The Energon Pub

[Munkky]

If I had to guess, I'd say Earthrise will mostly be based on the first two seasons of the G1 cartoon with added Micromasters, it seems that way based on the Wave 1 line-up, and the third part of the WFC trilogy will be based on Movie/season 3/ Japanese G1 things. So if Star Saber and Deathsaurus are on the way, I can see them being the center-pieces of the line after Earthrise. As much as I'd still really like a new Generations Cheetor, I don't think there'll be anything Beast Era in this trilogy, but I do think we'll get more Unicron Trilogy inspired things to go along with Galaxy Upgrade Optimus and the recent Hot Shot.

[TF-fan kev777]

I wonder if Hasbro is content to have the new product lines launch in Q1 instead of Q4 now? Or will Earthrise be a "short" line with only three or so waves of product before the next chapter begins to get things back on track?

I'm thinking rather then Earthrise being a "short" line it will be a regular line and Siege was in fact a slightly longer line in order to prevent the launch of a new line in the middle of the Christmas rush. That is really what looks like things are shaping up for. The mostly re-release final waves with 1 new deluxe that we got from the end of TR and PotP did not satisfy the retail demands for Christmas and in each case, the next line had to be released earlier than Hasbro expected. Adding a full 4th wave and a bit of a 5th wave to Siege should get them through the holiday rush where a new line can then be released when all the retailers are going to be resetting their toy sections.

[AcademyofDrX]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available. I don't think the late start will have anything to do with the length of the series, either. I can't imagine why it would.

[aronjlove]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available.

Shipping is only free if the order is $70(?) and up. Shipping would cost $6.99 for a single Prime Master.

[Hellscream9999]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available.

Shipping is only free if the order is $70(?) and up. Shipping would cost $6.99 for a single Prime Master.

I think they're referring to the free shipping thru pulse premium, which a lot of us have, which says anything listed on the site will ship for free

[aronjlove]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available.

Shipping is only free if the order is $70(?) and up. Shipping would cost $6.99 for a single Prime Master.

I think they're referring to the free shipping thru pulse premium, which a lot of us have, which says anything listed on the site will ship for free

Ah, interesting! I saw Premium and was wondering if it was worth it which from your statement I'm guessing it may be. Thanks!

[TF-fan kev777]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available.

Shipping is only free if the order is $70(?) and up. Shipping would cost $6.99 for a single Prime Master.

I think they're referring to the free shipping thru pulse premium, which a lot of us have, which says anything listed on the site will ship for free

Ah, interesting! I saw Premium and was wondering if it was worth it which from your statement I'm guessing it may be. Thanks!

It may or may not be worth it, so buyer beware. Don't get me wrong, it is nice, but I only have it because I bought Selects Combat Hero megs back in February when the site went live. They were giving out free 1 year memberships with any purchase back then.

When it comes time to re-up in February, I will be passing. Mostly because the wife has amazon Prime, so I get the same deal on shipping. The only things I'll buy from Pulse then on will be the Pulse exclusives that Amazon won't carry and for those, I can usually order enough to get free shipping. Even if I don't the total of shipping for the few things I will end up ordering will probably be less than the premium membership.

[aronjlove]

I would guess that Battlemasters aren't listed on Pulse because free shipping on a $6 toy isn't very cost-effective, though Prime Masters are available.

Shipping is only free if the order is $70(?) and up. Shipping would cost $6.99 for a single Prime Master.

I think they're referring to the free shipping thru pulse premium, which a lot of us have, which says anything listed on the site will ship for free

Ah, interesting! I saw Premium and was wondering if it was worth it which from your statement I'm guessing it may be. Thanks!

It may or may not be worth it, so buyer beware. Don't get me wrong, it is nice, but I only have it because I bought Selects Combat Hero megs back in February when the site went live. They were giving out free 1 year memberships with any purchase back then.

When it comes time to re-up in February, I will be passing. Mostly because the wife has amazon Prime, so I get the same deal on shipping. The only things I'll buy from Pulse then on will be the Pulse exclusives that Amazon won't carry and for those, I can usually order enough to get free shipping. Even if I don't the total of shipping for the few things I will end up ordering will probably be less than the premium membership.

Good info, thanks for the viewpoint. With Earthrise just starting and all of the revealed items appearing on Pulse I am thinking about premium. It seems that if you don't get the figure when it is initially available the prices can go up rather quickly. I saw some third party sites selling Smokescreen and Barricade for $40, double their price on Pulse if you were lucky enough to get it before it went out of stock.

[AcademyofDrX]

I keep coming back to the possibility of Commander class Sky Lynx. I view Omega Supreme as not just as his own character, but also as a Rocket Base stand-in due to the inclusion of Countdown and interaction with Earthrise Micromaster bases. Sky Lynx could function as a continuation of that relationship, with the "lynx" half more clearly used as the crawler/platform for the shuttle to launch from, in addition to having other base capabilities like ramps.

I didn't realize this initially, but Sky Lynx was also licensed from the same company that created Omega Supreme. At any rate, others have made similar observations, so I guess time will tell. I'm also trying to talk myself out of MMC's Inverta/Magna, so hoping for a future Hasbro release helps me hold off.

[ZeroWolf]

Sky Lynx is a good bet with what (little) current information we have. However we probably won't find out till March-April time next year, unless fans can pry any additional information out of the design team at conventions that could identity who it will be.

[Wolfman Jake]

It'll probably be a good while before we get any more Earthrise reveals (or credible leaks). So...let's get speculating! I know we've already been doing so with the next potential Commander Class figure, but let's take a look at stuff that has some good circumstantial evidence. Remember too that some of these figures might not make it into the Earthrise main retail line, but could end up as store exclusives or Generations Selects figures, like in Siege.

Let's start with the obvious:

Deluxe Hoist implies an eventual Deluxe Trailbreaker
Voyager Grapple implies an eventual Voyager Inferno

With the amount of retooling that would required to makes Trailbreaker and Inferno, I'd expect them to show up in the main retail line, unlike with the Datsun brothers in Siege, who are mostly differentiated by head swaps and deco changes.

What about the new Voyager Starscream? Who can really say? I would imagine we'll at LEAST get Thundercracker and Skywarp again. Maybe this time, Skywarp will get a mainline release and Thundercracker will be an Amazon exclusive instead? Of course, if we got the Coneheads too, I'd be over the moon, but that would require a LOT of retooling, since all three are pretty distinct as to their wing designs.

Honestly, it's anyone's guess what will happen with the Battle Masters and Micromasters this time. We're likely to get some brand new characters again for the Battle Masters, at least. Let's hope not all of them will be ramps/shields and there will still be a few more weapons thrown for good measure (more than just the repack of Smashdown, at least). I'm hoping for Peacemaker and Spoilsport, even if they'll go by different names (like Siege Firedrive as Firebolt and Trenchfoot as Pinpointer). The existence of Deluxe Crosshairs from Siege would seem to imply the distinct possibility of Pointblank and Sureshot coming at some point (probably as retools), with their classic G1 partners. Siege also gave us some classic Targetmaster partners to back-fill omissions from the past few years, like pairing up Scourge, Triggerhappy, Misfire, and Slugslinger from Titans Return at last with Siege Fracas, Blowpipe, Aimless, and Caliburst, respectively. Even the upcoming Siege Spinister is already covered with Singe and Shrute (née Hairsplitter). Of course, we still need Nighstick for Combiner Wars Cyclonus, Recoil and Haywire for Titans Return Kup and Blurr, and the OTHER Nightstick for Generations Selects Ricochet.

There are still PLENTY of Micromasters to chose from. With any luck, some of the sets will complete the classic G1 quartets that were originally paired down to mere duos in Siege. I would expect at least a few more of the Micromaster combiners too, just like Direct-Hit and Power Punch from the tail end of Siege. Surely, we'll get at least two to three more modular Deluxe Class "bases" too, a la the Deluxe Weaponizers of Siege. I'm betting on Hothouse's Fire Station, Airwave's Airport, and Greasepit's Gas Station, since that completes a classic G1 wave/set of similarly priced products. We did get a proper Ironworks Micromaster in Siege as "Irontread," but his base in Earthrise has taken his original G1 name of Ironworks. Will the trend continue in Earthrise? In other words, will we get newly renamed Micromasters corresponding to G1 Hothouse, Airwave, and Greaspit to go along with their classic playsets at the Deluxe Class price point? I'm fine with that, even if some names get swapped around or modified, if it means TWO characters for the price of ONE G1 concept!

I could write so much more, but I'll leave it at here for now. I can hardly wait to read some of the ideas other forum members come up with!

[ZeroWolf]

Actually I think we'll get night stick in the next part with a better version of Cyclonus other than that, that's some good speculating

[AcademyofDrX]

What about the new Voyager Starscream? It's anyone's guess, but I would imagine we'll at LEAST get Thundercracker and Skywarp again. Maybe this time, Skywarp will get a mainline release and Thundercracker will be an Amazon exclusive instead?

I think we're much more likely to get Coneheads before Thundercracker and Skywarp. That could potentially make both TC and SW exclusives. I assume we'll get all six in Earthrise, and maybe more like Sunstorm and Slipstream. Earthrise will be lousy with Seekers.

I'm confident we'll get the remaining '84/'85 cars, as I've said elsewhere: Tracks, Sunstreaker, Skids. Adding repaints, I expect Crosscut and Road Rage, who appeared in comic issue #12. That's not proof, but it's not nothing.

'84 minibots are an obvious choice alongside Cliffjumper. Bumblebee repaint is a no-brainer. We just got good (but short) versions of Brawn and Windcharger, but Huffer needs an update, and Gears is another safe bet.

My two big questions:
Will we get a new Generations Windblade? She remains as important a character as Bumblebee in the supporting media.
Who will be Mercenaries? Lockdown for sure, probably based on Wheeljack. Maybe Detritus, who appeared as a Hound repaint in the card game. Double Dealer is an obvious choice, especially as a Voyager or Leader. After that, I don't have any other obvious candidates. More Junkions?

[Sentinel_Primal]

There are still PLENTY of Micromasters to chose from. With any luck, some of the sets will complete the classic G1 quartets that were originally paired down to mere duos in Siege. I would expect at least a few more of the Micromaster combiners too, just like Direct-Hit and Power Punch from the tail end of Siege. Surely, we'll get at least two to three more modular Deluxe Class "bases" too, a la the Deluxe Weaponizers of Siege. I'm betting on Hothouse's Fire Station, Airwave's Airport, and Greasepit's Gas Station, since that completes a classic G1 wave/set of similarly priced products. We did get a proper Ironworks Micromaster in Siege as "Irontread," but his base in Earthrise has taken his original G1 name of Ironworks. Will the trend continue in Earthrise? In other words, will we get newly renamed Micromasters corresponding to G1 Hothouse, Airwave, and Greaspit to go along with their classic playsets at the Deluxe Class price point? I'm fine with that, even if some names get swapped around or modified, if it means TWO characters for the price of ONE G1 concept!

Personally, I think it'd be neat to see a new version of some of the Micromaster transports or transport combiners. Or, as a different possibility we could see a weaponizing Voyager Overload based off the Armada character with Micromaster Rollout, who could be more similar to G1 Overload in appearance. I just think that with the idea of the Micromaster bases being given robot modes, it'd be a great opportunity for Hasbro to do a new Overload that would be a combination of Armada and G1.

Only reason I doubt Overload would be Armada-like, if it happens at all, is because Hasbro said they aren't working with Takara on the new Armada Prime so there wouldn't be a reason for them to do anything that would work with that figure

[Sentinel_Primal]

My two big questions:
Will we get a new Generations Windblade? She remains as important a character as Bumblebee in the supporting media.
Who will be Mercenaries? Lockdown for sure, probably based on Wheeljack. Maybe Detritus, who appeared as a Hound repaint in the card game. Double Dealer is an obvious choice, especially as a Voyager or Leader. After that, I don't have any other obvious candidates. More Junkions?

I doubt we'll get a new Windblade in this line. And hopefully we'll see more Mercenaries than just a handful. Though, I do wonder: Will they have a unique symbol, or will they be more like Jetfire and have a rotating badge depending on who employs them? I'm slightly hoping for the former as long as Doubledealer gets his appropriate badges for his robot modes, but I'd also be okay with him receiving a rotating badge in what used to be Autobot mode with the Autobot badge on his tank mode and the Decepticon badge on his eagle mode, sort of like how the T30 Doubledealer did it

[AcademyofDrX]

One other note, based on a comment in the Siege thread: I don't think we'll see new Earthrise versions of Prowl or Sideswipe, since the cars are very car-like, but I think it is possible for a new Ironhide figure. The Siege versions meet my CHUG needs, but I would definitely pick up Earthrise too.

[ZeroWolf]

I think the mercenaries have there own faction symbol in the card game.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Actually I think we'll get night stick in the next part with a better version of Cyclonus other than that, that's some good speculating

I'm personally thinking we'll get a Cyclonus in the final part, but not in Earthrise. I also believe we'll get coneheads instead of Thundercracker and Skywarp in this line.

willing to get they will fill out most of the 1985 cast in this line along with Micromaster bases

[sol magnus]

Actually I think we'll get night stick in the next part with a better version of Cyclonus other than that, that's some good speculating

I'm personally thinking we'll get a Cyclonus in the final part, but not in Earthrise. I also believe we'll get coneheads instead of Thundercracker and Skywarp in this line.

willing to get they will fill out most of the 1985 cast in this line along with Micromaster bases

Even if they don't do Skywarp and Thundercracker as a part of this line it would break a precedent so powerful that I can't even countenance they won't do them in this mold SOMEHOW.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Actually I think we'll get night stick in the next part with a better version of Cyclonus other than that, that's some good speculating

I'm personally thinking we'll get a Cyclonus in the final part, but not in Earthrise. I also believe we'll get coneheads instead of Thundercracker and Skywarp in this line.

willing to get they will fill out most of the 1985 cast in this line along with Micromaster bases

Even if they don't do Skywarp and Thundercracker as a part of this line it would break a precedent so powerful that I can't even countenance they won't do them in this mold SOMEHOW.

PotP Starscream was never redecoed into them

[ZeroWolf]

Neither was the Ghost Starscream limb, even though that was redeco'ed into another Starscream

[TF-fan kev777]

Neither was the Ghost Starscream limb, even though that was redeco'ed into another Starscream

Hell, 2 other Starscreams (Shattered Glass and Golden Lagoon)

[AcademyofDrX]

We're definitely getting Coneheads, as the figure design supports it. It would be unbelievable that they would release those four and skip TC and SW. They could be Generations Selects or retail exclusives, or maybe even saved for another year or two, but they'll happen.

[Wolfman Jake]

Actually I think we'll get night stick in the next part with a better version of Cyclonus other than that, that's some good speculating

I'm personally thinking we'll get a Cyclonus in the final part, but not in Earthrise. I also believe we'll get coneheads instead of Thundercracker and Skywarp in this line.

willing to get they will fill out most of the 1985 cast in this line along with Micromaster bases

Even if they don't do Skywarp and Thundercracker as a part of this line it would break a precedent so powerful that I can't even countenance they won't do them in this mold SOMEHOW.

PotP Starscream was never redecoed into them

It never should have been in the first place.

[Nemesis Primal]

The Mercs have their own symbol in the card game, but when they were mentioned at MCM London they specifically used the wording of "The Mercenaries switch faction" from what I've gathered, so I think they might have a swappable badge or just two badges in the case of those it would be appropriate for (Doubledealer). Because of that wording, I'm attempting to compile a list of basically any bots I can think of who have either been unaffiliated for long periods of time, switched from one faction to another (especially if they've done so multiple times), pretended to join one faction while still working for another, played BOTH factions for their own benefit, or were explicitly labeled as a bounty hunter/mercenary in their canon. Here's what I got so far:

Lockdown: Obviously. Highly likely, probably Autobot car retool.
Mudflap: Shown in the card game out of nowhere, so actually pretty likely I think as a Grapple repaint.
Detritus: Again in the card game, probable retool of the Siege Hound mold with new vehicle details & accessories.
Deadlock/Drift: Technically they would only need to make one of them, as if they swap faction symbols then they're technically both versions of him, but I could see Deadlock being retail while Drift is an exclusive, or vice versa, especially if they're their own mold.
Octane:...maybe? He's in the card game, but that looks like his TR design to me, just modified.
Doubledealer: I know a LOT of fans want a proper update to this guy, this seems like the perfect opportunity, and I think those vague leaks from a while back did mention a Leader-class "armored car".
Sideways: I could see them sneaking Unicron minions in through this new faction, especially if they do have swappable symbols, so I would love a new Sideways, preferably his Armada or Cybertron design.
Devcon: If they did do Cybertron Sideways, these two could probably share that mold. Plus, Devcon feels like the kind of obscure G1 guy the current team would love to slip into the line.
Knock Out: Would probably get released as a straight-up Con before being a Merc, but I would love to see him regardless. Every good team needs a medic, right?
Dinobot: HIGHLY unlikely given the current design team's pattern and the character's honor code, but a guy can dream.
Cannonball/Thundertron: Seems like a good way to work these guys in while still retaining their previous identities rather than just blanketing them into the Cons, but at least Thundertron is probably HIGHLY unlikely.
Armada/Prime/Ghost Starscream:...nah, nope, not happening in the same line as another G1 Screamer, unless MAYBE a Ghost repaint as an exclusive/Selects guy.
Tarantulas: Would be great, and they should know he's popular from Wreckers if anything, but sadly unlikely, at least in Earthrise. Maybe whatever Warden hinted at for the Beast Wars anniversary?

Any thoughts?