Mark Maher on Instagram: "Leader Legacy Evolution Skyquake is ready to take over the seeker skies and put the smackdown on some autobrats! . The second image features an outline done by the great @marcelomatere when the prime redesigns were decided upon before we started Legacy. Since there was mixed feedback on Arcee and Bulkhead I decided to take a swing. My linework is featured underneath Marcelo’s , then my colored concept is featured on the next slide. Then the amazing Hisashi Yuki san from Takara Tomy had a great sketch with some renditions and suggestions. I reformatted my design and along the design development journey we both went. You can see all the iterations of his head sculpt throughout the process. . The transformation sequence is complex but strong, Yuki sans transformations are always amazing and I often stare in wonderment when he figures them out. The articulation packed into this beast is just wild. You just get a great experience of all kinds of abilities and poses. . IMPORTANT: this sample does not have the final colors, I will try and update yall with the final deets. But I can assure you this guy has some sweet candy metallic paint applications that do wonderous things in good lighting. . He does have head light piping and the engines on his feet along with his gatling blaster are blast effect compatible. The cockpit and sculpt details all over this dude command a decepticons respect. . Please do yourself a favor and rewatch how amazing his brief appearance in the Prime series is, you will not regret it! "

 

For those wondering or curious the top drawing as Mark has said is a sketch of Skyquake when the decision to rework the Prime designs, the bottom is when they heard the feedback and reworked it all.

They made the right choice in redoing that sketch.

 

Relevant Images

 

He\'s going to look so nice with ROTF Mindwipe on my shelf

 

That's too bad, I kinda like the first, more G1-inspired design better.

 

Very much prefer the new direction. anyone know the missing deco he mentioned? As far as I can tell there's no difference on the renders or leaked copies

 

Wonder if there's an existing rough proto of the OG design, or perhaps it was too early for it to even exist.

 

I’m glad they got the Arcee and Bulkhead feedback in time to redo this Skyquake. The design is better off for it. Looking forward to getting it.

 

Probably the bronze bits

 

Good to know chefatron was wrong in his review of this guy saying that needlenose couldn't combine with skyquake.

 

I like it. Has a better presence than the first version. Just looking at it feels hefty.

I’m over the cockpit crotch transformers.
Put that thing alway.

 

Then how are else you going to know how much he’s packing?

 

Really hope this guy gets a G1 Deco at some point. Take care of the folks who want Dreadwing first, but then we gotta get this guy out in all his vintage gaudy glory.

 

I like the robot proportions of the second version better, but prefer the nosecone torso and plausible real-world jet mode of the first. So mixed bag for me.

Interesting that they did, in fact, use feedback from Arcee and Bulkhead on this design. So much for the claim that that was impossible because of two-year development cycles or whatever.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if I kinda buy Dreadwing and a G1 Skyquake version over this. This figure looks damn good, but while the deco is accurate as it should be it's not screaming me to buy it but IDK we'll see I guess. Either way so much potential with the mold repaint wise.

 

Having no attachment to the Prime characters, I plan to wait for the hopefully inevitable black redeco of both him and Needlenose, so I can have a G1-ified version of these guys:

 

This will obviously be repainted into Machine Wars Starscream, right? It looks like a perfect mold for that character. That was a fun little filler line and I’m kind of surprised we haven’t seen more references to it. Spinister could have been repainted into the helicopter character with the head remold they did. Maybe it’s in the works. At the time, I remember thinking it was a breath of fresh air for those of us that grew up with vehicle transformers, and didn’t quite care for the beasts. I’d be all over a Machine Wars sub-line since there’s not a whole lot of characters to make.

 

Mark loves Machine Wars and wanted to do is so I got a feeling it will.

 

So the Bulkhead feedback did cause them to change how they approach future figures. Very interesting, I’m glad they went with this! It’s amazing!

 

Huh nice, so Needlenose can dock on him like the G1 Predator jets?
Here is hoping there is a G1 color repaint coming... with Needlenose retooled as say, Talon?