Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[JediTricks]

There was the original premise, to be entirely set on Earth. People didn't like the humans, and the second series was something of a soft reboot, set on Cybertron.

Megatron: Origin was written for publication at Dreamwave and fits more into that continuity. It's pretty incompatible with the rest of the IDW universe. I don't even count it.

All Hail Megatron was a total reboot, then retconned (clumsily) into the previous continuity. Continuum actually re-wrote quite a few of the events of the pre-AHM stories.

Now, this series seems to be set a few years after AHM, with Earth totally rebuilt from the Decepticons practically destroying it, and the Autobots in hiding on Earth for reasons I'm not sure about since I'm waiting for paperbacks. So definitely two hard reboots, three if you count the retconning of AHM into the previous continuity.

Ok, then I am glad I used the term "several". They've been soft-rebooting since the beginning of the Spotlight series, and it's gotten super messy with everything floating around AHM, especially Spotlight Drift.

[El Chuxter]

Spotlight Drift can be ignored, as can almost anything else involving Drift. I'm certainly not against a comic publisher adding their own characters to the mix (Jhiaxxus and Straxxus come to mind immediately), but to hype a character who does absolutely nothing but stand there and essentially say, "Look at me! I'm cool!" and misrepresent Hasbro's intentions of making a toy of him, well, that's a bit different.

[JediTricks]

Drift's toy is due out in, I think, 5 months.

I'm not as down on Poochy, I mean, Drift, as some folks, and I will buy the figure because there is some cool factor to it, but the character is such a joke in action and over-the-top unearned backstory that he really does earn that Poochy title.

[El Chuxter]

Really? Okay, I'll take that part back. It's been a couple of years since they said he was going to be the "first new comic book character to become a toy," despite constant insistence by Hasbro that they had no plans to make him. Will he be in a revived (yet again) Universe line?

Doesn't change the whole "this guy's cooler than Wolverine!" thing, when he literally does nothing and has no personality.

[JediTricks]

They showed the Drift toy line-art at Botcon on the Hasbro Designer Sunday panel, said it would be in the movie line technically, but assured that it'd be faithful to the original source. They're doing non-movie styling with Bludgeon as well, and the Universe 3.0 line is still about 10 months out (they consider the line paused for the movie, not canceled and renewed).

Drift has NEVER used his sword so far. Can you imagine Marvel showing Wolvie's claws for a whole year without doing anything with them?

[El Chuxter]

Bludgeon? Are there pics of him? Now that's one I'd like to be based on the IDW design, missing jaw and everything.

[JediTricks]

Bludgeon is coming out soon, here are pics and vids of the fig picked up in Asia:
http://tformers.com/transformers-/12595/news.html
http://tformers.com/transformers-/12693/news.html
http://tformers.com/transformers-rot...2702/news.html
http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/e...558&src=endeca
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...n-asia-168818/

[El Chuxter]

Sweet.

I'd say more, but I need to mop up the drool. That's one I'll definitely have to get.

[Tycho]

I already have several tanks (2 LC Brawls and 1 Del Dessert Brawl I just use as a generic military tank, but since it's for a Transformers display...)

What I don't have AT ALL is a helicopter. A LC Blackout / Grindor is so necessary - then I think I'm almost done collecting Transformers.

I'd like:

an SUV - Trailbreaker perhaps? Or a re-imagining of Motormaster?
Scrapper that can transform
Hightower that can transform
Bonecrusher in a Voyager or LC size

Human Alliance Decepticons to include Rampage and Sideways.
An Ultimate Class Human Alliance Ironhide (with Lennox)


I'm not sure what else I'd be interested in, though I'd like to see Wheeljack, Mirage, and Hound make the next movie for their characters. I don't know if Michael Bay will allow them to develop as characters, but he'll film them with a shakey-cam while a girl wearing a low cut blouse leans over them, and then bends over them wearing short-shorts while Furbies explode behind them and someone farts (hopefully not the girl bending over).

[JediTricks]

Steve just added Hasbro photos of HA Barricade w/ Frenzy:
http://www.actionfigs.com/index.php?...articleid=3680

I can't believe they left his rear window halves on his forearms, and the arms are even more slabs of the side than the deluxe.