The Energon Pub

[ZeroWolf]

I think there's a place for both parts forming and parts integration. I mean guns are part of the partsforming experience, as are the hand/foot gun parts etc.

Also I actually side with X about hasbro blast off. Though I think it's a case of hasbro overreaching themselves on the budget for the line.

I would love to know the differences between how takara handle lines compared to hasbro.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Well I like that they tried. A new mold is always better than a fifty-seventh or so redeco. Again I'll wait to see what it looks like in colour before bashing or praising or meh-ing it. At least his name makes sense again with this one.

[Down_Shift]

Personally, I love it. This scratches many of the itches I had about the figure.

My only gripe, if you could even call it that, is that they put thrusters in his hands instead of the shell-ish look of the animation model. It's minor really, so I don't mind.

I wonder what the alternate way to attach the fist to the shuttle. You can see it has a hole in the "knuckles" in the same way that Brawl had his. Wonder if that play in somehow.

[Genericon #378]

I have faith Blast Off will look a lot better than these blurry pics. Even if it isn't perfect, it's still 1000% improvement over a Slingshot dunked in dookie dye.

As expected, you are all still eating it up, even if it looks like utter trash.

It's just blurry pics and you base your decision/statement on blurry pics? How you know its trash?

But if you are already biased for a certain toyline or product, guess there's no convincing you to not snipe without basis. A pity you won't have the opportunity to enjoy the next mold.

Btw TT gets a 4 out of 5 in effort.

1. New mold for Blastoff
2. At least a bit of a retool for the rotor blades of Vortex ( wished it were a new body for the copter)plus incorporating them as a melee weapon like that in Car Robots.

Love that shuttle ! Call it trash if you want but one mans trash is another mans treasure. Enjoy your brown slingshot and keep pretending its blast off. Maybe you can use fine sandpaper to remove his nose and mouth and give him a face plate. Im gonna drop the cash and have me a real blast off.

Am I the only one who finds it amusing that the guy with PRESIDENT OBAMA (the guy who's campaign slogan was "change") as his avatar has a virulent hatred to change?

The irony is quite clear.

[Hero Alpha]

Im ok with partsforming. Younger collectors have this idea that parts integration was born to satisfy complex minds. The truth is that it was designed to accomodate dumb kids who kept loosing small parts.

Same here, if it takes partsforming the tail to make Blast Off look like his cartoon model then fine with me. Hasbro even said that much about headmasters and why they took so long to make them again. This Blast Off looks great. I cant believe how close they got him to his G1 sunbow self, love the feet. Although I would have liked his nose to be on his lower arms they nailed everything else. This will be my first dip into the UW cominers. I also dont get some of the complaints here about Blast Off when it usually complaints about NOT being G1 enough.

[Rated X]

Im ok with partsforming. Younger collectors have this idea that parts integration was born to satisfy complex minds. The truth is that it was designed to accomodate dumb kids who kept loosing small parts.

Nah. It was meant to satiate lazy engineers who couldn't be bothered engineering things properly, and lazy fans who couldn't be bothered to transform figures with more than 5 moving parts.

Perhaps you'd be better off collecting Kre-O, X. Plenty of lovely partsforming for you there.

It may be laziness to you, but to others its called "fun". The best figures are the ones that you don't need instructions or a review to enjoy. I also like my combiner parts separate. I don't like sacrificing aesthetic and increasing engineering and production costs just to hide a big fist or turn it into something just for the sake of it having a use in all modes. Just imagine how great stock CW hands could have looked if they didnnt have to become feet or vice verca. None of the vintage 80's combiners had midget feet or kangaroo boxing gloves. Sure the parts didn't have a place, but they looked cool for the modes they were intended for. No sacrificing needed and its cheaper to make the parts as one piece molds.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Takara: Available everywhere throughout Japan in brick and mortar stores.

Takara Tomy Mall: Only sold in Japanese hobby shops for collectors at collectors prices. (kind of like E-Hobby and Millions Publishing exclusives)

I'll leave you with this, and a plate of crow:

TakaraTomy Mall

It's more like our own Hasbro Toy Shop.

TakaraTomy's Blast Off doesn't look too shabby. I will say this about the more common comments:

Combiner peg is on the back!
That's actually accurate to the G1 toy, folks:



Ever noticed that G1 Bruticus has Blast Off facing backwards as an arm? He's in fact one of only two only Scramble City limb to do so next to Terrorcon Blot.

The arms are not made of the cockpit!
I'm sure they tried to figure out something, and collapsing it into the chest is a decent alternative for cartoon accuracy. Besides, judging from the size of the cockpit: it's too short compared to the arms.

The tail fin partforms!
Looking at the legs more closely, it looks like they took inspiration from the Rook/Swindle mold, in which the legs hinge sideways and not parallel to the body like the Aerialbots. You probably expected the tail fin to fold into the legs, but that may have interfered with the legs' transformation.

[Evil Eye]

Im ok with partsforming. Younger collectors have this idea that parts integration was born to satisfy complex minds. The truth is that it was designed to accomodate dumb kids who kept loosing small parts.

Nah. It was meant to satiate lazy engineers who couldn't be bothered engineering things properly, and lazy fans who couldn't be bothered to transform figures with more than 5 moving parts.

Perhaps you'd be better off collecting Kre-O, X. Plenty of lovely partsforming for you there.

It may be laziness to you, but to others its called "fun".

No, it's laziness. Having to yank off a lump of the toy and stick it back on in no way increases the fun factor.

The best figures are the ones that you don't need instructions or a review to enjoy. I also like my combiner parts separate.

This is because you are a hamhanded idiot.

I don't like sacrificing aesthetic and increasing engineering and production costs just to hide a big fist or turn it into something just for the sake of it having a use in all modes.

And I don't like sacrificing competent engineering and functionality for the sake of visual adherence to an ancient moichandise-driven cartoon with Hanna-Barbera level animation. Function before form, my friend.

Just imagine how great stock CW hands could have looked if they didnnt have to become feet or vice verca.

As feet I'll agree, they look undersized, but they look fine as hands. The solution would be to make the hands and feet come with the combiner torso figure, so you'd have dedicated hands and dedicated feet that transform into weapons but don't have to become 2 different things- like the Perfect Effect hands and feet.

None of the vintage 80's combiners had midget feet or kangaroo boxing gloves.

No, and they didn't have elbows or knees either. And because they didn't do anything outside of combined mode, countless G1 combiners are now missing their combiner kibble.

Sure the parts didn't have a place, but they looked cool for the modes they were intended for. No sacrificing needed and its cheaper to make the parts as one piece molds.

[/quote][/quote]
That's like saying "Sure, the boat may sink the moment you put it in water, but the holes make it look cool and they make it cheaper too!"

Now if the G1 combiners had awesome, detailed anime-style combination stock-footage where the combiner kibble materialized and attached (like God Neptune and Ruination/Baldigus) I'd have some more sympathy, because then at least it would have some basis in decent source material. As it happens though, the combination sequences in G1 were basically "robots float up and morph together into a really badly drawn approximation of the toy". Heck, if you want full G1 accuracy, you NEED fully integrated, non-removable combiner kibble (which as it happens even I don't think works very well, with some exceptions like TFC's Liokaiser) as the hands and feet just sort of morphed out of the ends of the combiner limbs in the cartoon.

But seeing as you prefer aesthetics to functionality, I've got a good idea for you: collect non-transforming figures of the robots and models of their vehicle modes. That way they can be perfectly G1 accurate without being hindered by the need to transform! Or better yet, collect cardboard cutouts of the characters so you can have PERFECT representations of the G1 characters without being hindered by the need to exist in three dimensions!

[Mkall]

I like him. I don't get much of the hate, but then again it's very much 'your mileage may vary' in this hobby.

The only downside is I apparently am going to have to wait until June for Bruticus

[shajaki]

X & DM, make your own partsforming thread if you want to continue bickering. It's just another old argument that's going into both your deaf ears, so don't clog this thread up with it at least.

I'm loving it. Not as much as Groove, but still quite happy. As others have said, I'll take the diversity of a new mold in this retool/repaint nightmare of a line any day.

[Mindmaster]

I like him, but not enough to justify getting the entire set. I'm perfectly okay with Blast-Off as a jet (sans the wrong head, of course), and while four-rotored Vortex looks nice in vehicle mode, he looks dorky in robot and a little less dorky but dorky nonetheless in limb mode.

Maybe call me back when Hasbro decides to release him and a Groove as online exclusives like they did with Wildrider and Slingshot?

[Evil Eye]

I'm loving it. Not as much as Groove, but still quite happy. As others have said, I'll take the diversity of a new mold in this retool/repaint nightmare of a line any day.

This is more or less exactly my feel on him. Great minds think alike I suppose.

Alright, on topic, here's a little thought experiment: Suppose you're working for Hasbro and are tasked with making a "new member" for Bruticus to replace Blast Off. It can be a completely new mold and it can be either an original character or an existing character given the CW treatment. The only restriction is it can't be Blast Off. What would you make?

I have two ideas:

1: Groundspike- Reddish-brown engineering tank. So basically one of these:

With the colours of this:

Because the Combaticons need an engineer, and no Transformer has ever turned into an engineering tank before.

2: Skyjack, AKA the Cyberjet nobody ever remembers.

.

[Mr Skram]

Combiner peg is on the back!
That's actually accurate to the G1 toy, folks:

This what I was looking for before I mentioned it. A nice little nod to the G1 version if intentional. If not, just a cool coincidence.

I wasn't holding my breath for this guy, but I kinda like him. Fits in with the rest of the line well enough by vaguely filling the intended roles. I'll definitely try to pick him up as a solo release if there is one. What I'd really like is a G2 Bruticus with shuttle and better Vortex because G2 Blast Off and Vortex are the only Combaticons I had as a kid.

[Starsaber468]

I like him, but not enough to justify getting the entire set. I'm perfectly okay with Blast-Off as a jet (sans the wrong head, of course), and while four-rotored Vortex looks nice in vehicle mode, he looks dorky in robot and a little less dorky but dorky nonetheless in limb mode.

Maybe call me back when Hasbro decides to release him and a Groove as online exclusives like they did with Wildrider and Slingshot?

Yeah I hope they release them, and sling shot and wild rider weren't they emerging channel exclusives aka smaller retail stores exclusives they didn't become available for one retail for a while.... plys hasbro did release them in packs of 8 in smaller stores as part of that May Combiner wars event

[Hellscream9999]

I'm loving it. Not as much as Groove, but still quite happy. As others have said, I'll take the diversity of a new mold in this retool/repaint nightmare of a line any day.

This is more or less exactly my feel on him. Great minds think alike I suppose.

Yeah, not so much hate, just, meh;

Alright, on topic, here's a little thought experiment: Suppose you're working for Hasbro and are tasked with making a "new member" for Bruticus to replace Blast Off. It can be a completely new mold and it can be either an original character or an existing character given the CW treatment. The only restriction is it can't be Blast Off. What would you make?

I have two ideas:

Groundspike- Reddish-brown engineering tank. So basically one of these:

I would love that - this needs to happen ^

Like BMach Scavenger, just attach some missile's and a chain gun to the bucket, and maybe some spikes on the bulldozer wedge

[Deadput]

After spending five minutes doing nothing but staring at the picture of him I have come to a conclusion.

As I mentioned before my first impressions of him was based off my monitor which at the time was slightly stretched making Blastoff look larger then what he actually was.



Blastoff does look pretty decent (not great but it's decent) in bot mode the vehicle is kinda lazy with his arms sticking out of the side but I hope it looks better painted.



I think his chest would be fine if he had some sort of bulk on his back but right now it is like a lego Bionicle with armor on the chest but an exposed back.

[Gauntlet101010]

The partsforming does dull my appreciation for Blastoff ... but not THAT much.

I just want a decent to good official Bruticus and, to me, that means Blast off is a shuttle. This Blast off seems good. Not super amazing or anything. But good. Necessary for my own Bruticus needs (although, I gotta agree on an earlier conversation point that having him be a jet makes more sense thematically).

[Cyber Bishop]

I love the way he looks. Too bad I will probably never own him.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I'm still feeling meh about it. I have looked at it a good bit and read all kinds of comments, but I like change, and while it is lazy yes, I still prefer the hasbro one (call me what you will takara lovers). The jet just makes so much more sense, and while this may be somewhat accurate, it's not good. Kinda like how everyone was excited for Sideswipe from RiD and when he came out he was a huge letdown due to poorly executed engineering. This is another case: just cause it is a new mold doesn't mean it's actually good.

[william-james88]

There is something I didnt see talked about yet, forgive me if it has.

What turned me off about Rook and why I still dont care to own him is the peg holes on his fists. I dont mind them being there but I dislike how it meant he couldnt hold a gun normally. But now with this Blastoff, he gets the rook hands PLUS normal 5 mm ports on top so he can hold a gun normally AND do Hulk hands

[ZeroWolf]

See where first it say that he has 5mm ports? I know you can see holes in his hands like rooks but that doesn't mean they are the same.

Plus rook is awesome

[william-james88]

See where first it say that he has 5mm ports? I know you can see holes in his hands like rooks but that doesn't mean they are the same.

Plus rook is awesome

I am not sure about your first question. But yes, you are indeed right that it isnt confirmed that the tip of his fists are also 5mm ports. Just being hopeful here.

[ZeroWolf]

See where first it say that he has 5mm ports? I know you can see holes in his hands like rooks but that doesn't mean they are the same.

Plus rook is awesome

I am not sure about your first question. But yes, you are indeed right that it isnt confirmed that the tip of his fists are also 5mm ports. Just being hopeful here.

T_T that is supposed to be "does" not "first"

I still say just get both though now that people have pointed out about how similar blast off legs are to rooks and their arms. I wonder if rook was used as a base before all the changes were then added on to him.

[DedicatedGhostArt]

Please do not ban me for this, but I actually liked the Hasbro Blastoff better. Why waste the money?

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Please do not ban me for this, but I actually liked the Hasbro Blastoff better. Why waste the money?

Thing is, to get the set, it's not that much more than the american release. I'll save you all the lectures and say it's not a big money difference, as has been stated before. It's just personal preference, which you and I prefer hasbro