The Energon Pub

I had an idea for a new sort of transformer, a custom bot!
The pack would include a core body like universe sideswipe (With a duel sided chest) three different heads, different weapons (guns, swords, etc) different hands like cybertron cannon ball/red alert (hands, claws, hooks etc) and different stickers so you could pimp your ride and make it have different sides (autobot decepticon maximal etc) and what ever it transformed into you could custom as well (jet would have different wings or helicopter blades or the car could have spoilers bonet scoops etc) and finally it would have a code to a web site that you could make your own bio and print it off like the old mail away GI joe toys.
I bet people would buy more than one of the same figure to make many different versions

The custom bot thing has already been made, it's called a Mugenbine.

Nujevad wrote:The custom bot thing has already been made, it's called a Mugenbine.

To expand on that, it's a Machine Robo line by Bandai Japan. There's no way to avoid patent infringement if Hasbro would attempt something like that. Sorry to shoot you down like that

Nujevad wrote:The custom bot thing has already been made, it's called a Mugenbine.

I never heard of those until now, but they look pretty cool. Any suggestions on where/how to get them, other than eBay? Are they still being manufactured, or is it an older line? Any suggestions on a good "starter set" to introduce a newbie?

Hobby shops are a good place to start, since they're a Japanese only line and they'd have to be imported first. Also, checking out for sale threads in your local forums might nab you a few pieces as well. Failing at both of those, Ebay is your last bastion of hope.

For starters, I'd go with the Mugen Gattai series, which has a standard robot body and a few part to customize it with. You can follow that up with the Build Gattai Series, which discards the robot body and gives you a core frame to build your robot from. The last ones you should go for are the base series, which include crates that can be used to create body parts for larger robots.

Problem is these are not real hasbro TRANSFORMERS. I want to have official customable TRANSFORMERS. And with all the other transforming robots out there I don't think the Mugwhatever is a trade writable idea!

ausbot wrote:Problem is these are not real hasbro TRANSFORMERS. I want to have official customable TRANSFORMERS. And with all the other transforming robots out there I don't think the Mugwhatever is a trade writable idea!

What is that supposed to mean? Just because it's not branded as a Transformer it's inferior? Also, it's called Mugenbine, don't be a jerk and call it wrong on purpose.

In any case, what you originally described was just minor tweaks and changes, not full customization. If you just wanted minor changes, then that's what fan kits and reprolabels are for, so your "new idea" is not so new since it's been around for years now.

Honestly this is Hasbro we are discussing. They are unlikely to put out an army builder of the kind you are describing, as they wouldn't make the extra money by releasing the mold as several different characters so they can milk it for all it's worth.

Don't take this as cracking on your idea, it's just that this is more likely something we would see handed by Takara in Japanese domestic release, much in the same way Mugenbine is available.

Also, do yourself a favor and check Mugenbine out. Who knows, you might like it and if you do but lament it's not "an official Transformer" then it's easy nowdays to get hold of faction logos and label that sucker up anyway you want.

Hell, many of us have transformable toys in our collections that aren't from Hasbro/Takara. It only matters if you extremely limited in what goes in your collection or you're a collecting snob, (a generalization, not an accusation) ether way you would be depriving yourself out of tons of great items purely based on the box they come in.

Great, just what I need, something new to collect! Some of those Mugenbine figures look really cool, especially the most recent "candy toy" combiner ones. But I should probably just take the money I would spend on those and put it towards the upcoming Power Core Combiners. But I'll be keeping an eye on eBay for any good deals on Mugenbine figures.

I wouldn't mind seeing this idea in Transformers. I don't think a "custom transformer" idea would infringe on copyrights. Add in a standard kind of body and various bits of armor you can use and I'd be completely sold. I remember a member called Skywarp also posting this idea.

Thing is, I like the Transformers characters as well as the mythology behind the show. I'd kind of want to see, maybe, an Aerialbot / Seeker set with this. Or maybe a set of Autobot cars and Stunticons. It's true that the 3rd party guys do this to a degree with sets like City Commander or the Gear of War.

I wouldn't want to collect just anything and call it whatever without it resembling, in some way, what I'm after. I guess that makes me a robot toy snob.

Still, is it likely we'll see this from Hasbro or Takara? Probably not. Doesn't prevent wishful thinking, though.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I wouldn't mind seeing this idea in Transformers. I don't think a "custom transformer" idea would infringe on copyrights. Add in a standard kind of body and various bits of armor you can use and I'd be completely sold. I remember a member called Skywarp also posting this idea.

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Still, is it likely we'll see this from Hasbro or Takara? Probably not. Doesn't prevent wishful thinking, though.

Seems like Power Core Combiners ARE the Transformers version of that idea. Interchangeable core figures that form the torsos of combiners, with interchangeable limbs, plus the interchangeable companion mini-Cons (and maybe more things we haven't seen yet). I don't think they'll go as far as individual figures that are themselves customizable, however.

Hey Newjevad, I don't like being called a jerk! If you read what I said I wanted a Hasbro Version I only Collect Official Transformers, not saying anything against Magenbine! So chill out!

GuyIncognito wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:I wouldn't mind seeing this idea in Transformers. I don't think a "custom transformer" idea would infringe on copyrights. Add in a standard kind of body and various bits of armor you can use and I'd be completely sold. I remember a member called Skywarp also posting this idea.

...

Still, is it likely we'll see this from Hasbro or Takara? Probably not. Doesn't prevent wishful thinking, though.

Seems like Power Core Combiners ARE the Transformers version of that idea. Interchangeable core figures that form the torsos of combiners, with interchangeable limbs, plus the interchangeable companion mini-Cons (and maybe more things we haven't seen yet). I don't think they'll go as far as individual figures that are themselves customizable, however.

The PP Core guys are more like Neo Scramble city combiners. I guess, from a certain point of view, they are the Transformers version of the idea. But they aren't really quite it. I mean, there's obviously a difference between a combiner with drone limbs and a delux-sized guy that you can customise by changing the wings, head, arms, armor, (and, getting wacky here, combiner kibble ... since we're aiming for the sky), etc.

You're probably right in that we'll never get this idea. Nevertheless, I think it's a good one.

ausbot wrote:Hey Newjevad, I don't like being called a jerk! If you read what I said I wanted a Hasbro Version I only Collect Official Transformers, not saying anything against Magenbine! So chill out!

If you got offended by my bluntness, then I apologize, but you have to admit that deliberately getting the name wrong is very rude. It's understandable to to get a name wrong now and then, especially if you type fast, but it wasn't a mistake, you typed it wrong on purpose and that is disrespectful to those of us who like the brand.

If you're a purist and want to stick to the Transformers brand then that's your right, but don't belittle every other toy line in doing so, especially if they've done what Hasbro has not or does not want to do.

I could not remember the name and could not be bothered going back to the post to find it, no disrespect intended! So don't get so defensive thats how wars start!

Wasn't there this line with a cartoon called Medabots that did something similar?

Dead Metal wrote:Wasn't there this line with a cartoon called Medabots that did something similar?

Yep, though it was restricted to arms and pairs of legs.

ausbot wrote:I could not remember the name and could not be bothered going back to the post to find it, no disrespect intended! So don't get so defensive thats how wars start!

So your defense to my accusation of you being rude is that you couldn't be bothered? Way to prove my point entirely. Also, wars are started by the offender, not the defender.