The Energon Pub

Normally I'd say closed box. Online there's less chance of tampering than in store, but since Hasbro went super cheap, neither is really a good option. The packaging for Legacy Leaders is still somewhat decent, but SS leader cardboard is almost paper thin and flimsy. Many stores in my area ( both Walmart and Target) have a glut of Coronation Starscream. Even at half of,many of the tape back is straight up peeling off, so you can't tell if it's been tampered with or not, so people are reluctant to purchase them.

o.supreme wrote:Normally I'd say closed box. Online there's less chance of tampering than in store, but since Hasbro went super cheap, neither is really a good option. The packaging for Legacy Leaders is still somewhat decent, but SS leader cardboard is almost paper thin and flimsy. Many stores in my area ( both Walmart and Target) have a glut of Coronation Starscream. Even at half of,many of the tape back is straight up peeling off, so you can't tell if it's been tampered with or not, so people are reluctant to purchase them.

My SS86 Starscream came in an UTTERLY CRUSHED packaging from Amazon... and they have put the thing in a pristine Amazon shipping box.

I was pissed.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I personally don't think Beast combiners need to be combiner wars height. I would be OK if they were say SS86 Dinobot sized in height with the bulk of someone like Blitzwing. What matters is they are bigger than the other beasts in height and bulk, though the bulk matters much more than the height.

This 100%. For Beast Wars, Megatron was the benchmark of height. Then came OpOp and Dragon Megs in Season 3. The Beast Combiners only have to be marginally taller than either of them.

Overcracker wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

Overcracker wrote:

First-Aid wrote:Skids looks like a Yugo.


I think I just dated myself....

Technically it looks like a 1980's Honda City. Admittedly the Honda City is similar to the Yugo.

It's because they're both box-body subcompact hatchbacks. It's like how the Fiat 500 and VW beetle look similar because they're both round-body rear-engine subcompacts, only moreso because of the hatchbacks having such no-frills coachwork.

Yes, but the point being, Skids original toy was a Honda City. So his current toy looks like that first and foremost.

It's just coincidental that it also looks like a Yugo because they are similar cars.

Yes, I know that. I'm well aware Skids is a Honda City. I was just pointing out why it looks similar to a Yugo.
This response delay brought to you by college.

Speaking of Skids, more Skids pics:

Next to Generations Wheeljack.


As part of Club Doorwings.

As far as other Legacy stuff goes... I'd say right now I'm most looking forward to getting hold of Pointblank and Skullgrin (even if Skullgrin suffers a little from being based off the comics' bad vehicle mode model sheet).

G1 characters I hope we get wind of in Legacy soon: Sandstorm, Sureshot, and Quickswitch. Would also like to see restocks of some past toys (TR Blitzwing, Misfire, and Slugslinger, ER Deluxes other than Wheeljack and Arcee, etc.), here or elsewhere.

AcademyofDrX wrote:If they cut the triple changer aspect, they could probably release them at Voyager class. I really like Rampage's tank mode, but Depth Charge's is pretty terrible, and I would accept that sacrifice if it made them easier to do.

Depth Charge's vehicle mode could most probably be achieved even if it's not part of the figure's planning. looks more like a fan mode with nothing new just for it. Cutting it would give nothing. I honestly think all these toys would be leader class even without their third mode.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Also note: All Transmetals were Triplechangers.

I personally (and I am talking as a kid who grew up with these) always looked at that "third mode" as more of an extra gimmick for the beast mode, never as an actual third mode you'd associate with a triple changer. It's a third mode, sure, but doesn't really make them triple changers. More like a secondary mode for the beast mode.

Ultra Markus wrote:i would rather they go back to the plastic window at least for the security of it

As would everyone, but it's not an option, hence my question.

TM1 Megatron definitely need a Leader update. Especially because the original was a bit... problematic.

Yeah, Rampage was the only Transmetal whose Vehicle Mode was really involved enough to be worth calling an actual third mode.

Though, Optimal Optimus's two vehicle modes weren't that involved either, but he at least had the wings, wheels, and cockpit to make them look convincing enough since, unlike every other Transmetal 1, his Beast Mode wasn't given as high a priority. Arguably the Jet Mode was given the most priority of his three altmodes.

william-james88 wrote:I personally (and I am talking as a kid who grew up with these) always looked at that "third mode" as more of an extra gimmick for the beast mode, never as an actual third mode you'd associate with a triple changer. It's a third mode, sure, but doesn't really make them triple changers. More like a secondary mode for the beast mode.

Sabrblade wrote:Yeah, Rampage was the only Transmetal whose Vehicle Mode was really involved enough to be worth calling an actual third mode.

Though, Optimal Optimus's two vehicle modes weren't that involved either, but he at least had the wings, wheels, and cockpit to make them look convincing enough since, unlike every other Transmetal 1, his Beast Mode wasn't given as high a priority. Arguably the Jet Mode was given the most priority of his three altmodes.

Rattrap went from Rat to car. Non-show TM Waspinator went from Wasp to Jet Fighter. True, most were just "Beasts with accessories" ala Cheetor, Primal and Megs etc But not all of them. I'd have like to see what they would have made of prior Triplechanger Transquito in the TM line.

OpOp, to be honest, should have been TM2. Removing the redundant Beast Mode. It would have made sense lore-wise, too.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Rattrap went from Rat to car. Non-show TM Waspinator went from Wasp to Jet Fighter.

More like "rat to rat-with-wheels" and "wasp to wasp-eating-a-jet-nose-with-its-wings-folded-in-half-pretending-to-look-like-a-jet-fighter".

With Rampage, his tank mode even managed to alter the claws convincingly enough that they no longer looked immediately like crab claws.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Rattrap went from Rat to car. Non-show TM Waspinator went from Wasp to Jet Fighter.

More like "rat to rat-with-wheels" and "wasp to wasp-eating-a-jet-nose-with-its-wings-folded-in-half-pretending-to-look-like-a-jet-fighter".

The rat feet were gone, replaced with wheels. Complete with exhausts that were not in any other mode. He wasn't exactly "Munky on a surfboard" Primal.

The wasp wings folded and lowered into the torso to become jet wings, plus vertical stabilisers. Powered by thrusters from his shoulders, not apparent in Beast Mode. Wasp legs also became landing struts (with some minor creativity). Waspinator did actually look like a vehicle. Discarding the cynicism goggles

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Rattrap went from Rat to car. Non-show TM Waspinator went from Wasp to Jet Fighter.

More like "rat to rat-with-wheels" and "wasp to wasp-eating-a-jet-nose-with-its-wings-folded-in-half-pretending-to-look-like-a-jet-fighter".

Waspinator has always been one of the more convincing to me in that his wings are in a somewhat realistic configuration, and the cockpit actually has a canopy! Tho I will freely admit the bar was pretty low to begin with

With Rampage, his tank mode even managed to alter the claws convincingly enough that they no longer looked immediately like crab claws.

Rampage is a close second there.

To me there were only two Transmetals that fell flat with their third mode - Rhinox and Airazor. From Bird to pontoon plane was just weird. It's such a level of redundancy, like that triplechanger (jet to helicopter) that didn't make it into the Transformers line.

Rhinox, was just a mess. I would have liked to see the bot mode in the show. But that altmode will forever be a WTF?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:To me there were only two Transmetals that fell flat with their third mode - Rhinox and Airazor. From Bird to pontoon plane was just weird. It's such a level of redundancy, like that triplechanger (jet to helicopter) that didn't make it into the Transformers line.

Rhinox, was just a mess. I would have liked to see the bot mode in the show. But that altmode will forever be a WTF?

Don't forget Terrorsaur. Just straighten his wings, open his butt, and you're done.

Sabrblade wrote:Don't forget Terrorsaur. Just straighten his wings, open his butt, and you're done.

I'm inclined to give Terrorsaur a pass. As I'm sure his third mode was meant to be a homage to Laserbeak. Sharing names as that mold did, prior to TM.




The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

He's supposed to be a VTOL aircraft.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

He's supposed to be a VTOL aircraft.

I get that. But what is the point to them just poking forward, in the third mode?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

He's supposed to be a VTOL aircraft.

I get that. But what is the point to them just poking forward, in the third mode?

To expose the VTOL fans.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

He's supposed to be a VTOL aircraft.

I get that. But what is the point to them just poking forward, in the third mode?

To expose the VTOL fans.

After that.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:The fold out flaps on the biceps still make little sense to me though.

He's supposed to be a VTOL aircraft.

I get that. But what is the point to them just poking forward, in the third mode?

To expose the VTOL fans.

After that.

That was it. The flaps covered the fans to hide them in beast mode, fold them over to reveal the fans for vehicle mode. It ain't rocket science.

Sabrblade wrote:That was it. The flaps covered the fans to hide them in beast mode, fold them over to reveal the fans for vehicle mode. It ain't rocket science.

That's all obvious and not what I was getting at. Aesthetically they just left them as pointy bits at the front. To no end. I can't think of any other Transmetal that just has wasted flaps of plastic by design in their third mode. A little decal on the underside could have at least made the points look gun-like.

To put it another way:

• I would like more Transmetals in Generations, especially Rampage and Depth Charge
• Some TM vehicle designs like Rampage and Tarantulas are cool, most are not
• Triple changers add complexity and would likely bump the scale up
• In a hypothetical bargain with Hasbro, I would ask them to drop the vehicle modes overall and just release at Voyager class (for Depth Charge and Rampage) or smaller (in the unlikely event we get anyone else)

AcademyofDrX wrote:To put it another way:

• I would like more Transmetals in Generations, especially Rampage and Depth Charge
• Some TM vehicle designs like Rampage and Tarantulas are cool, most are not
• Triple changers add complexity and would likely bump the scale up
• In a hypothetical bargain with Hasbro, I would ask them to drop the vehicle modes overall and just release at Voyager class (for Depth Charge and Rampage) or smaller (in the unlikely event we get anyone else)

To add to that. What would be really nice, if they genuinely did something with the Triplechangers. A line, a series, something. IDW skirted the idea completely. But it's a really cool and unique set of Transformers. If the combiners can get Titans Return. Surely they could give the tri-formers some specific push?

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:To add to that. What would be really nice, if they genuinely did something with the Triplechangers. A line, a series, something. IDW skirted the idea completely. But it's a really cool and unique set of Transformers. If the combiners can get Titans Return. Surely they could give the tri-formers some specific push?

I like the idea, but it could be hard to implement at all classes. CW didn't do much at leader class, and WfC had inconsistent application, but triple changers seem particularly challenging at all sizes.

I have to admit that while I appreciate Legacy's variety of characters, I find the lack of theming and play features disappointing. I'm sick of multiverses, but if you're going to have one, do something with it. OTOH, even if it's specific to a handful of Deluxes, I'm hyped for the Junkions and their play feature, even if the rest of "Evolution" doesn't really work the same way.

I do like most of the Transmetal designs, but dont think I would be buying any new ones. The OG ones are still pretty great and I own Tarantulas. But I wouldnt want to deny people getting updates if they want. Only one I would for sure buy is Tarantulas, then maybe Rampage and Depth Charge. Actually I would want to do TM Tarantulas to look like his IDW Sins of the Wreckers body. I already own Rampage and Depth Charges' TFCC figures and love them, so theys have to be pretty great for me to upgrade. I even twisted Rampage's Prime Megatron mould into a fairly "decent" looking crab, hehe.

After Legacy has given us near perfect updated figures for the 1st season Beast Wars characters, I dont feel I need many more from BW. They are a few from BW: Uprising I would like, but I have most of the ones I like from TFCC. Oh, just remembered, I would like a new Quickstrike, although the original is pretty good. Same with Silverbolt too.

I'm in the process of writing my own head-canon Sunbow season 4 and some comics of it with figures. These Beast Wars guys will be in the later parts and having these new ones has been great. After T30 put a couple out and then nothing for a while, I didnt think we were going to gets updated ones for a long while.

The minor redeco & retools for TM Tigatron and Blackarachnia would be nice to see realised. A GPS-free TM Megs would be good too. The thing is Transmetal and Fuzor are very context-specific lines. It doesn't really matter that the new Dragon Megs is referred to as TM2. Because aesthetically, he is just a Dragon Bot. TM Cheetor, a legally distinct Voltron. In isolation, does need some narrative explanation at least.

AcademyofDrX wrote:I like the idea, but it could be hard to implement at all classes. CW didn't do much at leader class, and WfC had inconsistent application, but triple changers seem particularly challenging at all sizes.

Combining Targetmasters with a basic vehicle mode, could work for core class. All the way upto Multiformers EG Gigatron, Sixshot, Quickswitch et al at the opposite end.