The Energon Pub

Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:36 am

Just saw the Nacelle order cancellation news and I have to say I partly blame this site's reporting on the matter. We may not have gotten word from Hasbro (did anybody actually, y'know, email them to ask??) but I'm pretty darn sure the substance was in fact positively identified as mold release fluid (which btw is similar to soap) that wasn't hosed off. Not super-commom on finished toys, but it's quite a common issue in the model kit world, so I trust people with experience there when they identify it. I hope Hasbro puts Nacelle back out there - and reaches out to everyone who had their order canceled.

Changing topics to a different figure, I recently wound up with Legacy Blitzwing; Hasbro sent me a consolation figure due to my complaints about Armada Megatron (the lack of full shoulder rotation is unacceptable and had better be fixed for Galvatron)... aaaand out of all possibilities it turned out to be Putzwing. I had no interest in him, but after getting landed with him (and learning the friend I was thinking of giving him away to already had one) I figured I may as well make the most of having him (especially while TR Blitzwing's restoration remains a work in progress). But hoo boy am I glad I didn't buy him, because in hand he's worse than I thought.
Complaints before owning him:
* Clunky transformation in the name of Xtreme Toon Accuracy that 1. makes his jet mode look like a plane flying around with a display base stuck to it (something that unlike Astrotrain's shuttle gap is a lot more noticeable), 2. ballooned him to Leader-class, and 3. probably wasn't even actually necessary for fhe intended goal
* Making the Energon Weapons red undermined the Xtreme Toon Accuracy by making the canopy and pseudocanopy red instead of blue.
Additional complaints now that I own him:
* Lack of full shoulder rotation (and unlike Armada Megs there are no fix kits)
* Guns are badly designed and block his wrist rotation when inserted.
** Sword does this, but to a lesser degree.
* The energon weapons fail at their intended robot mode purpose because the internal pegs are way too short; they don't reach the fists at all on my copy.
* The tank barrel's back is trapezoidal instead of round, restricting its elevation to a single angle. There is literally no reason to do this transformation-wise, it's just bad design that hampers what should be one of his best features.

I'll still play with him, since I have him, but I stand by my belief that TR Blitzwing is superior. If they really wanted another Leader-class Decepticon triple-changer they should have gone with Octane. Unlike Astrotrain, Blitzwing does not make good use of the price point. Octane could have.

I have other acquisitions, but I'll get to those later; this is already a major sidetrack from what I came here for right now (which was looking up an image of Armada Overload from a certain view, to show a friend on Telegram).

News Credits: 6 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:18 am

So I've got Bludgeon on my desk at the moment. For a character I have zero affinity for, I'm actually quite fond of Bludgeon's aesthetic. The altmode is a bit whatever really. The lesser of the two forms for sure.

samurai.jpg

Recently bought him and Tarn on a whim. Whom you'll notice I haven't mentioned yet. To be honest, I was tempted to buy another Tarn or two. Couldn't care less about the IDW/Cyberverse/whereever iterations. From colour palette to face plate. When I see Tarn, I see an army builder drone. I see a Vehicon. That while Bludgeon has unique character to his design. Tarn screams "Genericon".

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Tue Oct 03, 2023 11:36 am

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Just saw the Nacelle order cancellation news and I have to say I partly blame this site's reporting on the matter. We may not have gotten word from Hasbro (did anybody actually, y'know, email them to ask??) but I'm pretty darn sure the substance was in fact positively identified as mold release fluid (which btw is similar to soap) that wasn't hosed off. Not super-commom on finished toys, but it's quite a common issue in the model kit world, so I trust people with experience there when they identify it. I hope Hasbro puts Nacelle back out there - and reaches out to everyone who had their order canceled.

I really should use my powers over Hasbro for good, but I clearly only use them for evil. :roll:

Nobody has proven that injection molding "release fluid" even exists in commercial injection molding and I have no reason to believe it does because I watched a whole lot of videos of the process and not a single one showed fluid being applied to the molds and washed off. I don't doubt there's a residue on the mold that builds up on parts and the molds that model builders would want to wash off between the melted plastic, colorants and plasticizer, but injection molding is a rapid process, there's no time to apply a fluid to the mold in the seconds between runners.

Here's Lego, where are they applying mold release?

Here's Bandai's Gunpla factory tour. Release fluid? Washing station? No? Weird.

Here's an older Gunpla factory tour, I guess they skipped a few steps

And here's Archon Studios, it's the most detailed tour of the injection molding process for models and D&D minis I can find. No release fluids here!

Again, I remain completely unconvinced that the stuff exists at the commercial production level.

Emerje

News Credits: 17 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 11:52 am

I guess it's possible this company is an elaborate front.
https://miller-stephenson.com/
Or this one https://www.bruinmfg.com/injection-molding-production
Or this https://www.mavcoatmoldrelease.com/mold ... n-plastics

News Credits: 19 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 11:59 am

AcademyofDrX wrote:I guess it's possible this company is an elaborate front.
https://miller-stephenson.com/

Not an impossibility, Archon Studios definitley is. Would be funny if Hasbro said it was to make the toy look like the box art.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:31 pm

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.

https://miller-stephenson.com/

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.

Or this one https://www.bruinmfg.com/injection-molding-production

What am I supposed to be looking at here? I cant' find any mention of mold release anything and the onsite search doesn't turn up anything.

Or this https://www.mavcoatmoldrelease.com/mold ... n-plastics

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

News Credits: 462 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:34 pm

Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Tue Oct 03, 2023 4:38 pm

Sabrblade wrote:Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

Hey, most people choose hills, but I will die defending my stance on this iceberg until proven wrong! :lol:

Emerje

News Credits: 332 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 6:00 pm

Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

Hey, most people choose hills, but I will die defending my stance on this iceberg until proven wrong!

Emerje

I'm seeing pics from people whose Nacelle's were fine and now have the mold on them.

News Credits: 17 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 6:01 pm

chuckdawg1999 wrote:
Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

Hey, most people choose hills, but I will die defending my stance on this iceberg until proven wrong!

Emerje

I'm seeing pics from people whose Nacelle's were fine and now have the mold on them.

I would like to see that, and I don't know how that would be at all consistent with "mold."

I'm an Occam's razor guy. I'm always going to go with a simpler explanation--dude didn't check his Nacelle very closely, now notices it--than a more complicated one. Which I guess is that microscopic mold spores were present, then took a month to grow, even in an open room temperature environment.

News Credits: 17 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 6:21 pm

A different poster on TFW said entire pallets of Bombshell suffered some kind of catastrophic unknown damage, and all remaining Pulse orders for him will be cancelled. After that happens, it's going to be real tinfoil hours around here.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:01 pm

chuckdawg1999 wrote:
Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

Hey, most people choose hills, but I will die defending my stance on this iceberg until proven wrong!

Emerje

I'm seeing pics from people whose Nacelle's were fine and now have the mold on them.

Can you share?

Emerje

News Credits: 17 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:04 pm

Emerje wrote:
chuckdawg1999 wrote:
Emerje wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:Welp, I guess we can add the great Nacelle debate to the Transformers Fandom iceberg.

Hey, most people choose hills, but I will die defending my stance on this iceberg until proven wrong!

Emerje

I'm seeing pics from people whose Nacelle's were fine and now have the mold on them.

Can you share?

Emerje

It's just exactly what you'd expect, photos of Nacelle with the contaminating material. There isn't any "before" and "after."
https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ ... t-21732898

Tue Oct 03, 2023 8:18 pm

TF-fan kev777 wrote:
D-Maximal_Primal wrote:that Leader Soundwave makes absolutely no sense.

One very simple thing does make sense. Machine Wars Soundwave from Doubledealer. That mold hason't had a second use yet.

(Yeah, probably just wishful thinking.)

This is EXACTLY what I was thinking.

It would be cool if they molded in a chest door for cassettes, and remolded Doubledealer's bird mode into a bat mode to make it a triple homage with G1 and BW Soundwave!

News Credits: 9 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:01 pm

Check it…
Megs, Soundwave, Shockwave 3-pack.
If this is legit, I’ll be trying to get it.

News Credits: 12 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:10 pm

There's also gonna be a Starscreams ghost with Waspinator but I can't find the post

News Credits: 101 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:21 pm

Sowndwave76 wrote:Check it…
Megs, Soundwave, Shockwave 3-pack.
If this is legit, I’ll be trying to get it.

That set must be worth a freaking fortune.

But for me to be interested, the deco must be unique and good.

News Credits: 462 · Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:44 pm

It's possibly also a Japanese exclusive rather than a normal Hasbro item.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Wed Oct 04, 2023 7:55 am

Straight off the Nemesis command bridge we've got our first look at what appears to be an upcoming reveal from Takara Tomy. Images posted to our Energon Pub forums by Seibertronian Sowndwave76 show what seems to be a three pack of War For Cybertron series Siege Shockwave (possibly without extra parts), Earthrise Megatron and the once exclusive Netflix Soundwave with Laserbeak. with such a blurry image it's hard to gleam too much else, but we can see Shockwave's "barrel" is gray now and the image refers to Megatron as having a brushed metal finish. The set also comes with the same "Nemesis Captain's Seat" (as the image calls it) as the one that came with Studio Series Leader Starscream.

We shouldn't have to wait too long for a better look as Takara Tomy appears to be preparing to reveal several figures at the end of this week (10/6 in Japan) including MP Rhinox and Legacy United Silverbolt.

News Credits: 11 · Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:00 am

While I've been seeing a lot of hate for this set on other sites, I may actually buy it. I don't hate the Earthrise Megatron mould as much as everyone else does, and I sold my Siege Shockwave and Netflix Soundwave on Ebay a while ago and I wouldn't mind having those two again. I think it's good that Shockwave doesn't come with all that extra stuff the Siege version had, less stuff to put in my weapons/accessories tub, and I skipped Coronation Starscream so I've never had that throne accessory before. The lack of Ravage doesn't bother me too much because I was never keen on that Siege/Netflix version.

News Credits: 17 · Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:05 am

Munkky wrote:While I've been seeing a lot of hate for this set on other sites, I may actually buy it. I don't hate the Earthrise Megatron mould as much as everyone else does, and I sold my Siege Shockwave and Netflix Soundwave on Ebay a while ago and I wouldn't mind having those two again. I think it's good that Shockwave doesn't come with all that extra stuff the Siege version had, less stuff to put in my weapons/accessories tub, and I skipped Coronation Starscream so I've never had that throne accessory before. The lack of Ravage doesn't bother me too much because I was never keen on that Siege/Netflix version.

If you literally don't have any of the figures or the throne, then it should be a really good pickup. I think one of the main complaints is that so many people have at least a couple of these things already.

News Credits: 1 · Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:15 am

AcademyofDrX wrote:
Munkky wrote:While I've been seeing a lot of hate for this set on other sites, I may actually buy it. I don't hate the Earthrise Megatron mould as much as everyone else does, and I sold my Siege Shockwave and Netflix Soundwave on Ebay a while ago and I wouldn't mind having those two again. I think it's good that Shockwave doesn't come with all that extra stuff the Siege version had, less stuff to put in my weapons/accessories tub, and I skipped Coronation Starscream so I've never had that throne accessory before. The lack of Ravage doesn't bother me too much because I was never keen on that Siege/Netflix version.

If you literally don't have any of the figures or the throne, then it should be a really good pickup. I think one of the main complaints is that so many people have at least a couple of these things already.

There's another angle too: two of these guys might get new figures this year.

News Credits: 30 · Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:20 am

Munkky wrote:While I've been seeing a lot of hate for this set on other sites, I may actually buy it. I don't hate the Earthrise Megatron mould as much as everyone else does, and I sold my Siege Shockwave and Netflix Soundwave on Ebay a while ago and I wouldn't mind having those two again. I think it's good that Shockwave doesn't come with all that extra stuff the Siege version had, less stuff to put in my weapons/accessories tub, and I skipped Coronation Starscream so I've never had that throne accessory before. The lack of Ravage doesn't bother me too much because I was never keen on that Siege/Netflix version.

I agree on almost all those points. ER Megatron was a rare find, but I did kind of want a 'clean' version without the silver splattering. I also kind of hope they put the Siege Megatron head on to replace the ER one. That head looked kind of derpy.

Siege Shockwave was neat - but I frankly never cared for the 'octo' arms, and again, the silver splatters are just distracting. So a cleaner version without all the clutter would be nice. The only thing that might put me off would be that I'm perfectly content with Netflix Soundwave, so getting a second one doesn't really appeal. Hopefully these come to Hasbro Pulse at some point, with an option to buy each one separately....

Wed Oct 04, 2023 12:28 pm

I've no use for an over priced 3-pk full of reuse I already have, have Megs and the Throne and Siege Shockwave is sufficient. While I'd like to get a proper G1 cassette player Soundwave, this really isn't it in the sense of recently redone Iron Hide/Ratchet. As well as Blaster. And even if he was new I'd still struggle to buying into the set due to the other two I already have. lol

MyFigureCollection.net collection · Wed Oct 04, 2023 1:21 pm

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