The Energon Pub

DTR69 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:Unconfirmed/grain of salt or the real thing:

http://tformers.com/transformers-us-mas ... /news.html

Hasbro version won't have the trailer but a "targetmaster"?

Thats why they kept the hot rod mode a secret. It's just MP hot rod, which with a couple of twists can make a Rodimus, and the trailer is more a sheel that covers up 90% of hot rods car mode, just the back wheel arches are on show. If they were less bothered about accuracy they could of used hot rods car mode as the front of the cab and literally have it docked in the trailer as it is meant to. If they showed us hot rod first, it wouldnt of lloked so amzing, as we would see how easily they have actualy done this. This way, we have been fooled to think they have done something amazing.

I agree, while I am happy about the Rodimus/Hot Rod gimmicks, I don't like how it is done. While it is much more accurate and likely less fiddly, I'd rather not have the additional canopy/hood covering up a backwards Hot Rod, and rather have additional pieces to swap out to make a stand alone Rodimus "cab".

I don't see what the problem is. It's a nice, screen accurate representation of all 4 forms.

Roddy's alt mode was never just Hot Rod's car docked to a trailer. I would have accepted that, sure, but that's never what it was meant to be. Giving him a whole new hood makes the vehicle mode exactly what it always looked like. What's the problem?

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I don't see what the problem is. It's a nice, screen accurate representation of all 4 forms.

Roddy's alt mode was never just Hot Rod's car docked to a trailer. I would have accepted that, sure, but that's never what it was meant to be. Giving him a whole new hood makes the vehicle mode exactly what it always looked like. What's the problem?

::high five::

This figure looks F'n awesome. This is one Rod that everyone should take with a smile.

Counterpunch wrote: This is one Rod that everyone should take with a smile.

I think all Masterpiece figures are freaking flying awesome, just not for my wallets. I hope everyone enjoys this kick ass figure!

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I don't see what the problem is. It's a nice, screen accurate representation of all 4 forms.

Roddy's alt mode was never just Hot Rod's car docked to a trailer. I would have accepted that, sure, but that's never what it was meant to be. Giving him a whole new hood makes the vehicle mode exactly what it always looked like. What's the problem?

Don't get me wrong, I think this is a great Masterpiece. There's just something I don't like about the backward Hot Rod gimmick. The fact that Rodimus' "cab" is not an independent piece from that trailer, puts me off a bit.

I'll be getting this either way though haha!

EDIT: @ Blurrz,

Rodimus' cab never was a seperate piece from the trailer. He's a winnebago, not an articulated truck.

Blurrz wrote:

Counterpunch wrote: This is one Rod that everyone should take with a smile.

I think all Masterpiece figures are freaking flying awesome, just not for my wallets. I hope everyone enjoys this kick ass figure!

Off-topic...

But has anyone noticed that Lady Gaga looks like Janice from The Muppet Show?

City Commander wrote:Rodimus' cab never was a seperate piece from the trailer. He's a winnebago, not an articulated truck.

Yes, but he also never had an extra hood under his trailer. And what would be the "cab" wasn't just Hot Rod tucked underneath backwards. I still say this is amazing, but for some reason I don't like the extra hood.

So, you basically would have preferred Rodimus Prime WITHOUT the ability to turn into Hot Rod.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:So, you basically would have preferred Rodimus Prime WITHOUT the ability to turn into Hot Rod.

In my earlier post I said I would have preferred an additional canopy/fenders that I could swap out for Hot Rods.

Call me crazy, but if the canopy was actually part of the Rodimus "cab", then I'd be happy as a clam. I'm just not hot on my TFs having duplicate parts.

Jesterhead wrote:

City Commander wrote:Rodimus' cab never was a seperate piece from the trailer. He's a winnebago, not an articulated truck.

Yes, but he also never had an extra hood under his trailer. And what would be the "cab" wasn't just Hot Rod tucked underneath backwards. I still say this is amazing, but for some reason I don't like the extra hood.

How d'ya know? Taken a look have we?

That's fair enough, and perhaps it does get a little bit in the way in Rodimus mode, but considering what they've achieved I couldn't be happier.

G1 Rodimus is just a large trailer covering up a robot. This is exactly what I expected when they announced MP Roddy ... and is essentally what we're getting.

Counterpunch wrote:

Blurrz wrote:

Counterpunch wrote: This is one Rod that everyone should take with a smile.

I think all Masterpiece figures are freaking flying awesome, just not for my wallets. I hope everyone enjoys this kick ass figure!

Off-topic...

But has anyone noticed that Lady Gaga looks like Janice from The Muppet Show?

Next thing you know, we're getting a Lady Gaga Figma and Nendoroid, and someone's going to have the audacity to pair them up with MP Rodimus Kiss Style.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I don't see what the problem is. It's a nice, screen accurate representation of all 4 forms.

Roddy's alt mode was never just Hot Rod's car docked to a trailer. I would have accepted that, sure, but that's never what it was meant to be. Giving him a whole new hood makes the vehicle mode exactly what it always looked like. What's the problem?

The problem is it seems that the trailer and what seems to be an attatched rodimus window and hood, will more or less be the Rodimus alt mode, all the robot figure is making up is the front wheels arches and only a portion of the front corners at that, so it doesn't really transform ino all 4 modes. Whats the point of docking hot rod with the trailer at all if it's just going to be covered by the shell which isn't part of the figure. If it's going to attatch then it should be a functional attatch. It's like a pretender shell. you don't really have to put the figure inside the shell, so whats the point. So the amazing enginuity we thought is just a face change and extending legs. There's not even a Matrix compartment. I hope there is. So what if hot rods rear wheel arches mmake rodimus's front cab wheel arches, is that really amazing?????

Blurrz wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

Blurrz wrote:

Counterpunch wrote: This is one Rod that everyone should take with a smile.

I think all Masterpiece figures are freaking flying awesome, just not for my wallets. I hope everyone enjoys this kick ass figure!

Off-topic...

But has anyone noticed that Lady Gaga looks like Janice from The Muppet Show?

Next thing you know, we're getting a Lady Gaga Figma and Nendoroid, and someone's going to have the audacity to pair them up with MP Rodimus Kiss Style.

Someone indeed.

DTR69 wrote:The problem is it seems that the trailer and what seems to be an attatched rodimus window and hood, will more or less be the Rodimus alt mode, all the robot figure is making up is the front wheels arches and only a portion of the front corners at that, so it doesn't really transform ino all 4 modes.

It's never been a secret that the Rodimus transformation is a cheat. But it's handled well and looks rather seamless. So, in terms of looks, the vehicle looks like Rodimus and functions as such. A futuristic Winnebago? Covered.

Yeah, you have to transform him into Hot Rod first before getting to Rodimus's robot mode, but it's still there.

So...what exactly is this figure missing? It's not a perfect transformation scheme, but the end result is that we get Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod, in both robot and vehicle mode.

Why is any of this a problem? (And he's not the first figure to use cheats. He's not even the worst example of it.)

DTR69 wrote:Whats the point of docking hot rod with the trailer at all if it's just going to be covered by the shell which isn't part of the figure. If it's going to attatch then it should be a functional attatch. It's like a pretender shell. you don't really have to put the figure inside the shell, so whats the point.

The point is Rodimus and Hot Rod were separate toys in the past, and there was no way to make one toy do both modes. It was impossible. When faced with making a Masterpiece of Rodimus or Hot Rod, and they figured out they could end up doing both, they had to use a nice looking cheat to pull it off. The figure hasn't been cheapened by the fact that the windshield is a shell. If you have a problem with it, then it's your problem. Not ours or theirs. Yours.

DTR69 wrote:So the amazing enginuity we thought is just a face change and extending legs. There's not even a Matrix compartment. I hope there is. So what if hot rods rear wheel arches mmake rodimus's front cab wheel arches, is that really amazing?????

We have no idea whether or not the Matrix is included. There is a chest flap which would lead one to believe that it holds the Matrix in there. If it does, it's probably not removable, but it would be there, nonetheless.

And it is amazing because they make it look so seamless. It's amazing because we're getting both Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod in both vehicle and robot mode. Cheat or not, we're getting the whole shooting match and it looks seamless.

Is it perfect? Of course not, nothing is. Is it impressive? You bet.

I want to see YOU give us a Masterpiece capable of doing both modes, and I want to see it now. C'mon, you can do it. It's easy!

So, if it were more like the G1 toy, where the robot makes up the front end of the cab with his legs covered by a giant trailer ... it'd be better? Because that sounds like just the same amount of lame to me.

And this is assuming a lot about a transformation we haven't seen in detail yet.

Edit: I mean, you're not wrong about Roddy's transformation to winnebego mode being lame. But that's what Roddy's transformation is. Laaaaaaame. It was only interesting when they made a mistake in the animation.

I've been hunting through pictures, and I really don't see any images that explain this whole "Rodimus' alt mode's under the trailer" bit you're gushing. Really.

I don't see it as a cheat at all.

What TT have done is they've taken into account that Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are essentially the same character, with one "growing up" from the other when he opens the Matrix.

And they've incorporated that particular piece of TF history into this toy by giving Hot Rod the ability to "grow up" into Rodimus Prime.

That's how I look at it, and TT should be applauded for it.

Burn wrote:I don't see it as a cheat at all.

What TT have done is they've taken into account that Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are essentially the same character, with one "growing up" from the other when he opens the Matrix.

And they've incorporated that particular piece of TF history into this toy by giving Hot Rod the ability to "grow up" into Rodimus Prime.

That's how I look at it, and TT should be applauded for it.

I always get a bit tingly when that scene in the movie plays; Roddy growing greater and Prime essentially naming him the next Prime

Autobot032 wrote:

DTR69 wrote:The problem is it seems that the trailer and what seems to be an attatched rodimus window and hood, will more or less be the Rodimus alt mode, all the robot figure is making up is the front wheels arches and only a portion of the front corners at that, so it doesn't really transform ino all 4 modes.

It's never been a secret that the Rodimus transformation is a cheat. But it's handled well and looks rather seamless. So, in terms of looks, the vehicle looks like Rodimus and functions as such. A futuristic Winnebago? Covered.

Yeah, you have to transform him into Hot Rod first before getting to Rodimus's robot mode, but it's still there.

So...what exactly is this figure missing? It's not a perfect transformation scheme, but the end result is that we get Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod, in both robot and vehicle mode.

Why is any of this a problem? (And he's not the first figure to use cheats. He's not even the worst example of it.)

DTR69 wrote:Whats the point of docking hot rod with the trailer at all if it's just going to be covered by the shell which isn't part of the figure. If it's going to attatch then it should be a functional attatch. It's like a pretender shell. you don't really have to put the figure inside the shell, so whats the point.

The point is Rodimus and Hot Rod were separate toys in the past, and there was no way to make one toy do both modes. It was impossible. When faced with making a Masterpiece of Rodimus or Hot Rod, and they figured out they could end up doing both, they had to use a nice looking cheat to pull it off. The figure hasn't been cheapened by the fact that the windshield is a shell. If you have a problem with it, then it's your problem. Not ours or theirs. Yours.

DTR69 wrote:So the amazing enginuity we thought is just a face change and extending legs. There's not even a Matrix compartment. I hope there is. So what if hot rods rear wheel arches mmake rodimus's front cab wheel arches, is that really amazing?????

We have no idea whether or not the Matrix is included. There is a chest flap which would lead one to believe that it holds the Matrix in there. If it does, it's probably not removable, but it would be there, nonetheless.

And it is amazing because they make it look so seamless. It's amazing because we're getting both Rodimus Prime and Hot Rod in both vehicle and robot mode. Cheat or not, we're getting the whole shooting match and it looks seamless.

Is it perfect? Of course not, nothing is. Is it impressive? You bet.

I want to see YOU give us a Masterpiece capable of doing both modes, and I want to see it now. C'mon, you can do it. It's easy!

There are some people who get by in life by settling for less and some people who strive for pefection. So if you loose you're hair would you wair a wig, or would you leave it bald. I personaly would leave it bald. And it's the same here. I have no desire to own a accurate upgrade of Rodimus's campavan, unless it actually transforms. The reason it's so seamless is becuase there is no transformation to the campavan. If you call fliping the rear of the car up and swinging the windshield and hood over, to more or less cover everything up. They have used hot rods wheel arches so they can technicaly say that it does convert to a campavan.

I'd rather something that technicaly transforms, and sacrafice some of the alt modes looks than a plastic shell that just covers things. After all it's meant to be a transformer. If hot rod docked with the trailer, all that would be different is the hood wouldnt be so short, so what if it doesnt look exactly like the original G1 toy, at least it would be functional, it would have been alot easier too.

And if I had the tools I could create a Master Piece TF. Alot of people can, and alot of people do, you're empty threats are pointless. I'm a designer so I'd say I'm pretty good when it comes to the needed thought processes.. Everything so far I have thought about this figure has turned out to be true. I still thinks it's a great figure, but I still feel cheated. I never transform my figures on display, but I know they can, and thats what counts.

City Commander wrote:

Burn wrote:I don't see it as a cheat at all.

What TT have done is they've taken into account that Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are essentially the same character, with one "growing up" from the other when he opens the Matrix.

And they've incorporated that particular piece of TF history into this toy by giving Hot Rod the ability to "grow up" into Rodimus Prime.

That's how I look at it, and TT should be applauded for it.

I always get a bit tingly when that scene in the movie plays; Roddy growing greater and Prime essentially naming him the next Prime

I always die a little because it reaffirms that a)-Optimus is dead and b)-Magnus isn't going to be leader.

So I guess Unicron, Big Convoy, G1 Roddie, RID Sideburn, and all the other TFs that require either shells or signifigant add-ons are all only technically transformers as to "real" transformers who, I assume, don't use any of those things.

Interesting distinction there.

Burn wrote:

City Commander wrote:

Burn wrote:I don't see it as a cheat at all.

What TT have done is they've taken into account that Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime are essentially the same character, with one "growing up" from the other when he opens the Matrix.

And they've incorporated that particular piece of TF history into this toy by giving Hot Rod the ability to "grow up" into Rodimus Prime.

That's how I look at it, and TT should be applauded for it.

I always get a bit tingly when that scene in the movie plays; Roddy growing greater and Prime essentially naming him the next Prime

I always die a little because it reaffirms that a)-Optimus is dead and b)-Magnus isn't going to be leader.

Magnus would've been a far better leader than Rodimus. He would've fought for Paradron at the very minimum, that's for sure. Those that don't want leadership are usually the right ones for the job.

Though that could be said of Hot Rod too, I blame the season three writers for that.


And Optimus? Dead? lol, it's lost all meaning to me nowadays. Sure the first time I felt gripped with sadness and awe at the audacity of a children's film depicting the brutal murder of a beloved hero, but that feeling doesn't last.

Congrats everyone, you've all talked me into watching the '86 movie tonight!