Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[figrin bran]

I got tired of waiting for Animated to hit so I used my Hasbro Rewards over the weekend and among other things, got a Premium Series Bumblebee.

The interesting thing I found is that "premium" seems to apply only to the alt mode. The plastic is more grainy and not smooth so it looks less toy like. However in bot mode, the parts of BB that were black are now grey and unfortunately, it makes it look too plasticky.

[Adam]

Apparently the first three TFU Ultra figures will be given a more G1 accurate look for their counter park Henkei releases. Silverbolt Powerglide Onslaught

I'll have to see better pics of the US Silverbolt to decide on that one. I don't think I'm going to get Powerglide at this point, but if I did, I would probably spring for this red one. I'm ok with the US onslaught.

[JediTricks]

Onslaught looks way better, there's something that doesn't work for me on the US version. Powerglide I don't think looks good that red at this size. And there's nothing that can save Silverbolt.

BTW, Powerglide's photo there looks like a digibash.

[Tycho]

Onslaught's kind of cool.

Michael Bay might want to look into him for a new Decepticon character.

By the way, Barricade's coming back for Transformers 2, though no explanation has been given for what happened to him after we last saw him on the freeway going between Hoover Dam and Mission City.

But rumors were that test audiences revealed appreciation for the character, so Michael Bay just cut any filmed evidence of his demise and offered no reason within the first film's storyline.

That was NOT awesome, Michael.

[El Chuxter]

Supposedly, Jazz will be back, too. I don't think that needs any explanation. Most people were probably too dizzied by the blur of flashing gears to notice he was supposedly killed.

[JediTricks]

By the way, Barricade's coming back for Transformers 2, though no explanation has been given for what happened to him after we last saw him on the freeway going between Hoover Dam and Mission City.

But rumors were that test audiences revealed appreciation for the character, so Michael Bay just cut any filmed evidence of his demise and offered no reason within the first film's storyline.

That was NOT awesome, Michael.

Of course test audiences ranked Barricade higher, he's the only Decepticon with any LINES! Nobody else says much of import (except for Megacrap, and his lines are all spaced apart and boring), so it's up to Barricade to represent. If Bonecrusher or Brawl had, you know, SAID something or DID something the way Barricade did, maybe they'd have survived too.

[Tycho]

"Sir, that tank-thing is getting back up!" - soldier reacting to Brawl.

"We're so dead!" - Capt. Lennox responding to Blackout.

Actions might speak louder than words in so far as the characters go with the Decepticons. I don't think the audience wanted a long expose from any of the villain characters, except more where Starscream and Megatron were concerned.

Besides, Frenzy talked to himself in his own crazy language all the time. What are you complaining about?

Very few of the Decepticons had reason to interact with humans, or speak English. Michael Bay tried to make a more realistic alien invasion rather than a copy of the cartoon.

In that effort, Megatron and Starscream should not have even had that short exchange in English:

"I live to serve you Lord Megatron."

"Where is the AllSpark?"

"The humans have it."

"You've failed me yet again, Starscream."

The dialogue should have been in their "only clue we have is this sound" language and subtitled for the audience, but knowing that's not what the hardcore fans wanted, it's acceptable. Yet there wasn't enough.

When Starscream disguised himself as an F-22, he should have shot the kill shots that took out Megatron after some more dialogue describing their power-struggle was built up. That would have been cool and a very practical tactic that Starscream would have employed, given the circumstances.

[El Chuxter]

I still haven't figured out where Starscream failed. Megatron came, got frozen, got imprisoned by humans, and Starscream came to bail him out. Sounds to me like Megatron is projecting his own failure onto Starscream, who at least took out a few military operations. Megatron didn't have any Autobots to contend with and blew it like a chump, whereas Starscream's crew had a small contingent of them who were aware of and protecting the AllSpark, as well as a much more technological human race.

[figrin bran]

So the working title of the sequel is "Revenge of the Fallen"

And in other news, I'm still waiting on those HTS animated preorders. They're not due to ship for another 2 weeks but I'm hoping I might get them earlier.

[Tycho]

I tried to return Wingblade again today. I couldn't bring myself to do it.

I reasoned that I bought Long Arm just to have as a towtruck. So what's wrong with having Wingblade in my collection?

Michael Bay still might use a Warthog as a Transformer in a new movie and I doubt it would be any differently colored than Wingblade is already.