Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[Chaddymac]

TRU La Cienega did not have those TFA Cybertron Ratchets on Saturday.

Everyone and their mother seems to want TFA Arcee. Is it because she's the closest thing to a G1 Arcee?

In answer to your questions, yes. However, the quickness with which Arcee was emptied from the shelves and the ridiculously high ratio of Cyb Ratchet's that remained implies to me that the Arcees went out the back door and onto E-bay. That, or they're at Big Lou's. Someone should check Big Lou's.

[figrin bran]

I don't want to check Big Lou's, Chaddy, but there sure are a lot of auctions for TFA Arcee.

[Chaddymac]

No one wants to check Big Lou's, Figgy. No one. *tear*

[JediTricks]

TRU La Cienega did not have those TFA Cybertron Ratchets on Saturday.

Crazy! I hit 3 TRUs today - Los Feliz, Monrovia, and Burbank - and no dice at all either. Los Feliz had 1 Ratchet remaining, it was in some guy's hands when I got there.

In answer to your questions, yes. However, the quickness with which Arcee was emptied from the shelves and the ridiculously high ratio of Cyb Ratchet's that remained implies to me that the Arcees went out the back door and onto E-bay. That, or they're at Big Lou's. Someone should check Big Lou's.

Big Lou's, now there's a name I've not heard in a long time.

No one wants to check Big Lou's, Figgy. No one. *tear*

Actually, a buddy of mine SWEARS by Big Fat Louser's, I can't get him to stop going to that turd of a shop.


So, a big thanks to Chaddy, he procured me Mindwipe.

Mindwipe is pretty boss, and from the top and sides, one of the nicest TF jets ever: no undercarriage fat at all in silhouette. The underside has the head on display (although it is an esoteric head, so it's not like you're looking at Spike Witwicky hanging under there) and a few mishmashed bits. But it's great to have a stealth TF jet that really is plausible as one. It's a slick-looking jet too, the swept wings and unique cockpit look great. I don't really love the TF writing on the wings, but it's not a dealbreaker. No gimmicks here, but it does have simple landing gear which folds up.

Transformation in the manual is an incoherent disastrous mess from step 2 (step 1 is "fold up landing gear"), and what they suggest is patently impossible without unplugging other stuff first. In fact, it took me 15 minutes to figure out what part WAS supposed to move first since it's a well-held plane. Once I got the idea, I ignored the hell out of the instructions, they kept on being obtuse when I'd check back to make sure I was getting near the toy's basics. Transformation once you get the concept isn't too difficult, but it moves stuff around more cleverly than it even seems. Folding up the torso is confusing thanks to the worthless instructions, the figure seems like it's done when it's not. This would be a slick deluxe transformation scheme, but as a voyager it somehow seems almost simple.

Bot mode is very cool, very themed, and very clean, no slop or waste. I like how the 2 sets of wings look, the tails fold together to become a backpack of sorts, it looks "fast". Then the shoulderpads have the main wings folded around in a close, nasty way that looks right. There are 2 gimmicks in bot mode, and neither feel particularly important. The first is folding the big wings back, it folds up 2 sets of little red feather things that are of no consequence, and when this happens it bends the wingtips in which actually is kinda nifty. The second gimmick is the spring-out knife under each forearm, this is boring for 2 reasons, you have to manually set them ahead of time, they aren't positioned for the spring clip via transformation; and they have like 30 degrees of travel, which is especially meh. They're alright knives, don't get me wrongo, but the spring action is a total flop - no drama. The look has some good detail but is bettter carried by the larger shapes, the sculpted details are ok but not fine enough to carry it by themselves. The head is unusual and a little bat-like (he's honestly cooler than the original character), the face has a visor with 2 tiny silver eyes near the bottom, it is a little hypnotizing . Colors added to the game are greenish gold, dark burnt red, , and some translucent vibrant red.

Articulation is pretty good, although he lacks rotation below the elbow which with underhanded knives seemed like a must to me. The legs have no rotation below the hip which is odd, but there's a sweet subtle tilt hinge in the feet, and the shins have extra hinging for chicken-legged action, but that looks way silly so I don't really get why it's there, they don't seem to use it or need it. The head is ball-jointed, the neck hinged, the shoulders rotate and hinge out, upper bicep swivels, double-hinged elbows but range limited to around 90 degrees, wrists hinged for transformation, waist rotates, ratcheting ball-hinged hips, swivel upper thighs, hinge knees that go nearly 180, mid-thigh hinged on chicken-leg joint, ankle hinged, and ankle side-hinged.

Overall, I get the feeling this figure was designed as a Deluxe and scaled up, there's just something about the proportions, transformation, sculpted details, and articulation that seems like it was meant to be a boss deluxe. That said, it's a very keen figure on its own in this scale, a cool customer and a good-looking Decepticon, it just suffers from underwhelming gimmicks and horrible instructions.

[JediTricks]

My little Transformers website has been tasked by Hasbro with giving away a TF ROTF toy, and the one they chose for us to give away is RPMs Devastator Showdown track set. So if you want this thing, post in the thread over on TFV: http://www.tfviews.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=543

[Tycho]

I got Legends Class Devastator tonight.

This 7 Constructicon assembler team is so much better than any previous Devastator - except that it is so small.

I wish they'd remake Devastator with Deluxe and Voyager Class figures - probably all Voyager Class would work.

That would be Michael-Bay-Awesome!

[JediTricks]

Glad you got one. How's your Legends display looking now?

[Tycho]

Glad you got one. How's your Legends display looking now?

Thanks.

Well, Devastator is still fighting to break out of his box.

Prime and Jetfire are combined (BTW - Figrin got me Legends Jetfire - with much thanks) and now (today) I finally saw one on the pegs at Wal-Mart .

They face The Fallen, Megatron, and Starscream in jet mode.

When I get around to opening Devastator, I'm going to break him down as follows:

Robots:

Scrapper
Hightower
Overload

They do not make these figures in any other way in such that I can display them as 'bots.

Vehicles:

Rampage
Long Haul
Scavenger
Mix Master

I have them in vehicle mode as RPMs, though not Scavenger / Demolisher (his Voyager figure is in robot mode and his Ultimate is part of Ultimate Devastator).

I may Transform Long Haul to robot mode though - since not only do I have the RPM dump truck, but Long Haul looks really good in both modes and adds his green color to the red bot of Overload, and the yellow bots of Scrapper and Hightower.

Since Optimus/Jetfire can't face all the baddies alone, I might get Legends Ratchet and Legends Sideswipe, and use them in the rear so they're smaller in my display, by way of perspective.

I have too many Bumblebees, and Ironhide would need to be black. I may try and find a black Ironhide on eBay as people here are telling me that they made him as a Legend for the first movie. I didn't buy Legends then.

Question, did they make BumbleBee as the 2010 Camaro for Legends back then, just in case? I remember the 1976 Camaro, but I want the 2010.

Also, I think I'll look for Ratchet in the correct green color. This leaves me the option of keeping a green figure (Long Haul) in vehicle form again if only to make the 3 Constructicons that don't have other figures (Scrapper, Hightower, and Overload) really stand out as robots.

It will also be good to have at least one version of Scavenger in vehicle mode. I think the large wheeled robot is definitely different than a 2-legged typical bot, so it's alright with me - but I already have that displayed as his Voyager figure and there is no RPM of Scavenger / Demolisher.

I think Constructicons are cool. Like Decepticon army engineers!

[figrin bran]

Tycho, isn't 2010 Camaro Bumblebee in that Target exclusive Legends 2 pack? I saw those on clearance at one Target today so you may be able to get it for pretty cheap.

The NEST Bumblebee/Soundwave 2 packs were on clearance at that same store as well so I got one of those since I don't have a movie Soundwave.


So today, after 11 trips to various TRU's and checking her product page on TRU.com daily for the past month of so, I finally have Transformers Animated Arcee!!!! I'm going to open her right now.

[Tycho]

I don't want another non-movie character Legends figure though.

I'll have to look again to see what that BumbleBee comes with, but I'd buy the BumbleBee off of someone who wants the other figure.

Or I'd sell the other figure. It'd be half of the clearance price. So I guess that's a good deal.