The Energon Pub

[Gauntlet101010]

Ewww. That junk is soooo not what I was going for. Even if the chest and grille aren't fake it still suffers from faux-parts usage (like the bumper), the legs having to be turned backwards for vehicle mode, and an excessively complex transformation.

Are they faux parts when they don't resemble a bumper in the least? Or even try to? But very well, I guess I missed what exactly you were describing.

I don't think that's exactly my ideal Prime, but to each his own.

Regarding your gripes about ER Ironhide's feet... It seems pretty likely to me that the SIEGE Ratchet/Ironhide mold was never really designed with an Earth mode retool in mind. HasTak tried to shoehorn it into one anyway with a new windshield, new leg panels, and a roof shield and... Well, you can see how that worked out. The feet worked okay in the original version of the mold, and that was all they were really meant for.
Which 3D-printed feet were you looking at? The Funbie Studios ones look like they blend decently at least

Yeah, those are the only ones available so far and they don't look good to me at all. I saw some 3rd party upgrades in development as I was searching and I hope that they get produced.

I don't think the Siege toy was ever meant to be repurposed either. The effect COULD have been alright, but it's like they ran out of money at the end since so much doesn't work. It'd have been better if they knew they were going to make an Earth mode from it and designed it to work with both modes in mind. Because it almost works. But not quite.

Personally I don't mind the shield. Because it actually looks like a shield.

[Quantum Surge]

My Ironhide was supposed to come out last month, and I'm still mad that it got pushed back on the SAME DAY it was supposed to come out.

[Bombshell0001]

They just can't get Thrust right can they ? His wings should flip up like Starscreams's but dowh at his hip level .

[Sowndwave76]

They just can't get Thrust right can they ? His wings should flip up like Starscreams's but dowh at his hip level .

I thought I saw they can be rotated downward, just not back at all once there.
Unless you mean that then they're upside-down compared to the character illustration.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Problem with Thrust is they'd have to rework the rotation setup just for him to get that quite right.

Ewww. That junk is soooo not what I was going for. Even if the chest and grille aren't fake it still suffers from faux-parts usage (like the bumper), the legs having to be turned backwards for vehicle mode, and an excessively complex transformation.

Are they faux parts when they don't resemble a bumper in the least? Or even try to? But very well, I guess I missed what exactly you were describing.

I don't think that's exactly my ideal Prime, but to each his own.

Well, they're faux-parts in that any attempt to implement what I call the "Dery Diaper" in lieu of just leaving the real bumper is; they replace the bumper with the thing the animation warps it into in robot mode. Robotmasters is a fairly unobtrusive example since it just segments it and slaps the segments on the hips, but it is an example.

Regarding your gripes about ER Ironhide's feet... It seems pretty likely to me that the SIEGE Ratchet/Ironhide mold was never really designed with an Earth mode retool in mind. HasTak tried to shoehorn it into one anyway with a new windshield, new leg panels, and a roof shield and... Well, you can see how that worked out. The feet worked okay in the original version of the mold, and that was all they were really meant for.
Which 3D-printed feet were you looking at? The Funbie Studios ones look like they blend decently at least

Yeah, those are the only ones available so far and they don't look good to me at all. I saw some 3rd party upgrades in development as I was searching and I hope that they get produced.

I don't think the Siege toy was ever meant to be repurposed either. The effect COULD have been alright, but it's like they ran out of money at the end since so much doesn't work. It'd have been better if they knew they were going to make an Earth mode from it and designed it to work with both modes in mind. Because it almost works. But not quite.

Personally I don't mind the shield. Because it actually looks like a shield.

Oh, I'm not saying it's a bad shield. It's a very good tower shield, especially with the point made by the folded front windows. It's just, the reason it exists is that HasTak tried to shoehorn a mold not designed to be Earth mode, into being Earth mode.

[Gauntlet101010]

Well, they're faux-parts in that any attempt to implement what I call the "Dery Diaper" in lieu of just leaving the real bumper is; they replace the bumper with the thing the animation warps it into in robot mode. Robotmasters is a fairly unobtrusive example since it just segments it and slaps the segments on the hips, but it is an example.

See, this is where I can't really follow you to the end. Even if I disagree I can understand Hot Rod's hood and even Optimus' grille. But the "bumper" is one of those things that looks irreconcilably different, especially if you want a more realistic alt. mode. When the original MP Prime came out I loved that they found a way to get both bumpers right.

If they made Prime your way the robot mode wouldn't really look much like Prime proportionally speaking. I don't think it would look very appealing in robot mode, though. Not if it's G1 Prime. If it were a different Prime who was designed to work that way then it's a different story.

Maybe photoshop something? On the face of it it seems like it would look really bad.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Well, they're faux-parts in that any attempt to implement what I call the "Dery Diaper" in lieu of just leaving the real bumper is; they replace the bumper with the thing the animation warps it into in robot mode. Robotmasters is a fairly unobtrusive example since it just segments it and slaps the segments on the hips, but it is an example.

See, this is where I can't really follow you to the end. Even if I disagree I can understand Hot Rod's hood and even Optimus' grille. But the "bumper" is one of those things that looks irreconcilably different, especially if you want a more realistic alt. mode. When the original MP Prime came out I loved that they found a way to get both bumpers right.

Well see, I think when something looks that irreconcilably different, when it's been warped that badly by the animation design, then the animation's distorted version should generally be tossed out the window and good riddance.

If they made Prime your way the robot mode wouldn't really look much like Prime proportionally speaking. I don't think it would look very appealing in robot mode, though. Not if it's G1 Prime. If it were a different Prime who was designed to work that way then it's a different story.

Maybe photoshop something? On the face of it it seems like it would look really bad.

I don't think I really need Photoshop because what I'm talking about is this. This bumper right here. The real bumper. Where it is on the G1 toy, as it looks on the G1 toy. Just on a hinge (and with the red plastic below it gone) so that it doesn't get in the way of leg articulation.
Looks decent to me. I suppose you could also have hinges in the bumper itself that bring the sides closer to the tires, for a more "wrapped around the waist" look. If that's not enough for you to picture it I'll try and draw something up after finals

[Overcracker]

I don't think I really need Photoshop because what I'm talking about is this. This bumper right here. The real bumper. Where it is on the G1 toy, as it looks on the G1 toy. Just on a hinge (and with the red plastic below it gone) so that it doesn't get in the way of leg articulation.
Looks decent to me. I suppose you could also have hinges in the bumper itself that bring the sides closer to the tires, for a more "wrapped around the waist" look. If that's not enough for you to picture it I'll try and draw something up after finals

Technically earthrise prime can already do something like that.

[Gauntlet101010]

Well see, I think when something looks that irreconcilably different, when it's been warped that badly by the animation design, then the animation's distorted version should generally be tossed out the window and good riddance.


I don't think I really need Photoshop because what I'm talking about is this. This bumper right here. The real bumper. Where it is on the G1 toy, as it looks on the G1 toy. Just on a hinge (and with the red plastic below it gone) so that it doesn't get in the way of leg articulation.
Looks decent to me. I suppose you could also have hinges in the bumper itself that bring the sides closer to the tires, for a more "wrapped around the waist" look. If that's not enough for you to picture it I'll try and draw something up after finals

So, for real ....



That's your ideal? I mean I get wanting a simpler, uncomplicated transformation. And I also get wanting no faux parts, that part of the fun of a transformer is that a vehicle turns into a robot, not a robot that pretends to have vehicle parts. But I think you're skewing too far towards vehicle mode supremacy. The robot mode has to look good too in a modern sense.

[Quantum Surge]

Just try and mod the G1 toy to give it better leg movement as an experiment to see if it'd work. I'll be happy with Earthrise Prime.

[King Kuuga]

Just don't think of his codpiece as his bumper, problem solved!

[bacem]

While i still not too happy with his trailer, i am grateful that his repair drone can be detached and used as optimus's backpack. Thanks to that, it adds extra connection points, and enable me to really deck him out with weaponries.

And after handling this figure for a few days, i do admit that this is indeed a nice, solid figure, and worth the higher than voyager price. That being said, i still think full leader price is too much. At 30% discount however, well worth it.

[Munkky]

I got wave 2 of the Micromasters today, and they're all fairly decent. Some of the joints on the Race Track Patrol are a bit stiff, and it's a pain getting Blast Master to stand up in robot mode, but otherwise, good stuff. I think I'll get one more Autobot Micromaster duo, probably eiher the Hot Rod Patrol or the Seige Battle Patrol, but I'm still undecided on whether or not to get the Modulators.

[ZeroWolf]

While i still not too happy with his trailer, i am grateful that his repair drone can be detached and used as optimus's backpack. Thanks to that, it adds extra connection points, and enable me to really deck him out with weaponries.

20201211_190439.jpg

And after handling this figure for a few days, i do admit that this is indeed a nice, solid figure, and worth the higher than voyager price. That being said, i still think full leader price is too much. At 30% discount however, well worth it.

What weapons are those? Prime wouldn't need "apex" armour with that load out!

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Well see, I think when something looks that irreconcilably different, when it's been warped that badly by the animation design, then the animation's distorted version should generally be tossed out the window and good riddance.


I don't think I really need Photoshop because what I'm talking about is this. This bumper right here. The real bumper. Where it is on the G1 toy, as it looks on the G1 toy. Just on a hinge (and with the red plastic below it gone) so that it doesn't get in the way of leg articulation.
Looks decent to me. I suppose you could also have hinges in the bumper itself that bring the sides closer to the tires, for a more "wrapped around the waist" look. If that's not enough for you to picture it I'll try and draw something up after finals

So, for real ....



That's your ideal? I mean I get wanting a simpler, uncomplicated transformation. And I also get wanting no faux parts, that part of the fun of a transformer is that a vehicle turns into a robot, not a robot that pretends to have vehicle parts. But I think you're skewing too far towards vehicle mode supremacy. The robot mode has to look good too in a modern sense.

Well, first of all, that doesn't look too bad in my opinion.

But no, sticking that rigidly to the G1 toy design isn't my ideal. When I made that post I was zeroing in on how I preferred the bumper because I thought you were trying to ask me to specifically explain that.

There's a reason I put a pic of the original (okay, it's a reissue, but) G1 toy in my last post. What I'm talking about is a Prime that largely looks like this except with:
1. The panels on the backs of the shoulders moved to his back to make the cartoon's backpack
2. Square forearms like the cartoon
3. Cartoon-style (at least somewhat) abdominal slopes achieved by flipping the front fenders (which would now no longer be attached to the forearms) up into the empty space left by the arms
4. The front wheels and bumper being hinged similarly to Cybertron Optimus' hip wheels and faux-bumper:

Here's the full list of proposals from earlier in the thread.

Alternatively, you could have the ab slopes be popout pieces and deal with the fenders another way... I'll post concept drawings to hopefully better show I'm thinking of.

Just try and mod the G1 toy to give it better leg movement as an experiment to see if it'd work. I'll be happy with Earthrise Prime.

Made an abortive attempt at that once, back when I was inept and had no parts resources. But that wouldn't really make for a good modern G1 Prime toy.

The existing Prime I'll be happy with for now is CW. He has his own compromises and faux-parts (mechanically necessitated by combining in his case) usage, but I like his size and his cleaner transformation better so... *shrug*

[Gauntlet101010]

Well, my fav Prime is still Henkei Prime. Still. I'm used to him on the shelf, and I still like all the 3rd party accessories I've got for him. And he matches City Commander and the Japanese Nemesis Prime. And I like his colors more than ER Prime.

Earthrise is the better toy overall. But I still have my preferences.

Hopefully that dovetails back into more relevant conversation.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Well, in terms of relevant I'm scheming on an additional accessory for Snapdragon: A drone based off the Lockheed D-21 that can possibly act as a shield in robot mode. It'd also be a "seat a Titan Master" accessory for him.

[Gauntlet101010]

Well, Ratchet finally arrived. With his shoulder frozen. The joint broke when I tried to transform him, but his arm is still in there since it's just stuck in there.

Amazon's all out of the set too. And it's a ton of money off ebay.

God dammit. I'm not even that into this stupid toy.

[william-james88]

God dammit. I'm not even that into this stupid toy.

Then just return it and get your money back.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Can you share photos? I might be able to advise on repairs.

[Gauntlet101010]

I'm returning it. Found one on ebay that's just twice the price (as opposed to three times). >_<

It's a pinned joint and I'm just not experienced to even try fixing it. It's just disheartening on something for something I've been waiting months for. It's the second exclusive to have a problem for me, but I was able to exchange Exhaust locally. Not this set.

[Wolfman Jake]

Have you bid on that Ebay auction yet? If not, I've got an extra Earthrise Ratchet I can part with for $20 + shipping costs. PM me if interested.

[Gauntlet101010]

Dang, I just shipped it out and ebought a new set. Oh, well. Thanks for the offer!

Edit: Actually maybe I can still cancel the ebay auction...

[King Kuuga]

Having Ratchet in hand really cemented my choice to get rid of both vans, and now Ironhide and Ratchet hav been sold to a friend of mine. I really wanted to like them but they just didn't scratch that itch. Here's hoping the next attempt at them is better, but until then, the Siege figures will be more than fine.

And if you prefer the ER versions over the Siege ones, that's valid and I'm happy for you.

[Razorbeast88]

Yeah unfortunately it feels like there's yet to be a set of mainline G1 style ironhide & ratchet figures that are solid. I currently have iGear weapon specialist as my ironhide but he's not without his flaws. Hopefully later on some really great figures for ironhide and ratchet come out. It may not be the most popular opinion but I think they should be voyagers, especially ironhide. I dont feel that the deluxe size class does him much justice. I definitely wouldn't mind seeing an IDW-esque old man ironhide figure in the future or a generations ratchet with designs implemented from TF:A or transformers prime. Wishful thinking