The Energon Pub

Fri Feb 20, 2015 4:27 pm

Thanks, but with price listings like those it might as well be a henkei. And after a quick ebay search the cheapest I could find loose was at 24 USD plus $20 for shipping from outside the US. I'd be better off buying the newer molds domestically than hunting for one almost a decade old at quadruple it's original retail price. I've spent big dollars on toys before. Most of the time it's not worth it.

News Credits: 6188 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:43 am

After the two sets of Decepticon and Autobot Specialists, Seibertron.com is proud to present new galleries showcasing the Takara Tomy Generations Autobot Warriors trio of Ratchet, Kup and Perceptor!

Differently from the Specialists, the only Henkei! Henkei!/Universe mold redeco is for the medic Ratchet, while grumpy old Kup and the sniper scientist Perceptor were both released under the United line (Japanese counterpart to various Hasbro Generations/Reveal the Shield/Classics monickers). Check out the slick new paintjobs on the three toys, including comparison shots to other versions of the molds, by heading below and clicking on any of the images for the full galleries!

Generations Ratchet

Generations Perceptor

Generations Kup

News Credits: 23 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:22 pm

Those are fantastic looking, really wish I could've picked them up.

News Credits: 293 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:42 pm

I gotta say, after the home-runs that are the previous 3-packs, this one really drops the ball.

United Perceptor - He's got a way shinier red coat.
Henkei Ratchet - 3-pack Ratchet has really odd color placements
E-Hobby Kup - Autobot symbols on the doors are really unnecessary, besides E-Hobby Kup is perrrrfect.

News Credits: 241 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 1:13 pm

shajaki wrote:I gotta say, after the home-runs that are the previous 3-packs, this one really drops the ball.

United Perceptor - He's got a way shinier red coat.
Henkei Ratchet - 3-pack Ratchet has really odd color placements
E-Hobby Kup - Autobot symbols on the doors are really unnecessary, besides E-Hobby Kup is perrrrfect.

It helps to know Ratchet's vehicle mode deco resembles two other Ratchet: Animated and the more recent Prime one.

Sun Mar 08, 2015 2:23 pm

That' warrior 3 pack looks great. I'd pick one up if I didn't already own all 3 figures

News Credits: 122 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 4:44 pm

shajaki wrote:I gotta say, after the home-runs that are the previous 3-packs, this one really drops the ball.

United Perceptor - He's got a way shinier red coat.
Henkei Ratchet - 3-pack Ratchet has really odd color placements
E-Hobby Kup - Autobot symbols on the doors are really unnecessary, besides E-Hobby Kup is perrrrfect.

I had the exact opposite reaction. The toned down metallics on Kup & Perceptor are right up my alley (and look at Perceptor's metallic rims!) - it's the perfect balance between the somewhat dull RTS/Generations versions and the overly glitzed United ones. Plus, the modern color placement on Ratchet (reminiscent of more recent versions of the character) makes him perfect for Generations.

If this didn't have the $160 price tag, I would have gotten it like the others for sure.

EDIT: eBay searches reveal foreign sellers letting this set go for ~$130... I'm definitely picking this up the next time eBay offers me an eBay bucks promotion.

Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:00 pm

warrior does not mix with perceptor and ratchet

News Credits: 293 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:09 pm

steve2275 wrote:warrior does not mix with perceptor and ratchet

Not really no. Honestly when these were announced I was quite surprised that it wasn't the Datsun trio. That would have made the perfect 3-pack.

Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:43 pm

i honestly want to know what the designers were thinking when they made that ironhide mold.

News Credits: 462 · Sun Mar 08, 2015 11:55 pm

Doubledealer93 wrote:i honestly want to know what the designers were thinking when they made that ironhide mold.

"Hey dudes! Let's see if we can put ROTF levels of overcomplexity into a Universe Deluxe figure! Worked fine for Animated! Let's go for it!"

News Credits: 241 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:13 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Doubledealer93 wrote:i honestly want to know what the designers were thinking when they made that ironhide mold.
"Hey dudes! Let's see if we can put ROTF levels of overcomplexity into a Universe Deluxe figure! Worked fine for Animated! Let's go for it!"

Wasn't he made before Revenge of the Fallen though, in 2008?

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:17 am

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
Doubledealer93 wrote:i honestly want to know what the designers were thinking when they made that ironhide mold.
"Hey dudes! Let's see if we can put ROTF levels of overcomplexity into a Universe Deluxe figure! Worked fine for Animated! Let's go for it!"

Wasn't he made before Revenge of the Fallen though, in 2008?

That's right. Swap out "ROTF" with "Movie" then. :oops:

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:00 am

megatronus wrote:
shajaki wrote:I gotta say, after the home-runs that are the previous 3-packs, this one really drops the ball.

United Perceptor - He's got a way shinier red coat.
Henkei Ratchet - 3-pack Ratchet has really odd color placements
E-Hobby Kup - Autobot symbols on the doors are really unnecessary, besides E-Hobby Kup is perrrrfect.

I had the exact opposite reaction. The toned down metallics on Kup & Perceptor are right up my alley (and look at Perceptor's metallic rims!) - it's the perfect balance between the somewhat dull RTS/Generations versions and the overly glitzed United ones. Plus, the modern color placement on Ratchet (reminiscent of more recent versions of the character) makes him perfect for Generations.

If this didn't have the $160 price tag, I would have gotten it like the others for sure.

EDIT: eBay searches reveal foreign sellers letting this set go for ~$130... I'm definitely picking this up the next time eBay offers me an eBay bucks promotion.

I getcha, so many thing just come down to personal preferrence.

But my one last counterpoint for United Perceptor and his over shineyness: it's virtually unseeable in his bot mode (which was actually a point of contention when i first got him).

News Credits: 122 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:25 pm

shajaki wrote:I getcha, so many thing just come down to personal preferrence.

But my one last counterpoint for United Perceptor and his over shineyness: it's virtually unseeable in his bot mode (which was actually a point of contention when i first got him).

Oh, it's totally personal preference. I just shared mine

I recall people being annoyed at United Perceptor for that reason - super shiny in alt mode, but no flare in robot mode. Weren't people taking the chrome pieces on the RTS version so they could swap out the full grey pieces on the United figure?

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:53 pm

megatronus wrote:
shajaki wrote:I getcha, so many thing just come down to personal preferrence.

But my one last counterpoint for United Perceptor and his over shineyness: it's virtually unseeable in his bot mode (which was actually a point of contention when i first got him).
Oh, it's totally personal preference. I just shared mine

I recall people being annoyed at United Perceptor for that reason - super shiny in alt mode, but no flare in robot mode. Weren't people taking the chrome pieces on the RTS version so they could swap out the full grey pieces on the United figure?

Ha! that might have been one of my first posts on Seibertron. I've done that with my Perceptor, and made a thread about it forever ago. Where does the time go? :lol:

Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:23 pm

shajaki wrote:
steve2275 wrote:warrior does not mix with perceptor and ratchet
Not really no. Honestly when these were announced I was quite surprised that it wasn't the Datsun trio. That would have made the perfect 3-pack.

I would've loved it if it was the Datsun trio. I still don't have a universe Prowl or Smokscreen

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:58 pm

LegendaryAntiHero wrote:
shajaki wrote:
steve2275 wrote:warrior does not mix with perceptor and ratchet
Not really no. Honestly when these were announced I was quite surprised that it wasn't the Datsun trio. That would have made the perfect 3-pack.

I would've loved it if it was the Datsun trio. I still don't have a universe Prowl or Smokscreen

Best that you stay that way. Universe Prowl/Silverstreak/Smokescreen hasn't held up over the years as that good a mold.

News Credits: 293 · Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:38 pm

Seibertron.com is proud to bring you some great new galleries featuring the highly anticipated Takara Tomy Transformers Legends LG-10 Arcee, LG-11 Chromia, and LG-12 Windblade! What's most likely the focal point of the trio is the incredibly G1 faithful take on the recent Generations Arcee mold, followed by the more accurate and intricately painted IDW fan made sweetheart Windblade, and finally the heavily retooled Chromia. There are some pretty big differences between these Takara Tomy ladies and their Hasbro counterparts, which also sport some fun mini-comics as well. You can see everything below, and don't be shy to browse Seibertron's vast and forever growing gallery!

Transformers Legends Arcee

Transformers Legends Windblade

Transformers Legends Chromia

Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:08 pm

These are all really nice versions to own. It was this version of wingblade that got me to accept the character. Takara really does know how to work wonders and make figures that would normally suck be awesome. But im not sure I understand the rationale behind the takara version of chromia. The hasbro version is G1 cartoon accurate, so what does the purple and white homage ?

News Credits: 241 · Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:19 pm

Rated X wrote:These are all really nice versions to own. It was this version of wingblade that got me to accept the character. Takara really does know how to work wonders and make figures that would normally suck be awesome. But im not sure I understand the rationale behind the takara version of chromia. The hasbro version is G1 cartoon accurate, so what does the purple and white homage ?

The G1 cartoon episode "The Search for Alpha Trion":

Turns out she changes colors a lot in that episode:

News Credits: 13 · Sun Mar 15, 2015 3:57 pm

that might be the background having an effect on the appearance of the colors, rather than her changing colors. Still i do feel the Hasbro version is more G1. Thing is i really like both versions