I think I've said this before, and I'll say it again. Yes, there have been quite a few robots that transform into a shirt or pair of pants for another robot, and that was pretty cool back in the 80s, but now that it's 2010, I think people are right to expect some more advanced engineering. Legends Devastator (as disappointingly small as most people think he is) has some fantastic engineering to be able to feature 7 robots that transform into 7 vehicles and combine into a larger robot. When I first saw the PCC figures, I thought, well, no robot mode is OK as long as these drones have limb articulation in combined mode, but after seeing the video demo, now I realize that they don't even have that! With their spring loaded automorph, they basically form up into a rigid arm or a rigid leg.

That's part 1 of my criticism, part 2 is thus: PCC represents part of a disappointing trend toward vehicle formers or non-robot TFs. Look at these RPMs. Personally, having never been a Hot Wheels fan, I would never, ever collect RPMs if my life depended on it, but some people must like them, and now Hasbro's even expanding the line to include a bunch of cars that just have flip out weapons, WTF? Matchbox sized cars were ok, but anything bigger than that is kind of sad.

Well, now that I've bashed these toys, I am obliged to say that I probably will be getting the PCC toys. The reason for this is simply their size. I said before that being Legends sized, the drones should at least have the quality of engineering put into Legends Devy, but also being Legends sized, I find it is easier to excuse their simplicity. Having a small, multi-force style combiner is actually ok in my opinion so long as the drones are no larger than Legends. The minute that Hasbro starts making scout class drones for a deluxe class body is the minute I'm going to really flip a s**t, though.

 

G1 overlord is arguably a great toy, big, simple and lots of play value, and I simply love that big blocky imposing look (which is why i'll buy similar contemporary toys today - sentai for eg). I'll use a food analogy to comapre overlord to say the new PCC's (which in concept are quite a neat idea), i see overlord as something like meat pies or fish and chips in the UK or BBQ ribs or good pizza in the USA, the newer toys are more like a set of fillet medallions ontop of some multileaf salad covered with a pyramidal mound of fried parsnip flakes and drizzled with sweet raspberry sauce......one of those sets of food is good, the other wants to be good.

 

personally i dont mind the limitations of a small subset of toys, as long as they are a subset, if hasbro could deliver more imaginitive sublines of TF's as part of some catch all series that would be great. So imagine PCC being around for this year, next year something else like (off the top of my head) 'tri-former beasts' (beast, robot, vehicle) or 'clone battle transformers' based on something akin (but nicer!) to the animated twins. just anything to form a coherent sub series, anything but more variations of movie characters...........

 

I'm definately not the type that needs my robots to turn into vehicles...but I at least like my robots to be something other than a picture of a robot on the bottom of a car. If they really wanted Hot Wheel sized TFs they should (IMHO) have brought out some more (and some new) Spychangers...
simple transformations > no transformation at all.

 

I've been thinking that "Powercore Combiners" come in Orange boxes - but could they instead/as well as sell any Transformer from the previous years in an Orange box (chop the Powercore bit off the name) and sell them as 'Combiners'.

For example Energon Optimus Prime in a boxed set - he could be sold in packaging like the Powercore toys. or they could even repaint the set into 'Scourge/Nemesis Prime' and market it as the main villan of the line.

Likewise Energon Autobots also combine, and so does Armada Optimus Prime/Overload/Jetfire.

There was a (didn't come to pass) rumor that Armada Overload was going to be remolded slightly and sold as 'The Fallen' and that would make an ideal partner for an Evil Optimus prime repaint - using the box template of the old Yellow Brown Optimus /Overload set.

Alternatively Energon Optimus' alt color scheme could be used - also Omega Supreme could be sold in colors that either match Ships in ROTF or the Black/red colors used in the new videogame.

There was even a suggestion of a character that was a Purple Evil Version of Omega Supreme that might go well with an Evil Scourge.

The ideal thing about this is it expands the PCC theme to other scales positions itself for easy store exclusives and draws upon the ROTF combination theme with existing molds.

Not to mention that an evil version of both primes should have actually have been made previously so anyone who like Micron legend / Superlink would appreciate them too.

Also if they did expand the brand theme to include DX repaints of Energon toys - then since it's no longer specific to Autobots the characters could also be made into Decepticons like DX Scourge and Slicer (Slicer (1991) - Decepticon Massive Assault Specialist - www.tfu.info) also I notice that all the Minicons are now part clear - and this was also the case in TF Energon but many Armada molds and Cybertron/ Classic Minicons have not been repainted in clear colors yet - so there's also a possibility to sell them as add ons and theme them around the clear colors.

Teams like the Emergency team would still be ideal for the task. - heck one might even argue that it provides and excuse for reissuing Armada / Cybertron DX's as well...

There's some that might be fun to see even now such as Buzzsaw into Wasp(inator)... especially if they mixed parts from the Armada and Cybetron toys.

And as for Energon Decepticons or Cybertron toys with no Minicons - even they have potential as part of the Generations theme.

Anyway I just thought I'd mention it as a possible alternative slant to just using 2 packs and 5 packs and the entire backing of the 'combiner' theme. and that at the least there's a lot of minicons that could still be repositioned - and we know it's one thing both kids and quite a few collectors really like is minicons.

 

I have a question concerning the War for Cybertron toys.

Was the OP figure almost the size of a voyager deluxe like Lockdown from Animated and RoTF or a standard size deluxe?

 

RedAlert, I pretty much agree with you until you get to reissuing Energon deluxes. While I agree with the general theory that the presence of gimmicks limits the designers and the robot suffers, I'm generally ok with it in smaller doses (I like PCC despite the gimmick-caused limitation on robot coolness). With energon Deluxes, however, I feel that the gimmick completely highjacked the design process and what we ended up with was a lot of barely mediocre toys. Just my opinion, mind you, but I for one vote for those molds to stay buried. The decepticons are a lot cooler and, as many have said before, great proof that the design team and technology were fine, while the gimmick was crap.

Oh, and I would buy the hell out of a nemesis repaint of Energon Prime. Always thought that guy looked great as long as you keep his Voltron parts on.

 

Some members who have seen it in person have said it is almost voyager size but I'll have to see it in person to see for sure.

Meanwhile, I just hope he comes with an axe!

 

Judging from the pictures of the toy from Toyfair, I'd say he's a regular deluxe. He looks about the same size as WFC Bumblebee...

Somebody also reported ROTF Sea Spray was 'ULTRA SIIIZE'...

 

I hope as well.
I also hope Megs comes with his battle club as well.

 

Woah. Just saw the videos. The auto-transform function looks really cool. That goes a long way toward making up for not having a robot mode.

 

I just caught up with the news 4/5 of the combiners are just vehicle drone. Awesome news, it'll save me money. I'm still interested in the individual toys w/ the minicons but the lack of robot modes for the 5-piece combiners completely kills the deal for me.

 

that, and they don't look particularly compelling.

i was so pumped for these when we first heard about them, but the reveal really let me down. Too Small, too limited, no bot modes. I really don't like the amount of effort Hasbro is putting into transformers that don't "transform".

I still like Huffer and Smolder, but none of the rest looked very good to me.

I don't understand why the can't pull of a set of combiners that are just good toys on their own (ala G1) and STILL can combine as, i guess, a bonus. (bone crusher, Scavanger and Scrapper were some of my favorite G1 'cons before i even had all of Devastator ~ and frankly as bricky as he was the individual bots were more fun)

The Energon combiners were so close, but the goofy appendages and reused limbs knocked them down quite a few pegs...

 

Quite frankly, many of the G1 combiner components were very weak toys on their own.

 

This is very true. But technology has advance in the past 25 years. I really wish they would at least give it a try. After all, with what FP is doing by introducing 2 more limbs into the Energon Bruticus mold, I would say it's far from impossible.

 

i don't completely agree ~ from the G1 era, a lot of the combiners were pretty solid little toys ~ at least the 85/86 ones. Now, the scramble city ones did cheat a bit by having the 'common body type'. but they mostly had solid Robot (Silverbolt and Groove excluded) and alt modes. They were much more involved then the minibots.

Considering they were the equivalent of Scouts 25 years ago, i think they were some of the best post-Diaclone/Microman figs: especially compared to the 86 "deluxes", which were pretty terrible.

And i'm not saying i want them to rehash them, just that in a lot of ways, i still feel like they haven't lived up to the premise those sets offered with modern engineering and design. (Rail Racer is close ~ and totally awesome ~ but a bit of a cheat since he's a Tri-combiner and the individual bot modes were kinda bad)

 

The RID combiners are as good as we're going to get for a few more years.

 

So, you're saying that you've seen two 5pack teams and heard rumors about 2 additional teams (grand total of 4 packaged items) in the midst of all the other Deluxes, Voyagers, Leaders, Human Alliance, Scouts and whatnot (toys that transform) - but you are unsatisfied with Hasbro's efforts in transformers that don't transform? All the while, the majority of their offerings seen at toyfair are exactly what you're rallying for?

wow... just, wow...

 

and the RPMs and the Stealth Force figs, etc... I just feel like it's a strange thing for them to be focusing on, dig?

 

I thought I'd expand my thoughts on Energon Deluxes - I realise that a fair few people dislike them and that's fine - and I don't disagree that there's probably a fair few 'better' toys of DX size that might be more deserving of release.

But my reasoning is thus.... certain toys from Cybertron, and even the Energon Decepticons might be able to be slotted in at any non-specific future time. But the combination feature of Energon Deluxe Autobots is ideally suited to a time either just after the ROTF hints at a combination theme as well as the Powercore Combiners.

I'm not suggesting that such a release should replace new mold toys - but more that they might make contempary equivellent to the Walmart Exclusive Deluxes (Grindcore, Fracture etc...).

But another idea i've also had is perhaps they might work in transparent colors because then you could say that the Transparent version was like the M.A.S.K. split seconds figures in a way, as you could combine Hot Shot with a transluscent energy duplicate of themselves. or a clear Inferno could combine with a Clear Hotshot.

One could even argue that they are a form of Drone or something generated by an Omnicon's energy stars.

Anyway that is not essential but is another way to approach them. and it does tangetally make sense in context of transluscent minicons and combination seen in the powercore line.

But as I said I'd be quite happy to just forget about that idea and have a DX Scourge and a DX Slicer sold under the Generations tagline.
But it does seem curiously wasteful to not repaint the energon toys especally when combination is such a current theme.

But then one could also argue that the Decepticons might work well as Generation releases - such as Scattershot & Shockblast both would repaint very well. and perhaps Energon Demolishor *Dumptruck* as well....

I still find it odd that he's never been repositioned as one of the following;

http://www.tfu.info/1995/Decepticon/Dirtbag/dirtbag.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Autostinger/autostinger.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1998/Destron/Autostinger/autostinger.htm
http://www.tfu.info/2003/Cybertron/Treader/treader.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1992/Cybertron/Treader/treader.htm
http://www.tfu.info/2003/Destron/Treader/treader.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Sledge/sledge.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Hammer/hammer.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Terror-Tread/terror-tread.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Cement-Head/cement-head.htm
http://www.tfu.info/2004/Decepticon/MMLongHaul/longhaul.htm
http://www.tfu.info/1988/Autobot/Landfill/landfill.htm
http://www.tfu.info/2001/Autobot/HeavyLoad/heavyload.htm

Or even Payload.