In my opinion, Combiner Wars got off to an incredible start. High quality toys, thoroughly enjoyable designs, excellent engineering...perhaps all of this set expectations too high.

EDIT: Before you read the following, I just want to clarify that I'm not intending to be a negative Nancy here. Just for the record, I'm one of the diehards who has always bought some of everything and has been able to find something to enjoy, even in lines that weren't my cup of tea...I love Transformers and I don't see that ending any time soon...anyway...

With speculation chruing that we have possibly two MORE retools coming of the Ultra Prime mold for a total of four uses (Ultra Prime, Motormaster, Ultra Magnus...and now Hotspot???), with virtually every mold so far pegged as an inevitable re-use...things are suddenly looking pretty bleak.

Have we seen all of the good stuff already?

With Blackjack being slated for use as a very cheesy, very strained Rodimus/Hotrod, it looks as if we might be in for an Energon Combiner style bizz kill. Anyone who remembers seeing the excitement of the initial pictures of the Energon combiners with a few missing limbs and all the speculation on upcoming limbs, only to learn that they were all repaint/retools, will likely remember how much of a bummer that was.

Even the previously exciting Devastator rumors are now a source of disappointment since the Hong Kong toy show informed us that these would be simplistic "all ages" designs.

What do you guys think? Should we gird ourselves for despair?

"Hey, look. It's a red Alpha Bravo as Blades...just as we expected."

 

Wow, that is one hell of a defeatist attitude.
If you think about it logically, we all knew that most of the molds would be repaints. Hell AlphaBravo is the reason most of us knew Defensor was coming, not to mention believe Bruticus is in the pipe. Remolds are like 90% cheaper to do than entirely new molds. Thats means way more chances to get the Big 7: Superion, Defensor, Computron, Menasor, Bruticus, Abominus, and Devastator. If you look at Silverbolt they'd only need to do a cosmetic fix to make a great Scattorshot. So why wouldn't a multimillion dollar corporation use everything they can think of to keep costs down and give as much variety as possible. It's only good business.

 

Wait for Toy Fair. Nuff said.

 

It was obvious from the very beginning that this line would be made of lots of repaints, ever since se saw pictures of Alpha Bravo and everyone immediately pointed out how much he looks like Blades and/or Vortex, which was certainly an intentional design. If anyone didn't think this would be the case, you haven't been paying attention.

Besides, what does it even mean for a toyline to "jump the shark?" It's not as if the entire line from here on out will be repaints of the Aerialbots and Stunticons. Looking at the CW cover makes it pretty obvious that Hot Spot is a new mold, but we can definitely tell that he has Offroad (First Aid/Rook) as a leg and Alpha Bravo (Blades) as an arm. Yeah, they're repaints, but so what? By all accounts they'll still be pretty cool toys that wonderfully resemble the character.

Yeah, the Ultra Magnus combiner (though I'm still on the boat of it being Thunderclash) is kind of weird, but I also think that's the point. It's supposed to be a crazy off-the-wall idea, and I bet if it does end up tying into MTMTE (assuming Roberts is at the pen and not Barber), it'll be done in a way that makes total sense and people will love it. But hey, maybe I just need to take my rose-tinted glasses off and stop having fun.

Oh, and points for being yet another poster who is really caught up on those Devastator comments. We should do the fandom a favor and just discredit that entire news story for all the ridiculousness it's caused.

 

Seriously, don't panic.

Nothing indicates CW Hotspot to be a CW Prime rehash.

 

That and the fact that repaints help fund more unique combiners. I ain't sweatin' it. Devy will be dope. You'll see.

 

This is not a "defeatist attitude" from me...it's cynicism.

There's no doubt that retools are cheaper than making new molds...and while we have an interest in the line being profitable (and more toys are always better than fewer toys), for the consumer, it means that the toy line is less interesting and exciting. It's just a bit painful to watch this happen as oil prices are dropping dramatically and retail prices for these products rise dramatically...feels a bit greedy.

It's honestly a weird world where we feel obliged to worry about Hasbro's profit margins.

Yes, we expected repaints...and in many cases, it's totally fine. Heck, sometimes they're fantastic. However, too many repaints equals disappointment.

 

The Combiner Wars figures you praised so much are already "simplistic all ages" designs, so that questionable report on the Titan Devastator should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

In fact, the report suggests otherwise and that he is a new mould. Whether that's true or not will be left to toyfair.

 

I hope you're right about this!

In the thread about the IDW covers, some folks pointed out similarities in the hips, etc and there seemed to be a consensus that it was a retool...but perhaps not?

 

The only repaint thus far I haven't been behind is the potential Off-Road-to-First-Aid. Otherwise, I am quite content.

And I'm not putting much stock into second hand information about a prototype Devastator, especially when it was through a very brief and broken translation.

 

I dunno. I see more similarities between the Hot Spot torso and Silverbolt than I see with the Prime/Menasor torso.

 

I see in some ways hotspot looks like to share some element with prime but not convinced its another use of that tooling yet.

 

I think that the number of CW repaints is a shame. When the original G1 Scramble City combiners came out there were no repaints/mold sharing at all.
As a kid I would have been a bit disappointed if Bruticus, Defensor and Silverbolt all shared the same helicopter limb-bot.
It's a shame that the repaint culture seems to be an accepted thing now, at least the Constructicons won't be repaints of the other CW figures.
Oh well, I guess I shouldn't be so negative, it must be the time of year.

 

Most likely.

Or do you prefer the scenario of movie Prime's & BumbleBee's clogging
the shelves ?

Also ; as if the actual G1 limb bots had such a lot of distinguishing design
features....

 

^All of this.

The G1 limbs shared a basic design in many cases...but they felt like differnt toys! I'm 100% ok with this...just as all of the CW Aerialbots have a similar transformation amongst themselves...but they're all unique enough to feel like distinct figures. The similarities make them feel like a cohesive team more than just money saving measure (which it also serves).

If on too many occurrences, these same CW toys get a cynical/cheap-ass minor retool and are passed off as a vaguely appropriate different character, it will be a sad thing.

Yeah, January in the northern latitudes sucks.  

 

No.

 

Just for the record, I'm 100% thrilled with the Superion we've gotten so far and Airraid looks lovely as well...and I Dragstrip is a superb first limb of what looks to be a terrific Menosaur.

Ultra Prime not withstanding, all of the new molds for CW so far have been solid A to A+ figures in my book. Ultra Prime (as a significant "pretool" of Motormaster) is just ok....B-  

It may just be the case that if everything else we get is a repaint, I will need a new hobby for the rest of 2015.

 

I find it hard to believe that they introduced a brand new character in the comic just so he could have a repaint or two.

Then again, this IS a franchise based on such practices...

 

Very well put. And I do agree with you on your main point--IF the majority of the CW line is repaints then, imo, it has jumped the shark.