The Energon Pub

Has anyone else decided to just find a loose classics skywarp or starscream and re-paint him in Thundercracker's colors to avoid having to pay close to $300.00 for him? I mean he is just a repaint of a great mold anyway, unless you really just want the spec card and say I have the real thing. But $300.00 buck's for a mold that has a retail price of $10.00 is just a bit much IMO.

I really want to complete my seekers for the classics line and it really sucks that I can't do the same for Dirge and Thrust by just getting a few more ramjets and re-painting them. AAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Good news, you can. You can get the parts to change a Ramjet into either Dirge or Thrust. I saw a like somewhere today but i can't find it now. It was in the kitbash forum somewhere.

Classics Dirge doesn't have remolded parts the way that Thrust does, so by all means, feel free to customize him without trouble. And yes, there are some people out there with repro kits of Thrust parts, though I don't know specifics myself.

I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

That's because the real thing from the Botcon set is just so beautiful!! No kitbash can stnad up to how nice the real Classics Thundercracker is.

Ultra Prime wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

That's because the real thing from the Botcon set is just so beautiful!! No kitbash can stnad up to how nice the real Classics Thundercracker is.

Agreed.

And I'd like to complement you on your keen observation.

Counterpunch wrote:

Ultra Prime wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

That's because the real thing from the Botcon set is just so beautiful!! No kitbash can stnad up to how nice the real Classics Thundercracker is.

Agreed.

And I'd like to complement you on your keen observation.

Can't help but to notice since I spent the cash and got a non-attendee package. Thundercracker, Thrust & Dirge just look fantastic on my Classics shelf with the remaining seekers. Too bad I can't spell, "stnad" WTH!! Oh well, you knew what I was saying.

yeah yeah yeah, just keep rubbing it in! Seriously if I hadn't spent so much money already on old g1 toys, the Masterpiece line, Movie line and the classics line I would have forked out the bucks for the botcon package on ebay or BBTS most likely.

I do still believe however that $300.00 for a repaint of a $10.00 mold is ridiculous and you can't convince me otherwise despite his never being produced again by hasbro.

Congrats to you though for being one of the few to complete the seekers! I'll just keep the pics of them from the seibertron galleries on my wallpaper for now.

ryanmolini wrote:yeah yeah yeah, just keep rubbing it in! Seriously if I hadn't spent so much money already on old g1 toys, the Masterpiece line, Movie line and the classics line I would have forked out the bucks for the botcon package on ebay or BBTS most likely.

I do still believe however that $300.00 for a repaint of a $10.00 mold is ridiculous and you can't convince me otherwise despite his never being produced again by hasbro.

Congrats to you though for being one of the few to complete the seekers! I'll just keep the pics of them from the seibertron galleries on my wallpaper for now.

It's all good. The Botcon set was very expensive. I understand some people's postion as far as not wanting to shell out that kind of money for 5 figures that altogether retail for $60.00 USD.

I also know that I will never be able to afford to go to a Botcon. So since I have never loved a TF line as much since G1 I figured the Botcon set was worth it to me. And I know it was worth it to me everytime I look at my Classics seekers on their shelf.

However, if someone is able to kitbash a real good Thundercracker and Dirge from the Screamer & Ramjet figures then more power to them in my book.

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

Its just a case of repainting a seeker mold, theres nothing different other than the paint. A good painter could easily pull it off.

ryanmolini wrote:yeah yeah yeah, just keep rubbing it in! Seriously if I hadn't spent so much money already on old g1 toys, the Masterpiece line, Movie line and the classics line I would have forked out the bucks for the botcon package on ebay or BBTS most likely.

I do still believe however that $300.00 for a repaint of a $10.00 mold is ridiculous and you can't convince me otherwise despite his never being produced again by hasbro.

Congrats to you though for being one of the few to complete the seekers! I'll just keep the pics of them from the seibertron galleries on my wallpaper for now.

Two points here, and neither of them is meant to cause contention or rub anyones nose in it. First off I passed on the movie line. Didn't do it for me astheticly and that's at least part of why I was able to afford this year's Botcon toys. Secondly, it's all about timing. For what Thundercracker alone is going for now you could have had the full Games of Deception box shipped to you if you'd got the order in before they sold out, and they were even nice enough to let everyone know when they were running out of preorders and that it was your last chance to grab it at a not TOTALLY ridiculous inflated price. It's not about not being able to go to the con, I'm in the UK and what it would have cost in flights and hotels made that a non goer for me, but everybody had a chance at these.

If your painting skills are up to it then by all means make your own Thundercracker. There are examples of custom jobs over at Transtopia predating the Botcon toys, and if the club hadn't picked up the ball when Classics appeared to be dead in the water custom versions would probably have been the only option that people had for these figures anyway. One thing to bear in mind is that the success of this years Botcon set may well have been a major factor in Hasbro reversing their stance on not continuing the Classics line. If Games of Deception is even partially responsable for us getting the Universe line next year then it's doubly worth it to everyone who shelled out on these toys and beneficial to the fandom as a whole.

you're absolutely right and I can't disagree with you. Thank you however for exploiting my overall bitterness about not owning this amazing botcon exclusive set due to my own lack of research and time preparation,lol I am guilty as charged!

The truth though, which is actually what i think happend to many who were even looking for characters from this line who arent as high priced and exclusive, is that I didn't get interested in this line until a few months before the movie's release.

I wasn't convinced at the time that I liked the line due to all the original g1 toys I was busy collecting, and I really did like some of the movie figures. It was the Masterpiece series that I was commited to collecting that really put me under financially seeing as how I didn't start aquiring them until last november, my fault.

I know a lot of people who passed on the Ultra Magnus and Skywarp Target exclusives (myself included) when they were plentiful, along with a few other characters that are now impossible to find in stores.

Once I started collecting them and opened up my Starscream and Jetfire, I knew I was gonna be hooked on this line. I truly am very anxious for the Universe line.

Ultra Prime wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

That's because the real thing from the Botcon set is just so beautiful!! No kitbash can stnad up to how nice the real Classics Thundercracker is.

Yes, but you can either have a REAL Thundercracker, or a painted blue Starscream and $290 to pay rent. I know which one I picked.

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

Normally I agree with you Counterpunch but there was one guy from Transtopia that did a very good job on his remaining seeker conversions. I'd have to dig for a link but he did post it on our kitbash forum as well. But I do still like the Botcon version the best.

Maldroth wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

Normally I agree with you Counterpunch but there was one guy from Transtopia that did a very good job on his remaining seeker conversions. I'd have to dig for a link but he did post it on our kitbash forum as well. But I do still like the Botcon version the best.

Oh, I'm sure someone has done it and done it well. I'm sure of that.

I haven't seen it though. That's all I was saying.

There are a number of us from Transtorpia that have done custom Thundercrackers and Dirges. OThers have done varios Thrusts as well. Some of them are even better than the BotCon exclusives. i, myself have done Thundercracker and Dirge, and plan on Thrust as soon as I can find the extra Starscream I'm going to be swapping parts with my extra Ramjet. The two figures—Starscream and Ramjet—will then become two other characters, by swapping parts between them, resculpting wings and repainting both figures.

I did a repaint of Ramjet in the Dirge colours. Used awesome metallic paints that give dirge an evil gleam. It's pretty stiff to transform but looks mighty and evil posed. I think that the botcon version is too detailed in a way. Dirge is definately the most evil classic I own.

Counterpunch wrote:

Maldroth wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

Normally I agree with you Counterpunch but there was one guy from Transtopia that did a very good job on his remaining seeker conversions. I'd have to dig for a link but he did post it on our kitbash forum as well. But I do still like the Botcon version the best.

Oh, I'm sure someone has done it and done it well. I'm sure of that.

I haven't seen it though. That's all I was saying.

SamiWCP over on 2005 has done a pretty nice one. There's at least one other real nice one I've seen. Hers just sticks out in my mind because she's drop dead hot. I remember things better when gorgeous women are involved. Oh, and the con version tops all. Just wanted to state the obvious.

It's possible to kitbash them all, but I'm still gona get me that BotCon set!
Even if it costs me money!

qwailo wrote:Good news, you can. You can get the parts to change a Ramjet into either Dirge or Thrust. I saw a like somewhere today but i can't find it now. It was in the kitbash forum somewhere.

We need that link!


Well at least i do

Nobody has even mentioned the fact that the original G1 Dirge and G1 Ramjet were remolded from each other and not just straight-up repaints. That's what really angered me when I saw the Games of Deception set... They just gave Ramjet a new paint scheme and called him Dirge because they were "close enough." That's not how they were originally. Yet Thrust stands special, only because he's vastly different from his two conehead brothers.

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

I'll have to agree with that... When we're talking about Thundercracker. But I think that cuters did an incredible job with Thrust: http://seibertron.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22735&sid= Granted its different from the Botcon Thrust, and in some aspects... Lacking. But for a guy that had just himself and his tools (As opposed to Hasbro and their many machines with robotic precision) he did a damn fine job with his Thrust.

I have seen several kit bashes of Thundercracker that looked superb. But here's the problem. They're painted. Paint chips after multiple transformations no matter what you do. The originals are molded plastic, so you don't have this problem.

But if you can't or don't want to fork over the money for an original go ahead and repaint, at least you'll be able to line them up proudly.

Counterpunch wrote:I haven't seen anyone who had decided to go through with plans to "kitbash" Starscream into Thundercracker succeed yet.

Not one.

You haven't looked in the right place. Over on tfw2005, Thundercracker (I think) did an absolutely fantastic job. Looks at least as good as the botcon one.

Geekee1 wrote:I have seen several kit bashes of Thundercracker that looked superb. But here's the problem. They're painted. Paint chips after multiple transformations no matter what you do. The originals are molded plastic, so you don't have this problem.

But if you can't or don't want to fork over the money for an original go ahead and repaint, at least you'll be able to line them up proudly.

Im working on one now, most of the paint has held up well as im not using lame acrylics but it has still chipped in very tiny, almost unnoticeable areas. I have been bitten by the bug though cos now i want all the seekers, even the cone head ones. Making thrust will be the biggest problem as i have no idea how to make those wings which is why a conversion kit would have come in handy.

Buying the botcon versions is just out of the question. Not only am i broke, but paying $150+ for a bagged classics thundercracker is just the biggest rip off ever.

Yeah I wouldnt pay upwards of $700.00 for the set. Thats just madness for a few pieces of plastic. So, in my classics world on my shelf, Thundercracker, Dirge and Thrust were killed in battle that is why they are missing. An honorable way to die.