The Energon Pub

bvzxa wrote:Consumers need to take their power back and make these corporations pony up that R&D and make it happen.

If my eyes roll any harder, they'll pop right out of my head.

Don't like the soul patch, don't buy the figure, whatever. One little thing and suddenly everyone is an engineering and consumer advocacy expert.

Regimus Prime wrote:

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Regimus Prime wrote:$575 (1.21 GIGA(JIGA)WATTS,1.21 GIGA(JIGA)WATTS)!!! Doc, I may need that Delorean to travel through time and find the means to get that amount together by August 31st. Between the Super 7 Snake Mountain ($600+), SDCC this week and this beautiful must have screen accurate grail from my favorite childhood film, I need an extra full time job and 40 extra hours in a week to pull this off. I think the corporate big wigs have figured out that the age demographic for "disposable" income followed my generation into our dad bodies and 40+ hour work weeks. I know I shouldn't complain about the price (because I WILL get this regardless) but it should cross 30" in height and really dwarf TR Fort Max to really convince me on this particular price point. They should have offered a payment plan like Super 7 did with Snake Mountain. That was an awesome idea.

UPDATE: I've seen this masterpiece of engineering in person.THIS IS A MUST HAVE. Considering the adult collectors out there who don't have an issue spending a pretty heavy chunk of change on 1/6 scale Hot Toys figures (almost half the price of WFC Siege Unicorn), or plenty of people who don't mind spending more than double the price of this latest effort by Haslab on Sideshow Collectibles Maquettes and other statues that don't offer any articulation, you are pretty much getting the best of both worlds. I own a few of the aforementioned items including the Revenge of the Fallen Optimus Prime Maquette so I get it. There are high end collectors in the fandom that don't mind spending a few extra bucks just to get what they want. but trust me when I say that photos do this thing NO justice. It is a work of art and the toy you've always wanted if you're a fan of the '86 movie. After the success of the Jabba's Sale Barge I don't think the collectors that have it in their budget to do so should pass up on this opportunity that has been 33 years in the making. I saw the thing in grey scale and it was awesome. He's even more epic in appearance and scale in planet mode in person. That may be the way I display him. I understand those that are taken aback by the price, but if you're a collector and a fan of the franchise I'm sure there are some figures and collectibles that you have been considering selling off. Might as well do it now to supplement the cost. Just my humble opinion.

https://youtu.be/w_hsX9CxMoc

Holy granola, that music was hilarious and awesome. On a more Unicron note could you tell what sort of mechanism John was using to move the eyes? Like did they seem to have purely horizontal movement or could did he seem to fully roll his eyes in annoyance? Also, those teeth on the grey prototype were without a doubt spring loaded, based on what Mr. Warden said the final product might not be that way. Anyone else feel like he hadn’t played with the 3D printed one’s teeth yet?

unicron1200 wrote:Holy granola, that music was hilarious and awesome. On a more Unicron note could you tell what sort of mechanism John was using to move the eyes? Like did they seem to have purely horizontal movement or could did he seem to fully roll his eyes in annoyance? Also, those teeth on the grey prototype were without a doubt spring loaded, based on what Mr. Warden said the final product might not be that way. Anyone else feel like he hadn’t played with the 3D printed one’s teeth yet?

First off, thank you for checking out the video and the compliment on the music. As far as the mechanism that controlled the movement of the eyes, I did not see, as it was on the rear of the head and we were not permitted to go behind the table. The eyes themselves seem to be going from side to side. Believe me, the sculpt itself is magnificent, but this is by no means a final production so certain features may change as it is finalized. With all that being taken into consideration I was impressed that at the announcement of this Haslab crowd sourcing project we actually got a visual sample of what the final product may be, not just a mock up.
https://youtu.be/w_hsX9CxMoc

Rodimus Prime wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just a random thought I had; This version of Unicron is based on the character from TF:TM, a film released 36 years ago. In its initial release it only made $3,000, the 2007 film did that in 30 min. Season 3 of the cartoon was the start of the decline of the property in the US.

Just some points to keep in mind if, IF the big guy doesn't make it.

TF:TM was released 33 years ago

And it must have went over my head, what's the significance of your points? What does the financials of the movie and the decline of the show have to do with the figure?

I'm not sure how serious he was but I can think of two things he was trying to say.

1) Freemasons are involved given how common the number 3 is in the numbers he gave, thus if Uni doesn't make it, it will be the fulfillment of something...(this is why I have doubts to how serious he's being)

2) He's hinting that tf may go through a decline for some reason.

ZeroWolf wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just a random thought I had; This version of Unicron is based on the character from TF:TM, a film released 36 years ago. In its initial release it only made $3,000, the 2007 film did that in 30 min. Season 3 of the cartoon was the start of the decline of the property in the US.

Just some points to keep in mind if, IF the big guy doesn't make it.

TF:TM was released 33 years ago

And it must have went over my head, what's the significance of your points? What does the financials of the movie and the decline of the show have to do with the figure?

I'm not sure how serious he was but I can think of two things he was trying to say.

1) Freemasons are involved given how common the number 3 is in the numbers he gave, thus if Uni doesn't make it, it will be the fulfillment of something...(this is why I have doubts to how serious he's being)

2) He's hinting that tf may go through a decline for some reason.

Zero wolf wins the internet. To put it simply, if Unicron doesn't make it we might have to look at the fact that it isn't as popular of a character as once thought.

Now look who's not being serious

I think he's saying that fond of it though we here are, The Transformers: The Movie was a flop when it came out and for many is a distant memory, and that it was when G1's star began to dim. I would disagree and say that that star burned brightly right up until after "The Rebirth".

I would also say that there are some things countering the distance and how few people saw the movie when it came out. First, flop though the movie may have been in theaters, rentals and the TV airing down the line ensured that a lot of fans at the time saw it nonetheless. And Season 3 made sure people knew Unicron existed. Beyond that, there are factors like the Unicron Trilogy and Prime putting him back on the map (and the former was what got him a toy at long last), and the fact that every iteration of the brand brings in new fans - some of whom get curious about the old stuff and become fans of it too. *points to self*

EDIT: Ninja'd by chuckdawg

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Now look who's not being serious

I think he's saying that fond of it though we here are, The Transformers: The Movie was a flop when it came out and for many is a distant memory, and that it was when G1's star began to dim. I would disagree and say that that star burned brightly right up until after "The Rebirth".

I would also say that there are some things countering the distance and how few people saw the movie when it came out. First, flop though the movie may have been in theaters, rentals and the TV airing down the line ensured that a lot of fans at the time saw it nonetheless. And Season 3 made sure people knew Unicron existed. Beyond that, there are factors like the Unicron Trilogy and Prime putting him back on the map (and the former was what got him a toy at long last), and the fact that every iteration of the brand brings in new fans - some of whom get curious about the old stuff and become fans of it too. *points to self*

EDIT: Ninja'd by chuckdawg

Believe it or not as I don't have exact numbers but the film became a hit on the midnight movie circuit.

MANY things were flops as they came out, but were in fact sleeper hits and became cult classics.

Orson Wells, the legendary actor whose last role was the voice of Unicron in TFTM, HATED his role and died bitter abut it. Now he look upon us from Heaven (or wherever) with a baffled look as his character is beloved by millions of fans. The majority of which weren't even born as the original movie came out.

I honestly think a good chunk of Wells' bitterness came from finally crossing swords with a voice director he couldn't push around: Sunbow's Wally Burr.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I honestly think a good chunk of Wells' bitterness came from finally crossing swords with a voice director he couldn't push around: Sunbow's Wally Burr.

Wells was basically ROYALTY. So if His Highness was denied is Royal Privileges...

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Just a random thought I had; This version of Unicron is based on the character from TF:TM, a film released 36 years ago. In its initial release it only made $3,000, the 2007 film did that in 30 min. Season 3 of the cartoon was the start of the decline of the property in the US.

Just some points to keep in mind if, IF the big guy doesn't make it.

TF:TM was released 33 years ago

And it must have went over my head, what's the significance of your points? What does the financials of the movie and the decline of the show have to do with the figure?

I'm not sure how serious he was but I can think of two things he was trying to say.

1) Freemasons are involved given how common the number 3 is in the numbers he gave, thus if Uni doesn't make it, it will be the fulfillment of something...(this is why I have doubts to how serious he's being)

2) He's hinting that tf may go through a decline for some reason.

Zero wolf wins the internet. To put it simply, if Unicron doesn't make it we might have to look at the fact that it isn't as popular of a character as once thought.

Unicron also finished off the Bay movies and IIRC Unicron also popped up towards the end of TF:Prime...

So is Unicron actually the "Destroyer of Franchises"? or maybe at least a bookend?

Nah Cary, unicron appeared at the end of season 1 of prime... Then again in the TV movie.

ZeroWolf wrote:Nah Cary, unicron appeared at the end of season 1 of prime... Then again in the TV movie.

which ended prime

Hellscream9999 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Nah Cary, unicron appeared at the end of season 1 of prime... Then again in the TV movie.

which ended prime

Technically it extended Prime past its end, as Season 3's finale was to be its true end. That movie came about after all was said and done (not a pun), so it gave Prime one last hurrah when it didn't need one. Unicron wasn't planned to come back, as Season 1 was to be his only appearance before plans changed after the fact.

Regimus Prime wrote:https://youtu.be/w_hsX9CxMoc

Dude, I gotta say, I am usually not a fan of that particular genre of music, but man, you have singlehandedly proven that that music can be unabashedly nerdy (and clean!) while still maintaining a sense of both dignity and authenticity to the genre. That is impressive.

So I just watched this video. To visually see the thing is a bit better than still images. That said, watch from 1:48 to get a GOOD Look at the panels... yikes

Unicron.com did an interview with John Warden about Unicron.

* Something this big could only be done through the crowdfunding platform of HasLab.
* About 50 steps to transform
* Worked with Kunihiro to make it transform into a perfect sphere without the robot mode looking like Cosmos in the legs
* The sheer weight required a lot of big joints and a lot of parts coming together to make them strong enough to support the weight
* The robot mode can use the stand like planet mode does, but is also completely self-supporting
* Robot mode can pose without the stand, feet are designed to support its weight in posing
* Colors are as close to final as possible, what we see here is basically what we're getting.
* No brick-and-mortar release, this is our one-shot chance to get this figure released.
* Takara's Japanese release through TakaraTomy Mall is completely identical, they are partnering with Hasbro in this endeavor.
* This figure WILL NOT HAPPEN without backers, but the good news is that they already have an enormous amount of backers, the momentum of this thing has really taken off.
* Equator spikes are a type of resin that has some flexibility to it to avoid breakage, had to be molded from semi-rigid material because of how thin and pointy, but are still made to be as rigid as possible to hold shape. Not ABS because that could potentially break and be a poking hazard.
* The planet shells are fully integrated into the transformation, only the ring is detachable, while the shells use an intricate system of folds.
* The base stand is recommended for the transformation, unless you have a friend to hold it for you, or you can hold it all yourself "if you're really jacked".
* Aside from the detachable rings, it is not a partsformer.
* 15-20 minute transformation if you know what you're doing. Took John Warden about hour to very carefully transform the unfinished model.
* Arms come out of the back of the planet just like in the movie. Kunihiro-san wanted to make sure the figure did that.
* Robot mode teeth are articulated separately from the mouth to allow fans to choose if they want the teeth visible or folded away for a teethless look, mouth can also fully close to hide the teeth completely.
* Figure is mostly done as is, but there is definitely more news to come for this thing.
* No electronics. Focused more on keeping the price where it is with articulation and detail. "Wanted to make sure this thing was a like a Masterpiece grade Unicron."
* Planet mode is like the size of a beach ball.
* Head is not detachable "right now". It's been discussed and they're still engineering the figure so it's entirely possible, but right now "No".

I don't understand why the weight is being touted as though it were a positive selling point?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I don't understand why the weight is being touted as though it were a positive selling point?

Probably to alleviate any fears of it being a big hollow figure with little mass like Metroplex was.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I don't understand why the weight is being touted as though it were a positive selling point?

Probably to alleviate any fears of it being a big hollow figure with little mass like Metroplex was.

Yes, but I am sure a VAST majority of potential fans/buyers would have actually preferred him to have the weight of Metroplex/Fort Max/Trypticon. Because the only reason they didn't was to create pretence to increase the price.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I don't understand why the weight is being touted as though it were a positive selling point?

Probably to alleviate any fears of it being a big hollow figure with little mass like Metroplex was.

Yes, but I am sure a VAST majority of potential fans/buyers would have actually preferred him to have the weight of Metroplex/Fort Max/Trypticon. Because the only reason they didn't was to create pretence to increase the price.

I think a lot of people would have complained about it to be fair. People complain about hollowness on retail release figures. No one would have been happy with hollow spaces.

Well, that seems a ridiculously superficial complaint to make of Titan Class figures, but you can't please everyone.

I think several steps behind Unicron's construction were deliberately taken to inflate the price. The weight was one of them. Another was when they talk about all the "articulation points" on the figure, only in the fine print is it mentioned most of that is in the hands.

Sabrblade wrote:

Regimus Prime wrote:https://youtu.be/w_hsX9CxMoc

Dude, I gotta say, I am usually not a fan of that particular genre of music, but man, you have singlehandedly proven that that music can be unabashedly nerdy (and clean!) while still maintaining a sense of both dignity and authenticity to the genre. That is impressive.

Smiles all day because of that one comment. Mission accomplished Regimus Prime.

https://youtu.be/w_hsX9CxMoc