The Energon Pub

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

With as Earthly as Sideswipe already looks, I'm pretty sure he's not gonna get rehashed. And who knows, maybe Smokescreen is the only core Datsun who's getting a regular-retail rehash in ER. I'm kinda hoping so. Smokescreen himself I'm okay with.. I mean, it sucks for people who bought the Selects version, but he does have the air dam and spoiler that that lacked. But hopefully the new Datsun mold is the only Earth rehash of a SIEGE Autobot Deluxe mold. And I'm hoping that the retail redeco - if there even is one - will be Barricade or maybe Crosswise.
Back to Sideswipe.. IMO the only acceptable justification for a Sideswipe in ER would be if it was a headswap redeco of Combiner Wars Breakdown.

The Seekers... Those, I don't mind double-dipping on. I was in fact planning on it assuming they bothered doing an Earth-mode Seeker mold.

SIEGE Optimus, I never got. I had already splurged on a Combiner Wars Optimus (who I want anyway b/c of "Masquerade") to be my CHUG non-Powermaster Optimus, and I liked him better because of the height and the sculpt of his larger gun. On top of that, I never saw SIEGE Optimus on the shelves. But Earthrise Optimus has me more tempted thanks to the matrix and the trailer.

Megatron... On the one hand, I like the look of SIEGE Megatron's tank mode better. On the other hand, Earthrise Megatron looks more attractive after seeing that he's silver and that the tank barrel weapon can be held as a spear (see that wide notch in it where it pegs into the fusion cannon in tank mode? Megs' hand can grasp the weapon there). But he's low-priority... I'm wanting to wait and see if A. they fixed the tabbing issues the SIEGE version of the mold has and B. They do a vehicle-shaped-suspciously-like-an-U.N.C.L.E.-Special Leader-class figure.
At least if one has any competence with acrylic paint, redundant Megatrons will be easy to repurpose with a couple quick dashes of blue. Well, technically that's not strictly necessary to repurpose them as Megaplexes, but it helps.

[Burn]

Sky Lynx and Scorponok Australian release details

[Emerje]

On the other hand, Earthrise Megatron looks more attractive after seeing that he's silver

Wouldn't count on it.



Wouldn't be the first time we've seen a silver Megatron at Toy Fair before only for the retail version to be a flat light gray.

SS 13 Megatron at Toy Fair 2018


Emerje

[sol magnus]

That POS is going to need a lot more than just boarding steps...
I think that both Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker will be good figures. Hasbro has yet to make a perfect WFC trilogy figure, but most of them have been close. Of course, I don't own all of them, so maybe there is a perfect figure out there. It's all a matter of perspective, really.

I think the Insecticons we got in the Prime Wars trilogy are perfectly fine. They don't need to be deluxe sized.

So I guess it looks like Earthrise and probably the line after it will have a fairly large share of repaints/remolds, so Inferno from Grapple is pretty much a given.

Also, if we get a blue Bluestreak, I will definitely get it, but won't it be way too similar to Smokescreen? Except maybe the small differences in the paint job, like the red and silver.

With the "race car" stuff removed and a totally different head, it should be fine. Selects Smokescreen doesn't look 'just like' Prowl/Bluestreak on the strength of the head alone.

[blackeyedprime]

Think I'll stick with the cw sunstreaker o. O all depends how the headlights look, I'm too tight to buy add ons to make deluxes look like they should. Trailbreakers a buy.

[frogbat]

Trying to avoid repaints where poss, but since the generations trail breaker and hoist weren’t my faves, and seeing how good these are, they’ll be my definite versions.

Re sunstreaker, not too sure bout him, will wait for reviews...

[Apelcatrox]

More just a "Here's a neat fact" but somewhat an answer to the no rear spoiler on Sunstreaker.

His vehicle mode is heavily based off of the Lamborghini Countach's prototype, the 1971 Lp500



So in a weird way, the later style countachesque wheels are one of the more inaccurate things about the car mode. But yeah, just being a fan of the Countach, I noticed the inspiration right away. May not be the best fit for Sunstreaker as we know him from G1, but a neat throw back to a lesser known Countach.

[blackeyedprime]

Wonders how many scummers will return the thrilling 30 trailbreakers inside earthrise box. At least the earthrise one shouldn't have two left doors for me this time.

[sol magnus]

More just a "Here's a neat fact" but somewhat an answer to the no rear spoiler on Sunstreaker.

His vehicle mode is heavily based off of the Lamborghini Countach's prototype, the 1971 Lp500



So in a weird way, the later style countachesque wheels are one of the more inaccurate things about the car mode. But yeah, just being a fan of the Countach, I noticed the inspiration right away. May not be the best fit for Sunstreaker as we know him from G1, but a neat throw back to a lesser known Countach.

Another neat fact - Lamborghinis are all built by hand. They've never been mass produced.

[M. Spector]

I gotta say, if thats the real car they based Earthrise Sunstreaker on they did an excellent job! Looking at his mold though, specially the robot mode I cant help but think Runamuck is looking pretty similar in terms of chest shape and the back/shoulder junk. Would he have worked better? Is Suny perhaps a mix of Wheeljack AND Runamucks molds?! Am i reading into this too much!?

[Tuned Agent]

More just a "Here's a neat fact" but somewhat an answer to the no rear spoiler on Sunstreaker.

His vehicle mode is heavily based off of the Lamborghini Countach's prototype, the 1971 Lp500



So in a weird way, the later style countachesque wheels are one of the more inaccurate things about the car mode. But yeah, just being a fan of the Countach, I noticed the inspiration right away. May not be the best fit for Sunstreaker as we know him from G1, but a neat throw back to a lesser known Countach.

That's really cool! It looks almost spot-on, especially with the design of the fenders and the air intakes behind the doors. ER Sunstreaker even has the angled rear fenders. This figure just got a little more awesome.

[Ironhidensh]

Awesomeness aside, I have one small gripe on all of this....



Can Hasbro, just for once, complete a character run in one line?. I’m tired of having such a wild mix of design styles. Makes it hard to try and keep a generations collection.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Think I'll stick with the cw sunstreaker o. O all depends how the headlights look, I'm too tight to buy add ons to make deluxes look like they should. Trailbreakers a buy.

....Okay what is even your logic here. Combiner Wars Sunstreaker has completely the wrong headlights for a Countach AND his robot mode is wrong for Sunny on account of being a headswap recolor of Breakdown.

I gotta say, if thats the real car they based Earthrise Sunstreaker on they did an excellent job! Looking at his mold though, specially the robot mode I cant help but think Runamuck is looking pretty similar in terms of chest shape and the back/shoulder junk. Would he have worked better? Is Suny perhaps a mix of Wheeljack AND Runamucks molds?! Am i reading into this too much!?

Sunstreaker is entirely his own mold, from the looks of things - no parts overlap with either Wheeljack or Runamuck. And Runamuck, there was no real chance of overlap - None of the vehicle bits are remotely right, Runamuck's windshield chest is fake (and even if it wasn't, the details are wrong), his legs transform differently, and almost the entirety of his car aft goes to his back, sticking up behind his head. Sunstreaker, meanwhile, a lot of his car aft goes into his arms and he does not have almost an entire car rear end sticking up behind his head. Also, Runamuck doesn't even have shoulder junk.

[blackeyedprime]

Think I'll stick with the cw sunstreaker o. O all depends how the headlights look, I'm too tight to buy add ons to make deluxes look like they should. Trailbreakers a buy.

....Okay what is even your logic here. Combiner Wars Sunstreaker has completely the wrong headlights for a Countach AND his robot mode is wrong for Sunny on account of being a headswap recolor of Breakdown.

If the headlights have no cthru plastic/look cheap like CW and hollow I have no need for him as I don't like siege sideswipe in robot mode, I'd rather spend money on the G1 ko and have him next to g1 sideswipe in bot or car mode. I usually display the best looking car modes be it from whatever line they are from next to my mps in robot mode if I have any of them.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Think I'll stick with the cw sunstreaker o. O all depends how the headlights look, I'm too tight to buy add ons to make deluxes look like they should. Trailbreakers a buy.

....Okay what is even your logic here. Combiner Wars Sunstreaker has completely the wrong headlights for a Countach AND his robot mode is wrong for Sunny on account of being a headswap recolor of Breakdown.

If the headlights have no cthru plastic/look cheap like CW and hollow I have no need for him as I don't like siege sideswipe in robot mode, I'd rather spend money on the G1 ko and have him next to g1 sideswipe in bot or car mode. I usually display the best looking car modes be it from whatever line they are from next to my mps in robot mode if I have any of them.

Earthrise Sunstreaker's headlights may be painted opaque plastic just like the CW version, but A. That's waaaay more common than transparent headlights on mainline TFs and B. His are at least the right shape. And unlike the CW version, ER Sunny has a transparent windshield. That counts for something, right? Granted, the supercharger doesn't look as good as the G1 toy's, but it's better than CW Sunny trying to pass of an HFG as the supercharger.

IMO SIEGE Sidesipe's robot mode is better looking than Universe Sideswipe's.

[TransformR]

A friend pointed out that Sunstreaker's mold looks like Hot Rod. That retool should be incoming this year or next. Then the mold would get a spoiler.
Runamuck, Wheeljack, and Sunstreaker do seem to be different molds though. Some shared engineering, since a car can only transform so many ways.

[william-james88]

but is pretty damn wide and deep

Reminds me of my ex.

Been there brother. Now I’m married to the Galaxy Upgrade.

Hahahahaha

If there's a chance that Hasbro wouldn't be able to use the name "Stalker" for its possibly being too generic to Trademark (even with the "Decepticon Stalker" prefix), I wonder if they could use a similar sounding name (like, say, "Stockade", for example) as a suitable replacement.

After all, they apparently lost Strika's name recently and had to rename her Cyberverse counterpart "Alphastrike".

*Thinks up "Predator Stalker", then gets really cold shivers*

*compares Sunstreaker to Wheeljack, and even to Runamuck*

Nope, I don't see the whole retool thing either like Tuned. Not a single part in common. Look for yourselves.

This Sunstreaker seems to have an identical transformation to Wheeljack, I think that's all people mean by not calling it fully original.

[Ironhidensh]

I have Wheeljack in hand. The retooling is heavy, but it is absolutely the same engineering with Sunstreaker, in my opinion. Well see at the end of summer, I guess.

[Deadput]

Designers can copy "skeleton/engineering" ideas for multiple figures and not have them use the same parts, such as the case with Titans Return Chromedome and Combiner Wars Dead End or G2 Smokescreen and Energon Starscream which are not retools of each other.

[ZeroWolf]

Wasn't there another toy that used the same transformation scheme as G2 Smokescreen and Energon Screamer (a fantastic toy by the way, both of them)?

[Deadput]

Wasn't there another toy that used the same transformation scheme as G2 Smokescreen and Energon Screamer (a fantastic toy by the way, both of them)?

Possibly, it's a sort of "basic" transformation process on at least the Starscream figure, can't speak for Smokescreen since I have not had any version of the mold.

We are within 40 years of the franchise existing, figure designers can only come up with so many fresh and unique engineering ideas.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Wasn't there another toy that used the same transformation scheme as G2 Smokescreen and Energon Screamer (a fantastic toy by the way, both of them)?

Possibly, it's a sort of "basic" transformation process on at least the Starscream figure, can't speak for Smokescreen since I have not had any version of the mold.

G2 Smokescreen wasn't wholly original either: the earlier G1/G2 Skyscorcher Snipe/Afterburner used a variant of it, but the mid-body twist and wing swing are both present. Only difference is the placement of the arms:




The toy you're thinking of is probably 2010 Terradive. Almost copied the transformation wholesale, but added the upward swinging cockpit and the wings on the legs:


Transformers Hunt For The Decepticons Terradive Gallery

Retooled into Space Case... whose G2 transformation also comes pretty close:


Transformers Generation 2 Space Case Gallery

You know which one was also copied? G2 Hooligan's:

Transformers Generation 2 Hooligan Gallery

For who you may ask? Why, Cybertron Thundercracker:

Transformers Cybertron Thundercracker Gallery

[Wireless_Phantom]

Sunstreaker looks great and Trailbreaker is as much of a compromise as I was expecting but ge still looks good enough.

[no-one]

Wow, Sunstreaker is looking great. At first glance I assumed a Wheeljack retool, but they look a lot different. They may share a few transformation tricks at least. Definitely replacing the whack CW version. I was kind of hoping that Sunny would have been a much closer retool of WJ to make WJ an easier pass.

Trailbreaker looks a lot better than I expected. I'm assuming he has his over the shoulder bubble blower? It's hard to make out in the picture. I'm pretty happy with my T30 TB, so this was another figure I was hoping to be an easy pass. I do like the height of the ER mold though.

SS is BoS and TB will depend on them in hand feels. Ah, the struggles are indeed real

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I actually like both of those!

Trailbreaker is my favorite bot, and he looks like he's getting a great toy. The mold definitely looks better in black.

Sunstreaker matches up with sideswipe, which is nice, and he looks to be pretty cool!

The only problem with these to me is this: Siege focused heavily on weapons, but in Earthrise, a lot of weapons look phoned in or nonexistent. which is a shame, I loved the weapons stuff for the Siege guys.

Also, STILL no Earthrise figures in my area! We got another round of Wave 5 Siege to go with more Wave 1 Siege, but that is about it. I'm pretty sad that we don't have any Earthrise here