US Toyfair

[blueshift]

Not any other posts here yet. Stuff online is here:
Presentation notes - www.allspark.com/content/view/4385/20/

tformers.com/article.php?sid=10983

www.allspark.com/index.php?set_albumName=album243&option=com_gallery&Itemid=4&include=view_album.php

www.transformersclub.com/toyfair09/TFmainline09.html


I am really, really underwhelmed by all of this Good news is that Animated Arcee looks awesome, Ratbat is a keytar, and uh, movie Legend Springer looks nice, I guess

Bad news is that a lot of the movie figures look gimpy as hell (Rampage lacks... feet?) and the toy Constructions do /not/ merge into Devastator. Yup, the shovel guy, Demolishor, is SUPPOSED to look like this: www.transformersclub.com/toyfair09/webfiles/demolishorBOT1.jpg.html and he doesn't even combine so we can say "Uh well, I guess they had to cut some corners..."

If you want Devastator, apparently you will need to pay 100 quid for a set of vehicles that merge into him, but dont have their own robot modes. Maybe I sound a bit nerdragy, but I am very very unimpressed

[dyrl]

WHAT!?!?? THEY DON'T MERGE?!?!?!

That's bad comedy!

Pete

[legios]

'Fraid so. The Devastator set seems to have drawn a few lessons from Bandai's Super Sentai toys by the looks of it. The upshot is you have a choice between having Devastator, who turns into several vehicles and having the Constructicons who have (vaguely) humaniform modes but don't combine.

Or there is option C - neither of the above, which is the one I'm going for. As the movie design aesthetic is one that doesn't really work for me I don't think there are more than one or two of the movie line that really appeal to me. Maybe Starscream, seeing how much better the new version looks than the old one, but most of the rest don't really do that much for me.

Looks like there isn't much slated for the medium term that I'm going to be particularly tempted to pick up. I like the look of Ratbat, but as he is only going to be available with another release of Animated Soundwave I shall likely pass.

Karl

[blueshift]

Well the Animated Soundwave repaint is a really awesome Soundblaster, I am well up for that.

But yes, it looks like Movie Devastator will be warming shelves for a long long time to come...

[The Doctor]

Chaps, I moved the the thread due to spoilers for REVENGE OF FALLEN DAVE. Cheers.

-Ralph

[blueshift]

Ah yes my bad

But come the time we will need some sort of big post saying "DONT BUY IT ITS A BIT CRAP" up :v

[The Doctor]

Quite possibly.

As for the £100 Devastator that doesn't have individual robots, er, well, that's saved me £100! So no harm done. If anything, it makes me want to hunt down a complete set of the original green/yellow/orange version.

-Ralph

[Hero]

I think I'll be giving the Constructicons a miss. Given the past accomplishments of G1 Devastator, Build King and Sixbuilder this new builderbot offering could have been better.

The main critisism I have in regards to the non-combining version of new Dev is that if those guys can Transform into the same vehicles of the combing set - surely they are only a few extra pegs or ball joints away from having the ability to combine/merge to start with.


The rest of the figures like Breakaway, Rollbar etc are all great. Still really happy with Sideswipe too.

===KEN

[The Doctor]

The only ones which really light my fire are Soundwave and a little truck bloke (don't know the name). I've gone off Leader Prime now I've seen the official pics: looks really cheap. Can't quite articulate why: it just looks cheap and plasticy to me. I'd rather hunt down a Nightwatch 2007 Prime at some point.

Generally, though, I hope the line does well. Not my style, mostly, but I've never been one for 'thislinesucksitneedstofaildamnyouhasbroyourapedmychildhoodsuxors'.

The racing car sets and track look fun though! I might spring for them.

-Ralph

[blueshift]

Well, the basics all look cool as does Sideswipe

But the only way I'm putting down 22 quid or however much on Mr Scoops if is he is the greatest character in the movie /ever/

[Gav]

I was never impressed with Animated Soundwave's Vehicle-Mode enough to spring for the toy - But the ElectroStatic (Or SoundBlaster - let's not bullshit around) is amazing. Ratbat as a Keytar?! Incredible.

[dyrl]

I'm all for Ratbat as well. Looks lovely. Still annoyed that Hasbro Poland hasn't brought over the waves with Wreck Gar and Swindle in them, as those are the two I'm gunning for - Arcee and Soundblaster with Ratbat shall also be mine. Both are lovely.

However - given this Soundblaster, I might just spring for a Soundwave as well - they can team up and form a two man rock band...well...four man...well four robot...

Looking at the new Movie line also makes me soooooooooo much more thankful for having Animated.

Pete

[grahamthomson]

Can't really judge 'em properly until I see 'em in person.

Looks like the same issue as with the last Transformers film; characters created by non-toy designers with the conceit of making them look as awe-causing and realistic as possible to the film-going public. And then poor Takara/Hasbro doing the best they can with their resources/budgets.

Like the first film, I think of ROTF as a film first and a toy range after, not the other way around.

[grahamthomson]

Hang on!

Does Rampage have actual working treads in vehicle mode?

[Hero]

I hope so. They look like they have to go somewhere.

He also looks like Bonecrusher

Thinking more about the individual Construction guys not combining, perhaps there is a positive in that the individuality of the robot modes are given more attention to than being gestault building blocks. Perhaps the combining toy for all we know has better 'static' vehicle modes maybe.

I have very little a clue about toy design but can make some obvious assumptions. I know a few bits and peices about production and that's it! I figured the movie designers and toy designers were working side by side in the way Animated was made (on a bigger scale of course).

===KEN