Botcon have revealed their third 2015 convention exclusive through one of their “mystery egg” videos. Today’s reveal is “The Loose Cannon”, who reuses a popular mold from the Reveal the Shield line.
But who is “The Loose Cannon”? To find out, watch the reveal video below:
LordGigaIce
No one sets out to write bad fiction. Sometimes it happens. I feel the writers have in this case. I'm sorry me not liking Shattered Glass has upset you as much as it has, but I'm not changing my mind just to make you feel better.
Dialogue? With who? At the end of the day we're all fans. We all like certain things and dislike other things. Nothing you or I say or do will alter any official fiction. So I'm not sure what "dialogue" you're expecting.
You want me to address your points though? Sure.
As I said, the Mirror Universe in Star Trek works because morality itself is flipped. It's not a case of the evil Terran Empire (the UFP standin) against the heroic Romulans or Klingons. Hell, the Klingons of the Mirror Universe are even more ruthless then they are in the main universe. It's an entire setting where the very ideas of right and wrong are turned on their head. Characters we recognize as heroes in the main universe lie, bribe, murder, steal, and take part in oppressive regimes because in the Mirror Universe that's what's moral. That's what's right. So when we look at the Mirror Universe in Trek? We're getting a peak into a world that is completely unlike the one we're used to because the rules of morality are completely flipped.
Now contrast that with SG. Is morality itself flipped? No, good and evil still exist as they do in the main universe, it's just that the sides have been flipped. And that just seems lazy to me.
Mirror Universe Kirk isn't a bastard because he's an inversion of the honourable Kirk we know from the main universe. He's a bastard because in his universe being a bastard is what's moral.
Mirror Universe Kirk and main universe Kirk are essentially the same. They're both mavericks, both lady's men. Both are ready to take risks to accomplish their missions. The difference isn't in character. The difference is in how the same basic character reacts to an inverted idea of right and wrong.
That's much more interesting to me then going "hey, Starscream's usually evil and looking to betray Megatron. What if SG Starscream was good and loyal to Megatron? Isn't that WACKY?"
That's SG's main problem, really. Trek's Mirror Universe takes the same character archetypes and places them in this morality flipped universe. SG just changes the sides around. So the characters are simply less interesting.
Optimus Prime is wise and noble. SG Prime is evil and completely insane.
Cyclonus is loyal to his leader. SG Cyclonus betrays his leader. Oh, he's also in Hot Rod colours, because the two are sort of parallel characters in the 86 movie.
Star Sabre is well loved and an expert swordsman. SG Star Sabre is unknown, unappreciated, and clumsy.
Ravage is a silent killer. SG Ravage is a loud, cute, obnoxious LOLcat.
Soundwave is technical and factual. SG Soundwave is a dj party dude.
Grimlock is usually a brute who talks like a caveman. SG Grimlock is a genius.
And so on. Yeah, not every SG character is an inversion, but a good deal of prominent ones are. And it's not just Transformers. The GI Joes are Real American Heroes. In SG their main characters are despotic politicians. Abdul Fakkadi was a parody of middle eastern dictators. SG Fakkadi is a world leader who preaches pacifism.
So yeah. It offers nothing to me, because nothing's new. It's the same dynamic, just flipped. So because of that? I don't like it. I'm terribly sorry if my opinion on the matter upsets you.
Autovolt 127
Oh Man I would have loved most of those figures to have been made.
Red Alert's mold was born to be MW Soundwave.
WishfulThinking
Indeed, although I think I would use a bit more modern molds for the larger figures. I'd prefer:
Cybertron Leader class Prime – Optimus
Cybertron Defense Red Alert – Soundwave
Universe Silverbolt – Starscream
Cybertron Evac – Sandstorm
I'm sure FunPub would be gun-shy on three of these because they already used the molds before in sets and less apt to do a leader class exclusive for Optimus. But still…
Bogatan
I would have loved a Machine Wars set that followed the approach of the original line and did a proper series 2. Use G1 moulds for the larger figures and modern toys for the smaller ones.
They could have turned G1 Prime into MW Thunderclash and G1 Soundwave into MW Stalker (just of the top of my head because both moulds have been used within 5 years of the set)
The set we got was a bit too random for my tastes. Though Electro is one of my favourite exclusives so I can't complain too much.
G.B. Blackrock
Fair enough…. Just thought it the reply was uncalled for. He didn't address anything I actually said.
xZAOx
Welcome to the internet, GBB ๐
G.B. Blackrock
It sounds to me like you're playing the "if it's an opinion, no one can question it" card. That's a fallacy. Opinions based on falsehoods can and should be questioned. I was attempting to point out the efforts made by the authors to do precisely the opposite of what you claim was done.
It may not change your mind, but the invitation to re-examine your opinion is still a valid form of communication, and your attempt to refute it with nothing more than "it's my opinion" doesn't foster dialogue.
Bed Bugs
I still think if all 3 of these were in the box set that year instead of being split up between the box set, freebie, and souvenir set, it would have sold better.
I probably would have ordered a set then.
griffin-of-oz
Never fear… the most comprehensive BotCon reporter is here.
(probably not something to boast about anymore )
From here….
Maybe some people can do some photoshopping of those molds to get an idea of what they might have looked like. (if FunPub never releases their images)
.
LordGigaIce
I'm sure they would disagree. In my opinion though? It offers nothing. And my posts are, first and foremost, written from my perspective.
BScorpinok75
Prowl and Hubcap need to happen…
G.B. Blackrock
I'm pretty confident that the guys who wrote the SG prose fiction would disagree with your assessment about SG offering "nothing new", especially in contrast to Star Trek's Mirror Universe. They took care to write personalities and storylines that didn't just take the "obvious reversal" in a lot of instances. Instead they worked to take something familiar, and then turn it on its head in a new way.
Now, none of this means you have to like it. But I do think your reasons, as stated, don't necessarily hold true for everyone.
LordGigaIce
Opinions change. What was a highly sought after toy three years ago may not be now. $300 for Animated Blitzwing, anyone?
And yet we haven't gotten a full-on SG set since the first one.
What I really want to address is the "numbers" thing though. FP, unlike Hasbro, is a private company. Meaning they're not required to release their finances to the public. All we have are proclamations that SG sells well for them, from the people whose job it is to prop up the company and their decisions. Now the continued presence of SG stuff would indicate that it has an audience, but it could very well be a vanity thing too. A company putting a pet project ahead of something more viable isn't unheard of.
What that statement even means, that SG sells well for them, is vague. Does it mean that it appeals to the relatively small number of TFCC members? SG, by its very nature, is a niche idea. So the idea that it is popular amongst a subset of the fandom is totally believable.
Again, though, why haven't we gotten a second all SG set? Maybe because BotCon sets have a wider range then just TFCC members and they know SG isn't as viable outside of that niche?
I don't know. I'm just saying that "numbers don't lie" could mean anything when dealing with a company that's not required to disclose financial information.
Lbsammills51
Not doing any further Machine Wars, period, seems an odd takeaway from what happened in '13.
Just don't do ALL Machine Wars. I think a SS with one Machine Wars figure every other year or so won't have people abandoning it in droves simply because one figure is present.
I'd still like a Hubcap and Prowl, at least, and a Soundwave & Optimus if they come from certain molds rather than others.
xZAOx
By the way, you know that the two highest selling figures from 2012 are SG Ultra Magnus and SG Prime 2.0, right? Oftentimes $90+.
Overlord sells for a mediocre amount at best.
It's cool that you don't care for SG – I'm "meh" about it myself. But the numbers don't lie. If FunPub made a pure SG 2.0 set, unless they really screwed it up, it'd likely do very well.
LordGigaIce
Well that's a shame because to me it's all trash that ruins every set it intrudes upon.
And it's not even a dislike of the concept of a mirror universe. I love the Mirror Universe stuff in Star Trek, because it provides us with something different. Morality itself is flipped. Our heroes are evil, but they're acting that way because acting in an evil manner makes them the heroes in that reality. There are no heroic Klingons or Romulans swooping in to save the day. Just a series of adventures in this morality-flipped universe.
With SG? Nothing new is offered. The Autobot-Decepticon dynamic remains, just flipped. Yeah, you get some cute ideas like evil GI Joes running the US, but aside from that? Nothing about it is appealing to me. It offers me nothing new, unlike Star Trek's Mirror Universe.
flux convoy
I fucking love that set! The lack of Hubcap is a crime. There's what? Three or four characters left to complete an entire line up MW characters. C'mooon!
xZAOx
Adding on to what Sol said – I remember Hubcap was one they showed (all yellow generations Kup mold), and Pete explicitly said something like "It was going to be in TFSS 3, but after feedback and sales, we got the hint, not happening". Something like that. Flux Convoy I'm sure remembers, because he's one of the four people who loved the MW set
Sol Fury
I'd need to search it out (try BWTF?) but there was a panel at Botcon last year where they talked about some abandoned ideas. I know there was talk of doing the Turbomasters from Prime molds, and that got canned on account of the unpopularity of Machine Wars. I'd heard nothing of molds intended to complement the set, though truth be told I missed that panel. Think I was having dinner with friends I don't see nearly often enough that night.