The Energon Pub

With the advent of "Titans Return", the upcoming sequel to the "Combiner Wars" toyline, I feel the need to get something off my chest that I've been meaning to get off for a good long while now: as far as Transformers are concerned, I personally believe that Headmasters are just about the worst thing ever.

Alright, I take that back, obviously there are worse Transformers things than Headmasters. I'd rather have a Headmaster than anything that's been featured on "Plastic Addict", but I really think Headmasters are just an awful idea, especially when they're used for main characters who weren't previously Headmasters as they're apparently planning to with this new "Titans Return" line.

Why would you want a toy of a beloved character whose head you have to pull off in order to transform him? (Exempting the new Powermaster Optimus, because apparently he has enough hollow space that you actually don't have to remove his Headmaster during transformation, thank God) I think the Headmaster Unit in "Animated" really highlighted just how freaking creepy that is. Disregarding the creepiness factor for a while though because, at the end of the day, these are just toys, I thought this fandom hated needless parts-forming. Why do we give a free pass for Headmasters?

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Well, that major flaw you spoke of - the loss of the Headmaster figure leaving you with a headless robot - is perhaps a big reason why people are looking forward to this: Replacement vintage heads and old figures that still has their heads are decidedly on the pricy side. But now, here are brand new complete versions that will be available at off-the-shelf prices (and are better-articulated to boot). The ease of availability takes some of the sting away from the flaw, and it's a chance to replace and upgrade at the same time. And some people actually enjoyed the gimmick. It does bug me that characters who previously weren't headmasters had to become them here, but oh well. Probably still get Galvatron because even with his head popping off he's still a good design (unlike the worthless Universe Galvatron mold that should just be melted down already).

Now, I'll agree with you about the narrative explanation sucking and being kinda messed up (at least, the US one) and quite frankly it doesn't match up with the toys' design since they blatantly lack normal storage space for the head. The guy who came up with the US story justification for the gimmick was wrongheaded in his approach. The Japanese-continuity explanation, that the larger robots are lifeless mechs created to put the little guys who form the heads on an even footing with normal-size Transformers, is decidely less creepy and makes more sense (one of the good points about The Headmasters, which would have been a good series if not for some stupid story decisions early on combined with its poor treatment of the ladies in the cast but that's another rant altogether).

There's always the possibility of 3rd party replacement heads for some of the larger Titans Return figures. Blaster, Soundwave, Power Master Optimus Prime, and Galvatron all look like you could tuck away an entire proper head instead of just a "mask" in alt mode. As for the Headmaster gimmick itself, Hasbro too agreed with you at one point about losing heads, but realistically, that's not a huge problem for adult collectors who take care of their figures. As for kids, if they lose someone's head, they can replace it for $5.00 USD by buying one of the new Titan Master stand-alone figures. Some of them even come with their own interactive vehicle that becomes a weapon for larger figures. And THAT is the reason why Hasbro and Takara are daring to do Headmasters again. The amount of playability is greater than it ever was in G1, thanks to the addition of transforming weapons and vehicles that the Titan Masters can ride, and the fact that larger characters like the Leader and Titan classes can become playsets for the little guys. Heck, even many of the Legends class figures allow for a Titan Master to ride inside them, so you're not limited to the Deluxe and Voyager sized toys for such play interaction. Kids will love it, believe me. I won't be using the playsets or swapping heads around, personally, but I'll get getting these figures nonetheless. I was disappointed at first that we were getting great new sculpts of traditionally non-Headmaster characters with the gimmick tacked on, but I've gotten over it. If I have to pop a head off to put it in a cockpit, it's really not so much different than taking a gun out of a figure's hands to pop it on the vehicle elsewhere in alt mode.

Skywarp64 wrote:Who the heck wants a headless robot?

Least they have heads to start with, unlike the original Ratchet and Ironhide.

Yeah, headmasters aren't my favorite gimmick, but that's mainly because the originals aren't nearly as nostalgic for me as I didn't have any due to "getting to old for toys" around that time of the original line. Don't worry I got better.

Optimum Supreme wrote:

Skywarp64 wrote:Who the heck wants a headless robot?

Least they have heads to start with, unlike the original Ratchet and Ironhide.

Yeah, headmasters aren't my favorite gimmick, but that's mainly because the originals aren't nearly as nostalgic for me as I didn't have any due to "getting to old for toys" around that time of the original line. Don't worry I got better.

It's an interesting gimmick, but I'm not too big on 'head-swapping' due to all the headmasters' color palette's not really meshing with other figures, if there were some way to customize the headmasters' colors (like a 'make your own...' kit thing) I'd be so in on this line, as it stands, I'm hoping hasbrotrain is white like crashbash, so I can use crashbash's awesome head on hasbrotrain

Firstly, Takara's Ultra Magnus is on sale right now for the best price ever: http://hlj.com/product/TKT83173/Act

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

Do you like combiner wars? What happens if you lose on of the feet? Its not like you can buy another one alone. But lucky for all the kids out there, you can now buy new heads seperately This is the perfect solution and it will avoid the problems that occured in G1.

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Soundwave is faaaaaaaar from perfect looking. You really want to call this perfect when the MP exists? He looks way too boxy and its just a repaint of Blaster. It kind of blows. I dont think making him a headmaster is the part that ruins him, there is much more to dislike. His alt mode for one:



A line wide gimmick here is no different than CW when everyone became a combiner.
If you lose the head, you are way less **** then if you lose any CW appendage.
And these are far from perfect toys anyway.

Skywarp64 wrote:With the advent of "Titans Return", the upcoming sequel to the "Combiner Wars" toyline, I feel the need to get something off my chest that I've been meaning to get off for a good long while now: as far as Transformers are concerned, I personally believe that Headmasters are just about the worst thing ever.

Alright, I take that back, obviously there are worse Transformers things than Headmasters. I'd rather have a Headmaster than anything that's been featured on "Plastic Addict", but I really think Headmasters are just an awful idea, especially when they're used for main characters who weren't previously Headmasters as they're apparently planning to with this new "Titans Return" line.

Why would you want a toy of a beloved character whose head you have to pull off in order to transform him? (Exempting the new Powermaster Optimus, because apparently he has enough hollow space that you actually don't have to remove his Headmaster during transformation, thank God) I think the Headmaster Unit in "Animated" really highlighted just how freaking creepy that is. Disregarding the creepiness factor for a while though because, at the end of the day, these are just toys, I thought this fandom hated needless parts-forming. Why do we give a free pass for Headmasters?

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Personal preference, each of us have it. I respect you for that.

Original HM gimmick was quite unique in the 80s what with the built in tech spec meter and all, gave the figure a sense of uniqueness when a head is plugged in. The PM gimmick also served as a "lock" to the vehicle. I kind of agree that the return of such gimmicks are kinda half assed with the loss of the previous I mentioned. A half assed marketing strat.

Also, I estimate you are probably above the 15 year old range and below the 30 so you ARE a responsible collector now. Take care of their heads then.

fenrir72 wrote:

Skywarp64 wrote:With the advent of "Titans Return", the upcoming sequel to the "Combiner Wars" toyline, I feel the need to get something off my chest that I've been meaning to get off for a good long while now: as far as Transformers are concerned, I personally believe that Headmasters are just about the worst thing ever.

Alright, I take that back, obviously there are worse Transformers things than Headmasters. I'd rather have a Headmaster than anything that's been featured on "Plastic Addict", but I really think Headmasters are just an awful idea, especially when they're used for main characters who weren't previously Headmasters as they're apparently planning to with this new "Titans Return" line.

Why would you want a toy of a beloved character whose head you have to pull off in order to transform him? (Exempting the new Powermaster Optimus, because apparently he has enough hollow space that you actually don't have to remove his Headmaster during transformation, thank God) I think the Headmaster Unit in "Animated" really highlighted just how freaking creepy that is. Disregarding the creepiness factor for a while though because, at the end of the day, these are just toys, I thought this fandom hated needless parts-forming. Why do we give a free pass for Headmasters?

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Personal preference, each of us have it. I respect you for that.

Original HM gimmick was quite unique in the 80s what with the built in tech spec meter and all, gave the figure a sense of uniqueness when a head is plugged in. The PM gimmick also served as a "lock" to the vehicle. I kind of agree that the return of such gimmicks are kinda half assed with the loss of the previous I mentioned. A half assed marketing strat.

Also, I estimate you are probably above the 15 year old range and below the 30 so you ARE a responsible collector now. Take care of their heads then.

I feel like they swapped the stat thing for elevated levels of interactivity, now they can pilot the bodies, or man the larger figures' vehicle modes; now, even if the old figures could also pilot their bodies, this is the compromise of creating articulated, properly proportioned robot modes.

As for the heads, yeah, don't lose them. There are many device's out there to aid you in keeping track of them, like ziploc's, or tupperware

Hellscream9999 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Skywarp64 wrote:With the advent of "Titans Return", the upcoming sequel to the "Combiner Wars" toyline, I feel the need to get something off my chest that I've been meaning to get off for a good long while now: as far as Transformers are concerned, I personally believe that Headmasters are just about the worst thing ever.

Alright, I take that back, obviously there are worse Transformers things than Headmasters. I'd rather have a Headmaster than anything that's been featured on "Plastic Addict", but I really think Headmasters are just an awful idea, especially when they're used for main characters who weren't previously Headmasters as they're apparently planning to with this new "Titans Return" line.

Why would you want a toy of a beloved character whose head you have to pull off in order to transform him? (Exempting the new Powermaster Optimus, because apparently he has enough hollow space that you actually don't have to remove his Headmaster during transformation, thank God) I think the Headmaster Unit in "Animated" really highlighted just how freaking creepy that is. Disregarding the creepiness factor for a while though because, at the end of the day, these are just toys, I thought this fandom hated needless parts-forming. Why do we give a free pass for Headmasters?

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Personal preference, each of us have it. I respect you for that.

Original HM gimmick was quite unique in the 80s what with the built in tech spec meter and all, gave the figure a sense of uniqueness when a head is plugged in. The PM gimmick also served as a "lock" to the vehicle. I kind of agree that the return of such gimmicks are kinda half assed with the loss of the previous I mentioned. A half assed marketing strat.

Also, I estimate you are probably above the 15 year old range and below the 30 so you ARE a responsible collector now. Take care of their heads then.

I feel like they swapped the stat thing for elevated levels of interactivity, now they can pilot the bodies, or man the larger figures' vehicle modes; now, even if the old figures could also pilot their bodies, this is the compromise of creating articulated, properly proportioned robot modes.

As for the heads, yeah, don't lose them. There are many device's out there to aid you in keeping track of them, like ziploc's, or tupperware

Separate storage really shouldn't be necessary in most cases. The majority of these new Titans Return figures have space to store the Titan Master component either in the cockpit of the alternate modes, or in another area. No collector should be losing the heads for their figures, honestly.

Wolfman Jake wrote:

Hellscream9999 wrote:

fenrir72 wrote:

Skywarp64 wrote:With the advent of "Titans Return", the upcoming sequel to the "Combiner Wars" toyline, I feel the need to get something off my chest that I've been meaning to get off for a good long while now: as far as Transformers are concerned, I personally believe that Headmasters are just about the worst thing ever.

Alright, I take that back, obviously there are worse Transformers things than Headmasters. I'd rather have a Headmaster than anything that's been featured on "Plastic Addict", but I really think Headmasters are just an awful idea, especially when they're used for main characters who weren't previously Headmasters as they're apparently planning to with this new "Titans Return" line.

Why would you want a toy of a beloved character whose head you have to pull off in order to transform him? (Exempting the new Powermaster Optimus, because apparently he has enough hollow space that you actually don't have to remove his Headmaster during transformation, thank God) I think the Headmaster Unit in "Animated" really highlighted just how freaking creepy that is. Disregarding the creepiness factor for a while though because, at the end of the day, these are just toys, I thought this fandom hated needless parts-forming. Why do we give a free pass for Headmasters?

Furthermore, if you lose that teeny tiny but all-important Headmaster, you're left with a headless robot. Who the heck wants a headless robot?

I'm sorry, Headmaster fans, you're entitled to your opinion and all, but I just think they're awful and I'm very disappointed in Hasbro for not only including them in the next line but making them the focus and ruining its otherwise perfect-looking new Soundwave and Galvatron for me.

Personal preference, each of us have it. I respect you for that.

Original HM gimmick was quite unique in the 80s what with the built in tech spec meter and all, gave the figure a sense of uniqueness when a head is plugged in. The PM gimmick also served as a "lock" to the vehicle. I kind of agree that the return of such gimmicks are kinda half assed with the loss of the previous I mentioned. A half assed marketing strat.

Also, I estimate you are probably above the 15 year old range and below the 30 so you ARE a responsible collector now. Take care of their heads then.

I feel like they swapped the stat thing for elevated levels of interactivity, now they can pilot the bodies, or man the larger figures' vehicle modes; now, even if the old figures could also pilot their bodies, this is the compromise of creating articulated, properly proportioned robot modes.

As for the heads, yeah, don't lose them. There are many device's out there to aid you in keeping track of them, like ziploc's, or tupperware

Separate storage really shouldn't be necessary in most cases. The majority of these new Titans Return figures have space to store the Titan Master component either in the cockpit of the alternate modes, or in another area. No collector should be losing the heads for their figures, honestly.

Exactly, I was merely highlighting the myriad of ways to keep track of them

I get being frustrated about this line a little bit.
Headmasters aren't my thing either, and if prices keep creeping up, they never will be.
I'm not denying reality or how price points work, but ideally the figures would be cheaper which would encourage people to buy them, and additional head figures too.

If nothing else, very selfishly, I hope this line does so well that it speeds up the releases of Abominus and Piranacon.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I get being frustrated about this line a little bit.
Headmasters aren't my thing either, and if prices keep creeping up, they never will be.
I'm not denying reality or how price points work, but ideally the figures would be cheaper which would encourage people to buy them, and additional head figures too.

If nothing else, very selfishly, I hope this line does so well that it speeds up the releases of Abominus and Piranacon.

But figures are cheaper now than they were in the 80s.
Headmasters were 15$ in the 80s, which is the same as 32$ today. And people still bought them. They are far more affordable now than then.

william-james88 wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:I get being frustrated about this line a little bit.
Headmasters aren't my thing either, and if prices keep creeping up, they never will be.
I'm not denying reality or how price points work, but ideally the figures would be cheaper which would encourage people to buy them, and additional head figures too.

If nothing else, very selfishly, I hope this line does so well that it speeds up the releases of Abominus and Piranacon.

But figures are cheaper now than they were in the 80s.
Headmasters were 15$ in the 80s, which is the same as 32$ today. And people still bought them. They are far more affordable now than then.

Depends on who you ask, people will say they have less cash in their wallets now than they did a few years back while back then, we'd still be complaining not having enough cash back then and so on

william-james88 wrote:
Do you like combiner wars? What happens if you lose on of the feet? Its not like you can buy another one alone. But lucky for all the kids out there, you can now buy new heads seperately This is the perfect solution and it will avoid the problems that occured in G1.

I'm afraid that comparison doesn't hold up quite well. If you lose the hand/foot/gun from a CW figure, you still have a figure that's more or less complete, with all its limbs. You lose the head from a Headmaster? Play-value just went way down.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:
Do you like combiner wars? What happens if you lose on of the feet? Its not like you can buy another one alone. But lucky for all the kids out there, you can now buy new heads seperately This is the perfect solution and it will avoid the problems that occured in G1.

I'm afraid that comparison doesn't hold up quite well. If you lose the hand/foot/gun from a CW figure, you still have a figure that's more or less complete, with all its limbs. You lose the head from a Headmaster? Play-value just went way down.

However, you do end up with a combiner which doesnt have a hand or a foot and the only way to eplace it is to buy a figure that costs 16$ minimum. However, if you no longer have the head, you can buy another one for 5$. Thats more what I was getting at.

Just don't lose their heads. In robot mode, keep them "on" as in "head on!" In vehicle, then in their cockpits or something.

In fact, the most parts of TFs that always get lost are the missiles or flying fists (for the latter, my G1 Devs Encore fist just launched and was missing for nearly 6 months before I found it in a place I least expected after searchinh the same place over and over . Especially the spring mounted ones like that in ML Ultra Magnus. Those buggers keep on popping off.

Yeah, I'm not a Headmaster fan either. The line is bittersweet. It has a lot of characters I like in the kind of alt. modes I like - Scourge, Hot Rod, Galvatron, and Blur off the top of my head - but then they add in this needless Headmaster feature. It doesn't ruin them for me, but I wish it didn't exist.

I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions. Because now they all have to be bases and vehicles for Headmasters on top of being themselves. It doesn't always work. Buzzsaw is a joke and Ravage is ... something else. I think the base modes ruined the tape decks. Although leader class for those guys is way too big - Combiners are now just slightly taller than Soundwave - it just doesn't work for my collection.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions.

I think them being leaders ruins them anyway, they dont scale with any of the other classics now aside from "some" leaders. So since thats runed, I say might as well be something totally different sicne I aint posing that stuff with the others.

You know what I learned on these very boards the last time I said "just don't lose the head"? Someone, and I forget who, reminded me that some people have children, rowdy animals, and all sorts of outside factors to deal with. Despite any best effort, these can still make stuff go broken or missing. I think being concerned about "losing the head" is ok if you have these things to deal with. If you don't, then stop being ruled by fear and go have fun with your Transformers. Don't cause yourself anxiety over it

Alternately, if you don't like these toys and don't want them, I can understand. It's disappointing, and there's always the feeling that you have to justify, in depth, why you don't want them, but it really just comes down to 1) you don't and 2) it sucks when you don't like things in your hobbies. That's all good and respectable, just don't come up with BS reasons for it - which I'm not saying anyone has, I'm just really, really worn out on reading these rants for the better part of a year now about why Titans Return is the new worst thing ever. Let's have fun and grab some robots with little robots that can drive around on the big robots later. That sounds like a party to me!

william-james88 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions.

I think them being leaders ruins them anyway, they dont scale with any of the other classics now aside from "some" leaders. So since thats runed, I say might as well be something totally different sicne I aint posing that stuff with the others.

They scale well with mp figures

Bumblebee21 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions.

I think them being leaders ruins them anyway, they dont scale with any of the other classics now aside from "some" leaders. So since thats runed, I say might as well be something totally different sicne I aint posing that stuff with the others.

They scale well with mp figures

But we already have mp Soundwave. I guess this could be a decent place holder while we wait for mp blaster though

william-james88 wrote:

Bumblebee21 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions.

I think them being leaders ruins them anyway, they dont scale with any of the other classics now aside from "some" leaders. So since thats runed, I say might as well be something totally different sicne I aint posing that stuff with the others.

They scale well with mp figures

But we already have mp Soundwave. I guess this could be a decent place holder while we wait for mp blaster though

That's what I'm going to do with my blaster. Don't know what to do with Soundwave though. I already have the YOTG version

Bumblebee21 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Bumblebee21 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I think it also ruins Blaster and Soundwave and some of their minions.

I think them being leaders ruins them anyway, they dont scale with any of the other classics now aside from "some" leaders. So since thats runed, I say might as well be something totally different sicne I aint posing that stuff with the others.

They scale well with mp figures

But we already have mp Soundwave. I guess this could be a decent place holder while we wait for mp blaster though

That's what I'm going to do with my blaster. Don't know what to do with Soundwave though. I already have the YOTG version

Then we are in the exact same situation. What I will do is get Blaster and see if I like him and his playability. if I do then I will get soundwave as well. Then I can use him to pose with other MPs if need be for some colour

at least blaster comes out first.

ScottyP wrote:Let's have fun and grab some robots with little robots that can drive around on the big robots later. That sounds like a party to me!

That's all there is to it.

Thread's dead, Baby. Thread's dead.