The Energon Pub

News Credits: 2 · by **Nemesis Destron** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:16 pm

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/prod ... ode=retail

:DANCE:

Okay this is something that is long overdue in the wake of Toynami's MP Voltron aka Lionbot/Lionforce. Now here it is for those who were also fans of Vehicle Voltron, aka Dairugger IX and it looks amazing! :HEADHURTS:

Ever since the release of Toynami's Voltron I have longed for them to produce VV but the more I looked into the possibility the more I heard from various sources that it would never come to pass.

Now to my complete and total surprise the people at Most Wanted / Miracle Productions are giving us an extremely awesome looking fully articulated Vehicle Voltron with all the various features and more. Now it seems that Most Wanted / Miracle Productions are no strangers to the world of super robots so I feel the expectaions are running pretty high on this soon to be released jem.

But like most when I was young I was fully drawn and into the 1st Voltron Force with their awesome lions roaring into battle. But as I got older I found myself digging the Vehicle Voltron Force more and more until coming to terms liking VV best. How about you? So I've got my pre-order in and if this turns out to be what I expect and more I may have to buy another. Cuz if you want the best you gotta be willing to pay the ultimate price! ;)^

by **SpacerAM2** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 6:55 pm

I'm still worried about his neck snapping. It is way too thin.

News Credits: 12 · by **robofreak** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 8:34 pm

I'm dumping that kinda of money into the Matty Collector Voltron.

Unless that thing is Fort Max size, they won't get me.

Looks cool though. Had me until I saw the price tag.

News Credits: 3 · by **DISCHARGE** » Tue Mar 27, 2012 9:35 pm

robofreak wrote:I'm dumping that kinda of money into the Matty Collector Voltron.

Unless that thing is Fort Max size, they won't get me.

Looks cool though. Had me until I saw the price tag.

I've always liked the Vehicle Voltron, maybe even more than the Lion Force.
Considering the price of (good) toys on the rise, he's not really outrageously priced. Over 50% Die-cast and the box weighs almost 10 pounds :shock:

. Just think about it, toys close to this caliber were the norm in the early-mid eighties.

I really need to think on this guy

by **SpacerAM2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 7:14 am

robofreak wrote:I'm dumping that kinda of money into the Matty Collector Voltron.

Unless that thing is Fort Max size, they won't get me.

Looks cool though. Had me until I saw the price tag.

Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the neck. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

News Credits: 12 · by **robofreak** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:27 am

SpacerAM2 wrote:Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the nesk. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

What Mattel Voltron are you looking at?

Red and green Lion $50 each

Blue and yellow Lion $55 each

Black lion $65

THat does not add up to $600.

by **SpacerAM2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 11:53 am

robofreak wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the nesk. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

What Mattel Voltron are you looking at?

Red and green Lion $50 each

Blue and yellow Lion $55 each

Black lion $65

THat does not add up to $600.

You have to also pay for the Voltron subscription at the Matty site if you order everytime. What about the pilots? They also cost money. And there is also shipping which it has gotten expensive. In alot of places, other than the matty website, the red lion with lance along with shipping goes for $100 bucks now. And red lion is one of the smallest lions along with the green lion. The other three are much bigger.

News Credits: 668 · by **Autobot032** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:29 pm

SpacerAM2 wrote:
robofreak wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the nesk. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

What Mattel Voltron are you looking at?

Red and green Lion $50 each

Blue and yellow Lion $55 each

Black lion $65

THat does not add up to $600.

You have to also pay for the Voltron subscription at the Matty site if you order everytime. What about the pilots? They also cost money. And there is also shipping which it has gotten expensive. In alot of places, other than the matty website, the red lion with lance along with shipping goes for $100 bucks now. And red lion is one of the smallest lions along with the green lion. The other three are much bigger.

Uh...no. Why would you have to pay for the subscription every time you make a purchase? That's ridiculous. You better double check the facts on that. I just can't imagine Mattel forcing you to rebuy the same subscription over and over five times.

Plus, the lions come with their figures. Lance came with the red lion. The same will happen with Pidge, Keith, Alura and Hunk.

http://www.mattycollector.com/store/mat ... .244046600

Each lion comes as a set with its corresponding pilot, individually packaged and shipped with its partner in a single box. This set includes the Red Lion and the pilot Lance. They are not sold separately.

THEY ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

The only things you're missing by buying these separate, instead of using the subscription?

Ease. (Fighting the collectors to get your order through on the site is a nightmare.)
Sven. (An exclusive figure available ONLY to subscribers.)
Price. (You'll pay more to buy them individually, but not the price of a subscription, over and over.)

by **SpacerAM2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 1:44 pm

Autobot032 wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:
robofreak wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the nesk. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

What Mattel Voltron are you looking at?

Red and green Lion $50 each

Blue and yellow Lion $55 each

Black lion $65

THat does not add up to $600.

You have to also pay for the Voltron subscription at the Matty site if you order everytime. What about the pilots? They also cost money. And there is also shipping which it has gotten expensive. In alot of places, other than the matty website, the red lion with lance along with shipping goes for $100 bucks now. And red lion is one of the smallest lions along with the green lion. The other three are much bigger.

Uh...no. Why would you have to pay for the subscription every time you make a purchase? That's ridiculous. You better double check the facts on that. I just can't imagine Mattel forcing you to rebuy the same subscription over and over five times.

Plus, the lions come with their figures. Lance came with the red lion. The same will happen with Pidge, Keith, Alura and Hunk.

http://www.mattycollector.com/store/mat ... .244046600

Each lion comes as a set with its corresponding pilot, individually packaged and shipped with its partner in a single box. This set includes the Red Lion and the pilot Lance. They are not sold separately.

THEY ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

The only things you're missing by buying these separate, instead of using the subscription?

Ease. (Fighting the collectors to get your order through on the site is a nightmare.)
Sven. (An exclusive figure available ONLY to subscribers.)
Price. (You'll pay more to buy them individually, but not the price of a subscription, over and over.)

Yes, you have to pay for the subscription in mattycollector when you are going to buy a line off from them. It is still ridiculous along with the shipping expenses. I would of prefered if these were sold in stores instead of it being an overpriced on line exclusive.

News Credits: 668 · by **Autobot032** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 2:31 pm

SpacerAM2 wrote:
Autobot032 wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:
robofreak wrote:
SpacerAM2 wrote:Mattel Voltron will cost 600 hundred after it being fully assembled. That is about 350 more than this. This one is thirteen inches and it would go well with the Toynami Voltron. But I'm still concern about the nesk. It's way too thin the plastic there. I'm afraid if it snaps there. Especially with my bad experience with Mp Rodimus.

What Mattel Voltron are you looking at?

Red and green Lion $50 each

Blue and yellow Lion $55 each

Black lion $65

THat does not add up to $600.

You have to also pay for the Voltron subscription at the Matty site if you order everytime. What about the pilots? They also cost money. And there is also shipping which it has gotten expensive. In alot of places, other than the matty website, the red lion with lance along with shipping goes for $100 bucks now. And red lion is one of the smallest lions along with the green lion. The other three are much bigger.

Uh...no. Why would you have to pay for the subscription every time you make a purchase? That's ridiculous. You better double check the facts on that. I just can't imagine Mattel forcing you to rebuy the same subscription over and over five times.

Plus, the lions come with their figures. Lance came with the red lion. The same will happen with Pidge, Keith, Alura and Hunk.

http://www.mattycollector.com/store/mat ... .244046600

Each lion comes as a set with its corresponding pilot, individually packaged and shipped with its partner in a single box. This set includes the Red Lion and the pilot Lance. They are not sold separately.

THEY ARE NOT SOLD SEPARATELY.

The only things you're missing by buying these separate, instead of using the subscription?

Ease. (Fighting the collectors to get your order through on the site is a nightmare.)
Sven. (An exclusive figure available ONLY to subscribers.)
Price. (You'll pay more to buy them individually, but not the price of a subscription, over and over.)

Yes, you have to pay for the subscription in mattycollector when you are going to buy a line off from them. It is still ridiculous along with the shipping expenses. I would of prefered if these were sold in stores instead of it being an overpriced on line exclusive.

*sighs*

You pay for it once!

$65.00 to start, which covered the cost of the subscription and the lion/figure, plus a fee for shipping.

From that point on, you pay for the lion/figure and a shipping fee. The subscription was paid for on the first lion.

If you buy them without the subscription, you'll pay a higher price, but not the price of a subscription, over and over. That's just silliness.

Even FunPub with all their problems make you pay only once per year and that's it.

News Credits: 12 · by **robofreak** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 2:50 pm

I did not buy a subscription and I still got my Red Lion and Lance for $65 shipped. Only incentive the subscription has is the Sven figure.

by **Andrius** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:37 pm

robofreak wrote:I did not buy a subscription and I still got my Red Lion and Lance for $65 shipped. Only incentive the subscription has is the Sven figure.

Now that this topic has branched off in this direction, I'll take the opportunity to ask: Since Mattel is no longer offering the subscription, are the only options to get the set at this point a) fight the scalpers on Mattycollector for each release and pick up the red lion on ebay or b) wait until the whole set is out in the world and pick it up on the aftermarket?

by **SpacerAM2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:38 pm

robofreak wrote:I did not buy a subscription and I still got my Red Lion and Lance for $65 shipped. Only incentive the subscription has is the Sven figure.

Yeah but much of the masses can't buy it from the matty website, once they are gone. It will certainly cost more at other places on the net. It is still too pricey if you ask me.

by **SpacerAM2** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 3:44 pm

Andrius wrote:
robofreak wrote:I did not buy a subscription and I still got my Red Lion and Lance for $65 shipped. Only incentive the subscription has is the Sven figure.

Now that this topic has branched off in this direction, I'll take the opportunity to ask: Since Mattel is no longer offering the subscription, are the only options to get the set at this point a) fight the scalpers on Mattycollector for each release and pick up the red lion on ebay or b) wait until the whole set is out in the world and pick it up on the aftermarket?

Matty will probably reissue it after awhile ,and might add some extra articulation and other stuff if you wait patiently. There might be a chance that it might be cheaper later but these things usually are pricey ,and after when they stop making them. Their prices do go up dramatically as I've noticed on ebay and other places.

by **southpawdragon** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:39 pm

it already out shines the mattel voltron

News Credits: 12 · by **robofreak** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:08 pm

SpacerAM2 wrote:
robofreak wrote:I did not buy a subscription and I still got my Red Lion and Lance for $65 shipped. Only incentive the subscription has is the Sven figure.

Yeah but much of the masses can't buy it from the matty website, once they are gone. It will certainly cost more at other places on the net. It is still too pricey if you ask me.

Last comment on this and then everything gets focused back onto the initial topic. I did not mean for this to explode like this.

You are talking about after market prices. What I'm focused on is current price. Doesn't matter what everyone else pays later on. Mattycollector Voltron does not costs $600 to assemble. That's what I was aiming at here. Vehilcle Voltron costs about as much as the Mattycollector Lion Force will when it's done.

Again, initial costs was what I was focusing on. Not aftermarket. I'm tired of this argument.

Anyways, if I had the extra cash that I wasn't devoting to a Samurai Haoh, I would probably be interested in Vehicle Voltron.

One of these days, I'll sit down and watch the show.

by **CommanderHazar** » Wed Mar 28, 2012 5:22 pm

Nemesis Destron wrote:But like most when I was young I was fully drawn and into the 1st Voltron Force with their awesome lions roaring into battle. But as I got older I found myself digging the Vehicle Voltron Force more and more until coming to terms liking VV best. How about you?

I preordered it as soon as I saw it was available. Vehicle Voltron was the first Voltron I ever saw when I was a kid, and I have always considered it the best. I've got several versions of the Lion team, but the Vehicle team has been almost impossible to find a version of. It's nice to see that finally changing.

News Credits: 26 · by **Wheeljack35** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 1:32 pm

Hell my Voltron Sub is way cheaper then this thing

by **alternator77** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 3:40 pm

this is going to go sooo well with my masterpiece voltron

any info on production numbers? mp voltron was 15k wonder if this will be similar especially considering the price is almost double.

by **CommanderHazar** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 6:47 pm

I've got several versions of the Lion team, but the Vehicle team has been almost impossible to find a version of. It's nice to see that finally changing.

Looks like I spoke too soon. I just got am email saying that my preorder has been cancelled, and the listing removed. BBTS is doing so to avoid legal problems.

News Credits: 3 · by **DISCHARGE** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:22 pm

CommanderHazar wrote:
I've got several versions of the Lion team, but the Vehicle team has been almost impossible to find a version of. It's nice to see that finally changing.

Looks like I spoke too soon. I just got am email saying that my preorder has been cancelled, and the listing removed. BBTS is doing so to avoid legal problems.

Weird. What are the legal issues?

by **CommanderHazar** » Thu Mar 29, 2012 11:00 pm

DISCHARGE wrote:
CommanderHazar wrote:
I've got several versions of the Lion team, but the Vehicle team has been almost impossible to find a version of. It's nice to see that finally changing.

Looks like I spoke too soon. I just got am email saying that my preorder has been cancelled, and the listing removed. BBTS is doing so to avoid legal problems.

Weird. What are the legal issues?

Apparently the manufacturer no longer has the rights to manufacture Voltron toys. As such, those with the rights to Vehicle Voltron are cracking down, trying to prevent sales.

And just to head off any questions about marketing it under the Dairugger XV name, they apparently don't have the rights to that either.

If I can find the email I got from BBTS again, I'll post it.

News Credits: 12 · by **robofreak** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 1:06 am

I'm going to assume that Mattel has Vehicle Voltron.

If they are currently doing Lion Force. It's possible, Vehicle Voltron is next on the list of MattyCollector figures.

Unfortunate that this happened, but to be expected if they don't have the rights to the figure.

by **Andrius** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 11:47 am

So now we know that BBTS (and probably a number of other retailers) won't be selling this item... but have we confirmed that it won't be made?

by **CommanderHazar** » Fri Mar 30, 2012 6:05 pm

Okay, as promised, here's the email I received:

Hi - Today we received the following information from IPAssure Brand Protection Services LLC - a law firm who works with companies who own Intellectual Property rights.

(Begin Quote)

I represent Classic Media LLC and its affiliated companies (hereinafter "Classic Media") with respect to certain intellectual property enforcement matters. Classic Media is the owner of numerous trademarks and copyrights related to its business. In addition, Classic Media has the right to manage and license the VOLTRON intellectual property, and also has the right to conduct enforcement efforts on behalf of the owners of the VOLTRON intellectual property.

It has recently come to my client's attention that you are offering a VOLTRON Vehicle for pre-order sale, which is unlicensed given that Miracle Productions no longer has the right to manufacture products relating to VOLTRON. As such, my client demands that you immediately cease taking pre-orders for this product and remove the listing from www.bigbadtoystore.com

Please confirm by return email that you have removed the listing. Should you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me by email or at the phone number listed below. Thank you, in advance, for your cooperation.

The demands made herein are made without prejudice to my client's rights and claims, all of which are expressly reserved herein.

(End Quote)

Sadly, we will be removing this item from our site and cancelling all preorders. We do not wish to engage in any legal wrangling with Classic Media LLC or IP Assure. I offered to attempt to obtain an license so we could bring these in an officially licensed fashion, but IP Assure was not interested in pursuing.

Again - sorry for the bad news on this item - it is out of our control and we would most certainly be sued if we continued down this path.

Sincerely,
Joel
www.bigbadtoystore.com

As for whether it won't be made, I don't know. I only know that at least two retailers have pulled the listing, and I cannot find any retailers listing it anymore.