The Vehicon troops look great as standard decepticon troops, as does the takara-Tomy dark bumblebee. The clear "dark Energon" Wheeljack has now replaced the BOTCON version as my CHUG Slicer (with the insignia removed and a Decepticon one added). Also,first edition Bulkhead is himself, as I believe he looks good enough to join the G1 universe.

 

Nah. None of them fit. The only passable one is the TFCC Chromedome that got done from Wheeljack and even then I don't think it's great

 

How exactly none of them fit? If chromedome fits the wheeljack fits (lack of noses is a non issue due to his faceplate). If wheeljack fits then dark energon wheeljack fits as slicer. Chromedomes head is unarguably based on idw, idw has used vehicons with their prime heads, bulkhead with his prime head and ratchets new body has a head strongly based on prime ratchet.

 

I agree with this. Both versions look pretty good next to Classics Megatron as cannon fodder or body guards. I explain the slight differences in style on the fact that Megatron would want troops he can easily build on a mass scale and repair easily and are more readily replaceable.

This one might be a stretch too, but I think Prime Soundwave fits in ok if you think of him more as a Spy-Drone type trooper instead of as Soundwave.[/QUOTE]

 

Mine isn't strictly a CHUG collection, although the vast majority of it is, as it's based around IDW's TF comics, so there are a few non-CHUG toys in there, including some Prime ones.
- Ratchet on my MTMTE shelf, he works pretty well, especially after his redesign. Although I do wish I had Da Skillz to make a new chestplate more like his MTMTE design.
- Wheeljack on my Assorted Cybertron Based Books shelf. I don't actually think he's the greatest match for a CHUG collection, although obviously that comes down to personal taste, but not entirely due to aesthetics, it's more due to his hunched over stature than anything. Kind of torn between replacing him with a Generations Wheeljack or waiting to see if a new Generations one appears at some point in the future.
- 2 Vehicons chilling with ROTF Lockdown on my misc IDW Decepticons shelf.

There's also Knock Out on my Assorted Cybertron Based Books shelf (RID season 1/Windblade/Punishment/Till All Are One) but IDW Knockout is identical to his Prime self so that probably doesn't count.

I don't think Prime Voyager Shockwave jars too badly against a CHUG collection, I used mine as part of my IDW Decepticons for a little while, I really like the mould but I took him out again just because I'd rather have a proper Generations style Voyager Shockwave update in there than a stand-in.

 

Ironically, Generations Chromia is actually PRID Arcee but heavily retooled.

 

The aesthetic isn't the same. They stick out like a sore thumb regardless of whether or not IDW uses some of the designs. Wheeljack has these weird almost gorilla armed proportions that looks nothing like G1 scientist Wheeljack. And like I said, I don't even think Chromedome fits that well.

 

Here's the thing that I think you're failing to see others' points. If you stand a Movieverse figure, say that remake of Lockdown, next to a TFA or TFP collection, nobody would claim it matches the looks unless they are being purposefully obtuse. Now, if you stand a Classics toy, say Classics Bumblebee next to the same collections, it would also stand out like a sore thumb, but for different reasons. Yet for some reason several people claim that the Movieverse figures look like Classics as do most TFP molds and more than a few TFA molds. I seriously can't see why people claim that. The looks are completely jarring, and I can't understand why the Classics collections are the only ones that seem to get this. For instance, I challenge you to find at least 5 TFP collection photos with figs from other lines. Better say it now: NOT COUNTING GDO OR GENERATIONS CHROMIA BECAUSE THEY WERE TFP TOYS TO BEGIN WITH.

 

Slicer DOES work, though. The fact that he's got two SWORDS to go with his name, plus the different proportions, make him suitably different to CHUG Wheeljack. The dark energon repaint also has a better mold than the energon/botcon version. While we are here, the Deadend remold is also fine for me. He looks like a g2 monster bot and seems destined to hang out with my botcon banzaitron. Also, Prime Breakdown looks fine, as either a new character, or a universe displaced figure in G1.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't agree. I don't separate my collections of toys (except for MP) on display, so I only buy toys from other ranges of they fit my CHUG collection. "De-Animated" Film-verse (but really, just like Bludgeon, designed to be CHUG) Lockdown even got popped into the Cloud-verse comic alongside Deadlock:

-

The differences in design for many figures are not too dissimilar to be jarring. For most collectors, it's akin to the "Axiom Nexus" effect; can different universe's figures stand amongst each other and look ok? For most the answer is "yes". Animated toys usually need to be " de-animated " in order to achieve this. That's why Takara Tomy "meched-up" animated prime when they made it a statue alongside the other Primes for their transformers exhibition.

 

I think it's because Classics is one of the few TF toylines that isn't beholden to screen-accurate portrayals. Movie-verse collectors want figures that look like the characters on screen (accepting the limitations of mass-produced toys for children to look like the hyper-detailed CGI models, anyway). Same with Animated and Prime collectors. They want a collection that represents what they see on screen. They don't see the need to put Classics Bee in those collections because Classics Bee wasn't in the shows/movies.

Classics/Generations/CHUG, whatever you want to call it, is not necessarily concerned with screen accuracy. It gives us updated versions of characters from past franchises, mostly G1, often with updated alt modes, sleeker and not so blocky robot modes, different gimmicks (non-Headmaster characters in Titans Return, for instance). Now, sometimes we get Classics toys that are pretty screen accurate, like the recent Beast Wars Generations figures, and the recent Titans Return figures have seen a larger concern with G1 accuracy (TR Blurr compared with Generations Blurr is a good example). But by and large, there is no unifying aesthetic or theme to Classics; it's just whatever Hasbro wants to put out there. G1 designs, IDW designs, WFC/FOC designs, BW designs.

I think Hasbro's "loosey-goosey" approach to Classics is co-opted by many Classics collectors. We tend to have an "all-inclusive" mentality when it comes to putting figures from other lines in with Classics stuff, because we know the line is just one big celebration of the TF line as a whole (yes, again, mostly G1, but it has and continues to include other eras), even if the aesthetics don't quite match. Now, some might want to only collect Classics figures they feel are reasonably G1 accurate. Others may want an IDW focused collection. And that's perfectly fine. I guess my (long-winded) point is everyone collects in their own way.

 

Since wheeljacks proportions were specifically mentioned as being "gorilla armed" id like to point out that that is a similar criticism I've seen about combiner wars combiners and Titans return hardhead

 

You know what I use for my Slicer? A custom made from part swapping RTS Tracks and Generations Wheeljack. If Slicer was originally a simple repaint of Wheeljack, what's so bad about him being one again?

And yeah, Prime Breakdown looks about as much like a Classics figure as the Playskool Gobots Silverbolt does.

Okay, I do. I have a pre-Earth display with my WFC/FOC stuff on it, and I have my regular Classics display. To me, and several other people, it's more like our CHUG shelf is simply an extension of our Classics shelf. And yes, Classics had a VERY unified aesthetic, which was carried over in the Universe and Generations lines. If an IDW look fits that sort of criteria, then all ahead full. It's why Generations Trailbreaker doesn't look out of place next to Classics Mirage. To me, it's no different than collecting DC figures and throwing some of the Justice League Unlimited figs in to fill gaps. There is a JARRING difference in looks, just as much as the difference in the TF lines. The only one that doesn't "fit" as a repurpose would be the Cybertron toys, as they were designed at the same time with several of the same visual cues.

That's great. Using my old example: if they slip Playskool Gobots Silverbot into the panels of a Unite Warriors comic, does that toy suddenly become CHUG? No, it doesn't.

Also, I can't find ANYTHING that says that Lockdown was designed to be a CHUG. Bludgeon started out as such but, just as the TFWiki will tell you, was redesigned to fit into the Movieverse. The minute you hit the redesign phase the source material falls flat. Seaspray I'll give you, as there were no voyager slots open in any CHUG lines. Same with Lugnut. But Bludgeon? Nope, was a Movieverse design before the plastic was poured. I'd REALLY be interested in seeing how that... Lockdown was designed to be a Universe or Generations toy.

Which is what this thread is about: asking people's opinions about HOW they personally collect. I stated my part, and for a bit I was on board with you. However, since there isn't a Movieverse looking Optimus Primal to go with the Cheetor, Dinobot, Rhinox, Waspinator, and Rattrap we got, I'm going to go ahead and disagree. There's also not really a CHUG version of Movieverse guys, unless you count T30 Bee and RTS Optimus.

 

Nope, i can't see any merit in your opinions here. Your argument loses merit when you mentioned Bludgeon. It wasn't redesigned at all. It was fully designed and ready, but was released during the movie period to get it "through the door". Using your criteria, then any repainted classics, energon, etc figs used in the film line of toys are also "not chug".

As far as I can tell, and other posters can chime in here to correct me if I'm wrong, most collectors, at least here, right now, don't have a problem with most of the lines standing together, believing them to be unified (perhaps Animated and some film toys an exception).

 

Prime Wheeljack is a chunk of shit compared to Generations Wheeljack as far as CHUG goes. Gen Wheeljack captures the character perfectly in both robot and vehicle mode. TFP Wheeljack captured TFP Wheeljack. Decently.

As far as Prime in general goes, no, the aesthetic doesn't fit CHUG at all. Even outstanding Prime figures like both Vehicons don't fit, because they have a much more cartoony look. The proportions are too cartoony and the vehicles are too cartoony looking.

 

I don't see it at all with Hardhead. With combiners their proportions are mostly fixed fan moding and add ons. And given that they're combiners their proportions aren't going to be perfect anyway.

 

Compared to the original CHUG (providing the leg mid has been done), then yes, I'd agree with you. However, the mold itself, if used for a CHUG Slicer, custom Marlboor, or if the Deadend repaint is used, is great.

I love those versions, which is why I replaced the Botcon
version of Slicer with the Prime "version".

 

And this is, I think, about the best way to start a conversation...

Well, since the footnote from the Wiki has been removed, I'll wait until I can get one of the posters in the know to bring up when it was mentioned. The original design wasn't as skeletal, and was made that way purposefully to make it meld into the Movieverse line. Until such time as I can find where it was posted, this is irrelevant and will be ignored, but logging it in here to save myself time later.

And before you put words in my mouth, the way I see it is wherever the mold originated is where the toy belongs. Movieverse Fracture? Classics. All the A/E/C repaints that came out in the same wave as her? A/E/C collection. I'm weird that way. I also had every Ruination version in my G1 collection. If I collected BW stuff, all the BW repaints from every line they've been released under would be in it.

Post a poll, I would love to see the results.

 

IIRC, it was that a previous toy designer said that they had made a design for a Classics Bludgeon that the ROTF toy clearly used as its basis rather than the mold literally being made to be a Classics toy released in the ROTF line. I could, of course, be remembering wrong.

 

Go figures are great as well.
Go decepticon ratchet was repurposed as oil slick by the club.
If you want all new bad guys in chug series, the 4 predacons from the go line are good as well