The Energon Pub

I have to say, this combined image of MMCs Predaking homage does look pretty sweet!
Hes a big boy too!!



Did I hear right that these figures will be Voyager sized with the Commander being even bigger?

Seems a little odd to have a bull bigger than a Smart car when it comes to scale, but I suppose scale is a difficult one to get right when we are talking transforming robots.

I feel a little sorry for Unique Toys and their take on Predaking, its getting so much flak, just like that other new 3rd Party company Planet X and their Genesis/Omega Supreme.

I would guess any potential buyer of the MMC version or the UT version will be checking the stress marks on their wallets as the MMC versions seem to cost at least a 3rd more than the UT equivalent?

I feel sorry for UT too. If MMC hadn't made theirs UT might have had a hit on their hands. But, even saying that it's clear which one is the superior Predaking. Still, since they're so much cheaper they may have people who buy into their version.

Anyhow, it's expected that people are critical. They really should have started with a smaller character to establish credibility. Even with so many done, there's still a lot to choose from.

robotmel wrote:Seems a little odd to have a bull bigger than a Smart car when it comes to scale, but I suppose scale is a difficult one to get right when we are talking transforming robots.

"Scale in Transformers is, not to put too fine a point on it, screwed."
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scale

I feel a little sorry for Unique Toys and their take on Predaking, its getting so much flak, just like that other new 3rd Party company Planet X and their Genesis/Omega Supreme.

At least there's no competition for Genesis. People are just wary because it's ginormous and really expensive and maybe not high on most people's want lists. Also, as with UT, they're a new company with no track record. At UT, they've acknowledged that some of their designers are from other companies, but they won't say who, so we can't check their history.

I would guess any potential buyer of the MMC version or the UT version will be checking the stress marks on their wallets as the MMC versions seem to cost at least a 3rd more than the UT equivalent?

Fortunately (for me at least), it looks like MMC's Predacons are set to release around summer, when I'll be getting a large income boost.

EDIT: New shred of info concerning the sixth member and his implementation:

Jigga wrote:The 6th members does not add additional height to the robot. It will change up the look of the combine form is all I will say for now.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transform ... ost8890518

So has this image got the 6th member combined ? i read on another site it was to beef up the chest and thighs not sure how true that is to this picture but very plausible .

No, that image is just the traditional five Predacons. We haven't gotten any glimpse of the sixth member yet, only little tidbits of information. The current indication (see my last post) is that the sixth member will somehow alter the structure of combined Predaking and give him a new look, somehow without altering his height. One idea floating around TFW is that the new member will serve as a replacement arm for Divebomb so Divebomb can somehow attach to Razorclaw's back, allowing for the classic winged Predaking without separating the wings from Divebomb.

As per CenoKibble...

SIXTH FIGURE ANNOUNCEMENT:

He will be a Sabre-toothed tiger, an established character and a nice counterpart to Rampage, so you can balance the combined mode out with two similar arms, and move Divebomb onto the rear of the figure.

We moved up the schedule of this announcement, as speculation was starting to spread like wild-fire. Some of it on the money, some of it less so.

daimchoc wrote:As per CenoKibble...

SIXTH FIGURE ANNOUNCEMENT:

He will be a Sabre-toothed tiger, an established character and a nice counterpart to Rampage, so you can balance the combined mode out with two similar arms, and move Divebomb onto the rear of the figure.

We moved up the schedule of this announcement, as speculation was starting to spread like wild-fire. Some of it on the money, some of it less so.

That does sound great, but he will have to be really well priced or make a very dramatic change to Rex's torso for me to get him. I like the current configuration more than enough to be happy with it.

I may or may not get him, knowing that. I like the idea of options, but I really like Predaking's established look. I'll see what he looks like before I make my final decision.

That Bot wrote:I may or may not get him, knowing that. I like the idea of options, but I really like Predaking's established look. I'll see what he looks like before I make my final decision.

I am with you. That extra $100 is going to hurt with all the goodies coming out this year.

Speculation: who would be a Decepticon saber-tooth tiger? Tigertron comes to mind, but he was a Maximal. Catgut, Treadshot's gun? I'm drawing a blank otherwise...

Agamemnon wrote:Speculation: who would be a Decepticon saber-tooth tiger? Tigertron comes to mind, but he was a Maximal. Catgut, Treadshot's gun? I'm drawing a blank otherwise...

There is the Autobot Catilla....

Someone got it right... I'm not going to say who.

daimchoc wrote:Someone got it right... I'm not going to say who.

GAAH! How can you know and not tell us? Meanie!!

Agamemnon wrote:

That Bot wrote:I may or may not get him, knowing that. I like the idea of options, but I really like Predaking's established look. I'll see what he looks like before I make my final decision.

I am with you. That extra $100 is going to hurt with all the goodies coming out this year.

Well actually I'm not interested in any other third party offerings right now, and the only masterpiece I'm after is Prime, so my only concern is mainline stuff, but I'm living on a student budget, so there's my limitation. ^^

*does a quick search*

Tripredicus Agent / Ravage was a Predacon that transforms into a sabertooth tiger.

Alternitively they could have repurposed the Zord from Power Rangers.

I like that it's optional. I dunno if I'll get it, but we'll see. I might.

New price estimate: between $450 and $645.
Minimum: $75 for 2 arms, $95 for 2 legs, $110 for the torso (this is assuming you get all the preorder discounts, that my guess for Razorclaw's price is accurate, and that you don't get this sabertoothed cat)
Maximum: $95 for 3 arms, $110 for 2 legs, $140 for the torso (assuming you miss the preorder discounts, Razorclaw's price is accurate, and you get the sabertoothed cat)

EDIT: Still catching up on the TFW thread. Found this:

CenoKibble wrote:

Robogeek28 wrote:So essentially Rampage with a different beast head or a new mold entirely?


Sounds cool regardless.

A retooled version of Rampage.

I won't confirm or deny who the character is yet, sorry.

So once they show off Rampage, we'll know more or less what this new character looks like. If it's not an entirely new mold, I could really take it or leave it. A bit of asymmetricality is good for a combiner.

Is this 6th member a ferret? Oh what fun irony that would be.

I maintain that it should've been a hippo. Hippos are fierce, even if they're not technically predators.

That Bot wrote:I maintain that it should've been a hippo. Hippos are fierce, even if they're not technically predators.

Hippos eat fish, not just grass and stuff, so yeah, they're predators !

I totally think it should be a platypus though. Definitely a platypus .

Another tiger is kinda disappointing. And a sabertooth tiger kinda breaks the theme since it's a prehistoric predator. Although there's not much to do with official characetrs we have.

Gnaw was classified in the same group in Japan, so maybe ... a shark that looks nothing like him?

Well, he's optional, so he can just sit by himself in a corner.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Another tiger is kinda disappointing. And a sabertooth tiger kinda breaks the theme since it's a prehistoric predator. Although there's not much to do with official characetrs we have.

If it makes you feel better, there's technically no such thing as a saber-toothed tiger. Prehistoric saber-toothed cats aren't closely related to any modern species of cat, being instead a separate subfamily of Felidae along with the two subfamilies of cats that now exist. So a saber-toothed cat would be less related to either Razorclaw or Rampage than the two are to each other, as far as their relative locations in the animal kingdom. Granted, it's a retool of Rampage, so the biological differences between a saber-toothed cat and a modern tiger might not be well-reflected, but one can hope.

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felidae#Ge ... he_Felidae

Hmmmm another cat? was sort of hoping this would be a different animal and have me like i couldn't pass it up.

So that is 2 limbs preordered and I didnt even want a predaking! This looks too good to pass up. Very glad that the sixth member is optional, i just hope he isnt released in a 2 pack so we have to get him.

MMC's better than that. They get that not everybody is going to want this new guy, they wouldn't pull a dirty trick like that. If they did, they'd lose credibility.

That Bot wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Another tiger is kinda disappointing. And a sabertooth tiger kinda breaks the theme since it's a prehistoric predator. Although there's not much to do with official characetrs we have.

If it makes you feel better, there's technically no such thing as a saber-toothed tiger. Prehistoric saber-toothed cats aren't closely related to any modern species of cat, being instead a separate subfamily of Felidae along with the two subfamilies of cats that now exist. So a saber-toothed cat would be less related to either Razorclaw or Rampage than the two are to each other, as far as their relative locations in the animal kingdom. Granted, it's a retool of Rampage, so the biological differences between a saber-toothed cat and a modern tiger might not be well-reflected, but one can hope.

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felidae#Ge ... he_Felidae

But they're all still robots right?

I dunno, those beast modes are looking awful organic....