The Energon Pub

[Skritz]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

No. I think Hasbro probably said “We really don’t have that many decepticons left to remake and there weren’t a lot of them in season one so let’s finish up some of the teams we’ve already been doing”

There wasn’t anything to gut and Hasbro was pretty open that POTP was going to be short from the start. Just look at him. There’s nothing that show there were two robots even on a blueprint stance. I think hasbro just decided to make the fans happy and finish the Duocons. Not every team is completed in the same line. Took 4 years to complete the Autobot triple changers and 6 years to get a retail thundercracker in the classics mold. Not everything get out in the same line and siege is very much not leftovers of POTP

Just because POTP was short doesn't mean there aren't potentially leftover designs. It's entirely possible that Battletrap wasn't even a POTP design himself and could, for all we know, have begun his existence as far back as T30. There's always more toy concepts at the drawing board than there is which even reach prototype and even less which make it to retail.

Look at TR Alpha Trion. Concept art existed from before the Prime Wars which itself was based off older stuff.

[Randomhero]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

nah, very reliable source said to me (and other staff) over a year ago that Flywheels was going to be this way.

I just hope they do Siege Battletrap and right the injustice of POTP Battletrap.

Do you even need one? You got Battletrap and you can just ignore those tiny bot modes. The photos show that they’re the same height and either have them in thier vehicles or the main body.

I guess I just don’t see the gripe. Happy to have Duocons

[Randomhero]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

No. I think Hasbro probably said “We really don’t have that many decepticons left to remake and there weren’t a lot of them in season one so let’s finish up some of the teams we’ve already been doing”

There wasn’t anything to gut and Hasbro was pretty open that POTP was going to be short from the start. Just look at him. There’s nothing that show there were two robots even on a blueprint stance. I think hasbro just decided to make the fans happy and finish the Duocons. Not every team is completed in the same line. Took 4 years to complete the Autobot triple changers and 6 years to get a retail thundercracker in the classics mold. Not everything get out in the same line and siege is very much not leftovers of POTP

Just because POTP was short doesn't mean there aren't potentially leftover designs. It's entirely possible that Battletrap wasn't even a POTP design himself and could, for all we know, have begun his existence as far back as T30. There's always more toy concepts at the drawing board than there is which even reach prototype and even less which make it to retail.

Look at TR Alpha Trion. Concept art existed from before the Prime Wars which itself was based off older stuff.

It’s not that old. The artist was just told, we’re gonna make an Alpha Trion can you make a design. That’s it same as Galvatron and others he’s revealed that didn’t have the gimmick. People believed up and down that they were not intended to be headmasters but in reality the artists wasn’t told the gimmick. Just draw a design and then it’s handed to the toy designers and engineers with the gimmick

[Burn]

Do you even need one?

Yep. Loved the concept in G1, loving the updated concept with Flywheels.

Battletrap isn't a Duocon, he's a wannabe Powerlinker.

[Wolfman Jake]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

nah, very reliable source said to me (and other staff) over a year ago that Flywheels was going to be this way.

I just hope they do Siege Battletrap and right the injustice of POTP Battletrap.

Unfortunately, very unlikely, especially since they went ahead and made Siege Flywheels and PotP Battletrap compatible. I don't think we're getting either Duocon again for a long while.

[Omega-Doom]

Looking forward to completing the Doucons, shame Skytread wasn't given individual robot modes but I understand why that is.

[DecepticonFinishline]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

nah, very reliable source said to me (and other staff) over a year ago that Flywheels was going to be this way.

I just hope they do Siege Battletrap and right the injustice of POTP Battletrap.

Injustice?!

I f***ing LOVE POTP Battletrap. I think it's the best toy to come out of PotP. (An argument could be made for Punch/Counterpunch or Optimus (mostly the Orion Pax part)).

I'm more upset about the Flywheels LACK of two Legends bois.

Not as upset as I am about Chromia and her lacking a combiner port.

Maybe because I was expecting Skytread to be like this. It's the kind of inconsistency I've come to expect in recent years.

[notsoalex]

Anyone think he's a POTP leftover reworked for Siege, with the individual robot modes gutted to make for a more accurate Flywheels?

Nah, Hasbro would have no reason to splurge extra money to change blueprints and change the figures from a fundamental design point. For them, it would be like making a new mold because the figure looks to basic to have once been two Legends figures.

[Ultra Markus]

looks like we get weird shaped boxes again like we had with the unicron trilogy

[william-james88]

looks like we get weird shaped boxes again like we had with the unicron trilogy

Not really, these boxes are stackable, unlike unicron trilogy

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

TRU was in fact deliberate bad management - it's what's known as "vulture capitalism": Stage a hostile takeover of a company, then suck it dry while running it into the ground.

I see from quotes that people have all been getting a fine display of fenrir being a deluded bible-thumper of the First Church of Third Party.

Let's just hope that price hike ain't too painful. On the flipside? No more combiner teams (for now?), so no need to hunt down every single figure to complete a 'set'. This is a much more 'buy what you want' line, really. Which is good.

...Even if I still want more combiners.

Unfortunately I doubt we will get a Piranacon anytime soon since the War for Cybertron trilogy seems to be angled directly against that type of thing

I refuse to believe we won't get Piranacon anytime soon! He says knowing that it's so unlikely because Hasbro would need to figure out how to work a gunmode into a deluxe class figure...

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

[Dr. Caelus]

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

Weight is the problem. I've tried getting CW Bruticus to hold WFC Shockwave, and it doesn't work very well.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

[Sentinel_Primal]

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

Weight is the problem. I've tried getting CW Bruticus to hold WFC Shockwave, and it doesn't work very well.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

That'd be a good way to incorparate all 6 into a combined mode without sacrificing too much. Plus, it could be counted as a reference to the panel in a Marvel comic where all the Seacons disappeared to form Piranacon but then they separated fown to all 6 without one transforming into the gun

[Burn]

I f***ing LOVE POTP Battletrap. I think it's the best toy to come out of PotP. (An argument could be made for Punch/Counterpunch or Optimus (mostly the Orion Pax part)).

Best? hmmmm we're definitely going to have to agree to disagree on that one. I found him to be one of the weakest from the line, but I suspect that may be nostalgia goggles (the Duocons were some of my favourites from the G1 line growing up).

We don't need to argue about Punch/Counterpunch, that is one damn good figure.

Now for an out there re-use for Flywheels ... years ago I did a custom Autobot version, Powerglide and Warpath actually. My little fanfic bio had them both getting badly damaged to the point they no longer had individual robot modes but could combine to form one robot.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

Weight is the problem. I've tried getting CW Bruticus to hold WFC Shockwave, and it doesn't work very well.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

Okay, but WFC Shockwave isn't designed to be held as a gun, which compounds the problem A figure actually having pegs intended to properly hold their weapon mode to the hands would likely help a lot.

And of course, they could always just do scaled-up versions of the original toys' stands:

[Cyberpath]

They're so mismatched. But Battletrap kind of looks mismatched with himself, too.
I do like the head-sculpt.

[Galvatronian]

Looking at the picture of both, I'd say it's roadtrap that is the problem. Battle slash looks great on flywheels legs to me, it's just those bitty legs of roadtrap. He's not as popular, but they did release blast-off as a shuttle to replace the not accurate plane version from CW, so you never know.

[Cyberpath]

Decepticons --



Megatron in his boxart pose --

Source: Loopaza Mega Store

[-Kanrabat-]

Skythread is a definitive buy for me!

[ZeroWolf]

Yup, definitely getting sky tread, there will be many times he will cross combine with Battletrap. Also in my view, potp Battletrap is perfect, and the g1 version of him was one of the last g1 toys I let go.

[Dr. Caelus]

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

Weight is the problem. I've tried getting CW Bruticus to hold WFC Shockwave, and it doesn't work very well.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

Okay, but WFC Shockwave isn't designed to be held as a gun, which compounds the problem A figure actually having pegs intended to properly hold their weapon mode to the hands would likely help a lot.

I used two small Constructbot pieces to create a grip for Bruticus's right hand to close around, and posed him with his left hand supporting the barrel. Held in two hands Bruticus's shoulder ratchets are about enough to take the weight, but his elbows (Vortex and Blastoff's knees and hips) are the weak link. The hands pop off too if they're supporting weight at a downward angle.

Edit: As far as a Skytread recolor/retool, I'd bet on it being a reinterpretation of G1 Slamdance.

[TheRebirth]

Actually, it's not that hard. Ripersnapper (the likely candidate for a retool into Overbite) can be configured into a fair approximation of Overbite's gun mode (minus the gun piece).

Weight is the problem. I've tried getting CW Bruticus to hold WFC Shockwave, and it doesn't work very well.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

It may work fairly well if you rotate the Piranacon arm at the deluxe's waist so the elbow swings parallel to the ground and the fist is still vertical. I used to have to do that with Superion's combined gun before I learned how to tighten the deluxe hips. You'd still have to figure out how to attach the weapon though. I'd hate to see the deluxes peppered with 5mm posts and ports. Maybe the gun stand could transform into some kind of combiner port to 5mm adapter, or a clip? Or maybe the back of the deluxe could attach above the elbow and just rest on the fist? Hmm... gun stands could be a lot of plastic. I wouldn't mind if there was just one, that came with Snaptrap.

Actually, I'm not that pressed about a targetmaster mode at all. I'd much rather have a five deluxe team, with one sitting out, than to give one of them the CW Groove treatment. Either way, I'm sure somebody will fanmode a deluxe into a targetmaster about five seconds after release. And it probably won't look any worse than the original.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Actually, I'm not that pressed about a targetmaster mode at all. I'd much rather have a five deluxe team, with one sitting out, than to give one of them the CW Groove treatment. Either way, I'm sure somebody will fanmode a deluxe into a targetmaster about five seconds after release. And it probably won't look any worse than the original.

Agreed. While the Targetmaster modes would be nice and I think they'd be perfectly feasible especially with a stand, I would rather see them sacrificed than see one member reduced to Legends-class. And I'm pretty sure Takara and the Japanese fanbase would rather that as well (since unlike Piranacon, the King Poseidon set included all 6 Seacons).

Moving on from the Seacons, I think Reflector could be retooled into the generic Decepticon warrior design from "War Dawn", the ones that disguised themselves as crates.

[Emerje]

Everyone, we currently do not know of price increases at retailers so i dont get the issue. Also please remember that Hasbro already increased the MSRP of generations deluxes to 20$ for the second half of POTP.

I still say that was a typo and they accidentally used the SS Deluxe price in their listing. HTS sells at MSRP and didn't raise the price on PotP Deluxe like they did Prime Masters when the MSRP did go up on those.

Decepticons --

Notice that Shockwave with the armor feet is the exact same height at Megatron, meaning he's a little shorter than him without the armor. They really are taking bot scale seriously in this line.

Probably the best move would be to make one of the Seacons - probably Nautilator - a Deluxe class Weaponizer that can be split up and attached all over Piranacon.

I'd actually like to see Tentakil fill that role.



Consider this, the main body can form a gun, while the tentacles come off and combine together to form his sword.



The colors are right and the end of the Triton-like sword resembles tentacles in a way.

Emerje

[TF-fan kev777]

Well, the in hand photos of Battlewheels and Flytrap and lack of individual robot modes have changed my mind and I will only be getting 1 Skytread instead of 2. Don't get me wrong, I still think the figure is fantastic. But doubling up like I did for Battletrap is off without the extra robot modes and the bad mix of colors for Flytrap. The blue, red and brown combo just doesn't work for me.

I also think this was the plan for Flywheels from the start. It looks like it would be a tough job to get an individual robot mode out of the jet, I'm guessing that was the main thing holding back individual robot modes. For that to happen, the arms for the combined bot would probably have to be the legs for the individual bot, leaving not much else to make the remainder of the small bot from and still have the combined mode and not be a mess. The tank looks like it could have followed Roadtrap's design without too much trouble.