The Energon Pub

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 2:34 pm

We have some new in-package images of upcoming toys from Transformers Power of the Primes. These were all found on Weibo. We see Optimal Optimus (notice the packaging is not labeled as Optimus Primal) in his package, with a marking signifying his win in last year's fan poll. In the back we can see all the renders we previously saw, including the one showing an empty chest cavity.

We also have an image of the back of Novastar's card which only shows the Prime Master coming out in wave 3. Speaking of these Prime Masters, we have in package images of those as well, which include Solus Prime, Megatronus and Quintus Prime.

Finally, we have the box art for Predaking.

Enjoy!

News Credits: 1 · by **Hotconvoy** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:11 pm

So looking at predaking's package art there are a few extras, but i also see who looks like Jazz and Outback :APPLAUSE:

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:43 pm

Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line. Although I suppose how they've used him as a mech suit to Primal is inkeeping with the PotP line. Never been a fan of the Optimal design. Even stranger they've given him the Monkey on a Surfboard altmode too.

News Credits: 456 · by **Sabrblade** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:48 pm

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.

Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:50 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Oh ok, fair enough. I thought he was just a random BW nod.

News Credits: 456 · by **Sabrblade** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:52 pm

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Oh ok, fair enough. I thought he was just a random BW nod.

He's the big deal figure for this line. The one chosen to inherit the Matrix as the new leader of Cybertron with the Power of the Primes.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:52 pm

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line. Although I suppose how they've used him as a mech suit to Primal is inkeeping with the PotP line. Never been a fan of the Optimal design. Even stranger they've given him the Monkey on a Surfboard altmode too.

I find the latter awesome, really. :DANCE:

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 3:57 pm

I understood that and what they were going for, hence why I said he was inkeeping with the line. I only noticed it at all, when I just logged in and saw the toy on one of the side articles. As I said, I wasn't a fan (I actually thought it one of the worst (if not The Worst) BW designs) so it intrigued me to see it's return.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:04 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.

News Credits: 456 · by **Sabrblade** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:07 pm

william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.

Optimal Optimus is Optimus Primal.

by **Transtech Rhinox** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:18 pm

I'm really hoping for a Primal Prime repaint.

by **Skritz** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:21 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.
Optimal Optimus is Optimus Primal.

For a guy with a Beast Wars avatar I'm more than amused that you somehow don't know that, William-james88. :lol:

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:26 pm

Skritz wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.
Optimal Optimus is Optimus Primal.

For a guy with a Beast Wars avatar I'm more than amused that you somehow don't know that, William-james88.

I was making an argument on semantics.

A toy for Optimus Primal was voted, not a toy for Optimal Optimus. Its like getting a micromaster Hot Rod when we voted Rodimus or getting Cybertron Leo Breaker when voting for Cybertron Overhaul.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:30 pm

william-james88 wrote:
Skritz wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.
Optimal Optimus is Optimus Primal.

For a guy with a Beast Wars avatar I'm more than amused that you somehow don't know that, William-james88.

I was making an argument on semantics.

A toy for Optimus Primal was voted, not a toy for Optimal Optimus. Its like getting a micromaster Hot Rod when we voted Rodimus or getting Cybertron Leo Breaker when voting for Cybertron Overhaul.

What's in a name? Using the Optimal Optimus body was the only way to make it work with the gimmick, really, especially since he got that body via Optimus Prime's Spark, housed in a Matrix container. Insert your own interpretation here, I say it's a bit of a cheat that works.

by **Agent 53** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:32 pm

william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Optimal Optimus? What a weird choice to the line.
Not when he was the one who won the fan's choice poll for this line.

Didn't Optimus Primal win? As opposed to Optimal Optimus.

Considering that Optimal Optimus is the version of Primal that fused with Optimus Prime's spark it makes sense that he would be the 'Prime' form of him, so he makes sense. Furthermore aside from the original (which makes sense to join the ranks of Orion and Hot Rod) Optimal Optimus is the only one who isn't more organic than techno.
Original Optimus Primal and Optimal Optimus look like latter's the evolution of the former. Transmetal and BM bear little resemblence to the other 2, aside from alt mode.

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:33 pm

I could have been worse. They could have used Cheetor and the monstrous BM Cheetor as his Mech Suit

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:34 pm

He's Optimal Optimus because evolution gimmick. The potential to have him evolve from regular Optimus Primal (who can be seen on the back photo) to Optimal Optimus is why he was put on the poll in the first place.

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:36 pm

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:He's Optimal Optimus because evolution gimmick. The potential to have him evolve from regular Optimus Primal (who can be seen on the back photo) to Optimal Optimus is why he was put on the poll in the first place.

That was never mentioned in the poll. Are you saying that if Shockwave won we would have had a Shockwave doing the same gimmick rather than them simply releasing a shockwave in another class? What about Arcee?

by **Ultra Markus** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 4:59 pm

Hotconvoy wrote:So looking at predaking's package art there are a few extras, but i also see who looks like Jazz and Outback

hopefully he will have a big sword

by **Galactic Prime** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:05 pm

I still think that vote was rigged, no way there's that many Optimus Primal fans

News Credits: 4835 · by **william-james88** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:06 pm

Ultra Markus wrote:
Hotconvoy wrote:So looking at predaking's package art there are a few extras, but i also see who looks like Jazz and Outback

hopefully he will have a big sword

Hope is just undiscovered disappointment.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:09 pm

Galactic Prime wrote:I still think that vote was rigged, no way there's that many Optimus Primal fans

It's an Optimus, that's all there is to it.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:11 pm

Galactic Prime wrote:I still think that vote was rigged, no way there's that many Optimus Primal fans

I think you would be surprised.

That predaking art is pretty nice and still seems weird that they would put him out without some signature pieces like his spiked knuckles and sword. Unless they are just for the sdcc version.

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:36 pm

I'm pretty sure that the purpose of the "Who's Your Prime?" poll was specifically to determine the 3rd Leader-class mold for Power of the Primes, I seem to remember reading people talking about that. I also could have sworn people talking about him evolving to Optimal Optimus well before we got these photos, back before PotP even hit stores.

So yes, had Arcee or Hound or Shockwave or Deathsaurus won, they would have had to find a way to do them as an evolving Leader-class figure out of them (which would involve making up smaller unevolved body with Deathy and probably Shockwave too).

The other candidates played into it more obviously.
* Ultra Magnus: ...Enough said, really.
* Megatron: Evolving to most likely Galvatron (corresponding with Rodimus Prime) or else maybe to Super or Ultra Megatron.
* Thunderwing: Adaptation of his Mega Pretender gimmick
* Star Saber: "Evolving" from Saber to Star Saber, working basically like the original toy.
* Optimus Primal (yes, I say this is obvious): Evolving from his regular body to the Optimal Optimus body, since that fits with the Prime themeing and also works better size and engineering-wise than having him evolve to the Transmetal body.

As for why Optimal Optimus has the Transmetal form's "ape on a surfboard" mode I'm guessing someone on the design team is reeeally fond of that idea since the Beast Wars 10th-anniversary Deluxe Optimus also had a surfboard despite otherwise being largely based on Primal's original body.

by **Skritz** » Sat Mar 03, 2018 5:43 pm

Galactic Prime wrote:I still think that vote was rigged, no way there's that many Optimus Primal fans

It's hard to get actual numbers on Beast Wars fans because I think many of them 'assimilated' into the larger fandom. As in they started with Beast Wars and have fond nostalgia for it but they're not exactly the same kind of diehard purist loyalist that 'true fan Geewunners' are. Odds are you'll never see a Beast Wars fan who is JUST a fan of that ONE SHOW and nothing else.

Although honestly, with Hasbro pandering so much to Generation 1 and giving a few cookies to the non G1-toylines (and, really, mostly during anniversaries of Beast Wars and Thrilling 30 for Armada Starscream with the oddball Titans Return Tidal Wave in a boxset) I seriously thought Ultra Magnus would win.

Heck, I'm a Beast Wars fan and I wouldn't have minded Thunderwing or Star Saber winning, even if I voted for Primal obviously. Damn, I even casted in that vote thinking there was no way he would win because of how much the fanbase remain G1-centric and because newer generations who got in during Unicron Trilogy, Bayformers or Aligned would find that poorly-aged CGI show some sort of weirdass 'thing' that kinda happened and died off.