The Energon Pub

Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:34 pm

The legs are a mix of M3 and Quantron... There's still some support skeleton from the main torsobot in the lower legs, but the bots are kind of transformed around them.

With M3, people didn't like the Diesel skeleton of the lower legs. With Quantron, they didn't like how skinny the lower legs are without the skeleton. With Guardia, they're trying to kinda do both... the leg bots aren't simply stuck to the skeleton as vehicles, but there is some stuff in there from the fire truck.

That's all assuming what I've read and seen elsewhere is correct tho. Maybe MT will surprise us.

News Credits: 123 · Thu Aug 07, 2014 12:38 pm

TheGrognard wrote:The legs are a mix of M3 and Quantron... There's still some support skeleton from the main torsobot in the lower legs, but the bots are kind of transformed around them.

With M3, people didn't like the Diesel skeleton of the lower legs. With Quantron, they didn't like how skinny the lower legs are without the skeleton. With Guardia, they're trying to kinda do both... the leg bots aren't simply stuck to the skeleton as vehicles, but there is some stuff in there from the fire truck.

That's all assuming what I've read and seen elsewhere is correct tho. Maybe MT will surprise us.

I like the M3 skeleton... :oops:

News Credits: 12 · Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:55 pm

I don't see why we're worrying about scale here.

First, this is Transformers (where the "correct scale" results in a jet being smaller than a cabover truck), and second, the team has a motorbike and a helicopter that are the same size. If we have to worry about anything it sure isn't scale.

Thu Aug 07, 2014 4:19 pm

Delta Magnus wrote:I don't see why we're worrying about scale here.

First, this is Transformers (where the "correct scale" results in a jet being smaller than a cabover truck), and second, the team has a motorbike and a helicopter that are the same size. If we have to worry about anything it sure isn't scale.

I can only speak for myself. I care more about the scale of the robots because thats how I intend to display them. (when not in combiner mode) When talking scale, I care more about cartoon accuracy in robot mode than I care about real life accuracy in alt modes.

News Credits: 123 · Thu Aug 07, 2014 5:59 pm

Delta Magnus wrote:I don't see why we're worrying about scale here.

First, this is Transformers (where the "correct scale" results in a jet being smaller than a cabover truck), and second, the team has a motorbike and a helicopter that are the same size. If we have to worry about anything it sure isn't scale.

Given that most people are buying this for the combined mode, and they're worried about whether the gestalt will fit in with their other combiners, I would say yes, scale is a concern.

But I don't think it will be an issue in this case.

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

News Credits: 12 · Sat Oct 25, 2014 7:54 pm

You're really on a roll Mkall!

Anyway, this looks interesting. On the one hand, the skeleton idea seems to be pulled off a bit better than FP Menasor. Also the wheels on the feet suggests they actually do something in the separate modes. On the other hand, bllleeeeeeeuuuuuuggghh that Groove leg! It really clashes with the otherwise solid and blocky look.

Think I might go with TFC for this, although the lack of any way of storing the feet outside of the combined mode greatly rustles my jimmies. Seriously, it should be made a law that if you give your combiner hands and feet as kibble that they must store in all modes, G1 accuracy be damned.

News Credits: 10 · Sat Oct 25, 2014 11:13 pm

Love your comments, DM.

I'm kinda thinking of going the other route. I don't like how brick-like TFC's looks. Plus, I'm afraid TFC will scale too big for my combiners. I'm liking MT's offering a bit better at this time, but really neither is knocking my socks off at this time. Oh, and I agree with you, DM, onj the hot mess that is Groove as a leg. If this only gets sold as a boxed set, I'm probably out for now. I need to spread the cost out a little more...

News Credits: 402 · Updated Oct 21, 2022

This shall be my Defensor. TFC once again gets the overall idea, but doesn't quite capture the feel. I'm excited.

Sat Oct 25, 2014 11:50 pm

i'll be getting this one too. i like the looks of this version more than the tfc example

Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:05 am

So nice to get the full picture of what they're aiming for before they start selling.

News Credits: 33 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:14 am

This is more like it even though i'm not buying either this would be my choice of poison .

Looking at this in grey make me think of Quantron for some reason .

News Credits: 123 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:28 am

Autobot Genocide wrote:This is more like it even though i'm not buying either this would be my choice of poison.

Same. No intention to buy either at the moment, but MT's is my 3P Defensor of choice.

News Credits: 293 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:05 pm

lovin it. he looks like a force to be reckoned with.

News Credits: 12 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 1:25 pm

Honestly I don't think we can really declare a "winner" until both are released and there's reviews up for them. Personally I'm liking the look of the TFC version more because he looks more solid, their Groove is sheer genius and their Hot-Spot looks great. This guy does look interesting, and I am pleased to see the feet doing something other than just being pushed off to the side. But that leg just looks awful. It looks like they took a Movieverse combiner leg and stuck it on a Classics body. I'll probably get a lot of hate for this, but Groove's design just does not work. As a standalone figure, sure, but as part of a combiner team he needs to be updated. The tiny little scooter just doesn't work as a leg for something as big and blocky as Defensor.

Still, like I say, we need to wait for these to actually be out before we can jump to any conclusions. Here's to hoping this will end up as a Hercules vs Giant (reasoned debate and universal respect for both toys) rather than a Feral Rex vs Ares (one side constantly bashing the other).

News Credits: 123 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:47 pm

Delta Magnus wrote:Honestly I don't think we can really declare a "winner" until both are released and there's reviews up for them.

If we've learned anything, it's that people will think what they think regardless of what reviewers say. It's all in the eyes of the beholder.

Delta Magnus wrote:Still, like I say, we need to wait for these to actually be out before we can jump to any conclusions. Here's to hoping this will end up as a Hercules vs Giant (reasoned debate and universal respect for both toys) rather than a Feral Rex vs Ares (one side constantly bashing the other).

You must not have been around for the 3P Devastator debate, because it went just how you describe the 3P Predaking debate... except more so.

News Credits: 12 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 4:09 pm

Yeah, I didn't learn about Hercules vs Giant until long after the dust had settled. It doesn't help that they're both quite dated by 3P standards, coming before the age of "Everything must have ankle tilts or it's trash" (where did that even come from?). I've seen fairly equal respect for both versions across the internet, with the overall consensus being that they're both good in different ways- Giant for his combined mode articulation and G1 accuracy and Hercules for his playability, sturdiness and sheer size. I'd go for Herc myself but if MakeToys brought out Yellow Giant with the updated engineering of the Green version I'd buy him.

Myself I'm just waiting for FP to do an upgrade kit for the Energon Constructions. I know you can't exactly get a G1 Devastator out of him, but you could at least make him a better toy.

Defensor is a particularly bad case for designers as as far as I remember he didn't appear much in the cartoon (his debut being B.O.T of all episodes) and his appearances tended to be in the worse animated episodes, and as such he doesn't really have a consistent animation look like, say, Optimus Prime or Starscream. The best reference points I can think of are the Studio OX model and the toy.

That said, if Guardia came out in Guard City colours I'd happily have him as well as Prometheus.

News Credits: 33 · Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:13 pm

Delta Magnus wrote:Myself I'm just waiting for FP to do an upgrade kit for the Energon Constructions. I know you can't exactly get a G1 Devastator out of him, but you could at least make him a better toy.

That's something i can never see happening .

Mon Oct 27, 2014 10:05 am

Defensor is the only autobot gestalt I like other than the autobot gestalts in the japanese trilogy. Plus I love Maketoys designs/scale for my collection, I like how beefy he is.

News Credits: 1 · Mon Oct 27, 2014 12:09 pm

I have to admit I like this much better than the TFC version, but I'm just more into the larger scale combiners overall.

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 1:38 pm

News Credits: 10 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 3:01 pm

Hmmmmm.....yeah, glad I waited on MT. I'm definitely liking this more than TFC's. Will I like it more than CW? TBD...

Mon Mar 02, 2015 4:13 pm

Looking good, Maketoys!

Looking forward to this set getting finished so we can see how they handle their upcoming Superion.

News Credits: 60 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 6:34 pm

Will this be "scramble" style or part specific assignment?

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 02, 2015 10:23 pm

3P combiners are facing uncertain times, what with the awesomeness that is combiner wars. will i spend a tonne of dough on a really nice G1 looking defensor, or go with the awesome (and i know itll be) super fun hastak guy? besides, someone might come along and make a proper groove limb and make a proper G1ish CW defensor.