Transformers: Age of the Primes toyline discussion || update: Voyager Skybyte and Heatwave

[Donocropolis]

I know I'm a lucky one who has the TFCC versions of the Target Masters for Spinister. I will have to say that Spinister's colors are growing on me. Maybe if I had the Diaclone TwinTwist, I might be more tempted.

That's where I'm at. I do want the Target Masters, and I'm not completely opposed to a second Spinister, but I skipped Diaclone Twin Twist, so now I don't have a real need for Top Spin. I just can't justify $50 for essentially just the Target Masters.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Star Convoy (pt 2 explanation)

Star Optimus Prime is back with another post on this puny mortal’s ig account! Who dare does not bow before the 13th god of transformers!

I tried my best at showing off the options in Star Base Mode as well as the key feature of the head of Star Optimus being able to articulate downwards to act as a lil gunner station. If you articulate the forearms behind him you can utilize the shoulder blasters with hand platforms to balance a variety of scaled characters manning the top shoulder blaster stations.

The sculpted details inside Hotrods main control room are highlighted here to try to showcase them. I personally like to utilize the matrix hilt as a holder of the zodiac orb inside his chest. But you can also see the og base mode here to still give you the nostalgia of the original toy.

The microtrailers do contain some cool features that carry over from the original toy. You can connect multiples, Hotrod easily fits into the deep cavern of the back trailer, front cab comes off and can transform into another mini gunner station. I do enjoy putting the enormous blaster weapon on the side to act as a huge launcher.

The rotary wheel really gets an adult “weeee” out of you as you diversify different metallic tinted blast effects on the gunner, which it can be transformed into a handheld blaster, those shoulder blasters also pop off to become handhelds too!

I enjoy utilizing the tread unit as a land surfer for multiple bots that are on a mission. phew, theres more stuff to talk about but I ran out of space!

Up next…?

(Source: - Instagram)

 

[Dekafox]

Titan Star Convoy preorder is back up on Pulse for anyone who missed it the first time, but it's marked "Low Stock" so I don't know for how much longer.

 

[TriBlurr]

Voyager Skybyte and Heatwave

 

[Glitch]

Hope he's less hollow then the Thrilling 30 Sky Byte.

 

[Shadewing]

Slightly disapointed Heatwave is a Bulkhead remold. I had partly wanted him to be a new mold triple changer.

 

[The Phazer]

Hope he's less hollow then the Thrilling 30 Sky Byte.

Lol at the idea that a new mold with 2025 budgets would be less hollow than anything from the Thrilling 30 Era.

Skybyte looks okay, but ultimately he adds nothing new but will be more cheaply made than the two very good Skybyte toys I already have.

Unless budgets are fixed and part counts restored to former levels is is pretty hard to see the point in any remakes from the Cybertron era onwards honestly.

 

[lastmaximal]

He already looks very hollow in that robot mode picture. Like not even the best foot forward marketing render could hide it.

Nevertheless, he seems substantial and better-executed than the T30. I hope this one gets a Cybershark redeco... As one of the four people who preferred that look.

 

[Donocropolis]

Slightly disapointed Heatwave is a Bulkhead remold. I had partly wanted him to be a new mold triple changer.

I'm kind of surprised that they kept as much of the "little kid toy" aesthetic as they did. I was expecting more of a "what if Heatwave had been a G1 Character" look. Not so much in robot mode, which is fine, but more of I expected him to transform into a fairly realistic firetruck, similar to Legacy Chase.

 

[unluckiness]

T30 Skybyte was pretty well-filled overall except he literally has no lower legs. This guy does a better job of spreading the hollowness throughout the entire figure.

probably stand better too.

 

[Superomegaprime]

Don't care about Heatwave, Skybite, he looks kind of, off for me, thou It might be because they chosen to go with purple over his blue!

 

[Robogeek1973]

Other than needing more paint apps on his exposed machinery parts, Sky-Byte is fire! So happy to see he isn't posed in yet another wonky curve in his shark mode. Heatwave is pretty cool as well, and hope to see Blades made from that rock helicopter dude eventually.

 

[The Predaking]

Lol at the idea that a new mold with 2025 budgets would be less hollow than anything from the Thrilling 30 Era.

Skybyte looks okay, but ultimately he adds nothing new but will be more cheaply made than the two very good Skybyte toys I already have.

Unless budgets are fixed and part counts restored to former levels is is pretty hard to see the point in any remakes from the Cybertron era onwards honestly.

You know, I have been feeling the same way for a while now. A lot of these new renditions aren't as good as the original toy or don't add anything of worth to justify the cost.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Unless budgets are fixed and part counts restored to former levels is is pretty hard to see the point in any remakes from the Cybertron era onwards honestly.

Not sure about that. Legacy Cybertron Override, Starscream, and Hot Shot are pretty great and all improve on the originals in some way.

And a hot take... Legacy Animated Prime is better than his Animated Voyager figure. No dumb waist gimmick, he loses the turtleneck look by removing the mask, and he actually has a show-accurate axe.

All of this is to say that while I was skeptical about redoing toys from Cybertron onward, most of their outings in that space have been winners in my book.

You know, I have been feeling the same way for a while now. A lot of these new renditions aren't as good as the original toy or don't add anything of worth to justify the cost.

Well... can I offer the suggestion that it's not about you?

That sounded ruder than I meant it... hear me out.
We're collectors. Older mostly. We've been in the game for a while. Why do we need a new Animated Optimus? Any of us who want one kept our original from back in the day!

Except this isn't about you. Or me. Or any of us. Not entirely.

There's a whole new generation of fans and collectors in their teens and early 20s who were either babies or not even born when this stuff was new. If an 18 year old collector wants an Animated Optimus or Cybertron Hot Shot they can pay way too much on the after market... or they can pay retail for the new version available at Walmart right now.

That's another reason why despite my earlier reservations about Generations tackling Cybertron and onward I've come around on it. It helps give collectors who weren't collecting back then a chance to get a version of these characters.

It's not always about us Olds

 

[Donocropolis]

You know, I have been feeling the same way for a while now. A lot of these new renditions aren't as good as the original toy or don't add anything of worth to justify the cost.

....It's not always about us Olds

I was getting ready to come in and say something similar. Between only dipping my toes back into collecting around the Cybertron era and being occasionally cash-strapped due to wisely deciding to have a kid just as the economy was tanking around 2008, I was pretty hit-or-miss with getting various toys that I wanted. So, for characters from Cybertron onwards that I already have, a lot of times I skip new toys unless they do somehow pretty significantly improve on the old version. But, retreading some old characters HAS given me a second chance at a lot of things I missed the first time around.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Lol at the idea that a new mold with 2025 budgets would be less hollow than anything from the Thrilling 30 Era.

Skybyte looks okay, but ultimately he adds nothing new but will be more cheaply made than the two very good Skybyte toys I already have.

Unless budgets are fixed and part counts restored to former levels is is pretty hard to see the point in any remakes from the Cybertron era onwards honestly.

Not everyone has the money or desire to track down a vintage figure.

 

[Shadewing]

I was getting ready to come in and say something similar. Between only dipping my toes back into collecting around the Cybertron era and being occasionally cash-strapped due to wisely deciding to have a kid just as the economy was tanking around 2008, I was pretty hit-or-miss with getting various toys that I wanted. So, for characters from Cybertron onwards that I already have, a lot of times I skip new toys unless they do somehow pretty significantly improve on the old version. But, retreading some old characters HAS given me a second chance at a lot of things I missed the first time around.

Similarly I lost a lot of my collection between two bad moves. So I can either pay a fortune for stuff on the after market, get really lucky and find it for cheap usually from another collector, or I get re-releases or modern remakes. So I am all seeing new versions of anything.

 

[Cybersnark]

I'm kinda surprised Heat Wave isn't based on an Optimus, given that they kept the obvious-fist-shaped kibble for his headlights.

 

[Platypus Prime]

That's actually the take I had to go with for my nephew, I have had and seen a LOT and had no interest, but to him it's all new, and he's had a mix of getting new stuff and borrowing (often for a lot longer than a borrow should last but whatever) from my stuff (we live next door to each other). So while my own purchases have slowed down a LOT, I have gotten some newer stuff and quite a bit of the better G1 reissues for him, and to him, they're something amazing and fresh.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

Skybyte looks nice, but I already have the last version and don't need to double dip.

Heatwave really needs a way to fold away the truck fist bumpers to get his torso into the right shape, and I'm gonna need to see better shots of his head; but I also don't have any other versions of the mold (still think they could've made a good Pyro out of it), so he's a maybe.