The Energon Pub

Slumble Bee wrote:I got lost into the world of Transformers after seeing the movie twice. I was never a big fan of the cartoon when I was a little kid but the movie was just so entertaining and bad ass that it drove me into this hobby.

I thought about just compling a bunch of Autobots and Decepticons together in one bad ass fight scene, but as I've researched the hobby, I've become confused.

There are tons of different collections and sizes and scales and I don't even know where to begin.

Can someone take some time to help out a newb and explain the different series and reccomend some good starting bots?

Thanks,
SB

just wait till you start on beast wars or energon figures. and welcome to the boards.

Thanks for the welcomes, I appreciate it.

A few months ago after reading the Beast Wars mini-graphic novel, I was going to get into the BW line, only to find out that there really wasn't one. I don't want into a dead line because there's no thrill of a toy hunt. Buying figs off the net is a killjoy for me.

Which brings me to my next question: What do you guys think is the better buy - 20th Anniversary edition Prime or movie Leader Prime?

I'm interested in your opinions.

SB

Oh yeah and only about 7 more hours before I can free my Ironhide from his plastic prison. You can bet that I post my joys about it later =)

Slumble Bee wrote:Thanks for the welcomes, I appreciate it.

A few months ago after reading the Beast Wars mini-graphic novel, I was going to get into the BW line, only to find out that there really wasn't one. I don't want into a dead line because there's no thrill of a toy hunt. Buying figs off the net is a killjoy for me.

Which brings me to my next question: What do you guys think is the better buy - 20th Anniversary edition Prime or movie Leader Prime?

I'm interested in your opinions.

SB

Oh yeah and only about 7 more hours before I can free my Ironhide from his plastic prison. You can bet that I post my joys about it later =)

You need to get some version of the 20th/Masterpiece Prime whether it is DVD or another, I'd get that first, and it should be on sale... Leader Prime is cool, and should be around for quite a bit of time.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Slumble Bee wrote:Thanks for the welcomes, I appreciate it.

A few months ago after reading the Beast Wars mini-graphic novel, I was going to get into the BW line, only to find out that there really wasn't one. I don't want into a dead line because there's no thrill of a toy hunt. Buying figs off the net is a killjoy for me.

Which brings me to my next question: What do you guys think is the better buy - 20th Anniversary edition Prime or movie Leader Prime?

I'm interested in your opinions.

SB

Oh yeah and only about 7 more hours before I can free my Ironhide from his plastic prison. You can bet that I post my joys about it later =)

You need to get some version of the 20th/Masterpiece Prime whether it is DVD or another, I'd get that first, and it should be on sale... Leader Prime is cool, and should be around for quite a bit of time.

I believe I will take your advice, sir. The 20th Anniversary one looks so bad ass I don't believe I could pass up not getting it. I think I will order online tonight.

Thanks for the help
SB

Slumble Bee wrote:I believe I will take your advice, sir. The 20th Anniversary one looks so bad ass I don't believe I could pass up not getting it. I think I will order online tonight.

Thanks for the help
SB

Great choice!

Oh...my...god...I have just spent the better part of the last hour strugging with Ironhide transforming him into bot mode. Whoever said I should start small with the deluxe models with right. I underestimated the complexity of these things, lol. The damn directors are horrible. The freakin' picture on the back helped me more than the directors. Damn them.

All and all, I am immensely happy with how Ironhide came out, definitely worth the $20 I spent on him. I highly reccomend him to any collector. The only problem I have with him in his inability to stand with his feet flat on the ground. Is this common with all transformers or just a select?

SB

Slumble Bee wrote:

SnapTrap wrote:Welcome to Seibertron & the glorious world of TF Collecting. As mentioned before, focus on the movie line first. Those will be easier to get. Also, Hasbro will be releasing repaints of some of the movie figures; some in G1 (Generation 1—the original 1984 TF toyline) color schemes. Get the figures you want (liked them in the movie, liked in video game, etc). You don't have to try and get everything released because it will be too costly. The different class sizes of modern transformers are: Basic, Deluxe, Voyager, Leader and Supreme. They differ in price point, complexity and in the last three inclusion of lights/electronics. FAB or Fast Action Battlers are more oriented towards children due to their simpler transformation.

As for the other TF series, Cybertron and Classics are indeed on clearance in most stores and you can pick up some very inexpensively. The Classics line is a reimagining of the G1 series but with updated sculpts. Cybertron is another great series with a lot of unique figures that pay homage to many previous TF toylines. The style of these two lines does radically differ between the movie toys; they have a more Japanese robot style to them than the movie figures.

I would recommend starting small and get figures that are easy to find. If you see a few Classics or Cybertron figures on clearance and they are inexpensive, pick up one or two to see if you will like the rest of the line. Also pick up the movie figures now because they are abundant and easy to find. Eventually you will probably have to resort to eBay for any figures that are no longer sold in stores. And that can get expensive. I would also look on Seibertron's vast toy galleries to get the next best thing to holding one in your hand. While it isn't complete yet, Ryan's been working hard on getting galleries for every toy released by Hasbro and Takara. Also use this forum to ask any questions (tip: search to see if it has been answered before you ask) on collecting. The fans here are a friendly & knowledgable bunch who don't mind helping out a new collector. Finally, have fun.

Wow, that is one hell of a response, dude. Thanks a lot. Although I have somewhat of a completist nature, money is thin right now so it looks like I'm only going to be snagging a few here and there. I really like the looks of the older lines because they are vibrant and colorful. I'm hoping those lines and movie lines with mesh in well together. I've got OCD when it comes to my displays, lol.

I like the Classics a lot, and I'm sure I will like them more once I watch the 20th Anni Movie I bought today. The Cybertron series is cool too, but I don't understand the Cyber Keys or Minicons, or even the entire storyline behind the series, lol. Oh well, the next couple months will be a giant TF learning experience.

The galley on here is amazing. Hopefully I will be lucky when I go out hunting next week to find some good clearance figs.

SnapTrap, whats your favorite fig you have?

This forum has been awesome so far and great with helping me start this hobby. It's a place like this that will make this hobby even more rewarding.

Thanks.
SB

Your welcome. It is always great to hear from new collectors that are interested in collecting.

I did forget to mention that Target is selling a bunch of exclusive repaints of basic toys from Energon and Cybertron lines in the TF Movie line, so if you see any of those you could pick them up instead of getting the original versions.

As for my favorite at the moment is the ML Soundwave that came in the mail yesterday from Japan (I didn't know the mail gets delivered on Sundays...) This figure is pure awesome. It is a working mp3 player that transforms into an updated version of G1 Soundwave. It is pretty expensive ($82.05 + shipping). I actually like all of the figures that I collect (otherwise I wouldn't collect them) and I am not trying to get every single figure released. As long as you just get the figures that you like and remember that you don't need to have any of them immediately then you will have fun in this hobby.

One of the great things about collecting this toyline, is there are different classes so anybody can get into this hobby. So if you have to start your collection off small and then buy stuff later when you get more money is fine. Some of the best figures that Hasbro has released in the last few toylines were basics and deluxes.

To quickly answer your other questions, Minicons, when attached to the larger robots are supposed to release/engage more powerful weapons and abilities. In the toys they usually activated guns or sounds launched missiles when attached to special ports on the larger robot. Minicons are basically smaller robots that transform and activate these features. Cyber keys are pretty much the same, they activate abilities, weapons but is part of Primus's lifeforce so they are not robots. (Primus is the "god" of the transformers) and he was made into a toy in Cybertron. In the toys, the cyber key is similar to the minicons; activate weapons, launch missiles, turn on lights and sirens, etc.

Hope this answers your questions.

Yup, I'm also here because I saw the movie, absolutely loved it, and decided to buy the toyline for it. A little different than the OP though, as I've been a huge fan of the G1 show all my life, I just never even thought about seeking out a fansite for Transformers until I had purchased the new toys.

I only know G1 the cartoon series though, end to end I'm pretty astute as I watch them regularly on my Rhino sets, but I know nothing of the comics...and I mean nothing, so I'll probably get into G1 discussions where it looks like I'm totally clueless.

I don't have any G1 toys at the moment, I gave them all away a few years ago, I didn't realize they were worth so much money, but they found a good home to another TF fan and a good friend, so it's all good, I don't mind. I do currently have all the Deluxe, Voyager and Leader movie figures, except for 08 Bumblebee which alot of people have that problem. Just waiting on the new wave, and I've been gobbling up the Scout class that Target carries.

Don't know if I'll get into collecting any of the classics again, because I mainly collect video games and movies as my hobby, so I'll be splitting my entertainment dollars between this and games for a little while, but I'll probably just stick with movie line for now.

Metal wrote:Yup, I'm also here because I saw the movie, absolutely loved it, and decided to buy the toyline for it. A little different than the OP though, as I've been a huge fan of the G1 show all my life, I just never even thought about seeking out a fansite for Transformers until I had purchased the new toys.

I only know G1 the cartoon series though, end to end I'm pretty astute as I watch them regularly on my Rhino sets, but I know nothing of the comics...and I mean nothing, so I'll probably get into G1 discussions where it looks like I'm totally clueless.

I don't have any G1 toys at the moment, I gave them all away a few years ago, I didn't realize they were worth so much money, but they found a good home to another TF fan and a good friend, so it's all good, I don't mind. I do currently have all the Deluxe, Voyager and Leader movie figures, except for 08 Bumblebee which alot of people have that problem. Just waiting on the new wave, and I've been gobbling up the Scout class that Target carries.

Don't know if I'll get into collecting any of the classics again, because I mainly collect video games and movies as my hobby, so I'll be splitting my entertainment dollars between this and games for a little while, but I'll probably just stick with movie line for now.

welcome to the wonderful world of seibertron.com!

SnapTrap wrote:Your welcome. It is always great to hear from new collectors that are interested in collecting.

I did forget to mention that Target is selling a bunch of exclusive repaints of basic toys from Energon and Cybertron lines in the TF Movie line, so if you see any of those you could pick them up instead of getting the original versions.

As for my favorite at the moment is the ML Soundwave that came in the mail yesterday from Japan (I didn't know the mail gets delivered on Sundays...) This figure is pure awesome. It is a working mp3 player that transforms into an updated version of G1 Soundwave. It is pretty expensive ($82.05 + shipping). I actually like all of the figures that I collect (otherwise I wouldn't collect them) and I am not trying to get every single figure released. As long as you just get the figures that you like and remember that you don't need to have any of them immediately then you will have fun in this hobby.

One of the great things about collecting this toyline, is there are different classes so anybody can get into this hobby. So if you have to start your collection off small and then buy stuff later when you get more money is fine. Some of the best figures that Hasbro has released in the last few toylines were basics and deluxes.

To quickly answer your other questions, Minicons, when attached to the larger robots are supposed to release/engage more powerful weapons and abilities. In the toys they usually activated guns or sounds launched missiles when attached to special ports on the larger robot. Minicons are basically smaller robots that transform and activate these features. Cyber keys are pretty much the same, they activate abilities, weapons but is part of Primus's lifeforce so they are not robots. (Primus is the "god" of the transformers) and he was made into a toy in Cybertron. In the toys, the cyber key is similar to the minicons; activate weapons, launch missiles, turn on lights and sirens, etc.

Hope this answers your questions.

Thanks again for the great response!

I will have to hit up Target the next time I'm up near there. The only problem that I have with Target is that everytime I go there toy hunting the shelves are bare! lol.

I hit up K-Mart tonight and they had absolutely nothing. I was shocked as a week earlier they were fully stocked. It takes them forever to re-stock too. Oh well.

Your advice on collecting is very wise. Usually when I start collecting a new hobby I buy up as many as possible and the hobby bores me after a while. With TFs, I'm definitely going to start slow and limit who I buy, so I just buy the ones I want and not buy for the sake of buying.

I will have to hit up the comics and older cartoons to learn some more about the world of Transformers.

SB

Metal wrote:Yup, I'm also here because I saw the movie, absolutely loved it, and decided to buy the toyline for it. A little different than the OP though, as I've been a huge fan of the G1 show all my life, I just never even thought about seeking out a fansite for Transformers until I had purchased the new toys.

I only know G1 the cartoon series though, end to end I'm pretty astute as I watch them regularly on my Rhino sets, but I know nothing of the comics...and I mean nothing, so I'll probably get into G1 discussions where it looks like I'm totally clueless.

I don't have any G1 toys at the moment, I gave them all away a few years ago, I didn't realize they were worth so much money, but they found a good home to another TF fan and a good friend, so it's all good, I don't mind. I do currently have all the Deluxe, Voyager and Leader movie figures, except for 08 Bumblebee which alot of people have that problem. Just waiting on the new wave, and I've been gobbling up the Scout class that Target carries.

Don't know if I'll get into collecting any of the classics again, because I mainly collect video games and movies as my hobby, so I'll be splitting my entertainment dollars between this and games for a little while, but I'll probably just stick with movie line for now.

Welcome to seibertron, Metal! It seems that the movie is doing a great job producing collectors, lol.

I just started collecting last week and my best advice to you is - just surf around this forum and read. The people that post here are very knowledgable, passionate, and helpful. This is a great place to ignite your passion for Transformers.

lol, good luck trying to just collect the movie line. Just like with me, i think the bug of addiction will get to you and force you to branch out. I'm making an out of the way unnecessary trip to TRU to feed my ever growing addiction tomorrow.

SB

I'm pretty new here on the forums but I'll give you my only recommendation and that is to collect what you like and don't worry about completing entire lines of TF's for now. I've been collecting Transformers for over 20 years and while I don't have a huge collection it's definitely filled with my all time favorite characters and versions. Right now I'm focusing on Binaltech and Masterpiece but I have my eye on a few movie figs as well.

As the others have said, welcome and happy collecting!

I went to TRU over the weekend to polish up my movie line collection and boy, TRU is not what it used to be, they had the absolute worst selection of Transformers stuff, even worst than Walmart. Target is the best place I've found so far, and they have exclusives. I was really let down by TRU though, wow..that was the one place I thought for sure would have an awesome selection. More Barbie than anything else. And Spiderman.

Thanks for the advice peeps on trying not to collect an entire line, but I'm obsessive compulsive so I think I'm predestined to get all the movie line toys. I won't get any of the cyber slammers or stuff like that though.

Most stores seem to have pretty low stock of Transformers right now. This is good news because it means that the next waves will be released very soon. The retailers most likely ordered a conservative amount to see if the movie would flop or not. Since it didn't, you can expect to start seeing more figures clogging shelves within the next few weeks. And just watch, within a month there will be tons of people complaining on these boards that all they see on the shelves is 08 Bumblebee...

Oh and SB, one thing to note about the Transformers mythos that all new collectors to the hobby should know is that many of the series are not linked all together. If you think of them as different "dimensions" or "alternate realities" you will save yourself some confusion. Here's the breakdown of the US mythos (the Japanese ones are entirely different from the US and more confusing for nubies):

G1 cartoon: (the toon from 1984)
G1 comic: (the comic from 1984) not related in any way to the toon.
G2 cartoon: (same as 1984 toon but has different "bumpers").
Beast Wars cartoon: (loose continuation and prequel to G1 toon)
Beast Machines cartoon: (sequel to Beast Wars)
Robots in Disguise (cartoon) not related to TF series
Armada cartoon: in a new reality not based on any previous one
Armada comics: in a new reality not based on any previous one, even the Armada toon.
Energon cartoon: Continuation of the Armada toon reality
Energon comics: Continuation of the Armada comic reality
Cybertron cartoon: Continuation of the Energon toon reality
Universe comic: its own reality but would take characters from any of the previous realities as needed.

For the love of Primus and all things holy! Why hasn't the offical greeting been given!? Its been 3 pages and not a mention of it! Without it, our social structure will surely crumble!
So, lets get this rolling right.


Welcome to Seibertron!

WARNING: Seibertron Contains Nuts!

SnapTrap wrote:Most stores seem to have pretty low stock of Transformers right now. This is good news because it means that the next waves will be released very soon. The retailers most likely ordered a conservative amount to see if the movie would flop or not. Since it didn't, you can expect to start seeing more figures clogging shelves within the next few weeks. And just watch, within a month there will be tons of people complaining on these boards that all they see on the shelves is 08 Bumblebee...

Oh and SB, one thing to note about the Transformers mythos that all new collectors to the hobby should know is that many of the series are not linked all together. If you think of them as different "dimensions" or "alternate realities" you will save yourself some confusion. Here's the breakdown of the US mythos (the Japanese ones are entirely different from the US and more confusing for nubies):

G1 cartoon: (the toon from 1984)
G1 comic: (the comic from 1984) not related in any way to the toon.
G2 cartoon: (same as 1984 toon but has different "bumpers").
Beast Wars cartoon: (loose continuation and prequel to G1 toon)
Beast Machines cartoon: (sequel to Beast Wars)
Robots in Disguise (cartoon) not related to TF series
Armada cartoon: in a new reality not based on any previous one
Armada comics: in a new reality not based on any previous one, even the Armada toon.
Energon cartoon: Continuation of the Armada toon reality
Energon comics: Continuation of the Armada comic reality
Cybertron cartoon: Continuation of the Energon toon reality
Universe comic: its own reality but would take characters from any of the previous realities as needed.

Yeah I'm feeling the bite of addiction so I'm going to head over to TRU tomorrow morning and hopefully they have restocked since Friday. If not, then damn, lol.

Actually that little breakdown saved me from having a nervous breakdown, lol. With my other collections, I normally have everything fitting in together (i.e. everything from the save series so they look like they belong together). With TFs, it would nearly be impossible to get everything to fit in together, so whats the point? lol. It makes me feel better that I wont have to stress about my movie TFs not fitting in with my classic TFs and whatnot.

So yeah, props to you SnapTrap for extending my life (the stress woulda killed me) =)

And Galaxy Convoy, thanks for the official welcoming. This has, without a doubt, been the best welcoming I have ever gotten on any toy forum. Without a doubt.

I guess us TF fans have to stick together.

Metal: Yeah stay away from all the gimmicky TF figs. I think most of those are advertised towards children (no offense to anyone of course) more so than collectors. However, I think I might pick up a couple of Unleashed figs (man that Bumble Bee is bad ass) and the plushies (Softimus & Slumble for me and a Slumble for my gf.

Man, now I just need to buy some shelving for my room. Right now Ironhide has his guns drawn, chillin' on my dresser, protecting all of my clothes. He's a bad ass, but a real big softy at heart.

=)

SB

So I went toy hunting today and hit up Toys R Us, another K-Mart and KB Toys.

I had high hopes for TRU, but instead of restocking they just combined their two movie displays. No deluxe figs, just tons of Voyager Ironhide and Starscream, a lone cybertron Demolisher, Backstop, and Optimus Primals. They were surrounded by pegs full of the gimmicky toys.

Next up - K Mart. Absolutely bare of TFs except for a lone Beatmix Bumble Bee and a few Slumble Bees. Denied my addiction once again.

Finally the devil of the toy world - KB Toys. And guess what? I made eye contact with a '74 Bumble Bee and giggled like a little school girl as I bought it. KB definitely had the best selection I've seen in weeks. They have Ironhide, Starscream, Scorpinox, Brawl, Wreckage, and Jazz. Pretty sweet, but BB cost me an extra $3.00. I'd say it was $3 worth spent.

I rushed home, tore it from it's plastic prison and man did I ever transform him. Ironhide took me about an hour, but BB took me a little under 10 mins! I was shocked as both have a complexity rating of 3.

BB is a phenomenal fig, so if you don't have him yet, keep searching for him! lol. Instead of putting his guns on his shoulders, I decided to place them in his hands. It looks really cool with Ironhide behind him, both of their guns drawn.

Now all I need to do is find a leader Optimus Prime to lead them. I still don't trust them fighting the Decepticons without a proper leader.

I'm also looking at purchasing Classic Mirage. I really like the look of the fig, plus him and Bumble bee will make a nice spy team together. Which brings me to my next question: Can anyone reccomend a good Autobot with a lot of firepower that I can either still find in stores or online?

I plan to have Ironhide, Prime, and whatever you guys reccomend to me as the main firepower of my Autobots team right now, with BB and Mirage as the stealth spys.

Sorry for the long post, I was just very excited about today's happenings. Please reccomend me a good Autobot to complete my team!

Oh yeah and sorry for the bad pic, but here is a pic of my Dyamic Duo and current Autobot team. Notice that BB's guns look like giant yellow middle fingers. Priceless.




SB

Autobot with a lot of firepower that is current???

How about CLASSICS Jetfire? Quite a lot of weapons there.

tigertracks 24 wrote:Autobot with a lot of firepower that is current???

How about CLASSICS Jetfire? Quite a lot of weapons there.

Oooo, I like him. He would also help in my display once I got Blackout. That would make a nice aerial battle. I will defintely keep your advice in mind.

What about cybertonian defense Red Alert? The man has a GIANT missile strapped to his back. How is that not cool? What does everyone think of him?

SB

Slumble Bee wrote:

tigertracks 24 wrote:Autobot with a lot of firepower that is current???

How about CLASSICS Jetfire? Quite a lot of weapons there.

Oooo, I like him. He would also help in my display once I got Blackout. That would make a nice aerial battle. I will defintely keep your advice in mind.

What about cybertonian defense Red Alert? The man has a GIANT missile strapped to his back. How is that not cool? What does everyone think of him?

SB

Well if you want any of the CDT I would go with CD Scattershot...

Man you are awesome when it comes to picking out great figs! That Scattershot has ridiculous weaponry. It looks like they beefed up everyone when it came to the Cybertron series.

I think I will go with Jetfire. He has a great color scheme and it would be nice to have some diversity since I have all ground Autobots.

You have officially become my advisor, tigertracks. lol.

I feel sorry for you =) jk.

SB

you should get some decepticons before you can't find them.
Barricade is an excellent fig and starscream is impressive. Brawl and bonecrusher are great too. The decepticons are sweet.

Ironhide Texas wrote:you should get some decepticons before you can't find them.
Barricade is an excellent fig and starscream is impressive. Brawl and bonecrusher are great too. The decepticons are sweet.

You are completely right, lol.

I've seen all of the decepticons except Megatron, Blackout, and Barricade. After I order or buy Prime, I'm going to start buying the Decepticons to begin my display.

I really like Scorpinok for some reason, despite the fact that he has some goofy bot mode. How is his alt mode? Is the articulation good?

SB

Slumble Bee wrote:Man you are awesome when it comes to picking out great figs! That Scattershot has ridiculous weaponry. It looks like they beefed up everyone when it came to the Cybertron series.

I think I will go with Jetfire. He has a great color scheme and it would be nice to have some diversity since I have all ground Autobots.

You have officially become my advisor, tigertracks. lol.

I feel sorry for you =) jk.

SB

Wait until you get my bill...

Scorponok will probably surprise you as better than you had hoped, but it kind of sucks, 'cause mine never leaves scorpion mode...never.

tigertracks 24 wrote:

Slumble Bee wrote:Man you are awesome when it comes to picking out great figs! That Scattershot has ridiculous weaponry. It looks like they beefed up everyone when it came to the Cybertron series.

I think I will go with Jetfire. He has a great color scheme and it would be nice to have some diversity since I have all ground Autobots.

You have officially become my advisor, tigertracks. lol.

I feel sorry for you =) jk.

SB

Wait until you get my bill...

Scorponok will probably surprise you as better than you had hoped, but it kind of sucks, 'cause mine never leaves scorpion mode...never.

As long as you accept all major credit cards, we are in business my friend. lol.

I can see the advert for Scorponok: Watch Scorponok transform from a scorpion into a...ummm...errr...scorpion like robot creature thingy...?

Yeah, his bot form is ugly as sin.

Anyways, I watched the '86 TF movie last night. I enjoyed it throughly, but it was just strange. I did not expect Optimus Prime and a ton of bots to die like that. This was a kids movie, was it not? lol.

I do have a new found love for Grimlock and Soundwave. Those those were awesome in the movie.

But I do have a question: Who is Ultra Magnus? He seems like Prime-lite to me and he never really accomplished anything in the movie. Whats his backstory and importance? I don't really like him all that much.

SB