Transformers Toys - Deals & Discussion

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LinkinPrime

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Latest Transformers news:

  • Dark of the Moon toyline to be released at retail on May 15, 2011
  • Transformers Prime toyline to be released at retail in October 2011
Latest Transformers figures available at retail now:

  • Generations Warpath, Kup, and Scourge
  • Dark of the Moon Preview Pack Cyberverse Optimus Prime
 
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[quote name='animalspinners']Movie Trilogy line?

I really hope this is some kind of rumor. I would love for Hasbro to just leave the movie shit alone for awhile, because the world no longer needs even more repaints and re-releases of Bumblebee, Ratchet and Optimus Prime.

I mean, I know the movies revitalized the franchise but enough is enough at this point. Its been almost five straight years of movie stuff on the pegs. Time to concentrate on Prime and keep making new Generations figures while the movie stuff just takes a rest.[/QUOTE]

Yup, Movie Trilogy. Should be running alongside Prime.

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers...nsformers-prime--movie-trilogy-slides-173639/
 
And what a shock, look at that first wave:

Deluxe Optimus Prime with Trailer
Bumblebee redeco
Wheeljack "Generation 1" retool
Autobot Ratchet "Rescue Ratchet" white redeco
Soundwave "Soundblaster" redeco

Its exactly as I called it -- Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Ratchet repaints and re-releases.

Cmon, they aren't even trying with that Bumlebee anymore and that Wheeljack is just... ugh. That Optimus Prime isn't that amazing either, despite coming with the trailer.

Why does this line even need to exist? Surely the kids who are Bumblebee (and I guess Ratchet, seeing as how he now gets tons of repaints) fans have more than enough now?

If they want a Bumblebee so bad, they can get a Prime one?

I'm quickly growing disenchanted with the brand due to all the boneheaded decisions. Generations was going in a great direction but lately, I don't know.
 
Good think I really only get Leader and Voyager class models. Although it means I get fewer figures to choose from, I don't always have to look at repaint after repaint of the deluxes. I would certainly like to see some new figures though.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']And what a shock, look at that first wave:
that Wheeljack is just... ugh. [/quote]

No, the regular release of Wheeljack is ugh. This one is tolerable. It's the one I'll be buying since the original is nightmare-inducing.

[quote name='animalspinners']
Why does this line even need to exist? Surely the kids who are Bumblebee (and I guess Ratchet, seeing as how he now gets tons of repaints) fans have more than enough now?

If they want a Bumblebee so bad, they can get a Prime one?

I'm quickly growing disenchanted with the brand due to all the boneheaded decisions. Generations was going in a great direction but lately, I don't know.[/QUOTE]

Look, part of this is boneheaded but part of it is necessary. Movie stuff makes more money than Generations ever has or will. It's because of the the movie stuff that we get stuff like Generations. I'm willing to make that trade-off.

I think it's also a vicious circle kind of thing. Store buyers are often uninformed and go for "movie" and characters they know, because that's about all they know. Rather than educate them, Hasbro caters to them.

I think that's stupid, because they'd sell a lot more if customers had more choices and things they wanted to buy. The ridiculous number of Bumblebees is not good for anyone, and I wonder what it's going to take for everyone to realize that.

At least Prime will be out, so even if the Movie Trilogy line is mostly yawn-inducing, there will be something good.
 
[quote name='blandstalker']
Look, part of this is boneheaded but part of it is necessary. Movie stuff makes more money than Generations ever has or will. It's because of the the movie stuff that we get stuff like Generations. I'm willing to make that trade-off.

I think it's also a vicious circle kind of thing. Store buyers are often uninformed and go for "movie" and characters they know, because that's about all they know. Rather than educate them, Hasbro caters to them.

I think that's stupid, because they'd sell a lot more if customers had more choices and things they wanted to buy. The ridiculous number of Bumblebees is not good for anyone, and I wonder what it's going to take for everyone to realize that.

At least Prime will be out, so even if the Movie Trilogy line is mostly yawn-inducing, there will be something good.[/QUOTE]

Yea, Prime will be out at the same time, but my stores will fill any empty Transformers peg with any Transformers product, meaning that once Prime sells out they will stock Movie Trilogy in its spot. If that stuff doesn't move, no more Prime for me. I saw it happen during the entire Generations run, as stores kept stocking Movie stuff in its pegs and the movie stuff sat there forever, making Generations impossible to find.

I know about the trade-off and what the movie did for the franchise, and I admitted before I'm a fan of the figures for the most part, but the trade-off to me doesn't matter when I never see the other product out on the shelves. I'm getting to the point where I don't care how well the movie figures help the franchise as its now personally ruining it for me with over-saturation of the same core figures when the franchise as a whole has 100's to choose from.

For example, I'll see that horrible first wave of Movie Trilogy figures in my area from the day it launches until the day the stores reset, because stores over-order the hell out of the first wave and its usually figures no one wants.

Like I said earlier, we've had movie stuff on the pegs since... 2007? Lets figure the new movie hits in 2013, we'll have movie trilogy stuff in 2012 and movie 4 in 2013, so we're looking at seven straight years of the same figures over and over and over again.

It frees up a ton of money for third party stuff at least.

And I agree with you about using diverse characters. When I go to any store now the characters that are rotting are Bumblebee, Ratchet, Mudflap and Skids while most of the newer, unique figures are gone. I can always tell when a store has had Wave 3 in stock because all thats left is that Bumblebee repaint and Mudflap.

I honestly wonder if the store buyers or Hasbro themselves ever bother to look at the pegs and just see how much of this stuff is rotting. I'd love to see the market research that tells them "Lets make a new Mudflap for DOTM! The ROTF one sold awesome!"

I know a lot of it sounds like whiny BS but it kind of sucks watching my enthusiasm for the line dwindle to nothing with each new announcement.

The TL;DR is that while I'm happy for what the movie and figures did to the franchise, its now starting to ruin the franchise (for me) in that we keep getting the same figures in the same style over and over again.
 
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[quote name='animalspinners']Y
I honestly wonder if the store buyers or Hasbro themselves ever bother to look at the pegs and just see how much of this stuff is rotting. I'd love to see the market research that tells them "Lets make a new Mudflap for DOTM! The ROTF one sold awesome!"[/quote]

From what I have heard on other forums, buyers are shockingly uninformed. They buy for the whole department, so knowledge of any one product is pretty limited. For Transformers, this boils down to "Movie good. Other stuff, not as good."

I would think Hasbro has to know what's going on, but they keep making the same mistakes over and over. The recolor waves have clogged pegs for years now. I just picked up some RtS stuff today -- they've made it to all the local discount/clearance stores. I saw Jazz and Tracks a total of maybe 3 times when they were sold originally. For this wave, distribution and case assortment were a total failure. Yet I know people who still want Jazz and Tracks.

[quote name='animalspinners']
I know a lot of it sounds like whiny BS but it kind of sucks watching my enthusiasm for the line dwindle to nothing with each new announcement.
[/quote]

I hear you. There are too many aspects that I find just annoying or nonsensical. For such a big company and such a huge moneymaker, it boggles me that they can't do some really simple things that will improve everyone's bottom line -- theirs, retailers', and consumers'.

In better news, I went to my local TRU yesterday -- they restocked Prime with a boatload of toys, including Cliffjumpers. The Arcees and Starscreams were now in large enough quantity that they couldn't be scalped, and it was all on sale to boot. Here's hoping this is a positive sign, because this is how it should be done.
 
Speaking of TF: Prime, TRU just jacked up the figures online to $13.99 now a piece now.

They've got Starscream in stock but I can't justify $20 after shipping for just one figure. Hoping HTS does a restock soon.

And "couldn't be scalped?" Don't be so sure ;) Not sure if you saw that thread on TFW2005 about people underestimating the DOTM profits, but that dude who started it is in my area and according to the thread and his pics, he hits 21 stores a day starting at 5 am and sells all the figures he gets on Amazon. Now I know why I can never find shit here because king scalper lives here.

Unfortunately we've only got one TRU in this area and he's there every 10 am buying everything =/

I feel really bad for any kids who want anything TF related for Christmas.

If you guys want a first look account at how a scalper operates, here you go:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...ate-dotm-toy-sales-first-hand-experience.html

Its on page 3 and 4 where he lists that he spends 3k a day and hits 21 stores; some people in the thread call BS but he's got pics and honestly, I believe it, the shelves are constantly bare of TFs every single time I head out.
 
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Oof. I know from experience just selling a few figures online that between driving around, gas, walking through my usual stores, waiting in line to buy, sitting on them until a buyer comes along, shipping and waiting for payment this man would go certifiably insane doing this weekly--not to mention I don't buy his story that he makes a tidy profit from over-abundant pegwarmers.
Glad he doesn't live around me--I'm betting though I've got a few like him around me though.
 
Wow, speaking of how boneheaded Hasbro can be:
From an interview about the new game:
"Matt Tieger says originally, Grimlock was not in Hasbro's Aligned Continuity. His part in the game owes a lot to the team campaigning hard to get him in there!"

Seriously Hasbro? "Hey, almost everyone loves Grimlock and the Dinbots, have wanted them in the movies but our shit ass director won't do it. Let's just write him out of continuity..." fuck you Hasbro. Seriously.

(I will forgive u if you give us a Bruticus figure from the game. I know you won't, but still...)
 
Amazon have 40% of most of the Transformer Kreo sets. I'm not a huge fan of these, I think they could have been so much better...but if you wanted to complete your sets, these are some good prices.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Wow, speaking of how boneheaded Hasbro can be:
From an interview about the new game:
"Matt Tieger says originally, Grimlock was not in Hasbro's Aligned Continuity. His part in the game owes a lot to the team campaigning hard to get him in there!"

Seriously Hasbro? "Hey, almost everyone loves Grimlock and the Dinbots, have wanted them in the movies but our shit ass director won't do it. Let's just write him out of continuity..." fuck you Hasbro. Seriously.

(I will forgive u if you give us a Bruticus figure from the game. I know you won't, but still...)[/QUOTE]

I think you misunderstood.

From what I know, I think Aligned Continunity is the two games and Prime cartoon, along with some novels. Its not referring to the brand as a whole.

They aren't writing Grimlock out of Transformers lore, just saying that Hasbro wasn't going to use him at all in Prime and Prime-related materials. That's not a shock -- they probably couldn't think of how to integrate him as a dinosaur and Grimlock in any form but a T-Rex would have the fans rage. Hasbro knows when to pick its battles with the fandom.

And Grimlock wouldn't have worked in the live action movies at all. Hes a cool character, but his alt form is such that its a real bitch to include him in anything remotely realistic.

To be honest, I'm really not fond of how they shoehorned him into Fall of Cybertron.

And as for Bruticus, I'd be glad if Hasbro just re-released the ROTF set so I can finally have a matching Fansproject Bruticus, because Hasbro won't ever make one better than that. Looking at the prices of the Fansproject set now though, I definitely don't regret picking them up when I did.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']From what I know, I think Aligned Continunity is the two games and Prime cartoon, along with some novels. Its not referring to the brand as a whole.
[/QUOTE]

This is true, but it is also their "official" canon moving on. Basically they reset their continuity to follow this one. Doesn't mean we wouldn't get any dinobots in a Generations/Classics type of line, but it means they would never be in any form of media if Hasbro took them out of the Aligned Continuity.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']I think you misunderstood.

From what I know, I think Aligned Continunity is the two games and Prime cartoon, along with some novels. Its not referring to the brand as a whole.

They aren't writing Grimlock out of Transformers lore, just saying that Hasbro wasn't going to use him at all in Prime and Prime-related materials. That's not a shock -- they probably couldn't think of how to integrate him as a dinosaur and Grimlock in any form but a T-Rex would have the fans rage. Hasbro knows when to pick its battles with the fandom.

And Grimlock wouldn't have worked in the live action movies at all. Hes a cool character, but his alt form is such that its a real bitch to include him in anything remotely realistic.

To be honest, I'm really not fond of how they shoehorned him into Fall of Cybertron.

And as for Bruticus, I'd be glad if Hasbro just re-released the ROTF set so I can finally have a matching Fansproject Bruticus, because Hasbro won't ever make one better than that. Looking at the prices of the Fansproject set now though, I definitely don't regret picking them up when I did.[/QUOTE]
Grimlock was in Dreamwave's 'War Within' series, which took place back on Cybertron towards the end of the great war (just as Optimus became Prime) and he was portrayed as a tank of sorts. I thought his design was fucking awesome (they made a titanium series toy too now that I think about it). I honestly don't care if he's a T-rex or not, and realistically it's not much of a disguise.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']
And Grimlock wouldn't have worked in the live action movies at all. Hes a cool character, but his alt form is such that its a real bitch to include him in anything remotely realistic.[/quote]

What about the movies was remotely realistic? A rampaging robotic dinosaur could only have improved them.

[quote name='animalspinners']And as for Bruticus, I'd be glad if Hasbro just re-released the ROTF set so I can finally have a matching Fansproject Bruticus, because Hasbro won't ever make one better than that. Looking at the prices of the Fansproject set now though, I definitely don't regret picking them up when I did.[/QUOTE]

Hasbro should simply license the FP Bruticus set and sell the whole thing as Masterpiece Bruticus. Everyone wins.
 
[quote name='pjb16']Grimlock was in Dreamwave's 'War Within' series, which took place back on Cybertron towards the end of the great war (just as Optimus became Prime) and he was portrayed as a tank of sorts. I thought his design was fucking awesome (they made a titanium series toy too now that I think about it). I honestly don't care if he's a T-rex or not, and realistically it's not much of a disguise.[/QUOTE]

Hey man, I'm all about these guys taking on new forms. I was a fan of Grimlock as a tank.

One of my personal favorite things to collect is Optimus Prime in any form but the standard 18 wheeler since I'm sick of it.

So far I've got Optimus as a fire truck, a Nissan car, and a locomotive (this is my personal favorite).
 
[quote name='blandstalker']What about the movies was remotely realistic? A rampaging robotic dinosaur could only have improved them.
[/quote]

I've actually never seen the movies so I have no idea, lol. I like the designs for the most part, but the actual movies themselves don't interest me at all.

Hasbro should simply license the FP Bruticus set and sell the whole thing as Masterpiece Bruticus. Everyone wins.
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Hasbro should just license everything FP does, to be honest. With each figure they put out they blow away nearly everything else Hasbro has done. FP's version of Rodimus was far and away better than any official figure.

I've got both the City and Shadow Commander in my POL at BBTS, just gotta get around to getting Magnus and Nemesis soonish.
 
[quote name='jbz']Amazon have 40% of most of the Transformer Kreo sets. I'm not a huge fan of these, I think they could have been so much better...but if you wanted to complete your sets, these are some good prices.[/QUOTE]

Holy shit on a stick. Some are up to 50% off! Really wish I hadn't ordered a few from HBTS when they had the 25% off coupon.

... I now have nearly the entire set. Thanks Amazon! :D

Seriously, I really love these sets. They have flaws, sure, but Lego's are my second favorite toy behind TF's, and to finally have buildable TF's... it's a lifelong dream (and I pretend Built 2 Rule never happened. NEVER I say!)
 
[quote name='animalspinners']Hey man, I'm all about these guys taking on new forms. I was a fan of Grimlock as a tank.

One of my personal favorite things to collect is Optimus Prime in any form but the standard 18 wheeler since I'm sick of it.

So far I've got Optimus as a fire truck, a Nissan car, and a locomotive (this is my personal favorite).[/QUOTE]

I have always loved the woolly Optimus Prime.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oufAp2WgkSQ/SusVFLkvkeI/AAAAAAAAAUA/TPQPb5MH6Xo/s1600-h/bigconvoy01.jpg
 
I am new to this thread and didn't feel like sifting through 200 pages of posts. I just wanted to bring up the Transformers figures being made by PopBox collectibles and Sideshow. As of right now there are just 2 Optimus Prime figures and both are sold out. You can however sign up on the wait list and if someone fails to pay for thier figure, it goes to the next person down on the wait list. They are a bit pricey tho. The sideshow version is 1200.00 and the PopBox version is 389.99. I purchased one of the PopBox versions but the Sideshow version was a bit too pricey for me. Anyways there are supposedly new figures coming down the pipeline so if your interested in these kinds of figures keep checking back with Sideshow. They tend to sell out quickly on popular licenses like Transformers.

Here are the links for the two figures if your interested in signing up on the wait list.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=900908

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/?page_id=4489&sku=400032

I apologize if these have already been brought up in here. Again I just didn't feel like sifting through 200 pages to find out.
 
[quote name='jbz']Amazon have 40% of most of the Transformer Kreo sets. [/QUOTE]

I wasn't gonna, but for the price that I got two sets here on sale, I was able to get five through Amazon. Couldn't help but go for it.

In other news, got TF: Prime Voyagers Prime and Bulkhead today. I literally did a happy dance in TRU. I was not looking forward to finding Bulkhead as he's one per case, so to have one right there was really fortunate.

The Prime Voyagers just hit Canada starting last Friday. I don't think they've been reported in the States, so please don't make a trip on my account.
 
Righteous Nixon: Welcome to the thread! Never heard of those, but they are sickeningly expensive.

blandstalker: Let us know how the Voyagers are! They look fantastic and I really wish they (and Cliffjumper) would hurry up and get to US TRU's!
 
I'm considering just ordering all the TF Prime stuff online from TFsource at this point. The price might be a little over retail, but the likelihood of me finding all these guys at my lame TRU (with a price bump) is slim.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Righteous Nixon: Welcome to the thread! Never heard of those, but they are sickeningly expensive.

blandstalker: Let us know how the Voyagers are! They look fantastic and I really wish they (and Cliffjumper) would hurry up and get to US TRU's![/QUOTE]

Yeah these are expensive even for sideshow's website. Even the one made by sideshow is unusually expensive as Sideshow figures usually run between 150-250. With that being said, if your looking for high quality limited edition figurines than Sideshow is the place to go. They have everything from Lord of the Rings, Aliens, Indiana Jones, Star Wars, Marvel, DC, GI Joe, Etc. I collect figures from a lot of different companies but Sideshow is by far my favorite. I really have yet to find their equal in regards to quality and attention to detail and most of them appreciate in value nicely over the years. They do have something called Flexpay where you pay in 3 installments instead of one big lump sum. I have used it myself on many occasions. Its also important to note that many of the more expensive figures are significant larger in size. For example the 1200 dollar Optimus Prime is actually 2 feet high and weighs 8 pounds. Its still expensive but your getting something that is far above what other companies are offering. The figures that cost above 400-500 bucks are extremely rare. Again most are in the 150-250 dollar range.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Righteous Nixon: Welcome to the thread! Never heard of those, but they are sickeningly expensive.

blandstalker: Let us know how the Voyagers are! They look fantastic and I really wish they (and Cliffjumper) would hurry up and get to US TRU's![/QUOTE]

If it's as cool a figure as it looks I'll get the bulkhead voyager. I'm not sure if I want Prime.
 
[quote name='Owen']I have always loved the woolly Optimus Prime.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_oufAp2WgkSQ/SusVFLkvkeI/AAAAAAAAAUA/TPQPb5MH6Xo/s1600-h/bigconvoy01.jpg[/QUOTE]

I have two of those. A brown one and a black one. I also dug Leo Convoy:

13first.jpg
 
[quote name='jbz']I'm considering just ordering all the TF Prime stuff online from TFsource at this point. The price might be a little over retail, but the likelihood of me finding all these guys at my lame TRU (with a price bump) is slim.[/QUOTE]

Yea, I think I'm just going to go for the set on BBTS. It comes out to $15 a figure, no tax and shipping is negligible because I can throw it in the pile of loot.

If TRU's online price is to be believed, its $14 a figure there, plus tax, gas and driving time and the guarantee that I'll end up needing to go back multiple times to get them all.

I would advise only using Paypal on TFSource. Whoever handles their credit card data has been hacked twice and they were really uncaring and nonchalant about the whole thing. I knew about them getting hacked the first time and still used my card thinking security was better, and ended up getting my card number stolen from there in the second round when it happened.
 
[quote name='LinkinPrime']I have two of those. A brown one and a black one. I also dug Leo Convoy:

13first.jpg
[/QUOTE]

Wow that's a pretty awesome custom job on... wtf was that thing's name? It's from TF Cybertron.

Lio Convoy:
2099784530_dd8e5058cd.jpg


Cool fig, but I hate the left shoulder (with the tail). Pretty awkward.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']blandstalker: Let us know how the Voyagers are! They look fantastic and I really wish they (and Cliffjumper) would hurry up and get to US TRU's![/QUOTE]

Opened Prime. I haven't opened the Entertainment Pack yet, so I can't compare it directly. I understand they're pretty similar.

Pluses:

  • Very good representation of Optimus
  • Pretty show accurate
  • Robot mode has lots of great details
  • Robot mode is easily better than Deluxe size
Minuses

  • Feels light on details in vehicle mode (though this is show accurate)
  • Wheel rims are unpainted
  • Back of the truck in vehicle mode isn't covered
  • Don't really care for the squishy sword or smokestacks
On the whole, it's pretty impressive and I quite like it. Transformation is like HFTD Battle Blades Prime in that it's unlike every other Optimus you've ever seen. Parts go places that I would have never imagined and it's something to still be surprised after 25+ years of variations on Optimus. Transformation is complicated without being frustrating, though you have to really think about where things are going.

It's a little tough to get all the gaps to seal and the top of the cab to sit flush -- I don't know if it's mine or if it's me, or if they're all like that.

I think the Voyager robot mode blows the Deluxe mode out of the water. Everything is more detailed and better proportioned. The aesthetic is great -- it looks like the TF:prime show model -- and is somewhere between the clean lines and curves of Animated and the detail of the movie bots. It does not feel overdesigned, cluttered, or Bayformery, though.

The truck mode looks a little plain -- after years of blue and red flames, it looks pretty basic. This is accurate to the show model, though. I would have liked to have seen the wheel rims painted (they were on Cliff and Bumblebee) and the front grill to have been gunmetal instead of a light grey. I will probably end up painting both of these, as they're simple enough to do. The back part of the cab is not paneled over, which is kind of a shame since they did such a good job of making everything else look seamless.

The smokestacks and sword are made of soft plastic. I can't say I'm a fan of that. I'm warming a little to the smokestacks, as I'd rather have them be squishy than fall off during transformation or be short. But I'd also rather they be hard plastic.

Normally, I don't have much to say about packaging -- it goes right into the recycle bin -- but the boxes are nice and come with the little display stands. I'm thinking about keeping them as display boxes.

Bulkhead coming soon.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Wow that's a pretty awesome custom job on... wtf was that thing's name? It's from TF Cybertron.[/quote]

Leobreaker, then Nemesis Breaker. The one in the picture is the Universe recolor Leo Prime. And that's a really nice job!

[quote name='Zmonkay']
Cool fig, but I hate the left shoulder (with the tail). Pretty awkward.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I agree. The thing I like about it, though, is that it's not the typical back-legs-become-legs, front-legs-become-arms, and pop-up-the-head transformation that's so common for animal transformers. I stopped buying them because I got so bored with such a basic idea. I'll take a wonky shoulder any day.
 
After being so excited at Alternity Goldbug getting announced, I'm disappointed they decided to just go with a blue Bumblebee head rather than giving him a Goldbug head.

With so many Bumblebees, I wish Hasbro or Takara would just repaint one and use the Goldbug head instead of taking the lazy way out and giving us a blue Bumblebee head -- its not the same. Its odd -- Hasbro / Takara reuse molds to the point of ridiculousness, such as making Cyclonus into Strafe, but they won't just slap a Goldbug head on a Bumblebee and paint him gold.

Thinking about it, I think Bumblebee only ever gets repainted as another version of himself. Weird.

I've got the third party Goldbug head on preorder to slap onto a spare Bumblebee, but it just sucks seeing him officially get shafted time and time again. As a kid, I grew up on Season 3 characters (and the Marvel comic, which HEAVILY featured Goldbug and is where my fondness for him comes from) and they officially either get skipped, like Arcee and Goldbug, or just not done right, like Springer and Magnus. That's not even going into the headache of having to get Runabout and Runamuck through the TFCC this year.

I'm glad third parties pick up the slack but it would be great to start seeing either company do more with some of the Season 3 cast.

Hell, the only two versions of Goldbug are the G1 version where he has no hands or feet and a Shattered Glass version which isn't even canon. He totally deserves at least one awesome figure; if Straxus of all people can get a figure so can Goldbug.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']Yea, I think I'm just going to go for the set on BBTS. It comes out to $15 a figure, no tax and shipping is negligible because I can throw it in the pile of loot.

If TRU's online price is to be believed, its $14 a figure there, plus tax, gas and driving time and the guarantee that I'll end up needing to go back multiple times to get them all.

I would advise only using Paypal on TFSource. Whoever handles their credit card data has been hacked twice and they were really uncaring and nonchalant about the whole thing. I knew about them getting hacked the first time and still used my card thinking security was better, and ended up getting my card number stolen from there in the second round when it happened.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads up. Oddly enough, I only use my miles card to make purchases, but yesterday when I bought something from TFSource, I used Paypal instead for some reason.

TFSource is pretty big site in regards to Transformer purchases, I wonder why they have a sh*tty credit card system. How do prices compare of TFSource to BBTS?
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Holy shit on a stick. Some are up to 50% off! Really wish I hadn't ordered a few from HBTS when they had the 25% off coupon.

... I now have nearly the entire set. Thanks Amazon! :D

Seriously, I really love these sets. They have flaws, sure, but Lego's are my second favorite toy behind TF's, and to finally have buildable TF's... it's a lifelong dream (and I pretend Built 2 Rule never happened. NEVER I say!)[/QUOTE]

LOL, yeah my two loves are Lego and TFs. I caved in and bought 6 sets of KRE-Os last night on Amazon. Luckily for me I had bought all the bigger guys (Prime, Megatron, Starscream) before, so my total came out to be like $62 for 6 sets + free shipping. Woot. I have all the Kreons! muahahaha.
 
[quote name='blandstalker']Opened Prime. I haven't opened the Entertainment Pack yet, so I can't compare it directly. I understand they're pretty similar.

Pluses:

  • Very good representation of Optimus
  • Pretty show accurate
  • Robot mode has lots of great details
  • Robot mode is easily better than Deluxe size
Minuses

  • Feels light on details in vehicle mode (though this is show accurate)
  • Wheel rims are unpainted
  • Back of the truck in vehicle mode isn't covered
  • Don't really care for the squishy sword or smokestacks
On the whole, it's pretty impressive and I quite like it. Transformation is like HFTD Battle Blades Prime in that it's unlike every other Optimus you've ever seen. Parts go places that I would have never imagined and it's something to still be surprised after 25+ years of variations on Optimus. Transformation is complicated without being frustrating, though you have to really think about where things are going.

It's a little tough to get all the gaps to seal and the top of the cab to sit flush -- I don't know if it's mine or if it's me, or if they're all like that.

I think the Voyager robot mode blows the Deluxe mode out of the water. Everything is more detailed and better proportioned. The aesthetic is great -- it looks like the TF:prime show model -- and is somewhere between the clean lines and curves of Animated and the detail of the movie bots. It does not feel overdesigned, cluttered, or Bayformery, though.

The truck mode looks a little plain -- after years of blue and red flames, it looks pretty basic. This is accurate to the show model, though. I would have liked to have seen the wheel rims painted (they were on Cliff and Bumblebee) and the front grill to have been gunmetal instead of a light grey. I will probably end up painting both of these, as they're simple enough to do. The back part of the cab is not paneled over, which is kind of a shame since they did such a good job of making everything else look seamless.

The smokestacks and sword are made of soft plastic. I can't say I'm a fan of that. I'm warming a little to the smokestacks, as I'd rather have them be squishy than fall off during transformation or be short. But I'd also rather they be hard plastic.

Normally, I don't have much to say about packaging -- it goes right into the recycle bin -- but the boxes are nice and come with the little display stands. I'm thinking about keeping them as display boxes.

Bulkhead coming soon.[/QUOTE]

What's the difference between the Prime that comes in the Entertainment pack and the one you opened? One is Voyager class and one isn't?
 
[quote name='jbz']Thanks for the heads up. Oddly enough, I only use my miles card to make purchases, but yesterday when I bought something from TFSource, I used Paypal instead for some reason.

TFSource is pretty big site in regards to Transformer purchases, I wonder why they have a sh*tty credit card system. How do prices compare of TFSource to BBTS?[/QUOTE]

I find BBTS's prices to be a little bit better, actually, with much better sales and clearances. Plus, BBTS has the Pile of Loot feature, allowing you to save on shipping. BBTS customer service, in my opinion, is way better than TFSource as well having used both.

Both stores price high on some stuff but that is due to them trying to make their cash back on crappy case ratios, so I just grab those figures off HTS.

Its still unsure whether it was the company who process their credit cards, someone who works there, or what, but there were plenty of people on TFW who had only used their card at TFSource (like myself, who had a new card) and got the card information stolen. TFSource gave a halfass answer to the whole thing, same as they did the first time they got hacked, so I just keep my business at BBTS who, to my knowledge, has never had such problems.

[quote name='jbz']What's the difference between the Prime that comes in the Entertainment pack and the one you opened? One is Voyager class and one isn't?[/QUOTE]

The entertainment pack Prime is a deluxe. For all intents and purposes, its the same figure that was sold during SDCC. I think the retail one has some slight coloring differences.

[quote name='jbz']LOL, yeah my two loves are Lego and TFs. I caved in and bought 6 sets of KRE-Os last night on Amazon. Luckily for me I had bought all the bigger guys (Prime, Megatron, Starscream) before, so my total came out to be like $62 for 6 sets + free shipping. Woot. I have all the Kreons! muahahaha.[/QUOTE]

Is Kre-O cancelled or something? I've only got the Megatron one and I enjoyed it, but it seems every store is clearancing them out and Hasbro has pretty much stopped talking about the line after all the hype they put into it. Kind of a shame to see it go.
 
[quote name='blandstalker']Opened Prime. I haven't opened the Entertainment Pack yet, so I can't compare it directly. I understand they're pretty similar.
Pluses:

  • Very good representation of Optimus
  • Pretty show accurate
  • Robot mode has lots of great details
  • Robot mode is easily better than Deluxe size
Minuses

  • Feels light on details in vehicle mode (though this is show accurate)
  • Wheel rims are unpainted
  • Back of the truck in vehicle mode isn't covered
  • Don't really care for the squishy sword or smokestacks
On the whole, it's pretty impressive and I quite like it. Transformation is like HFTD Battle Blades Prime in that it's unlike every other Optimus you've ever seen. Parts go places that I would have never imagined and it's something to still be surprised after 25+ years of variations on Optimus. Transformation is complicated without being frustrating, though you have to really think about where things are going.

It's a little tough to get all the gaps to seal and the top of the cab to sit flush -- I don't know if it's mine or if it's me, or if they're all like that.

I think the Voyager robot mode blows the Deluxe mode out of the water. Everything is more detailed and better proportioned. The aesthetic is great -- it looks like the TF:prime show model -- and is somewhere between the clean lines and curves of Animated and the detail of the movie bots. It does not feel overdesigned, cluttered, or Bayformery, though.

The truck mode looks a little plain -- after years of blue and red flames, it looks pretty basic. This is accurate to the show model, though. I would have liked to have seen the wheel rims painted (they were on Cliff and Bumblebee) and the front grill to have been gunmetal instead of a light grey. I will probably end up painting both of these, as they're simple enough to do. The back part of the cab is not paneled over, which is kind of a shame since they did such a good job of making everything else look seamless.

The smokestacks and sword are made of soft plastic. I can't say I'm a fan of that. I'm warming a little to the smokestacks, as I'd rather have them be squishy than fall off during transformation or be short. But I'd also rather they be hard plastic.

Normally, I don't have much to say about packaging -- it goes right into the recycle bin -- but the boxes are nice and come with the little display stands. I'm thinking about keeping them as display boxes.

Bulkhead coming soon.
[/QUOTE]

Great review! Really can't wait for him to be released in the States.

[quote name='blandstalker']Leobreaker, then Nemesis Breaker. The one in the picture is the Universe recolor Leo Prime. And that's a really nice job!
[/QUOTE]

Wait, that's an official Hasbro release? Wow, I'm shocked/impressed. Cybertron is where I stopped knowing most character's names. First of all, I watched the Japanese series (sooooo much better, with a different plot even), and for the toys I just saw one and said " I don't have that yet" lol.


[quote name='animalspinners']Is Kre-O cancelled or something? I've only got the Megatron one and I enjoyed it, but it seems every store is clearancing them out and Hasbro has pretty much stopped talking about the line after all the hype they put into it. Kind of a shame to see it go.[/QUOTE]

I really hope not, but it doesn't look good. Like you said, it's clearanced all over the place, and they haven't announced / released any new ones since the initial line launch :(
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']
Wait, that's an official Hasbro release?
[/quote]

He was a Target exclusive in 2009, so maybe that's why you missed him? He was Leo Prime there, based on the Beast Wars II character but used the Cybertron mold. That paint scheme though is custom; the official release is almost stark white with bits of colors here and there.

I got one a few months ago for $8 or so I think; Target had them on clearance on their website. You can get him for $15 - $20 new on eBay so he's not too expensive.

I really hope not, but it doesn't look good. Like you said, it's clearanced all over the place, and they haven't announced / released any new ones since the initial line launch :(
Click to expand...

Yea, I've scoured for any sort of information and I found nothing. It would have been nice if they expanded into other properties, like a Cobra Commander Kre-O haha.
 
[quote name='animalspinners']Prime Arcee and Starscream are up NOW at HTS!

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/transformers-prime-first-edition-arcee-figure?BR=496&ID=29410 -- Arcee

http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/transformers-prime-first-edition-starscream-figure?BR=496&ID=29409 - Starscream

Just got both! Came to $10.25 a figure after tax.

Use code FNF20FS for 20% off and shipping is free!

It feels so good to not have to rely on TRU. They can take their $14 a figure and shove it. Now the wait for Cliffjumper begins.[/QUOTE]

Nice, real nice. I get charged $20 shipping to Hawaii from Hasbro, but I shipped it to my sister in Cali. Can't beat $10+ for these. You order from HTS before? I assume we're not getting high grade packaging here...but that's ok. I might drop for the Japanese versions to collect instead
 
[quote name='animalspinners']I find BBTS's prices to be a little bit better, actually, with much better sales and clearances. Plus, BBTS has the Pile of Loot feature, allowing you to save on shipping. BBTS customer service, in my opinion, is way better than TFSource as well having used both.

Both stores price high on some stuff but that is due to them trying to make their cash back on crappy case ratios, so I just grab those figures off HTS.

Its still unsure whether it was the company who process their credit cards, someone who works there, or what, but there were plenty of people on TFW who had only used their card at TFSource (like myself, who had a new card) and got the card information stolen. TFSource gave a halfass answer to the whole thing, same as they did the first time they got hacked, so I just keep my business at BBTS who, to my knowledge, has never had such problems.



The entertainment pack Prime is a deluxe. For all intents and purposes, its the same figure that was sold during SDCC. I think the retail one has some slight coloring differences.



Is Kre-O cancelled or something? I've only got the Megatron one and I enjoyed it, but it seems every store is clearancing them out and Hasbro has pretty much stopped talking about the line after all the hype they put into it. Kind of a shame to see it go.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the feedback. I liked that TFSource gave me free shipping once my order was over $150. Living here really hampers me with these purchases sometimes :lol:

So the entertainment pack is the only way to get Prime/Megatron deluxe then? Interesting. Might need to get that too then. Oh, my wallet hurts!

Yeah, I was thinking Kreo might be going the way of the dinosaur. Maybe they will re-do it and hire a brick designer that can make them actually transform. I've seen a lot of custom brickers who have pulled it off and some are VERY nice. But I can imagine the challenge involved in coming up with something like that. I would pay a premium for that though if it's executed properly.
 
Voyager Bulkhead

Pluses:

  • Great, show accurate representation of character
  • Robot is well proportioned with minimal kibble
  • Lots of great details and paint
  • You can put the mace on either arm; both have flip-out hands
  • Transformation is elegant and the engineering is remarkable
Minuses

  • Wheel rims are unpainted
  • Slight amount of visible robot bits (but not really kibble) in vehicle mode
I was not wowed out of the box with Bulkhead. The transformation was a little rough going the first time and I did have to consult the instructions for one part.

That said, once I got it and it all clicked, it's pretty incredible. The transformation isn't difficult, but you have to know what to do with the codpiece (ahem). Everything is well pegged and tabbed and there are many nifty parts, with pieces folding over others or wrapped around others. It's an amazing bit of engineering.

The robot is terrific. There are some minor differences in the front and back from the show representation, but you also have some freedom in where you place things. You can go like the instructions have it and peg everything down, which leads to a few more panels in front. Or you can wrap them around Bulkhead's sides for a more show accurate look. There's very little kibble and you have multiple ways to position it.

Design-wise, it's not as sleek as Animated but it's better proportioned. Bulkhead's robot mode feels appropriately massive and is well scaled with the other figures. Paint apps are nice, colors and details are well thought out, and (shockingly) it mostly looks like the picture on the box. Again, it's a nice midway between Bayformers and Animated, and clearly the best of both.

Vehicle mode is also well proportioned. While there are lots of moving panels and tabs, it does eventually all come together, and there are no gaps like on Optimus or panel massaging necessary. Getting to vehicle mode the first time will probably be challenging (especially if, like me, you try to do it without instructions), but once you understand how everything moves and tabs together, it's not difficult and doesn't take an inordinate amount of time.

In fact, it's really quite something. There's a lot going on, but it's not frustrating. It's intricate, but it all makes sense. And there are lots of pieces that twist, turn, and fold, but it doesn't feel fragile.

Slight kibble in vehicle mode under the front bumper and the pelvic ball joints are visible on the undercarriage from the side. Not major, though, and there aren't any identifiable robot parts hanging off anywhere.

My only complaint would be the unpainted hubcaps, and it's glaring like it was on Optimus. Easily enough fixed, though. Show purists might miss that there's only one mace instead of two, and it's not much of a solution to buy another Bulkhead. Maybe it will get recolored.

No squishy plastic anywhere -- the mace is hefty and well painted.

Hasbro's doing a big disservice to everyone by only putting one of these per case. Get it if you can find it and hope Hasbro comes to its senses to make sure it's easily available.
 
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Wow blandstalker, another great review! Now I'm even more pissed these aren't in the US yet.

Picked up Prime Starscream at TRU tonight. Great great figure. So far this line is absolutely fantastic, and from blandstalker's reviews it's just getting started :D
 
hey Zmonkay. did you miss the post above about the Starscream and Arcee are in stock at HTS? Discount code and free shipping too!
 
[quote name='jbz']Nice, real nice. I get charged $20 shipping to Hawaii from Hasbro, but I shipped it to my sister in Cali. Can't beat $10+ for these. You order from HTS before? I assume we're not getting high grade packaging here...but that's ok. I might drop for the Japanese versions to collect instead[/QUOTE]

I use HTS constantly; they ship fast, have great customer service and often have the best prices thanks to all the discount codes.

The only complaint is that they don't pack the boxes well -- I've had times, like when I just got DOTM Drag Strip, that they threw the figure in the box all by itself with no padding.

It doesn't bother me -- I'm not a MOC collector and I've never had anything come broken from HTS in two years of shopping there, but I have had cards come bent before. The packaging goes in the trash for me anyways unless its Takara or third party.

My only other complaint is that the store really sucks for Hasbro's other properties; I collect Marvel Universe and G.I Joe also and they either don't stock the new stuff at all, they stock it in such limited quantities you never get it or, in the case of G.I Joe, they make you buy a retail case to get new figs.

I'm still shocked they have Arcee and Starscream in stock actually, considering the prices of Arcee on eBay. Its really good to see HTS is going to stock a good amount of these.

Speaking of G.I Joe, I went to Wal-Mart as there have been at least five waves since the last time I went -- they still have figures from early 2010 on the pegs, along with DOTM Wave 1. Yay for distribution. I'm glad there was also a lot of stock when I was a kid, or I doubt I'd be a fan of anything Hasbro these days.
 
[quote name='jbz']hey Zmonkay. did you miss the post above about the Starscream and Arcee are in stock at HTS? Discount code and free shipping too![/QUOTE]

Thanks for the heads up. Hadn't checked CAG before I picked it up at TRU last night, but I had a 5.00 off coupon so it wasn't bad.

They're still in stock (along with Thunderwing's repaint, but sadly not junkheap). crazy.
 
I found junkheap at Target yesterday after walking all over the store. The generation series were on pegs in a different aisle than the transformers. I saw I think skyshadow but I think that is a repaint and left it because my son does not like repaints.
 
[quote name='Zmonkay']Wow blandstalker, another great review! Now I'm even more pissed these aren't in the US yet.

Picked up Prime Starscream at TRU tonight. Great great figure. So far this line is absolutely fantastic, and from blandstalker's reviews it's just getting started :D[/QUOTE]

From what i'm reading, you are right, this line is awesome. I watch the show with my kids and there's a ton of potential. Knock Out, Arachnid and Breakdown could be fantastic figs if they do it right.

I like Decepticons so I'm crossing my fingers :)
 
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