The Energon Pub

There are a few Transformers which over the years just get automatically repainted into a set number of other characters. Whilst they were mold buddies back in G1 or shared some thematic similarity - I think its time the fandom (and Hasbro) reassessed which characters made sense as repaints or not.

The usual suspects -

Ironhide\Ratchet
Starscream\Seekers
Prowl\Bluesteak\Smokescreen
Soundwave\Blaster
Optimus Prime\Ultra Magnus
Bumblebee\Cliffjumper
Megatron\Anything-That-Turns-Into-A-[insert random alt mode here]
Inferno\Grapple
Hoist\Trailbreaker
Sideswipe\Red Alert

Some of these made sense at the time (Prowl's Datsun ZX, for example really was a Police car in Japan and California), but now some seem much less sensible, with the "services" vehicles being the most obvious.

How would you all feel if the repaints were shaken up considerably? For example -

Ratchet and Trailbreaker
Grapple and Hoist
Cliffjumper and Sunstreaker
Wheeljack and Perceptor

I'm not even tired of seeing x,y,z characters. I'd just like to see Hasbro being more adventurous with the remold choices and maybe even think about how characters pair up in other ways. That's not to say I really agree with some of Generations's choices of repaints either, as a way to shoe-horn almost long forgot characters.

I would not mind this at all. It'd shake things up and provide some variety in how people would expect them to look.

I wouldn't mind if the Seekers had the same alt mode but more variety in their bot modes. Think reverse Clones. They don't even have to transform the same way, just have them all turn into the same type of jet.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:I wouldn't mind if the Seekers had the same alt mode but more variety in their bot modes. Think reverse Clones. They don't even have to transform the same way, just have them all turn into the same type of jet.

Emerje

Thats the kind of out-the-box creative thinking I feel is lacking sometimes. They managed a clever, almost identical idea with Universe\Henkei Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, but rarely do you see this kind of thing done again elsewhere.

Amelie wrote:

Emerje wrote:I wouldn't mind if the Seekers had the same alt mode but more variety in their bot modes. Think reverse Clones. They don't even have to transform the same way, just have them all turn into the same type of jet.

Emerje

Thats the kind of out-the-box creative thinking I feel is lacking sometimes. They managed a clever, almost identical idea with Universe\Henkei Sideswipe and Sunstreaker, but rarely do you see this kind of thing done again elsewhere.

How about a play on this that would blow people's minds and/or really piss them off. Make Optimus Prime and Megatron have different bot modes and transformations, but become the same alt mode. They could have sort of an opposite transformation where the part of the vehicle that becomes the arms on Prime becomes the legs on Megs and vice versa.

Emerje wrote:I wouldn't mind if the Seekers had the same alt mode but more variety in their bot modes. Think reverse Clones. They don't even have to transform the same way, just have them all turn into the same type of jet.

Emerje

Yes, thank you! I'd love to see the Seekers with the same (or very similar) alt modes but different robot mode proportions- so Starscream is "normal proportioned", Thundercracker is tall and lanky and Skywarp is a BIG CHUNGUS.

Anyway, a friend of mine had the idea for Sunstreaker, Tracks and Wheeljack sharing a transformation scheme. They all do the "Windscreen becomes chest, car nose becomes feet" thing, they all have something on their back (Sunstreaker's engine thing, Tracks' wings and Wheeljack's wings/shoulder cannon), you see where I'm going here. Different vehicle shells would do a lot for differentiating each other.

It would be so nice for the Seekers to have more variety than different paint and, on occasion, different faces.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:It would be so nice for the Seekers to have more variety than different paint and, on occasion, different faces.

I've been REALLY wanting to see HasTak dust off the ROTF Mindwipe mold and repaint that as Skywarp for Studio Series so we could have a trio of wholly unique main Seekers.

Kit Katastrophe wrote:

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:It would be so nice for the Seekers to have more variety than different paint and, on occasion, different faces.

I've been REALLY wanting to see HasTak dust off the ROTF Mindwipe mold and repaint that as Skywarp for Studio Series so we could have a trio of wholly unique main Seekers.

Would you be satisfied if HasTak repainted Studio Series Blitzwing as Skywarp? That sounds unique enough, and I really like how Blitzwing looked in the movie, so an SS of him (done properly of course) repainted into Skywarp would be great IMO

Nathaniel Prime wrote:

Kit Katastrophe wrote:

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:It would be so nice for the Seekers to have more variety than different paint and, on occasion, different faces.

I've been REALLY wanting to see HasTak dust off the ROTF Mindwipe mold and repaint that as Skywarp for Studio Series so we could have a trio of wholly unique main Seekers.

Would you be satisfied if HasTak repainted Studio Series Blitzwing as Skywarp? That sounds unique enough, and I really like how Blitzwing looked in the movie, so an SS of him (done properly of course) repainted into Skywarp would be great IMO

Both of those ideas would be great. Each of the main Seeker trio, having a unique look like that? Hell, yeah!

Emerje wrote:I wouldn't mind if the Seekers had the same alt mode but more variety in their bot modes. Think reverse Clones. They don't even have to transform the same way, just have them all turn into the same type of jet.

Emerje

The Dreads did experiment with that.





Another idea for repaintsthat would fun is,more of those movie recolors for the characters,like a Red mirage,constructicons with individual color schemes,a blue Wheeljack and the list goes on.
If remolds get into the mix,maybe to reference Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction,remold a Galvatron/Megatron out of Optimus Prime.