The Energon Pub

I'm not sure. I was strongly considering MT, but the Hasbro one will be so much cheaper, and probably more fun.

Kinda feel a bit sad for MakeToys. As I like their work and bought Green Giant. Think they should of released their Defensor a few months ago. Their is no doubt in my mind that CW Defensor is going to hurt sales on MT Defensor.

Think TFC, MMC and FP timed it perfectly or lucked out by not releasing any combiners when These CW Combiners will be out for. Hopefully till 2017.

Think what it's going to come down to is whether you want a toy or a collectible. While the aesthetics and price point will surely be a factor for some, there are others who will look at HasTak Defensor (and subsequent combiner teams) and are going to see a jumbled mess and desire a sleeker product.

Also, would anyone -really- be content with a 3P Groove for HasTak Defensor? Think back to FP Bruticus. While the combined mode looks great (with a few exceptions), in individual robot modes the team has some obvious eyesores.

I am by no means a rich person, but I'm more willing to spend more on a combiner team that looks and feels right to me rather than settle for a set of figures that is just 'ok'. I mean, isn't that why 3P exists in the first place?

I think im still in for Guardia. I see hasbro CW more as an oppurtunity to display the teams as individual bots alongside the superior 3rd party combiner modes. I really dont take the hasbro combiner modes seriously because of the silly hands/feet. Hopefully the SXS kits fix that.

NOS wrote:Think what it's going to come down to is whether you want a toy or a collectible. While the aesthetics and price point will surely be a factor for some, there are others who will look at HasTak Defensor (and subsequent combiner teams) and are going to see a jumbled mess and desire a sleeker product.

Also, would anyone -really- be content with a 3P Groove for HasTak Defensor? Think back to FP Bruticus. While the combined mode looks great (with a few exceptions), in individual robot modes the team has some obvious eyesores.

I am by no means a rich person, but I'm more willing to spend more on a combiner team that looks and feels right to me rather than settle for a set of figures that is just 'ok'. I mean, isn't that why 3P exists in the first place?

Think it all boils down to how much love and passion each fan has for a particular TF character toy. Think this level of love and passion dictates how much money their will to spend on a update toy. Think if you mildly like a character TF then you'd be easier willing to settle for a HasTak toy version. Think if you love certain TF characters more, You'd be willing to spend more on their toys.

I'm willing to settle for the HasTak CW combiners. Because I think none of them got fleshed out fictional personalitities. Think most combiners team members got generic or little personality. So it's harder for me to spend $400 to $600 on a 3rd party combiner team. It's easier for me to spend under $100 for a HasTak CW team of combiners. Because that's my limit for the love and passion for these characters updates toys.

@Rated X: Not a bad idea, though not one I intend to emulate.

@Tsutsukakushi: Certainly a view I can understand, but not one I can entirely share. Personalities are one thing, but in general . . . I just love transformers and that goes double for combiners. Ultimately, when I look at the entire package of a team and while I can appreciate HasTaks efforts, I look at the gestalt modes and I shudder. To me, they aren't awe-inspiring, imposing, or intimidating. 3P offerings on the other hand light that fire I had when watching the cartoon.

I have to agree with T on this one. Price is a major contributing factor.

It holds true for me for most of the 3P stuff. If I have a particular attachment to a character, be it personality, design, or just cool factor, I'll pay the extra $$$ to get the better representation.

That, of course, assumes the more expensive option IS the better representation, which it isn't always IMO.

If Hasbro's Devastator was put out at the same time as Herc & Giant, I would STILL have gone with Herc. I love it! For me, they nailed the character, The others are great, and have their good points, but I prefer Herc, and would be willing to pay for it, even with Hasbro's version for a lot less $$$.

With Roadbuster, I like the FP version better, but only a little bit better, and not worth the price difference. I bought the Hasbro version.

For Defensor, I'm on the fence. I prefer the TFC size, the MT design, and the Hasbro price point. I have no deep attachment to the characters, as individuals or combined, so I'm leaning towards Hasbro because it is a LOT cheaper for a character I don't want to spend $400 on to have in my collection. I may still get the TFC version as it matches my other big combiners, or I may change my tune and buy copies of MT's Giant, Defensor and Computron, putting all my combiners at that similar scale.

NOS wrote:Also, would anyone -really- be content with a 3P Groove for HasTak Defensor? Think back to FP Bruticus. While the combined mode looks great (with a few exceptions), in individual robot modes the team has some obvious eyesores.

While you are 100% right, I haven't broken my FP Bruticus apart since he was first assembled. Had the set been released with say, replacement G1'ish heads for the remaining Has-baticons, I'd have bought a whole second set to display as indy bots. Since that never happened, I'm fine with him remaining in his combined state.

So, yeah. I would absolutely be down for a 3P Groove jumping into CW Defensor.

Rated X wrote:I think im still in for Guardia. I see hasbro CW more as an oppurtunity to display the teams as individual bots alongside the superior 3rd party combiner modes.

S'what I did (plan on doing) for Menasor. And for whatever else CW gives us that I already have covered by 3P.

Dunno what I'm doing with Deva-Titan though...
Herc covers my basis, and I dont need Hasbro's sad individual bot modes displayed

Getting Guardia is going to come down to financial logistics for me. I need to be able to pick up individual pieces and not as a whole box set. And the releases need to be slightly staggered. It could even be month by month, but dropping $400 at once just isn't an option for anything in the near future.

(X) haha, stupid Maketoys, they're fail at this because Hasbro are making one - wait, do I still hate Hasbro's Keanu designs? I've forgotten - but the project will probably still get made because of scalpers (/X)

necr0blivion wrote:Getting Guardia is going to come down to financial logistics for me. I need to be able to pick up individual pieces and not as a whole box set. And the releases need to be slightly staggered. It could even be month by month, but dropping $400 at once just isn't an option for anything in the near future.

If you use Paypal credit (formerly Bill-me-later) they have a no interest for 6 months deal.

That gives you the option of getting a big ticket item but not having to shell out for it all at once.

I use it a lot and it saves me a ton on interest.

Interesting....looks like FP's Menasor with the lower legs being shins on a skeletal structure from Hot Spot. If this looks completely awesome, and I can sell enough of my own collection, I may bite. But, as it stands right now, I am all over CW Defensor.

And this has me thinking on whether I would have purchased FP's MMM if CW Menasor had come out about the same time...

It's a bad time for 3P combiners. I was dead set on this fella, but with CW out there I think I'm officially passing. Only way I'd still drop the dough on this guy is if Hastak didn't give us a proper Groove (which I'm confident they eventually will).

Agamemnon wrote:Interesting....looks like FP's Menasor with the lower legs being shins on a skeletal structure from Hot Spot. If this looks completely awesome, and I can sell enough of my own collection, I may bite. But, as it stands right now, I am all over CW Defensor.

And this has me thinking on whether I would have purchased FP's MMM if CW Menasor had come out about the same time...

I'll agree with you on MMM and CW Menasor. I think if CW came out first, I'd be all over it. But as it stands, all I'm getting are the new guys.

Maketoys all the way for me! I'll get CW Defensor for the teams bot modes...but the CW gestalt mode does nothing for me.

shajaki wrote:It's a bad time for 3P combiners. I was dead set on this fella, but with CW out there I think I'm officially passing. Only way I'd still drop the dough on this guy is if Hastak didn't give us a proper Groove (which I'm confident they eventually will).

Define "proper. We are getting that Legends class figure.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

shajaki wrote:It's a bad time for 3P combiners. I was dead set on this fella, but with CW out there I think I'm officially passing. Only way I'd still drop the dough on this guy is if Hastak didn't give us a proper Groove (which I'm confident they eventually will).

Define "proper. We are getting that Legends class figure.

Clearly he means Groove as a limb.

megatronus wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

shajaki wrote:It's a bad time for 3P combiners. I was dead set on this fella, but with CW out there I think I'm officially passing. Only way I'd still drop the dough on this guy is if Hastak didn't give us a proper Groove (which I'm confident they eventually will).

Define "proper. We are getting that Legends class figure.

Clearly he means Groove as a limb.

Looking at the prototype, I'm concerned that this is going to end up like FP's Motormaster - where the legs of the figure are actually Hot Spot's and the leg figures just peg in to fill the gaps.

Mkall wrote:Looking at the prototype, I'm concerned that this is going to end up like FP's Motormaster - where the legs of the figure are actually Hot Spot's and the leg figures just peg in to fill the gaps.

looking at them too, i think that's not a concern anymore, but reality.

Yeah, this gets the no from me. CW it is.

Why does the fact that part of the legs belonging to the core bot (i.e. Motormaster, Hot Spot) turn some of you off? Legs are generally bigger limbs than arms, cars/motorcycles/etc. really couldn't hold up all that weight, the extra skeleton legs beef up the body, and this ultimately makes the gestalt more stable, doesn't it?

Granted, it isn't fully G1 when the recipe is messed or changed . . . but I see this kind of engineering as an improvement. At least for Defensor and the aformentioned Menasor. I probably wouldn't support it if this was done for Predaking or Devastator, but . . . idk. This looks right to me.

Anyone care to elaborate?

Delta Magnus wrote:Yeah, this gets the no from me. CW it is.

Same here.

Think if Maketoys was smart, They'd resculpt the toys to be CW Compatible. Like Bold Forms did with their Stunticons, Menasor toys.