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Iirc, alt mode licensing costs eat into the design/production budget, which is why non-86 SS figures tend to be smaller and less complex/articulated than same price generations figures. If 86 figures have the same budget allotment as live action figures, then not having to pay licensing costs gives them more room in the budget for extravagance.

Nuclearxpotato wrote:Have we considered that maybe Studio Series and WFC have their own individual figure budgets? Due to the complexity of the usual Studio Series crowd, SS may have a slightly bigger budget for each figure. That could explain why characters such as Grimlock and Slug come with tub-bound accessories nearly-static minifigures and still manage to be large.

If there's different budgets, then maybe there's reasons why certain characters were put in WFC or SS86.

You know, you might be onto something at least for the leader class. Not exactly different budgets directly as that would be obvious with the Generations line pushing out more releases per year overall, but rather different expectations per mold. Generally speaking very few of the SS molds lend themselves to repaint/retooling aside from the recurring characters. At the leader class that typically means only 1 use per mold since Blackout to Grindor is really the only SS leader sized mold that would lend itself to a re-use. Contrast that with Generations and having at least 1 redeco/retool is the expectation.

The G1 dinobots at leader size really don't lend themselves to re-use of the molds, so they actually fit well as SS leaders when viewed from that perspective.

I don't necessarily like it, but it actually makes a bit of sense.

So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

Well, a leaker is someone with inside information like an employee or distribution rep.

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

If this is true, then:

Way to REALLY piss off both sides of the fandom Hasbro. Sticking a voyager with stupid throne extras at leader in SS means an even longer wait for the G1 dinobots who are already pushing back the movie dinobots. On top of that, plenty are waiting for more ER mold seekers and now the wait for those will be longer as well.

Edit: The only plus for me is saving $50 on a screamer I don't want or need.

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

If this is true, then:

Way to REALLY piss off both sides of the fandom Hasbro. Sticking a voyager with stupid throne extras at leader in SS means an even longer wait for the G1 dinobots who are already pushing back the movie dinobots.

That's true. Also, where was there a throne in TF:TM?

sol magnus wrote:That's true. Also, where was there a throne in TF:TM?

No.

sol magnus wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

If this is true, then:

Way to REALLY piss off both sides of the fandom Hasbro. Sticking a voyager with stupid throne extras at leader in SS means an even longer wait for the G1 dinobots who are already pushing back the movie dinobots.

That's true. Also, where was there a throne in TF:TM?

Was it in the background of a shot The throne threw me as well, seemed very daft.

Unless the deco is super special and fancy, I'll skip on that Screamers.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Unless the deco is super special and fancy, I'll skip on that Screamers.

I like that mold well enough, but it would take way more than altered paint apps to reel me into buying this version IF this is all true.
Which I do believe they'll use the ER mold. Which in and of itself is annoying for collectors.
I definitely don't need 2 ER SS figures. No way would I pay $50 for this... What a joke.
And the Siege greebling that hung around for some of the ER figures is also not in-line with what should be the SS86 aesthetic.

What's going to be hilarious is if the cape isn't made of fabric; It's already going to be challenging to make it work with the jet nosecone possibly being the way, but if the cape is plastic, seems like it'll be even more difficult for SS to be seated on any sort of throne while wearing it.

Totally agree with whoever said this is a waste... We're waiting for the other 3 Dinobots, and yet this takes a Leader Class slot... And yeah, even worse that it also takes a spot from the regular SS line.

This is really poor form, Hastak.

o.supreme wrote:

sol magnus wrote:That's true. Also, where was there a throne in TF:TM?

No.

I know. I was just channeling my inner Sabrblade by coming in and asking a question I already knew the answer to.

ZeroWolf wrote:

sol magnus wrote:

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

If this is true, then:

Way to REALLY piss off both sides of the fandom Hasbro. Sticking a voyager with stupid throne extras at leader in SS means an even longer wait for the G1 dinobots who are already pushing back the movie dinobots.

That's true. Also, where was there a throne in TF:TM?

Was it in the background of a shot The throne threw me as well, seemed very daft.

No throne. Only a raised platform during the coronation scene. He was standing the entire time.

May just be a stand rather than a throne.

So, crown, shoulder pads, cape, stand... is that enough for Leader Class? Maybe a black and white color scheme to match his appearance after Galvatron blasts him, and before he crumbles to dust?

A crushed crown that Galvatron can stand on?

Ohh, and some bugles for the Constructicons to play?

Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

That'll be a 50th Anniversary item

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

Give me my Dinobots and we can talk about dead Starscreams later.

sol magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

Give me my Dinobots and we can talk about dead Starscreams later.

Don't be surprised if the Dinobots cross lines to come out faster. They could easily put one of them in the 2022 line as a first wave leader (meaning you can grab him end of the year if lucky like in the past). That would be the most sensible thing to do really.

sol magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

Give me my Dinobots and we can talk about dead Starscreams later.

Did you really expected all the Dinobots to come out in one go?

How naive....

-Kanrabat- wrote:

sol magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

Give me my Dinobots and we can talk about dead Starscreams later.

Did you really expected all the Dinobots to come out in one go?

How naive....

Yeah, well they did in 1985.

ZeroWolf wrote:Don't be surprised if the Dinobots cross lines to come out faster. They could easily put one of them in the 2022 line as a first wave leader (meaning you can grab him end of the year if lucky like in the past). That would be the most sensible thing to do really.

As sensible is cramming G1 into the live movie line was?

sol magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

sol magnus wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:Gimme a dying Starscream in black and white plus a shocked face, and a crushed crown and you have my money!

Give me my Dinobots and we can talk about dead Starscreams later.

Did you really expected all the Dinobots to come out in one go?

How naive....

Yeah, well they did in 1985.

Well, they kinda cheated at the time because they were Diaclone "reissues".

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

ZeroWolf wrote:Don't be surprised if the Dinobots cross lines to come out faster. They could easily put one of them in the 2022 line as a first wave leader (meaning you can grab him end of the year if lucky like in the past). That would be the most sensible thing to do really.

As sensible is cramming G1 into the live movie line was?

Touché

Here's an upgrade kit I can get behind

Maybe that's the throne that Starscream will come with

ZeroWolf wrote:So latest rumours are that Starscream is getting bumped up to leader class thanks to a throne extra. Also aside from shoulders, Cape and crown, (possibly paint) he's identical to ER Screamer (whose reissue in Kingdom is supposedly getting short packed to help ensure there's not a Screamer clogging up shelves...how leakers find these things out is beyond me). Unless things change, he won't even get a new head.

Think it was said that the cape is articulated in some way too, so there's a bit more for the parts count bumping it up to Leader.

Nemesis Primal wrote:Think it was said that the cape is articulated in some way too, so there's a bit more for the parts count bumping it up to Leader.

Like MP-11.