Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

welcometothedarksyde wrote:Maybe this is totally obvious, but I think those microns are supposed to be his flashlight minions from the show.

That, plus his clawed hands in robot mode.

TK415 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:It still amazes me how the Club decided to do a pre-beast Tarantulas over a non-beast Tarantulas at a time when they want to focus more on the latter concept instead of the former.

Who/what would have been a non-beast Tarantulas. I can't see a difference between pre-beast and non-beast. I'm not arguing with you Sabrblade, I'm just curious.

Allow me to clarify.

The Club defines the distinction between "Dawn of Future's Past" and Beast Wars: Uprising as the former being "pre-beast" versions of the BW cast (meaning the cartoon cast prior to their acquiring their beast modes in the show) and the latter being "non-beast" (meaning a new continuity in which a different history plays out that doesn't have these characters gaining beast modes or even partaking in any "Beast Wars").*

At BotCon 2014, a question was raised at the TCC Panel's Q&A session about the possibility of more "pre-beast" toys for these characters, and the Club answered by saying that they want to instead focus more on the "non-beast" versions of the Uprising series. But did note that there could be some more overlap between the two, toy-wise.

Therefore, I find it interesting that they're making this toy with the intent of it being a "pre-beast" version of Cartoon Tarantulas instead of a "non-beast" Uprising Tarantulas.


* - It is for this reason that I wish they hadn't used the name "Beast Wars" in the title of Uprising since it may confuse people into thinking of it as another "pre-beast" series instead of a "non-beast" series. But I understand why they used the name since it's a new continuity based on Beast Wars like how IDW's comics are a new continuity based on G1.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I think we should take the "pre-Beast Wars" at face value. Didn't his bio mention Sky-Byte, Jhiaxus and clones, therefore placing it in the Wings Universe? Last I remember, Dawn of Future's Past was canon to Beast Wars proper, not to an alternate timeline.

Well, "Hoist the Flag" revealed that the Wings Universe also contains a version of the 3H Beast Era continuity, which itself contains the Beast Wars and Beast Machines cartoons. "Dawn of Future's Past" is part of the 3H continuity due to its relationship with other Beast Era media (if you'd like, I could explain this notion further), so that puts the DoFP story (or at least a version of it) also existing in the Wings Universe.

The bio for this Tarantulas figure reinforces that notion, but now it does raise a new question. If DoFP is meant to be the definitive prequel to all English versions of the BW cartoon, then I wonder if this Wings Universe-based backstory of Tarantulas (and the Tripredacus Council) for this DoFP toy is likewise meant to be the definitive backstory for all English versions of Cartoon Tarantulas as well.

Though, frankly, that's a whole different can of worms.

Midnight_Fox wrote:I think what Sabrblade means is that he's confused as to why they did a toy for DoFP(where they're eventually going to become beasts/part organic) while the club is currently running Uprising(where there's no indication that they'll ever become something other than vehicles). Basically, why is this Tarantulas a BW prequel figure rather than an Uprising figure?

Something like that, yes.

Midnight_Fox wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:I think we should take the "pre-Beast Wars" at face value. Didn't his bio mention Sky-Byte, Jhiaxus and clones, therefore placing it in the Wings Universe? Last I remember, Dawn of Future's Past was canon to Beast Wars proper, not to an alternate timeline.

I think the Club has decided to retcon DoFP(and thus the BW shows) into Wings despite the continuity conflicts between BW and G1. That groundwork was kinda lain in the Pirates vs Knights story, too.

You got it. Though, which continuity conflicts are there between the G1 cartoon and BW? The only one I can think of would be how the Ark crashed being different.

I ask because some of these may have been fixed by the Wings Universe's greater continuity as far as Wings is concerned.

LOST Cybertronian wrote:The original news story has been updated with a new revised image of Tarantulas.

That deco looks so much better!

SW's SilverHammer wrote:That either makes Wings better by relating to beast wars, or beast wars worse because that makes wings interpretation of G1 all "cannon".

I don't quite get what you mean.

Sabrblade wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:That either makes Wings better by relating to beast wars, or beast wars worse because that makes wings interpretation of G1 all "cannon".

I don't quite get what you mean.

1. I don't like wings

2. I don't like to think of club fiction being in continuity with any of the other fictions, with the exception of theft of the golden disk and D.o.F.P, as it's vague enough that it really doesn't affect beast wars proper, it's really just a representation of what most people thought happened on cybertron with added details. Also I think beast wars alone works well enough with most any interpretation of G1 and anyones personal cannon, so making wings the "official" lore behind the events of beast wars kinda ruins it.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:1. I don't like wings

May I ask why?

SW's SilverHammer wrote:2. I don't like to think of club fiction being in continuity with any of the other fictions, with the exception of theft of the golden disk and D.o.F.P, as it's vague enough that it really doesn't affect beast wars proper, it's really just a representation of what most people thought happened on cybertron with added details.

What about the other Fun Pub-made fiction that ties into other fictions like the Cybertron-based "Balancing Act" and "Revelations", the post-Marvel G1 Classics splinter timeline, the Animated Season 3.5 "The Stunti-Con Job" story, etc. etc.?

Virtually every piece of fiction produced by the Club has tied in with some other fiction, save for things like "Descent Into Evil", TransTech, Shattered Glass, BW Uprising, or the occasional standalone thing.

And there's also all the Beast Era fiction that 3H did in the pre-Fun Pub days.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Also I think beast wars alone works well enough with most any interpretation of G1 and anyones personal cannon, so making wings the "official" lore behind the events of beast wars kinda ruins it.

Putting BW into the Wings Universe doesn't make that universe the "official" lore of the cartoon. It just makes that into one more universe that the BW cartoon happens to take place in. The English BW cartoon also exists in the Dreamwave G1 continuty, the IDW Beast Era continuity, the 3H continuity, and more.

It's just one common event occurring mostly the same way each time in multiple universes.

Sabrblade wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:1. I don't like wings

May I ask why?

Mostly because the Wings Universe was created as a way to dance around the fact that characters look different, due to funpub's toy choices for characters. Also it's kinda convoluted because they tack more stories on, it's just the way things are with funpubs writing, it's not really something they've had planned out for years its more of loose strings of plot based around a "similar" sunbow cartoon continuity.

Sabrblade wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:2. I don't like to think of club fiction being in continuity with any of the other fictions, with the exception of theft of the golden disk and D.o.F.P, as it's vague enough that it really doesn't affect beast wars proper, it's really just a representation of what most people thought happened on cybertron with added details.

What about the other Fun Pub-made fiction that ties into other fictions like the Cybertron-based "Balancing Act" and "Revelations", the post-Marvel G1 Classics splinter timeline, the Animated Season 3.5 "The Stunti-Con Job" story, etc. etc.?

Virtually every piece of fiction produced by the Club has tied in with some other fiction, save for things like "Descent Into Evil", TransTech, Shattered Glass, BW Uprising, or the occasional standalone thing.

And there's also all the Beast Era fiction that 3H did in the pre-Fun Pub days.

I didn't know about "Balancing Act" and "Revelations", as for stunticon-job, it's fine because it's a nice tight one off, it isn't integral to the T.F.A mythos.

Sabrblade wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Also I think beast wars alone works well enough with most any interpretation of G1 and anyones personal cannon, so making wings the "official" lore behind the events of beast wars kinda ruins it.

Putting BW into the Wings Universe doesn't make that universe the "official" lore of the cartoon. It just makes that into one more universe that the BW cartoon happens to take place in. The English BW cartoon also exists in the Dreamwave G1 continuty, the IDW Beast Era continuity, the 3H continuity, and more.

It's just one common event occurring mostly the same way each time in multiple universes.

Lets put it this way i've never liked the multiverse in fiction, there's to much messing around with alternate timelines, and alternate timelines to alternate timelines. Alternate timelines works alright, because most fictions keep that simple. I think DC's Hypertime and Bioshock Infinite's concepts of the multiverse were better, because they set rules and boundaries. There aren't rules and boundaries in funpubs fiction, they make things up as they go. I feel like most of the club based fiction, including 3H, including dofp or theft, shouldn't be held in strictcontinuity, even with some of the defunct parts of transformers continuity, and stating "oh but they totally are, because multiverse" is cheatsy writing. As for Dreamwave and IDW Beast Wars, I don't consider those in continuity with the beast wars cartoon, because theyre just comics, funpubs stoyies should also be just that, however this whole multivers thing is trying to validate them. The multiverse is a crutch, and funpub uses it to hand wave away anythingthat doesn't agree with their fiction. I'm not sayingthis as a geewuner, i'm saying this because "multiverse" is a crutch for writers to do what they want and validate it.

since the news post was updated and not posted anew, ill post it.



apparently there was a lot of outcry over the first reveal (yesterday?) so the club revised it! i liked the first one, but this is even better! especially if the things on the side of the mouth shield stay painted.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Mostly because the Wings Universe was created as a way to dance around the fact that characters look different, due to funpub's toy choices for characters. Also it's kinda convoluted because they tack more stories on, it's just the way things are with funpubs writing, it's not really something they've had planned out for years its more of loose strings of plot based around a "similar" sunbow cartoon continuity.

I can understand not liking heir writing, but putting more stories into the continiities of prexisting works written by other people is kind of a staple of this brand's fiction. It's what Transformers does. Always has, always will. And not just in the Club's works.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:I didn't know about "Balancing Act" and "Revelations", as for stunticon-job, it's fine because it's a nice tight one off, it isn't integral to the T.F.A mythos.

Same with pretty much everything else they've done that ties into other fiction. Beast Wars existing in the Wings Universe has zero affect on Beast Wars itself since everything pertaining to the Wings Universe is outside of Beast Wars's self-contained events, being a new framing piece for the other wise unaffected cartoon.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:There aren't rules and boundaries in funpubs fiction, they make things up as they go.

So do authors of other TF works. "Making things up as they go" is a thing that often tends to happen in the development process of any series. The Beast Wars cartoon itself lived and breathed on that kind of planning.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:I feel like most of the club based fiction, including 3H, including dofp or theft, shouldn't be held in strictcontinuity, even with some of the defunct parts of transformers continuity, and stating "oh but they totally are, because multiverse" is cheatsy writing.

There really isn't any "strict continuity". It's just one cartoon (two, counting Beast Machines) whose events all happen the same within several separate framing pieces that all reside in their own continuities, but otherwise leave the common core component (i.e. - the cartoon) fully intact.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:As for Dreamwave and IDW Beast Wars, I don't consider those in continuity with the beast wars cartoon,

Then those two pieces of fiction must be lying to us when they show us glimpses of the BW cartoon's events happening in their continuities.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:funpub is trying to insert their own fiction into continuity.

As are every person who writes something new into preexisting continuities, not just Fun Pub.

IDW's G1 comics practically thrive on this method as well, inserting all sorts of new stories into that continuity's preexisting timeline. Same with all the Aligned stuff we've gotten like the novels, "Rise of the Dark Spark", etc. It's what Transformers fiction does.


I'm not saying you have to like it, just that it's not something that only Fun Pub is guilty of doing.

Midnight_Fox wrote:

TK415 wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:It still amazes me how the Club decided to do a pre-beast Tarantulas over a non-beast Tarantulas at a time when they want to focus more on the latter concept instead of the former.

Who/what would have been a non-beast Tarantulas. I can't see a difference between pre-beast and non-beast. I'm not arguing with you Sabrblade, I'm just curious.

I think what Sabrblade means is that he's confused as to why they did a toy for DoFP(where they're eventually going to become beasts/part organic) while the club is currently running Uprising(where there's no indication that they'll ever become something other than vehicles). Basically, why is this Tarantulas a BW prequel figure rather than an Uprising figure?

Ah, that makes sense, thank you! I love the fiction, I just don't always have the money to keep up.

Thank you Sabrblade for the detailed answer, makes sense!

Sabrblade wrote:

welcometothedarksyde wrote:Maybe this is totally obvious, but I think those microns are supposed to be his flashlight minions from the show.

That, plus his clawed hands in robot mode.

To illustrate, Jesse Wittenrich posted this pic:

^ That's a cool idea I hadn't thought of! The more of see of this Tarantulas, the more I'm sold on it. Wasn't very pumped at first but the new deco is much nicer.

I really like the look of this guy. My only complaint is that they should've remolded the chest to get rid of his "nipples" and they should've given his a new head.

Overall this guy is, like several other TFSS figures, one that I will dream of owning. I am admittedly praying he'll somehow end up like Circuit and end up super-cheap. One can hope anyway.

Madeus Prime wrote:I really like the look of this guy. My only complaint is that they should've remolded the chest to get rid of his "nipples" and they should've given his a new head.

Overall this guy is, like several other TFSS figures, one that I will dream of owning. I am admittedly praying he'll somehow end up like Circuit and end up super-cheap. One can hope anyway.

something you might be able to hope for, is some people might be buying multiple tarantulas' for his drones. cause im considering it, but i dont need more than one tarantulas. you might see some on ebay sans drones for a low price.

ScottyP wrote:^ That's a cool idea I hadn't thought of! The more of see of this Tarantulas, the more I'm sold on it. Wasn't very pumped at first but the new deco is much nicer.

Yup. That's awesome. Between the updated deco and "microns = claw hands," I'm pretty much sold on him now.

Madeus Prime wrote:I really like the look of this guy. My only complaint is that they should've remolded the chest to get rid of his "nipples" and they should've given his a new head.

Overall this guy is, like several other TFSS figures, one that I will dream of owning. I am admittedly praying he'll somehow end up like Circuit and end up super-cheap. One can hope anyway.

I doubt this will go the way of Circuit... Tarantulus is way more popular, I think.

I'd be curious if there is a way to dismantle and remove the 'nipples' without damaging the figure. Hmmmmm.

Just got Chromedome in the mail today I think Stylor's legs are on backwards.

Thanks to a notification from fellow Seibertron.com user datguy86, we can confirm that the Transformers Collectors' Club Subscription Service 2.0 Chromedome and Stylor figures are definitely arriving in members' mailboxes - check out proof of the Prime Wheeljack redeco with new Nick Roche-styled headsculpt below!

Ever since botcon, whenever I look at TFSS chromedome, all i'm reminded of is what hasbro did with Brainstorm; then wonder what hasbro could've done with chromedome.

May I humbly request a close-up of Stylor? Especially the area between the body and his backpack? I'm dreading the misassembly as depicted in the S.2's assembly instructions.

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Ever since botcon, whenever I look at TFSS chromedome, all i'm reminded of is what hasbro did with Brainstorm; then wonder what hasbro could've done with chromedome.

Thats why I didnt even bother buying this figure. Fansproject is already giving us awesome headmasters which caused Hasbro to realize the potential. Im not a big IDW fan, but ill get brainstorm just for fun. If he sells well, im sure hasbro will do another headmaster. But theyll probally do a decepticon next. My guess would be weirdwolf since his alt mode would have the most playability.

Rated X wrote:

SW's SilverHammer wrote:Ever since botcon, whenever I look at TFSS chromedome, all i'm reminded of is what hasbro did with Brainstorm; then wonder what hasbro could've done with chromedome.

Thats why I didnt even bother buying this figure. Fansproject is already giving us awesome headmasters which caused Hasbro to realize the potential. Im not a big IDW fan, but ill get brainstorm just for fun. If he sells well, im sure hasbro will do another headmaster. But theyll probally do a decepticon next. My guess would be weirdwolf since his alt mode would have the most playability.

Yeah, i mean I personally think there'd been more potential for a Hasbro Chromedome than a TFSS Chromedome. Though I wonder; if i remember correctly the club stated allot of their ideas for this year's TFSS toys got shot down because hasbro had plans for the thrilling 30 generations line. I wonder if Chromedome and rewind were a compromise between the hasbro team. For example both hasbro and the club wanted to do a figure, but there was compromise that the club would do chromedome because insert here (maybe they already had dibs on rewind because hasbro already did the data disks) and Hasbro could do a figure that club was planning on but didn't finalize. I'm sure i'm wrong but it's interesting to think about the office politics between the hasbro team and the club.

'ave some art.



(Tarantulas, by Jesse Wittenrich)

We just received some exciting news from the Transformers Collectors' Club, regarding a massive sale they're currently having over at their store: a clearance of all their archived figures! Read more about it below, including an exclusive extra with each purchase, and happy money purge shopping.

Hello Club -

I hope things are cooling down in your area! Today we begin a new sale. We are running out of room in the warehouse and we have decided to "thin" down some of the archives. We have been keeping too many of each product for future use and now it is time to reclaim the space! We have been at this for over 10 years so there is quite a bit of different items to choose from... some retail... some sold out exclusives and convention items!

However... we don't have many of any of these products! Some are the only one left!

So, to make this even more fun we are including with each of these products, the below Certificate of Authenticity which if you look closely, has the embossed 1926 Corporate Seal of Hassenfeld Bros. Inc. Providence, RI. We came across this one of a kind item from a collector. We thought you would enjoy having a commemorative print from it. This is the FIRST corporate seal that was created when they incorporated in 1926!

Check out the items now!

This is a damned great sale. Old Botcon stuff at way-less-than-ebay prices.

I got the Virulent Clone 2-pack for (relatively) dirt cheap prices.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:May I humbly request a close-up of Stylor? Especially the area between the body and his backpack? I'm dreading the misassembly as depicted in the S.2's assembly instructions.

Try this: http://imgur.com/a/fZWjB

datguy86 wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:May I humbly request a close-up of Stylor? Especially the area between the body and his backpack? I'm dreading the misassembly as depicted in the S.2's assembly instructions.

Try this: http://imgur.com/a/fZWjB

Wow, both the legs and the arms are swapped!