The Energon Pub

Personally, I think a great "testing the waters" set of Pretenders could be the Mega Pretenders cause they do the shell becomes a vehicle and the inner bot combines, but I also think a cool update would be the Ultra Pretenders cause they could turn the big vehicle into base modes, in addition to the same concept from the Mega Pretenders. If the Mega Pretenders sell, then you could expand back to the original Pretenders as a further test before finishing them off.

That said, I also think it'd be interesting to see if they dip into JG1 for the Pretenders and release RED figures/GI Joe style figures for their shells with their "civillian" clothes and armor that attaches for the armored look, but then release their inner bot in the mainline with a scaled shell. Not ideal, but would kind of get the idea across

Pretenders done right is not a difficult concept.

The shells can be articulated. Rather than splitting in half front to back, only have the upper torso split. This allows for hip and leg articulation while the shoulders stay a part of the upper back portion.

The inner robot itself may have to be scaled down a bit as they may only be able to fit in the uppoer body, but the focus should be on the outer shell.

Burn wrote:Pretenders done right is not a difficult concept.

The shells can be articulated. Rather than splitting in half front to back, only have the upper torso split. This allows for hip and leg articulation while the shoulders stay a part of the upper back portion.

The inner robot itself may have to be scaled down a bit as they may only be able to fit in the uppoer body, but the focus should be on the outer shell.

I also think that's the way they could do it.

Such a body with a core class robot could be at the voyager price point I think.
For more "important" pretenders with transforming shells like Bludgeon (because no way he'd remain a simple pretender) and Thunderwing, they should be at the very least leader class.

Emerje wrote:We're only getting a new Menasor because his cartoon design was so much different from the toy we got and also had non-standard combining thanks to looking like a giant robot with cars hanging off of him so they could do something new in Legacy. There's really no need to redo most of the CW lineup aside from Liokaiser. Hopefully they come up with a really good system for combining two deluxe figures into a torso eventually so we can get proper Deluxe six member combiners like Liokaiser, Monstructor/Dinoking, Raiden and Devastator. They could do an entire year and a half long line with that line up and almost all of them have built in repaint potential. Aside from the obvious pair, Liokaiser can keep being a CW retool with some updated parts ala TT Selects combiners, Raiden can be repainted into "updated" Sixtrain and/or Sixliner, and Devastator can either go full Diaclone or G2. There's a lot they could do here.

Emerje

Titan Devastator is great and was recently reissued. I don't see the appeal of a Deluxe/Commander scale one, especially since Omega is a Titan. What we really need is a Devastator with Core class components. In addition to the redecoes you mentioned above, it could also be retooled into a Sixbuilder (with potentially significant design compromises.)

There's also a good KO scaled down CW Devastator that has deluxe members. I have UW Dev to go with Siege Omega, and the KO which displays well with all my other combiners. Someone just needs to do the same thing with PotP Predaking.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

Emerje wrote:We're only getting a new Menasor because his cartoon design was so much different from the toy we got and also had non-standard combining thanks to looking like a giant robot with cars hanging off of him so they could do something new in Legacy. There's really no need to redo most of the CW lineup aside from Liokaiser. Hopefully they come up with a really good system for combining two deluxe figures into a torso eventually so we can get proper Deluxe six member combiners like Liokaiser, Monstructor/Dinoking, Raiden and Devastator. They could do an entire year and a half long line with that line up and almost all of them have built in repaint potential. Aside from the obvious pair, Liokaiser can keep being a CW retool with some updated parts ala TT Selects combiners, Raiden can be repainted into "updated" Sixtrain and/or Sixliner, and Devastator can either go full Diaclone or G2. There's a lot they could do here.

Emerje

Titan Devastator is great and was recently reissued. I don't see the appeal of a Deluxe/Commander scale one, especially since Omega is a Titan. What we really need is a Devastator with Core class components. In addition to the redecoes you mentioned above, it could also be retooled into a Sixbuilder (with potentially significant design compromises.)

I got one of those reissued Davastator sets. Sadly, I can't agree that he's "great." He's okay, but I couldn't put him on my favorite figures I bought this year list. I wish I could. But I can't.

o.supreme wrote:There's also a good KO scaled down CW Devastator that has deluxe members. I have UW Dev to go with Siege Omega, and the KO which displays well with all my other combiners. Someone just needs to do the same thing with PotP Predaking.

I think I may grab one of those to have the Constructions loose.

sol magnus wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

Emerje wrote:We're only getting a new Menasor because his cartoon design was so much different from the toy we got and also had non-standard combining thanks to looking like a giant robot with cars hanging off of him so they could do something new in Legacy. There's really no need to redo most of the CW lineup aside from Liokaiser. Hopefully they come up with a really good system for combining two deluxe figures into a torso eventually so we can get proper Deluxe six member combiners like Liokaiser, Monstructor/Dinoking, Raiden and Devastator. They could do an entire year and a half long line with that line up and almost all of them have built in repaint potential. Aside from the obvious pair, Liokaiser can keep being a CW retool with some updated parts ala TT Selects combiners, Raiden can be repainted into "updated" Sixtrain and/or Sixliner, and Devastator can either go full Diaclone or G2. There's a lot they could do here.

Emerje

Titan Devastator is great and was recently reissued. I don't see the appeal of a Deluxe/Commander scale one, especially since Omega is a Titan. What we really need is a Devastator with Core class components. In addition to the redecoes you mentioned above, it could also be retooled into a Sixbuilder (with potentially significant design compromises.)

I got one of those reissued Davastator sets. Sadly, I can't agree that he's "great." He's okay, but I couldn't put him on my favorite figures I bought this year list. I wish I could. But I can't.

o.supreme wrote:There's also a good KO scaled down CW Devastator that has deluxe members. I have UW Dev to go with Siege Omega, and the KO which displays well with all my other combiners. Someone just needs to do the same thing with PotP Predaking.

I think I may grab one of those to have the Constructions loose.

I once had CW Titan Devastator. He's nice, but not 200$ nice. Plus he felt so cheap in hand and was too big to scale with the rest of CW. So I sold him

I bought that undersized K.O. and he's fantastic. Especially for 60$cab shipped.

Still, I agree that a new combiner line with dedicated deluxes that could be swapped around other teams would be amazing.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

sol magnus wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:

Emerje wrote:We're only getting a new Menasor because his cartoon design was so much different from the toy we got and also had non-standard combining thanks to looking like a giant robot with cars hanging off of him so they could do something new in Legacy. There's really no need to redo most of the CW lineup aside from Liokaiser. Hopefully they come up with a really good system for combining two deluxe figures into a torso eventually so we can get proper Deluxe six member combiners like Liokaiser, Monstructor/Dinoking, Raiden and Devastator. They could do an entire year and a half long line with that line up and almost all of them have built in repaint potential. Aside from the obvious pair, Liokaiser can keep being a CW retool with some updated parts ala TT Selects combiners, Raiden can be repainted into "updated" Sixtrain and/or Sixliner, and Devastator can either go full Diaclone or G2. There's a lot they could do here.

Emerje

Titan Devastator is great and was recently reissued. I don't see the appeal of a Deluxe/Commander scale one, especially since Omega is a Titan. What we really need is a Devastator with Core class components. In addition to the redecoes you mentioned above, it could also be retooled into a Sixbuilder (with potentially significant design compromises.)

I got one of those reissued Davastator sets. Sadly, I can't agree that he's "great." He's okay, but I couldn't put him on my favorite figures I bought this year list. I wish I could. But I can't.

o.supreme wrote:There's also a good KO scaled down CW Devastator that has deluxe members. I have UW Dev to go with Siege Omega, and the KO which displays well with all my other combiners. Someone just needs to do the same thing with PotP Predaking.

I think I may grab one of those to have the Constructions loose.

I once had CW Titan Devastator. He's nice, but not 200$ nice. Plus he felt so cheap in hand and was too big to scale with the rest of CW. So I sold him

I bought that undersized K.O. and he's fantastic. Especially for 60$cab shipped.

Still, I agree that a new combiner line with dedicated deluxes that could be swapped around other teams would be amazing.

They could even call it "Scramble City." LOL

sol magnus wrote:They could even call it "Scramble City." LOL

Well, CW was Scramble City. I mean something a bit more "restrictive" but would still allow freedom.

Imagine a combiner line. ALL deluxes. No voyagers. 5 types of deluxes:
-- Upper torso with the integrated chest-plate and combiner head.

-- Lower torso with HARD ratchets with the Combiner's thighs AND knees. The combiner ports being below the knees.

-- Arms with integrated combiner hands (left or right with a swingable thumb) with HARD ratchets for the Combiner's elbow (reusable as the single bot's ab-crunch.)

-- Lower legs, with integrated Combiner feet with hard ankle pivot and tilts articulations.

All dedicated members could be swapped between teams like to make a "CobtructiOkaizer."

Why are we trying to reinvent Combiner Wars, we already got Combiner Wars, with over a hundred different component bots. I'm happy to get a new Menasor, I'll probably get any other G1 Combiners they do for Legacy and after, but I don't want a Combiner Wars do-over. If there was going to be a do-over, "no kibble, everything integrated" is the worst design mandate I can imagine.

Honestly, I want to see Legacy Menasor before I decide to get excited about a return to combiners. There are many other vintage play patterns I would like to see revisited, too, and combiners always suck up all of the enthusiasm.

AcademyofDrX wrote:If there was going to be a do-over, "no kibble, everything integrated" is the worst design mandate I can imagine.

Case in point:

Sabrblade wrote:

AcademyofDrX wrote:If there was going to be a do-over, "no kibble, everything integrated" is the worst design mandate I can imagine.

Case in point:

Those were just a test shot.
It can be made way better as I described. Also, that Onslaught was just ONE deluxe. The type of combiner I'm talking about would have TWO deluxes to make the torso.

Also, the limbs were arms AND legs. What I'm talking about is for limb bots that are only arms OR legs.

Furthermore, it would NEVER be a "CW do-over" because appart Devastator, no other combiner teams that would use such a system never had a proper Generations update.

Finally, GOBOTS way back in the early 1980's did it with tremendous success. Twice.




Your "case" is dismissed.

If we did get a line where the leg bots came with the combiner thigh, I'd immediately demand we get Ambulon from IDW as a Selects figure

-Kanrabat- wrote:Finally, GOBOTS way back in the early 1980's did it with tremendous success. Twice.

Slightly OT, but Discotek Media is releasing the entire Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos anime series as SD on BRD on Feb 22nd!. I had the DVDs released years ago of which they only released 3 volumes containing the first 15 episodes. I know the series has been completely subbed and online for a while, but I am excited to finally give it a proper watch.

Lastly, Whether Original Scramble style or new, I'm not big on revisiting Combiners already done until the ones that haven't been updated get their due.

AcademyofDrX wrote:There are many other vintage play patterns I would like to see revisited, too, and combiners always suck up all of the enthusiasm.

As someone who's favorite play pattern IS Combiners, I agree. Legacy is getting just one redone combiner, and that is where the majority of the talk seems to be centered(yes I'm pointing fingers at myself as well). I guess we just cant help ourselves sometimes.

For me it is just a long waiting game now. Other than what is on my wish list below, there really aren't any other characters I want/need. The occasional impulse might happen (as did with Kingdom Galvatron and Tigatron), but as of now, there is no standard Legacy release on my want list, nor any of the MANY rumors really that exciting.

This will be the first time ever I skip both CC and Titan. Which is fine, MP Raiden by itself is probably going to take up my entire budget of what I would have otherwise spent on smaller TF's.

Burn wrote:Pretenders done right is not a difficult concept.

The shells can be articulated. Rather than splitting in half front to back, only have the upper torso split. This allows for hip and leg articulation while the shoulders stay a part of the upper back portion.

The inner robot itself may have to be scaled down a bit as they may only be able to fit in the uppoer body, but the focus should be on the outer shell.

I like and agree with this line of thought a lot. I want this. I just don't see how it will be done proper justice in the current market. I would prefer this, but will still settle for fusions.

AcademyofDrX wrote:Honestly, I want to see Legacy Menasor before I decide to get excited about a return to combiners. There are many other vintage play patterns I would like to see revisited, too, and combiners always suck up all of the enthusiasm.

So much this.

o.supreme wrote:I know the series has been completely subbed and online for a while, but I am excited to finally give it a proper watch.

And you rightly should be. Those old fansubs from years ago are abysmal. They were done by some Russian group who clearly had no comprehension of how the English language works, being the most nonsensical translations you ever did see. Mistranslated names, completely made up names, wrong gender pronouns, and dialogue attributed to the wrong characters also plagued those subs. To put it mildly, Discotek's official subs should hopefully be a breath of fresh air.

AcademyofDrX wrote:

Emerje wrote:We're only getting a new Menasor because his cartoon design was so much different from the toy we got and also had non-standard combining thanks to looking like a giant robot with cars hanging off of him so they could do something new in Legacy. There's really no need to redo most of the CW lineup aside from Liokaiser. Hopefully they come up with a really good system for combining two deluxe figures into a torso eventually so we can get proper Deluxe six member combiners like Liokaiser, Monstructor/Dinoking, Raiden and Devastator. They could do an entire year and a half long line with that line up and almost all of them have built in repaint potential. Aside from the obvious pair, Liokaiser can keep being a CW retool with some updated parts ala TT Selects combiners, Raiden can be repainted into "updated" Sixtrain and/or Sixliner, and Devastator can either go full Diaclone or G2. There's a lot they could do here.

Emerje

Titan Devastator is great and was recently reissued. I don't see the appeal of a Deluxe/Commander scale one, especially since Omega is a Titan.

Not everyone wants their Devastator to tower over the rest of their combiners. I like my UW Devastator and I like pairing him with Omega, but I don't like him or his components with my Generations figures, I prefer to stick them with Masterpiece. Same goes for Predaking, but I've always thought of him as being bigger than most combiners so I'd just want him to be a little smaller than he is now. But like I said before, this isn't about redoing CW, just doing all Deluxe six member teams, no Voyagers and definitely no Commanders.

What we really need is a Devastator with Core class components.

Let's get more Core figures in general before we start doing Core combiners.

In addition to the redecoes you mentioned above, it could also be retooled into a Sixbuilder (with potentially significant design compromises.)

I'd be fine with that, just no RID Build Team, I was never a huge fan of that idea from BotCon. Imagine if they retooled Devastator into Sixbuilder and then repainted that back into the Decepticon Sixbuilder in Devastator colors.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:I'd be fine with that, just no RID Build Team, I was never a huge fan of that idea from BotCon.

It was Hasbro who made that tooling, not Fun Pub. The Build Team is the Constructicons' pretool.

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:I'd be fine with that, just no RID Build Team, I was never a huge fan of that idea from BotCon.

It was Hasbro who made that tooling, not Fun Pub. The Build Team is the Constructicons' pretool.

I realize that, but Fun Pub seemed like the closest to actually using them even though Hasbro (pretty sure it was Warden) teased the possibility shortly after Devastator was announced.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Emerje wrote:I'd be fine with that, just no RID Build Team, I was never a huge fan of that idea from BotCon.

It was Hasbro who made that tooling, not Fun Pub. The Build Team is the Constructicons' pretool.

I realize that, but Fun Pub seemed like the closest to actually using them even though Hasbro (pretty sure it was Warden) teased the possibility shortly after Devastator was announced.

Emerje

Fun Pub was given the heads to release, yes, but it was too expensive an endeavor for them, and they were sure that Hasbro wouldn't squander the opportunity to release Landfill themselves. To everyone's surprise, Hasbro did exactly that.

Sabrblade wrote:To everyone's surprise, Hasbro did exactly that.

I mean, when they came right out and asked if people wanted to see the Build Team done from the mold I guess it was a surprise that they never did that. But in hindsight we're just now getting our first Hasbro Titan repaint in 2021. Plus the previous design team didn't know who Metro Titan was so maybe we shouldn't have been surprised that corporate Hasbro was hesitant to recycle titan molds.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:To everyone's surprise, Hasbro did exactly that.

I mean, when they came right out and asked if people wanted to see the Build Team done from the mold I guess it was a surprise that they never did that. But in hindsight we're just now getting our first Hasbro Titan repaint in 2021. Plus the previous design team didn't know who Metro Titan was so maybe we shouldn't have been surprised that corporate Hasbro was hesitant to recycle titan molds.

Emerje

It is suspected that the Build Team might have been meant for a SDCC release, but instead we got "Devastator, but now with two eyes and shiny".

Though, unlike Metrotitan, Landfill actually featured in a Saturday morning cartoon aired on the same network as Beast Wars and Beast Machines, in which he and his components spotlighted in several episodes, so they at least have that degree of recognition.

Box art is out on indemand toys. It actually makes some stuff look better than it is, like Bulkhead. Weird color choices and totally... METAL. Easy to see the designers influence haha

https://m.facebook.com/indemandtoys/pho ... &source=49

A clean, correctly assembled Galvatron too.

Makes me feel like an idiot for getting him. Galvy is one of my faves, but I absolutely hate it when they pull crap like this.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:A clean, correctly assembled Galvatron too.

Makes me feel like an idiot for getting him. Galvy is one of my faves, but I absolutely hate it when they pull crap like this.

The latest Kingdom ones are correctly assembled. I don't know about the 'clean' part, though.