The Energon Pub

Renderform.com, the garage kit company formed by Seibertron.com member Venksta, has been updated to show the final designs for RF-004 Security Chief, and upgrade kit for both Generations Red Alert and Henkei Alert. The kit features a newly redesigned head based on feedback from Renderform's fans, an articulated, shoulder-mountable rocket launcher, and new gun.



The kit is available in both toy accurate and cartoon accurate variations, featuring different head colors and launcher colors.







The red kit is limited to 200 pieces and the black kit is limited to only 75, so place your orders at Renderform's Order Page now.

Seibertron.com is your ultimate Transformer's resource.

These sets actually went live on the 18th and as of the 20th at 2:00 EST there are less than 100 red and 50 black left.

Yep, I've already got mine ordered and paid for. Can't wait to get it and see what else Venkata has to offer. He continues to up his game with every release, highly recommended.

thanks for post got red one orderd looking forward to the weapons fro classic prime & megatron

Hey guys. Theres been like over 40 orders submitted since Seibertron front paged this news. If people are willing to be patient, I will accept all orders. I was going to only accept the 30 orders total, as of posting the news on Friday. I was close to that, already, as of last night. However, I can take all orders, as long as everyone knows I'm one guy doing this.

Also, I wanted to point out about the head issues. I stated on the Renderform site some assistance is needed to move the head up and down for transformation. I actually have fixed this issue with all kits that are being shipped, as well, as helped create a tighter neck joint. I'm basically test fitting all heads, to ensure they pass my strict guideline. This takes a bit more time, but I'm sure people will appreciate the better quality. You still have to put the head in proper position, to allow it to slide down, just like with the original toy head.

Anyways, please give me some time to go through the submitted orders and invoice everyone. Thanks for your support.

F**k they're limited? I'm broke so I'm probably going to miss out on this.

Hope there's going to be a restock on these since they look awesome.

I like with how with both heads, the Classics and Henkei versions look sufficiently different to pass as seperate characters.

I'd use the red head for a Seeker type security force. After 27 years, it's about time that the Ark's security director had a security force.

Sorry everyone. Orders have been stopped. There have been over 80 orders submitted, and I have to go through them all. I will limit 1 kit per person to ensure as many individuals can get one.

Damn, I ordered one just a few minutes ago. I hope I got in just as the gate closed and not before.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Damn, I ordered one just a few minutes ago. I hope I got in just as the gate closed and not before.

I'm going to limit 1 kit per order now. Hopefully I will have some kits left. But not guaranteed if I will for sure. Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

Venksta wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Damn, I ordered one just a few minutes ago. I hope I got in just as the gate closed and not before.

I'm going to limit 1 kit per order now. Hopefully I will have some kits left. But not guaranteed if I will for sure. Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

Wow, this set really took off. I'm glad I was able to grab one of the early sets. If you aren't able to grab this set Gauntlet101010, keep your eyes open for his Sideswipe and Cliffjumper upgrades.

Any chance on a second run of this set later down the road Venksta?

Venksta wrote:Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

That's a pretty unprofessional thing to do, blaming the customers for the limited run and pricing when so many are simply voicing their disappointment in being able to obtain your product.

If your reasoning is true and you really kept orders low due to the initial reaction, of the PROTOTYPE then you've got a helluva lot to learn. That's one of the reasons companies even release images of their prototypes, to gauge fan reaction and make changes. Not to brag or say, "look at this cool thing I'm doing".

But you took that "negative" reaction to your prototype and you did what you should: fixed the problems and made a better product. Good job.

The problem is that I don't remember seeing any images of the NEW and FINAL head sculpt being paraded around here or your site until the very day you opened orders in the first place - there was literally no time to gauge reactions to the new sculpt and adjust production accordingly to fan reaction.

So for you to just say "too bad you guys thought it sucked when I showed you a crappy version otherwise I'd made more and made it cheap" is a pretty crappy thing to do to those of us who like your work and want to support an up and coming 3rd partier.

Not cool.

C-109 wrote:

Venksta wrote:Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

That's a pretty unprofessional thing to do, blaming the customers for the limited run and pricing when so many are simply voicing their disappointment in being able to obtain your product.

If your reasoning is true and you really kept orders low due to the initial reaction, of the PROTOTYPE then you've got a helluva lot to learn. That's one of the reasons companies even release images of their prototypes, to gauge fan reaction and make changes. Not to brag or say, "look at this cool thing I'm doing".

But you took that "negative" reaction to your prototype and you did what you should: fixed the problems and made a better product. Good job.

I think you are upset and not really thinking it through. Renderform is a one man show, not a company. The prototype was to gather interest. The final product isnt that much different than the prototype and Venksta stated the changes he was making. So, I think he kind of has to make a quota based on interest so he doesn't lose money, go under, and then not be able to offer us any future upgrades.

Venksta does very good work and is a great contributor. You have one post to your name, back off.

amcgrath929 wrote:

Venksta wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Damn, I ordered one just a few minutes ago. I hope I got in just as the gate closed and not before.

I'm going to limit 1 kit per order now. Hopefully I will have some kits left. But not guaranteed if I will for sure. Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

Wow, this set really took off. I'm glad I was able to grab one of the early sets. If you aren't able to grab this set Gauntlet101010, keep your eyes open for his Sideswipe and Cliffjumper upgrades.

Any chance on a second run of this set later down the road Venksta?

Oooo, I just got home, and I threw in an order, so I hope I didn't miss out.

I would have bought a black version (for Sideswipe), But I know for sure those are gone by now

But if you are doing a straight up Sideswipe noggin, put me down for one.

amcgrath929 wrote:I think you are upset and not really thinking it through. Renderform is a one man show, not a company. The prototype was to gather interest. The final product isnt that much different than the prototype and Venksta stated the changes he was making. So, I think he kind of has to make a quota based on interest so he doesn't lose money, go under, and then not be able to offer us any future upgrades.

I understand and emphasize with the fact that Venksta works alone, having worked in garage kits for a few years, I totally get what he's dealing with. The pressure is very real and it's there. However, I also know that you don't, in any business, blame poor decisions on your customers.

The item I'm taking issue with is that he says that the initial reaction to the prototype was negative and therefore he limited the kits and made them more expensive as a result. And this would have been absolutely fine, but then he went back and fixed the initial problems that people had complained about and rather than showing the new version and gauging interest, he just put it up for order. Again, wouldn't be a problem, it's his call - BUT, he then blames the short supply on the negative feedback from the prototype and not the fact that he didn't bother to preview and gauge reaction to the new sculpt. Basically, he shifted blame on the customer base and that's where I have an issue.

C-109 wrote:

Venksta wrote:Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

That's a pretty unprofessional thing to do, blaming the customers for the limited run and pricing when so many are simply voicing their disappointment in being able to obtain your product.

If your reasoning is true and you really kept orders low due to the initial reaction, of the PROTOTYPE then you've got a helluva lot to learn. That's one of the reasons companies even release images of their prototypes, to gauge fan reaction and make changes. Not to brag or say, "look at this cool thing I'm doing".

But you took that "negative" reaction to your prototype and you did what you should: fixed the problems and made a better product. Good job.

The problem is that I don't remember seeing any images of the NEW and FINAL head sculpt being paraded around here or your site until the very day you opened orders in the first place - there was literally no time to gauge reactions to the new sculpt and adjust production accordingly to fan reaction.

So for you to just say "too bad you guys thought it sucked when I showed you a crappy version otherwise I'd made more and made it cheap" is a pretty crappy thing to do to those of us who like your work and want to support an up and coming 3rd partier.

Not cool.

You are right. The way I said it was unprofessional. However, it is true the run number was affected by negative reaction. This is because even with positive reaction, it won't mean the kit will sell that well, if I made enough for every single person that said they would buy it. For example, I had a waiting list for the new batch of Skyfall kits. I asked for 40 people to commit to buying it, so I could start the new run. I ended up getting over 70 people on the list, by the time I could start production. However, only 30 people got back to me from that list. And around 20 of them actually bought the kit.

This was also true for the waiting list for the Red Alert kit. If every single person on that list had bought a kit, I wouldn't even have many kits to offer on my website. The original run, when I began this project, was going to be 300 kits. As none of the other upgrade kits, up till then, had sold out, or sold very well, after the waiting lists, I thought 300 seemed like a good number. I was going to make 200 red sets, and 100 black sets. While people asked to go on the waiting list, most of them just wanted the red set. So with the reaction from the boards, and those on the waiting list, I decided 150 red sets, and 50 black sets, would be plenty for those on the waiting list, and enough extra for those that weren't. But after taking orders from the waiting list first, I decided to bump the numbers up. So the final run, combined, is 275 sets. 25 sets less, than what I originally planned.

If everyone was positive about the Red Alert set, from the beginning, I would most likely do no more than 350 sets. Maybe if somehow I was guaranteed to sell 400 sets, its possible the run could be that high. However, I'm only one person. And doing this takes a lot of time. So I don't want to be making the same kit over and over. And 400 wouldn't mean much, if I decided to end the run at 350 after, after being sick and tired of making them for a couple months. There are tons of other ideas I want to produce. So I do have to keep my production run small. Blaming the actual run for this kit on the initial negative reaction was unfair for me. And I apologize for it.

Geekee1 wrote:Venksta does very good work and is a great contributor. You have one post to your name, back off.

That is BS. The number of someone's previous posts has nothing to do with the validity of their statements nor is any one person infallible regardless of their contributions to a community. Venksta is no more exempt from public critique than are elected officials, which is to say, not at all. So, in closing, I'd ask that you "back off" unless you have new information that would provide my previous critique of the situation flawed or invalid rather than "dude's cool, back off!" as that's a pretty weak response.

C-109 wrote:

amcgrath929 wrote:I think you are upset and not really thinking it through. Renderform is a one man show, not a company. The prototype was to gather interest. The final product isnt that much different than the prototype and Venksta stated the changes he was making. So, I think he kind of has to make a quota based on interest so he doesn't lose money, go under, and then not be able to offer us any future upgrades.

I understand and emphasize with the fact that Venksta works alone, having worked in garage kits for a few years, I totally get what he's dealing with. The pressure is very real and it's there. However, I also know that you don't, in any business, blame poor decisions on your customers.

The item I'm taking issue with is that he says that the initial reaction to the prototype was negative and therefore he limited the kits and made them more expensive as a result. And this would have been absolutely fine, but then he went back and fixed the initial problems that people had complained about and rather than showing the new version and gauging interest, he just put it up for order. Again, wouldn't be a problem, it's his call - BUT, he then blames the short supply on the negative feedback from the prototype and not the fact that he didn't bother to preview and gauge reaction to the new sculpt. Basically, he shifted blame on the customer base and that's where I have an issue.

If most of you view Renderform as an actual business, then I seriously need to really increase my prices. I can't even afford to offer my stuff to BBTS, when they have asked to carry it, with out taking a huge loss.

The final price for the kit is not more expensive at all. Not sure where you even got that from. If you looked on TFW, where the original price, of $26 was shown, back in December, then I still don't know how you would of come up with saying it got more expensive. Yes, its $1 more, however, there were many more costs I didn't even expect, back then.

Venksta wrote:

C-109 wrote:

Venksta wrote:Too bad the original reaction to the prototype for this kit was negative. Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper. Since I've already shipped kits out, I can't change the run number.

That's a pretty unprofessional thing to do, blaming the customers for the limited run and pricing when so many are simply voicing their disappointment in being able to obtain your product.

If your reasoning is true and you really kept orders low due to the initial reaction, of the PROTOTYPE then you've got a helluva lot to learn. That's one of the reasons companies even release images of their prototypes, to gauge fan reaction and make changes. Not to brag or say, "look at this cool thing I'm doing".

But you took that "negative" reaction to your prototype and you did what you should: fixed the problems and made a better product. Good job.

The problem is that I don't remember seeing any images of the NEW and FINAL head sculpt being paraded around here or your site until the very day you opened orders in the first place - there was literally no time to gauge reactions to the new sculpt and adjust production accordingly to fan reaction.

So for you to just say "too bad you guys thought it sucked when I showed you a crappy version otherwise I'd made more and made it cheap" is a pretty crappy thing to do to those of us who like your work and want to support an up and coming 3rd partier.

Not cool.

You are right. The way I said it was unprofessional. However, it is true the run number was affected by negative reaction. This is because even with positive reaction, it won't mean the kit will sell that well, if I made enough for every single person that said they would buy it. For example, I had a waiting list for the new batch of Skyfall kits. I asked for 40 people to commit to buying it, so I could start the new run. I ended up getting over 70 people on the list, by the time I could start production. However, only 30 people got back to me from that list. And around 20 of them actually bought the kit.

This was also true for the waiting list for the Red Alert kit. If every single person on that list had bought a kit, I wouldn't even have many kits to offer on my website. The original run, when I began this project, was going to be 300 kits. As none of the other upgrade kits, up till then, had sold out, or sold very well, after the waiting lists, I thought 300 seemed like a good number. I was going to make 200 red sets, and 100 black sets. While people asked to go on the waiting list, most of them just wanted the red set. So with the reaction from the boards, and those on the waiting list, I decided 150 red sets, and 50 black sets, would be plenty for those on the waiting list, and enough extra for those that weren't. But after taking orders from the waiting list first, I decided to bump the numbers up. So the final run, combined, is 275 sets. 25 sets less, than what I originally planned.

If everyone was positive about the Red Alert set, from the beginning, I would most likely do no more than 350 sets. Maybe if somehow I was guaranteed to sell 400 sets, its possible the run could be that high. However, I'm only one person. And doing this takes a lot of time. So I don't want to be making the same kit over and over. And 400 wouldn't mean much, if I decided to end the run at 350 after, after being sick and tired of making them for a couple months. There are tons of other ideas I want to produce. So I do have to keep my production run small. Blaming the actual run for this kit on the initial negative reaction was unfair for me. And I apologize for it.

Thank you for clarifying the situation from your end. In the GK community, we'd often take paid pre-orders upfront and I think you're certainly in a position to consider such a thing in the future if you think that'd help. Also, a little advance word on when orders going live would have been nice, I missed the kit I wanted and can live with it, I've donated most of my disposable income for the month anyway, but a head's up would be nice for those interested. Maybe setup a mailing list through mailchimp or something or announce it on the blog for your rss subscribers. But again, thank your for taking the time to post and clarify your decision making process.

Venksta wrote:If most of you view Renderform as an actual business, then I seriously need to really increase my prices. I can't even afford to offer my stuff to BBTS, when they have asked to carry it, with out taking a huge loss.

Whether you are one man or 100, self-distribute or not, the manufacture and selling of goods to consumers is a business, and you should handle yourself accordingly. The scale of your business and/or number of your transactions is irrelevant to the manner of how you carry and handle your dealings.

Venksta wrote:The final price for the kit is not more expensive at all. Not sure where you even got that from. If you looked on TFW, where the original price, of $26 was shown, back in December, then I still don't know how you would of come up with saying it got more expensive. Yes, its $1 more, however, there were many more costs I didn't even expect, back then.

From you, actually, in a previous post where you stated:

Venksta wrote: Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper.

Any delay in this news was Seibertron's news crew's fault. We apologize for any inconvenience we caused by missing the news earlier. Sorry!

C-109 wrote:
From you, actually, in a previous post where you stated:

Venksta wrote: Otherwise I would of made done a bigger run, and make it a bit cheaper.

Ah, ok. Thought you meant something else, which confused me. Yeah, if a run of 300 or more was set in stone, and not changed from earlier on, I would love to sell it cheaper. Probably not good for me, in terms of recouping cost, but I'd enjoy the fact I can offer it for less. Same reason I don't pack kits in boxes. Keep the shipping cost down for everyone is huge for me, as I know many people factor it into the total cost. As well, its always funny to deal with fans overseas, who are scared thinking shipping would cost $20. Then I tell them, for most items its around $5.

As for notices, its hard for me to post everywhere. I'm not sure what Hasbro thinks about my Renderform stuff. But I do my best to play it safe, as I would love to continue making these kits. So one mentality I have, is to not push my stuff into the spot light. That does have some positives and negatives. I do have the facebook page, where I did give people advance info on orders going up on Friday. I'll try to work with the sites like Seibertron to announce things. However, it might make it harder to get at that point, especially when I do lower run sets.

Thanks for bring these issues up, C-109. There are always things to learn, and I believe you just saved me a huge headache and disaster with the Dreadwind upgrade.

C-109 wrote:

Geekee1 wrote:Venksta does very good work and is a great contributor. You have one post to your name, back off.

That is BS. The number of someone's previous posts has nothing to do with the validity of their statements nor is any one person infallible regardless of their contributions to a community. Venksta is no more exempt from public critique than are elected officials, which is to say, not at all. So, in closing, I'd ask that you "back off" unless you have new information that would provide my previous critique of the situation flawed or invalid rather than "dude's cool, back off!" as that's a pretty weak response.

You know what, you're right. I went back and reread what you wrote. While I didn't like the tone, you're overall argument was good, although I don't really think Venskta was trying to blame anything on the customers, more just covering his ass. I'm sure that all the pain killers that I'm on right now are not helping my comprehension or reasoning skills. I'll man up when I'm wrong. Now give me a friggin hug!

Nice. But I won't be investing in this as I like my Red Alert as he is w/ the Gear of War missile launcher.