The Energon Pub

Fri Mar 21, 2025 9:50 am

We still don't think they have put all the overseas pre-order numbers in as yet. Once they're in, especially Japan, this will blow all other HasLabs away for backings. Hyped that all three tiers are unlocked. There was never any doubt they wouldn't be.

Fri Mar 21, 2025 11:16 am

The late edits and additions really help put this over the top. I appreciate the care that's gone into making this the best it can be. You can tell the designers and team really care about the product and the fans. Thanks!

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Fri Mar 21, 2025 8:56 pm

Dino-Snarl wrote:We still don't think they have put all the overseas pre-order numbers in as yet. Once they're in, especially Japan, this will blow all other HasLabs away for backings. Hyped that all three tiers are unlocked. There was never any doubt they wouldn't be.

The Japanese ones have been added regularly already, the big jumps we've been seeing lately have come from the overseas pre-orders. There's always a big burst at the end, but I'm not expecting anything spectacular.

Incidentally, they've added nearly 500 just today.

Emerje

Fri Mar 21, 2025 8:57 pm

Emerje wrote:
Dino-Snarl wrote:We still don't think they have put all the overseas pre-order numbers in as yet. Once they're in, especially Japan, this will blow all other HasLabs away for backings. Hyped that all three tiers are unlocked. There was never any doubt they wouldn't be.

The Japanese ones have been added regularly already, the big jumps we've been seeing lately have come from the overseas pre-orders. There's always a big burst at the end, but I'm not expecting anything spectacular.

Incidentally, they've added nearly 500 just today.

Emerje

Darn.

Sat Mar 22, 2025 10:10 am

I'm with TJOmega concerning the shoulder joints on the tank guys, though, and wish that they had fixed that bit of engineering. Hopefully it looks and functions better than what it appears like.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Sun Mar 23, 2025 2:01 am

StrykerTyger wrote:I'm with TJOmega concerning the shoulder joints on the tank guys, though, and wish that they had fixed that bit of engineering. Hopefully it looks and functions better than what it appears like.

They said in the video that they aren't done making modifications, nothing is out of the question, especially if the finally numbers are high enough to justify bigger changes.

Emerje

News Credits: 2 · Sun Mar 23, 2025 2:59 pm

Emerje wrote:
StrykerTyger wrote:I'm with TJOmega concerning the shoulder joints on the tank guys, though, and wish that they had fixed that bit of engineering. Hopefully it looks and functions better than what it appears like.

They said in the video that they aren't done making modifications, nothing is out of the question, especially if the finally numbers are high enough to justify bigger changes.

Emerje

Hopefully they are reading this thread and others for feedback. All I want is good head articulation(looking up and down) and cover up hollow spots, so far. The new changes are a big plus. I backed right after the 2nd tier opened up, although I was in after Deathcobra.

Sun Mar 23, 2025 6:47 pm

I've been waiting for this for a while, so within the first 3 days, I backed this. I love the Japanese G1 designs.

News Credits: 56 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 12:43 pm

Could one of the stretch goals be to get the marketing lady to pronounce the products name correctly?

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 2:12 pm

o.supreme wrote:Could one of the stretch goals be to get the marketing lady to pronounce the products name correctly?

One step at a time. Evan managed to pronounce the name correctly after previously saying it wrong back it MegaCon.

'Course, it doesn't help that half the fandom has been saying the name wrong for all these decades, too. The English dub of Victory by Omni Productions also used "Leokaiser" instead of "Liokaiser", so that probably had some influence, too. And while I haven't watched all of the TFCog fan dub of Victory, it wouldn't surprise me if the name was said wrong in that too, since that fan dub derived at least some of its scripts from the Omni dub.

It's just like how people still call Lio Convoy "Leo Convoy" as well (though, in his case, the TFCog Fan dub of BWII did pronounce his name correctly).

News Credits: 56 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 2:53 pm

^ Also, the official Hasbro Voyager toy changed Lio Convoy's name to "Leo Prime", so that I get the confusion for. But on all the marketing material for this it still clearly states "Lio" Kaiser.

I haven't listened to the Omni dub in so long, aside form some humor videos on Youtube...I would hope fans aren't using that as a point of reference for accuracy.

News Credits: 241 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 2:58 pm

o.supreme wrote:I haven't listened to the Omni dub in so long, aside form some humor videos on Youtube...I would hope fans aren't using that as a point of reference for accuracy.

The Development Team isn't... the best when it comes to research, that's shown time and time again. Never going past the first Google result or taking images at face value, that sorta thing. >:oP

At least they're acknowledging some faults, including one with a certain Prime.

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 3:06 pm

o.supreme wrote:^ Also, the official Hasbro Voyager toy changed Lio Convoy's name to "Leo Prime", so that I get the confusion for.

Yeah but people were still saying "Leo Convoy" even in the years before the Universe Leo Prime toy came about.

o.supreme wrote:But on all the packaging and adverts for this it still clearly states "Lio" Kaiser.

It might also have to do with how "i" is pronounced in Japanese as the "ee" sound instead of "eye" (with "ai" being the "eye" sound instead, whilst "ei" is the "ay" sound). So some who are aware of "i" sounding like "ee" in Japanese may see "Lio" and think "Lee-oh" instead of "Lion" because of the name's Japanese origin.

Ironically, though, the packaging of the original toy used "Liocaesar" instead, despite the Japanese spelling and in-show dialogue definitely saying "kaiser" (カイザー kaizā) rather than "caesar" (シーザー Shīzā), a la Road Caesar.

News Credits: 241 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 4:23 pm

Sabrblade wrote:Ironically, though, the packaging of the original toy used "Liocaesar" instead, despite the Japanese spelling and in-show dialogue definitely saying "kaiser" (カイザー kaizā) rather than "caesar" (シーザー Shīzā), a la Road Caesar.

Sticking with the original/reconstructed Latin pronunciation. In that aspect, the original name should have Leocaesar :lol:

News Credits: 56 · Mon Mar 24, 2025 5:05 pm

Pizza Pizza!

But yeah, I remember in the very early days when I was researching the Japanese TV shows (1998/1999), seeing "LioCaesar" in some places because that's how the OG toy packaging was translated, and I went with it because it matched Road Caesar. But then I got some episodes on VHS, and made the correction once it was heard.

Tue Mar 25, 2025 3:57 am

So it finished with 23,541 backers. Not a bad showing. So far all the TF HasLabs got funded with plenty to spare. Congrats peeps!

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Tue Mar 25, 2025 9:24 am

Dino-Snarl wrote:So it finished with 23,541 backers. Not a bad showing. So far all the TF HasLabs got funded with plenty to spare. Congrats peeps!

Take another look, they added in the rest of the international orders to finish at...

34,329!!!

Damn, just casually being the best selling Haslab of all time if I'm not mistaken.

Emerje

Tue Mar 25, 2025 10:18 am

Wow! Here I was thinking this would be the first TF Haslab not to beat its predecessor's record. Congratulations everyone! The design team must be feeling pretty confident right now. I wonder if this will lead them to make the next one truly outrageous.

Tue Mar 25, 2025 11:08 am

Dino-Snarl wrote: We still don't think they have put all the overseas pre-order numbers in as yet. Once they're in, especially Japan, this will blow all other HasLabs away for backings. Hyped that all three tiers are unlocked. There was never any doubt they wouldn't be!

As we expected and posted Mar-21st (above), that it would blow all other HasLabs out of the water. The Transformers line is alive and well.

Unicron - $575 - 12,000+ backers
Victory Saber - $180 - 26,211 backers
Deathsaurus - $180 - 27,442 backers
Omega Prime - $250 - 28,230 backers
Liokaiser - $300 - 34,329 backers

News Credits: 1 · Tue Mar 25, 2025 12:36 pm

Whifflefire wrote:I wonder if this will lead them to make the next one truly outrageous.

Which could mean...the long-awaited Primus/Cybertron to scale with HasLab Unicron!

I'd better start saving up now.

News Credits: 2 · Tue Mar 25, 2025 2:11 pm

Now is the hard part; paying $300 and then waiting a year :lol:

I hope they keep upgrading the figures, but I am glad I backed. Really was also hoping theyd slip in another add-on tier though. The final number did surprise me, I didn't expect much over 20k.

News Credits: 1 · Thu Mar 27, 2025 8:38 am

I desperately wanted to want this, but it just isn't a $300 lump sum figure to me. $200 sure. A spread out retail release, possibly. But a $300 commitment to a figure they're still working on? Sorry, no.

Then I saw this: https://tfsource.com/japanese-transformers/liokaiser-combiner-set-of-6-transformers-legacy/

What in the Hunter Biden are they smoking?!?! $650 and none of the extras?

Don't do drugs, kids.

Thu Mar 27, 2025 1:06 pm

Bumblevivisector wrote:
Whifflefire wrote:I wonder if this will lead them to make the next one truly outrageous.
Which could mean...the long-awaited Primus/Cybertron to scale with HasLab Unicron!

I'd better start saving up now.

Primus would be backed day 1 from us!

Thu Mar 27, 2025 1:07 pm

Brokebot wrote:I desperately wanted to want this, but it just isn't a $300 lump sum figure to me. $200 sure. A spread out retail release, possibly. But a $300 commitment to a figure they're still working on? Sorry, no.

Then I saw this: https://tfsource.com/japanese-transformers/liokaiser-combiner-set-of-6-transformers-legacy/

What in the Hunter Biden are they smoking?!?! $650 and none of the extras?

Don't do drugs, kids.

Painful to see. >100% mark up.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Fri Mar 28, 2025 10:00 am

Brokebot wrote:I desperately wanted to want this, but it just isn't a $300 lump sum figure to me. $200 sure. A spread out retail release, possibly. But a $300 commitment to a figure they're still working on? Sorry, no.

Then I saw this: https://tfsource.com/japanese-transformers/liokaiser-combiner-set-of-6-transformers-legacy/

What in the Hunter Biden are they smoking?!?! $650 and none of the extras?

Don't do drugs, kids.

They probably didn't want to list the extras since they weren't guaranteed to be included. All of the extras from these campaigns come in the same box as the figure(s), they can't be removed or excluded.

Emerje