Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[JediTricks]

Blurr is hard not to rate highly, I keep wanting to take him with me from room to room like when I was a kid. And he poses like a Gundam figure or something, VERY dramatic, so many choices - though now I do wish he had a gun, it'd just make him cooler.

No ROTF? Not even gonna be picky and get a few good ones? Not even Sideswipe, the 2010 concept Corvette? I'm gonna be picky but I will not be able to pass that one up, and a few others.

So, what did you think of this new Dinobot figure? It's not clear if you are referring to the new fig or not.

Do you own Transmetals 2 Cheetor? That figure sucks worse than this one in many ways. Other than that, I'd say you're spot-on.

Thanks, I am very curious about Swindle because I haven't seen anybody else complaint about that.

[Chaddymac]

I don't have a problem with my Swindle. He's perfect. Might just be a QC issue.

I also love Dinobot. I'm not sure why people have found reason to complain. He's a better match for the animation model on both robot and beast mode (though I do wish he had the spinning tail weapon instead of the launcher, and the longer bone sword). Has anyone tried taking the original bone sword from BW Dinobot to see if it fits inside the tail yet? I may have to dig mine out of storage to test it out...

[figrin bran]

Blurr is hard not to rate highly, I keep wanting to take him with me from room to room like when I was a kid. And he poses like a Gundam figure or something, VERY dramatic, so many choices - though now I do wish he had a gun, it'd just make him cooler.

No ROTF? Not even gonna be picky and get a few good ones? Not even Sideswipe, the 2010 concept Corvette? I'm gonna be picky but I will not be able to pass that one up, and a few others.

So, what did you think of this new Dinobot figure? It's not clear if you are referring to the new fig or not.

Do you own Transmetals 2 Cheetor? That figure sucks worse than this one in many ways. Other than that, I'd say you're spot-on.

Thanks, I am very curious about Swindle because I haven't seen anybody else complaint about that.

JT, unfortunately it looks like you have a bad Swindle as mine doesn't have any of the QC issues you mentioned. The lower chest panel can come undone but the two notches on the side as well as the discs around the hips should hold it in place quite well. From seeing it on the show, I never liked the head design to begin with but my main criticism would be his height. Or lack thereof. Compared to just about every other TFA figure, he's just a short little runt and the large head tends to distort the bad proportions. I had him on the shelf next to Blurr and it looks like Blurr could beat him to a pulp!

From looking at the designs for TFA Perceptor, I think his toy might turn out very similar - SUV w. huge microscope on top. Huge head as well.

Transmetal 2 Cheetor is the one where you fold out side panels for the rocket jets thus leaving a huge gap in the body, correct? Mine was a funky repaint version - dark magenta-ish so it's not a figure that I ever held in great esteem.

As for TFU Lakers variant Dinobot, I'd probably give a B- for many of the same reasons that you listed, JT. Too many panels, raptor head pops off easily when I transform it to bot mode, one side of the raptor mode has an excessive amount of screws showing, limited articulation in bot mode and raptor mode, thorax kibble. (Speaking of that, I think it looks better with the bot hands out.) However, bot mode, despite non accurate colors looks pretty good. I'll have to try the sword from the older Dinobot.

For ROTF, maybe just one or two. Maybe Sideswipe and Jetfire but I'm not planning on investing heavily into the line.

[Chaddymac]

...From seeing it on the show, I never liked the head design to begin with but my main criticism would be his height...

...Transmetal 2 Cheetor is the one where you fold out side panels for the rocket jets thus leaving a huge gap in the body, correct?...

Actually, that's Transmetal Cheetor. Transmetal 2 Cheetor had a rocket on his back and looked vaguely werewolf-ish, ala Gingersnaps.

Also, I LOVE the Swindle head, if only because the light piping reveals cat-like irises. That's a really nice touch.

[JediTricks]

I don't have a problem with my Swindle. He's perfect. Might just be a QC issue.

I bought another Swindle, it also had QC issues, different ones, so I frankensteined the old arms onto the new one and returned the original to Target as defective. Oh, and I also noticed that the grille on the first one I got had been assembled wrong, with the top half on the bottom so it didn't match the way the new one does. But the new one has weak, droopy shoulders and backpack hinge, and the bot stomach plate doesn't align properly in alt mode. If I liked this mold more, I'd go after a 3rd pass, but I don't so f' it.

I also love Dinobot. I'm not sure why people have found reason to complain. He's a better match for the animation model on both robot and beast mode (though I do wish he had the spinning tail weapon instead of the launcher, and the longer bone sword). Has anyone tried taking the original bone sword from BW Dinobot to see if it fits inside the tail yet? I may have to dig mine out of storage to test it out...

He's got ugly yellow gold and purple secondary colors, alt mode has kibble issues, his torso doesn't hold together all that well, the raptor head doesn't go into the chest well, the knee articulation is limited, the alt mode only looks good from the right side. Those are reasons to complain.

I don't think the longer sword could fit, that one went past the tip of the tail proper, this new version has nearly half the tail a solid fold-away piece.

Transmetal 2 Cheetor is the one where you fold out side panels for the rocket jets thus leaving a huge gap in the body, correct? Mine was a funky repaint version - dark magenta-ish so it's not a figure that I ever held in great esteem.

No, that's TM1 Cheetor, one of the funner molds. TM2 Cheetor is... well, it's this: http://tfu.info/1999/Maximal/TM2Cheetor/cheetor.htm

(Speaking of that, I think it looks better with the bot hands out.)

Whoa, why? To me it looks like something punching its way out of his gut.

[Chaddymac]

He's got ugly yellow gold and purple secondary colors, alt mode has kibble issues, his torso doesn't hold together all that well, the raptor head doesn't go into the chest well, the knee articulation is limited, the alt mode only looks good from the right side. Those are reasons to complain.

I fixed the raptor head/chest problem on mine, though it required a sharp knife. I cut grooves into the plate that holds the robot head so that the raptor head can hinge further. Once i got the raptor head in far enough, the spring plate wasn't strong enough to pop it back out. Now, he looks great and it doesn't affect the beast mode at all.

[JediTricks]

Hmm, not sure what you mean there. Can you take photos?

Here's what I don't get about Hasbro TF designers, they could have simply sculpted the back of his head to match the dino design, then turn the head around. But instead, they go through this convoluted spring-loaded panel, then they make a channel it's supposed to go in, then they add or move the screw set and it ends up creating a gap that catches the panel which they didn't actually need in the first place. Can you really tell me anybody would have been miffed by a camouflaged head back design?

[JediTricks]

It's like the dang Dinobot toy was listening to me and decided it needed another knock against it. It's sitting here on my laptop off to my side near the floor when I hear a slight "click", and I know what it means, the stupid sword has fired into the tail. I look down and sure enough, the tail has pushed itself open slightly. Now the button won't contain the sword at all, I was able to get the tail to stay closed but the sword/missile won't stay in the launcher. And let me tell you, this spring is REALLY strong compared to most of the weak firing TFs out there.

Hasbro QC: run by accident.

[figrin bran]

Now that Hasbro has officially revealed the ROTF toys, I think I'm only going to buy Sideswipe.

I don't like "Devastator" at all and certainly not enough to spend $100 on the combiner set. And apparently, it's just non transformable vehicles for the combiner. There are also transformable "Constructicons" but they cannot combine.

Animated Arcee doesn't look bad and I'll look forward to getting her.

[Adam]

Well. Looks like after I get the remainder of TFU, my only other TF purchase for the foreseable future will be MP Grimlock. More money to spend on Gundam models I suppose..