The Energon Pub

LeAwesome1 wrote:

nycPrime wrote:

Autobot Roadburn wrote:Brainstorm just got listed on BBTS for $30 this morning, he's set to be in stock early November, so it's guaranteed to be soon. It's more expensive than finding the figure in the wild, but might be easier overall to deal with for those who aren't anywhere near a Walgreens.

I think it's still cheaper to buy 1 from Walgreens.com, and pay the shipping and tax. Probably comes out to about $30. Even better if you can add stuff you need to buy anyway for free shipping. Don't know who would actually get it from BBTS.

People in Britain who don't have a Walgreens, except I have no money at the moment so I am going crazy

Pay the insane 30$ price for a deluxe plus shipping to the UK? No thanks.

Kurona wrote:

LeAwesome1 wrote:

nycPrime wrote:

Autobot Roadburn wrote:Brainstorm just got listed on BBTS for $30 this morning, he's set to be in stock early November, so it's guaranteed to be soon. It's more expensive than finding the figure in the wild, but might be easier overall to deal with for those who aren't anywhere near a Walgreens.

I think it's still cheaper to buy 1 from Walgreens.com, and pay the shipping and tax. Probably comes out to about $30. Even better if you can add stuff you need to buy anyway for free shipping. Don't know who would actually get it from BBTS.

People in Britain who don't have a Walgreens, except I have no money at the moment so I am going crazy

Pay the insane 30$ price for a deluxe plus shipping to the UK? No thanks.

You say that but I looked everything up, did some math and it would be £40 which isn't awful compared to some of the prices they are charging on eBay

LeAwesome1 wrote:

Kurona wrote:

LeAwesome1 wrote:

nycPrime wrote:

Autobot Roadburn wrote:Brainstorm just got listed on BBTS for $30 this morning, he's set to be in stock early November, so it's guaranteed to be soon. It's more expensive than finding the figure in the wild, but might be easier overall to deal with for those who aren't anywhere near a Walgreens.

I think it's still cheaper to buy 1 from Walgreens.com, and pay the shipping and tax. Probably comes out to about $30. Even better if you can add stuff you need to buy anyway for free shipping. Don't know who would actually get it from BBTS.

People in Britain who don't have a Walgreens, except I have no money at the moment so I am going crazy

Pay the insane 30$ price for a deluxe plus shipping to the UK? No thanks.

You say that but I looked everything up, did some math and it would be £40 which isn't awful compared to some of the prices they are charging on eBay

Ooft. Still way too much. I love Brainstorm and I want him but I might as well import Takara's at that point.

Kurona wrote:

LeAwesome1 wrote:

Kurona wrote:

LeAwesome1 wrote:

nycPrime wrote:

Autobot Roadburn wrote:Brainstorm just got listed on BBTS for $30 this morning, he's set to be in stock early November, so it's guaranteed to be soon. It's more expensive than finding the figure in the wild, but might be easier overall to deal with for those who aren't anywhere near a Walgreens.

I think it's still cheaper to buy 1 from Walgreens.com, and pay the shipping and tax. Probably comes out to about $30. Even better if you can add stuff you need to buy anyway for free shipping. Don't know who would actually get it from BBTS.

People in Britain who don't have a Walgreens, except I have no money at the moment so I am going crazy

Pay the insane 30$ price for a deluxe plus shipping to the UK? No thanks.

You say that but I looked everything up, did some math and it would be £40 which isn't awful compared to some of the prices they are charging on eBay

Ooft. Still way too much. I love Brainstorm and I want him but I might as well import Takara's at that point.

I sadly do not like the look of Takaras, so I am probably going to end up spending a fortune on this, or can get an American friend of mine to buy one and send it to me unpackaged, which would mean money (money I do not have)

Didn't Kapow Toys have Brainstorm for like £25?

ThunderThruster wrote:Didn't Kapow Toys have Brainstorm for like £25?

Yea but I emailed them and they said they only get one batch of exclusives, and now they are sold out they aren't getting more in

Kurona wrote:So after I made this post, I immediately of course started wondering if there's any individuals in the Titan Master class that look good on Wolfwire? Because it'd be nice if everything about the robot mode could look incredible rather than everything sans the face. I don't have any attachment to the character - I say this, watch him appear randomly in Lost Light or OP and immediately become my favourite character - so I don't really mind ditching Monxo. Monzo?
Pics appreciated but not necessary.

I think Apeface looks okay on Wolfwire. He looks better on Mindwipe, but you can't go wrong by putting him on Wolfwire.

Also, thanks for letting us know about Brainstorm being available online. I've been trying to find him for months, but have had no such luck here in Philly. Just placed my order for him!

From all the things Hasbro has done to make Transformers cheaper (Example: Making CW Brawl brown because brown paint is probably cheaper than green paint and the hollow guns) to make so they get more money gets me thinking, we're lucky that Hasbro didn't decide to sell the full figures with swapped heads (Like Mindwipe with Apeface instead of Vorath) and then they sell the actual head separately with the titanmaster vehicle. That would be a nightmare if it actually happened though...I have no idea why I thought it could happen...

After having Brainstorm in hand, I can safely say that he's the best figure I've bought since CW Rook or Prowl.

Found two Brainstorms at my Walgreens in Towne Lake Parkway, GA. 17.99 before tax and nabbed him. I'm surprised he was priced less than Chromedome and the other Titanmasters.

I think we are sometimes a little unfair on Hasbro by accusing hollowness of being a recent thing - as I have noticed hollow guns exist even on some G1 toys - and I was recently playing with some Micromaster Playsets and they are full of hollow areas too.

o.supreme wrote:

Autobot Roadburn wrote:for those who aren't anywhere near a Walgreens.

is there such a thing in the U.S?

I just happen to have one Walgreens near by, but there's only like 15 in the entire state. Now if this were a Rite Aid exclusive, there's over 100 of those in the state and I know of five within 12 or so miles of me.

Kurona wrote:He was one of the ones I was planning on picking up too - well, truth be told, I'm planning on picking up everyone but Crashbash. Thanks for the advice!

I wouldn't you want the (second?) best one?

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Kurona wrote:He was one of the ones I was planning on picking up too - well, truth be told, I'm planning on picking up everyone but Crashbash. Thanks for the advice!

I wouldn't you want the (second?) best one?

Emerje

Purely for the reason I'm planning on picking up both Clobber and Overboard - I fully intend to experience how amazing the mold is, just not three times.
Especially since Overboard's face is a straight redeco of Crashbash's - which, correct me if I'm wrong, is the only time this has happened so far in Titans Return period outside of some funky Takara stuff - and I prefer the face in those colours. Might even go well with Wolfwire, come to think of it

Peaugh has reviews up for TR Megs and Prime

I still don't think I'll get Blitztron and Octane Prime, I'll just wait for the real Blitzing and Octane. I don't care about not having Doomshot and Diac, I don't think I'd use them very much in my line of titanmasters.

I feel like the Blitzwing mold should be repainted into Jetfire because of the jet mode which has the tank turret acting like that gimmick on G1 Jetfire.

Voyager Prime reminds me of Pepsi Prime.

RAR wrote:I think we are sometimes a little unfair on Hasbro by accusing hollowness of being a recent thing - as I have noticed hollow guns exist even on some G1 toys - and I was recently playing with some Micromaster Playsets and they are full of hollow areas too.

That was G1 though and this is 2016. There's a big year gap, Hasbro should be able to get rid of most of the unneeded hollow-ness by now.

Pretty much the entirety of the Seibertron community has notified us of two new video reviews for the Transformers Titans Return toyline, so here they are for your viewing convenience: Wave 3Voyagers Optimus Prime, with Titan Master Diac, and Megatron, with Titan Master Doomshot!

The new triple changing molds with a land vehicle (truck and tank) and a plane feature, respectively, an homage to Generation 2 Laser Prime (and maybe some Star Convoy), and a probable ringer for Octane, while Megatron is probably a pretool of an upcoming Blitzwing. Check the clips out below!

Maximal Rainmaker wrote:

RAR wrote:I think we are sometimes a little unfair on Hasbro by accusing hollowness of being a recent thing - as I have noticed hollow guns exist even on some G1 toys - and I was recently playing with some Micromaster Playsets and they are full of hollow areas too.

That was G1 though and this is 2016. There's a big year gap, Hasbro should be able to get rid of most of the unneeded hollow-ness by now.

The goal of cutting down on plastic and costs is pretty timeless. Though I do wish they would sculpt something inside of the hollow parts. Pipes or circuitry, sort of like what we're seeing more of in the hollow parts of the figures.

Emerje

Well, I checked 8 Walgreens stores in my general area over 2 days and found all of wave 2 in multiples, at various prices from $18-$20 (only time I've seen them so far), but no Brainstorm. Maybe I should have asked some employees if he was in the back but I felt foolish enough going into a drug store just to buy a toy. I'm northeast of Atlanta, checked Lawrenceville, Duluth, Suwanee, and John's Creek areas. Still need to head up to Buford and Sugar Hill but I'm not holding my breath. The website says they have the figure at some of the stores I checked, which has not been true, so consider their locator to be bunk.

Haven't watched the Optimus review yet; much more interested in finally getting a Voyager Megatron after so long.

-I'm loving that Titan Master integration in jet mode. Very cleverly done and it still has room for the cockpit to transform
-The tank barrel being on the bottom of the jet is great, and the tank barrel being made up of the optional weapon means you can choose how the jet looks
-Both vehicle modes look really nice and sleek
-The fusion cannon as the tank barrel looks AWESOME
-Very impressive and effective transformations. Great use of paneling and space
-It's looking like you can choose whether the turret points up or not in robot mode meaning you can differentiate Megs and Blitzy more. Same for whether you want the wings out or not it seems
-IMO it scales perfectly with the Classics Optimus I love so much

And I have to stop bullet pointing here because... oh my god. That robot mode. Solid. Threatening. Imposing. Bulky. Downright beautiful. The SDCC in-hand mistransformations and the render were worrying me a bit, but now I actually see it in a review? He's perfect. You couldn't make him better if you tried.
Unless it turns out Takara is using this for Megatron (which I find pretty unlikely), this is definitely going to be my perfect numero uno Megatron both for classics and for MTMTE. This is a very well done job and I'm very impressed with it.

There's a few minor quibbles, though. The chest stickers don't look great - and it's a crying shame there's no autobot sticker. The Fusion Cannon looks a bit... dinky in robot mode which would have been fixed perfectly by the Titan Master gun extension... if said gun was black. And there seem to be some very loose hips on the dude as demonstrated when Peaugh tried to put Doomshot on. But QC issues aside these are fine for me - Reprolabels can fix the first easily and I'm using him mostly for MTMTE which means I don't really need the Fusion Cannon unless I go all-out DOTL.

But again, minor quibbles. It's just a couple knocks to an otherwise incredible looking figure and I really can't wait to pick him up

(also the galvy head looks kinda funny on him)

Really liking Optimus too. Nowhere near as excited for him as Megatron but he looks to be a really solid figure; that truck mode is ace with the tanker detailing.
Also happy about the option to put down the shoulder pylon G2 thingies and extend the wings out. I know these 'display options' are just there for Blitzwing and Octane, but I still like that they give you options. More G1-ified Optimus with a wingpack all the way baby!

Wasn't expecting Prime and Megatron to be the different sizes, or for Prime to be slightly shorter than the Classics mold. I guess they're making up for the massive CW mold. Seeing the review I have to admit that I do like him more than I thought I would and it's nice to see that there is an alternative shoulder transformation so make him a little more Star Convoy (or Octane) if we really do get that alternate Titan Master. I won't be popping up the extra antennae, they look dumb so far from his head.

I wonder just how they'll retool Megatron into Blitzwing? I imagine they'll only have to replace his chest and abs which should be easy enough. But what about the weapons? I can't picture him coming with Megatron's cannon. I'm thinking maybe a shorter canon with a Titan Master seat at the base like an extension of the turret as well as his sword?

I have a feeling I'm going to be owning a lot of figures based on these two molds.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:Wasn't expecting Prime and Megatron to be the different sizes, or for Prime to be slightly shorter than the Classics mold. I guess they're making up for the massive CW mold. Seeing the review I have to admit that I do like him more than I thought I would and it's nice to see that there is an alternative shoulder transformation so make him a little more Star Convoy (or Octane) if we really do get that alternate Titan Master. I won't be popping up the extra antennae, they look dumb so far from his head.

I wonder just how they'll retool Megatron into Blitzwing? I imagine they'll only have to replace his chest and abs which should be easy enough. But what about the weapons? I can't picture him coming with Megatron's cannon. I'm thinking maybe a shorter canon with a Titan Master seat at the base like an extension of the turret as well as his sword?

I have a feeling I'm going to be owning a lot of figures based on these two molds.

Emerje

They'll probably keep the Titan Master gun and replace the Fusion Cannon with the sword. Can't imagine there being much more retooling than the chest and abs, yeah.
Optimus... I don't think Octane came with a gun so that'll probably be replaced. Shoulders will probably be retooled, maybe the legs? Think that's about it.

But man... considering Astrotrain's already a success, they nailed the Decepticon Triple Changers this line. Now if only Broadside can be good then together with Thrilling 30 Springer and Sandstorm we'll have a perfect run of the six G1 Triple Changers.

Can't help wondering if Blitzwing's front will be Megatron's back, Sideswipe/Sunstreaker and Blast Off/Strafe style.

Deathsanras wrote:Can't help wondering if Blitzwing's front will be Megatron's back, Sideswipe/Sunstreaker and Blast Off/Strafe style.

Far more likely that the chest will be replaced - after all, Megatron's chest ends up in the same place Blitzwing's chest did on his original toy (just behind the cockpit).





It'd be very cool if they brought that tactic back though, especially with all the Triple Changer pretooling in TR. Maybe we'll see it for Broadside > Tidal Wave?