Its funny, my Bluestreak is from the Asia batch a while back and is far higher quality than Smokescreen. Everything is tighter, lines perfectly and the paint is of a better standard. Surprised to see folk saying Smokescreen is the better of the two.

 

You've hit the nail on the head there. Yes, the past few months has been particularly onerous with so much stuff coming through different channels in limited quantities with very little communication, but that's an aberration. The real issue is that the figures that have been hard to get hold of haven't been obscure Diaclone repaints and the like, but stalwarts like Bluestreak and Ratchet. That's just shit.

 

The great thing about Quints is even when you have pre orders in limbo, it's absolutely fine to grab some more. Not sure if that counts with madam there at the back but who fucking gives, eh?

 

Quick picture of one of my favourite transmetal figures:

 

Kinda feel like canceling preorders and giving up buying bots for an another few years...
This "preorder within an hour or miss out" isnt good for my stress levels and at the end of the tfs are sypposed to help me destress, not make it worse...then theres the stuff of kapow not getting (probably) promised amount of stock, the lack of communication, scalpers, backlog and all that...
I kinda see the point of making runabout a exclusive and runamuck a regular release but that relies on there being enough stock on that one retailer to mach all the others...

 

Hope everyone is well, not been here much as I'm trying to avoid looking at robots I want to buy and reading this thread invites much temptation to abuse the credit card.  

I'm a little disappointed by further reveals of the SS86 bots, I still think that Scourge and Hot Rod look good but the others just seem...off in various ways. Very unsure about Grimlock too, as while I have a soft spot for the character I am already pretty happy with the toy I currently have (and his much less irritating rider):

Thought that might happen but still... bah! Hopefully Kapow have managed to set aside the Greasepit that I foolishly ordered at the same time.

 

did you order on 17th Sept by any chance? i imagine its just an auto email as the order's been outstanding for a month. however they have cancelled orders on this item before and will probably do so again, so yeah...

quality video even though i dont give a toss about Skids! easily the most entertaining transformers content around!

 

As I say I think the QC tolerances for the Goldilocks zone on such refined engineering is pretty tight, hence my experience is vice versa Smokey glides into car mode like he's buttered, 'Streak doth protest a bit. Literal luck of the draw, you got a good 'Streak, and a poor Smokey.

 

Need a Rung?

 

I like how even phrasing it in a nice way makes it sound like we’re all lunatics who post continuously at top speed, poor Bodrum just wanted to sell his Rogs- I mean Rongs.

 

Your award shall be all the cardboard boxes received by members of this thread for the next six months.

 

This sorta thing is why I have quite a few 'Double Dressers'

 

Once Kingdom is out of the way we’ll have pretty much perfect mainline representations of the G1 big names and quite a few of the lesser known ones too. Depending on what comes afterward I think Hasbro redoing any of the big guns again is a really dumb idea, for a few years at least. I’m thinking it may be a natural jumping-off point for those of us who are happy enough with what we have/what we know is due, for the most part.

I can certainly see myself not bothering with as much official stuff after that point as I can’t imagine them doing much that I personally care for.

This. Very this.

Yup. Knees are a bit loose, which is a worry considering what they’re made of. I’ll be leaving miladdo in robit mode for sure.

You’re not alone mate, I’m seeing a lot of this. People talking about packing it in, already cancelling preorders and selling recent stuff on simply because it’s all too much hassle now. But, y’know, it’s not as though Hasbro gives a flying fuck about the UK and EU anymore, and post-Brexit we probably won’t even be able to afford the ones that we do end up getting over here.

 

I know what you mean! I miss just looking at a figure for a while, thinking it over and then eventually picking it up when I'm ready/excited for it. This FOMO if you don't pre-order is stress I don't want from a hobby!

 

Let's be honest, if you don't pre-order something as mainstream as an army builder Allicon that's actually at Smyths, you can still miss out!

Hasbro couldn't run a fucking bath.

 

Balls. I was just painting SS Blitzwing and his bloody wing fell off. Cracked at the hinge. No idea why as it’s not like I’ve waggled his wings around and I’ve only transformed him twice! Bah.

 

My first Smokescreen had a horrendous face, one tight arm and one looser, but perfect arm. Legs were perfect too, and car mode lined up alright. My second Smokescreen has a good face, two tight arms, tight hands, perfect legs and a perfect car mode. It really is random.

 

And he sold the first one to me, the git!     (I do love an alt mode)

 

Yeah I can agree with this. With what we know is coming, and the fact that with the big guns of Beast Wars (at least the ones I'm likely to care about) getting done within two waves of Kingdom I'm just a small number of characters away from calling it a day.

Thrust is a "nice to have" for me (I realise he's a lot more important for others) but Inferno, Gears, Skids aren't - I want those bastards done definitively before I'm out and I'll be spitting nails if they also end up getting the "we don't serve your kind" treatment as some future asinine US only exclusive.

In the same way I'm no longer in the 3P game, I can see I time ahead when I'll be satisfied with what I've gotten out of the last seven years and be able to put a lid on it.

Then Hasbro are fucked.