The Energon Pub

[Sabrblade]

Wouldn't it be great if he didnt have that stupid f**king cannon arm that he used for like 3 seconds in one movie? Just saying...

Huh? Bee uses that plasma cannon pretty extensively in every movie except AOE, where it's designed differently and sits under his arm instead of replacing his hand.

This is rusty 1969 camaro Bee who never wielded a cannon arm until after the 2007 camaro scan. So not only is it silly looking, its not movie accurate. Its just Hasbros obsession with the damn cannon arm.

Bee.jpg

Dont remember that scene. I was under the assumption he used that thing after the scan. That still doesnt make it any less stupid looking though. I like my figures with hands so they can hold any guns I wanna give him.

That was a thing the movies did for the first few of them. The filmmakers felt that it would make more sense for the Transformers to have their weapons integrated into their bodies, which they could transform from their hands and arms and such into guns and other weapons, thereby also making it so no one would have to wonder where their weapons go when they're not using them. Every Transformer in the first movie had weapons that either came out of their bodies, fired from their bodies, were attached to their bodies, or transformed from their bodies.

[shajaki]

Sorry if this was stated elsewhere, but how are these being released? Will they be at brick and mortar? They were at HLJ for like 98 seconds before selling out. I recall something about Hasbrotoyshop but that doesn't mean much to me. (Canadian and all)

[reluctantyouth]

Received my Stinger today... 2 day turnaround from Hasbro. He is fiddly and the legs on mine are kind of loose. Was able to transform without popping off pieces. Headsculpt lackluster. Figure very small in hand. The display is a joke and remains in box. Hasbro didn't create proper tabs to support display well. I like him in car mode but not worth $21.24 paid for him.

[Hellscream9999]

Sorry if this was stated elsewhere, but how are these being released? Will they be at brick and mortar? They were at HLJ for like 98 seconds before selling out. I recall something about Hasbrotoyshop but that doesn't mean much to me. (Canadian and all)

They're gonna be at brick'n'mortar in the states; meijers has the price tags up for them already, and they've been found in Target's system too, they should be out on 4/20

[shajaki]

Sorry if this was stated elsewhere, but how are these being released? Will they be at brick and mortar? They were at HLJ for like 98 seconds before selling out. I recall something about Hasbrotoyshop but that doesn't mean much to me. (Canadian and all)

They're gonna be at brick'n'mortar in the states; meijers has the price tags up for them already, and they've been found in Target's system too, they should be out on 4/20

[Emerje]

Hey guys, before y'all go bashing an entire line based on a single floppy figure, bear in mind that these figures are being released pretty much right after they were officially revealed. They aren't at mass retail yet, so it's possible there will be running changes made before they're released worldwide.

I DO hope you are right on this one. Because 2017 was the WORST year ever for QC since I started collecting in 2010.

He probably is. Warden said Studio Series wave 1 was supposed to include Bumblebee Movie (TF6) Bee, but the movie being pushed back to winter meant a scramble to reorganize the waves. The Bee we did get in wave 1 was either quickly made to fill the Bee quota or it was the Bee intended for wave 2 and had its production pushed up for wave 1. If anyone ever says Hasbro can't make changes to a wave after they've planned it for release, here's proof they can.

He also confirmed our theory that this line would be the home of all the Bee Movie figures.

This is also probably why we hadn't had an official announcement before now since they had to shift gears and decided to pull a Grotusque and do the reveal and release on the same day.

Emerje

[Hellscream9999]

Hey guys, before y'all go bashing an entire line based on a single floppy figure, bear in mind that these figures are being released pretty much right after they were officially revealed. They aren't at mass retail yet, so it's possible there will be running changes made before they're released worldwide.

I DO hope you are right on this one. Because 2017 was the WORST year ever for QC since I started collecting in 2010.

I'll go one further and say it was one of the worst years for qc since I started collecting during BW, but 2016 had some terrible stad-outs for me too, but '17 was, by far, worse

[Hellscream9999]

Hey guys, before y'all go bashing an entire line based on a single floppy figure, bear in mind that these figures are being released pretty much right after they were officially revealed. They aren't at mass retail yet, so it's possible there will be running changes made before they're released worldwide.

I DO hope you are right on this one. Because 2017 was the WORST year ever for QC since I started collecting in 2010.

He probably is. Warden said Studio Series wave 1 was supposed to include Bumblebee Movie (TF6) Bee, but the movie being pushed back to winter meant a scramble to reorganize the waves. The Bee we did get in wave 1 was either quickly made to fill the Bee quota or it was the Bee intended for wave 2 and had its production pushed up for wave 1. If anyone ever says Hasbro can't make changes to a wave after they've planned it for release, here's proof they can.

He also confirmed our theory that this line would be the home of all the Bee Movie figures.

This is also probably why we hadn't had an official announcement before now since they had to shift gears and decided to pull a Grotusque and do the reveal and release on the same day.

Emerje

Yeah, I think that they were made and sent early just for this, since stores aren't (as of right now) going to be stocking/selling them until the end of april, that's a lot of time in between, so I think these were rushed out for this event.

[-Kanrabat-]

Yeah, I think that they were made and sent early just for this, since stores aren't (as of right now) going to be stocking/selling them until the end of april, that's a lot of time in between, so I think these were rushed out for this event.

That's why I will NOT go out of my way to get Bee and Stinger early. Those will be in stores soon enough and having them on sale is always a possibility. No way I'm paying the "early bird" premium fee. Especially for rushed products.

[WreckerJack]

I hope they cost less in stores. 20$ for a deluxe seems pretty steep especially when we have had some of these already and some of the TLK stuff has kept the shelf warm all winter. Not that these figures are bad, I just don't feel like they raise the bar.

I will say that Stinger and Ratchet look cool though. I don't have a movie Ratchet yet, mainly because I have yet to decide on which one I want. I'm up for suggestions, tho I know I'd prefer a voyager over a deluxe.

[-Kanrabat-]

Those will be at the TLK price point.

At least, no pure repaints this time around.

[primalxconvoy]

[Ironhidensh]

Got to play with Stinger for a bit. Nice figure. A few more applications of paint and it would be a fantastic figure.


I can say with confidence though, that the quality of the two studio figures I have is light years above and beyond TLK figures.

[Hellscream9999]

Got to play with Stinger for a bit. Nice figure. A few more applications of paint and it would be a fantastic figure.


I can say with confidence though, that the quality of the two studio figures I have is light years above and beyond TLK figures.

So can I just ask? Was there a ton of massively widespread qc issues with the tlk toys? Like, I have about 6 or 7 of them, and they are all beyond solid and well made, they all have tight joints and such. Are we not confusing the tlk toys with the tr toys which did have widespread problems across multiple figures? The only figure I ever remember hearing terrible things about on a constant basis was steelbane, his repaint and maybe barricade, that's it, everything else was very localized and not a widespread issue. Like, where did this notion that it was a terrible line as far as qc goes? They didn't even use subpar plastics, I am legitimately confused here

[Emerje]

I hope they cost less in stores. 20$ for a deluxe seems pretty steep especially when we have had some of these already and some of the TLK stuff has kept the shelf warm all winter. Not that these figures are bad, I just don't feel like they raise the bar.

This line has a few benefits over the TLK line. For starters the selection is better with all of the characters having at least some screen time. Then there's the line-wide sense of scale (aside from a slightly too tall Jazz and a still much too short Grimlock). And so far the quality appears to be great, no floppy dragons in this line. This appears to be a line that Hasbro is really invested in and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they didn't bring it back in 2019 with a slightly different name. As it is the leak only had waves 1 and 2 of Deluxe and Leader, we don't know what the other two waves are going to hold (Bee Movie figures in wave 3). Once casual fans catch on to what Hasbro is doing interest is going to spike.

Emerje

[Ironhidensh]

Got to play with Stinger for a bit. Nice figure. A few more applications of paint and it would be a fantastic figure.


I can say with confidence though, that the quality of the two studio figures I have is light years above and beyond TLK figures.

So can I just ask? Was there a ton of massively widespread qc issues with the tlk toys? Like, I have about 6 or 7 of them, and they are all beyond solid and well made, they all have tight joints and such. Are we not confusing the tlk toys with the tr toys which did have widespread problems across multiple figures? The only figure I ever remember hearing terrible things about on a constant basis was steelbane, his repaint and maybe barricade, that's it, everything else was very localized and not a widespread issue. Like, where did this notion that it was a terrible line as far as qc goes? They didn't even use subpar plastics, I am legitimately confused here

Of the 8 TLK figures I bought for myself or my kids, all were QC nightmares. Loose joints, cheap plastics, molding errors preventing correct tabbing.... compared to the generations line, the plastic feels soft and "oily".

[Evil Eye]

Glad to hear Stinger is good. He's one of the ones I wanted, I'll get him if I can.

[Hellscream9999]

Got to play with Stinger for a bit. Nice figure. A few more applications of paint and it would be a fantastic figure.


I can say with confidence though, that the quality of the two studio figures I have is light years above and beyond TLK figures.

So can I just ask? Was there a ton of massively widespread qc issues with the tlk toys? Like, I have about 6 or 7 of them, and they are all beyond solid and well made, they all have tight joints and such. Are we not confusing the tlk toys with the tr toys which did have widespread problems across multiple figures? The only figure I ever remember hearing terrible things about on a constant basis was steelbane, his repaint and maybe barricade, that's it, everything else was very localized and not a widespread issue. Like, where did this notion that it was a terrible line as far as qc goes? They didn't even use subpar plastics, I am legitimately confused here

Of the 8 TLK figures I bought for myself or my kids, all were QC nightmares. Loose joints, cheap plastics, molding errors preventing correct tabbing.... compared to the generations line, the plastic feels soft and "oily".

Really? That's fascinating, may I ask which figure's you got? Maybe it varies by figure...
Mine are voyager: grimlock, megs, o/p, scorn, hound
deluxe: drift (oily paint on clear plastic hood), sqweeks, barricade (1 tabbing issue solved with a minute and a knife)

All have tight joints, and a good feel to them...

[Ig89ninja]

Got to play with Stinger for a bit. Nice figure. A few more applications of paint and it would be a fantastic figure.


I can say with confidence though, that the quality of the two studio figures I have is light years above and beyond TLK figures.

So can I just ask? Was there a ton of massively widespread qc issues with the tlk toys? Like, I have about 6 or 7 of them, and they are all beyond solid and well made, they all have tight joints and such. Are we not confusing the tlk toys with the tr toys which did have widespread problems across multiple figures? The only figure I ever remember hearing terrible things about on a constant basis was steelbane, his repaint and maybe barricade, that's it, everything else was very localized and not a widespread issue. Like, where did this notion that it was a terrible line as far as qc goes? They didn't even use subpar plastics, I am legitimately confused here

Of the 8 TLK figures I bought for myself or my kids, all were QC nightmares. Loose joints, cheap plastics, molding errors preventing correct tabbing.... compared to the generations line, the plastic feels soft and "oily".

Really? That's fascinating, may I ask which figure's you got? Maybe it varies by figure...
Mine are voyager: grimlock, megs, o/p, scorn, hound
deluxe: drift (oily paint on clear plastic hood), sqweeks, barricade (1 tabbing issue solved with a minute and a knife)

All have tight joints, and a good feel to them...

Same here, but I only have Deluxe Barricade, Voyager Nitro, and Leader Megatron

[william-james88]

I see none of you have Deluxe Crosshairs, Berserker or Wave 1 or 3 Bee, or Leader Dragonstorm, all figures with QC issues.

[Hellscream9999]

I see none of you have Deluxe Crosshairs, Berserker or Wave 1 or 3 Bee, or Leader Dragonstorm, all figures with QC issues.

Proper Tabbing has been an issue going all the way back to bw/bw neo, I don't count that, of the others, I never heard anything substantial from more than a person or two (again, there were no widespread issues with dragostorm that I saw on the threads), so I can't judge that without said people's bias, b/c I could counter and say that I had 1 out of 8 figures had a minor problem that was easily fixed and call the line the best thing ever...

(and to be fair, one has to find tlk wave 3 to actually purchase them )

[primalxconvoy]

The Dragonstorm I played with in Japan had floppy hip joints in one of its robot modes. It could barely stand up straight.

[william-james88]

I see none of you have Deluxe Crosshairs, Berserker or Wave 1 or 3 Bee, or Leader Dragonstorm, all figures with QC issues.

Proper Tabbing has been an issue going all the way back to bw/bw neo, I don't count that, of the others, I never heard anything substantial from more than a person or two (again, there were no widespread issues with dragostorm that I saw on the threads), so I can't judge that without said people's bias, b/c I could counter and say that I had 1 out of 8 figures had a minor problem that was easily fixed and call the line the best thing ever...

(and to be fair, one has to find tlk wave 3 to actually purchase them )

They all have widespread issues, just look at the wikis:

Dragonstorm

Extreme caution must be taken for separating Dragonstorm from his packaging: especially both sides of the heads / Dragonicus's hands.

Steelbane (and retool)

Unfortunately, Steelbane suffers from loose ball joints, which prevent his dragon mode from staying together. Additionally, the figure's larger wings are molded in a softer plastic, and are prone to being warped straight out of the package.

Berserker

The vehicle mode kibble on his forearms is not affixed to him and merely pegs into sculpted slots on his arms. This leads to a somewhat weak hold and the kibble parts falling off during conversion. In vehicle mode, several of the tabs meant to hold the outer body together don't fit well, resulting in large gaps. The panels that form the back of the vehicle, in particular, have a tendency to pop out due to excessive pressure.

Crosshairs

The simple-assembly wheels are known to easily pop off from the vehicle due to slightly wide holes, and the guns were unable to peg into his trenchcoats properly.

Wave 3 Bee

On a lot of copies of this toy, the pegs securing the feet come undone easily, making the feet really floppy

For those who actually bought all the toys, the TLK line is a QC nightmare with widespread issues. I strongly advise anyone who claims there not to be problems to actually say that with experience of said molds because or else it's meaningless.

[Hellscream9999]

They all have widespread issues, just look at the wikis:

Dragonstorm

Extreme caution must be taken for separating Dragonstorm from his packaging: especially both sides of the heads / Dragonicus's hands.

Steelbane (and retool)

Unfortunately, Steelbane suffers from loose ball joints, which prevent his dragon mode from staying together. Additionally, the figure's larger wings are molded in a softer plastic, and are prone to being warped straight out of the package.

Berserker

The vehicle mode kibble on his forearms is not affixed to him and merely pegs into sculpted slots on his arms. This leads to a somewhat weak hold and the kibble parts falling off during conversion. In vehicle mode, several of the tabs meant to hold the outer body together don't fit well, resulting in large gaps. The panels that form the back of the vehicle, in particular, have a tendency to pop out due to excessive pressure.

Crosshairs

The simple-assembly wheels are known to easily pop off from the vehicle due to slightly wide holes, and the guns were unable to peg into his trenchcoats properly.

Wave 3 Bee

On a lot of copies of this toy, the pegs securing the feet come undone easily, making the feet really floppy

For those who actually bought all the toys, the TLK line is a QC nightmare with widespread issues. I strongly advise anyone who claims there not to be problems to actually say that with experience of said molds because or else it's meaningless.

That's a lot of hyperbole, I mean, movie figs have always suffered a little for their complexity, I had more problems with movie automorph than the tlk figures, so does that mean that all movie figures with automorph are a nightmare, just cuz I had some lemons? And, besides which reports of most of these issues are far and few between from what I've seen 'round the net, and wiki entries is hardly firm evidence when one person with a lousy figure can just go on there and spread a bunch of hyperbolic slander.

Like, is dragostorm the equivalent of tr wolfwire? Is he destined to break no matter what? Or did someone get a lemon and we blew it out of proportion b/c we were looking forward to the figure? Look, I'm not saying there weren't problem's I just wanted actual quantifiable input. But I guess it doesn't matter anyways, and this is getting close to being off-topic, we'll know whether this line is any good come April

[BombshellDaBug]

Glad to hear Stinger is good. He's one of the ones I wanted, I'll get him if I can.

Can confirm that Stinger is good. Not sure why a lot of people seem unsatisfied with it. He's just too much fun!