The Energon Pub

Wolfman Jake wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote: The front halfs (the legs) dont peg in properly...

Everything Wolfie said. You have to push really hard until you hear a disconcertingly loud "POP".
Looking at the picture, Jake could be right. I had an un-mirrored hip on the Cybertron Ratbat repaint of Sideways that came in the Target two pack with Springer. He is stuck in bot mode.

Wait, so the two front halves are supposed to stick together? Mine dont even peg into one another.

Yep. They are. I just confirmed it on mine (just unpacked it tonight along with my UW Superions). I think yours might be defective, unfortunately. Try to fiddle with it a bit more. I kind of got mine to peg together oddly in the front like yours, but was able to get it right again.

On the upside, I'm glad I waited for the TAV VS 03 set for Strongarm. Not only does she look better than the Hasbro version with her improved paint apps, I'm loving the "Big Bad Wolf Cop" version of Steeljaw, er...Phantomjaw, with whom she comes paired. Yeah, I could have gotten the Takara Strongarm months ago, but I couldn't say no to another wolf Transformer.

Tomorrow morning/afternoon, I'll open up the rest of my haul: Drift, Powerglide x2, and Cosmos/Adams x2.

Congrats on the haul! And yes, it does peg in. But man that was some crazy force I had to apply. I thought I would break it. But yes, it pegs together and stays that way. One side is a bit above the other but not like before and there is no gap. Man, I would have never thought I would have to force it that much.

My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

The takara optimus with the trailer is golden. That is a beauty. As for stealth Bee: I always like a good stealth paint job for a Bee. They are quite nice.

william-james88 wrote:My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

I couldn't agree more. This is something I have been thinking about lately about a lot of different figures. I don't see why all heads can't be on ball joints. It gives full range of motion. A lot of CW guys could have ball joints and not impede transformation. You think its a cost thing?

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote:My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

I couldn't agree more. This is something I have been thinking about lately about a lot of different figures. I don't see why all heads can't be on ball joints. It gives full range of motion. A lot of CW guys could have ball joints and not impede transformation. You think its a cost thing?

I dont know. Technically you aren't using less or more plastic since you get a spherical hole at the bottom of the head and that amount of plastic is instead found on the joint. And for the CW figures, some have it and some dont (I forget now, who doesnt have one?) and I am clueless as to why, it makes it super odd.

william-james88 wrote:Congrats on the haul! And yes, it does peg in. But man that was some crazy force I had to apply. I thought I would break it. But yes, it pegs together and stays that way. One side is a bit above the other but not like before and there is no gap. Man, I would have never thought I would have to force it that much.

My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

Glad you got yours working. And yes, it IS a lot more force to get the hood to snap together than you'd think, but the plastic seems no worse for the wear after several transformations back and forth (e.g., no stress marks). This goes for all three versions of the mold I have so far (Hasbro's Steeljaw, Takara's Steeljaw, and now Phantomjaw). It is too bad the mold doesn't have a ball-jointed neck, indeed. However, you can get him down close to the ground in some cool poses that make it look like he's sniffing out a trail to find his prey.

william-james88 wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote:My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

I couldn't agree more. This is something I have been thinking about lately about a lot of different figures. I don't see why all heads can't be on ball joints. It gives full range of motion. A lot of CW guys could have ball joints and not impede transformation. You think its a cost thing?

I dont know. Technically you aren't using less or more plastic since you get a spherical hole at the bottom of the head and that amount of plastic is instead found on the joint. And for the CW figures, some have it and some dont (I forget now, who doesnt have one?) and I am clueless as to why, it makes it super odd.

Maybe it adds a complication to the assembly?

What's up with your Drift? Is it a special variant or is the color just off in your pic?

Calling it right now, "Drift Origin" is going to be a Generation One-inspired redeco of you-know-who.

I'm interested in Rumble and Frenzy, if they're from the rumored Combiner Wars Legends Rewind.

Sabrblade wrote:

Hellscream9999 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Hellscream9999 wrote:not watching rid,

You should.

It's not that I don't want too, I don't get that channel, and, to be honest, Prime didn't really impress me all that much. Will probably binge watch it now that the season is over.

I don't got the channel either, but that didn't stop me from watching all 26 episodes of season 1 before episode 14 even aired on TV.

And thank goodness the show is a far cry from Prime.

Besides, Bee is Batman.

To be honest, I've enjoyed Robots in Disguise much more than Prime. Bumblebee is a much more compelling character with an actual voice, and I find him a much more compelling leader than Optimus was in Prime. The villains aren't quite as compelling (Steeljaw aside), but the human characters in RID are much less obnoxious than the ones in Prime.

I've actually liked the battle scenes in RID more than in Prime as well. They're shorter, more physical, and there are fewer pointless blaster exchanges (which seemed to make up half of the fight scenes in Prime).

Wolfman Jake wrote: This goes for all three versions of the mold I have so far (Hasbro's Steeljaw, Takara's Steeljaw, and now Phantomjaw). It is too bad the mold doesn't have a ball-jointed neck, indeed. However, you can get him down close to the ground in some cool poses that make it look like he's sniffing out a trail to find his prey.

Nice! I love that idea of him sniffing for a prey's trail. And good to know the excess force doesnt hurt the figure. Of the 3 you have, which version do you like best?

Also, I guess Wolf Cop now has his own transformer:

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote:My main complaint now with the mold is that the head is not on a ball joint. Since his most stable pose is hunched on his tip toes (really cool balancing going on), its too bad he doesnt have a ball joint letting us lift his head up a bit to see his prey.

I couldn't agree more. This is something I have been thinking about lately about a lot of different figures. I don't see why all heads can't be on ball joints. It gives full range of motion. A lot of CW guys could have ball joints and not impede transformation. You think its a cost thing?

I dont know. Technically you aren't using less or more plastic since you get a spherical hole at the bottom of the head and that amount of plastic is instead found on the joint. And for the CW figures, some have it and some dont (I forget now, who doesnt have one?) and I am clueless as to why, it makes it super odd.

Maybe it adds a complication to the assembly?

What's up with your Drift? Is it a special variant or is the color just off in your pic?

I dont know, dont think so. What is odd about the coloring to you?

william-james88 wrote:I dont know, dont think so. What is odd about the coloring to you?

I'm assuming it's just the photo looks off to me, but he looks school bus yellow compared to the images I've seen before. I don't follow the Takara lines that closely and thought maybe he was a special deco like Phatomjaw.

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:I dont know, dont think so. What is odd about the coloring to you?

I'm assuming it's just the photo looks off to me, but he looks school bus yellow compared to the images I've seen before. I don't follow the Takara lines that closely and thought maybe he was a special deco like Phatomjaw.

Drifts.jpg

It could easily be the lighting shifting the spectrum; but I believe the figure is supposed to be fairly yellow. But who cares? The figure looks amazing.

Hellscream9999 wrote:

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:I dont know, dont think so. What is odd about the coloring to you?

I'm assuming it's just the photo looks off to me, but he looks school bus yellow compared to the images I've seen before. I don't follow the Takara lines that closely and thought maybe he was a special deco like Phatomjaw.

Drifts.jpg

It could easily be the lighting shifting the spectrum; but I believe the figure is supposed to be fairly yellow. But who cares? The figure looks amazing.

He is a light orange and will look more yellow under the flash. And yes, it is an amazing deco on a great figure.

william-james88 wrote:He is a light orange and will look more yellow under the flash. And yes, it is an amazing deco on a great figure.

That's what I figured, my phone's flash makes everything just look blue. I was hoping it was a cool redeco that I missed. Cool cool, thanks. He is a lot of fun, but that deco makes my hasbro release a sad panda.

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:He is a light orange and will look more yellow under the flash. And yes, it is an amazing deco on a great figure.

That's what I figured, my phone's flash makes everything just look blue. I was hoping it was a cool redeco that I missed. Cool cool, thanks. He is a lot of fun, but that deco makes my hasbro release a sad panda.

Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

william-james88 wrote:Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

EPIC PICS

Now you're just being mean

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

EPIC PICS

Now you're just being mean

Hey man, I am happy. At the end of this month, I get that Jazz and the Japan exclusive Optimus

But yeah, that Drift is really worth the extra money. I find it so sad that a designer's hard work and a good sculpt is totally ignored by a lack of deco. It is really fun when the deco takes advantage of the sculpt. I dont feel that there is a huge difference between the Unite Warriors and Combiner figures in terms of added deco. The Deco is simply different (like the two streetwise and dragstrip toys). However, for RID and TAV, it is night and day and at the price you can get them for, I dont see a reason to pay full price for the Hasbro versions. I might get some different decos if ever they go on clearance at Walmart or Toysrus though.

william-james88 wrote:

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

EPIC PICS

Now you're just being mean

Hey man, I am happy. At the end of this month, I get that Jazz and the Japan exclusive Optimus

But yeah, that Drift is really worth the extra money. I find it so sad that a designer's hard work and a good sculpt is totally ignored by a lack of deco. It is really fun when the deco takes advantage of the sculpt. I dont feel that there is a huge difference between the Unite Warriors and Combiner figures in terms of added deco. The Deco is simply different (like the two streetwise and dragstrip toys). However, for RID and TAV, it is night and day and at the price you can get them for, I dont see a reason to pay full price for the Hasbro versions. I might get some different decos if ever they go on clearance at Walmart or Toysrus though.

I may have to jump on that Takara train. Is there any tickets left?

I just checked and it looks like I could import for about the same as retail, not including shipping. I feel I'm a little too committed at this point to mix and match though. But, what can ya do? At least I've been enjoying my lil under-dressed buddies.

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

EPIC PICS

Now you're just being mean

Hey man, I am happy. At the end of this month, I get that Jazz and the Japan exclusive Optimus

But yeah, that Drift is really worth the extra money. I find it so sad that a designer's hard work and a good sculpt is totally ignored by a lack of deco. It is really fun when the deco takes advantage of the sculpt. I dont feel that there is a huge difference between the Unite Warriors and Combiner figures in terms of added deco. The Deco is simply different (like the two streetwise and dragstrip toys). However, for RID and TAV, it is night and day and at the price you can get them for, I dont see a reason to pay full price for the Hasbro versions. I might get some different decos if ever they go on clearance at Walmart or Toysrus though.

I may have to jump on that Takara train. Is there any tickets left?

I just checked and it looks like I could import for about the same as retail, not including shipping. I feel I'm a little too committed at this point to mix and match though. But, what can ya do? At least I've been enjoying my lil under-dressed buddies.

Ahhhh lunch time. What are you guys having? After reading this convo, I have decided, I made it through the first run of RID toys getting the Hasbro versions. As toys I like every one of them. They do all come up short in the deco department. I'm happy with my custom job on Strongarm.
After this though, I think I will go with Takara versions from here on out. It just makes sense.

carytheone wrote:I just checked and it looks like I could import for about the same as retail, not including shipping. I feel I'm a little too committed at this point to mix and match though. But, what can ya do? At least I've been enjoying my lil under-dressed buddies.

Yeah that's mainly it. The premium we now pay for these imports is just the shipping/importing fee, which is great. But that's just now though, there was a time (dont know how long you have been collecting) when shipping was the least of your worries and deluxes were double the price.

Cobotron wrote:Ahhhh lunch time. What are you guys having?

Same thing as I do everyday. A ham and spinach sammich on flatbread with a side of salt free pretzels. I live the crazy life!

william-james88 wrote:Yeah that's mainly it. The premium we now pay for these imports is just the shipping/importing fee, which is great. But that's just now though, there was a time (dont know how long you have been collecting) when shipping was the least of your worries and deluxes were double the price.

Haven't been collecting for very long, but I still have that stigma of import prices and fees. I checked TFSource and they are twice as much because they are marking up after importing the figures themselves. I've only been recently made aware of how little it cost to import figures now, mostly from your advocating

The RID line wasn't something I had ever planned on collecting, but they have gotten their little plastic hooks in me. So now, I'm with Cobs and I will probably be shifting more and more towards Takara in the future.

Mindmaster wrote:Calling it right now, "Drift Origin" is going to be a Generation One-inspired redeco of you-know-who.

I was thinking they'd just paint him white like IDW or Blue like the movie, but if you're thinking Alpha Trion then that's definitely a figure I'd want.

Emerje

william-james88 wrote:

carytheone wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Its nothing compared to what the Takara Jazz deco will make Hasbro Jazz feel:

EPIC PICS

Now you're just being mean

Hey man, I am happy. At the end of this month, I get that Jazz and the Japan exclusive Optimus

But yeah, that Drift is really worth the extra money. I find it so sad that a designer's hard work and a good sculpt is totally ignored by a lack of deco. It is really fun when the deco takes advantage of the sculpt. I dont feel that there is a huge difference between the Unite Warriors and Combiner figures in terms of added deco. The Deco is simply different (like the two streetwise and dragstrip toys). However, for RID and TAV, it is night and day and at the price you can get them for, I dont see a reason to pay full price for the Hasbro versions. I might get some different decos if ever they go on clearance at Walmart or Toysrus though.

To be fair, I gotta imagine hasbros budget is spread so very thin between all the tf lines they're juggling, that some cuts had to be made, and we just happen to see it come through the rid line as a whole.

Emerje wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:Calling it right now, "Drift Origin" is going to be a Generation One-inspired redeco of you-know-who.

I was thinking they'd just paint him white like IDW or Blue like the movie, but if you're thinking Alpha Trion then that's definitely a figure I'd want.

Emerje

Oh man, that sounds amazing!

Hellscream9999 wrote:To be fair, I gotta imagine hasbro's budget is spread so very thin between all the TF lines they're juggling, that some cuts had to be made, and we just happen to see it come through the rid line as a whole.

I have such a hard time buying that. They are a toy company, they are used to having different lines and there are teams on all of them with their own budgets. And we have Takara as another example of a toy company juggling different TF lines. And Takara even has the budget for making new in house molds and even making Masterpiece figures. And they are also confined to Hasbro's budget when engineering and yet they find a way of making it work without getting bankrupt when it's their turn for the deco.

But I will say one thing, I would rather have less deco than that terrible plastic from 2 years ago if they really need to sacrifice something.

Emerje wrote:

Mindmaster wrote:Calling it right now, "Drift Origin" is going to be a Generation One-inspired redeco of you-know-who.

I was thinking they'd just paint him white like IDW or Blue like the movie, but if you're thinking Alpha Trion then that's definitely a figure I'd want.

Emerje

I'd love anIDW Drift of that mold, but me thinks Origin means Cybertronian alt--His Minicon shooter figure. Unless thats already been labelled?