The Energon Pub

RiddlerJ wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Ironhidensh wrote:Along with him came the complete Transformers Animated series on DVD. My boys love it!

Yeah it wa a fun revamp of G1 for a whole new generations. Great nods and a kickass shockwave (voiced by the same guy).

Please let us know in the TR thread what you think of Sky Shadow.

So, Black Shadow (screw official names), allow me to wax poetic on him....

I'm not really sure how I feel about him. For a leader class figure, he is ridiculously simple in transformation. Some deluxe figures have a more involved transformation. Also, I very much feel a bit more design effort should have gone into the combined alt mode. It's like it was late Friday afternoon, and the lead designer was all "Eh, the jet will just sit on top of the tank, that's good enough. Papa needs a beer" and bailed. Disappointing, really.

That said, the robot mode is impressively imposing. I really like the look of it. Also, you can transform him without removing the head. That is a massive bonus to me, as I'm not overly fond of the line wide headmaster gimmick. The individual alt modes look really good as well. Over all, I like him. He isn't worth a leader class price point, but it is a fun figure.

I also recently got Broadside. This figure is ridiculous. That said, I love it, and I can't explain why. Robot mode looks nice and beefy, like a Wrecker should. Carrier mode is nice, and jet mode is plain stupid. I'm very tempted to attach the Airealbots, but I know as soon as I take them off the tree, I'll loose them.

I don't mind the combined mode that much, only because it looks like it's there just so Black Shadow can get both his components from place to place but not for anything really involved.

He did get me thinking though. I wonder how people would respond to a line wide return of the Pretenders. Mostly in the case of figure like the Black Shadow or Roadblock who were transforming robots inside transforming robots.

That's how I like to think of him, as a heavy-duty carrier.

So, since I'm here, I got Black Shadow last week, and boy does the qc failings of hasbro really drag down what would otherwise be an amazingly fun figure. I love him, but primus almighty, his pins and mushroom pegs in his arms are so godd@mn loose that he can barely hold his arms up without collapsing under their own weight, and I can't even fix it because they're pins, seriously hasbro's qc department needs to get they're sh|t together.

It's especially egregious on a figure that hinges on being fun and poseable since it has a pretty simple transformation into two lackluster vehicle modes... Normally I'd say I might try TT's version, but, we all know it would likely take them another 10 years to circle back to this figure like the last version of Black Shadow

RiddlerJ wrote:I wonder how people would respond to a line wide return of the Pretenders. Mostly in the case of figure like the Black Shadow or Roadblock who were transforming robots inside transforming robots.

You summoned me here for a purpose?

I have gotten 4 pretenders recently and I am in love. And I love what a few modern pretenders have done, with Skullgrin getting his inner robot mode alt mode with the pretender shell worked into it, and then there is the marvel of hunt for the decepticons Bludgeon. I would love a whole new line of the pretender characters done up in modern looks, with either the shell being integrated onto the actual robot or making better inner robots with slightly more articulated shells.

Count me the hell in.

Also, Tidal Wave should have been Flattop

The only thing i don't like on Black Shadow are the jet wings in robot mode. They're a little too small and a little too low for my liking, but other than that he's a beautiful thing. Definitely the best leader of the line so far and I really hope we get a Thunderwing eventually. I'll take a Dia Atlas too

Cobotron wrote:A3 is my fav voyager triple changer for reasons that go beyond the usual, but the Blitzatron mold is the best trip-changer yet as far as function. All three modes are good. The route to get from one to another is interesting, and well designed. The way his shoulders work is smart and I'm almost surprised it worked at all.
The deco isn't the best, and damn these new stickers, but all the sculpting and detailing on him is pretty amazing. I could see how the static pose he's packed in might seem disproportionate, but once you get him out and bend some joints and add a little life he seems proportionate to me.

As fars as triple changers go, I don't understand why Astrotrain gets so much indifference. He's practically perfect in every respect - forms and function, poseability, and a good balance between G1 faithfulness and modern designs. And the fact that he uses the Don Figueroa concept from Stormbringer is just abso-frikkin-lutely awesome. And he's not even hampered by tiny head syndrome.

Dangit



This is why I should not check the toy isle when I go to Walmart to grab mouthwash

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Cobotron wrote:A3 is my fav voyager triple changer for reasons that go beyond the usual, but the Blitzatron mold is the best trip-changer yet as far as function. All three modes are good. The route to get from one to another is interesting, and well designed. The way his shoulders work is smart and I'm almost surprised it worked at all.
The deco isn't the best, and damn these new stickers, but all the sculpting and detailing on him is pretty amazing. I could see how the static pose he's packed in might seem disproportionate, but once you get him out and bend some joints and add a little life he seems proportionate to me.

As fars as triple changers go, I don't understand why Astrotrain gets so much indifference. He's practically perfect in every respect - forms and function, poseability, and a good balance between G1 faithfulness and modern designs. And the fact that he uses the Don Figueroa concept from Stormbringer is just abso-frikkin-lutely awesome. And he's not even hampered by tiny head syndrome.

His train mode is a sad joke and really ruins the figure, for me at least.

For some reason I want a Voyager Prowl from this line based on what he looked like in RiD #12

Maximal Rainmaker wrote:For some reason I want a Voyager Prowl from this line based on what he looked like in RiD #12

If we are want listing, i want a sunstreaker with a hunter o'nion headmaster.

LE0KING wrote:

Maximal Rainmaker wrote:For some reason I want a Voyager Prowl from this line based on what he looked like in RiD #12

If we are want listing, i want a sunstreaker with a hunter o'nion headmaster.

YES!!!!!!!!

Ironhidensh wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

Cobotron wrote:A3 is my fav voyager triple changer for reasons that go beyond the usual, but the Blitzatron mold is the best trip-changer yet as far as function. All three modes are good. The route to get from one to another is interesting, and well designed. The way his shoulders work is smart and I'm almost surprised it worked at all.
The deco isn't the best, and damn these new stickers, but all the sculpting and detailing on him is pretty amazing. I could see how the static pose he's packed in might seem disproportionate, but once you get him out and bend some joints and add a little life he seems proportionate to me.

As fars as triple changers go, I don't understand why Astrotrain gets so much indifference. He's practically perfect in every respect - forms and function, poseability, and a good balance between G1 faithfulness and modern designs. And the fact that he uses the Don Figueroa concept from Stormbringer is just abso-frikkin-lutely awesome. And he's not even hampered by tiny head syndrome.

His train mode is a sad joke and really ruins the figure, for me at least.

I didn't exclude Astrotrain from that post because I don't like him, we were just talking about Megatron. AT's train mode doesn't bother me at all. I can dig that he is a "space" train instead of a steam engine. He is a fine toy and does check all those boxes on Maxi's list, I just think the Blitzatron mold nudges him out a little.

Here. Let's play it Willie Jim style. Everybody loves the list game!
Best TR Voyager triple changers, best to least bestest.

1. Alpha Trion - Again for more abstract reasons beyond Modes, transformation, etc.
2. Megatron/Blitzwing - For functionality as a triple changer. No mode left behind!
3. Astrotrain/Sentinal - Same as Mega/Blitz, just a tiny bit less.
4. Optimus/Octane - And I don't even hate his jet mode.
5. Broadside - And I don't even hate his jet mode.
6. Galvatron - who I don't hate nearly as much as most, maybe thanks to his star fighter mode.

I don't know cobo, I think I put Galvatron over Astrotrain (dont havee broadside or the octone/prime molds yet so no comment) mainly because I like his spaceship mold so much. I looks great swooshing around next to triggerhappy.
We need a line of spacefighter transformers that blatantly rip off popular designs, like Starfox and Galaga.

LE0KING wrote:

Maximal Rainmaker wrote:For some reason I want a Voyager Prowl from this line based on what he looked like in RiD #12

If we are want listing, i want a sunstreaker with a hunter o'nion headmaster.

And despite how much we bring it up, still nothing!! Missed. Opportunity.

Also, to play the Willy-J game of triple changers from the line:

1) Alpha Trion - Beast of the best. best paintwork, awesome lion, amazing robot, fun overall, goes perfectly with Sawback/Lione as partners.

2) Astrotrain - I love his shuttle mode, the train mode is alright but still kinda cool, and I love the robot mode and interchangeable feet.

3) Broadside - I love aircraft carriers and ships in general, and his carrier mode is perfect. The robot mode is a slam dunk and he will fit perfectly with my wreckers shelf, which I will need to take a picture of here when I go back home. jet mode is pretty craptacular, but functional and totally made up for by the Aircraft carrier mode. also convinced me to keep Tidal Wave so I can have 2 amazing carrier-formers.

4) Megatron - just feels weak to me, and I really don't like it too much. the feel is wrong to me, it feels a bit out of proportion, the stickers are basically the only color on him and they are crap (whereas others get away with more colors before stickers, like Broadside), and his legs are difficult.

5) Galvatron - weak, I don't like the helmet, and for some reason he feels much lighter than the others. His jet mode is actually pretty cool and the gun mode is spot on, but for some reason he just doesn't have the spirit the others do.

I don't have Prime yet (still need to get the Velocitron set) so I can't remark on him

As someone who doesn't own Galvatron; it is annoying that he is so nearly perfect design-wise but the helmet and no way to side-mount the cannon just nudges him off. Though if one is to get the Shapeways stuff (a way to side-mount the cannon and a better helmet) then that can fix those issues for the purposes of getting a damn good Galvatron. It's a shame the Jet isn't better though, the cockpit piece alone makes me really want that mode to be good but it just seems to fall short due to a lack of a good place for the legs.

But then we come to a rather strange little thing when we include third party/shapeways upgrades and mods and such when talking about the figures. Because if the figure is otherwise brought down by flaws but there's an easy fix - for instance Galvatron; who I think is an extremely good example due to the helmet issue - then it kind of warps objective thinking. It's difficult to explain and I wish I had my thoughts more ordered atm, but it's something I've wanted to bring up for a while and I think it warrants its own discussion and maybe even thread - how good or how much worth it is a toy that has a huge glaring flaw but can be fixed? Obviously from an objective standpoint a flaw's a flaw and it has to be judged on its own; but on the other hand, if its the best representation of the character despite that flaw and said flaw can be easily fixed due to other sources, does that not colour how we view the toy? We should judge it on its own merit, but is there room for a bit of niggling and saying "Its easily fixed with an upgrade so whatever" in the conversation?

I dunno, again I've got my thoughts jumbled up at the moment (just got back late from playing Metal Gear Rising with a friend, so my mind's kind of in other places of slashy-slashy-this-is-hella-fun-hack-slash-hack right now), but I just wanted to say it. I guess. BLAH.

You raise some awesome points there, Kurona. And I'd like to point out that most of the Combiners from the last two years fall into the same trap as Galvatron. I mean, if it weren't for the PE kits, I would absolutely hate Menasor, even if 4/5 of the Stunticons are phenomenal. And Devastator only really fares any better if you got Takara's version.

If anyone wanted to see Broadside with another boat-former, here he is in carrier mode with G1 Waverider, a "Submarine"

We need more aquatic transformers. I get why there's not many of them since they're not that practical but still.

Yeaaah, it really shows how sparse the aquatic-themed Transformers are when Earth Wars had an ocean-based event, and their first choices for it were Seaspray and friggin' Octopunch. Those two are the most significant recognisable water-based Autobot and Decepticon we have, guys.

Talking of which, damn does Seaspray look good. He was praised to heck and back when he was revealed at Toyfair but since then I haven't seen much talk about him at all, especially compared to the other upcoming figures.

When you open Broadsides control tower in carrier mode, there is a diamond shaped hole with open ends that excepts a 5 mil peg. You can get his gun out of the middle of the ship, and Blunderbuss can still ride in there.

Cobotron wrote:When you open Broadsides control tower in carrier mode, there is a diamond shaped hole with open ends that excepts a 5 mil peg. You can get his gun out of the middle of the ship, and Blunderbuss can still ride in there.

Oh I gotchya Cobro! But I like putting Blunderbuss in the jet cockpit and I hate the gun there. I like how the carrier mode looks, but the gun and Titan master... no I don't like it too much, so I try to hide them away.

And the tabs in the sides of the arms won't hold the gun properly.

Also, I don't like this clear blue gun. I need some nice big wrecker guns for him, not this baby blue thingy

D-Maximus_Prime wrote:

Cobotron wrote:When you open Broadsides control tower in carrier mode, there is a diamond shaped hole with open ends that excepts a 5 mil peg. You can get his gun out of the middle of the ship, and Blunderbuss can still ride in there.

Oh I gotchya Cobro! But I like putting Blunderbuss in the jet cockpit and I hate the gun there. I like how the carrier mode looks, but the gun and Titan master... no I don't like it too much, so I try to hide them away.

And the tabs in the sides of the arms won't hold the gun properly.

Also, I don't like this clear blue gun. I need some nice big wrecker guns for him, not this baby blue thingy

That's what you have a weirdwolf for, I hear he got his gun from a wrecker

Shuffleupagus and Mammoth Man!





Ahhh, these guys might be my favorite headmasters now. Awesome head, awesome Elephant, AWESOME tank.

Bronzewolf wrote:Shuffleupagus and Mammoth Man!





Ahhh, these guys might be my favorite headmasters now. Awesome head, awesome Elephant, AWESOME tank.

*grabby hands*

Qwan wrote:Now if only there were also pegs on his robot-mode outer arms so he could lauch miniature jets off his wrists, that would be super-cool...

Um, done!

Yo Bronze, are you having issues with the pylons? The pylons on my Broadside will not lock down. They haven't locked down yet.

Also, I am really thinking about placing Shufflers head on Tidal wave. They seem like they might sort of match up