retro style figures for the ~1/18 line. Still, for my purposes, I still think this was the right way to go. I'll just have to decide if I want to open the Zarana or pick up a Thrasher so there can at least be a driver.

I have the Walmart Cobra Commander on hand (not the 25th anniversary guys, I remembered wrong). I don't know why I never thought to directly compare the heights. Maybe because he worked well enough with Hiss Tank Megatron and I already knew I wanted CC to go with Megatron.

He can fit in the Thundermachine if I get him kneeling and lying down. I guess Soundwave is doing the real driving anyway, right? lol. As a guy who doesn't have Joes and is only getting them because I have these toys this is a small disappointment, but if I really want to play with these the intended way I could just open the figures they came with and buy characters I like from ebay.

https://news.hisstank.com/2023/12/24/new-item-listings-found-tf-x-joe-mobat-optimus-prime-general-hawk-85820

Apparently the next one of these is an Optimus Prime that turns into a MOBAT tank, with a General Hawk figure (would assume that means V2 of Hawk, since V1 was only a colonel).

Spider5800 wrote:https://news.hisstank.com/2023/12/24/new-item-listings-found-tf-x-joe-mobat-optimus-prime-general-hawk-85820

Apparently the next one of these is an Optimus Prime that turns into a MOBAT tank, with a General Hawk figure (would assume that means V2 of Hawk, since V1 was only a colonel).

This will be the first time ever that Optimus would transform into a tank. An altmode that is usually reserved for the

I don't know how I feel about that one.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Spider5800 wrote:https://news.hisstank.com/2023/12/24/new-item-listings-found-tf-x-joe-mobat-optimus-prime-general-hawk-85820

Apparently the next one of these is an Optimus Prime that turns into a MOBAT tank, with a General Hawk figure (would assume that means V2 of Hawk, since V1 was only a colonel).

This will be the first time ever that Optimus would transform into a tank. An altmode that is usually reserved for the

I don't know how I feel about that one.

Eh, he's been a tank before. Actually kind of precedent for this in the Joe/Transformers crossover history. Cobra made him a HISS tank in the Image Comics days, for example.