The Energon Pub

First what makes the Combiners so popular with fans? Because its group of transforming toys that combines together. It's also a good way to make money. I personally prefer 5-6 team members with the same height better which are also the mean characters. The newer toy lines seem not to have any of them other then the RID and Energon lines.
Second, what make Power Rangers so popular? because it has combining toys that combines into one big robot but Transfomers can do better with transforming action figures which are also the combining toys too while Power Rangers action figures are rubber suited duds that don’t do anything much.
Third, I personally prefer a TF toy line that looks like TF Victory or Takara's Brave series with a leader or an ultra class figure as the leader bot or con, each faction have two combiner teams with each figures as deluxe class so their Gestalt form would be leader class size.

Lastly, instead of using the more popular Combiner concept Hasbro decided to use super heroes style for the new cartoon and Hasbro think this art style is popular with kids today.

I want some answers plaese.

Yeah, they seem to almost be getting further away from it lately.

Know what's funny though? Even though I've bowed before Predaking and slobbered over Devastator, the Seacons and such... I've never REALLY been satisfied with combiners, especially those recent "Maximus" pieces of trash.

None ever seemed to meet all the cool points that a smaller, single figure has.
The Optimus / Magnus combiner from RiD was decent, but just 2 guys.

Hopefully when they do get back to combiners, they do them so they're not just statues made of guys with spitall-sized heads.

I'd love to see a transforming robot team done "right".

Riotflea wrote:Yeah, they seem to almost be getting further away from it lately.

Know what's funny though? Even though I've bowed before Predaking and slobbered over Devastator, the Seacons and such... I've never REALLY been satisfied with combiners, especially those recent "Maximus" pieces of trash.

None ever seemed to meet all the cool points that a smaller, single figure has.
The Optimus / Magnus combiner from RiD was decent, but just 2 guys.

Hopefully when they do get back to combiners, they do them so they're not just statues made of guys with spitall-sized heads.

I'd love to see a transforming robot team done "right".

Thank for your comment.

I disliked all that combiner crap in the *recent* shows and toy lines, reminded me to much of Power Rangers.

And it's pretty much like, well, if you arent a combiner or part of a combiner team, what good are you? Lol, i like individual bots, more character.

ChromedomeMK2 wrote: Lastly, instead of using the more popular Combiner concept Hasbro decided to use super heroes style for the new cartoon and Hasbro think this art style is popular with kids today.

Well, it's not that they THINK, it's that they know. There is a reason why there are lots of toons out there with this art style, because it's obviously working. I don't think they all of a sudden get up one day and make a decision over breakfest that this is what the next generation of transformers will look like.. I'm sure someone has done some research..

Excellent post.
Yes I was extremely fond of Power Ranger toys when I was younger, because of the Mega-Zords! I mean all these detailed vehicles combine to form this Huge robot was awesome in my eyes (and still is today) The only combining robots I can think of now is the Classic Devastator 5 Pack, and the Seacons from the Transformers CC, but other than that you are right that we don't see that much robot combiners.
Hasbro, Make us an awesome Combiner that'll 10-up the Mega-zords

Well we could hope that Takara will make a new Japanese exclusive series with multiple combiners like their Brave series.

The thing that suprises me, is that after all this time, there's not been a Fortress Maximus-sized combiner.

Ok, Fort Max was $99.99 back in like 1987.
To do him now, likely equally as expensive.

ANSWER?

Make an ASSLOAD of smaller guys, possibly spanning more then 1 year of figures... and make a GIANT FREAKING COMBINER.

But no, no... no, we get minicons and movie figures and maximuses only a really ugly mother could love.

All that WASTED plastic...

well if you want combiners you could just email a request to hasbro and maybe, just maybe, they might listen

Combiners double the value of a toy since you can do so much more with it. Hasbro should do more of them as collectors and kids would eat them up like candy. One of the best gestalts was Rail Racer from RID. Love trains and that guy put Raiden to shame.

We will be seeing a brand new combiner sometime next year either for classics 2.0 or new transformers animated series. I'm not sure how big it will be or how it will be distrbuted as single figures or as giftset but guess we will have to wait and find out. I also image if this combiner sells well then there will be more of them released down line because what matter to hasbro at the end of the day is the sales figures.

briggs wrote:I disliked all that combiner crap in the *recent* shows and toy lines, reminded me to much of Power Rangers.

And it's pretty much like, well, if you arent a combiner or part of a combiner team, what good are you? Lol, i like individual bots, more character.

Combiners are popular since G1 and Power Ranger Megazord are popular because they are a set of combining toys but the combinig parts do not transform in to robot modes, so this give Transformers a big chance to be even better then Power Rengers.

g1transformers wrote:Combiners double the value of a toy since you can do so much more with it. Hasbro should do more of them as collectors and kids would eat them up like candy. One of the best gestalts was Rail Racer from RID. Love trains and that guy put Raiden to shame.

One of? Single best gestalt ever! Cool individual bots, a super sturdy combined mode, nicely posable and even the individual weapons combine to form a single gun for the combined mode. Easy 10/10.