The Energon Pub

Wow... while I can see how ER Starscream could get a pass as part of SS86 with coronation upgrades, the ER Cliffjumper makes little sense. It is a fine toy on its own, but it is nowhere near TF:TM accurate in appearance. I know some characters were speculated as budget repaints, but it just cheapens the concept that they are actually doing this.

o.supreme wrote:Wow... while I can see how ER Starscream could get a pass as part of SS86 with coronation upgrades, the ER Cliffjumper makes little sense. It is a fine toy on its own, but it is nowhere near TF:TM accurate in appearance.

And your point is...? This is neither SS86 nor an extension of it. It's just an odds-and-sods line for assorted stuff they want to put on shelves but can't squeeze into the other lines.

o.supreme wrote:I know some characters were speculated as budget repaints, but it just cheapens the concept that they are actually doing this.

Cheapens what concept? The concept of a misc. line? The concept of budget redecoes?

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

o.supreme wrote:Wow... while I can see how ER Starscream could get a pass as part of SS86 with coronation upgrades, the ER Cliffjumper makes little sense. It is a fine toy on its own, but it is nowhere near TF:TM accurate in appearance.

And your point is...? This is neither SS86 nor an extension of it. It's just an odds-and-sods line for assorted stuff they want to put on shelves but can't squeeze into the other lines.

o.supreme wrote:I know some characters were speculated as budget repaints, but it just cheapens the concept that they are actually doing this.

Cheapens what concept? The concept of a misc. line? The concept of budget redecoes?

I think o.supreme is carrying on the speculation that Cliffjumper is destined for the SS86 line itself based on his number designation and SS86 branding.

As for me, we'll see what happens. G1 accuracy was never my bag so these don't do a lot for me. Happy for those who like them though.

Judging from the box we can expect that 86 Arcee to show up here too. I prefer well done painted windows over clear ones if there's no car interior details so I intend to get both.

Emerje

If Kup's face looks better, I'm in...been looking for a Kup to join the Wreckers, but none have done it for me. The painted window helps though.

As for Cliff...they added two Autobot symbols? No mistaking his allegiamce now. I wonder if the windows are still translucent under the paint, and if so, how hard it would be to wipe off (carefully) with acetone...

Buzzworthy is such a weird line. I kind of wish we'd get some formal announcements for it though. I bought both car Shatter and Dropkick at inflated aftermarket prices a year ago and then they both drop in Buzzworthy. Alas.

Kup and Cliffjumper with slightly altered decos is a weird choice though I kinda get it. I assume this is partly Target wanting an exclusive line to compete with Walmart's Netflix line.

ZeroWolf wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

o.supreme wrote:Wow... while I can see how ER Starscream could get a pass as part of SS86 with coronation upgrades, the ER Cliffjumper makes little sense. It is a fine toy on its own, but it is nowhere near TF:TM accurate in appearance.

And your point is...? This is neither SS86 nor an extension of it. It's just an odds-and-sods line for assorted stuff they want to put on shelves but can't squeeze into the other lines.

o.supreme wrote:I know some characters were speculated as budget repaints, but it just cheapens the concept that they are actually doing this.

Cheapens what concept? The concept of a misc. line? The concept of budget redecoes?

I think o.supreme is carrying on the speculation that Cliffjumper is destined for the SS86 line itself based on his number designation and SS86 branding.

As for me, we'll see what happens. G1 accuracy was never my bag so these don't do a lot for me. Happy for those who like them though.

I think there is a good chance that Buzzworthy Cliff might be similar to High Octane Bee (SS79) and get a number, but only be released in the Buzzworthy line with no separate release on his own in SS86. We already know the wave assortments for all of Studio Series and Cliff wasn't on it at all.

Definitely replacing my Cliffjumper, but I'll probably pass on Kup. Maybe. I'm not planning to purchase the rumored Arcee redeco, though I'd probably get Springer if they release him in a movie deco. I'll get a magenta Hot Rod, too.

Maybe I should just own up to buying everything even though there's no justification for it.

Anyone figure out who this is?



It almost looks like G1 Hot Rod in IDW Rodimus purple, blue, and white... No way that can be right...



Emerje

A look at the side would make it easier to work out

ZeroWolf wrote:A look at the side would make it easier to work out

A look at all sides would answer a lot of questions.

Emerje

Just curious, is SS86 kup still on Target shelves or not?

william-james88 wrote:Just curious, is SS86 kup still on Target shelves or not?

Yes, sort of? Targets near me have recently been putting cases of the last 3 Deluxe waves out, which included the re-releases of Kup, Blurr and Jazz, but it is somewhat random as to which stores had which cases.

Even though I buy almost nothing from this line, I really love the fact that not only we get a second chance at older toys, there's lots of new things. Plus, nothing is limited to a single universe. Generations, Movie, Cyberverse, and more!

I mean it's pretty obvious that Cliffjumper is going to be part of the SS86 line with the designation SS86 13, ( which comes just after coronation Starscream btw...) otherwise they just could have put his ER number on the Buzzworthy packaging, or no number at all.

If they made another character SS86 13 in the SS line proper, that would be all sorts of convoluted and asinine. Also like SS74 which arrived in Buzzworthy first before getting a release in SS packaging, I fully expect SS79 and this new deco Cliffjumper to do the same.

o.supreme wrote:I mean it's pretty obvious that Cliffjumper is going to be part of the SS86 line with the designation SS86 13, ( which comes just after coronation Starscream btw...) otherwise they just could have put his ER number on the Buzzworthy packaging, or no number at all.

If they made another character SS86 13 in the SS line proper, that would be all sorts of convoluted and asinine. Also like SS74 which arrived in Buzzworthy first before getting a release in SS packaging, I fully expect SS79 and this new deco Cliffjumper to do the same.

I'm not sure what we're arguing about here. The BB figure is SS86 13BB. There won't be an SS86 13, because this Cliffjumper is the SS version. I can't imagine what an SS86 13 Cliffjumper would be other than this. They wanted a cartoon redeco and to reuse the Moonbase backdrop, so this is where it wound up.

Edit: I think I get it now, you're saying it'll be a straight re-release at mass retail. Maybe, but I wouldn't bet money on it.

AcademyofDrX wrote:I'm not sure what we're arguing about here. The BB figure is SS86 13BB. There won't be an SS86 13, because this Cliffjumper is the SS version. I can't imagine what an SS86 13 Cliffjumper would be other than this. They wanted a cartoon redeco and to reuse the Moonbase backdrop, so this is where it wound up.

This is what I was responding to:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:This is neither SS86 nor an extension of it.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:We already know the wave assortments for all of Studio Series and Cliff wasn't on it at all.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

o.supreme wrote:I mean it's pretty obvious that Cliffjumper is going to be part of the SS86 line with the designation SS86 13, ( which comes just after coronation Starscream btw...) otherwise they just could have put his ER number on the Buzzworthy packaging, or no number at all.

If they made another character SS86 13 in the SS line proper, that would be all sorts of convoluted and asinine. Also like SS74 which arrived in Buzzworthy first before getting a release in SS packaging, I fully expect SS79 and this new deco Cliffjumper to do the same.

I'm not sure what we're arguing about here. The BB figure is SS86 13BB. There won't be an SS86 13, because this Cliffjumper is the SS version. I can't imagine what an SS86 13 Cliffjumper would be other than this. They wanted a cartoon redeco and to reuse the Moonbase backdrop, so this is where it wound up.

Edit: I think I get it now, you're saying it'll be a straight re-release at mass retail. Maybe, but I wouldn't bet money on it.

I wouldn't bet anything on either SS86-13 Cliffjumper or SS79 High Octane Bee getting a single regular release in SS/SS86. We have already seen the wave case breakdowns for all of 2022 and they are not in them. The only unknowns were a few of the Target exclusives, but that would make zero sense to release either one as a regular line/regular packaging Target exclusive when they both just got Buzzworthy Target exclusives. Both appear to be oddballs that got a SS/SS86 number assigned, but were only available as part of the Buzzworthy sub-line.

Why would SS74 appear in Buzzworthy first, then get it's own release in SS proper but then SS79 and SS86-13 wouldn't ? Inconsistency... it's a killer ya know?

o.supreme wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:I'm not sure what we're arguing about here. The BB figure is SS86 13BB. There won't be an SS86 13, because this Cliffjumper is the SS version. I can't imagine what an SS86 13 Cliffjumper would be other than this. They wanted a cartoon redeco and to reuse the Moonbase backdrop, so this is where it wound up.

This is what I was responding to:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:This is neither SS86 nor an extension of it.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:We already know the wave assortments for all of Studio Series and Cliff wasn't on it at all.

And I think you might be misinterpreting what Zelda and I were indicating.

I was simply saying, I don't think SS86-13 Cliff will get a regular release since we already know of the wave breakdowns for regular releases and he isn't in them. That would leave the only potential option for a regular packaging release for him to be one of the Target SS exclusives (like Leadfoot was). But that also doesn't make sense in that they would be giving the same figure as an exclusive twice in the same year to the same store. The exact same thinking applies to SS79 High Octane Bee, but he is more obvious with how old and terrible of a figure that is.

What I think Zelda was saying is that for the Buzzworthy subline, the normal rules of SS86 going for screen accuracy don't seem to apply, it is just a catch-all line for putting product out that doesn't necessarily have to follow the "rules" of the lines they are borrowing from.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:What I think Zelda was saying is that for the Buzzworthy subline, the normal rules of SS86 going for screen accuracy don't seem to apply, it is just a catch-all line for putting product out that doesn't necessarily have to follow the "rules" of the lines they are borrowing from.

That goes back to my original point as well. I am well aware that Buzzworthy is a catch all line. So if Hasbro going to rerelease ER Cliffjumper in it, why not just use the ER designation? Or no number at all? Putting a SS designation on ER Cliffjumper strongly implies a very different thing, even if it is in Buzzworthy packaging.

o.supreme wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:What I think Zelda was saying is that for the Buzzworthy subline, the normal rules of SS86 going for screen accuracy don't seem to apply, it is just a catch-all line for putting product out that doesn't necessarily have to follow the "rules" of the lines they are borrowing from.

That goes back to my original point as well. I am well aware that Buzzworthy is a catch all line. So if Hasbro going to rerelease ER Cliffjumper in it, why not just use the ER designation? Or no number at all? Putting a SS designation on ER Cliffjumper strongly implies a very different thing, even if it is in Buzzworthy packaging.

With the exception of Origins Bumblebee, and Worlds Collide, all of the BB Deluxes are in SS. Plus Cliffjumper's redeco is cartoon-inspired, so it's a better fit for SS than the original WfC.

I think the fandom gives way too much credence to product lines. They're important to retailers because they help them sell the figures. They're not a priority for production, as the TFTM Kingdom and SS86 figures clearly complemented each other and were likely developed together before being reassigned to different lines, probably for marketing reasons or similar release concerns like size classes and case allotments.

AcademyofDrX wrote:I think the fandom gives way too much credence to product lines.

Yes, and numbering systems too.

william-james88 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:I think the fandom gives way too much credence to product lines.

Yes, and numbering systems too.

Guilty as charged, damn OCD...