The Energon Pub

Grapple and Lugnut specifically. I'm having a tough time deciding which company to buy from. For Grapple, I'm just fan enough to buy him but I'd like the nicest representation of him as well. In the case of Lugnut, I'm really leaning towards Takara. Neither company really has him in a show accurate deco so I might as well go all out with what looks best to me. Both look great though and I'd be curious to hear opinions on him as well.

well I have RTS Grapple en route to me man.after much hand wringing or which was better looking(RTS or united)I went with RTS.the yellow head on united just looked weird to me.

Out of the Lugnut choices, go Takara. The colors are richer and some of the paint apps, especially on the turbines are done with a little more saturation. Like, the RTS version looks like it was gone over once, where as the Takara one has a much less brush-stroke look to it. That's a bit of an exaggeration, but on my RTS Lugnut there are places where it looks like the paint isn't thick enough.

With Grapple, I'd say the opposite, go RTS. Same problem in that the United Grapple paints yellow over the black head, giving it a bit of a bad look if you should happen to get one with thin paint apps on it. Also, they both have paint decos that the other doesn't. However, the RTS one has its shown in robot mode, where the United one has more apps in truck mode.

I'm RTS all the way on Lugnut. Neither is colored perfectly but United has way too much purple and worse, the wrong purple. I put the silver reprolabel Decepticon symbols (the ones thy toss in free when you order anything from them) on his abdomen and a big one on his canopy and it's just perfect.

As for grapple, I only want one to part swap for my custom Pyro.

Counterpunch, those were my inclinations as well.
zodconvoy, I prefer the large amount of purple used in the Takara version for Lugnut. Neither is anywhere close to being correct to either the Animated toy or cartoon appearance.

You'll have a fun time with Voyager Lugnut when you place him with 2007, ROTF, and DOTM but if you want to continue a Neo-G1 line then get Grapple.

I have both Grapple's. They're both great and I like them equally. I will say that the yellow head on the Takara version is bit nicer looking. I have yet to unbox it but that's my 'through the window' impression. Of course Hasbro is out in the general population...Grapple is so damn cool.

Also, and I could be wrong here, I cannot get my Hasbro version to pose the same way as the Takara. The black piece that attaches the hook assembly to the right arm appears to be modified allowing the Takara version to be posed differently with that whole hook thing behind his back and no big black connector piece hanging below his right hand.

Lugnut...no comment.

I have TAK Grapple and I love him. The RTS version is kind of blahh to me. Guess I love the yellow head. Wish his hook were chromed tho. I have not picked up Lugnut yet but I am leaning toward United on that one too.

ipp wrote:I have both Grapple's. They're both great and I like them equally. I will say that the yellow head on the Takara version is bit nicer looking. I have yet to unbox it but that's my 'through the window' impression. Of course Hasbro is out in the general population...Grapple is so damn cool.

Also, and I could be wrong here, I cannot get my Hasbro version to pose the same way as the Takara. The black piece that attaches the hook assembly to the right arm appears to be modified allowing the Takara version to be posed differently with that whole hook thing behind his back and no big black connector piece hanging below his right hand.

Very curious to know what you mean about molding differences and if anyone can confirm or deny this. Pictures would help.

Flux Convoy wrote:

ipp wrote:I have both Grapple's. They're both great and I like them equally. I will say that the yellow head on the Takara version is bit nicer looking. I have yet to unbox it but that's my 'through the window' impression. Of course Hasbro is out in the general population...Grapple is so damn cool.

Also, and I could be wrong here, I cannot get my Hasbro version to pose the same way as the Takara. The black piece that attaches the hook assembly to the right arm appears to be modified allowing the Takara version to be posed differently with that whole hook thing behind his back and no big black connector piece hanging below his right hand.

Very curious to know what you mean about molding differences and if anyone can confirm or deny this. Pictures would help.

There's a second swivel point on the hook that allows for the type of movement being described. It is on both versions of the toy.

666-SHOT wrote:I have TAK Grapple and I love him. The RTS version is kind of blahh to me. Guess I love the yellow head. Wish his hook were chromed tho. I have not picked up Lugnut yet but I am leaning toward United on that one too.

I have United Lugnut coming mid-next week i can post pics if you would like?

If it matters to you at all, the yellow head of the United figure is more show accurate. The lugnut figure, I can't recommend at all. Yeah, its probably a solid mold but the colors of neither version are truly great or show accurate at all. Plus, the mold itself doesn't look at all like the character that inspired it. Yeah, I get that they are taking an Animated character and sticking in the classics universe but i think it could have been done better. I passed on Lugnut. As you can tell, I'm a stickler for accuracy.

joesaysso wrote:If it matters to you at all, the yellow head of the United figure is more show accurate.

Kind of.

I mean, Grapple does appear in the cartoon with a black head for an episode and he appears regularly in the comics with a black head.

Yeah, true. With all of the show drawing and animation errors, "show accuracy" can sometimes be hard to decipher. However, the black head was for one episode that I've noticed. In all of the other episodes, especially the ones which he had a significant role, his head was yellow. I throw out the comic appearances. Grimlock was blue in the comics for crying out loud.

While I have my preference for the way I'd like my figures to look, honestly the two factors that win out more often than not are cost and availability. I'd prefer the yellow head just like I prefer my Red Alert to have a red head. In the end though its black headed Red Alert that sits on my shelf. he was cheaper and I actually saw him in a store as opposed to having to order him.

Go with your gut. I wasn't disappointed in Red Alert and I doubt you'll be disappointed in whichever version you finally get your hands on.

joesaysso wrote:If it matters to you at all, the yellow head of the United figure is more show accurate. The lugnut figure, I can't recommend at all. Yeah, its probably a solid mold but the colors of neither version are truly great or show accurate at all. Plus, the mold itself doesn't look at all like the character that inspired it. Yeah, I get that they are taking an Animated character and sticking in the classics universe but i think it could have been done better. I passed on Lugnut. As you can tell, I'm a stickler for accuracy.

Umm..dont forget theres times that Grapple has a black head with yellow ears!! I know its animation error, but i call it as i seen on TV!!

Flux Convoy wrote:Grapple and Lugnut specifically. I'm having a tough time deciding which company to buy from. For Grapple, I'm just fan enough to buy him but I'd like the nicest representation of him as well. In the case of Lugnut, I'm really leaning towards Takara. Neither company really has him in a show accurate deco so I might as well go all out with what looks best to me. Both look great though and I'd be curious to hear opinions on him as well.

I've mentioned this in other threads but if you go with United Grapple then with the remolded arms and head, not to mention the extra orange/yellow paint job then he's really like a totally new figure as opposed to simple an orange repaint of Inferno with a crane stuck to his arm. All of the differences, added to the fact that the basic mold is superb (Inferno is a great Classics figure) and Grapple = win.

Lugnut is one that I haven't heard a bad word about. Hasbro is really pushing his character with Animated and now retrospectively adding him to the Transformers movie/G1 story line as well. The figure is bad ass and is one of those Decepticons that if you were playing with your figs then it would take at least 3 Autbots to take him down, but not before he'd already smoked the same number. In hand he's much better than in the pictures and he's got a pretty cool paint job too.

Jazz-1982 wrote:I've mentioned this in other threads but if you go with United Grapple then with the remolded arms and head, not to mention the extra orange/yellow paint job then he's really like a totally new figure as opposed to simple an orange repaint of Inferno with a crane stuck to his arm. All of the differences, added to the fact that the basic mold is superb (Inferno is a great Classics figure) and Grapple = win.

I know it wasn't your intent, but it appears from your post that the implication is that only the United version is remolded.

RTS Grapple has the same remolded head, arms, crane, and feet that the United version does. The United version has a painted yellow head and painted silver parts that appear in truck mode. The RTS version has a black head and painted arm cuffs in robot mode.

Counterpunch wrote:

Jazz-1982 wrote:I've mentioned this in other threads but if you go with United Grapple then with the remolded arms and head, not to mention the extra orange/yellow paint job then he's really like a totally new figure as opposed to simple an orange repaint of Inferno with a crane stuck to his arm. All of the differences, added to the fact that the basic mold is superb (Inferno is a great Classics figure) and Grapple = win.

I know it wasn't your intent, but it appears from your post that the implication is that only the United version is remolded.

RTS Grapple has the same remolded head, arms, crane, and feet that the United version does. The United version has a painted yellow head and painted silver parts that appear in truck mode. The RTS version has a black head and painted arm cuffs in robot mode.

You're absolutely right, certainly not my intent to sell Hasbro short. HasTak are level on points IMO with Gen/RTS and United but in this case United's shades it.

The RTS version with the remolded parts is definitely still great but I recommend the United version as with the orange head it really makes it look so different to Inferno (much more differentiated than other Classics repaints like Prowl, Blustreak and Smokescreen were) and therefore well worth spending the cash on.

Jazz-1982 wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:

Jazz-1982 wrote:I've mentioned this in other threads but if you go with United Grapple then with the remolded arms and head, not to mention the extra orange/yellow paint job then he's really like a totally new figure as opposed to simple an orange repaint of Inferno with a crane stuck to his arm. All of the differences, added to the fact that the basic mold is superb (Inferno is a great Classics figure) and Grapple = win.

I know it wasn't your intent, but it appears from your post that the implication is that only the United version is remolded.

RTS Grapple has the same remolded head, arms, crane, and feet that the United version does. The United version has a painted yellow head and painted silver parts that appear in truck mode. The RTS version has a black head and painted arm cuffs in robot mode.

You're absolutely right, certainly not my intent to sell Hasbro short. HasTak are level on points IMO with Gen/RTS and United but in this case United's shades it.

The RTS version with the remolded parts is definitely still great but I recommend the United version as with the orange head it really makes it look so different to Inferno (much more differentiated than other Classics repaints like Prowl, Blustreak and Smokescreen were) and therefore well worth spending the cash on.

Easier said than done! Most of us has a budget for our plastic addiction or just choose not to get the United version at all! The prices on the United line is rising higher and higher and im sure theres hardcore collectors out there willing to pay the price, unless you live in Japan where access is easy and theres no mark up!

If I was in the States or back home in the UK then I'd definitely just buy the Hasbro versions for that exact same reason.

I actually paid the mark up for some RTS and Generations figures over here because I preferred the paint job to United but the only reason I could afford to do that is because I really only collect G1 reissues, Classics and Masterpieces (gave Rodimus a miss due to the QC issues which freed up cash). I don't buy any other lines at all.

To be honest, although TRU is reasonably well stocked over here some of the prices on Amazon are pretty crazy in terms of mark up for the most popular figures like WFC Optimus, Blurr and Jazz.

If things continue to go as they are then I might have to leave anyway it wouldn't be an issue anymore I suppose as that would mean quitting my job so buying TFs period let alone TFs with import prices would be out of the question.

Jazz, you and I pretty much have the same collection preference. However, I do have some animated mixed in.

The fact is that there just isn't a real consistent theme between Hasbro and Takara as far as decos go. It seems like they purposely try to be different from each other and they each have their respective figures that they got more right than the other did in one regard or another. And quite frankfully, usually neither one of them get a figure perfect.

Really, the OP needs to sell himself on a figure not us selling him. The figures are a matter of personal preference and what your wallet can handle. For me, there have been a few Tak figures that I liked better but not many have blown me away to justify the extra price of them. Is it worth paying an extra 20 bucks plus shipping for a yellow head and some minor paint differences? To some, yes. To some, no.

Which are you and what do you want of your collection? You are the one who has to look at the figure everyday. Everybody here, including myself are only going to give you their own (my own) opinions of their (my) preferences. When really all that matters is yours. If you are so on the fence split about which one to get, then chances are that you won't have a problem with either version. In that case, you should get the one that is cheaper and easier to obtain.

Flux Convoy wrote:Very curious to know what you mean about molding differences and if anyone can confirm or deny this. Pictures would help.

Flux I need to retract my original post...the parts are the same on both. Thanks also to the poster who said there was another swivel there 'cause otherwise I probably would not have found it.

joesaysso wrote:Jazz, you and I pretty much have the same collection preference. However, I do have some animated mixed in.

The fact is that there just isn't a real consistent theme between Hasbro and Takara as far as decos go. It seems like they purposely try to be different from each other and they each have their respective figures that they got more right than the other did in one regard or another. And quite frankfully, usually neither one of them get a figure perfect.

Really, the OP needs to sell himself on a figure not us selling him. The figures are a matter of personal preference and what your wallet can handle. For me, there have been a few Tak figures that I liked better but not many have blown me away to justify the extra price of them. Is it worth paying an extra 20 bucks plus shipping for a yellow head and some minor paint differences? To some, yes. To some, no.

Which are you and what do you want of your collection? You are the one who has to look at the figure everyday. Everybody here, including myself are only going to give you their own (my own) opinions of their (my) preferences. When really all that matters is yours. If you are so on the fence split about which one to get, then chances are that you won't have a problem with either version. In that case, you should get the one that is cheaper and easier to obtain.

Good advice. I think OP is looking for justification and encouragement to buy them, both of which he's found in this thread! I hope he'll tell us what he's decided to do; buy or skip. He's obviously aware of the fact that prices will go up and that if he changes his mind these figures will cost more in a year's time.

To sum up two pages of posts and opinions. True, I should make up my own mind. I have, I asked for opinions from folks to help make a more logical and informed decision skewed to my collecting habits and focus. Not to be rude, brash or trite, Counterpunch was the big gun I wanted to weigh in. Our collecting follows a very similar line of thinking in many ways for "Classics". Everyone else's thoughts are icing on the cake. Also just as appreciated, mind you. Or at least those of you who managed to read what I was asking for and moving the discussion along without me. Thank you for that. Moving along, who's got pictures to share?

Did you make a decision yet or still looking for input?

(ehhh, I'll give you my 2¢ anyways)
Personally I am picking up the RTS versions of the two. Besides being cheaper, I really prefer Grapple having a black head since the original G1 toy came with one.

As for Lug-Nut, I don't really care either way so it is easier for me to get the Hasbro one.