The Energon Pub

A note on prices in general: inflation has exploded in the last 4 years, around 20% for just about everything, and toy manufacturers aren’t exempt. That cost is going to get passed on to the consumer, so the days of $15–$20 deluxes and $25–$30 voyagers are gone. You’re going to have to make your peace with that.

Also, with the Commander Class Constructicons being released in Australia, a few review videos have come out. This one has a lot of great information, views, and comparisons: https://youtu.be/p1EcxA538KE

This set is looking absolutely amazing, and it EASILY blows away the Combiner Wars version. I cannot wait to finally get Devastator fully assembled on the shelf.

very curious to see the full reveal

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:very curious to see the full reveal

Supposedly he's being extra cautious about pictures this time because put pressure on him this time. There's another picture out there of Megs as Dr. Claw with the arm sticking out from the chair.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:very curious to see the full reveal

Supposedly he's being extra cautious about pictures this time because put pressure on him this time. There's another picture out there of Megs as Dr. Claw with the arm sticking out from the chair.

Emerje

Who's putting pressure on who? Hasbro? If so, it's a bit late for Hasbro to start getting fussy about having lost control over their revealing process. They've turned an effective blind eye to workers on the factory floors swiping early copies of their figures, passing them on to YouTube reviewers, and just letting them do reveals willy-nilly. So much so that it's become a profitable venture to have a chum on the 'inside' doing pilfering for your channel, so that reviewer X can be first out of the gate for the most clicks/views/monetization. Heck, Hasbro has even invited some of those reviewers in for early peeks. You can't throw open the door of your vault and then pretend to be mad after you learn that thieves made off with your stuff.

DeathReviews wrote:

Emerje wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:very curious to see the full reveal

Supposedly he's being extra cautious about pictures this time because put pressure on him this time. There's another picture out there of Megs as Dr. Claw with the arm sticking out from the chair.

Emerje

Who's putting pressure on who? Hasbro? If so, it's a bit late for Hasbro to start getting fussy about having lost control over their revealing process. They've turned an effective blind eye to workers on the factory floors swiping early copies of their figures, passing them on to YouTube reviewers, and just letting them do reveals willy-nilly. So much so that it's become a profitable venture to have a chum on the 'inside' doing pilfering for your channel, so that reviewer X can be first out of the gate for the most clicks/views/monetization. Heck, Hasbro has even invited some of those reviewers in for early peeks. You can't throw open the door of your vault and then pretend to be mad after you learn that thieves made off with your stuff.

Well they can get the videos taken down if they want. I imagine that is the "pressure". They are ok with the early reviews so far as its mostly good press/hype for them. SS86 Megs is a big one though, I'm sure want to, at least slightly, control the reveal.

Also, as I understand, video reviewers buy their figures from auction sites for a lot of cash. Not that they have super secret spies in the factories. They are just willing to pay those big prices to be first. PvP has turned that into fairly professional, clean looking videos, and more importanly, free advertisement, that Hasbro, I have to assume, likes. I can't judge them for spending money to make money, when the companies they are profiting from, also profit and don't judge them as "wrong". I am just happy for the news and reveals it brings. Which I think is how most people see it. Anyone willing to spend that money for the figures can also make videos.

I know this new Megatron may be incredibly good, however I'm not a fan of the top and bottom of the forearm tapering towards the elbow, and I'm already seeing too much greebling... I still don't see the point in adding a bunch of molded details that were never part of the original designs on these "screen accurate" G1 characters. Sure a few basic lines here and there so that it's not completely bare surfaces. But all the additional shapes, patterns of small lines that almost appear like vents... It's all just so unnecessary. SS86 Optimus Prime does have a few additional molded details on his forearms, but nowhere close to what we're seeing in that photo of Megatron's arm sticking out of the box.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I know this new Megatron may be incredibly good, however I'm not a fan of the top and bottom of the forearm tapering towards the elbow, and I'm already seeing too much greebling... I still don't see the point in adding a bunch of molded details that were never part of the original designs on these "screen accurate" G1 characters. Sure a few basic lines here and there so that it's not completely bare surfaces. But all the additional shapes, patterns of small lines that almost appear like vents... It's all just so unnecessary. SS86 Optimus Prime does have a few additional molded details on his forearms, but nowhere close to what we're seeing in that photo of Megatron's arm sticking out of the box.

What if it turns out to be a hoax and that PvP was just trolling us with some (new) third-party figure?

Sabrblade wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:I know this new Megatron may be incredibly good, however I'm not a fan of the top and bottom of the forearm tapering towards the elbow, and I'm already seeing too much greebling... I still don't see the point in adding a bunch of molded details that were never part of the original designs on these "screen accurate" G1 characters. Sure a few basic lines here and there so that it's not completely bare surfaces. But all the additional shapes, patterns of small lines that almost appear like vents... It's all just so unnecessary. SS86 Optimus Prime does have a few additional molded details on his forearms, but nowhere close to what we're seeing in that photo of Megatron's arm sticking out of the box.

What if it turns out to be a hoax and that PvP was just trolling us with some (new) third-party figure?

If it were only March and that happened, I'd say that's hilarious... But with June being 4 days away I'm impatient for this long overdue version.

I really hope Hastak got the face and head sculpts done well. If so I'll be able to look past any smaller issues.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I really hope Hastak got the face and head sculpts done well. If so I'll be able to look past any smaller issues.

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Takara's recent Energy Master Megatron figure in the Wild King line has a face that is the spitting image of G1 Megatron's cartoon model face, so I think they've got that in the bag.

Sabrblade wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:I really hope Hastak got the face and head sculpts done well. If so I'll be able to look past any smaller issues.

I wouldn't worry too much about that. Takara's recent Energy Master Megatron figure in the Wild King line has a face that is the spitting image of G1 Megatron's cartoon model face, so I think they've got that in the bag.

I know they can make it happen... But I want to see it for myself!

Okay, so someone explain to me how this is a G1 Megatron Cannon…

Sowndwave76 wrote:Okay, so someone explain to me how this is a G1 Megatron Cannon…

It kinda looks like the barrel can slide forwards and backwards along the middle portion, and that it's been slid towards the back in that picture instead of being slid towards the front to extend the barrel more forward. As is, slid backward makes the barrel look short and stumpy while the back end is sticking outward more than it should.

Sabrblade wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:Okay, so someone explain to me how this is a G1 Megatron Cannon…

It kinda looks like the barrel can slide forwards and backwards along the middle portion, and that it's been slid towards the back in that picture instead of being slid towards the front to extend the barrel more forward. As is, slid backward makes the barrel look short and stumpy while the back end is sticking outward more than it should.

Yeah maybe…. But why is the larger section on the back so long?

Sowndwave76 wrote:Okay, so someone explain to me how this is a G1 Megatron Cannon…

That does not look good...

~ Grim

The Newage "Romulus" figure does the same thing with its fusion cannon, with the end of the barrel/scope sliding out, or in, depending on which mode it's in. I expect that tank Megatron will have the end of the cannon extended out to make it more 'tank-ey', which is also what they did for CW Megatron.

A couple more thoughts and some info that I just heard/saw from a YouTube video... Not going to mention the person or channel because to be honest he's really kind of annoying and I'm not going out of my way to support his channel.

The info is from someone who actually has the figure in-hand and has measured/compared Megatron to SS86 Optimus.

So the size is very comparable SS86 OP, with some specifics given. The overall height is right there with Prime's. The gun barrel on Meg's back does measure slightly higher/taller than his head. Proportions of the legs, feet, etc. all sound to be on point. The waist is slightly wider than Prime's because of the side hip skirt panels. The face sculpt is a neutral expression, and is said to be very similar to the MP figure's face. There is no backpack from the tank mode.

Speaking of the tank, it is roughly 3/4 the size of the Megatronus tank mode. It does roll; 3 wheels were mentioned, and while I figured that meant 2 on the bottom of each tread and one towards each side under the main section, this could mean one towards the middle/back of each tread, and one centered towards the front under the tank.

Lastly, most of you have probably seen the info about the June 10th date; this was mentioned, but NO confirmation of preorder/release/livestream, etc. However, seems worth making a calendar notification for-- something is happening on 6/10, and if it happens to be preorders opening-up, you may not want to miss that.


Some of my thoughts on this...
It all sounds good, and probably really good. I can't even put into words how much I don't care about the tank mode. That literally means nothing to me and I truly hope that none of those details have tainted the bot mode. Some of my semi-recently purchased figures still haven't been transformed, and I may never transform this new Megs.
It will never happen, but I still wish Hastak would've had the foresight to make mainline figures with alternate heads for varied facial expressions. Doesn't mean I want anything crazy-animated or exaggerated, but even one alternative with a grimacing expression, since it's fair to say these are characters who end up in multiple battles of a larger war.
Back to Megatron, I am very anxious to see this figure's exact proportions, height, mass, and how he looks next to SS86 Optimus.
My last thought stems from something the YouTuber mentioned with the reveal of the photo of the cannon; he basically was saying it's the best cannon for a recent Megatron figure, and G1 fans are so difficult to please, yada yada... I'm not here to change anyone's mind, just sharing thoughts-- that cannon is an example of something that objectively could be better. While everyone is now getting accustomed to just saying "Studio Series" instead of "Studio Series '86", this figure is representing the Megatron from the '86 movie. Guaranteed the box will include the extra "The Transformers the Move" logo, even if the type isn't in gradated colors.
I do not believe that making a more accurate scope/cannon is an issue which infringes upon laws or stances about weapons being made into toys. This cannon isn't some complex three-dimensional form that's difficult to get correct. I always say "relative" so people know I'm not here angry-typing on my laptop keyboard... But a supposed screen accurate version of this character is finally being made, and on top of the alt mode having to be completely changed, the cannon-- the well-known main weapon for this iconic character looks noticeably off?? Relatively speaking, that is frustrating, and just seems dumb that this the final part for this figure.
Someone on Instragram said the cannon is plugged into the forearm upside down... Which I don't think is legit considering I don't see any peg on the top of the cannon in that photo.
All this to say, my views and the views of others can obviously be labeled as "complaining", and "You G1 fans are never happy" and whatever else... My personal response to that is I have very realistic expectations and a kung-fu grip on the reality of what's reasonably possible with these toys. Hell, I'd say my expectations have actually decreased over the years, even since the SS86 subline started.
Call it a complaint, but that cannon is not peak. Period.

I'll be getting the figure regardless. I don't mind if it's a tank - but it needs to be a SOLID tank with treads that run all the way from front to back. None of this "H" tank crud we've been getting for the last 8 years. And it has to have plating on the front, and the back, so there aren't any ugly hollow gaps visible to the eye. If they can do that - then I don't even care if it has wheels or not...

Overcracker wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:Okay, so someone explain to me how this is a G1 Megatron Cannon…

Comic Megs?
Early commercial Megs?

earlymegs.jpg

That profile art was never followed up on in the comics. Megatron had the same cannon he had in the cartoon and on the toy. Long narrow barrel with a flared-out exhaust on the back end.

Maybe it's because of how little I care about how his cannon looks, but I see nothing wrong with that cannon or arm.

Besides, I will most likely rip off that arm anyways.

Besides Besides, 8th year of SS and still no 2nd AOE Dinobot, means I care even less for leaders not being them.

Canon looks about 90% correct to me, and I'm what some would call a G1 Sunbow/comic accurate to a fault purist, when it comes to figures. As in, I liked the front of Blitzwings' tank.

Overcracker wrote:It should be flared out, like both MPs and G1, since its still supposed to be a scope eye piece, and I'm sure a 3rd party will produce one that more closely matches both cartoon and toy, but why oh why can't Hasbro get it right?

Not a deal breaker, but definitely annoying.

Agreed... You echoed my exact thoughts; why didn't Hastak just get this right in the first place? While I have bought every re-tooled/repainted SS86 figure and will say it was worth it, that doesn't also mean that I liked making those additional purchases. In fact it's like tons of things in life-- worth it, and yet can also involve annoyances. It's just going to be almost laughable when a 3P company makes a cannon that is near perfect...

And in case anyone was confused, I said what I said AND I'm getting this figure. As much as I still like my 35th Anniversary Siege Megatron, there's no way it will be better than this new SS version.

Sowndwave76 wrote:It's just going to be almost laughable when a 3P company makes a cannon that is near perfect...

There may already be one right now.