The Energon Pub

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:Goddamn it, caught Skywarp's aerial during transformation and pulled the damn thing halfway off. Knew that aerial would be trouble.

Mine got bent in the middle after a few transformations and broke off at the base later that day. I'm not bothered.

My Skywarp already had an uncomfortably loose thigh joint so I plan to use my secret super-power of being a big angry white guy in Japan to try and push for a replacement.

Diem wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:Goddamn it, caught Skywarp's aerial during transformation and pulled the damn thing halfway off. Knew that aerial would be trouble.

Mine got bent in the middle after a few transformations and broke off at the base later that day. I'm not bothered.

My Skywarp already had an uncomfortably loose thigh joint so I plan to use my secret super-power of being a big angry white guy in Japan to try and push for a replacement.

Oh you big, nasty man!

Mine has insanely stiff legs.

I've changed my mind on the issue of not rolling forwards well. He seems fine now. Perhaps it was because I didn't know about locking the elbows in place, although they weren't hanging out and touching the floor. Even if they were it wouldn't explain why he rolled better backwards.

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:Goddamn it, caught Skywarp's aerial during transformation and pulled the damn thing halfway off. Knew that aerial would be trouble.

Mine got bent in the middle after a few transformations and broke off at the base later that day. I'm not bothered.

My Skywarp already had an uncomfortably loose thigh joint so I plan to use my secret super-power of being a big angry white guy in Japan to try and push for a replacement.

Oh you big, nasty man!

Mine has insanely stiff legs.

I've changed my mind on the issue of not rolling forwards well. He seems fine now. Perhaps it was because I didn't know about locking the elbows in place, although they weren't hanging out and touching the floor. Even if they were it wouldn't explain why he rolled better backwards.

I totally exchanged it and got one without a gimpy leg...though this one has paint rubbed off on his boob-light. Wish for once I could open a premium price figure and expect premium price QC.

To anyone who hasn't already ordered one of these guys and is still thinking about it, the aerial is WACK. I say this without fear of contradiction, it is WACK. Either it looks like it's going to come off or it actually does come off.

I'm gonna be packing these guys to ship them soon. I am not looking forward to it.

Diem wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

Diem wrote:Goddamn it, caught Skywarp's aerial during transformation and pulled the damn thing halfway off. Knew that aerial would be trouble.

Mine got bent in the middle after a few transformations and broke off at the base later that day. I'm not bothered.

My Skywarp already had an uncomfortably loose thigh joint so I plan to use my secret super-power of being a big angry white guy in Japan to try and push for a replacement.

Oh you big, nasty man!

Mine has insanely stiff legs.

I've changed my mind on the issue of not rolling forwards well. He seems fine now. Perhaps it was because I didn't know about locking the elbows in place, although they weren't hanging out and touching the floor. Even if they were it wouldn't explain why he rolled better backwards.

I totally exchanged it and got one without a gimpy leg...though this one has paint rubbed off on his boob-light. Wish for once I could open a premium price figure and expect premium price QC.

To anyone who hasn't already ordered one of these guys and is still thinking about it, the aerial is WACK. I say this without fear of contradiction, it is WACK. Either it looks like it's going to come off or it actually does come off.

I'm gonna be packing these guys to ship them soon. I am not looking forward to it.

They'll be fine in the original box.

I received Alternity Skywarp a few days ago but only unboxed the figure today. I must say, I am really liking the alt and bot modes. The head sculpt is great and I'm tempted to buy Alternity Starscream even though there are some criticisms I have of the latest Alternity mold.

For pros of this figure:

- I first have to say that the designer(s) made some very interesting engineering choices. They all didn't work out well but I respect some of the gambles taken in the engineering and design.

- I especially like how the leg transformation is designed.

- The posing potential of the figure is quite good thanks to well places ball joints, especially at the ankles, to allow a good range of articulation. I like how the car doors in bot mode seem to be an homage to MP Starscream's hip kibble.

- I really like how the alt mode, even though it's a car, gives the impression of a sleek, fast, and deadly form. When I look at the Mitsuoka Orochi, I do think that it suits the word "seeker".

- The bot mode looks great to me and visually homages the G1 Seeker design in many ways, some subtle and some obvious.

For the cons:

- The main one for me would be that the figure seems to be a rushed design in the context of Alternity designs. This latest mold has the most amount of visual offenders in alt mode with respect to kibble and lack of interior vehicle detail. There's no engine block component, the trunk reveals obvious kibble, the interior of the passenger and driver compartments also reveal kibble and large gaps through the bottom of the vehicle, and finally the bottom of the vehicle is kibble city. This is a design that is more like a mainline TF toy in that not as much effort is taken to disguise the robot components in alt mode. The standard in Alternity and Binaltech/Alternators is that the alt modes are usually fairly convincing at a glance and even when the doors are opened and the interior is revealed.

There are other issues that I think are minor:

- The loose ball joint connection for the doors in bot mode are an issue but I think it may have been intentional. For the design of the joint mechanism, I think the designers decided that a loose ball joint that could be easily dislocated and then re-attached would be better than a secure joint that may break from stress during a fidgety transformation step. The shoulder ball joints are a similar design, I think, where it's better to have a part that can be popped off and re-attached than to have it simply snap off at some point.

- The fake hood kibble for bot mode doesn't bother me at all. However, I think it would have been neat to have fake windshield kibble instead to visually reference the G1 Seeker design that uses the cockpit as part of the chest design.

- The use of the hood/roof/tunk of the alt mode for the "wings" in bot mode is another point that I don't mind. People either complain that a Seeker without a flight alt mode isn't right but when the bot mode tries to reach back to a more classic design in certain aspects, people still complain, this time saying it's too fake or isn't right...can't please some people, I suppose.

Overall, I really like this latest Alternity mold. I do criticize the amount of kibble in alt mode but I must admit that the design is ambitious. Trying to make a Seeker under Alternity guidelines that results in a figure that is both new in design yet references classic design points requires some corners to be cut and compromises to be made.

Convotron, it's nice to get your views at last! I knew you'd like him though.

I don't think the kibble in the trunk/boot is any worse than Megatron or Prime - neither of those have any storage space back there. The passenger area is rather messy but look at CJ/BB - they have nowhere for passengers to put their legs and a darn great joint-thing down the middle like SW/SS. It would have been easy to put an engine part on the back of SW/SS's head but people complained about Prime and Megatron's heads so maybe it was intentional to leave it out. It didn't bother me so I'm a bit disappointed about the lack of engine on this mold.

After going through some reviews of the Alternity Seekers, some of which were lukewarm to the figures, I was prepared to have the figure only as an addition to my Alternity collection for the sake of having at least 1 of each mold. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like the design and I really like the transformation process.

The trunk space isn't terrible, neither is the lack of an engine block, or even the kibbly interior. It's just that all those points combined makes the alt mode of Alternity Starscream/Skywarp feel a little less complete than previous Alternity figures with respect to having somewhat disguised or alt mode details.

As there's a bit of a gap behind the head and torso in bot mode, I'm thinking it may be possible to implement a faux engine block similar to what Alternity Bumble/Cliff had without having to attach it to the back of the Seeker head but it's a pretty tight squeeze as it is in alt mode.


As I spend more time playing around with the figure, my appreciation for the range and points of articulation on the figure is increasing. It has so much posing ability. The ball joints at the ankles are fantastic, if a bit loose on my Skywarp figure but they allow so much opportunity for posing.

I'm quite certain that I'll be picking up Starscream and pre-ordering Thundercracker. Even though this is a weaker Alternity design in some ways, there are aspects of the mold that are really growing on me. And darn it, I've got Seeker Fever and I must collect them all!

I got Alternity Skywarp recently after reading the reviews here, but I'm a little more disappointed than I thought I'd be.

It looks decent in both modes, but there are a few flaws that are bugging me quite a bit. The ball joints on the doors are definitely one of them. They're just too loose. And the steering wheel gets in the way of the legs. The head is quite far forward compared to the shoulders, it kind of bugs me when figures are like that. The parts that are seem like they should lock down over the shoulders don't really lock or peg in anywhere, they just sort of sit there. They sort of can if you move them further forward, but then the arm articulation is extremely hindered. And lastly, I thought it wouldn't, but I guess the back hood/trunk wings do kind of bug me.

I dunno, maybe I just need more time to appreciate it. But right now I'm not sure I want to be getting Thundercracker.

Edit: A couple more things, his knees don't fully straighten. Not that I'd usually be posing him like that, but it just bugs me because there's no good reason he should be designed liek that. Also, the waist doesn't seem to want to stay locked down...

Edit2: Legs were mistransformed. Waist...still bugging me.

Convotron wrote:As there's a bit of a gap behind the head and torso in bot mode, I'm thinking it may be possible to implement a faux engine block similar to what Alternity Bumble/Cliff had without having to attach it to the back of the Seeker head but it's a pretty tight squeeze as it is in alt mode.

That's a possibility. It could go around the head which could be painted silver on the back.

kirbenvost wrote:The ball joints on the doors are definitely one of them. They're just too loose. And the steering wheel gets in the way of the legs. The head is quite far forward compared to the shoulders, it kind of bugs me when figures are like that.

The doors don't bother me know as I've learned how to not knock them off. As for the head/shoulder placement, he's got it much better than Alternity Prime on that score! Prime has serious problems and that really bugs me.

This line has it's flaws but I really love it. I don't know why!

I initially experienced the same issues with the doors that most people have reported but like Mykltron, once I learned how not to knock them out of the socket, they're fine.

I didn't experience any problems with the steering wheel with respect to it getting in the way with leg articulation and I've been playing around with the figure's posing, including lunging crouch poses.

One issue I have with Skywarp is that its head can't look back/up very far. Starscream, though, apparently has greater articulation in the neck joint.

Does anyone here have tighter balljoints for the ankles? I'm considering tightening them up on Skywarp as they won't support a pose unless I balance the figure in the right way.

Convotron wrote:I initially experienced the same issues with the doors that most people have reported but like Mykltron, once I learned how not to knock them out of the socket, they're fine.

I didn't experience any problems with the steering wheel with respect to it getting in the way with leg articulation and I've been playing around with the figure's posing, including lunging crouch poses.

One issue I have with Skywarp is that its head can't look back/up very far. Starscream, though, apparently has greater articulation in the neck joint.

Does anyone here have tighter balljoints for the ankles? I'm considering tightening them up on Skywarp as they won't support a pose unless I balance the figure in the right way.

Well, he's warming up to me. After I figured out the legs were mistransformed and saw some other pictures online, I realized I needed to tilt the torso back, so that the Decepticon symbol is facing almost up, not forward. This solved some balance issues, got rid of the slouchy look, and seemed to help with the waist locking. On top of that, it did help the steering wheel problem by moving it more behind the leg than above it. I also just needed to figure out how to position the door kibble better and that issue is solved.

The head articulation is pretty sad for a balljoint indeed. He can turn his head and look up, but only if he's looking straight forward.

My ankle joints, while not especially tight, are good enough to hold a pose, so it must just be certain figures.

I have to say though, transforming him back into car mode without instructions for the first time was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. I mean first time transforming, on top of no instructions. It was seriously worse than MP Megatron and Alt Grimlock. Probably took me more than half an hour. And every part that could fall off did.

So, now it's just the ugly wings and non-locking shoulder parts that bug me the most....I guess now he's gone from like 6/10 to 7 or 7.5.

Convotron wrote:Does anyone here have tighter balljoints for the ankles? I'm considering tightening them up on Skywarp as they won't support a pose unless I balance the figure in the right way.

They're ok on mine. I find he can't stand to attention as he doesn't have much in the way of heels so he topples backwards but he holds big poses fine.

kirbenvost wrote:So, now it's just the ugly wings and non-locking shoulder parts that bug me the most....

They kind of do lock in and it doesn't limit his shoulders unless you want to make him drop or shrug them.

I'm thinking of taking a dremel to the area around his neck so he can look up.

Have had Skywarp and Starscream for a couple of days now and have come to the following conclusions.

1. The Okamora is one of the oddest cars I have seen.

2. These arnt the strongest figures in the line. While the designers deserve credit for getting seeker alt forms out of a car the overall figure feels very fragile. Its one of those designs that needs lots of tweaking when posing. Move an arm, the wings move and need correcting.

3. I'm getting fed up of figures with bits that are designed to fall off. I know its designed to save things from breaking but perhaps that highlights the main problem with the Alternity line which is they are trying to cram Binaltech complexity transformations into figures that are just too small to carry them off and still feel robust.

4. Starscreams head does nothing for me, who is it supposed to be cos its no Starscream I know.

5. Despite the problems these are pretty decent figures and I do like the fact that they are unusual figures for two well know characters.

Ravage XK wrote:Have had Skywarp and Starscream for a couple of days now and have come to the following conclusions.

1. The Okamora is one of the oddest cars I have seen.

2. These arnt the strongest figures in the line. While the designers deserve credit for getting seeker alt forms out of a car the overall figure feels very fragile. Its one of those designs that needs lots of tweaking when posing. Move an arm, the wings move and need correcting.

3. I'm getting fed up of figures with bits that are designed to fall off. I know its designed to save things from breaking but perhaps that highlights the main problem with the Alternity line which is they are trying to cram Binaltech complexity transformations into figures that are just too small to carry them off and still feel robust.

4. Starscreams head does nothing for me, who is it supposed to be cos its no Starscream I know.

5. Despite the problems these are pretty decent figures and I do like the fact that they are unusual figures for two well know characters.

To point 4: does Machine Wars Starscream ring a bell?

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
To point 4: does Machine Wars Starscream ring a bell?

Never seen that before. The first thing that popped into my head when I saw the image at your link was Animated Leader Megatron somehow, must be the shape of the legs and the wing sections.

Mykltron wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:So, now it's just the ugly wings and non-locking shoulder parts that bug me the most....

They kind of do lock in and it doesn't limit his shoulders unless you want to make him drop or shrug them.

Hmm, well then I'm either doing it wrong, or mine is particularly loose. There are 3 slots on the underside of the part that's supposed to lock down over the shoulders, and the tabs are supposed to go in the ones towards the ends of those parts, correct? By lock, I mean click in so they feel secure, not just resting on the tab.

You can rotate the doors up to help conceal and add to the hood / trunk wings.

Nice figure.

Almost perfect...

8 / 10

Hmm, interesting, that looks pretty good. The doors on mine are probably too loose to stay like that though. I just fold them close to the backs of the legs, it looks like more Samurai armor, which is cool.

He's definitely still growing on me. After playing around with him a little more I'd probably give him an 8/10 too. Funny how most of the molds in this line take some getting used to. I had a similar experience with Bumblebee.

This has been the first TF to embarrass me and break in my hand as I was trying to transform it.

I was trying to do it without directions. A mistake I suppose, but for the most part, I can do that with figures, at least from alt to bot, maybe not back again...

So anyway, I got the legs to go just fine.

Then I was trying to get the arms/shoulders/chest to work.

I pinched, pulled, and looked. I could see joints, and peg pivots, but with the force I was using nothing seemed to be happening. I tried and tried, looked at the box pic nothing. Next thing I knew, snap, there comes an entire section of car off, and a pivot with a pin joint had snapped.



Okay fine, I thought I could at least transform the rest of it, and try to jimmy the arm back on.

Nada. After directions nada. I feel like I am putting way too much force on pieces of this figure.

Now I just want to get him back to car mode, and make it the 'flying car'.

Never has a figure broken in my hands, unless it was already broken, or it was a spot that was made to come apart and then get put back together.

I am embarrassed and angry. I have a Starscream here I am afraid to open, and a Thundercracker preorder I may cancel.

Bah.

Last night I rotated the doors up to form part of the wings and it looks much better. Starscream in particular benefits from the new look the most. Though it does obscure the colour flashes on his wings a little. I advise everyone to give it a go.

kirbenvost wrote:

Mykltron wrote:

kirbenvost wrote:So, now it's just the ugly wings and non-locking shoulder parts that bug me the most....

They kind of do lock in and it doesn't limit his shoulders unless you want to make him drop or shrug them.

Hmm, well then I'm either doing it wrong, or mine is particularly loose. There are 3 slots on the underside of the part that's supposed to lock down over the shoulders, and the tabs are supposed to go in the ones towards the ends of those parts, correct? By lock, I mean click in so they feel secure, not just resting on the tab.

No, they don't 'click' in, which is a shame.

Ravage XK wrote:Have had Skywarp and Starscream for a couple of days now and have come to the following conclusions.

1. The Okamora is one of the oddest cars I have seen.

I adore this car! I wish I could have a real one!

tigertracks 24 wrote:This has been the first TF to embarrass me and break in my hand as I was trying to transform it.

Bah.

Damn man! That's terrible. I don't understand why it broke though. I never use instructions the first few times I transform a TF in either direction and I didn't think it was that hard, apart from starting the transformation. Mind you, I did MP Megs and ROTF Leader Prime without instructions.

Ravage XK wrote:Last night I rotated the doors up to form part of the wings and it looks much better. Starscream in particular benefits from the new look the most. Though it does obscure the colour flashes on his wings a little. I advise everyone to give it a go.

I'll give it a go but I was thinking it looks good in that pic but won't look good from the side. I'll try it though.

Rotating the doors to the side also means the the weight of the doors is further forward which helps to stop the figure being pulled backwards. Its only a minor weight shift but could help it stand straight.

amethysted wrote:You can rotate the doors up to help conceal and add to the hood / trunk wings.

Nice figure.

Almost perfect...

8 / 10

That's a great idea! I love how it gives the figure a silhouette of the classic Seeker look.

Mykltron wrote:No, they don't 'click' in, which is a shame.

It really is. It seems like such an easy thing to add into the design too.

tigertracks 24 wrote:This has been the first TF to embarrass me and break in my hand as I was trying to transform it.

Bah.

Aww man, that sucks! Sorry to hear that.

Mykltron wrote:

Ravage XK wrote:Last night I rotated the doors up to form part of the wings and it looks much better. Starscream in particular benefits from the new look the most. Though it does obscure the colour flashes on his wings a little. I advise everyone to give it a go.

I'll give it a go but I was thinking it looks good in that pic but won't look good from the side. I'll try it though.

I tried it.

I like it!