The Energon Pub

News Credits: 65 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:20 pm

For the most part, Takara has, not surprisingly, gone for more screen accurate decos. I like Takara's yellow on Sunstreaker so much better than Hasbro's choice for the mold, but Hasbro's use of more red, black, and gray in some strategic places breaks things up a bit more (and in the case of the shoulders, makes a nod to the original G1 toy). I think the superior yellow used makes the difference for me.

As for Mirage, Hasbro's shade of blue matches the G1 toy and character model much more closely than Takara's dark blue, though that dark blue does look nice. Takara has rearranged some of the paint layouts to be closer to the cartoon model, but it's not perfect either way. This is a bit of a toss up.

Finally, we have Prowl. He honestly looks good either way, but in the strictest sense, the extra touches like the painted headlights and the rearranged black, white, and gray parts make Takara's the winner as far as G1 fidelity goes.

One extra thing that I especially appreciate with Takara's versions is that the combiner tabs are colored to better blend in with their respective figures, instead of just uniform gray for everyone in the Hasbro versions. It helps each character work better as a stand alone "Classics" figure, if that's what you are interested in.

Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:29 pm

Hasbro's look faded, but more cartoon-accurate, while the richer, toy-inspired, Takara colors win again! I do prefer the shiny-silver hand/foot/guns of Hasbro more though. The darker color of the Takara ones improves the translucent, and thus somewhat cheap-looking, Hasbro plastic. It gives the illusion of thicker/better material being used. And I have always been a proponent of incorporating more G1-toy details in the CHUG and MP lines. These are more attractive to me, at any rate.

I wish I could buy both sets, swap out the guns, and sell the spare... :-?

As far as the name is concerned, I just call all these SuperDuper-Ultra-Mega-Powered-Up-Ultimate-Optimus Maximus simply "Super Optimus Prime", and I leave it at that.

News Credits: 241 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:31 pm

william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
All of the Unite Warriors boxes write the English names in English (meaning that Unite Warriors Guardian has his name written as "Defensor" in English), so this isn't a case of "Convoy Grand Prime" being just the Japanese name of either Ultra Prime or Optimus Maximus. This is a third combiner form for Optimus.

yeah, I think people have a tough time understanding because it is indeed a tad bit confusing but in truth the CW and UW lines together have given us a total of 3 different Combiners where Optimus is the torso:

Ultra Prime (the red torso with any limbs)
Optimus Maximus (white torso with the first phase of 84 bot limbs)
Convoy Grand Prime (red torso with the first phase of 84 bot limbs)

This does make me ask adumb question Sabr. Is it only Convoy Grand Prime if I buy the takara UW set? Or can I make my own Convoy Grand Prime using the hasbro versions of those molds/decos? If I put the red hasbro optimus torso with the hasbro autobot limbs is he still Ultra prime (since he is all hasbro) or does he become the hasbro deco version of Convoy Grand Prime?

What would determine the name of the Combined form anyway? The torso? The limbs? A combination of both? It's just odd...

For now I consider Convoy Grand Prime the Japanese release of our Optimus Maximus, since they both share the exact same molds. However, I am acknowledging that the torso has the deco of the first version, not Battle Core and will consider UW Convoy the Japanese counterpart of CW Optimus Prime.

From my personal definitions, "counterpart" implies minimal differences, while "release" may have an entirely different deco.

News Credits: 2 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 2:52 pm

I'd like a Sunstreaker which has the Takara versions Yellow but some of Hasbro's Detail to break up all that yellow.

Mon Oct 19, 2015 3:08 pm

"It is "Convoy Grand Prime", written in plan English on the box."

A rose by any other name... It's clearly the red/blue Optimus torso bot for Japan, making it the equivalent of what Hasbro called Ultra Prime. What Takara writes on boxes in English doesn't change that, Japanese products use all sorts of English in all sorts of ways, not always particularly consistently.

"What would determine the name of the Combined form anyway? The torso? The limbs? A combination of both? It's just odd..."

The CW packaging and documentation makes the torso the determining factor, hence Superion with Drag Strip as a limb. Obviously they did that due to the makeup of the first wave, but you've also got stuff like Galvatronus who has no dedicated limbs (and Ultra kinda technically doesn't either since they've sort of made the G1 guys associated with Maximus in packaging/docs).

But obviously you can do what you want and consider it however you want with your own toys.

"I'd like a Sunstreaker which has the Takara versions Yellow but some of Hasbro's Detail to break up all that yellow."

Yes, I like that shade of yellow a lot better, but also really like the Hasbro version's homage to the parts that were red on the original toy due to the stickers being meant for a red diaclone/diakron version of the mold.

The Hasbro yellow is also slightly translucent, which doesn't help matters, some bits showing though a little if you look too close.

News Credits: 4880 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 3:34 pm

Optimum Supreme wrote:"It is "Convoy Grand Prime", written in plan English on the box."

A rose by any other name... It's clearly the red/blue Optimus torso bot for Japan, making it the equivalent of what Hasbro called Ultra Prime. What Takara writes on boxes in English doesn't change that, Japanese products use all sorts of English in all sorts of ways, not always particularly consistently.

No, that is not true. Hasbro has clearly stated that the whole point of Ultra prime is that he can combine anywhich way he wants. He's the poster child for the whole combiner Wars line (literally).

And the box art shows it as much, he has no specific limbs for him, nothing colour coded to interact solely with him as the torso.

Grand Convoy Prime however,is ONLY formed with those specific Autobot limbs. So as you can see, different names, different configurations. thsi si not interpretaions, just pure facts given to us by the toymakers themselves through marketting and release material.

News Credits: 3 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 3:42 pm

Wow lol, I think you should repost that image William-James... #-o

News Credits: 3 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 3:47 pm

william-james88 wrote:
SillySpringer wrote:Wow lol, I think you should repost that image William-James...

I will do so when I get home since I can only view it from the google preview of the image rather than the image itself. I will then delete this post too.

Ok lol. I have had a glitch before, to were I open up the image, and the url is a bunch of jumbled up data talk, and it was like 1000 characters, so I thought you may have the same issue. Usually clearing my cache fixes the glitch on my end.

News Credits: 41 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 3:49 pm

william-james88 wrote:This does make me ask a dumb question Sabr. Is it only Convoy Grand Prime if I buy the takara UW set? Or can I make my own Convoy Grand Prime using the hasbro versions of those molds/decos? If I put the red hasbro optimus torso with the hasbro autobot limbs is he still Ultra prime (since he is all hasbro) or does he become the hasbro deco version of Convoy Grand Prime?

Dang it, Willy!
YOU CAN CALL YOUR TOYS WHAT EVER YOU WANT!!!!!!
It's your little world.
Have fun.

News Credits: 174 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 4:00 pm

Sabrblade wrote:What is with Hasbro's persistence in using that weird greenish shade of yellow for Sunstreaker?

It's bright yellow, but it's kinda thin, so the black bleeds through underneath, altering the color of the plastic. I was talking about this with fenrir earlier in the thread.

News Credits: 3 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 4:17 pm

Hellscream9999 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:What is with Hasbro's persistence in using that weird greenish shade of yellow for Sunstreaker?

It's bright yellow, but it's kinda thin, so the black bleeds through underneath, altering the color of the plastic. I was talking about this with fenrir earlier in the thread.

I actually think Sunstreaker looks better with the greener yellow; it makes him less Bumblebee-like.

News Credits: 174 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 4:25 pm

SillySpringer wrote:
Hellscream9999 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:What is with Hasbro's persistence in using that weird greenish shade of yellow for Sunstreaker?

It's bright yellow, but it's kinda thin, so the black bleeds through underneath, altering the color of the plastic. I was talking about this with fenrir earlier in the thread.

I actually think Sunstreaker looks better with the greener yellow; it makes him less Bumblebee-like.

And we all know, no one wants to be that :SICK:

Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:25 pm

I have to admit, I find myself favoring the Hasbro coloring of Sunstreaker as well. I do like the red touches as a nod to the G1 figure, while the gray thighs not only keep him from being nearly monochrome, but call back to the Classics/Universe figure. Of course, it'd be really nice if they'd retooled the chest piece...

I could go either way with Mirage, but for Prowl, I definitely prefer the Takara version. He just doesn't seem right to me with black thighs and white forearms.

News Credits: 174 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:31 pm

Still can't beleive no one has bothered to pain those stupid elbow parts on dead-end/prowl, it looks so obviously terrible, like, what actually happened where they said that it couldn't be fit in? Was the budget blown on metallic pain for o/p's combiner abs :-P

News Credits: 241 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:34 pm

Hellscream9999 wrote:Still can't beleive no one has bothered to pain those stupid elbow parts on dead-end/prowl, it looks so obviously terrible, like, what actually happened where they said that it couldn't be fit in? Was the budget blown on metallic pain for o/p's combiner abs

I believe unpaintable plastic is to blame here. As in, none of the usual paint at HasTak's disposal can adhere properly to the type of plastic used for the joint.

News Credits: 174 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:41 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Hellscream9999 wrote:Still can't beleive no one has bothered to pain those stupid elbow parts on dead-end/prowl, it looks so obviously terrible, like, what actually happened where they said that it couldn't be fit in? Was the budget blown on metallic pain for o/p's combiner abs

I believe unpaintable plastic is to blame here. As in, none of the usual paint at HasTak's disposal can adhere properly to the type of plastic used for the joint.

Really? That's a shame, as it is just garish.

News Credits: 462 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 5:56 pm

Hellscream9999 wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:
Hellscream9999 wrote:Still can't beleive no one has bothered to pain those stupid elbow parts on dead-end/prowl, it looks so obviously terrible, like, what actually happened where they said that it couldn't be fit in? Was the budget blown on metallic pain for o/p's combiner abs

I believe unpaintable plastic is to blame here. As in, none of the usual paint at HasTak's disposal can adhere properly to the type of plastic used for the joint.

Really? That's a shame, as it is just garish.

On the other hand, it means Hasbro Prowl has two big black spots running down the sides of its white car body, while Takara Prowl has a car body that's solid white on both sides. And Hasbro Prowl ends up with upper arms that are half-black/half-white while Takara Prowl has upper arms that are solid white, creating a nice color contrast with his solid black lower arms.

News Credits: 65 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 7:28 pm

At this point, is it a safe bet to assume Takara is going all in with Unite Warriors and will eventually give us a "Sky Reign" set complete with Sky Lynx, Wheeljack, Smokescreen, Hound, and Trailbreaker? They are already going the extra mile with a full "Galvatronus" team. Here's hoping we might get a few more '84/85 Autobots, like Ratchet, Hoist, Bluestreak, and Sideswipe? I'm thinking, especially with the BotCon 2016 reveal of General Ramhorn, we'll be seeing a proper "Computron" from them as well. The stars are aligning, my friends. I can feel it.

News Credits: 4880 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 7:40 pm

ok here are the ultra prime pics as presented by hasbro as poster child to this combiner wars line. Please notice the random limbs. That is Ultra Prime. This UW Convoy Grand Prime has a specific set of limbs and thus is not Ultra Prime.

News Credits: 60 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 8:57 pm

Sabrblade wrote:What is with Hasbro's persistence in using that weird greenish shade of yellow for Sunstreaker?

Yah! It makes the toy look like a K.O.

News Credits: 60 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:32 pm

https://twitter.com/TFYUKI/status/656318676312829952

TFYuki strikes again Convoy Grand Prime

News Credits: 4880 · Mon Oct 19, 2015 11:57 pm

I am not buying either, but I actually preffer the torso for the hasbro version

News Credits: 123 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:01 am

So... the Ironhides are identical I guess? :-P

News Credits: 65 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 12:10 am

You know, I wonder if Takara elected for a darker blue color for Mirage just to match the blue on Optimus himself. Maybe the designers felt the color scheme overall for Convoy Grand Prime looks better with a closer match in shades among all the components. Makes me wonder if Ironhide and Optimus share the same shade of red. I can see that Prowl and Optimus (and maybe Sunstreaker and Ironhide) share the same metallic light blue shade for their window details. The yellow striping on Ironhide matches Takara's choice of yellow for Sunstreaker's car body. There's a certain amount of sense to this on Takara's part.

News Credits: 123 · Tue Oct 20, 2015 1:32 am

Wolfman Jake wrote:You know, I wonder if Takara elected for a darker blue color for Mirage just to match the blue on Optimus himself. Maybe the designers felt the color scheme overall for Convoy Grand Prime looks better with a closer match in shades among all the components. Makes me wonder if Ironhide and Optimus share the same shade of red. I can see that Prowl and Optimus (and maybe Sunstreaker and Ironhide) share the same metallic light blue shade for their window details. The yellow striping on Ironhide matches Takara's choice of yellow for Sunstreaker's car body. There's a certain amount of sense to this on Takara's part.

Honestly, that's my reasoning for buying this set. The color coordination appears to be spot on, and he's going to look a heck of a lot better in combined mode because of it. I hope that ends up being the case.