Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[Chaddymac]

Hey, the Junkion mold includes two posts in the robot mode's butt that snap into two slots in the seat of the motorcycle! Also pegs and holds in the sides of the bike and legs of the robot that don't quite line up.

Junkheap does have a new head after all. It's too bad, really--I doubt anyone will buy him except collectors, and every collector will display Wreck-Gar sitting on him, so no one will ever notice the head.

If toys had feelings, that would be incredibly sad. But still true, nonetheless.

[JediTricks]

I think with the economy being the way it is, the Cyberverse line, as well as even the small SW Transformers (though I don't know anyone who buys them myself) is a smart way to go.

The action-figure play pattern is well established, and reducing the price point for Transformers for more kids to get into it was a good move.

$6-9 Transformers that actually do something is a much better value than for what you get from Star Wars figures, wouldn't you agree?

It's not a reduced pricepoint, it's an increased one.

The little "Legion" figures are now $5 and climbing, they have virtually no value and damage the brand in the eyes of casual consumers because of a lack of quality and play potential. Legion figures are about $2 overpriced based on previously-released products. They are barely better than free giveaways like those found in Happy Meal toys.

The "Commander" figures are $8 and climbing, their value in the market is essentially where the "basic" line was before, except they are 3/4 the size and seem to only fit a bill of the non-playing consumer. They are within $2 of the Deluxe line which is SIGNIFICANTLY bigger and a better value. The "Commander" figures are perhaps on-par with other figures of the size such as Star Wars and Marvel, but aren't really up to those other lines' qualities yet. Look at the articulation on Ironhide, that figure can barely move, and isn't in scale with any other figures around him except maybe Optimus.

If you're a casual consumer and you see a crummy, tiny $5 Ratchet; a middling, interesting but flawed, fairly small $8 Ratchet; and a deluxe-sized, detailed, articulated $10 Ratchet, there's no question which figure is going to be the draw. For Cyberverse, neither Legion nor Commander can live up to the Transformers brand properly, and they don't offer the quality or interplayability of Star Wars figures.

The problem is that Transformers is not a concept that lends itself well to these smaller sizes, you can see they shoehorned a lot into designing the first batches of Commanders and exhausted that design library early on, later figures just aren't living up so far.


As for those little SWTFs, I bought one at $4.03 from Target, they claimed damaged item resulting in half-price, but I couldn't see why. Anyway, at that price it was a horrible rip-off, these things are at best poor Happy Meal toys. They're lazy, cheap trash.

Hey, the Junkion mold includes two posts in the robot mode's butt that snap into two slots in the seat of the motorcycle! Also pegs and holds in the sides of the bike and legs of the robot that don't quite line up.

Junkheap does have a new head after all. It's too bad, really--I doubt anyone will buy him except collectors, and every collector will display Wreck-Gar sitting on him, so no one will ever notice the head.

Yeah, Wreck-Gar has those posts to connect up, that was a known feature. Had Wreck-Gar been easier to get, I'm sure there would have been a lot more of him riding another of him rather than the Junkheap figure, or even the Japanese Scrapheap figure with its different head. But, since WG was hard to get, I think Junkheap will end up being bought by collectors just to display as WG when they couldn't get him.

[Chaddymac]

Yeah, Wreck-Gar has those posts to connect up, that was a known feature. Had Wreck-Gar been easier to get, I'm sure there would have been a lot more of him riding another of him rather than the Junkheap figure, or even the Japanese Scrapheap figure with its different head. But, since WG was hard to get, I think Junkheap will end up being bought by collectors just to display as WG when they couldn't get him.

Assuming he doesn't end up being even harder to find...

[JediTricks]

Could be true at that. It's Junkheap and Black Shadow, they are rehashes of existing products, poorly-demanded by the consumers, in a line that Hasbro barely supports and the retailers don't seem to want to keep around much.

[El Chuxter]

As cool as Black/Sky Shadow looks, he's a complete unknown. Most adults buying these, I'm assuming, are like me and not the hardcore fanboys who know every episode of every Japanese G1 continuation by heart. Reading about him on the TF Wikia, he sounds kinda, well, stupid. I just dig having another cool Decepticon who isn't technically American but G1 looks the part enough to hang with Acid Storm and Lugnut. And he's different enough from Thunderwing, too, which is always a concern with the repaints characters.

They need to make a Scrounge figure to go with Lord Straxxus Darkmount. Probably not transforming into a wheel, of course. "Special arm" would be a bonus.

[figrin bran]

It's so weird how TRU has this duality towards collectors - they try to cater to them all year round, yet they miss the mark in product selection and in stocking so badly most of the time. Then they pull that sort of "ruin the collectible in shipping" crap after jacking up prices to snare collectors, as well as insisting to the manufacturer that they get quality collector-friendly packaging. You see it in the way their employees deal with collectors on the floor too. The whole thing is a confusing mess.


How is Darksteel? I saw him at Burbank Target when I got Air Raid the Strange, but the colors put me off, and I'm not a huge fan of the mold since I bought Sideswipe. But I got the feeling then and there that I might be a little unfair, and ultimately the only thing that kept me from buying anyway is the weak selection of repurposed accessories.


Guzzle has been hard to find, as well as Legion-size Flak. Both aren't really worth the trouble, they're "ok" but not worth the money.

JT, as you well know, that Sideswipe mold is really lackluster. The real draw for me was the Quickstrike homage colors. It's just okay and I probably should have bought Space Case instead. And those mechtech accessories look silly in alt mode and too unwieldy in bot mode. Though I guess that could be said for just about all the mechtech weapons.

[JediTricks]

I don't understand why they used black as the base color for Darksteel if it's meant to be Quickstrike. Quickstrike has NO black on him anywhere. I have him, he's a crazy figure, and he's fairly light in color, the brown on the figure doesn't do anything like this.

Not surprised by the weapons being wonky. I think this whole DOTM line has been a mistake.

[Tycho]

I'm going to quick-poll my fellow Transformers fans on SSG about some products I personally want. Just quote me and add your answers if you'd buy:

1. Human Alliance Rampage (Constructicon Bulldozer with Sam Witwicky Prisoner and Legends Ravage Repack);Human Alliance Sideways with Alice (Isabel Lucas) and 'bot mode Decepticon Alice figures; white Chicago-style Human Alliance Barricade vs Lennox; Human Alliance Topspin with NASCAR Driver; Human Alliance Que (Wheeljack) with Epps figure; Human Alliance Dino (Mirage?) with Carly figure; Human Alliance HighTower (Constructicon crane) with Leo figure; Human Alliance Scrapper with Repack of Deluxe Scorponok figure; Leader Class Bonecrusher; Leader Class Blackout / Grindor; Leader Class Ratchet; Leader Class Fallen; Leader Class Soundwave (Mercedes); Leader Class Megatron (tanker truck); Leader Class Shockwave; Ultimate Shockwave with tunneling snake; Voyager Class Crankcase; Voyager Class Jetfire; Voyager Class OverLoad (Constructicon truck); Delux Class Scrapper; Deluxe Class High Tower; Deluxe Class Dino (Mirage / Ferrari); Cyberverse Commnader Megatron (jet); Cyberverse Commander Megatron (tank), Cyberverse Commander Fallen; Cyberverse Commander Starscream; Cyberverse Commander Brawl; Cyberverse Commander Bonecrusher; Cyberverse Commander Cyberverse Commander Jetfire; Cyberverse Jazz;Cyberverse Jolt; Cyberverse Dino; Cyberverse Que; Cyberverse Wheelie; Cyberverse Barricade (black); Titanium Ultra Magnus Re-Release; Cyberverse Commander Rodimus Prime; Cyberverse Commander Springer; Cyberverse Kup; Cyberverse Blurr; Cyberverse Arcee; Cyberverse Wreck-Gar; Cyberverse Hot Rod re-do; Cyberverse Kickback; Cyberverse Shrapnell; Cyberverse Bombshell; Leader Class Galvatron; Voyager Class Galvatron; Leader Class Cyclonus; Voyager Class Cyclonus; Leader Class Scourge; Voyager Class Scourge; Leader Class Ultra-Magnus (by the Tintanium one-piece mold); Leader Class Springer; Deluxe Arcee (pink car); Masterpiece Grimlock (re-release); Cyberverse Sharkticon; Deluxe Sharkticn; Voyager Class Sharkticon; Masterpiece Swoop; Masterpiece Sludge; Masterpiece Snarl; Masterpiece Slag

BTW - any Leaderclass figure could also be a Masterpiece.

Thanks for responding to my list. Yes or no will do, but you may elabrate if you'd like

[Darth Metalmute]

I'm going to quick-poll my fellow Transformers fans on SSG about some products I personally want. Just quote me and add your answers if you'd buy:

1. Human Alliance Rampage (Constructicon Bulldozer with Sam Witwicky Prisoner and Legends Ravage Repack);
   Human Alliance Sideways with Alice (Isabel Lucas) and 'bot mode Decepticon Alice figures;
   white Chicago-style Human Alliance Barricade vs Lennox;
   Human Alliance Topspin with NASCAR Driver;
   Human Alliance Que (Wheeljack) with Epps figure;
   Human Alliance Dino (Mirage?) with Carly figure;
   Human Alliance HighTower (Constructicon crane) with Leo figure;
   Human Alliance Scrapper with Repack of Deluxe Scorponok figure;
   Leader Class Bonecrusher;
   Leader Class Blackout / Grindor;
   Leader Class Ratchet;
   Leader Class Fallen;
   Leader Class Soundwave (Mercedes);
   Leader Class Megatron (tanker truck);
   Leader Class Shockwave;
   Ultimate Shockwave with tunneling snake;
   Voyager Class Crankcase;
   Voyager Class Jetfire;
   Voyager Class OverLoad (Constructicon truck);
   Deluxe Class Scrapper;
   Deluxe Class High Tower;
   Deluxe Class Dino (Mirage / Ferrari);
   Cyberverse Commnader Megatron (jet);
   Cyberverse Commander Megatron (tank),
   Cyberverse Commander Fallen;
   Cyberverse Commander Starscream;
   Cyberverse Commander Brawl;
   Cyberverse Commander Bonecrusher;
   Cyberverse Commander Jetfire;
   Cyberverse Jazz;Cyberverse Jolt;
   Cyberverse Dino; Cyberverse Que;
   Cyberverse Wheelie;
   Cyberverse Barricade (black);
   Titanium Ultra Magnus Re-Release;
   Cyberverse Commander Rodimus Prime;
   Cyberverse Commander Springer;
   Cyberverse Kup;
   Cyberverse Blurr;
   Cyberverse Arcee;
   Cyberverse Wreck-Gar;
   Cyberverse Hot Rod re-do;
   Cyberverse Kickback;
   Cyberverse Shrapnell;
   Cyberverse Bombshell;
   Leader Class Galvatron;
   Voyager Class Galvatron;
   Leader Class Cyclonus;
   Voyager Class Cyclonus;
   Leader Class Scourge;
   Voyager Class Scourge;
   Leader Class Ultra-Magnus (by the Tintanium one-piece mold);
   Leader Class Springer;
   Deluxe Arcee (pink car);
   Masterpiece Grimlock (re-release);
   Cyberverse Sharkticon;
   Deluxe Sharkticn;
   Voyager Class Sharkticon;
   Masterpiece Swoop;
   Masterpiece Sludge;
   Masterpiece Snarl;
   Masterpiece Slag

BTW - any Leaderclass figure could also be a Masterpiece.

Thanks for responding to my list. Yes or no will do, but you may elabrate if you'd like

I'll list the yes's:
Leader Class Blackout (I haven't bought any leader class figures yet, but I would buy this)
Voyager Class Jetfire (Been waiting/hoping for this one for a while)
Leader Class Soundwave (Mercedes); (I wouldn't want a Leader Class one, but have they made a voyager one? I would like a Voyager Soundwave from the WFC Game with all his minions)
Ultimate Shockwave with tunneling snake (As long as the Shockwave is not a repack of the Voyager version. I would like an upgraded one of that)
Leader Class Ultra-Magnus (This would be the second Leader Class I would buy, as long as it resembles the original Magnus)

As far as the Cyberverse lines goes, I would have to see the product before I purchase a figure. I like the line, but have only bought three figures so far.

As far as those that are not on your list, I'm all in favor of re-releasing Wrek-Gar and the continuation of the Classics line with modern spins.\
Also, it would be nice if they did a Leader Class version of all the Constructicons (Classic), that would be purchased separately, but buying all six would allow the lucky, rich owner to combine the figures into a Ultimate Devastator.

[El Chuxter]

Good lord and butter, Tycho, that's quite a laundry list!

Would there be an easy way to indicate what continuity you're talking about with these guys? Classics-styled, movie-styled, maybe movie-styled updates of classic characters that could pass for Classics (like Bludgeon, Powerglide, or Seaspray)?