Blackjack wrote:Red dude stood still so I could get a look at him, definitely not Dino. I think he's the Pagani Huagrya (or however you spell it) that Michael Bay showed off some time ago.
I'd better be careful here because I don't want to be spoiled on anything (I know nothing about the plot), but I see in the background there with the red dude...it's like they're in a museum or something and Bumblebee's face is on a placard on the wall. Next to it is possibly the red dude...it looks like him. And it says his name is Stynger.
I'm very intrigued by this possible story.
'Bee looks badass though with his new altmode and his slick new battle mask, or whatever it is called.
-Tobin Melroy
aka Arek Brimstone
"Can't wait for election day,
Wouldn't miss the occupation corporations rule the day." - Pearl Jam, "Undone"
Basically, premium paint jobs and remolds of existing stuff, but some neat (and random crap) things in there!
Protoform Optimus Prime, in G1 Colors
A metallic redeco of Battle Blades Bumblebee
Seemingly untouched rereleases of the upcoming Age of Extinction Deluxe Bumblebee and Crosshairs
Deluxe Dark of the Moon Starscream in his first movie colors
Dispensor, a Deluxe 2007 Movie Payload retool complete with Mounta- "Mood Wiplash" deco.
Hunt for the Decepticons Voyager Optimus Prime, in a metallic deco.
Legends Devastator from Revenge of the Fallen, in a Movie-Accurate Deco
Deluxe class Dino/Mirage, a retool of Revenge of the Fallen Sideways with new head and armblades.
Dark of the Moon Jolt in ROTF Colors with movie-accurate whips
Dark of the Moon Deluxe Ratchet in Generation 1 colors
"Darkside Soundwave", a black redeco of the Dark of the Moon Soundwave Deluxe.
Some thoughts...
Dino: Well, at least they kind of tried, finally.
Jolt: YES NOW
Voyager Prime and Bumblebee: very pretty
Dispensor: has a vending machine painted on the top of the truck, so... that actually works.
Cute redecoes, none which I remotely want (or can afford to replace the moulds which I already own). Dispensor is a nice touch though, and that is a quasi-serviceable Dino...
Not to impressed with Dino honestly, but I do appreciate the amount of retooling went into him -- those new blades and the new head in particular are gorgeous -- but I cannot see him as anything but 'red Sideways'. It's a... passable figure with what Takara had to work with.
Dispensor, though, holy shit, blew the thing out of the water. That new head! That awesome show-accurate cannon! And a quasi-appropriate alternate mode! I really, really really hope Dispensor gets released in a Hasbro line, because while I would really want to own him Dispensor isn't something I want to pay import prices for. Didn't we see a Dispensor in an early leaked toy list or something?
That Jolt, though. That Jolt is beautiful. Simply gorgeous. COME ON MICHAEL BAY PUT JOLT IN AGE OF EXTINCTION
HE CAN RIDE GRIMLOCK AND WHIP THE SHIT OUT OF DECEPTICONS AND EVERYTHING
Thoughts on the rest:
-Redecoes of RTS Optimus and Bumblebee: secretly dying inside because they look better but no way am I paying import prices for slightly touched-up versions of toys I already own.
-Age of Extinction Bumblebee and Crosshairs (presumably the green robot I don't otherwise recognize) look horrible. I know, side-toyline for children, and I suppose in that vein it's okay, but Bumblebee has a really messy chest transformation and clown shoes, whereas Crosshairs seems to have shitty shoulders and all sorts of ugly kibble on his back which just look bad.
-G1 redeco of Protoform Optimus = MEH
-G1 redeco Ratchet = do people seriously buy these things? Ew.
-Soundblaster redeco of Soundwave = honestly surprised they didn't do him in blue and yellow.
-2007 Movie redeco of DOTM Starscream = looks even worse and cheaper than the actual DOTM toy actually.
-Legends Devastator = Hooooly shit the face is gorgeous. Doesn't forgive the general terrible-ness about the hunchbacked toy, but the touch-ups made to the Mixmaster face and the Scrapper arm do make Devastator look far more presentable.
Also, what's with all the colors? Grimlock, going by the movie trailer, is mostly gray. Certainly not brown and chrome. Is Hasbro really that reluctant to release a gray robot toy?
I dunno, Hasbro's cost cutting for DOTM gave us a couple of almost completely grey and therefore terrible looking toys (Sideswipe, Soundwave, Jolt). Grey plastics never look nice and always end up looking like a test model or something to me. Although Grimlock falls into the same sort of mess as the Prime Predacons, I like that they've made some effort with different coloured plastics and chrome - and I should hope so, for something that's more than likely going to retail for £50 - £60.
Also just remembered Leader Starscream being mostly gray and working out alright. But I wonder if the other dinobots, with as colorful as they've been, don't up end up being gray in the film too.
I don't mind there being some variance between the toy and the character model if it helps the toy look better. I think the colours certainly help Grimlock here, as he's an awful looking toy otherwise
I think that Hasbro is going for a more colourful palette for the toys to make them bright[er] and appealing to kids.
Grimlock was just dealt with brownish colours, more evocative of the gold her had in all previous toys.
Takara's release will have a colour scheme much closer to the film, apparently.
I do have to withdraw most of the praise I had for this line from back at toy fair--the deluxes are kind of basic [from the video reviews] and they've shrunk even more than the DOTM deluxes.
I'm not crazy about either Grimlock thus far, but I'm liking that Evasion mode Optimus. I'm hoping takara goes for a more premium, weather deco for that one in the future.
Still waiting to see how Galvatron plays out as a figure, and if he's getting a bigger release. And Lockdown.
Knightdramon wrote:I think that Hasbro is going for a more colourful palette for the toys to make them bright[er] and appealing to kids.
Oh, I know. But it's still odd to me to have to reconcile the big, multi-jillion dollar advertisements that are the films with merchandise that's "off". You'd think they'd get it right sooner rather than later.
As for the line as a whole? Takara's redecos of previous toys (Dispensor from Payload, etc.) are what have my interest. Nothing of the new stuff has really clicked for me yet.
The thing is that toys from all 4 movies start looking out of place next to each other.
TF:TM to ROTF was a much better easement from one place to another. I still displayed TFTM Voyager Ironhide and Ratchet with LDR Prime, DLX Sideswipe, Twins, Jolt etc and they look like part of a whole.
DOTM toys looked way out of place next to ROTF/TFTM, and now the AoE deluxes look out of place with DOTM!
[Only DOTM toy that didn't look like a step back was LDR Sentinel, btw].
So, according to an interview on empire with bay, the tf with the gunface, his name is Lockdown. article also explains a bit of his background and they also suggest to keep a close eye on the inside of his ship for clues as to new characters in the next TWO movies
DinoBoss wrote:So, according to an interview on empire with bay, the tf with the gunface, his name is Lockdown. article also explains a bit of his background and they also suggest to keep a close eye on the inside of his ship for clues as to new characters in the next TWO movies
Yeah, it's been known to be Lockdown for quite a bit.
For -everything- that Bay and co say for the movies, I'm deliberately ignoring it.
After all, this is the third TF movie he's making in a row AFTER he said he will quit and pass it to another director
Latest trailer has me seriously pumped, even if I saw it the size of a postage stamp (I'm guessing by the summer there'll be some sort of Google/Apple thing in place of cinemas that plays films on the peak of a baseball cap or some shit instead).
The idea of humans actively hunting Autobots for their metal (and, TBH, that what the **** TFs are made out of is being addressed) is actually a bit different, isn't it? We've had them hunted by guys in suits who think they can control them (this always works), but plain hunting in the "killing and stripping" sense is a nice touch. Obviously there's going to be the usual property destruction and general "don't get too attatched to anyone who's not Prime or Bee" vibe, but that comes with the territory.
Has any cinema director ever, ever stuck to their guns like Bay does? Even Scorcese did Age of Innocence. Four fingers up to the people who don't like Bay films, why try and pander to people who're never going to like you anyway?
![[The Transformers Archive - an international fan site]](/common/skin/cardbackwide/tfarchive.png)
