Collector Club Rampage, Transmutate & Treadshot

[griffin]

The Collector Club have released some new images to their site, including the 2014 membership figure Rampage and the Club exclusive figure Transmutate (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/transformers-collectors-club-rampage-and-transmutate-images-178182/).

Also up is a teaser of one of their 2014 Subscription figures - Treadshot (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/transformers-collectors-club-subscription-service-year-2-treadshot-first-look-178181/), which looks to be the Warpath mould with Warpath's head.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Why did I have to join AFTER Runamuck and now it's all these BW characters I have no interest in :(

[GoktimusPrime]

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/avatars/gif_g1-cliffjumperdance.gif Protoform X shall be mine! :D
Also cool to see that Transmutate is officially female rather than androgynous. I've personally always viewed her as female. ;)

[Sky Shadow]

Rampage is brilliant and ingenious. Transmutate is clever, particularly in terms of her right arm. I love G1 Treadshot, and I get the gunbarrel in the chest homage, but Gutcruncher/Sparkcrusher would have been a much better choice for the mould.

[Hursticon]

That Rampage & Transmutate are rather unremarkable to me; one is quite forced & the other takes away everything that made the character important, an easy pass. :cool:

[Quickstrike]

I still don't like the idea behind "Transmutate" but she is a really pretty toy.

Totally want that Treadshot.

[i_amtrunks]

Every time I see that rampage toy I like it more and more.

Transmutate is nice too, almost a "what if" alt mode if her pod had not been damaged.

Treadshot looks dull. Seems the club will always go hit, miss, hit, miss.

[GoktimusPrime]

I still don't like the idea behind "Transmutate" but she is a really pretty toy.
Do you mean you never liked the original idea of the Transmutate character (as a metaphor for the right to life argument), or do you not like the "what if?" idea of seeing what Transmutate could have looked like if she'd been "born normal"?

[Quickstrike]

The latter. Making a "normal" version of Transmutate kind of destroys the whole point of the original episode and character. Especially since they're going to make her Protoform X's girlfriend or something dumb.

It's an alternate universe so maybe it'll be really interesting! I don't know.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Rampage is brilliant and ingenious. Transmutate is clever, particularly in terms of her right arm. I love G1 Treadshot, and I get the gunbarrel in the chest homage, but Gutcruncher/Sparkcrusher would have been a much better choice for the mould.

I'm really glad that Transmutate is a non-TFSS figure. Not getting any younger in this long winter of waiting for the rest of my figures to trickle by.


The latter. Making a "normal" version of Transmutate kind of destroys the whole point of the original episode and character.

Perhaps rename 'her' as Transnormal? Transordinary? Transregular? :p

[Verno]

I'm not enjoying these toys I must say. First they make Depth Charge skinny and lanky, and now X has a fusion canon?! Did they forget he's a psychotic science experiment?!

[GoktimusPrime]

Yeah but remember that these sort of toys are opportunistically designed, not purpose-built (like say Generations Springer, Metroplex etc.). The nature of the characters with limited fan appeal means that it's not financially viable for Hasbro to fund the development of whole new moulds. Rather existing moulds are looked at and then ideas about how to retro-fit them as new toys are devised based on redecorating the base toy. Someone obviously looked at Terradive and noticed the facial similarity w/ Depth Charge and the fact that he's armed with a trident, a common fishing weapon; and the design/shape is an obvious homage to Poseidon/Neptune's trident. The pectoral fins of rays are often described as being wing-like (and indeed BW Depth Charge's intermediate vehicle form is an aircraft), so having him transform into a jet and having wing kibble is reminiscent of the fin-kibble on the BW toy.

As for Rampage; alright, perhaps a crablike tank would be more suitable, but does one exist that you think that could be retooled/repainted as Rampage? TF Prime Megatron's jet mode is sort of crab-like, and the robot body does have that big imposing bulkiness, particularly with the broad chest. As for the weapon - I don't see how that's an issue.

[Shirokaze]

I'm liking Rampage, but I can't get my head around Transmutate. If I saw that figure without any sort of description, I would have no idea what character it was trying to represent. :confused:

[griffin]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set)

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

[reillyd]

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

That's just so depressing to read. Imagine what (possibly!) great toy designs they have under wraps, only to have them knocked back. I like the idea of 20 toys if its the 20 good ideas, not what "is available"

[SuspectimusPrime]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set)

The process requires them to submit ideas to Hasbro, and have about half of them knocked back because they are ideas Hasbro has on the drawing board or in development (a lot of the obvious redecos)... then half of those are knocked back due to the moulds not being available, or no longer exist (or other elements like Legal or limited remoulding/cost options)... leaving FunPub with having to work with the ones left at their disposal (to make a binding boxset theme for half of them), rather than picking the best of what is at their disposal and just produce a half dozen at the most each year.
Just to end up with 20-22 toys, they have to come up with about a hundred ideas each year.

So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread :)

[tinyJazz]

The problem that FunPub's greed has created for themselves is wanting to produce 20-22 toys per year (quantity as a toy company, rather than quality as a fanclub).
(5 in the boxset, 1 attendee figure, 7 at-show figures, 1 custom class figure, 1 membership figure, 6 subscription figures, 1 club exclusive... plus the kreo set).

Hey, they gotta fund GIJoecon somehow. :p

[Paulbot]

I like Rampage. It makes a boring Movie-Megatron wannabe actually look good.


So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread :)

It's discussed briefly in many places but I couldn't find a quick place to point you to.

But yes, Hasbro had no plans to release the other seekers. The "Classics" line was a temporary filler for the US market before the movie toys came out. They were filler to the point that they weren't released in Japan either until a few years later. They found that there was a big market for "Classics" in both markets, but even then it took several more years before Hasbro released Thundercracker, Dirge and Thrust.

[Deonasis]

So prior to 2007, Hasbro had no plans on releasing the rest of the Seekers?

NB: If this has already been discussed elsewhere, please delete this post and refer me to the thread :)I believe so. The popularity of the botcon set, then the henkei set, and the general passing of time made Hasbro more comfortable about releasing them.

I think the story of Transmutate is special and so far, extremely short. I can't explain it but the questions and mystery help make the story great. I doubt even the original writers would want to expand it's history.

Without knowing if the updated mould was available, would Fuzor Injector out of the Sharkticon Megatron mould be a better use/fit?

[Autocon]

http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/tfcc-2014-exclusives-protoform-x-and-transmutate-images/29155/

new photos of transmutate and protoform x

[MayzaPrime]

I like them... Hopefully we will find out Transmutate's actual name

[Verno]

Urgh. My habit of not buying exclusives continues.

[ChlorHex]

Rampage looks nice but I still prefer my crabby Rampage from the Beast Wars toyline :)

[Penetrator]

Rampage looks nice but I still prefer my crabby Rampage from the Beast Wars toyline :)

So by being in the transformers club, they send this out to you for free? :confused:

[griffin]

Rampage is the one you get "free" with the annual membership. (and if they have enough extras, those will be on their site for sale)

Transmutate will be for sale from their site, if you are a member.

(or get them from someone else who is a member, to buy them for you)