Every year I think "I'll work on the award questions through the year so there's no mad rush in December". Well it's December and it's mad rush time again :o
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Every year I think "I'll work on the award questions through the year so there's no mad rush in December". Well it's December and it's mad rush time again :o
Less of a vent and more of a disappointment I suppose, but I saw two of the Combaticons at Myer today. Vortex and Blast Off. Wouldn't want to buy either, Vortex's colour scheme is gaudy, and Blast Off's head? I can deal with a jet but give the guy a face plate! But the thing that bothered me more was that on the packaging were the CG renders of the toy rather than photographs.
I guess I should have expected that since the only "official photos" of the 2016 toys are these renders, but I didn't and it did surprise me. I guess they've been photoshopping the toys for years anyway and this is the next step but still, there has been photos of TFs on their packaging for most (but not all) TF toys to date and now I guess those days are gone.
I think Brawl, Swindle and Onslaught were the main selling points of the Combaticons team (and where most of the budget would have been spent), a bit like BotCon exclusives that only have a limited number of new heads or parts.Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulbot
It also means that most people getting the better 3/5ths of the team, will be more likely to buy the remaining two weaker ones to complete the set.
TakaraTomy is likely to have a space shuttle Blastoff, and they do more accurate colourings, which should make Vortex look better.
Got CW Brawl, he needed to have extra plastic sanded off to transform, a waist mod using magnets and his tank mode won't fit together. Oh and my one didn't come with instructions.
Order summary
Items (1)$399.95
Shipping and handling:$55.81
Reduced Shipping on international orders $150+:-$11.16
$55 shipping for MT Giant from TFSource :(
Bulk buy with some other stuff, it then makes shipping more worth the price.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxius._
Got CW Devastator for my birthday and he came with 2 left hands! I put the hands on last so only realised at the end.
Toys R Us were good about giving me a replacement though which was lucky.
So I was trying to pull off Generations Crosscut's shoulder ball joint and ripped the post attached to it in half. Quite ironic considering he was being pulled to be blown apart. Superglue it is.
That is it what happened to me with Platinum Edition Rollbar (same mould). :mad:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bidoofdude
IMO Firefly would've been a more appropriate mould to repaint as Blast Off. Anyone wanna try a digibash?Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulbot
What's with the lack of associated merchandise with Transformers: Devastation?
With WFC we got a bunch of toys. With FOC we got a ton of toys AND T-shirts AND calendars etc.
I can understand there not being many toys as most of the characters already have had toys in recent years (though not G1 Kickback & Grimlock) and the game was more to promote toys like the CW line. But surely they could have done us a calendar - I'm having a bugger of a time finding a TF one for 2016!
I sure hope your just talking about the head... coz... you know...Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I think because WFC/FOC was a whole new "world" - new designs of all the characters, while Devastation is very G1 to it's core (plus it's a different developer, not sure if that has any relevance though.)Quote:
Originally Posted by BigTransformerTrev
So basically anything G1 related would also be Devastation related....
Dammit, My Saber is stuck fast in Star Saber's chest. I can't get the bugger out and it's damn annoying!!
WD-40 dude, or at least the japanese equalivant. Good luckQuote:
Originally Posted by Tetsuwan Convoy
Are you pressing the release switch at the back?
Refer to Step 9 in the instruction booklet:
.....※セイバーを取り外す時は、本体の背中のパーツを倒し、ロックボタンを押しながら取り外してくだ さい。
.....※To remove Sabre, open back panel and press the lock release button.
Yup. Got him out.
I think It's because it's a bit cold, so pointed a hairdryer at him to warm him up a little bit and he popped out.
Just found out my mp-11 thundercracker has had a piece put in back to front meaning he can't transform without the head removed probably the only one out of the 2000 made, lucky me! Maybe I could think of it as a one of a kind rarity or not!
My cat died... To take my mind away I decided to recount all my Transformers. I have 10 autobots to every Decepticon... Hasbro needs to make a massive sweep army builder pack :D
RIP Cat :(Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxius._
sorry to hear that mate.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaxius._
Don't you just hate it when the delivery driver assumes nobody is home because you don't have a car and the door is closed to keep the AC in. Oh well, just have to go down to TNT on Wednesday to pick up UW Devastator.
My Soundwave bust fell down this morning and the shoulder cannon snapped off. :(
That's so cruddy man :(Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
That sucks.Quote:
Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
Damnit....
Just got Onslaught.... Went to take combaticon limbs off Grand Scourge.... But they look too good!!!
Gonna have to get another set of limbs tomorrow
First world problems:D:cool:Quote:
Originally Posted by Krayt
+1Quote:
Originally Posted by UltraMarginal
To be fair, I've found the excessive use of the same/extremely similar transformation design over the combiner wars deluxes to be tiring. there are a few differences here and there but overall if you've transformed a single unique toy from one of each team you aren't going to see anything new anywhere else.
I understand that there is a certain need for consistency with size of combiner modes but it is possible to get equivalent sizes with different engineering. Just look at the different transformations on the original combaticons. they were all unique.
Perhaps it's because we've been so spoiled over the last decade with extremely interesting transformation schemes that this consistency in the combiner wars line is more of a stark comparison.
I have still been enjoying the line and think the combined modes and alt modes of the figures look great. I'm also very impressed with the expressiveness of the individual robot modes.
Sure, but it's hardly enough to make the entire Combiner Wars series "suck." There are lots of redecos that I've skipped and future ones that I plan on skipping; mostly the ones that are based on characters that I already have as Classicsverse figures (e.g. Prowl, Sunstreaker, Ironhide, Optimus Prime, Mirage etc.). The only exceptions I've made are when the characters were originally gestalts in G1, so I've replace some previous non-combining CHUGUR figures with combinable CW counterparts (e.g. Silverbolt, Hot Spot, Onslaught).
But I still regard CW as a pretty awesome series. :)
I think the Combiner Wars series has done really well for what it is.
Sure a lot of the bots transform in a similar manner, but they need to - have to have the core with combiner plug, and fold up into a sturdy leg, along with extending legs to form a working arm.
Even the G1 Aerialbots were pretty much the same design, just slightly different shells.
Speaking of G1 they could get away with being more different to each other as bot mode articulation was irrelevant (Groove with no legs, Breakdown's legs flipping outwards and Vortex' single foot for example) and the R&D costs had already been paid (Hasbro bought already designed figures.)
To get all the teams and individual members we did, we knew there'd have to be retools to make it worth it, and the differences between ones like Skydive/Air Raid, Rook/Swindle and Dead End/Streetwise are pretty big. Along with the differences with Hot Spot/Onslaught making each of the original combiners look quite different.
I've been impressed.
i was mucking about with my takara LG-10 arcee and tried to force one of the swords a bit too far into her hand and broke the hand :( not completely though, the palm part started to break away. argh. FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
lol was that person's reply about my arcee situation a bit too controversial for the board?
seems TF fans are a lot harsher on the whole remold / retool of the modern CW line
There are other toy lines that does the same if not more (ala Marvel 6" waves) where basically everything is a remold / retool or an existing figure with a few exception new mold every now and then.
Yet the fans seems to be more forgiving and enthusiastic about each new release that comes out
One reason I never bothered collecting this range.Quote:
Originally Posted by UltraMarginal
I think you're right and I think there is fairly good reason for it. Traditionally Transformers have been unique often challenging puzzle toys. over the last 30 years we as a fandom have been spoilt rotten with constantly new and interesting ways to change different alt modes into giant robots.Quote:
Originally Posted by pleaseexplain101
most other figure lines are collections of humanoids, apart from different body shapes and clothing you generally expect them to all have exactly the same set of moving parts across a product line.
the CW line has been exceptionally well engineered and at the same time amazingly reflects many of the consistencies of the original toys it's providing Homage to. Largely due to the restriction of each limb having to be the same length as an arm and the same height as a leg, all the arialbots have almost exactly the same transformation, and the same scheme has been used on several of the car characters as well. Add to that, the retooling of pretty much every character into another in another wave and there is an unprecedented level of consistency in the CW toy line, something that the transformers fandom isn't really used to.
I've been picking up all the UW combiner sets that represent the original teams and i'm going to stop there. All the G2 recolours and G1 non-combining characters that are getting CW moulds I don't feel like I need and in the case of the G1 characters I'm fortunate to have been collecting when the classics/generations versions of these toys were released.
Taking into account all the 'remoulds', the shapes/details on the 'repaints' in this line are better than the repaints we were getting a few years ago. in the past a repaint was just that. something with a new colour scheme (which has always been unpopular with the majority). Then Hastak started moulding alternate heads and in the last couple years we've seen extensive remoulds using very similar core structure. I think the TFPRID Arcee/Generations Chromia are the best examples of this, followed by the TF Prime Vehicon and jet Vehicon.
Like I said above, the line has been excellent outside of this transformation consistency. The toys have nice alt and robot modes, are the most stable and articulated combiners we've ever seen and the individual robot modes have fantastic pose ability and character.
I also don't think we'll ever see this level of transformation consistency again, simply due to the nature of the scramble city combiners. I do expect we'll see more creative 'remoulding' along the lines of Arcee and Chromia with less of the traditional direct repaint.
Don't forget, the Transformers fandom in general is possibly one of the more vocal easily cranky fandoms out there, at least that's what I've seen from personal experience.
edit{ oh wow, that turned into a screed, apologies}:o
I think the issue is a matter of distinctiveness.Quote:
Originally Posted by pleaseexplain101
Marvel Legends, GIJoe, and similar lines have the benefit of a consistent scale and the ability to mix and match parts from existing figures and possibly only one or two new parts to create a new distinct figure. (EG - The FunPub Marissa Faireborne and Old Snake and proposed Only Human Hot Rod and Arcee are all unique figures for mix and match parts and intelligent use of paint apps)
TFs are different in that there is limited scope to reuse toolings as each part has to serve both an aesthetic and an engineering function, which means there is limited scope to mix and match in the same way.
The general rule used to be that each mould required at least two uses to justify the tooling costs (think Cybertron Hot Shot & Excellion, Animated Ironhide & Ratchet). With the Thrilling 30 line it seems that they moved to a mentality of apportioning this balance across the whole line, which is why some moulds got three or four uses to justify the ones that only got a single use.
Combiner Wars has extended this idea across 26 separate deluxes (not including the G2 recolours), and is really been the first line which has seen some of the mix and matching seen elsewhere (Offroad and Trailbreaker) and extended the idea of unique moulds with shared engineering (Silverbolt / Cyclonus , Swindle / Rook)
If one needs to collect them all then yes the fatigue would definitely kick in
However like some mention if only sticking with a few e.g just the UW line then the whole line is actually pretty good given so many choices
And they are simple relaxing fun, as a collector of CW MP & 3P there are many times when I'm just glad to pick up a CW TF , transform it under 1 minute and just enjoy the toy
I've been meaning to ask pleaseexplain101 - is your user name paying homage to Pauline Hansen, mocking her or has nothing to do with her? Just curious. Probably many of our younger users have no idea what I'm talking about :pQuote:
Originally Posted by pleaseexplain101