The Energon Pub

noctorro wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I kindof want them all, but in Holland they are expensive as hell.
A normal is 60 to 70 euro's. And I missed out on Grimlock and Slag already and Slag is unpayable on the secondary market.

There are some good Dutch webshops with far better prices than the brick and mortar stores.
I don't know if I'm allowed to post them here, but a quick google search will bring up a few.

Darth Zax wrote:

noctorro wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I kindof want them all, but in Holland they are expensive as hell.
A normal is 60 to 70 euro's. And I missed out on Grimlock and Slag already and Slag is unpayable on the secondary market.

There are some good Dutch webshops with far better prices than the brick and mortar stores.
I don't know if I'm allowed to post them here, but a quick google search will bring up a few.

Post 'em shops. If they do have ANY official merch in store, post them links! More hunting grounds is always welcome. Even local independent shops.

For example, anyone who live in Laval or Montreal, Canada, should have a look at Geek Stuff. They don't sell anything internationally and it's better to go over there in person.

First look at a future clearance item.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I have all 4 as well, they look great together. For me, Snarl has the best-looking bot mode but the worst dino mode.

The worst looking dino mode to me is Sludge's. It's really hard for me not to see that huge gap under him and how neatly his toes could have fit there.

I can get past that easier than Snarl's head that's split down the middle. Yes I know the G1 figure was the same way, but it still looks dumb. And due to the leader size it's even more prominent.

Solrac333 wrote:First look at a future clearance item.

Or first look at something that you never see in stores. Not every store got these and they didn't hit clearance online.

Emerje

So obviously, Hasbro likes to make $$$, and use the tooling as much as they can. In addition, I wonder if we will get a "dead" SS86 Wheeljack & Windcharger (would have to be a new mold) set?

Also, just to be fair, we could get a Battledamaged/Dead Insecticons 3-pack, or a Battledmaged/Dead Thundercracker/Skywarp set (Earthrise repaints/retools) .

I know this is a bit of a hot take, but after watching TF:TM countless times, over the past 38 years; while Megatron was obviously still (barely) functional when he was reformatted by Unicron into Galvatron (and thus retains the memories of his former self). I do honestly believe Thundercracker, Skywarp, & The Insecticons were truly dead, their sparks extinguished. (They were drifting lifelessly, without movement) Unicron merely used their dead husks and created New Life. Thus Cyclonus, Scourge & The Sweeps are all new Beings and have no retention of who they formerly were.

So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

o.supreme wrote:So obviously, Hasbro likes to make $$$, and use the tooling as much as they can. In addition, I wonder if we will get a "dead" SS86 Wheeljack & Windcharger (would have to be a new mold) set?

Also, just to be fair, we could get a Battledamaged/Dead Insecticons 3-pack, or a Battledmaged/Dead Thundercracker/Skywarp set (Earthrise repaints/retools) .

I know this is a bit of a hot take, but after watching TF:TM countless times, over the past 38 years; while Megatron was obviously still (barely) functional when he was reformatted by Unicron into Galvatron (and thus retains the memories of his former self). I do honestly believe Thundercracker, Skywarp, & The Insecticons were truly dead, their sparks extinguished. (They were drifting lifelessly, without movement) Unicron merely used their dead husks and created New Life. Thus Cyclonus, Scourge & The Sweeps are all new Beings and have no retention of who they formerly were.

Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

I presume you are referring to the Decepticon Crypt scene in "Starscreams Ghost" ? The instance you are referring to does not happen. probably Mandela effect (There is a scene where Octane asks forgiveness for standing in front of Thundercrackers "marker", also he quotes Dirge (who is oddly alive in the same episode)). Lastly there's a statue that has a passing resemblance to Megatron, but that's about it.

o.supreme wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

I presume you are referring to the Decepticon Crypt scene in "Starscreams Ghost" ? The instance you are referring to does not happen. probably Mandela effect (There is a scene where Octane asks forgiveness for standing in front of Thundercrackers "marker", also he quotes Dirge (who is oddly alive in the same episode)). Lastly there's a statue that has a passing resemblance to Megatron, but that's about it.

And then there's this:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master. IDK.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master. IDK.

One thing is sure.

It's clearly not the same story as Rodimus Prime.
Poor guy was so unpopular, it's still possible to get in so many stores even now...

-Kanrabat- wrote:It's clearly not the same story as Rodimus Prime.
Poor guy was so unpopular, it's still possible to get in so many stores even now...

Yeah numbers are tough. Jetfire & Skylynx were so popular they were given a 2nd run (although 2nd run Skylynx is still available at Pulse). Rodimus is a great toy, but way overproduced. Although now, almost 3 years after its release, its finally getting an asking price slightly above retail on Amazon. Never saw it at B&M, but I know they were in abundance.

Motor Master was underproduced, so they had a 2nd run. Armada Prime -I have no idea. I never saw it at B&M, but I never wanted it, so I'm not sure if the supply/demand was sufficient, or if a lot of fans are still wanting it?

I'm almost certain the intent was ro re-release CC Rodimus at some point in SS86, perhaps for 2026, it might work, but it's going to be a hard sell and the MOQ will definitely be far less, unless they make a significant difference to the toy, which I'm not sure how TT/Hasbro could.

It could very well they were being conservative. Thinking that fans might not be willing to drop $100 on a New UM when they've already had 2 others in the past 3 years. But if the demand is there, hasbro has shown a pretty willing spirit, especially with CC and Titans, to reissue them if they are popular enough.

To play devil's advocate, it could also boil down to the longtime resentment that dates back to the movie's original release.

Ultra Magnus was handpicked by Optimus to be his successor, and even looks like a Super Mode version of Optimus. In season 3, he even had a lot of cool hero movements where he took charge, got things done, and knew what he was doing.

Rodimus, on the other hand, was not picked by Optimus, and was the snot-nosed punk who got Optimus killed. In season 3, he instead had a lot of whiny moments of uncertainty where he struggled, stumbled, and didn't know what he was doing.

In other words, to those who still harbor this resentment after all these years, Ultra Magnus is viewed as "Optimus 2.0", while Rodimus is viewed as "Not-Optimus".

For now, CC Armada Prime is "fairly balanced" in sales. Meaning he's still available at a few places, but at full price.

Ultra Magnus pretty much sold instantly and that was really unexpected. I'm sure they will make a second run of him sooner or later.

As for the upcoming CC G1 Optimus Prime, I predict that will be one that should be preordered right away. There will be more units produced for sure, but he'll still be one of those toy that you CANNOT wait for a sale. If anyone does, they'll miss out.

If we do get a SS86 Rodimus, I hope it's not just a Kingdom repack, but an all-new mold where he uses his entire vehicle mode for the robot, like he did on screen. A larger version of the Titanium figure with a bit better engineering would work. But I'm sure it's wishful thinking, since it's easier to just rerelease the Kingdom figure, seeing as Hasbro never redecoed him so they probably still want to get more out of the mold.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master . IDK.

Well I didn't buy it on eBay by choice but in a way I guess did since I missed out buying him cheaper elsewhere. So with no signs of Magnus to hit retail shelves and eBay prices what they are I shot to get the best price.

Rodimus Prime wrote:If we do get a SS86 Rodimus, I hope it's not just a Kingdom repack, but an all-new mold where he uses his entire vehicle mode for the robot, like he did on screen. A larger version of the Titanium figure with a bit better engineering would work. But I'm sure it's wishful thinking, since it's easier to just rerelease the Kingdom figure, seeing as Hasbro never redecoed him so they probably still want to get more out of the mold.

Maybe it will be another Dk-move like Blaster and leaving fans passing up the 86 figure and staying with their Legacy/Kingdom one.

Might anyone know if the MP Grimlock gun work for Studio86 Grimlock or may the peg be too small? If it's too big I could shave it down some.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Ultra Magnus pretty much sold instantly and that was really unexpected. I'm sure they will make a second run of him sooner or later.

I'd be keen if it does happen, while I was originally 100% not interested just because, I have recently come around on his CC version and maybe by the time it's reissued I'll have totally been won over.

Dull Surprise Ratchet

As much as I've supported the SS86 subline, I'm not sure I'm going for this new "dead" character 2-pack... In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm skipping this one, and probably the 1-2 that could follow in the future.
SS86 Brawn already has opaque plastic windows, and I definitely don't need an injured version.
Plus, with getting SS86 Blaster, I'm not okay with playing more of the "sell-off older versions" game.

The one thing I wish SS86 would've done from the start, was throw in 1-2 different heads with a couple different emotive face sculpts. And for any figure where this isn't possible or doesn't make much sense (Grimlock never has different facial expressions), throw in a few blast effects.

I am going to be interested to see if Hastak makes a "dead" 2-pk with Wheeljack... After this new 5-pk version, they need to give this character a break.

Sowndwave76 wrote:As much as I've supported the SS86 subline, I'm not sure I'm going for this new "dead" character 2-pack... In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm skipping this one, and probably the 1-2 that could follow in the future.
SS86 Brawn already has opaque plastic windows, and I definitely don't need an injured version.
Plus, with getting SS86 Blaster, I'm not okay with playing more of the "sell-off older versions" game.

The one thing I wish SS86 would've done from the start, was throw in 1-2 different heads with a couple different emotive face sculpts. And for any figure where this isn't possible or doesn't make much sense (Grimlock never has different facial expressions), throw in a few blast effects.

I am going to be interested to see if Hastak makes a "dead" 2-pk with Wheeljack... After this new 5-pk version, they need to give this character a break.

For me it's just too niche/scene specific which I simply do not have the room for. And evwn if I did I don't think I'd be interested in said gimmick unless there was a "bridge dio" to place them in. lol
In fact I'd rather use that space for other things besides dead characters TBH.

While it's good for Hasbro because it's another release of essentially the same one you already have, only "different" which allows milking of a mold, I would rather the battle damage was removable so that those who may have missed an earlier release could opt not to apply said damage.
While Pretty much already have them all I'd like to have been able to get this version of Prowl as I didn't like the solo release.

Granted it's still early yet, but so far the only one that really appeals to me is Gears. Everything else has been meh.

Till-all-R1 wrote:For me it's just too niche/scene specific which I simply do not have the room for. And evwn if I did I don't think I'd be interested in said gimmick unless there was a "bridge dio" to place them in. lol
In fact I'd rather use that space for other things besides dead characters TBH.

While it's good for Hasbro because it's another release of essentially the same one you already have, only "different" which allows milking of a mold, I would rather the battle damage was removable so that those who may have missed an earlier release could opt not to apply said damage.
While Pretty much already have them all I'd like to have been able to get this version of Prowl as I didn't like the solo release.

Granted it's still early yet, but so far the only one that really appeals to me is Gears. Everything else has been meh.

We're on the same page with this... You made a couple points that I have in the past, especially with these "dead" figures being too limiting. I really thought that somehow Hastak was going to make additional pieces that slid-on, clipped, or possibly pegged in. Of course there's a chance that pushes the budget, but I also thought between the figures being repaint/retools, and the fact that there is a track record of multi-packs with repaints/retools being priced lower than what the total could be, that there was a chance extra parts were possible.

I'm on the fence about canceling my preorder for the Decepticon Bridge 3-pk. Other than that, my list for the year as of right now:
Gears
Origins Wheeljack
SS86 Blaster
The Autobot 5 pack
SS86 Swoop
Ferak (I'm not completely convinced I'll keep him)
Soundwave (Hopefully the forearms have been retooled)
SS86 CC Optimus
SS86 Springer
SS86 Steeljaw (is a maybe)

Yeah, I'm passing on a whole lot this year.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I'm on the fence about canceling my preorder for the Decepticon Bridge 3-pk. Other than that, my list for the year as of right now:

I was so torn on this simply because I wanted a very different deco on Megs than ER offers, yet the other two didn't quite live up to expectations. Shockwave should be a slightly lighter color for a G1 preference, and I still don't care much for that Soundwave mold.

My planned purchases for the year are, so pretty light.
Gears
Origins Wheeljack
SS86 Blaster
Undecided on SS86 Swoop