The Energon Pub

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 9:23 am

Which gender collects Transformers the most between guys and girls? I know every once in a while you'll see girls acting nuts over Bumblebee to the point where one refers to herself as Bumblebee's girlfriend, which sounds not only sick but is a good way to break toys if you try snuggling with them. The strange thing is that they were talking on The Five one time about how robots may wind up having those kinds of relationships with people someday. That sounds dangerous to me because if you have a robot programmed to have those kinds of feelings, it's not going to get tired as quickly as people do. It'll eventually run low on power, but it could still overdo it quite a bit.

I'm also curious as to how many Transformers the average serious collector has. I did a count and came up with 60 Transformers and one Gobot maybe because someone went out of his way to put a reveal the shield Transformer sticker on the Bug Bite that my sister bought for me on eBay. Whoever did it didn't even get the right symbol on it because he put an Autobot sticker on him. Something tells me that if he and Bumblebee were to have a butt kicking contest with each other, Bug Bite would have a field day.

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 2:00 pm

What's the cheapest way to get Jetfire or Omega Supreme without using PayPal? I saw a G1 Jetfire for sale for over $4000 on the b/s/t forum; and if I had that much money to spend on a toy that I'd probably just play with, I'd be spending the money on something that's a real robot like a car because those have computer parts, which are sorta like robots. I don't suppose they intend to release those two in any future waves, do they?

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:11 pm

Please don't make me bump this thread to get answers 5 billion times. I just got a Voyager class Broadside from someone in the mail today along with Sandstorm and of course Blunderbuss. Sandstorm was from a previous incarnation, so I'm pretty sure there aren't any head Transformers that go with it. Anyway, I tried looking through that tfu website and can't find a picture of him to see what Broadside looks like in air craft carrier mode. I know I could watch an instructional video, but one of the pieces came off as I was taking him out of the package, and I can't figure out how to get it reattached.

News Credits: 226 · by **Burn** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:17 pm

Jason5billion wrote:Please don't make me bump this thread to get answers 5 billion times.

Won't be a problem. I'll ban you for spamming before you reach 5,000. :wink:

News Credits: 191 · by **Kurona** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:21 pm

That's a lie. He'll ban you before you reach 5.

News Credits: 226 · by **Burn** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 4:24 pm

Kurona wrote:That's a lie. He'll ban you before you reach 5.

...go and read your e-mails. Seriously ...

News Credits: 102 · by **Qwan** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 5:42 pm

Jason5billion wrote:Please don't make me bump this thread to get answers 5 billion times.

Come on man, some of us are asleep sometimes - not to mention, some of your questions can be particularly tough to come up with an answer to. Anyway, some highlights:

hardly

See? All things to those who wait.

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:00 pm

Here are the triple changers I got in the mail from an online person who's not obsessed with getting PayPal payments. As you can see, I'm able to get one of the sides of Broadside reattached; but I can't figure out how to get it aligned properly. If it was a G1 Broadside, which I'm not a big enough fan to shell out tons of cash for, I could figure out how to transform him in my sleep because that's how easy he was when he first came out. All I had to do was look at the package, and I could figure it out because it covered everything except pulling out the arms. I'd like to see a picture of Sandstorm in air vehicle mode so I can figure out which one he is exactly. Of the three of these Transformers, that's the one I'm fascinated with the most.

If I'm guilty of any kind of spam, I'd like to hear what Seibertron has to say because I know he's the only one here who outranks Burns. I don't even know how to spam.

News Credits: 226 · by **Burn** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:21 pm

Jason5billion wrote:If I'm guilty of any kind of spam, I'd like to hear what Seibertron has to say because I know he's the only one here who outranks Burns. I don't even know how to spam.

You're not guilty, but if you were to try to get 5 billion posts, then it's going to take you a LOT of time, and a lot of them would be pointless/irrelevant, hence, spam.

Not that I need to explain it, we both know you understood exactly what I was saying.

News Credits: 102 · by **Qwan** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:28 pm

Jason5billion wrote:As you can see, I'm able to get one of the sides of Broadside reattached; but I can't figure out how to get it aligned properly.

It's on upside-down. Pop it back off, flip it around so that it's basically a mirror-image of the one on the other side, and snap it back on again. It should line up after that. ;)^

Jason5billion wrote:I'd like to see a picture of Sandstorm in air vehicle mode

(Which reminds me, I should really pick up a Sandstorm myself. Not only does he look at least as fantabulous as Springer, but he's also the only one of the main six triple-changers that I don't have a Gen Voyager update of and my obsessiveness is driving me crazy. :lol:

)

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 6:40 pm

Thanks, but it would still help if I saw an exact picture of him in aircraft carrier mode. I don't expect quality goods from someone who doesn't take PayPal online payments because even those people make mistakes, and I can take a picture of Bug Bite with a Transformers Reveal the Shield sticker on him if there's any doubt. I do however, expect stores to offer exchanges for toys if I buy them brand new and unopened. I bought a tiny turbo changer Optimus Prime yesterday and almost took him back because I thought the manufacturer or whoever didn't have one of his arms on. It turned out it just fell off as I was opening him, so I was able to reattach it without any difficulty. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a Tiny Turbo changer Megatron for him to spar with. I already know they put out one that turns into a jet. I often wonder what gives Optimus Prime the advantage over him in battle when he doesn't turn into a flying vehicle.

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:59 pm

I don't suppose they ever made Shattered Glass Autobot beast Hounds that turned into dogs, did they? The reason I'm asking is because Mr. Burns who is Homer's boss on The Simpsons is always using the catch phrase to release the Hounds. If they put out evil Hound figures that could turn into dogs, they could do a Simpsons spoof parody where you see a bunch of evil robots that turn into hounds and commit a felony like most Decepticons do.

News Credits: 226 · by **Burn** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:07 pm

... Ravage ... Steeljaw ... and all their various repaints are now going to be released upon you.

by **Jason5billion** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:25 pm

I don't expect answers to questions all at once, but I am wondering if helicopter Transformers have the same ability that Kaiju have. Mothra or Rodan can create storm like winds by flapping their wings. Can Transformers that turn into helicopters do that? I know Windblade can do something like that even though she turns into a jet; but in reality, jets don't flap wings. I know it's possible to artificially produce winds that powerful, but I don't know what kind of vehicle or apparatus they could use. If a stealth plane can do that, that could be helpful for dealing with ISIS because they could use the weather as a weapon.

Has anyone ever been disrespected while buying Transformers in a store? When I was waiting in line to pay for a bunch of Tiny Turbo changers, a girl behind me asked if I was buying them for a kid and acted surprised when I told her no. If she thinks shapeshifting toys are only for kids, I'd like to see her showing me a kid shelling out thousands of dollars for some of the older ones. I know Tiny Turbo changers aren't likely to get that valuable because for one thing, you have to look at the directions to see one you don't recognize is an Autbot or a Decepticon without looking at the directions; but that doesn't mean they're not fun when a package says for ages five and up or whatever. I knew which side most of them were on that I got, but I didn't know who Cogman was, and I had to look at the directions to find out.

I don't know what Sandstorm's motto is; but with that air vehicle mode, he should probably change it to match what Christopher Lloyd said as Doc Brown at the end of the first Back to the Future movie, "Where I'm going, I don't need roads." That's what his helicopter mode or whatever you want to call it vehicle looks like a little. Flying cars that look like that look nice and would probably be fun to ride in, but I don't know about owning one because they're probably a lot harder to operate unless they can be driven on land. Even if I could pull some switch or whatever to make it fly, I probably wouldn't bother and would just drive it like I would a normal car.

News Credits: 102 · by **Qwan** » Tue Aug 15, 2017 10:25 pm

I'm still on the idea of Decepticons 'committing felonies'. :lol:

You naughty Decepticons, breaking the law like that!

(If intergalactic warfare and attempted planet-scale genocide (at the very least) are felonies, I can only imagine that Megatron must have started small with things like the assassination of Cybertronian leaders and other such misdemeanors.

)

Jason5billion wrote:Has anyone ever been disrespected while buying Transformers in a store? When I was waiting in line to pay for a bunch of Tiny Turbo changers, a girl behind me asked if I was buying them for a kid and acted surprised when I told her no.

Doesn't sound so much like being 'disrespected' as it does a person being (somewhat understandably) surprised that toys were being bought by/for a person outside the expected target audience. Remember that while it's not that strange for adult collectors to be buying Transformers, it is still uncommon enough that most people would assume the toys are being bought mostly for kids (which is somewhat as it should be; these are kids' toys after all). Can't blame a person for being surprised at something they didn't expect. ;)^

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:15 am

I'm working on a custom Minerva. I'm torn between painting the face orange to be strictly like the show, and painting it gold. Anyone want to weigh in?

by **Jason5billion** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 12:54 am

There are a number of Decepticons who could easily take Megatron's leadership away if they wanted to like city Transformers, but there's still something that makes them show more respect than Starscream has at times.

I don't know who copied who, but there was one time when Megatron approached the Autobots in a G1 episode, and he didn't have anyone with him. The Autobots started to shoot at him because they thought he was up to no good when all he wanted was a favor. The Gobots did something like that when Cykill approached the Guardians for help because he didn't like the way Leader One became a leader of the Renegades in an episode that was called A New Suit for Leader One or something. VHS was fairly new at the time, and it took us a while to get a VCR to record those shows while I had to go to school. Now for Gobot nerds like me, does anyone know which episode aired first? There are a number of things that Transformers has done that I haven't seen happen with the Gobots and would like to such as have live action movies or have a figure that has more than one not alternate mode. The only Gobot I play with on a regular basis is Bug Bite, so it would be cool to see one that looked just like him in robot mode in a live action movie. Hasbro somehow wised up when some fans like me didn't think Ironhide or whoever that van Autobot was that would have war stories didn't look like he was worth begging parents for and somehow got animated artists to make him look more appealing. I don't know how much a G1 of those would go for if someone found one on eBay unopened, but you'd probably have to pay me that much to take him, and I'd either throw him away or let some place like Salvation Army have him. Did the not know how to make a decent van back then? Gobots did better with Van Guard. I remember seeing a knock off version of one of those Transformers at a garage sale and didn't think he was worth getting. It was a black or shadow version. The only drawback to super Gobots is that their heads tend to get wobbly and loose after playing with them at lot, but at least you don't have to take them apart to transform them like you do with those. I don't mean to start an argument about whether or not I'm buying Transformers for some kids when the expensive priceless ones are only recommended to people who are 16 or older because all duplicates will be given as Christmas gifts for kids; but if a strange customer in line asks me if I'm buying Tiny Turbo changers when I'm trying to complete a wave, I'll point to what looks the most expensive item and ask if that's for kids. I remember being ridiculed in sixth grade because I would bring some kind of change

News Credits: 102 · by **Qwan** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:01 am

Did Jason just... run out of room? Is that possible on this site?

Anyways, I don't think either franchise specifically copied the other in the circumstance of that scene you mention; it's a fairly common scene in media to have the villain approach the heroes with intent to bargain (or "bargain") and for the heroes to be suspicious and consider attacking. Whichever episode came first it certainly wouldn't have been the first piece of media to ever do that type of scene, so it's not really fair to say that one 'copied' the other in that regard.

by **Jason5billion** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:07 am

shapeshifting toy to school to play with during recess by classmates, and it'd be nice if I had one of the older ones and sell it and then show them how much I got for one to rub it in. It took me awhile to acquire a genuinely Gobot or Transformer, so I had to settle for ones that you'd have to take apart to transform into a robot and back into some construction vehicle. It seems like they were called Road Bots, and it's hard to say what one of those would go for if it was unopened. I had outgrown Legos by that point because those are still a challenge to put together if they don't have instructions. I remember when I was in the hospital for a broken femur bone, and my late dad would help me out at first by putting a set back together, and he quit doing it after pointing out that he had already done it five times. I respect him, but I just gave up on Legos after that.

by **Jason5billion** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 1:43 am

I know I tend to get long-winded with posts at times; but since it's a bit of a nuisance to carry a mobile phone with me to see if there's a way to see around to see around codes without irritating people by opening each one, so I'll just buy as many as I can without trying. I can carry a phone without much trouble, but battery power doesn't last forever, and solar powered ones are either too expensive or science fiction. As it is, I had a hard time getting a signal at the store I did get mine at. If I get another Grimlock that's a different color, I'll live with it; and the same goes for Bumblebee; but exact duplicates will go. I don't know how many stores have them, but Walmart has a tendency to discontinue smaller ones and make people hunt for enough to complete a wave.

Speaking of being able to artificially produce winds that are too strong, my dad witnessed a jet mechanic who got sucked into one of those things on a big jet, and I heard he looked like a mess. I've seen one guy survive that and survive, but that was only because he was wearing a loose helmet.

News Credits: 3 · by **ArmadaPrime** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 2:00 am

Jason5billion wrote:I've seen one guy survive that and survive.

He both survived it and survived? Impressive

Regarding people in stores though, try not to think too much of it. Everyone has hobbies and making fun of people for theirs is daft and not worth the time, especially with the recent resurgence of "kids" media into the mainstream (particularly superhero films, etc). I've sometimes compared it to those who collect model trains, or stamps, etc- perhaps a little eccentric but not that uncommon or weird.

by **Jason5billion** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 3:25 am

I'm surprised at how much a person would have to pay to get Hot Wheels cars I've seen on eBay. ExiKaiser tried to bash me for trying to trade a Super Treasure Hunt 2008 Dodge Viper because I was asking for an Optimus Prime, but I've seen the same exact car going with a $42 price tag on eBay. Hot Wheels cars and Matchbox cars can be fun, but I just can't see paying that much for a car that I could only push around if I opened it. Normal Treasure Hunts aren't as valuable; but if you can find someone besides one of those local Dollar General stores or a Target, Toys R Us,Walgreens, or Walmart who would let you have a super Treasure Hunt for less than $10, I'll give you a dollar. If you get lucky and find one, I would highly recommend not opening it and playing crash games with it because even a Super Treasure Hunt from the current year goes for about as much as a Voyager class Optimus Prime. The one I have might be worth about as much as an exclusive Kay-Bee Micromaster Defensor because I've seen those go for $40. The only difference between the car I have and the one I spotted on eBay is that it was a tall card car while mine is a long card one. If I did that business of pointing to the most expensive item that another customer is waiting to buy after being asked if I'm buying for kids, it would be more of a Bart Simpson prank than a get even tactic. It would be really fun if someone behind me was getting one of those big 4K 3-D TV's and I pulled it on the person. Those have a suggested retail price of like a couple thousand dollars or more, and kids do like to watch TV and play video games on them. I'd like to watch a short episode of The Simpsons on one of those just to see it would look like, but money doesn't exactly grow on trees. I remember a parson was telling us how some little girl was fascinated with the on and off switch with one of the older TV's that had an on and kept messing with it. I wonder if there's anyone who was born in the 21st century who can remember the ones that had dials where you'd have to get up and change the station. If they know about black and white TV's, then they're really up on the history of television.

News Credits: 2 · by **Insurgent** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:13 am

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I'm working on a custom Minerva. I'm torn between painting the face orange to be strictly like the show, and painting it gold. Anyone want to weigh in?

Orange. Gold feels like it would be a bit too much bling for someone like minerva.

by **Jason5billion** » Wed Aug 16, 2017 4:31 am

Burn wrote:... Ravage ... Steeljaw ... and all their various repaints are now going to be released upon you.

Thank you, big guy. I'm a little Leary about Ravage, and I don't know who Steeljaw is. I'm having a little trouble with Cogman because his arms don't have much reticulation, so if he's part of wave one, I'll have to have him jump up and down to do the wave. If I wind up with a few extra Hounds, I'll try to do what Mr. Burns says to do even though they don't have the ability to roll their wheels when they're in vehicle mode. Maybe Hasbro can see about making Tiny Turbo changers that do. Autobot Hound is one of my favorites. I wish I still had a small Galvatron that turned into a car because the futuristic cannon looks more like something that I would only accept for free; and if he proves to be too difficult to transform, I'd probably just give him away to a nephew who might like them because I know he likes to go on the Transformers ride at Universal Studios in Orlando. The difference between the one there and the one is California is that you don't get a choice and have to be picked to experience the making a movie. With the one in Orlando, you pretty much ride them; and a lot of them get scary and stressful for people with motion sickness, so I didn't take a chance on it because I'm not interested in training to become an astronaut. He asked me if I wanted to go on a roller coaster, so I asked him if donkeys fly. The idea of going into space to see if there is a Gobotron or a Cyberton that has autonomous robotic organisms duking it out with each other; but if the good Lord wanted me to do that, He'd give me an indestructible body that wouldn't be bothered by the stress of traveling through space. Does Tiny Turbo changer Ravage happen to have a humanoid mode? I've never seen one that does, so that's why I'm asking. I managed to figure out how to transform the one that was captured by Hound. I had a hard time with following the directions because they're so two-dimensional, but now I can do it with ease after watching it.

The only way I'd ride a roller coaster is if I could have an anesthetic before going on and paid me 5 billion dollars.