The Energon Pub

[AcademyofDrX]

Since they're following the robot mode scale that they started with Studio Series, and SS Bumblebee and Jazz are basically Legends sized bots, I could see a Siege Bee being a tiny bot with a super complex transformation to make up the price.

Emerje

I don't think we're likely to get minibots as Micromasters in Siege, as animation size scaling has been an explicit priority. So far Deluxes have been 4m and 5m characters, and Voyagers 5m and 6m. All of the minibots are between ~3m and 4m. Since none have been announced so far, and since we got nearly all of the circa '85 lineup in the last trilogy -- with most of those in TR and PotP -- I'm not expecting them in Siege.

Given my Studio Series example I'm not sure how you came to the conclusion that I was talking about Micromasters when I was obviously talking about small Deluxe bots for scale. And really Bumblebee is the only one we need and thanks to his wings he wouldn't work as a Legends class anyway.

Emerje

I came to that conclusion due to poor reading comprehension. TBH I think I keyed in on "tiny bot" and ignored the rest. My bad.

[Cyberpath]

I have a feeling that everyone with a Cybertron-style mode from MTMtE will get made before this new trilogy is over.

And Bumblebee, who has an upcoming solo film. Also, Hasbro posted this video a couple days ago -- https://www.instagram.com/p/Bol7lkUlhSO/

One catch: Wheeljack was part of the Fan Poll, and he lost. So what, Does Hasbro say "Oh, well you vted it didnt want this figure as much as the others, but here he is anyway." or do they move on from the poll, maybe circling back later as an exclusive tail end?

Don't know about a poll, but a lot of lesser known characters got made, so someone more prominent like Wheeljack could be a matter of time. He's also one of the few Transformers with an established Cybertron form in the original series.


I think Flywheels is a definite buy for me, but still undecided about the other Decepticons (not that I don't want everything!)

[Skritz]

Looking at the pics form the NYCC display, it looks as though Ravage and Laserbeak can be used a Shield battlemasters, if that pic of Flywheels is anything to go by...

I mean, I guess, but 'wearing a cassette tape' isn't quite what I had in mind.

Its not a cassette tape, there is no indication it is. Its just a rectangle.

Warden called it a Cybertronian cassette in interviews, though in fairness that isn't quite the same as a cassette tape, but it isn't just a rectangle.

Emerje

Let's be real: it's a cassette.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Don't know about a poll, but a lot of lesser known characters got made, so someone more prominent like Wheeljack could be a matter of time. He's also one of the few Transformers with an established Cybertron form in the original series.

The poll for Siege was for two figures as part of a rivalry:

- Needlenose vs. Tracks (brotherly rivalry, presumably because of similarly themed heads)
- Spinister vs. Wheeljack (Saboteur vs. Scientist)
- Impactor vs. Mirage (Greater Good vs. Greater Profit)

Not surprisingly, Impactor and Mirage won out, but that doesn't mean the other 4 won't see release, if anything a little further down the road.

[Skritz]

Hopefully we will soon see if that Impactor was worth it. With what we've seen so far in Siege, even the deluxes (especially the deluxes) all seem about on par with the better TR figures with the added bonus of ankle tilt being quite common.

And even if he's an Ironhide retool it still seems like a good mold to pick. I'm sure nearly every single mold has at least one or two retool available as an option if they feel the need to 'bulk out' a line or if another figure gets cancelled.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Hopefully we will soon see if that Impactor was worth it. With what we've seen so far in Siege, even the deluxes (especially the deluxes) all seem about on par with the better TR figures with the added bonus of ankle tilt being quite common.

And even if he's an Ironhide retool it still seems like a good mold to pick. I'm sure nearly every single mold has at least one or two retool available as an option if they feel the need to 'bulk out' a line or if another figure gets cancelled.

That's become par on course: every tooling seems to have:

- gang-molded alternate parts, especially heads and other smaller pieces.
- a "skeleton" of parts around which molds for larger areas, contemporary (CW Dead End vs. Streetwise) or new (PotP Moonracer vs. Siege Chromia), can freely be switched out at any moment.

[Skritz]

Hopefully we will soon see if that Impactor was worth it. With what we've seen so far in Siege, even the deluxes (especially the deluxes) all seem about on par with the better TR figures with the added bonus of ankle tilt being quite common.

And even if he's an Ironhide retool it still seems like a good mold to pick. I'm sure nearly every single mold has at least one or two retool available as an option if they feel the need to 'bulk out' a line or if another figure gets cancelled.

That's become par on course: every tooling seems to have:

- gang-molded alternate parts, especially heads and other smaller pieces.
- a "skeleton" of parts around which molds for larger areas, contemporary (CW Dead End vs. Streetwise) or new (PotP Moonracer vs. Siege Chromia), can freely be switched out at any moment.

Makes you wonder what got scrapped that we never even got to see.

[Autobot N]

added bonus of ankle tilt being quite common

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't all of the Deluxe, Voyager, and Leader figures have ankle tilts in this line?

[no-one]

In the current climate it's probably easier in some ways to buy a rifle than it is a MP Megatron.

Well it'll be easier on the pocketbook for sure

Hopefully next waves will have Rumble and Frenzy. Or is it Frenzy and Rumble?

Ah just put em in the blender and call them Frumble like I do.

I am also really hoping for a Frumble two pack as well

[Nemesis Primal]

Hopefully we will soon see if that Impactor was worth it. With what we've seen so far in Siege, even the deluxes (especially the deluxes) all seem about on par with the better TR figures with the added bonus of ankle tilt being quite common.

And even if he's an Ironhide retool it still seems like a good mold to pick. I'm sure nearly every single mold has at least one or two retool available as an option if they feel the need to 'bulk out' a line or if another figure gets cancelled.

Well, we already know that we're getting an exclusive Ratchet from that mold, so do we think that the Ironhide mold has two alternate heads?

Personally I really want Impactor to be a new mold, especially after my revelation regarding how a new Demolishor could come from Impactor if they both have their tank modes.

[Skritz]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

[Jelze Bunnycat]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

Cyberverse Ratchet is main retail

The funny thing is, Siege Ratchet is supposedly a Walgreens exclusive. Let that sink in for a bit. For that matter, PotP Wreck-Gar is a good fit too.

[Skritz]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

Cyberverse Ratchet is main retail

The funny thing is, Siege Ratchet is supposedly a Walgreens exclusive. Let that sink in for a bit. For that matter, PotP Wreck-Gar is a good fit too.

Hopefully BBTS has him like Brainstorm.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Finally, my preliminary list of planned purchases:

Battle Masters
All

Micromasters
All, except Soundwave's minions

Deluxe
Skytread (btw finally an excuse to get PotP Battletrap!)
Cog
Brunt
3 Refraktors (again, well played for tempting someone into reluctantly army building)

Voyager
None

Leader
Shockwave
Ultra Magnus... maybe.

[william-james88]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

He is usually always mass retail. Prime, and RID for instance. He was only exclusive in Combiner Wars

[Sentinel_Primal]

Finally, my preliminary list of planned purchases:

Battle Masters
All

Micromasters
All, except Soundwave's minions

Deluxe
Skytread (btw finally an excuse to get PotP Battletrap!)
Cog
Brunt
3 Refraktors (again, well played for tempting someone into reluctantly army building)

Voyager
None

Leader
Shockwave
Ultra Magnus... maybe.

Out of curiosity, why don't you plan to pick up Soundwave's minions?

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Finally, my preliminary list of planned purchases:

Battle Masters
All

Micromasters
All, except Soundwave's minions

Deluxe
Skytread (btw finally an excuse to get PotP Battletrap!)
Cog
Brunt
3 Refraktors (again, well played for tempting someone into reluctantly army building)

Voyager
None

Leader
Shockwave
Ultra Magnus... maybe.

Out of curiosity, why don't you plan to pick up Soundwave's minions?

I like the TR Data pads more. To be honest, one can't beat the faux 3mm jack

btw Anyone remember what I said about alternate toolings? Guess what: Aimless and Blowpipe share torsos:

[Sentinel_Primal]

Finally, my preliminary list of planned purchases:

Battle Masters
All

Micromasters
All, except Soundwave's minions

Deluxe
Skytread (btw finally an excuse to get PotP Battletrap!)
Cog
Brunt
3 Refraktors (again, well played for tempting someone into reluctantly army building)

Voyager
None

Leader
Shockwave
Ultra Magnus... maybe.

Out of curiosity, why don't you plan to pick up Soundwave's minions?

I like the TR Data pads more. To be honest, one can't beat the faux 3mm jack

btw Anyone remember what I said about alternate toolings? Guess what: Aimless and Blowpipe share torsos

Can't argue there I picked up the Bumblebee movie version of Soundwave and am now in the process of finding the others

[Skritz]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

He is usually always mass retail. Prime, and RID for instance. He was only exclusive in Combiner Wars

I mean GEEWUN Ratchet, who was a Botcon exclusive back in the day and then became, again, a Botcon-only figure outside of Japan.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

He is usually always mass retail. Prime, and RID for instance. He was only exclusive in Combiner Wars

I mean GEEWUN Ratchet, who was a Botcon exclusive back in the day and then became, again, a Botcon-only figure outside of Japan.

Universe 2008 was the last time a G1 Ratchet was available at main retail, outside of Kre-O and Bot Shots. 2005 and 2016 were when he was a BotCon exclusive. It's a step up.

The Ratchets in other toy lines may hamper his marketability somewhat, as one can deco an ambulance in only so many ways... In fact, it may very well have been CW First Aid's fault that CW Ratchet was set aside!

[Sabrblade]

I mean GEEWUN Ratchet, who was a Botcon exclusive back in the day and then became, again, a Botcon-only figure outside of Japan.

In defense of BotCon 2005 Ratchet, that came out at a time when Classics and all its successors didn't even exist yet.

[Flashwave]

an exclusive Ratchet

....AAAAAAGH!!

Why the flying fu** is Ratchet always an exclusive and never a mass retail figure? Why? WHY?!

He is usually always mass retail. Prime, and RID for instance. He was only exclusive in Combiner Wars

I mean GEEWUN Ratchet, who was a Botcon exclusive back in the day and then became, again, a Botcon-only figure outside of Japan.

Universe 2008 was the last time a G1 Ratchet was available at main retail, outside of Kre-O and Bot Shots. 2005 and 2016 were when he was a BotCon exclusive. It's a step up.

The Ratchets in other toy lines may hamper his marketability somewhat, as one can deco an ambulance in only so many ways... In fact, it may very well have been CW First Aid's fault that CW Ratchet was set aside!

Less Aid's fault and more just too many candidates snd not enough slots.

[william-james88]

I mean GEEWUN Ratchet, who was a Botcon exclusive back in the day and then became, again, a Botcon-only figure outside of Japan.

In defense of BotCon 2005 Ratchet, that came out at a time when Classics and all its successors didn't even exist yet.

Plus that ironhide was also exclusive, so that release doesnt really work with the argument at hand

[Ultra Markus]

Nerf guns are ok but laser guns are not?

The american gun control debate and Transformers being a byproduct of the '80 Reagan era where corporations sold kids toy guys which looked like real guns has basically made the G1 Megatron and Shockwave a cluster **** which will invariably attract a lot of yelling from any side, so my guess is Hasbro is increasingly less happy about selling toy guns and just pretend they are oddly-shaped spaceship and submarines as a way to get this stuff past the radar.

I'm pretty sure in today's climate them selling a gun Megatron would be tantamount to Hasbro coming out in support of the NRA or some dumb stuff like that!

I've never understood why Shockwave in gun form is a no-no. The only gun he resembles is a barcode scanner, in fact, why not just say he's a barcode scanner? We'll all know what it's supposed to be.

It probably has to do with his altmode being a firearm of any kind at all, period, regardless of how unrealistic and sci-fi it looks, hence why even Sixshot had to have his much less realistic-looking gun form marketed as a non-firearm object (a submarine) altogether.

keep in mind that these same lawmakers also made chainsaw bayonets illegal even though theres no such thing on the market so an obviously not real sci-fi ray gun in obvious toy colors is also illegal

It really has nothing to do with the government. The government is perfectly fine with toy guns as long as they're properly marked. It's about the parents. A lot of parents aren't OK with their kids holding anything resembling a gun of any type. And now that I think about it, schools are also a big factor. Schools these days have a zero tolerance gun policy. There are several news stories of kids being sent home or even expelled for just drawing a picture of a gun. A kid brings Shockwave to school and they're gone.

Emerje

If they are fine with it why does hasbro make efforts to hide it

[Sabrblade]

Nerf guns are ok but laser guns are not?

The american gun control debate and Transformers being a byproduct of the '80 Reagan era where corporations sold kids toy guys which looked like real guns has basically made the G1 Megatron and Shockwave a cluster **** which will invariably attract a lot of yelling from any side, so my guess is Hasbro is increasingly less happy about selling toy guns and just pretend they are oddly-shaped spaceship and submarines as a way to get this stuff past the radar.

I'm pretty sure in today's climate them selling a gun Megatron would be tantamount to Hasbro coming out in support of the NRA or some dumb stuff like that!

I've never understood why Shockwave in gun form is a no-no. The only gun he resembles is a barcode scanner, in fact, why not just say he's a barcode scanner? We'll all know what it's supposed to be.

It probably has to do with his altmode being a firearm of any kind at all, period, regardless of how unrealistic and sci-fi it looks, hence why even Sixshot had to have his much less realistic-looking gun form marketed as a non-firearm object (a submarine) altogether.

keep in mind that these same lawmakers also made chainsaw bayonets illegal even though theres no such thing on the market so an obviously not real sci-fi ray gun in obvious toy colors is also illegal

It really has nothing to do with the government. The government is perfectly fine with toy guns as long as they're properly marked. It's about the parents. A lot of parents aren't OK with their kids holding anything resembling a gun of any type. And now that I think about it, schools are also a big factor. Schools these days have a zero tolerance gun policy. There are several news stories of kids being sent home or even expelled for just drawing a picture of a gun. A kid brings Shockwave to school and they're gone.

Emerje

If they are fine with it why does hasbro make efforts to hide it

He just said which parties AREN'T fine with it: Parents and schools.