The Energon Pub

[Decepticon Stryker]

Glad to know my local Targets aren't the only ones that have been lacking in non-Buzzworthy Bumblebee stuff. It's also kind of depressing to know that too...

[Cheetron]

I have people hunting in 4 states for the world's collide 4 pack. Its good to know I'm not the only one running into barren empty shelves and echos in the aisles.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Kanra, that Skullcruncher is a fun toy, I love it! I'm hoping that once the Den is reassembled, Cyberverse will have more room and I can spread them out so Crunchy can be in alt mode.

I'm going to have to start hunting that Cheetor now, me wants it.

[darthravage07]

Even though I have found the stuff I am looking for by going multiple times a day, its ridiculous the slow rate be it at Target, Walmart, Walgreens...the brick retailers are showing us their bare bricks. Its sad to say but I am starting to believe this may be the end of retail period.
Stores dont order as soon as its sold, has it tied up in automation, or dont have enoough staff to work the stock they get in.
Its time to figure out the disconnect before there is only online and thats no fun as I enjoy the thrill of the hunt.
Stay safe, be well, and have a good week out there all.

[william-james88]

Transformers Cyberverse deluxe Cheetor was found in US retail a few days ago and now we have some in hand images to share for those curious. While the robot mode looks very show accurate, this gives us a much better look at the cheetah mode and, well, you'll see. The stock images had only showed us the cheetah mode with armour and we never saw a view from the side. These pictures come from AGMagnus who posted them, along with a quick written review, on the TFW2005 boards.

Here are the images followed by a slightly edited version of the review:

As a figure, he's alright. Not a Masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination, but fans of the character might appreciate having a more show-accurate Cheetor on their shelf.

Naturally, Cheetor turns into a cheetah. No surprises there. He's a bit kibbly due to the robot mode arms, so it's not the cleanest cheetah mode we've gotten. It doesn't help that there's a lot of sharp angles that make it look much more messy than it otherwise would be.

In lieu of effect parts, Cheetor comes with a set of translucent green armor, which clips over the face and tabs onto the front paws. The sword placement seems to reference Night Slash Cheetor from the Beast Machines line, which I found to be a nice homage. It's just a bit annoying that the shades of yellow don't match.

Robot mode is where I think this guy displays best. It's much more show-accurate than the Spark Armor figure. I just wish the tail folded up against his back or swiveled around to the side, since detail for this character's signature tail belt (which I think is one of the best aspects of his design) is present. The collar is a bit tall, but that's also a byproduct of the character design.

The armor attaches in robot mode too, but it's more decorative here. What's particularly annoying is that the tabs in the claw armor are too small for the forearm slots, so the opportunity to have Wolverine claws was totally missed.

The articulation is nothing mind blowing, but it's at least functional.

Overall, he's okay. He's not the best Cyberverse Deluxe, but I think he's one of the better ones in the line. Unless you're as crazy as I am about being completionist with this line, need a representation of Cyberverse Cheetor in your collection, or you just HAVE to have every toy of Cheetor out there, your money is better off going to a Generations figure.

[-Kanrabat-]

That Cheetor have a very clean bot but the cheetah mode suffer a bit due to "donut chest syndrome". Otherwise, he's still very interesting and I'm sure to pick him up.

[blackeyedprime]

Still better than kingdoms to me but tbf that's not hard to do. I like the design despite its alt mode flaws but Reds probably going to fit better with the bots I already have.

[AcademyofDrX]

I don't think that Cyberverse gets enough credit for how stylized its designs are. Granted, it isn't anywhere close to Animated, but it's not just plain G1--or in this case, plain Beast Wars. I'm on the fence for this one since it doesn't come with blast effects or a BAF, but it's a nice alternative to the very organic-looking Kingdom one.

[Emerje]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

[AcademyofDrX]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

Starscream and Soundwave tend to go for a considerable mark-up on eBay now as a result. I know I should expect it, but I'm always surprised when the more kid-friendly product goes the collectible route.

(I've been stalking them because I got it in my head to collect all of the blast effects, which is one of the dumber ideas I've had for my collection.)

[william-james88]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

Starscream and Soundwave tend to go for a considerable mark-up on eBay now as a result. I know I should expect it, but I'm always surprised when the more kid-friendly product goes the collectible route.

(I've been stalking them because I got it in my head to collect all of the blast effects, which is one of the dumber ideas I've had for my collection.)

I get surprised too. That Robots in Disguuse Ratchet has become a white whale to many

[chuckdawg1999]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

Starscream and Soundwave tend to go for a considerable mark-up on eBay now as a result. I know I should expect it, but I'm always surprised when the more kid-friendly product goes the collectible route.

(I've been stalking them because I got it in my head to collect all of the blast effects, which is one of the dumber ideas I've had for my collection.)

I get surprised too. That Robots in Disguuse Ratchet has become a white whale to many

The retool of Strongarm?

[william-james88]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

Starscream and Soundwave tend to go for a considerable mark-up on eBay now as a result. I know I should expect it, but I'm always surprised when the more kid-friendly product goes the collectible route.

(I've been stalking them because I got it in my head to collect all of the blast effects, which is one of the dumber ideas I've had for my collection.)

I get surprised too. That Robots in Disguuse Ratchet has become a white whale to many

The retool of Strongarm?

Yup

[chuckdawg1999]

Not crazy about the brown. It isn't cartoon accurate and just makes him look like he's been running through deep mud. Otherwise, pretty great looking figure, will definitely buy one if I see him in stores (I only saw Starscream and Prowl once and never saw Soundwave so there's no telling).

Emerje

Starscream and Soundwave tend to go for a considerable mark-up on eBay now as a result. I know I should expect it, but I'm always surprised when the more kid-friendly product goes the collectible route.

(I've been stalking them because I got it in my head to collect all of the blast effects, which is one of the dumber ideas I've had for my collection.)

I get surprised too. That Robots in Disguuse Ratchet has become a white whale to many

The retool of Strongarm?

Yup

As I remember it was very floppy in the hips and the side kibble would often get in the way. If you don't have it you're not missing much.

[william-james88]

As I remember it was very floppy in the hips and the side kibble would often get in the way. If you don't have it you're not missing much.

Yea I had never heard great things either. And man makes me hate myself more for wanting one still. It's just a character missing from my collection. I have neither Prime nor RID Rather (which is the same guy). At least I have the Legion class one, which is a great toy.

Moving on, I have a question for you guys. I have been playing a lot with my 3 year old and the two toy lines he likes best are G1 and Cyberverse for the exact same reason: they are easy to transform. And they are easy for the same reason too, they both lack a lot of articulation points, meaning that folding arms away and the like is much easier. You'll always end up at the right angles to lock in certain elements on the first try making the transformation much easier (even though there may not necessarily be less steps).

This further reinforced my idea that Cyberverse truly is a G1 redo. Both the show and the toys and the way the toys are rereleased and how how the same chracter could appear again in a toyline but with a different gimick (like in G1). Both lines just have a lot of paralels. And both lines are really just for kids with not a rat's butt given to appeal to any higher age group. The scale is all over the place too, like with G1. Oh and its the same characters with similar designs. I just see a ton of similarities.

My only worry about writing such an article is that some fans might feel triggered. Do you see that happening?

[Jelze Bunnycat]

As I remember it was very floppy in the hips and the side kibble would often get in the way. If you don't have it you're not missing much.

Yea I had never heard great things either. And man makes me hate myself more for wanting one still. It's just a character missing from my collection. I have neither Prime nor RID Rather (which is the same guy). At least I have the Legion class one, which is a great toy.

Moving on, I have a question for you guys. I have been playing a lot with my 3 year old and the two toy lines he likes best are G1 and Cyberverse for the exact same reason: they are easy to transform. And they are easy for the same reason too, they both lack a lot of articulation points, meaning that folding arms away and the like is much easier. You'll always end up at the right angles to lock in certain elements on the first try making the transformation much easier (even though there may not necessarily be less steps).

This further reinforced my idea that Cyberverse truly is a G1 redo. Both the show and the toys and the way the toys are rereleased and how how the same chracter could appear again in a toyline but with a different gimick (like in G1). Both lines just have a lot of paralels. And both lines are really just for kids with not a rat's butt given to appeal to any higher age group. The scale is all over the place too, like with G1. Oh and its the same characters with similar designs. I just see a ton of similarities.

My only worry about writing such an article is that some fans might feel triggered. Do you see that happening?

Actually, the characters is where there's a bit of a difference between G1 and Cyberverse. Re-releasing characters was something G1 did not do on a huge scale, in fact G1 was quite shy about that until the Action Masters. True, the ones re-released did have gimmicks (pull-back motor for Goldbug, Powermaster for Optimus Prime, and Pretender Shells for Bumblebee, Jazz, Grimlock and Starscream), but that's more finding a gimmick line to fit them in and less finding a gimmick to use on them

[-Kanrabat-]

I don't think that comparing Cyberverse to G1 is really fair for two reasons. G1 is like a strange chimera spawning at the very least a whole decade. There were bots that were simple and easy to transform, sure, but many others were fairly complicated. Thanks to all those different companies that were "fused". Also, lets not forget that the tech were limited at the time and not as advanced as it is today.

One key constant though. Indeed the less points of articulations the bot have, the easier it is to transform. I would also add that recognisable Earth vehicles are easier to do than Cybertronian forms, where the goal is obvious.

The sure thing is for gameplay, even for adults, one step changers are way more fun for play (meaning vroom, zoom, pew pew pew!) than your average WFC or SS. MP and most 3P are instantly disqualified.

[william-james88]

Also, lets not forget that the tech were limited at the time and not as advanced as it is today.

That's for sure, but the result is still the same which is that the Cyberverse toys are similar to G1 in the way that they have less articulation. One may not be intentional while the other is, but the ease of transforming in both cases made it easier for kids to get into the brand.

[-Kanrabat-]

Also, lets not forget that the tech were limited at the time and not as advanced as it is today.

That's for sure, but the result is still the same which is that the Cyberverse toys are similar to G1 in the way that they have less articulation. One may not be intentional while the other is, but the ease of transforming in both cases made it easier for kids to get into the brand.

Exactly. Too many fans forget that Cyberverse and Rescue Bot are an essential part of the brand to ensure it's longevity.
I could even argued that those lines are it's heart.

[william-james88]

Also, lets not forget that the tech were limited at the time and not as advanced as it is today.

That's for sure, but the result is still the same which is that the Cyberverse toys are similar to G1 in the way that they have less articulation. One may not be intentional while the other is, but the ease of transforming in both cases made it easier for kids to get into the brand.

Exactly. Too many fans forget that Cyberverse and Rescue Bot are an essential part of the brand to ensure it's longevity.
I could even argued that those lines are it's heart.

Well I think the Cyberverse line is the main line at the moment. Since G1, the main line is the line that is made with media to support it. And right now that would go to Cyberverse. They are the line adhering to the old "show is a toy commercial model" and also the main line that is only targetting kids/parents.

With the WFC lines (and Prime wars line before it), I think they are also very prominant but I don't think there are as much being made. The age group targetted is higher (8 years old and up, which at that point has a lot of entertainment options competing with it) and the cartoons are not made to support the line. They are instead made as a reaction to the line, if that makes sense. And you can see that with the fact that the toyline made to go with the show was the exclusive Netflix line as opposed to the actual WFC line.

[Sabrblade]

I feel like the G1 comparison for Cyberverse would be more comparable for more people if the G1 molds had never used diecast or rubber, and had always been all-plastic, in the first place.

Just imagine how different the G1 Optimus mold would have felt if it had been a completely plastic truck with no diecast or rubber tires. It'd probably feel a lot closer to some of the Cyberverse Optimus toys, or even Optimus toys of the Cyber Series or Authentics lines.

[-Kanrabat-]

I feel like the G1 comparison for Cyberverse would be more comparable for more people if the G1 molds had never used diecast or rubber, and had always been all-plastic, in the first place.

Just imagine how different the G1 Optimus mold would have felt if it had been a completely plastic truck with no diecast or rubber tires. It'd probably feel a lot closer to some of the Cyberverse Optimus toys, or even Optimus toys of the Cyber Series or Authentics lines.

Already been done with the Ginrai/Powermaster mold. The G1 original and Powermaster do feel really different in hand for sure.

[Sabrblade]

I feel like the G1 comparison for Cyberverse would be more comparable for more people if the G1 molds had never used diecast or rubber, and had always been all-plastic, in the first place.

Just imagine how different the G1 Optimus mold would have felt if it had been a completely plastic truck with no diecast or rubber tires. It'd probably feel a lot closer to some of the Cyberverse Optimus toys, or even Optimus toys of the Cyber Series or Authentics lines.

Already been done with the Ginrai/Powermaster mold. The G1 original and Powermaster do feel really different in hand for sure.

Except the Ginrai version (and all its reissues, both Takara and Hasbro) used diecast.

[-Kanrabat-]

I feel like the G1 comparison for Cyberverse would be more comparable for more people if the G1 molds had never used diecast or rubber, and had always been all-plastic, in the first place.

Just imagine how different the G1 Optimus mold would have felt if it had been a completely plastic truck with no diecast or rubber tires. It'd probably feel a lot closer to some of the Cyberverse Optimus toys, or even Optimus toys of the Cyber Series or Authentics lines.

Already been done with the Ginrai/Powermaster mold. The G1 original and Powermaster do feel really different in hand for sure.

Except the Ginrai version (and all its reissues, both Takara and Hasbro) used diecast.

Where is the diecast? On the feet? Mine is in God Ginrai mode and I'm don't feel like disassembling everything.

[Emerje]

I feel like the G1 comparison for Cyberverse would be more comparable for more people if the G1 molds had never used diecast or rubber, and had always been all-plastic, in the first place.

Just imagine how different the G1 Optimus mold would have felt if it had been a completely plastic truck with no diecast or rubber tires. It'd probably feel a lot closer to some of the Cyberverse Optimus toys, or even Optimus toys of the Cyber Series or Authentics lines.

Already been done with the Ginrai/Powermaster mold. The G1 original and Powermaster do feel really different in hand for sure.

Except the Ginrai version (and all its reissues, both Takara and Hasbro) used diecast.

Where is the diecast? On the feet? Mine is in God Ginrai mode and I'm don't feel like disassembling everything.

The entire front of the truck is also diecast, plus they added in the clear windows.



Emerje