Transformers: Energon & Beyond

**El Chuxter** · 03-06-2005

After nearly peeing in my pants when I saw the name "Quintesson" on a box at Target, I passed on the craptacular POS as well. I thought maybe the success (of sorts) of the Unicron finally prompted Hasbro to give us a Quintesson, but a true Quint this guy ain't.

Three faces? Wouldn't that make him the Alpha Trisson?

**JediTricks** · 03-07-2005

Yeah, exactly, 3 faces does not a quintesson make. After Energon Kicker & Highwire, I'm not surprised how lame this figure is though, I can't wait for the Energon line to go away and be replaced by Cybertron.

Oh, and I found the Energon figure Wideload today at Target, I suspect I missed the other 3 repaints. Lardbutt, er, I mean "Wideload" (c'mon, that is a BAD name

) is a better-looking repaint of Duststorm, but still doesn't look much like a crane coloring to me.

**Adam** · 03-07-2005

Originally Posted by JediTricks

Lardbutt, er, I mean "Wideload" (c'mon, that is a BAD name

) is a better-looking repaint of Duststorm, but still doesn't look much like a crane coloring to me.

Wideload is a better name for like a dump truck. Are "Wideload's" legs joints tighter than Duststorm's? The joints on my Duststorm are pretty loose.

**JediTricks** · 03-08-2005

Yes, and they have a little stoppage to them so they hold up when the crane is disconnected in vehicle mode. He's much better than his losery brother Duststorm. Colors aren't really very much like a crane, but they're not garish either, and the off-white helps separate the front vehicle from the back part being towed, oh, and the wheels are black instead of a heinous light blue; colors work better in bot mode as well, especially the light chest which brings out the details. Joints are all tighter, the hips that were a serious problem on Duststorm are way better now. Still not
the greatest design, but now at leat a worthy addition to the line.

**Adam** · 03-09-2005

Well, I dunno about "worthy" but it sounds way better than his twin.

I haven't been out looking for TF's lately so I could order some gundam models.. I needed my fix. I need to finish off Bruticus and Buildron soon though. Also getting Roadblock (GRAPPLE) for sure. Probably pass on EE Starscream. I can't decide if I want to get Quickstrike.. I think he's an improvement over Bulkhead, but I'm not sure I like the mold enough to pay another $25 for it. Overcast is a similar situation. I think thats it for Energon after that.

I don't know if we've talked about this, but you guys know that Hasbro is apparently not releasing Cybertron Starscream in the mega size... which sucks because its about $40 bucks to import!

**JediTricks** · 03-10-2005

EE Starscream is worth it I think.

That explains why I paid $39 for GF Starscream last night.

I heard rumors that Cybertron Mega Starscream will eventually be released, just not immediately. Besides Screamer, I picked Skids, here's my thoughts:

Galaxy Force Skids - I hit the local collectors show last night and caved on this one, not even totally sure why, he was $13. I like the vehicle a lot, though the add-on pipes aren't that cool. The force-chip gimmick is alright, cool enough. Transformation is very clever but the windshield sticks to the seats. Bot mode looks neat but not amazing and when you raise his arms you can see his VERY hollow chest; He's well-articulated for a basic with neck, ball shoulders, hinged elbows, waist, ball hips, and hinge knees. Skids comes apart at the top of the chest quite easily as well which can be frustrating. All in all, I dig him but recognize his limits.

Galaxy Force Starscream - I gave this one a lot of thought and was sure I wasn't going to bother, then caved at $39 anyway. Pretty cool, seems like an evolution of the Armada character right down to the similar sizes, very little in common with the Energon version though; GF Scream is all about the sculpted detail in this mode. Vehicle mode is sleek yet bulky at the same time, removing the (way touchy) missile-launching gun is a minor thing but somehow goes a long way here, but the head barely being hidden is kind of a let-down. The force-chip gimmick is neat but watch your fingers, it's strong and fast. Transformation is right on the edge of being too basic, in fact I'm still undecided if it squeeks by or not but it does seem like an authentic "transformer" transformation to me. Bot mode is bulky and reminds me of Armada Starscream a lot, probably no accident on the designer's part. This Starsceam seems like he's on 'roid rage, bulked out and mad-faced. Articulation is so-so with only neck, shoulders (with tilt in and out 1 click), hinged elbows, uni-hips, rotating thighs, hinged knees, and feet which can be pointed down thanks to transformation; the lack of arm articulation really hurts, there's no reason there could have been at least a wrist swivel or rotating elbow or one more point, especially since the arms are so stubby as it is. The missile launcher gun is plain but works with his stubby forearms, and can be pegged into the underside of the figure's back right behind the rear landing wheel (this hole seems to be here specifically for this use!), the trigger remains a hair-trigger so watch out for that. The force-chip gimmick swords are pretty neat, especially with the shoulder-tilt in play. All in all, he's pretty cool, hardly perfect, a solid "B" figure but not the end-all be-all.

**JediTricks** · 03-13-2005

Bought Alternators Shockwave (yes, I know he's "Shockblast" but the license plate says "SHKWAV" so he's Shockwave) last night at Target, $18.82. The figure has a surprising number of little problems like flash, the hood pieces not fitting together and popping out, the trunk not closing all the way and being slightly off-color, loose door-slides, and the gun-hand's forearm not being screwed together all the way, and design issues like the seat on the chest's left side not folding up as high as the right (this was on Meister as well) and the light-piped eye being clear "white" instead of the clear purple the test shot had. Still, his deep royal blue color looks amazing, so much more exciting than just another black Decepticon, and the gunmetal black wheels are stunning, so much better than more chrome. The Mazdaspeed redesign has a bolder look to it and the spoiler adds some much-needed character to the relatively bland-looking RX-8. Transformation is frustrating at the head because the hood keeps coming off, but the bot mode itself is impressive, somehow more imposing than Meister even though they're basically the same exact thing. I put Shockwave's gun in "pistol" configuration and it works well and looks different enough from Meister's "rifle" config. Despite my issues, I really like this figure and in both modes which makes my displaying dilemma of "bot mode or vehicle mode" far more difficult than either Dead End or Ravage (though I still haven't decided on Ravage either, currently he's in vehicle mode while Shockwave is displayed as a bot).

**Chaddymac** · 03-13-2005

Originally Posted by JediTricks

Bought Alternators Shockwave (yes, I know he's "Shockblast" but the license plate says "SHKWAV" so he's Shockwave) last night at Target, $18.82. The figure has a surprising number of little problems like flash, the hood pieces not fitting together and popping out, the trunk not closing all the way and being slightly off-color, loose door-slides, and the gun-hand's forearm not being screwed together all the way, and design issues like the seat on the chest's left side not folding up as high as the right (this was on Meister as well) and the light-piped eye being clear "white" instead of the clear purple the test shot had. Still, his deep royal blue color looks amazing, so much more exciting than just another black Decepticon, and the gunmetal black wheels are stunning, so much better than more chrome. The Mazdaspeed redesign has a bolder look to it and the spoiler adds some much-needed character to the relatively bland-looking RX-8. Transformation is frustrating at the head because the hood keeps coming off, but the bot mode itself is impressive, somehow more imposing than Meister even though they're basically the same exact thing. I put Shockwave's gun in "pistol" configuration and it works well and looks different enough from Meister's "rifle" config. Despite my issues, I really like this figure and in both modes which makes my displaying dilemma of "bot mode or vehicle mode" far more difficult than either Dead End or Ravage (though I still haven't decided on Ravage either, currently he's in vehicle mode while Shockwave is displayed as a bot).

mmm...shockwave...

His blaster hand is still purple, right?

**JediTricks** · 03-13-2005

Yes, which is why the "white" eye is even more so confusing.

**darthvyn** · 03-15-2005

i thought the eye was yellow? i'm excited for this guy. i love the rx-8, and shockwave is so cool. the color looks really good, although i kinda wish they just made him completely purple. that's a "tuner" color if i ever saw one.