Following up from our recently-reported in-hand look at Drag Strip, we now have an in-hand look at Transformers: Generations Combiner Wars Alpha Bravo! Alpha Bravo is the new member of the Aerialbots (replacing Slingshot), who will all be able to merge together to form Superion.
This gallery gives us a good look at Alpha Bravo’s different modes (robot, helicopter, and leg) as well as showing off his accessories and what his packaging looks like.
You can check out TFW’s selection of pics after the jump, then head over to Blacklai to view the full gallery!
Underwear
I couldn't agree more..gosh I lurve Alpha Bravo, in fact amongst my Aerialbots he's the one that I've fiddled the most.
scrapmetaru
i can say with a fair amount of certainty that Alpha Bravo is the best aerialbot of combiner wars. he's the only one who's trying to do more than hang off the bottom of a jet. why can't the others do that? at least bruticus will have a good arm, i guess.
bellpeppers
Maybe someone else has touched on this: (aint gonna read every post on every page. Forgive me).
Anyone else think that it won't be much of a re-tool to get a Blast Off from this mold?
payres
If you're going to do a Superion repaint I'd like to see Destron Sixwing. The Decepticons should have the Aerial vehicle combiner, they had planes before the Autobots did!
CodeXCDM
Just notice this… Chain Gun (1992) – Cybertron – http://www.tfu.info
A potential Superion Repaint could very well be Sixwing… which was ONE helicopter with a bunch of jets. Sure, one of the characters would have to serve as a Targetmaster like Powerglide, but yea…
You'd have to ignore the fact that the so-called Leader of the group is now relegated to being a limb… but IIRC… he was the BUTT in the Sixwing setup.
Jalaguy
It hasn't happened (yet). Offroad will no doubt appear once the Stunticons turn up for the Combiner Wars comic story.
Yobuster
I'm ok with Alpha Bravo, i understand the need to progress the story and well in battle, not everyone survives, RIP Slingshot. As for Offroad, i must have not realized that's a new guy in the Stunticon team? So he replaced Wildrider? Hmm i don't remember that happening in IDW.
RMStunticon
Too late for that, methinks.
Beastwarsfan95
I agree with the DINOBOTS thing, but no animated character will ever be welcomed amongst the ranks of G1, at least for me personally. That being said, some of you are going way overboard on the hate train just because Hasbro wants some more variety in Superion.
Edit: that first statement dose not make this post hypocritical, there is a vast chasm between having an opinion about something, and making long rants about a character we haven't even really gotten to meet yet.
PlanckEpoch
I'm honestly not as upset about it as I sound. I know I will sound very crazy and unreasonable, but that's because I see this Superion as just a few inches away from a home run. This Superion is right up my alley as far as scale, and I really love the way these guys look…but again, Alpha Bravo brings it all to a crashing halt. As someone who is very nostalgic to the G1, it's practically a deal breaker, and if I need to get a 3P upgrade I might as well just get an entirely 3P Superion team. I would, if Uranos wasn't the only game in town there. I'm not adverse to spending more money on unarguably better product, but I really do like Hasbro's take.
Again, I think some kind of release option would be great. Hell, I'd fucking take it in the form of a exclusive SDCC figure, or a Botcon figure, or a Club figure. Just find some way to get it out and I think it'll be great. That being said I'll stomach it for the time being. I'll end up doubling up on Fireflight as a stand in for Slingshot. If I don't like it I'll just sell the damn set or take it out to the range and shoot it or something.
I don't give two shits about what Hasbro says, you know? They aren't my mind police and I do not have to swallow everything they tell me about what is and isn't. It seems there are just as many people who are upset that people DON'T like Alpha Bravo and I find that silly.
Beastwarsfan95
I have no doubt they can, just look at Megatron.
Autovolt 127
ALL HAIL ALPHA BRAVO!
So far it's been anything but. Hopefully IDW can make him win everyone over.
Gryph
Actually he does have a place on the team. Because Hasbro says he does. Just like Hasbro decided there should be two more Dinobots, or that Lugnut is part of G1 now.
Beastwarsfan95
May his entry into the fandom be a plesent one .
AutobotAlvaron
This thread about Combiner Wars & Alpha Bravo's place within the Aerialbot team has also brought up a very serious concern about our Transformers hobby's continued existence itself it seems…
With the analysis/opinion that the toy market is declining, and retail chains becoming more stringent & fickle about what they want on their shelves, plus distribution being slow & spotty even at the best of times, what is a realistic solution? Should Hasbro just give up retail & sell through the internet maybe with permanent free shipping or discounts or some sort of cheap/easy membership like grocery stores have? Touch-screen phones/tablets & video games may continue to grow in popularity, but won't there always be a need for actual, real physical toys sold in brick-and-mortar stores? The children's/collector's market will continue to develop, but I hope that the desire to hold a real toy in-hand & display it in cool poses will keep toy manufacturers in business as long as there are children & collectors who'll buy & play with them.
That being the case, shouldn't Hasbro & other toy makers avoid over-economizing in their designs & manufacturing (like using cheap, hollow plastic, with minimal paint), but instead strive to make the best looking, best quality items that they can, so as to entice children & their parents, and collectors? It is a lot to consider…
Jalaguy
Slingshot has a long history of dying:
TFWiki.net — A Compilation of Slingshot Death, including that…
Rob
Lol, Yup got ripped apart by Prowlvestator.
edgs2099
Slingshot is a dead. Long live A.B.
grindcore138
I don't think anyone would be pointing out what Alpha Bravo's deal is if it didn't sound like you were under the impression it was a case of IDW influencing the toyline to that degree and not vice versa.
I think some people are really overstating how much influence one has over the other with how things work with Hasbro and IDW.
Jalaguy
Putting Slingshot in a later wave wouldn't change the fact that he would make a quarter of the year's Deluxes fighter jets. Retailers' toy buyers are perfectly capable of realising "hang on Hasbro, you already gave a load of fighter jets/sports cars in quarter 1, we don't want more".
Doing the "missing" team members in a later wave would have also robbed us of either Defensor or Bruticus, since Hasbro's consistently sticking to 16 Generations Deluxes a year.
I get that it's not a completely desirable situation, and if I had nostalgic attachment to the G1 combiners I'd probably be a bit disappointed too. But these decisions are almost certainly being made out of necessity, not choice – everyone who's come across the new Hasbro design team at conventions has given the impression that these guys are huge G1 fans, so you can be reasonably certain that if they could have avoided dropping team members, they would have.
I guess I'm just trying to say that Hasbro isn't being wildly unreasonable here. Without these few compromises, these combiners probably wouldn't happening at all, y'know? *shrugs*