The Energon Pub

[o.supreme]

Thanks for sharing. It wasn't weird to me back in 1985, nor is it now, it's still my favorite original series toy of all. But then again, seeing several of the TF characters not look like their toys wasn't a big deal to me ever. We're all different, and I'd like to think we are all winners with Siege Jetfire.

[Cobotron]

Mr. Screw-the-Damn-Toon-Give-Me-Toy-Accuracy here to say, I just cracked open Siegefire this past weekend and he is pretty damn glorious! While I always prefer the design of the toys over their toon re-appropriations, I am also a fan of just good toys, and this Jetfire is just a really good toy.
I'll agree with what some have said here that the alt mode leaves a few things to be desired, it's not enough to trump the things that make him a good fun toy to play with. He's packed with neat little features. Like all the spring loaded panels and ports, and those awesome retractable hand ports. Little details that make him good. And his construction is better than anything we've seen over the last several years. (Looking at you Prime Wars Trilogy)

I agree that T-30 is closer in character design to the OG Valkyrie, and I really like that about him. But this Siege Jetfire is a completely different experience. Sure he's more toon accurate, but enough liberties have been taken in his character design and sculpt to make him feel like a healthy mix of both. I do wish though that his helmet had some antennas.

I think we are all still trying to swallow the currant prices of these toys, but if we go by what has become the new standard in pricing, I don't feel like I over paid for this toy at full price. IF a Deluxe is now $20, this guy should cost $80. Would I have liked a sale? SURE! But I paid what I paid and have already overlooked it lost in the fun of this Jetfire.

My first quick pic of what I'm sure what will be many more to come.


But to answer emlit's question, you gotta do you. Which one suits your wants and needs for the character? Both make a great representation of the character in a scale based on Deluxe, Voyager, Leader, etc. And both are good fun toys.

[Cyberpath]

So what’s the consensus on Siege Jetfire? He looks like an awesome figure with exceptional detail and articulation, although I don’t care for the scale in proportion to my other Siege figures and I don’t know if I’m OK with the $ investment. I actually like the Generations alt mode design better - should I pick that one up instead? Thoughts?

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vs.

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I do have both and I like both of them, but SIEGE is a major upgrade in my opinion.. cartoon-accuracy, size, articulation, effects, features (including that of the former version -- the armour pieces that turn him into "Jetfire.")

But you should know that I'm really into the cartoon, and the likeness to character model was a big selling point.

Cobotron -- congarts!

[blackeyedprime]

I rate the cyber battalion jetfire

Planning to pick the siege version up and I want the original G1 toy but that will have to be put away in a dark place and never see any kind of light ever. It is cheaper to have an arcadia or bandai VF on display (which I have a Roy Fokker version but that's the wrong colors and armored up, macross toy prices make my brain hurt).

[sol magnus]

I rate the cyber battalion jetfire

Planning to pick the siege version up and I want the original G1 toy but that will have to be put away in a dark place and never see any kind of light ever. It is cheaper to have an arcadia or bandai VF on display (which I have a Roy Fokker version but that's the wrong colors and armored up, macross toy prices make my brain hurt).

You and me both, brother.

And to be clear - I've had three 1985 Jetfires. I'm not in any way knocking on the classic. However, having seen Macross around the same time as Transformers debuted, I knew already that he was a Valkyrie, and therefore found it odd having known the origin of the toy.

The cartoon accuracy of the Siege Jetfire falls in a weird sort of different category, because he was so vaguely a "Macross" that it barely even counts. Having this thing that stepped out of the cartoon 35 years later is appealing to me in a way different than the usual variety of "cartoon-accuracy." If that makes any sense. It's...more emotional than rational.

UPDATE: I just bought a Jetfire from Amazon because 70 bucks is better than 80 bucks.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Adding my 2 Jetfire cents, I don't plan to get siege jetfire because I think T30 Jetfire is the perfect Jetfire. That mold is really fun, makes a great jet mode, and I love the toy aesthetic over the cartoon. Cartoon doesn't do it for me.

And I have never thought of Jetfire as a Valkarie. Don't really know much about it, so I see Jetfire as his own self without any external influence.

He is one of the Top 10 figures in my collection that I will never sell.

On another note, I took Slamdance to work today. while he is pretty obscure, you have no idea how happy I am to have a Transformer with the name "Slamdance". Like, that name hits me so deep it is fantastic.

And I would argue that I like him more in this mold than Flywheels.





EDIT:
Scored the 3-pack today by complete chance! Target said they were out, but i was right beside the store and decided to check anyway, maybe see a Cyberverse Ratchet or Scraplet. But nope, score!

You know what though? I really wish we had a seeker in the rainmaker clan that was as purple as these guys are other colors. Then, we could call them Purple R-a/ei-gn! (that one really needs said out loud)

[D-Maximal_Primal]

G2 Sideswipe came to work today. I think this is the best of the 3 Lambros, the red windshield is so hoooooooooooooooooot! The black is really deep and cool, and I love the contrast of the red to the black. That is my favorite color scheme, and while red is my favorite color, it looks fantastic here as a secondary color to black. the silver weapon is so great, and the weapons package i equipped him with makes him look hardcore.

I love this one! His name to me is Punk-Swipe, the son of Arcee.

[Ironhidensh]

Stay classy target.....

[o.supreme]

Stay classy target.....

Dented toys 1/2 price, you gave me a great new idea!

[Carnivius_Prime]

Got Springer (and Siege Hightower)

Not into blocky G1 type stuff but always had fondness for Springer mostly from the Marvel UK comics so wanted to check this out. It's decent. Has that slight floppy feet issue many have but that can be fixed. The typical Siege battle damage paint still looks absolutely godawful to me. More like dirt. If I decide to keep this figure (doesn't fit very well into my collection but I dunno yet) then I'll try scrub that crud all off. Really wish he had more of a Devastation video game shading effect like the new redecos of Prime and Megatron too as that's how I like G1 stuff to look. Go all the way toon style for these blocky bots. But yeah he's alright. I'll play with this figure a bit more before I make any decisions.

[Carnivius_Prime]

And to be clear - I've had three 1985 Jetfires. I'm not in any way knocking on the classic. However, having seen Macross around the same time as Transformers debuted, I knew already that he was a Valkyrie, and therefore found it odd having known the origin of the toy.

So did I. I used to watch Robotech back then (I liked it more than the G1 TF toon) and I still found Jetfire to be my absolute fave TF toy and still the best out of the entire G1 toyline in my opinion. Never liked the boxy Skyfire design even a bit.

[RodimusConvoy13]

Got Springer (and Siege Hightower)

Not into blocky G1 type stuff but always had fondness for Springer mostly from the Marvel UK comics so wanted to check this out. It's decent. Has that slight floppy feet issue many have but that can be fixed. The typical Siege battle damage paint still looks absolutely godawful to me. More like dirt. If I decide to keep this figure (doesn't fit very well into my collection but I dunno yet) then I'll try scrub that crud all off. Really wish he had more of a Devastation video game shading effect like the new redecos of Prime and Megatron too as that's how I like G1 stuff to look. Go all the way toon style for these blocky bots. But yeah he's alright. I'll play with this figure a bit more before I make any decisions.

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Be careful cleaning off the battle damage. Most of it is on top of already painted parts. You could end up removing the paint underneath the battle damage.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Be careful cleaning off the battle damage. Most of it is on top of already painted parts. You could end up removing the paint underneath the battle damage.

Thanks. yeah i noticed. I'll be careful. I have my own paints if I need to redo anything. I just can't stand this garbage paint app effect. It just looks some kid played with the figure in the dirt. And yeah some of my G1 figures ended up like that but not brand new out of the box...



update: ok yeah the silvery paint actually comes off with easily. using rough side of a scouring pad and so far all but the lil nook & cranny bits were easy to remove without the colour paint under being affected. Have I devalued the resale of this Springer now if i choose to sell it on? Possibly. Unless there's people out there looking for a 'clean' one I suppose. Might stick a reprolabel autobot insignia on the chest over the factory one too. I know there's a bit of irony in that i'm someone who deliberately adds silver paint to my Bayverse figures but that's my own choice and they're supposed to look worn and metal and all that and for me it just doesn't work on these Siege toys for the most part. Not the way it's been done on the vast majority of the parts anyways.

[Wolfman Jake]

When the Siege figures were first shown off with the battle damage paint apps, I was initially very skeptical, almost turned off altogether. But, there was no denying that the sculpting was amazing on these figures and that the robot modes were fantastic representations of the G1 cartoon models, even for non-Masterpiece figures. I knew I wanted at LEAST Optimus Prime and Megatron, and thought about skipping on others like Hound, Ironhide, Prowl, and Sideswipe...until I had them in hand. With later reveals like Red Alert, Ratchet, Bluestreak, Smokescreen, I had resigned myself to the fact that I was going to replace a LOT of my older "Classics" figures with these new ones. Add to that Ultra Magnus, Springer, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Soundwave, Shockwave, Reflector, Mirage, etc., and there was no going back. Now that a large chunk of my display collection has the battle damage, I've become very comfortable with it. It doesn't stand out to me when I'm admiring my figures on the shelves. When I saw the in-hand cel-shaded versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron a few weeks ago, I wasn't impressed. I actually prefer the battle damage paint to the "toon camouflage." At this point, I do kind of hope Hasbro keeps up with the battle damage paint apps for the second part of the War for Cybertron Trilogy, for the sake of visual continuity in my collection...and because it does kinda look cool.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Sorry. To me it just looks like absolute crap. Nearly scrubbed it all off Springer now.

[ZeroWolf]

I like the battle damage idea, these are war machines afterall, they're supposed to be fighting a milliena long war so it's nice to see them look the part. I also agree with Wolfman Jakes assessment of the 35th Anniversary cel shaded prime and megs. It just doesn't work for me and seems a silly idea as it works on a 2 Dimensional drawing as you can control the light source... In real life...nope, the effect should have stayed in the cartoon.

[Cobotron]

3D objects in real space under real light have shadows, or shading.
Trying to replicate "toon shading" always looks wrong to me. You're better off hanging a framed cell on the wall, if you need this look in our collection.
Or just have a TV with the cartoon series on constant loop in the center of your collection display.

[Carnivius_Prime]

Seriously? For me that cel-shading (and let's not call it toon. The G1 cartoon NEVER looked that good, it's pure Devastation video game style) looks great on those figures I find otherwise unappealing (the standard versions just look far too mediocre to me). This lousy attempt at battle damage doesn't. It's garbage. Ugly, badly applied and makes little sense. It's too realistic an effect to be applied to designs that still look far too cartoon like even with all that detailing and it's not even done well. Fine whatever. You like what you like. This was probably the only Siege figure I'd even consider owning (I did have Firedrive and Lioniser for a couple weeks but thought they were kinda crappy so sold them). I don't like this toyline much. I find the robots quite bland looking and most of the 'cybertronian' vehicles far too boxy, already dated-looking and uninteresting (what happened to that neat futurisitic style the 2010 WfC Bumblebee had with it's cool curves and interesting deco?). I've always preferred realistic alt-modes for the most part anyways (of which this toyline has very little of). But yeah this Springer. He's just ok. He'll suffice if I do want to have a lil Marvel UK tribute section of the shelf but it's unlikely to be a fave of mine.

I'm kinda fed up with Transformers at moment anyways despite the cool SS reveals. I had hoped today's purchases might make me a bit more enthusiastic but had a jerk on instagram actually say I should be ordering Unicron instead of 'wasting cash on shi**y michael bay junk' on my Studio Series figures. Ain't my damn problem if that giant turtle-shelled toy doesn't meet it's target... I'm done.

[Wolfman Jake]

Or just have a TV with the cartoon series on constant loop in the center of your collection display.

Life goals!

[Sentinel_Primal]

update: ok yeah the silvery paint actually comes off with easily. using rough side of a scouring pad and so far all but the lil nook & cranny bits were easy to remove without the colour paint under being affected. Have I devalued the resale of this Springer now if i choose to sell it on? Possibly. Unless there's people out there looking for a 'clean' one I suppose. Might stick a reprolabel autobot insignia on the chest over the factory one too. I know there's a bit of irony in that i'm someone who deliberately adds silver paint to my Bayverse figures but that's my own choice and they're supposed to look worn and metal and all that and for me it just doesn't work on these Siege toys for the most part. Not the way it's been done on the vast majority of the parts anyways.

Based on how Reprolabels has been going, they may also release a Siege Springer cel shaded style set. Though, I fully admit that I have never bought any reprolabels are paid much attention to them to know how they operate

[blackeyedprime]

Seriously? For me that cel-shading (and let's not call it toon. The G1 cartoon NEVER looked that good, it's pure Devastation video game style) looks great on those figures I find otherwise unappealing (the standard versions just look far too mediocre to me). This lousy attempt at battle damage doesn't. It's garbage. Ugly, badly applied and makes little sense. It's too realistic an effect to be applied to designs that still look far too cartoon like even with all that detailing and it's not even done well. Fine whatever. You like what you like. This was probably the only Siege figure I'd even consider owning (I did have Firedrive and Lioniser for a couple weeks but thought they were kinda crappy so sold them). I don't like this toyline much. I find the robots quite bland looking and most of the 'cybertronian' vehicles far too boxy, already dated-looking and uninteresting (what happened to that neat futurisitic style the 2010 WfC Bumblebee had with it's cool curves and interesting deco?). I've always preferred realistic alt-modes for the most part anyways (of which this toyline has very little of). But yeah this Springer. He's just ok. He'll suffice if I do want to have a lil Marvel UK tribute section of the shelf but it's unlikely to be a fave of mine.

I'm kinda fed up with Transformers at moment anyways despite the cool SS reveals. I had hoped today's purchases might make me a bit more enthusiastic but had a jerk on instagram actually say I should be ordering Unicron instead of 'wasting cash on shi**y michael bay junk' on my Studio Series figures. Ain't my damn problem if that giant turtle-shelled toy doesn't meet it's target... I'm done.

repro labels are pretty nice tho I'm finding some that go around curves peel over time. At leats the baynus Unicrons cheap to replicate, buy an inflatable globe and glue some horns on it, voila. 1/100000th of the unicron price tag and almost entirely accurate look
Studio series has been pretty good (enough to even make me look at a few of them) with a few oddities but its not the line up or full on improvements I would expect for todays standards. Siege is hit n miss and as much as I dont like the wfc video game toys (their alts do feel more cybertronish) at least they got the pannelling to match colours unlike the siege carbots.
Baynus Demolisher is going to look very nice when completed (I might not like the overall design but think it could be great as a possessed vehicles/entity for the ghostbusters or GB Prime/ecto to zap).

Just buy what you like, G1 fans have 35+ years of toys to pick and choose from, to have what they want representing a character/think is the best version of. The scary thing is, wont be long before bay fans have 35 years of figures to choose from either with the way time goes and there is quite a lot of choice at the mo.

[Wolfman Jake]

Now that we're getting the Powerdashers with Siege, I wonder if we'll get the Omnibots with the next chapter of the War for Cybertron Trilogy? They're long overdue for some love and a little less obscure, I think, than the Powerdashers were. For that matter, is anyone champing at the bit for Kronoform watches, or the even more obscure Natron and Freezon from the Tyco car racing set?

[william-james88]

Now that we're getting the Powerdashers with Siege, I wonder if we'll get the Omnibots with the next chapter of the War for Cybertron Trilogy? They're long overdue for some love and a little less obscure, I think, than the Powerdashers were. For that matter, is anyone champing at the bit for Kronoform watches, or the even more obscure Natron and Freezon from the Tyco car racing set?

The Omnibots are far less obscure. I know this because until just a few months ago, I had no clue who the powerdashers were, but I knew who the omnibots were. Not only did some appear again over the years, but one of them was a ferrari, one of the most expensive alt car modes ever (beaten out by AOE Drift thouh). So not exactly low profile in that regard. Plus, they had individual names, that's always a plus.

[blackeyedprime]

I'd like the mini spys to return, not familiar with the obscure tyco racing set but would like an update of the electric train battle set and just energon it up a bit (a selects repaint of astrotrain might woirk as long they give it track pieces etc to justify the leader price tag on it!).

Think the watches have been tributed with the evergreen stuff and even the micro rumble with how bad it is, just repaint it and give it a strap.

[Microbot]

Good comparison