TFCC 2014 Membership Exclusive Protoform X Robot Mode Image

Subscribed and now a member of the Club for the first time ever. Now I just got to learn the ropes...

So Rampage will start shipping around the end of April/mid-May, right?

i really want this figure.. but i have no desire to spend the amount of money it'd take to acquire it.

Wow, this is amazing! One of the few remolds "from one character to other" where it is debatable did it could be better than original Megatron's figure.

TimothyR wrote:i really want this figure.. but i have no desire to spend the amount of money it'd take to acquire it.

If you're a Club member, it's free.

Sabrblade wrote:

TimothyR wrote:i really want this figure.. but i have no desire to spend the amount of money it'd take to acquire it.

If you're a Club member, it's free.

Membership however is not.

Dead Metal wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TimothyR wrote:i really want this figure.. but i have no desire to spend the amount of money it'd take to acquire it.

If you're a Club member, it's free.

Membership however is not.

Still much cheaper than typical Club product prices.

Sabrblade wrote:

shajaki wrote:thinking about it now, doesnt it seem strange to call this version of her "transmutate"? she was only named that in the show cause she was so messed up.

The answer to this is simple: This isn't the Beast Wars cartoon continuity version of the character. This is Transmutate from the new Beast Wars: Uprising storyline, which is a completely different universe from that of the cartoon. Depth Charge and Protoform X are likewise part of this universe as well.

Think the G1 cartoon vs. the IDW G1 comics.

Is Transmutate even called by name in the comics?

Sabrblade wrote:

Dead Metal wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

TimothyR wrote:i really want this figure.. but i have no desire to spend the amount of money it'd take to acquire it.

If you're a Club member, it's free.

Membership however is not.

Still much cheaper than typical Club product prices.

Still more expensive than a normal toy, especially if you don't live in the US.
Which is kinda his point, he wants it, but not enough to spend 4 times as much as the mold originally cost.

Sabrblade wrote:

shajaki wrote:thinking about it now, doesnt it seem strange to call this version of her "transmutate"? she was only named that in the show cause she was so messed up.

The answer to this is simple: This isn't the Beast Wars cartoon continuity version of the character. This is Transmutate from the new Beast Wars: Uprising storyline, which is a completely different universe from that of the cartoon. Depth Charge and Protoform X are likewise part of this universe as well.

Think the G1 cartoon vs. the IDW G1 comics.

ahhh kay. i thought they were just some new pre-beast wars figures. meh. either way theyll be going on my shelf next to the other pre-bw figures

Cool... not $40 cool though.

STngAR wrote:I'm a huge Beast Wars fan and I'm really looking forward to this figure.

So am I. I'm hoping they use some of those other comic's character's they established now, too, like the new Rattrap and Botanica forms.

STngAR wrote:I'm a huge Beast Wars fan and I'm really looking forward to this figure.

I am also a huge BW fan. But as I said, I don't see this mold as fitting of Rampage. Alternate or not.

Manterax Prime wrote:

STngAR wrote:I'm a huge Beast Wars fan and I'm really looking forward to this figure.

I am also a huge BW fan. But as I said, I don't see this mold as fitting of Rampage. Alternate or not.

I totally see it. Prime Megatron's mold is quite crab-like.

I'd prefer hebe more tank thn plane, but Depthcharge flew too, sothey'llgo together. Well enough. I like him, glad i am subscribed.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

shajaki wrote:thinking about it now, doesnt it seem strange to call this version of her "transmutate"? she was only named that in the show cause she was so messed up.

The answer to this is simple: This isn't the Beast Wars cartoon continuity version of the character. This is Transmutate from the new Beast Wars: Uprising storyline, which is a completely different universe from that of the cartoon. Depth Charge and Protoform X are likewise part of this universe as well.

Think the G1 cartoon vs. the IDW G1 comics.

Is Transmutate even called by name in the comics?

Yep. Although the comic parsed her name as "Trans-Mutate" (like the BW 10th Anniv. toy and this new toy).

Sabrblade wrote:

shajaki wrote:thinking about it now, doesnt it seem strange to call this version of her "transmutate"? she was only named that in the show cause she was so messed up.

The answer to this is simple: This isn't the Beast Wars cartoon continuity version of the character. This is Transmutate from the new Beast Wars: Uprising storyline, which is a completely different universe from that of the cartoon. Depth Charge and Protoform X are likewise part of this universe as well.

Think the G1 cartoon vs. the IDW G1 comics.

Oh yeah! Alternate universe.
That's not an answer, it's an excuse. And at that, it's one that can only go so far until it doesn't work.
Sadly for TFCC naming the figure Tansmutate instead giving her an actual name, that excuse doesn't work.

Manterax Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

shajaki wrote:thinking about it now, doesnt it seem strange to call this version of her "transmutate"? she was only named that in the show cause she was so messed up.

The answer to this is simple: This isn't the Beast Wars cartoon continuity version of the character. This is Transmutate from the new Beast Wars: Uprising storyline, which is a completely different universe from that of the cartoon. Depth Charge and Protoform X are likewise part of this universe as well.

Think the G1 cartoon vs. the IDW G1 comics.

Oh yeah! Alternate universe.
That's not an answer, it's an excuse. And at that, it's one that can only go so far until it doesn't work.
Sadly for TFCC naming the figure Tansmutate instead giving her an actual name, that excuse doesn't work.

Let's be honest here. It does't work... for you. For plenty of others, it works just fine.

megatronus wrote:Let's be honest here. It does't work... for you. For plenty of others, it works just fine.

You say that as if it's only me who finds it rather odd. I'm sure there are others.

If IDW can do its own new alternate version of G1 from scratch, why can't Fun Pub likewise do its own new alternate version of the Beast Era from scratch?

Manterax Prime wrote:

megatronus wrote:Let's be honest here. It does't work... for you. For plenty of others, it works just fine.

You say that as if it's only me who finds it rather odd. I'm sure there are others.

I'm sure it's not just you who thinks it doesn't work, but that's just it. You shouldn't state your opinion like it's a universal truth.

Sabrblade wrote:If IDW can do its own new alternate version of G1 from scratch, why can't Fun Pub likewise do its own new alternate version of the Beast Era from scratch?

You're missing the point. Transmutate was called the because he/she/it was severely disfigured. If we're getting a Transmutuate that isn't disfigured, why not give her an actual name?
I'm not arguing against their alt-beast wars story at all.
I just find it odd in naming her Transmutate when that name was used for a specific reason.
It doesn't fit.

Manterax Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:If IDW can do its own new alternate version of G1 from scratch, why can't Fun Pub likewise do its own new alternate version of the Beast Era from scratch?

You're missing the point. Transmutate was called the because he/she/it was severely disfigured. If we're getting a Transmutuate that isn't disfigured, why not give her an actual name?
I'm not arguing against their alt-beast wars story at all.
I just find it odd in naming her Transmutate when that name was used for a specific reason.
It doesn't fit.

This one simply has the name for a different reason.

Whether this different reason is as equally valid as the old reason, however, is currently unknown, as that will be determined by the events that unfold within the upcoming "Alone Together" text story.

Manterax Prime wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:If IDW can do its own new alternate version of G1 from scratch, why can't Fun Pub likewise do its own new alternate version of the Beast Era from scratch?

You're missing the point. Transmutate was called the because he/she/it was severely disfigured. If we're getting a Transmutuate that isn't disfigured, why not give her an actual name?
I'm not arguing against their alt-beast wars story at all.
I just find it odd in naming her Transmutate when that name was used for a specific reason.
It doesn't fit.

Its all about character Identification. We keep calling everyone that turns into a red Trucck Optimus Prime, right? How about all the bad guys leading the Decepticons who keep getting named Megatron, the BW guy, the RiD guy, the Armada guy,

"Is someone there? I can sense you, I know you're there. Your spark. It's not like the others. It speaks of your pain. Such sorrow; sorrow blessed with fury. It has a darkness that I can taste. Your torment is not unlike my own. It consumes you. It glorifies you. Embrace it. Shed your mask and embrace who you are. Don't hold in your pain, there's too much to keep contained. You have enough to blanket the world. Let everyone share in it. Let them scream in joyous cacophony. Go. Go with your friends... but have them be the first who see you stop pretending. Show them that you are so much more than 'Trans-Mutate.' And do not concern yourself with me. It won't be long... We will meet each other again."

All new official pics of Rampage - http://transformersclub.com/rampage14.cfm

Still not a member of the official Transformers Collectors' Club? If not, why are you still reading this? Get moving! A quick reminder for everyone, if you'd like to get in on this year's exclusive figure, a retool of the Prime: First Edition Megatron into a pre-Beast Wars Protoform X/Rampage (also representative of the alternate-universe character whose origins lie in the newly-named Club universe Beast Wars: Uprising), now is not the time to dawdle! As always, the deadline is before midnight on 16 March. To get in on the shenanigans, click here!

For our second half of this newsie, the Club also uploaded a new in-hand image of said exclusive Protoform X/Rampage on their website too. The image has been mirrored for your viewing convenience.

Ok, from straight on, he does look nice.

Really looking forward to Protoform X

How often have the 'free' figures gotten a new headmold?

Mkall wrote:How often have the 'free' figures gotten a new headmold?

2012 Runamuck seems to be the only other one.

Mkall wrote:How often have the 'free' figures gotten a new headmold?

Well, the first one to receive a new head was Heatwave (his combiner head, at least). Then you had Runabout/Over-run (or was it Runamuck?). Then we have Rampage. They've been at this incentive figure deal since... 2005? 2006?

So really, only three I can think of. We're not counting the other exclusives, right?

Ah, right, forgot about Heatwave's Nexus Prime head.

Rampage's head looks really small.

Noideaforaname wrote:Rampage's head looks really small.

Yeah, it sits pretty high up on that neck due to the way Megatron's head original sat upon it. Megs' head had a lot of hanging parts that covered his neck area, but since Rampage's head doesn't angle that way, it sits up higher and looks proportionally off.

It also has to be small enough to fit through the peekaboo hole in jet mode, so that's another factor. A way they could have possibly remedied this was toy simply nix the horns that stick out from the sides of Rampage's head.

After all, a lot of folks are gonna be using this as a pre-BW Cartoon Protoform X instead of its intended use as Uprising Rampage, and in the cartoon, X didn't have those horns in the past:

Sabrblade wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:Rampage's head looks really small.

Yeah, it sits pretty high up on that neck due to the way Megatron's head original sat upon it. Megs' head had a lot of hanging parts that covered his neck area, but since Rampage's head doesn't angle that way, it sits up higher and looks proportionally off.

It also has to be small enough to fit through the peekaboo hole in jet mode, so that's another factor. A way they could have possibly remedied this was toy simply nix the horns that stick out from the sides of Rampage's head.

After all, a lot of folks are gonna be using this as a pre-BW Cartoon Protoform X instead of its intended use as Uprising Rampage, and in the cartoon, X didn't have those horns in the past:

So you're proposing removing one of the more iconic visuals of Rampage, from Rampage?

Besides, though the head may be slim from the side, it will probably hopefully seem a tad larger when viewed straight on.

Sabrblade wrote: A way they could have possibly remedied this was toy simply nix the horns that stick out from the sides of Rampage's head.

Not meaning to sound crass, but doing that to make Nighbeat's head fit went over SOOO well...

megatronus wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:Rampage's head looks really small.

Yeah, it sits pretty high up on that neck due to the way Megatron's head original sat upon it. Megs' head had a lot of hanging parts that covered his neck area, but since Rampage's head doesn't angle that way, it sits up higher and looks proportionally off.

It also has to be small enough to fit through the peekaboo hole in jet mode, so that's another factor. A way they could have possibly remedied this was toy simply nix the horns that stick out from the sides of Rampage's head.

After all, a lot of folks are gonna be using this as a pre-BW Cartoon Protoform X instead of its intended use as Uprising Rampage, and in the cartoon, X didn't have those horns in the past:

So you're proposing removing one of the more iconic visuals of Rampage, from Rampage?

People wanna use this toy as Protoform X, and Protoform X DOESN'T have those horns:

How many people are going to look to a split-second silhouette as the "correct" appearance over the iconic show design, though?

Sabrblade wrote:People wanna use this toy as Protoform X, and Protoform X DOESN'T have those horns:

Not everyone is obsessed with such minute details like that.

That silhouette lasted for about a minute, whereas Rampage's head was seen for a season. Guess which head most BW fans want on their "Protoform X"

Noideaforaname wrote:How many people are going to look to a split-second silhouette as the "correct" appearance over the iconic show design, though?

The diehards that this is aimed at?

It was just a suggestion to make the head be not as tiny and more reasonably proportioned, as it is a sacrifice that is at least rooted in something rather than done randomly for no other reason than make the head bigger while still fitting inside the hole. If the Club wanted to go for show-accuracy, that is one way they could have done so. But the chose not to and instead had to shrink the head to a dinky proportion that some are still going to complain about just like they did with Punch/Counterpunch.

tl:dr - there is no pleasing this fandom.

Sabrblade wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:How many people are going to look to a split-second silhouette as the "correct" appearance over the iconic show design, though?

The diehards that this is aimed at?

I'm with Noideaforaname here. Anyone who's purchasing this can be considered a die-hard, I think - myself included. And I just don't see the point of removing the iconic touches that make Rampage recognizable as Rampage.

While we're at, why not paint him all black too, so that he's accurate to the split-second silhouette?

Sabrblade wrote:It was just a suggestion to make the head be not as tiny and more reasonably proportioned, as it is a sacrifice that is at least rooted in something rather than done randomly for no other reason than make the head bigger while still fitting inside the hole.

It was a suggestion, and I certainly understand your good intent. But just because there's a split-second source for something, doesn't mean we should go with that as opposed to the vast majority of source material the vast majority of fans will recognize and appreciate. That just seems ill-advised.

Sabrblade wrote:If the Club wanted to go for show-accuracy, that is one way they could have done so. But the chose not to and instead had to shrink the head to a dinky proportion that some are still going to complain about just like they did with Punch/Counterpunch.

I'm still thinking the side angle obscures the size a bit, and that the head will be somewhat bigger than it appears in that shot (even though it will probably still be a tad smaller than the original photoshopped promotional pics we've seen).

Sabrblade wrote:tl:dr - there is no pleasing this fandom.

That's a whole bucket of truth, right there.

Sabrblade wrote:

Noideaforaname wrote:How many people are going to look to a split-second silhouette as the "correct" appearance over the iconic show design, though?

The diehards that this is aimed at?

It was just a suggestion to make the head be not as tiny and more reasonably proportioned, as it is a sacrifice that is at least rooted in something rather than done randomly for no other reason than make the head bigger while still fitting inside the hole. If the Club wanted to go for show-accuracy, that is one way they could have done so. But the chose not to and instead had to shrink the head to a dinky proportion that some are still going to complain about just like they did with Punch/Counterpunch.

tl:dr - there is no pleasing this fandom.

Oh, Punch, How I loathe that figure.. mostly cause I Never got it!!!! Stuck with this flimsy KO now...

Eh, but its "not-not"accurate. That is a show head, it's just on a non-existant body. heck, we don't even know WHAT Protoform X looked like, from that picture, that could be his head sideways, and we can't SEE the claws. Many of the IDW Gathering Preds maintained pointed decorations where their BW forms had claws and tusks around the robot mode head.

And anyway, I'mma gonna toss Rampage and any other figures we might get (#Geckobotareyousure) in with the Dawn of Future's Past crew (+Cyb Longrack) cause I can. I wish I coulda gotten the add-ons when I was there, and I kinda hope one of our Shapeways Gurus (Support the local Transtopia members! YEAH!) can come up with a good looking "crushed Spark" accesory...

Agree to disagree?

Manterax Prime wrote:I just find it odd in naming her Transmutate when that name was used for a specific reason.
It doesn't fit.

this might seem silly as im essentially creating fanfic in my head to make sense of this.... BUT:
transmutate was disfigured and mentally disabled (for lack of a better term). but she also had terrifying power. perhaps she had this "power" before her accident making her the transmutate we saw in BW. other TF character had "powers" too (starscreams indestructible spark) and it was considered a mutation. so maybe she got the name transmutate because of her crazy powers?

megatronus wrote:Anyone who's purchasing this can be considered a die-hard, I think - myself included. And I just don't see the point of removing the iconic touches that make Rampage recognizable as Rampage.

While we're at, why not paint him all black too, so that he's accurate to the split-second silhouette?

^agrees^
this statement should have killed the horn debate. im a hradcore BW fan and call me crazy, but i want a rampage that looks like rampage.

by the way, the way the orange fades to red on the legs is amazing.

Noideaforaname wrote:How many people are going to look to a split-second silhouette as the "correct" appearance over the iconic show design, though?

Agreed. The head is tiny, but I'd rather it look like Rampage's character model than the brief, likely cobbled together appearance of Protoform X.

And as far as different universal streams go, I think I'd rather put this with my newer Beast Wars figures than create a separate display for just him and Depth Charge, much the same way I've put Waspinator with my Rhinox and Universe Dinobot rather than with Shockwave and Dreadwing, to match his appearance in IDW continuity. Isn't it the point of an homage to be slotted into your collection wherever you want it to be?

shajaki wrote:by the way, the way the orange fades to red on the legs is amazing.

Yup - the deco is awesome looking. One of the reasons this guy can't get here soon enough.

Henry921 wrote:And as far as different universal streams go, I think I'd rather put this with my newer Beast Wars figures than create a separate display for just him and Depth Charge, much the same way I've put Waspinator with my Rhinox and Universe Dinobot rather than with Shockwave and Dreadwing, to match his appearance in IDW continuity. Isn't it the point of an homage to be slotted into your collection wherever you want it to be?

That's exactly my thinking, too.

I was curious though, and not wasting time on what any one individual has said, but... how many toys from this alternate universe before you create a separate display for them? I mean, we have three now... what if between the the service and the yearly next year we get three to five more of these guys?

dende5416 wrote:I was curious though, and not wasting time on what any one individual has said, but... how many toys from this alternate universe before you create a separate display for them? I mean, we have three now... what if between the the service and the yearly next year we get three to five more of these guys?

Well, speaking only for myself... I think I can consider a display 'complete' when I feel both factions are represented adequately.

For example, I felt last year's Machine Wars figures actually worked pretty well together, and excluding Electro (who I'd place with BotCon 2010 figures) and the Rainmakers (who I'd put with Classics), you have five Autobots and four Decepticons, a common team configuration from the cartoons. They don't need any outside figures, forming their own coherent universe.

If Depth Charge was joined by other Primax 209.0 Gamma figures (like Dynobot and Rattrap) and Rampage was flanked by at least one other Predacon, I might be inclined to separate them from the other characters. For the moment, I tend to prefer them as either "pre-Beast Wars" designs or updated to fit in on something like current IDW Cybertron or Axiom Nexus, where various factions and homages come together. I place them in my Beast Wars display not because they necessarily match the aesthetics of current and older Beast Wars figures, but because to me that is where they belong. That opinion may change depending on how this "Alone Together" fiction progresses.

I also have no interest in Transmutate, which may or may not be a factor in creating a separate display for you.

Thus far, all the known characters who has been named in the Uprising universe are as follows:

Blackarachnia
Nightscream
Scavenger
Immorticon
Optimus Primal (deceased)
Cheetor (damaged)
Rattrap (presumed dead, but evaded death)
Silverbolt (deceased)
Rhinox (deceased)
Depth Charge
.X Rampage
Trans-Mutate
Dynobot
Jawbreaker
Botanica
Geckobot
Torca

And of these, the ones that we know what they look like are:

Rattrap
Depth Charge
Rampage
Trans-Mutate
Dynobot
Jawbreaker
Botanica
Geckobot
Torca

And, well, technically we have seen Blackarachnia, Nightscream, Scavenger, and Immorticon as well, but only in the bodies of their TransTech counterparts, which they stole. So we don't know what their original bodies looked like before they jumped from the Uprising world to Axiom Nexus.

And of the ones who have visual references, only Depth Charge, Rampage, and Trans-Mutate are confirmed to be getting official toy releases (though, a few others like Dynobot, Botanica, and Jawbreaker have been made into unofficial fan customs).

So these visual ones have the best chance of being made into toy form, being based off actual toy designs.


P.S. - As for why the known characters have so many named Maximals vs. so few named Predacons, it's because they're not all part of the same allegiance. Several of these Maximals turned on their fellow Maximals who were still loyal to the Autobots, and these deserters joined up with likeminded Predacon deserters to initiate a rebellion. And of these known characters, the following are members of the resistance:

Blackarachnia
Nightscream
Scavenger
Immorticon
Cheetor (original leader)
Rattrap (current leader)
Trans-Mutate
Dynobot
Jawbreaker
Botanica
Geckobot

The rest either remain loyal to their Autobot masters or were killed prior to the resistance began. As for the deceased, Primal remained loyal and was killed by the rebels, while Rhinox and Silverbolt were killed in action before the rebellion started (Rattrap was thought to have died with these two, but he survived).

Henry921 wrote:

dende5416 wrote:I was curious though, and not wasting time on what any one individual has said, but... how many toys from this alternate universe before you create a separate display for them? I mean, we have three now... what if between the the service and the yearly next year we get three to five more of these guys?

Well, speaking only for myself... I think I can consider a display 'complete' when I feel both factions are represented adequately.

For example, I felt last year's Machine Wars figures actually worked pretty well together, and excluding Electro (who I'd place with BotCon 2010 figures) and the Rainmakers (who I'd put with Classics), you have five Autobots and four Decepticons, a common team configuration from the cartoons. They don't need any outside figures, forming their own coherent universe.

If Depth Charge was joined by other Primax 209.0 Gamma figures (like Dynobot and Rattrap) and Rampage was flanked by at least one other Predacon, I might be inclined to separate them from the other characters. For the moment, I tend to prefer them as either "pre-Beast Wars" designs or updated to fit in on something like current IDW Cybertron or Axiom Nexus, where various factions and homages come together. I place them in my Beast Wars display not because they necessarily match the aesthetics of current and older Beast Wars figures, but because to me that is where they belong. That opinion may change depending on how this "Alone Together" fiction progresses.

I also have no interest in Transmutate, which may or may not be a factor in creating a separate display for you.

I personally don't have any of those Botcon figures of the pre-earth Beast Wars figures (they look so gorgeous but they fetch quite the price on e-Bay.) So, for now, Depthcharge is just kinda off on his own little thing with Over-Run and Runamuck(I don't really have a place for those either.) But then again, my collection space is a bit limited in a one-bedroom apartment. In the future, maybe, but I hope they release more of the figures through the Service or something.