The Energon Pub

So tempting... if I didn't have D-012 Black Convoy already.

Whenever I see characters like this, Red Cog etc... I always think of the "You can never have too many guns" scene from I'm Gonna Git You Sucka . Galaxy Shuttle definitely has some mold degradation from Astrotrain, the knees are way loose, he can barely keep himself up. Oddly enough, I found the transformation experience to be easier though, everything tabs in better than on Astrotrain.

Once again, I can say I have every TR/Airlock connecting compatible Transformer

I haven't seen the loose knee issue brought up and I didn't notice that with mine. So maybe it's not mold degradation (which would be rather surprising for a mold that didn't get that much usage)

While it is easy to purchase stuff on line when they are available i still like the “hunt” part of it when you can find them eventually in the store. Today at a local Walmart in Nixa, Mo, i was able to find G2 Universe Shadowstrip. They actually had three on the pegs but no Crasher. Unfortunately i didnt have my phone to show proof at the store but here is a photo of him at home.

SGM

o.supreme wrote:Whenever I see characters like this, Red Cog etc... I always think of the "You can never have too many guns" scene from I'm Gonna Git You Sucka . Galaxy Shuttle definitely has some mold degradation from Astrotrain, the knees are way loose, he can barely keep himself up. Oddly enough, I found the transformation experience to be easier though, everything tabs in better than on Astrotrain.

I see the knees are pinned or riveted, and in QC those are not 100% consistent when it comes to tightness in my experience. If the pin isn't in deep enough, the joint gets loose pretty easily.

Jelze Bunnycat wrote:
I see the knees are pinned or riveted, and in QC those are not 100% consistent when it comes to tightness in my experience. If the pin isn't in deep enough, the joint gets loose pretty easily.

Correct, they are pinned in. However is this one of those "floor polish will fix it" (which I've bever tried btw...) situations, or am I just stuck with a defective toy?

You can Crazy-Glue a pin joint. But it may take many shots and the risks to make a mess are high. Just be careful. One or two drops at a time, make sure the glue stay in the targeted area, and keep moving the joint as the glue dry. Repeat as much as needed. That's what I did for my Cosmos who is pinned all over and was a floppy mess.

-Kanrabat- wrote:You can Crazy-Glue a pin joint. But it may take many shots and the risks to make a mess are high. Just be careful. One or two drops at a time, make sure the glue stay in the targeted area, and keep moving the joint as the glue dry. Repeat as much as needed. That's what I did for my Cosmos who is pinned all over and was a floppy mess.

On mine only the shoulder pins (two each) are a little loose, but still hold a pose. All of the leg pins are really stiff.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:You can Crazy-Glue a pin joint. But it may take many shots and the risks to make a mess are high. Just be careful. One or two drops at a time, make sure the glue stay in the targeted area, and keep moving the joint as the glue dry. Repeat as much as needed. That's what I did for my Cosmos who is pinned all over and was a floppy mess.

On mine only the shoulder pins (two each) are a little loose, but still hold a pose. All of the leg pins are really stiff.

Emerje

On Cosmos you mean?
Yeah, the legs are fine on mine too. The left arm was a bit loose but held poses. The right arm however, couldn't endure its own existence without flopping around. I had to Crazy-Glue over and over again and of course, I made a mess. At least the Reprolabels helped covering it up. And while I was at customising, I also bought the upgrade kit. That 3D printed plastic is very brittle so by forcing one of the arm panel the wrong way, I ended up breaking it. Fortunately I was able to fix it.
It took lots of work but I now have the perfect Cosmos.

o.supreme wrote:Once again, I can say I have every TR/Airlock connecting compatible Transformer

How technical do you want to get on that? Grapple and Hauler? Hoist and Lift Ticket? Are you getting Santa Prime for the trailer? For the record, I don't count the cranes or tow trucks even though they have a connector, can't really build a city with them. But Santa Prime's trailer will join OP's, Nemesis Prime's and Rodimus Prime's in the cybertronian trailer park next time I build up.

I did a Crasher review =

I didn't review her but I did this:
Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr

I might sell of my shadowstrip, he's just not as fun in hand as I was hoping. He kinda just got tossed on the shelf and left there after I transformed him once

^ speaking of, I guess miracles do happen. I went to a Walmart yesterday that isn't too far from me, but I rarely go there because I usually dont find anything good (although it was where I sighted Black Convoy first) so... I went there yesterday; low and Behold they had ONE Shadowstrip. They had 3 or 4 pegs of the same Velocitron deluxes you'd normally see (No Clampdown, whihc I've only seen a few times or Cosmos which I have yet to see at all) , then One single Shadowstrip on a peg by itself! I'd almost say it was an online return, but the packaging was perfect, and Walmart never had them for actual purchase online, so it must have come in an shipment.

I really dont care if we get all G2 Stunticons in Legacy Format or not (though I assume we will so Hasbro gets more use out of the molds), but he's an excellent alternate for whenever I want to switch out Dragstrip on Legacy Menasor.

I found a Shadow Strip and got him on impulse. Still debating whether I want to open it or return it. The store had another besides this one so I guess they're here now.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I might sell of my shadowstrip, he's just not as fun in hand as I was hoping. He kinda just got tossed on the shelf and left there after I transformed him once

So Shadowstrip really is that unpleasant eh? Interesting...any other opinions you can share on the subject?

So I had my back turned on this but is Shadowstrip just the start of the Stunticons repaint or are we not sure on this? My thanks to all in advance.

Nemesis Destron wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I might sell of my shadowstrip, he's just not as fun in hand as I was hoping. He kinda just got tossed on the shelf and left there after I transformed him once

So Shadowstrip really is that unpleasant eh? Interesting...any other opinions you can share on the subject?

So I had my back turned on this but is Shadowstrip just the start of the Stunticons repaint or are we not sure on this? My thanks to all in advance.

Unsure at the moment. Shadowstrip is the only one at the moment but the ball is in Hasbro's court

Nemesis Destron wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I might sell of my shadowstrip, he's just not as fun in hand as I was hoping. He kinda just got tossed on the shelf and left there after I transformed him once

So Shadowstrip really is that unpleasant eh? Interesting...any other opinions you can share on the subject?

So I had my back turned on this but is Shadowstrip just the start of the Stunticons repaint or are we not sure on this? My thanks to all in advance.

I don't think he's unpleasant, but he's just not all that exciting in hand. I don't think the experience is really any different than it was back when G2 was 'new'. While the Stunticons weren't actually produced, other G2 toys always felt just kind of lackluster if you had already experienced the original version.
That's the best way I can put it.

When I think of the G2 Stunticons in my ideal mind, I always see them in vehicle mode.

I can understand Shadowstrip being uninteresting if you already have Dragstrip or just don't vibe with a largely black color scheme

And while we're talking about more G2 Stunticon redecos, I'd be all over a G2 Breakdown ..

Nemesis Destron wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I might sell of my shadowstrip, he's just not as fun in hand as I was hoping. He kinda just got tossed on the shelf and left there after I transformed him once

So Shadowstrip really is that unpleasant eh? Interesting...any other opinions you can share on the subject?

Not unpleasant, just boring. I like the mold, but I liked only having it once, and the 2nd one AKA Shadowstrip does not have a good waist connection, so he feels fiddlier.

I’m still bitter that Velocitron Cosmos is nowhere to be found Stateside. Walmart doesn’t even have it listed among the other figures which are supposed to be their “exclusives”. Their website ought to have it displayed as one of theirs, even if only to show it being “out of stock”. But the darn thing is just completely non-existent, except from the overseas scalpers on eBay.

Even more than the Centurion Drone set, I find the non-availability of Cosmos to be offensive. At this stage, even if Hasbro and/or Walmart scramble and make a “sorry we screwed up” re-issue, it probably won’t do anything to diminish the resentment of jilted collectors who were left abandoned. We’re just as likely to say “what took you so long you idiots” as we are to say thanks.

DeathReviews wrote:I’m still bitter that Velocitron Cosmos is nowhere to be found Stateside. Walmart doesn’t even have it listed among the other figures which are supposed to be their “exclusives”. Their website ought to have it displayed as one of theirs, even if only to show it being “out of stock”. But the darn thing is just completely non-existent, except from the overseas scalpers on eBay.

Even more than the Centurion Drone set, I find the non-availability of Cosmos to be offensive. At this stage, even if Hasbro and/or Walmart scramble and make a “sorry we screwed up” re-issue, it probably won’t do anything to diminish the resentment of jilted collectors who were left abandoned. We’re just as likely to say “what took you so long you idiots” as we are to say thanks.

It is a really unfortunate thing with Cosmos...
And it really seems like it is truly dumb luck to find him.
My friend who scored mine for me, also found a second one for himself. This happened in separate states.
It shouldn't be this difficult to find a toy.
I never was able to get Netflix Bee, which in a way is understandable because he's such a popular character.

I could see Hastak initially thinking, "Cosmos... Of any Autobot that's probably not really well liked, this guy is a safe character to make an exclusive".

What they maybe didn't consider:
1. He has a very, very unique design. Especially for being an Autobot. He's not a car or truck.
2. This is one of those characters that people have been waiting for to get a version of at the deluxe class scale. Previous versions may have been fine, and even good.
But the reality is a figure can be done more justice on every level when you give it more scale, engineering and overall budget.
3. As much as some people hate hearing/reading this, it's a G1 character. The vast majority of G1 characters are going to sell at least moderately.
I think it's even a fair call to say G1 characters are safe bets in terms of sales.
In this case specifically, I'm betting Cosmos is one that you wouldn't see lingering on pegs/shelves much at all if he were just a regular mainline release.

I could be totally wrong, but let's see what happens with Beachcomber this year.
I'll go ahead and call it now-- he's not going to be anything close to a shelf warmer.
In fact, if Hastak makes a Seaspray and Powerglide, they'll both sell and sell well.
And this doesn't stem from bias. I don't usually love Autobots, let alone these minibots.
In fact, I could see passing on those last 2 I mentioned; I don't see getting Powerglide no matter what.

All this to say, yeah, the handling of Cosmos was another situation of poor form on the part of Hastak.

Cosmos, NF Bee, and ER Sunstreaker are all due for reissues. That's a fact.

Sowndwave76 wrote:It is a really unfortunate thing with Cosmos...And it really seems like it is truly dumb luck to find him.

Very True

Sowndwave76 wrote:It shouldn't be this difficult to find a toy. I never was able to get Netflix Bee, which in a way is understandable because he's such a popular character.....Cosmos, NF Bee, and ER Sunstreaker are all due for reissues. That's a fact.

Each of our experiences are different. Although I never wanted him, I was able to see Netflix BB a few times at Walmart. Never saw Netflix Soundwave, or Velocitron Cosmos (allegedly he is shelfwarming in the UK so...yeah bad distribution). I think all of ER Deluxe Wave 3 (not just Sunstreaker) would have been a better fit for PR for Kingdom than the ones we got. Of course, the same could be said for TR Deluxe Wave 5, but that ship has long since sailed, I guess we should be glad for the Amazon Diaclone Golden Disk Twin Twist.

o.supreme wrote:Each of our experiences are different. Although I never wanted him, I was able to see Netflix BB a few times at Walmart. Never saw Netflix Soundwave, or Velocitron Cosmos (allegedly he is shelfwarming in the UK so...yeah bad distribution). I think all of ER Deluxe Wave 3 (not just Sunstreaker) would have been a better fit for PR for Kingdom than the ones we got. Of course, the same could be said for TR Deluxe Wave 5, but that ship has long since sailed, I guess we should be glad for the Amazon Diaclone Golden Disk Twin Twist.

True. And most exclusives are going to be more difficult to find.
The one time I saw one NF Soundwave I snagged him, and it was lucky because he was randomly on the opposite end of the aisle from where TF were stocked.
But both him and Bee overall weren't easy to find, and that seems to be the consensus much more so than the opposite.

Sunstreaker is probably a bit different... Two of those ER waves I never saw anything from except Smokescreen. And that was at Aldi of all places.
I'm not even sure where Sunstreaker ranks in terms of overall popularity among Autobots, but I don't think it's crazy to say he was one of the top 2-3 most popular characters of ER waves 2 and 3 deluxes.
Not that it's a "fix" for Hastak to make, but they have to know how messed up distribution was at that time.
And I'm not suggesting all of those figures from both of those waves need to be reissued...
But you would think they would consider even a couple of the most popular ones getting a second shot.
Hell, throw a couple into the Buzzworthy line with little to no retooling or repainting.

Lastly with this,
the thought had crossed my mind; it was Hound and Sunstreaker who were last with Prime before he fought Megatron in the movie...
What if the Buzzworthy SS86 2 pack was Hound and Sunstreaker?

Not likely, but who knows.