The Energon Pub

[william-james88]

Found something from a user named Ironhide who asked some questions to Hasbro at Botcon and learnt this:

I also was informed that Takara had the rights to the Technobots, hence why we are getting Takaras in Aug, and Hasbro's to follow in the fall a month or two after the Unite Warriors version.

Anyone know what he would mea by the "rights". I thought Hasbro owned the rights to all the characters' designs within the Transformers Brand.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Found something from a user named Ironhide who asked some questions to Hasbro at Botcon and learnt this:

I also was informed that Takara had the rights to the Technobots, hence why we are getting Takaras in Aug, and Hasbro's to follow in the fall a month or two after the Unite Warriors version.

Anyone know what he would mea by the "rights". I thought Hasbro owned the rights to all the characters' designs within the Transformers Brand.

I'm guessing patents for the retooled parts? Instead of waiting for requesting them from TakaraTomy and the retoolings to clear US legal, cobble together a Computron with what they had already? I mean, look:

TakaraTomy
Scattershot: major retool
Lightspeed: retool
Nosecone: major retool
Strafe: major retool from an inaccessible (for now) mold
Afterburner: major retool

Hasbro
Scattershot: unchanged
Lightsteed: unchanged
Nosecone: aside from the drill bit, unchanged
Strafe: major retool (in fact, the only one out of the bunch)
Afterbreaker: borrowed

Afterburner may seem to counter the whole argument, but it's possible that the Afterburner parts were built into the Groove mold, and when Groove was brought over to the US so were the alternate parts.

[Kurona]

Where's this Hasbro Strafe being a retool coming from??? Everything I've seen says new mold.

[william-james88]

Where's this Hasbro Strafe being a retool coming from??? Everything I've seen says new mold.

Its a remold or air raid. They changed the alt mode bits but most of the robot is intact:

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Where's this Hasbro Strafe being a retool coming from??? Everything I've seen says new mold.

It is an extensive retool of Air Raid.

[Kurona]

Where's this Hasbro Strafe being a retool coming from??? Everything I've seen says new mold.

Its a remold or air raid. They changed the alt mode bits but most of the robot is intact:

Oh. Huh.
Guess that makes sense. It's a great remold too and I'm glad they're using a different plane from Firefly for once

[william-james88]

Guess that makes sense. It's a great remold too and I'm glad they're using a different plane from Firefly for once

I really dont find it a great remold. Especially since every bit of the robot is the exact same aside from the head. By retooling nothing about the robot, they end up retooling only the top of the vehicle and it shows. The alt mode looks pregnant and it will look exactly like this when looking under it:


Transformers Generations Combiner Wars Air Raid Gallery

It's pretty crazy how between the 2 retools of this mold, its the technobot that looks more similar:



As you can tell from that image above, Skydive and Air Raid are far more different to eachother than Air Raid and Starfe.

[Kurona]

I mean... I guess? For me the combined mode is the most important part (admittedly I love CW Prowl as a Prowl figure), and from a glance without the weird square things on their chests I couldn't really tell Strafe is a remold of Air Raid.

[william-james88]

I mean... I guess? For me the combined mode is the most important part (admittedly I love CW Prowl as a Prowl figure), and from a glance without the weird square things on their chests I couldn't really tell Strafe is a remold of Air Raid.

Well for the combined mode, Unite Warriors has that new combiner head and a retooled combiner torso (with awesome paint detail to bring out the sculpt) so thats the go to version IF you care more about the combined form. I forget are you getting the PE kit for those or no? I totally understand getting the Hasbro version if you are already getting an upgrade kit.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

It's pretty crazy how between the 2 retools of this mold, its the technobot that looks more similar:



As you can tell from that image above, Skydive and Air Raid are far more different to eachother than Air Raid and Starfe.

Air Raid and Skydive were planned side-by-side with great freedom, that basically goes for every pretooled pair in CW. This late in the game, Hasbro can only add vehicle parts and heads, while TakaraTomy has a greater luxury, from making new robot mode parts down to making new molds one figure at a time. Point is, both take existing shells as a base, that's all they can do now, really.

[Kurona]

I mean... I guess? For me the combined mode is the most important part (admittedly I love CW Prowl as a Prowl figure), and from a glance without the weird square things on their chests I couldn't really tell Strafe is a remold of Air Raid.

Well for the combined mode, Unite Warriors has that new combiner head and a retooled combiner torso (with awesome paint detail to bring out the sculpt) so thats the go to version IF you care more about the combined form. I forget are you getting the PE kit for those or no? I totally understand getting the Hasbro version if you are already getting an upgrade kit.

Ideally I get the PE kits for all the figures, yeah.
Computron's a funny one because I feel you get a different PE set depending on the company. If you go Takara you need to buy the hands and feet (which are, thankfully, the Bruticus PE molds rather than the previous inferior ones). If you go Hasbro you pretty much need to buy the chestplate, head and gun set. They cost the same and I feel both sets need these improvements so for me it really came down to how they look in combined mode with those upgrades. Sure there's no way to physically see that yet beyond the pictures of PE-11 on the already released Scattershot (I can't believe I found a good reason for that thing to be released), but you can kind of imagine it rather easily. So yeah, again, it just comes down to how the vehicles look in combined mode and for me they're equal so Scrounge wins me over.

[Sowndwave76]

I hadn't said it yet but am also surprised that Scrounge is a deciding factor for as many people as it seems.
I get with a new character (especially if it's a mold you don't have), it's relatively easy to pull the trigger.
However, when we're talking the swaying factor between two sets that are roughly $100 each,
on top of the fact that they're really different in appearance from one another...
It's not like I care, I just don't quite get it. And yes yes, to each their own.
Just interesting to me to have a legends-sized transforming wheel boss the decision on a full combiner purchase.
Pretty sure that would ignite buyer's remorse in me in about .2.

Anyway, one good thing for people is the differences should make a decision between the two versions easier no matter which you prefer.
Taking back Hasbro's Scattershot and canceling the PE head/chest set just freed up $58 to help me get UW Superion in less than two weeks.

[fenrir72]

I hadn't said it yet but am also surprised that Scrounge is a deciding factor for as many people as it seems.
I get with a new character (especially if it's a mold you don't have), it's relatively easy to pull the trigger.
However, when we're talking the swaying factor between two sets that are roughly $100 each,
on top of the fact that they're really different in appearance from one another...
It's not like I care, I just don't quite get it. And yes yes, to each their own.
Just interesting to me to have a legends-sized transforming wheel boss the decision on a full combiner purchase.
Pretty sure that would ignite buyer's remorse in me in about .2.

Anyway, one good thing for people is the differences should make a decision between the two versions easier no matter which you prefer.
Taking back Hasbro's Scattershot and canceling the PE head/chest set just freed up $58 to help me get UW Superion in less than two weeks.

And don't let anyone tell you otherwise in deciding which you want.

[Va'al]

It's been a while since we last saw news about Takara Tomy's Unite Warriors UW06 Grand Galvatron, but thanks to a tip from Seibertronian admin Burn, and the Twitter account of TFYuki, we get another look at the Rook redeco of Wandering Roller - and its compatibility with the Mini-cons from the Robots in Disguise/Transformers Adventure line. Check out the images below!

[william-james88]

DO we know if the Hasbro release of these minicons also have these ports?

[Cobotron]

DO we know if the Hasbro release of these minicons also have these ports?

I don't think they do.
Wish Roller would hurry up and roll out to my house.

[Autobot N]

I hadn't said it yet but am also surprised that Scrounge is a deciding factor for as many people as it seems.
I get with a new character (especially if it's a mold you don't have), it's relatively easy to pull the trigger.
However, when we're talking the swaying factor between two sets that are roughly $100 each,
on top of the fact that they're really different in appearance from one another...
It's not like I care, I just don't quite get it. And yes yes, to each their own.
Just interesting to me to have a legends-sized transforming wheel boss the decision on a full combiner purchase.
Pretty sure that would ignite buyer's remorse in me in about .2.

Anyway, one good thing for people is the differences should make a decision between the two versions easier no matter which you prefer.
Taking back Hasbro's Scattershot and canceling the PE head/chest set just freed up $58 to help me get UW Superion in less than two weeks.

For me, I really want to stick Scrounge to Comp's forearm using glue dots so Computron can become Captain America.

[Shuttershock]

With the wrecking ball hands, that mold would make a great Sinker for a hypothetical Heralds of Unicron combiner.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

This mold continues to impress. If only the hasbro version of the minicons has the ports to do this.

[mblase75]

More like Bowler now, amirite?

[MCutter]

While I don't have any Hasbro mini-cons to test it on, this shouldn't be too hard to replicate using the straight bit from a hard plastic crazy straw as 5mm posts.

Also: Roller? More like Bowler, amirite?

*EDIT*
Here's the EnergonPub article where Jin Saotome shared his discovery:
viewtopic.php?f=203&t=82607&p=1318868

[MCutter]

More like Bowler now, amirite?

Damn, missed it by that much.

[kurthy]

While I don't have any Hasbro mini-cons to test it on, this shouldn't be too hard to replicate using the straight bit from a hard plastic crazy straw as 5mm posts.

Also: Roller? More like Bowler, amirite?

*EDIT*
Here's the EnergonPub article where Jin Saotome shared his discovery:
viewtopic.php?f=203&t=82607&p=1318868

Now I need to get a set of TAV minicons just to do that with Roller. I know my son's hasbro minicons don't have that port.

[Deathsanras]

Really unfortunate positioning on the orange dude.

[Microraptor]

With the wrecking ball hands, that mold would make a great Sinker for a hypothetical Heralds of Unicron combiner.

All of the yes!