The Energon Pub

I just ordered two, and it went through just fine.

I'm giving it a shot too. It doesn't say preorder so I guess I'll find out tonight or tomorrow maybe

sold out ;(

Despite early listings of Takara's Transformers Legends Trypticon having a catapult and inconsistent lighting in so many in hand images (and painted prototypes) of both versions, it turns out that there is literally no difference between the Trypticon released by Hasbro and Takara. The box and instructions are different, but that is it. And this also means that this is the only titan master without paint on his titan master face in all of Takara's releases. Trevor Hopkins has taken a bullet for all of us and purchased both trypticons ot make a comparison video to show you how identical they are. The good news is that all those who purchased Hasbro's Trypticon technically have a Takara quality release. Are you happy that there is no debate over which version is better this time? Or do you wish Takara had something more? Which box is the cooler one? Let us know!

The other good news is that it also means our Seibertron gallery can play double roles so if you want to check out awesome images of Trypticon, click here to see our gallery.

I'm honestly kinda glad about this. It means that regardless of which version I can get, I'll be getting the same figure. I might spring for the Legends just because getting the Hasbro version won't be THAT much cheaper and from what I hear Takara's Trypticon is less prone to self-destructing.

Kurona wrote:Why does Wolfwire have a 10 in intelligence? I mean, just... what? Am I missing something? Is he a bloody genius in the Headmasters anime or something?

He's either a misunderstood genius or (as Red Skull would say) a perfectly understood idiot.

I was hoping to see what the Hasbro left out to be cheap/Takara included for a better version differences there were going to be.

Now we just wait to see what cool 3P Trypticon add-ons/accessories get released.

Kyleor wrote:I was hoping to see what the Hasbro left out to be cheap/Takara included for a better version differences there were going to be.

Now we just wait to see what cool 3P Trypticon add-ons/accessories get released.

A repaint of Perceptor as Brunt would have been cool.

Caelus wrote:

Kurona wrote:Why does Wolfwire have a 10 in intelligence? I mean, just... what? Am I missing something? Is he a bloody genius in the Headmasters anime or something?

He's either a misunderstood genius or (as Red Skull would say) a perfectly understood idiot.

G1: 8
BotCon 2007: 9
TR: 10

[quote="william-james88"]Despite early listings of Takara's Transformers Legends Trypticon having a catapult and inconsistent lighting in so many in hand images (and painted prototypes) of both versions, it turns out that there is literally no difference between the Trypticon released by Hasbro and Takara. The box and instructions are different, but that is it. And this also means that this is the only titan master without paint on his titan master face in all of Takara's releases. Trevor Hopkins has taken a bullet for all of us and purchased both trypticons ot make a comparison video to show you how identical they are. The good news is that all those who purchased Hasbro's Trypticon technically have a Takara quality release. Are you happy that there is no debate over which version is better this time? Or do you wish Takara had something more? Which box is the cooler one? Let us know!

The other good news is that it also means our Seibertron gallery can play double roles so if you want to check out awesome images of Trypticon, click here to see our gallery.


I can confirm that the sticker sheets are different as the Titan Returns Trypticon has 158 Stickers and the Legends Trypticon has 136 stickers. Images attached for comparison. Not sure which stickers are missing but this does show a minor difference in the sticker application for these to versions of Trypticon.

Krapicon

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Caelus wrote:

Kurona wrote:Why does Wolfwire have a 10 in intelligence? I mean, just... what? Am I missing something? Is he a bloody genius in the Headmasters anime or something?

He's either a misunderstood genius or (as Red Skull would say) a perfectly understood idiot.

G1: 8
BotCon 2007: 9
TR: 10

I guess he goes to a good school each year.

Caelus wrote:

Kyleor wrote:I was hoping to see what the Hasbro left out to be cheap/Takara included for a better version differences there were going to be.

Now we just wait to see what cool 3P Trypticon add-ons/accessories get released.

A repaint of Perceptor as Brunt would have been cool.

Eh. Brunt isn't like Scamper, Full-Tilt, Cog, or Fasttrack. He's like Sixgun and Slammer, a collection of armaments and tower parts that can merge to make a separate unit. So while it would be better than no Brunt at all it wouldn't be a true Brunt that provided the last few pieces Titan-class Trypticon is missing (most notably the big cowled laser cannon that's the main gun in battlestation/battlecruiser mode and acts as the central tower in city mode). Plus packing in an additional Deluxe with a Titan-class toy that has an integrated Deluxe already? I don't think that would happen.
On top of that, I wouldn't think it likely for Takara to just redeco an existing figure as Brunt at this time. Breakaway hasn't been slated for a Legends release as Lightfoot, Sky Shadow hasn't been slated for a Legends release as Black Shadow. so they don't seem too interested in that approach with larger-than-TM figures currently.

All that being said, redecoing someone as Brunt isn't a horrible idea, though for my money I think Hardhead would work better than Perce.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

Caelus wrote:

Kyleor wrote:I was hoping to see what the Hasbro left out to be cheap/Takara included for a better version differences there were going to be.

Now we just wait to see what cool 3P Trypticon add-ons/accessories get released.

A repaint of Perceptor as Brunt would have been cool.

Eh. Brunt isn't like Scamper, Full-Tilt, Cog, or Fasttrack. He's like Sixgun and Slammer, a collection of armaments and tower parts that can merge to make a separate unit. So while it would be better than no Brunt at all it wouldn't be a true Brunt that provided the last few pieces Titan-class Trypticon is missing (most notably the big cowled laser cannon that's the main gun in battlestation/battlecruiser mode and acts as the central tower in city mode). Plus packing in an additional Deluxe with a Titan-class toy that has an integrated Deluxe already? I don't think that would happen.
On top of that, I wouldn't think it likely for Takara to just redeco an existing figure as Brunt at this time. Breakaway hasn't been slated for a Legends release as Lightfoot, Sky Shadow hasn't been slated for a Legends release as Black Shadow. so they don't seem too interested in that approach with larger-than-TM figures currently.

All that being said, redecoing someone as Brunt isn't a horrible idea, though for my money I think Hardhead would work better than Perce.

A more feasible option would be to redo a Titan Master vehicle as Brunt, like Terri-Bull. It would be cheaper and Full Tilt could use it as a weapon.

As for 3P, we still haven't seen Gasket/Grommet stand in, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Brunt.

I had thought about getting the version but maybe I will just save $100 and pick up the Trips. I went Takara with Fort Max, but the Fortress figure and Sword made it more Japanese cartoon accurate in that case. If the main difference is the box, I will fool around with the legs if I need to so I can put the cost difference toward other figures.

RiddlerJ wrote:A more feasible option would be to redo a Titan Master vehicle as Brunt, like Terri-Bull. It would be cheaper and Full Tilt could use it as a weapon.

As for 3P, we still haven't seen Gasket/Grommet stand in, so I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Brunt.

Funny enough, I had the same thought about a Titan Master vehicle like Skytread's or Shuffler's.

We haven't seen Gasket & Grommet from 3rd-party outfits yet, no. But we have seen Sixgun as well as the Perfect Effect kit for things like Fort Max's waist guns and large Photon Rifle. Brunt is an important component like that and Trypticon is popular, so I say there's still hope.

On the subject of Cog, I think you could maybe do up scout-class Scattorshot as him. Between the big missiles and being a halftrack, his vehicle mode ends up looking like a mashup of Gasket and Grommet, and he's not exactly rare.

Back to Brunt.. Until such time as one is made, a good substitute for the big cannon in battlecruiser mode would be sticking Full-tilt on and then mounting Galvatron's cannon on him.

Krapicon wrote:

william-james88 wrote:Despite early listings of Takara's Transformers Legends Trypticon having a catapult and inconsistent lighting in so many in hand images (and painted prototypes) of both versions, it turns out that there is literally no difference between the Trypticon released by Hasbro and Takara. The box and instructions are different, but that is it. And this also means that this is the only titan master without paint on his titan master face in all of Takara's releases. Trevor Hopkins has taken a bullet for all of us and purchased both trypticons ot make a comparison video to show you how identical they are. The good news is that all those who purchased Hasbro's Trypticon technically have a Takara quality release. Are you happy that there is no debate over which version is better this time? Or do you wish Takara had something more? Which box is the cooler one? Let us know!

The other good news is that it also means our Seibertron gallery can play double roles so if you want to check out awesome images of Trypticon, click here to see our gallery.

I can confirm that the sticker sheets are different as the Titan Returns Trypticon has 158 Stickers and the Legends Trypticon has 136 stickers. Images attached for comparison. Not sure which stickers are missing but this does show a minor difference in the sticker application for these to versions of Trypticon.

Krapicon

From what I can tell on first glance, the amount is still the same: however, the numbering is different in that "duplicate" stickers use the same number on the Legends version. Here's what I can spot:

- Hasbro's 121 - 126 and TakaraTomy's 70 - 72
- Hasbro's 115 - 120 and TakaraTomy's 67 - 69
- Hasbro's 93 - 96 and TakaraTomy's 37
- Hasbro's 151 - 154 and TakaraTomy's 57
- Hasbro's 98 & 99 and TakaraTomy's 38
- Hasbro's 45-50 and TakaraTomy's 81

o.supreme wrote:Just looking back...As cool as Twinferno is, I'd rather have Crosshairs, Pointblank and Sureshot as Deluxes replacing Twinferno, Breakaway, & Windblade. Twinferno would have worked well as a Titan Master, and the other two would be more than acceptable losses to have updated representations of the 1987 Autobot Target Masters again.

I'm only in agreement with the later half. Personally I would have liked to have seen no Targetmasters or Powermasters in Titans Return at all. I'd prefer we had gotten all of the Headmasters or at the very least Snapdragon and Apeface and a Leader Scorponok. I'd rather our trio of Decepticon Targetmasters and Breakaway were held over for another line replaced by new Repugnus and Grotusque figures and two others like Blue Bacchus to go with Sky Shadow and maybe Rad or Axer as the Chromedome repaint. Once Prime Wars is finished I'd like to see a "weaponmasters" line the Targetmasters can be slipped into along with other types of weapons similar to the RID Minicons.

Kurona wrote:The best figure of the line is Clobber

He's a tiny adorable boy and I'm extremely disappointed you all forgot about this mold. HARRUMPH

Considering how short supply he was in the states (I've never seen one in person) it doesn't surprise me if some people forgot he exists.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

Kurona wrote:The best figure of the line is Clobber

He's a tiny adorable boy and I'm extremely disappointed you all forgot about this mold. HARRUMPH

Considering how short supply he was in the states (I've never seen one in person) it doesn't surprise me if some people forgot he exists.

Emerje

I forgot I even had him. Then found him at back of my shelf and sold him.

Emerje, your post makes me want to do what Optimus is doing in your avatar.
First off,a Leader-class Scorponok would be worthless. That would be even more ridiculously outsized by Fort Max (either version) than the original G1 Scorponok toy. The only class suitable for a brand-new toy of G1 Scorponok is Titan-class. No ifs ands or buts.
As for the Targetmasters, not including them in Titans Return would have been a bad call considering that they were still a major part of the late-1987 lineup and featured in The Rebirth.
As for Powermasters, there's exactly three (but then, if we're bringing back the "little partner figure who forms part of a Transformer" concept why not make new toys for the Powermasters?): 1. Powermaster Optimus Prime (who was a big part of late G1 both in the Marvel comics and in the so-called fifth season of the cartoon where he was part of the framing device. Plus, well, Generations hadn't had a big Optimus yet), who is a retool of the already-existing CW Ultra Magnus. 2. Breakaway, because Hasbro wanted more mileage out of the Chromedome mold and realized that A. Getaway/Lightfoot's original car mode and TR Chromedome's car mode looked quasi-similar and B. the faux-hood chest was shaped such that it could be painted up like the original toy's chest windshield. That and he's a major character in the IDW comics. 3. Overlord. Whose original toy costs a mint due to no US release, who has appeal to fans of Japanese G1, and who is also a major player in the IDW comics. Every reason to have a new toy developed.
The Horrorcons, meanwhile? They would have been annoying to design within the constraints of Titans Return and, frankly, to bring up to the standards of modern Transformers figures (Apeface especially), and wouldn't have lent themselves to being moldmates with anybody except maybe each other. And they would have had to rely on nostalgia for sales (and from what I understand they were never the most popular) since the Horrorcons are barely even a footnote in IDW. Also, since they would have been Voyagers (if they'd been made as full figures at all) it's not like the Targetmasters took spots they would have used.

o.supreme, while updated versions of the other three Autobot Targetmasters would have been nice, it's understandable why Breakaway and Windblade were ahead of them. Those two are decidedly more significant in the IDW comics (which are part of what drive Generations' sales). Doublecross AKA Twinferno, not so much, but he did appear in Maximum Dinobots and IMO he has more kid appeal than Sureshot & co. what with being a 2-headed dragon.

Thanks to fellow Seibertronian chuckdawg1999, we have a video review of the entirety of wave 6 for Transformers: Titans Return in the single plastic incarnation of Slugslinger and Titan Master Caliburst! A retool of the Triggerhappy mold, you can check out some more thoughts on the toy below, and watch the review for yourselves!

Slugslinger has a special place in my heart. It was the only Decepticon Targetmaster I had when I was young, so I knew I had to make sure I got the Titans Return update. I'll say it right now, Slugslinger's weapon is the best of the entire line, being the closest to the original G1 Targetmaster look, you almost miss the Titan Master interactivity. Transformation is simple but satisfying which leaves me wondering why its mold mate Triggerhappy is so involved. Even if it wasn't the last deluxe figure in the line Slugslinger would be a must have.

Where do I even begin...

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Emerje, your post makes me want to do what Optimus is doing in your avatar.
First off,a Leader-class Scorponok would be worthless. That would be even more ridiculously outsized by Fort Max (either version) than the original G1 Scorponok toy. The only class suitable for a brand-new toy of G1 Scorponok is Titan-class. No ifs ands or buts.

Not all of us live by the G1 cartoon, some of us like Marvel comic continuity where Scorponok's best moments were with Prime.



As a kid I really didn't buy into Scorponok being Fort Max's rival thanks to the size discrepancy, but the comics gave me an alternative that I could easily replicate with the figures and others here have expressed the same thing.

As for the Targetmasters, not including them in Titans Return would have been a bad call considering that they were still a major part of the late-1987 lineup and featured in The Rebirth.

You say that like Titans Return is a dedicated 1987 line, which it isn't. You say that like Titans Return is based on The Rebirth, which it isn't. It contains figures from that period and from that season, but it isn't a slave to it, it isn't even a slave to characters originally released by Hasbro.

As for Powermasters, there's exactly three (but then, if we're bringing back the "little partner figure who forms part of a Transformer" concept why not make new toys for the Powermasters?): 1. Powermaster Optimus Prime (who was a big part of late G1 both in the Marvel comics and in the so-called fifth season of the cartoon where he was part of the framing device. Plus, well, Generations hadn't had a big Optimus yet), who is a retool of the already-existing CW Ultra Magnus.

Yeah, I own two of the G1 PM Prime and a reissue God Ginrai as well as Legends God Ginrai and SoC Magnus Prime, I know all this. Even Hasbro admitted they jumped the gun making TR PM Prime since they hadn't come up with PotP yet. It was poor planning on their part, they shouldn't have boxed themselves in like this and left PM Prime and other PMs and Targetmasters for later just in case TR did well and they wanted to repeat it later (which they basically did with PotP).

2. Breakaway, because Hasbro wanted more mileage out of the Chromedome mold and realized that A. Getaway/Lightfoot's original car mode and TR Chromedome's car mode looked quasi-similar and B. the faux-hood chest was shaped such that it could be painted up like the original toy's chest windshield. That and he's a major character in the IDW comics.

The only valid point you made was the last one about him being in the IDW comics (though the figure looks nothing at all like the comic version). I own for a loose G1 Getaway and a MIB G1 figure, he's a normal Earth sports car (TFWiki tells me he's a Mazda RX-7 FC3S) while Chromedome is a Cybertronian car. TR Breakaway is a very abstract take on the character and they used so much paint trying to make Chromedome look a little like Getaway that they missed more important things like his blue arms. Again, they should have held off.

3. Overlord. Whose original toy costs a mint due to no US release, who has appeal to fans of Japanese G1, and who is also a major player in the IDW comics. Every reason to have a new toy developed.

I'm not arguing that a new figure needs to be made, just the way they went about making it. Fans have waited this long, why not wait another year for him to be done right? Again they boxed themselves in and released a figure that they planned too soon. I'd rather his spot had been taken by Thunderwing modified from Sky Shadow. I mean, all they had to do was push the figure back, give him a new head (the TR mold can Transform without removing the TM) and he'd be ready to stick two Prime Masters in his chest.

The Horrorcons, meanwhile? They would have been annoying to design within the constraints of Titans Return and, frankly, to bring up to the standards of modern Transformers figures (Apeface especially), and wouldn't have lent themselves to being moldmates with anybody except maybe each other. And they would have had to rely on nostalgia for sales (and from what I understand they were never the most popular) since the Horrorcons are barely even a footnote in IDW. Also, since they would have been Voyagers (if they'd been made as full figures at all) it's not like the Targetmasters took spots they would have used.

You act as if only characters that have had an impact in the IDW comics are worth making figures of. I find that baffling since we've gotten few figures based on the comics directly. Hate to break it to you, but Hasbro relies much, much more on nostalgia than the comics when it comes to remaking G1 figures. But it really just comes down to what makes a cool figure. New figures of Apeface and Snapdragon would be cool. As for mold-mates, there are options like the leaked (and most likely fake) retools into BW TM2 Optimus Primal and Megatron. Or even go way outside the box and do Oilmaster (a double Pretender) or B'Boom (a BW Triplechanger of sorts) and Dinobot. There are always options. And it's not like mold-mates have to appear in the same line, we're seeing a lot of retools in PotP already.

Emerje

I don't know - seems too simplistic for a deluxe sized Transformer for the price it demands in the stores.

Super Megatron wrote:I don't know - seems too simplistic for a deluxe sized Transformer for the price it demands in the stores.

Misfire is just as simple.

A Leader Scorponok would be awesome. It seems to be his most consistent size in fiction; not only did Marvel have him around that size, but so did IDW and - considering his implied leadership role - presumably Dreamwave. It simply seems to be the standard go-to size. Let's not forget that other versions of Scorponok outwith G1 make him a 'standard' size rather than city-sized, even when based directly on the G1 character like in the case of Energon.

Personally? I feel we should get both and one should not take precedent over the other. Both sizes of Scorponok are beloved for different reasons. It seems inevitable we're gonna get a Titan Scorponok anyway so I see no reason to not get a Leader one as well. Incidentally, I also feel we should at some point get a Leader-sized Fort Max. Maybe they could base him on the IDW design to differentiate him from the Titan. ... actually, considering how inaccurate the Titan was, they could probably differentiate the Leader enough simply by making him G1-accurate

Why is this a shock?

They telling factor was that Takara haf this up for pre-order so soon. Which is something they don't normally do because their versions are usually better quality and they know they will sell so they prolong their releases in order to give Hasbro a little breathing room.

That wasn't the case this time. Takara had this out on pre-order with no pictures months before Hasbro did.

Odds are they're saving the Darker gray or black paint scheme for the one with the huge horn.