OFFICIAL TRANSFORMERS TOYS NEWS

[Brendocon 2.0]

The Dinobots look alright for the size point, though the combined mode looks garbage.

Darkwing and Dreadwind look exactly how I'd expect them to look if you told me they'd done some half-arsed retooling to some Aerialbots.

The Pretenders manage to be even more LOL than the original ones.

What's the overarching gimmick of this Power of the Primes shizzle then?

[Warcry]

What's the overarching gimmick of this Power of the Primes shizzle then?

The Pretenders' inner robots (basically Titan Masters with no face) are all "Primes" that can be plugged into the Matrix holders that the Leader-class figures come packed with. The shells turn into weapons for the larger figures as well, and apparently the inner robots will be able to plug into the Deluxes and Voyagers somehow.

Honestly, it's a pretty weak unifying gimmick compared to what the last two lines had to offer.

[Brendocon 2.0]

So you're telling me that Cloudburst is the Matrix now?

Best.

Toyline.

Ever.

[Warcry]

No, no, Cloudburst is an empty suit of armour for some random Prime to hide inside, and that dude is the Matrix.

The best part is that the whole setup is compatible with Titans Return heads, so Optimus and Rodimus can carry their own heads around as Matrixes.

[Skyquake87]

Ha! That sounds brilliant!

...wait, haven't I seen that Overlord can do that already?

Anyway! Chest faces! its the future.

[Brendocon 2.0]

No, no, Cloudburst is an empty suit of armour for some random Prime to hide inside, and that dude is the Matrix.

Ah, right. Yeah, read that product info the wrong way round.

I prefer my version.

[Clay]

I still say they'll use whatever the third line ends up being called to do lots and lots beast combiners, though.

AHAHHAHAHAHA ****ING CALLED IT.

[Warcry]

http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/09/09/hasc ... als-348567

Primal seems interesting. Not really what I expected.

Random Femmebot is alright I guess.

Rippersnapper looks nice.

Hun-grrr is absolutely heartbreaking. Did they...did they actually make him out of Silverbolt? Because it kinda looks like they made him from Silverbolt. The beast mode is infinitely worse than the 80s figure, the robot is a poor likeness and I can't see the torso mode being very Abominusesque either. Maybe it'll look better in colour but right now I can't remember the last time a figure I was looking forward to disappointed me this much.

[Skyquake87]

I like the look of Rippersnapper. I didn't think Hun-Grrr looked that bad, but you're right, not the greatest looking toy. Primal looks interesting, especially the Optimal form and Moonracer's just kind of ...okay.

[Cliffjumper]

Can you imagine how pleasant the rest of Hascon probably was while that dinner was on?

[Tantrum]

Hun-grrr is absolutely heartbreaking. Did they...did they actually make him out of Silverbolt? Because it kinda looks like they made him from Silverbolt. The beast mode is infinitely worse than the 80s figure, the robot is a poor likeness and I can't see the torso mode being very Abominusesque either. Maybe it'll look better in colour but right now I can't remember the last time a figure I was looking forward to disappointed me this much.

I've seen one pic comparing Hun-grr to a Silverbolt fan mode, and they look pretty similar, complete with bot-heels forming the lower jaws. I don't know if the fan mode was done before or after the Hun-grr pics came out. I just hope Blot isn't based on the Rook fan mode I've seen.

Hun-grr's bot mode looks alright. He lacks the original's round shoulders, which would have made him stand out from the other blocky torsos. The tail on the chest is new, but it works. The beast forelegs are too small, and the necks are too big. I like the spine spikes inside the flaps that cover the connector ports in the bot knees.

You can see a little of Abominus' chest on the inner bot legs. I'll miss the beast heads on Abominus' knees. It seems like a straight update of the G1 design would've been easier and worked better, though. Just add the Abominus chest to the beast underside/robot back, lock the arms in place in combined mode, and hide Abominus' head in Hun-grr's torso. Maybe make it a helmet that fits over Hun-grr's head, like TR leaders.


For the Dino limbs, it looks like they just took the G1 designs, replaced the Diaclone cockpits with combiner connectors, and added joints. Good. I'm less impressed with Grimlock as a torso, though I do like the T-Rex arms as shoulder kibble. Pics from the back show the shoulder holding Snarl sagging. Hopefully that means it's a prototype issue, and the release will have stronger joints to hold it in place.

Pics from the back also show Volcanicus' hands having two thumbs, presumably to help with limb swapping. I'd've prefered a single thumb that can change sides, like with HFGs.

Volcanicus' chest looks too busy, with the T-Rex head, hip joints, and spare hands all crammed together. Usually, gestalt chests look like a single, unified piece which offsets the inconsistent look of the rest of the figure. Maybe all the Dinobots having the same color scheme will help.

I'll get all 5 Dinobots anyway, just to have them as individual figures. I don't know how often I'll combine them, though. Maybe Dinobot shades of red and grey will make them a good fit for Optimus Maximus limbs.

[Warcry]

Can you imagine how pleasant the rest of Hascon probably was while that dinner was on?

I like the look of Rippersnapper. I didn't think Hun-Grrr looked that bad, but you're right, not the greatest looking toy. Primal looks interesting, especially the Optimal form and Moonracer's just kind of ...okay.

The thing is...Hun-grrr was one of my favourite toys when I was a kid, I still have him and even though he's 30 years old now I still think he's a great toy. So my standards for an update are a lot higher than, I dunno, Quake or Hot Spot or someone. And even just comparing the new figure to the official art it's easy to see how it could have been better.

I've seen one pic comparing Hun-grr to a Silverbolt fan mode, and they look pretty similar, complete with bot-heels forming the lower jaws. I don't know if the fan mode was done before or after the Hun-grr pics came out. I just hope Blot isn't based on the Rook fan mode I've seen.

Considering how they transform, I wouldn't be surprised if Blot was based on Rippersnapper, just boxier.

I have to admit, the first thing I did once I saw Hun-grrr was to break down my Superion so that I could try out Silverbolt's dragon mode. Wasn't impressed.

Hun-grr's bot mode looks alright. He lacks the original's round shoulders, which would have made him stand out from the other blocky torsos. The tail on the chest is new, but it works. The beast forelegs are too small, and the necks are too big. I like the spine spikes inside the flaps that cover the connector ports in the bot knees.

The beast legs are pretty weedy, and I don't know why they'd put the tail on his chest when everything else in the line is so slavishly accurate. The dragon necks are what really bug me, though. In the original (and this one's art!) they're the same thickness throughout, which really helps them look like, you know, actual necks. But since they cribbed Silverbolt's torso transformation, his shins have to fold over his thighs, and the end result looks like some guy with a couple hand puppets.

Also really disappointed at the torsobots' lack of any real accessories. The Grimlock on display doesn't seem to have a sword or a G1ish gun like the limbs, just those scuzzy foot-guns. And the same goes for Hun-grrr, who's really going to look bare without the original's huge shield and big-ass cannon.

For the Dino limbs, it looks like they just took the G1 designs, replaced the Diaclone cockpits with combiner connectors, and added joints.

A stroke of brilliance, that. I'd never thought about how conducive the original designs were to adding combiner ports. It barely even impacts their look at all.

[Brendocon 2.0]

Points to Hasbro for giving the official Dinobot combiner a name that's somehow worse than every single terrible fanwank story that's come before.

[Tantrum]

I have to admit, the first thing I did once I saw Hun-grrr was to break down my Superion so that I could try out Silverbolt's dragon mode. Wasn't impressed.

If some kitbasher had done this to a Silverbolt to make a Hun-Grr, I'd think it was brilliant. As official product, it's a bit of a let down.

The beast legs are pretty weedy, and I don't know why they'd put the tail on his chest when everything else in the line is so slavishly accurate. The dragon necks are what really bug me, though. In the original (and this one's art!) they're the same thickness throughout, which really helps them look like, you know, actual necks. But since they cribbed Silverbolt's torso transformation, his shins have to fold over his thighs, and the end result looks like some guy with a couple hand puppets.

The beast mode pic shows some stuff on the underside (I'm guessing Abominus' head/torso), which might get in the way of folding the tail there. The necks could work depending on the deco. Maybe they'll look like lions' manes, but made out of scales. I wouldn't mind larger necks, or smaller forelegs, but having both makes each problem look worse.

Also really disappointed at the torsobots' lack of any real accessories. The Grimlock on display doesn't seem to have a sword or a G1ish gun like the limbs, just those scuzzy foot-guns. And the same goes for Hun-grrr, who's really going to look bare without the original's huge shield and big-ass cannon.

It'd be odd if the torsos didn't have any other accessories, since that would leave the combined form without a weapon. Maybe the Legends class figure is it, but all the CW torsos came with a pair of weapons that combined to make a gestalt weapon. Hun-grr won't have his shield, but that was just a way to make use of Abominus kibble, anyway. I'm happy to give that up for less partsforming.

[Warcry]

The beast mode pic shows some stuff on the underside (I'm guessing Abominus' head/torso), which might get in the way of folding the tail there. The necks could work depending on the deco. Maybe they'll look like lions' manes, but made out of scales. I wouldn't mind larger necks, or smaller forelegs, but having both makes each problem look worse.

If they'd made the thighs a bit thicker, I think the necks would look a lot more natural. The thick "shin" parts are about as thick as Hun-grrr's legs should be, IMO.

It'd be odd if the torsos didn't have any other accessories, since that would leave the combined form without a weapon. Maybe the Legends class figure is it, but all the CW torsos came with a pair of weapons that combined to make a gestalt weapon.

Starscream comes with his null rays, so it's strange that Grimlock and Hun-grrr don't seem to have any normal guns of their own. But they're not in the pics so far.

Hun-grr won't have his shield, but that was just a way to make use of Abominus kibble, anyway. I'm happy to give that up for less partsforming.

Partsforming isn't inherently bad. In this case it seems like the bits that used to partsform are just added kibble in both robot and beast modes, leaving him with an ugly robot mode and a pregnant-looking dragon mode, and no badass shield. It's especially disappointing because this mold is probably going to get retooled into Snaptrap, who had an equally awesome shield, and this means he's probably not getting it either.

[Warcry]

Indeed it is!

I, uh, appear to have lost all sense of reason and preordered both the Decepticon Clones and Megatron, since they look great and their Hasbro counterparts have been basically unattainable around these parts. The Clones especially...I didn’t realize that their pink was swapped for purple in the Headmasters show but it looks fantastic, if a bit strange.

[Denyer]

Hope we see some separate Targetmaster partner packs.

[Skyquake87]

Oh my, that Megatron sure looks pretty. Love the dragon TM he comes with!

[Skyquake87]

Just looked back through the Dinobot pictures and spotted the Predaking silhouette. I'll be interested to see what they turn out like

@Warcry. Understand the attachment to Hun-Grrr. I think poor updates of a personal favourite do take the sheen off.

I wonder if they'll do a decent Shockwave for this sort of mainline ramalama. I like CW toy, but a nice update of him would be most welcome. Perhaps I should put this in that other thread :P

[Clay]

It'd be odd if the torsos didn't have any other accessories, since that would leave the combined form without a weapon.

Would guess that it's a marketing ploy to get you to buy the little matrix guys, as their pretender armors seem to turn into weapons?

Just looked back through the Dinobot pictures and spotted the Predaking silhouette. I'll be interested to see what they turn out like

You can see what's likely to be Predaking's design here (pic and video). Obviously they'll embellish some details for the game model, but even so, you can already tell that Tantrum and Headstrong are retools of each other.

As for how the toy will be, well.... remember how great the idea of a titan class Devastator was? Until we saw it? And it was the way that it was? Yeah, I'm afraid Predaking will be like that.