The Energon Pub

The TFCC twitter feed has posted a couple of in-hand vehicle mode images of their 2014 club exclusives Protoform X and Trans-Mutate, redeco/retools of Transformers Prime First Edition Deluxe Megatron and Arcee respectively. Protoform X will be the 2014 membership incentive figure, Trans-Mutate will be available as a 2014 exclusive separate from their TFSS 2.0 figures. Check them out below.

I find myself strangely excited for both of these.

Ever since I sold off my TF:Prime figures, I've been eager to get some of the better molds back into my collection. I'm super happy they've found a way to work these FE molds into Classics!

I tell ya, I dig that Protoform-X.

Transmutate looks awesome. I've always like that color combo and I love the Prime Arcee mold. It's also a perfect mold for Transmutate because it has that skeletal look in bot mode. I'm not interested in Protoform X, though. I just don't care for that mold.

Transmutate makes an ugly, ugly bike.

I kinda like Protoform X's color scheme, but still not much want for it. Not really a Beast Wars fan so no real attachment to these characters.

Midnight_Fox wrote:Transmutate makes an ugly, ugly bike.

I kinda like Protoform X's color scheme, but still not much want for it. Not really a Beast Wars fan so no real attachment to these characters.

You're missing out. Rampage/Protoform X is one of the most fun Transformers characters. There aren't many sadistic Decepticons or Predacons out there (at least, they're not portrayed that way usually). Rampage is sadistic, evil and he's fun to watch.

Transmutate, though an interesting redeco, doesn't pique my interest.

Protoform X/Rampage, on the other hand...



Hopefully I'll be able to sign up for the Club before the deadline to get in on the figure.

Seibertron wrote:

Midnight_Fox wrote:Transmutate makes an ugly, ugly bike.

I kinda like Protoform X's color scheme, but still not much want for it. Not really a Beast Wars fan so no real attachment to these characters.

You're missing out. Rampage/Protoform X is one of the most fun Transformers characters. There aren't many sadistic Decepticons or Predacons out there (at least, they're not portrayed that way usually). Rampage is sadistic, evil and he's fun to watch.

IDW Overlord, Pharma and the DJD beg to differ.

I am very partial to these two figures though. Very. I already was when we saw these pictures:





Dammit.

I'll pick up the transmutate at some point because I like the mold, but I'm not renewing TFCC this year just for that.

I'm also a huge BW fan. It's what got me into Transformers.

That said, these figures just don't work. Transmutate most of all. Where the hell was it said that Transmutate was female? Oh, yeah, nowhere. So...why the Arcee mold? Why not something obscure? I understand it's an alternate timeline, but even so, WTH Fun Pub?

As for Ramapage, the TFP Megatron mold doesn't scream sadistic, mentally unstable maximal protoform. It says "normal guy". Rampage is not a normal guy. Again, WTH Fun Pub?

(on an off-note: I'M BACK!!! Stupid at&t service redirected me to an error page for a while)

Manterax Prime wrote:Where the hell was it said that Transmutate was female? Oh, yeah, nowhere.

Where was it said that Transmutate was male?

Manterax Prime wrote:Where the hell was it said that Transmutate was female? Oh, yeah, nowhere. So...why the Arcee mold? Why not something obscure? I understand it's an alternate timeline, but even so, WTH Fun Pub?

BW Transmutate was voiced by Susan Blu, the same actor who voiced Arcee in G1. The original character description also said this: ...and a face that vaguely indicates it is female. Overall, despite its treatment as being genderless overall, it's pointing to female ever so slightly.

Something to think about regarding TF "gender":

http://www.shortpacked.com/index.php?id=1998

GuyIncognito wrote:Where was it said that Transmutate was male?

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:BW Transmutate was voiced by Susan Blu, the same actor who voiced Arcee in G1. The original character description also said this: ...and a face that vaguely indicates it is female. Overall, despite its treatment as being genderless overall, it's pointing to female ever so slightly.

And this why I said "something obscure", meaning a mold that could work as male or female.
Just because Transmutate's face looks female doesn't mean it is. It's chest has a very male shape to it, but that doesn't mean Tranmutate is male either.

Using a mold and face that could be male OR female is the perfect fit for Transmutate. You just can't tell. And we shouldn't be able to.

Manterax Prime wrote:Using a mold and face that could be male OR female is the perfect fit for Transmutate. You just can't tell. And we shouldn't be able to.

Well, Starscream would be perfect for it. Then again...

Maybe Transmutate is transgendered. Now she's a female. Deal with it. Complaining about her being or looking female just makes you sound sexist and old-fashioned.

Funny, I thought Hasbro and IDW were trying to convince us that TF's don't have genders and won't have them for a couple more months ...

Burn wrote:Funny, I thought Hasbro and IDW were trying to convince us that TF's don't have genders and won't have them for a couple more months ...

IDW maybe. The Covenant of Primus is pretty explicit about women existing.

Excited for these and their universe. "Non-Beast Wars", "Beastless Wars"... Darn it, I'm starving for an official name beyond its technobabble stream designation!

Midnight_Fox wrote:

Burn wrote:Funny, I thought Hasbro and IDW were trying to convince us that TF's don't have genders and won't have them for a couple more months ...

IDW maybe. The Covenant of Primus is pretty explicit about women existing.

I'm not too sure about that 'couple of months' thing either..

Holy snap, they made her bio PUBLIC!!!

https://twitter.com/The_TF_Club/status/424287497997148160

Looking to know more about the "yet to be named" Beast Wars Universe to be featured in 2014 in the TCC Magazine. pic.twitter.com/V2eUKnCtM5

Additional Tweets:

And just WAIT till you see the art. Evan Gauntt is one of the BEST Transformers artists around and he us used exclusively by the TCC.

The art for Rampage is incredible. He does the entire piece and his use of color is just incredible. Can't wait for you all to see!

Then the above Tweeted bio, followed by:

This profile was originally featured in Issue 25 of the TCC Magazine… Art by Evan Gauntt.

Welcome @naototsushima to the TCC! Excited to have the artist behind Transformers Animated: The Cool doing line art for the 2014 Club Comic!

GuyIncognito wrote:Maybe Transmutate is transgendered. Now she's a female. Deal with it. Complaining about her being or looking female just makes you sound sexist and old-fashioned.

So, me saying a genderless character that was only in 1 episode should stay genderless is sexist?

I'd like to see the dictionary you read.

Ok, before this degenerates into the same discussion again - give up.

The mold is for a female character, it does not make it a female mold.
The character is genderless, the molds available are what they are, and I didn't see the same outrage when Strika was announced as using the Warpath mold.

You're welcome to keep on discussing the issue, but not in this thread.

Manterax Prime wrote:I'm also a huge BW fan. It's what got me into Transformers.

That said, these figures just don't work. Transmutate most of all. Where the hell was it said that Transmutate was female? Oh, yeah, nowhere. So...why the Arcee mold? Why not something obscure? I understand it's an alternate timeline, but even so, WTH Fun Pub?

As for Ramapage, the TFP Megatron mold doesn't scream sadistic, mentally unstable maximal protoform. It says "normal guy". Rampage is not a normal guy. Again, WTH Fun Pub?

(on an off-note: I'M BACK!!! Stupid at&t service redirected me to an error page for a while)

The TFPrime Megatron mold is perfect for X.
It does scream cruel and sadistic, it's just subtle about it, you gotta take a very close look at Megatron's design again, nothing about it scream normal guy. No normal guy has butchering tools for fingers. On top of that, Rampage's original toy and design never screamed sadistic, mentally unstable protoform, both screamed "crab guy with lots of guns and crab legs".

Also, this is X, so he might still not be crazy and sadistic, remember that happened after all the tests to see if he was immortal.


I really want that Protoform X, he'll be awesome to have.