The Energon Pub

This upgrade is insanely unnecessary, but, as a completest, it's hard to ignore... I might have to try to swim against my psychological compulsiveness.

DecepticonFinishline wrote:This upgrade is insanely unnecessary, but, as a completest, it's hard to ignore... I might have to try to swim against my psychological compulsiveness.

As a completest, you're really gonna bum when they do some repaint...unless you gots cash money pourin' out cho behind.

My strict "No Shattered Glass or G2" rule will likely cover it. I think it'll burn me if it lights up and stuff.

DecepticonFinishline wrote:My strict "No Shattered Glass or G2" rule will likely cover it.

Aww, what's the fun in that! SG ain't my cup of tea but Generation 2 can be down right fun!

zodconvoy wrote:

DecepticonFinishline wrote:My strict "No Shattered Glass or G2" rule will likely cover it.

Aww, what's the fun in that! SG ain't my cup of tea but Generation 2 can be down right fun!

Yeah, it was TF's so bad it's good fashion era

Seriously though, I think it's a very cool set AND idea. Rather than let other 3rd parties step in and say Herc could be better, offering an in-house upgrade is some clever foresight (FP Sidearm is the closest we have to doing it too). Especially since they meet almost all the quibbles (G1 gun, G1 look, alternate face, posability) that other groups would come up with. Well played, TFC; well played.

On a more critical angle, considering the haves and have-nots, this would have served them a lot better if they announced it before Herc was complete. Yes; the G1 options fix the fact Herc strayed further from Devy, but at this point it's a hard sell even at a mild price. Team Giant already has their choice at half the price, in scale to past combiners, and know an eventual green version is coming. Team Herc already has him, but just spent $600+ and probably didn't have a problem with the unique look. Unless you're like me and word "option" tickles you.

Still the added posability (even if it is to account for the G1-mode) is nice. I'm much more fond of the clearly "pissed off" face than the one saying "ahh". factor in a new nogging so I can switch easier and keep the old face pretty? That new gun does something, I know it. They're just playing coy, which I would find annoying if I wasn't down with this set anyway.

The thing that I dislike most about the set, however, is that it kind of spits in the metaphorical face of Hercules' greatest strength which is the integration of the combined mode into all the other modes. With this you will likely have extra bits lying around whilst the team members are in alt mode, which the biggest reason why I fell out of love with the original combiners... :/

That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

DecepticonFinishline wrote:The thing that I dislike most about the set, however, is that it kind of spits in the metaphorical face of Hercules' greatest strength which is the integration of the combined mode into all the other modes. With this you will likely have extra bits lying around whilst the team members are in alt mode, which the biggest reason why I fell out of love with the original combiners... :/

That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

Who has this problem? I've looked at a lot of collections on this site and others and cannot, even once, remember seeing an unassembled (made up word?) combiner team. I understand the cut in grace the figure will suffer, but come on, who displays combiners as teams and not....combined?

GetRightRobot wrote:

DecepticonFinishline wrote:The thing that I dislike most about the set, however, is that it kind of spits in the metaphorical face of Hercules' greatest strength which is the integration of the combined mode into all the other modes. With this you will likely have extra bits lying around whilst the team members are in alt mode, which the biggest reason why I fell out of love with the original combiners... :/

That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

Who has this problem? I've looked at a lot of collections on this site and others and cannot, even once, remember seeing an unassembled (made up word?) combiner team. I understand the cut in grace the figure will suffer, but come on, who displays combiners as teams and not....combined?

I'll be doing that for FoC Combaticons. It's their saving grace for me. Just not feeling their gestalt mode. Individually however I think they have purpose.

DecepticonFinishline wrote:That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

Tape.

GetRightRobot wrote:

DecepticonFinishline wrote:The thing that I dislike most about the set, however, is that it kind of spits in the metaphorical face of Hercules' greatest strength which is the integration of the combined mode into all the other modes. With this you will likely have extra bits lying around whilst the team members are in alt mode, which the biggest reason why I fell out of love with the original combiners... :/

That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

Who has this problem? I've looked at a lot of collections on this site and others and cannot, even once, remember seeing an unassembled (made up word?) combiner team. I understand the cut in grace the figure will suffer, but come on, who displays combiners as teams and not....combined?

Leave it to Hasbro to ruin a perfectly solid point.

Mkall wrote:

Sodan-1 wrote:What racks me off about this set is you know these pieces were conceived during the initial development of Hercules, and yet TFC made the decision to exclude them from the final product. They could have included them with the main figures, charged more for each, and guaranteed the extra coin from the fans. As it is, I for one will likely go without 'double-oh seven'.

I don't believe that for a second. I believe that TFC saw what fans were doing with their figures as they were being released, so they collected the ideas into a single set.

Possibly, but they must have theorised that these sort of modifications would happen. I can't believe that the guys who designed Hercules walked into a room one day and came up with Hercules as we know him straight off the bat. They must have discussed whether or not to give him a more G1 head, or stand-alone forearms to allow the treads to fold up by the shoulders. Maybe even experimented with rough models. Surely that's all part of developing a product.

I don't have a problem with this set (certainly not to the extent joesaysso does) I just wish they'd included them from the start. Piece by piece with each figure. So it'd have cost a little more for each figure, but at least we could've saved on the cost of shipping another unit. I just know I'm going to spend more money on this and probably not use half of it.

I could well see them coming up with the design the came up with and thinking "it's different, but that's okay". Bear in mind that the individual robots don't really look like the Constructicons and their upcoming Dinibots projects is an even further divergence than Devestator.

I agree that it'd have been nice to have those parts from the beginning, but ... I don't think they even thought of them at that point.

just wondering as i passed on herc for giant but those pieces that attach to the shoulder joint also allow the treads to collapse under the vehicle modes and then you attach the new forearms but my question is this.
arent you still sacrificing arm posability regardless of an extension of the shoulder joint?
or is it just to allow for the attachment of the forearm since the treads arent removable?

alternator77 wrote:just wondering as i passed on herc for giant but those pieces that attach to the shoulder joint also allow the treads to collapse under the vehicle modes and then you attach the new forearms but my question is this.
arent you still sacrificing arm posability regardless of an extension of the shoulder joint?
or is it just to allow for the attachment of the forearm since the treads arent removable?

Yeah, the new cofiguration wouldn't add more posability like that. BUT using the shoulder joints alone and mistransforming the arms slightly may net you much more posability.

GetRightRobot wrote:

DecepticonFinishline wrote:The thing that I dislike most about the set, however, is that it kind of spits in the metaphorical face of Hercules' greatest strength which is the integration of the combined mode into all the other modes. With this you will likely have extra bits lying around whilst the team members are in alt mode, which the biggest reason why I fell out of love with the original combiners... :/

That being said, I'll still buy it, but only if there is a way to attch these pieces to the other two forms (No matter how ridiculous it may look.)

Who has this problem? I've looked at a lot of collections on this site and others and cannot, even once, remember seeing an unassembled (made up word?) combiner team. I understand the cut in grace the figure will suffer, but come on, who displays combiners as teams and not....combined?

..... I like to change it up a little bit. :/

So this is up for pre-order at BBTS .... BUT BBTS took a big bad hit in my customer loyalty with their markup price for Herc. So I preordered from Robot Kingdom. For the cheapest shipping I believe it was about a $5 more ... that does tend to add up, though.

I think other than the gun, this set is really unnecessary. All it does is make the figure look more like Giant, nullifying the differences which made me decide to buy it in the first place. Easy pass.

...

Gotta say I am a fan of the new shoulder articulation. I didn't think I'd use this new mode, but I just may at that.

Edit: And I'm just now noticing that's not a cartoon accurate head. Why not, TFC?

That makes Crazy Devy's head kinda tempting ... too bad I hate how that looks. I guess I'll just have to get used to Herc not being bald. Which is a bummer because I was looking forward tot hat part of this set the most.

Disappointed that the head isn't painted like the cartoon. What's the damn point if the paint apps are the same?

The rest looks nice. I don't know if I'll use this configuration all the time. We'll see.

Dammit. Bitchin' new gun and vastly improved shoulder articulation all for the low price of 30 bucks??? Tempted. Very, very tempted.

The new head will be going in my parts box along with the original. Im going for the Crazydevy G1 head. And as good as the new gun looks, why the hell is it black and not purple ??? Am I going to have to buy a gun from Crazydevy too to go with the purple barrel I bought ???

Im confused as to why people are so irked about the new forarms not being intergrated into the other modes. I honestly dont give a damn. On the original G1 Devastator, the purple combiner parts attached to the construction vechicles in stupid ways to make them looked "armed". Everybody just threw them in the parts box back in 1985 so why complain now ??? G1 Bruticus, Abominus, Piranacon, Defensor, Suoerion, Predaking, and Menasor, all had feet, fists, and a head that were "extra parts" too.