Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[JetsAndHeels]

I picked up ROTF Grindor earlier tonight. He has been pretty tough to find, so I was glad to finally get him.

Tycho, concerning the legends:

*they did make a Jetfire (he combines with Legends Optimus)
*they did make a regular color Ironhide, but it is from the first movie line of legends
*they did make a legends Ratchet
*they did make Sideways
*both brawl and barricade are also as legends, however they are from the first movie (except a repaint of brawl was made for this film, but its a repaint and is named Tankor)

[figrin bran]

Tycho, don't buy RPMs! I bought them for someone else's kid and got to see them out of package. They are far from Hot Wheels quality and for the most part are completely plastic.

I just transformed the ROTF Prime I got yesterday and sadly it took me over an hour! TF instructions are usually poorly written but this one was even worse than usual.

[Tycho]

Thanks guys.

And Figrin, you need to contact Sector 7 to decode the instructions. I'm sure they have the really detailed version recorded on the bottom of a pizza box somewhere.

[JetsAndHeels]

Instructions? What are those?

The last one I actually had to refer to the instructions on was leader Jetfire...and after a few looks at them they were in the trash.

[Tycho]

Tonight I bought the Tailwinds collection's K-52 Alligator attack hellicopter, an SR-71, and two F-22 Raptor fighters to go with my RPMs.

They're a better scale than what RPMs did for the fighter jets. Too bad their isn't a "super-RPM" Megatron, and no way to get Megatron as the first movie Cybertronian fighter in about the right scale (I don't think they had Legends back then about the time of the first movie)

Tailwinds does make a PAV-Low hellicopter (what Blackout and Grindor really were) but the Alligator looks really good and threatening in a "Decepticon sort of way." Plus, they didn't have the correct helicopter anyway and I wouldn't want it if it's in bright orange Coast Guard colors, as it very well might be. I want it to look like Blackout.

Anyway, it's Matchbox who makes some pretty cool playsets for their cars so I can get a construction site or a city street together should I want to re-create that via pre-made sets. However, I rather like making my own. That takes more time, or course.

[Chaddymac]

Aww - I like the instructions. And ever since BEAST MACHINES, I've argued that people have over estimated their ability to transform their figures without them. I remember, after a slew of people complained that the "motorcycle drone" sucked, I took pics of my CORRECTLY transformed drone and revealed that the majority of the folks had ignored the instructrions and just transformed him based on the crappy production photography on the box.

I credit myself with the sell through of that figure - a lot of people were ready to pass on it. Yeah, sometimes the instructions suck, or leave out important steps or features, but every once in a while they'll show something I might have missed otherwise.

Besides, they're just nice to have as a companion.

Why am I still typing? Anyway, my $.02.

[JediTricks]

A lot of the instructions lately are drawn from the absolute worst angles though. I always refer to instructions and package pics on my first transformations, but there have been a myriad of figures that have been flat-out-wrong in the instructions over the past decade based on toy design or something of that nature. But I do agree with you, these fans who transform toys without EVER looking at the instructions and then review them based on incorrect aspects really bug the crap out of me.


So, I received an early issue of the Legends-class Devastator set that'll be coming to the US next year. I like how the package looks, compact yet significant, but it's difficult to work with (not impossible, but difficult) if you want to keep using it after opening. The combination is decent, the gestalt bot looks good, I dig any Minicon-sized combiners, but like most of those, this combiner can't move almost at all. 5 of the 7 individual bots are nifty on their own as well, which is a pretty good ratio, and I don't think there's a bad alt mode in the bunch.

[Tycho]

I saw JT's Devastator in person when he came down to visit.

I was impressed. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy this.

I bought Legends Megatron, Fallen, and Starscream to go with these.

Now I need to find Legends Prime and Jetfire to join them. These are all the Legends figures I can think of that would be the right scale to Devastator and the vehicle modes of the Constructicons.

I'm sure if you want to display them as regular bots like Scrapper and the likes, BumbleBee et. all would be around the right scale, but not nearly in other modes.

[Chaddymac]

I saw JT's Devastator in person when he came down to visit.

I was impressed. I'm pretty sure I'm going to buy this.

I bought Legends Megatron, Fallen, and Starscream to go with these.

Now I need to find Legends Prime and Jetfire to join them. These are all the Legends figures I can think of that would be the right scale to Devastator and the vehicle modes of the Constructicons.

I'm sure if you want to display them as regular bots like Scrapper and the likes, BumbleBee et. all would be around the right scale, but not nearly in other modes.

Ooh, I want that Devastator. Pretty sure him, Bludgeon, and the last of the HA figures will probably be my only movie purchases. And Bludgeon really doesn't qualify as a movie toy, IMHO.

[JetsAndHeels]

Picked up Animated Leader Shadowblade Megatron today.

Walmart had a ton of them and they were only $20. He is a pretty solid repaint.