The Energon Pub

[craggy]

I'm not aware of the Gobots franchise being repackaged and sent back to Japan. I think they just had their original Machine Robos.

[OptimalOptimus2]

Great. Hasbro has wasted all their money just to make simple toys for kids. Kids don't like simple Transformers toys. The Toys"R"Us in my area has a cluster of Transformers: Prime Robots In Disguise and Beast Hunters Cyberverse figures. Kids don't like those toys, therefore they don't pay attention to them. Hasbro could have used all of that plastic for a Deluxe Stinger, Lockdown, and Concept Camaro Bumblebee (something that we want to see). These simplified toys are going to stay on the shelves until Transformers 5 is released.

[Sabrblade]

Hasbro could have used all of that plastic for a Deluxe Stinger, Lockdown, and Concept Camaro Bumblebee (something that we want to see).

You say that like they're never going to make those toys. As though the movie toylines never have any more toys after Wave 1.

[craggy]

Hasbro could have used all of that plastic for a Deluxe Stinger, Lockdown, and Concept Camaro Bumblebee (something that we want to see).

You say that like they're never going to make those toys. As though the movie toylines never have any more toys after Wave 1.

to be fair, it does sometimes seem like it, with The Hive clogging the shelves. Should be better this time around what with there only being 1 Bee per case and I'll be doing my part to clear the shelves of Dinobots at least.

[OptimalOptimus2]

You say that like they're never going to make those toys. As though the movie toylines never have any more toys after Wave 1.

My main point of the comment was that kids and adult collectors don't like simple Transformers. Have you ever heard a someone get excited for some Cyberverse toys. Well I haven't. That plastic could have been used to make Deluxe Bumblebee, Lockdown, Stinger, or possibly [and hopefully but it's very possible that it will never happen] a Leader Class Galvatron. I know that more movie toys are released after Wave 1, but a cheaply made toy is not something a someone would want. It's a waste of plastic. These simplified Transformers are a waste of plastic. That's why I said that.

[-Kanrabat-]

Hey, I LOVE Cyberverse toys.
Those quick changing toys could have been Cyberverses instead.


But maybe Cyberverses were not selling enough.

[Evil Eye]

Meh, I'm not really bothered by the simplified toys like the flip-n-changer. I won't buy them, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of younger kids who will love them. The main line figures (Especially the Dinobots) look great anyway. I'll probably be picking up Slug, Scorn and Crosshairs, and possibly Strafe when he comes out.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Hey, I LOVE Cyberverse toys.
Those quick changing toys could have been Cyberverses instead.


But maybe Cyberverses were not selling enough.

Speaking of easy yet fun, how many of you love, adore and admire the Gravity Bots?

[welcometothedarksyde]

These obviously don't appeal to us, and I suspect they won't appeal to kids either. But something that I imagine would've been cooler is something to the effect of HFTD activators.

They're not spectacular, but they're cute, they have articulation, and they're kinda cool. And I'm pretty sure that the smallest size of the kids toys are gonna cost about as much as these did. Just my opinion, but something like this would've been cooler, and in my view would probably sell better.

[TimothyR]

i'm starting to hope that this entire line tanks.. hopefully it'll show hasbro that we're not going to tolerate this crap.

even with their main line figures, they decided to color every single one of them wrong. this is an unacceptable way to treat the fans that pay their inflated salaries.. especially on the 30th anniversary of the brand.. it's pathetic.

[Rated X]

I saw em in my walmart last week. I wanted to smash and change them with a sledgehammer. Where are the non kiddie versions ?

[Dr. Caelus]

Hey, I LOVE Cyberverse toys.
Those quick changing toys could have been Cyberverses instead.


But maybe Cyberverses were not selling enough.

I'd have a lot more of them if they (1) had minicon ports and (2) cost a lot less. Mostly #2. I like fiddly little Transformers I can carry in my pocket and transform without looking at it (e.g., while reading journal articles, coding videos, listening to lectures), but dang the price seems disproportionate to the size/complexity.

[DinobotScorn]

Ok, this is the complete opposite of what I was expecting. Either this guy got a dud of a Grimlock, or that Toy Fair demo was lying to us. As for Smashin' Optimus there, yeah...he blows, too.
How much does this crap even cost? If it's anything over $10, it's not worth it at all.

(Fingers still crossed that the Lockdown from this line can be good.)

[Flashwave]

Ok, this is the complete opposite of what I was expecting. Either this guy got a dud of a Grimlock, or that Toy Fair demo was lying to us. As for Smashin' Optimus there, yeah...he blows, too.
How much does this crap even cost? If it's anything over $10, it's not worth it at all.

(Fingers still crossed that the Lockdown from this line can be good.)

Hold on, let me check, these showed up in a Walmart two nights ago.

$19.96 if the shelf tag is right.

[Evil Eye]

i'm starting to hope that this entire line tanks.. hopefully it'll show hasbro that we're not going to tolerate this crap.

even with their main line figures, they decided to color every single one of them wrong. this is an unacceptable way to treat the fans that pay their inflated salaries.. especially on the 30th anniversary of the brand.. it's pathetic.

Yeah, I mean, it's not like they're kid's toys or anything.

Seriously though, the adult fandom isn't the only (or even largest) demographic that Hasbro has to pander to. This isn't MLP (where the actual target demographic is smaller than the hordes of sweaty manchildren that fantasize about stunted horses). Most of the buyers will be kids. For the most part, they won't pass a toy because "THE GREY OF HIS WRIST JOINTS IS 1/5TH OF A SHADE TOO PALE!!!", they decide on whether to get a toy because it looks cool/fun. Heck, I absolutely loved Armada Laserbeak when I was a kid, and that guy's been bashed to hell and back by collectors. Heck, to Hasbro, pandering to the kids instead of the collectors probably seems like a better idea- kids are fairly easy to impress, whilst a lot of collectors will skip a toy because the figure's fingers are a millimetre too long. Basic marketing.

Besides, they've been cranking out some excellent Generations figures to keep the "mature" fans happy.

[-Kanrabat-]

i'm starting to hope that this entire line tanks.. hopefully it'll show hasbro that we're not going to tolerate this crap.

even with their main line figures, they decided to color every single one of them wrong. this is an unacceptable way to treat the fans that pay their inflated salaries.. especially on the 30th anniversary of the brand.. it's pathetic.

Yeah, I mean, it's not like they're kid's toys or anything.

Seriously though, the adult fandom isn't the only (or even largest) demographic that Hasbro has to pander to. This isn't MLP (where the actual target demographic is smaller than the hordes of sweaty manchildren that fantasize about stunted horses). Most of the buyers will be kids. For the most part, they won't pass a toy because "THE GREY OF HIS WRIST JOINTS IS 1/5TH OF A SHADE TOO PALE!!!", they decide on whether to get a toy because it looks cool/fun. Heck, I absolutely loved Armada Laserbeak when I was a kid, and that guy's been bashed to hell and back by collectors. Heck, to Hasbro, pandering to the kids instead of the collectors probably seems like a better idea- kids are fairly easy to impress, whilst a lot of collectors will skip a toy because the figure's fingers are a millimetre too long. Basic marketing.

Besides, they've been cranking out some excellent Generations figures to keep the "mature" fans happy.

You diss the adults MLP fans has being "manchildren" but then you give the perfect argument that the adult TF collectors are manchildren too.

Face it, no matter what kind of toys we collect, we will be seen as "manchildren" by the general public. So, let's not be hipsters by saying one kind of collection is better than another, shall we? That's childish behavior.

[Sabrblade]

I've accepted myself as being a manchild (as in, an adult with the heart of a child) a long time ago.

[-Kanrabat-]

I've accepted myself as being a manchild (as in, an adult with the heart of a child) a long time ago.

Yup, and I am too. I don't know why, but I just LOVE toys!
The engeneering.
The details of the sculpts.
These are interactive peice of art!

If it werent for budjet and space restriction, I would collect:
Way more TFs.
Way more MLP toys (I barey have any compared to my TF collection)
Monster high.
GI-Joe.
True Heroes.
Lego/megablocks anything.
Pokemon.
He-Man.
Electric trains.
Barbie collectors.
Smurfs.
Army Mens.
Scale Models.
Hot Toys.
Figmas.
Antique Little People Fisher Price toys.
Marvel.
DC.
And more!


Now, just my TF collection is getting way too big by itself and I have to get rid of the one I like less for more space.
Sigh.... Why money and space is so restricted?

[Va'al]

The official Hasbro Transformers website has finally shed its Beast Hunters skin to assume the Age of Extinction mantle! The site now has: a welcome section featuring the five main characters of the upcoming movie (Optimus, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Drift and Lockdown) showing them off in their Robots in Disguise (One-Step, Flip and Change, Smash and Change) plastic incarnations; a Games section, with an Energon Rally interactive racing game; a Toys section, with the One-Step, Flip and Change and Power Punch products; a Bots section with bios for the main characters, from Galvatron to Scorn, Slash, to Strafe, Stinger, Hound and Lockdown; a Videos section, with the teaser trailer, full trailer and First Edition Optimus Prime demo video; and of course, the Shop link, with none of the products avaialable yet. Head here to check all the sections out!

[MantaScorp]

Strafe looks incorrectly transformed in dino mode. Gotta push the head together!

And Galvatron seems to have switched sides!

http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_U ... FF20:en_US

[dreadwing95]

Strafe looks incorrectly transformed in dino mode. Gotta push the head together!

And Galvatron seems to have switched sides!

http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_U ... FF20:en_US

that makes me really happy. so i guess hes might be built from parts from him but hes got a different personality

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Strafe looks incorrectly transformed in dino mode. Gotta push the head together!

And Galvatron seems to have switched sides!

http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_U ... FF20:en_US

that makes me really happy. so i guess hes might be built from parts from him but hes got a different personality

It's a website goof, as the packaging still has the next to his name.

[Evil Eye]

This figure is not looking good, as revealed in in this review - http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-feedback/981617-aoe-leader-grimlock.html

After getting Voyager Grimlock I had really high hopes that Leader Grimlock would make up for some of his shortcomings, this proved to be wrong. The figure while engineered to obviously be much bigger is in many ways more simplistic than the voyager mode and overall I was not particularly happy with him.



One huge call out to start us with… the chrome, my god the chrome! If you feel that Hasbro hasn’t been using chrome enough then this is the guy for you because he’s covered in it. And in a lovely turn of events it begins chipping pretty much right out of the box. I have several spots on mine (mostly on the T-Rex head) where chrome has already flecked away. Such a pain!

Box:



Bot Mode:

Fresh out of the case he is in his bot mode, his directions however have him in T-Rex mode and it can be a bit of a pain to follow them backwards, but that’s jumping ahead.



Leaders have apparently gotten smaller. Grimlock is dwarfed by every other movie leader I own and while height wise he looks just slightly shorter, you can tell when holding him that there is much less mass in the figure then there have been in the previous movie leader-size figures.



He has 17 points of articulation, depending on how you’re counting. His head turns, but cannot be moved in any other way. His arms… are a pain for posing! Here are his shoulders folded all the way down:



Here are his arms the very next click outwards:



Let me make this clear, there is no in-between on these two points! You’re left trying to pose his forearms as much as possible to make up for this. Speaking of his forearms, the kibble from his feet is much less than that of Voyager Grimlock , but it in turn leads to the legs of T-Rex mode looking much more simplistic.

I have some good news for you if you’re not a fan of the whole elf shoe thing that Grimlocks have been sporting. Here is how the directions say his feet should be:



Here is how I believe 95% of the fandom will choose to keep theirs:



Weapons, he comes with his big mace thing and a shield that clips on to his forearm. The mace grips in very tight with his hands you shouldn’t have trouble posing it. Both combine to form the tail in his T-Rex form.



Some comparison shots:





T-Rex Mode:



I would not call this a T-Rex anymore. He is clearly an Asian themed dinosaur/dragon thing. Unlike the voyager, his horns/ears cannot be folded down or in any way covered up. They are out there permanently.



Size wise he is maybe 30%-40% larger than the voyager in this mode, but much less poseable. His arms fit so high on his body that when fully extended they barely clear his chest, let alone his head. His tail has no articulation at all. In fact his tail is so short it’s almost funny.



His jaw is poseable, unlike the voyager one, but that’s really one of the few areas where he is superior.



Are those his bot fists clearly sitting on the back of his feet? Why yes they are!



My original plan was to keep voyager in T-Rex and leader in bot mode. Then when I saw how weak the voyager T-Rex was I planned on doing the opposite. Now however I have switched back again and Leader will be remaining in his bot mode. So long as it is very far away from every other leader I own so that he doesn’t look tiny in comparison!





Overall:

I’d still get him, because I’m a hardcore Grimlock fan, but I see a lot of fans passing on him and/or being disappointed with him.

Major latesauce, i know, but...I actually like the look of Leader Grimmy. I will confess to being a major whore for chrome, and I'm not gonna lie, that shiny dino skull looks killer. Likewise, the chrome on his dino back looks good, although the fact it gives him shiny inner legs is odd. Still, I'd buy him for the chromed noggin alone.

Also, I've realized what the problem is with the dino proportions. The neck is actually the correct length. The problem is that the tail is too short, but more importantly, the arms are way too small, even for a T-Rex. I reckon if you took the dino arms off and replaced them with some bigger ones (which shouldn't be too hard- just get a suitable pair of arms, a 3mm drill and a set of Revoltech joints and you're good to go) he'd look much better.

I like the mace a lot more too. It looks more Bay-y than the black corncob o' doom on the Voyager.

So, yeah. I think I love this figure. I might just buy it. Well, once I've gotten the other figures I'm after anyway (Scorn, Slug, Strafe, and a bunch of Unicron Trilogy and Animated figures I've taken a liking too)...

Oh who am I kidding, if I see him for a good price and my bank account is healthy, he's mine.

[BERSEKAEL]

In that website, for those transforming animations they have added articulation (like knees) that the real toys don't have

[Va'al]

In what might be more images from issue 195 of Figure King (source is yet unconfirmed), we get a look at the Takara Lost Age Voyager Grimlock - sporting G1 colour deco, just like the recently reported Slug exclusive! The images come from Twitter user NiraTama24, and 2Chan, both mirrored below for your viewing. The second image also reveals some redecos of the Generations Legends Targetmasters, into what seems to be a black Roller, a red Blazemaster, a blue/yellow Waspinator, and a blue/gray Chop Shop.