Transformers: Energon & Beyond

[El Chuxter]

Looking around, I also see evidence of Bluestreak, Hoist, Brawl, Dead End, and some fellow named Powerdive. Is Powerdive new, or what? He looks cool enough I might get him; I had to get the realistically-styled Lugnut because he was just way too cool. (Of course, he was at Ross and cost a lot less, too.)

It's not that I dislike Laserbeak; he's just not Laserbeak to me.

Tycho, Springer transforms into a helicopter (he's not a Triple Changer this time around). Poking around the interwebs, it looks like he's based on a movie-continuity figure named Tomahawk (from the Hunt for the Decepticons sub-line), with a new head, different rotor transformation (Springer can use the rotor as a sword, same as the original, but it looks like Tomahawk keeps it attached to his back), and maybe a few other tweaks. I don't have him in-hand yet, but the photos online look sweet.

(And the TRU exclusives so far seem to be cheaper than the equivalent non-exclusive figures. Deluxes are $14.99, whereas even Target and Walmart are charging $16 for them. Not to mention, being older molds, they're slightly larger.)

[Chaddymac]

TFW2005 was showing a 2nd party kit (why do they call 'em 3rd party? Hasbro is the 1st party so the next customizer company has to be the 2nd party, right?).

The customer is the second party. It's about the primary relationship (hasbro and consumer), where the 3rd Party company is outside the primary relationship. It's like first-person vs. third person. First is "I, me, my, mine", second is "you, your, yours", third is "he/she, him/her, his/hers, theirs" and proper names.

[Tycho]

Thanks for explaining that.

In another thread, BigBarada and I were talking about the movie Christine.

I think a new Decepticon that transformed into her would be kind of cool, don't you think?

Maybe Arachnia, though I'm unfamiliar with the character. However, "Alice," from ROTF could come back.

If Arcee was introduced as misunderstood, so at first she was threatening, like when BB was stalking Sam as "Satan's Camaro," then OK.

[Chaddymac]

(And the TRU exclusives so far seem to be cheaper than the equivalent non-exclusive figures. Deluxes are $14.99, whereas even Target and Walmart are charging $16 for them. Not to mention, being older molds, they're slightly larger.)

While out of town for the holiday, I got into some of my older figures which are being stored at my parent's place. I could not believe the quality of plastic and paint apps (not to mention the afforementioned size). Compared to the FOC figures... I'm very angry with Hasbro. Raise the price and cut the quality? We should not be supporting that. I have been so far removed from the older figures, I didn't realize how royally we were being screwed. I am genuinely considering only buying Japanese MP's from here on out.

[El Chuxter]

I've only gotten Shockwave and the Combaticons and haven't opened the Combaticons. Shockwave isn't too bad at all, he's just a tad undersized given the price hike. I see no reason at all to get Optimus, and no reason to get Jazz unless he goes on clearance.

Got and opened Springer and Wheelie today. I was mistaken about one thing; the sword isn't the rotor. Springer's pretty cool, though I don't care for the spindly movie-aesthetic legs, and I can't get the shoulders to lock in place (so the proper "vents" aren't showing when I re-position his arms). You definitely should pick him up, T.

Wheelie, though, is a bleeding gift from Primus himself. G1-accurate or not, this figure is freaking beautiful; an improvement on the Jazz mold the way Blurr improved upon Drift.

I want to take a picture of Classics/Generations Grimlock, Wheelie, Blurr, Springer, Kup, Hot Rod, Cyclonus, Wreck-Gar, Junkheap, Scourge, Jazz, Cliffjumper, Perceptor, and Galvatron; Animated Arcee; and RiD Unicron. I just need a proper Magnus, but the forthcoming Fall of Cybertron looks like he'll work nicely. Assuming Prime and Jazz don't totally clog the shelves, he's slated for early next year, right?

[Tycho]

I hear you about Springer, Chux.

I got the Scout Class (ROTF style Japanese packaging) Dead End tonight (with my Mando-Kin fighter 2-pack) at TRU.

They have had 3 shelf-warming MP Thundercrackers.

No new figures really, but the Scouts.

There was Brawl - repaint of the police transport that fits on Voy Seaspray.

A dunebuggy thing with the guns - repaint of the green one, this one in tan.

But besides Dead End, there should have been a 4th vehicle in the case, right? Who did I miss?

I'd like more Scout cars since they make Deluxes like the Dreads from DOTM look like Voyagers by comparison.

[El Chuxter]

If you get Generations Cliffjumper, BE CAREFUL. I'm not sure if it's a carryover from the Prime mold, but the plastic is incredibly brittle. I actually broke off (not snapped off ) the front grill assembly when trying to decipher those ridiculously unhelpful instructions. I was able to fix it to my satisfaction (so I don't have to risk not finding another); it seems solid enough to transform carefully and I rarely transform them from robot mode anyway. But he's also got stress marks in other spots that I don't even remember touching during transformation (like the pipe-ish connector-looking thing under his right hand).

Bottom line: be gentle with him. He's not as rugged as he'd have you believe.

[figrin bran]

Chux, Prime CJ isn't as brittle as you are describing. I've not opened any of the TRU GDO exclusives yet so I hope brittle plastic isn't the case for all of them.

I had quite the Cybe Tuesday TF haul! Caught word that Amazon had TFP Voyager Magnus so I got one for 21.99 and added FOC Vortex, which I needed anyhow to complete FOC Bruticus, to qualify for free shipping.

And then since I have not seen any of the GDO deluxes at all, I checked TRU's site, saw them in stock and took advantage of the 3 for the price of 2 sale on deluxes. I got Springer, Wheelie and Cliffjumper. Hopefully a 3rd party company will make a Prime CJ head so I can stick it on the Generations version. I tried using a rewards coupon but was unable to (????). I know that had I purchased these at a TRU store, they would have taken the coupon on top of the sales promotion. Oh well.


I opened up TFP Kup and he's pretty solid but severely underscaled, shorter than Arcee in bot mode.

[Adam]

Looking around, I also see evidence of Bluestreak, Hoist, Brawl, Dead End, and some fellow named Powerdive. Is Powerdive new, or what?

He was repainted from Highbrow from the Hunt for the Decepticons subline with the alternate head that was in the instructions for the original. His arms are a little different but he's a neat figure. The shark deco is well done.

Chux, Prime CJ isn't as brittle as you are describing. I've not opened any of the TRU GDO exclusives yet so I hope brittle plastic isn't the case for all of them.

It's been a common problem with the new run of FE Terrorcon Cliffjumpers so I wouldn't be surprised if the GDO version also had issues. The new run of the FE voyagers have horrendous QC problems. Prime is missing paint apps and I've read about many Bulkheads that are breaking out of the box! It's really sad, as they are both really great figures.


Tycho, here is a gallery of Springer I did back in July if you're interested in seeing more (I forgot to fully twist his vents in all those bot mode pictures though. :-/): http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transf...-springer.html

ALSO, some enterprising fan from Asia figured out a fairly easy mod to Springer to give him a pretty convincing third car mode. There are a bunch of takes on it, this being one of them: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transf...ml#post8089564

[Tycho]

Thanks Adam. That paint scheme on Springer looks great. Searching through the thread on TFW I also found the unofficial custom car mode.

It was a pretty darn good job to make him a triple changer. Now Hasbro should!

A Masterpiece or Leader Class Springer should be large enough to hide all the non-essential parts for the alt modes.