The Energon Pub

Never saw those repaints before. Bottom line is they werent in the armada cartoon. Im guessing they were exclusive repaints from kaybee or TRU from back in the days? If theyre gonna homage the original 3 seekers in G1 fashion, they should have gone with with identical heads. That head fin looks pretty stupid. Id be totally down for a G1 style deco of starscream as well.

Back during Armada (can you believe that was 13 years ago? It was! The toys started hitting store shelves Summer 2002. Right after I graduated high school!) Starscream was released in the first wave of offerings. For a while he, and then Thrust, were the only Seekers introduced by both the toy line and the television show. However when the second series of toys - marketed under the banner Transformers Armada: The Unicron Battles - came out, scores of repaints of toys from the first series started appearing on shelves. One of the first waves of Unicron Battles Voyagers (which at the time were being called "Mega-Cons") featured a blue and gray repaint of Starscream named, of course, Thundercracker.

Now having both Starscream and Thundercracker, fans wanted a Skywarp to complete the trio. Hasbro obliged, but to make the release extra-special (and to hopefully sway parents into buying a third use of the mold) they retooled the head, rear fins, and also included an entirely new Minicon. Unfortunately, though, Skywarp was scheduled for release in the last wave of the toy line. And we all know what happens to those. Indeed, stores under-ordered the wave and Skywarp became one of those hard-to-find figures almost immediately.

That's Hasbro's side of things. Over at Takara, they released them a little differently. Since in the show there was no Thundercracker, only the blue and gray Super Mode Starscream (there was, however, the one line in the English show delivered by Starscream right after his upgrade: "I look like...Thundercracker") that is precisely what Takara delivered in its toy line: Starscream and Super Mode Starscream. Skywarp was left out of Takara's main line offerings because there was no trio to complete.

Japan, though, did get a chance to buy Skywarp through the USA Edition store exclusive sub-line (which is also where the cancelled-in-the-USA red Powerlinx Thrust saw release). Ironically, although it was a store exclusive, Skywarp's limited main line release in the USA meant that for a very brief period, it was easier to obtain the Japanese store exclusive version instead.

That wasn't the end of the Skywarp tale, however. When Hasbro started the Universe toy line in 2003, they grabbed onto the Armada Skywarp tool to make the Toys R Us exclusive Ramjet figure. Unsure what to think of this white, blue, and red repaint rather than a more G1-inspired deco, some fans hesitated... And then the figure was gone from store shelves.

As quickly as his toy disappeared from shelves, his appearance in Transformers fiction lingered quite a bit longer. Hasbro toy bio writer at the time, Forrest Lee, took the character of Ramjet and told an involved story of his mission from Unicron against the Children of Primus as well as member of the 13 Vector Prime. This story was featured in the very first comic offering from the Transformers Collectors' Club, entitled "Crossing Over".

Given Ramjet's connection to the Club fiction, and Skywarp's toy connection to Ramjet, when the Generations Armada Starscream mold was first revealed, Ramjet and Skywarp became a very tempting pair of remolds/repaints for the Club to pursue. Which is exactly what eventually came about.

With Takara Tomy releasing their Super Mode Starscream (aka Thundercracker) in just a month or two, this will be a great way to get all 4 homages to the Armada/Universe redecoes/retools.

Well, unlike most end-of-line figures, I not only saw armada skywarp, he shelf-warmed pretty hard near me. I already had starscream, so I wasn't ready to double dip on him, but I really wish that I had, he was just so evil looking

New artwork for TFSS 4.0 and "news" that NEXT issue of the Club Magazine (Issue #67) will have the first teaser for TFSS 5.0!

https://twitter.com/The_TF_Club/status/677566251275821057
https://www.facebook.com/151255348266785/photos/a.152760178116302.31570.151255348266785/1004669349592043

Er. Yes I did. Thanks for the correction!

Sabrblade wrote: It's not trying to be a G1 fashion, it's trying to be an Armada fashion. This Skywarp figure is getting a new head because the original toy had a new head. To not give it a new head would make it an unfaithful representation of the character that it's supposed to be. He's not supposed to be a mold-match for Armada Starscream and Armada Thundercracker.

Why, even Thundercracker got his own mold in the Cybertron line and cartoon, making him not resemble Starscream at all.

This. So much this. Don't try to G1-ify things that were never meant to resemble G1 that closely.We aren't Legends Tankor, for crying out loud.

Sabrblade wrote:While Skywarp wasn't in the Armada cartoon (nor was Thundercracker, even), he was in the Armada comics, which a lot a older fans took to liking more than the cartoon at the time since the cartoon was more kiddie and childish when compared to the darker and cooler Armada comics.

And fewer animation errors to boot!

CombaticonsCombine? wrote:Don't try to G1-ify things that were never meant to resemble G1 that closely.

Certain people believe everything was meant to resemble G1, or at least that everything should be.

Please delete this post ok

Sabrblade wrote:

Starsaber468 wrote:I feel like a cancled/figure not being made for botcon 2016 a pre beast wars Big Convoy....
.....yes, your not the only one sad this is not gonna happen (its no longer going to happen due to unknown reasons of my behalf)

What does Big Convoy have to do with the American Beast Wars cartoon?

Um Sabrblade their has bern noyhing specificing whether it will be just american. Beast watd cartoon characters.... plus tfcc recongnizes itas part of the beast wars series and things

Aorry just found its fake sorry for wasting your time

4.0 samples are in!!

https://www.facebook.com/151255348266785/photos/a.152760178116302.31570.151255348266785/1010970495628595/?type=3&theater

They look great, especially the decals, but is that Thunderwing chillin' out on the back of Bludgeon or what

Fellow Seibertronians, the Transformers Collectors Club has just released near final production samples of the TFSS 4.0: Mayhem Attack Squad figures. This latest set of subscription figures was first announced at Botcon, however, the combined mode was left a mystery until Thunder Mayhem was finally revealed. But now, we get our first look at what the actual figure's will look like, you can check out the post on the Collectors' Club's Facebook page or see the image below.



So are you excited to get your figures? It won't be long now, in the mean time, don't forget to check out the rest of the TFSS figures Here

The guns and swords can attach in a way to actually cover up the form of Thunder Mayhem's head on the back of the vehicle.

Or at least make it less intrusive.

TF_JW wrote:he guns and swords can attach in a way to actually cover up the form of Thunder Mayhem's head on the back of the vehicle.

Or at least make it less intrusive.

They can? That's awesome; if you can get a picture, I can amend the news post

I don't personally have hands on a sample, but no doubt more images will follow from those that do.

I'm loving what I'm seeing here, so glad I ordered this set.

TF_JW wrote:I don't personally have hands on a sample, but no doubt more images will follow from those that do.

Well, if you can, just post it here, and we can news it

Looking nice, although someone forgot Windsweeper's gun. (EDIT: No they didn't, it's on his back, my bad.) Looking forward to if/when they round it out with a picture of Impactor's production sample.

TF_JW wrote:I don't personally have hands on a sample, but no doubt more images will follow from those that do.

Or those who could demonstrate using Optimus Exprime's swords and Onslaught.

Nemesis Primal wrote:Looking nice, although someone forgot Windsweeper's gun. Looking forward to if/when they round it out with a picture of Impactor's production sample.

They both have they're guns, one's under a wing and the other is on top of the jet mode