The Energon Pub

[SGMLordMirage]

For me, the obvious is the head sculpt, much better take/accurate than the first version. I would be tempted to buy two of these to replace the head on the first one. The jet mode looks pretty good as well.

[EvasionModeBumblebee]

DOTM Prime has been reunited with the other Autobots, and they look great together! I’ll be painting up Prime real soon, I just have to get all the paint together.

I also got Stinger, and it’s pretty cool! The transformation is super unique, the arm cannon is a little weird but I see what they were going for. Glad to have it join the collection!

[Mindmaster]

Anyone got them UPCs for the new wave? Asking for a friend....

[william-james88]

Anyone got them UPCs for the new wave? Asking for a friend....

For now, you can check the toysrus website, I think they have some of them. Here's Hot Rod's for instance:

UPC: 630509900602

https://www.toysrus.ca/en/Transformers- ... 26AA6.html

[william-james88]

Here's SS 49 BB 630509900626
SS 52 Arcee triplets 630509900657
SS 51 Soundwave 630509900701

Speaking of Soundwave, that toy is phenomenal. Will be reviewing that toy tomorrow.

[ZeroWolf]

Greetings Seibertronians! Fellow Seibertron user, Victinoko, has dropped us a line to inform us that they have found Transformers Studio Series Wave 8 at a EB Games store in Toronto, Canada!

They have sent along these photos to show their finds. They show R
Deluxe Class Revenge of the Fallen Arcee Sisters, First Movie Bumblebee and Voyager Class First Movie Megatron. Also in this wave is Deluxe Class Dark of the Moon Soundwave, The Last Knight WW2 Hot Rod and Voyager Class Revenge of the Fallen Mixmaster. There is also Leader Class Revenge of the Fallen Scavenger and Dark of the Moon Shockwave.









To compliment this, fellow Seibertron user, Thundertron, has been on contact to let us know that the Wave 9 Deluxe Class figures pre-orders are now live on Amazon.com.

In Wave 9 Deluxe Class is:

Dark of the Moon Roadbuster



Bumblebee Movie Off Road Bumblebee (Jeep Bee)



Bumblebee Movie Jet Shatter



Will you be getting any of these releases? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

[EvasionModeBumblebee]

Really hoping this wave shows up in the US soon! I need to get my hands on Bumblebee and Soundwave.

[william-james88]

Really hoping this wave shows up in the US soon! I need to get my hands on Bumblebee and Soundwave.

The voyagers just did, I will news that a bit later

[EvasionModeBumblebee]

Really hoping this wave shows up in the US soon! I need to get my hands on Bumblebee and Soundwave.

The voyagers just did, I will news that a bit later

Awesome! I’ll be getting Mixmaster at some point, and I was going to stick with just DOTM Megatron since that’s my favorite version of Megs, but that new 07 Megatron looks really, really good. I’ll have to see.

Bee, Soundwave, and Shockwave are the ones I’m most excited for, with the voyagers hitting shelves now hopefully they won’t be far behind!

[william-james88]

Great news for Americans looking for the 2020 Studio Series figures, the new voyagers have just been spotted at Walmart. Chris, a friend to the site reached out on Facebook to let us know that he found both Studio Series voyagers SS-54 Movie 1 Megatron and SS-53 Revenge Of The Fallen Mixmaster at in Savannah, Georgia. This hits the same time as the same voyagers hitting Canadian retail at EB Games. Since the deluxes for that wave (Arcee Sisters, First Movie Bumblebee, Soundwave and The Last Knight WW2 Hot Rod) reached both Toysrus and EB Games in Canada, it will probably be just a matter of days before some shops in the US get that stock too. All these toys are slated to be in stores January 1st so it makes sense that some start trickling down as we cross the first half of December. Since we still have yet to see those deluxes at US retail, let us know if you find them.

If you have found the other toys mentioned, share your sightings with our community in the sightings section and on our boards in your region related thread.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

Shatter looks very good, I'm glad we are getting a good quality Shatter in all modes and transformation. i am ready for her.

Also exciting to see the new wave is hitting retail. Gotta keep an eye out for the Arcees and Soundwave, the rest will be here in a few weeks! I'm stoked!

Studio Series has made me so very happy. it is my dream line

[william-james88]

I'll cut to the chase, this is the best representation of movie Soundwave we have ever gotten. I have comparison images to the on screen character below and looking back I am baffled that we were all so laissez fair about what came before. I know I love the Human Alliance mold (you will see it below in the comparison shots as the Movie the Best redeco) but it doesn't really convey the proportions of the character properly, definitely not as good as this new deluxe does.

The car looks fine. I really like how everything tabs in well. Everyone will be very happy that the car is covered in the appropriate silver paint (no more off white plastic, yay!). The clear windows do mean we see some of the robot junk in there, but I am fine with it. The clean interior and opening doors lead to lots of sacrifices on the Human Alliance toy so I prefer that the designers chose to favour different aspects this go around.



















And it pays off, boy does it pay off, because the robot mode looks perfect. Soundwave was a stocky guy in the films, and while he had a large torso, it wasn't immense compared to some teeny tiny legs. He was more Wolverine than Johnny Bravo and we finally get that here. What impresses me most with this toy is how few steps there are to the conversion to get from two modes that look nothing alike. People often think that more steps may equate to a better design/engineering, but I never did. There can be beauty in simplicity. In fact, I would argue that it is much harder to get to a good looking and accurate robot mode, especially of a movie bot, with fewer steps. Toys can be overcomplicated just as much as they can be oversimplified and this one is just right.













The designers picked their battles well here with the alt mode integration and what parts should be real (like the chest) and which can be designed to look like alt mode detail (the front of the legs). I love how the arms are half car detail and half robot detail and each mode orients it just right so taht you think it can only belong to one particular mode. It's just a very efficient design. The car lights reorienting to give him the side panels framing his chest are the best example of that.







In terms of articulation, I didn't notice until comparing these to the new Cyberverse toys, but it's lacking for today's standards. Unlike deluxes in the Siege and Cyberverse line, this toy and many other Studio Series deluxes do not have wrist swivels, ankle pivots or even waist articulation. Which is kind of ironic since the movie look has them sculpted to make it look like they are made up of a million moving parts. Kudos to the designers for at least tricking me into thinking it is made of more parts than other lines (and I mean that sincerely).

He comes with a very important accessory, Laserbeak. While I never liked the skeletal chicken look, I can't fault it for looking the part. It latches well onto wither or Soundwave's forearms and can even tag along in the back of the vehicle mode. Those are two different type of latches and the mini figure will slightly convert to fit in whichever scenario.













It's odd how objectively, this toy may not be offering much as much as other Transformers toys at his price point (for instance, he has less steps, less height, less accessories and much less articulation than the new Cyberverse toys), but subjectively I feel more satisfied by him than many other toys. He always had a unique design for a car bot and he did not get as much representation in the movie lines in the west, and unlike Siege and Cyberverse this isn't retreading the same G1 design, so he feels more fresh. He surprised me, and I loved discovering the efficient conversion, and sometimes that's all I need for a toy to stand out. I would thus recommend him to any Transformers fan, regardless of their feel for the Bay aesthetic.

[-Kanrabat-]

That Soundwave's only flaw is the obligatory car roof backpack. But for a deluxe of a normal price point, it's forgivable. If my local TrU or Walmart end up finally having new stock on the shelves, he's a sure buy.

[EvasionModeBumblebee]

Great review! I always enjoy reading pictorial reviews.

Soundwave does look really good, my chief complaint I think is that the chest doesn’t convert more, but the rotating headlight pieces do help with that.

I’m also going to have to figure out how to paint rubbery plastic (since I think his head is rubbery plastic and as I learned with Barricade my current paint I’m using doesn’t work).

What’re your thoughts on the new Bumblebee, william-james88?

[BERSEKAEL]

I need that laserbeak perfect for my legion class collection

[Stargrave]

That was an awesome review.

To be honest I don’t have plans to get this figure, but damn you make a hard argument.

Thanks William like always really well done.

[william-james88]

Great review! I always enjoy reading pictorial reviews.

Soundwave does look really good, my chief complaint I think is that the chest doesn’t convert more, but the rotating headlight pieces do help with that.

I’m also going to have to figure out how to paint rubbery plastic (since I think his head is rubbery plastic and as I learned with Barricade my current paint I’m using doesn’t work).

What’re your thoughts on the new Bumblebee, william-james88?

Its fine but I am a bit sick of that samey transformation we've gotten for Bee ever since TLK. Fatigue has definitely set in. But he does look good in both modes. Review coming tomorrow.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

He looks so good, stoked for him!

[william-james88]

Am I the only one getting a bit sick of Studio Series Bumblebee toys? Not in the fact that there are lots of them, but more that it's the same functional design every time. Unlike Optimus, where movie toy designers kept reinventing the transformation throughout the years, Bumblebee toys suffer from just changing incrementally every time. And that's been the case since the first deluxe toy (which you can see in a comparison shot below). That doesn't make them bad toys, it just makes them predictable and rather boring in terms of transforming figures.

That's what this toy suffers most of. It's based on the same movie Bumblebee transformation we have gotten since The Last Knight (TLK). Meaning, the car roof folds up and gets stuffed into the torso, the arms with no wrist swivels are tucked at the base of the car, you get that back window flip for the double wings, the middle of the car hood is separated from the sides and under it is a fake kibble piece for a more accurate chest and the legs unfold through a series of 90 degree pivots with the feet doing a full 180. These are all ok steps to go from a good looking car to a decent looking robot but they are all steps we did before. And the fact that it's the same steps results in robot modes that look about the same from one toy to the next, as you can see below.











I will repeat, none of that makes this a bad toy, it just makes for a boring experience. If this is your first movie Bumblebee toy, then you will probably be satisfied. What is frustrating is that this toy only comes with the battle mask, meaning that if you want a Bumblebee toy looking closer to his movie one appearance where all the Autobots meet up the first time with Sam, then you are gonna fork out some money again for another incremental change.

The car mode is fine. It's apparently not a perfectly accurate alt mode, but I can't tell. I have it compared to the alt mode his first movie toy had, which is said to be a perfect representation in car mode. Looks fine to me though. I will say that I much prefer how the car mode tabs together than other Bumblebee toys with this transformation, like the one from TLK or the one from the Bumblebee movie.

























The robot mode looks great but I would have really liked to have a normal face, it feels a shady not to include it. While the transformation is a rinse repeat of other toys, design wise this does make it the first Bumblebee with that now iconic Camaro alt mode to have those extra little wings in the back, along with a very nice looking chest and even those small clavicle-like details next to his neck (pretty sure those are supposed to be his mirrors). I would have loved them to paint those yellow though. I mean it would go a long way and highlight the novelty to the sculpting. His robot mode is the best looking transforming deluxe representation of this Bumblebee design.











He has an arm cannon accessory which covers his hands. It feels really cheap though since it's just all in black and clashes with the rest of the deco. I mean for a line that is all about movie accuracy, the sole accessory to come with the figure looking like this is a bit lame. In terms of articulation, while he is missing some (like wrist swivels), there is a transformation joint on the leg that you can use to make up for a lack of ankle pivot.











The best thing I can say about this figure is that nothing falls apart, it tabs in as it should, nothing feels too loose and you can pose him with little issue. While this should all be a given for a toy of passable quality, it's almost a miracle for a movie Bumblebee toy of recent years. Still I'd wish for more articulation because right now even Cyberverse has surpassed Studio Series in terms of articulation for the deluxe class. Also I would have liked that additional face and some kind of effort for the cannon's deco.

[-Kanrabat-]

This Bee would be awesome... for someone who doesn't have a full hive already.

[EvasionModeBumblebee]

Thanks for the review!

I’m super excited to get this Bee, I love the reworked chest design and how the wings can rotate up now. Really glad that there aren’t any loose parts that fall off!

I wasn’t initially thrilled about how they did the plasma cannon on this one, but honestly it’ll be kind of nice not to have a spare arm floating around when you have the cannon attached. I’ll have to see what I think when it’s in-hand!

[william-james88]

I wasn’t initially thrilled about how they did the plasma cannon on this one, but honestly it’ll be kind of nice not to have a spare arm floating around when you have the cannon attached. I’ll have to see what I think when it’s in-hand!

I much preffer how they did it here than have to pull off the arm. Which is why it's a real bummer they didn't give it a decent deco treatment.

[Mindmaster]

I found the new Voyagers during my Christmas roadtrip across the American Southwest. Megatron was in Barstow, California, and I finally chanced upon Mixmaster in Las Vegas. Megatron’s weapon is kinda disappointing since it’s not made of the flexible plastic. Mixmaster’s neat, I don’t mind the partsforming into head mode so much since it’s only one part and it helps stabilize the rear of the face.

Can’t wait for the remainder of the new wave!

[FigureGunplaFan]

Well, at least this saves me from hunting the Premium Series BB...

[Ironhidensh]

My god, I never realized how tiny the figure was. Pre order is cancelled, I’ll be waiting for a sale or discount. I can’t justify full price for that.