The Energon Pub

Burn wrote:"Transformers Toys Discussion"

You know better Kanra ...

Yeah, I know but ya gotta admit that this thing is textbook definition of a pretender, thus at least 90-ish% relevant to the thread.

bodrock wrote:That's AWESOME Kanra! Was that Hulk made, circa 1987?

No, it much more recent than that. 2007. Can't find it on the 'bay though.

bodrock wrote:Burn's right, Kanra -- you should have Pretender Hulk face-off against the Mega Pretenders...or Mayhem Attack Squad!

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I was looking for the Japanese checklist/poster, and finally found the ones from Super-God Masterforce -- did Japan not get all the Pretenders we did?

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Sure, they got plenty of exclusives, but it seems Takara didn't go there with the Pretender Beasts....a shame, imho.....and no signs of Roadblock or Iguanus.

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As a collector, the Pretenders have been great to hunt -- they almost make better statues than toys, but as I've mentioned before, I love the Decepticon designs.

Japan never got Thunderwing nor Cross Blades. They got the Sky Shadow and some other remold/repaint. However, those Japanese exclusives were produced in much more limited quantities, thus making them un-buyable.

As for Hulk...



I managed to make a bot fit inside. Only a minicon can fit and barely. So that one is perfect.



It have a real vehicle mode.



And the bot is "Bruceish" with enough imagination. It's a great minicon.



So that Hulk is now officially a real pretender! Fleshy suit, inner bot!

Ha! Pretender Hulk is PERFECT NAO -- and we know Marvel and Transformers have crossed over before!I'm used to Japan getting everything I could possibly want over what we see in the States (how it is with video games, other figures & robots) so I'm a bit surprised they missed out on these kaiju creations. Maybe HasBRO thought we wanted more Pretenders while Japan got VICTORY.

Why couldn't we get ALL the Transformers? I suppose we can now, for the right price.

To answer the Japanese Pretender question, they only got the first wave of regular Pretenders, retools of two Mega Pretenders, and the Pretender Monsters with new Dinosaur Shells. O, and the Classic Pretenders in a special gift set. That's it, no Beasts, Vehicles, Ultras or the smaller ones. This was at a time when Japanese lines were smaller, and diverging more from the US.

Thanks Jelze! Japan certainly got a lot more Headmasters than we did, and a lot more combiners, etc.

I wouldn't mind seeing more Victory characters in the US -- it would be really cool if Deathsaurus was released and came in a huge Tiamat-lookin' dragon shell. Throw in a little friend and DOUBLE PRETENDER'd.

A bit sad that in Japan, all they got from the Classic Pretenders are the inner bots in a box set. No shells at all.



BUY IT NOW!

It's cheap cheap cheap!

Sooooooo...you kids want some Pretenders?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/G1-Transform ... SwAO9ZTbRo

Burn wrote:Sooooooo...you kids want some Pretenders?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/G1-Transform ... SwAO9ZTbRo

Not to be offensive, but I just can't believes the autism in AFA collecting. I mean, it's leagues beyond keeping things sealed. It's...
...I have no words.

If you don't want to be offensive then don't say something so **** stupid.

Just because someone collects in a different manner to you doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them.

Thanks for the links!

I don't really see the point of that Classics pack without the shells, Kanra, but I suppose that was an easy release for Takara.

And from Burn's link, I thought this was cool:
http://m.ebay.com.au/itm/Transformers-O ... 0408.m2460

I'd love to have a sealed and graded TF (there's gotta be some standard after all, if they are to be bought & sold), but I don't believe I have a single bot still MISB.....unless I haven't gotten around to making memes or taking pics yet. Certainly none of the Pretenders!

I would have to be experiencing hard times before I'd consider selling anything, but grading helps you know exactly what you're getting. I mean, pictures can only show you so much....a grading scale sets expectations.....and possibly the inability to open the graded item lol

I see G1 Metalhawk and know that even if I managed to magically obtain him sealed, I would open him up! Then post pics.

This is more of what I'd hunt for:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/162600239691

Of course, that's also the reason most of the things on my Watch List are accessories.

bodrock wrote:
I see G1 Metalhawk and know that even if I managed to magically obtain him sealed, I would open him up! Then post pics.

Being full of cash to spare, I'd buy a sealed Metal Hawk, Sky Shadow, Minelba, ect.
Then I'll unpack them. I'll apply the stickers. And I'll play with all of them, transforming them back and forth and taking/posting a tons of pictures from that GLORIOUS event.

For me, it would make no sense to keep them sealed and I LOVE to play with my things. The cold sweat from MISB and AFA collectors will just be the sweet cherry on top of that epic sundae!

I hear dat, Kanra! These days, the only thing that hurts is when we lose or break (!) a part of a Transformer -- but that's the chance I'm willing to take to share our hobby and love of bots with my kids (both under eight)....

In fact, I have a gun for Skullgrin on the way, since a little peg broke on the "male" half of his double-barreled gun.

bodrock wrote:Ha! Pretender Hulk is PERFECT NAO -- and we know Marvel and Transformers have crossed over before!

Why angry gun man not smash puny spider dude! Ha because he not strong as HULK!

bodrock wrote:Thanks for the links!

I don't really see the point of that Classics pack without the shells, Kanra, but I suppose that was an easy release for Takara.

They were sold without the shells by Hasbro too, renamed Legends (yeah, they've used that name a LOT over the years) exclusive to K-marts.

Ah, so it was a Kmart exclusive! Now all that's left are TRU, Walgreens....does Target or Walmart get exclusives?

I find myself loving Bomb-Burst a lot more than I ever imagined! Roadblock certainly didn't disappoint either.

Target and Walmart are among the main stores that get special exclusives.

That's right, I've seen box sets at Target before.

It makes me wonder what the distribution of Pretenders were back in the day...even with the internet, I can really only find 'em at Etsy & eBay. I have one of two vintage stores that have some, but they charge the high-end of the price-range....you know I like spending $25-35 only!

I recently had bids for Bludgeon, Thunderwing, Stranglehold, the MicroMaster Astro Squad, Countdown, Longtooth, Doubleheader & Bugly.In the end, I only won Longtooth ($22.50) - he didn't come with either gun or his carrier wheels. He's the first Autobot Pretender I've sought and won; the only other one I'm seeking is Doubleheader -- another oddball, since he looks like a literal Man With Two Brains. Or maybe robot with three heads...?
Anyway, back to Cyber-Walrus Manimal. I can identify with Longtooth's weakness! It reminds me of my personal PretenderQuest -- which shall continue.

Longtooth is awesome. Glad you got him for cheap but it's a real shame you miss half of the vehicle mode. Hunting that single part may cost as much as what you have already paid for the whole thing... and that's not counting the gun.

That's why I now prefer to pay the FULL price, for a 100% COMPLETE figure. Less hassle and it's ironically cheaper down the line. It also give my collection it's full value. Nothing bum me more than missing a part and having to go to ScalpBay.

Best example is for my G1 Scorponok. I made a downpayment at my local geek store to buy one. It only missed a tiny gun for the Fastrack minibot. It was still 574$CAN with taxes and I was prepared to pay that. But then I saw that buying that single gun would amount to nearly 50$CAN! So I cancelled my order and opt for G1 headmasters instead for what I already paid him.

I lucked into some cash and found a G1 Scorponok that was ironically cheaper on Ebay. 100% complete, for 408$CAN, shipped and no taxes. That's almost 200$CAN less than what I would have previously paid.

An older story is for my G1 Doubledealer. Normally, he went for 100$CAN some years ago. But then, I saw one for 60$CAN plus shipping! I was exited and bought it now. I receive it and I raged to see the blue chest part missing. I double-checked the listing and saw that the blue chest part was indeed not included. It took a full YEAR to see one finally pop in on Ebay and I had to pay over 40$CAN for the damn thing, making the overall price way higher than the normal one.

If you don't mind incomplete G1 figures, that's fine. but for me, I see G1 as high end collectibles and unless they are part of a big lot for cheap, this is something that I no longer tolerate.

And I recently lost a missile from my YOTS Omega Supreme too.

I totally get it, Kanra -- the PretenderQuest is especially difficult thanks to the wide assortment of weapons & accessories they come with.

It's like they were overcompensating for the nearly complete lack of articulation.

But yes, these accessories can definitely be as expensive or more than the innerbot and shell combined, so often it makes sense to buy complete.

The Hunt is part of the fun for me, though -- it requires lots of patience and ultimately, I could have incomplete Pretenders (no way am I paying $50+ for a mini gun for Octopunch or Longtooth!).....but I'm certainly not above buying repro's or using the Titan Masters (where possible).

I agree -- completed, they are high-end collectibles (and will only get more valuable!).

As it is, if they are incomplete, I don't feel as bad if I let my kids play with them -- sans accessories. I've already replaced one of Skullgrin's guns that broke a small peg.

I just bought Longtooth's ionic generator rifle ($14) and the carrier wheels ($25) through Scalpbay. Like you said, the wheels alone cost me more!

I'm hoping to find his little plasma cannon for cheap (it goes for $25 to $50+!)....

They don't have any more accessories than any other G1 figure.

It's the fun and bane of collecting G1.

No doubt, Burn -- back in the day, I distinctly remember bringing home the Stunticons, opening them up....and shoving their accessories in a drawer, since I didn't wanna lose them or there was no place for a bot to store 'em.

Sure, accessories for Menasor were readily available and used, but the little handguns? I rarely equipped these, if ever, and hardly gave them much thought.

Nowadays, if I'm missing anything, I am hyper-aware of it!

Burn wrote:They don't have any more accessories than any other G1 figure.

It's the fun and bane of collecting G1.

Pretenders accessories are indeed run-of-the-mill standard. Still, they usually come with the gun and 2 or 4 armor parts. So they add-up fast. That's why I now say "screw it" and buy complete.

Only for my Action Masters collection do I have two or 3 vehicles with missing bits. But the whole lot was so insanely cheap that I would have been madness to pass on that collection just for that. Hunting these bits will be a bitch though because two of these vehicles are Europe exclusives...

Appart the aforementioned Cityformers like Scorponok, I found at my local Geek store the KING of accessories hoarder. G1 Roadbuster:



Just look at this mess. Most of these accessories are just for the robot mode! To cover the wheels and such. Sure, like Jetfire, Roadbuster came from another line/universe of toys. But I found the fact that it's almost more a model kit than a transformers due to all that partforming pretty ridiculous. And it's unforgivable that those parts don't go anywhere in vehicle mode.

Naked, G1 Roadbuster is worth 20$US or 50$US. 100% complete like pic related and it minimum 250$US! That's one sucker I'm gonna avoid like the plague.

Yeah, but he wasn't a Takara/Hasbro design so he's a bit of an exception.

Same can be said for Jetfire and all his armour. Try to find unbroken armour clips for him on their own ...

Burn wrote:Yeah, but he wasn't a Takara/Hasbro design so he's a bit of an exception.

Same can be said for Jetfire and all his armour. Try to find unbroken armour clips for him on their own ...

I was lucky as balls with my G1 Jetfire. Found a Canadian listing on ebay that was completely ignored for some reasons. Won easily for around 150$CAN shipped if I remember correctly. 100% complete with box, manual, foam insert, the red thing to read the specs, all guns and armor bits (one tiny clip broken on one armor piece) no yellowing, box is a bit beaten up but still presentable.

Not only G1 Jetfire is really advanced for it's times in term of design, it can transform without removing any parts! I'm really, really glad to have found it. Especially at that price!

Now if only Takara would/could make a MP without You-Know-Who freaking out...


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And speaking of Masterpieces, I know I ask for the impossible, but how about some MASTERPIECE PRETENDERS? More details and articulations on the shells and the inner bots could fold into themselves ridiculously tightly and become as big as the shell in vehicle or bot mode.

We saw with animated Lockdown and Prime First Edition Bulkhead that with clever engineering, the bot can grow very large and imposing from a compact vehicle mode. this could be implemented and improved for the MP Pretenders.

And if Takara is unwilling to try and design something magical as a MP Pretender, how about some of them 3P companies, hmmmmm?