The Energon Pub

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Emerje wrote:Anyone know if there are KOs of Prime? I want to get Sentinel while he's still relatively close to MSRP, but don't want to pay $150 on Aliexpress or something only for it to be a fake. Searching around it doesn't seem like it has been, but I just want to be sure.

Emerje

I may be talking out of my ass here, but I think this is way too soon for a K.O to have been made yet.

There's some 40th toon G1 Optimus floating around at 40$CAN, but those are sure to be KOs since the original G1 Prime have been K.O'd since decades, and a straight repaint is easy. But Missing Link is an entirely different mold that is fairly new. So I'd be surprised if it'd be already been K.O'd.

That's reassuring, thanks!

Emerje

Oh, another thing.
All K.Os at AliExpress have one key thing in common: They are all very, VERY cheap. Take any and all official products and they usually sell for either the same regular price, or more expensive than normal.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Emerje wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Emerje wrote:Anyone know if there are KOs of Prime? I want to get Sentinel while he's still relatively close to MSRP, but don't want to pay $150 on Aliexpress or something only for it to be a fake. Searching around it doesn't seem like it has been, but I just want to be sure.

Emerje

I may be talking out of my ass here, but I think this is way too soon for a K.O to have been made yet.

There's some 40th toon G1 Optimus floating around at 40$CAN, but those are sure to be KOs since the original G1 Prime have been K.O'd since decades, and a straight repaint is easy. But Missing Link is an entirely different mold that is fairly new. So I'd be surprised if it'd be already been K.O'd.

That's reassuring, thanks!

Emerje

Oh, another thing.
All K.Os at AliExpress have one key thing in common: They are all very, VERY cheap. Take any and all official products and they usually sell for either the same regular price, or more expensive than normal.

My concern there was that a seller might be more deceptive by using the common price on a KO to throw people off since they're already so rare.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:My concern there was that a seller might be more deceptive by using the common price on a KO to throw people off since they're already so rare.

Emerje

Rest assured. If a K.O is ever made, there would be multiple sellers, each selling at the same cheap price.

Okay okay, I got my Sentinel Prime and I made the dumb mistake on NOT watching any reviews regardless on all those who were thrilled with OP Missing Link. I saw just 1 review where the left leg was a bit loose moving outward as oppose to back and forth.

Anyone pick up Sentinel and have that same issue? I haven't opened mine just yet as I wanted to hear everyone's 2 cents on this....grazie all!!!

It’s a Missing Link extravaganza. We have new images of Transformers Missing Link Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Sunstreaker, and Cordon. For the last 2, this is our first stock images of them. As for the minibots, these are in hand images from TF fan Throwaway. They show how articulated the figures are along with their accessories.

Loving this line a lot!

It's magnificent, I'm so glad we're getting even more Missing Link stuff

Ooohhh gimme Sunstreaker and Cordon please.

Hopefully they’ll be under $60 Buicks each.

Sunstreaker really drives home the MISSING in the line's name.

Sorry if this has already been discussed to death in a thread I missed, but does this mean that his, Mirage's, and Wheeljack's molds have been officially found? Were they never actually lost but just degraded and deemed too expensive to bother repairing until Missing Link came about? Or did Takara or Hasbro seize some reverse-molds from KO makers, as I've assumed was done for the legit W-Cassette reissues that appeared to use the CHMS/KOTOYS molds?

I'm suddenly wondering if Exhaust will have a missing link to an actual cigarette company, and if Mirage will have the missing link between his upper and lower body reinforced!

Bumblevivisector wrote:Sunstreaker really drives home the MISSING in the line's name.

Sorry if this has already been discussed to death in a thread I missed, but does this mean that his, Mirage's, and Wheeljack's molds have been officially found? Were they never actually lost but just degraded and deemed too expensive to bother repairing until Missing Link came about? Or did Takara or Hasbro seize some reverse-molds from KO makers, as I've assumed was done for the legit W-Cassette reissues that appeared to use the CHMS/KOTOYS molds?

I'm suddenly wondering if Exhaust will have a missing link to an actual cigarette company, and if Mirage will have the missing link between his upper and lower body reinforced!

I bet they went the KO Chinese route and reverse-engineered the things before re-designing them from scratch.
To make the ML bots, they have no choice but to be brand new molds because of all the new parts.

Sunny looks amazing, but the one I'm truly waiting for is Geewun Arcee.

Just paid for Cliffy and Bee, should be here in a couple days!

That Sunsteaker mold looks so good! Definitely getting both and I imagine there's a Spinout coming, too. It'll be interesting to see how they package Cordon.

But what we really need is some Decepticons!

Bumblevivisector wrote:Sunstreaker really drives home the MISSING in the line's name.

Sorry if this has already been discussed to death in a thread I missed, but does this mean that his, Mirage's, and Wheeljack's molds have been officially found? Were they never actually lost but just degraded and deemed too expensive to bother repairing until Missing Link came about? Or did Takara or Hasbro seize some reverse-molds from KO makers, as I've assumed was done for the legit W-Cassette reissues that appeared to use the CHMS/KOTOYS molds?

I'm suddenly wondering if Exhaust will have a missing link to an actual cigarette company, and if Mirage will have the missing link between his upper and lower body reinforced!

These are 100% new molds.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:But what we really need is some Decepticons!

Emerje

Yes, the ultimate test of this line will be to find the missing link between the Diaclone/G1 Seeker design and its partsforming fists! I have a feeling someone will study the Robotmasters mold just as carefully.

And thanks for clearing that up!

Roadbuster wrote:If we're talking about them doing Decepticons, Soundwave is likely to be first since he actually has more articulation than most Decepticons of the first two years. He just requires a little more engineering.

As for Megatron, he will be quite challenging to make.
That is, if they are allowed to do it at all.

-Kanrabat- wrote:As for Megatron, he will be quite challenging to make.
That is, if they are allowed to do it at all.

Takara might be "allowed" to make Megatron since Japan doesn't have the same strict toy gun safety laws as the US does.

But since Takara knows how big the international market is outside of Japan, it becomes a matter of if they'd be "willing" to make Megatron since it wouldn't be as lucrative for them to make something that couldn't legally be sold by US market retailers. And I'm sure they remember the issues that surrounded the releases of both MP Megatrons and MP Exhaust.

Missing Link Megatron is pretty much the ultimate "wait and see" case for this line, yeah.

Sabrblade wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:As for Megatron, he will be quite challenging to make.
That is, if they are allowed to do it at all.

Takara might be "allowed" to make Megatron since Japan doesn't have the same strict toy gun safety laws as the US does.

But since Takara knows how big the international market is outside of Japan, it becomes a matter of if they'd be "willing" to make Megatron since it wouldn't be as lucrative for them to make something that couldn't legally be sold by US market retailers. And I'm sure they remember the issues that surrounded the releases of both MP Megatrons and MP Exhaust.

Missing Link Megatron is pretty much the ultimate "wait and see" case for this line, yeah.

Wouldn't it actually be more lucrative for them to make Megatron since they wouldn't have to share profits with Hasbro when US customers and shops buy directly from Takara Tomy?

Personally I'm looking forward to Grimlock.

I wonder if Takara to could make Jetfire? It would be a new mold rather than a reissue of the Bandai owned mold, and they're doing a crossover with Macross 7 so they've got a foot in the door. Maybe if they added a credit to the fine print.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:
I wonder if Takara to could make Jetfire? It would be a new mold rather than a reissue of the Bandai owned mold, and they're doing a crossover with Macross 7 so they've got a foot in the door. Maybe if they added a credit to the fine print.

Emerje

I think it is entirely possible. Maybe they could also improves the armor clips so that they are not as fragile as the original.

If they ever do it, price-wise, I bet the thing would be on par with similar modern Macross figures of the same scale.
Meaning a 300$+ monstrosity.

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:As for Megatron, he will be quite challenging to make.
That is, if they are allowed to do it at all.

Takara might be "allowed" to make Megatron since Japan doesn't have the same strict toy gun safety laws as the US does.

But since Takara knows how big the international market is outside of Japan, it becomes a matter of if they'd be "willing" to make Megatron since it wouldn't be as lucrative for them to make something that couldn't legally be sold by US market retailers. And I'm sure they remember the issues that surrounded the releases of both MP Megatrons and MP Exhaust.

Missing Link Megatron is pretty much the ultimate "wait and see" case for this line, yeah.

Wouldn't it actually be more lucrative for them to make Megatron since they wouldn't have to share profits with Hasbro when US customers and shops buy directly from Takara Tomy?

Personally I'm looking forward to Grimlock.

I wonder if Takara to could make Jetfire? It would be a new mold rather than a reissue of the Bandai owned mold, and they're doing a crossover with Macross 7 so they've got a foot in the door. Maybe if they added a credit to the fine print.

Emerje

A Jetfire would be awesome. But given its size and accessories it would probably be up there in price with ML Convoy with Trailer. Kind of steep for most... but hey, it would be very cool if they did.

As for Megs.... Takara has no qualms about gun toys, and they might get around to him at some point, but I think Soundwave and Starscream may take a bit of precedence considering its been 13 years since the last G1 Megs release by them. Don't think they are in a rush to get him out, or it would have been the next release after Convoy.

I'm not sure if these figures are explicitly sold to children, I presume their extreme nostalgia angle (and high prices, compared to a regular retail figure that is) might mean they're more marketed towards an adult audience - just wondering if that's enough to have a go at making a ML Megs or Shockwave. I can totally see them make a crude "Artillery Piece" with the bits and bobs of the UNCLE add-ons, then give a lil wink-wink nudge-nudge to fans by hiding the gun mode somewhere in the instructions or somethin'. Kinda like Siege Soundwave having that easter egg lamppost mode hidden on one of the box flaps.

I still think a passable artillery mode could be made without the UNCLE parts if they wanna sell the figure on its own, maybe pretend the gun grip are "tank treads" for a makeshift artillery mode like Perceptor.

Pre-orders up, they come with Diclone drivers! I wonder if we'll see these repackaged later in Diaclone boxes, maybe that's how we get Spinout.

Sunstreaker

Cordon

Emerje

Dang.
11K yen...

Emerje wrote:Pre-orders up, they come with Diclone drivers! I wonder if we'll see these repackaged later in Diaclone boxes, maybe that's how we get Spinout.

Sunstreaker

Cordon

Emerje

Damn... how are these more expensive the C-02 Prime?

TakaraTomy promotional video:

I am still waiting on my ML cliffjumper, I am looking forward to him.

Also, Sunstreaker looks really good. I am going to limit myself to 1 use of each ML mold I am interested in, and I have always loved the G1 Sunstreaker look, so I look forward to him