The Energon Pub

o.supreme wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Wolfman Jake wrote:I don't think it matters too much to Hasbro when they throw these sets together with additional figures to fill out a price point. Obviously, having a thematic relationship would be preferred, but more often than not, it's not been the priority. Studio Series Shockwave came with Wheelie, Brains, and a paratrooper human figure just because they could stick them in there and still not exceed the Leader Class price point, not because they all shared an iconic scene together in Dark of the Moon. Or, look at Netflix Wave 1 Megatron, who came with two "Captive" Autobot Battle Masters, Lionizer and Pinpointer. That never happened in the show, but Hasbro thought it made for a good gift set, so why not? I think Grimlock being paired up with Wheelie is more of a serendipitous rarity than a rule when it comes to designing these sets.

I would also go 1 step further and say there is no guarantee that any other Leader Dinobots will even come with an extra figure. For Sludge and Snarl, each of their dino modes have some dino parts that will likely require a little more plastic than Grimlock and Slag did, particularly Sludge's neck and tail, and Snarl's spine plates. I can easily see those areas eating up all the available plastic for their molds.

This is true, and something to consider. Will be interesting to see if the rumour that Swoop is being sold as a voyager is right or not.

Man I hope that's not true. Swoop is as tall as the other dinobots, would be a shame to mess up the scale after being so diligent.

Well, there's not much of a height difference between Kingdom Voyager Cyclonus, and Leader Galvatron, maybe a centimeter or two? I don't really have a preference, but it could be that Swoop has far less mass/plastic parts, so they could make him a tall voyager, to scale with the other much beefier Dinobots.

The small height difference between Cyclonus and Galvatron is really more because Galvatron is a very short leader.

Can someone who has both SS86 Grimlock and one of the SS voyager Megatrons please post a comparison picture? SS Megs is about the upper limit on voyager size now, so a comparison would settle this once and for all.

ZeroWolf wrote:Greetings Seibertronians! Thanks to fellow Seibertron user, Darth JoJo Gojira Prime 1939, we've learned that YouTuber, Kremzeek Reviews, has just unloaded a brand new video review of the forthcoming Transformers Studio Series 86 Leader Class Slag!

While this figure is yet to be officially revealed by Hasbro, we've known of its existence for some time based on leaked listings and the photos that emerged a month or so ago. The figure is highly accurate to his appearance in the movie and comes with a small Daniel minifigure. He is the second of the Dinobots to debut under this new line, following on from Grimlock and Wheelie.

Check out the review below!



What do you think of the review? Are you excited to get this dinobot?

Shout out in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

I find his proportions odd. The tail is definitely better in person and the way the head folds up into the mouth is a great touch. But I thought with the difference from previous transformations, they would make his dinobot form better looking.

Kingdom leader galvatron isnt even as tall as TR voyager galvatron? So yeagh hoping swoop is leader class too -they could include the swords with him and red horns and even the optional heads.

Slag looks really good, would have preferred some cthru plastic on his back lege or somewhere. No doubt toy/chromed versions will be done at some point though.

Absolutely in love with Slag! Can't wait to see the rest of the dinobots in the future
Hopefully I can see some comparison shots of him with MP Grimlock

I enjoy kremzeek reviews because he makes a lot of references to the movie and series, makes it more satisfying

I don't care what anyone says, I think the head done in red looks incredible, and much better than the toy version.
Overall this looks great and is on par with what I'd expect from SS86.

Here's my critique:

Bot mode upper torso (the red portion) is a little wide.
The upper legs (like with other figures) could be a bit longer. And I mean just a tiny bit.
Enough to make him the exact same height as Grimlock.
The Parietal Bone (or frill) should be a bit larger.
I think it'll stand out even more in-hand, but I still think the Siege greebling is a overdone.
I know this subline has included movie-related gimmicks for figures such as Hot Rod and Kup, however, I'm not a fan of the weapon storage in the tail.
Hopefully a 3P will come up with an add-on set that makes a tail piece to finish the gold/yellow tail (and hopefully a sword).
So my dislike of gimmicks continues with the Daniel figure...
I don't even mind that these new Dinobots aren't coming with swords.
But leave out the waste of a little figure.
Use that plastic to ensure things such as solid plastic horns happen... In other words, make the main figure the best it can be.
Especially considering most people interested in this figure don't need or want a pack-in figure.
Those on the fence about this character won't necessarily be persuaded by the pack-in figure.
In fact for some, I'm betting they'll end up passing on this guy because they can't see justifying $50 when the figure could be a bit better, and they have no interest in a faceless figure stuck in a sitting pose.

For me, despite my critical points, I am very happy with how this Slag looks, transforms, etc.
Yeah, the dino mode could be a little better, but relatively speaking it's still very good, and the bot mode is really on point.
This is one of those cases where if and when the next Slag is released-- IF it's not an MP version --any improvements most likely won't be enough for me to buy it.
And if the figure itself suffers from whichever inevitable gimmick Hastak plans to throw-in for a future line, then imo there's no way a better version will happen in the handful of years left that I plan to be collecting.

I know it's going to take a little patience, but in the next year or so it's going to be really exciting to eventually see 5 G1 leader class Dinobots on the same shelf...
Talk about making me feel like a kid!!!

I love it and I will get him on sight..

Cyber Bishop wrote:I love it and I will get him on sight..

Me too. And since I think Grimlock should be taller than Slag, he'll be going next to my MP Grimlock.

I already preordered Slag on Amazon, and I'm not regretting it one bit. This is exactly the Slag I've been waiting 35 years for. Same with Hot Rod, Tracks, Jazz, and Jetfire. Having grown up on the cartoon, I remember as a kid trying to kitbash my toys to make them look more like the cartoon. I remember making paper fins for the back of Tracks, I'd try to tape together the booster rockets on Jetfire, and I even made a paper head that would fold up for Ironhide. My only disappointment (and a very minor one it is) is that Jazz didn't come with his retractable stereo speakers.

I hear several people complaining about wanting more Bayverse figures or toy-accurate figures. Sorry, but I don't have a bit of sympathy. I've waited 35 years to get cartoon accurate figures, and this is the first time we're finally getting them. When it's the year 2040, and you still haven't gotten Bayverse figures, then I'll definitely sympathize. And I don't even get the complaint about "toy-accuracy". If you truly want toy-accuracy, then buy the 80s version. You can't get much more accurate than that! (Yes, yes, I know you want a more POSEABLE version of the 80s toy. But seriously, have you seen the artwork that came with those toys? I'd be impressed if they could make the toys actually pose like that.)

daedalus25 wrote: But seriously, have you seen the artwork that came with those toys?

Have you seen the crappy artwork in the cartoon? Why do you guys worship the cartoon so much? A lot of the changes in the cartoon were completely unnecessary. Transformers are robots. Most of the G1 toys had robot faces. What was the point of changing them to human faces? Was Bumblebee's original toy face really so horrible that they needed to change it into a stupid looking human face???

Better yet, explain to me why Slag needed to have the color of his head changed? What possible purpose did it serve? To me, it seems like a totally unnecessary & pointless change. All the other Dinobots were just fine with black heads & silver faces. What was it about Slag that made black & silver not work & require a change? Why did somebody look at Slag & say "You know what? That doesn't work! We need to totally change the color of his head"???

A lot of the changes in the G1 cartoon make no sense. I understand why they changed Ratchet, Ironhide & Jetfire. But all the others? Nope! Totally unnecessary. Most of them didn't need to be changed at all. Especially poor Trailbreaker. Trailbreaker got the dumbest looking face in the cartoon. Compare it to the awesome robot face on the original toy.

Nemesis Reformatted wrote:

daedalus25 wrote: But seriously, have you seen the artwork that came with those toys?

Have you seen the crappy artwork in the cartoon? Why do you guys worship the cartoon so much? A lot of the changes in the cartoon were completely unnecessary. Transformers are robots. Most of the G1 toys had robot faces. What was the point of changing them to human faces? Was Bumblebee's original toy face really so horrible that they needed to change it into a stupid looking human face???

Better yet, explain to me why Slag needed to have the color of his head changed? What possible purpose did it serve? To me, it seems like a totally unnecessary & pointless change. All the other Dinobots were just fine with black heads & silver faces. What was it about Slag that made black & silver not work & require a change? Why did somebody look at Slag & say "You know what? That doesn't work! We need to totally change the color of his head"???

A lot of the changes in the G1 cartoon make no sense. I understand why they changed Ratchet, Ironhide & Jetfire. But all the others? Nope! Totally unnecessary. Most of them didn't need to be changed at all. Especially poor Trailbreaker. Trailbreaker got the dumbest looking face in the cartoon. Compare it to the awesome robot face on the original toy.

Look, it’s difficult to know why certain changes were made.
In terms of Slag’s head/face... My best guess is to add in a little variety? Swoop’s head was Red & Light Gray...
Maybe someone thought more Red amongst the group would look good.
But either way, that’s the point— someone DID think it looked good.

Another decent assumption is that any human-like characteristics were added to characters’ appearances because the creators thought it would make them easier to relate with.
Who knows.

I’ll speak for myself; I like the cartoon because of the pure nostalgia.
It was the show that brought these other wise random characters to life.
I’d think that like me, a lot of people have a concrete vision of these characters, both appearance & personality-wise based on what was seen on the show.

For how crazy or unreasonable these new figures may seem to you, there are probably more people than you’d think that are beyond excited about them.
And for people who are so tired of G1, finally getting figures like these are actually part of the whole evolution...
IF figures like these would’ve been released years ago, then yeah, who knows where TF lines could be right now.

it looks good to me
i think next will be sludge because
grimlock, slag and sludge were the first ones made in the show

I've always heard a rumor that whenever possible they wanted to give the robots humanoid faces to better express emotion. That's why most of the characters in the live-action films have retractable face masks. Also keep in mind that there really wasn't anything they could do about the toys, as they were reused from another line that was probably never meant to have animation.

Sowndwave76 wrote:In terms of Slag’s head/face... My best guess is to add in a little variety? Swoop’s head was Red & Light Gray...
Maybe someone thought more Red amongst the group would look good.
But either way, that’s the point— someone DID think it looked good.

Considering the *ahem* quality of the cartoon, it's more likely that the face was originally meant to be silver to differentiate from his helmet. This is the same cartoon that accidentally swapped Frenzy and Rumble's character sheets and sparked the endless debate.

Nuclearxpotato wrote:Considering the *ahem* quality of the cartoon, it's more likely that the face was originally meant to be silver to differentiate from his helmet. This is the same cartoon that accidentally swapped Frenzy and Rumble's character sheets and sparked the endless debate.

You bring up an excellent point.

New rule! Anyone so beholden to the cartoon appearances better be calling their blue cassette guy Rumble and their red one Frenzy. The cartoon appearance is the bible after all...

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Nuclearxpotato wrote:Considering the *ahem* quality of the cartoon, it's more likely that the face was originally meant to be silver to differentiate from his helmet. This is the same cartoon that accidentally swapped Frenzy and Rumble's character sheets and sparked the endless debate.

You bring up an excellent point.

New rule! Anyone so beholden to the cartoon appearances better be calling their blue cassette guy Rumble and their red one Frenzy. The cartoon appearance is the bible after all...

You say that like people who go by the cartoon don't already do that.

Sabrblade wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Nuclearxpotato wrote:Considering the *ahem* quality of the cartoon, it's more likely that the face was originally meant to be silver to differentiate from his helmet. This is the same cartoon that accidentally swapped Frenzy and Rumble's character sheets and sparked the endless debate.

You bring up an excellent point.

New rule! Anyone so beholden to the cartoon appearances better be calling their blue cassette guy Rumble and their red one Frenzy. The cartoon appearance is the bible after all...

You say that like people who go by the cartoon don't already do that.

I say that absolutely knowing some already do this. My comment was aimed at anyone who's half-assing it.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Nuclearxpotato wrote:Considering the *ahem* quality of the cartoon, it's more likely that the face was originally meant to be silver to differentiate from his helmet. This is the same cartoon that accidentally swapped Frenzy and Rumble's character sheets and sparked the endless debate.

You bring up an excellent point.

New rule! Anyone so beholden to the cartoon appearances better be calling their blue cassette guy Rumble and their red one Frenzy. The cartoon appearance is the bible after all...

You say that like people who go by the cartoon don't already do that.

I say that absolutely knowing some already do this. My comment was aimed at anyone who's half-assing it.

I'd say there's way more who are all-in on it than not, hence the decades-old FIRRIB vs. RIRFIB wars.

There were plenty of mistakes in the cartoon.
I don't think anyone is denying that.

With Slag's head/face, I don't see how that was a mistake when it was shown that way for every appearance that I can remember. If it was ever different in a scene or two, I'd say that that was the mistake.
This really isn't all that different from Dragstrip being the one Stunticon that was basically all one color, with no gray/black/white for any parts of his limbs.
Or Skydive being the only 1 from that group that has so much black in his bot mode.
Or Long Haul who had a very different, predominantly light gray head compared to the other 5.
Or Swindle; the 1 of 5 that was was overall a brighter, warm color.
So yeah, Bruticus looks ridiculously stupid because his lower right leg clashes with the torso and other limbs. The humanity!!!! What were they thinking??!?!?
In fact, why aren't all of the good guys warm colors, and all the bad guys cool colors???!?!
SO DUMB!!!!

The only thing funnier than the extreme G1 fans are the people who spend time talking about extreme G1 fans.

Slag's face is red instead of silver because he's always been the most shy of the autobots, mystery solved
Illoominati confirmed

Razorbeast88 wrote:Slag's face is red instead of silver because he's always been the most shy of the autobots, mystery solved
Illoominati confirmed

Boom, canon.

aronjlove wrote:

Razorbeast88 wrote:Slag's face is red instead of silver because he's always been the most shy of the autobots, mystery solved
Illoominati confirmed

Boom, canon.

Cyber Bishop wrote:I love it and I will get him on sight..

This.

Regarding the change in head colors...


It's not like it was an animation only decision. That's the Canadian variant of G1 Slag.

Edit: Oh, talking about a red FACE, not HEAD. Well, teaches me for skimming. Maybe there was a prototype with silver horns (like Diaclone) and an unpainted face.

Slag looks halfway good. I wish the face was colored different, and his chest seems a little wide and the arms a little short, but not bad

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Slag looks halfway good. I wish the face was colored different, and his chest seems a little wide and the arms a little short, but not bad

I agree his proportions could be just a little better... I don't think he's quite as good as Grimlock.
But in the grand scheme, he's more than halfway good imo. He's actually really good to me.
A while back Amazon pushed my preorder deliver date to early Nov.
Which would be a cool early b-day present, but I'm hoping I find him well before that at my local Target.


Man, I'm really hoping we get SS86 Insecticons... They're past due in deluxe class scale. I don't think they'd need to be as tall as the Datsuns in bot mode, but if they end up being as tall as Huffer I'll be happy.
To get leader class Dinobots and deluxe class Insecticons within the same year or so...
It would definitely be a highlight of collecting for me!!