Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[Chaddymac]

It's not that they don't move, it's just that with the way "he" sits (on all 4 wheels) they don't roll. He sort of slides along on his undercarriage.

He's my favorite of the 3 though. I agree about Ransack, it's a wonky toy, but I hadn't bought myself a TF in soooo long... so what the heck.

I saw a few more tonight.

Hot Shot - looked like nothing special, but not bad.
Landmine - really looked like nothing special.
Thundercracker - (something about that name makes me laugh.) A decent jet figure, but nothing new or special.
Dirt Boss - Funny... I came really close to buying this one. I agree, there's something fun about it. (Next time.)
Vector Prime - I'm not sure about this one. I kind of dig it, but I'll wait a bit.
Crumplezone - I bought this one. I'll open it later and let you know what I think.
Jetfire - looks very cool, but I didn't feel like spending $30 right now. (Again, next time.)

Still waiting to see Optimus Prime and Override, which I think I'll like. I'm not wild about Red Alert, and I'm not sure about Megatron, who looks too much like the Batmobile to me. In bot mode he looks OK I suppose, but It's hard to tell just from the photos on the insert.

----------

So what did you guys think about the first episode? Did I miss some kind of a pilot episode where they set this whole thing up, or did it really just start up with no introduction?

It seems they skipped the first 3 episodes of the Japanese-language series, so a great deal of the set-up was left behind. God only knows if they'll show those 3 episodes, but it looks like they're going to show them from 4 on. idiots.

I only bought Ransack today and I'm not so much disappointed as unimpressed. It's basically convinced me not to waste my time on this line. I heard Jetfire was a must have, though. I will personally be waiting until I play with him in person out of box, but my buddy won't stop gushing about him.

[plasticfetish]

It seems they skipped the first 3 episodes of the Japanese-language series, so a great deal of the set-up was left behind.

Yeah, that's what I figured. Very odd choice.

and I'm not so much disappointed as unimpressed. It's basically convinced me not to waste my time on this line.

Yeah, after having looked at a few more of them tonight in person, that's still pretty much my take on the TF line. There's going to be a few that I like well enough, (and I'll buy then to keep up my timeline of sampled figures) but on the whole there's nothing really amazing going on.

I'm interested to see what Hasbro has out at Comic-Con. Last year they told me that they would start focusing on toys from "the movie" right away.

[kool-aid killer]

I watched the Cybertron cartoon yesterday and i was disgusted for the most part. This one might make my head hurt more than Energon did. I get the feeling that this ones going to suffer like the last Transformers toon did. Oh well, at least i have my Beast Wars box sets to show me what a solid Transformers cartoon is.

[Chaddymac]

Yeah, that's what I figured. Very odd choice.
Yeah, after having looked at a few more of them tonight in person, that's still pretty much my take on the TF line. There's going to be a few that I like well enough, (and I'll buy then to keep up my timeline of sampled figures) but on the whole there's nothing really amazing going on.

I'm interested to see what Hasbro has out at Comic-Con. Last year they told me that they would start focusing on toys from "the movie" right away.

I have no idea what to expect from the movie toys, but I REALLY hope they rock. With the trickle down of the Alternators line, I need a reason to keep up the interest.

Oh, by the way, the Scion (at least in the BT line) was announced as Skids.

[Adam]

The show was frustrating. I've been watching Galaxy Force and its 25 episodes in. It's a fun show for the most part. Suprisingly, most of the plot and dialouge was spot on, which is GOOD. The only things omitted were Primus (which sort of explained why those blasted force chips just drop from the sky right when the Autobots need them.. but doesn't explain how everyone else learns how to use it whenever they want..), and the whole Atlantic Pattern thing.

I don't get why they started with episode 4, its not a great episode..

And what is up with the accents! Jetfire's new Aussie accent completely destroys voice continuity. (That and its terrible.) Scattorshot's is just as bad. And Red Alert's english accent makes zero sense as well. Then we have the same guy who voiced Rad voicing Hot Shot now.. AUGH! I shudder to think how Nitro Convoy.. er Override's female voice will sound. (NC is male in GF if you didn't know..)

I might watch it if I have nothing to do, but I'm sticking to GF..

[plasticfetish]

And what is up with the accents!

I was laughing at that when we watched the show. Sort of over-the-top, but a lot of the dialog is really over-the-top silly also, so I didn't mind too much.

I think the best thing a show like this has going for it, is that it's just pushing the whole absurd dialog idea as far as it can go. I really wish they'd go for it and make everything as big and loud as possible. Just crank up the whole cliche TF thing--but this show did a fair job of that.

I'm not sure one way or the other about the animation yet. I kind of found the mouth animation to be a little odd. Very puppet like.

[JediTricks]

It's not that they don't move, it's just that with the way "he" sits (on all 4 wheels) they don't roll. He sort of slides along on his undercarriage.

I can't picture what you mean in my head. I'll take a closer look when I see him in person next week.

I agree about Ransack, it's a wonky toy, but I hadn't bought myself a TF in soooo long... so what the heck.

Sounds like the reason I bought the Galaxy Force version.

Hot Shot - looked like nothing special, but not bad.

Depends on your POV, he is kinda cool but isn't a tiny god.

Landmine - really looked like nothing special.

That's what I thought, and didn't buy him, now I'm seeing really positive reviews and regretting that choice. I'll buy him next week for sure.

Thundercracker - (something about that name makes me laugh.) A decent jet figure, but nothing new or special.

His oversized head bothered me, and seeing him in person didn't make me buy him right away, but Dave Van Domelen's review really killed all my remaining interest: http://www.eyrie.org/~dvandom/BW/

Dirt Boss - Funny... I came really close to buying this one. I agree, there's something fun about it. (Next time.)

This one is an oddity, there's definitely some things that some TF collectors will loathe about him, but I like him on the fun level, and he has one really clever bit where when you rotate his waist around, his chip gimmick goes off to accomodate the rest of the transformation.

Vector Prime - I'm not sure about this one. I kind of dig it, but I'll wait a bit.

That's the same reaction I had, though mine was more about the small size and weak paint work. I'll probably end up getting him soon though.

Jetfire - looks very cool, but I didn't feel like spending $30 right now. (Again, next time.)

$25 at my TRUs. I'm in the same boat, I was tempted but couldn't pull the trigger on that much $$$ right now.

Still waiting to see Optimus Prime and Override, which I think I'll like. I'm not wild about Red Alert, and I'm not sure about Megatron, who looks too much like the Batmobile to me. In bot mode he looks OK I suppose, but It's hard to tell just from the photos on the insert.

Optimus is my favorite Optimus Prime toy since the end of Beast Machines - he just looks more in charge, complete, big, and then he gets bigger and heavily-armed.

Override isn't out yet as far as I know, but I definitely want to get... her? Not used to that yet.

Red Alert looks pretty cool to me, but I like the Dodge Magnum he's based off of so I had a little push.

Megs is a triple-changer, bot to car to plane, I think he looks pretty cool, he's actually a merging of Megatron and Unicron sparks so his body reflects that.

One you didn't mention is $25 Scourge, the 3-headed dragon. I am not interested at this point even though it's finally a return to beasts because I don't like 3-headed transformers, they've too often done wrong by me.

So what did you guys think about the first episode? Did I miss some kind of a pilot episode where they set this whole thing up, or did it really just start up with no introduction?

I wouldn't know, stupid Cartoon Network decided to show ep 3. Man, what is WRONG with them?!? This isn't the first TF series they've done that with. The ep was ok, a little better than Armada & Energon, interesting action and decent artwork, but still too many kids and the Aussie accents on some characters were REALLY difficult to get past for some reason. I also think Gary Chalk's turn at playing Optimus Prime is starting to wear thin unfortunately.

It seems they skipped the first 3 episodes of the Japanese-language series, so a great deal of the set-up was left behind. God only knows if they'll show those 3 episodes, but it looks like they're going to show them from 4 on. idiots.

TV listings and even the CN schedule said this was Ep 3, so I suspect they'll simply play them out of order like they did with Energon's premiere and we'll see Eps 1 and 2 in a few weeks.

I only bought Ransack today and I'm not so much disappointed as unimpressed. It's basically convinced me not to waste my time on this line.

As I said in the Just Found LA thread, don't base your opinion on this line with Ransack, he's easily my least-favorite and doesn't remind me of any other figures so far, and his gimmick isn't indicative of the other chip gimmicks either.


KAK, why is Cybertron worse than Energon for you? I have it the other way around, it's slightly better than Armada, Energon, and even RiD, but still nowhere near as good as it should be.

I'm not sure one way or the other about the animation yet. I kind of found the mouth animation to be a little odd. Very puppet like.

Yeah, the mouth movements were pretty bad, the CG there wasn't as good as it should have been, it stood out the most.


BTW, Hasbro totally omitted mention of 2 modes for Prime, the one where his extra stuff becomes a base of sorts, not much to it but it's a good weapons emplacement for Prime or others; and the vehicle mode sides become wings which looks pretty nifty. I put in the batteries and I plan on leaving them there, they're not bad, there's a dribbling-fire sound, then when you insert the chip (er... key, I guess, gotta start calling them that I suppose) the hexagonal barrel opens with a sound, then if you hold down the fire button it makes a drawing power sound and when you let go it makes an interesting big-fire sound.

[kool-aid killer]

Its got to be the accents that make me loathe it more than i did Energon. Dont get me wrong, i still might catch several more episodes in hopes of them redeeming Cybertron but as it is right now they are in the hole. Plus it didnt help that the story seemed to make no sense. I kept asking myself "Did they show the first episode last week?"

Here in Omaha i have yet to see any new Transformer toys, but Target has started to mark down their left over Energon figures, now people just need to buy them.

[JediTricks]

Yeah, the accents really do take me out of it too, someone pointed out that the NZ accent on Jango Fett in AOTC did that for them, and it's true for me too, both there and here.

They definitely didn't show the first or second ep yet, no idea when they will, if ever. Rumor has it the reason is simply a dubbing issue that had to be fixed, but who knows if that's true.

BTW, I was mistaken about Prime's packaging, the instructions and packaging do show the vehicle mode's "jet mode", just not the correct super mode or the wonky base mode/emplacement. I've found my favorite backpack-wearing bot mode, it's not in the instructions either, the side panels have to be inverted before putting the pack on Prime (the same way the Hasbro Cybertron packaging claims Super mode already is, with the techy sculpted bits facing forward/out and the wings down at the bottom of the panels instead of at the top), then the panels with wings are layed flat against the pack and pointed down and 1 click back, then you can rotate the weapons over Prime's shoulders from a spot that's further back than the offical Hasbro mode which looks way cooler.

[plasticfetish]

That's the same reaction I had, though mine was more about the small size and weak paint work. I'll probably end up getting him soon though.

Yeah, Vector Prime's paint job (and how it looks 10 times better in the photos) is what made me hold off. But they all look better in the photos I suppose.

One you didn't mention is $25 Scourge, the 3-headed dragon. I am not interested at this point even though it's finally a return to beasts because I don't like 3-headed transformers, they've too often done wrong by me.

I'm just not interested in that one at all. It looks way too Megazord to me. If they're gonna do "beasts" then they should just do them. None of this, "We'll slip this one in to mix things up." kind of stuff. And then there's the big club with fire on the end of it...



-----

I saw $49.99 Starscream today, and I'm really not impressed. It looks like they took a smaller figure and enlarged it so that there was the same level of detail as a deluxe figure, but just bigger, with bigger features, etc. Very bulky and plane (no pun intended.) In this case bigger is not better, just more expensive.

Why make Starscream that big anyway?