The Energon Pub

We've all done it. Desperate for a fix of our favourite plastic heros and villans, we've bought some utter crap, becuase that was all that was available.

In fact I did it today.

I havent bought any tfs in the best part of the month, and was feeling the itch.

I go to Argos, and lo and behold they STILL dont stock any of the 6inch titainiums they've been claiming to stock for a couple of months now.

So I go to Woolworths... all they have that I dont already have are two packs of classics minicons, and a selection of 3inch titianiums.
I get Prime and Galvatron for the titainiums (not something I ever had any intention of doing, dont see the point in them, but they look ok), and the two minicon packs.

DEAR GOD

How aweful are these things?

I got the Dirt Digger Team, and the Clear Skies Team.
First thing.
What the hell were hasbro smoking when they had the meeting where they desided to have a minicon team that consists of two jets and a dragon?
On to the individual Minicons.
Grindor is aweful, ugly alt mode with lots of holes, andstpid ass transformation which results in an ugly robot mode.
Dirt Rocket has a nice alt mode, but a pretty pants robot mode most of which looks like it isnt a robot at all, but what happens to the alt mode when it crashes.
Oil Slick is the saving grace of this set, he is very nice for a minicon. Nice clean alt, sencible transformation, and nice clean robot mode. My only gripe is he has a blade instead of his right hand.

Nightscream has an okish alt mode, but his transformation is retarded (is there a way of tfing him without pulling bits off?) and his robot mode makes him look like a special ed student.
Steelwind... steelwind. Hasbro must still have been smoking some strong **** when they did his design. The robot mode's only saving grace is the retractable hands (yes really, on a minicon). And what was that head suposed to look like again?
Thunderwing is the only half decent one in this set. He has a pretty nice alt mode (though the minicon port/head/exhaust annoys me), and 'interesting' transformation, and a robot mode that is almost the right shape. Problem is, he is basocally a really small G1 tf. He has utterly static legs, his hands are roughly halfway up his arms and the only posability in the entrie figure is his shoulders.


So... I've definutly wasted some money today.
Who else has bought tfs and thought 'why the bloody hell did I do that'?

Redimus' Ego +1 wrote:We've all done it. Desperate for a fix of our favourite plastic heros and villans, we've bought some utter crap, becuase that was all that was available.

In fact I did it today.

I havent bought any tfs in the best part of the month, and was feeling the itch.

I go to Argos, and lo and behold they STILL dont stock any of the 6inch titainiums they've been claiming to stock for a couple of months now.

So I go to Woolworths... all they have that I dont already have are two packs of classics minicons, and a selection of 3inch titianiums.
I get Prime and Galvatron for the titainiums (not something I ever had any intention of doing, dont see the point in them, but they look ok), and the two minicon packs.

DEAR GOD

How aweful are these things?

I got the Dirt Digger Team, and the Clear Skies Team.
First thing.
What the hell were hasbro smoking when they had the meeting where they desided to have a minicon team that consists of two jets and a dragon?
On to the individual Minicons.
Grindor is aweful, ugly alt mode with lots of holes, andstpid ass transformation which results in an ugly robot mode.
Dirt Rocket has a nice alt mode, but a pretty pants robot mode most of which looks like it isnt a robot at all, but what happens to the alt mode when it crashes.
Oil Slick is the saving grace of this set, he is very nice for a minicon. Nice clean alt, sencible transformation, and nice clean robot mode. My only gripe is he has a blade instead of his right hand.

Nightscream has an okish alt mode, but his transformation is retarded (is there a way of tfing him without pulling bits off?) and his robot mode makes him look like a special ed student.
Steelwind... steelwind. Hasbro must still have been smoking some strong **** when they did his design. The robot mode's only saving grace is the retractable hands (yes really, on a minicon). And what was that head suposed to look like again?
Thunderwing is the only half decent one in this set. He has a pretty nice alt mode (though the minicon port/head/exhaust annoys me), and 'interesting' transformation, and a robot mode that is almost the right shape. Problem is, he is basocally a really small G1 tf. He has utterly static legs, his hands are roughly halfway up his arms and the only posability in the entrie figure is his shoulders.


So... I've definutly wasted some money today.
Who else has bought tfs and thought 'why the bloody hell did I do that'?

*Raises Hand*
I bought all of them in one fell swoop.....

I love the alt modes a few of the Classics Minicons have interesting Robot modes but overall a waste of money.

I think I am one of the few people who actually likes these minicons. I'm not saying they are perfect, most of them don't have any real hands and that always makes me sad. But I do have a lot of fun transforming them back and forth. I think they are a nice addition to the classics line.

I think the reason the one set has two jets and a dragon is because these were originally supposed to be released in the Cybertron line in two packs. When they ended up as three packs there was bound to be at least one odd combination.

I bought the Demoliyion team and DInobot minicons just for one con in each pack. I dont regret it though since it added to my TF army.

Hypurrlinq wrote:I think I am one of the few people who actually likes these minicons. I'm not saying they are perfect, most of them don't have any real hands and that always makes me sad. But I do have a lot of fun transforming them back and forth. I think they are a nice addition to the classics line.

I think the reason the one set has two jets and a dragon is because these were originally supposed to be released in the Cybertron line in two packs. When they ended up as three packs there was bound to be at least one odd combination.

What is there to like about the majority of them? They make even the most ugly beast wars related travesties look good, and reinforce my overriding problem with minicons since day one. Whilst the main line *generally* moves foward in terms of design quality, the minicons seem to be used as an excuse to be exceptionally lazy in design, resulting in exceptionally crap, ugly and/or outdated tfs.

Minicons: the 21st century's Gobots.

Being a big sucker when it comes to minicon but these classic ones really a big turn off when I first saw them. UGLY is the only word I have for these and thank god I didnt push my self to buy any of them. Sadly all Targets and TRS by me are flooded with classic minicon. Since titanium is mentioned in this topic: I cant find RID prime and screamer anywhere by me but the Canadians already have them. What's up with that

LioBreaker wrote:Being a big sucker when it comes to minicon but these classic ones really a big turn off when I first saw them. UGLY is the only word I have for these and thank god I didnt push my self to buy any of them. Sadly all Targets and TRS by me are flooded with classic minicon. Since titanium is mentioned in this topic: I cant find RID prime and screamer anywhere by me but the Canadians already have them. What's up with that

We only have one chain stocking the 6inch ones... and they never have any.

Yeah, these minicons really bite. The only good one is that car from the Dirt Digger team, I can't remember the name. Some of the alt modes are cool but in general, they blow.

But, I bought all of them too.

DOn't have any of those minicons yet, but I do own Armada sideswipe & cybertron Lugnutz.

Take heroin before you buy minicons.
Jump off a bypass before you even look at them.
They are the bane of tf lovers everywhere.
Molded **** in a box: three for the price of a decent figure!

I really wish Argos stocked WWI Prime. He may have loose joints, but he looks fab. And loose joints are nothing to my screw driver and modelling glue. Cheap plastic melts at the touch of this glue. Onlt to be used on the highest quality tf figures.


Never, ever buy minicons. They drain your enthusiasm for tfs and your wallet of your hard-earned cash.

Wait for the next Classics wave. I mean actual Classics wave. Not this Legends and minicons ****.

I bought wave one of the Classics Mini-cons, opened them up, transformed them once and put them right back in the packaging so I could return them post haste. I was looking at the clear sky, dirt digger and even more fugly predator attack teams and they all looked like garbage to me so I passed. I always hated the look of steelwinds robot mode. Couldn't really see a head much less a face, and the feet are as big as the legs themselves. I could go over the problems I had with the designs, but they would just be the exact same things you mentioned. Just not red in text.

Like you, Redimus, I bought a couple packages of Classics Minicons due to having some money to spend and not having anything really to spend it on. I got the Clear Skies team, Night Rescue (I think) and the Dirk Diggler...er Dirt Digger team. I get them home and realize that I already had most of them from my existing lines that were included as extras, like with the not so great Classics Optimus vs. Megatron. And then a few days later I found Primus on clearance with, you guessed it, all the other minicons I had just bought. I'm not a big fan of the minicons, and now that I have duplicates (maybe even three of some, I'm not interested enough to even check) I'm starting to really hate on them...

Agamemnon wrote:Like you, Redimus, I bought a couple packages of Classics Minicons due to having some money to spend and not having anything really to spend it on. I got the Clear Skies team, Night Rescue (I think) and the Dirk Diggler...er Dirt Digger team. I get them home and realize that I already had most of them from my existing lines that were included as extras, like with the not so great Classics Optimus vs. Megatron. And then a few days later I found Primus on clearance with, you guessed it, all the other minicons I had just bought. I'm not a big fan of the minicons, and now that I have duplicates (maybe even three of some, I'm not interested enough to even check) I'm starting to really hate on them...

Take them back and save your money for something worth it like Revoltech Megatron or something like that. As for the two pack Prime, that figure gets 100 times better when you pull the little black tab at the back (the one you push to make him freak out). Pulling it out until you hear a click locks the upper torso in place. Makes a world of difference. Just another little diddy Hasbro left out of the instructions.

meh, theres been like 1 minicon in each pack ive liked. like the dumptruck, the wolf, i have a thing for dragons so i had to have that one. the rest wen to my nephew cuz he loves em.

Down_Shift wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:Like you, Redimus, I bought a couple packages of Classics Minicons due to having some money to spend and not having anything really to spend it on. I got the Clear Skies team, Night Rescue (I think) and the Dirk Diggler...er Dirt Digger team. I get them home and realize that I already had most of them from my existing lines that were included as extras, like with the not so great Classics Optimus vs. Megatron. And then a few days later I found Primus on clearance with, you guessed it, all the other minicons I had just bought. I'm not a big fan of the minicons, and now that I have duplicates (maybe even three of some, I'm not interested enough to even check) I'm starting to really hate on them...

Take them back and save your money for something worth it like Revoltech Megatron or something like that. As for the two pack Prime, that figure gets 100 times better when you pull the little black tab at the back (the one you push to make him freak out). Pulling it out until you hear a click locks the upper torso in place. Makes a world of difference. Just another little diddy Hasbro left out of the instructions.

Yeah, I'm not goin to worry about the, what, $12 I spent on minicons. Tis my own fault. I just won't fall for it again.

Yeah, I've already done that tab thingy for Prime. Functionally, he's not that bad. He just looks awful in Cab-over Semi mode. Right now he's sitting on the Shortround toilet and looks pretty cool, so I'll leave him there. Though I think I fiddle with him more than Classics OP. He's just a bit easier to transform.

Minicons, to me, are like the older G1 small Transformers, only smaller, harder to transform (some of them) and they don't make a ton of sense story wise to me. A couple are fiddled with. Most sit untouched in a box. (Even the cool ones I bought most recently aren't that fun to play with, in my opinion.)

[edit] Besides I wanted to see if anybody caught the Dirk Diggler reference. Meh, someone else probably already beat me to it...

Down_Shift wrote:Makes a world of difference. Just another little diddy Hasbro left out of the instructions.

Yes, Hasbro are having REAL issues with their instructions on the classics line...
Id like to say I actully like the Ultimate Battle set, despite Hasbro's best efforts to make it aweful. Could have been done MUCH better, but prime has one of the nicer atempts at a G1 Prime robot mode, and Megatron's only failing is the stupid gimmick forved upon him.

Dagon wrote:The only good one is that car from the Dirt Digger team,

Redimus' Ego +1 wrote:Oil Slick is the saving grace of this set, he is very nice for a minicon. Nice clean alt, sencible transformation, and nice clean robot mode. My only gripe is he has a blade instead of his right hand.

Also he kinda reminds me of a cross between Rumble/Frenzy and the movie Real Gear toys, which is kinda cool.

*sigh* Oh, so this is actually another "I hate minicons" thread.

Look--these things are 2 inches tall. What are you expecting? I recognize the ingenuity it takes to engineer something that small and like them for that. Yes, the Swoop minicon looks like an idiot in 'bot mode, but you thought they'd look like miniature Alts? Please. People always come out of the woodwork when an "I hate _______" thread starts...and I understand everyone in entitled to their opinion. But how many times must we drag this stuff over the coals?

Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em. Case closed. I, for one, have a place in my collection for the quirky little things, simply becuase they're a little bit different.

TFBuyer wrote:*sigh* Oh, so this is actually another "I hate minicons" thread.

Look--these things are 2 inches tall. What are you expecting? I recognize the ingenuity it takes to engineer something that small and like them for that. Yes, the Swoop minicon looks like an idiot in 'bot mode, but you thought they'd look like miniature Alts? Please. People always come out of the woodwork when an "I hate _______" thread starts...and I understand everyone in entitled to their opinion. But how many times must we drag this stuff over the coals?

Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em. Case closed. I, for one, have a place in my collection for the quirky little things, simply becuase they're a little bit different.

I was very impressed with most of the minicons to come out of Aramda/Energon so I thought I would give them a whirl. After all, it was Hasbro that said they made these because of the high request for new minicon moulds (the beasts being the highest requested). A real shame that they genuinely tried to give something to the fans but fell short. I still love the Starsaber team or the Ait attack team. But the Classics mini-cons were an instant disappointment right out of the box. They were not nearly as good as the Armada Mini-cons. If people do keep them and put them on display, then vehicle mode is the way to go.

Down_Shift wrote:

TFBuyer wrote:*sigh* Oh, so this is actually another "I hate minicons" thread.

Look--these things are 2 inches tall. What are you expecting? I recognize the ingenuity it takes to engineer something that small and like them for that. Yes, the Swoop minicon looks like an idiot in 'bot mode, but you thought they'd look like miniature Alts? Please. People always come out of the woodwork when an "I hate _______" thread starts...and I understand everyone in entitled to their opinion. But how many times must we drag this stuff over the coals?

Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em. Case closed. I, for one, have a place in my collection for the quirky little things, simply becuase they're a little bit different.

I was very impressed with most of the minicons to come out of Aramda/Energon so I thought I would give them a whirl. After all, it was Hasbro that said they made these because of the high request for new minicon moulds (the beasts being the highest requested). A real shame that they genuinely tried to give something to the fans but fell short. I still love the Starsaber team or the Ait attack team. But the Classics mini-cons were an instant disappointment right out of the box. They were not nearly as good as the Armada Mini-cons. If people do keep them and put them on display, then vehicle mode is the way to go.

Yes, I'll admit some of them fell a bit short, Swoop coming to mind off the top of my head. Looking back at Armada and Energon, though, I thought the Classics line tried more complex transformations that made them more interesting. Some previous Minicons were simple flip-n-stands, which isn't a bad thing on that scale, really.

I guess I just like to see a realistic attitude towards these guys every once in a while...

TFBuyer wrote:

Down_Shift wrote:

TFBuyer wrote:*sigh* Oh, so this is actually another "I hate minicons" thread.

Look--these things are 2 inches tall. What are you expecting? I recognize the ingenuity it takes to engineer something that small and like them for that. Yes, the Swoop minicon looks like an idiot in 'bot mode, but you thought they'd look like miniature Alts? Please. People always come out of the woodwork when an "I hate _______" thread starts...and I understand everyone in entitled to their opinion. But how many times must we drag this stuff over the coals?

Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em. Case closed. I, for one, have a place in my collection for the quirky little things, simply becuase they're a little bit different.

I was very impressed with most of the minicons to come out of Aramda/Energon so I thought I would give them a whirl. After all, it was Hasbro that said they made these because of the high request for new minicon moulds (the beasts being the highest requested). A real shame that they genuinely tried to give something to the fans but fell short. I still love the Starsaber team or the Ait attack team. But the Classics mini-cons were an instant disappointment right out of the box. They were not nearly as good as the Armada Mini-cons. If people do keep them and put them on display, then vehicle mode is the way to go.

Yes, I'll admit some of them fell a bit short, Swoop coming to mind off the top of my head. Looking back at Armada and Energon, though, I thought the Classics line tried more complex transformations that made them more interesting. Some previous Minicons were simple flip-n-stands, which isn't a bad thing on that scale, really.

I guess I just like to see a realistic attitude towards these guys every once in a while...

I also enjoy a more complexed transformation when it comes to any transformer and it's nice to see it in Minicons, but when they start subtracting hand and adding big shovels that's where my interests fade. Oh well, here's hoping we see some better mini-cons in the future.

As far as real stinkers go, the classics leaders two-pack springs to mind which I recieved as a gift. Also Armada Sideways. I do actually like his gimmick and little rider guys a great deal, the main robot isn't too hot though. Otherwise I'm pretty well informed on what I'm getting these days with the fandom being as informed as we are. The only real purchase I regret is Cybertron Quickmix. There really isn't anything redeeming about him IMO. Don't get me started on Mini-Cons. They simply aren't my bag.

My only bad purchase was the Millennium Falcon Transformer, suckered in for my love of Han & Chewie. bad choice. It lives in Falcon mode and I try to forget its a TF.

TFBuyer wrote:*sigh* Oh, so this is actually another "I hate minicons" thread.

Look--these things are 2 inches tall. What are you expecting? I recognize the ingenuity it takes to engineer something that small and like them for that. Yes, the Swoop minicon looks like an idiot in 'bot mode, but you thought they'd look like miniature Alts? Please. People always come out of the woodwork when an "I hate _______" thread starts...and I understand everyone in entitled to their opinion. But how many times must we drag this stuff over the coals?

Don't like 'em? Don't buy 'em. Case closed. I, for one, have a place in my collection for the quirky little things, simply becuase they're a little bit different.

I like minicons, probably because I had a lot of micromasters when I was younger and they're the next best thing.

That's what this website is for, so you can see what the toy looks like before you buy them. I'd like to feel some sympathy for you but you could've at least done some research before shelling out your cash. Look at me, a few months ago, I wanted to get the titanium Rodimus Prime and Sound Wave but when I saw the pictures and the reviews online, I decided to save my cash.

I liked the Micromasters. They were very simple, but most of them had nice alt modes, and regognisable robot modes. There have always been some minicons with really poor robot and or alt modes, but these classic ones are just aweful.

Also this thread wasnt really meant as a minicon bashing thread, but more a thread to discuss those transformers we really wish we handnt bought.

And I'll say it again, those classic minicons are bloody aweful.