Australia Toyfair Report, Part One: Universe, Robot Heroes

While I love a new Silverbolt, I really miss the other Aerialbots. I wonders whats Hasbro reasoning for giving us great combiner leaders and no limbs for them. Well I hope we get Hot Spot and Motormaster as well.

No matter how many times I see it, I just can't seem to like Sunstreaker. It just looks terrible to me. Thinking of passing up Powerglide as well now.

Also glad to see Silverbolt will be in the Universe line. If it looks anything like the art, it will be great.

While I too think it would be awesome to see a complete Gestalt team get updated at the same time, I can honestly see why Hasbro has decided to update just the Leaders (that we know of so far anyways). They can get a better TF if they don't add the gimmich of combining with 4 other smaller bots. They also have more room for other gimmicks (lights and sounds). It also gives them more options for the other TF's in the line. Hasbro seems to be concentrating on the indevidual TF, to get basically the best toy they can out of that peticular character.

adding electronics doesnt' help that cause at all. it wastes space, and is unnecessary weight.

Indeed! (and extra bulky bricktasticness). Down with electronics in Transformers!

Silverbolt looks like he could be great (assuming he isn't a floppy mess like E. Stormjet, which theres no reason to assume he would be). I'm just a little miffed that we're getting all these huge, white with red Autobot aircraft right off the bat; I needs me some variety here... least hold off till the line has been going a while on Silverbolt.
Anyways, I'm sure if the cardboard cutout is any indication (and if it's half as cool as the art) I'll probably love it to death and just alternate which "big, red and white Autobot airplane guy" I display until theres more figures on my Uni-classics shelf.
As to him not being a combiner (and its really damned unlikely for him to be one) I kinda don't care. Personally, Superion was at the very bottom of the list of combiners I'd want to see in this line... I think I might even prefer him not being one. Why he has lights and sound, I don't know, but as he turns into a huge fuggin jet, it's nowhere near the "WTF?!" of Onslaught being an ultra while Galvatron is an electronics-less deluxe.

Still don't want Blaster (don't like the mold, already have enough large Autobot aircraft with Jetfire Powerglide and Silverbolt, etc.). The rest look great, as always. Seeing Sunstreaker with the alternate transformation is nice; it looks like Sideswipe will be a good one too.

I hope we get at least one deluxe aircraft autobot. just one is all I'd need to do what I want to do...

Silverbolt, awesome.

But i'd still pick the Superion Maximus over this.

Yeah, I'm not really buying the "no combiners because they want to focus on the individual robots" theory. I think it's more "no combiners because the line isn't large enough to warrant designing whole waves of combiner limbs". If the figures used for the Wal-mart exclusive Devastator repaint are any indication, it's entirely possible to make good figures that combine into a large, well-articulated gestalt (even if he isn't G1 accurate, but when he was sculpted he wasn't meant to be). Besides, tacking on needless electronics is just as likely to pigeonhole a figure as tacking on combiner ports. Maybe moreso.

like a repaint/remold of starscream to air raid?

i mean i'd be happy with just 5 plane bots, even if they do not transform into superion lol

So that leaves one slot left for the Universe Ultras now that Silverbolt has been somewhat revealed. I'm betting that final, fourth slot will be taken by a Decepticon. Maybe a new Cyclonus with a realistic jet altmode or a new Shockwave. If it was a Soundwave tank....oh boy. I'd die a happy boy.

Electronics are fun. You two suck.

I love the sounds in cyb scourge. electronics CAN be fun, but they only work on certain figures.

I don't really mind the electronics but I never use them or I take out the batteries, after a while the sound effects get a little annoying.

QFT

If they hate electronics in TFs, they can wait until TakaraTomy releases the Ultra figures with those elements gutted out. And random, brittle chrome!

One kind of electronic I do like is light up engines and sounds for large jets, which looks like two for two so far in Universe.

i wouldn't know, mine never worked...

but then again, i didn't care that much, lol

but yea i agree electronics are a waste of space, but they probably help sell the toys, so i guess, go with it? lol

The new Classics are amazing. Powerglide, Onslaught, and Silverbolt look awesome. Same with Prowl and Sunstreaker.

If that Legends Starscream has no knee joints whatsoever, he can stay on the shelf.

he's an Legends mold. the number of Legends molds that have knees can be counted on only one hand lol

Silverbolt? Really? But Powerglide's already a white-and-red jet, so why Silverbolt?

Electronics can ruin or improve a toy, it's down to how they're used and installed not just the simple fact that they're there at all.

Here's the way I see it: I like eletronics, when they're used sparingly. personally, electronics should be a bonus. make me a kick-ass toy first, ANY day. Then, if there's still room for them, and budget left, THEN add in some electronics.

Indeed. Laser Prime/ Battle Convoy was built around electronics and was an excellent mold.

After seeing another display, I'm realizing why the Classiverse figs didn't sit well with me. No chroming of the hubcaps. The all black tires give them a knock off feel. I'm REALLY hoping that will be something they change before production gets too far along. And, of course, will give the varaint chasers something to cream over...

Silverbolt....1/5th of a dream come true!!!!!!!

could make our jobs a lot cooler, hu?

Ehm... it doesn't matter what's written there, unless they remold the connector it's not a minicon of any sort.

Wait. Less chrome = KO to you? Obviously, you've been seeing different KOs than I.

nevermind that I've never seen anyone drive a vehicle with chromed tires

Well ALL black tires? That doesn't look like a dollar car to you?

Tires? Definitely not.

And if you mean wheel covers/hubcaps/rims, KITT (among others) would like a word.

Lights are usually cool. Sound chips are one of the worst toy innovations ever. It's extremely rare to get one that doesn't suck (Armada Overload, Cybertron Scourge, Leobreaker). Most of them are just a waste of batteries.

Hasbro's Star Wars toys usually have superb sound effects for some reason, such as the 2004 OTC Millennium Falcon. Probably due to Hasbro having access to Lucasfilm's sound library, whereas they make up sounds for TF toys.

All black wheels is a style thing. For a Transformers example, look at Alternators Shockblast's Mazdaspeed rims.

As Redline pointed out, there are already decent photos out of Heavy Load, while all the images on Universe Blaster's packaging were *really distorted* (since it was a mock-up box). And it wasn't much more than the top half of the Heavy Load toy in the co-sell panel anyway, so wouldn't have been any point in taking a closeup photo of it.

He did say hubcap..not tires.

So, who in Classics had all black wheels? All the cars from original run had painted rims. Prowl and Onslaught in the new line have black rims, because they're police vehicles. Most real police vehicles have black rims.

There is some awesomely good stuff coming this year, and looking at these pics and seeing so many figures all properly painted up and ready to play with is just horrible and exciting at the same time.

well, if they want to continue the combiner leader trend then they've got quite the pool to choose from.

Hotspot
Razorclaw
Hun-Gurrr
Scattershot
Motormaster
Snaptrap

Yes on all please.

what about the constructicon, Monstructor, leaders?

I could definitely go for an ultra Hot Spot

Snaptrap would be awesome if it was the same alt mode with realistic colors/details.

MECHANIC HELL TURTLE

I think hasbro have said they don't want to do beast alt modes and will mostly stick to 'realistic' vehicles for classics 2.0, so that probably would rule out everyone but Hotspot and Motormaster. I hope they change their stance on this though - I want some insecticons!

Man, that sucks. Why would they not do this? I, too, hope they change their stance on this.

The way I remember it being said, it sounded as if it was just for this first run of Universe figures. They also said that, if they were to make any more "Classics" Dinobots, they would be the two not featured in Animated. I personally can imagine the 2nd run of the new Universe figures being centered around beast-mode characters and/or Beast Wars characters.

Nice to see Classics Silverbolt as a welcome addition! Hopefully, that means newer Ultra-class Con' molds in the future.

*crosses fingers*

Because they want to continue the craze of the movie's realistic alt modes.

Yep, and realistic cop cars don't turn into robots. It detracts from the over all look of Prowl. That little bit of chrome would offset things nicely, I think. Especially since he lost his awesome Sargeant stripes...

I still want rubber wheels.