The Energon Pub

I agree with Delta when it comes to the Abominus comments , i also think Abominus should be huge and that the individual bot modes should be just right .

Hunn-grr is a double headed dragon i don't really think Galvatron being able to pet him like a pony is to intimidating for such a beast mode .

But i totally disagree with all the MMC comments . I think all modes of TFC Predaking suck, i hate the robot modes and the overall aesthetic and the colors are too busy in combined mode , but that's just my opinion and why i chose MMC .

Back to Abominus .

for predakings im in the TFC camp, not the MMC. but with any of the competing combiner teams, it comes down to personal taste.

what i dont get is the G1 judgement. it just seems odd to judge the "design and execution" of a 30 year old toy. it was a much simpler time back then, and to hold them up to todays standards is just... yeah.. odd.

I only brought up Feral Rex as an example of what could have made me buy Ordin.

(Torso-bot the same height as his teammates and combiner mode same height as Hercules)

I own both G1 Predaking and Feral Rex. Whether you prefer vintage toy accuracy or cartoon accuracy, Razorclaw doesnt dwarf his troops. Thats why I said TFC Nemean was a joke. Not to mention that ugly tail whip that looks like something from the Unicron Trilogy.

Rated X wrote:I own both G1 Predaking and Feral Rex. Whether you prefer vintage toy accuracy or cartoon accuracy, Razorclaw doesnt dwarf his troops. Thats why I said TFC Nemean was a joke.

And what about people that don't care about G1 accuracy and just want a good toy?

[quote[Not to mention that ugly tail whip that looks like something from the Unicron Trilogy.[/quote]

Umm, what? The Unicron Trilogy had some of the best designs in the history of the franchise. Sure the cartoons sucked (which could be applied to basically every Transformers cartoon that wasn't Beast Wars) but the toyline was superb. I also find it quite ironic that you say "Like the Unicron Trilogy" like it's a bad thing when you've previously stated your liking of Hercules, who has a very UT style.

Delta Magnus wrote:Umm, what? The Unicron Trilogy had some of the best designs in the history of the franchise. Sure the cartoons sucked (which could be applied to basically every Transformers cartoon that wasn't Beast Wars) but the toyline was superb. I also find it quite ironic that you say "Like the Unicron Trilogy" like it's a bad thing when you've previously stated your liking of Hercules, who has a very UT style.

ummm.... not trying to start a fight here... especially since most of what im about to say is opinion, but...

we got BW and BM. pretty amazing toys. then we get back to vehicles with RID, with complexity and posability that we never had from G1. then we get armada.... i remember getting the first wave of those figures and having a great feeling of deja'vu. some of those figures had maybe one more point of articulation as G1 figures! aside from giving us unicron, aramada was a HUGE step back. energon made improvements, and cybertron was pretty great. but as a whole, its like habro had forgotten all of their achievements in design from the past ten years, and were starting from scratch again. which was really disappointing.

Delta Magnus wrote:

Rated X wrote:I own both G1 Predaking and Feral Rex. Whether you prefer vintage toy accuracy or cartoon accuracy, Razorclaw doesnt dwarf his troops. Thats why I said TFC Nemean was a joke.

And what about people that don't care about G1 accuracy and just want a good toy?

[quote[Not to mention that ugly tail whip that looks like something from the Unicron Trilogy.

Umm, what? The Unicron Trilogy had some of the best designs in the history of the franchise. Sure the cartoons sucked (which could be applied to basically every Transformers cartoon that wasn't Beast Wars) but the toyline was superb. I also find it quite ironic that you say "Like the Unicron Trilogy" like it's a bad thing when you've previously stated your liking of Hercules, who has a very UT style.[/quote]
Well if you like the look of a basketball player leading a team of four midgets, then TFC Nemean pulls off the look quife well. To each their own, but I was never a fan of the huge torso bot. I always felt mass shifting was done in the cartoons to make certain things more visually pleasing. And that it does...

When it comes to unicron trilogy beasts (particularly they Cybertron line) Im not a fan of the aesthetic. G1 had robot animals and beast wars had flesh and fur. Cybertron line basically took the beast wars animals and shaved their fur or skinned their flesh off. I flat out dont like that look.

I cant say I agree with the Herc bots looking unicron trilogy aesthetic. They dont have cranes, shovels, and cement barrels on their arms. They might be neo but they resemble G1 (except mixmaster)

With Herc resembling UT, what I mean is they have very chunky, blocky designs with a lot of panels, edges, vents, pipes and other detailing all over them. They actually look pretty good next to UT figures, especially Energon figures. The overall designs are very G1, but the detailing is highly UT.

I do get what you mean about the "basketball player leading a team of midgets" thing, but...I dunno. If the TFC limb-bots were really small I'd sympathize, but they're hardly small themselves. It's less "Basketball player leading a team of midgets" and more "A team of basketball players lead by a giant", which I quite like. Also I will confess that mass shifting really gets my goat- I dunno, it just bugs me.

I do see what you mean about the UT beast style (although I kinda like it). I don't think Ares really falls into it though- he resembles the Energon aesthetic a bit, but he doesn't really falls into the "shaved animal" look that you mentioned (like, say, the Cybertron beast formers). I kinda see what you mean about the tail-whip thing, but honestly it doesn't seem that big a deal to me- it's a fairly easy and effective way of using the tail in robot mode, and I'm pretty sure it's optional. I would have liked it if they did an Energon Battle Ravage and gave him a proper mace tail, but eh.

I should apologize for my earlier outburst- such is the downside of arguing on the internet. I should explain my stance on the TFC vs MMC debate a bit more. I personally just prefer the overall aesthetic of Ares- I will admit I'm kinda biased as I grew up in the Unicron Trilogy, so those were the toys that influenced my tastes. But anyway, there's just some things about the TFC versions I prefer, especially the beast modes. For example, the Headstrong analogues. With the TFC version, the rear legs seem like actual legs; the thighs form most of the rhino's butt, much like a real rhino. The MMC version, on the other hand, basically has the torso be one big block with the limbs bolted to the sides. Whilst it does give him a very impressive robot mode, the TFC version hardly looks bad, and I think the much better rhino mode justifies the slightly less massive robot mode. Just my personal thoughts, of course. I'd say a more clear-cut example is the Divebombs- TFC's Divebomb looks a lot, lot more aerodynamic in bird mode, whilst the MMC version looks a bit...well, chunky.

I can see the appeals of both versions, but I personally prefer the TFC version. If I could I'd buy both and compare them, but alas I'm strapped for cash so I'll be lucky if I can get either.

Still, i think we can all agree they're both better than the Unique Toys version...

Delta Magnus wrote:With Herc resembling UT, what I mean is they have very chunky, blocky designs with a lot of panels, edges, vents, pipes and other detailing all over them. They actually look pretty good next to UT figures, especially Energon figures. The overall designs are very G1, but the detailing is highly UT.

I do get what you mean about the "basketball player leading a team of midgets" thing, but...I dunno. If the TFC limb-bots were really small I'd sympathize, but they're hardly small themselves. It's less "Basketball player leading a team of midgets" and more "A team of basketball players lead by a giant", which I quite like. Also I will confess that mass shifting really gets my goat- I dunno, it just bugs me.

I do see what you mean about the UT beast style (although I kinda like it). I don't think Ares really falls into it though- he resembles the Energon aesthetic a bit, but he doesn't really falls into the "shaved animal" look that you mentioned (like, say, the Cybertron beast formers). I kinda see what you mean about the tail-whip thing, but honestly it doesn't seem that big a deal to me- it's a fairly easy and effective way of using the tail in robot mode, and I'm pretty sure it's optional. I would have liked it if they did an Energon Battle Ravage and gave him a proper mace tail, but eh.

I should apologize for my earlier outburst- such is the downside of arguing on the internet. I should explain my stance on the TFC vs MMC debate a bit more. I personally just prefer the overall aesthetic of Ares- I will admit I'm kinda biased as I grew up in the Unicron Trilogy, so those were the toys that influenced my tastes. But anyway, there's just some things about the TFC versions I prefer, especially the beast modes. For example, the Headstrong analogues. With the TFC version, the rear legs seem like actual legs; the thighs form most of the rhino's butt, much like a real rhino. The MMC version, on the other hand, basically has the torso be one big block with the limbs bolted to the sides. Whilst it does give him a very impressive robot mode, the TFC version hardly looks bad, and I think the much better rhino mode justifies the slightly less massive robot mode. Just my personal thoughts, of course. I'd say a more clear-cut example is the Divebombs- TFC's Divebomb looks a lot, lot more aerodynamic in bird mode, whilst the MMC version looks a bit...well, chunky.

I can see the appeals of both versions, but I personally prefer the TFC version. If I could I'd buy both and compare them, but alas I'm strapped for cash so I'll be lucky if I can get either.

Still, i think we can all agree they're both better than the Unique Toys version...

No worfies. We all have our personal tastes based on what we grew up with. For me its G1. Ive never been a big fan of extreme reinvention or "neo" as its often called. For that just create new characters and a new brand. I never saw the point of trying to reinvent old characters in new ways. If I was in my 20s I wouldnt give a crap about G1 characters. In 10 years when 3rd parties homage newer lines and deviate from what you grew up with, then you might feel what I feel towards some figures. But thats just me.

Two key phrases here:

#1

Delta Magnus wrote:I personally just prefer the overall aesthetic of Ares

That's literally all that needs to be said. Anti-MMC tirades do nothing but rile people like me up.


#2

Delta Magnus wrote:I will admit I'm kinda biased as I grew up in the Unicron Trilogy, so those were the toys that influenced my tastes.

So you can then walk in many of our shoes and see why older folks (I mean... I'm 27, and don't consider myself old, but relatively speaking...) prefer G1. And not even the aesthetic - just faithfulness to the spirit of the characters. The fact we're all having this discussion in a 3rd Party Forum should signal that very few, if any of us on this section of the site are GeeWunners in the sense of having some blind loyalty to G1. But don't think for a second that means we don't want modern renditions of the characters we grew up with. If the figures don't at least resemble those original characters, then where's the nostalgia factor?

And going back a few comments farther:

Delta Magnus wrote:And what about people that don't care about G1 accuracy and just want a good toy?

Then maybe Transformers isn't for you? There are plenty of great, awesome, amazing toys out there that aren't Transformers. Would you say the same thing if we were talking about a 3rd Party Tidal Wave that disconnected into 3 ships in alt mode but didn't even resemble Armada/Energon Tidal Wave in robot form?

At any rate, the whole "had to be there thing" is exactly that - we have a nostalgic affection for that time period because we grew up with it. The Unicron Trilogy had just as many, if perhaps different, flaws as G1, but you have a soft spot for it since you grew up with it. That's all.

Also:

Rated X wrote:No worfies.

megatronus wrote:
Also:

Rated X wrote:No worfies.

That's what happens when you post from a cell phone.

Pictures from my review of Unique Toys Ordin O-01 Troll. Full review can be found below









Full Review
http://blackplasticlife.blogspot.com/2014/10/unique-toys-ordin-o-01-troll-pictorial.html

Woah, way too much gray. Money saved!

just watched a video review of blot (i think kuma's) and he pointed out how the beast mode (or whatever it is) head, its mouth cant open. thats hella lame.

whats funny though is after watching the video for a few minutes, my girlfriend commented "wow, he's really trying to sell that thing aint he?"

Great pictures Gema, they really show how nice this figure looks.

Vangelus did a review of Troll/Not-Blot for those who want to see.

(Using a link rather than embedding it because I cannot into YouTube embedding)

Delta Magnus wrote:

Vangelus did a review of Troll/Not-Blot for those who want to see.[/url]

(Using a link rather than embedding it because I cannot into YouTube embedding)

Just include only the characters after "v=" in the YouTube link, and use the YouTube tags. (You can quote this message to see what I did.)

Thanks for the video! I look forward to watching it tomorrow!

shajaki wrote:whats funny though is after watching the video for a few minutes, my girlfriend commented "wow, he's really trying to sell that thing aint he?"

That's why I hate so called "reviewers". They're worse than used car salesman. They get commissions in the form of free toys. So you almost never hear the negatives. Just a bunch of sugarcoated drool.

Rated X wrote:

shajaki wrote:whats funny though is after watching the video for a few minutes, my girlfriend commented "wow, he's really trying to sell that thing aint he?"

That's why I hate so called "reviewers". They're worse than used car salesman. They get commissions in the form of free toys. So you almost never hear the negatives. Just a bunch of sugarcoated drool.

I mainly watch Peaugh. I feel he's the most reliable, but even then I try to read between the lines and take everything he says with a grain of salt.

For the most part I find Peaugh and Vangelus to be pretty good. Peaugh remains pretty impartial and just shows you the toy, whilst also giving his opinion of the figure, whilst Vangelus makes informative and in-depth yet concise reviews that give a very good impression of the toy in question whilst delivering an honest and informative commentary. Plus he's hugely entertaining and his videos are very well put together.

Having watched Vangelus's review I'm pretty impressed with Troll. Aside from the loose pegs (which can be easily fixed with varnish or superglue) he looks very well made, and he looks a lot of fun. I love that flip-out "power claw" thing in robot mode. Also pleased to see they did a good job with making the foot piece do stuff outside of leg mode.

If this guy is an indicator for the quality of the rest of the team then I'm in.

Delta Magnus wrote:For the most part I find Peaugh and Vangelus to be pretty good. Peaugh remains pretty impartial and just shows you the toy, whilst also giving his opinion of the figure, whilst Vangelus makes informative and in-depth yet concise reviews that give a very good impression of the toy in question whilst delivering an honest and informative commentary. Plus he's hugely entertaining and his videos are very well put together.

Having watched Vangelus's review I'm pretty impressed with Troll. Aside from the loose pegs (which can be easily fixed with varnish or superglue) he looks very well made, and he looks a lot of fun. I love that flip-out "power claw" thing in robot mode. Also pleased to see they did a good job with making the foot piece do stuff outside of leg mode.

If this guy is an indicator for the quality of the rest of the team then I'm in.

I like to watch Bobby SkullFace(pretty new to reviewing) but tells it like it is , or T2RX6 he gives a fair review too , nothing flashy about there views either .

The only thing that sits in the back of my head that stops me buying Ordin at the moment is that i herd MMC will be doing an Abominus in 2015 but that's just a rumor so don't quote me on that.

That been said when Troll gets released i don't think i can resist buying the first 3RDP Abominus .

ahhh vangelus. so funny.

he just brought me as close as possible to investing in UT's abominus. if it werent for that scale...

NOS wrote:Looks like the alt mode arms have something of a parts-forming aspect. Not a big deal, but a little disappointing for a combiner to have parts-forming for a mode that doesn't include the gestalt.

Surprised how wrong I was there. Quite clever, Unique Toys.

Great review. Although, I have to say, dag-nabbit! I was hoping I would see something that would lead me to cancel my preorder. Well done, UT. Well done! (I especially like Hell Boy mode with one of the Troll hands in bot mode. Looks like a lot of play-ability!)

Agamemnon wrote:I especially like Hell Boy mode

That is a great name for that!

Ginrai Minor wrote:Great pictures Gema, they really show how nice this figure looks.

tahnks! Glad u enjoyed it!