The Energon Pub

[RhA]

I prefer Season 3 to the early years. I like G2 because it's both the failure of the early G1 aesthetic and simultaneously the surrender of the G1 characters from the clutches of any kind of purist presentation. Every improvement and heresy dates back to G2 and G2 stands as this reminder that going back to G1 wasn't enough.

[MrBlack]

In my head canon, cartoon/movie G1 Unicron is a physical manifestation of the IDW G1 Dead Universe (same essential entity, different forms for different universes). When Unicron creates Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps (and Cyclonus' "Armada") in the '86 movie, he's actually just imprinting sparkless chaises with the minds and/or sparks of ancient Transformers of the same name who had crossed paths with him eons ago and been consumed, akin to how those characters plus a few others were written into the IDW G1 mythos as having been early explorers who discovered and then became trapped in and corrupted by the Dead Universe. Of course, Megatron "still functioned" when he was reformatted in the movie, so his spark still survives as a part of "Galvatron," while Thundercracker, Skywarp, and the Insecticons were thoroughly dead at that point, so their personality makeovers are much more complete.

I'll tell you why I don't care for this aspect of IDW. It feels like having cake and eating it too. The same goes for the Galvatronus toy. I really want the promise of a world with no Megatron or Optimus.

One option for that is a world where they die and stay dead for awhile. One option is if they fundamentally become different characters.

If you can have Galvatron or Galvatronus alongside Megatron without explanation, it means you don't ever need to get rid of Prime and Megatron.

I like Animated. I think Energon is my favorite of the Unicron trilogy and I'm starting to get nostalgic for how different much of that stuff was. Season 3 is my favorite part of G1... and I really wish G2 had more proper fiction not just because I instinctively like Pyro and Rapido but because I think Rodimus deserves a post-Prime story (Japan launched him into space after restoring him although I think Energon Prime was hinted at being G1 Prime there, eh?). Actually, part of what interests me about G2 is that it kind of devolves Megatron and Optimus. The comics made them both more fallible but the toys themselves stripped them of what had been their iconography. This was the line inspired every heresy. The end of Megatron as a gun. Optimus Prime increasingly off model and ending up with plans to make him a dumptruck.

I prefer Season 3 to the early years. I like G2 because it's both the failure of the early G1 aesthetic and simultaneously the surrender of the G1 characters from the clutches of any kind of purist presentation. Every improvement and heresy dates back to G2 and G2 stands as this reminder that going back to G1 wasn't enough.

People talk about losing their innocence when Optimus Prime died. I think, for me, I lost it when I saw him return. I'd been eager for it, expecting it. I think maybe other kids saw Rebirth first. There was a line telling kids to expect his return on VHS, I think? But when I saw him come back, I wondered if we weren't better off with him dead. I never thought that with Starscream. I loved his brief returns and Cobra Commander's.

But I still think I'd be more interested in a Transformers universe without Prime or Megatron. Any Optimus or Megatron. And I like the idea that Galvatron means you have to give up Megatron. I feel like without that, you'll always have Optimus and Megatron around and, worse, they'll always be fairly true to form unlike G2 where they started getting off-model in fun ways.

Galvatron is the dessert that people finish their vegetables (ie. let go of Megatron) for. And if you can have dessert without finishing your vegetables, well... No writer will ever set out to get rid of Megatron permanently if they don't need to to have Galvatron.

Same goes for my feelings on Galvatron 2 in the Marvel comics. Seeing them together is novel for a few minutes but then you realize that it means they don't have to get rid of Megatron and it's kind of depressing, for me at least. Because it meant that a world of Transformers without Optimus and Megatron was always going to be some kind of alternate future and the comics never had to make that clean break if they could just have characters show up from there.

That's one thing that I think Regeneration One did right. Optimus and Megatron still had importance to the story, but the whole comic was about moving on towards an uncertain future. Megatron was shuffled off in the first story arc in favor of Galvatron (even if he didn't get much development), and while Optimus remained until the end, he was consigned to a supporting role as the story shifted its focus to Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime.

That said, part of the reason I really like the IDW continuity is that it allows the Movie Decepticons to exist separate from the baggage of having them be new versions of prior characters. I like ancient barbarian Galvatron who is not beholden to a legacy of being a brutal Decepticon leader, and I like the fact that he can exist alongside an aging, uncertain Megatron who has abandoned the cause he created to become an Autobot. I like Cyclonus as a proud, patriotic warrior who isn't just Megatron's lackey. And I like seeing a Rodimus who is struggling to put his immaturity behind him rather than just being magically gifted a sense of responsibility by the Matrix.

[Hellscream9999]

cyclonus and galvatronus are fantastic

Deinitely, but I thought he was in the market for an autobot. If he doesn't care, I'd say get galvatronus too.

I would rather have an Autobot, because I plan to get Devastator and Bruticus so I feel like I should have at least one Autobot Combiner as well. The only Optimus Maximus component I'm interested in is Ironhide, I'm not touching Victorion with a 10-foot barge pole and I'm currently not planning to get any of the Sky Reign limbs. Thank you all for suggesting Superion, the Aerialbots (minus Air Raid because he's supposedly not being sold in the UK) are still fairly common at retail where I am, and Kapow Toys has Silverbolt for half price.

As for Cyclonus, I don't read More than meets the Eye so I couldn't really comment on comic-accuracy vs toy accuracy, but I have a Universe 2.0 Cyclonus that I'm very happy with.

That's fair, although, I personally think that galvatronus merits purchase for simply being a better torso than MM;

Though, really, there's nothing - aside from budget - that says you can't get a couple extra torsos (sky lynx and cyclonus) and scramble them up; especially as this is probably the only sky lynx we will ever get. As for airraid, have you considered looking online? If you really feel like you need him, I'm sure you can find some way to get him, but as he is a clone, you can stick with quickslinger - if you can get him.

[ZeroWolf]

Last I looked kapow had quick slinger for a some what decent price (£17)

[Va'al]

Via TAG Hobby reporting from a Hong Kong toy show, we have a nice series of images of the latest wave of Hasbro Transformers Generations Combiner Wars figures, in and out of packaging. Specifically, we get to look at all five components of the IDW comics accurate Optimus Maximus, with Battle Core Optimus at its centre, and Prowl, Sunstreaker, Ironhide and Mirage as its limbs, and their combined form, sporting silver feet and hands - check a selection out below, and head here for the full works!

[razingstorm]

Looks good, need to parts swap some from red Prime and forgo Roddy to get comic accurate.

[Robogeek1973]

I still haven't decided on whether or not I'll be getting wave four.

[Rated X]

The molds just dont work for those characters. Prowl looks ok but the other 3 are hideous. The fact that these repaints even appear in a comic to justify their existance is Hasbro really scraping the crud off the bottom of the barrel. I think they should have just stuck to Victorion and the G2 repaints. These lazy repaints are more of an insult to the characters rather than a homage. If they wanted to reissue the characters they should have dusted off the original classics molds and given the US more cartoon accurate decos than the first time around. They could just slap the "Combiner Wars" monkier on the packages like they did with Armada Megatron, Huffer, and other figures shoehorned into the line. That would have been so much better than giving the characters a downgrade.

[Autobot N]

Looking good! Out of all five, the one I like the least is Prowl, but that's only because I've never been a huge fan of the Dead End mold's "feet".

[Cyber Bishop]

After looking at the pix the only ones I may pick up are Prowl and Mirage.. It will be determined when I see them in person.

[ZeroWolf]

Poor rodimus, to be comic accurate you don't need to bother with him, and if that's not what you want...well he doesn't seem to add much to the combined mode

[Cobotron]

I'm pretty excited for these limb bots.

I wonder why Mirage has 62 instead of 26 as his number? Bucking any copy right infringement?

[Noideaforaname]

If I were to get that Prime, I'd count him as Nova instead of Optimus.

[ThunderThruster]

If I were to get that Prime, I'd count him as Nova instead of Optimus.

That's my plan.

[peaces]

think he'll look much better with blackjack than rodimus. iron hide looks way too much like the other uses of his mold. prowl looks way too much like streetwise. sunstreaker could be better but is ok because we never see a sunstreaker. mirage looks good, especially because we never see a mirage. the unofficial transformation with car front on his chest will look even better. prime looks nice in robot mode and better than red prime in torso mode. still not great but better at least. i like the robot mode head a lot better than the combined mode head. love the gold eye brows. maybe i'll use robot mode head for combined mode. love the silver weapons and hands. all in all this blows victorion and betatron out of the water.

[morphobots]

Sorry, but I really don't see why this exists, and using the Optimus/Motormaster mold with those floppy hips for the third time is beyond me. No matter what fixes I've found to try on Menasor, the only leg pose I can get out of him without collapsing is standing up straight. I fully expect this offering will be the same way.

[Marcdachamp]

The only one I want is Prowl. He looks great. The rest look cool enough, but I just don't have the space or cash for another combiner.

I don't get why they made two Combiner Wars Optimus Prime figures. I'm sure people will say $, but it just seems odd to me. I do like this redeco, though. Pretty cool looking.

[RhA]

Sorry, but I really don't see why this exists, and using the Optimus/Motormaster mold with those floppy hips for the third time is beyond me. No matter what fixes I've found to try on Menasor, the only leg pose I can get out of him without collapsing is standing up straight. I fully expect this offering will be the same way.

Pretty much this. Menasor looks great, but he's structurally flawed. And that's a big, floppy shame. I see no reason to get this mold a third time. Not even his sweet headcrest can persuade me.

[MrBlack]

I like that Mirage, and it's based on a quality mold, so I'll snag him. The rest are an easy pass. I already have three Dead Ends molds and two Offroads, and I hate the Breakdown mold.

[no-one]

unofficial transformation with car front on his chest

Got a link? I'd like to see that. I haven't been able to find anything via the googles.

[Rodimus Prime]

Poor rodimus, to be comic accurate you don't need to bother with him, and if that's not what you want...well he doesn't seem to add much to the combined mode

He's pretty damn cool by himself. He has sharp colors, the vehicle mode is really nice, and there aren't many (if any) small Rodimus figures out there. The only problem is the ax can't be attached to his back in robot mode, unless you mod the figure. A great addition to a Rodimus collection. Then again, I may be a bit biased.

[RhA]

Poor rodimus, to be comic accurate you don't need to bother with him, and if that's not what you want...well he doesn't seem to add much to the combined mode

He's pretty damn cool by himself. He has sharp colors, the vehicle mode is really nice, and there aren't many (if any) small Rodimus figures out there. The only problem is the ax can't be attached to his back in robot mode, unless you mod the figure. A great addition to a Rodimus collection. Then again, I may be a bit biased.

Not being able to attach that axe/spoiler thing is just stupid on Hasbro/Takara's behalf. They had all the ingredients and yet they made no apple pie.

[peaces]

you can also use the transparent rubber band he comes with to hold it on his back

[no-one]

The only problem is the ax can't be attached to his back in robot mode, unless you mod the figure.

Mod you say?


Modimus Prime

[peaces]

http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff93 ... eepmh1.jpg