The local places are the last one's in America to get in new Transformers toys so it was only today that I managed to pick up Sideswipe and Silverstreak. Looking at them and what was left of a few past waves I kept coming back to the same question of where are the Decepticons? Animated seems to get a fairly good number of Decepticons and the movie line seems to get plenty of Decepticons, but for some reason it seems like the Decepticons are few and far between when it comes to adding something to your Classics/Universe collection. Or at least new sculpt deluxe class 'cons. Since other people have way better sources than I do is it some hold over from the G1 cartoon when you had more Autobots than Decepticons? Is there some weird deal where Decepticons have to be held back for some sort of exclusives rather than being a wide release? Does Hasbro just not like the old G1 era Decepticons? Or have other series snatched away all the good characters and now we can't more than one or two Decepticons because Animated has ones like Blitzwing already. Thanks in advance if anyone has any answers or maybe even a bit of inside news about one day getting the numbers a little more even on the releases since some of us Decepticon fans really love the Classics/Universe line as well and would like to be part of the fun.
Okay, I was starting to list them, but I realized that there's too many now. But if you figure to add in the Constructions (there's 5 right there) and Soundwave (with Ravage and Laserbeak) as well as the Botcon 2007 figures, that's a whole ton of Classics Decepticons. Lately? We have Galvatron, Tankor, Heavy Load, Onslaught, Storm Cloud, Dropshot, Cyclonus, Drag Strip, Overkill, Ratbat, and another chance at Dirge...
Because Decepticons are meanies. But seriously, counting just this year's Universe Deluxe releases: it was more Decepticons after the first two waves: Prowl and Sunstreaker Vs Tankor, Galvatron and Acid Storm. So the new wave added a bunch more Autobots (Sideswipe, Ironhide and Silverstreak), but then the next wave is 2 Decepticons to 1 Maximal and 1 Autobot. (Cyclonus and Stascream Vs Hound and Cheetor). So, counting only deluxe class figures, as of next month there will be 5 Decepticons, 6 Autobots and 1 Maximal. Buuuut, then in December, the first wave of Universe Special Editions....3 Decepticons, and only one Autobot. (Drag Strip, Megs and Overkill to Prime.) So, after December, 8 Decepticons Vs 7 Autobots. I guess we could throw in Bumblebeee from the Wal Mart 3 pack to the mix to even things up. Voyager and Ultra is even as of right now.
In the universe half, The autobots have 3 more with the current market. I'm sure we will get more decepticons soon.
Its just because early autobots have more repaint potential then any of the cons outside of the seekers
well Stunticons can work. Brakedown from Sideswipe. Deadend from Prowl could definetley work. I mean also Darkwing from Silverbolt could also happen.
All those you mentioned are repaints of existing molds. Even now, a large percent of Classics 'Cons are made out of repaints. Whereas the Autobots have a fairly nice amount of unique molds, the same thing can't be said for the Decepticons. I really wish this wasn't the case. Soundwave doesn't count, that's a G1 Soundblaster mold. And repaints from previous lines (Dropshot, Heavyload) These don't count either. Right now, unique molds for Decepticons available: -Megatron -Starscream -Astrotrain -Octane -Galvatron -Onslaught -Cyclonus Now compare that to the Autobot molds. A little unbalanced if you ask me.
There's also the problem that hasbro didn't want to do beast modes in classics/universe which rules out the insecticons and cassetes. There's no good excuse for the lack of Runamuk/Runabout and Shockwave from the early guys though.
Look at your standard batman asst. Multiple batman's, one villian. When parents buy toys for kids, they tend to gravitate towards the hero figure. They prefer to buy their kid the good guy instead of the bad guy. I've watched them in stores, asking the clerk if the fig was good or bad. If bad they set it down, and go for the good guy. Transfomers bucks the trend a little, but decepticons do get short-packed from time to time.
I really hope they do that. Then we just need Motormaster to go with the soon to be released Drag Strip and the crazy expensive Gentei Wildrider. Combiners or no I'd like figures of all of them.
I've bought practically every Universe 2.0 figure released so far (yes, including Heavy Load and the likes), before this latest wave of deluxes hit it was pretty damn even. DN
One problem is they don't sell as well as autobots as a general rule. The other issue is they don't have as many iconic visages as autobots. Off of memory, the average fan (not a diehard) really only remembers the seekers, megatron, cyclonus, galvatron, sweeps, triple changers, shockwave and soundwave. Oh and insecticons. Besides the three gestalt teams of stunticons, combaticons, and constructicons. Mostly they seem to be doing repaints to give fodder for kids for the war to have cons that can 'die' or enhance megatron's fleet of doom.
Because, as "classics", they're revisions of '80s characters. Considering you could count the Decepticon forces by your fingers and toes, there's fewer characters to update on the "bad" side.
Maybe they'll do a G2 color scheme Ramjet (which i would use as Dirge) and maybe the Desert Camo Ramjet..... The reason for less Decepticons is simple 1) Hasbro is making the season 1 and 2 Autobots now before they focus on maybe the movie era figures 2) The no mecha animal/ tool decree (which is null and void for the 25th line) keeps the Inecticons, Predacons, Ravage, Lazorbeak, Ratbat, and the other Dinobots out of Universe for now 3) Botcon 07: This is just the fact. At the time, Hasbro didn't know that Classics was returning so they gave the Con the go ahead for the other seekers. But now Hasbro is free to make the Rainmakers, Sunstorm, and maybe Scourge and the Sweeps.
if you count reissue's the sam's club Rnuamuck is our universe repaint now if only they release it in white.
