The Energon Pub

That Optimus Prime above is so obscure, not even 3P have dabbled into it.

Any pictures of the robot mode?

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:That Optimus Prime above is so obscure, not even 3P have dabbled into it.

Any pictures of the robot mode?

Just regular ol' G1 Optimus, same as the cartoon did with Cybertronian forms. But it would make a good basis for a new figure.

Emerje

Disappointing. The bot could have been a wee bit more original with such a bizare truck mode.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I think finally I feel safe putting Earthrise Sunstorm on this list.

That would be an easy Select to make. Maybe it will happen sooner or later. Just not under the Earthrise label.

Tetrajet Sunstorm or bust.

Emerje wrote:

Emerje

AS A ULTRA HARD TO FIND EXCLUSIVE TWO PACK!

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Emerje wrote:

Emerje

AS A ULTRA HARD TO FIND EXCLUSIVE TWO PACK!

Even better (worse) as an NFT coupon

Rodimus Prime wrote:I think finally I feel safe putting Earthrise Sunstorm on this list.

Seriously, how do we not have one? They've made obscure G2 Conhead Sandstorm, lesser known Welcoming Committee member Hotlink, and the poster child for "Literally who" in Red Wing (this isn't an insult to Red Wing though, I like him), but no Sunstorm? Surely he's more well known that all of those guys, right?

I would begrudgingly accept a 2-pack and immediately resell the ER jet. The Siege mold is the better mold in my eyes when compared to the ER jet, plus it would allow Sunstorm to match the majority of my WFC Seekers (ESPECIALLY Hotlink) and it would technically be cartoon-accurate since Sunstorm's Welcoming Committee gang were only on Cybertron (which is a reason I don't really care about, but considering how the Rainmakers look I assume Hasbro cares).

In a similar line of thought, I'm still shocked they haven't made a Mercenary Detritus from Siege Hound yet like the card game had. I know the card game wasn't indicative of actual releases, but considering Detritus was Hound's only pre-existing repaint I thought it would have been a shoe-in, especially when also taking into account Exhaust and Bug Bite showing up in Selects as Mercs.

A Sunstorm would be great, and I feel it's not entirely outside the realms of possibility that we might get one. What probably is, however, is the chance of a Sunstorm decoed up to look like he's aflame with solar power; a friend of mine had the idea for casting him in translucent orange plastic and using some kind of really shiny paint on the inner surfaces (think the POTP Dinobots but much shinier) to really give him that "glowing with heat" look. Bonus points for a plethora of flame effects to put on him.

Speaking of jetformers- One idea I think I've mentioned (apologies if so, my memory is getting bad) before but would love as a toy is a Windblade that turned into a De Havilland Sea Vixen (or a "totally not" version with some minor modifications just in case BAE decided to complain, though it's probably unlikely, given that a long-obsolete fairly obscure British naval fighter manufactured by the sadly defunct De Havilland company is hardly going to fetch a massive licensing fee to reproduce). For those that aren't colossal aircraft nerds like I am, the Sea Vixen looks like this.

Aside from the fact it's just a gorgeous looking plane, and IMO would look really nice in Windblade's colours, it kinda looks a bit like her jet mode if you squint. And on top of that, in robot mode the wings and twin tailbooms could form a really nice pair of luna moth style wings.

Sadly it'll probably never happen because the crossover of people who love the Sea Vixen and people who like Windblade is probably fairly small, and at this rate it seems like a new Windblade of any kind is off the cards (a shame as she's a nice design). Plus, if it were an accurate Sea Vixen it'd be missing her wing turbines, unless they were robot-only details or they pulled a Conehead and gave her an accurate fuselage with fictional wings.

Evil Eye wrote:A Sunstorm would be great, and I feel it's not entirely outside the realms of possibility that we might get one. What probably is, however, is the chance of a Sunstorm decoed up to look like he's aflame with solar power; a friend of mine had the idea for casting him in translucent orange plastic and using some kind of really shiny paint on the inner surfaces (think the POTP Dinobots but much shinier) to really give him that "glowing with heat" look. Bonus points for a plethora of flame effects to put on him.

Speaking of jetformers- One idea I think I've mentioned (apologies if so, my memory is getting bad) before but would love as a toy is a Windblade that turned into a De Havilland Sea Vixen (or a "totally not" version with some minor modifications just in case BAE decided to complain, though it's probably unlikely, given that a long-obsolete fairly obscure British naval fighter manufactured by the sadly defunct De Havilland company is hardly going to fetch a massive licensing fee to reproduce). For those that aren't colossal aircraft nerds like I am, the Sea Vixen looks like this.

Aside from the fact it's just a gorgeous looking plane, and IMO would look really nice in Windblade's colours, it kinda looks a bit like her jet mode if you squint. And on top of that, in robot mode the wings and twin tailbooms could form a really nice pair of luna moth style wings.

Sadly it'll probably never happen because the crossover of people who love the Sea Vixen and people who like Windblade is probably fairly small, and at this rate it seems like a new Windblade of any kind is off the cards (a shame as she's a nice design). Plus, if it were an accurate Sea Vixen it'd be missing her wing turbines, unless they were robot-only details or they pulled a Conehead and gave her an accurate fuselage with fictional wings.

I don't dislike Windblade, but I wish she had a less-Geisha looking head. Just looks a bit weird to me

How about Seekers that aren't just redecos? Individually tailored. But with a faux uniform Bot Mode? Characters like Jetfire and Windblade being different altmodes or sizes. But all Jetformers bearing a distinct, identifying look.

Furthering the idea of Transformers being mass produced by function IE Fliers all look like This.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:How about Seekers that aren't just redecos? Individually tailored. But with a faux uniform Bot Mode? Characters like Jetfire and Windblade being different altmodes or sizes. But all Jetformers bearing a distinct, identifying look.

Furthering the idea of Transformers being mass produced by function IE Fliers all look like This.

I like that, different-mold Seekers sounds like a cool idea. Actually you could invert the idea and have them with very similar jet modes but hugely diverse robot modes. I always liked the idea of the classic trio having Starscream be a fairly normal "heroic" proportioned 'bot, Thundercracker being taller and skinnier and Skywarp being shorter and stockier.

Evil Eye wrote:I like that, different-mold Seekers sounds like a cool idea. Actually you could invert the idea and have them with very similar jet modes but hugely diverse robot modes. I always liked the idea of the classic trio having Starscream be a fairly normal "heroic" proportioned 'bot, Thundercracker being taller and skinnier and Skywarp being shorter and stockier.

Exactly. It keeps the idea of Seekers as variants. But also allows for some individual personality.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Evil Eye wrote:I like that, different-mold Seekers sounds like a cool idea. Actually you could invert the idea and have them with very similar jet modes but hugely diverse robot modes. I always liked the idea of the classic trio having Starscream be a fairly normal "heroic" proportioned 'bot, Thundercracker being taller and skinnier and Skywarp being shorter and stockier.

Exactly. It keeps the idea of Seekers as variants. But also allows for some individual personality.

I think this is the most feasible. Just by changing the front plate of the chest and the headsculpt, you can have a whole lot of variety that will go beyond repaints. Making a squad of female seekers with Splitstream as their commander would also be easily done.

It's one of those ideas I've always toyed around with. Much like making all the standard redeco Seekers into a combiner. Either as a combined super jet or Gestalt.

I kinda like the idea of a Seeker combiner where instead of the usual "Starscream is the torso and four other Seekers are limbs" thing you have four Seekers (existing or OC) as the limbs and an OC character who turns into a large jet bomber as the torso- maybe a B1 Lancer or a B2 Spirit if you wanted an IRL plane.

Alternatively, some more unusual combination schemes would work well for Seeker combiners- 3-bot schemes, 2-bot "symmetrical docking" gestalts, etc. Which I'd like to see more of in general but anyway.

Also, specifically regarding the "multiple body shapes with the same or similar altmmodes" thing, a Nova Storm that isn't just a redeco of the standard Seeker mold- I like the idea of her being a girl, but being physically indistinguishable from any other Seeker in body shape is kinda lame. A Slipstream and subsequent female Seekers in general would be nice anyway.

One thing that will never happen in a million years that I'd still like would be a Seeker that turns into a Stuka G "Panzerknacker".

Aside from the fact it just looks cool, those anti-tank cannons are just begging to be used as Seeker arm-guns. Also would be fitting for Starscream what with the Stuka's "Jericho Trumpet" siren.

Rodimus Prime wrote:I always thought it would have been awesome, and a feat of engineering, if Hasbro had made the 6 released ER voyager seekers into a Titan combiner, like they did with the voyager-sized Constructicons in Combiner Wars.

Starscream the head and chest like Hook, Skywarp and T-cracker the arms, Thrust the waist and crotch like Long Haul, and Dirge and Ramjet the legs.

Or if they wanted to cheat, just make them like OS KO versions of the CW Aerialbot limbs.

The did have Seekers on the brain when initially designing the CW jets. Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp out of Skydive, Thrust/Dirge/Ramjet out of Air Raid as Unite Warriors has shown, PotP Starscream... plus the unused alternate head for Cyclonus!

As an aside to the Seeker talk, and in keeping with this thread. How about giving agency to the variants? Flesh out Dirge, Tigertrack, Acidstorm etc, etc, etc

AKA Don't just leave them as generics and fodder forever.

Jelze Bunnycat wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:I always thought it would have been awesome, and a feat of engineering, if Hasbro had made the 6 released ER voyager seekers into a Titan combiner, like they did with the voyager-sized Constructicons in Combiner Wars.

Starscream the head and chest like Hook, Skywarp and T-cracker the arms, Thrust the waist and crotch like Long Haul, and Dirge and Ramjet the legs.

Or if they wanted to cheat, just make them like OS KO versions of the CW Aerialbot limbs.

The did have Seekers on the brain when initially designing the CW jets. Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp out of Skydive, Thrust/Dirge/Ramjet out of Air Raid as Unite Warriors has shown, PotP Starscream... plus the unused alternate head for Cyclonus!

Just for the record, I was able to make a seeker combiner: PotP Starcscream (Torso obviously). Dreadwind & Blackwing (Legs) BC 2016 Terrorsaur & Golden Lagoon SS (Renamed Sunstorm) as arms .

But yeah, Dreamwave has always been my favorite comics continuity. Not because of Sunstorm, but he was definitely a great result that came out of it.

If Hasbro is looking for easy repaints, they would know not to be done with either the Siege Tetrajet or ER Seeker molds, there are still several variants left to release.