The blurb for this set on Amazon USA says:

• BATTLE ACROSS TIME COLLECTION: The Battle Across Time Collection allows fans to experience the clash between G1 and Beast Wars with Maximal and Autobot team-ups! With Dinobot, Starscream, and Waspinator in pursuit, Grimlock and Mirage must team up to keep the Decepticon-Predacon threat at bay.

So I expect that is Starscream in the box art.

Did anyone manage to order the set from Amazon UK? The page is live again - but 'out of stock' when I've looked.

 

Okay, so, please forgive the nerd pedantry as I don my tinfoil hat, and really stare really too hard at some pictures but on trying to figure out whether Mirage really doesn't have shoulder ports, it does look like there's a circular design element that could be a port in this pic...

...BUT it sure seems like his shoulders are mushroom pegged to the top of the chest, and I have some doubts that Hasbro would have a mushroom peg with a port in it?
I'm gonna need some Factory theft to come to my assistance here!

Trying to figure it out also led me to staring at car mode...

...and realising that there seems to be more going on differently with his back end transformation as his arms are no longer at right angles but straightened out quite a bit to give some air under his spoiler, and sleek up a bit. In fact does that mean his car mode is now a bit longer?

And, uh, what the heck is this about?

Just what is going on there? I haven't a clue - but the wee apparent hinge-y bit sure seems like it does something besides just serve at filler because his shoulders can't get any closer together.

 

Ordered the blu ray of "Halloween" to continue my John Carpenter season.

If that artwork for Wreck-Gar is an idea of what the Studio Series '86 toy could look like then I'd provisionally be down for a Wreck-Gar and a couple of Junkion retools.

Why I like Beast Wars = I like animals, I like transforming robot toys and I like having some variety.

G1 is never going anywhere, so the least I ask of Hasbro is to keep doing something else every so often as even though I think most of the Kingdom BW figures could have been better there's still way more intrest there than there is of me ever buying most of the G1 mainstays again.

 

You're right, turns out I have a multi item Order with Amazon that totals up almost the same price that I forgot and thus Mistakenly believed was for the two pack.

 

I don't know but I blinked and missed it   I assumed it would be around for a while given how slow UM has been to shift.

Ta! Looks exactly what I'd want. Another one to add to the tfsafari wishlist....

Now there's a memory I've not had in a long time...I used to have one of the A-team vans, but I don't remember the writing on the front. It came in a set with some barrels to drive through...

Edit: grimlock and mirage? Not sold on the mirage yet. Will see how I feel closer to November.

 

If they could hide the kibble better I could look past it, but yeah, it's a load of conflating problems for me. And I say that as someone who bought the fossils.

In terms of animals and as you mention, I've got a shitload of TMNT. Who were maybe indirectly responsible for BW anyway (see Biker Mice, Street Sharks, even Samurai Pizza Cats ffs) and to this then young person, not in a good way. The original lot are not far off the TMNT Mutations figures back then!

But the big issue is it always looks like a robot in an animal suit, then like somebody crammed a funky cyborg into an animatronic animal.

In short, I was simply too old by the time BW rolled around  

 

Yeah, it's not on the other side so you could be onto something...

...or maybe Hasbro are simply 'homaging' a hole that should be there! Haha!

 

A lot more remoulded details there than I was expecting actually, I didn't notice most at first. I think the entire torso bit transforms differently to the original version of the mold. Looks like the shoulders end up as the back of the car instead of the fake front, so I think that's the spine hinge bit.

I have crudely transformed Netflix Mirage to illustrate:



The new shoulder hinges then have the white bits swing in to cover up the hollowness of the back of the chest, with the chest facing the floor.

 

Anyone have the link to the Amazon UK page?

 

Indeed! TBH I find it so frustrating how with both the Micromasters and the Battlemasters Hasbro played it way too safe with the more exotic molds. Just in Siege alone Laserbeak and Ravage never got a re-use, other than retools in Netflix for Soundwave as themselves, Pteraxadon only got one redeco in a store exclusive pack, Lionizer only got Dazzlestrike in another hard to get pack and a recolour in Netflix Megs, and poor Smashdown hasn't seen any re-use   and that's just to name a few before getting into Micromasters who only got re-used in box sets.
At the least I'd like an opposite faction re-use of all of the Battlemasters.

Actually, thinking about that, I'm good for Greenlight but has there been any indication of a Takara rerelease of her pack like Skywarp got?
That said, how long until Takara turns their gaze of PotP box sets on Elita and co?

Well he certainly looks like a box art picture!

I think the F-15 is just Starscream, the Grimlock bio mentions

That Dinobot part intrigues me though, and he is on the box there too. My guess would be either a show accurate deco or a 'Predacon' Dinobot though the only real deco change I can think of for that would be him having Predacon faction logos instead of Maximal, especially if the art on that Grimlock pack is to go by his beast mode looks normal.

Though now I wonder, as would they really do a 2 Voyager and Deluxe (I assume Waspinator is a Deluxe) pack? Though something I only recently discovered having finally got the Phantomstrike set is Greenlight is in the background of it's box art, in much the same way Waspinator is here. I kind of wonder if despite the wording, Waspinator will actually be in a separate pack with some accessories (no idea what?) and Starscream and Predacon Dinobot will be packed together for example?
Also I wonder if this box and the Starscream et al box will link up to form a single picture like the Phantomstrike and Alphastrike box sets did?

 

You jest but I fear that's the truth! I think that detailing is on both shoulders, just blown out and out of focus on the right as in this crop from the Amazon listing both have a bit of a raised lip...

...just a guide for those of us brave/foolish enough to try drill it out ourselves!

Bang on, mate, and an excellent illustration. You've beaten me to the punch as I was about to post this Siege car bit...

...and speculate the very same thing, that earth Mode mirage doesn't have the Siege chest filp, and it stays on the underside in alt mode so it won't have a faux front nose poking out the back.
I now suspect the mystery middle bit is something to do with how they've changed the central extending/retracting "spine" of the Siege version, and/or how the head gets tucked away.
It's as you say quietly a more radical overhaul than one might think from initial cursory looks.

 

Woo, Grimlock looks nice. Pity Mirage has the 'toon-head. Preordered on Amazon US, tried to order on IDT using two different browsers but after I try to pay with PayPal I get returned to the IDT site (as should be) but it then says "Please solve Captcha correctly" (as shouldn't). There is no Captcha in evidence. Oh well! More dinosaurs = good!  

 

 

Just wanted to say sup y’all hope you have a great day missed you not active I’m kinda out of tfs been one year since my last purchase I’ve been great life great

 

Somethings wrong with your maths there, Hasbro. £25+£18≠£55, it equals £43.

 

According to FB ID were having some issues with their website earlier that have been fixed....

 

Yes, I just saw that! Clearly something has got loose and needs to be hunted down. Will give them another go tomorrow.  

In other news, Emperor Palpatine is convinced he's solved the issue this time:

 

So I've been sitting here looking at the Shattered Glass Blurr and it struck me, I Found it odd we were getting all these Shattered Glass characters, I couldn't fathom why. I can only speculate, that part of it is Hasbro officially claiming the IP, the other thing is the ease at which Shattered Glass gives Hasbro a whole lot of repaints potential to puff up their waves.

anyway i'm probably way off. what do you think is the reason worShatered Glass turning up like it has?

 

TRA GEN K DELUXE MIRAGE & GRIMLOCK: Amazon.co.uk: Toys & Games

 

That's no moon...it's a cosmic sideboob!

A "hands off our stuff" IP-securing move on the attempting-to-revive-itself-Botcon plus and experiment to see how far they can push the repaint/minimal retool profit margin is my guess.

After TR Rodders peepers turned out so nice I decided to sack the too-dark metallic blue prior upgrade job and gave my favourite B-Boy proper Autobot Blue eyes to boot!

Charming, and still the best G1 'Toon-inflenced head in the plastic IMHO.
Not that Netflix's is bad, it's just too heroic, chiselled, stoic - though miles better than the many other gormless doofus-looking takes like the MPs, and the new Buzzworthy Li'l fella.

 

Do you think that is the same for the rainmakers?