The Energon Pub

Yeah I feel I will pick up this set. I will wait until the final images are posted so I can make a final decision...'nuff said!

Emerje wrote:I'm probably going to get this set. I think this Shockwave looks better with the gray front in alt mode, Megatron will probably look better than the ER figure if they do the brushed metal effect well, and my Netflix Soundwave can't transform because one of the hip pins was misaligned so he can't do a split.

What I'm really curious about is how they intend to label it. Premium Finish? Legacy? With a 40th Anniversary label for sure. And there must be an Autobot counterpart, right?

Emerje

If this is a 40th anniversary set, then yes one could expect an Autobot pack as well. Though what accessory would you throw in in place of the chair?

Or do you go for just Leader Prime and Trailer and 2 deluxes? Prowl and Bumblebee or Sideswipe and Bumblebee ? There's definitely gonna be a Bumblebee in that set right?
Or Kingdom Magnus's inner robot in prime colors, no trailer, Bumblebee + 3 deluxes and some accessories from the Centurion set?

I may be be tempted if this is around $120 bucks or less.

Emerje wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:I guess it's possible this company is an elaborate front.

I never said mold release agents don't exist, I said liquid agents aren't used in commercial injection molding. There's other kinds of molding that do use them like silicon molds and casting, but not injection molding. Just imagine all the imperfections on parts that would be left behind by pockets of liquid getting squeezed into crevices as hot plastic is pumped into the mold.

The one product they say can be used for injection molding they claim has to be cured first and non-transferring, certainly not a "release fluid" that has to be washed off and is going to turn into dry fuzz.

-snip-
See the first one again. Cured to the mold, non-transfering, doesn't need to be washed off. Definitely not a liquid that's going to cause fuzz on plastic.

I'm not wrong.

Emerje

1. Sorry, but you ARE wrong. At least in treating non-transferrence as a universal thing. Some mold release agents used in injection molding CAN leave residue on the plastic; this is a known annoyance to model kit builders. I learned about it in the model train world, where I was told certain kits were best cleaned off before trying to paint. It's typically just a slick film, but it can build up like soap scum in particularly egregious cases. When people weighed in that that's what the problem with Nacelle actually was, I was inclined to trust them because A. it was a thing I knew existed c/o experts and B. I deeply mistrust it when the fandom cries "The sky is falling"
2. That being said, the "dry fuzz" description is comcerning. All the reporting I'd seen, it appeared to more of a scum.

Regarding other news:
Happy about Magmatron, annoyed at Tidal Wave and hoping it's somehow not too late for them to either A. Leave the combining to a separate Leader-class figure so that people don't have to buy a bulky $200 toy just to get quasi-combining (and the Titan doesn't have to deal with trying to hide or else seamlessly integrate smaller copies of its boat components) or B. Scrap Titan TW in favor of Leader TW and give the Titan spot to someone else (Like Gigastorm, or maybe Energon OS. My misgivings about such have diminished a bit). Tigerhawk could be fun, but the original might be preferable.
The rock monsters: ...Okay I guess? Neat, but given last year I was hoping these would turn out to be Autobot Pretenders.
Open-window boxes on leaders is a stupid idea that will cost Hasbro dearly if followed through. The Putzwing refresh didn't shelfwarm because of the closed box, it shelfwarmed because 1. Insufficient demand for Putzwing (literally every other LE Leader has shifted readily) and 2. Demand for all figures is being negatively impacted by current prices.

I saw talk of "Leader Soundwave" on a prior page. There are two ways that makws sense: One is them pulling a Coronation Starscream and issuing him with extra stuff (like some of the cassettes), the other is if it's Machine Wars Soundwave from ER Doubledealer (who has yet to be milked).
Speaking of ER Doubledealer, I think the Putzwing refresh should have been split with a refresh of him (alternating between cases).

Now, some questions.
1. Has anyone ever found Legacy Armada Optimus at physical retail in the USA?
2. Do Skyquake and Dragon Megs have full shoulder rotation?

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:1. Sorry, but you ARE wrong. At least in treating non-transferrence as a universal thing. Some mold release agents used in injection molding CAN leave residue on the plastic; this is a known annoyance to model kit builders. I learned about it in the model train world, where I was told certain kits were best cleaned off before trying to paint. It's typically just a slick film, but it can build up like soap scum in particularly egregious cases. When people weighed in that that's what the problem with Nacelle actually was, I was inclined to trust them because A. it was a thing I knew existed c/o experts and B. I deeply mistrust it when the fandom cries "The sky is falling"

I mentioned this before. That residue isn't necessarily mold release but simply a build up caused by injecting melted plastic into a mold. Plastic is oil based, when it's melted there's going to be some oils released, if it's softer plastic there's going to be plasticizer leakage. Those companies linked to above call their release agents "semi-permanent", they wear down over thousands of uses, the amounts that appear on plastic would be trace at best and a far cry from the claims of the fuzz being a "mold release fluid" that needs to be washed off as part of the production process, that just doesn't exist in commercial injection molding.

My own Nacelle has tiny bits of fuzz on different parts, not just the wings but also the left shoulder and right hip.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:1. Sorry, but you ARE wrong. At least in treating non-transferrence as a universal thing. Some mold release agents used in injection molding CAN leave residue on the plastic; this is a known annoyance to model kit builders. I learned about it in the model train world, where I was told certain kits were best cleaned off before trying to paint. It's typically just a slick film, but it can build up like soap scum in particularly egregious cases. When people weighed in that that's what the problem with Nacelle actually was, I was inclined to trust them because A. it was a thing I knew existed c/o experts and B. I deeply mistrust it when the fandom cries "The sky is falling"

I mentioned this before. That residue isn't necessarily mold release but simply a build up caused by injecting melted plastic into a mold. Plastic is oil based, when it's melted there's going to be some oils released, if it's softer plastic there's going to be plasticizer leakage. Those companies linked to above call their release agents "semi-permanent", they wear down over thousands of uses, the amounts that appear on plastic would be trace at best and a far cry from the claims of the fuzz being a "mold release fluid" that needs to be washed off as part of the production process, that just doesn't exist in commercial injection molding.

1. Those companies aren't everybody; just because they use semi-permanent stuff doesn't mean everybody does (or that that's how it was always done). And plastic model kits are, in fact, commercial injection molding. It might not actually be what's the case here, given some of the new information I've seen from you, but unless multiple veteran hobbyists have been wrongly informed for decades... mold release residue is a thing.
2. Again, everything I had seen prior to this point made the buildup on Nacelle figures appear to be more of a scum than a fuzz. Which had me inclined to agree with the "mold release residue" analysis.

Emerje wrote:My own Nacelle has tiny bits of fuzz on different parts, not just the wings but also the left shoulder and right hip.

Emerje

Take photos. Then scrape some off into a jar or plastic bag along with a bit of paper and seal it, and keep it under observation; see if it grows or withers (or if it does nothing). And bleach-wipe the rest off of your Nacelle. That should deal with it, whatever it is.

Emerje wrote:What I'm really curious about is how they intend to label it. Premium Finish? Legacy?

And the answer is... neither of those!

It's a new separate line titled "Dramatic Capture Series".

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:1. Those companies aren't everybody; just because they use semi-permanent stuff doesn't mean everybody does (or that that's how it was always done). And plastic model kits are, in fact, commercial injection molding. It might not actually be what's the case here, given some of the new information I've seen from you, but unless multiple veteran hobbyists have been wrongly informed for decades... mold release residue is a thing.
2. Again, everything I had seen prior to this point made the buildup on Nacelle figures appear to be more of a scum than a fuzz. Which had me inclined to agree with the "mold release residue" analysis.

You're right, I shouldn't generalize, but I did provide several videos out of the dozens I've watched, two of which were from Bandai Gunpla factories. Not just toys, but also things like buckets, bottle caps and even one piece lawn chairs. The process moves too quickly for a liquid mold release fluid to be in use and to me it doesn't make sense to introduce anything to the mold other than the plastic out of risk of errors, it's bad enough they're contending with trapped air. Maybe at one time a liquid was used and that information has been handed down over the years, but it seems incredibly inefficient in modern molding where they have to pump out tens if not hundreds of thousands of runners a day. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think the "semi-permanent" release is sort of like Teflon, a non-stick coating that slowly loses a microscopic layer with every use. The Archon video I shared shows the kind of wear the molds go through.

Take photos. Then scrape some off into a jar or plastic bag along with a bit of paper and seal it, and keep it under observation; see if it grows or withers (or if it does nothing). And bleach-wipe the rest off of your Nacelle. That should deal with it, whatever it is.

In my case it's literally a few spots that I noticed, not really enough to scrape off as a sample. I did take pictures I wanted to hold on to incase this came up again. It's not terribly exciting, I'll admit.





The last image of the shoulder was originally more substantial, sticking up out of the groove, it was filling that spot on the groove. I brushed over it with my finger nail to see if it would come loose, maybe some stray cardboard fibers, but it broke up instead, that's when I decided to take photos.

Emerje

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:What I'm really curious about is how they intend to label it. Premium Finish? Legacy?

And the answer is... neither of those!

It's a new separate line titled "Dramatic Capture Series".

I'm guessing it's "capture" as in screen capture? Was there a scene with these three together on the Nemesis? I can't recall one.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:What I'm really curious about is how they intend to label it. Premium Finish? Legacy?

And the answer is... neither of those!

It's a new separate line titled "Dramatic Capture Series".

I'm guessing it's "capture" as in screen capture? Was there a scene with these three together on the Nemesis? I can't recall one.

Emerje

I agree that's what they mean by "capture", but no there was no scene of the three of them on the Nemesis in the G1 cartoon, since the interior of that ship was only ever seen in the first episode right before the Decepticons boarded the Ark. In this case, "Dramatic Capture" probably refers to a more general definition of we, the consumers, getting to create our own diorama scenes with these sets.

We'll just have to wait until tomorrow (or possibly later today since Japan is ahead of the West by a good number of hours) for the official reveal.

Legacy United Silverbolt official reveal.

https://hobby.dengeki.com/news/2102405/

Looking good!

Takara has its big reveal day today, and that includes their next figures in Legacy, Beast Wars vs and the reveal of the new Dramatic Capture Series.

For Legacy, we have Silverbolt, which will be released as part of wave 2 in Legacy United. However, it is unclear if the deco we see is exclusive to Takara or if Hasbro's release will be identical.

For Beast Wars Vs we have Ghost Starscream and Waspinator two pack which has an MSRP of around $60 (so the same prices as a deluxe and voyager these days in the US).

Finally for the Dramatic Capture Series we have the box set of Decepticons in premium deco with throne. The MSRP is around the $110 mark.

None of these seem to be exclusive, so they will wind up on Amazon Japan with discounts, which will help make up for the added shipping cost. All are set of a March 2024 release.

Ghost Starscream. Oh, yes. Waspinator ... I already have you. I wonder how much this set will wind up being? Because Ghost Screamer is tempting.

I guess this is the chance to grab Soundy for those who've missed out. Tough being packed with ER Megatron, though. Not only was Siege everywhere, but this Megatron has that terrible sworn/gun thing. At least Shockwave is pretty good. I don't think he really needed those extra bits. I wonder if this version will be prone to yellowing too.

Silverbolt is looking good.

The shoulders in flying wolf mode are kind of awkwardly placed, but other than that he looks great.

So yeah, definitely pre-ordering him.


The Beastwars set is very temping. Love me some shiny painted Waspinator and Ghost SS looks fantastic.
SS is using the coronation retool, with the awkward articulated fingers. But gets a new frowning face sculpt different to Earthrise and SS, and also apparently different from Skywarp's screaming face.


The only reason to get the Decepticon set, is the Netflix Soundwave. I forsee a ton of loose Megatrons, Shockwaves and chairs on Ebay in the future.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:Ghost Starscream. Oh, yes. Waspinator ... I already have you. I wonder how much this set will wind up being? Because Ghost Screamer is tempting.

I guess this is the chance to grab Soundy for those who've missed out. Tough being packed with ER Megatron, though. Not only was Siege everywhere, but this Megatron has that terrible sworn/gun thing. At least Shockwave is pretty good. I don't think he really needed those extra bits. I wonder if this version will be prone to yellowing too.

The prices are all standard retail, due to the high value of the American dollar right now

I like Silverbolt
I wouldve appreciate something different about the upper arms in bot mode to look cleaner but im guessing it's show accurate to have the doggy paws up there

william-james88 wrote:The prices are all standard retail, due to the high value of the American dollar right now

Shipping will be unavoidable.

Regardless, I'm really tempted to get the Waspinator and Ghost Screamer pack.
Wasp look great and I'm curious to see if that all clear Screamers will have SOLID joints instead of clear ones?

I KNEW that somehow, sometime, we’d be getting a new Ghost Starscream. That 2 pack is going to be a MUST for me, unless we get any sudden news of a regular release ghostie screamer.

I thought Waspinator was going to be clear plastic too. Might pass on it as much as i'd like the Starscream.

That Silverbolt is looking good! The rest, eh, I can live without.

I look forward to SIEGE Shockwaves being dumped on eBay by people who get the set.



Armada Megatron looks pretty good, I have to say...




...Though I definitely find him better with certain modifications made.


I'm very happy they used this line to give Earthrise Dirge a real release. Glad to have him, he's pretty fun. This is actually my first time having any Earthrise Seekers, and I think it's a lovely mold.


But I do hope if they do likewise for Ramjet and give us a Thrust restock, they'll switch to the original leg panels or else alter this one. This new leg panel they made for the Coneheads very clearly did not take altmode into account properly - they can't close properly and they block access to the flight stand port. And the limited access to the coneheads probably prevented Hasbro from getting adequate feedback.




Blitzwing, I've already talked about a bit, but here's some pics. Also some more things of note:
* His ankle tilts don't work too well. At least, the right one doesn't. It's effectively a soft ratchet. The left one moves more freely for some reason.
* More bad design with the gauntlets: I discovered that while the pegs are hopeless, they can attach by slotting onto the arm panels... but the slots are on the same side as the 5mm pegs at the rear of the gauntlets, so the pegs up on the inside where they can conflict with his chest a bit.


They make neat little drone turrets though.

And then of course there's this guy:







Definitely every bit the showstopper he should be.


Not full combiner size, but not too shy of it either.


It'll be interesting to see how they handle Overload. And specifically, wearing both Overload and Jetfire at once; one of those two will have to come with a replacement backpack for that scenario.


Action shot to round things out.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I look forward to SIEGE Shockwaves being dumped on eBay by people who get the set.

Why would they? It's the exact same toy but without the extra bits. Plus, Siege Shockwave is basically worthless because it was over-produced.

...

AAaaaaannnnnnnnndddddd eBay proves me wrong.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I look forward to SIEGE Shockwaves being dumped on eBay by people who get the set.

Well, that's where my Waspnator is headed if I get the Ghostscream set.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:I look forward to SIEGE Shockwaves being dumped on eBay by people who get the set.

Why would they? It's the exact same toy but without the extra bits.

Well, that's just it: since they're the same toy, people who already had SIEGE Shocky would be unlikely to keep both after getting this set. They'd want to unload one or the other (and then there's the people who will be dumping this set's Shockwave because Soundwave was literally the only one they wanted).

-Kanrabat- wrote:Plus, Siege Shockwave is basically worthless because it was over-produced.

...

AAaaaaannnnnnnnndddddd eBay proves me wrong.

Yeeeah. The days of getting SIEGE Shockwave near, at, or below retail on eBay... have sadly ended. But if a bunch of people started unloading them because of this set, that could well change.

I’m interested in that Decepticon 3-pack.
Although I still really don’t like the ER Megatron head sculpt…. It’s too small/narrow…. Or I guess the face sculpt should’ve been smaller.
I don’t know that I like the metallic paints on Soundwave.
And with this, I’m completely convinced this character needs a new mold—
for the love of God that stupid-ass landing gear on the forearms and lack of covers…
I mean that’s not the only issue I have with this mold, but for me those forearms are such eyesores.

I never bought Siege Shockwave…
So if I do get this set, I may end up being one who sells off that Megatron.