The Energon Pub

[Kurona]

As the excitement continues to build for UW-EX Baldigus - Robots in Disguise 2001 Ruination for those of us in the west - fellow Seibertronian Sabrblade drops by to give us a tweet courtesy of @TF_pr. This contains a new image showing off Baldigus/Ruination alongside LG-EX Black Convoy - otherwise known as Scourge; his Decepticon comrade from the cartoon. Check it out below and see if the comparison tickles your fancy for this upcoming combiner even more!

好評予約受付中UW-EX バルディガスの塗装サンプルとLG-EXブラックコンボイを並べてみた！バルディガスの合体ロボとしての巨大感が強調されてステキです♪（幸）＞トランスフォーマー ユナイトウォリアーズ UW-EX バルディガス: http://takaratomymall.jp/shop/g/g4904810862628/ …

Popular preorders and Jonny UW-EX bardigas paint samples and LG-EX black convoy! Is huge as gattai Robo baldiga is highlighted, nice ♪(Hiroyuki) > transformer unit warriors UW-EX bardigas: http://takaratomymall.jp/shop/g/g4904810862628/ …

[TulioDude]

Wow this is nice!They look so good!
I'm not that found of RID,but it is awesome to see the reinterpretations of these characters together.

[william-james88]

Why would they use that Scourge rather than the E-Hobby Grand Scourge toy? I figured it would make more sense to pose the ones using molds from the same line.

[Coptur]

Why would they use that Scourge rather than the E-Hobby Grand Scourge toy? I figured it would make more sense to pose the ones using molds from the same line.

Your logic is sound but Black Convoy and Grand Scourge are two different characters

Me personally nothing beats the original Scourge/Black Convoy toy (G2 Laser Optimus Prime)

[Mkall]

I know there's calls for Battle Gaia, but I'm pleased that we're getting this repaint instead.

[Kurona]

Why would they use that Scourge rather than the E-Hobby Grand Scourge toy? I figured it would make more sense to pose the ones using molds from the same line.

Because the LG-EX figure represents Black Convoy better - Grand Scourge doesn't exactly have the Laser Prime silhouette, and he has a lot of detailing like gold trimming Black Convoy doesn't have.
Grand Scourge is more a reference to the Super Link dude than the Car Robots dude.

[william-james88]

Why would they use that Scourge rather than the E-Hobby Grand Scourge toy? I figured it would make more sense to pose the ones using molds from the same line.

Your logic is sound but Black Convoy and Grand Scourge are two different characters

Me personally nothing beats the original Scourge/Black Convoy toy (G2 Laser Optimus Prime)

yeah for sure, but about Grand Scourge, he isnt the RID Scourge who is also a black optimus called Scourge?

[Kurona]

Why would they use that Scourge rather than the E-Hobby Grand Scourge toy? I figured it would make more sense to pose the ones using molds from the same line.

Your logic is sound but Black Convoy and Grand Scourge are two different characters

Me personally nothing beats the original Scourge/Black Convoy toy (G2 Laser Optimus Prime)

yeah for sure, but about Grand Scourge, he isnt the RID Scourge who is also a black optimus called Scourge?

Nope.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Grand_Scourge

[william-james88]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

[Kurona]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

Just the same as how there's a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in G1, and a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in RiD 2015.

Though even then... these black Primes don't share names. The RiD 2001 Scourge is only called Scourge in the west - originally in Japan, in Car Robots, he was known simply as Black Convoy.

[Sjeng]

I saw a pre-order for Ruination on Kapow, but he's 100% Bruticus repainted, so I'm gonna pass...
At some point you need to call it quits anyway

[william-james88]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

Just the same as how there's a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in G1, and a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in RiD 2015.

But thats just a different version of the same G1 character, just like Bumblebee, Grimlock and Optimus are.

[Kurona]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

Just the same as how there's a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in G1, and a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in RiD 2015.

But thats just a different version of the same G1 character, just like Bumblebee, Grimlock and Optimus are.

RiD 2015 Sideswipe isn't a version of G1 Sideswipe though. He's an Aligned character

[william-james88]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

Just the same as how there's a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in G1, and a rebellious red autobot car called Sideswipe in RiD 2015.

But thats just a different version of the same G1 character, just like Bumblebee, Grimlock and Optimus are.

RiD 2015 Sideswipe isn't a version of G1 Sideswipe though. He's an Aligned character

They are ALL alligned characters, hence their seperate Wiki entries.

[Coptur]

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Scourge_(disambiguation)

this might help

[Ultra Markus]

would it be silly to make a RID themed autobot combiner using hotspot for optimus prime and have Sideburn, X-Brawn and Prowl and maybe Skid-Z for limbs

[Railbomb]

would it be silly to make a RID themed autobot combiner using hotspot for optimus prime and have Sideburn, X-Brawn and Prowl and maybe Skid-Z for limbs

I'd think a Car Robots/RiD combiner is a lot more likely now that we're getting Ruination, you know, to keep the count even.

[bvzxa]

FYI for those that are confused.

Black Convoy came first, then he was renamed Scourge for RID.
Valdigus/Baldigus = Runination

However, the toys greatly differ as Valdigus had the correct colors and symbols while Runination was centered much more closely to sort of match G1 Bruticus.

Grand Scourge is the evil Superlink/energon counter part to Grand Convoy. Grand Scourge was released as a model kit only.

Black Convoy/Valdigus - Upside down generantion 2 sysmbol also they were their own group called the Combatracons and Black Convoy was their leader. Both Car robots and RID had the same animation, just RID dubbed them horribly different.

Scourge/Runination - Sport Decepticon symbols and colors were changed from the anime and Japanese toy.

So We did get Black Convoy from the United line, and Scourge from the TFCC. We got Grand Scourge in the legends line. I treat them as different entities but Black Convoy started it all. Very sought after figure for a long time.

[Sabrblade]

So two Black Primes called Scourge, thats confusing

That's only because you're approaching the two from an Western perspective. To the Japanese audience that the two toys were released to, the evil Laser Optimus Prime redeco is named "Black Convoy", while the evil CW Optimus redeco is named "Grand Scourge".

The confusion only comes into play when one tries to use the English equivalent names for these characters, in which case Black Convoy would be "Scourge" while Grand Scourge... would be nobody.

Grand Scourge has no English name because the original Grand Scourge model kit toy from Super Link never saw a release in the Energon line in the West, and so Grand Scourge never got an English name. If he had, he most likely would have been named "Nemesis Prime". But since he never came over into Hasbro's side of the brand, Grand Scourge doesn't really exist in Hasbro's lore.

As to how Grand Scourge even got his name if he isn't the same character as Car Robots Black Convoy/RiD 2001 Scourge, he got his name from the Japanese name of Armada Nemesis Prime. In Japan, that Nemesis Prime was named "Scourge" in the Micron Densetsu (Japanese Armada) series, in homage to the English name of Car Robots Black Convoy, but there was also a slight homage to G1 Scourge in the name by Takara giving Nemesis Prime's Mini-Con partner Run-Over the Japanese name of "Sweep".

Now, this isn't necessarily to say that Armada Nemesis Prime/Micron Densetsu Scourge is the same character as Super Link Grand Scourge. After all, Armada Nemy/MD Scourge was just an animalistic puppet creature controlled by Sideways/Doubleface, and was completely and thoroughly destroyed by both Optimus/Convoy and Galvatron/Megatron Super Mode, whereas Super Link Grand Scourge(/no Energon counterpart) by all appearances seems to be his own independent being controlled by no one and fully alive on his own. Still, as his origin remains unknown, there's still some wiggle room for any Japanese author to come along and create some kind of origin that could connect Grand Scourge to Armada Nemesis/MD Scourge if they wanted to, but at this point, no such connection has been made between the two besides the similar "evil Optimus/Convoy lookalike" concept and the similar Japanese names.


One last thing that further differs CR Black Convoy from SL Grand Scourge. Black Convoy is a Combatron like Baldigus, while Grand Scourge is just a Decepticon .

[Emerje]

I still like to call him Black Battle Convoy like it's 2001 when nobody knew better. It just sounds better, sets him apart from all the other Black Convoys we've had since.

Emerje

[RAR]

Grand Scourge wasn't just a model kit he was also a PVC figure that was partnered with an evil version of Wingsaber.

Not to mention he was an influence on the PCC line, also the Unite Warriors Grand Scourge comes with multiple kinds of faction logos.

I'm not sure the logos especially matter when Scourge & Black Convoy are pretty much the same guy only one has Decepticon logos on his toy. They are in the same show - just one of those shows in English and one of the toys is an Anti-Cybertron logo sporting character and the other is a Decepticon.

I don't have a problem with that - it's just one of those weird things like putting Decepticon logos on Unicron toys.

Also don't forget that Black Lio Convoy was also a thing, as was Black Big Convoy and Universe Nemesis Prime (mammoth version), not to mention the idea of evil repaints that was sort of hinted at with Galaxy Force.

I would rather of liked an Armada Superbase Scourge toy and a Botcon Energon Deluxe Scourge too - shame we didn't get those.

[Coptur]

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nemesis_Prime_(disambiguation)

If i'm honest I get bored all these dark/black/scourge/evil Optimus Primes running around very boring.


I was shocked when I discovered that Black Hot Rod & Dark Rodimus Convoy were two separate characters
(all interesting reading & researching but give me the spidey clone saga any day )

[Sabrblade]

Also don't forget that Black Lio Convoy was also a thing, as was Black Big Convoy and Universe Nemesis Prime (mammoth version),

Of those three, though, Black Big Convoy wasn't evil. He was a good black clone.

[william-james88]

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nemesis_Prime_(disambiguation)

If i'm honest I get bored all these dark/black/scourge/evil Optimus Primes running around very boring.


I was shocked when I discovered that Black Hot Rod & Dark Rodimus Convoy were two separate characters
(all interesting reading & researching but give me the spidey clone saga any day )

1: I didnt know that aout Rodimus either.
2: I never ever wish to go through that Spidey clone saga again.

[william-james88]

Several Japanese fans on twitter have been posting many images of their new Sky Master combiner. They include some vehicle mode comparison shots to the Hasbro versions and close ups of the bot modes as well as a clearer image of the one panel comic (and a recreation of it). You can see them all bellow.