The Energon Pub

The backpack just confirms they should have avoided a realistic alt-mode and gone for the deformed look of the cartoon model and the original toy.

As stated before - we're stylistically back in the pre-MP10 with bad gimmicks and questionable choices when it comes to altmode\robot mode looks.

Amelie wrote:The backpack just confirms they should have avoided a realistic alt-mode and gone for the deformed look of the cartoon model and the original toy.

As stated before - we're stylistically back in the pre-MP10 with bad gimmicks and questionable choices when it comes to altmode\robot mode looks.

What gimmick are you referring to?

Amelie wrote:The backpack just confirms they should have avoided a realistic alt-mode and gone for the deformed look of the cartoon model and the original toy.

As stated before - we're stylistically back in the pre-MP10 with bad gimmicks and questionable choices when it comes to altmode\robot mode looks.

All the MP cars are licensed cars so a deformed car would look totally out of place with the rest of the MPs.

I agree with your comment about the gimmick though since I could do without the stupid exo suit,it's just a way of justifying charging the higher price for an MP car.

The bot mode looks spot on though I'm very happy with it and gladly purchasing it even though it means I'll have a stupid exosuit that I'll never play with.

But Bumblebee costs the same as the other Autobot cars, about 50 bucks. And I think Spike in the Exosuit is a nice touch considering that they used to be almost inseparable in the cartoon.

For accuracy, Bumblebee in vehicle mode had better be the same same as Prowl.

El Duque wrote:What gimmick are you referring to?

The face-changing gimmick.

As for the alt-mode not fitting in with existing MPs - the original cartoon never did, nor did the original toy. It just seems an odd choice to make the alt-mode realistic when its the reason neither mode now looks as much like the original source material as it could have. Realistic alt-modes on Sideswipe, Prowl and Wheeljack were understandable as the original toys and cartoon models were.

I'm reminded of MP3 in a way.

Thank God they keep releasing details, so we can keep finding things to complain about.

The face changing thing is more of an option than a gimmick, a transformers toy gimmick (by definition anyway) would be if the face changed at the push of a button or something.

As a G1 toy collector and a guy in his late thirties I remember the cartoon models being pretty different than the toys, they had to be because the toy technology wasn't as advanced as it is these days. I remember being way more attached to the actual toys than the show. It was the 80s and you would be lucky to catch a show you liked only every once in a while, we didn't own a VCR back then.
I'm pretty psyched though to have an actual volkswagen bumblebee and not a SD bug that was the g1 toy.

El Duque wrote:Here's a second Takara Tomy Transformers MP-21 Bumblebee for your Monday morning! Weibo user 北马伊斯力 has shared a magazine scan that gives us our first clear look at the figure from behind. Image mirrored below:

The backpack may not look so bad once it is all yellow. Looks like there is another page in the picture, but cut off. Has that page been posted already?

Stormrider wrote:

El Duque wrote:Here's a second Takara Tomy Transformers MP-21 Bumblebee for your Monday morning! Weibo user 北马伊斯力 has shared a magazine scan that gives us our first clear look at the figure from behind. Image mirrored below:

The backpack may not look so bad once it is all yellow. Looks like there is another page in the picture, but cut off. Has that page been posted already?

I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Seibertron wrote:I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Can we take it by some kinda reverse logic that you're NOT ok with the backpack if it isn't?

Seibertron wrote:I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Here's a quick photoshopped image to illustrate what I have in mind. Hopefully this is what they're thinking too!

Seibertron wrote:

Seibertron wrote:I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Here's a quick photoshopped image to illustrate what I have in mind. Hopefully this is what they're thinking too!

Add four pieces of faux-parts (the wheels), a new head and we're good to go

Amelie wrote:

Seibertron wrote:I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Can we take it by some kinda reverse logic that you're NOT ok with the backpack if it isn't?

If the mold is just used for Bumblebee, then yeah I think the backpack is a bit disappointing but I don't know what else I would have expected them to do. Somehow having the back pack fold up or invert or something to make it look less like half the top of the car hanging off his back would have been great. It doesn't look terrible, just not what I was expecting.

But again, if this "cheat" was done with Goldbug in mind, I'm AOK with that decision.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Add four pieces of faux-parts (the wheels), a new head and we're good to go

I could do without fake wheels (I'm looking at you Red Alert!!!) but I'll take remolded shoulders to match the character model instead.

Seibertron wrote:But again, if this "cheat" was done with Goldbug in mind, I'm AOK with that decision.

I'll be a lot more accepting if they do make a Goldbug from it, but as you said, if its just a Bumblebee mold, the I'm disappointed.

They'd have to retool his chest a little too. BTW, I think Bee's a taller bot as Goldbug; something like this more or less --



And I'm all for faux wheels when needed. Red Alert's faux wheels should not have been on his shoulders, they should have been his shoulders.

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:What gimmick are you referring to?

The face-changing gimmick.

I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

El Duque wrote:I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

Thing that troubles me about the face-changing gimmick is how strong the hold will be after a few changes and if you'll have collectors having to glue the faceplate on instead

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

Thing that troubles me about the face-changing gimmick is how strong the hold will be after a few changes and if you'll have collectors having to glue the faceplate on instead

A 'collector' will not take the toy out of the box. If you are a 'fan' you will be playing with the toys and posing them and enjoying the option of changing the face and giving BB a war face.

Sideshow Sideswipe wrote:

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

Thing that troubles me about the face-changing gimmick is how strong the hold will be after a few changes and if you'll have collectors having to glue the faceplate on instead

A 'collector' will not take the toy out of the box. If you are a 'fan' you will be playing with the toys and posing them and enjoying the option of changing the face and giving BB a war face.

I'm a collector, I unpack them, put them in the pose I like, and put them on my shelf to display my collection.
MISB collectors won't take it out of the box, but they're not the only kind of collector. Next you'll tell me that "true fans" really do exist and travel on flying pigs to hunt Haggis.

Seibertron wrote:

Amelie wrote:

Seibertron wrote:I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

Can we take it by some kinda reverse logic that you're NOT ok with the backpack if it isn't?

If the mold is just used for Bumblebee, then yeah I think the backpack is a bit disappointing but I don't know what else I would have expected them to do. Somehow having the back pack fold up or invert or something to make it look less like half the top of the car hanging off his back would have been great. It doesn't look terrible, just not what I was expecting.

But again, if this "cheat" was done with Goldbug in mind, I'm AOK with that decision.

Looking at the pic, it's impossible to have had this transform with multiple panels and fold in on itself, if you look at it, there is already a lot of stuff folded up under it.

Sideshow Sideswipe wrote:

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

Thing that troubles me about the face-changing gimmick is how strong the hold will be after a few changes and if you'll have collectors having to glue the faceplate on instead

A 'collector' will not take the toy out of the box. If you are a 'fan' you will be playing with the toys and posing them and enjoying the option of changing the face and giving BB a war face.

im a collector with close to 1500 pieces in my collection.... I don't keep them all in boxes... so don't define a "collector" the way you have, it is sorely inaccurate.

Seibertron wrote:

Stormrider wrote:

El Duque wrote:Here's a second Takara Tomy Transformers MP-21 Bumblebee for your Monday morning! Weibo user 北马伊斯力 has shared a magazine scan that gives us our first clear look at the figure from behind. Image mirrored below:

The backpack may not look so bad once it is all yellow. Looks like there is another page in the picture, but cut off. Has that page been posted already?

I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

So is the wheel on his back one of the rear wheels, or is it a spare tire? If it's a spare tire, then I wish they didn't add it.

VioMeTriX wrote:

Sideshow Sideswipe wrote:

Amelie wrote:

El Duque wrote:I'm not a fan gimmicks either, but like a previous poster mentioned this is more of an option than a gimmick. This faceswap doesn't affect the figure's engineering in the way light and sound features would.

Thing that troubles me about the face-changing gimmick is how strong the hold will be after a few changes and if you'll have collectors having to glue the faceplate on instead

A 'collector' will not take the toy out of the box. If you are a 'fan' you will be playing with the toys and posing them and enjoying the option of changing the face and giving BB a war face.

im a collector with close to 1500 pieces in my collection.... I don't keep them all in boxes... so don't define a "collector" the way you have, it is sorely inaccurate.

Ok, you tell me - will you as a collector, be constantly changing the face plate while you play or will you have one preferred face that you display? Not my definition BTW it's Amelie's logic I'm going by.

I am a G1 purist, so I will not be changing the face. and I don't think anyone is going to go nuts constantly changing it collector or not... you always go to extremes?

and please don't get all snarky with me...