The Energon Pub

For those of you who have never picked up a classics toy from Hasbro and who have never been to Botcon, I feel your pain. Those classics toys that were released Pre-movie, were very nice and excellent homages to Generation One. I myself had even considered purchasing those figures when I saw them released in stores.

Yet, as a Generation One fan, I held to the staple of only buying the Masterpiece renditions of those characters. For me the high grade and realistic designs and altmodes really struck a collector cord with me. So I passed on classics, especially when I saw the "Nerf" Megatron..


But after the classics run we had the movie line up, which is still producing nice and high quality figures, and keeps selling out at the local Wal-Mart, Targets, Toys R Us, and K-mart Stores. I can only hope the fever over the new toys dies down..

For those of you who have no money or very little, who have children, House payments and monthly expenses that keep you as a collector in desperation..you know how I feel. To me there are so many times that I just wish an item would stay in the stores for more then a couple months so that you can save up the $40.00 to $100.00 it would take to walk away happy...

With the fandom response over classics and the new releases coming out, it can be financially overwhelming, not to mention the movie line up and impending Transformers "Animated" cartoon toys..

Then we come to the Classics again, and the Botcon exclusives...It's not that I hate classics, it is actually quite the opposite! those of us complaining and upset are just upset that we can not get those exclusives at a mass retail release, especially since the majority of characters should have been released enmass.. like for instance, Thundercracker, and the other jets, Huffer would have been really nice as well.. Here are a few that you missed:

Dreadwing and Boxset images






Weirdwolf




Vector Sigma and Alphatrion

Group shots



Thundercracker

Thrust

Springer

Huffer

Airrazor and Astrotrain





Astrotrain




So if you have the cash and want to pay through the nose for these exclusives go ahead... I would love to purchase them as well.. but again I am probably gonna get flamed by many of the fandom here, but I really don't care anymore..Those who support flaming those who are boycotting the exclusives, are also the same ones who either went to the cons or own those exclusives.. so what you say in their defense just doesn't do anything for me.. you own them, I don't ...

I would rather spend my hard earned money on the Transformers masterpiece line up, which in my view is a true exclusive..though released in higher quality and only available through Japan, except when Hasbro decides to import the mold and release a slightly lesser modified "for U.S. toy safety regulation" and sell it at mass retail.. But to me those are "not Repaints" and are highly detailed representations of transformers I have loved from Generation One..

here is the best part...they are only $75.00 to $100.00, and even the MP-04 is $200.00 or less depending on where you look!!! as apposed to the Botcon sets and individual repaints whose packaging includes a plastic baggy..and cost you $275.00 for one toy, or a Box set that costs $650.00!!!

so why pay $278.00 for this repaint?:


when you can buy this "Masterpiece" one mold non-repaint from japan!!!:


Now for those of you who want a new series, mass retail that reminds you of Generation One...I give you Transformers "Animated" !!! this toy series, unlike the classics and Botcon exclusives will have a cartoon series to support it..


Starscream:






Nice and it will probably retail less than buying one of these!!!


so far there are no crappy expensive Exclusives being talked about, these toys are not bad looking, though highly stylized, they are quite nice and may be a better choice then trying to track down those classics toys you had missed..I'm glad Hasbro is continuing their classic line Under the Transformers Universe Banner..

Young Optimus Prime:








And What I'm not sure of but could be Prime with Matrix enhancement ..??




Think about it..most of those fans who shell out all that money for those Transformers classics toys will buy those Universe toys Because it reminds them of the classics line up...leaving more "Animated" STOCK ON SHELVES FOR US TO GRAB!! plus its at a cheap price being mass retail and will satisfy our desire for cheaper figures but at a fair cost..

Bumblebee:







Dinobots are Back and very very cool!!!








Megatron Cybertronian Jet:


Prowl:



Blackarachnia:



Lockdown:



Bulkhead:









Soundwave




Lugnut and Blitzwing:




Ratchet:




Releasing so many Botcon figures that should have been in a regular classics line up to begin with was just a slap in the face to those who are either poor, or unable to leave from work due to family or financial obligations..It wouldn't have been such a bad deal, had most of those Botcon exclusives and classics been released at mass retail for those who missed it the first go around..But.. well ..

Just go with the Animated toyline..it's cheaper, looks great, actually has a cartoon to follow it.. and over half the main characters and other cool characters are being released and not held for Botcon exclusives!!!

Say No to classics, yes to "Animated" its cheaper, better, and has a cartoon..!! Plus, it has the Dinobots!!!!

Let the Skywarp-2 Flaming Begin!!!

No flaming from me, I can see how it would frustrate a collector as this years Botcon Exclusives had some big names involved.

The last of the 6 seekers are especially desirable. As is Alpha Trion for many.

My question to you is, inevitably there will be botcon exclusives for the Transformers Animated series, so does boycotting the classics line make sense?

I think that regardless of whether I own them or not, we should be happy that hasbro generates these exclusives to cater specifically to adult collectors. They have no real obligation to do this.

I think Hasbro and TakaraTomy take good care of its TF fanbase overall. I am thrilled that they are continuing the Classics line because just a few months ago, we all had pretty much accepted the fact that it was finished.

I will be collecting both the Animated and Classics 2.0 line after the movie line wraps up.

Until the BotCon 2008 Exclsuve repaints come out. Bwahahahah!

People crying over the exclusives never gets old.

I can't wait to see the billion threads about the TFCC Seacons!

Yes it is a slap in the face!
It is a even bigger slap in the face that not even the normal clasics were relised in Germany!

Yea the animated toys look cool, just the heads (exept Prime's) look ugly.

That jung Prime is the pre- earth form which is a deluxe!
The Matrix enhanced one is the voiger earth form.

I don't think that Megatron is a jet, I think it looks more like a big-ass canon, ore a tank!

Screw those repaint Airerazore and Astrotrains!

nice rant,er...point. haha. i thoroughly enjoyed reading your posts.

i for one lament the fact that there is no way in this world that we ordinary mortals who do not have the resources for Botcon exclusives to EVER, EVER complete the classics iteration of the seekers.

i find myself almost brokenhearted to hear that the AMAZING Thrust mold would never be used for mass production. i really couldn't care less about Dreadwing et al, but seeing the seekers almost nearly identical to the G1 animation designs, every TF fanboy's wet dream come true, ready for the picking, and then hearing this sob news...

true, exclusive sets give collectors motivation to come to conventions or shell out grandiose amounts of cash to buy these toys first. but at least they COULD, even at a much later time, produce these exclusives for the general public, even at a limited production run.

it's even worse for international collectors like us, who do not and cannot have the luxury of going into a Botcon. we can only stare at the videos and pics, sigh and wish we had the opportunity to even step into the convention floor and be completely amazed at the sights and sounds.

but i don't hate the fans who got the complete sets. they're so blessed and i'm glad at least some of us are enjoying. but i must agree with you, it's almost not fair...TFs were about enjoyment with others, of equality, not exclusivity.

TF collecting transcends age, racial, gender, political, heck, even religious barriers. with the advent of exclusive sets it again sets divisive barriers; it's either you have this exclusive blah-blah or you don't.

what's worse it feeds the egos of some fans who consider themselves the "True Fans", "Geewuners", "TF purists" et al just because they have completed a certain exclusive set or something like that.

i just hope that this exclusivity will not become a divisive trend in the future. i think equal opportunity should be given to all collectors, regardless of where they are or their circumstances in life.

oh, and on the topic... i like voyager prime, i'm glad he has his faceplate on. hehe.

That pose of Prime with the axe looks cool.

I like the cut of yer jib Skywarp-2!

I know how frustrating it is to have bills to pay as all of these awesome toys are paraded around in front of you!

I am VERY excited for the Animated line... I'm already saving up so I'll be sure to pick them all up when I find 'em. I'll definitely be getting SEVERAL Starscreams! He's looking to be my favourite Screamer yet!

No one is forcing you to collect exclusives. I'd rather collect a line I find appealing than settle for Animated, they just do absolutely nothing for me.

i'm just looking forward to the DINOBOTS

i'm not really feeling how the animated series has the big batman/superman type chins and lower jaws

Oh my god, the Animated figures look amazing, especially Starscream

I too, totally agree with you.

Exclusives should be Repaints/remolds of obscure characters! Failing that they should have there own line.. I fell in love with the classics line.. its what brought me back to TF fandom and I was saddened to see the Botcom exclusive seekers.. I can totally understand most of the seekers (lets be honest if ONE of the cone heads had been mass released we could have just done some repainting and been done with it) but to have 5+ being exclusives is really a bit much.. I just hope if they do dinobots for the classic line they don't give them the same treatment..

Grimlock_CA wrote:I too, totally agree with you.

Exclusives should be Repaints/remolds of obscure characters! Failing that they should have there own line.. I fell in love with the classics line.. its what brought me back to TF fandom and I was saddened to see the Botcom exclusive seekers.. I can totally understand most of the seekers (lets be honest if ONE of the cone heads had been mass released we could have just done some repainting and been done with it) but to have 5+ being exclusives is really a bit much.. I just hope if they do dinobots for the classic line they don't give them the same treatment..

There is Gimlock in the classics line!
And they'll be relising more Dinos next year!

I don't think that it's unfair to have exclusives, I just think that it was unfair for hasbro to us such big names as the exclusive. For me I will be collecting Classics 2.0, and animated starscream,he looks awesome

I too believe it was very unfair of Hasbro to release Thundercracker as an exclusive. Being one of the three original, infinetly popular seekers, he should have been released at retail for all to enjoy, at Walmart or Target as a store exclusive if need be, but not at a show where the majority of the world can't get hold of them.
It wouldn't be so bad if TC had indeed been mass produced and released, him being the favourite.

I've never seen a grown man do so much whining about a toy, ever...

You no longer have an once of credibility because of this:

Say No to classics, yes to "Animated" its cheaper, better, and has a cartoon..!! Plus, it has the Dinobots!!!!

That's right folks, say no to Classics, because Skywarp-2 can't afford them.

Boo, friggen hoo.

You don't really get to spend 2+ months with weekly rants about how great the Classics line is, how unfair the exclusives are, and how perfect these G1 updates are...

and then flip it like this?!?

No sir.

You're ready to drop however many hundreds of dollars it will take to complete the Animated line, and you wouldn't spend $278 upfront, to get a whole BotCon set?

Really now fella. There are standards for reasonable arguments.

You aren't meeting them.

Someone (Probably Punch) needs to call you on it.

and it needs to be said that simply having a complaint, should not dictate policy.

For example:

Exclusives should be Repaints/remolds of obscure characters!

Frankly, this is a very stupid idea.

What brought myself and many others to BotCon this year? The simple desire to NOT miss out on important characters.

What many of the complainers are essentially saying is this:

Haters wrote:If I can't have them, no one else should be able to either!

Well and as my fiance so aptly put it, "F' That!"

Indeed, "F' That."

Counterpunch wrote:Someone (Probably Punch) needs to call you on it.

Is there actually someone called Punch on this board? I've never seen any posts by them...

The Master Blaster wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:Someone (Probably Punch) needs to call you on it.

Is there actually someone called Punch on this board? I've never seen any posts by them...

I hate that guy...

Grimlock_CA wrote:I too, totally agree with you.

Exclusives should be Repaints/remolds of obscure characters! Failing that they should have there own line.. I fell in love with the classics line.. its what brought me back to TF fandom and I was saddened to see the Botcom exclusive seekers.. I can totally understand most of the seekers (lets be honest if ONE of the cone heads had been mass released we could have just done some repainting and been done with it) but to have 5+ being exclusives is really a bit much.. I just hope if they do dinobots for the classic line they don't give them the same treatment..

They do have their own line. "Transformers: Timelines"

They were repaints of molds used in the Classic line but they were not branded as "classics". The box I have says nothing about classics. It does however say "Transformers Timelines" just like every other exclusive at Botcon or from TFCC.

Ah! There is a Punch on the memberlist. But he/she has never posted, and has no HMW team...


Well, isn't that kinda pointless...

It's not like they can't look at the news without being a member is it?

didn't someone post a picture of a little kid crying on the last I don't want to pay for exclusives thread? Seems it would be appropriate for this one too.

Punch open up on em

I can't afford the exclusive either, but I made an exception for this set and it was everything I wanted. I even made a contact with a guy to get the souvie sets so now I just need to get my grubby hands on a clear mirage. Would it have been cheaper at retail? Hell yeah but that was NEVER going to happen so glad I could get them at all rather than whine about not ever seeing the seekers released.

But I feel satified I paid for my set when they were at the FunPub prices rather than pay the huge markups on ebay. I had months of fore knowledge about the set so I saved and got it.

Totally worth it.

Sick of these threads. Get over it or save and get the damn set. I want a 2005 Ratchet too and that's really gone up in price but i'm whining about that in every thread either. I'll get it someday, part of being a collector is sometimes things are out of your reach for a while then you get it then there is that thrill of "I finished the set or finally got this guy"

Get back to collecting, won't be forever just won't be now.

Maldroth wrote:Punch open up on em

Watch out for him. He's real nearby...

(Good post btw, especially your point about Ratchet.)

Dead Metal wrote:

Grimlock_CA wrote:I too, totally agree with you.

Exclusives should be Repaints/remolds of obscure characters! Failing that they should have there own line.. I fell in love with the classics line.. its what brought me back to TF fandom and I was saddened to see the Botcom exclusive seekers.. I can totally understand most of the seekers (lets be honest if ONE of the cone heads had been mass released we could have just done some repainting and been done with it) but to have 5+ being exclusives is really a bit much.. I just hope if they do dinobots for the classic line they don't give them the same treatment..

There is Gimlock in the classics line!
And they'll be relising more Dinos next year!

I am well aware of grimlock being in the classic line as I mentioned hes the reason I came back.

I'm not playing the woe is me card, far from. I just feel that EVERYONE should be able to get Iconic characters! I love the idea of exclusives but I feel they should be things like MP Prime / Black Convoy, things that appeal to hardcore collectors!

As some one who lives in the UK, I've taken more than my fiar share of transformer toy related disapointments in the short two or three years that I've been collecting.

Yes, I was fecked of when I found out the goal I had of completeing the classic seekers was utterly out of my reach.

Yes I think it was an exceptionally poor move by hasbro to release these (especilly in the case of thrust) popular charecters to such a small number of people.

Tell you what bugs me more though.

Your once weekly rant about bugger all... now that's REALLY annoying.

In short, here! here! Counterpunch!

Redimus wrote:As some one who lives in the UK, I've taken more than my fiar share of transformer toy related disapointments in the short two or three years that I've been collecting.

Yes, I was fecked of when I found out the goal I had of completeing the classic seekers was utterly out of my reach.

Yes I think it was an exceptionally poor move by hasbro to release these (especilly in the case of thrust) popular charecters to such a small number of people.

Tell you what bugs me more though.

Your once weekly rant about bugger all... now that's REALLY annoying.

In short, here! here! Counterpunch!

It wasn't Hasbro though. It was TFCC. Hasbro had no plans to release those characters. TFCC made it happen.

If it wasn't for them, no one would have those repaints and remolds.