The Energon Pub

[Sentinel_Primal]

Personally, I hope that this new Bee is just the one they released with a normal, non-battle masked face. Or a Stealth Force version

[Gauntlet101010]

So there's even art of G1 Wheelie riding G1 Grimmy. Welp, I was wrong about it probably being repaints. Carry on arguing!

As a guy who used to get every version of G1 Grimlock I have to admit I'm a bit G1 Grimlocked out. The MP version is probably the best version if you want that. I may get this, but it's sort of a toss up. Gnaw, on the other had, is always welcome.

Link to the picture?

It's over at TFW:
https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/06/05/mor ... naw-412492

Apparently it's been ripped from fan art ... but that isn't the first time it's happened.

[william-james88]

We thank fellow Seibertronian LinaNui for letting us know of new Studio Series listings found by JTPrime17. These confirm two things:
1. The Studio Series line will indeed include toys of characters from the 86 Transformers "G1" movie.
2. They will be side by side with Bayverse toys that will also be continuing to be part of the line.

Here are the listings and links that tell us this. The Grimlock and WHE listing now has a picture of G1 Grimlock and Wheelie, and we now have another 86 listing for Gnaw, the sharkticon. These two listings have the 86 in their name. Gnaw's UPC is 630509991075.

We also have listings for Bayverse characters and those are:

Transformers-hasbro Tra Gen Studio Series Dlx Tf2 Sideswipe

Transformers-hasbro Tra Gen Studio Series Ldr Tf2 Grindr Rav

Transformers-hasbro Tra Gen Studio Series Dlx Tf2 Jolt

And of course another Bayverse Bumblebee toy

Transformers-hasbro Tra Gen Studio Series Dlx Tf2 Bb W/ Sam

[ZeroWolf]

That picture has been confirmed to have been taken from fan art, so it's not indicative of the final product.

[Un_Chakal]

Grindr LOL

[Rtron]

Personally, I hope that this new Bee is just the one they released with a normal, non-battle masked face. Or a Stealth Force version

He'll probably have a non-battlemask face and a remolded chest, as the chest was the only difference in the CGI model between 2007 and ROTF (Because the production Camaro ended up having a different front to the concept car). I mean, think about it, he's SO similar that they're including a Sam minifig to entice you to buy the figure!. That's how little remolding that figure has (and honestly needs), so little that they can include a minifig with a deluxe class.

Thinking about that, Sam will probably share a sprue with the new chest, meaning he'll be cast in yellow plastic. For some reason I find that hilarious. Like, you'll probably be able to make you own Simpsons-Transformers crossovers just by chipping off the paint from his face.

As for getting '86 figures in the line, as much as I like G1, I hate the way it just seems to seep into everything. However, I hope this means they conceive of Studio Series as a long lived line, and the G1 guys are just padding to keep it going, seeing how we're down to only about 40 Bayformers left.

[Quantum Surge]

Well, looks like it'll be yet another forced G1 inclusion for a non-G1 line, but as long as they make the selection not take up slots of the main Movie line and also make it a temporary thing for the obligated 35th anniversary, I'll be fine...even if it'd be better for Nostalgiageddon: WFC3.

[Bumblevivisector]

Unless of course... This is the ground work before the launch of the animated prequel movie So they can point back to this and say "look! Animated movies are fine within Studio Series!"

Hadn't thought of that, but including TF:TM in Studio series could make it a more effective bridge to the next movie in that sense too. So we sort of agree, great!

I first got excited by this news because I assumed it'd mean better original molds for the TF:TM cast, but now I'm worried they might be largely repaints of recent figures. Hasbro's plan from the beginning of War For Cybertron might have been to release those molds with annoying battle damage in hopes of getting us to double-dip for clean, shiny repaints. Siege Springer would be an ideal toy to repaint "clean" for Studio Series '86 as an experiment, and more worthwhile than most of the Netflix repaints, as he wasn't the easiest to find last year. And Gnaw will probably just be a TR repaint, but that's an army builder that would reliably sell to those who couldn't find him and fans who just want more, so they can't really go wrong milking that mold.

And getting back to the Animated Prequel Movie, this could be pushed to a further extreme. Say it ends up including cameos by the Jumpstarters, Perceptor, Misfire, Slugslinger, and Windblade, just as an excuse for Studio Series to reissue their Titans Return toys. While that would feel like a total dick move, especially if no Head-/Target-/Titan-Master gimmicks figure in to the movie, it would be nice for all the fans who couldn't find those toys 3 years ago and don't want to pay $100 on ebay for what should've been easy-to-find mass retail figures.

And there is already sort of a precedent for that in Studio Series: Cogman, a slight redeco of his TLK toy, which was so hard to find that no one really complained about reuse of the mold. I think he was the second SS figure I bought after Stinger.

Now, no one wants Studio Series to get bogged down in reissues, but for the reissues that fans really want, that line could end up being the best place to make some of them happen, filling the gaps between new and improved Bayniverse figures during stretches where they can't help but dwindle a bit.

Maybe I'm in a tiny minority here, but those are what I'd personally be inclined to buy.

[Jtprime17]

I Just want to say the Fan art and product description of Grimlock were not added to the listing by Walmart them selves but was changed by market place seller Collection toys when the listing unlocked.

Since then It looks like Walmart has removed both the image and Description from the mobile app version of the listing. Not sure if they did on the desktop version yet.

[william-james88]

Not sure if they did on the desktop version yet.

They did not, it's the source I used for the article.

[Roadbuster]

I have a thought on the Studio series 86 Movie TFs. It's possible this could be a way around the WFC line to bring those bots/cons in they otherwise can't fit into that line

So instead of including the Dinobots, Wheelie, Wreck-Gar, Blaster, Perceptor, Earth mode Ultra Magnus, etc in the WFC line, they'll being them in through the Studio Series.

[ZeroWolf]

Is there really a demand for an earth mode Magnus? All that's different is the very front of the cab. Robot mode isn't affected at all.

[william-james88]

Is there really a demand for an earth mode Magnus? All that's different is the very front of the cab. Robot mode isn't affected at all.

It's a way to have the character on the shelves for people who didn't get him the first time. Like with the seekers, Megatron, Arcee, Optimus, the Datsuns ect. I know I wont be getting half of earthrise because I already nought those characters last year.

[ZeroWolf]

Is there really a demand for an earth mode Magnus? All that's different is the very front of the cab. Robot mode isn't affected at all.

It's a way to have the character on the shelves for people who didn't get him the first time. Like with the seekers, Megatron, Arcee, Optimus, the Datsuns ect. I know I wont be getting half of earthrise because I already nought those characters last year.

But doesn't that mean we're doomed to the endless recycling of characters? After all new fans can join in at any time and will want these characters, won't it get to a point that all improvements are non-existent? You can only invent the wheel once as they say.

[Nemesis Primal]

I first got excited by this news because I assumed it'd mean better original molds for the TF:TM cast, but now I'm worried they might be largely repaints of recent figures.

...I'm gonna say I don't buy into this theory and you probably don't have to worry about repaints that much, as I think it's unlikely and I see two fallacies in your logic behind it. The first of which:

And Gnaw will probably just be a TR repaint, but that's an army builder that would reliably sell to those who couldn't find him and fans who just want more, so they can't really go wrong milking that mold.

Considering this Gnaw listing is a Deluxe, and Gnaw was just in the 2019 fan poll for a Deluxe Decepticon release, I severely doubt they would reissue the Legends Class TR figure at a higher price point than it's original release and instead assume this is just their way of using the Deluxe Gnaw mold they had planned for the fan vote release, similar to how we still got Siege Spinister despite him losing the poll.

Second thing:

And there is already sort of a precedent for that [reissues] in Studio Series: Cogman, a slight redeco of his TLK toy, which was so hard to find that no one really complained about reuse of the mold.

If that was the only TLK mold that got reused in Studio Series, that logic would maybe make sense, but the Nitro Zeus mold also got reused twice for separate characters (even though KSI Boss is basically just premium Nitro Zeus), and the Berserker mold got retooled for the Dreads, so I think it is much less based on Cogman having been rare and more that Hasbro wanted to get their money's worth from the TLK molds and thought they were of the same quality as the SS stuff, and they wanted the characters present as part of the line but making new molds for those characters would have been a waste anyway.

Also, there is no Leader Class G1 Grimlock that already exists for that listing to be a reissue of.

[ZeroWolf]

I think the idea was that this was leader Class aoe Grimlock in G1 colours, so that's the reissue talk.

[Nemesis Primal]

I think the idea was that this was leader Class aoe Grimlock in G1 colours, so that's the reissue talk.

Pretty sure that with the confirmation of Gnaw, that ship has sailed.

[Shuttershock]

Aaand Grindor repaint finally lumbers out.

Still waiting on SS Hatchet. Aside from BB Soundwave and maybe some Blitzwing Seeker reprints, he’s about all I’m still looking forward to.

[MeGrimlock78]

Part of me hopes these are reissues of existing molds, so I won't feel obligated to pick up another Grimlock.

On the other hand, I hope these are new molds, so I can pick up an awesome new Grimlock.

Though it probably is the new Gnaw, a deluxe price point could be two legion class Gnaws (like the Arcee's), and leader Grimlock could be PotP Grimlock with a legion Wheelie packaged in there...

[Mindmaster]

I’ll take me a Jolt, but only thing going for Grindor is that he comes with Ravage. Grindor is bigger than Blackout and is a slightly different helicopter so if he’s just a redeco of Blackout, I’ll pass and just hunt down the HFTD Legends Ravage or something. I’ll take a RotF Sideswipe too, since I like that look more than I do the DotM convertible one.

If G1 is truly invading Studio Series, there better be a sweetass Galvatron that’s actually good and not a reuse of TR Galvatron. Otherwise, ugh.

[ZeroWolf]

I think the idea was that this was leader Class aoe Grimlock in G1 colours, so that's the reissue talk.

Pretty sure that with the confirmation of Gnaw, that ship has sailed.

Oh I know, but I was just explaining the reissue comment

[DeadCaL]

The image has been ripped from a T Shirt design. I bought it originally from Ript Apparel

https://shirtoid.com/158378/the-crossing-of-quintessa/

[william-james88]

Is there really a demand for an earth mode Magnus? All that's different is the very front of the cab. Robot mode isn't affected at all.

It's a way to have the character on the shelves for people who didn't get him the first time. Like with the seekers, Megatron, Arcee, Optimus, the Datsuns ect. I know I wont be getting half of earthrise because I already nought those characters last year.

But doesn't that mean we're doomed to the endless recycling of characters? After all new fans can join in at any time and will want these characters, won't it get to a point that all improvements are non-existent? You can only invent the wheel once as they say.

You say that but we've had a leader optimus prime every year in the past 4 years, along with other primes in cyberverse and studio series.
Plus about reinventing the wheel, I am surprised to see that every single cyberberse Grimlock transforms differently (4 of them now). I know not really related but I wanted to share since I find that pretty impressive.

So would a SS line for The Movie cast mean only four Dinobots...

Haha, did you see the thumbnail I chose for the Grimlock news story?

[Lore Keeper]

It's weird that they're doing the '86 movie cast so soon after they were covered in Generations. So what if, hear me out, these TF:TM Studio Seried toys are cel-shaded redecos of recent generations toys? That new technique was only used for two figures that were quite popular and hasn't been seen again since. This could be their way of getting more like that out there. I'm not saying this is what I hope happens. PotP Grimlock was very disappointing, but i can very much see this happening.

[Immortal Starscream]

As many others have stated, this really makes no sense. Why put these in the studio series and not the wrc trilogy? We have already seen an image of Galvatron on the earhrise box art, and it makes sense that the next series would be movie/post movie stuff. Unless they skip to beast wars.

On the other hand, the studio series line is running out of bots to make... Aside from the obligatory bazillion bumblebee repaints.