The Energon Pub

I found out about Sky Guardian Mechaform by a eBay listing. And holy crap, everything that can be wrong in a figure happened here. This thing sold for over 140$ at the time and it dared to pretend to be a "MP" Jetfire.

Dear lord...


Just look at the video below and savor every moment of this glorious mess:



Can you raise with something that is even worse?

Has anything actually toppled Impossibletoy's Valkyrie yet? Visually she only looked decent. Fragile as all get-out and kinda poor quality overall. I remember really trying hard to see the bright side with this one, but it's just never been good and time has not been kind.



BTS Sonicron. Based on concept art it seemed like a great idea on paper. A modern microcassette recorder that can actually fit G1 tapes? Sadly it suffers from legs inspired by the original MP Megs and the chest doesn't accomodate all G1 tapes thanks to sculpted nubs. It's kinda loose and has a large plank in the back because they couldn't figure out an elegant way to make the transformation work. I have this guy in alt. mode with my tapes. I wish I could like this guy. He's the right size. Right idea. Wrong execution.



Classic tetrajets? That are pretty true to the G1 cartoon in both robot AND vehicle mode? Yeah, this shoulda been great, but once more, high concept meets das reality. The proportions are all wrong and the face has washed out details. Impossibletoys went all-in on this Seekers featuring the main six AND Sunstorm all at one. What a disaster. I bought Starscream while he was on deep discount at BBTS and I barely touched it. I reall ylike Impossible Toy's Quintessons, but they really misfired here and I think it killed them.

That "Soundwave" don't look so bad. But in hand, it may be another story.

But that "Arcee"... Yeesh... That's even more of a Gray Alien than the upcoming Cyberverse one.

As for "Starscream Tetrajet", perfect vehicle, but the robot is a freaking DWARF? Woah. Siege may not have an ultimate vehicle mode but at least the bot is perfect.

But still, all of them are far from being worst than the "Jetfire" above. With his wonky proportions, odd design choices, hollow parts, bad quality, and an impossible transformation that would put the original MP Megatron to shame... Especially because there is no reasons for such a transformation!

Impossible Toys' Valkyrie for me. Fragile as all hell, just a small piece of junk that I'm sad I wasted money on.

Heck, you coud fill a list with Impossible Toys' figures. No wonder they went out of business and BBTS can't give away their junk!

Impossible Toys' Valkyrie must be one hell of a stinker to come up so often! and I mean way before this thread, in videos and other posts.

Glad I've chosen Delicate Warrior way back then.

Hm... If my memory is at all reliable...
Impossible Toys came in at a time when the First Church of Third Party was extra-rabid (the "3P ir god, HasTak ams teh devil and scammerz" attitude was going strong if memory serves) and hungry; 3P fans were a lot less critical at the time (and at least on TFW2005, hostile to anyone who was critical). They got away with the looks at the time because back then a lot of 3P stuff was aesthetically dodgy, and they had initial appeal because IIRC they were cheaper than the likes of Fansproject and Perfect Effect... But they obviously couldn't make it last, especially as people got more discerning.

Brand Loyalty us the worst attitude any fan can have. Because it make companies think they can get away with anything.

Impossibletoys was one of the first 3rd party guys, but very few people actually liked their take on Arcee, even at the time. She was the first widely available transforming G1 type Arcee, so people were excited. And I think a lot of people wanted to see past it's flaws, myself included. But it's not a good toy and neither are either of their Nightbirds (which I also have because I'm a sucker).

People liked them initially because of their Quintesson toys. And if you look at them they hold up. TThey also don't transform. Or move. So there's less that could go wrong. Of course nobody knew how much they'd screw things up with Transformers that transform.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Hm... If my memory is at all reliable...
Impossible Toys came in at a time when the First Church of Third Party was extra-rabid (the "3P ir god, HasTak ams teh devil and scammerz" attitude was going strong if memory serves) and hungry; 3P fans were a lot less critical at the time (and at least on TFW2005, hostile to anyone who was critical). They got away with the looks at the time because back then a lot of 3P stuff was aesthetically dodgy, and they had initial appeal because IIRC they were cheaper than the likes of Fansproject and Perfect Effect... But they obviously couldn't make it last, especially as people got more discerning.

I can't comment on TF2005-wasn't a member back then-but yeah. Overall that jibes with what I remember, too. 'Third-party rules, HasTak drools!' and junk like that. I can't say I was exactly innocent of those feelings, admittedly.

I still have Valkyrie standing with my G1 The Movie figures. She fits in well with the mid-80's figures. Selling Sonicron for what I paid for it was a miracle.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Brand Loyalty us the worst attitude any fan can have. Because it make companies think they can get away with anything.

I'm not sure I'd call it the worst attitude, but it's pretty down there. You're right in that it does lead to companies thinking they can pass off substandard goods, since they know we'll just eat them up.

zodconvoy wrote:I still have Valkyrie standing with my G1 The Movie figures. She fits in well with the mid-80's figures. Selling Sonicron for what I paid for it was a miracle.

I was looking at Big Bad toy Store's stuff and they STILL have Sonicrons. How many did they stock up on?

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

zodconvoy wrote:I still have Valkyrie standing with my G1 The Movie figures. She fits in well with the mid-80's figures. Selling Sonicron for what I paid for it was a miracle.

I was looking at Big Bad toy Store's stuff and they STILL have Sonicrons. How many did they stock up on?

Too many.

The sad thing is, the trailer they did for Classics Prime? It's a pretty good trailer. I still own it and play with it.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

zodconvoy wrote:I still have Valkyrie standing with my G1 The Movie figures. She fits in well with the mid-80's figures. Selling Sonicron for what I paid for it was a miracle.

I was looking at Big Bad toy Store's stuff and they STILL have Sonicrons. How many did they stock up on?

Too many.

The sad thing is, the trailer they did for Classics Prime? It's a pretty good trailer. I still own it and play with it.

One thing I enjoyed about that era of 3P stuff are the options.

Henkei Prime has FP's trailer. Magnus has the CC armor. And Nemesis has the BTS trailer. For a time I had it behind FP's like a train!

Yeah, the BTS trailer was pretty good. I don't know what sent them under because they definitely don't make anything new anymore. Sonicron's tapes are also pretty bad. If you wanna talk about the worst one, I think Ravage takes the cake. But Frumble isn't great either.





Like most of the things I get I really tried to see the bright side. I tried to see past the look. And, in all honesty, I do like their Ratbat. But Frumble and Ravage just miss the mark terribly.

The plastic seems subpar and the first Ravage I got was broken right out of the box. BBTS gave me a new one. but even so. But the proportions aren't the worst thing about it. That I can forgive since the goal was to get a bunch of tapes. No, what I can't forgive is that the knees bend the wrong way! And there's just no way to get past that. And they didn't even have to, just make them able to bend both ways.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

zodconvoy wrote:I still have Valkyrie standing with my G1 The Movie figures. She fits in well with the mid-80's figures. Selling Sonicron for what I paid for it was a miracle.

I was looking at Big Bad toy Store's stuff and they STILL have Sonicrons. How many did they stock up on?

Too many.

The sad thing is, the trailer they did for Classics Prime? It's a pretty good trailer. I still own it and play with it.

One thing I enjoyed about that era of 3P stuff are the options.

Henkei Prime has FP's trailer. Magnus has the CC armor. And Nemesis has the BTS trailer. For a time I had it behind FP's like a train!

Yeah, the BTS trailer was pretty good. I don't know what sent them under because they definitely don't make anything new anymore. Sonicron's tapes are also pretty bad. If you wanna talk about the worst one, I think Ravage takes the cake. But Frumble isn't great either.





Like most of the things I get I really tried to see the bright side. I tried to see past the look. And, in all honesty, I do like their Ratbat. But Frumble and Ravage just miss the mark terribly.

The plastic seems subpar and the first Ravage I got was broken right out of the box. BBTS gave me a new one. but even so. But the proportions aren't the worst thing about it. That I can forgive since the goal was to get a bunch of tapes. No, what I can't forgive is that the knees bend the wrong way! And there's just no way to get past that. And they didn't even have to, just make them able to bend both ways.

I did that too with the trailers! They're fun little playsets/upgrade kits. If you couldn't afford the G3 Trailer from FP, then BTS' trailer was a great alternative. But yikes on those Sonicron minions! Those have not aged well, visually at least.

And yeah. Remember the Predaking wars between MMC, Unique Toys and I think it was... TFC Toys?

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

Know what? Even though that Sonicron design is a bit daff with it's giant chest, he have a certain charm to him. Plus his minions are derpily adorable! I especially like that "Ratbat".

I have enough Soundwaves and minions as it is though. I even skipped over the Titan Return releases. But if I could be offered A Sonicron and all his minions for cheap, I'd honestly be tempted. That is, as long that they feel solid in hand.

Know what? Even though that Sonicron design is a bit daff with it's giant chest, he have a certain charm to him. Plus his minions are derpily adorable!

GAH! Too ... optimistic!

I was hoping to use Sonicron to go against Device Label Blaster back in the day since they were both about the same size and both could hold G1-sized tapes. But I just couldn't leave Sonicron out in robot mode. He sits in alt. mode in my tapes collection. Label Blaster will never be replaced, though. He's my forever Blaster.

And yeah. Remember the Predaking wars between MMC, Unique Toys and I think it was... TFC Toys?

I got all three versions. MMC remains my main Predaking and I still like looking at him among my CW Combiners. I like his size and just about everything about him, really.

UT is pretty bad. I got him as a set on clearance. After taking him apart a few times one of Razorclaw's legs ripped right off. Garbage. I got a new version, but the damage to him in my mind is complete. It doesn't help that his damned legs are an add-on part.

TFC's look nice, but don't hold together at all in combined mode. So what's the point? I had him in the back of a display leaning on the shelf for a time, but not he's also put away. On TFC, they did a great job on Piranacon.

TFC's Hound springs to mind, IIRC that was a monstrous flop. Similar story with Bold Forms' two releases, and also Omnigonix Spinout.

However, whilst maybe not the objectively worst, Fanstoys' Rouge/Arcee (from what I've seen of the bloody thing) takes the cake for me. Fanstoys, whilst I am not a big fan of them, generally makes a decent product, but Rouge is a disaster. The robot mode looks...eh, it's OK I guess, though the facesculpt has a bit of a deviantART look about it. But it's floppy as all hell, with the shoulder packs wobbling all over the shop, and the transformation is a straight up car crash. Then there's the O-face and the aftermarket...breasts, which aren't even sexy and look stupid (though the reactions from some corners of the fandom were amusing). I'd actually rate it below Toyworld's abysmal entry, as whilst that looked terrible and had the robot butt on display in car mode, it was at least well built.

Jobby wasn't too kind about Rouge.



Before that review I did watched Emgo's. Emgo remained "polite" but I could see that was a figure I did not want to handle. Azalea on the other hand look great and is fun to play with. That's why I've chosen her. Especially in Protoform colors to make her different.

I hadn't realized that transformation was so terrible.

I had to put away a lot of TFs last year, including a number of 3rd party releases and ... I dunno why there was a mentality of "more complicated = better." Sometimes having a complex transformation can be fun, but I have to say it wears out it's welcome pretty fast.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I hadn't realized that transformation was so terrible.

I had to put away a lot of TFs last year, including a number of 3rd party releases and ... I dunno why there was a mentality of "more complicated = better." Sometimes having a complex transformation can be fun, but I have to say it wears out it's welcome pretty fast.

I think that's one of the bigger reasons I've sold off almost all my third-party toys, especially the combiners. They're just not fun for me to play with, and feel overly fragile and frustrating. I've kept some stand-alone figures, mind, kept the upgrade kits, and have some on pre-order. But most of them? Gone.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Jobby wasn't too kind about Rouge.



Before that review I did watched Emgo's. Emgo remained "polite" but I could see that was a figure I did not want to handle. Azalea on the other hand look great and is fun to play with. That's why I've chosen her. Especially in Protoform colors to make her different.

Holy cow! That thing just falls apart!

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Holy cow! That thing just falls apart!

You ain't seen nothing yet.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:Holy cow! That thing just falls apart!

You ain't seen nothing yet.

I'm fairly certain if you sneezed on that thing it would fall apart.

He put the MP Cy-kill in the trash too, tho? I like that one. What did he find wrong with it?

Yeah, that Megatron looks like a mess. So, it has to completely disassemble to transform? Too much! Geez.

Which 3P combiners did you have before selling them all? The ones I have are:

TFC' Devvy
Maketoy's Devy
TFC's Uranos
FP's Intimidator
TFC Pradaking
UT's Pradaking
Toyworld's Volcanus
And, if they count, FP's enhancements for Bruticus and Superion

Right now only MMC's Predaking and TFC's Pirranacon are on display. I didn't get the official Predaking since I had MMC's and ... the official one didn't do it for me. I don't love the blocky look and the size. I know Predaking is a big boy, but my current setup just can't support it. I do remember MMC's take being surprisingly easy to transform.

I remember TFC's Pirranacon being a pain to transform, although I'd have to disassemble and reassemble it to rally judge. And I don't feel like doing that. I did get the official one, though. Once the last two limbs arrive I'm not sure where I'll put TFC's. I actually like the look more, but it takes up a lot of room, so it's losing it's "A" status.

I got a lot more than I really should have. I got 2 of the Predakings on clearance as a set and that was a mistake. Toyworld's Volcanus was also a mistake because the thing doesn't hold together well. And Swoop is the worst Swoop.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:He put the MP Cy-kill in the trash too, tho? I like that one. What did he find wrong with it?

Yeah, that Megatron looks like a mess. So, it has to completely disassemble to transform? Too much! Geez.

Which 3P combiners did you have before selling them all? The ones I have are:

TFC' Devvy
Maketoy's Devy
TFC's Uranos
FP's Intimidator
TFC Pradaking
UT's Pradaking
Toyworld's Volcanus
And, if they count, FP's enhancements for Bruticus and Superion

Right now only MMC's Predaking and TFC's Pirranacon are on display. I didn't get the official Predaking since I had MMC's and ... the official one didn't do it for me. I don't love the blocky look and the size. I know Predaking is a big boy, but my current setup just can't support it. I do remember MMC's take being surprisingly easy to transform.

I remember TFC's Pirranacon being a pain to transform, although I'd have to disassemble and reassemble it to rally judge. And I don't feel like doing that. I did get the official one, though. Once the last two limbs arrive I'm not sure where I'll put TFC's. I actually like the look more, but it takes up a lot of room, so it's losing it's "A" status.

I got a lot more than I really should have. I got 2 of the Predakings on clearance as a set and that was a mistake. Toyworld's Volcanus was also a mistake because the thing doesn't hold together well. And Swoop is the worst Swoop.

If I can remember...

TFC's Devastator, Superion, Piranacon, Defensor.
Fansproject's Menasor, Dinoking.
MMC's predaking.
Unique Toys' Abominus.

And overall... I mean UT's combiner couldn't even be disassembled without damaging the leg connector ports!

And yeah, TFC's Piranacon was a pain. FP's Menasor was a HUGE pain in the diodes to get together, much less disassemble!

And yeah, I still own the FP upgrade kits for the Energon combiners. They're pretty good, IMHO.