The Energon Pub

News Credits: 42 · by **Autobot N** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 8:59 am

Sadly, it's the TT Mall price.

Still pre-ordered it, though.

News Credits: 3 · by **Optimizzy** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:00 am

this might be the first UW I get....

News Credits: 3 · by **Randomhero** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:07 am

Optimizzy wrote:this might be the first UW I get....

Same. I thought about it a lot this weekend. I think I will skip Bruticus and go for this guy. I don't mine hasbros it's really cool but I should give a Takara combiner a shot and this guy is different enough all over to get. However I will probably shell out for the PE hands and feet. I caved and got all the others and they're pretty solid

News Credits: 4859 · by **william-james88** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:25 am

steals_your_goats wrote:
They're asking $160 but this isn't a TTMALL exclusive so I'd just wait for an import site.

That is the TTMall exclusive price. Takara has yet to reveal if it is or not, but BBTS putting it at that price instead of 125$ means other import wites wont be listing it.

Sad day.

News Credits: 79 · by **Sigma Magnus** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:27 am

It's official, gettin' both. :BANG_HEAD:

News Credits: 4859 · by **william-james88** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:31 am

Sigma Magnus wrote:It's official, gettin' both.

You gonna spend 260$ ?

News Credits: 13 · by **steals_your_goats** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:33 am

william-james88 wrote:
steals_your_goats wrote:
They're asking $160 but this isn't a TTMALL exclusive so I'd just wait for an import site.

That is the TTMall exclusive price. Takara has yet to reveal if it is or not, but BBTS putting it at that price instead of 125$ means other import wites wont be listing it.

Sad day.

The msrp that was advertised in that Japanese magazine that showed the silhouettes of the individual bots was 15000 yen, the standard price for a regular retail combiner.

News Credits: 79 · by **Sigma Magnus** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:34 am

william-james88 wrote:
Sigma Magnus wrote:It's official, gettin' both.

You gonna spend 260$ ?

Unfortunately, yes. I can hear my wallet screaming already.

News Credits: 4859 · by **william-james88** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:36 am

steals_your_goats wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
steals_your_goats wrote:
They're asking $160 but this isn't a TTMALL exclusive so I'd just wait for an import site.

That is the TTMall exclusive price. Takara has yet to reveal if it is or not, but BBTS putting it at that price instead of 125$ means other import wites wont be listing it.

Sad day.

The msrp that was advertised in that Japanese magazine that showed the silhouettes of the individual bots was 15000 yen, the standard price for a regular retail combiner.

Both TTmall exclusives and non exclusive have the SAME MSRP. But the non exclusives are sold at a 30-20% discount of that MSRP at retail while the exclusvies are sold at the MSRP.

As odd as that may sound, in Japan, the MSRP is not indicative of the actual retail price.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:46 am

I'm liking it but that wheel in the air still looks silly to me.

Out of curiosity, did Japan ever get translated editions of the marvel g1 comics? Just wondering if that was also the reason for ditching scrounge. At least, another reason other than this is their standard release pattern.

by **Death~Ray Charles** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:47 am

That Nosecone looks to be a heavy remold of Rook rather than Brawl.

News Credits: 459 · by **Sabrblade** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 9:51 am

ZeroWolf wrote:Out of curiosity, did Japan ever get translated editions of the marvel g1 comics? Just wondering if that was also the reason for ditching scrounge. At least, another reason other than this is their standard release pattern.

They did not. They got the English versions imported through specialty shops, but no official domestic release in Japan in either language. The main reason for ditching Scrounge is the same as their ditching Powerglide for Superion, Blackjack for Menasor, small Groove for Defensor, Rodimus for Convoy Grand Prime, Viper for Grand Galvatron, and Shockwave for Bruticus: The G1 combiners were five-man bands with membership rosters set in stone and didn't have tiny accessory sixth members. Takara seems to want to stay true to that.

by **mblase75** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:13 am

Death~Ray Charles wrote:That Nosecone looks to be a heavy remold of Rook rather than Brawl.

The silhouette posted earlier seems to move the drill down to the where the robot's feet are in alt mode. I'm not sure if it detaches and partsforms, or if there's a hinge underneath it that folds it all the way down.

http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/takara-transformers-unite-warriors-computron-and-technobots-teasers/34989/

by **mblase75** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:21 am

Gearslide wrote:
Autobot N wrote:
Easy Tiger wrote:I'm not seeing things, am I? The lower legs of Lightspeed are definetely from the Wheeljack mold, aren't they?

Yes, they are. That's the only thing I don't like about this set.

To be fair though, CW Wheeljack has by far the closest vehicle mode to G1 Lightspeed out of all the available car molds in Combiner Wars...

I hate the skinny arms on that particular mold, but I have to agree. Wheeljack is even closer than Breakdown.

News Credits: 60 · by **fenrir72** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:36 am

Computicon!

So AWESOME.............make me weep seeing this hunk of plastic crack!

Thanks to TT :BOWDOWN:

Retool shme tool or whatever it is you call it.

News Credits: 42 · by **Autobot N** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:46 am

fenrir72 wrote:Computicon!
(images)
Special mention to ExVee.

You're a little late.

mblase75 wrote:
Gearslide wrote:
Autobot N wrote:
Easy Tiger wrote:I'm not seeing things, am I? The lower legs of Lightspeed are definetely from the Wheeljack mold, aren't they?

Yes, they are. That's the only thing I don't like about this set.

To be fair though, CW Wheeljack has by far the closest vehicle mode to G1 Lightspeed out of all the available car molds in Combiner Wars...

I hate the skinny arms on that particular mold, but I have to agree. Wheeljack is even closer than Breakdown.

If Breakdown/Wheeljack was a good mold, then I would agree with you guys. But, when it comes to TFs, function comes before form.

News Credits: 3617 · by **Seibertron** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:49 am

I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.

News Credits: 459 · by **Sabrblade** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:52 am

Seibertron wrote:I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.

Maybe Hasbro planned theirs first with their usual economic mindset and then Takara saw Hasbro's plans and were like "Nah, we can do better."

News Credits: 42 · by **Autobot N** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 10:53 am

Sabrblade wrote:
Seibertron wrote:I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.
Maybe Hasbro planned theirs first with their usual economic mindset and then Takara saw Hasbro's plans and were like "Nah, we can do better."

Sounds about right.

by **mblase75** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:07 am

Seibertron wrote:I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.

I see a lot of remolding here -- Computron's chest, Lightspeed's front bumper, Afterburner's windshield. Nosecone may have a hinge for that big drill and Strafe is retooling a mold Hasbro doesn't even have yet. All of that costs money, and Hasbro's all about reusing molds as much as possible to increase profit. Even Liokaiser only exists so that Hasbro can reuse Sky Lynx.

News Credits: 3617 · by **Seibertron** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:38 am

mblase75 wrote:
Seibertron wrote:I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.

I see a lot of remolding here -- Computron's chest, Lightspeed's front bumper, Afterburner's windshield. Nosecone may have a hinge for that big drill and Strafe is retooling a mold Hasbro doesn't even have yet. All of that costs money, and Hasbro's all about reusing molds as much as possible to increase profit. Even Liokaiser only exists so that Hasbro can reuse Sky Lynx.

Financially though it would be much less expensive if Hasbro was doing this instead of Takara taking on the financial burden of this. It doesn't make much sense that Takara is doing this since they have such a smaller market, unless they're actually at a point where international (non Japanese market) sales has a much larger impact on products like these. I'd love to see the financials on these products to better understand these decisions.

News Credits: 3617 · by **Seibertron** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 11:54 am

Autobot N wrote:
fenrir72 wrote:Computicon!
(images)
Special mention to ExVee.

You're a little late.

mblase75 wrote:
Gearslide wrote:
Autobot N wrote:
Easy Tiger wrote:I'm not seeing things, am I? The lower legs of Lightspeed are definetely from the Wheeljack mold, aren't they?

Yes, they are. That's the only thing I don't like about this set.

To be fair though, CW Wheeljack has by far the closest vehicle mode to G1 Lightspeed out of all the available car molds in Combiner Wars...

I hate the skinny arms on that particular mold, but I have to agree. Wheeljack is even closer than Breakdown.

If Breakdown/Wheeljack was a good mold, then I would agree with you guys. But, when it comes to TFs, function comes before form.

Those upper legs are a little wonky but I don't think they're that bad after figuring out some decent poses with them.

News Credits: 4859 · by **william-james88** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:15 pm

Seibertron wrote:Financially though it would be much less expensive if Hasbro was doing this instead of Takara taking on the financial burden of this. It doesn't make much sense that Takara is doing this since they have such a smaller market, unless they're actually at a point where international (non Japanese market) sales has a much larger impact on products like these. I'd love to see the financials on these products to better understand these decisions.

There is an extra factor we are not talking about here: Hasbro Asia. The revealed price tells us that this is a TakTom Exclusive and thus the rest of the world (especially Asia) will be getting their version from Asian places like Robot Kingdom since only the asian release will be available (due to the Japanese release being only sold within Japan through TTMall). So it could be that Hasbro Asia did a contract with TT that would ensure TT get an advance to finance their project and in return, Hasbro Asia gets to distribute their release across Asia without the Japan release interfering with their sales to their market.

So in the end, Hasbro might be financing this, to then distribute it as an Asian release, which they have done for:

Gand Galvatron
Convoy Grand Prime
Defensor

Of course, The price might be a mistake and this isnt a TT exclusive and then all I have written is meaningless, but the fact that other sites are also listing it for the same price says otherwise.

Sabrblade wrote:
Seibertron wrote:I don't understand why Hasbro isn't releasing the "correct" versions of these toys instead of the half assed versions. Are they just trying to save money? Is it a schedule thing that they're trying to get these products knocked out as soon as possible so that they can move on to the next Transformers product line?

Thank you and kudos to Takara Tomy for doing these right.
Maybe Hasbro planned theirs first with their usual economic mindset and then Takara saw Hasbro's plans and were like "Nah, we can do better."

Why are we bringing up the schedule when Hasbro has so far released nothing official about their Computron. TT has released teases and has had it appear at shows. If it wasnt for leaks, we would have no hard proof that Hasbro is even making a Computron. So TT is technically ahead of Hasbro with their Computron shcedule, at least in terms of promotions and marketting.

News Credits: 4859 · by **william-james88** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:24 pm

Oh man, this is confusing. I think BBTS is just putting a random price like they did with MP Shockwave, just to secure preorders. I say this because Toy Dojo has this for 134.99

http://www.toydojo.com/transformers-uni ... -gift-set/

I hate when retailers arent being straight with us. I just want to know what my options are so I can plan the right budget and get a sense of what I am going to do.

News Credits: 3617 · by **Seibertron** » Mon Mar 28, 2016 12:36 pm

william-james88 wrote:Oh man, this is confusing. I think BBTS is just putting a random price like they did with MP Shockwave, just to secure preorders. I say this because Toy Dojo has this for 134.99

http://www.toydojo.com/transformers-uni ... -gift-set/

I hate when retailers arent being straight with us. I just want to know what my options are so I can plan the right budget and get a sense of what I am going to do.

Check your email.