The Energon Pub

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 3:20 pm

VioMeTriX wrote:I am a G1 purist, so I will not be changing the face.

Both the faces and the mask are from G1, silly.

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 3:21 pm

[laughter] Now you're nitpicking. You don't have to constantly change an accessory for it to start to loosen - even transforming the same figure a few times can limber it up.

Its a valid fear, the same as having a toy with sliding in\out legs or ball-joints that have to support lots of weight.

Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:10 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
VioMeTriX wrote:I am a G1 purist, so I will not be changing the face.
Both the faces and the mask are from G1, silly.

I mean cartoon accurate ...

Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:10 pm

Stormrider wrote:
Seibertron wrote:
Stormrider wrote:
El Duque wrote:Here's a second Takara Tomy Transformers MP-21 Bumblebee for your Monday morning! Weibo user 北马伊斯力 has shared a magazine scan that gives us our first clear look at the figure from behind. Image mirrored below:

The backpack may not look so bad once it is all yellow. Looks like there is another page in the picture, but cut off. Has that page been posted already?

I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

So is the wheel on his back one of the rear wheels, or is it a spare tire? If it's a spare tire, then I wish they didn't add it.

It's the spare. It can be seen clearly on the alt mode pics that were released last time. Sadly this is the first real time an MP acting like a Binaltech or Alternity has really harmed the idea of being cartoon accurate. It's the same issue with MP Megatron, %100 alt mode accuracy is harming the robot mode. It's probably to keep the sponsors happy, no doubt a condition under them giving TT the licence. I was never fussed about Masterpieces lavishly re-creating the real world car down to the last detail, -though it has worked so far- but it probably can't be helped. I've no idea if this was one of the goals of Hasui himself, but the car companies would demand it regardless :-(

Bumblebee (as with megatron, who wasn't really a walther in the toon, just a giant gun...) really needs some flexibility...stick only with what's needed to make him Bumblebee. Alas.

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:11 pm

GuyIncognito wrote:Thank God they keep releasing details, so we can keep finding things to complain about.

i know right? isnt it known by now we're getting realistic car modes? bot mode looks great, real VW beetle mode looks great, exo suit looks great, and the back kibble doesnt look much different from the other current MP's.

itll be fun when we see color pics and people complain about that. :roll:

News Credits: 409 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:41 pm

hinomars19 wrote:
Stormrider wrote:
Seibertron wrote:
Stormrider wrote:
El Duque wrote:Here's a second Takara Tomy Transformers MP-21 Bumblebee for your Monday morning! Weibo user 北马伊斯力 has shared a magazine scan that gives us our first clear look at the figure from behind. Image mirrored below:

The backpack may not look so bad once it is all yellow. Looks like there is another page in the picture, but cut off. Has that page been posted already?

I wonder if the back pack can spin around to recreate the hooded back pack look on Goldbug. If this was designed with that in mind, I'm OK with this back pack.

So is the wheel on his back one of the rear wheels, or is it a spare tire? If it's a spare tire, then I wish they didn't add it.

It's the spare. It can be seen clearly on the alt mode pics that were released last time. Sadly this is the first real time an MP acting like a Binaltech or Alternity has really harmed the idea of being cartoon accurate. It's the same issue with MP Megatron, %100 alt mode accuracy is harming the robot mode. It's probably to keep the sponsors happy, no doubt a condition under them giving TT the licence. I was never fussed about Masterpieces lavishly re-creating the real world car down to the last detail, -though it has worked so far- but it probably can't be helped. I've no idea if this was one of the goals of Hasui himself, but the car companies would demand it regardless

Bumblebee (as with megatron, who wasn't really a walther in the toon, just a giant gun...) really needs some flexibility...stick only with what's needed to make him Bumblebee. Alas.

The backpack doesn't look that bad in my opinion. We have definitely seen worse, but I do understand what you mean. Were spare tires ever put on the rear of real Super Beetles? I thought they went in the front trunk?

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:46 pm

I've never seen a Beetle with a spare on the back, its always been in the front trunk as far as I've seen.

I might add its a silly place to put the spare, too - that back should be left wide open with a Porsche engine hanging out the back, making the suspension scream in agony... or just get a nice wide exhaust to make the engine as noisy as possible.

News Credits: 372 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:52 pm

Stormrider wrote:The backpack doesn't look that bad in my opinion. We have definitely seen worse, but I do understand what you mean. Were spare tires ever put on the rear of real Super Beetles? I thought they went in the front trunk?

As far as I can tell from the prototype photos there's no spare wheel on the VW Beetle mode. I think it's just a cool nod to this:

News Credits: 4 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 4:57 pm

I've seen Beetles with spares on the back. Not sure on the exact models though.

News Credits: 5 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:03 pm

I like it and can't wait to have a smiling Bumblebee on my MP Autobot shelf. The backpack doesn't bother me and I've wanted Spike (or Daniel) in a transforming exosuit sine I was 6 years old.

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:03 pm

Cyberpath wrote:
Stormrider wrote:The backpack doesn't look that bad in my opinion. We have definitely seen worse, but I do understand what you mean. Were spare tires ever put on the rear of real Super Beetles? I thought they went in the front trunk?
As far as I can tell from the prototype photos there's no spare wheel on the VW Beetle mode. I think it's just a cool nod to this:

Which is bonkers because that black ring detail is actually present on the original G1 toy. Its not a spare wheel, its what it appears to be - a ring detail.
There was some kinda wheel-like sticker on the back of the car where his head is, though.

News Credits: 5 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:07 pm

craggy wrote:I've seen Beetles with spares on the back. Not sure on the exact models though.

I've seen the same but I couldn't find any examples on Google to post and I like to have references.

News Credits: 241 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:08 pm

Case in point:

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:09 pm

Its been a while since a Masterpiece toy has proven so divisive.

News Credits: 4 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:14 pm

Amelie wrote:Its been a while since a Masterpiece toy has proven so divisive.

probably not since the last change in designer...hmmm?

News Credits: 372 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:16 pm

Amelie wrote:
Cyberpath wrote:
Stormrider wrote:The backpack doesn't look that bad in my opinion. We have definitely seen worse, but I do understand what you mean. Were spare tires ever put on the rear of real Super Beetles? I thought they went in the front trunk?
As far as I can tell from the prototype photos there's no spare wheel on the VW Beetle mode. I think it's just a cool nod to this:

Which is bonkers because that black ring detail is actually present on the original G1 toy. Its not a spare wheel, its what it appears to be - a ring detail.
There was some kinda wheel-like sticker on the back of the car where his head is, though.

I never had the toy so this is what I made of it. Looks like Takara had the same thought.

Speaking of Bumblebee and spare wheels... I love that scene where he changed his own (with a little help from Spike.)

There was even a hint of the VW logo:

And yeah, the spare in episode popped from his front trunk.

News Credits: 33 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:27 pm

shajaki wrote:the back kibble doesnt look much different from the other current MP's.

Well... with the exception that Sideswipe and Prowl don't have back kibble... the roof was always their backs on the original toys.

Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:30 pm

Well, call me an idiot, because I clearly am one

My head actually put a back wheel on the alt mode simply because that's what looks like is on his robot back. Sorry Stormrider, should have double checked myself before posting my reply.
Seriously, if it has no spare tire what the hell is the point of that thing on the robot's back? A giant wheel to homage a ring detail? I know it is there on the toy, and it was drawn on the animation model, but they seem to be pushing it going to those lengths to add it :-(

Still love and want him though

News Credits: 462 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:33 pm

At this rate, I'm wondering if folks would have just been fine with the whole piece coming off to be shield instead.

News Credits: 293 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:35 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Case in point:

ha! when i was a kid i thought it was a rocket booster like on the batmobile.

Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:39 pm

Sabrblade wrote:At this rate, I'm wondering if folks would have just been fine with the whole piece coming off to be shield instead.

Only speaking for myself, no, I'm happy they didn't use that method. Partsformers bother me greatly. Bumblebee was always going to be a tricky one, what with the original toy being deformed (meaning no straight update of the original transformation could work) and of course his iconic height and proportions in the cartoon mean they had a lot of car mass to turn into a small robot. Concessions would have to be made and I think they made a wise choice. The almost needless existence of that rather large 'wheel' aside :shock:

News Credits: 3646 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:42 pm

hinomars19 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:At this rate, I'm wondering if folks would have just been fine with the whole piece coming off to be shield instead.

Only speaking for myself, no, I'm happy they didn't use that method. Partsformers bother me greatly. Bumblebee was always going to be a tricky one, what with the original toy being deformed (meaning no straight update of the original transformation could work) and of course his iconic height and proportions in the cartoon mean they had a lot of car mass to turn into a small robot. Concessions would have to be made and I think they made a wise choice. The almost needless existence of that rather large 'wheel' aside

Well said and good argument. I agree!

News Credits: 372 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 5:45 pm

Sabrblade wrote:At this rate, I'm wondering if folks would have just been fine with the whole piece coming off to be shield instead.

I've always hated those "shields." (Octane x 2.......................)

News Credits: 3646 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:06 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Case in point:

Can anyone find pics of the Beetle with a rear spare tire? I can't seem to find one on Google images.

https://www.google.com/search?q=volkswa ... e&tbm=isch

News Credits: 1 · Mon Mar 24, 2014 7:37 pm

Overall, I'm okay with the back kibble. As long as it locks into place instead of hanging there like that, I'm fine with it.

As for the spare tire/ring detail, I think it looks cool. It adds a nice bit of detail to the bot mode, which I really like.

I wonder if it's removable?