The Energon Pub

[prjkt]

Yeah he holds a chin stroking pose pretty well

[william-james88]

Mine seems to have the updated head, and the wrists seem ok, slightly loose, but not intolerable

If they can manage to hold a pose, it would be an improvement over what I have now. I've more or less fixed the head, but those wrists are just terrible. eh, if I see the fixed version in stores, I will grab one anyway and swap it. Having one without a mangled/sanded headmaster head would be nice.

Why do you guys keep talking about swapping? If yours is defective, just contactHasbro's customer service. You wont even have to look for a replacement, they will send you one. The worst that will happen is they will send you something of equivalent value if they have no more Brainstorms in their inventory. And even then, since the figure they'd send you is new, there is no problem exchanging that at walmart for a toy you want.

Because swapping it just means some poor kid will get the defective toy, you wouldnt want that to happen, would you?

[prjkt]

in all fairness, most of the time if a product is returned to the retailer and they're made known it's a faulty, it gets send back to the manufacturer and the value of the item credited to the retailer. It doesn't go back on show, unless the staff at said retailer are inept.

[Emerje]

in all fairness, most of the time if a product is returned to the retailer and they're made known it's a faulty, it gets send back to the manufacturer and the value of the item credited to the retailer. It doesn't go back on show, unless the staff at said retailer are inept.

Where is this magical store that doesn't put opened returns back on the shelf because I want to shop there!

I'm not even kidding. It may be policy to send these back for credit, but it's easier to put them back on the shelf and hope someone else will buy it. I don't know of a single store that doesn't do that. Heck, I can walk into Walmart right now and pick out a couple figures from different toy lines that don't even have backer cards, they're just a taped together bubble with a price tag stuck on it.

Emerje

[william-james88]

in all fairness, most of the time if a product is returned to the retailer and they're made known it's a faulty, it gets send back to the manufacturer and the value of the item credited to the retailer. It doesn't go back on show, unless the staff at said retailer are inept.

Where is this magical store that doesn't put opened returns back on the shelf because I want to shop there!

I'm not even kidding. It may be policy to send these back for credit, but it's easier to put them back on the shelf and hope someone else will buy it. I don't know of a single store that doesn't do that. Heck, I can walk into Walmart right now and pick out a couple figures from different toy lines that don't even have backer cards, they're just a taped together bubble with a price tag stuck on it.

Emerje

True that. But also, it was not stated that the person swapping the toy would tell the store it was faulty, hence my post. If you declare a toy to be faulty, then that is fine although contacting hasbro customer service does guarantee your faulty toy doesnt end up anywhere else.

[william-james88]

To anyone who got the figure with the fixed head, how are the wrists? I am thinking if I see the fixed one in stores, I may snag it and the slap my limp wristed version back in the box and return it.

The wrists varied on the first wave. I had one with good wrists and another with floppy wrists. Hopefully once people start getting this new shipment they can share with us about the wrists on the new one.

I'm pretty sure I got the new fix. And my Brainstorm is limp wristed...

It's really the only complaint I have. Well, maybe aesthetically with the abrupt ending to the back of the alt mode, like there should be some engines back there or something...

[Edit] Never mind. I found my box. The original number, 42551...

Hey guys, important question, is 42551 also the serial number found on the actual toy? And did that number change with the newer release?

[Desslok2201]

I own both the current Brainstorm and 1987 original. I know the poseability of the new one is nice, but if you just take the head into consideration, I can't believe toy production has falln so far. Yeah, the new one has a ball joint, but Arcana is fugly. The originals, while really simple, had great detailing and the nebulans looked like well, nebulans. I don't know what's up with the arms, being the entire sides of the head, and the legs fall off every time it's transformed. If toy production has gotten so expensive that parts can't be pinned together anymore, then let the headmaster concept die. I love the originals, they've held up for almost 30 yrs. the new one, garbage right out of the package

[Agamemnon]

To anyone who got the figure with the fixed head, how are the wrists? I am thinking if I see the fixed one in stores, I may snag it and the slap my limp wristed version back in the box and return it.

The wrists varied on the first wave. I had one with good wrists and another with floppy wrists. Hopefully once people start getting this new shipment they can share with us about the wrists on the new one.

I'm pretty sure I got the new fix. And my Brainstorm is limp wristed...

It's really the only complaint I have. Well, maybe aesthetically with the abrupt ending to the back of the alt mode, like there should be some engines back there or something...

[Edit] Never mind. I found my box. The original number, 42551...

Hey guys, important question, is 42551 also the serial number found on the actual toy? And did that number change with the newer release?

You are not going to believe this. The numbers are not the same. But the number that appears on my toy made me go back to the box and make sure I did not have a dyslexic moment. But this is accurate for my figure:

Box: 42551
Figure: 42251

There is also a silver stamped lot number, I think: #A7806

Cheers!

[william-james88]

To anyone who got the figure with the fixed head, how are the wrists? I am thinking if I see the fixed one in stores, I may snag it and the slap my limp wristed version back in the box and return it.

The wrists varied on the first wave. I had one with good wrists and another with floppy wrists. Hopefully once people start getting this new shipment they can share with us about the wrists on the new one.

I'm pretty sure I got the new fix. And my Brainstorm is limp wristed...

It's really the only complaint I have. Well, maybe aesthetically with the abrupt ending to the back of the alt mode, like there should be some engines back there or something...

[Edit] Never mind. I found my box. The original number, 42551...

Hey guys, important question, is 42551 also the serial number found on the actual toy? And did that number change with the newer release?

You are not going to believe this. The numbers are not the same. But the number that appears on my toy made me go back to the box and make sure I did not have a dyslexic moment. But this is accurate for my figure:

Box: 42551
Figure: 42251

There is also a silver stamped lot number, I think: #A7806

Cheers!

Wow, that is something, thanks!

[shockblast2]

Mine seems to have the updated head, and the wrists seem ok, slightly loose, but not intolerable

If they can manage to hold a pose, it would be an improvement over what I have now. I've more or less fixed the head, but those wrists are just terrible. eh, if I see the fixed version in stores, I will grab one anyway and swap it. Having one without a mangled/sanded headmaster head would be nice.

Why do you guys keep talking about swapping? If yours is defective, just contactHasbro's customer service. You wont even have to look for a replacement, they will send you one. The worst that will happen is they will send you something of equivalent value if they have no more Brainstorms in their inventory. And even then, since the figure they'd send you is new, there is no problem exchanging that at walmart for a toy you want.

Because swapping it just means some poor kid will get the defective toy, you wouldnt want that to happen, would you?

If you return it and say there is nothing wrong with it, then yes,. they will put it back on the shelf. But, if you tell them the truth and say it is defective, then they get credit from the manufacturer and the defective is destroyed.

I work for a plastics manufacturer in the US that sells to Walmart. We never receive returns, unless there is a lawsuit involved. I actually make fun of customer service, because I hear them telling vendors to "destroy it in the field", which I find to be funny terminology for the process. I always get a mental picture of some vested Walmart worker piling up our defectives and blowing them up with a quarter stick of dynamite.

[shockblast2]

in all fairness, most of the time if a product is returned to the retailer and they're made known it's a faulty, it gets send back to the manufacturer and the value of the item credited to the retailer. It doesn't go back on show, unless the staff at said retailer are inept.

Where is this magical store that doesn't put opened returns back on the shelf because I want to shop there!

I'm not even kidding. It may be policy to send these back for credit, but it's easier to put them back on the shelf and hope someone else will buy it. I don't know of a single store that doesn't do that. Heck, I can walk into Walmart right now and pick out a couple figures from different toy lines that don't even have backer cards, they're just a taped together bubble with a price tag stuck on it.

Emerje

That is because someone lied and told them there was nothing wrong with them. Or they are figures that some thief opened. Defective returns are not placed back on the shelves. Why in the hell would a big box store do that when they just mark it on their defective sheet and receive credit from the manufacturer? That would make them look bad, and the person is just either not going to buy an opened item or return it again. Not to mention the fact that I work as an accountant for a similar business AND I have returned defectives myself and watched them write up the sheet, including my description of the problem. Furthermore, we value information on quality issues and financially encourage our suppliers with rebates to let us know the reason for returns so we can improve our products.

[optimusprimerotfroc]

i bought a brainstorm last month from bigbadtoystore and it had the rubberband holding the head in place in the package

and did you encounter a problem with it?

Also for shockblast 2, wouldnt Brainstorm be found scarecely mean that few people have him and that thus, there are many people out there that would like to know which version they are buying if they find one at retail?

And he hasnt surfaced in canada yet (neither has arcee) or other parts of the world so it is still relevant for a lot of people for when he will show up.

my head was fine the wrists were floppy but i found a fix for the wrists

[Fires_Of_Inferno]

So, does anyone know when the Generations wave with Arcee and Chromia will be available in Canada? Because I've been looking and I haven't seen anything, so I figure they're just not out yet.

[-Kanrabat-]

So, does anyone know when the Generations wave with Arcee and Chromia will be available in Canada? Because I've been looking and I haven't seen anything, so I figure they're just not out yet.

Welcome to Canada's TF shelves, stranger!

[william-james88]

So, does anyone know when the Generations wave with Arcee and Chromia will be available in Canada? Because I've been looking and I haven't seen anything, so I figure they're just not out yet.

They havent been spotted yet, so we'll just have to wait. There will be some overlap though because the combiner wars figures have already been found. If I were you, I would check in the toy sightings forum for the canadian store sightings section because that is where we will post something if ever we find Arcee or Chromia.

[KnightStrike]

I saw this and thought, well crap, that's what I get for pre-ordering. Then I checked my two that I got from BBTS last month and they are both the revised versions. So I guess BBTS got the revised versions from their first shipment and the originals probably ended up at retail chains since they popped up there before BBTS got them in stock?

[Agamemnon]

I saw this and thought, well crap, that's what I get for pre-ordering. Then I checked my two that I got from BBTS last month and they are both the revised versions. So I guess BBTS got the revised versions from their first shipment and the originals probably ended up at retail chains since they popped up there before BBTS got them in stock?

Could be, but I got mine from BBTS too, and it was the original. So BBTS must have gotten at least 1 original and a couple of new ones for a mix...

[KnightStrike]

I saw this and thought, well crap, that's what I get for pre-ordering. Then I checked my two that I got from BBTS last month and they are both the revised versions. So I guess BBTS got the revised versions from their first shipment and the originals probably ended up at retail chains since they popped up there before BBTS got them in stock?

Could be, but I got mine from BBTS too, and it was the original. So BBTS must have gotten at least 1 original and a couple of new ones for a mix...

So it could be a gamble as to what you get ordering online. Sorry to hear you got one of the originals. Have you had any issues with the neck on yours?

[Agamemnon]

I saw this and thought, well crap, that's what I get for pre-ordering. Then I checked my two that I got from BBTS last month and they are both the revised versions. So I guess BBTS got the revised versions from their first shipment and the originals probably ended up at retail chains since they popped up there before BBTS got them in stock?

Could be, but I got mine from BBTS too, and it was the original. So BBTS must have gotten at least 1 original and a couple of new ones for a mix...

So it could be a gamble as to what you get ordering online. Sorry to hear you got one of the originals. Have you had any issues with the neck on yours?

The head sticks a little, but since reading early on about someone snapping off the neck, I've been really careful. I might scrape down the cavity a little, but really, he sits on my shelf for now.

[KnightStrike]

How was the paint on Arcana on yours? On mine he had scraped paint right out of the box and more came off when I transformed him.

[wetwithwaterwings]

I received 2 Brainstorms from HasbroToyShop today. Both had the 42551 code on the box, the one I opened had 42251 on the wing, and both have the rubberband on the head. I used the method of tilting the head forward to remove it and shaving the tiniest bit off of Arcana's ears. The feature works perfectly now. The paint on the figure is clean and the wrists aren't floppy. My gripe would be that the Autobrand is slightly tilted on the wing, but that is a very minimal gripe. I really like the figure so far and a big thanks to the community for the warnings and fixes.

[Agamemnon]

How was the paint on Arcana on yours? On mine he had scraped paint right out of the box and more came off when I transformed him.

Paint is good. There's one slight nick on one "ear" but I don't know if it will show up in a picture, it's that minor. But, it might grow the more I take the head on and off...

[megatronus]

I saw my first Sky-Byte today - bought on sight.

The mold definitely has it's flaws (knees don't peg in strongly enough, awkward arm articulation, head can't look up, to name a few), but I don't get why people are complaining about the kibble. I really like that part of him! It really gives you some interesting display options. I was playing around and settles on this configuration:






Draping/folding the back kibble up like that gives him a nice threatening silhouette that I adore. Also, the silver tube detailing on the wings adds some much needed accent to the yellow shoulder assembly.

I'm super excited for Gelshark now! Just need a few things to arrive at HLJ before I ship the stuff in my Private Warehouse.

[prjkt]

That's basically how I arrange his "wings" as well.

Not the best release recently, but a far cry from being a bad one

[william-james88]

That's basically how I arrange his "wings" as well.

Not the best release recently, but a far cry from being a bad one

I agree, I really like this mold. And Gelshark is even better with that two faced shark head which works so well in robot mode. I have a similar configuration for the "shell" but I flip them inward even more so that they just appear as slits when looking from the front.