OK, this set is a little above "doing the minimum", but only just, IMO.

Grim good:
* The new head is good for evoking the old BW toy, and gives a decent G1 Grimlock feel too.

Grim bad:
* Where are the SPOTS, man? A distinct deco was dropped for a duller one. Feels like someone on the deco team unilaterally decided that dalmatian spots on a dinosaur was stupid, not realising that was the effin' point.

Mirage good:
* Doesn't seem to use translucent plastic for major parts
* There's a bit more update remolding than I expected, and it appears there are some changes to how the upper body transforms, so maybe there isn't a fake car front stuck to the back of the car this time.

Mirage bad:
* Like Ironhide and Ratchet, the wheels are not changed from Siege, and look strange on the more Earthly car form.
* The overall color scheme and deco looks a bit duller than Siege Mirage to me. Needs some silver paint on those spoilers (real and fake)
* Can't tell for certain, but it looks like the updated shoulders might lose the peg holes Siege had, so maybe you can't mount the launcher beside the head (but you could on the spoilers mounted to the arms)

Mirage looks like it could surprise me in hand, but it could be better - but it's still a bit more than I was expecting. I feel they seriously dropped the ball on Grimlock, changing one of the very few things that distinguished his original toy from other uses of the BW Dinobot mold.

 

I see no issues.

 

Maybe they're saving the dalmatians spots deco for a Collaborative with Disney's new Cruella movie?

 

I almost think that the background seen here and in the Tricranius Product Shots represent Exclusives. That means if any product shots are leaked and the images share the background with Tricranius and Kingdom Battle Across Time Maximal Grimlock and Autobot Mirage, we will know that that is an exclusive.
Though, with this set being given the Hasbro ID Number WFC-K40, it still makes me wonder about WFC-K31 through WFC-K38. That is 8 Figures/Sets of Figures. So what could WFC-K31 through WFC-K38 be?

 

There’s has to be second Dinobot figure being made. Who ever did this redeco probably resents the outcome of Kingdom Dinobot and I can’t blame them. Even if they wanted to update the color scheme, its still looks awful.

On the plus side the Kingdom figure isn’t worthy of a real Grimlock redeco until we get a better fucking Raptor mode!

 

He's just happy to see you

 

This Mirage is not nearly as cool as the clear Mirage from the Siege 3-pack.

Unrelated, but does anyone who is buying this set want to trade their Mirage for my clear Mirage from the Siege 3-pack?

 

I might also add gold paint over the relevant parts, add more white to the whole thing and basically repaint it to be as close to the original without looking "silly". For example, by blending the "spots" from black to grey (perhaps by "mottling" them) to give a more "natural" look.

 

Simply attaching \"Beast Wars: Upsising-inspired\" does not make it a Beast Wars Uprising figure. Just saying...
BTW, I keep hearing chatter about Botcon making a comeback, does anyone know if there is any truth to this?

 

Can we please stop with the two packs?

 

honestly no since i never saw that fig. Guess its accurate then.  

 

Something something rigid grill structure

 

So if you want a G1 earth mode Mirage you got to double dip for that Grimlock nobody wants...

 

lmao how did Mirage end up being almost entirely blue plastic painted white

What are you doing with your gang-molding Hasbro

 

"Babe, Thrilling 30 has been over for 8 years."

 

Mirage looks great. Grimlock not so much.

Also lol @ the Waspinator artwork with 6 wings.

 

Please mind the budget (TM)

 

There's a new BotCon planned for next year, but it's now independent from Hasbro.

 

I can see where they were going with Grimlock's deco. Perhaps there's a bit of cost-cutting there, with a less-complicated paint mask, but it also ties into the line's "realistic" animal motif, aiming for a more modern bird-inspired look. Birds don't have "dalmation spots", with how feathers work. Lots of posts throughout this thread (mostly showcasing the same image) that point out what was probably the main reference image/inspiration for the deco design.

Just a reminder that virtually all of Siege Sideswipe's red is painted. The only exposed red plastic is under the hood, and on his small gun.

So nothing entirely new when it comes to new budgeting measures. Extravagant as the paint may seem, it's still cheaper than creating an extra plastic mold so they can split the colours.

 

31-38 should include all the wave 4 figures we know of (Pipes, Red Alert, Shadow Panther, Slammer, Starscream, Tigatron, Waspinator) plus one more. The next Battle Across Time 2-pack (Sideswipe, Skywarp (BWII)) would probably be K41, immediately following this pack, like the Siege 2-packs did.