The Energon Pub

Sabrblade wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So then they do have what it takes to make direct to DVD films on their own.

Not necessarily. They still don't have the size of the studio behind them like DC does.

But I have to ask, why would you want to emulate what DC is doing when they can go out and do their own thing?

Look at how well DC's movie and TV plans are working compared to Marvel.

TV-wise, though, Arrow and The Flash are awesome, and the same people are making Legends of Tomorrow and (while airing on a different network) Supergirl.

And what about that Batman show? You know, the one on Fox that doesn't have Batman in it? People seem to like that one, I think?

Sabrblade wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So then they do have what it takes to make direct to DVD films on their own.

Not necessarily. They still don't have the size of the studio behind them like DC does.

But I have to ask, why would you want to emulate what DC is doing when they can go out and do their own thing?

Look at how well DC's movie and TV plans are working compared to Marvel.

TV-wise, though, Arrow and The Flash are awesome, and the same people are making Legends of Tomorrow and (while airing on a different network) Supergirl.

ANd as the person who started this massive shift from the Blaster conversation said, they beat Marvel in the animation department. Their direct to DVD movies are great! Young Justice was the best superhero animated show of the recent pass.

william-james88 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So then they do have what it takes to make direct to DVD films on their own.

Not necessarily. They still don't have the size of the studio behind them like DC does.

But I have to ask, why would you want to emulate what DC is doing when they can go out and do their own thing?

Look at how well DC's movie and TV plans are working compared to Marvel.

TV-wise, though, Arrow and The Flash are awesome, and the same people are making Legends of Tomorrow and (while airing on a different network) Supergirl.

ANd as the person who started this massive shift from the Blaster conversation said, they beat Marvel in the animation department. Their direct to DVD movies are great! Young Justice was the best superhero animated show of the recent pass.

Although that never saved it from the powers that be at cartoon network. Including the very good green lantern cartoon.

Still we're a long way off yet from seeing hasbro's hand when it comes to other fiction for titan wars. All we can do is trust they know what they ate doing, after all they've done well up to now right?

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So then they do have what it takes to make direct to DVD films on their own.

Not necessarily. They still don't have the size of the studio behind them like DC does.

But I have to ask, why would you want to emulate what DC is doing when they can go out and do their own thing?

Look at how well DC's movie and TV plans are working compared to Marvel.

Marvels movies are killing DCs movies, but the reverse is true to TV!! Neither dominates both markets!
I would personally be OK with a TF DVD release of something like an hour long combiner wars one-shot, especially if they'd just do it for character action, not following the comics.

Back on topic so as not to be scolded: Me wants headmasters! Brainstorm is lonely...

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:So then they do have what it takes to make direct to DVD films on their own.

Not necessarily. They still don't have the size of the studio behind them like DC does.

But I have to ask, why would you want to emulate what DC is doing when they can go out and do their own thing?

Look at how well DC's movie and TV plans are working compared to Marvel.

Marvels movies are killing DCs movies, but the reverse is true to TV!! Neither dominates both markets!
I would personally be OK with a TF DVD release of something like an hour long combiner wars one-shot, especially if they'd just do it for character action, not following the comics.

Back on topic so as not to be scolded: Me wants headmasters! Brainstorm is lonely...

Nah, I think DC will be able to beat Marvel at the box office once the Justice League movie comes out and decide to throw Flash and Arrow in it

Sabrblade wrote:

LegendaryAntiHero wrote:Nah, I think DC will be able to beat Marvel at the box office once the Justice League movie comes out and decide to throw Flash and Arrow in it

Except neither the Flash nor the Green Arrow of the movies will be the same Flash and Arrow from the TV shows. DC considers the DCFU and the DCCWU as separate.

Seperate universes as part of their larger multiverse. We might eventually see them but not as the Flash and Green Arrow of Henry Cavil's Justice League.

I like Blaster, can be a dollhouse for the little folk now...

Crikey! I'm sorry! Almost strayed back onto topic then...

Mr O wrote:I like Blaster, can be a dollhouse for the little folk now...

Crikey! I'm sorry! Almost strayed back onto topic then...

I am glad its back on track because I have a question for people. Headmasters are clearly a gimmick... right? I ask because I just realized what this being Titan Wars, there is a similarity in theme with Combiner Wars, at least from a marketing standpoint, but while I consider this Blaster's headmaster to be a gimmick I dont see the combiners as themselves being gimmick driven.

Am I the only one? Or is the real gimmick of G1 headmasters to be the stats you get when you insert the head?

william-james88 wrote:

Mr O wrote:I like Blaster, can be a dollhouse for the little folk now...

Crikey! I'm sorry! Almost strayed back onto topic then...

I am glad its back on track because I have a question for people. Headmasters are clearly a gimmick... right? I ask because I just realized what this being Titan Wars, there is a similarity in theme with Combiner Wars, at least from a marketing standpoint, but while I consider this Blaster's headmaster to be a gimmick I dont see the combiners as themselves being gimmick driven.

Am I the only one? Or is the real gimmick of G1 headmasters to be the stats you get when you insert the head?

I still consider Combining a gimmick, for that matter, Transformation as well.

The reason why some may not view them as such is because both are so prevalent among robot toy line (combining more so than transformation), we've come to stop viewing those as gimmicks or are simply blind to them. We've come to take them for granted. Toy Companies know this, so gimmicks are added to other gimmicks with varying results. Victory's Liokaiser has 3 gimmicks, but that's not the limit.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Mr O wrote:I like Blaster, can be a dollhouse for the little folk now...

Crikey! I'm sorry! Almost strayed back onto topic then...

I am glad its back on track because I have a question for people. Headmasters are clearly a gimmick... right? I ask because I just realized what this being Titan Wars, there is a similarity in theme with Combiner Wars, at least from a marketing standpoint, but while I consider this Blaster's headmaster to be a gimmick I dont see the combiners as themselves being gimmick driven.

Am I the only one? Or is the real gimmick of G1 headmasters to be the stats you get when you insert the head?

I still consider Combining a gimmick, for that matter, Transformation as well.

The reason why some may not view them as such is because both are so prevalent among robot toy line (combining more so than transformation), we've come to stop viewing those as gimmicks or are simply blind to them. We've come to take them for granted. Toy Companies know this, so gimmicks are added to other gimmicks with varying results. Victory's Liokaiser has 3 gimmicks, but that's not the limit. I know a certain Mech that has a whopping 5 built in!

Air Attack Optimus Primal has so many gimicks, it's crazy. But I never considered Transforming to be a gimick and the fact that an individual combiner limbs can be it's own complete toy distracted from the larger gimick. It's not like Alpha Bravo has a working gimick beyond Transformation when bought individually. But Gen Brainstorm had a gimmick that could be played with right out of the box.

william-james88 wrote:Air Attack Optimus Primal has so many gimicks, it's crazy. But I never considered Transforming to be a gimick and the fact that an individual combiner limbs can be it's own complete toy distracted from the larger gimick. It's not like Alpha Bravo has a working gimick beyond Transformation when bought individually. But Gen Brainstorm had a gimmick that could be played with right out of the box.

True, some gimmicks like combination require more than one toy, but they're still gimmicks to me. Maybe I just have a looser definition

If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

Sure! It's an alternate mode to robot or vehicle mood. These guys are Quad-changers man! Torsos are Triple Changers! How's that for some gimmick?

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

You have alt mode, you have robot mode, then you have gestalt mode. So yes, combining is a gimmick. Not even sure why that's even up for discussion.

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

Sure! It's an alternate mode to robot or vehicle mood. These guys are Quad-changers man! Torsos are Triple Changers! How's that for some gimmick?

They're not like RiD Megatron's Hand Mode though: they can't function on their own, they need another figure in order to work.

Speaking of Multi-Changers: ever seen a Combiner with all Triple-Changing members, excluding the combined mode? I have

.......the Seacons?

Cobotron wrote::-? .......the Seacons?

Good guess! But no, Snaptrap doesn't have a Weapon Mode. It's from outside Transformers... but I won't reveal him to prevent us from going too far off-topic. I will say it's the pinnacle of what's possible with combiners

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

Sure! It's an alternate mode to robot or vehicle mood. These guys are Quad-changers man! Torsos are Triple Changers! How's that for some gimmick?

They're not like RiD Megatron's Hand Mode though: they can't function on their own, they need another figure in order to work.

Speaking of Multi-Changers: ever seen a Combiner with all Triple-Changing members, excluding the combined mode? I have

It's not Dancouga is it. I just saw a review of the SOC Version.

Sorry I should be talking about Blaster. I think he looks pretty good.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:They're not like RiD Megatron's Hand Mode though: they can't function on their own, they need another figure in order to work.

why not? That would be hilarious. Funny image: 4 or 6 other bots using an arm bot as a battering ram.

munkimus prime wrote:It's not Dancouga is it.

I thought this too, but the bird only has 2 modes. At least with the old Dancouga I have.

Jelz, just tell us so we can get back on topic. You're killin' me here.

Hasbro seem to want the good folks of Trans-fandom to call it "Features" rather than gimmicks these days.

I wonder if they think gimmick sounds demeaning ?

But you never know it might catch on by calling a line Combiner Wars they seem to have encouraged people to stop saying Gestalt as much, and by calling a Line Titan wars perhaps they are encouraging people to call "Base Bots" Titans instead.

I don't know if I can get my noggin around the idea of Blaster as some epic city bot (or 'Titan' though).

Personally I just think titan is a rather confusing and over used term when Hasbro uses it for a Product size across multiple brands (even Star Wars) as well as a name for type of Transformer and a size of Transformer & for the non-Transforming products.

So they might have better luck with encouraging people to use 'Combiner' and 'feature' perhaps over 'Titan' - or maybe not.

Burn wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Burn wrote:If it does more than just transform from an alt mode to robot mode, it's a gimmick.

But is an arm and a leg considered an alt mode?

You have alt mode, you have robot mode, then you have gestalt mode. So yes, combining is a gimmick. Not even sure why that's even up for discussion.

Because tI kinda forgot about them in my top 5 tf toys with gimmicks list. I felt the other gimmicks I chose to be more individualized and unique to the actual toy not needing other toys to be purchased. Combiners didnt even cross my mind. Oh well, guess thats one more sentence for the intro.

Also Jelze, this thread needs something to keep us hooked while waiting for the next reveal (remember that Devastator thread?) so spit it out before I fly to europe and force you to type it. And make sure to provide a link to an e-bay auction if the toy is no longer available at retail

RAR wrote:Hasbro seem to want the good folks of Trans-fandom to call it "Features" rather than gimmicks these days.

I wonder if they think gimmick sounds demeaning ?

From a personal perspective I believe it is. For years I've sprouted off on how gimmicks have negatively impacted upon what could have been a great figure.

But you never know it might catch on by calling a line Combiner Wars they seem to have encouraged people to stop saying Gestalt as much, and by calling a Line Titan wars perhaps they are encouraging people to call "Base Bots" Titans instead.

We're so easily manipulated.

Might also make trademarking easier.

I don't know if I can get my noggin around the idea of Blaster as some epic city bot (or 'Titan' though).

It's just a rumour at this stage anyway. Nothing has yet to be confirmed, so don't stress your noggin too much over it.

Blaster may have become the new Broadside - except if he's only a base to small human scale characters then he may not actually be a city sized thing at all - he could be his normal robot size turn into an playset and not mass-shift up in size at all (in story terms).

That would make me less of a base-bot an more of a robot with a bonus repair bay like mode as well as accidentally making him a close cousin of some Transformers Victory or Zone toys.

naturally if we find out later that some of the things he interacts with are not 6 foot tall but 30 foot tall then he might be a true full scale base mode like character after all with additional Mass-shifting required (which as I said he wouldn't need if he's only designed to work on a Human scale as a base mode).