The Energon Pub

TimothyR wrote:also.. i really wish they called strafe swoop instead.. i seriously don't understand that. it makes zero sense to me.

They went with the name "Strafe" because they felt that the two-headed look that they wanted to go with was too drastic a departure from the traditional Swoop design, and so gave this one a new name to better establish its own identity.

hey kids want to make mega dinobot? well you have to buy 2 overpriced 2 packs if you do

Megatron Wolf wrote:hey kids want to make mega dinobot? well you have to buy 2 overpriced 2 packs if you do

No one should want to make Mega-Dinobot. Keeping them separate is an act of mercy.

Sabrblade wrote:

Megatron Wolf wrote:hey kids want to make mega dinobot? well you have to buy 2 overpriced 2 packs if you do

No one should want to make Mega-Dinobot. Keeping them separate is an act of mercy.

Well I want to make Mega Dinobot.

I'll probably be more exciting about the Energon Swoop. A retooled Animated Swoop would be even better.

Autobot032 wrote:Folks, you're welcome to continue chatting about this, in fact we encourage it, but there's an existing thread, so I'm going to merge these two. And Autobot Genocide, thank you for trying to bring this to our attention. We appreciate any and all news submissions. Even if they're already in use, we still appreciate the participation. Thank you.

http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=98872#p1553847
Perhaps a super-merged-thread is required?

Has anybody found out how much they're listed for?
Here in Australia, they're currently listed in the TRU systems as $89.99 for the Grimlock & Optimus Prime packs, while the other three have a price of $24.99 listed. Based on what we pay compared to our US counterparts, that equates to about ~$40-45 for Grimlock/Optimus & $12-15 for the others

Sabrblade wrote:

TimothyR wrote:also.. i really wish they called strafe swoop instead.. i seriously don't understand that. it makes zero sense to me.

They went with the name "Strafe" because they felt that the two-headed look that they wanted to go with was too drastic a departure from the traditional Swoop design, and so gave this one a new name to better establish its own identity.

I can't be the only one that sees the connection between a two headed dino named Strafe and a two nosed jet-thing named Strafe. I really like to think this was the Technobot taking a dino alt form and a glitch carrying over the two nose cones to two heads.

Anyway, I think Animated "Slag" stands the best chance of being a two pack. His aesthetics aren't so far off from Grimlock and Swoop which are pretty cartoony looking.

Emerje

robotmel wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:Folks, you're welcome to continue chatting about this, in fact we encourage it, but there's an existing thread, so I'm going to merge these two. And Autobot Genocide, thank you for trying to bring this to our attention. We appreciate any and all news submissions. Even if they're already in use, we still appreciate the participation. Thank you.

http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=98872#p1553847
Perhaps a super-merged-thread is required?

Oh, geez! We didn't even see this thread. You are correct. I'll merge the threads. I also see that you were the first to post this info, you will be given credit as well. I'll have to leave the SKNs out of the news piece, however, since they cover only the UK.

Thanks for the update. I appreciate it.

EDIT: Mel, would you mind doing us staffers a favor? In the future, please feel free to submit a finding, any finding to our news staff. It makes it easier for everyone involved, plus you were owed credit for this and we want to credit those who help us. Thank you again for the thread here.

Autobot032 wrote:Oh, geez! We didn't even see this thread. You are correct. I'll merge the threads. I also see that you were the first to post this info, you will be given credit as well. I'll have to leave the SKNs out of the news piece, however, since they cover only the UK.

Thanks for the update. I appreciate it.

EDIT: Mel, would you mind doing us staffers a favor? In the future, please feel free to submit a finding, any finding to our news staff. It makes it easier for everyone involved, plus you were owed credit for this and we want to credit those who help us. Thank you again for the thread here.

No worries, always happy to help out with bits of news or pics where I can!

Well, I'm excited about this. I was kind of on the fence about the Movie Dinobots, but I've always wanted the Energon Dinobots - I just wasn't willing to pay eBay prices for them - so these two-packs are VERY attractive to me.

This is my love for under-appreciated stuff talking, but I'm interested in getting these, if we do end up getting Energon Swoop with Strafe. Of course, the combination gimmick wouldn't be advertised on the box

I've read over the suggestions for Slug/Slag, and as funny as it may sound, PCC Grimstone is IMO the best bet given his styling. Plus, he's called a Triceratops despite being more of a Styracosaurus hybrid, so Hasbro has gotten away with it before. The head matches to a degree as well.

Mindmaster wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:Bumblebee will be Classics and AoE

Either this or Generations.

The Generations mold doesn't really harken the G1 figure. But I suppose it's possible.

Optimus will be the deluxe classics

I'd be surprised if it was the Deluxe.

Frankly, I'd be surprised if it was the the Voyager version. PLEASANTLY surprised.

I'm willing to bet Swoop will be the other Energon Dinobot

Agreed.

As for Slag, I've got nothing.

Yeah, Slag seems to be the one that's got everyone baffled.

One could hope they might retool the current Rhinox into Slag. It's a stretch, though.

My two cents: It looks like a knock-off. Just not a very sturdy looking grimlock. A for effort but a c+ for presentation.

Sabrblade wrote:They went with the name "Strafe" because they felt that the two-headed look that they wanted to go with was too drastic a departure from the traditional Swoop design, and so gave this one a new name to better establish its own identity.

I wonder how having an extra dino-head is somehow "too drastic a departure" yet all the other departures were apparently just fine. Surely if Shockwave having a mouth is OK so should Swoop having two heads. It's not like he turns into a race car or something un-Dinobot-like.

On the plus side, now I have an excuse to give both of Strafe's dino heads separate personality and names!

Noideaforaname wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:They went with the name "Strafe" because they felt that the two-headed look that they wanted to go with was too drastic a departure from the traditional Swoop design, and so gave this one a new name to better establish its own identity.

I wonder how having an extra dino-head is somehow "too drastic a departure" yet all the other departures were apparently just fine. Surely if Shockwave having a mouth is OK so should Swoop having two heads. It's not like he turns into a race car or something un-Dinobot-like.

That wasn't much of a mouth. It was pretty insect-like, a bunch of mandibles.

Still more of a mouth than Shockwave's ever had, but it fit the design aesthetic of the films. Besides, his overall design was closer to the original than any of the other main characters, so I wouldn't really hold some mandibles against him.

God forbid they should do something that isn't an exact replica of G1.

If you don't like the changes, then just watch the 1986 movie over and over again and don't buy anything but G1 figures. Lock yourself in a prison cell and pretend it's still 1986 for the rest of your life.

I am interested in the Swoop set. I have a Classics version of the other figures. If they use animated Slug for Slag, I'm not going to bother. I have that already and it's pretty G1 as is.

Manterax Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Megatron Wolf wrote:hey kids want to make mega dinobot? well you have to buy 2 overpriced 2 packs if you do

No one should want to make Mega-Dinobot. Keeping them separate is an act of mercy.

Well I want to make Mega Dinobot.

I sometimes think I do.

Then I do it and regret it immediately. Not only does it look terrible, it barely wants to stay together.

I keep trying to comment on these but my feelings just aren't translating to print well.

I just don't see the need to buy these over the standard releases if you already have the older figures these come with. Energon Grimlock is already in a G1ish deco and I don't think anyone wanted one that was slightly more, and less, G1ish than the one they already own. Then you have to think about what figures the others will come with and see that all candidates were also all released in G1ish decos. Classics deluxe BB and OP, Energon and Animated Swoop, Animated "Snarl" and PCC Grimstone were all already released in G1ish decos. I don't need another yellow BB or another OP colored OP. If they had flipped the decos instead, that would appeal to me a whole lot more. G1 colored AOE Dinobots would sell like crazy and the other figures done in AOE or some other deco that they haven't already come in would be a great bonus.

They could also have done Galvatron, Drift and Lockdown as well. AOE Galvatron with Universe Galvatron both done in purple would be sweet. AOE Lockdown in ROTF or any of the Animated Lockdowns colors with a ROTF Lockdown in AOE colors or in stealth, bandit or blazing colors would be awesome. AOE Drift in white and Generations Drift in AOE colors, just made sure to not look too much like Blurr.


The last two Dinobots could also have been done if they don't try for an "evolution" theme and just have went for a similar dino/robot mode theme. Slash packaged with Universe Dinobot would be cool as would Scorn with BW 10th anniversary Megatron even though they're not the same interpretations/dinos. Slash and Universe Dinobot would be in G1 Dinobots colors as I think that could be the only thing that would work for both molds since the reinterpretation of the velociraptor. Brown feathered and blue/green/yellow scaled raptors just don't work in my head. Scorn in either G1 Dinobots or BW Megatron colors with Megatron in G1 Grimlock or Scorn/BM T-Wrecks colors. Even though they're different dinosaurs, the similarities between the robot modes are uncanny.

I just really think that with multi packs like this, they should try to go for something other than an unaltered from standard release new figure with an older figure in a similar deco to what it's already been released in. They could've done so much more with these sets to really make them appealing.

Just feeling a bit silly in pointing this guy out:


RiD Grimlock (who isn't a Dinosaur!

Still arguably a better toy.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Still arguably a better toy.

Yeah, he's fun. He gets way too much hate for what he is.

Alpha Weltall wrote:I just don't see the need to buy these over the standard releases if you already have the older figures these come with.

I think it's a neat idea, and certainly one that they've done before with the other films. But it's mostly for collectors who want to showcase the difference between the eras, like the Star Wars Evolution packs.

Alpha Weltall wrote: I just really think that with multi packs like this, they should try to go for something other than an unaltered from standard release new figure with an older figure in a similar deco to what it's already been released in. They could've done so much more with these sets to really make them appealing.

I agree wholeheartedly. Something to make them POP!

Sabrblade wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Still arguably a better toy.

Yeah, he's fun. He gets way too much hate for what he is.

You know, if you transform him just the right way, you can make him look kinda like a dinosaur.
At least, a dinosaur that had sex with a mechanical praying mantis, or some combination thereof.

Wow this set blows.

Energon Grimlock'S always been terrible, but now in this set he just looks worse.
It takes real talent to actually look worse and more primitive than an original G1 toy, but Energon Grimlock succeeded in that.

Still, Movie Grimlock looks pretty boss.

The only way I would be interested in an animated snarl/slug/slag is if it had a G1 head.