The Energon Pub

Yeah he's pretty good. I display him just holding the Matrix in 1 hand and the saw attached to the other.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Yeah he's pretty good. I display him just holding the Matrix in 1 hand and the saw attached to the other.

Hmm, good thought.

Mine will never retract his visor, that is such a cool look for him. It should have been hot pink though

Hot Rod is such an excellent figure...
I'm sure there is a list of "issues" people have found with him, but man, overall, he is pretty solid.

Perceptor had arrived by the time I got home from work...
Not even one of my favorite characters, but still looking forward to opening this one!

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Yeah he's pretty good. I display him just holding the Matrix in 1 hand and the saw attached to the other.

Hmm, good thought.

Mine will never retract his visor, that is such a cool look for him. It should have been hot pink though

If you mean the visor, Hot Rod's was blue. If you mean Hot Rod himself... yeah, but Hasbro apparently are not interested in producing a magenta Hot Rod.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:
Its one of the few SS-86 figures to not have received a repaint or retool yet. Along Hot-Rod and Grimlock.

I'd be down for a dark purple G1 toy deco for Cyclonus, a Blue G2 Grimlock and I guess a toon accurate Hot-Rod. Magenta and light blue solid windshield ala BB Cliffjumper.

Technically Cyclonus is Kingdom and not SS86, which may be why the armada repaint is in Selects. Hot Rod is getting a retool/redeco as Override in the Walmart Velocitron line and there was a rumored variant a while back.

Excuse me.
What? Override is going to be made from freaking Hot Rod somehow? When did we hear that? Greeeeat. Considering the only common point in their designs is a very vaguely similar vehicle-mode silhouette, that means she's gonna be yet another halfassed garbage homage like Combiner Wars Armada Megs and Selects Hot Shot.

If they're going to do Override as a retool, why not use Blurr as a base? That'd at least give the cockpit chest and the aesthetic would be closer, and there may even be leeway in his design to retool for a closer match to her car mode. Reshelling Earthrise Wheeljack or Sunstreaker would also be a much better choice than using SS86 Hot Rod!

Hot Rod's robot design is nothing like Override's, and SS86 Hot Rod's transformation is nothing like Override's. Especially with the super-complex engineering and faux-parts hood chest for extreme cartoon accuracy. The only Cybertron characters the SS86 Hot Rod mold is capable of pulling off are Hot Shot (whose design is a Hot Rod homage, and who even has a faux-parts hood chest) and Clocker. Override? No. Just, no.

ARGGHAtjigewnjm9i9

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

Overcracker wrote:
Its one of the few SS-86 figures to not have received a repaint or retool yet. Along Hot-Rod and Grimlock.

I'd be down for a dark purple G1 toy deco for Cyclonus, a Blue G2 Grimlock and I guess a toon accurate Hot-Rod. Magenta and light blue solid windshield ala BB Cliffjumper.

Technically Cyclonus is Kingdom and not SS86, which may be why the armada repaint is in Selects. Hot Rod is getting a retool/redeco as Override in the Walmart Velocitron line and there was a rumored variant a while back.

Excuse me.
What? Override is going to be made from freaking Hot Rod somehow? When did we hear that? Greeeeat. Considering the only common point in their designs is a very vaguely similar vehicle-mode silhouette, that means she's gonna be yet another halfassed garbage homage like Combiner Wars Armada Megs and Selects Hot Shot.

If they're going to do Override as a retool, why not use Blurr as a base? That'd at least give the cockpit chest and the aesthetic would be closer, and there may even be leeway in his design to retool for a closer match to her car mode. Reshelling Earthrise Wheeljack or Sunstreaker would also be a much better choice than using SS86 Hot Rod!

Hot Rod's robot design is nothing like Override's, and SS86 Hot Rod's transformation is nothing like Override's. Especially with the super-complex engineering and faux-parts hood chest for extreme cartoon accuracy. The only Cybertron characters the SS86 Hot Rod mold is capable of pulling off are Hot Shot (whose design is a Hot Rod homage, and who even has a faux-parts hood chest) and Clocker. Override? No. Just, no.

ARGGHAtjigewnjm9i9

That's the current rumor. I don't know how that is going to work though. I agree it's a puzzling decision.

Cybertron Override looks nothing like SS-86 Hot Rod. And yes I do own her. As I said in the 2022 rumor thread: rumours-of-exclusives-in-2022-t117277.php

Overcracker wrote:Damn... why does Scourge always have to be an exclusive?

Would it kill them to release a R.I.D Scourge to general retail?


Also, not sure how you go from this:



to this:



That seems like massive amounts of retooling to manage that.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Override is going to be made from freaking Hot Rod somehow? When did we hear that?

September, and the rumor has been newsed twice. The Velocitron line rumor was the reason the exclusives rumors thread I made exists, actually.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Greeeeat. Considering the only common point in their designs is a very vaguely similar vehicle-mode silhouette, that means she's gonna be yet another halfassed garbage homage like Combiner Wars Armada Megs and Selects Hot Shot.

Assuming they do zero retooling and just slap a new head on it, yes, but this isn't a Selects figure like Hot Shot where there's only enough budget for 1 new part and the rumor has said it's a retool from the beginning. Also Hot Shot isn't garbage anyway, easily one of my favorite figures to come out of Siege.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:If they're going to do Override as a retool, why not use Blurr as a base? That'd at least give the cockpit chest and the aesthetic would be closer, and there may even be leeway in his design to retool for a closer match to her car mode. Reshelling Earthrise Wheeljack or Sunstreaker would also be a much better choice than using SS86 Hot Rod!

Hard disagree on Wheeljack and Sunstreaker being better choices, they would be way too boxy. As for Blurr, I'm guessing:
1. Bumping Override down from Voyager to Deluxe janks up the cases for this exclusive wave/line massively by turning it into a single Voyager and 6 Deluxes. 5 Deluxes in a wave has already proven to lead to shortpacking in the past, imagine how bad it'd be with 6.
2. Override is a popular show character of those from her source material, so they may want her at a higher price point for better sales.
3. Scale? I don't have Hot Rod, but the pictures I've seen seem to indicate Hot Rod as slightly taller and better proportioned than Blurr, and unless I'm misremembering Override was taller than Hot Shot.
4. A 3rd-party figure already showed this retool to work to an extent.
5. Hot Rod's number of accessories may have been seen as desirable for Override to have her come with things like the Speed Planet Key and/or a Speedia Cup trophy (since it is a Velocitron-themed line, after all).
6. The vehicle modes being close, as you already said. I assume it's easier to tweak the bot mode parts (especially when some of them are already faux parts) than try to tweak the bot AND alt modes.
7. We've already seen an alternate head on the Blurr mold through Shattered Glass, Override may have been the planned alternate head on Hot Rod already as opposed to tooling extra heads for Blurr.

Now would I RATHER the UT characters from my childhood get more than just retools? Of course, but I'd also rather the characters get retools than nothing, and if the retool works for me I'm gonna get it, so until we see the figure I am just excited that Override is happening at all.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Excuse me.
What? Override is going to be made from freaking Hot Rod somehow? When did we hear that?

In the very first post of the (former) Velocitron toyline thread.

Overcracker wrote:Maybe. Are there fans out there clamoring for green Slag and red Snarl? Both of which also got a regular silver and gold release for G2 before the spiffy G2 colors. And well, a single usage of the Grimlock and Snarl molds seems like a waste of resources. Hasbro is not one to pass up the opportunity of selling the same toy again in different colors and make some more money off of it.

As a young teen my G2 Dinobot lineup was green Snarl (which I owned), red Slag and dark blue Grimlock since those were the only versions I saw at Kmart back then (only place that sold G2 around me). I remember seeing a red snarl years later and thinking then what I still think now that it's a terrible looking figure that never should have been made, there's just too much red and the two shades don't look good together. Red and green Christmas Snarl is a much more interesting looking figure. Red works for Slag since his torso can't be seen in dino mode, but then you get the same red mess issue in bot mode. I guess green just looks better on both (IMO), but I like the idea of all three being different colors in G2.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Overcracker wrote:Maybe. Are there fans out there clamoring for green Slag and red Snarl? Both of which also got a regular silver and gold release for G2 before the spiffy G2 colors. And well, a single usage of the Grimlock and Snarl molds seems like a waste of resources. Hasbro is not one to pass up the opportunity of selling the same toy again in different colors and make some more money off of it.

As a young teen my G2 Dinobot lineup was green Snarl (which I owned), red Slag and dark blue Grimlock since those were the only versions I saw at Kmart back then (only place that sold G2 around me). I remember seeing a red snarl years later and thinking then what I still think now that it's a terrible looking figure that never should have been made, there's just too much red and the two shades don't look good together. Red and green Christmas Snarl is a much more interesting looking figure. Red works for Slag since his torso can't be seen in dino mode, but then you get the same red mess issue in bot mode. I guess green just looks better on both (IMO), but I like the idea of all three being different colors in G2.

Emerje

The red versions could be like Super Saiyan-esque "Rage forms", brought about by extreme Hulk-like anger.

They'd go well with a redeco of Grimlock as Fireblast Grimlock.

Prive VS Prime have his review up for Sludge.

Pretty nice!



"waaahhh stolen fig, waaaaahhhh!"
Shut it.

While imo there are a couple issues with the dino mode, this guy is so on point, and looks like my prediction that he'll be my favorite figure for this whole year is probably a safe bet.

Imo he's better than Slag, and every bit as good as Grimlock.

Didn't like hearing the rumor that Swoop and Snarl could end up as Voyager class
(yes, I know that's not a new rumor with Swoop).

Seems like most agree that all 5 should be leader class.
But check out this still from the PvP review...
There's no way Swoop should only be as tall as OP when compared to these other Dinobots.
At this point I really don't care about character animation scale charts.

And then to think of Snarl being this small???? Pshhhhh



And I get it, that's all just rumor... But if any of this rumor actually happens, there have to be a ton of people who like me, will be beyond disappointed.

Snarl? He better be leader class if Slag was leader class! Swoop, I get if he was a tall voyager, but I think the wings would make up for the slightly smaller torso in price of materials, even if his transformation might be simpler than the others. I mean, he would be just a larger version of the g1 figure. Fold up the ptero head, tuck in the arms, lay face down, fold up the legs, spread out the wings. 4 steps, done. He'll be like a leader-sized core class figure.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Snarl? He better be leader class if Slag was leader class! Swoop, I get if he was a tall voyager, but I think the wings would make up for the slightly smaller torso in price of materials, even if his transformation might be simpler than the others. I mean, he would be just a larger version of the g1 figure. Fold up the ptero head, tuck in the arms, lay face down, fold up the legs, spread out the wings. 4 steps, done. He'll be like a leader-sized core class figure.

I would think if they make Swoop a tall voyager AND do a decent job with his wings, Hastak will sell him as a leader class figure... Which I've said it before, but I'm assuming they'd want to do this...
Like you said, such a basic transformation requires fewer moving pieces...
If they can slap a $54.99 price tag on a figure that really is closer to being a voyager in terms of complexity, they're going to do it.
But if they do this figure justice and he follows what we're getting from these first 3, AND they're only going to charge $32.99, then sure, bring it.
In thinking about how basic his transformation is, I also hope they put 3 if not 4 hinges on each wing so those can really be articulated in dino mode.

They should also make the missiles for the wings removeable.
If those are permanently molded to the wings, that'll be lame.
Actually, Hastak could use the wing articulation and missiles as additional reasons to sell him as leader class.

And yeah, Snarl better be leader class... I really don't find that rumor at all funny.

Sowndwave76 wrote:And yeah, Snarl better be leader class... I really don't find that rumor at all funny.

If it helps, this Snarl rumor seems to have originated with this video? So far the only time any of the leakers I lurk on other sites have even mentioned Snarl have been to say that he might happen in Legacy instead of SS, this rumor sounds like PvP took the rumor of Swoop's size class and embellished it and/or added his own speculation while still calling it a rumor.

First I'm hearing of voyager Snarl too. I think PvP made a mistake

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:First I'm hearing of voyager Snarl too. I think PvP made a mistake

He did.

william-james88 wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:First I'm hearing of voyager Snarl too. I think PvP made a mistake

He did.

He should ask his friend at the factory for clarification.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:First I'm hearing of voyager Snarl too. I think PvP made a mistake

He did.

He should ask his friend at the factory for clarification.

Emerje

I know you are joking but to clear things up, his friend would not know unless the toy was in production, which it is not.

Sludge came in today. Here are some quickie size comparisons.

Nice! I was impressed by how huge he looks next to the other lines, and then he's standing with Slag and it makes him look smaller. I thought he might be just a smidge taller than Slag.

Some lucky fans have been getting Studio Series 86 leader class Sludge and sharing pics as well as their thoughts. There is even a review up on youtube. Below you will find the images these fans posted. You can see where the front legs go in robot mode as well as how good he looks next to his Dinobot buddies. It seems he is less hollow than the others (meaning less obvious gaps) and more complex. This toy can currently be preordered at a myriad of online retailers, like BBTS. While the preorders are set for August, this toy can come to stores much earlier than that as we have seen for many 2022 releases so far.

The pictures come from Transformers fans Oey Benet, vproject and rendsora.

Fantastic engineering, and he looks SO good next to the other Dinobots.

But with a good of engineering as he has... they couldn't find a way to, I dunno, make his toes flip under and fill in that hollow space? Still, he looks to be the highlight of my future purchases this year.

Bounti76 wrote:Fantastic engineering, and he looks SO good next to the other Dinobots.

But with a good of engineering as he has... they couldn't find a way to, I dunno, make his toes flip under and fill in that hollow space? Still, he looks to be the highlight of my future purchases this year.

You mean the hollow space under the dino belly? One part too many over budget I guess. At least the weapon storage fill the role.

I'm also glad that the plastics that would have been waisted on a perma-crouching non-action figure went to the main bot instead.

I cannot wait to get this guy!

Yeah as soon as I saw the underside in dino mode my first thought was also about the toes. Otherwise this figure is nearly perfect. If only he was taller...