Haslab Unicron:Production Update #1

"...AND THE ARK SHIP!" is actually a Movie shuttle. Titanium gave us the same mix up, so at least it's tradition.

And all these years, I never realized how much Unicron's head is shaped like Darth Vader's, until seeing it unassembled on the blueprints. Adds a new dimension to the SW Crossovers Death Star; I need to remember how to transform mine again someday...

They don't even show Hot Rod. It's just 2 Galvatrons

lets hope they are better at assembling rather than naming at least they aren't calling him Decepticon Unicron again...yet.

I'm just praying they actually put the assembled product through some serious real-world stress testing before deeming it ready for for full production. Stress marks and broken ratchet joints from normal use are awful on any retail figure, but if they happen on something this irreplaceable...

I hope they do more reports like these... A lot more. I thunk its cool and important to show their fans what actually goes on in the design and development phase.

Flashwave wrote:I hope they do more reports like these... A lot more. I thunk its cool and important to show their fans what actually goes on in the design and development phase.

Agree with this. Also keeps him in our minds while it's going, and will give us a very close look at the whole process

A minor thing but, The Revenge would have made a lot more thematic sense, as a freebie mini-ship. Especially as not a single Autobot Shuttle ever shared screen time with Unicron.



Just saying...

Triggerdick Megatron wrote:Congratulations to everybody who paid 3 months worth of rent for a Transformer!
-Hasbro.

You spent how much on what?!?! A Transformer!?!?
-Your parents/spouse.

Wow...Where in the world are you living that you only have to pay about $220.00 USD per month for rent?

Granted I came nowhere close to getting A Unicron myself, but it's price is more like ONE Expensive Car payment, or 1/2-1/3 of most people's Rent/Mortgage for one month

Thanks to an email from Haslab, those who helped crowdfund War for Cybertron Unicron have been treated to a thorough update, with several interesting pictures included!

In these chaotic times, the Chaos Bringer finds order.

Even working from home, our engineers are working hard to keep Unicron development on track. Below you'll see images of what we call a T1 sample, which stands for Test 1. It's the first time we run the molds with plastic so the sample is very rough. It's not the final colors and the parts don't all fit exactly right at this stage. We normally don't see T1 samples in Rhode Island, usually we wait until EP1, which stands for Engineering Pilot 1, to get the first samples. But for the immense Planet Eater we wanted the samples earlier in the process.

Here is 1 mold which includes the face of Unicron. This is what the plastic is run through in the factory.

And we're also treated to a cool shot showing Unicron on a kitchen counter, including some interesting information about his dimensions.

The Chaos Bringer really brings the whole room together. And fills the space nicely in planet mode at 33 inches tall and 37 inches wide including his ring. Without the ring he's 20 inches wide. Again, since we're still in these very early stages, all dimensions are approximate and subject to changes.

And just for a fun size comparison, there are a few size comparisons with a Hasbro engineer's cat showing us just how big he is.... and apparently how tasty he is, too.





Last, but not least, we get our first look at Unicron's immense packaging, which can fit a normal sized HUMAN inside it.

If you were wondering what possible vessel could hold the mighty Unicron, the answer is this giant 26” x 26” x 26” box. Fun Fact: Our 6-foot tall brand manager can fit inside. We checked.

If you're interested in reading the entire update, please click here to be taken to Haslab's update on the Planet Eater, and feel free to discuss these new pictures and updates below!

Very nice. My cats will enjoy the back scratcher.

I'm always intrigued by insight into toy manufacturing, and I appreciate Hasbro providing this, but it doesn't change the design's fundamental (a) unwieldy size and (b) quantity of shellformer kibble. Those bother me -- IMHO and YMMV.

By contrast and FWIW, here's an April review by Ben's Collectables of a test shot of the Zeta Toys/01-Studios "Cell" toy, which is much more elegant in parts-reuse for the outer hulls of both the planet and robot modes.

I can't wait. Would have been cool if the box design was G1 style. Not like he's going to stay in it though.

Unicron is looking suitably impressive wonder how much the developers can flog the test shots for after wards

The colors on this test version remind me of Energon Deadend, fittingly enough.

So was anyone else hoping for a shot (even just a bad photoshop) of the planet maw eating the cat?

ooooo hope he comes transformed to bot mode.

griftimus prime wrote:ooooo hope he comes transformed to bot mode.

I don't think that would work since he is 30 inches tall and the box is 26" x 26" x 26"

TF-fan kev777 wrote:

griftimus prime wrote:ooooo hope he comes transformed to bot mode.

I don't think that would work since he is 30 inches tall and the box is 26" x 26" x 26"

The Chaos Bringer really brings the whole room together. And fills the space nicely in planet mode at 33 inches tall and 37 inches wide including his ring. Without the ring he's 20 inches wide. Again, since we're still in these very early stages, all dimensions are approximate and subject to changes.

Taking space for protection into account, he'll most certainly be packaged in his condensed planet mode with the rings detached and disassembled.

Part of me is really glad I bought this and excited for it to come, but another part of me is just like "eh, let's see if I like it in person". Still excited overall though, it shows they're willing to make cool stuff for us.

Still a no from me. The colours are still off

Yay for finally getting us an update!



But Bounti, you missed the best pic!



Everyone needs a hobby. Hasbro's design team might be going a bit stir crazy during the quarantine.

Emerje

TF-fan kev777 wrote:So was anyone else hoping for a shot (even just a bad photoshop) of the planet maw eating the cat?

SOMEONE MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!! OR VICE VERSA!!!

Emerje wrote:Yay for finally getting us an update!



But Bounti, you missed the best pic!

download.jpg

Everyone needs a hobby. Hasbro's design team might be going a bit stir crazy during the quarantine.

Emerje

Honestly, I wanted to put that in there, but I didn't want to just repost their post in its entirety. Plus, I couldn't think of anything funny to say about it. I wrote this after a 12 hour graveyard shift.

Not my pic:

Great find, Sabr!

Ah yes, my cat's favorite toy was BW Rampage's launcher. Keep the jaw away from the triggers, and it's a rotating-kitty-cheek-massager. She couldn't live to see this, but thanks to these pics, I'll be thinking about that every time I handle my new Unicron.

That was the best update ever. The cat, the fishing pole, that was great! I loved it!

More like this please

I can't wait for this Chaos bringer to come out. Unicron will be my ultimate weapon.

Greetings Seibertronians! While his release is still some ways off, we do have some new pictures to share with you of the forthcoming HasLab release of the chaos bringer himself: Unicron!

These pictures were uploaded by Facebook page From the Vault - TF Showcase. The images themselves were taken from the Transformers Generations 35th Anniversary book that was published by HeroX in Japan. The pictures show a plethora of details molded into the chaos bringer and how his various gimmicks work. We also get to see the scale relating to the included mini figures and the Autobot Shuttle (despite that not taking part in the battle against Unicron). We see a close up of Unicron's detached head, with two broken eye pieces, allowing you to use his head as a prop from the very end of the movie or as seen in Season 3 of the original cartoon.

There's also a breakdown of how he transforms and several shots showing off his planet mode, including one showing him coming up to Cybertron Primus in planet mode!

Thats not all, there's also several pictures showing behind the scenes look at his design, including his planet mode standing next to Titans Returns Titan Class Fortress Maximus.

Have a look through the pictures below and then feel free to share your thoughts in the Energon Pub!



































Stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews!

Couldn't afford the space for him... wouldn’t mind if they release just the head on a stand and the little accessories...

really scared that i have to transform it. wish it came in bot mode.

Yeah, I'm not sure where I can put him. I hope the artwork on the box he's in has the G1 look.

skywarp408 wrote:I hope the artwork on the box he's in has the G1 look.

This is the packaging:



Anything prettier would have only added to the already-expensive $600 price.

City Mode is interesting at least.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:City Mode is interesting at least.

If I remember correctly, City mode only got as far as that image and the finished toy can't do it. I'm sure we reported on this aspect before.

ZeroWolf wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:City Mode is interesting at least.

If I remember correctly, City mode only got as far as that T image abd the finished toy can't do it. I'm sure we reported on this aspect before.

Correct on both accounts.

Well that's disappointing. For the price tag, they should be adding as much extra value and functionality as possible. I wonder if someone will find it is still possible to actually achieve in the final product. Much like the alternate leg placement for Fort Max in City Mode.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Well that's disappointing. For the price tag, they should be adding as much extra value and functionality as possible.

The abundance of features and extras they're already poured into this thing isn't enough?

They tried to put in the city mode and couldn't make it work without further compromising the rest of the figure.

Sabrblade wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Well that's disappointing. For the price tag, they should be adding as much extra value and functionality as possible.

The abundance of features and extras they're already poured into this thing isn't enough?

They tried to put in the city mode and couldn't make it work without further compromising the rest of the figure.

The sad thing about the lack of City mode in this case, It actually looks like the best city mode we've seen designed for a large scale transformer.

The feature I wish they would have included was a quintasan ship that could be placed in one of his eyes like it was flying out like in the animated movie.

Why does Unicron need a city mode in the first place? Did he have one in any continuity? I would rather he be just a robot and a planet and cost $100 less.

The city mode was shown before. Still don't miss it. I'm not buying Unicron to be a city I'll never, ever use.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:The city mode was shown before. Still don't miss it. I'm not buying Unicron to be a city I'll never, ever use.

Exactly.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Why does Unicron need a city mode in the first place? Did he have one in any continuity? I would rather he be just a robot and a planet and cost $100 less.

At best, one could pretend that it represents some kind of hellish landscape found inside of his planet mode, but otherwise, yeah, he's not a citybot.

The idea was just to give his giant toy some more play value as a playset in addition to its already being a giant action figure (much like the case with all of the Titan class Citybots being both giant action figures and playsets).

If anything, I'm betting this mode was conceived as a way to further appeal to potential retailers so that they would be more inclined to carry this gigantic Transformers product since the figure on its own wouldn't have been enough in the eyes of the retailers since its planet mode alone wouldn't be marketable enough to most retailers due to its just being a giant ball on a stick that couldn't be played with like how a normal ball could be played with.

But, as we know, the city mode didn't happen and retailers didn't pick it up, so it instead went to HasLab as a crowdfunding product, where it wouldn't have to worry about the needs of mass market appeal to get made.

He still looks really impressive, I am excited to see him, that planet mode is huge!

Sabrblade wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Why does Unicron need a city mode in the first place? Did he have one in any continuity? I would rather he be just a robot and a planet and cost $100 less.

At best, one could pretend that it represents some kind of hellish landscape found inside of his planet mode, but otherwise, yeah, he's not a citybot.

The idea was just to give his giant toy some more play value as a playset in addition to its already being a giant action figure (much like the case with all of the Titan class Citybots being both giant action figures and playsets).

If anything, I'm betting this mode was conceived as a way to further appeal to potential retailers so that they would be more inclined to carry this gigantic Transformers product since the figure on its own wouldn't have been enough in the eyes of the retailers since its planet mode alone wouldn't be marketable enough to most retailers due to its just being a giant ball on a stick that couldn't be played with like how a normal ball could be played with.

But, as we know, the city mode didn't happen and retailers didn't pick it up, so it instead went to HasLab as a crowdfunding product, where it wouldn't have to worry about the needs of mass market appeal to get made.

I have nothing against the concept of him having a city mode, and I understand the reasoning. My problem is that his featured modes (planet and robot) would suffer because if it. If they could have pulled it off without messing with those, then fine. By the looks of it, seems like they were trying to do the same thing they did to Cybertron Primus, except on a larger scale. Just because he's a large figure and has a big price tag, doesn't mean he has to have excessive and unnecessary features, especially ones that have no basis in his origins. If you want a city mode, buy a city bot. There are plenty. Unicron is Unicron.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:Why does Unicron need a city mode in the first place? Did he have one in any continuity? I would rather he be just a robot and a planet and cost $100 less.

At best, one could pretend that it represents some kind of hellish landscape found inside of his planet mode, but otherwise, yeah, he's not a citybot.

The idea was just to give his giant toy some more play value as a playset in addition to its already being a giant action figure (much like the case with all of the Titan class Citybots being both giant action figures and playsets).

If anything, I'm betting this mode was conceived as a way to further appeal to potential retailers so that they would be more inclined to carry this gigantic Transformers product since the figure on its own wouldn't have been enough in the eyes of the retailers since its planet mode alone wouldn't be marketable enough to most retailers due to its just being a giant ball on a stick that couldn't be played with like how a normal ball could be played with.

But, as we know, the city mode didn't happen and retailers didn't pick it up, so it instead went to HasLab as a crowdfunding product, where it wouldn't have to worry about the needs of mass market appeal to get made.

I have nothing against the concept of him having a city mode, and I understand the reasoning. My problem is that his featured modes (planet and robot) would suffer because if it. If they could have pulled it off without messing with those, then fine. By the looks of it, seems like they were trying to do the same thing they did to Cybertron Primus, except on a larger scale. Just because he's a large figure and has a big price tag, doesn't mean he has to have excessive and unnecessary features, especially ones that have no basis in his origins. If you want a city mode, buy a city bot. There are plenty. Unicron is Unicron.

Prezactly.

Sabrblade wrote:At best, one could pretend that it represents some kind of hellish landscape found inside of his planet mode, but otherwise, yeah, he's not a citybot.

This was my interpretation as well, more of an inside Unicron play set than a city. The monitor cluster is even there in the back.

I really don't understand the articulated eyes that you can't actually see through the eye lenses.

Also...



Still can't unsee it.

Emerje

Unicron is only looking better and better. I so wish I had haved or have the cash to afford him. So fecking awesome. If they can add a half-assed base mode it will be cool but not necessary. Congrats to all who backed this, I was so, so close but couldnt come up with the money even though I knew it was super sweet. He is looking so good with every update that comes out.

Emerje wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:At best, one could pretend that it represents some kind of hellish landscape found inside of his planet mode, but otherwise, yeah, he's not a citybot.

This was my interpretation as well, more of an inside Unicron play set than a city. The monitor cluster is even there in the back.

The planet mode maw pointed upward in the center is also reminiscent of The Pit that was inside Unicron in the 3H Universe comics.

Considering he is just laying down (variation on the theme shared by all city bots) in the concept art, I doubt it would have compromised any other mode. That's just another excuse. What they could have done, since some think only four cities should exist within Transformers figures, was (as mentioned above) show off the acid vat, tentacle tunnel and monitor cluster. Make his "third mode" a Unicron playset. That would have made sense over pointlessly moving but hidden eyes and mismatched tiny figures.