The Energon Pub

Is it just my imagination, or are the more recent Voyager class figures (like FoC Soundwave or Prime Ultra Magnus) actually getting larger, almost to the size of the Transformers:Cybertron (aka Galaxy Force) Voyagers?

shhhhhh.......they'll hear you.

In the recent video review of Beast Hunters Prime, he appeared to be larger than Prime Prime.

Maybe it's because they're not wasting resources on stupid mech-tech style weapons with LED lights and batteries.

GuyIncognito wrote:In the recent video review of Beast Hunters Prime, he appeared to be larger than Prime Prime.

Maybe it's because they're not wasting resources on stupid mech-tech style weapons with LED lights and batteries.

I've heard through the rumour grapevine that Hasbro has started actually taking Collector Complains more seriously now. I wonder if this is the start of it?

Though we still have Beast Hunter deluxe figures so maybe not...

Mkall wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:In the recent video review of Beast Hunters Prime, he appeared to be larger than Prime Prime.

Maybe it's because they're not wasting resources on stupid mech-tech style weapons with LED lights and batteries.

I've heard through the rumour grapevine that Hasbro has started actually taking Collector Complains more seriously now. I wonder if this is the start of it?

Though we still have Beast Hunter deluxe figures so maybe not...

Those come with bigger weapons and appear to have a load of extra plastic molded on.

yeah they have. just look at FOC soundwave. he is really beefy. beast hunters are bigger. and on the FOC wave 3 we have more plastic and paint apps

Whenever someone mentions something "getting larger", I always think of this scene from Airplane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZ4i8aWs_s

Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I noticed about the difference, too and I really hope they keep it this way. Recently I just opened FOC Air Raid. He is a retool of Shockwave so size and mass aren't too much different. But, weapons aside, I was really amazed at the paint apps they put on him comparing to the early FOC waves and Prime figures. It's so much better. Although I'm still going to repaint him, I'd said Hasbro did a really good job. I also have an unopened FOC Kickback, he looks really nice in the box. Also bought BH Laserback for a friend, the package is so much thicker (you can say it's the way they pack it) and Laserback actually looks "bigger". Maybe people who opened Laserack can tell more. Let's just hope Hasbro keep it this way.

paul053 wrote:I noticed about the difference, too and I really hope they keep it this way. Recently I just opened FOC Air Raid. He is a retool of Shockwave so size and mass aren't too much different. But, weapons aside, I was really amazed at the paint apps they put on him comparing to the early FOC waves and Prime figures. It's so much better. Although I'm still going to repaint him, I'd said Hasbro did a really good job. I also have an unopened FOC Kickback, he looks really nice in the box. Also bought BH Laserback for a friend, the package is so much thicker (you can say it's the way they pack it) and Laserback actually looks "bigger". Maybe people who opened Laserack can tell more. Let's just hope Hasbro keep it this way.

Oh, you're in for a treat when you open Kickback! I mentioned in another thread that it's hard to believe he comes from the same line as FoC Jazz. The different is incredible. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were different lines or even different classes.

RAcast wrote:Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I have Soundwave standing next to Classics white Magnus, and he's just a tad taller. Does anyone have PRID Megatron to compare? The last voyager I bought was Skyhammer from DOTM.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I have Soundwave standing next to Classics white Magnus, and he's just a tad taller. Does anyone have PRID Megatron to compare? The last voyager I bought was Skyhammer from DOTM.

Soundwave also has a massively hollow torso, which Classics Optimus does not.

RAcast wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I have Soundwave standing next to Classics white Magnus, and he's just a tad taller. Does anyone have PRID Megatron to compare? The last voyager I bought was Skyhammer from DOTM.

Soundwave also has a massively hollow torso, which Classics Optimus does not.

Excellent point, didn't think about that. I was just wondering how tall PRID Megs is against the Prime/Magnus mold.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I have Soundwave standing next to Classics white Magnus, and he's just a tad taller. Does anyone have PRID Megatron to compare? The last voyager I bought was Skyhammer from DOTM.

Soundwave also has a massively hollow torso, which Classics Optimus does not.

Excellent point, didn't think about that. I was just wondering how tall PRID Megs is against the Prime/Magnus mold.

If you mean PRiD molds, about the same. Prime is a bit taller at the head crest I think.

GuyIncognito wrote:Whenever someone mentions something "getting larger", I always think of this scene from Airplane:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzZ4i8aWs_s

Great movie..

GuyIncognito wrote:In the recent video review of Beast Hunters Prime, he appeared to be larger than Prime Prime.

Prime Prime? Which one, FE or PRiD? Because, you know, Prime has four toylines.

I'll answer the question for you. Beast Hunters Optimus is taller than both of them.

RAcast wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

RAcast wrote:Well they're back to the size they were before PRID, at the very least.

I have Soundwave standing next to Classics white Magnus, and he's just a tad taller. Does anyone have PRID Megatron to compare? The last voyager I bought was Skyhammer from DOTM.

Soundwave also has a massively hollow torso, which Classics Optimus does not.

Excellent point, didn't think about that. I was just wondering how tall PRID Megs is against the Prime/Magnus mold.

If you mean PRiD molds, about the same. Prime is a bit taller at the head crest I think.

No, no, I meant Classics Prime/Magnus. I want to know how PRID Megatron compares to Classics Optimus hight-wise.

Early FOC made me shout a word that sound exactly like that acronym. Bruticus and Jazz are the most thin, small, and hollow Transformers I ever owned. On the packaging on FOC Jazz, it's written "GUN INCLUDED" Like it's some incredible thing. They said the TFs got smaller in DOTM because of the Mechtechs.

Then we get FOC Jazz who not only he's the smallest deluxe ever, but the hollowest and lightest as well... and he come with a tiny tiny tiny gun. Were they mocking us? Also, that thing barely have any paint aps. As if Transformers were litterally melting away.

Then I openned my FOC voyager Soundwave.
...
My faith in Transformers have been restored.

GuyIncognito wrote:

paul053 wrote:I noticed about the difference, too and I really hope they keep it this way. Recently I just opened FOC Air Raid. He is a retool of Shockwave so size and mass aren't too much different. But, weapons aside, I was really amazed at the paint apps they put on him comparing to the early FOC waves and Prime figures. It's so much better. Although I'm still going to repaint him, I'd said Hasbro did a really good job. I also have an unopened FOC Kickback, he looks really nice in the box. Also bought BH Laserback for a friend, the package is so much thicker (you can say it's the way they pack it) and Laserback actually looks "bigger". Maybe people who opened Laserack can tell more. Let's just hope Hasbro keep it this way.

Oh, you're in for a treat when you open Kickback! I mentioned in another thread that it's hard to believe he comes from the same line as FoC Jazz. The different is incredible. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were different lines or even different classes.

This is exactly what I was saying and am afraid of. I hope Hasbro don't just give fans some treat to make them happy and then things went down hill (or back to normal) again.

I've noticed distribution has gotten a lot better lately too. All the recent waves have actually shown up in stores. I think Hasbro's head my have finally dislodged from it's ass.

I think it has more to do with economy and DOTM than anything else. Hasbro had to raised prices and shrunk toys because they weren't expecting to do that well last year and the year before that. 2011 was probably compound by the fact that most of the DOTM movie character toys were like third or fourth versions of characters that a lot people already had. Remember how much trouble we had getting new toys? it was because retailers didn't want to buy them to sell to us. If you go back and look at the DOTM toys, they were really simple compared to their ROTF counterparts. Meanwhile a lot of the toys that didn't make it to the big screen were way better in quality.

As for the new voyagers, well no crappy mech tech weapons means more money to spend on the rest of the figure. In addition, if the beast hunters deluxes are any indication, they kept them on the small side because they might end up extensively retooled down the line. So to make sure they fit packages, and accommodate new weapons and stuff, they had to take a hit with the initial versions of them. I think bulkhead and ultra Magnus are good examples here. With the FOC ones they didn't plan on using the designs so far out, but there were two FOC Soundwaves in the first wave, and the same toy was retooled for Blaster. Meanwhile a lot of the Datadisc bots and cons are just retools/repaints of each other. I imagine there'll be a Blaster reprint soon, and Grimlock repaint or retool into Overkill or Trypticon.

Tl;dr: bad economy and DOTM meant bad sales, so they skipped on few things here and there. Also,Hasbro learned to get more milage out of a single design if they plan on retools early on.

No, the distribution problem had NOTHING to do with "distributors not wanting to sell them" - that's rather foolish sounding, actually.

The TRUTH is the various retailers ordered HUGE amounts of the first wave, and they were sitting on the pegs when the following waves came around, meaning they didn't order more stock, meaning the later waves did not get ordered.

Valandar wrote:No, the distribution problem had NOTHING to do with "distributors not wanting to sell them" - that's rather foolish sounding, actually.

The TRUTH is the various retailers ordered HUGE amounts of the first wave, and they were sitting on the pegs when the following waves came around, meaning they didn't order more stock, meaning the later waves did not get ordered.

Which they did AGAIN with Prime. Because SURELY Hasbro wouldn't do the SAME thing twice!

I really think FoC Soundwave may be my favorite classicsverse figure yet. I have no idea why recent Soundwaves have gotten so puny, but it had long been a peeve of mine. He's actually even bigger than the original G1 version, which really surprised me.

Bigger but more hollow?