How to improve combiners ?

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Bigger component bots too.

G1 Predaking could step on today's PCCs (or at least he could if he had articulated legs).

[Verno]

The Beast Wars combiners, Magnaboss and Tripredacus, have some good design features. For starters, they're not your basic 'Voltron' assmbly.

Ball joints were a great step forward in TF toy technology, but you'll notice they aren't overly prevelant in these figures, they still needed to be sturdy enough to function in the combined mode. Playability in a combiner, who'd have thought it possible.

But perhaps with the focus on the grandeur of the combined mode, the robot modes for the individual figures did suffer a little. In Magnaboss' case: Ironhides lack of any sort of hands what so ever is saddening. Silverbolt is basically still in beast mode in robot mode with the gigantic wings on his back but Prowl comes through with a pretty solid robot mode, apart from the kibble-tastic lions mane on his back.

In regards to Tripredacus: Sea Clamp's failure is obvious. He comes with a launcher he can neither hold nor shoot anything from off his own bot. Ram Horn and Cicadacon have pretty convincing robot modes though.

All 6 beast modes are good, perhaps with the exception of Silverbolt. Again those gigantic wings are troublesome. With some design retooling, some detatchable launchers and missiles would cure the flaw of the bulky wings. But the others are solid beasts, with the usual amount of robotics showing but thats to be expected from the BW line in general and are by no means the worst offenders.

I'd love to see Hasbro have another crack at these or figures in this vein. Perhaps the Cybertronian modes of the Magnaboss and Tripredacus.

But it was the abandonment of the, up to that point, norm (The limb and torso combination, the umpteen loose accessories and peg in hole connection etc) and total rehashing of the idea by Kenner which led to these changes. If only Hasbro could again hand Kenner over the reigns and get them to give it another go, but oops, they ate them and destroyed any trace of them.

With a bit more focus on the single robot modes, but not at the expense of either of the two modes of course, I think combiners could work very well in future TF lines.

But of course it may not be in Hasbro's best interests. Look how many different versions on Devastator they put out in ROTF. Ones that combine, ones they don't, ones that only combine every second tuesday, green and purple ones...

More money to be made in non-functioning combiners obviously!

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

I like the idea of powercore combiners in that there are commander central transformers and interchangable limb units. I would like to see this in a larger scale. It would be great to have universe ultra size commanders combining with deluxe size arm/leg transformers that all have robot/alt mode/combiner modes. Much like PCC you could make your own combiner. I look at my universe ultra onslaught and think how cool it would be to add deluxe size arms and legs to him. These would be epic

sold separately
$60 Ultra Commander (3-4 diff molds)
$25 Deluxe limbs (8-12 diff arm/leg molds)

or
$150 Giftset

[Tallestblue]

I'd like to see a Devastator that uses the Power Core Combiners concept of limbs that transform from vehicles when snapped together. including Robot modes of course.
When you push Scavenger and Hook together with Scrapper they form arms and a head, snap Long Haul onto this combo and he forms a waist and thighs then Bonecrusher and Mixmaster form calves and feet. In my head it looks like the Devastator from All Hail Megatron. Sigh. If only I could make toys.

[GoktimusPrime]

I liked the idea of Power Core Combiners until I bought the first wave 5-packs. Now I'm pretty disillusioned

More money to be made in non-functioning combiners obviously!

Sad but true

[Lord_Zed]

I liked the idea of Power Core Combiners until I bought the first wave 5-packs. Now I'm pretty disillusioned

Yeah PCC's are just to Power Rangerish for me, it also bugs me that the Commanders and Drones are different scales. If the Commanders were big vehicles and the Drones smaller ones then that would make more sense.

As for the three bot combiners the combined form of the Shinkansen team is pretty well executed too.

Bigger component bots too.

G1 Predaking could step on today's PCCs (or at least he could if he had articulated legs).

Sure as long as they make the body bigger too, like a Voyager and Deluxe team maybe. I'm not a big fan of Predaking because his torso is so small compared to his limbs.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Make a combiner team made up of Drift clones.

[kup]

Make a combiner team made up of Drift clones.

Drift Clones! Combine into...Sky Shadow's worst NIGHTMARE!!

[Verno]

If all else fails, make them BIG!

[liegeprime]

If all else fails, make them BIG!

and sell em cheap we always get ripped off nowadays with size classification gone wrong.... deluxe size in a voyager box - Im looking at you Animated Lugnut!!