The Energon Pub

So no pics of the fully formed Menasor from the back? Or did I just miss it?

As for Breakdown, I don't hate it. I wish it was completely accurate, but the spoiler helps to distinguish it some.

DeathReviews wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:Who thinks the 3P companies will either release a (clip on?) front piece and/or other add-on parts for our lad here, or even a whole new figure to replace this, like Fans Project did many moons ago?

I think they knew that enough people would be disgruntled over the whole Breakdown/repaint thing that it would create a market for a completely revamped version....

Half-empty, half-full, I suppose, but it wouldn't surprise me if we see a more accurate version later on.

As for "100 dollar" add on, I wouldn't buy one. I might buy a kit that improves the whole team/combiner, but not even such as kit would be worth 100 dollars, IMO.

AcademyofDrX wrote:"I can't wait to drop $100 on a 3P figure to clip to Menasor's calf" - many people in this thread, apparently.

Not me. The disappointment is real, but it's just disappointment. I'll enjoy it for what it is in the end.

Personally, I think they found a decent balance between the cartoon accuracy that all the old-schoolers want and something that an 8 or 9 year old would enjoy and not have buttloads of trouble transforming or playing with.

Those who know me know how annoyed I am with the constant reuse and rediseigning of the same characters over and over. But I can defend this version as it does a pretty good job doing what it is supposed to.

As for complexity and remolds, let's have a look at the oiginals shall we? Yup, no transformation replication there. Pull legs down. Fold hood of car back. Occasionally pull arms out from body. All four limb cars. The End.

I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

I call bs on the whole hasbro takara gestalt designs, just stop it’s embarassing, not one attempt is any good and this cheat is not even worth me slagging it off. Your all arguing over a retool and not even bothered that its crap from the get go. Have you all seen cang toys thunderking. instead of looking how to cut corners they have looked at how to blow your mind, Hasbro are a big company and can’t even risk trying to do something good, even unicron was made to do a possible recolour

SpaceEagle wrote:I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

That's debatable, and has been debated, ad nauseam, at all good Transformers boards and social media, the world over.

DaveTheRave137 wrote:I call bs on the whole hasbro takara gestalt designs, just stop it’s embarassing, not one attempt is any good and this cheat is not even worth me slagging it off. Your all arguing over a retool and not even bothered that its crap from the get go. Have you all seen cang toys thunderking. instead of looking how to cut corners they have looked at how to blow your mind, Hasbro are a big company and can’t even risk trying to do something good, even unicron was made to do a possible recolour

Not all of us here have defended this toy. I think it's a dialled-in attempt personally. However, I'll need to wait to see official pics before making my final decision on whether to get it.

primalxconvoy wrote:

SpaceEagle wrote:I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

That's debatable, and has been debated, ad nauseam, at all good Transformers boards and social media, the world over.

This needs to be DEBATED? Seriously? Are TF Fans so full of themselves that we think the figures were made for us and not kids? Wow. The Masterpiece line absolutely is for adults and hard-core fans. That's why they've done only the older cartoons (BW and G1)..it's specifically aimed at the older audiences. As much as people think Legacy is aimed at us old farts, in the end I don't think it is. It's Hasbro's way of introducing a younger generation to G1/BW and the older lines. They hope to stimulate sales and interest in the older series and hopefully...HOPEFULLY...trigger life-long fans.

First-Aid wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:

SpaceEagle wrote:I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

That's debatable, and has been debated, ad nauseam, at all good Transformers boards and social media, the world over.

This needs to be DEBATED? Seriously? Are TF Fans so full of themselves that we think the figures were made for us and not kids? Wow. The Masterpiece line absolutely is for adults and hard-core fans. That's why they've done only the older cartoons (BW and G1)..it's specifically aimed at the older audiences. As much as people think Legacy is aimed at us old farts, in the end I don't think it is. It's Hasbro's way of introducing a younger generation to G1/BW and the older lines. They hope to stimulate sales and interest in the older series and hopefully...HOPEFULLY...trigger life-long fans.

I think it's really funny that grown adults are actually debating that its actually not just for kids.
I'm a grown adult and I have no qualms whatsoever with admitting that I'm buying kids' toys!
Because honestly...who cares! Just buy whatever fun stuff you want, I get these because I like cool robots that turn into cars, I don't need a reason beyond that.

Overcracker wrote:

Randomhero wrote:...as for your question of if i would buy a brown dragtrip as deadend. thats a pretty ridiculous example and question since breakdown is not just a white wildrider. He's extensively retooled.

Extensively retooled?

2 ports on the back of the car and a new chest and head qualify as extensive?

Don't think so.

1. Perhaps not extensive, but certainly significant.
2. "2 ports on the back of the car"? Try "Entire new upper rear surface, with Countach louvers and taillights and all."




As for the rest... No real point in changing the arms, leaving the hood and windshield and windows the same keeps things lawyer-friendly (on top of saving money) while still matching the right silhouette, and they could have changed the shins... but given that they would have had to keep the shin pegholes in the same spot (because those are how the leg bots connect to Motormaster and they're identical on both sides) and a molded block detail of some sort in the same spot (because that helps push in the button that deploys the questionable fake car chest detailing) it might not have seemed worth the expenditure.

primalxconvoy wrote:

SpaceEagle wrote:I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

That's debatable, and has been debated, ad nauseam, at all good Transformers boards and social media, the world over.

Any debate that thinks the non-MP stuff isn't for kids is objectively wrong. They're developed to the standards of kids' toys, they're marketed to kids, and it's kids/parents buying for kids who make up the majority of sales. End of story.
An adult fanbase half composed of spoiled elitist brats with a propensity for balking at a retail toy over small imperfections but who will happily pay 10x the money for a fancier unlicensed version could never have sustained the neo-G1 stuff past 2006.

DaveTheRave137 wrote:I call bs on the whole hasbro takara gestalt designs, just stop it’s embarassing, not one attempt is any good and this cheat is not even worth me slagging it off. Your all arguing over a retool and not even bothered that its crap from the get go.

You're the embarrassing one here, bucko. All attempts save CW Menasor (because John Warden effectively designed a standalone Optimus Prime that's been bludgeoned clumsily into being a combiner torso; that may not have been what he was trying for, but that was the net effect) and the FoC disasters have been functional and fun to play with, and most have looked fine. They have done this while not being exorbitantly expensive, and for the most part being fairly durable.

DaveTheRave137 wrote:Have you all seen cang toys thunderking. instead of looking how to cut corners they have looked at how to blow your mind

Yes, it's very mindblowing how they've produced a hyper-expensive and probably fragile mashup of knives and Gundam parts that superficially resembles Predaking.

DaveTheRave137 wrote:Hasbro are a big company and can’t even risk trying to do something good, even unicron was made to do a possible recolour

Hasbro are a big company who sell to the general market and thus have to keep the price of their goods largely below the level of someone's monthly car or mortgage payment. They also have to do this while pleasing shareholders and at least attempting to not use sweatshops.

primalxconvoy wrote:Not all of us here have defended this toy. I think it's a dialled-in attempt personally. However, I'll need to wait to see official pics before making my final decision on whether to get it.

You know what were dialed-in attempts? Combiner Wars Computron, "Magnaboss", Predacus, and Liokaiser.


Computron... questionable base mold choices for 3 of the limbs, the new parts for Nosecone and Strafe end up looking just sad, and they couldn't even be arsed to give Scattershot Computron's head and chestplate. They just left him with Superion's.

Breakdown has plenty to set him apart, in my opinion - new robot head and chest, new gun, new vehicle mode aft. And I think some black stickers for his door grooves, and some Countach window frame stickers, would be plenty to further enhance the Lambo resemblance.

SpaceEagle wrote:

First-Aid wrote:

primalxconvoy wrote:

SpaceEagle wrote:I think we sometimes forget these toys are meant for kids first and foremost!

That's debatable, and has been debated, ad nauseam, at all good Transformers boards and social media, the world over.

This needs to be DEBATED? Seriously? Are TF Fans so full of themselves that we think the figures were made for us and not kids? Wow. The Masterpiece line absolutely is for adults and hard-core fans. That's why they've done only the older cartoons (BW and G1)..it's specifically aimed at the older audiences. As much as people think Legacy is aimed at us old farts, in the end I don't think it is. It's Hasbro's way of introducing a younger generation to G1/BW and the older lines. They hope to stimulate sales and interest in the older series and hopefully...HOPEFULLY...trigger life-long fans.

I think it's really funny that grown adults are actually debating that its actually not just for kids.
I'm a grown adult and I have no qualms whatsoever with admitting that I'm buying kids' toys!
Because honestly...who cares! Just buy whatever fun stuff you want, I get these because I like cool robots that turn into cars, I don't need a reason beyond that.

Legacy toy brands are multi-generational. Specific product lines from all the big toymakers prioritize different demographics over others, even though most--if not all--still include kids has a primary audience.

There are multiple Hasbro brands that have the teen and older collector market in mind: Star Wars Black Series, Marvel Legends, and Transformers Generations all have a roughly common and higher price point, and with play features that older consumers like including advanced articulation, screen likenesses, and nicer packaging. The character selection also is more likely to match decades-ols versions of older media that many kids don't know. These stand in contrast to child-centric toylines which are more likely to have action features and simpler construction.

Some toymakers and toy brands target adults even more explicitly. Lego has an entire product line that is marketed with the tag "Adults welcome" in boxes labeled 18+ and featuring old sitcoms. The core product and play experience of building blocks is the same as what the kids have. Not coincidentally, this rebranding launched message boards arguments where some fans continued to insist that the product made for, marketed to, and consumed by adults was still a kids toy.

Where the fan arguments go wrong is when they insist that these kinds of products are exclusively for adults, or that companies expect only adults to buy them. Hasbro has been clear that interest to kids is still a goal of their Generations development process. At a minimum, these are for all ages, not just kids, and any argument that excludes either demo isn't supported by facts.

But! I get centering a child-like excitement for imaginative play in collecting. It's more fun to be someone who plays with kids' toys than an "adult collector," and that's a legitimate framework for the experience.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:[

As for the rest... No real point in changing the arms, leaving the hood and windshield and windows the same keeps things lawyer-friendly (on top of saving money) while still matching the right silhouette, and they could have changed the shins... but given that they would have had to keep the shin pegholes in the same spot (because those are how the leg bots connect to Motormaster and they're identical on both sides) and a molded block detail of some sort in the same spot (because that helps push in the button that deploys the questionable fake car chest detailing) it might not have seemed worth the expenditure.

As far as I know, the (arguably) "knockoff" Lambo designs for the recent G1 Lambo bros molds were just as "lawyer friendly", so from that angle, there was plenty of room to make the alt mode for this toy look similar to them.

AcademyofDrX wrote: EVERYTHING YOU JUST WROTE

.

Yes.

Randomhero wrote:

Dr. Caelus wrote:I also feel like a more accurate Breakdown would not have made the people at Lambourghini happy. Obviously we've had a few licensed lambos in the past few years, but I'm sure that digs into the budget each time.

weve had zero licened lambos outside the MP line and only the MP line and only from takara because that was a takara agreement. hasbro never released them because they woiuld also have to pay a licensing agreement. the CHUG lambos are not licensed lambos. they have been modified to evade licensing. The only licensed car we've gotten in G1 CHUG is the WFC Bumblebee mold.

Dr. Caelus wrote: Again, everything you've just written.

Yup!

- https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Licensed_vehicl ... nate_modes



(Please excuse the quality)


- https://www.allspark.com/forums/threads ... hread.134/

Lockdown and Hot Rod are movie toys, with Hollywood money and deals enabling the license use. That license does not extend to CHUG proper, nor to other characters. HasTak would have to get additional licensing for Sideswipe, Breakdown, etc. in CHUG, and that would be more expensive.

primalxconvoy wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:[

As for the rest... No real point in changing the arms, leaving the hood and windshield and windows the same keeps things lawyer-friendly (on top of saving money) while still matching the right silhouette, and they could have changed the shins... but given that they would have had to keep the shin pegholes in the same spot (because those are how the leg bots connect to Motormaster and they're identical on both sides) and a molded block detail of some sort in the same spot (because that helps push in the button that deploys the questionable fake car chest detailing) it might not have seemed worth the expenditure.

As far as I know, the (arguably) "knockoff" Lambo designs for the recent G1 Lambo bros molds were just as "lawyer friendly", so from that angle, there was plenty of room to make the alt mode for this toy look similar to them.

Yes, there was. And they did.
That's why, unlike Wildrider, he has a Countach rear end (in fact, he has the most Countach-accurate rear yet). A difference I showed in my post, with pictures. The hood already looks close enough, so why bother changing it? Especially since they'd have to change three pieces.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote: The hood already looks close enough, so why bother changing it? Especially since they'd have to change three pieces.

I don't think the bonnet looks even remotely like sn 80's Lambo...

Good Day all,

As a place to start: let me re)introduce myself. I'm a 43 year old avid fan of the franchise. I have a wife, kids, dog, cat, cars, mortgage and a good job/career that pays the bills and is fulfilling. I have a hobby or 2 other than, say, collecting action figures or specifically transformers. And honestly I think I'm slowly moving away from being a fan or more correctly moving toward other things in life.

So basic intro out of the way let's talk transformers.

I grew up watching cartoons and playing with toys in the 1980's. And I didn't just love Transformers, I adored it. There was nothing better to me than watching the second season with all the new settings and characters and the world building. It was wonderful, it was joy, it was phenomenal. Sunstreaker was one of the few transformers I was lucky enough to have; Sideswipe looked cool and was one I desire but it wasn't until later in life that I'd get one. Sunstreaker really cemented my love of the Lamborghini Countach design and to this day prefer Lamborghinis over other car designs. I was even lucky enough to have Breakdown for a short time and I liked the clean and simple car design, maybe even more so than Sunstreaker. Just reminiscing about it: it was arguably the most faithful Lamborghini Countach design of the initial Generations 1 run.

My fandom was so strong that the existence of G2 made me happy and I could nostalgically enjoy the old cartoon again, revamped. And I loved Beast Wars. I got into collecting all the old toys I never had as a kid when I had income and have since collected just about some variant of all the characters from the first 3 seasons of the show plus 4th and beyond and much of Beast Wars. And while my life is such that I don't have time to just play, I do enjoy looking at them on my shelf, I get a hit of dopamine, and I get a little energized.

Now regarding the toys themselves:
I enjoyed how the toys could appear like completely different vehicles and even transform completely different but have the same function or even the same vehicle but different robot designs, for example: the original Dead End looked and transformed exactly like Breakdown but the cars looked so different as cars that to me they were different cars, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had similar alt modes but completely different transformations and robot modes. I own both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe masterpiece and respectively earthrise and kingdom and I'm amazed at the attention to detail that took 2 very similar cars and through engineering and good design gave us faith robot designs that matched the show model more so than the original toys could (noting here that the show designs were derived from the toys, but since the cartoon was an advertisement to buy the toys, having things match would have been optimal)
Combiners were my favorite gimmick. I liked how both Silverbolt and Scattershot were flying plane spaceship, things that looked completely different but could have the same function and they both worked well enough. And this was a disappointment with the combiner wars designs. One thing I loved about the designs as a kid was not recreated: instead of selling/creating a Scattershot with a completely different design then Silverbolt they gave us the same basic toy with a new wing, plane nose, and head shape. I had the original g1 designs of both back in the 1980's, and Scattershot was such a solid amazing toy and probably a better overall toy than Silverbolt. And while the CW Silverbolt was an upgrade to the G1 in almost every way the CW Scattershot was not, so much was lost like the turret mode and the nose gun function, not to mention a unique blaster design was not included and they just used a repainted Silverbolt blaster. But, since Scattershot came with the entire Computron set, he became a small piece of a greater whole, and as a piece of Computron he was amazing in that respect.

This new Legacy Breakdown is giving me the same feeling I had with the CW Silverbolt and Scattershot, but maybe even more so. He has a disappointing alt mode, he isn't really a representation of a Lamborghini Countach, which I'll reiterate is one my if not my favorite car designs. And if the rest of the Stunticons were similar and stylized it wouldn't be as much of a thing. But the rest of the Stunticons are faithful to the original toy/show designs. So why did Breakdown not get his alt mode, why is it a glorified repaint of Wild Rider's Ferrari? And really does it matter why? In the big scheme of things it doesn't matter, this is just a toy, and piece of interjoined plastics that's supposed to be fun to play with and look at. But, in that same sense, it's a toy and it's supposed to represent something, and in this case it is supposed to represent and be derived from a Transformers character called Breakdown: a design and character that's a living robot that turns into a car, and this character is made unique because it wasn't the same car as the others, the colors were different, as were the surface details. These details provide value and a reason to buy it and the rest of the crew, otherwise, why not just buy duplicates of the others if they're a lower price to complete the combiner function? A Lamborghini Countach was once called the Darth Vader or cars: and it is such a popular design that Lamborghini just made an updated electric version. I wanted another Lamborghini Countach robot that also completed the Stunticon set. And based on the G1 historically faithful other Legacy Stunticons I was really looking forward to seeing this design and picking it up as soon as it was available. In fact, at the time of this writing I have Drag Strip and Wild Rider, the latter of which I scoured the internet and stumbled across a store that had it available, and I purchased it there despite a $5 up charge for shipping. So it does matter what alt mode Breakdown has, it matters to me and if it matters to me, then it probably matters to someone else. When doing any task it should be completed well and in this task of designing and creating Breakdown, Hasbro did a poor job. And it's not just disappointing because of this ideal I have. It's disappointing because I have purchased 3 of 5 and I want the fourth one as well. 5 of 5 to me wasn't just completing a set, I wanted the whole package: the white and blue Robot Lamborghini that becomes a leg of a bigger robot named Menasor. And while this Legacy Breakdown has most of that it's only 75% of what it should be: I'd be ok with 90%, but now instead of getting Breakdown because I want Breakdown, I'm getting a piece of Menasor: so as an individual toy, Legacy Breakdown is less then it should be, but as a piece of a greater whole, maybe it'll be excellent?

I really feel like that because this is the last toy of the set that they skimped, and cut corners. And empathically the company may have had logical reasons or even needed to cut corners, but really I can't buy that as an excuse. WIth all the love and obvious effort on the rest of the Stunticons this one stands out as not matching the original toy. People are going to buy it regardless because they want to finish what they started. But many people, including me, won't be ok with the design. This has caused me to reevaluate future team purchases. And more than that: I've been considering investing in Hasbro as a company and to me this screams as a tactical move to maximize profit instead of making the hard and right choice of giving the customer what they wanted. And at the end of the day, the customer is right, the customer is always right, because the customer is buying the product and service. And I feel like this move will reduce costumer'. Hasbro did a big thing and while it started well, it ended badly. And I will remember that.

My last thought on this is:
It seems coincidentally relevant that the toy name is "Breakdown".

primalxconvoy wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote: The hood already looks close enough, so why bother changing it? Especially since they'd have to change three pieces.

I don't think the bonnet looks even remotely like sn 80's Lambo...

Since when is it trying to be an 80s Lambo? Hasbro made both Earthrise Sunstreaker and Kingdom Sideswipe modern-day Lambos. They didn't even try to make either of them 80s Lambos, so why would they do so for Breakdown?

God Sunstreaker wrote:Good Day all,

As a place to start: let me re)introduce myself. I'm a 43 year old avid fan of the franchise. I have a wife, kids, dog, cat, cars, mortgage and a good job/career that pays the bills and is fulfilling. I have a hobby or 2 other than, say, collecting action figures or specifically transformers. And honestly I think I'm slowly moving away from being a fan or more correctly moving toward other things in life.

So basic intro out of the way let's talk transformers.

I grew up watching cartoons and playing with toys in the 1980's. And I didn't just love Transformers, I adored it. There was nothing better to me than watching the second season with all the new settings and characters and the world building. It was wonderful, it was joy, it was phenomenal. Sunstreaker was one of the few transformers I was lucky enough to have; Sideswipe looked cool and was one I desire but it wasn't until later in life that I'd get one. Sunstreaker really cemented my love of the Lamborghini Countach design and to this day prefer Lamborghinis over other car designs. I was even lucky enough to have Breakdown for a short time and I liked the clean and simple car design, maybe even more so than Sunstreaker. Just reminiscing about it: it was arguably the most faithful Lamborghini Countach design of the initial Generations 1 run.

My fandom was so strong that the existence of G2 made me happy and I could nostalgically enjoy the old cartoon again, revamped. And I loved Beast Wars. I got into collecting all the old toys I never had as a kid when I had income and have since collected just about some variant of all the characters from the first 3 seasons of the show plus 4th and beyond and much of Beast Wars. And while my life is such that I don't have time to just play, I do enjoy looking at them on my shelf, I get a hit of dopamine, and I get a little energized.

Now regarding the toys themselves:
I enjoyed how the toys could appear like completely different vehicles and even transform completely different but have the same function or even the same vehicle but different robot designs, for example: the original Dead End looked and transformed exactly like Breakdown but the cars looked so different as cars that to me they were different cars, and Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had similar alt modes but completely different transformations and robot modes. I own both Sunstreaker and Sideswipe masterpiece and respectively earthrise and kingdom and I'm amazed at the attention to detail that took 2 very similar cars and through engineering and good design gave us faith robot designs that matched the show model more so than the original toys could (noting here that the show designs were derived from the toys, but since the cartoon was an advertisement to buy the toys, having things match would have been optimal)
Combiners were my favorite gimmick. I liked how both Silverbolt and Scattershot were flying plane spaceship, things that looked completely different but could have the same function and they both worked well enough. And this was a disappointment with the combiner wars designs. One thing I loved about the designs as a kid was not recreated: instead of selling/creating a Scattershot with a completely different design then Silverbolt they gave us the same basic toy with a new wing, plane nose, and head shape. I had the original g1 designs of both back in the 1980's, and Scattershot was such a solid amazing toy and probably a better overall toy than Silverbolt. And while the CW Silverbolt was an upgrade to the G1 in almost every way the CW Scattershot was not, so much was lost like the turret mode and the nose gun function, not to mention a unique blaster design was not included and they just used a repainted Silverbolt blaster. But, since Scattershot came with the entire Computron set, he became a small piece of a greater whole, and as a piece of Computron he was amazing in that respect.

This new Legacy Breakdown is giving me the same feeling I had with the CW Silverbolt and Scattershot, but maybe even more so. He has a disappointing alt mode, he isn't really a representation of a Lamborghini Countach, which I'll reiterate is one my if not my favorite car designs. And if the rest of the Stunticons were similar and stylized it wouldn't be as much of a thing. But the rest of the Stunticons are faithful to the original toy/show designs. So why did Breakdown not get his alt mode, why is it a glorified repaint of Wild Rider's Ferrari? And really does it matter why? In the big scheme of things it doesn't matter, this is just a toy, and piece of interjoined plastics that's supposed to be fun to play with and look at. But, in that same sense, it's a toy and it's supposed to represent something, and in this case it is supposed to represent and be derived from a Transformers character called Breakdown: a design and character that's a living robot that turns into a car, and this character is made unique because it wasn't the same car as the others, the colors were different, as were the surface details. These details provide value and a reason to buy it and the rest of the crew, otherwise, why not just buy duplicates of the others if they're a lower price to complete the combiner function? A Lamborghini Countach was once called the Darth Vader or cars: and it is such a popular design that Lamborghini just made an updated electric version. I wanted another Lamborghini Countach robot that also completed the Stunticon set. And based on the G1 historically faithful other Legacy Stunticons I was really looking forward to seeing this design and picking it up as soon as it was available. In fact, at the time of this writing I have Drag Strip and Wild Rider, the latter of which I scoured the internet and stumbled across a store that had it available, and I purchased it there despite a $5 up charge for shipping. So it does matter what alt mode Breakdown has, it matters to me and if it matters to me, then it probably matters to someone else. When doing any task it should be completed well and in this task of designing and creating Breakdown, Hasbro did a poor job. And it's not just disappointing because of this ideal I have. It's disappointing because I have purchased 3 of 5 and I want the fourth one as well. 5 of 5 to me wasn't just completing a set, I wanted the whole package: the white and blue Robot Lamborghini that becomes a leg of a bigger robot named Menasor. And while this Legacy Breakdown has most of that it's only 75% of what it should be: I'd be ok with 90%, but now instead of getting Breakdown because I want Breakdown, I'm getting a piece of Menasor: so as an individual toy, Legacy Breakdown is less then it should be, but as a piece of a greater whole, maybe it'll be excellent?

I really feel like that because this is the last toy of the set that they skimped, and cut corners. And empathically the company may have had logical reasons or even needed to cut corners, but really I can't buy that as an excuse. WIth all the love and obvious effort on the rest of the Stunticons this one stands out as not matching the original toy. People are going to buy it regardless because they want to finish what they started. But many people, including me, won't be ok with the design. This has caused me to reevaluate future team purchases. And more than that: I've been considering investing in Hasbro as a company and to me this screams as a tactical move to maximize profit instead of making the hard and right choice of giving the customer what they wanted. And at the end of the day, the customer is right, the customer is always right, because the customer is buying the product and service. And I feel like this move will reduce costumer'. Hasbro did a big thing and while it started well, it ended badly. And I will remember that.

My last thought on this is:
It seems coincidentally relevant that the toy name is "Breakdown".

I see your point and more or less agree...except for the 'moving away' part. But yes, I'll not forget they coughed up a furball at the end of the Stunticon release.

I thought Kingdom Sideswipe did look like a Lamborghini from the 80s as opposed to a modern day version. TLK Hot Rod and AoE Lockdown look like modern Lamborghinis. Kingdom Sideswipe doesn't really. Siege more so. Hence the reason for the Kingdom version.

And God Sunstreaker, I'm not 100% on it, but I don't think Breakdown's cut corners have to do with order of release. As far as I know the whole team gets designed at the same time, before any of them go into production. So Hasbro had decided on Breakdown's design before Dragstrip or Motormaster ever saw the inside of a factory.

Cyber Bishop wrote:

Jelze Bunnycat wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:(...) Plus while people here are dissatisfied, this has prompted a full-blown flamewar at other sites, and hopefully we can avoid that.

Cooler minds will always prevail!

Except in real life where I leave the bodies in dumpsters.



I guess this is what we are getting and have to accept it, I do hope someone makes 3D printed spoilers that actually separate better than this.

Do you cut off the heads, hands, and feet first? I find it makes it harder to identify then. Sulfuric acid is your friend or a deep fryer.

Well that was decent of them to create storage room on Breakdown for one gun underneath in car mode since the 5mm ports in the back have the spoiler

Also, why do the feet have 5mm ports? You can't put anything there in car mode. I guess you could have "foot thrust" blast effects in robot mode

But that's the funny thing about Transformers. When flying in robot mode they are just like Superman,. there is no thrust usually ( except those couple of times in TFTM where Galvatron used his cannon in Robot mode to thrust around.

Yep. The more I see of this set, the less I want it. I guess it's a good thing they aren't bothering with any more combiner teams in this line.

Having just gotten back into the fandom since Kingdom and being a big fan of Beast Wars, I gotta get my hands on that Inferno as soon as he drops. My body is ready, and the figure looks great.

Rodimus Prime wrote:So no pics of the fully formed Menasor from the back? Or did I just miss it?

As for Breakdown, I don't hate it. I wish it was completely accurate, but the spoiler helps to distinguish it some.

I posted some pics on the thread about the takara tomy expo