The Energon Pub

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Getting the fin lock in on shuttle mode is much easier if you don't lock the jet thruster on the arm yet.

That's actually what I meant by finessing; you have to leave the arms free so that you can fold them together around the fin, instead of it just popping in there.

As for the platform hinge, yep it is a common problem with pretty much every copy. It is fixable, but still annoying. But the fix isn't that hard, thankfully.

Good to know.
Probably going to hold off on actually carrying it out until partway through reviewing him.

[Munkky]

I've been re-jigging my Generations Autobot collection and trying to decide which new figures I should add and what to take away. I'm tempted to have a full-blown Ark crew shelf in preparation for the Kingdom Ark Titan, but rather than track down every single 1984 Autobot I may just limit it to the Ark crew of the Netflix cartoon, so I'm missing Sideswipe, Cog, Mirage and Hound (Prowl and Ironhide too, but I still have my fingers crossed that my Amazon pre-order won't get cancelled).
The positive word on this thread about Sideswipe has got me interested in tracking one down, I'm not that fussed about Cog, but for those who own Hound and/or Mirage, what are they like? Worth buying or skippable?

[Nemesis Primal]

I've been re-jigging my Generations Autobot collection and trying to decide which new figures I should add and what to take away. I'm tempted to have a full-blown Ark crew shelf in preparation for the Kingdom Ark Titan, but rather than track down every single 1984 Autobot I may just limit it to the Ark crew of the Netflix cartoon, so I'm missing Sideswipe, Cog, Mirage and Hound (Prowl and Ironhide too, but I still have my fingers crossed that my Amazon pre-order won't get cancelled).
The positive word on this thread about Sideswipe has got me interested in tracking one down, I'm not that fussed about Cog, but for those who own Hound and/or Mirage, what are they like? Worth buying or skippable?

Hound is solid, albeit not particularly special. If you want a good Hound, he's worth it. I personally like the Hot Shot use of the mold more, but I have and enjoy both.

Mirage is a cool mold, I like the transformation and his accessories, but his clear plastic legs are basically guaranteed to break at some point, so you need to know that going into it (or try to wait and see if we get an Earth mode version of him, I've seen rumors about an Earth retool).

[bacem]

I've been re-jigging my Generations Autobot collection and trying to decide which new figures I should add and what to take away. I'm tempted to have a full-blown Ark crew shelf in preparation for the Kingdom Ark Titan, but rather than track down every single 1984 Autobot I may just limit it to the Ark crew of the Netflix cartoon, so I'm missing Sideswipe, Cog, Mirage and Hound (Prowl and Ironhide too, but I still have my fingers crossed that my Amazon pre-order won't get cancelled).
The positive word on this thread about Sideswipe has got me interested in tracking one down, I'm not that fussed about Cog, but for those who own Hound and/or Mirage, what are they like? Worth buying or skippable?

Hound is definitely one of my favorite deluxe on wfc line. I think he pulls off the cybertronian look really well, and ended up looking badass. Articulation is great too, and evrrything is just so tidy. I personally recommend him.

[Munkky]

I've been re-jigging my Generations Autobot collection and trying to decide which new figures I should add and what to take away. I'm tempted to have a full-blown Ark crew shelf in preparation for the Kingdom Ark Titan, but rather than track down every single 1984 Autobot I may just limit it to the Ark crew of the Netflix cartoon, so I'm missing Sideswipe, Cog, Mirage and Hound (Prowl and Ironhide too, but I still have my fingers crossed that my Amazon pre-order won't get cancelled).
The positive word on this thread about Sideswipe has got me interested in tracking one down, I'm not that fussed about Cog, but for those who own Hound and/or Mirage, what are they like? Worth buying or skippable?

Hound is solid, albeit not particularly special. If you want a good Hound, he's worth it. I personally like the Hot Shot use of the mold more, but I have and enjoy both.

Mirage is a cool mold, I like the transformation and his accessories, but his clear plastic legs are basically guaranteed to break at some point, so you need to know that going into it (or try to wait and see if we get an Earth mode version of him, I've seen rumors about an Earth retool).

Clear plastic legs that are prone to breaking? I may avoid that one then. Thanks for your advice!

[Nemesis Primal]

Clear plastic legs that are prone to breaking? I may avoid that one then. Thanks for your advice!

To be clear (like Mirage's legs), I don't think I've heard or seen of the breakage ruining anyone's copy of the figure. The common problem is that the legs get secured in three places per leg in altmode, in addition to pegging into each other, and each leg has a clear plastic tab that goes into a solid plastic hole that is sliiightly too small as one of those connections. If/when it breaks, the figure isn't ruined, as the alt mode will still hold itself together via the other connections, but it means the figure will likely have broken tabs sticking out of it like so:

This happened to mine after having/transforming it for somewhere between 1-2 weeks. If that is going to negatively impact your enjoyment of the figure, don't get it and wait to see if an Earth mode retool comes, if not, he's a solid Mirage figure.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded, since the clear plastic is the only unearthly aspect. At most we'll get an opaque redeco.

And yeah, the tab breakage is a minor inconvenience. It can also be pre-empted by filing the tabs a bit so that they don't get jammed in overly tight.

[Sabrblade]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

[bacem]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded, since the clear plastic is the only unearthly aspect. At most we'll get an opaque redeco.

And yeah, the tab breakage is a minor inconvenience. It can also be pre-empted by filing the tabs a bit so that they don't get jammed in overly tight.

I'm not asking much, but if they at least gives us a retool of this mold that change the clear plastic to solid plastic, and has a tidy color scheme (not digging netflix color too much) and has thicker, more durable tabs, then i'll take it.

[ZeroWolf]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

Have you heard rumours saying different?
(I'm guessing a Kingdom Selects or exclusive runour)

[bacem]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

Have you heard rumours saying different?
(I'm guessing a Kingdom Selects or exclusive runour)

Yes, actually. Pixelmaster on tfw2005 did mention that we gonna get earthmode sideswipe and mirage, in a 2 pack, as amazon exclusive. But still, a rumor should be taken with grain of salt.

[Rodimus Prime]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

Have you heard rumours saying different?
(I'm guessing a Kingdom Selects or exclusive runour)

Yes, actually. Pixelmaster on tfw2005 did mention that we gonna get earthmode sideswipe and mirage, in a 2 pack, as amazon exclusive. But still, a rumor should be taken with grain of salt.

Even if it's true, based on the recent events involving exclusives, it might not be worth the trouble. I mean, yeah it can be preordered, but will we actually get it?

[-Kanrabat-]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

Have you heard rumours saying different?
(I'm guessing a Kingdom Selects or exclusive runour)

They could fix the "arms spoilers" but most likely, just remolding the cockpit area would be enough.

So I don't see how a Kingdom Mirage would be impossible.

[william-james88]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded,

Well... maybe not entirely...

Have you heard rumours saying different?
(I'm guessing a Kingdom Selects or exclusive runour)

They could fix the "arms spoilers" but most likely, just remolding the cockpit area would be enough.

So I don't see how a Kingdom Mirage would be impossible.

Or it's just a redeco with the earth decals.

[Sowndwave76]

I hope this rumor ends up being truth...
I've held off on both Sideswipe and Springer hoping they'd be released later with no battle damage.
And while I'm not a huge fan of Mirage, I'd still get him, especially if the only option is in a 2-pack.
Springer may be easier to pass on since I don't really want SS 86 Blur, Kup, Kingdom Magnus, or either Arcee. I have really no interest in an '86 Movie display. But a "clean" version will probably be enough for me to bite since I did like him as a character.

[alekese]

IIRC, Pixelmaster's rumor was two separate two packs, each with a G1 and a BW character. One pack is an 'earth' mirage with opaque plastic and earth based racing sponsor decals, with BWII Skywarp redeco and possibly new head retool of Airazor. The other is the previously cut from earthrise earth mode sideswipe retool/redeco packed with BW grimlock from dinobot. They will allegedly be amazon exclusives. This is all assuming his info is accurate and that internal hasbro plans don't change, of course, but he's been right more often than he's been wrong from what I've seen.

[Nemesis Primal]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded, since the clear plastic is the only unearthly aspect. At most we'll get an opaque redeco.

I mean, I didn't mention it because it's something I want, I couldn't care less, I just wanted to make sure Munkky could make an informed decision regarding Mirage, and having seen this exact rumor:

IIRC, Pixelmaster's rumor was two separate two packs, each with a G1 and a BW character. One pack is an 'earth' mirage with opaque plastic and earth based racing sponsor decals, with BWII Skywarp redeco and possibly new head retool of Airazor. The other is the previously cut from earthrise earth mode sideswipe retool/redeco packed with BW grimlock from dinobot. They will allegedly be amazon exclusives. This is all assuming his info is accurate and that internal hasbro plans don't change, of course, but he's been right more often than he's been wrong from what I've seen.

I figured it was worth bringing into the conversation (although I don't remember seeing Pixel mention whether Mirage is a repaint or a retool specifically, when he posted it he just said Earth Mirage). I personally find the thought of them making more Earth redos of Siege figures to be a stupid decision, but I already didn't like it in Earthrise to begin with, so my opinion of it wasn't likely to be changed by this anyway, and seeing other people post that they actually want these means there is at least a market for the figures.

There is also a second larger leak from a newer source that agrees on the existence of these 2-packs, plus more, but I don't even know where exactly I would go to post it since it covers multiple lines, and I don't think the source has had their validity proven in any way yet.

[Sabrblade]

There is also a second larger leak from a newer source that agrees on the existence of these 2-packs, plus more, but I don't even know where exactly I would go to post it since it covers multiple lines, and I don't think the source has had their validity proven in any way yet.

Yeah, the new guy even later claimed he was drunk when he wrote all of his rumors, but a lot of what he said has been corroborated by a number of the reliable leakers, so who knows?

[william-james88]

There is also a second larger leak from a newer source that agrees on the existence of these 2-packs, plus more, but I don't even know where exactly I would go to post it since it covers multiple lines, and I don't think the source has had their validity proven in any way yet.

Yeah, the new guy even later claimed he was drunk when he wrote all of his rumors, but a lot of what he said has been corroborated by a number of the reliable leakers, so who knows?

I'm gonna write another article with these latest rumours, just so that other fans in our community can join in on them. What other rumours were corroborated aside from the 2 two packs?

[alekese]

I'm gonna write another article with these latest rumours, just so that other fans in our community can join in on them. What other rumours were corroborated aside from the 2 two packs?

I submitted a report to news/sightings, but a tl;dr is that several discords dedicated to transformers leaks grew toxic and self destructive enough that one member cut ties by compiling and posting everything they had accumulated to tfw2005 this past sunday while drunk, and it has turned into a weeklong q&a in the aftermath. Much of it is previously corraborated stuff, but there are some surprises that had been previously held in reserve, such as a transformers x jurassic park Rexy from kingdom megatron. In the sightings report I linked a compilation post that covered everything shared Sunday, but there have been several days worth for discussion and clarification since.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded, since the clear plastic is the only unearthly aspect. At most we'll get an opaque redeco.

And yeah, the tab breakage is a minor inconvenience. It can also be pre-empted by filing the tabs a bit so that they don't get jammed in overly tight.

I'm not asking much, but if they at least gives us a retool of this mold that change the clear plastic to solid plastic, and has a tidy color scheme (not digging netflix color too much) and has thicker, more durable tabs, then i'll take it.

That's a redeco, not a retool.


Bonus pic from my review of Astrotrain.

[bacem]

Anyone who expects an Earth-mode retool of Mirage is deluded, since the clear plastic is the only unearthly aspect. At most we'll get an opaque redeco.

And yeah, the tab breakage is a minor inconvenience. It can also be pre-empted by filing the tabs a bit so that they don't get jammed in overly tight.

I'm not asking much, but if they at least gives us a retool of this mold that change the clear plastic to solid plastic, and has a tidy color scheme (not digging netflix color too much) and has thicker, more durable tabs, then i'll take it.

That's a redeco, not a retool.


Bonus pic from my review of Astrotrain.

Yep, you are correct. My mind somehow counts the change on material as retool, my bad.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

A reminding that this guy is a sleeper from Siege, I really like what they did with the mold and who they made it into. It's fun having Slamdance and Flywheels

[Rodimus Prime]

A reminding that this guy is a sleeper from Siege, I really like what they did with the mold and who they made it into. It's fun having Slamdance and Flywheels

I like Flywheels well enough, but I didn't get this redeco. I have the original Autobot cassettes and they represent the characters well enough. Plus, I don't think they were prominent in fiction aside from the Underbase story. I couldn't justify purchase of this version without proper fiction backing it up.

[william-james88]

I like Flywheels too. Don't know if he would make it in a top 5 siege toys for me.

Let's see, who else are my favourites in this line, there was...

Prime, Impactor, Omega Supreme, Ironhide/Ratchet, that Bull Battle Master, Shockwave, Spinister, Springer...
ooof, a top 5 would be hard to do. Earthrise is MUCH easier