The Energon Pub

[ebo716]

http://m.imgur.com/gRnr7cA

I ended up getting this deco for kup, and thinks it looks a little bit better

[Carnivius_Prime]

Hot Rod looks cool but I don't like the transparent chest flame much. Nice that they retooled the chest to remove that annoying joint (which I don't use on mine anyways so would rather the 'seam' be gone) and flip the engine away.

My TR Hot Rod already has a Targetmaster (I made way before TR Hot Rod came out) though so I'm ok with that. I still haven't yet applied the reprolabels chest flame sticker though on Hot Rod. Obviously can't place the Targetmaster in car mode cos my engine doesn't have a hole in it.



Have to say I really like Kup in those grey tones. Suits his age much more.

[fenrir72]

Hot Rod looks cool but I don't like the transparent chest flame much. Nice that they retooled the chest to remove that annoying joint (which I don't use on mine anyways so would rather the 'seam' be gone) and flip the engine away.

My TR Hot Rod already has a Targetmaster (I made way before TR Hot Rod came out) though so I'm ok with that. I still haven't yet applied the reprolabels chest flame sticker though on Hot Rod. Obviously can't place the Targetmaster in car mode cos my engine doesn't have a hole in it.



Have to say I really like Kup in those grey tones. Suits his age much more.

There's sure going to be a retcon back story on why Hotrodimus has that glowing flame effect. From Matrix Convoy back to Cavalier form? Later, he might shrink (or has he already?) to Micromaster size just to be Starconvoy's partner in Return of Convoy.

[RodimusRex]

Hot Rod looks cool but I don't like the transparent chest flame much. Nice that they retooled the chest to remove that annoying joint (which I don't use on mine anyways so would rather the 'seam' be gone) and flip the engine away.

My TR Hot Rod already has a Targetmaster (I made way before TR Hot Rod came out) though so I'm ok with that. I still haven't yet applied the reprolabels chest flame sticker though on Hot Rod. Obviously can't place the Targetmaster in car mode cos my engine doesn't have a hole in it.



Have to say I really like Kup in those grey tones. Suits his age much more.

There's sure going to be a retcon back story on why Hotrodimus has that glowing flame effect. From Matrix Convoy back to Cavalier form? Later, he might shrink (or has he already?) to Micromaster size just to be Starconvoy's partner in Return of Convoy.

The translucent flames remind me of how he was depicted in Tom Scioli's Transformers vs. G.I.Joe, where the flames were a window into an energy chamber.

Honestly, while I'd need to see them in person for color matches, a screwdriver and a pinpush (or maybe just a screwdriver) would let you bash together the Hasbro and Takara versions.

And I remain convinced we'll see multiple redecos of these. Possibly even some porting over by Hasbro but I will be SHOCKED if Takara doesn't release at least one more Kup and two more decos of this Rodimus in the next five years.

As for explaining the change, that's easy. The body here is a transtector. The head itself is the original robot. They may even show Rodimus Convoy turn into Hot Rodimus' head.

[Insurgent]

For everyone saying kup is the wrong colour, all i ask is.... What colour is he in Takara Headmasters series? Because that's the colour he was always going to be, not what he was in season 3.


That head looks amazing. Heck, this makes me want kup. But i would settle for those targetmasters.

[Insurgent]

And, technically, if you desaturate teal enough it will eventually become gray.

Desaturising any colour enough will give you greyscale.

Just curious is anyone here actually saying that Takara's Kup is better than Hasbro's because the colour is more accurate to the character?

I'm gonna say it. This looks extremely screen accurate to me. But I'm colourblind, i always see the Constructicons as a pale yellow on screen. But yeah, to me, this Kup is spot on. He was always grey to me. And that pic posted of Kup in front of Fortress? Heh, they're both the same colour!

And even knowing now he's the wrong colour, i still think takara looks better based purely on the figures aethestics, disregarding screen accuracy.

Honestly guys, now I've caught up, the way everyone is going on, you would think takara used the blood of ground up puppies to paint the figure.

[Deadput]

For everyone saying kup is the wrong colour, all i ask is.... What colour is he in Takara Headmasters series? Because that's the colour he was always going to be, not what he was in season 3.


That head looks amazing. Heck, this makes me want kup. But i would settle for those targetmasters.

He was teal there as well.

So like I said earlier Kup has never had a purposely grey color scheme and their supposedly going for cartoon accuracy which means all of their appearances not just headmasters.

I really hope Takara does not change the colors otherwise I won't get him since I already have Hasbro Kup and I'm planning on re-purposing Takara Kup as a g1 version of movie Armorhide.

[Insurgent]

He was teal there as well.

So like I said earlier Kup has never had a purposely grey color scheme and their supposedly going for cartoon accuracy which means all of their appearances not just headmasters.

Fair enough. Just season 3 is riddled with so many animation errors, it's not exactly reliable as a source of screen shots. And Headmasters should consistent with returning characters, but without all the errors, so it's more reliable a source to use. Just wanted to make sure.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Hm, must be more tired than I thought. Apparently pre-ordred Legends Hot Rod and Kup before I went out this morning. Maybe I'll keep that order and see what the toys turn out like in person. I made my TR Hot Rod more of a Marvel comics one so maybe can use the Legends one as cartoon Hot Rod from another dimension. I don't care for TR Kup much at all and definitely prefer this grey one. Helped by the improved head and arms.

[Cyberpath]

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[Kurona]

Hmmm.

Okay, this is going to sound weird; but I want Hot Rod to have a Targetmaster and I've been desperate for him to have one... just not like this. And I get it's accurate to G1 but it just never fit him or Firebolt's character there; they're both kinda hotheaded daredevils (Firebolt a little bit more cautious, which is something I enjoy) so this bland black and silver colour scheme doesn't work for the Targetmaster - and it just looks bad in Hot Rod's hands! Back when I wanted Targetmasters for TR figures (which was, like, a year ago) I was thinking more along the lines of a Classics update where it'd still clearly be the character but updated and changed to work better with other recent franchise developments in mind; all flame deco and possibly looking like a Crossbow to reference Animated... but instead there's... this, which just never looked good for Hot Rod.

So the figure looks great and I'd definitely pick him up if I could, but he just doesn't work for Hot Rod for me and hence I'm not particularly desperate and I'll only get him if I can for cheap as a cute little extra, like if he really is gonna replace the Titan Masters in POTP. I'd doubt it though.

[Cyberpath]

 

[Carnivius_Prime]

Hmmm.

Okay, this is going to sound weird; but I want Hot Rod to have a Targetmaster and I've been desperate for him to have one... just not like this. And I get it's accurate to G1 but it just never fit him or Firebolt's character there; they're both kinda hotheaded daredevils (Firebolt a little bit more cautious, which is something I enjoy) so this bland black and silver colour scheme doesn't work for the Targetmaster - and it just looks bad in Hot Rod's hands! Back when I wanted Targetmasters for TR figures (which was, like, a year ago) I was thinking more along the lines of a Classics update where it'd still clearly be the character but updated and changed to work better with other recent franchise developments in mind; all flame deco and possibly looking like a Crossbow to reference Animated... but instead there's... this, which just never looked good for Hot Rod.

I dunno. I always loved Firebolt's black and silver/grey look and it really works for me in gun mode cos I always felt colourful firearms often look tacky especially if matching the colours of the robot wielding it like he's accessorising or something (I don't like the green on Gen Springers missile launcher but at least they didn't put yellow on it too). My mina issue with this Firebolt figure is he doesn't the black upper body and the red face I always liked him in and those gun barrels look transparent and I hate transparent plastic used on TF figures when it's not meant to represent glass or energy or some special effect. So yeah it doesn't look enough like Firebolt to me but the mold itself is nice.

[Kurona]

Seeing them side by side like that... yeah, I'm very happy with my Hasbro Hot Rod. The colours are just so much more vibrant - especially that red - it doesn't have dumb colouring details like the sparkling chest or the orange stripe on the spoiler, and it doesn't have the grey boots and such which I feel hurt the figure more than help it.
And I get why all that's there, of course; it's all cartoon-accurate and the cartoon maroon was darker than the much more vibrant toy red... but really, I feel the toy deco wins out here. That red being so bright and fitting to his character and making him stand out so much really pushes it over for me.

[RodimusConvoy13]

I'm loving both Kup and Hot Rod. I don't know why I like the gray on Kup so much. It's not accurate, but I think it looks really sharp. I also like the differences on Hot Rod. I like the maroon over the bright red of the TR version. Not saying I don't love the TR version. That's just a fantastic figure. I can't wait to get these. The targetmasters look like they'll be awesome.

[Carnivius_Prime]

I didn't notice the extra paint for the cockpit frame the Takara one has that Hasbro doesn't I like that extra detail even if it does look a little too thick. And the orange on the middle of the spoiler.

Ok one thing is starting to bug me about takara's Roddy. That windshield bit at the top isn't painted in like it should be. Takara's follows the sculpt line but that in itself always seemed wrong to me anyways and Hasbro's does paint in an extra section to give the windhsield that 'mean' look that the old toy and cartoon model has.

[william-james88]

Hm, must be more tired than I thought. Apparently pre-ordred Legends Hot Rod and Kup before I went out this morning.

Wow, that is totally diferent from your usual habits since these sound higher in price than your usually comfortable with, and they are not movie related.

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Thanks Cyberpath, any chance you could do Kup too? We would news all three.

Its cool that Takara is different from hasbro so that we can all have options and even get both and not feel like something is repeated. But my personal opinion is that Hasbro's toy homages are more well realized than takara's toon homages.

For Hot Rod, I already have the toon accurate MP (which also works well as a classics Rodimus FYI) so for this new mold which isnt all that accurate to the show model (shoulders, legs) a different take on the deco works well. I get a bit fed up of Takara giving toon decos on molds that arent made to represent that. Like Legends Soundwave's forearms. It goes against the grain and ends up not looking good. I feel that with Hot Rod's legs here since they are trying to recreate the robot mode dark legs and feet but are still stuck with the red alt mode kibble in the back and it looks bad.

Just my two cents of course. I also really love that transformation step to show the abs on the hasbro version, its smart and efficient and makes use of extra detail that now is left covered and never to be seen on the Takara version.

[Kurona]

Its cool that Takara is different from hasbro so that we can all have options and even get both and not feel like something is repeated. But my personal opinion is that Hasbro's toy homages are more well realized than takara's toon homages.

For Hot Rod, I already have the toon accurate MP (which also works well as a classics Rodimus FYI) so for this new mold which isnt all that accurate to the show model (shoulders, legs) a different take on the deco works well. I get a bit fed up of Takara giving toon decos on molds that arent made to represent that. Like Legends Soundwave's forearms. It goes against the grain and ends up not looking good. I feel that with Hot Rod's legs here since they are trying to recreate the robot mode dark legs and feet but are still stuck with the red alt mode kibble in the back and it looks bad.

Just my two cents of course. I also really love that transformation step to show the abs on the hasbro version, its smart and efficient and makes use of extra detail that now is left covered and never to be seen on the Takara version.

Completely and totally agree; this is a problem I have with Takara a lot of the time. They go for show-accurate so much that they end up going for deco choices that the mold was absolutely not made for and does not fit, to the point of painting over molded details and such.

It's not so much of a problem here though since the Sharkticons are just kind of differently coloured between toon and G1 toy rather than differently detailed or whatnot, and then the amount of retooling to Kup pretty much negates the paint-not-fitting-mold issue since those pieces were specifically made for toon accuracy. But then the colour of the paint itself is where we run into problems...

[Sabrblade]

Seeing them side-by-side like that, I think I've figured out what I don't like about Takara's Hot Rod. That new collar of his is way to loooooooooooong. It's so long that it forces the flame design from originating on his chest to instead being on his tummy. And the sheer length of the collar is so absurd that it not only creates a large sea of blank featureless orange on his chest that doesn't look at all good with the rest of his deco (it's too much orange!), but also looks more like a bib than a collar.

[william-james88]

It's not so much of a problem here though since the Sharkticons are just kind of differently coloured between toon and G1 toy rather than differently detailed or whatnot, and then the amount of retooling to Kup pretty much negates the paint-not-fitting-mold issue since those pieces were specifically made for toon accuracy. But then the colour of the paint itself is where we run into problems...

yeah I was referring more to Hot Rod for the paint not fitting the mold. Your orange line on the spoiler is also a good example of that. Its supposed to represent an elevated piece that is just not part of the mold, so it ends up looking off. As for Kup and Sharkticon, as you say, the paint is still wrong. Which is odd. Sharkticon reminds me of the united toys which were sparkly for the hell of it. And the paint is wrong right? Like the arms shouldnt be grey and the tail has the wrong colour.

As I said, the Hasbro homage to the toy colours is more realized than the Takara homage to the show colours.

Another weird thing I noticed about Hot Rod, it seems Hasbro and takara totally reversed the accuracy for the cockpit bubble. The red lines on the dies are toy accurate and not show accurate and yet takara has those red lines which hasbro doesnt. That makes hasbro's alt mode more cartoon accurate than takara's and vice versa.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Wow, that is totally diferent from your usual habits since these sound higher in price than your usually comfortable with, and they are not movie related.

Well the TR Hot Rod mold is one of my faves for the character and Takara have improved on it by doing the engine block thing and removing that horrible section at the bottom of the chest I always hated (and never transform on mine anymore but I can't get rid of that that annoying line where the pieces seperate). Also the plastic colour is much nicer than that awful overly-red used on the Hasbro figure. Also he has a proper Targetmaster gun instead the crummy hollow guns TR Hot Rod has. I'll still likely modify the shoulder joints like I've done on my Hasbro figure to lower the shoulders down. Probably can paint over the transparent flame or use a reprolabel if that bothers so much too.

TR Kup does nothing for me at all. Don't like the colours and the figure itself just looks too blocky and the head is awful and weirdly shaped. I love the grey look on the Takara figure and the head and more curved arms improve the figure a hell of a lot. Again Targetmaster gun is a great bonus.

Does make me wish they'd released a Targetmaster with Blurr especially since I have that one. Moreso cos I want to unite the group of Kup, Blurr and Hot Rod and will look weird to see Blurr with just his feeble looking rifle compared to the chunkier TM guns of the other two.

They're not due til September anyways says the pre-order so would be my own late birthday (august) treat to myself if I don't change my mind and cancel the pre-order before then.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Another weird thing I noticed about Hot Rod, it seems Hasbro and takara totally reversed the accuracy for the cockpit bubble. The red lines on the dies are toy accurate and not show accurate and yet takara has those red lines which hasbro doesnt. That makes hasbro's alt mode more cartoon accurate than takara's and vice versa.

Which lines? The ones Takara added on the edges of the side windows where they meet the windshield? Those are cartoon accurate but not quite that thick. Hasbro's is missing those altogether.



Man, Kup does look grey in this pic.

[Sabrblade]

Sharkticon reminds me of the united toys which were sparkly for the hell of it. And the paint is wrong right? Like the arms shouldnt be grey and the tail has the wrong colour.

The shark mode's arms, tail, and fin all appear to be gangmolded together, as they're all light blue plastic on Hasbro's. My guess is that Takara wanted the fin to be gray, but weren't able to gate the arms and tail off of the mold, making them be the same gray as the fin.

[william-james88]

Also the plastic colour is much nicer than that awful overly-red used on the Hasbro figure. Also he has a proper Targetmaster gun instead the crummy hollow guns TR Hot Rod has. I'll still likely modify the shoulder joints like I've done on my Hasbro figure to lower the shoulders down.

It s cool how you dont mind modding your figures. I get that the bright red can be offputting comapred to the show model but does anyone know if it matched the G1 toy? I am thinking thats what it is referencing.

[RodimusConvoy13]

Also the plastic colour is much nicer than that awful overly-red used on the Hasbro figure. Also he has a proper Targetmaster gun instead the crummy hollow guns TR Hot Rod has. I'll still likely modify the shoulder joints like I've done on my Hasbro figure to lower the shoulders down.

It s cool how you dont mind modding your figures. I get that the bright red can be offputting comapred to the show model but does anyone know if it matched the G1 toy? I am thinking thats what it is referencing.

No, the G1 Hot Rod is the same maroon as G1 Rodimus Prime and the Hasbro MP-9 Rodimus Prime.