The Energon Pub

News Credits: 217 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:31 pm

Two days ago I would have happily told you that Hasbro were doing their best work in years. Lugnut is an amazing figure, Wheeljack and Tracks are an amazing example of how a simple retool can make two classic figures from one mold, Scourge is near-perfect (could've done with being the same height as Cyclonus and having a real Fracas but hey, whatever) and whoever came up with the idea of putting two heads on each mold deserves a medal.

And then I picked up Wreck-Gar.

He's not a bad figure by any means but there are a lot of flaws with this guy. I won't complain about his vehicle mode being out of scale with everyone else as it's fairly unavoidable. But I will complain about other stuff. Hasbro really should've learned the lesson of stress-marks on hands from Arcee. After all this is a kids' figure and they're not going to be as careful with his hands as we are. I've also heard of stress-marks and even breakages on his shoulders and handlebars. I know stress-marks are a reality of toys but it's pretty unfortunate for one figure to be prone to so many.

And then his transformation. Ugh. I know some of you like a "challenging" transformation but his just doesn't appeal to me. He ends up as an awkward bike that never quite feels well put-together.

And what's with his face? I can understand if Hasbro were trying to distinguish him from the goofy version from Animated but this figure goes too far the other way. He looks like a psychopath. It might be intended to replicate the 3-minute scene in the Movie in which he appears to be a bad guy but it runs contrary to all of his other appearances and his on-card bio.

To clarify, he's not a bad figure. He's a really great representation of a classic G1 character with a cool weapon and a great robot mode. It just seems like my expectations have been raised so much lately by Generations and RTS that this guy feels like a step-down.

News Credits: 335 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 3:34 pm

I've got no beef with my Wreck-Gar. I have no stress marks and I like both modes. I've heard of a handful of people having complaints about stress marks and such but I think for the most part fans haven't had too many problems with them.

I mean, we don't see too many threads about how flawless a figure is compared to complaints people have.

But then agian, that's just me.

News Credits: 217 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:04 pm

Each to their own. I'm only complaining about this guy because I've been so impressed by the rest of the recent figures. As I said, I certainly don't think he's bad, he just seems like a step down from the likes of Lugnut, Scourge, Tracks and G2 Prime.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 4:14 pm

I wish I had one to be disappointed with

News Credits: 1 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:56 pm

I'm actually really happy with Wreck-Gar. Mastered his transformation after only a few tries and only caught one stress mark. The face did seem villainous to me, but it's very much in keeping with the close ups in the movie. I think it must have been based on the first few seconds of his intro scene where he fist comes out of the garbage and his eye gleams.

And, really, it fits the entire RTS theme. With a face like that you might just have to check his rubsign to know he's an Autobot!

Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:04 pm

I personally feel that he is the best figure in the line with the most playability.

I have three of them and i haven't had any stress problems.

News Credits: 1235 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 6:11 pm

My only problem with the figure is getting him properly back into alt mode. I can half ass it and make a somewhat passable bike, but I don't think I have ever got him in that mode properly.

News Credits: 2 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 8:12 pm

Handlebar broke on mine first day. Gutted. So i bought a second figure which stays in alt mode and one in bot mode.

Not ideal but kills chances of stress marks and it looks coooooool

Sun Mar 13, 2011 9:48 pm

Getting him into alt mode is a little fiddly, but all the RtS shield figures are that way. I'd say Perceptor is the weakest in the line with the way his arms connect to his body.

News Credits: 3 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 10:11 pm

Evil_the_Nub wrote:I'd say Perceptor is the weakest in the line with the way his arms connect to his body.

Nope, G2 Prime is a mediocre fig while the rest range from good to great.

News Credits: 217 · Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:33 pm

Kibble wrote:
Evil_the_Nub wrote:I'd say Perceptor is the weakest in the line with the way his arms connect to his body.

Nope, G2 Prime is a mediocre fig while the rest range from good to great.

I actually really like G2 Prime. Sure his transformation is pretty basic and his truck mode is average but his robot mode is great with his little Matrix thing and his nifty sword.

Perceptor's actually pretty bad but unlike Wreck-Gar I wasn't excited by or interested in him so I had no expectations to lower.

Fun fact: though I complain about Wreck-Gar looking like he'll break, my G2 Prime already broke! On the part where you rotate the lower wheels out part of the wheel was trying to occupy the same space as part of the bracket and the bracket lost. It doesn't affect the figure at all though so I'm not upset.

News Credits: 1 · Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:35 am

I dunno if anybody else noticed this, but the box on United Wreck-Gar says his "job/rank" is Autobot beautification campaigner.

The guy lives in a planet of junk, and the Autobots trust HIM with beautifying their HQ?!

News Credits: 1 · Sun Mar 20, 2011 7:56 am

Fistful of Energon wrote:I wish I had one to be disappointed with

THIS lol

News Credits: 4 · Sun Mar 20, 2011 8:38 am

yeah the handlebars confused me for a while. still haven't dared to try and transform him back to bike mode.

Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:35 am

Well, that's depressing news. This figure is one of the few times I've pre-ordered alternate versions on spec, without having first acquired Hasbro's release. I'll have to make a point of being quite careful, it seems.

Sun Mar 20, 2011 5:09 pm

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:I dunno if anybody else noticed this, but the box on United Wreck-Gar says his "job/rank" is Autobot beautification campaigner.

The guy lives in a planet of junk, and the Autobots trust HIM with beautifying their HQ?!

Well, the Junkions are experts at fixing stuff up better than new.

There is a fix for the handlebars: Remove the nubs that hold the handlebars in place in bike mode. And until this is done DO NOT unhinge the bars manually. They're supposed to automorph when you push the gas tank. Really shouldn't do this either until the nubs are gone.

Thu Mar 24, 2011 8:52 am

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:
SKYWARPED_128 wrote:I dunno if anybody else noticed this, but the box on United Wreck-Gar says his "job/rank" is Autobot beautification campaigner.

The guy lives in a planet of junk, and the Autobots trust HIM with beautifying their HQ?!

Well, the Junkions are experts at fixing stuff up better than new.

There is a fix for the handlebars: Remove the nubs that hold the handlebars in place in bike mode. And until this is done DO NOT unhinge the bars manually. They're supposed to automorph when you push the gas tank. Really shouldn't do this either until the nubs are gone.

Cut completely the two tiny round nubs on the tip at the inner handle bars where they go in the gas tank? Do I have unscrew the front part of the motorcycle where the small windshield is located on top? Before I tranform Wreckgar? Thankyou
http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... 2281/1/84/

News Credits: 2 · Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:17 am

Holly crap it sounds like I may have to pick up two after all based on all I have read! I actually considered it but I had figured buying one and the other at a much later time. It's a shame though that there just had to be one bad apple in the bunch and there always is. Maybe not a bad apple but definitely a really bruised one...'nuff said.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:48 am

Mine has stress marks on the insides of his hands, and transforming him from robot to bike IS an exercise in frustration as it seems almost impossible to get everything to line up correctly and connect solidly. On the other hand, I have no problems with the alt-to-robot transformation, and it's a great-looking figure for display in either mode. So overall I'm happy and would still buy him if I had a chance to do it over again.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:I dunno if anybody else noticed this, but the box on United Wreck-Gar says his "job/rank" is Autobot beautification campaigner.

The guy lives in a planet of junk, and the Autobots trust HIM with beautifying their HQ?!

Maybe I'm over-analyzing, but if he's a beautification CAMPAIGNER, that would suggest that he's merely campaigning (advocating) for beautification, not that he's been put in charge of it.

Thu Mar 24, 2011 9:57 am

GuyIncognito wrote:Mine has stress marks on the insides of his hands, and transforming him from robot to bike IS an exercise in frustration as it seems almost impossible to get everything to line up correctly and connect solidly. On the other hand, I have no problems with the alt-to-robot transformation, and it's a great-looking figure for display in either mode. So overall I'm happy and would still buy him if I had a chance to do it over again.

SKYWARPED_128 wrote:I dunno if anybody else noticed this, but the box on United Wreck-Gar says his "job/rank" is Autobot beautification campaigner.

The guy lives in a planet of junk, and the Autobots trust HIM with beautifying their HQ?!

Maybe I'm over-analyzing, but if he's a beautification CAMPAIGNER, that would suggest that he's merely campaigning (advocating) for beautification, not that he's been put in charge of it.

I think his hands don't get stressed if you put just the bottom tip. Which is the thinner part of the ax instead of the upper middle part of the ax which is thicker and makes them stress marks. That is what I've heard somewhere.

News Credits: 33 · Thu Mar 24, 2011 11:28 am

I've had mine for a couple of weeks its still in the box i dont know if i should open him i can see already 2 very small chips on the paint and just looking at him for a couple of seconds figured out how easy he is to transform,the worst thing is how much of him is not hidden.

News Credits: 12 · Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:41 pm

Messiah Complex wrote:I've had mine for a couple of weeks its still in the box i dont know if i should open him i can see already 2 very small chips on the paint and just looking at him for a couple of seconds figured out how easy he is to transform,the worst thing is how much of him is not hidden.

You can tell just by looking at it? That's like saying "I can tell how easy it is to win the Superbowl just by watching it." Take it out of the package, transform it to robot mode, transform it back to alt mode, and THEN tell us how "easy" it is.

News Credits: 33 · Thu Mar 24, 2011 1:05 pm

GuyIncognito wrote:
Messiah Complex wrote:I've had mine for a couple of weeks its still in the box i dont know if i should open him i can see already 2 very small chips on the paint and just looking at him for a couple of seconds figured out how easy he is to transform,the worst thing is how much of him is not hidden.

You can tell just by looking at it? That's like saying "I can tell how easy it is to win the Superbowl just by watching it." Take it out of the package, transform it to robot mode, transform it back to alt mode, and THEN tell us how "easy" it is.

OK i'll get him out tonight am sure he can't be that much hassel.

Thu Mar 24, 2011 2:12 pm

i have the stress marks, but im not too bothered by it, i think Wreckgar is a great figure!

one thing i have to say though, is the complaint about scale in his alt mode. HE IS A ROBOT SIZED MOTORCYCLE FOR ROBOTS TO RIDE! he is in the best scale possible! :BANG_HEAD: