The Energon Pub

Leonardo wrote:

ionacus wrote:the botcon set. anyone who couldnt afford them couldnt get them.

Isn't that the same for anything that one has to pay for?

Yes.

And for the record...the BotCon set was worth every one of the 27,900 pennies I paid for it.

Astrotrain is a boxy letdown. None of his modes are convincing.
Megatron and his green clamshell wings. bleurk.
Cliffjumber. I would have appreciated a different head mold and some extra pimping on his car mode.

I love every other one with almost carnal passion though. Especially Jetfire.[/b]

Leonardo wrote:

ionacus wrote:the botcon set. anyone who couldnt afford them couldnt get them.

Isn't that the same for anything that one has to pay for?

yea it sucks

I agree about Cliffjumper. I would have bought it if they had a least done a new head mold, but I would have preferred even more changes. Like loose the trailer in favor of a gun and change the alt mode a little.

I also agree with others who have said Megatron's color scheme.

LigerJohn wrote:Jetfire, grimlock and astrotrain. these were the figures I picked up last. And they were craptacular.

Blasphemy! have Dagon at ya!

Thundercracker... only because I cant get one. But with the classics being released in Japan I I hope they get a Thundercracker. I hope.

skywarp-2 wrote:you know, they should have done a retool of the minibots from the original G-1 toylines, and did a cool small articulated and cartoon accurate Bumblebee.. the technology is there.. and a Cliffjumper, Brawn, etc..etc.. that would have been a nice way to do the minis..

This is something that I'm really hoping to see in Universe, some proper basics. I've got some stand ins with my Classics at the momment, Botcon Huffer, Cybertron Armorhide for Pipes, Movie Strongarm for Brawn but it'd be really nice to see some of the minibots get a proper modernisation with the right names on the cards and everything.

There's plenty of scope for characters as well. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again but if we see a full set of Insecticons done as nice modern basics I'll buy swarms of them.

I love all the Deluxe and Voyager classics myself, I think Cliffjumper was perhaps the biggest let down because he was just a red Bumblebee. Other then that the lack of Decepticons annoyed me. I would of liked to have seen a proper Classics Devastator set, as in 6 figures that were original molds not five that are repaints.

I dislike the way they released the rest of the seekers other then Starscream and Ramjet.

I'd have to say that Deluxe Prime was a total let down. Very flimsy in both vehicle and bot mode. I really only bought the two pack for Megs, who is fairly impressive (at least moreso than prime)

I think people need to lay off Grimlock D: They went with an odd mold for him, sure, but I think they still pulled it off with some success. It could've been much worse y'know- could've been YET ANOTHER Beast Wars Dinobot repaint

Bonger wrote:Those mini craps don't count.

Flaming Megs is wel, just a disgrace. The most bad ass robot ever, as a nerf gun, can't get much worse than that for me.

U.S gun laws forbid realistic toys based on firearms. Tkae it or leave it basically.

In any case, I liked it. It helps rub in the point that this is a new form for Megatron (Which ties in lines with the new comics).

What I don't like is that it was over FAR too soon. I should have been an ongoing line like Universe. Also the lack of Combiner Team new moulds as well.

skywarp-2 wrote:

Flux Convoy wrote:Biggest Classics letdown besides the leader 2 pack? Mini-Cons. After how much I really liked the Cybertron Stealth team I expected much better than what we got. I passed on all of them.

you know, they should have done a retool of the minibots from the original G-1 toylines, and did a cool small articulated and cartoon accurate Bumblebee.. the technology is there.. and a Cliffjumper, Brawn, etc..etc.. that would have been a nice way to do the minis..

then with Megatron a Gun turrett for the rest of the Bots to wield, would have made more sense then a Nerfatron..and it would have yielded a Nice silver, Black, and red paint application.. no Orange tip either, since it's just a Gun turrett for other bots to use.. which was the main focus of Megatron's Altmode..Why not a Gun turrett??

Or what about the Astrotrain in white and Blue?? Huh?? the whole point of him in Purpleish Grey was that he was a decepticon shuttle and train.. not a Human one..???

Crazy...don't get me started on the funky Grimlock legs.. what was up with that??

Maybe Grimlock watched Rocky Horror Picture Show and decided he couldn't just dream it, he had to be it only to realize he didn't look as good as he thought he would.

I'm quite disappointed that Devastator is a repaint of another line. And that there were only 5 bots.

There's more. The biggest let down is, 2 of the bots are twins of the other 2. So it's like only 3 unique bots.

The beauty of Devastator is that he's got six totally different and unique members. Which makes up one giant asymmetrical robot. This beauty was lost in Classics Devastator.

Wodicus wrote:I think Cliffjumper was perhaps the biggest let down because he was just a red Bumblebee.

i heartily agree with this...paying SRP for a ridiculously easy repaint of Classics Bumblebee is what's keeping me from getting this toy and completing my Classics deluxe/voyager collection. simply not much CJ to justify paying near-$20 for this figure.

Everybody else has already stated any sort of misgivings I may have had with the Classics line, so what I do want to add is tht I'm glad many of the prerequisite charactes are out of the way so that Hasbro can truly do something special with Classics 2.0.

Optimus, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream, the inevitable seeker repaints(though these were my favorite from the Classics line).....these are all characters you knew would be done initially and it's hard to get overly excited with the same names over and over, especially when there are better versions of them out there. That's not to say Classics BB or Prime are bad, it's just that I get more excited about the possibility of less well known characters finally getting their due or characters with bad G1 toys finally getting it done right. I think this part of the reason why the likes of Jetfire and Mirage are so celebrated; nobody really was expecting accurate homages of these characters with improvements in articulation and poseability from the originals.

That said, a disappointment with Classics that I would like to see done right is any redone combiner team. Even if it costs $50, I think we all would eagerly plop down the cash for a redone Combaticons or Aerialbots.

Too many liberties were taken with the designs. For the sake of pointless new transformations the simpliocity and elegance of the original designs was lost. Diaclone era figures have such a simple look to them that just appeals somehow. Classics was supposed to take the simple disigns and add articulation and modern alt modes if necessary. That was all thrown away for the sake of being different.

Grimlock's robot legs don't look good at all. They almost pulled off a successful figure with the top but then the legs sucked so bad.

Starscream's pointless new transformation sacrificed the underside of the jetmode more than was necessary and limited head articulation. Robotmasters did a way better job.

Prime's alt mode is not a truck. In fact, it doesn't look like anything. The robot mode, once again thanks to a pointles "modern" transformation, has stupid kibble on the arms and disproportionate legs. Deluxe Prime at least got the robot mode right but the vehicle mode was even worse than the regular Prime's.

Astrotrain lost the simplicity that made the first few triple-changers so cool. I really wish they kept the original transformation with this one.

Rodimus doesn't even have good articulation. The arms suck. In fact, I'm not too fond of any of it. It tries to be a cross between Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime. This, sadly, prevents it from fully looking like either.

Mirage's proportions are terrible. And he can't look forward without leaning back. And leaning back makes him fall thanks to kibble(once again, thanks to a new transformation)

Can't complain much about Skyfire since it comes the closest to acheiving its goal but then again it does have quite a few fragile points and has trouble standing.

Aside from its more well known problems, Megatron's head doesn't quite have the "helmet" look and has more of a "helmet melted onto the sides of the head" look.

Devastator almost makes me cry from its sheer wasted potential.

I could go on. Worst line ever in my book. I can't find one good figure in the whole line. If the transformations had been more true to the originals then a lot of problems could have been avoided.

Leonardo wrote:

skywarp-2 wrote:Or what about the Astrotrain in white and Blue?? Huh?? the whole point of him in Purpleish Grey was that he was a decepticon shuttle and train.. not a Human one..???

I thought Astrotrain's alt.modes were supposed to be human (well, Earth) ones. I can't imagine Cybertronian trains look that much like ours.

yes the Altmode is a design that is too make him look like a Human train, but in reality he's a decepticon Bot, with the correct coloring..

My gripe is mostly the coloring and maybe a little improvement on the body design.. I didn't mean he's a cybertron train..or Space shuttle.. his coloring should have been more like his purple paint application in G-1 because it shows his alliegence..

underwear ninja wrote:I'd have to say that Deluxe Prime was a total let down. Very flimsy in both vehicle and bot mode. I really only bought the two pack for Megs, who is fairly impressive (at least moreso than prime)

I think people need to lay off Grimlock D: They went with an odd mold for him, sure, but I think they still pulled it off with some success. It could've been much worse y'know- could've been YET ANOTHER Beast Wars Dinobot repaint

yeah but they gave hima war within chest design... or RID Prime design which is wierd???

Hard Hacker wrote:

Bonger wrote:Those mini craps don't count.

Flaming Megs is wel, just a disgrace. The most bad ass robot ever, as a nerf gun, can't get much worse than that for me.

U.S gun laws forbid realistic toys based on firearms. Tkae it or leave it basically.

In any case, I liked it. It helps rub in the point that this is a new form for Megatron (Which ties in lines with the new comics).

What I don't like is that it was over FAR too soon. I should have been an ongoing line like Universe. Also the lack of Combiner Team new moulds as well.

Yes US toy gun laws are that way.. but if the Toy is a Turret gun for another Toy, even with a silver and black color, there is no need for an orange tip, nor the funky colors.. so I still say that a Gun turret should have been the Megatron altmode.. it serves both purposes of the original, except the role play by the kid..but who cares when Starscream can wield a bad ass Gun turret Megatron and chop down some Autobots!!!!

The supposed "cliffjumper', without a doubt was a major let down for me. Next would be the extremely limited and expensive botcon release of the other seekers. So sad that i don't have a set of those...yet.

The Chaos Bringer wrote:Too many liberties were taken with the designs. For the sake of pointless new transformations the simpliocity and elegance of the original designs was lost. Diaclone era figures have such a simple look to them that just appeals somehow. Classics was supposed to take the simple disigns and add articulation and modern alt modes if necessary. That was all thrown away for the sake of being different.

Grimlock's robot legs don't look good at all. They almost pulled off a successful figure with the top but then the legs sucked so bad.

Starscream's pointless new transformation sacrificed the underside of the jetmode more than was necessary and limited head articulation. Robotmasters did a way better job.

Prime's alt mode is not a truck. In fact, it doesn't look like anything. The robot mode, once again thanks to a pointles "modern" transformation, has stupid kibble on the arms and disproportionate legs. Deluxe Prime at least got the robot mode right but the vehicle mode was even worse than the regular Prime's.

Astrotrain lost the simplicity that made the first few triple-changers so cool. I really wish they kept the original transformation with this one.

Rodimus doesn't even have good articulation. The arms suck. In fact, I'm not too fond of any of it. It tries to be a cross between Hot Rod and Rodimus Prime. This, sadly, prevents it from fully looking like either.

Mirage's proportions are terrible. And he can't look forward without leaning back. And leaning back makes him fall thanks to kibble(once again, thanks to a new transformation)

Can't complain much about Skyfire since it comes the closest to acheiving its goal but then again it does have quite a few fragile points and has trouble standing.

Aside from its more well known problems, Megatron's head doesn't quite have the "helmet" look and has more of a "helmet melted onto the sides of the head" look.

Devastator almost makes me cry from its sheer wasted potential.

I could go on. Worst line ever in my book. I can't find one good figure in the whole line. If the transformations had been more true to the originals then a lot of problems could have been avoided.

I think you covered some of the major issues with the line in specifics.. good points on the molds as well.. i think this is another factor with which why I had not bought a single classics toy as of yet..

Issues are never known once an item is in the stores, so it's the after effects that you have to listen for.. unfortunately that means missing out on the SRP...But I have a save, which fortunately is across the ocean with our Japanese friends.. so it's nice to have them as a fall back, as apposed to other properties out there...

I am glad I waited, because I'm gonna buy their versions, and hoepfully with new and bette rpaint applications..Or a good release of the rest of the cone heads and Thundercracker.. as well..I doubt they will retool the bots, just repaint or remold.. but even with Megatron as a Nerf Gun.. he won't look that way with a silver/Black and red deco like that of the original.. so for that i welcome the design, and will think of the repaint of him as Phasertron, instead of Nerfatron..which is a compliment in my book as I was once a Trekkie fan..

very nice review.. It really puts classics in it's place and showcases that even if the fans went nutso over it.. it's not a perfect series..and to me negates the Botcon super Pricing and makes me not mad anymore about it.. just glad I didn't go overboard and buy them..especially if takara Tomy does the seekers and releases them in Japan..

No offense Botcon guys, but

270.00 plus online 550.00 for that set isn't and will never be worth it, if Takara does them and sells them for 20.00..

550.00 could cover the entire Deluxe, Voyager Takara release, including shipping, and a release of the extra cone heads, and Thundercracker..

It would be Grimlock for me, I looked at pics and KNEW the legs were sucky but I still bought it. Oh well, he's awesome in dino mode at least.

Collector Maximus wrote:The supposed "cliffjumper', without a doubt was a major let down for me. Next would be the extremely limited and expensive botcon release of the other seekers. So sad that i don't have a set of those...yet.

That's another big disappointment. Half of the Seekers going to Botcon ultra-expensive exclusives.

Chaos Bringer wrote:Starscream's pointless new transformation sacrificed the underside of the jetmode more than was necessary and limited head articulation. Robotmasters did a way better job.

Robotmasters is one of the better Seekers version. Although i can't give him a clear winner status. Although it has remain true to G1 transformation, plus a lot of improvements; it has also inherited one of G1's weakness. The hollow backside. It's like Starscream has no backbone. Well, of course, his character has no backbone. But it just doesn't look good from behind.

Robotmasters SS gains more points in jet mode.

While Classics SS still look better in robot mode.

grimlock is the worst.

as for cliffjumper, i dont have him yet. i want to until takara release their version and i hope takara would release him with remolded head(if not, i would just settle with hasbro version since i dont want to pay ridiculous price for a deluxe).

skywarp-2 wrote:

Hard Hacker wrote:

Bonger wrote:Those mini craps don't count.

Flaming Megs is wel, just a disgrace. The most bad ass robot ever, as a nerf gun, can't get much worse than that for me.

U.S gun laws forbid realistic toys based on firearms. Tkae it or leave it basically.

In any case, I liked it. It helps rub in the point that this is a new form for Megatron (Which ties in lines with the new comics).

What I don't like is that it was over FAR too soon. I should have been an ongoing line like Universe. Also the lack of Combiner Team new moulds as well.

Yes US toy gun laws are that way.. but if the Toy is a Turret gun for another Toy, even with a silver and black color, there is no need for an orange tip, nor the funky colors.. so I still say that a Gun turret should have been the Megatron altmode.. it serves both purposes of the original, except the role play by the kid..but who cares when Starscream can wield a bad ass Gun turret Megatron and chop down some Autobots!!!!

Turret, tank or just better colors. That gun mode is a disgrace to evil tyrants!