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

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Over here.

Ironic that the one that shows it is the one that has the legs...

...actually, I don't know what is going on with those parts of the legs on the rear view. They don't look the same at all.

Anyway, no nosecone, so that frees up more material. Would hate to lose the canon cannon mode, though.

Whoops, my bad, I was thinking of the third part of Hearts of Steel, the X-Files crossover, which doesn't really jive with the modern era IDW stuff.

Again, I must ask: Why? XD

Serious question, I don't remember that issue too well.

 

[Steevy Maximus]

To add my 2 cents to the existing discussion:
I will IMMEDIATELY buy any new Dino Transformers. Same old characters be damned, so I’m totally on board with Diplodocus Optimus Prime and anklyosaur Bumblebee.

Computron is THE combiner I want done. The disparities between the Hasbro and Takara versions meant neither were completely “good enough” unless you mixed and matched parts. And that would be expensive. So it is the one I really want a singular new iteration.


On to AotP (OughtPee?), Mark Maher has posted design notes on the two newest Voyager reveals, Sky-Byte and Heatwave-
Heatwave -Not much to say, confirms Bulkhead base. He cites an “engine repair” feature where you can elevate the front to access his “engine compartment” with some engine detailing on the arms to facilitate that. Cites a desire to get the rest of the Rescue Bots done.
Sky-Byte -He seemed a bit more interested in discussing this one, and his photos show he seemed to have more…”investment” in this than poor Heatwave . Great images, showing his articulation, in BOTH modes. He basically acknowledges marketing made him a Decepticon, instead of the proper Predacon, but while being “animation accurate” with the empty spark crystal, I think he might be, subtlety, implying that you could add your own Predacon icon. Maybe on the better pair of images Is the comparison with the prior Thrilling 30 figure from…TEN YEARS ago?!

 

[Shadewing]

Computron is THE combiner I want done. The disparities between the Hasbro and Takara versions meant neither were completely “good enough” unless you mixed and matched parts. And that would be expensive. So it is the one I really want a singular new iteration.

A bit less so, if you find people selling the ones you want. Least cheaper then buying both sets whole. Though I still need to luck out on someone selling UW Scattorshot separately.

 

[Blot]

Ironic that the one that shows it is the one that has the legs...

...actually, I don't know what is going on with those parts of the legs on the rear view. They don't look the same at all.

They didn't have a rear view so the back view was just made up using the front view to help with the interpretation.

 

[Undead Scottsman]

Again, I must ask: Why? XD

Serious question, I don't remember that issue too well.

It takes place in the modern era and HoS Bumblebee is THE Bumblebee, not Centurion, and all of the crazy stuff that happened in IDW Earth (like All Hail Megatron) hasn't happened to X-files earth.

 

[Sabrblade]

And despite Optimus and Bumblebee sporting bodies based on those of their main IDW1 counterparts in the 2009 ongoing, Ratchet is based entirely on Prime Ratchet instead.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Despite the design similarities. The Prehistoric Optimus design was supposed the be a species of sauropod.

The "trunk" was the neck and head.

So it'd at best have to be a full re shell of any big Convoy mold.

ohhhh.

Cheers!

 

[The Predaking]

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.


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

Yeah, I am glad that other people are getting a chance to get these figures. However, my point is that in most cases, the older ones are the better toys. Don't get me wrong, it's not that the new toys are bad, but they usually are a high price point and lacking features or paint or something that the original had to make it special, and the new one lacks that feeling to me.


Maybe I am just getting old. I am glad that the new generation or the returning folks get a second chance on these figures, but I am going to save the shelf space and keep the young folks off my lawn.

 

[LordGigaIce]

Yeah, I am glad that other people are getting a chance to get these figures. However, my point is that in most cases, the older ones are the better toys. Don't get me wrong, it's not that the new toys are bad, but they usually are a high price point and lacking features or paint or something that the original had to make it special, and the new one lacks that feeling to me.


Maybe I am just getting old. I am glad that the new generation or the returning folks get a second chance on these figures, but I am going to save the shelf space and keep the young folks off my lawn.

"Better" is subjective. What the newer figures lack in spring loaded gimmicks they make up for with better paint, increased likeness, and articulation.
Which you prefer is up to you, there is no right or wrong answer there. And there's nothing wrong with passing on a new figure if you have the original and are happy with it.

But the assertion that there's no "point" to redoing these characters and designs is nonsense and gatekeeper-ish.

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Skybyte.

Who’s the baddest shark around…Sky-byte that’s meeeee Haa!! You should definitely add this crazy character to your collection, this bad larry should be hitting shelves during SHARK WEEK! Preorders are up on @HasbroPulse now!

Huge shout out to my main man Shu Umezu san over at Takara Tomy! We set out to make the best representation of wacky Sky-Byte and I do believe we did it, achievement unlocked!

A Rest In Peace to the great voice actor Peter Spellos for making this character come to life and for making this guy a Transformers fan favorite.

He comes with his twin missile blaster weapon that stores up inside his mouth but can also be plugged in to his lower jaw. Shark mode rips! He has articulation in alot of parts to give you more dynamic posing to emulate some exaggerated shark moves like the animated show constantly had him doing. Suped on getting the deco spot on, two tone silvers with all the darker silver hits along with the oversprays on the sides Deep blue with the pop blue and pop gold metallic (which molded nicely) the purple orb was left without the Predacon (or should I say Decepticon )symbol to be show accurate. His shoulder armor does come off but you can find all kinds of funny and rediculous uses for them, I used them to showcase Sky-Byte having a Botbots sushi night!

I will leave you with an attempt at a haiku poem:

- Shark in the clear sky,
Transforms with a mighty roar,
Hero in disguise.

Look at that, I’m a poet and didn’t even know it lol I’ll stick to making toys

(Source: - Instagram)

 

[PrimalxConvoy]

Heatwave

It's game time!! We finally have another Rescue bot graduating to the Autobot front lines! Move over Bulkhead, Heatwave is ready to put out any Decepticon fire power! Make sure you grab his teamate Chase as they look great together in your collection.

Shout out to the extremely talented Yuya Onishi san, he crushes it on every project, flawless victories again and again.

Since Chase came with his energon claw I thought it fitting to make sure Heatwave has his double barreled energon extinguisher blaster and of course, an energon axe, eat your heat out Optimus! I was super glad Yuya was able to finangle a ladder as I felt that it was obviously a key element to keep in Heatwave’s design, but also a fun lil play accessory which we hardly come across any step ladders for our figures.

I thought the fire truck mode was really special, due to transformation, your able to play out the ol touch a truck experience, how many of yall got to do that as a kid!? We got to put in some engine type detailing on the forearm parts so you can really play out the engine repair mechanic.

I hope we will be able to further this collection, as I want my main cast of characters complete! Preorders up now on @HasbroPulse .Rescue bots ahrmmm…Autobots roll out!

(Source: - Instagram)

 

[The Predaking]

"Better" is subjective. What the newer figures lack in spring loaded gimmicks they make up for with better paint, increased likeness, and articulation.

Some of them have some improvements to make it subjective, but others are just missing features of the original.

But the assertion that there's no "point" to redoing these characters and designs is nonsense and gatekeeper-ish.

I am not saying that there is no point. I am saying that I wished that they would make them better.

 

[Superomegaprime]

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(Source: - Instagram)

Minicon "Lets see what's under the hood, shall we?"

 

[unluckiness]

I'll get Sky-Byte but not crazy about the feet being his shark mode jaws. That's how it's "supposed" to be but that's still chipping waiting to happen. T30 was okay but he literally had no shins and had restricted ankles, leading to balance problems. Additional articulation and what looks to be a less heavy fin arm will probably solve it.

I don't think I'm getting heatwave. He kind of doesn't fit into a display and even his Rescuebot buddy Chase because of the vehicle mode's mostly chibi aesthetics. Chase got a more realistic interpretation of his alt-mode that I think I feel would work its way into my collection better. I dunno, I ended up skipping Chase after Cliffjumper was announced so I doubt I'll get Heat Wave.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I am not saying that there is no point. I am saying that I wished that they would make them better.

First, the post someone else made- the post I first quoted to start this discussion off, which you agreed with and expanded on- did say there was no point.
That was the original sentiment I was responding to.

Secondly... I'd argue in many ways they have made new figures "better."
Legacy Override lacks her spring loaded Cyber Planet Key gimmick but she's objectively a better toy than her original.

Figures like Legacy Cybertron Starscream, Cybertron Hot Shot, and Animated Optimus Prime are less clear cut, but even they do something better than the originals.
Hot Shot has better proportions and articulation.
Starscream has better proportions, articulation, and... you know... exists at that size class in the West.
Optimus isn't hampered by a spring loaded waist gimmick, a facemask that looks like a turtleneck when it's down, and has an axe that actually looks like the show model.

Vector Prime is the only Cybertron and onward redo that I think has major issues and crosses the "what's the point here?" line, but even he's got his charms and works if you want a version of the character who's 1) available and 2) can bust a move.

but others are just missing features of the original.

I miss Armada Megatron's knife hand like
every good, sane person does, but on the whole I think trading spring loaded gimmicks for articulation and increased screen accuracy is, at worst, a lateral move.

Which, to repeat myself, is fine if you're not interested. We all have a responsibility to curate our collections to our preferences and financial responsibility and if getting a new toy of a character who we have an older version of and are happy with isn't in the cards, that's fine. You SHOULDN'T get that figure. The idea that we need to get every new thing is dumb on the face of it.

And yet... these Cybertron and onward redos very much have "a point" to them. Be they offering increased likenesses in sculpt compared to the original, increase articulation compared to the original, or simply providing new and returning collectors an easy and affordable way to get characters without them having to resort to the after-market... there's a reason these releases are worth it to a lot of people.

Maybe not you- and it's fine if they're not- but they are to others.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

It takes place in the modern era and HoS Bumblebee is THE Bumblebee, not Centurion, and all of the crazy stuff that happened in IDW Earth (like All Hail Megatron) hasn't happened to X-files earth.

Ahhhh, gotcha. Yeah, that would be hard to make work.

Heatwave


View attachment 26047
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(Source: - Instagram)

As I said on the front page:

Loving this. My only gripe is that they did the fake parts thing for the things on his hands while they're still on his stomach in robot mode, but that's an overall minor grievance.

Want this so bad.

"Rescue bots ahrmmm…Autobots roll out!"

Hey! We have our own rallying cry, thank you so very much!

"Rescue Bots! Roll to the rescue!"

 

[Shockwave 75]

Loving this. My only gripe is that they did the fake parts thing for the things on his hands while they're still on his stomach in robot mode, but that's an overall minor grievance.

That's the first thing my son noticed. He grew up with Rescue Bots and he's been excited for this figure to come out since I told him about it months ago. I've already gotten him the new Chase and Medix (and for myself as well). He even liked how nice mine looked with the Toyhax label sets on them that I had to buy another pair of sets for his!
Overall, we both like it, but yeah, that part of his body that's supposed to become his hands still being there looks weird. I can understand if they couldn't work it into the transformation, but since it apparently just ends up just a big hollow block on his chest, couldn't they come up with a way to just have those parts tuck into his body to keep his traditional silhouette?

 

[Shadewing]

Yeah, I'm kinda torn. I would have preferred they do something; but I feel like just folding things in wouldn't have made him look good. They needed a way to make the chest taper in like the cartoon, rather then giving him a G1 Prime-esque T torso like his toy has. But I'm not sure how they would have actually achieved that with the Bulkhead mold.

 

[LordGigaIce]

I guess the question is do people want Rescue Bots who have robot modes that reflect the "kiddie" look of the original cartoon or do they want those designs "matured" a bit to fit in with the rest of Generations?

Chase got the latter and people mostly seemed to like that, so I get why they returned to that design philosophy for Heat Wave.
Curiously though, Chase was consistent in that both modes seemed to be a "maturing glow up" whereas with Heat Wave his vehicle mode is still kinda chibi.

I don't think this robot mode for him would be much of a problem if his vehicle mode was styled closer to a real world firetruck.

 

[Sabrblade]

We talk about "maturity" but the characters in the cartoon were already very mature. All of the Rescue Bots were coded to having grown up adult minds who took every emergency situation seriously with the gravitas that each one deserved. The show didn't talk down to children, and was arguably more intelligently written than what was intended for its target demographic, skewing it a bit older in a way that made it popular with older viewers.

I mean, hey, Heatwave himself was voiced by Steve Blum using his Wolverine voice, when he didn't even use that voice for Wolverine himself when voicing him in The Super Hero Squad Show.