The Energon Pub

News Credits: 293 · by **shajaki** » Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:13 pm

hotspot has some giiiiaant looking forearms there... this makes 1 i strongly dislike and 2 i moderately dislike. 100% pass now for me. s'ok though, i got a maketoys computron to save up for

News Credits: 33 · by **Genocide G2.0** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 4:40 am

Images posted by TFUpgrader .

by **Rated X** » Sat Jun 21, 2014 11:12 am

Looks decent aside from the scale. Too bad his bot mode will be so huge.

News Credits: 33 · by **Genocide G2.0** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:01 pm

Some color photos of Hotspot here .

Haha really ?

News Credits: 10 · by **Agamemnon** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:04 pm

Is that a ladder you are extending or are you just happy to see me? I wonder how high that thing goes... :shock:

[Edit] I do like the colors, and overall, this is my favorite member of this team. Still, I think I am going to check out MT's version...

News Credits: 33 · by **Genocide G2.0** » Sat Jul 19, 2014 1:48 pm

EDIT . This is TFC Hydrant .

Looks like First Aid got his pills mixed up and slipped Hotspot a viagra :lol:

Interested to see what there first aid looks like i doubt it will be a touch on MT there robot mode is bang on .

by **Lord Raze** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:50 am

Interesting that they don't show Gumball next to Hydrant, I've got a slight concern that Gumball might seem a bit big (height wise) in vehicle mode next to Hydrant.

News Credits: 10 · by **Agamemnon** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 10:56 am

Lord Raze wrote:Interesting that they don't show Gumball next to Hydrant, I've got a slight concern that Gumball might seem a bit big (height wise) in vehicle mode next to Hydrant.

Indeed. I looked at the first couple of pics on this page, and that motorcycle is huge next to the firetruck. This was going to be a real problem with this team, and it appears that TFC is going the G1 toy route and making the character sized to match so that the overall gestalt looks good. But it means that the limbs are likely not going to be in scale with each other in alt mode.

Autobot Genocide wrote:

This isn't a criticism of TFC. To me, this was going to be the toughest combiner to tackle, scale wise. Even Bruticus can hide scale issues to an extent, as can Devestator. But with Defensor made up of such highly recognizable vehicles, it will be nearly impossible. It'll be interesting to see how MakeToys handles this same issue.

by **Heres a Hint** » Sun Jul 20, 2014 4:00 pm

looks awsome bring on afterburner

News Credits: 1 · by **Thadicon** » Mon Jul 21, 2014 2:12 am

Heres a Hint wrote:looks awsome bring on afterburner

Ummmm Afterburner wasnt a Protectobot

News Credits: 33 · by **Genocide G2.0** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:06 pm

Website · by **RK_Striker_JK_5** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 4:25 pm

Forearms are a bit bulky, but overall I like him. That gatling gun, badass.

by **Gurgintius Maximus** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:25 pm

Not to shabby. Wish they had left a smooth area for a faction lable. Should go without saying at this point in the game...

News Credits: 4 · by **Tsutsukakushi** » Thu Jul 24, 2014 10:40 pm

While I'm aware it's Hotspot. This looks like a 2000 Car Robots Fire Convoy update toy done better than the original. Might consider buying this one TFC Protectobot Hotspot and calling it Car robots Cryo Convoy. Don't like the TFC Protectobots limbs, So that's $400 not spent.

While I dislike most of TFC's limbs bots combiners. Think TFC does a Excellent job in Sculpting and engineering on the core team leaders for their combiners.

If TFC ever decides to do those cancelled G-2 Defensor Hotspot colors. Where G-2 Hotspot was red and not blue. Might buy this instead of the first release colors. As it would look more like 2000 CR Fire Convoy.

News Credits: 1 · by **rpetras** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 9:34 am

I like him.

But as I've said for a while, they have had 2 out of 3 nailed.
Show me the other 2, at least in prototype, so I can decide to get the set or not.

News Credits: 293 · by **shajaki** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 10:57 am

holy... i cant believe how easily that turned me right around. he's a little thick, but looks bad F'ing ass! not enough to sell me on it... but i do really like it.

News Credits: 119 · by **megatronus** » Sat Jul 26, 2014 12:42 pm

Those oversized forearms and overall blocky/thick aesthetic really reminds me of the Unicron Trilogy toys.

News Credits: 4 · by **Tsutsukakushi** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:19 am

HasTak's 2015 Combiners wave one has the rescue helicopter for a reason. HasTak has plans to release a Defensor probably in wave 3 with a wave 1 rescue helicopter repainted as blades.

If HasTak attends that 2014 NYCC convention and reveals 2015 combiners for waves 3-Defensor, 4 and 5. This news in October will cause all 3rd party defensors to loose buying sales. Might effect and maybe cause Maketoys to cancel their plans for a Defensor as they had a 2015 release date. TFC, I suspect will already have the first Two figures released and will rush the other 3 figures to the market.

by **Lord Raze** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:17 am

Tsutsukakushi wrote:HasTak's 2015 Combiners wave one has the rescue helicopter for a reason. HasTak has plans to release a Defensor probably in wave 3 with a wave 1 rescue helicopter repainted as blades.

If HasTak attends that 2014 NYCC convention and reveals 2015 combiners for waves 3-Defensor, 4 and 5. This news in October will cause all 3rd party defensors to loose buying sales. Might effect and maybe cause Maketoys to cancel their plans for a Defensor as they had a 2015 release date. TFC, I suspect will already have the first Two figures released and will rush the other 3 figures to the market.

Going by the team make up of Superion and Menasor including an alt mode change, I imagine a hasbro Defensor will be missing Groove as a police bike.

News Credits: 4 · by **Tsutsukakushi** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:31 am

Lord Raze wrote:
Tsutsukakushi wrote:HasTak's 2015 Combiners wave one has the rescue helicopter for a reason. HasTak has plans to release a Defensor probably in wave 3 with a wave 1 rescue helicopter repainted as blades.

If HasTak attends that 2014 NYCC convention and reveals 2015 combiners for waves 3-Defensor, 4 and 5. This news in October will cause all 3rd party defensors to loose buying sales. Might effect and maybe cause Maketoys to cancel their plans for a Defensor as they had a 2015 release date. TFC, I suspect will already have the first Two figures released and will rush the other 3 figures to the market.

Going by the team make up of Superion and Menasor including an alt mode change, I imagine a hasbro Defensor will be missing Groove as a police bike.

Guessing the Protectobots police bike is needed, So HasTak can recolor it for the Technobot motorcycle-bot for Computron.

Speculating hasbro is not going to create 20 brand new molds for the 2015 waves 1-4 combiners. guessing HasTak is going to try to re-use and recolor toys within the combiners teams. like doing that rescue helicopter for superion that can easily get repainted into a protectobot blades. doing that pickup truck for menasor that might get repainted as swindle for bruticus. having that tank from brawl retooled with a drill and using it for computron. maybe reuse that techobot drill tank as a constructicon for devastator.

Think 2015-2016 Computron is a easy one for HasTak not to use any new molds. HasTak can take the jet from superion, the drill tank from bruticus, the car from the stunticons, the bike from defensor. retool silverbolt as scattershot.

If HasTak does 2015-2016 combiners for the 1986 Predacons and 1986 Terrorcons. Guessing HasTak will try to re-use and recolor molds between these two beast-bot combiners. Like having Divebomb and Cutthroat use the same mold. while Sinnertwin and Rampage use the same mold maybe with a retool.

by **Lord Raze** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:42 am

So using that logic First Aid would be the sacrifice, which would be a big miss as First Aid has more character to him then the rest of the Protectobots combined.

News Credits: 4 · by **Tsutsukakushi** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 9:53 am

Lord Raze wrote:So using that logic First Aid would be the sacrifice, which would be a big miss as First Aid has more character to him then the rest of the Protectobots combined.

Guessing 2015 Defensor will get a 2015 Stunticon car-bot repainted as proectbot streetwise. 2015 superion helicopter-bot repainted as 2015 protectobot blades. While HasTak will create 3 brand new molds for the other 2015 protectobots.

Suspose if HasTak wanted to be clever they can give the 2015 Protectobots a rescue ambulance alt mode like movie-verse ratchet has. So they can easily use it later on for 2015 Combaticons Swindle.

News Credits: 10 · by **Agamemnon** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:19 am

Actually, I think we may have already seen Hasbro's Protectobots. And they do not appear to combine...

News Story

Now, it's not like Hasbro has never given us duplicate sets of a character in the same line (RoTF Blugeon, if memory serves.) But this makes me wonder if we will actually see a Defensor combiner...

News Credits: 4 · by **Tsutsukakushi** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:32 am

Agamemnon wrote:Actually, I think we may have already seen Hasbro's Protectobots. And they do not appear to combine...

News Story

Now, it's not like Hasbro has never given us duplicate sets of a character in the same line (RoTF Blugeon, if memory serves.) But this makes me wonder if we will actually see a Defensor combiner...

That's just a limited store or site exclusive. has no bearing on mass release toys.

Heavily guessing 2015 Combiner wars Wave 3 or 4 is Defensor. The reason why 2015 Superion got that rescue helicopter was to re-use it laster for 2015 Protectobot Blades. 2015 stunticon race car-bot will get recolored and retooled as 20015 Streetwise.

by **Rated X** » Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:53 am

Tsutsukakushi wrote:HasTak's 2015 Combiners wave one has the rescue helicopter for a reason. HasTak has plans to release a Defensor probably in wave 3 with a wave 1 rescue helicopter repainted as blades.

If HasTak attends that 2014 NYCC convention and reveals 2015 combiners for waves 3-Defensor, 4 and 5. This news in October will cause all 3rd party defensors to loose buying sales. Might effect and maybe cause Maketoys to cancel their plans for a Defensor as they had a 2015 release date. TFC, I suspect will already have the first Two figures released and will rush the other 3 figures to the market.

Why do you keep insisting hasbros combiners are going to cause 3rd parties a loss of sales ? Did you not read all the negative feedback on the front page articles about the helicoptor, wild rider, menasors head, the big hands, etc ? If anything, Hasbros combiners will drum up 3rd party sales for add on sets similar to crossfire and boosticus to fix all the silly looking crap. And since the 3rd parties are already on a roll with all these combiner characters, the inferior hasbro versions will be an afterthought. That is except for cheap people who would rather buy a goofy looking ages 5 and up toy to avoid paying "3rd party prices".

I actually plant to buy the hasbro combiners just to mess around with and display as individual bots. But I wont be taking them seriously as combiners unless somebody wants to do a nice add on set to fix all the eyesores.

On topic: while TFC Hotspot looks nice, its just gonna be too freaking huge and out of scale with his teammates for my tastes. They did a much better job scaling silverbolt with his teammates and I have no regrets buying uranus. But starting with Ares, TFC dropped the ball with scale. Their offerings were always a bit oversized since hercules, but now they have really gone bananas with the team leaders. They look like a full grown adult walking around with four toddlers. MMC found a way to get around that which is why I chose feral rex. Im going with maketoys for defensor and buying the G2 colored hasbro protectobots just for fun. A bit bummed that theyre using the inferno head instead of the hotspot head though. Might have to buy an extra GDO hotspot just for the head.