For me the appeal is in part the size (he'd make a heck of a centerpiece in my collection), and in part because while Unicron wasn't a character who was featured much outside the movie, he had a pivotal role in the G1 cartoon's plot. It's also a toy I never expected to get made.

 

It has literally been stated every single page of this thread to what the point of all this is. So..... you are simply coming off as condescending.

 

goodbye...

 

Nah, it's not really about being sensitive.

It's just that the character's appeal is just flat-out lost in translation if you haven't experienced it for yourself.

The character, as depicted, hails from the 1986 "Transformers: the Movie", and is pretty much exactly as shown here: he's a Transformer that's literally a planet, and eats other planets. While supplementary materials through various comics and the like have expanded his backstory and role significantly and made him an integral part of the Transformers mythos, the main appeal of this toy is just to replicate that sheer feeling of "WTF!" that fans of the 80s movie would recognize immediately.

So if you have no visceral reaction to this toy potentially existing, then it's really up to you to get acquainted, because it's not a reaction that can adequately be put into words.

 

Really the only appeal that anybody needs is it’s f***ing UNICRON!!!!

 

The message is "Yes, we want you (Hasbro) to utilize HasLab for stuff we hadn't thought of or didn't expect. No, we don't want you (Hasbro) to make something that isn't quite worth the asking price." People's judgments are clouded on both sides of the issue, admittedly, but if one is willing to sit down and listen to some of on this side (and no, I'm not in the camp of you can't have it) you might actually hear what we're trying to say instead of shouting us down and belittling us.

My biggest issue is this: Hasbro should do better for $600.00

Because people have been wanting a "proper" Unicron (never mind one's already been made and repainted/remolded a few times...) and they're willing to spend all this money and heap praises at Hasbro's feet because they're now getting the crumbs instead of the sandwich and they're happy because Hasbro's beaten them into submission after so many years. Problem is, Hasbro's really started to step up and take their rightful place with lines like the Prime Wars trilogy and especially Siege, so the backers can say "SEE?! WE TOLD YOU!" so it makes it seem like those of us who are naysaying are bad guys/villains and we're actually not. (Well, not all. The ones who wish to take away someone else's joy for no reason at all are just corrupt and evil, basically.)

Unicron should've been a priority years ago, not just on a whim for a line that needed a big bad, but an actual A-lister that sorely deserved a toy. After all of these years, he's an OSKO (sizewise) of a Titan Class with hollowed out parts (hands, I'm sure we'll see more) and he's a shellformer. On a ridiculous scale. Part of the reason shellformers were produced before this was they didn't have the capability to produce a stronger (in terms of wow-factor) mold and they're obviously cheap because the inner robot is a basic humanoid wrapped in a blanket. Make it look pretty, call it a day. Stuff like that is fine at $15, 20, etc but at $600.00? No. I expect more. I don't want it for me, personally because I'd have a horrible time dealing with my conscience. I personally think it's ridiculous to pay that much for a toy. That's for me, and me alone. I think it's disgusting of Hasbro to dangle this carrot in front of people who've wanted it for so long and then price it out of the range of normalcy.

I think the shell pieces should be minimal (very) or non-existent. I think the hands shouldn't be hollowed out. I think he should be streamlined and cleaned up. I think his transformation should be film-accurate. You can't prove Hasbro and Takara Tomy aren't capable of it.

People said Siege works because the smaller size affords thicker plastic and "better" build quality, etc. Okay, then... Shrink Unicron down (some) and make him solid and make the transformation more than a robot who balls himself up and climbs into a shell. We already have that with the currently released Unicron from Armada!

What bothers me with that is how many people are happy to take it as-is and moved to tears and happy to throw $600.00 at Hasbro when I KNOW, *I KNOW* they deserve better for their money. At the very least, if this figure as-is is what you're receiving when the final product comes, then the price needs lowered.

YOU deserve better than that. We all do. If that's making me a bad person in your (and other backers) eyes, so be it.

 

What do you mean what it is all about? Why didn't you just read the countless news posts on the main page and posts in this thread to see what it's all about?

 

all BlankMan is saying is if you don't understand the big deal, read up on the posts, character and history. i don't think there's much else to read into with his response.

 

or is the Op just being obtuse?

 

This new Unicron takes the cake by far.

 

I think someone may need to read through this thread thoroughly and reality check himself a bit, because quite a bit of discussion has gone on that addresses many of your concerns. Whether satisfactory to you or not, that's your decision.

But it mostly comes down to "easier said than done".

Your biggest complaint, being the shellforming, for example comes down to a major mathematics problem. His planet surface is potentially roughly twice the surface area of his robot mode. Arguably, a more efficient transformation would mean less of a discrepancy, but the fact remains that trying to change a near perfect sphere into a boxy robot mode (without the luxury of his on-screen panel-warping capabilities) is impossible. There's going to be a lot of excess mass left to part out, and it has to go somewhere.

And I've personally pointed out that, while a more efficient use of mass is potentially possible, the result is a far less iconic Unicron. For example, his forearms could have been made of planet shell, if you opened them up flat like a cardboard box and flipped some panels inside-out. But that was probably never an option in the designers' minds, because of how iconic that sequence is of the backside of the planet mode sliding out and transforming into the forearms.

The ~$600 price tag reflects precisely the work and materials that it takes to make this thing. Just because it hits a certain threshold doesn't mean it's a license to work miracles.

 

Was discussing this with my wife. Is the money due up front? If not, when is it due?

Thanks

 

I don’t know why but the version that I’m most fond of is the 2003 black version. I own it, but I just really like the color palette on it.

 

If through pulse up front. If through another site they will tell you.

 

Through Pulse, it’s due IF it gets fully funded at the end of the funding period.

 

Yeah, that gets really annoying. If you don't like a certain series or toy, don't get it and let others enjoy it. Especially now that we have so many options...

Are these pics to scale? If so, this new one is enormous!

 

yes it is.. have you not seen the front page news at all on this new Unicron?

 

As for the transformation, I thought I saw in one of the videos that they have it so the hands transform from the back like in the movie. Other than that, we really don't know much else. Aren't we supposed to be seeing the transformation in like another week/week and a half or so? I'd have to re-watch whatever video where it was discussed but I'm pretty sure I heard that correct.

 

I have, but i didn't realize it was more than double Armada Unicron size. Can't wait to see pics of it with some other Siege toys...