The Energon Pub

I think the TT Legends version is still the superior one. Easy pass unless they repaint it as another character.

I'm just... absolutely shocked that it's such a backwards evolution from the Titan's Return figure which felt so flawless(!) and even managed a passable Megatron.

I feel the 'nose cone' in tank mode that... despite my memory... is apparently 'Toon Accurate' was a bad call.

I've... been trying to figure out why I've felt so 'burned out' with Transformers... and I think it's really the fact that we've had two really good trilogies... that unfortunately suffered from covering the same ground twice (three times with the 'cybertron'/'earth' in WFC- which probably increased the burnout).

I ended up picking up Dragstrip out of curiosity and the fact that I didn't see a currently listed wave where he was re-packed (though I imagine we'll get a Menasor gift set at Titan price).

I'm also not feeling the G1'd Prime figures. Bulkhead I might get if they retool him into something else, same with Arcee. I'll probably cave on the RID/Black Convoy if I can find it (I also think i'm tired of all the store exclusives- and shipping woes in general- which has really curbed my 'hunting' joys).

I think the 'double' release of Galvatron this short around (plus the original tooling issues there) aren't helping either.

Sabrblade wrote:And the winner is... Titans Return!!!

Though, I'd still like to see comparisons with the Legends deco, too.

Also, every Voyager in those pics is bigger in robot mode than both the Leaders Blitzwing and Astrotrain (while Galvatron is the only big Leader). Was not expecting that.

Though, speaking of Astrotrain, he's mistransformed in those pics. His waist flaps are folded up, exposing the tops of his legs.

And those voyagers are about the same height as leader Galvatron.
As for Astrotrain, is the Shuttle mode also mistransformed. I remember the front half being more bulky/square than I'd like but man does that look terrible.

Moonshot wrote:

Sentinel_Primal wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:Found the following on Instagram...
Obviously take with a grain of salt; neither of these may be legit.

Menasor teaser??

It's not a teaser, it's a silhouette of some fan art (probably from Deviantart)

Good eye mate, good eye. Unless its your fan art, lol.

Definitely not mine but, if it was up to me, it would be what Menasor looks like

Solrac333 wrote:Look at that "Leader" class figure.

They should bring back the old "ULTRA CLASS" term to replace the current "leader" one.

The true modern leader class figures are the Commanders.

I'll definitely be getting Legacy Blitzwing. I also think he's better than Titans Return in pretty nuch every way.

I'll stick with Gen Blitzwing. I'm just not feeling Legacy enough to replace him and I have to be more picky about my purchases these days. It's $100 CAN after taxes and that's a lot for something I'm not all-in for.

Wish there were more comparison shots with him, though.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I'll stick with Gen Blitzwing. I'm just not feeling Legacy enough to replace him and I have to be more picky about my purchases these days. It's $100 CAN after taxes and that's a lot for something I'm not all-in for.

Wish there were more comparison shots with him, though.

Good point about the price hikes. I hadn't really noticed with the Voyagers (maybe they've escaped it for the time being) but when I was picking up some deluxes for myself and a friend... I about choked when four of them was over $100 (US).

I actually dug out the Generations version recently... the fact that the paint on the head was... tacky... worried me... also wasn't that version notorious for a shoulder issue?

That could be another reason why I'm flagging on the current transformers series. Funnily enough I enjoyed the BotsBots on Netflix enough I may hunt some of those down again.

sol magnus wrote:I'll definitely be getting Legacy Blitzwing. I also think he's better than Titans Return in pretty nuch every way.

Every way except for height, which some people are still salty about for some reason.

Personally I think Blitzwing is a better looking figure than Astrotrain. I'm not happy with any of AT's modes, bot, shuttle or train, but I at least like Blitzwing's bot and tank modes (phallus notwithstanding). Wish the jet mode was better, though, could it possibly be our worst jet mode of any figure ever?

Emerje

AcademyofDrX wrote:

sol magnus wrote:I'll definitely be getting Legacy Blitzwing. I also think he's better than Titans Return in pretty nuch every way.

Every way except for height, which some people are still salty about for some reason.

I still don't get the arguments about height/class any more either... That ship sailed almost six years ago at this point.

Emerje wrote:Personally I think Blitzwing is a better looking figure than Astrotrain. I'm not happy with any of AT's modes, bot, shuttle or train, but I at least like Blitzwing's bot and tank modes (phallus notwithstanding). Wish the jet mode was better, though, could it possibly be our worst jet mode of any figure ever?
Emerje

What boggles my mind is... somehow it's even boxier than the TR one, which... actually handled it pretty well imo...

One thing that will forever live in TR's favor regardless of figure.. is going to be the fact they were all functional vehicles for their headmasters. That's actually a play pattern I dearly miss (including the wonky out of scale Leader/Bases).

Going back and looking at the pictures I guess 'box under jet' is the price to be paid for those kibble free arms from the TR version. While I didn't mind the wings wrapping around the backside of the tank... looking at the Legacy version... it is kind of nice not having them there any more. But... still hoping we can hid that nosecone better...

AcademyofDrX wrote:

sol magnus wrote:I'll definitely be getting Legacy Blitzwing. I also think he's better than Titans Return in pretty nuch every way.

Every way except for height, which some people are still salty about for some reason.

They're size queens. LOL I don't care how big people think a toy should be for a class because it's a pointless argument on a few levels, the chief one being that's just not what Hasbro is doing anymore. To coin a phrase "It's over. Finished."

I'm a scale queen, though. In terms of robot mode scale he's the correct size against Megatron going by the show, which is what they're going by. Anyhting else is, to coin another phrase, "surplus to requirements."*

*from my point of view, you guys are welcome to your opinions.

SpikeyTigertron wrote:I still don't get the arguments about height/class any more either... That ship sailed almost six years ago at this point.

My issue with the height is that I want to be able to mix CHUG with Prime Wars with WFC with Legacy. Some figures end up looking ridiculously small next to older (superior?) figures.

It makes me sound old, but the fact that Classics Sunstreaker/Sideswipe were $15, and are almost as tall as a $45 Kingdom Voyager is just plain silly.

SpikeyTigertron wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I'll stick with Gen Blitzwing. I'm just not feeling Legacy enough to replace him and I have to be more picky about my purchases these days. It's $100 CAN after taxes and that's a lot for something I'm not all-in for.

Wish there were more comparison shots with him, though.

Good point about the price hikes. I hadn't really noticed with the Voyagers (maybe they've escaped it for the time being) but when I was picking up some deluxes for myself and a friend... I about choked when four of them was over $100 (US).

I actually dug out the Generations version recently... the fact that the paint on the head was... tacky... worried me... also wasn't that version notorious for a shoulder issue?

That could be another reason why I'm flagging on the current transformers series. Funnily enough I enjoyed the BotsBots on Netflix enough I may hunt some of those down again.

There was a 3rd party replacement head and shoulders add-ons that fixed those issues which I got waaaaaaay back in the day. I don't know if the paint on the original head has degraded since then; not in a position to check that out.

For me this isn't buying a new product, but replacing an older one which I like decently enough. It's one of those kind of decisions in modern collecting. To replace or not replace? Is it better enough? Do you like the character enough? Is the price too high?

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

SpikeyTigertron wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I'll stick with Gen Blitzwing. I'm just not feeling Legacy enough to replace him and I have to be more picky about my purchases these days. It's $100 CAN after taxes and that's a lot for something I'm not all-in for.

Wish there were more comparison shots with him, though.

Good point about the price hikes. I hadn't really noticed with the Voyagers (maybe they've escaped it for the time being) but when I was picking up some deluxes for myself and a friend... I about choked when four of them was over $100 (US).

I actually dug out the Generations version recently... the fact that the paint on the head was... tacky... worried me... also wasn't that version notorious for a shoulder issue?

That could be another reason why I'm flagging on the current transformers series. Funnily enough I enjoyed the BotsBots on Netflix enough I may hunt some of those down again.

There was a 3rd party replacement head and shoulders add-ons that fixed those issues which I got waaaaaaay back in the day. I don't know if the paint on the original head has degraded since then; not in a position to check that out.

For me this isn't buying a new product, but replacing an older one which I like decently enough.

For anyone that likes the older Generations aesthetic, especially the liberties in the Classics designs, I'm happy for you if you're not getting the updated figures. Personally, I never bought into that, I always wanted modern toys with G1 toy and cartoon designs. Even the Combiner Wars vehicle designs were too different for my taste. There are limitations from the contemporary design priorities, as faux parts are becoming much more common, but there are always trade-offs one way or another.

MeGrimlock78 wrote:

SpikeyTigertron wrote:I still don't get the arguments about height/class any more either... That ship sailed almost six years ago at this point.

My issue with the height is that I want to be able to mix CHUG with Prime Wars with WFC with Legacy. Some figures end up looking ridiculously small next to older (superior?) figures.

It makes me sound old, but the fact that Classics Sunstreaker/Sideswipe were $15, and are almost as tall as a $45 Kingdom Voyager is just plain silly.

Yeah, but Classics Sunstreaker and Sideswipe look like garbage next to WfC IMHO. Class sizes, height, and scale are all only indirectly related to each other across the 20 year lifespan of so-called CHUG, and there's generally consistency within individual brand lines, but it's an unfair expectation across Generations as a whole. I'd much rather have new design and engineering principles over an ongoing scale guideline.

AcademyofDrX wrote:. Personally, I never bought into that, I always wanted modern toys with G1 toy and cartoon designs.
...

Yeah, but Classics Sunstreaker and Sideswipe look like garbage next to WfC IMHO. Class sizes, height, and scale are all only indirectly related to each other across the 20 year lifespan of so-called CHUG, and there's generally consistency within individual brand lines, but it's an unfair expectation across Generations as a whole. I'd much rather have new design and engineering principles over an ongoing scale guideline.

Ouch, I think those versions still look great.

I get where you're coming from, though. There are some characters I want to look as G1 as possible, while others I just care about whether they look good. It isn't consistent with me AT ALL. I guess it comes down to how strong of an affinity I have for the individual character.

Plus, after spending years collecting the entire G1 cast the question becomes "do I want to replace my entire collection with newer, more expensive versions?" Not really. Just the ones I think really need it for one reason or another.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Wish there were more comparison shots with him, though.

Well these are from a review on youtube so you could go see. I think the guy was pretty thorough with comparisons here.

Emerje wrote: Wish the jet mode was better, though, could it possibly be our worst jet mode of any figure ever?

MeGrimlock78 wrote:It makes me sound old, but the fact that Classics Sunstreaker/Sideswipe were $15, and are almost as tall as a $45 Kingdom Voyager is just plain silly.

Sure it is silly, just like pointing out that this other unrelated toy is still only $15 right now and over 10 inches. Talk about hasbro giving us a ton of value in this modern age

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Plus, after spending years collecting the entire G1 cast the question becomes "do I want to replace my entire collection with newer, more expensive versions?" Not really. Just the ones I think really need it for one reason or another.

I wish I had that much sense. I've only really been collecting since Combiner Wars, and between TR vs. Kingdom/SS86 and Siege vs. Earthrise/Kingdom, I've bought dozens of characters multiple times. That's a lot of double dipping in just six years. I've sold off some to make up for it, but I rationalize others by creating new display concepts (e.g. unique figures for season 3 and season 4, and distinct toy and show versions of '85 and '86 characters.)

But see, it was the unified scale/aesthetic that got me to (re)buy the same characters for the past two trilogies lol. (So Hasbro marketing achieved I supposed).

But having gone back “into the bins” to dig around some of the older stuff…. It just doesn’t hold the same…. Quality (?) possibility. Of the current stuff. We’ve certainly been more spoiled in articulation that at any point in Tf history (including some MPs).

It’s kind of like a lot of the movie lines and how much they’ve changed over the years in size/scale/quality. Some of the older stuff holds up like Battle Blades Optimus…. others less so.

I love generations Jetfire for what he was (the voyager fast pack one) but the newer commander it’s arguable the accurate *actual* Skyfire.

And there’s ultimately room for one, both, none (?).

Everyone collects differently. But the QQing of (old) prices and (old) sizes… really doesn’t get us anywhere in discussions any more. Those ships have sailed.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Plus, after spending years collecting the entire G1 cast the question becomes "do I want to replace my entire collection with newer, more expensive versions?" Not really. Just the ones I think really need it for one reason or another.

I wish I had that much sense. I've only really been collecting since Combiner Wars, and between TR vs. Kingdom/SS86 and Siege vs. Earthrise/Kingdom, I've bought dozens of characters multiple times. That's a lot of double dipping in just six years. I've sold off some to make up for it, but I rationalize others by creating new display concepts (e.g. unique figures for season 3 and season 4, and distinct toy and show versions of '85 and '86 characters.)

I’ve been much in the same boat. Honestly, it was Combiner Wars that brought me back into collection (almost entire lines since). Though to be fair…. Generations was on a pretty rough spot prior to CW.

The WfC-video game figured were tiny and… not great. And the IDW/comic sets were also all over the place with who knew what characters you were getting.

I'll probably get Legacy Blitzwing, just because I have many of the others. I admit I'm disappointed by that thing jutting from the front of the tank, they really should have done something different with the engineering. Just because the G1 figure did it, doesn't mean the modern remake 'has' to repeat the engineering mistakes of the 1980s. And that tank kibble under the jet wings? That just seems gauche, like the designers weren't even trying. And I'd be more sold with those gauntlets - IF the fingers could be properly articulated and used as hands. A joint in each knuckle, so you could pose and splay each finger, would have turned those from comic afterthoughts into awesome accessories. Seeing them attached to Blitzwing as balled up fists, or with the fingers splayed out and a fireblast plugged into each one, would make them desirable, instead of an embarrassment.

Respecting the past ought to mean that you learn from it's mistakes and correct them. Keep what was good, but fix what was wrong.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:. Personally, I never bought into that, I always wanted modern toys with G1 toy and cartoon designs.
...

Yeah, but Classics Sunstreaker and Sideswipe look like garbage next to WfC IMHO. Class sizes, height, and scale are all only indirectly related to each other across the 20 year lifespan of so-called CHUG, and there's generally consistency within individual brand lines, but it's an unfair expectation across Generations as a whole. I'd much rather have new design and engineering principles over an ongoing scale guideline.

Ouch, I think those versions still look great.

I get where you're coming from, though. There are some characters I want to look as G1 as possible, while others I just care about whether they look good. It isn't consistent with me AT ALL. I guess it comes down to how strong of an affinity I have for the individual character.

Plus, after spending years collecting the entire G1 cast the question becomes "do I want to replace my entire collection with newer, more expensive versions?" Not really. Just the ones I think really need it for one reason or another.

Amen brother.

Generations Springer is still all kinds of awesome.

But Classics Jetfire vs Siege Skyfire? No comparison.

There should be a top ten toys we didn't replace.

My wish for the hands was literally just CW/UW Devastator style hands with a knuckle joint for open or closed, 5mm port to hold weapons, and a post for it to turn into an actual missile pod. Apparently that was too much to ask for, but eh. I have yet to get a Blitzwing, and I actually really like the bot mode, so he'll do. Wish the jet mode was a bit cleaner, and wish the tank mode was cleaner, but I've already rationalized what the cockpit could be so it's whatever. Only thing about bot mode that would have made this my ideal Blitzwing is turn the little hump in his chest into the cockpit like DX9 Gewalt

AcademyofDrX wrote:

sol magnus wrote:I'll definitely be getting Legacy Blitzwing. I also think he's better than Titans Return in pretty nuch every way.

Every way except for height, which some people are still salty about for some reason.

This is what we deserve for complaining about scale for so long