The Energon Pub

News Credits: 79 · by **Sigma Magnus** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 7:05 pm

But did you click the video? :-P

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 9:10 pm

LMFAO!! Thanks for that Sigma :-P

News Credits: 79 · by **Sigma Magnus** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 9:13 pm

bodrock wrote:LMFAO!! Thanks for that Sigma

Here's another one...

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Sat Sep 09, 2017 11:25 pm

That one is a bit more dance-y! Not what I'd expect from what the original sounds like.

: Don't Cross Crono

I always liked Frog's theme from Chrono Trigger as well....

: Submarauder as Ser Glenn

Despite my love for Chrono Cross, I still wish there had been a true Chrono Trigger 2....

: Like tears in rain...

News Credits: 4838 · by **william-james88** » Sun Sep 10, 2017 2:28 pm

I thought of you when I saw this, easily the coolest pretender themed art I have ever seen out there

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:36 pm

Thanks Will!

Seriously, the artist knows exactly how to make Cloudburst look cool-as-hell. All the original has over the redux here is the blue whip! So needless to say, DO WANT

: Emphasis on the onnnnnnnnnghit; IMG_7525.JPG (82.25 KiB) Viewed 3408 times

In the States, these guys will retail for about $5 ;)^

News Credits: 131 · by **no-one** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 3:13 pm

bodrock wrote:I love JRPGs.

The first one I truly fell in love with was Final Fantasy 3 (aka, FFVI) on SNES.

What I enjoyed most was that all the party members played differently -- not just different classes and their skills, but had differing methods of control. It added to their individuality as characters, even as simple as that was.

Then another gem came along -- CHRONO TRIGGER.

Ah a man after my own heart. My first RPG love is a toss up to either Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System or Final Fantasy on the NES. Followed by a few other 8 bit masterpieces before the SNES really polished the genre to be what it is today. But, before FFIII or Chrono Trigger on the SNES, Secrete of Mana snuck into my life. This was a time when Square Soft could do no wrong.

I really enjoyed the Esper system in FFIII the most. I grinded that game so hard. Two play-throughs. The first crappy failed one was were I only played as my favorite characters to learn the hard way that I needed 3 competent teams. Instead of a week of boring grinding, I started over. Slowly grinding my entire team to be complete badasses. Kefka stood no chance. That evil laugh still haunts me to this day, though.

What is there to say about Chrono Trigger that hasn't been said a thousand times. It was great, best feature was the NG+! I played through that game countless times. Was that a new feature back in '95? I did enjoy the way you could mix and match party members to get different special attacks.

So this Secrete of Mana - anyone play it? If not you're getting a second chance.

Like with most RPGs of the time and especially Square's, the music is one of my favorites. SoM's sound track is one of the best and it appears the remake is staying faithful to that. The other stand out features are 3 player co-op and the way the weapons level up as you use them. Quite a memorable game and highly recommened ;)^

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 6:22 pm

First loves, Cary?

My first true RPG love was actually a tactical RPG on the Apple ][c: AD&D's Curse of the Azure Bonds -- it's why I still enjoy grid-based RPGs today, even though the trend is away from that.

: *casts HASTE*

But I didn't get into console JRPGs until the first Final Fantasy on NES.

I never got around to Sega's RPGs (my loss/ignorance!), but when FF came along on NES, I remember reading about it in Nintendo Power; the thought of having a martial artist on my team taking on dragons and some mecha shooting nukes sounded cool.

: Beware of NUKE

I was bored when I saw the original Dragon Warrior/Quest, but FF had a team for you to customize and level-up. I proceeded to love the hell out of it, and then wanted more from Squaresoft. But I never had a chance to play through Secret of Mana (my brother LOVES it, and I may get the remake for me & the kids to play through), but played FF2 (aka IV) and FF3 (aka VI).

FF3 was the one that brought me back from the gaming dead....without it, I may never have played Chrono Trigger, FF7, Shin Megami Tensei, Persona and beyond.

: Persona5 FREEZE frame

When I had gone off to college, I left everything behind, including my SNES, SegaCD, etc. -- good thing I met a friend who not only had a SNES, but also FF3 for me to play. I chose to play FF3, over Warcraft & Quake.

I'll also never forget dat Kefka laugh! Or to wait for Shadow before we let that floating continent proceed on its way to oblivion....

And FWIW, Marle knows how to drop it like it's hawt when it comes to glorious 16-bit MIDI tunes.

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Thu Sep 14, 2017 3:36 am

I almost put TR Seaspray back on the shelf at Target today. Thankfully, I didn't (put back Cosmos, though) and love how much of an update he truly is to the G1 original.

I think this trio is all I have for sea-faring 'Bots:

Longtooth - the Method Man

: It's a Long(tooth) story.

Nautica - the Gza

: Special Delivery: it's fast or it's free!

Seaspray - the Rza

: Don't make me shove my boat up yer rustpipe!

: Thought u knew

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Sat Sep 16, 2017 10:02 am

I finally managed to score Thunderwing ($54, nearly complete; he's missing his little gun).

: T-Wing comin'; IMG_7594.JPG (23.81 KiB) Viewed 3236 times

With him arriving next week, that leaves only Bludgeon as the last Pretender on my must-haves list.

Sure, I wouldn't mind Doubleheader, Pincher and Cloudburst, but with Thunderwing and Bludgeon I was actively hunting for 'em on my PretenderQuest.

: IMG_7590.JPG (83.06 KiB) Viewed 3236 times

Bludgeon will be the most difficult to find under $100, being the most popular Pretender -- but that's the thrill of the hunt!

: IMG_7589.JPG (81.9 KiB) Viewed 3236 times

What's not as thrilling is looking for their accessories. That little cyclone cannon Thunderwing is missing ranges from $57 to $140!

: Tha Specs!

I was hoping for $5.

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Mon Sep 18, 2017 8:31 pm

As far as Pretenders go, there are quite a few that look inspired by marine life: Octopunch, Finback, Longtooth and Submarauder.

: Pumped Up Kicks

I wonder what the designers behind the Pretenders were thinking...

Did they consider all the times the Cons have built headquarters under the sea? Is it a fear of sea monsters?

I'll admit that going on the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disneyland after dark scarred me....*shivers*

Or did the Decepticons simply need a crew to counter the Autobot N.A.D.S. (Naval Assault & Defense Squad!)?

If we see Power of tha Primes incarnations of Waverider and Splashdown, they're gonna be all up on deze N.A.D.S.

News Credits: 131 · by **no-one** » Mon Sep 18, 2017 11:21 pm

And just think, all the Cons needed to do was kick em in the naval assault and defense squad or get this.

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Tue Sep 19, 2017 10:42 am

EXACTLY, Cary. ;)^

: Spray it like ya mean it.; IMG_7641.JPG (34.85 KiB) Viewed 3095 times

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Sat Sep 23, 2017 12:47 pm

Finally, the only Mega Pretender on my list has arrived: Thunderwing.

: Jet-setter

I never read about his quest for the Matrix or knew who he was until I embarked on my PretenderQuest, but I think of him as an intelligent, charismatic, and brooding master of deception, espionage and advanced weaponry.

: IMG_7716.JPG (54.58 KiB) Viewed 2959 times

Upon closer examination and transformation, his colors reminded me of my favorite DC hero: Batman.

: My mon Batz don't shiv.

My next thought was Robin...and the Transformers Dynamic Duo was born!

: The Darker Knight

: Repugnus Rockin' Robin

: Say, that's a nice....WAT R U?!?

: Learnin' to fly

His large guns also reminded me of Dirty Harry, and his tech specs (espionage!) made me think of Metal Gear Solid.

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 4:21 pm

I love chicken wings. Bone-in, breaded or baked, it's been a staple since '86.

: IMG_7760.JPG (82.79 KiB) Viewed 2918 times

With places like Buffalo Wild Wings and Wing Stop all across Murica, I no longer need to hunt for my wing-fix!

: Espionage Elites

: Bug (?) on a Weapon

As a Wing-man and Pretender fan, this inspired more pics of Thunderwing and his post-war era wingman, Repugnus.

: IMG_7755.JPG (75.11 KiB) Viewed 2918 times

: Take an airwalk on the wildside

: Butterfaced Bros. of Botdom; IMG_7757.JPG (81.31 KiB) Viewed 2918 times

News Credits: 293 · by **shajaki** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 9:10 pm

All the lawls for Thundy :lol:

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Mon Sep 25, 2017 10:39 pm

My love for TFs and chicken wings know no bounds, Shaj! And Thundawing has gotta compensate somehow for his lack of shell-articulation. :-P

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 11:39 am

I wanted to recreate a lineup of villains to pay tribute to one of my favorite movies from 1995.

: And like that - he's gone.

In a discussion I had, we talked about favorite Pretenders -- here are my top three: Bomb-burst, Roadblock and Thunderwing (plus Shockwave!).

Shockwave's Legends incarnation scales perfectly with them, since I consider the Pretender shells to be monstrous and massive in size.

News Credits: 293 · by **shajaki** » Tue Sep 26, 2017 6:59 pm

bodrock wrote:I wanted to recreate a lineup of villains to pay tribute to one of my favorite movies from 1995.

TW as Verbal, nice :lol:

News Credits: 15 · by **galvatron00** » Wed Sep 27, 2017 10:38 am

Man. Look at all that gold plastic!!!

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Wed Sep 27, 2017 12:43 pm

GPS is some scary shhh, Crammy. But yeah, I never even thought about all dat gold...it's the gold on Roadblock's innerbot that feels the most fragile. Think Mr. Glass from "Unbreakable".

Speaking of which, I will be checking out that new movie, "Glass", when it's released (2019) -- has everyone already seen "Split" with McAvoy? Great acting and devilish fun.

: T-Dubs as Verbal Kint

I thought T-Dubs might be perfect as Verbal, Shaj! I'm glad you diggit.

News Credits: 15 · by **galvatron00** » Wed Sep 27, 2017 12:48 pm

GPS is. I'm glad I has none. I'll totes be checking out Glass, I can't believe it's been this long to get another movie in the franchise! Haven't seen Split yet.

That is a pretty serious trick ol' Morning Star pulled..!

News Credits: 3 · by **bodrock** » Fri Sep 29, 2017 1:42 am

Seeing as Black Shadow (Takara) was cut from the same mold as Thunderwing, it was only natural that the two would reconnect after all these years.

: IMG_7822.JPG (89.76 KiB) Viewed 2709 times

With the Return of the Titans, Shadow got taller and now has a helluva lot more points of articulation. But he could care less, as long as he can keep getting paid to put down other bots.

Thunderwing came back as a Titan Master himself, but no incarnation may ever surpass his original, true-ultimate form as a Mega Pretender. Even if all he can do is dual-wield his heat-seeking lasers.

Although the two are in different places now, their relationship has remained unchanged: cool indifference. Or so Thunderwing thought...

: Ain't eager to be legal.

: Born to be bad.; IMG_7825.JPG (89.38 KiB) Viewed 2709 times

News Credits: 15 · by **galvatron00** » Fri Sep 29, 2017 7:33 am

LOL Awesome stuff bodrock!! I forgot Black Shadow and Thunderwing were the same base mold!!

Makes me wish we got leader Thunderwing instead of Overlord!