The Energon Pub

Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:24 am

Wolfman Jake wrote:True, but I want that one specifically for my Classics shelf! I don't know why this mold doesn't get more respect. It's a very good update for the original G1 Grimlock and manages to homage the vintage Transformation scheme quite well. Plus, he scales REALLY nicely with Classics Voyager Optimus Prime.

The mold gets so much hate because of the fugly dino tail. I had to buy the Zenith Forge and Iron Factory upgrade sets plus an Artek gun to get him looking really good in robot mode. it's a shame those sets were never done in the takara grey plastic or even for the red version.

News Credits: 65 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:08 am

Yeah, the tail is sort of thick and stubby, but it's a robot dinosaur. The G1 Grimlock is a bad approximation of a real T-Rex as well. I'd say the Generations mold is an improvement in that regard.

News Credits: 33 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 5:24 pm

That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?

News Credits: 462 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 7:48 pm

Amelie wrote:That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?

I think you might need to adjust your monitor since the Takara one makes Hasbro's Starscream look pink.

News Credits: 33 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:17 pm

My monitor is fine, Sabr - Haven't noticed any colour issues with it.

Nah, thats clearly a cerise kinda tone, when compared to

and I had to double check in Gimp - even that said it [FOC Starscream] was pink

News Credits: 1 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:20 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
Amelie wrote:That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?
I think you might need to adjust your monitor since the Takara one makes Hasbro's Starscream look pink.

Actually, I'm seeing the same thing as Amelie. The TT version does look like pinkish metal.

News Credits: 462 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:24 pm

Oh, THAT Starscream. I thought you meant the Armada one (I momentarily forgot about the FOC one). Whoops. :oops:

News Credits: 33 · Wed Apr 02, 2014 8:30 pm

Sabrblade wrote:Oh, THAT Starscream. I thought you meant the Armada one (I momentarily forgot about the FOC one). Whoops.

Lol. I'll forgive you. :HEADHURTS:

News Credits: 2 · Thu Apr 03, 2014 5:28 am

Amelie wrote:That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?

They're both pink/fuchsia because that's the color he was in the game. The darker, more metallic tones used on the Takara version are more game accurate, but neither one (Hasbro or Takara) is red.

I've got all of the FoC seeker variants so far except Takara's Thundercracker, which I've got on preorder.

I definitely prefer Takara's Starscream and Skywarp for their more metallic tones and better game accuracy, but Hasbro's aren't bad. I really like that Hasbro is being consistent with their Thundercrackers, using the same darker tone of blue for their MP and now their FoC versions as they used on their Generations Earth mode deluxe. It's a really nice color scheme for TC even if it isn't really show accurate or game accurate. It just looks nice

.

News Credits: 20 · Fri Apr 04, 2014 5:39 pm

I have both the Takara Grimlock and Starscream. I think they are far superior decos to the Hasbro releases for who they are meant to be in that universe. I keep the Hasbro version of that Starscream at my desk because I think the mold is fun. Just need a Sunstorm from it.

News Credits: 2 · Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:28 pm

Flux Convoy wrote:I have both the Takara Grimlock and Starscream. I think they are far superior decos to the Hasbro releases for who they are meant to be in that universe. I keep the Hasbro version of that Starscream at my desk because I think the mold is fun. Just need a Sunstorm from it.

Yeah, I wish they'd do all the Seekers from it, including (if possible through some minor modding) the coneheads. That would be sweet.

News Credits: 293 · Fri Apr 04, 2014 10:47 pm

xyl360 wrote:I wish they'd do all the Seekers from it, including (if possible through some minor modding) the coneheads. That would be sweet.

with all the seeker love we've gotten the past couple years im actually surprised they havent conehead'd this mold.

but what would be EVEN better than coneheads (this being a cybertronian jet close enough to the tatra jet) is the rainmakers or welcoming committee. whats like without dreams eh?

News Credits: 2 · Fri Apr 04, 2014 11:27 pm

shajaki wrote:
xyl360 wrote:I wish they'd do all the Seekers from it, including (if possible through some minor modding) the coneheads. That would be sweet.

with all the seeker love we've gotten the past couple years im actually surprised they havent conehead'd this mold.

but what would be EVEN better than coneheads (this being a cybertronian jet close enough to the tatra jet) is the rainmakers or welcoming committee. whats like without dreams eh?

Yeah, Sunstorm, Acid Storm and (finally?) an Ice Storm would be amazing from that mold.

News Credits: 65 · Sat Apr 05, 2014 2:41 am

Sunstorm and the yellow "Rainmaker" are two different guys, actually. Sunstorm appeared in More Than Meets the Eye Part 1 along with two different blue seekers and a purple one. The yellow and blue Rainmakers have yet to be named. Acid storm, the green one, is the only name we have so far for that trio.

News Credits: 462 · Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:26 am

Wolfman Jake wrote:Sunstorm and the yellow "Rainmaker" are two different guys, actually. Sunstorm appeared in More Than Meets the Eye Part 1 along with two different blue seekers and a purple one. The yellow and blue Rainmakers have yet to be named. Acid storm, the green one, is the only name we have so far for that trio.

Right. Though, BotCon 2013 finally gave official names to the purple Seeker and the teal Seeker who appeared alongside Sunstorm: "Hotlink" and "Bitstream", respectively.

And the yellow and blue Rainmakers were finally given official designators (but not names) by the Loyal Subjects after all these years: "the Yellow Seeker" and "the Blue Seeker", respectively. :-B

News Credits: 241 · Sat Apr 05, 2014 8:28 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Wolfman Jake wrote:Sunstorm and the yellow "Rainmaker" are two different guys, actually. Sunstorm appeared in More Than Meets the Eye Part 1 along with two different blue seekers and a purple one. The yellow and blue Rainmakers have yet to be named. Acid storm, the green one, is the only name we have so far for that trio.
Right. Though, BotCon 2013 finally gave official names to the purple Seeker and the teal Seeker who appeared alongside Sunstorm: "Hotlink" and "Bitstream", respectively.

And the yellow and blue Rainmakers were finally given official designators (but not names) by the Loyal Subjects after all these years: "the Yellow Seeker" and "the Blue Seeker", respectively.

And FunPub admitted that the "Rainmakers" name of the Troop Builder set of last year was a big misnomer.

News Credits: 293 · Sat Apr 05, 2014 11:19 am

blarg... i was chastised on another forum on this topic...

i also suggested they officially recognize the blue member of the rainmakers and dub him ice storm (as ive seen some customs on ebay naming him that) and it fits quite nicely.

this is what i was told...

Sunstorm is not a member of the Rainmakers. This was confirmed from Hasbro. He currently has no name. The blue one technically doesn't either, as FunPub has also mentioned. However, the blue guy in both the Rainmakers and the Welcoming Committee appear to be the same guy: Bitstream.

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rainmaker

i can accept that sunstorm isnt a rainmaker as the yellow rainmaker is such a bright yellow and sunstorm is usually a darker yellow/orange. but saying bitstream is part of both groups i think is silly. one is teal, and the other is the faded jeans blue...

and youd think that all the rainmakers would have the word "storm" in their names. that would have been neat.

News Credits: 462 · Sat Apr 05, 2014 1:27 pm

Bitstream and the Blue Rainmaker aren't the same guy. I don't know where that came from, but it ain't right.

News Credits: 3646 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:20 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Amelie wrote:That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?
I think you might need to adjust your monitor since the Takara one makes Hasbro's Starscream look pink.

The Takara Tomy Generations Starscream mold has a weird purplish/magenta red color to it. I'm not a fan and prefer the more traditional red color on Hasbro's FOC Starscream.

News Credits: 3646 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:21 am

Sabrblade wrote:Bitstream and the Blue Rainmaker aren't the same guy. I don't know where that came from, but it ain't right.

I think it's silly that they've split up all of those seekers. There should just be 9 primary seekers in my book: Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust, Sunstorm, Acid Storm and whatever they decide on for the other blue or purple guy.

News Credits: 12 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 1:37 pm

I think I'd prefer the higher paint app count with a higher risk of flaws over the Hasbro versions. These are still toys at the end of the day, not high-end figures like Figmas or Soul of Chogokin figures- they don't have the budget for perfect quality control, and even super-high-end figures tend to have paint slip-ups. Plus, the colours on the Takara version just look so much better.

That said, I don't intend to replace my beloved Armada Starscream any time soon- he's one of my favourite TFs ever after all.

News Credits: 65 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 2:22 pm

I agree. Buy what catches your eye. Sometimes Takara-Tomy does it better, and sometimes Hasbro wins the day. It's nice that there are options. It would be better if some options were less costly and more accessible, but the same could be said of almost any consumer product or service in the world. Sometimes, you have to pay more to get more. Other times, it pays to shop smart, and the cheaper option really is the best bang for your buck.

As I've mentioned several times before, the risk of importing Takara-Tomy's figures can be largely mitigated with an investment in some hobby paint. I recently bought Henkei Optimus Prime, and he came with a small paint blemish/chip right on his faceplate. A metallic sliver Sharpie paint marker fixed that right up.

Those who love this hobby have to be willing to do the research and put in the additional effort, be it saving up a bit more money, learning to touch up paint errors on figures, or just practicing a bit of patience, to get what they want on their shelves.

News Credits: 462 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:22 pm

Seibertron wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Amelie wrote:That Starscream looks awfully... pink. Would only take a swap of the blue for something else and it would easily pass for a new character.

Ryan - did it look that pink when you had it in hand, or is this some kinda photo trickery?
I think you might need to adjust your monitor since the Takara one makes Hasbro's Starscream look pink.

The Takara Tomy Generations Starscream mold has a weird purplish/magenta red color to it. I'm not a fan and prefer the more traditional red color on Hasbro's FOC Starscream.

Amelie and I cleared this up. I goofed and thought she was talking about the Armada Starscream instead of the FOC Starscream, as I had a brainfart and momentarily forgot about the FOC Starscream at the time.

Seibertron wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Bitstream and the Blue Rainmaker aren't the same guy. I don't know where that came from, but it ain't right.

I think it's silly that they've split up all of those seekers. There should just be 9 primary seekers in my book: Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Dirge, Ramjet, Thrust, Sunstorm, Acid Storm and whatever they decide on for the other blue or purple guy.

Well, since Sunstorm was one of the Welcoming Committee (which we got toys of at lat year's BotCon) and Acid Storm one of the Rainmakers, that still leaves at least two more Seeker names unaccounted for.

To say nothing of these guys, though:

News Credits: 32 · Mon Apr 07, 2014 11:24 pm

I just love how the Hasbro ones match each other and the Takara ones match each other. I don't know why, but it just tickles me. :lol:

Mon Apr 21, 2014 5:52 pm

How come I never saw these in the stores? I saw plenty of Bruticus Build a Bots but never one of these. Sorry to complain here but I knew about these coming out and waited to get the redecos...never saw one. Did the stores just not get them? I would hate to assume a dealer came in a swept away all of them. Was this wave short produced?