New Combiner Wars toys revealed at Botcon

[kurdt_the_goat]

From Allspark's live panel coverage (http://www.allspark.com/2015/06/hasbro-product-review-live-panel-coverage-at-botcon/) and Baltmatrix (https://twitter.com/baltmatrix)


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[Smint]

Bruticus looks good. Proportions are ok.

Not sure what happened with Defensor and Menasor. Why do they look so bad in in terms of proportions?

What is Sky Reign?

[kurdt_the_goat]

Sky Reign is deluxe Wheeljack, Hound, Smokescreen, Trailbreaker with voyager Sky Lynx & legends Wreck Gar

[UltimateGalvatron]

They all look pretty good. The torso for Optimus Maximus should be the normal CW OP IMO.

[crankcase76]

^ +1, i will get the 4 OP Maximus Deluxes to put on the first OP. Why have a second? And white? Unless it is meant to be Ultra Magnus.

Same with the Sky Reign, the deluxes look really good.

[Holdobot]

I am guessing that the plan for Optimus was Magnus but changed after they decided to do leader Magnus. This is exactly what I wanted and am glad I have pre-ordered :)

[leej84]

Ooooo that swindle and brawl looks good

[Jetfire in the sky]

I don't have much interest in this line, but that Sky Lynx looks great and the idea of the all new combiner Sky Reign is refreshing :)

[CBratron]

SkyLynx was a surprise, much like Metroplex was before it.

[BigTransformerTrev]

I dunno about a lot of the Autobot limb combiners. We already have better versions of nearly all of them from the CHUG line already, and I wont be combining them. However they are nice to have.

SKy Lynx looks great! But again, I would have preferred they did at least a Leader-class sized version of him rather than a Voyager just to make use of the Combiner gimmick.

Swindle and Brawl look great! Bit disappointed that Blast Off has been made a jet instead of a Space Shuttle - it was part of his appeal as the Cons already have a ton of jets. Guess it makes sense scale-wise though.

[Handsprime]

Defs Excited for Sky Lynx

[doublespy]

Looking good!!

Skylynx is really a surprise! Not sure how to think of the combined head though...

All the limb deluxes have nice head sculpts. I'm likely to get them all:p

The Rook retool looks really good as Swindle and Hound!

Shame Blast off got turned to a jet. I thought it'd be a no brainer to retool the helicopter mould into a space shuttle. And what's with Vortex's colors? They don't look good on his own and don't blend in with the camo look of Bruticus':eek:

[Dimi194]

So glad these aren't due until 2016, otherwise I'd be even more broke this year !!

Looking epic as!

[Trent]

SKY LYNX!!!!!!

:eek:

Wow. I'm sooooo happy for that. Can he separate into his bird/lynx modes? And the idea of him combining is an interesting one.

My 3rd party Predaking is so screwed :cool:

[Fungal Infection]

Any news on whether deluxe Groove is getting released in Western markets or even retooled?

[Akky82]

Looking good!!

Skylynx is really a surprise! Not sure how to think of the combined head though...

All the limb deluxes have nice head sculpts. I'm likely to get them all:p

The Rook retool looks really good as Swindle and Hound!

Shame Blast off got turned to a jet. I thought it'd be a no brainer to retool the helicopter mould into a space shuttle. And what's with Vortex's colors? They don't look good on his own and don't blend in with the camo look of Bruticus':eek:

Yeah I'm a bit disappointed with both Blastoff and Vortex... doesn't look like a military chopper to me. Blastoff is ok I guess but that's 3 of each mould right? Anyway the rest of the combaticons look sweet! I was passing on red/white prime and cyclonus and just gonna have spare limbs displayed alone, but that skylynx has changed that, looks great and then I'd be able to combine if I want (though I think he does better alone, the option would be there).

[Bidoofdude]

Man. Sky Lynx is great. Prowl and Sunstreaker are perfect, as is Smokescreen, definitely getting them. I didn't expect Hound to be from Swindle, he's looking pretty nice. I'll get him. Ironhide's almost won me over, and I think Mirage is starting to (look at that car).

Bruticus looks great. For a redeco of Slingshot, Blast Off looks nice. Brawl's just great (wasn't expecting a new mould), Swindle's golden (badum tss) and Vortex is as expected. They did more retooling on Onslaught than I thought they would.

It should be a good year. I still have to get Wave 3 (after I get Motormaster, Air Raid and Huffer to complete my Wave 2), but it should be nice.

Trailcutter's pretty nice for those who want a more cartoon (and/or toy) accurate figure, the same for Wheeljack.

[Sinnertwin]

I suppose somebody had to be *that* guy, but i'm really not impressed. Sure, there are some stand out figures like Sky Lynx and Brawl, but the rest are just lazy, half arsed attempts at padding a line out until the movie hits in 2017.

[TAAUBlaster]

They could've at least given Blast Off a new headsculpt. He's supposed to have a mouth plate - not a mouth :rolleyes:
Brawl looks awesome!
However, I've learnt my lesson from every other Hasbro CW combiner. Will be waiting for Takara's fixed version.

I'm not really a fan of Sky Lynx, but that new figure really looks nice. Not sure about the Autobot cars, kinda getting bored with all the repaints/retools. Hound doesn't look too bad though.:)

[Verno]

That Sky-Lynx! Wow!

And that mold for Swindle and Hound is really nice.

[dirge]

Sky Lynx & the Combaticons interest me. Characters that have already released already in Classicsverse (Sunstreaker etc...) don't catch my attention at all.

[UltimateGalvatron]

I don't have any of Sky Reign's/Optimus Maximus's components in CHUG form so I am pretty excited for them.

I am curious as to why Hound is part of a combiner when he is part of the Lost Light crew (MTMTE) and the CW Storyline is part of (RiD).

The combaticons look awesome! Nitpicks are Vortex's colour scheme is a bit annoying and that they made Blast Off out of Fireflight (I thought they would though :( )
Brawl looks awesome!
Shockwave and Wreck-Gar I haven't seen close ups of but Shockwave looks pretty beast from what I can see.

[snaketales]

Helloooooo Nova Prime :D

[christalcase]

Not interested with the Autobots just because they already have better toys previously, however, disappointed that they pad out two waves with them, seems very lazy even if they have remolded parts.

Sky Lynx was a surprise but I had higher hopes for Bruticus. Wish Blast Off was a proper space shuttle :(.

[autobreadticon]

those TFCC double targetmasters look damn interesting, but why didnt they show the vehicle mode, something looks suss

[Handsprime]

Sky Lynx was a surprise but I had higher hopes for Bruticus. Wish Blast Off was a proper space shuttle :(.

It's always possible that Takara will release a blast off that is a space shuttle.

[DELTAprime]

Fine Hasbro and Takara Tomy, take my money now.

[philby]

looks cool! has sky lynx had a toy other than the old 80's G1?



I don't have any of Sky Reign's/Optimus Maximus's components in CHUG form so I am pretty excited for them.

I am curious as to why Hound is part of a combiner when he is part of the Lost Light crew (MTMTE) and the CW Storyline is part of (RiD).

The combaticons look awesome! Nitpicks are Vortex's colour scheme is a bit annoying and that they made Blast Off out of Fireflight (I thought they would though :( )
Brawl looks awesome!
Shockwave and Wreck-Gar I haven't seen close ups of but Shockwave looks pretty beast from what I can see.

i'm pretty much the same, i only got back into things the last year or so and I don't have any 'CHUG' really to compare/complain about. Blast Off does look a little odd, I guess I thought it they weren't going to go the space shuttle route then maybe do a little more with that version to make it look more 'spacey' and advanced? :p as others have said already Takara may very well turn alpha bravo into a blast off space shuttle.

[Zommael]

Sky Lynx looks awesome. Bruticus looks pretty boring, but I may get the limbs to use with Cyclonus instead. Classic characters repainted as combiners are fine by me as it makes it easier to rebuild my decimated collection. Probably won't get Optimus Maximus unless I end up getting Grand Scourge as well as Motormaster, rather than instead of.

But seriously, Sky Lynx!!!!!!!!!!

[reillyd]

It's always possible that Takara will release a blast off that is a space shuttle.

I would lay betting money that you're right on that one, given Slingshot, Groove and whatever that stunt icons name was.

[Hursticon]

I'd like to thank Fatbot for Live-Tweeting the Hasbro Panel earlier this morning, it was a fun way of experiencing the excitement vicariously through someone so candid! :p:D

For me, though, Hasbro delivered a freight train of disappointment, but who's caboose was suitably surprising and welcomed. :o

Sky-Lynx is superb, I don't even care that he doesn't seperate, and I will buy that toy with great eagerness - But, that's it, nothing else that I saw is really worth my money or attention at all.

The woeful padding out of the Combiner Wars line with a fleet of retooled/repainted Autobots shows 2 key things:

Hasbro has an inability (fear) of producing Decepticons in the line, owing to;
Hasbro is almost entirely adverse to producing a toy with even a CYBERTRONIAN Beast mode.

...guess what makes up 3 of the Classic G1 Decepticon combiners? :rolleyes:

With that in-mind, unless Hasbro has some miraculous hidden set of reveals for SDCC 2015, it is reasonable to conclude that there will be no Western celebration of Beast Wars' 20th Anniversary, no Predacons/Predaking, no Terrorcons/Abominus, no Seacons/Piranacon, no Pretender Monsters/Monstructor...

Bruticus looks alright, but not enough to warrant my spending to supplant my FansProject-enhanced, Cybertron-based Universe 2.0 Gestalt - Buzzsaw is curious but an oddity, Shockwave is commendable but late to the party...

TakaraTomy will again receive the bulk of my Transformers spending for another year it seems and so too will the Masterpiece line; more money saved really but to those who have found more excitement than I from the 2015 Botcon Hasbro Panel? - Good for you, I hope you have fun with CWs in 2016. :)

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I am curious as to why Hound is part of a combiner when he is part of the Lost Light crew (MTMTE) and the CW Storyline is part of (RiD).There are theories.... (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/To_sell_toys);)
I mean, Cyclonus doesn't look to be part of CW either, but you know...teh monies.

Actually will the two parts separate in this combiner version ?It doesn't look like it will.:(

Being combinerwars it is clear it is not a good scale if it is in line with other body sections and cars are limbs. Also what is the relationship with Wreckgar and SKYREIGN ?
Why Hasbro ?See above.;)

Anyway, my 2 cents...
I won't be getting many if any of these (I already have pretty much all the characters from earlier lines and I'm happy with them - same thing for MP Ironhide and Optimus Primal), but I do think there are some really good remolds in there (Swindle and Hound look great), and it's a pretty good line up. Love that they made a Sky Lynx, though I don't see where Wreck-Gar goes in combined mode.

Like a lot of others, Vortex' colours look kind of awful, and I really wish they'd molded him so his gun could mount on the helicopter nose like his G1 toy. I'm also a bit puzzled about why they used the Slingshot/Quickslinger mold for Blast-Off when the head on the Fireflight/Firefly mold looks more like pretty much every character model he's had so far. Sure, no visor, but the head shape and the mouthplate are both a much closer fit than the Slingshot mold. And yeah...space shuttle mode plase @TakaraTomy.
Besides that though, major kudos to Hasbro for clever use of remolding, and especially for nailing Bruticus' torso/chest-plate so well.

[Bidoofdude]

The woeful padding out of the Combiner Wars line with a fleet of retooled/repainted Autobots shows 2 key things:

Hasbro has an inability (fear) of producing Decepticons in the line, owing to;
Hasbro is almost entirely adverse to producing a toy with even a CYBERTRONIAN Beast mode.

...guess what makes up 3 of the Classic G1 Decepticon combiners? :rolleyes:

With that in-mind, unless Hasbro has some miraculous hidden set of reveals for SDCC 2015, it is reasonable to conclude that there will be no Western celebration of Beast Wars' 20th Anniversary, no Predacons/Predaking, no Terrorcons/Abominus, no Seacons/Piranacon, no Pretender Monsters/Monstructor...

Bruticus looks alright, but not enough to warrant my spending to supplant my FansProject-enhanced, Cybertron-based Universe 2.0 Gestalt - Buzzsaw is curious but an oddity, Shockwave is commendable but late to the party...

TakaraTomy will again receive the bulk of my Transformers spending for another year it seems and so too will the Masterpiece line; more money saved really but to those who have found more excitement than I from the 2015 Botcon Hasbro Panel? - Good for you, I hope you have fun with CWs in 2016. :)

I find it weird that they're adverse to beast modes, yet made a whole line of them in Beast Hunters, without ANY media (for most characters, let alone in the right colours) to support it.

e.g.

Generations:
-"Lions, tigers? With a relatively strong fanbase?! Too risky."

BH:
-"Dragon dog bird thing? With no appearance in any media?! Hot dog, we can't afford not to do this.":rolleyes:

[UltimateGalvatron]

There are theories.... (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/To_sell_toys);)


LOL :D
But hey, that's just a theory...

A toy theory!

[CBratron]

Weird that Razorclaw was made but the obvious repaint that appeared in a comic book, Ser-ket, was completely forgotten.

But I'm drifting off topic.

[prjkt]

those TFCC double targetmasters look damn interesting, but why didnt they show the vehicle mode, something looks suss

That was just photoshopping, no actual figures with those colour schemes yet, but looking cool...

As for the mainline;
Skylynx. Too stupid/insane for me not to get him. Not only do we have a dinosaurish thing that turns into a shuttle with wheels like G1, but he's a combined too? How can I resist?

Bruticus - oh hell yes. Especially with the new mould for Brawl, and the excellent retool of Swindle - I actually thought Hasbro would retool Rook into Brawl, and use Off Road for Swindle, but I am pleasantly surprised. Brawl even looks to transform like his G1 self.

Autobot limbs - ehhh not sure. I already have the classics-verse version of each one of those guys, but some of them look pretty sweet. The wheeljack retool actually works quite well for his vehicle mode. Reserving judgement for now.

Optimus Maximus - sadly not Thubderclashy enough for me (come on Funpub...) so I might cancel this preorder, as I've got no attachment...

[Defcon]

I would like to see a Computron please ;)

[Zommael]

It'd be daft to think that we've seen everything that's coming next year from this panel. While wave 5 and wave 6 of Combiner Wars might be listed as 2016 toys, what that really means (and what Hasbro certainly hopes that means) is holiday 2015. This is the way it is every year - the "next year" product always gets out somewhere in time for Christmas. Add to that the fact that Hasbro prefer to show off new stuff at SDCC rather than Botcon because of the additional mainstream exposure, and the Titan Wars teasers we've already seen, and you know they are holding back most of their reveals for next year for SDCC.

Whether or not that will be Beast combiners is another matter. On one hand it's doubtful given that we already have a different theme for next year in Titan Wars, and TakaraTomy have already said next year is "the year of Masterpiece Beast Wars" which Hasbro might have more than usual involvement with given the relative unpopularity of BW in Japan compared to the West. On the other there is at least one combiner who we haven't seen as a wave yet in Victorion, plus Titan Wars suggests huge toys which might be out of scope for a mainline. I'd say it's 50-50.

[Paulbot]

FunPub gets so close to giving us this team as a subscription Combiner Wars set but for some reason reuses Onslaught to give us Bludgeon, instead of retooling Cyclonus into Thunderwing.

http://i.imgur.com/ebSOmsdm.jpg

[Lord_Zed]

I like the way they have made a Legends Shockwave for Bruticus, much like what that Warbatron 3rd party did, seems they do listen.....sometimes.


I suppose somebody had to be *that* guy, but i'm really not impressed. Sure, there are some stand out figures like Sky Lynx and Brawl, but the rest are just lazy, half arsed attempts at padding a line out until the movie hits in 2017.

No, your not the only one. Its good to see a Sky Lynx toy and Brawl too, but most of the other Combaticons are the standard minor re-tool and repaint deal. As for the Autobots they seem to be lesser versions of Autobots we already have, although at least Trailbreaker is slightly bigger and has a less sci-fi alt mode, than the previous toy.

Guess that means he will miraculously resurrect in the IDW comic further eroding what tension is left that a Geewun character can ever die.

[MayzaPrime]

FunPub gets so close to giving us this team as a subscription Combiner Wars set but for some reason reuses Onslaught to give us Bludgeon, instead of retooling Cyclonus into Thunderwing.

http://i.imgur.com/ebSOmsdm.jpg

I thought the same thing... :confused: the Cyclonus mold is a perfect candidate to be retooled into Thunderwing, and a better option than the deluxe version.

:eek: Some really great figures.

Sky Lynx... An interesting choice... I was hoping for a leader sized figure, while the voyager figure looks great I can't help but be disappointed that we won't be getting a bigger Sky Lynx, having said that I will be totally buying him.

Blast Off... Is a massive let down :(

[Megatran]

Was looking forward to Bruticus, my favourite of the gestalts. Having seen the Bruticus pics, its put me right off the Combiner Wars / Unite Warriors gestalts line.



Blast Off... Is a massive let down :(
Houston. We have a problem.

[Starscream77]

I suppose somebody had to be *that* guy, but i'm really not impressed. Sure, there are some stand out figures like Sky Lynx and Brawl, but the rest are just lazy, half arsed attempts at padding a line out until the movie hits in 2017.

I am that guy as well, I think the existing CHUG figures of these guys are far superior.

Sky Lynx is the bomb though !

[optimus1]

Sky Lynx!!!! :)
- But not really interested in his limbs or any of Optimus Maximus....

Bruticus! - Much better than FOC version and I don't mind Blast Off as a jet.
Makes sense compared to the Space Shuttle mode.
I'm a G1 fan but can live with this compared with new limb members.

Really interested in Shockwave! (alt mode is space gun isn't it?)

Hopefully Australia receives stock....

[GoktimusPrime]

Sky Lynx & the Combaticons interest me. Characters that have already released already in Classicsverse (Sunstreaker etc...) don't catch my attention at all.
Same here. :o

I also quite like the idea of Blast Off as a regular jet fighter, because it means that he's now FINALLY a military vehicle like the rest of his fellow Combaticons! A space shuttle was a civilian spacecraft. Which was never brown. And it also means that Blast Off is not longer quite as out of scale (http://img13.deviantart.net/fba3/i/2011/350/e/a/bruticus_g1_corrected_by_maromega-d4j8z0i.jpg) as he used to be. ;) So yeah, I'm perfectly fine w/ Blast Off being a fighter jet. :cool:

[griffin]

For those wondering about the reasoning behind the white Optimus...
The new head is supposed to homage Star Convoy (from Japan), and then you have the Legends Rodimus as a pairing, like with Star Convoy having a Micromaster Hot Rodimus.


I thought the same thing... :confused: the Cyclonus mold is a perfect candidate to be retooled into Thunderwing, and a better option than the deluxe version.

It's worth noting that often when FunPub doesn't do something obvious, it is because Hasbro has plans and told them it was unavailable.
I'm not saying that it is coming, but Hasbro is likely to milk the moulds for the next five years... or maybe FunPub preferred Bludgeon for some reason.

[prjkt]

Long post incoming:

Well, there’s certainly a lot of figures to comment on, so I’ll break it down by wave

2015 Wave 4

Optimus Maximus: Nope. Not Thunderclashy enough in colours for me (Leg’s need to be maroon) and I don’t get the head sculpt. Who is this actually supposed to represent? Can’t justify it atm.

Sunstreaker: Redeco of Breakdown. Alt mode suits perfectly, bot mode can even simulate the engine behind the head” that the G1 & Universe versions achieve.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Universe version wins me over on bot mode design. Hard to have Sunstreaker not having the Windshield chest (a recurring “issue” with this line.)

Ironhide: Redeco of Off-Road. Alt mode matches movie-verse character more than the boxy van traditionally representing this version of the character. Head sculpt is a perfect match, but like Sunstreaker, I feel he needs the Windshield chest.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Universe/Generations GDO Ironhide bot mode sucks, but still has the classic Windshield chest and van alt mode. On character accuracy I still have to go with the pre-existing version, though this one does add much better articulation.

Prowl: Redeco of Streetwise. Surprisingly different compared to Streetwise considering the lack of retooling. Lacking the bonnet-chest and door/wings the character traditionally has, but is still very recognisable due to the colour scheme and head sculpt.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Tough. Universe version is still more character accurate, but the bot mode is a little awkward at best - sure it’s a little more articulated (has actual feet) but the Streetwise mould is pretty solid. I think I’m still going to give this one, but a small margin, to the Universe release for pure accuracy to the original design.

Mirage: Redeco of Dragstrip. Not much to be said here, head sculpt and colour scheme is a dead match to the character. Alt mode might actually be a little more G1 accurate than the Universe/Generations GDO release due to the slimmer spoiler and open cockpit.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Alt-mode is 50/50 - both the Dragstrip mould and original Universe Mirage F1 cars are spectacular in design, I’m giving this one to the Universe mould solely due to the fact that the front of the car ends up on Mirage’s chest, not back.

Recommendation: Unless you either don’t have (or don’t like) the earlier Classics-verse versions, or want to combine these guys, I’d say pass. And if you do want to combine, use the 2015 W1 Optimus for fiction accuracy. This white guy I don’t know…

2016 Wave 1

Onslaught: Retool of Hot Spot. Well that was expected. And also unexpected in that Hotspot’s rear end is now Onslaught’s vehicle mode front end. Sufficient amount of retooling to significantly differentiate all modes, especially the chest-plate in torso mode. Head sculpt is a perfect match to the character, as are the back-mounted canons.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Never owned the mould, but the Universe Ultra Onslaught does look pretty solid, but is a SWAT assault vehicle, not a long, flat truck with heavy weaponry. So CW Onslaught wins in my book. Don’t get me started about the FOC version….

Vortex: Let’s get this out of the way, obligatory Alpha Bravo repaint, probably the character the mould was designed for. Colours seem a little bright in comparison to the rest of the team, but that’s the G1 accuracy in there., and pulls it off quite well.

Compared to Classics-verse version: There is no proper G1 Vortex in the classics verse, at least to me. The Energon repaint doesn’t count, neither does the FOC version.

Blastoff: Redeco of Firefly/Quick Slinger. Disappointedly not a space shuttle, but more in “scale” and combat vehicle appropriate here. Colour scheme is sweet.

Compared to Classics-verse version: See Vortex’ entry.

Brawl: New mould. Sweet new mould. Looks basically like an update from of the G1 version in both bot and tank mode.

Compared to Classics-verse version: See Vortex’ entry

Swindle: Retool of Rook. Most surprising of the wave (to me at least) - I figured he’d be an Off-Road repaint, but this retool basically take his G1 form and updates it (like Brawl) and I like it. Alt-mode gun is a little smaller (more in scale now) and the bot mode chest is a little different (pseudo vehicle mode bits) to make him a little more interesting, but that headsculpt is spot on, and make him look less like the Brain in a body suit.

Compared to Classics-verse version: See Vortex’ Entry

Bruticus: This is the combiner I’ve been waiting for since Combiner Wars started. Maybe because he’s the only combiner in the FOC game, and that’s what triggered my adult collecting, but I digress. As a whole, I am not disappointed. I would have liked Blastoff to be a shuttle, maybe a heavy retool of the A/B mould, but I’m glad he’s still part of the team.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Ok, now I’ll talk about the FOC version, who currently stands with my other CW releases. Based on the height of Defensor, this guy will be a centimetre or so taller than the FOC Bruticus, but much sturdier and more solid. Plus the colours are more G1 accurate - now I’m not too fussed if I get the brown cartoon accurate version, or the grey toy accurate version, I’ll probably just get whichever one comes out first. (Brown probably looks better.) I am looking forward to this.

Recommendation: for me, it’s a must buy. For G1 Classics-verse collectors, also, a must buy. For those only collecting new moulds, or retooled versions, it’s 3/5 must buy. Or even just character fans, it’s Swindle. After how much trouble he’s gotten into in the IDW-verse I’ve needed a representation of him for a while.

2016 Wave 2.

Skylynx: New mould. What the f*ck? The most ridiculous toy/character from G1 reborn, minus one parts-forming, split-personality gimmick, but replacing it with another parts-forming, multiple-personality gimmick. It’s a shuttle with a weird box underneath that turns into a freakin’ robotic dinosaur thing with a very high opinion of itself. How can I not buy this? On a more serious note, I like how even though there’s no longer separate “bird” and “lynx” modes, the “lynx” head is still present in combined form.

Compared to Classics-verse version: There is none.

Wheeljack: Retool of Breakdown. Probably the most G1 accurate of the eight “Autobots that weren’t combiners but now are for some reason” due to the retooling involved, just need a little black paint or some Reprolabels on that chest to fill in the “window” sculpting and the paint job on the legs does a good job of pretending to be the bonnet of the alt mode. Still lacks the signature wings and shoulder cannon, but still a surprisingly good figure. Alt-mode is spot on.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Less “stocky” than the Generations version, still has a bit of a backpack, but while it’s a little slimmer, it’s not as well fitted into the design. Painting the inside of the upper arms to simulate his wings doesn’t work as well as it should, but the effort is appreciated, however the winner is still the original Generations release.

Smokescreen: Redeco of Streetwise/Prowl. Most of what I said about Prowl relates to Smokescreen as well, except that Smokescreen’s alt mode bonnet looks a little “boring” in solid red, and he’s still got the light-bar moulded in (but painted all in red.)

Compared to Classics-verse version: As for Prowl, the Universe Smokescreen still wins here, but by a slightly larger margin than Prowl.

Trailbreaker/cutter/whatever: Redeco of Off-road. Makes me think of Botcon’s Machine Wars Hoist for some reason. Colours invoke Trailbreaker, as does the pipe/weapon for one hand, but without the bonnet for a chest and the searchlights over the head, it just does’t seem like him.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Generations Trailcutter is probably the best representation of the character, especially for MTMTE fans in recent times, if only a little small (10% bigger or so would have been great) and with another release of the character is such a short time, there hasn’t really been any improvement - it just looks like Trailbreaker’s head and colours on another bot’s body. T30 Trailcutter wins here in my books.

Hound: Redeco of Swindle. I suppose the mould had to be reused for someone, and I guess Hound is as good a bot as any for a military style off-road Jeep, though I can see a potential Beachcomber here. Now I can see why Swindle has the pseudo vehicle bits on his chest, so Hound could more closely emulate his G1/classic design, and like Wheeljack, does a pretty good job of it. Alt mode is not Hound’s traditional form, but it’s not too far from it either.

Compared to Classics-verse version: Probably the second closest to tough after Wheeljack, the Universe/Generations GDO version does such a good job at recreating the G1 version of the character that this one is just a little superfluous. Owing to a slightly less accurate alt mode, CW Hound comes off a little short compared to the original Classics-verse release(s.)

Recommendations: Same for 2015 Wave 4. Except Skylynx. He’s a must buy.

Leaders:

Starscream & Skywarp: Obligatory redecos of Thundercracker, being a remould of Jetfire. Unnecessary for my collection, but still great representations of the characters. Starscream has his crown as an official accessory which is pretty cool.

Legends:

Rodimus: Why? That is all I can say about this one.

Skyward: Another Skywarp in a smaller size class? It’s Thundercracker all over again?! In all seriousness, it’s a pretty sweet mould for the size class, one of the better since the Legends class rebooted in 2013, so while he’s not required for my collection (I have the DLX Classics Seekerama) I have no problem recommending him.

Buzzsaw: What? Pretty cool idea for the character, hopefully it signifies a pending Laserbeak and Soundwave, along with the other minions.

Chop Shop: Redeco of Skrapnel/Shrapnel. Not a surprising reduce, but works pretty well. Tempted to track down Legends Megatron to give Chop Shop himself as a weapon, but I’m strange like that.

Pipes: After Huffer, we knew it was coming. Too bad there are no actual pipes, but it’s good to have the character nonetheless. We’re slowly getting to the point where there are no more S1/2 characters remaining, and that’s pretty cool/scary.

Shockwave: YES. Time to recreate Bruticus’ rampage across Cybertron! Or just give FOC Shockwave himself as a weapon. Yes I think I have a weird complex, as I’ve given Botcon Spinister his Targetmaster version from Nemesis Prime as well, but that’s another topic. Probably the first time we’ve had Shockwave turn into a weapon since G1, and while he’s a smaller size class, that’s still pretty cool. Translucent plastic is also a nice addition, it’s been sorely missed by me in the CW line… I miss my light-piping.

Wreck-gar: Had to repaint Groove into someone I guess, colours and head sculpt are good enough match, if a little too orangey, but won’t replace my DLX version of the character.


Overall: I might have sounded a little negative, especially on the Autobot repaints, with good reason I believe, as I’ve already got every one of them as previous releases, most of which are pretty damn good, BUT releasing said characters in this line is a GREAT way for newer collectors to pick up classic and popular characters at an affordable price, and the combining gimmick is just icing on the cake, so I’m all for it, even if I don’t buy them all myself. (Who am I kidding, if I can afford to, I probably will.)


For those wondering about the reasoning behind the white Optimus...
The new head is supposed to homage Star Convoy (from Japan), and then you have the Legends Rodimus as a pairing, like with Star Convoy having a Micromaster Hot Rodimus.
Ok, so that explains Rodimus & White Prime, still not for me I don't think (but I may change my mind)

[QUOTE=griffin;477515]
It's worth noting that often when FunPub doesn't do something obvious, it is because Hasbro has plans and told them it was unavailable.
I'm not saying that it is coming, but Hasbro is likely to milk the moulds for the next five years... or maybe FunPub preferred Bludgeon for some reason.[QUOTE=griffin;477515]
Also, FunPub probably don't have the budget/ability to do that level of retooling to a figure. A new head, or outsourced pretender shell seems to be about the best they can manage.

[Bladestorm]

Sky Lynx looks cool, but he'll be a lot smaller than the Encore version right? (That's the one I have) Really hard to tell from the pictures.

Not a huge fan of him being a combiner... given he's kind of one already in his own right but I will probably get the limbs because they'll give my son a whole pile of the G1 characters he loves in a form he can actually play with.

I'm not interested in white Optimus but like others I'll be getting the limbs to put with the first wave CW Optimus.

Honestly there is so much to take in right now I'm overwhelmed (in a good way)... the wallet is sure going to take a hammering between this and what Tak Tomy has coming!

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

I just realised...all these redone G1 S1 and S2 Autobots, in a Combiner-themed line, with a central Optimus body available, and...
We're still short like half of the fake Menasor team from Masquerade (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Masquerade). :rolleyes: :D

[Handsprime]

Since I'm a sucker for buying Transformers, I know I'm gonna end with with all the combiner war toys in the end.
Now all we need is some Decepticons to add to Cyclonus.

[BigTransformerTrev]

Has anyone got links to the stories on Chop Shop and Buzzsaw? I've seen all the other character pics but haven't seen anything about these two

[fatbot]

Has anyone got links to the stories on Chop Shop and Buzzsaw? I've seen all the other character pics but haven't seen anything about these two



http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/fatbot/E2957388-17EF-46E6-A5C7-5CCF12C02632_zpskyvf39xp.jpg (http://s370.photobucket.com/user/fatbot/media/E2957388-17EF-46E6-A5C7-5CCF12C02632_zpskyvf39xp.jpg.html)


Buzz saw is on the top left of the picture, bonus combaticons!
http://i370.photobucket.com/albums/oo146/fatbot/E863C4A4-63FD-48B5-BE69-84593E3CA6F2_zps0fqtsqpn.jpg (http://s370.photobucket.com/user/fatbot/media/E863C4A4-63FD-48B5-BE69-84593E3CA6F2_zps0fqtsqpn.jpg.html)

[BigTransformerTrev]

Sweet! Thanks mate :D

[Jilm101]

The Bruticus is pretty good and could be even better with a little help! i think blast off should be a shuttle but yes it does make more sense to be plane ive thought about the reasoning be hide this before..
i too am really digging sky lynx but yes its a shame he can"t separate (maybe he can with some help? ) but i believe that he too will get repainted...maybe into a decepicon.....maybe into hun gurr......maybe Razorclaw? since no one else has escaped the repaint curse

[ampoldj]

Blast Off should be renamed Take Off

Anyway I am more concerned when are we getting these here since we only have wave 2 ATM :confused:

[spiderken17]

As far as I am concerned Blast Off being a fighter jet makes much more sense than a shuttle (which seems to be everyones opinion of the original toy) so it doesn't really bother me. Maybe Takara will make a new mould of a shuttle for Blast Off ala Groove.

[snaketales]

I like the look of Sky Lynx but dont think I'll be using him as a combiner... but having said that, Sky Reign looks like it could be adapted into Liokaiser

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I like the look of Sky Lynx but dont think I'll be using him as a combiner... but having said that, Sky Reign looks like it could be adapted into Liokaiser

That's what I was thinking as well. A very Liokaiser noggin there.

I'm bummed by Blast Off not being a Shuttle. Don't care if it makes no sense, I need my warrior floating in orbit sniping people from space dammit!

[Sinnertwin]

I like the look of Sky Lynx but dont think I'll be using him as a combiner... but having said that, Sky Reign looks like it could be adapted into Liokaiser

easily. Just need a drill limbbot, a few modifications for the jets & vehicles and we're there. The sixth member would have to be a chestplate or weapon, me thinks :)

[reillyd]

Has anyone got links to the stories on Chop Shop and Buzzsaw? I've seen all the other character pics but haven't seen anything about these two

If its not clear from the pictures, Buzzsaw transforms into some sort of communication device (maybe kids don't know what a cassette looks like?)
I quite liked FoC data discs, but I guess its an excuse to sell the same characters again in a different form.

[The Scream Man]

Skylynx: Fantastic. Apparently he can turn into the Cat mode AND the Dragon mode, but doesn't split. I'm cool with that. Combined mode is more gravy on top than actually cool.

Ironhide: Better than the other one by far, and while I love my Igear one I'm always in favor of getting a good mainline version of something when it;'s made. Also I don't have Offroad, so it will be more unique for me.

Prowl: I am pleasantly surprised. I thought using Streetwise as the base would make a toy that looks to similar to the other Combiner Cop car, but they have done a pretty good job of making him look different. And i was never 10% behind the classic prowl, so I'm n board.

Sunstreaker: I'm mostly on the fence because I'm not sure i like how it looks in either mode. i dont have Breakdown, but based on pics SS seems to have been transformed wrong in the promo pics, so that may be affecting my judgement. I'll see

Mirage: Looks fine i guess, but the head is a weird shape. And frankly the classics on is way nicer, and i love it, so I don't see the need to get another one.

Wheeljack: Looks friggen amazing! THAT'S how you do a re-deco kids! Some new parts, some cool color and we get an awesome looking Wheeljack! Super cool!

Hound: Since I probably won't get Swindle, this is an all new version of that Rook remold, and he looks great! I love Classics hound, but this one might just leap into that spot on my shelf

Smokescreen: Terrible repaint. They didnt even take the police Light bars off the roof! That's just lazy!

Trailbreaker: I mean he looks fine and all, but i just got the Generations one a year or so ago, and i like that one so this feels unnecessary. If u don't have the other one i guess this is cool.

Combaticons aren't my thing, but all look awesome :)

[Golden Phoenix]

I am that guy as well, I think the existing CHUG figures of these guys are far superior.

Sky Lynx is the bomb though !

Agreed. I'm going to skip all the Autobots that we have classics for already.

Sky Lynx looks awesome though. As do the Combaticons. I was surprised to see a Swindle come out of the Rook mould.

I am half expecting a new mould for Blast Off's Takara release though, so we might end up with 4 spare limbs after all.


easily. Just need a drill limbbot, a few modifications for the jets & vehicles and we're there. The sixth member would have to be a chestplate or weapon, me thinks :)

I reckon if you get the Balo (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Balo) Arms Micron and plug it into the front of the Rook mould vehicle mode you'd have a decent looking drill vehicle. You could even plug it into his fist in robot mode.

[UltraMarginal]

i'm surprisingly underwhelmed.

I get that there is a saving in re-using designs and engineering but man.
I get that the original aerialbots while all having a different shape had an identical transformation scheme, I was impressed when I eventually got a G1 Bruticus a few years ago and there were different transformation schemes in the different limbs.

but man oh man, I only have two combiner wars toys at the moment, alpha bravo and offroad. they have the same transformation scheme, and it looks like most of the different limbs, be they jets, helicopters, cars or trucks have pretty much the same transformation scheme.

as much as there are a lot of different shapes, half of my enjoyment of transformers is the transformation. the new and unique way to get from one mode to the other and this just looks like 25 copies of the same toy to me.

I'll get bruticus (probably the takara version), and probably sky lynx but most of the rest are not grabbing me. I really expected vortex's remold to have more of an angular military helicopter look to it.

I don't really see the appeal of any of the autobot limbs, I would have liked to see the characters from Masquerade with the autobot head sculpts and vehicle sculpts but with stunticon colours. that is the only way I would have bought into that set. certainly a set that Botcon could jump on easily now that HasTak have done all the hard work.

[Handsprime]

Alright so here's my $0.02 on the figures

Deluxe Wave's 4 and 6.

Other than Mirage and Ironhide, I own all these toys as CHUG figures, so while I did mention I'm a sucker and would probably get them, they aren't exactly high priority. Doesn't help that the only Masquerade bot is Mirage. Don't know why Sunstreaker and not Sideswipe but hey, hopefully we'll see some redeco's/retools so we can recreate that episode!

Wave 5 figures

With Blast off being a plane instead of a space shuttle, it's does feel a little bit disappointing, however it is possible that Takara will release a new version of him that does transform into a space shuttle, which means that I'll be able to use the Hasbro version of him as a part of Rejectacon :p

Vortex is alright, but the winners here are Onslaught, Swindle and Brawl. Onslaught and Swindle are Retools done right, while Brawl is a new mold which looks amazing.
And Bruticus, man I can't wait to have him in my collection.
Hopefully we'll see a Ruination Redeco, and even a Ruination Retool!
Though it is very likely we're gonna see a G2 redeco of all the combiners.

Sky Lynx
I don't have to say anything here. It's Sky Lynx. SKY LYNX! I've always wanted a Sky Lynx toy and now I'm finally getting one :D

Legends

Out of all the Legends I've seen, the ones I'm most certainly gonna get are Shockwave and Buzzsaw because well, they look amazing. Like really I want both of these in my collection. Sure it might be a while till we get a proper sized Shockwave (excluding Fall of Cybertron), but hey who cares? It's Shockwave!
I only want Buzzsaw because of the fact he transforms into a phone. Depending on how big it is in the end will determine which Transformer it goes to.

[Golden Phoenix]

FunPub gets so close to giving us this team as a subscription Combiner Wars set but for some reason reuses Onslaught to give us Bludgeon, instead of retooling Cyclonus into Thunderwing.

http://i.imgur.com/ebSOmsdm.jpg

Thought just struck me. What if the combined mode is Thunderwing?

[Mythirax]

Looking forward to getting all these in one big hit later on :D

[5FDP]

I like the look of Sky Lynx but dont think I'll be using him as a combiner.

Agree 100%.

All others are an easy pass however I may get Shockwave if I come across him in my travels.

[DarkHyren]

And there goes the rest of my money...
Really liking SkyLynx, sure he might not have the two halves of his persona anymore but it's an excellent update to his G1 self, a must buy.
Since the only Bruticus I have is the FoC one this updated Bruticus is also a must buy for my CHUG bot collection.
Everything else I'm only "eh, it's alright" on but will probably end up getting anyway :p

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

FunPub gets so close to giving us this team as a subscription Combiner Wars set but for some reason reuses Onslaught to give us Bludgeon, instead of retooling Cyclonus into Thunderwing.

http://i.imgur.com/ebSOmsdm.jpg

?? So, funpub are going to whip out these guys on the TFSS? Needlenose too? if so:(:mad:

[Paulbot]

?? So, funpub are going to whip out these guys on the TFSS? Needlenose too? if so:(:mad:

See over here (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=21088)

[Deano85]

There's going to be a lot of options for people to have some awesome combinations for the original cw optimus and not the optimus maximus repaint.

Think I might end up using wheeljack and sunstreaker as arms, and smokescreen and hound or trailbreaker as legs.

Tho looking at better pics of trailbreaker, its too close to offroad in design. I'm still using offroad as a leg on Menasor. So will end up getting hound instead.

The botcon photos of bruticus look good compared to the slideshow previews. Will need another set of perfect effect feet.
http://news.tfw2005.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2015/06/DSC04335.jpg .

[Jilm101]

he makes a good point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIitnlC7I-k

[FruitBuyer]

Sky Lynx is the only torso that could potentially dethrone Silverbolt as the best torso for me. His proportions are just perfect and I love the head.

[Smint]

Bruticus looks excellent.

Comparing him and Devy to Menasor and Defensor is like night and day.

Im always annoyed by the feet. Why did they make it so small?

[Akky82]

Bruticus looks excellent.

Comparing him and Devy to Menasor and Defensor is like night and day.

Im always annoyed by the feet. Why did they make it so small?

Yeah they're a bit ridiculous, which is why I have Menasor (and hopefully within a week Superion and Defensor will join him) on top of my bookshelf, where they look imposing but it's above head height so you cant see the tiny excuse for feet.

As for Bruticus, yeah he's great! But I'm hoping TT might have a light grey head and maybe chest.

[prjkt]

Apparently there'll be a running change on Onslaught, so there'll be a version with a silver/grey version of the chest plate, so you can choose either toy accuracy, or wait for cartoon accuracy...


he makes a good point

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIitnlC7I-k

That was just 10 minutes of whinging as if he's the target market, then a few minutes of insanity.... just weird...

[Bidoofdude]

I like the look of Sky Lynx but dont think I'll be using him as a combiner... but having said that, Sky Reign looks like it could be adapted into Liokaiser

Hell, I don't plan on using Sunstreaker (precious), Hound, Prowl, Smokescreen, Ironhide or Mirage (the last two are still maybes) as combiner limbs.