The Energon Pub

megatronus wrote:Plus, their Blaster is $75. Why is Galvatron $40 more?

According to RobotKingdom, he's very complex with a lot of moving parts. They couldn't even figure out how to transform the legs.

More moving parts = more money. As much as that sucks, it's the plain and simple truth.

And I love it. I'll pay it.

warzon3 wrote:The wrists not swiveling doesn't bother me much.

There are quite a few Hasbro voyagers that don't have wrist swivel.

there are quite a few Hasbro Voyagers that don't cost $120

megatronus wrote:Plus, their Blaster is $75. Why is Galvatron $40 more?

These things have a high turn over rate on ebay. Just buy Two or Three or more. hold on to them for a few monrths or year or Two. Then Grab the secondary selling profits off of selling them on ebay & minus it from the one singular figure your keeping for your collection.

Autobot032 wrote:[
And I love it. I'll pay it.

I also plan to buy one & only one. as I can't afford to buy multiples to keep or sell.

craggy wrote:

warzon3 wrote:The wrists not swiveling doesn't bother me much.

There are quite a few Hasbro voyagers that don't have wrist swivel.

there are quite a few Hasbro Voyagers that don't cost $120

There are quite a few Ultras like Energon Scorponok & Cybertron Scourge who have the same sideways wrist problems.

most of these toys do have swivels in the arms somewhere. it's not a minus swivel problem. It's a wronly sculpted wrist position problem.

Rated X wrote:Is there any proof that the biceps dont swiwel ? Or are we making assumptions because they failed to pose the prototypes arms in the pictures ? Maybe we should turn to the unique toys predacons and sharkies to see if they all dont have that articulation. I dont have the sharkies in hand. But from what i see by the seperation of the white and purple parts, i believe the biceps do swivel. We just havent seen it yet in any pics.

The biceps appear to swivel, you can tell in a few of the action poses, but the wrists do not appear to have a swivel, leaving you with a palm up (but still closed fist) pose.

So, there are a lot of arm poses that would just look awkward.

This guy is not 100% to my liking, but he is, IMO, 1000X better than the tank Galvatron we got from HasTak.

Now, is it worth the asking price ... maybe.

waiting on a review or two. I like their Sharkies but those are $30 deluxes vs a $120 Voyager. Agree that it's definitely better than the Hasbro tank one, but then First Edition Prime Arcee is just about a better Classics Galvatron than that.

Agamemnon wrote:

Rated X wrote:Is there any proof that the biceps dont swiwel ? Or are we making assumptions because they failed to pose the prototypes arms in the pictures ? Maybe we should turn to the unique toys predacons and sharkies to see if they all dont have that articulation. I dont have the sharkies in hand. But from what i see by the seperation of the white and purple parts, i believe the biceps do swivel. We just havent seen it yet in any pics.

I don't think the complaint is about a biceps swivel, but a wrist swivel. The palm will always be facing up relative to the elbow joint.



Makes poses like this one tough because it will look like he is perpetually wanting to do bicep curls:



Now, one of the renders did make it look like there would be a wrist swivel, but this is a render and not a prototype:



And I can say this about the Sharkies since I have them: no bicep swivel (elbow joints are ball joints, so a bicep swivel is unnecessary) and no wrist swivel. (They are small to incorporate a wrist swivel in the design, IMO.)

Oh the wrists. I never even noticed that. The way I look at it, if I didn't notice it in these pictures, I wont notice it on my shelf. He can hang out with all the Hasbro figures that cant swivel their wrists. Besides, none of these pictures confirm or deny wrist swivel. I think some of you guys a trying too hard to find reasons not to like this figure. If a picture comes out with the wrists swiveling, then what will the new excuse be ?

Rated X wrote:

Agamemnon wrote:

Rated X wrote:Is there any proof that the biceps dont swiwel ? Or are we making assumptions because they failed to pose the prototypes arms in the pictures ? Maybe we should turn to the unique toys predacons and sharkies to see if they all dont have that articulation. I dont have the sharkies in hand. But from what i see by the seperation of the white and purple parts, i believe the biceps do swivel. We just havent seen it yet in any pics.

I don't think the complaint is about a biceps swivel, but a wrist swivel. The palm will always be facing up relative to the elbow joint.



Makes poses like this one tough because it will look like he is perpetually wanting to do bicep curls:



Now, one of the renders did make it look like there would be a wrist swivel, but this is a render and not a prototype:



And I can say this about the Sharkies since I have them: no bicep swivel (elbow joints are ball joints, so a bicep swivel is unnecessary) and no wrist swivel. (They are small to incorporate a wrist swivel in the design, IMO.)

Oh the wrists. I never even noticed that. The way I look at it, if I didn't notice it in these pictures, I wont notice it on my shelf. He can hang out with all the Hasbro figures that cant swivel their wrists. Besides, none of these pictures confirm or deny wrist swivel. I think some of you guys a trying too hard to find reasons not to like this figure. If a picture comes out with the wrists swiveling, then what will the new excuse be ?

I'm sure UT or another 3rd party company will create new wrist that can rotate.

I'm buying Mania king. My main concern was,that it wasn't Eight inch or Nine inch size. I could care less about sideways sculpted wrist.

Looks like no wrist swivel or room to upgrade the wrist.

Autobot Genocide wrote:









Looks like no wrist swivel or room to upgrade the wrist.

That's just sad. UT seems to drop the ball more than they catch it. looks like UT got caught up in trying to create a complex Transformation. The wrist looks like sacrifices were made as a result of that.

I'm still going to buy Mania King. As The sideways wrist don't bother me that much. my main concern was,I wanted this toy a few sizes bigger.

Worse case scenario,I buy the toy,play with it for a while. then when something better comes along,I sell it on ebay for a small profit. Right now,as it stands this is the best new age toy that represents the 1986 Galvatron.

Meh....so you guys were right. No wrist swivel. Personally doesnt bother me. Its gonna sit on a shelf with a bunch of other figures that have no wrist swivel like cyclonus. Maybe you guys can boycott the figure because the box isnt made from recycled cardboard too. The figure still looks freaking awesome in my opinion.

Rated X wrote:Meh....so you guys were right. No wrist swivel. Personally doesnt bother me. Its gonna sit on a shelf with a bunch of other figures that have no wrist swivel like cyclonus. Maybe you guys can boycott the figure because the box isnt made from recycled cardboard too. The figure still looks freaking awesome in my opinion.

You're free to like it all you want. No one's going to stop you.

I dunno if it look "freakin awesome" in any other pose than the few the it's specifically designed to do, but I'll probably wind up getting the figure eventually too.

What kills me, though, is that could have easily been a ball joint.

Rated X wrote:Meh....so you guys were right. No wrist swivel. Personally doesnt bother me. Its gonna sit on a shelf with a bunch of other figures that have no wrist swivel like cyclonus. Maybe you guys can boycott the figure because the box isnt made from recycled cardboard too. The figure still looks freaking awesome in my opinion.

Seriously? Aren't we free to like or dislike the figure for our own reasons? What is this need of yours to make us all see everything the way you see it? Can't you just accept that some of us dislike aspects of this figure and will not be getting it? It's not a personal reflection on you.

Also, I think each of us can determine on our own what we can consider a nitpick versus valid concerns/critiques...

Back to the figure: the cannon mode does look pretty sweet. If I get this, that might be how he is displayed on my shelf. I do have to hand it to UT that the engineering is pretty cool to get the modes to look like they do.

In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

Mkall wrote:In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

Funny you mention that. Even more funny is my stance on the Daca Toys Skyfire thread.

Personally, I like it, but I don't love it.

I have yet to justify the price in my head.

If it was $80, no problem, $115, that's a bit steep.

Mkall wrote:In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

With these 3rd party TF toys. There will always be a equal amount of some who like certain figures. compared to a equal amount who dislike certain figures. I noticed,that sometimes some will be more loyal towards one 3rd party company. while some will dislike other 3rd party companies. It just seems like some join 3rd not-TF company camps. one side is the republicans while the others are the democrats. those who are nuetral are the tea party.

I think I fit into the Tea Party. As I could care less where a 3rd party TF Figure I like comes from which company. If,it's a sculpt & character,I like,then I'm buying it regardless of which company made it.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

Mkall wrote:In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

With these 3rd party TF toys. There will always be a equal amount of some who like certain figures. compared to a equal amount who dislike certain figures. I noticed,that sometimes some will be more loyal towards one 3rd party company. while some will dislike other 3rd party companies. It just seems like some join 3rd not-TF company camps. one side is the republicans while the others are the democrats. those who are nuetral are the tea party.

I think I fit into the Tea Party. As I could care less where a 3rd party TF Figure I like comes from which company. If,it's a sculpt & character,I like,then I'm buying it regardless of which company made it.

Even though I have aired my grievances about this figure, I will admit that it's a decent Galvatron figure, and would point it out to those who don't have a good Galvatron on their shelves.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

Mkall wrote:In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

With these 3rd party TF toys. There will always be a equal amount of some who like certain figures. compared to a equal amount who dislike certain figures. I noticed,that sometimes some will be more loyal towards one 3rd party company. while some will dislike other 3rd party companies. It just seems like some join 3rd not-TF company camps. one side is the republicans while the others are the democrats. those who are nuetral are the tea party.

I think I fit into the Tea Party. As I could care less where a 3rd party TF Figure I like comes from which company. If,it's a sculpt & character,I like,then I'm buying it regardless of which company made it.

I couldn't disagree with you more. I don't think I've ever seen equal camps for and against any figure to say such a thing. Sure there are posters who are for and against every figure; I don't think anyone has produced the perfect figure. Ever. But there have been some general consensus one way or another.

If you want an example of generally unequal support, just look at UT Predaking, Tetra Jets, or the Glacial Bots.

(Also the grammar Nazi in me shudders....it's "I couldn't care less")

And, Mkall and X, I did point out the same thing in the Skyfire thread.

[Edit]

Mkall wrote:Even though I have aired my grievances about this figure, I will admit that it's a decent Galvatron figure, and would point it out to those who don't have a good Galvatron on their shelves.

Yeah, the false dichotomies are thick these days. I really don't like to have my opinion pigeonholed into one extreme or another. It is possible to like a figure, point out its flaws, and decide to not get it or recommend it. I'm pretty much in agreement with you here, Mkall.

Agamemnon wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

Mkall wrote:In a typical thread, it's posters who like it against X (and others) that nitpick it. In this thread, the views have been reversed. This is a moment that may never happen again.

With these 3rd party TF toys. There will always be a equal amount of some who like certain figures. compared to a equal amount who dislike certain figures. I noticed,that sometimes some will be more loyal towards one 3rd party company. while some will dislike other 3rd party companies. It just seems like some join 3rd not-TF company camps. one side is the republicans while the others are the democrats. those who are nuetral are the tea party.

I think I fit into the Tea Party. As I could care less where a 3rd party TF Figure I like comes from which company. If,it's a sculpt & character,I like,then I'm buying it regardless of which company made it.

I couldn't disagree with you more. I don't think I've ever seen equal camps for and against any figure to say such a thing. Sure there are posters who are for and against every figure; I don't think anyone has produced the perfect figure. Ever. But there have been some general consensus one way or another.

If you want an example of generally unequal support, just look at UT Predaking, Tetra Jets, or the Glacial Bots.

(Also the grammar Nazi in me shudders....it's "I couldn't care less")

And, Mkall and X, I did point out the same thing in the Skyfire thread.

[Edit]

Mkall wrote:Even though I have aired my grievances about this figure, I will admit that it's a decent Galvatron figure, and would point it out to those who don't have a good Galvatron on their shelves.

Yeah, the false dichotomies are thick these days. I really don't like to have my opinion pigeonholed into one extreme or another. It is possible to like a figure, point out its flaws, and decide to not get it or recommend it. I'm pretty much in agreement with you here, Mkall.

Is there any 3rd party TF toys that most agree are great? I would think Quakewave would qualify.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Is there any 3rd party TF toys that most agree are great? I would think Quakewave would qualify.

There's 4 categories IMO that a figure has to meet before it's Great:
Price, quality, design, and character analogue. If all 4 are met, then it's great. If there's only 3,then it's good. 2 I call decent and meeting only one is crummy.

Great Figures: Quakewave, Hexatron, FP's Swindle and Blastoff, Classic Prime's Trailer, Topspin, Twin Twist and Hegemon all come to mind immediately as figures that the majority of the fandom have agreed are "great".

There's a bunch of "good figures" too. The vast majority of existing 3rd party stuff lands here. Some are priced too high for the fandom to accept, some miss the mark (headsculpts are among the worst offenders IMO), then there's the occasional QC.

"Decent figures" starts getting into hazy territory. This is where the fandom splinters. Some will like what they get, others will not. IMO, much of KFC's work up until now lies here. It's good priced, and the designs are ok, but you get what you pay for.

Down at the bottom of the barrel lies the companies who just don't get it. Impossible Toys seemed to end up here more often than not on things that weren't part of their Quintesson line. Again, most of the fandom agrees on the figures that end up here.

IMO, I'd place this Galvatron in the "Good" section. He's just priced too high for what we're getting.

Mkall wrote:There's 4 categories IMO that a figure has to meet before it's Great:
Price, quality, design, and character analogue. If all 4 are met, then it's great. If there's only 3,then it's good. 2 I call decent and meeting only one is crummy.

That is a great way to look at 3P figures. Though the categories are in the eye of the beholder really.

I'd also add colour schemes as its own category. iGear's minibots are what made me decide that, I love the overall design of them, but iGear completely screwed up on some of their colours.

Mkall wrote:IMO, I'd place this Galvatron in the "Good" section. He's just priced too high for what we're getting.

Personally he has already fallen down in two categories, price and design, and based on UT's track record the quality will most likely be an issue as well.

Mkall wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Is there any 3rd party TF toys that most agree are great? I would think Quakewave would qualify.

There's 4 categories IMO that a figure has to meet before it's Great:
Price, quality, design, and character analogue. If all 4 are met, then it's great. If there's only 3,then it's good. 2 I call decent and meeting only one is crummy.

Great Figures: Quakewave, Hexatron, FP's Swindle and Blastoff, Classic Prime's Trailer, Topspin, Twin Twist and Hegemon all come to mind immediately as figures that the majority of the fandom have agreed are "great".

There's a bunch of "good figures" too. The vast majority of existing 3rd party stuff lands here. Some are priced too high for the fandom to accept, some miss the mark (headsculpts are among the worst offenders IMO), then there's the occasional QC.

"Decent figures" starts getting into hazy territory. This is where the fandom splinters. Some will like what they get, others will not. IMO, much of KFC's work up until now lies here. It's good priced, and the designs are ok, but you get what you pay for.

Down at the bottom of the barrel lies the companies who just don't get it. Impossible Toys seemed to end up here more often than not on things that weren't part of their Quintesson line. Again, most of the fandom agrees on the figures that end up here.

IMO, I'd place this Galvatron in the "Good" section. He's just priced too high for what we're getting.

I'll agree with Quakewave & Hexatron being great toys.

FP Swindle & Blastoff might have been great toys years ago. as the years pass,These toys have lost some of there greatness. Severe competition is rising. Warbotron will most likely trump the FP Combaticons. With all the FOC 3rd party add-on kits coming out,the desire to track down the FP Combaticons is less.

I had no idea,the 3rd party commander sized topspin & Twintwist were regarded as great toys. I simply don't like them. The smaller toys use less parts,are more simplistic & use thinner materials,So can they be considered great toys. Shouldn't the 3rd party toys that use more parts due to them being bigger,have higher quality parts,more complex. better engineering,be considered the great 3rd party toys.

Hegemon got all those Bad QC toy reviews on Youtube. most said the materials,joints & engineering were low quality & loose. So going off this,it can't be considered one of the great ones.

Out of all the 3rd party add-ons for Classics & MP Optimus. I think the add-on Smoke stacks & City commander armor rate a bit higher than the Classics OP Trailer. I just don't get how some can label a trailer that does nothing or nmaybe splits in half as one of the great 3rd party TF toys.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

Mkall wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Is there any 3rd party TF toys that most agree are great? I would think Quakewave would qualify.

There's 4 categories IMO that a figure has to meet before it's Great:
Price, quality, design, and character analogue. If all 4 are met, then it's great. If there's only 3,then it's good. 2 I call decent and meeting only one is crummy.

Great Figures: Quakewave, Hexatron, FP's Swindle and Blastoff, Classic Prime's Trailer, Topspin, Twin Twist and Hegemon all come to mind immediately as figures that the majority of the fandom have agreed are "great".

There's a bunch of "good figures" too. The vast majority of existing 3rd party stuff lands here. Some are priced too high for the fandom to accept, some miss the mark (headsculpts are among the worst offenders IMO), then there's the occasional QC.

"Decent figures" starts getting into hazy territory. This is where the fandom splinters. Some will like what they get, others will not. IMO, much of KFC's work up until now lies here. It's good priced, and the designs are ok, but you get what you pay for.

Down at the bottom of the barrel lies the companies who just don't get it. Impossible Toys seemed to end up here more often than not on things that weren't part of their Quintesson line. Again, most of the fandom agrees on the figures that end up here.

IMO, I'd place this Galvatron in the "Good" section. He's just priced too high for what we're getting.

I'll agree with Quakewave & Hexatron being great toys.

FP Swindle & Blastoff might have been great toys years ago. as the years pass,These toys have lost some of there greatness. Severe competition is rising. Warbotron will most likely trump the FP Combaticons. With all the FOC 3rd party add-on kits coming out,the desire to track down the FP Combaticons is less.

I had no idea,the 3rd party commander sized topspin & Twintwist were regarded as great toys. I simply don't like them. The smaller toys use less parts,are more simplistic & use thinner materials,So can they be considered great toys. Shouldn't the 3rd party toys that use more parts due to them being bigger,have higher quality parts,more complex. better engineering,be considered the great 3rd party toys.

Hegemon got all those Bad QC toy reviews on Youtube. most said the materials,joints & engineering were low quality & loose. So going off this,it can't be considered one of the great ones.

Out of all the 3rd party add-ons for Classics & MP Optimus. I think the add-on Smoke stacks & City commander armor rate a bit higher than the Classics OP Trailer. I just don't get how some can label a trailer that does nothing or nmaybe splits in half as one of the great 3rd party TF toys.

We're kinda getting off topic on this. Pretty much like everything, your views may differ from those of others, likewise I just pulled a bunch of figures whom I recalled the fandom had a generally positive reactions about and I could support.

Mkall wrote:We're kinda getting off topic on this. Pretty much like everything, your views may differ from those of others, likewise I just pulled a bunch of figures whom I recalled the fandom had a generally positive reactions about and I could support.

It's okay to be a tad off topic. The 3rd Party Forum is Seibertron's stepchild (once removed!) after all.

I will say that I hoped Hegemon to be great, but found him less so due to the plastic/joint quality, and a few engineering flaws. But that's just me. I found the rest of your classifications to be spot on.

My criterion are similar to yours, but also different:

(1) Price
(2) Quality
(3) Engineering
(4) Design & Aesthetic

Price and Quality are obvious. By engineering, I mean transformation and articulation. Design & Aesthetic are more overall look and the overall strength of the character analog.

Bringing it all back to the topic on hand, Mania-King doesn't pass the bar on Price. Quality is up in the air (but past work by UT isn't necessarily encouraging). Engineering seems interesting, but small critiques such as those involving the wrists are point against it. And as far as Design & Aesthetic, this figure is very clearly Galvatron, but details like the elongated crest and the cannon design are bothersome to me.

That's how I'm looking at it. So...