Thank god, since Target did not last long in Canada.
Although I wouldn’t mind some Toys’R’Us exclusives. 
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You son of a bitch
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LOL yeah, I caught that slick comment as well.
Any guesses on who the “spoiler” pack will be? Given that it was Magnus the first time, I am guessing that it’ll be Shockwave.
G1 faithful (for the most part), or don’t bother. Might as well just do characters from other eras entirely then. Don’t be trying to sell us on G1 characters but, then insist on “Updating” and deviating from their iconic looks.
That’s why most of the OG Generations stuff from way back in the day, while a nice effort, was ultimately forgettable. The more recent CHUG goodness we’ve received in stuff like Titans Return and Siege, will stand the test of time MUCH better.
I think you can update a character and maintain their overall spirit. The standout example is IDW Springer. A fresh take that excels in all three modes and yet still nails that character. Runner ups would be RTS Jazz, Classics Kup, Blurr, and IDW Orion Pax
I would think that’s a case by case basis. Some of the reason they get pushed out is because toy design and engineering is far better now. Key example is ER Prime vs. Classics Prime. It was a good effort for a little over a decade, but now you can do so much more. Also more recent stuff did drop in some random characters (e.g., Target masters) that were really well done but nothing to compare it to. You can still go on the boards and have contested debates on the figures I mentioned earlier.
^^ Ok, WTF?
Prime? I could understand a redo. It’s Prime. Then we get Earthrise Smokescreen. Ok, he was only available as a “selects” release in Siege afterall.
Now? Ironhide is getting redone. Which will no doubt lead to an ER Ratchet to Match. And with Smoke Screen and now Prowl, we’ll surely see an ER BlueStreak.
So are they just going to redo everybody we just got from Siege?!
Honestly, what made you think any differently?
WE. JUST. GOT. THESE. CHARACTERS.
What was the point of Siege then, if they were just going to regurgitate and spit everyone back out? It reduces siege to a filler line that was inevitably going to be replaced.
Transformers (in general) is a toyline that’s built on repaints and retools. If you didn’t think they’d be re-doing them in a true G1 2.0 fashion, you haven’t been paying attention over the last 35 years.
They’ve gotten into the process of “pre-tooling” figures. Clearest example is Cliffjumper. Great figure, but was released first to “support” the design costs for the figure that fans really want. . . .Bumblebee. ER Megatron was probably designed first (given the lesser complexity in the sword). Remove some of those details in the midsection and redesign the head and surrounding tank bits. Now you have Siege Megatron. Hell ER Prime and Siege Prime share the same exact lower body (extra port for trailer and all). It’s economy of design. You have two lines for the price of one. The seekers are what make me believe that parts of ER were designed first. They practically just upscaled the original classics design. The Siege Seekers are not only are a completely different mold, but have significantly more articulation. They have waist, wrist, hip rotation. They also have a greater knee and elbow bend.
Hasbro knows that fans will open that wallet up again for the actual figure they want even if the existing one is pretty good. Think about it, who would have bought Siege Prime if they knew ER was waiting in the winds? I know damn well I wouldn’t.
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Sorry but i find most of those rationalizations flimsy. Even worse, i fear we’ve been blatantly ripped off altogether. And siege was always meant to be that forgettable ‘filler’ line, to grab a quick buck, before they gave us the REAL releases they’d meant to all along. That’s just sleazy.
And that those who picked up figures like Siege Ironhide, Prowl, Ratchet, etc, were all suckers.
Hasbro has been doing this throughout the CHUG line.
Let’s step through the Combiner Wars and Titans Returns for a few notable examples to support the point that they are designing characters to be released in initial waves to pad the wallet for the real one. Off the top of my head
Alpha Bravo into Vortex
Rook into Hound into Swindle
Optimus Prime into Motormaster
Blast-Off into Slingshot
Titans Return
Optimus Prime into Octane
Megatron into Blitzwing
Sentinel Prime into Astrotrain
Alpha Trion into Broadside
Siege Soundwave vs. ER Soundwave. I am 99% sure that Siege was released first as a cash grab to pay for that design cost. Two figures for the cost of one.
Again, Hasbro knows the collector and they know that nostalgia is a powerful force. They’re not going to make a line inherently suck. They built Siege up to pull you back in. Now you know that there is a standard that they are hitting. Most collectors that are happy with the product will ultimately go for it again.
Good news is that since WFC:Kingdom is Beast Wars related, you’ll probably not see a large number of retools coming from Siege or ER.
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Think about this: ER Prime is far from a ‘Perfect’ figure. He has quite a few subtle flaws through-out. I finally spotted ER Prime the other day actually. In person, yeah, he’s a neat figure but NOT a spring-worthy upgrade over Siege.
However, what if Hasbro made him that way on purpose? Release a nice but very flawed representation. Then a 2-4 months later, come out with MUCH better version. Aka: the version they had in mind all along! That Earthrise Prime was just there to rip-off fans, like you, and make a quick buck before they released the REAL version.
How would you feel then? Because that’s how i’m feeling with Siege. That we just got played and ripped-off.
Like I said earlier in the thread, Ironhide from Siege was rare and expensive to find for me.
So I don’t mind a re-release, it works out for people like me. Not sure why anyone who has the Siege version has to buy it.
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There are very few figures that are 10/10. It’s easily the best modern interpretation of Prime. Sure the torso’s a bit short, doesn’t have butterfly joints, two-tone legs, and the head not having the proper paint apps. None of that is enough to kill the release. The “worst” part is the price tag given that it’s a leader figure because you get a box.
Perhaps. I will say it’s better articulated, much less kibble, and more interesting transformation than the Siege version.
The ER version is likely the last version of a G1 Prime (outside of recolors) in this toyline. You’ll usually only see an interpretation of a character at most three times. Given the fact that the ER release reuses the entire leg portion, I doubt there is another coming that’s akin to the G1 aesthetic (outside of Powermaster Prime.
Just fine. Yes, they want to make us fans of the brand happy. However, don’t confuse that with them killing their bottom line to do so. I’m sure when they were creating the line, they knew going in how to maximize the designs being created. This is nothing new. At the end of the day, as long as you like it, you win. If the end result is a G1 inspired robot mode, you’re in a pretty good spot no matter which way you go.
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Either you are a completionist or want a more G1 accurate representation. Like you said, it’s an easy pass otherwise.
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It’s not the exact same model as Siege?
It’s a retool. A lot of the design is reused. The “shield” just covers the top that was exposed on the Siege version.
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I’m sorry but that is simply not so. 10/10? Not even close. He’s more like a 8.5/10.
In this line? Perhaps. But i have a sneaky suspicion that we’ll be getting another, Better’er G1 Prime relatively soon. Too many flaws with ER Prime.
Speaking of peeps we’ll be getting again, it would not surprise me if we see a new Magnus soon also, this time with G1 Appropriate alt-mode. It always kinda mystified me how they were so close to a home run with Siege Magnus but, intentionally downplayed it with his “RID Homage” altmode. Then you have the netflix magnus trying to grab for even more $$ out of that mold, probably before they kill it entirely and announce the new version.
Then going back to the Decepeticon side. I’m thinking Shockwave is another good candidate to get regurgitated soon. No doubt with a G1’ier proper gun altmode.
Let’s be real here. Hasbro just did us dirty with Siege. These guys were always meant to be forgettable. 20+ years from now, Siege will just be “that weird line before Earthrise”.
I think you misread as that’s not even what I was getting at. I was stating that there aren’t many “perfect” figures but it’s easily the best modern version of Prime. I pretty much agree with you if I was going to quantify it.
Doubt it. If we do, it’s going to be a recolor with some retooling. If it were something new, it’ll be a Powermaster release at best.
I could easily see this being the case. They’re starting to incorporate other lines. While G1 is the most known, Transformers is a 30+ year old franchise. You have to remember that the kids that grew up on that show now have disposable income and can blow it on nostalgia trinkets.
He already does, but it’s not in the instructions.
They do that to avoid it being a toy gun. It’s the same reason why Sixshot had a “submarine” mode.
Saying it’s forgettable because there aren’t G1 proper alt modes is a bit far-fetched. If anything, it’ll be weird because it failed to show battle damage properly.
Wal-Mart being the source of TF exclusives sucks. But then again I did just go there for Cap’n Crunch Berrytastic pancake mix, so I guess they know me. 
Did anybody ever post up the Air Max “G1 Joes” Soundwave?
I want that so bad.
Starscream:
More customs:
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