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

[LordGigaIce]

Yeah, a lot of stuff from that era feels like it should be easy to come by for cheap because it was for a long time, but I recently started looking for an Energon Wing Saber (long story) and oof.

Yeah. Heck, even newer figures. TR Sentinel Prime goes for $65-$90 these days. I love that toy, but that price is way too high.

The aftermarket is a cruel mistress, so I'm all for Hasbro revisiting designs with newer toys even if the old ones don't "need" an update.

Only vaguely relatedly, part of me wants a Legacy update of Classics Optimus Prime just to see how people react to the announcement.

I was actually thinking about this the other day... and you could fit the stuff Hasbro likes to put into modern figures (and Optimus specifically) into the Classics Prime design easily enough.
Wrist and ankle articulation would be easy to work into him, as would a Matrix chamber seeing how his upper torso is one solid piece. They could probably work in ways to fold the forearm kibble up more. And his guns never had any firing missiles anyway so making new versions blast effect compatible would be an added bit of playability.

Honestly? I'd love to see them give it a go, with a re-release of ER Starscream in his Classics paintjob.

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

I'm fine with him keeping the forearm shields, just make them peg into place rather than relying on joint friction. One of mine's has loosened up a bit over the years.

 

[Shadewing]

Yeah. Heck, even newer figures. TR Sentinel Prime goes for $65-$90 these days. I love that toy, but that price is way too high.

Yeah, I'd like to get him, but I don't want to pay more then leader class prices for him.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Yeah, I'd like to get him, but I don't want to pay more then leader class prices for him.

He's not only necessary if you want a full collection of IDW designs, he's the only "comics" style Sentinel ever made, by Hasbro or any 3P outfit.

It's why I'd like to see them do another take on that design with Siege Astrotrain. They'd really just need a new head.

 

[Shadewing]

He's not only necessary if you want a full collection of IDW designs, he's the only "comics" style Sentinel ever made, by Hasbro or any 3P outfit.

It's why I'd like to see them do another take on that design with Siege Astrotrain. They'd really just need a new head.

Yeah, one of my goals is making an IDW shelf, so that's gonna be "fun" lol.

However I DON'T want them to do him from Siege Astrotrain, because one of the other reasons I'd like having that version is now he'd be a unique design, that only vaguely resembles Astrotrain and now Galaxy Shuttle.

 

[Steadfast]

Slightly annoyed that this Sky-Byte is sold as a Decepticon. I mean, it doesn't *matter*-- especially if he doesn't have a sigil on him, but it's the principle of the thing.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

My first thought was "I'm tired of Sky-Byte." But then I remembered that he's finally not the only RID01 character getting new toys anymore.

 

[tec]

What thread do we talk about the Hearts of Steel guys in?

 

[Sabrblade]

What thread do we talk about the Hearts of Steel guys in?

Funny thing about that is, they're ostensibly the next wave of the Comic Edition line, but we didn't give Comic Edition its own thread.

 

[Rhinox]

I like the looks of the new Sky Byte. Finally a figure of him that isn't a giant pain in the ass to transform and actually has correct wrists.

 

[Princess Viola]

What thread do we talk about the Hearts of Steel guys in?

we don't.

we're just pretending they don't exist

 

[Steevy Maximus]

That's what I keep coming back to. There are plenty of younger collectors and fans out there happy to have accessible and affordable versions of these characters. If Hasbro doing this means they have more chances to get designs they want without having to deal with the predatory after-market for 15-20 year old vintage stuff, that's awesome.

If that means that they release some figures I feel comfortable passing on, then that's good too. Breaks are nice.

Something I feel to add to that is that…when something comes out doesn’t matter much anymore. Even back in the 2000s, once a show was done, it was “done”. Aside from some home media releases, the shows never re-aired. Even in the era of DVD sets, somebody would have to go out of their way to watch episodes from Beast Wars, or Armada, or even G1.
These days?
Both Amazon Prime and Pluto TV have Transformers FAST channels, which cycle through the entire franchise (except RiD 01). I had the Amazon version up this morning and after an episode of Transformers Animated, they slipped in a Rescue Bots Academy episode before rolling into Robots in Disguise (15). Tubi TV has everything up for streaming, Netflix has its own trilogy of shows plus cycling through recent content like Prime, Cyberverse and Earthspark.

To me, this goes a LONG way towards justifying more “recent” remakes as it is no longer a foregone conclusion that younger fans or kids haven’t seen the series a character might come from (except for stuff like the HasLab Liokaiser)

we don't.

we're just pretending they don't exist

I’m more hoping that the “timelines” thing will ultimately bring us things like War Within or Transtech designs.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I liked Hearts of Steel as a fun one-off "What If?" series. And then IDW1 made it all part of Shockwave's master plan for some reason. Sorry if you liked the idea, setting, and characters, idiot, those weren't Optimus Prime and Bumblebee at all!

 

[The Mighty Mollusk]

And then IDW1 made it all part of Shockwave's master plan for some reason.

I must've missed that part, and I'm not gonna go looking for it.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I must've missed that part, and I'm not gonna go looking for it.

Smart move

 

[Noip]

Don't care about the sketchy fiction. Just happy to finally be getting toys, assuming I can actually find them .

 

[Sabrblade]

I liked Hearts of Steel as a fun one-off "What If?" series.

There were probably supposed to be more Elseworlds-style stories like it, but Transformers: Evolutions (the larger umbrella title that "Hearts of Steel" was released under) didn't continue beyond the first mini-series.

Below are two of the potential ideas that we were robbed from (as well as the one we did get):

 

[unluckiness]

Only buying into the line once they confirm they’re making zeppelin scourge

 

[LordGigaIce]

There were probably supposed to be more Elseworlds-style stories like it, but Transformers: Evolutions (the larger umbrella title that "Hearts of Steel" was released under) didn't continue beyond the first mini-series.

Below are two of the potential ideas that we were robbed from (as well as the one we did get):

My Transformers Mind Palace fanfic is "Transformers in Medieval Europe." Autobots that are knight themed vs viking/barbarian Decepticons. So... TLK styling through a more G1 filter.

 

[DefaultOption]

In my experience: Energon Wing Sabre has NEVER been cheap on the aftermarket, and has only gotten worse. My current big annoyance on that front is Universe Lugnut, who for some reason goes from pretty much the same prices as Wing Saber.

The one way to figure out if a toy will be expensive on the aftermarket is to see which characters I see for cheap in stores and then pass on, only to decide I want later. THOSE are guaranteed to rise in value.

Hey, me too. I was in a TJ Maxx/Marshalls after they'd dumped all the RTS stuff on the discount market, and picked Grapple over Lugnut.

... yeah.