The Energon Pub

Long story short, I am tired of buying the TF's that are available at retail except for the Classics/Universe line.....or whatever it is going to be called next. I just seem to be disappointed with a lot of the Movie line, and I don't like Animated enough to worry about.

I am thinking of going a couple different paths;
1. I want to start collecting any and all Corvette molds. No explanation, I just like 'vettes. I would also throw in the Countach molds as well, but I would start with the Corvettes.

2. I think I want to start collecting from the Robots In Disguise line. That line is seriously awesome, and I would like to take the time (and money) to complete that particular line.

Is there any recommendations or observations that any of you have about the RiD line......good, bad or otherwise?

RiD is made up of some seriously awesome molds, such as RiD Prime, Scourge, Sky-Byte, Megatron, the Autobot Brothers, and the Autobot Combiners, but it also has a bunch of fail molds which I didn't see any reason for them to be in the line. Once you got down to it and analyse the line, you'd see that RiD is meant for Autobots, and it shows. Aside from Megatron, I cannot think of another Decepticon that wasn't a repaint from a previous line, and that's a real downer for me. Still we did get Scourge so that's a plus.

+1 on what mkall said, why limit yourself to a line when there is always a good, bad, and very ugly in all of them.
Rid wise i would definitely get scourge and prime

R.I.D. is one of my favorite lines. There's many cool figures, and its one of the noticeably smaller lines in terms of unique new molds. As it features many repaints from previous lines including Beastwars, Beast Machines, Machine Wars, even some G2 and G1 repaints.

They are noticeably different than your more recent TF's. They have complex transformations, sometimes more so than Movie figures. They have a distinctive Japanese vibe going on, and are quite articulated.

I would start with the Vehicles and then expand. Notably Scourge, Prime, Car Brothers, even the Build Team is a worthy set.

You could probably live without the Predacons though.

The combined form of the trains is probably one of the best combiners in TF history. A must buy.

RiD/Car Robots is the first set I avidly collected once I got fully back into TFs (was never really "out" but that's another story)
As far as figures go, I own or can comment on the following:

Optimus Prime: Bloody great. Very nice alt-mode, normal mode is well built, base mode is kinda iffy, super mode is fantastic. Only problem is those damned tires... snap.
Ultra Magnus: Car carrier mode designed to hold all three Autobot Brothers, wicked multi-form weapon system, Robot mode is fine, though a bit tall and loose. Same tire problem as Prime. Combine the two and you get a seriously imposing (as long as he can stand up straight) bot in the form of Omega Prime
Autobot Brothers: Among the most uniquely designed vehicle TFs ever. Odd, but really cool.
Build Team: Interesting combination method, and three combined forms. Also the robots themselves are pretty cool... well... most of them...
Spychangers: Pure love... miniature love, but love nonetheless...


Megatron: I don't own this one, but I've known several people who have... So much that is good in this figure, of his multiple modes (only some of which look good, mind you) he has what can only be described as the best alt-mode of all time. A GIANT FRIGGIN' HAND!
The other Preds are all repaints of BW figures (most of them Maximals...) Nothing terribly special though Sky-Bite is one of the greatest characters in the show.


Scourge: I have the Car Robots Black Convoy version. (the differences being pinker translucent plastic, the original un-rounded sword, upside down G2 Autobot logos instead of Con ones, A different license plate sticker and two teal stripes not found on the Hasbro release... though Hasbro's had two more Con logos on his doors)
His chromed out trailer and overall colours make him so much better than the original use of the mold, G2 Laser Optimus Prime. Sure he had the light function gutted to cut costs, but he's still amazing. Highly recommended for anyone collecting RiD.
Combaticons/Ruination: A fairly decent paint scheme for the old Combaticon molds, also featuring combining weapons so Ruination has more guns to hold. Plus Ruination is just a damn cool name.

That about covers all the ones I have or have seen... though I hear good things about the trains, not sure about Skid-Z and Towline... Hasbro's line also had a bunch of figures repainted from other lines to pad the edges, I can't even recall most of them... Of course Car Robots had Brave Maximus... All in all a great line to start getting.

I really appreciate the feedback a lot. You all are awesome!

It seemed like the more I looked at some of the RiD figures, the more I started to fall in love with the molds and the detail. There is something there that I just can't say I am getting from many of the current toys. So, I started looking at prices online, and the figures in this line are actually pretty reasonable considering how much value there is compared with some of the newer figures that I have gotten recently.

I will also admit another thing; after seeing Scourge in the "Lorries" section of "...Greatest Alt Modes" thread, I had to start reinvestigating that line. There are some unbelieveable good figures in that line-some are truly just amazing. There are a few duds, but there are some major winners in there. After I begin collecting these, I might decide to leave a few out (i am not a completeist just for the sake of it).

Alright, I am on my way to spending more $$$$$$$! Thanks everyone!

Hey, nice and timely topic. I was curious about something I saw in a shop recently, an RiD scout 3-pack of Mirage, Scavenger and something called "Nightcruz". It looked ok, was relatively cheap an MISB. Are these any good?

I can't believe that Sky-Bite isn't getting any love.

RK_Striker_JK_5 wrote:The combined form of the trains is probably one of the best combiners in TF history. A must buy.

QFT!

One other question: What are generally considered to be the best Alternators molds? I would like to stay true to my plan of collecting certain car molds (Corvettes, Countachs), but the Ford GT and Mustang as well as the Dodge Viper molds in the Alt line are completely amazing.

I have read a lot of posts that the Wheeljack/Grimlock mold is a very difficult transformation. Is it so difficult that it is annoying, or is it just challenging? Anyway, I would like to start collecting from that line along with the RiD line. What are your opinions? Thanks for the input to this point.

I only have 4 alternators: Silverstreak, Grimlock, Sideswipe, and Hound.

My favorites being Hound and Grimlock.

Sideswipe has one of the better looking car modes. The topless Viper is just awesome. Everything lines up and snaps in correctly.

I'm sure the other usages like Sunstreaker and Deadend look even better in person with the racing kit.

The Robot mode on the other hand, not so good. The legs are weird mostly due to how they transform. The rest of him is decent. And its the only mold that gets a chromed Engine/Gun. Very cool.


Grimlock is incredibly annoying, just because of the way his arm transformation is designed, its not too bad from car to robot, but going from robot to car is incredibly annoying, the arms tend to pop off at the elbows, and there's just too much twisting and turning to get them back into car mode.

Once in car mode, at least on mine, the rear panels don't line up with the roof too well, and kind of droop a bit.

His robot mode is pretty cool, and its the only mold that comes with an actual sword.

Hound is awesome, cool transformation, great looking robot mode. My only gripe are the shoulders, they are built in such a way that if you move them they'll pop the hood up. But other than that he looks pretty cool.

And finally Silverstreak, he's decent, I think Bluestreak is better.


The Corvette mold seems to be one of the harder ones to come buy, specially the Blue Tracks version. But the Vette looks pretty cool.

Overcracker wrote:I only have 4 alternators: Silverstreak, Grimlock, Sideswipe, and Hound.

My favorites being Hound and Grimlock.

That's funny, we have almost the same 4 Alternators: just swap Streak out for Skids... and we also have the same two favorites.

My two issues with the Mustang mold are that 1) the shoulders are very awkard to put back into car mode and 2) The torso and legs both have to pivot around on the part that holds his "undercarriage" so that it ends up on his backside in robot mode. However, this little bit is EXTREMELY stiff and takes a heck of alot of work to move around. Otherwise the mold is pure awesome. I think I'll go play with mine now.

Hound is pretty solid all around. Looks great in both modes, and no issues. for me.

Sideswipe is great in car mode, but his robot mode is a bit lacking.

Skids is pretty cool, but he looks very stocky in robot mode. However, I'm a Toyota fan, so I'll forgive him.

P.S. As you can tell by my Avatar, I love RID. Happy hunting!

I just started collecting the RID line and I <3 it very much....Some of the figures are kinda hard to track down for a reasonable price but they are truly awesome... I just got God magnus and I have to say it's pure win...

You people are getting me super excited to start collecting RiD and Alts. Now I just have to figure out how to hide it from the lady!

Tis' a good thread.

I owned a fair number of the RiD molds notably all the Car Brothers, the Build Team, Optimus, Ultra Magnus, Scourge and the Spychangers. I only moved on from the series because I had to downsize moving from England to Ireland.

I agree with a lot of what's been said. Before you get any other figure see if you can pick up a Japanese/Korean Black Convoy rather than the US RiD release. IMO it's a far superior toy. The only element to watch is scratching the hell out of the chrome trailer but the articulation (remember this figure doesn't have ball joints!) colour scheme and sheer badass-ness of the mold is a winner.

Optimus is better than Ultra Magnus - if you're buying second-hand watch those tyres. For some reason they're not very durable and tend to rot/snap. Optimus's ordinary mode is very articulated and you can add on parts of the Super-Robot armour to make him look bulkier.

Ultramagnus has a great all mode but his robot mode is all trousers with a mini-torso. Still the combined mode of Omega Prime rocks. It can fall over though.

Car Brothers - my favourite has to be the repaint Prowl closely followed by X-Brawn. Sideburn has a lovely alt mode (Dodge Viper) but the robot mode looks a bit like a child to me.

Build Team - a combiner that can be built differently with each figure. A fun Combiner. The best member of the team is the smallest (Wedge, I think). He has great articulation. Grimlock lacks a little in Robot mode with some weird joints but still a fun toy.

I really wish I had the Train bots.

On to the Binaltech/Alternator Range. If you're aiming for the Corvetee Tracks - you may want to consider the Alternator. The only reason I say that is that my MISB Ravage (a great mold BTW) came fresh out the box with a huge scratch in the diecast. The robot mode is heavily armed but the leg transformation can be a bit of a bitch and it's easy to scratch the doors or the front of the bonnet. My blue Tracks and Ravage are fairly paint-chip free bar the damage on mentioned above on Ravage.

I am a fan of the Viper mold. Probably due to the Deadend mold being my first foray into the BT range. The arms have good articulation but the legs have a John Wanye pose. It doesn't bother me much but it you like striking leg poses - it won't happen with Sideswipe/Deadend/Sunstreaker. Oh, if you like BTA Sunstreaker be careful as the panels don't seem to line up right.

I agree with the comments about BT Grimlock/Wheeljack. I have both the Alt and BT version of Wheeljack and I can see this mold getting a lot of paint chips and scratches. The legs are an intuitive transformation but the manner in which the arms unfold can often cause the doors and shoulders to pop off. It's not a huge issue in terms that the parts can pop back on - but after a few times the joints will get wear. It's also possible to scratch or chip the blue speed stripes down the rear of the car. It's still a lovely alt. mode and robot but I would go for Grimlock as the vehicle seems to suit Grimlock better.

I actually ran into a deal on ebay. I got a set of 3 alt figures for $90 with no shipping. I don't know if it was a good deal-Mirage, Rollbar and Skidz. All never opened. I wanted the Ford GT mold first for some reason.......well, I know why. It is awesome, and I always liked Mirage.

I feel like a jerk for making a big deal out of wanting to collect Corvettes (which I am still going to ) I think the recommendation for Tracks is pointing me in that direction.

As far as Grimlock and Wheeljack, I really like both. I do agree that Grimlock seems more "right" than Wheeljack when it comes to the alt mode and the colors being correct. I still think I like Wheeljack a bit better, since I rarely like Grimlock's red.

FYI-the seller had a couple other auctions for sets of 3 Alternators. One with Mirage, Sunstreaker and Ricochet and another one with Prime, Rumple, and Windcharger.

Prime Riblet wrote:I actually ran into a deal on ebay. I got a set of 3 alt figures for $90 with no shipping. I don't know if it was a good deal-Mirage, Rollbar and Skidz. All never opened. I wanted the Ford GT mold first for some reason.......well, I know why. It is awesome, and I always liked Mirage.

I feel like a jerk for making a big deal out of wanting to collect Corvettes (which I am still going to ) I think the recommendation for Tracks is pointing me in that direction.

As far as Grimlock and Wheeljack, I really like both. I do agree that Grimlock seems more "right" than Wheeljack when it comes to the alt mode and the colors being correct. I still think I like Wheeljack a bit better, since I rarely like Grimlock's red.

That's a pretty good deal, actually. Mirage has been sitting in the $40-$55 range and Skids is one of the best figures, I think.

People have pretty much taken my thunder in this thread, but the best bears repeating:

For RiD, get Rail Racer--one of the best combiners ever--he just looks awesome, and you don't see full-size train combiners every day. I actually dig the smaller vehicles from this line as well, like Tow-Line, Skidz, and others like them--old G2 recolors, I believe, but pretty fun and easy to transform in a hurry. Oh, and everyone is talking about Scourge, which is a great buy, but the Optimus/Ultra Magnus combination might be worth a second look. You'll drop some $$$, but it's pretty sweet.

As for Alts, having been fortunate enough to find them all, your recent buy of the Ford GT mold is a great start--once you're hooked, though, you'll find yourself going back for the Hot Rod repaint. Didn't see anyone mention the Mazda RX-8 molds, though (Meister {Jazz} and Shockwave). These two are some of the best Alts out there, as their transformation largely fixed what was screwy with the Subaru molds. You'll also like the Jaguar mold (Ravage)--very sleek and a car that becomes a robotic panther is always awesome.

Good luck!

If this is going to be opened up to the whole BT/Alternator range then I'd put my two pence in for the other figures.

At one time or another I've owned most of the BT range and here's my view of the best figures:

BT Meister/Shockwave. In my opinion this is the ultimate BT in terms of transformation and articulation. Essentially the transformation is the same as Smokescreen in terms of the rear of the vehicle being the legs and the arms being situated under the bonnet. Still, the leg transformation is superior to that of Smokescreen and is less fiddly - everything lines up perfectly. The arm transformation too is more intuitive and there's less chance of scratching the paint on the wheel arches (when wouldn't be hard to do on Smokescreen). Personally I prefer the Zoom Zoom Mazda due to the colour. BT Laserwave rocks as he has the sports body kit and is in metallic purple. Yum.

BT Skids. Yes, the alt mode is a bus but the transformation is fun and the way the panels fold away is impressive. Great articulation too. The BT version is a little heavy and the Alt version gets a flame tampogaph on it. The BTA repaint of Broadcast looks nicer than BT Skids in my opinion.

BT Hound. Probably the second most accurate figure if you're comparing these to the Gen 1 series (Tracks is the only figure that uses the same style vehicle). The alt mode is very stylish and it has working suspension! The transformation is fun but the leg and arm articulation is slightly hampered but I still highly recommend this figure.

BT Tracks and Sideswipe I've covered already.

BT Overdrive (or Alt Windcharger). Personally this figure takes all the transformation issues that the Dodge Viper has and solves them. The Transformation manages to get a smart convertible into a lithe robot. The bonus of the BT version is that it keeps the mother-of-all-long-and-dangerous-weapons - not the 'shield-or-excuse-for-a-nanny-state' P.O.S that the alternator has.

BT Prowl. Not my favourite BT in terms of character usage. In my opinion it would have been better to use the Subaru's. Still, the alt mode is nice although I prefer the metallic blue to the police version. The transformation is fair - it's not particularly complex and you can even modify the legs (by simply removing the screw and switching the legs) so that the legs have the rear windows facing forward a la Gen 1 Prowl.

TFBuyer wrote:People have pretty much taken my thunder in this thread, but the best bears repeating:

For RiD, get Rail Racer--one of the best combiners ever--he just looks awesome, and you don't see full-size train combiners every day. I actually dig the smaller vehicles from this line as well, like Tow-Line, Skidz, and others like them--old G2 recolors, I believe, but pretty fun and easy to transform in a hurry. Oh, and everyone is talking about Scourge, which is a great buy, but the Optimus/Ultra Magnus combination might be worth a second look. You'll drop some $$$, but it's pretty sweet.

As for Alts, having been fortunate enough to find them all, your recent buy of the Ford GT mold is a great start--once you're hooked, though, you'll find yourself going back for the Hot Rod repaint. Didn't see anyone mention the Mazda RX-8 molds, though (Meister {Jazz} and Shockwave). These two are some of the best Alts out there, as their transformation largely fixed what was screwy with the Subaru molds. You'll also like the Jaguar mold (Ravage)--very sleek and a car that becomes a robotic panther is always awesome.

Good luck!

I am actually looking very strongly at getting Rail Racer first. Awesome, just Awesome! Also, I have thought seriously about getting Alt Ravage, but I need to stay true to my initial focus on certain cars-i have already veered off course!!

JetfireUK wrote:If this is going to be opened up to the whole BT/Alternator range then I'd put my two pence in for the other figures.

At one time or another I've owned most of the BT range and here's my view of the best figures:

BT Meister/Shockwave. In my opinion this is the ultimate BT in terms of transformation and articulation. Essentially the transformation is the same as Smokescreen in terms of the rear of the vehicle being the legs and the arms being situated under the bonnet. Still, the leg transformation is superior to that of Smokescreen and is less fiddly - everything lines up perfectly. The arm transformation too is more intuitive and there's less chance of scratching the paint on the wheel arches (when wouldn't be hard to do on Smokescreen). Personally I prefer the Zoom Zoom Mazda due to the colour. BT Laserwave rocks as he has the sports body kit and is in metallic purple. Yum.

BT Skids. Yes, the alt mode is a bus but the transformation is fun and the way the panels fold away is impressive. Great articulation too. The BT version is a little heavy and the Alt version gets a flame tampogaph on it. The BTA repaint of Broadcast looks nicer than BT Skids in my opinion.

BT Hound. Probably the second most accurate figure if you're comparing these to the Gen 1 series (Tracks is the only figure that uses the same style vehicle). The alt mode is very stylish and it has working suspension! The transformation is fun but the leg and arm articulation is slightly hampered but I still highly recommend this figure.

BT Tracks and Sideswipe I've covered already.

BT Overdrive (or Alt Windcharger). Personally this figure takes all the transformation issues that the Dodge Viper has and solves them. The Transformation manages to get a smart convertible into a lithe robot. The bonus of the BT version is that it keeps the mother-of-all-long-and-dangerous-weapons - not the 'shield-or-excuse-for-a-nanny-state' P.O.S that the alternator has.

BT Prowl. Not my favourite BT in terms of character usage. In my opinion it would have been better to use the Subaru's. Still, the alt mode is nice although I prefer the metallic blue to the police version. The transformation is fair - it's not particularly complex and you can even modify the legs (by simply removing the screw and switching the legs) so that the legs have the rear windows facing forward a la Gen 1 Prowl.

You, as well as TFBuyer have really made me think about a few things. I hadn't thought too much about the RX-8 mold until right now. If it is that good, I will have to eventually try it, and I do like Meister/Jazz.

I would LOVE to find hound for a good price, but we'll see what happens. Hound has always been one of my favorite charaters, and both modes are great-it is a great representation of the G1 Hound. Isn't Rollbar supposed to be the same mold, or is there a difference other than the obvious color and and head changes?

.........I plan on buying Magnus, Prime, Scourge, and Rail Racer from the RiD line. It's like this; I didn't get to have all the awsome figures that I liked as a kid, and now I have the cash to get what I want.....and I never grew up, so this is completely exciting.

I appreciate ALL the information I am getting from this thread. You all kick so much arse!

It's always good to help out a fellow fan.

Personally I regret selling my BTs back in the day. I've managed to buy most of them again MISB but they're a lot more expensive and I'm still missing BT Yellow Tracks, BT Grimlock, Overdrive and Both Prowls. That's not even including the BTAs, Silver Meister, Bluestreak, Optimus and Arcee.

Anyway. Back on topic. Alt Rollbar uses the Jeep mold with the head of Swindle (imagine the Hound figure with a head similar to Gen 1 Trailbreaker). Personally I don't like the orange (wasn't Rollbar green originally?!) but if it's the only version of the mold you can get it's still a fantastic figure.

Your RID choices are the highlights of the line. If you really want to spend you could always get the RID version of Fortress Maximus - the colours look great but it lacks a few of the accessories from the original figure.

If you pick any figures up please post.

I will absolutely post when any of these figures are purchased and received. I gotta tell ya, this is the most excited I have been in the last few years since I started to collect again. I will also post pictures!

I was also thinking about buying RiD figures that I missed out on. I'm surprised how cheap some of them are; I saw Rail Racer for $35.

I might have to go on a shopping spree...