The Energon Pub

Rated X wrote:I could see kids thinking Hasbro's hands are cool.

That's the whole point, no? These aren't made for you. They're made for kids, with the added bonus of appealing to collectors. And that considered, they did a damn fine job.

Autobot Genocide wrote:I agree with X, but not just on the fists i mean on the whole combiner theres no way i can settle for these after buying 3rdp combiners.

Funny that you say that, because I considered Uranos to be "settling," which is why I never bought him.

For the most part, I don't consider any of the Generations-style Hasbro figures settling. Rather, I consider 3rd Party figures to be "supplementing."

megatronus wrote:

Rated X wrote:I could see kids thinking Hasbro's hands are cool.

That's the whole point, no? These aren't made for you. They're made for kids, with the added bonus of appealing to collectors. And that considered, they did a damn fine job.

Autobot Genocide wrote:I agree with X, but not just on the fists i mean on the whole combiner theres no way i can settle for these after buying 3rdp combiners.

Funny that you say that, because I considered Uranos to be "settling," which is why I never bought him.

For the most part, I don't consider any of the Generations-style Hasbro figures settling. Rather, I consider 3rd Party figures to be "supplementing."

Im sure 7 year olds were petitioning nationwide for a G1 style Devastator. Theyre also petitioning for a stretch armstrong version of david hasslehoff and other iconic people they remember from the 1980s. Of course a $180 G1 Devastator is aimed at kids...

Im not sure how you would consider buying the more expensive rendition of a character as "supplementing"? You really got me puzzled with that one. If I chose to buy a Cadillac Escalade instead of a Chevy Tahoe would I be "supplementing" too?

Rated X wrote:Im sure 7 year olds were petitioning nationwide for a G1 style Devastator. Theyre also petitioning for a stretch armstrong version of david hasslehoff and other iconic people they remember from the 1980s. Of course a $180 G1 Devastator is aimed at kids...

We don't even know what Generations Devastator looks like, or what its US price point is going to be. I'm not sure how bringing up a toy we know virtually nothing about, proves anything.

Just because the character choice is targeted at a collector demographic does not mean the figure itself is intended for adults. That's not an awfully difficult distinction to make.

Rated X wrote:Im not sure how you would consider buying the more expensive rendition of a character as "supplementing"? You really got me puzzled with that one. If I chose to buy a Cadillac Escalade instead of a Chevy Tahoe would I be "supplementing" too?

Expensive =/= Definitive

How exactly does a car analogy work in the context of a Transformers collection?

I approach 3rd Party products as a supplement to my collection - they do not define it. I always thought Uranos looked like an unpolished, oddly proportioned mess, so I never bought it. Just because it's expensive, doesn't mean it's the last word on a character. Fansproject Defender, anyone? Or how about all those 3rd Party Arcees?

Rated X wrote:No love for the Hasbro feet/hands here. Having them in hand I must say that they are pure crap. They are basically midget feet with fingers attached to them. Hasbro really cheaped out by not molding the hands and feet as separate parts. They could have made boots instead of tiny feet to make the legs taller and help ease the monkey arms appearance. And who wants a hand that has a foot as a knuckle guard ? The four fingers aren't even individually articulated. From above it looks like a giant crab claw. Maybe they are better than FOC Bruticus karate chop hand, but they still suck. I could see kids thinking Hasbro's hands are cool. But when it comes to anyone who owns 3rd party combiners, I would think they would have higher standards and not praise the crappy Hasbro hands like if they were a gift from the gods. Of course this is just my opinion here.

Here is Menasor's "hand" next to what a real combiner hand should look like. (Hercules)



I have no problem dropping 32 bucks to make an $80 dollar figure look less like a kids toy and more life like and awesome.

I don't know, X. I thgink that might be a bit of an unfair pic. I think the Hasbro hands are genius. Sure, they are not MP or third party level, but as many have stated, most recently Megatronus, these are marketed to kids. I think they are awesomely engineered, and I like them very much. It's why I almost didn't buy into this add-on. Here's a pic of the more appropriately formed fist, IMO:



Awesome job, Hasbro!!

Having Superion in hand, I think the hand/feet isn't really that bad. As a hand it looks better even though it lacks a lot of articulation, as a feet... it's too narrow, still not a bad effort to get everything from one mold. Still $32 is not a lot to spend to make it look a bit better.

megatronus wrote:

Rated X wrote:Im sure 7 year olds were petitioning nationwide for a G1 style Devastator. Theyre also petitioning for a stretch armstrong version of david hasslehoff and other iconic people they remember from the 1980s. Of course a $180 G1 Devastator is aimed at kids...

We don't even know what Generations Devastator looks like, or what its US price point is going to be. I'm not sure how bringing up a toy we know virtually nothing about, proves anything.

Just because the character choice is targeted at a collector demographic does not mean the figure itself is intended for adults. That's not an awfully difficult distinction to make.

Rated X wrote:Im not sure how you would consider buying the more expensive rendition of a character as "supplementing"? You really got me puzzled with that one. If I chose to buy a Cadillac Escalade instead of a Chevy Tahoe would I be "supplementing" too?

Expensive =/= Definitive

How exactly does a car analogy work in the context of a Transformers collection?

I approach 3rd Party products as a supplement to my collection - they do not define it. I always thought Uranos looked like an unpolished, oddly proportioned mess, so I never bought it. Just because it's expensive, doesn't mean it's the last word on a character. Fansproject Defender, anyone? Or how about all those 3rd Party Arcees?

I recall the Canadian TRU insider listing the price of the new Devastator around $180. Even if it goes for around $140 retail like metroplex did at TRU, thats a pretty expensive kids toy. Especially with Christmas being over and kids back in school. I just dont think any of the generations stuff is really targeting kids. Hasbro has RID for that just like they had TF Prime. The G1 adult fanbase is getting bigger than one might think. Hasbro is definitally cashing in on the adult fanbase while keeping the figures kid friendly. But in the case of the combiner wars hands/feet, they made them a bit too kid friendly.

I dont treat 3rd party products any different than I do hasbro products. I see them all as "Transformers". I dont put hasbro on a pedestal as being the gods of transformers. Just because somebody did something first, doesnt mean they do it the best. Defender will always be my classics Springer because it scales perfectly with the other 1986 movie cast classics figures. The generations springer (and blitzwing) suffer from hasbro's "its gotta be bigger because its for kids" syndrome. Im big on scale so generations springer is nowhere near my movie cast. I keep him with his long fem legs in the back of my wreckers shelf. I loved the 3rd party arcees. I bought IT, delicate warrior, and the CHMS animated repants. Im not touching MMC azella until the elita one version comes out. Generations arcee is a perfect example of hasbro coming late to the party. Even the gods of transformers couldnt reduce the backpack and they added a butt flap cover (hey generations is aimed at kids, right) And Uranus is tight ! Hasbro failed to deliver a proper G1 Superion and had to enlist the help of perfect effect and belzeboss to fix its flaws.

Oh yeah, Im assuming youre not much of a car guy. Basically the Chevy tahoe and the Cadillac escalade are the same the body frame. The escalade is the high end version with all the luxury add ons and costs twice the price. You can take the tahoe (hasbro devy) Im gonna ride in style and go with the escalade (my hercules with all the add ons which cost me almost $800) You get what you pay for. Dont be surprised if one of Hasbro's constructicons is named "Charlie Delta" and turns into a green tugboat towing a barge of kreo bricks.

I received the first wave of CW figures last week, and after spending sometime with each I thought I would offer this.

These new offerings of combined feet/hands are really cool. Sure, they don't have all the articulation that some may be used to (or were expecting), but they are HUGE improvements to previous offerings.

First off, these can be EITHER hands or feet! A very cool gimmick that is mostly functional. I feel the feet are better than the hands, but they are both passable. Also, the hinged "thumb" is genious, because it allows for either right or left-handed action, and also provides extra stability in foot mode.

Previous versions of hands and feet from Hasbro/Takara are static (see: closed fists or FoC Bruticus' karate-chop action), or simply fail as being reminiscent of either (see: Energon combiners). At least these have the option to swing out the fingers and also the thumb, even if not fully articulated.

Another thing to consider is that we are all aware that Hasbro/Takara have to compensate for a lot of cost-cutting measures in order to mass produce these figures AND to release them at certain price points. These appendages come with actual figures that are more reminiscent of old Classics Deluxe figures (as opposed to the smaller Deluxe figures of recent years), and even then we are still able to get an additional weapon/accessory packed-in. I can only imagine how many compromises were made in order to get these figures out in this manner.

Now saying all of this, I still have an order for both the purple and black PE upgrades. I not only want the extra posability these pieces will provide, but also the possible bulk they will give the combiners. Without these pieces, I'd still have a damn impressive combiner for under $100!

Agamemnon wrote:

Rated X wrote:No love for the Hasbro feet/hands here. Having them in hand I must say that they are pure crap. They are basically midget feet with fingers attached to them. Hasbro really cheaped out by not molding the hands and feet as separate parts. They could have made boots instead of tiny feet to make the legs taller and help ease the monkey arms appearance. And who wants a hand that has a foot as a knuckle guard ? The four fingers aren't even individually articulated. From above it looks like a giant crab claw. Maybe they are better than FOC Bruticus karate chop hand, but they still suck. I could see kids thinking Hasbro's hands are cool. But when it comes to anyone who owns 3rd party combiners, I would think they would have higher standards and not praise the crappy Hasbro hands like if they were a gift from the gods. Of course this is just my opinion here.

Here is Menasor's "hand" next to what a real combiner hand should look like. (Hercules)



I have no problem dropping 32 bucks to make an $80 dollar figure look less like a kids toy and more life like and awesome.

I don't know, X. I thgink that might be a bit of an unfair pic. I think the Hasbro hands are genius. Sure, they are not MP or third party level, but as many have stated, most recently Megatronus, these are marketed to kids. I think they are awesomely engineered, and I like them very much. It's why I almost didn't buy into this add-on. Here's a pic of the more appropriately formed fist, IMO:



Awesome job, Hasbro!!

I did say they were a vast improvement over thr FOC bruticus karate chop hand. But in fist mode, I just cant unsee the foot. And since the fist turns into a foot, you get an unusually small out of proportion foot. Imagine swapping your hands and feet to look like a gorilla. Hasbro's one size fits all solution was taking the cheap way out. They never pulled that crap in the 80s with combiner parts so why cheap out now ? I stand by what I said earlier about the monkey arms being hidden by adding an extra half an inch in the form of a boot. You cant do that and expect it to turn into a proper sized fist. The fist would be so huge even kids would hate it. So instead Hasbro combiners get blessed with midget legs/feet in in an attempt to save 50 cents worth of plastic by not making a seperate foot piece. Just my opinion. Tsu and Megatronus are entitled to their own opinions.

Man, your 1 week absence made me realize how much I miss our off-topic arguments.

Rated X wrote:I recall the Canadian TRU insider listing the price of the new Devastator around $180. Even if it goes for around $140 retail like metroplex did at TRU, thats a pretty expensive kids toy. Especially with Christmas being over and kids back in school. I just dont think any of the generations stuff is really targeting kids. Hasbro has RID for that just like they had TF Prime. The G1 adult fanbase is getting bigger than one might think. Hasbro is definitally cashing in on the adult fanbase while keeping the figures kid friendly. But in the case of the combiner wars hands/feet, they made them a bit too kid friendly.

That's exactly how I see it - they're cashing in on the adult fanbase, but these are still essentially kid-friendly toys. But the price point is a poor argument - there are so many toys that are $150+; there are fewer of them, but they exist, and they sell fast enough that companies are motivated to have at least some offerings at that price point.

Rated X wrote:I dont treat 3rd party products any different than I do hasbro products. I see them all as "Transformers". I dont put hasbro on a pedestal as being the gods of transformers. Just because somebody did something first, doesnt mean they do it the best.

I acknowledge the reality that Hasbro and Takara control the direction of the brand, from the media to the product to its public image. That's not putting them on some delusional pedestal, it's simply the reality. And, I would like them to continue to be successful, because if they fail, the whole ecosystem of our hobby collapses - 3rd Parties included.

Rated X wrote:Defender will always be my classics Springer because it scales perfectly with the other 1986 movie cast classics figures. The generations springer (and blitzwing) suffer from hasbro's "its gotta be bigger because its for kids" syndrome. Im big on scale so generations springer is nowhere near my movie cast. I keep him with his long fem legs in the back of my wreckers shelf. I loved the 3rd party arcees. I bought IT, delicate warrior, and the CHMS animated repants. Im not touching MMC azella until the elita one version comes out. Generations arcee is a perfect example of hasbro coming late to the party. Even the gods of transformers couldnt reduce the backpack and they added a butt flap cover (hey generations is aimed at kids, right) And Uranus is tight ! Hasbro failed to deliver a proper G1 Superion and had to enlist the help of perfect effect and belzeboss to fix its flaws.

You're welcome to keep Defender. My point was that pricier does not necessarily mean better. Even if you think Defender scales better with your particular collection, you must understand that Generations Springer is pretty much universally considered to be the better figure.

Also, the "it's gotta be bigger because its for kids syndrome" is a myth. Legends figures old and new basically disprove that point.

Rated X wrote:Oh yeah, Im assuming youre not much of a car guy. Basically the Chevy tahoe and the Cadillac escalade are the same the body frame. The escalade is the high end version with all the luxury add ons and costs twice the price. You can take the tahoe (hasbro devy) Im gonna ride in style and go with the escalade (my hercules with all the add ons which cost me almost $800) You get what you pay for. Dont be surprised if one of Hasbro's constructicons is named "Charlie Delta" and turns into a green tugboat towing a barge of kreo bricks.

You're right, I'm not a car guy. Thanks for clarifying!

The whole "you get what you pay for" sentiment kind of gets lost in this hobby - it really is less about getting your money's worth after the fact, and more about what you're willing to pay before the fact. In my view, it's all a wash, or at the very least in the eye of the beholder.

megatronus wrote:Expensive =/= Definitive

that, and your idea of 3P supplements, im totally there with ya.

now that G.springer's in town, defender aint gettin nowhere near my C/G display.

megatronus wrote:

Rated X wrote:Awesome. I just hope they fit the upcoming 3rd party slingshot so we can get rid of that crappy helicoptor.

You keep saying that... but you can always just buy a second Firefly or Air Raid or Skydive and use that as an extra limb. Why pay for a 3rd Party jet when you can duplicate one Hasbro jet, save $50-60 bucks, and no one will be the wiser?

I wasn't going to buy Alpha Bravo, but I did. Turned out to be a fine purchase, that said, I too still want a Slingshot to make the set truly "complete".

And it's true, one could buy an extra of one of the limbs (I did just that, while I wait for Air Raid to be released.) but if a fan/collector doesn't want to and they want a complete set (Which is their right), this is where 3rd party comes in. Sure, he'd save $60.00, no doubt, but X would be all the wiser about it, much like I am. I shouldn't be bothered by the fact that I'm using two Sky Dives, but I am. At the very least, I want Air Raid and soon.

I realize that people could do what I did and just buy multiples of the same figure to fill out the combined form, but why should we have to? Granted, Alpha Bravo fills that void nicely, but what if he wasn't available, or they wanted us to do all duplicates like back in Energon?

I don't mind working with Hasbro, don't get me wrong, but why should we have to just take it on the chin and keep smiling, especially when there are options given to us?

Autobot032 wrote:

megatronus wrote:

Rated X wrote:Awesome. I just hope they fit the upcoming 3rd party slingshot so we can get rid of that crappy helicoptor.

You keep saying that... but you can always just buy a second Firefly or Air Raid or Skydive and use that as an extra limb. Why pay for a 3rd Party jet when you can duplicate one Hasbro jet, save $50-60 bucks, and no one will be the wiser?

I wasn't going to buy Alpha Bravo, but I did. Turned out to be a fine purchase, that said, I too still want a Slingshot to make the set truly "complete".

And it's true, one could buy an extra of one of the limbs (I did just that, while I wait for Air Raid to be released.) but if a fan/collector doesn't want to and they want a complete set (Which is their right), this is where 3rd party comes in. Sure, he'd save $60.00, no doubt, but X would be all the wiser about it, much like I am. I shouldn't be bothered by the fact that I'm using two Sky Dives, but I am. At the very least, I want Air Raid and soon.

I realize that people could do what I did and just buy multiples of the same figure to fill out the combined form, but why should we have to? Granted, Alpha Bravo fills that void nicely, but what if he wasn't available, or they wanted us to do all duplicates like back in Energon?

I don't mind working with Hasbro, don't get me wrong, but why should we have to just take it on the chin and keep smiling, especially when there are options given to us?

You keep saying "why should we have to" as if I'm dictating something like it's the law. I'm not doing that. And you don't have to. I'm just saying duplication's an option, especially since we're more likely than not to get a proper Slingshot from Hasbro down the line.

When you say things like "it's their right" or "why should we have to just take it on the chin and keep smiling," you make it sound as if we've been wronged here. But we're talking about kids toys. First world problems. I don't think we should make it bigger than that.

Once I have Superion in my greasy mitts I'll get the PE kit if I can. That said I think that considering that the CW figures have to be fairly kid-friendly (aside from anything they woudln't be allowed to be sold in toy stores if they weren't) the normal hands and feet do a good enough job. They definitely could be better but for what CW Superion is, ultimately a kid's toy with a collector periphery demographic, I think they did a good job.

Like I said, i will definitely be getting the PE hands if I can. I might get SlingNot and have Alpha Bravo as an "auxillary" Aerialbot (or swap him in now and again for silly Super Robot esque named combinations) but honestly I like Alpha Bravo, although he needs a better name. Torque, perhaps?

I put alpha bravo with GDO Hotspot and called him blades. I still havent found silverbolt or the 2 jets in stores yet. Wouldnt it be funny if they do Defensor in a future wave and include slingshot ? Maybe alpha bravo is really blades and hasbro is just messing with us ? Far fetched but it would be a pleasant surprise.

Looks like Slingshot and Wildrider are being released separately by Hasbro and as part of a gift set by Takara. So this kit by PE looks like a decent addition to compliment what Hasbro has produced.

Lord Raze wrote:Looks like Slingshot and Wildrider are being released separately by Hasbro and as part of a gift set by Takara. So this kit by PE looks like a decent addition to compliment what Hasbro has produced.

Newest updated info here reveals TRU stores in the USA will also be selling CW Slingshot and CW Wildrider as separate release figures.

Hot on the heels of the reveal for TakaraTomy's Combiner Wars Slingshot comes new listings from Toys R Us computers provided by Icespark. Japan gets all the good things eh? Sometimes we do too.

Item: 316077
TRA DEN DLX WILDRIDER
Original Retail: $16.99

Item: 316069
TRA DEN DLX slingshot
Original Retail: $16.99

I plan to buy all 6 Hasbro CW Combiners, plus any CW legends that combine with the Gestalt. Gonna pretend the 6th member gets used when one of the main Five members is injured, MIA or busy doing something else.

Think the reveal of HasTak's CW Slingshot and CW Wildrider. Will effect the sales of those, soon to be released, newly built 3rd party slingshot and wildrider toys.

Well it's good we wont have to break the bank for a Slingshot. (not that I have a problem doing so) But I still need these PE boots to replace the midget feet with fingers popping out of them. this will be my "other" Superion. Im still totally into Uranus.

ive got some new input with the first wave of CW in hand.

hasbros hands/feet are friggin brilliant. theyve actually done something that no one else has yet, by making them two in one. and while theyre not perfect, they did a damn fine job. you cant really go one about how great the 3P hands and feet are when they arent two in one, and in most cases barely/poorly/dont incorporate to other modes anyways. so sure the 3P ones are great, because they only have one function.

also id like to point out that the dragstrip hand was a poor choice of comparison, as im not sure what the "knuckles" are supposed to be. whereas the superion hands all have something cool like missile or minigun knuckles.

i would like to reiterate though, i do still plan to get the upgrade. though now, its mostly for the slight height increase now. i might keep the cool missile/gun knuckle hands

Just need two things:

1) A proper in-depth review of the TakaraTomy giftset

2) PE to do a set of these in white.



Maybe I'll finally own a decent looking Superion.

PE needs to add a hard plastic antennae replacement to this kit. My Hasbro Superion has limp antennae syndrome...

Scratch that first point, preordered the TT giftset from Anime Export. £60 for four quality deluxes and a decent voyager? That combine? Yes please!


Cheaper than buying em local that's for sure.



But why aren't they releasing til June! Why you do this TT!

*ahem* So yeah, if someone could do a white set of hands/feet (don't even have to turn into anything useful as long as they look good- truth be told I'm not fond of the look of the feet, though the hands are genius) that'd be greeeeaaaaat.

City Commander wrote: But why aren't they releasing til June! Why you do this TT!

Speculating to allow Hasbro to release them first. without delays caused by both companies over loading the factories.

ZenPrime wrote:PE needs to add a hard plastic antennae replacement to this kit. My Hasbro Superion has limp antennae syndrome...

Yup, I'm waiting for better antennae as well.

So i still don't give much of a sh*t about these....However my Fiancée works at Argos and she got excited when these came in and brought a couple home so over the last two weeks i've had three inhand , and i get it , i can appreciate what they are meaning being simple very simple transformers .

The sculpts are not as bad as i had thought , the articulation is ok for the simplicity of them .

Optimus is the worst one for me/us so much so we took him back , he is just soooo FLAT! , i did pose him with two guns (which don't fit in his hands properly) with a twist at the waist and head he looked cool enough but in no way is he worth £25

Dragstrip is my favorite of the three can't really complain , the sword/gun is crap , face sculpt is meh.. overall he looks decent enough .

Firefly looks cheap imo , not too bad though i like him enough to keep anyway .

The hands are not that bad once I've realized what these figures are and the hands are fitting for the piece .

Should i choose to keep going with the line , these upgrades will be bought there cheap enough and i would say PE are guaranteed to do a white set for Takaras.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

City Commander wrote: But why aren't they releasing til June! Why you do this TT!

Speculating to allow Hasbro to release them first. without delays caused by both companies over loading the factories.

Quiet you, none of your sensible replies here. I'm trying to indulge my inner man child





Was hoping they'd be out in time for my birthday....but guess I can wait. Quicker release time than the MPs I preorder. Wheeljack and Bumblebee PO'd in January 2014, received Christmas time!