The Energon Pub

Now that I've seen the review, I don't understand why everyone's complaining so much. It's a big, well-designed figure that looks really cool and for once doesn't look like it's missing half its paint apps. So some things don't peg in quite right, big deal, I'll still get it and I'm sure I'll love it. I personally think it looks better than the Animated version and I like that figure too.

MasterSoundBlaster wrote:

Cybertronus wrote:Perhaps people wouldn't complain if Hasbro did not think that what ever crap they spit out people would buy.
They have the tools,the experience, the money and the people to make figures so much better than this. They are just lazy and the only thing they think off is money

If you don't like it, don't spend your money! Hasbro could be looking at these reactions and decide to cancel all other triple changers we could possibly get in the future because people keep bashing the ones they're providing us. I'm still getting him. His minor problems can be fixed and I know MOST people will probably just display him in robot mode anyways.

If you go to a restaurant and they serve you a meal that is ruined for some reason will you still eat it or will you complain? Feel free to buy it. No one cares. And Hasbro appreaciates. But if you never complain about something you do not like, how will they know your opinion?
We Tansformers collectors and fans deserve more from Hasbro. We should not represent only numbers. If it weren't for us HASBRO would go bankrupt.
I will not fill no ones pockets for a bad quality figure just because they threw it up in the stores

Rated X wrote:Ill probally just mod the tabs so they lock into place. This guy does have some legit complaints about the figure. But I also see some of it as coming off rather petty. My biggest complaint about the figure is that it should have been a deluxe to scale with Astrotrain and Octane. But Ill still be happy to own him.

Whoa, wait a minute. Petty?

Care to point out which parts are petty?

The shoulders not locking in and flopping all over the place? Not petty. (He also was not the first to complain about them.)

The entire nose cone being made out of rubber that has to bend and stress? (He also was not the first to complain about that.)

The arms not pegging in in jet mode?

The legs not pegging in in jet mode?

Those aren't petty. Those are legitimate complaints considering all of the aforementioned issues are involved in necessary components to make the figure and it's gimmick (transformation) work.

Petty? I don't think so.

Oh, and the turret's base being soft plastic? I know what he's talking about when he says soft plastic. Yeah, not the best idea for something of such importance in a figure like this.

Balt's liked stuff I wouldn't have found appealing, so I don't always agree with his opinion, but I must on this. He's right. It's a terrible figure.

The fact that so many are so desperate for a Blitzwing, they'll take whatever Hasbro gives them, should tell you something. We're so used to not getting what we want, that when they do throw us an underwhelming tidbit, we jump right at it.

That's ridiculous. Vote with your wallets, people.

Autobot032 wrote:

Rated X wrote:Ill probally just mod the tabs so they lock into place. This guy does have some legit complaints about the figure. But I also see some of it as coming off rather petty. My biggest complaint about the figure is that it should have been a deluxe to scale with Astrotrain and Octane. But Ill still be happy to own him.

Whoa, wait a minute. Petty?

Care to point out which parts are petty?

The shoulders not locking in and flopping all over the place? Not petty. (He also was not the first to complain about them.)

The entire nose cone being made out of rubber that has to bend and stress? (He also was not the first to complain about that.)

The arms not pegging in in jet mode?

The legs not pegging in in jet mode?

Those aren't petty. Those are legitimate complaints considering all of the aforementioned issues are involved in necessary components to make the figure and it's gimmick (transformation) work.

Petty? I don't think so.

Oh, and the turret's base being soft plastic? I know what he's talking about when he says soft plastic. Yeah, not the best idea for something of such importance in a figure like this.

Balt's liked stuff I wouldn't have found appealing, so I don't always agree with his opinion, but I must on this. He's right. It's a terrible figure.

The fact that so many are so desperate for a Blitzwing, they'll take whatever Hasbro gives them, should tell you something. We're so used to not getting what we want, that when they do throw us an underwhelming tidbit, we jump right at it.

That's ridiculous. Vote with your wallets, people.

For me the price is petty at a mere 22 bucks. I give out the price of 3 Blitzwings in singles at the strip club just for fun. And Im not rich. But I dont expect the same out of a $22 Hasbro figure designed for kids as I do from a $99 TFC figure designed for adult collectors. Maybe Baltmatrix should try holding the shoulders with his thumb before posing the arms. I noticed they kept unpegging because he refused to use two hands when posing the arms. On the arm pegs not fitting in jet mode, that was Hasbro's bad. But a simple fix with a file or some sandpaper. Once again, it's a $22 figure so Im not afraid to make a few mods. The leg pegs fit in, they are just a pain in the ass it seems. Do you own Steelcore or Assualter ? They are both peg nightmares. Ive become acustomed to pegs and the level of difficulty they pose with certain alt modes. It's a fact of TF collecting life. The nosecone I really cant comment on until I have the figure in hand. Maybe Hasbro tried plastic and rubber was the better of two evils for that part of the transformation. Im not sure what he means by "soft plastic" were talking Hasbro not KO's here. But I wish the turret moved in tank mode. But no big deal. It's only a 22 dollar toy. Im not buying a Rolex.

I still like him ._.

I think I may have some problem... My friends too, they didn't seem to mind his issues.

mtma wrote:I still like him ._.

I think I may have some problem... My friends too, they didn't seem to mind his issues.

You're not alone. Blitzwing was the only one of the classic triple changers I had. This guy is a must get.

Rated X wrote:For me the price is petty at a mere 22 bucks.

But it's *not* a mere $22.00. Most people will pay more, much more once taxes, shipping, importing and customs are all factored in.

Rated X wrote:I give out the price of 3 Blitzwings in singles at the strip club just for fun. And Im not rich.

You stay classy. And for the record, I don't think the discussion of such a place on a board such as this, is necessary.

Rated X wrote:But I dont expect the same out of a $22 Hasbro figure designed for kids as I do from a $99 TFC figure designed for adult collectors.

*BUZZ* Kids don't know who Blitzwing is. Nor do they care. He's made with safety in mind in case children do acquire said figure, but he's definitely made with collectors in mind. Which is confusing to me. Hasbro says we basically mean nothing to them, yet they go and make a figure that's supposed to cater to us, and yet it's not collector quality.

Designed for kids? You'll have to prove it to me. And until you can, we best stay clear of this point, because it's just going to make a mess.

Rated X wrote:Maybe Baltmatrix should try holding the shoulders with his thumb before posing the arms. I noticed they kept unpegging because he refused to use two hands when posing the arms.

Could he hold the shoulder piece down before posing? Sure. Should he have to? No. And if we ignore such things, Hasbro's just going to continue pulling crap like this. Springer looks like he should be full of flaws and yet, he's one of the most solidly designed and built figures offered right now. There's no good excuse as to why Blitzwing got shafted. When you do find out the real reason, you come and let us know.

Rated X wrote:On the arm pegs not fitting in jet mode, that was Hasbro's bad. But a simple fix with a file or some sandpaper. Once again, it's a $22 figure so Im not afraid to make a few mods. The leg pegs fit in, they are just a pain in the ass it seems. Do you own Steelcore or Assualter ? They are both peg nightmares. Ive become acustomed to pegs and the level of difficulty they pose with certain alt modes. It's a fact of TF collecting life.

Indeed, it was Hasbro's bad. And if the problematic pegs are their fault, why is it so hard to make the leap that the rest of the figure's problems are their fault? Why is it that people want this guy SO bad that they'll allow this to happen and do so with a smile on their face? That's pretty ridiculous, considering how much money and life we've pumped into this company in the past THIRTY years.

And modding it? I'll give you that one. Plenty of people mod, doesn't matter if it's $22.00 or $222.00, so modding it's not the biggest issue. Fair point.

And no, I don't own either of those 3rd party figures. I'm not the biggest Wreckers fan.

Rated X wrote:The nosecone I really cant comment on until I have the figure in hand. Maybe Hasbro tried plastic and rubber was the better of two evils for that part of the transformation.

I can't imagine why rubber would be better than plastic, unless it was a design flaw and they needed a work around. But I know you won't even cop to the possibility, at least.

Rated X wrote:Im not sure what he means by "soft plastic" were talking Hasbro not KO's here. But I wish the turret moved in tank mode. But no big deal. It's only a 22 dollar toy. Im not buying a Rolex.

...the turret *does* move in tank mode. He just wants to fall apart when you do.

And I'd hope that if you'd spend money on a Rolex, you'd use the same train of thought when giving Hasbro your money. Rolex might be expensive, but they make it worth it, if you're into that kind of thing. Hasbro's stuff gets more and more expensive and it's becoming less and less worth it.

As for 3rd parties, I've seen the pricetags of their figures, I own quite a few of them, and I'm willing to pay it because I know it's quality being made. When the people who created all of this are the ones cutting corners and not the knock off groups, that's a pretty bad thing to be able to say.

However, I will end this on a fair note for Hasbro... Not all of their products lately have been bottom of the barrel. Some of the PRID/BH figures have been downright excellent quality. Reminiscent of their golden era.

And those figures, especially the Prime line, have gotten the majority of my money. When they give us the goods, I'll gladly give them my money. When they don't, I'll go elsewhere.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

mtma wrote:I still like him ._.

I think I may have some problem... My friends too, they didn't seem to mind his issues.

You're not alone. Blitzwing was the only one of the classic triple changers I had. This guy is a must get.

Yeeah, and I really don't get so upset over these things... My old Cybershark from BW barely stands on his own but he's still one of my favorite TFs ever... FoC Bruticus has so many issues, and I got the garish G2 color, but he has a special place in my heart (and my shelf(right besides my gundams) I also enjoyed FoC Jazz, Prime...

I think these small problems don't degrade so much, so an average or even bad toy for some is at least a good toy for me...

I can’t speak on how much others will pay for this figure. I went the smart route with BBTS. Split the price of Springer and Blitzwing and they come out to a little over $22.00 Add a buck more for shipping since I save big by shipping HUGE piles of loot. No gas money hunting around. I haven’t a clue why people complain about Customs fees. I order from China all the time and never get charged. Do these people live in Cuba maybe? Sorry if you took my stripper comment the wrong way, I’m just living up to my nickname. I have many hobbies. Maybe kids don’t know who Blitzwing is, but they will soon. This figure might be designed with us collectors in mind, but Hasbro’s target audience will always be kids. I guess they’re gonna roll with a G1 theme in-between the demise of TF Prime and the introduction of Bayformers 4. Better for us I reckon. On holding the shoulders, I’ve seen worse. I agree he shouldn’t have to, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he did. I’m not so much into playing with figures as I am displaying them, so it doesn’t need to survive the kid from hell to be on my shelf. Maybe the nosecone is rubber because plastic would have been prone to cracking when you pull it loose. Rubber is more flexible. But more likely it is made out of rubber so some stupid kid won’t use the nosecone to stab his little sister. Did I mention kids are Hasbro’s target audience? (LOL) I can only really comment on the figure further when I have it in my hands. And by the time I ship my next pile of loot, this thread will be old news. But I do agree with you, Blitzwing is too tempting for most of us who want to fill the gap. I’ve learned with Hasbro, it is what it is. That’s why I endorse 3rd party stuff. They don’t give a crap about kids, just like me.

I've got to say, I'm really feeling Autobot032's opinions on all of this.

Have to add though, while the shoulders shouldn't have to be held down in order to rotate the arms, you sure as hell shouldn't have to modify the tabs on the arms and legs in order to get them to perform their function and actually tab in somewhere. That's some grade A testes right there.

FYI Internet scuttlebutt says that the more time he's spent with it mistakes have been found either by his own hand or the instructions. A mis-transformation may be involved

Sodan-1 wrote:I've got to say, I'm really feeling Autobot032's opinions on all of this.

Have to add though, while the shoulders shouldn't have to be held down in order to rotate the arms, you sure as hell shouldn't have to modify the tabs on the arms and legs in order to get them to perform their function and actually tab in somewhere. That's some grade A testes right there.

I'm usually on the side against Hasbro but this time I support them. Everyone including myself has been bitching about why Hasbro did Octane, Astrotrain, but not Blitzwing. Now they do a G1 accurate Blitzwing and the same people are giving them so much s**t. I could just see some Hasbro program analyst that gets paid to read forums say "Screw these collectors, were damned if we do and damned if we don't so lets just make more Bumblebees" I find the complaints to be petty. It's a $22.00 toy that we have been waiting for ages to get. Even if I had to save my lunch money and not eat for a week to afford him, I just couldn't be so critical. This reminds me of the people who had a fit because FP Function X couldn't do a cheerleader split or flap his arms like a chicken. Or the people that complain that the IT Tetra Jets legs are too short. These people must be married to supermodels because they sure are picky.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:FYI Internet scuttlebutt says that the more time he's spent worth it mistakes have been found either by his own hand or the instructions. A mis-transformation may be involved

There were no mis-transformations involved. What was involved were some rather major QC issues. Sanding down the tabs by his hands fixed the peg issue. For the legs not pegging into the torso (to form wings in jet mode and treads in tank mode) I discovered that the inside of the tab holes were not smooth. Meaning that when you tried to tab the legs in they were immediately forced right back out. A dremel was used to fix that. A followup video was just uploaded describing the changes I had to make to my figure.

Peaugh has his review in. And holy **** guys, he has found a way to lock the shoulders in (praise the Lord!). Apparently, all you have to do is align the tab in its respective groove, then push on the arm's hinge. Go to around 12:25 to watch the magic.



He's also a little bigger than RTS Lugnut (sadly). Everything also seems to lock into place as it should. I'm sold. Faith in humanity restored!

Okay. I'm relieved. Shoulders fixed, this guy is like 90% perfect... and the suggested WFC/FOC hovertank mode is a huge bonus to me. While I hate the rubber nose and pegging issues with the plane mode, the three mode are all picture perfect. Comparing to the G1 cartoon and toy, this looks fantastic. Faces are a nice optional bonus. And wow, though the old G1 toy was awesome in its day, it certainly looks dated in its articulation and proportions.

I tried the fix on my Blitzwing and....nada. Still flops around like crazy. I've seen folks on other boards have tried the fix as well and for some it works, for other it doesn't.

Oh my god! Peaugh's testing of the shoulder fix had me in hysterics. He was certainly thorough. His review does make me feel a bit better about this figure, but I'm still not sure if I like the overall design.

Sodan-1 wrote:...I'm still not sure if I like the overall design.

My only real problem is how his shoulder-wings are placed versus how Generation 1 had them placed. The rest of the figure is just gorgeous to me.

I have since seen another review by a different fan & that person loved the figure. Like some have mentioned on here, it's only $22 which is a small sum for most adult collectors I'm sure. I for one will be buying Blitzwing, but my criticisms of Hasbro/Takara's committment to quality still stand. I'd rather pay $30-40 for a voyager that I loved the quality of rather than $22 & then have to justify poor quality by it's price point. Bruticus is the epitome of this business model in my mind. They give us much of what we love as fans, a classic figure who is also a combiner. The in game character is awesome, the prerelease pictures show a figure to get excited about, then I opened the box to find a figure so lightweight, with plastic so thin that I'm seriously concerned about breaking it while attempting the transformation the first time. The figure is full of hallow parts & then can barely stand up in it's combined form. And this guy was not $22. But still I'm supposed to be happy with it because something is better than nothing? I remember days when a dissapointing figure was the exception rather than the rule & even then it was due to a simple transformation (Energon Galvatron) rather than poor quality materials.

besides the rubber nosecone this figure looks perfect to me. watching multiple reviews really help rather then judging and ripping the figure base on one negative review. Can Not wait till BBTS gets this in stock!

Agreed. Too bad the wings aren't flipped, but a minor point. Same with the nosecone, I think. (given, don't have it in hand.) Not perfect, but really really good. A high point for the Classics line, along with Springer. Bravo. Bring on the retools/repaints. (Sandstorm, Overcharge, SG all-of-the-above.)

Any other ideas for repaints or retools out of these guys? Overlord maybe? (IS a tank, jet, robot triple changer of sorts.) Impactor?

gothsaurus wrote:Agreed. Too bad the wings aren't flipped, but a minor point. Same with the nosecone, I think. (given, don't have it in hand.) Not perfect, but really really good. A high point for the Classics line, along with Springer. Bravo. Bring on the retools/repaints. (Sandstorm, Overcharge, SG all-of-the-above.)

Any other ideas for repaints or retools out of these guys? Overlord maybe? (IS a tank, jet, robot triple changer of sorts.) Impactor?

I like the IDW overlord retool of blitzwing idea. I think that would be perfect!

mooncake623 wrote:

gothsaurus wrote:Agreed. Too bad the wings aren't flipped, but a minor point. Same with the nosecone, I think. (given, don't have it in hand.) Not perfect, but really really good. A high point for the Classics line, along with Springer. Bravo. Bring on the retools/repaints. (Sandstorm, Overcharge, SG all-of-the-above.)

Any other ideas for repaints or retools out of these guys? Overlord maybe? (IS a tank, jet, robot triple changer of sorts.) Impactor?

I like the IDW overlord retool of blitzwing idea. I think that would be perfect!

Personally I would think Flywheels would make the best retool from Blitzwing.

Also, the tab fix does not work on mine at all. I think I might break mine if I keep trying.

I did notice my shoulders are squared up all the time, unlike in P's video. I'm not sure if it makes a difference, but it feels like it does. Still an amazing figure, I just would be over the damn moon if I could fix the shoulders once and for all.

Ooooh. Flywheels is a pretty fun idea. Nice thinking.

gothsaurus wrote:Ooooh. Flywheels is a pretty fun idea. Nice thinking.