With the recent news that Menasor and the Stunticons are using a Stunticon specific system for combination that is not Combiner Wars compatible, and is not likely to be applicable to future combiner teams-

- what is your preference for future Combiner/Scramble City teams?

1. That each team gets a new system designed from the ground up that ensures the most faithful interpretation of that team and its individual members? Please note this option might force a specific character to be an arm or leg only, not both.

Or

2. A system that ensures cross team compatibility for future releases- e.g Swindle can become a limb (arm or leg) of Superion. This option also allows all limb characters to be an arm or a leg.

Also, for the purposes of this poll, all characters get their own specific mold, limbs and torsos. There is no Onslaught being a remold of Hotspot, no Blast Off being a jet etc.

 

Due to wanting to be transparent and completely honest on this issue and in my response, I'll admit that money I've spent is a deciding factor in what I'm about to say, so I can't say I'm not biased (I am) but I'm still going to respond the best way that I can, here.

I think Menasor, much like Devastator, Predaking, Monstructor, Raiden, etc is a specialized case. Each one of those combiners combine in a specific manner and don't really fit Scramble City style or work for compatibility.

Yes, it could be argued that Divebomb and Rampage do, but Tantrum and Headstrong don't, not really. Since there is a precedent for non-Scramble City combiners, I think it's absolutely fine for Menasor to have a specialized release that works for that team and that team alone.

While the Combiner Wars designs aren't perfect, they're pretty darn good for modern updates and we've all invested a LOT of money in them. Not just to obtain them, but to get the upgrade kits, and whatever else to make them "perfect". Just because Has/Tak are redoing Menasor doesn't mean he'll be perfect and doesn't mean that system will work for every combiner.

At roughly $100.00 a pop (definitely more, much more, in some cases) I don't think it's right that we should have to start all over from scratch. Has/Tak for the longest time felt the same way, too. They wouldn't have gone to the trouble of keeping the CW system in POTP and Selects if they wanted to start all over again. (This next part doesn't require an answer, this is more food for thought is all.) Is Superion really that flawed? Is Defensor? Bruticus is actually pretty impressive with the TT Blast Off mold. Heck, they made sure in POTP that we received Orthia (for the first time, ever. They even had to come up with a name for her!) and even gave us Abominus. They're so invested in that system that they gave us the Seacons (and while not perfect, they're pretty dang good for what they are and what they cost...) and they've even reissued some of them throughout the years.

I think a standard system (Scramble City) can sit on the same shelf as a specialized system (Menasor, Devastator, Predaking, etc) and co-exist successfully. People have rightfully stated that some figures are hampered by forcing them to do something they shouldn't, and the same goes for combiners, and here we are. I don't think CW figures need to go anywhere and I think Legacy Menasor will look awesome alongside CW Superion and having them kick each others @$$3$.

I mean, a few loudly vocal people will definitely say yes to this next part, but I know a growing number of us will say no... Do we really want to start all over again, from scratch, with one combiner per year, just to satisfy a "new standard" redesign to make all of the other combiners fit the new system when it would be easier to have both and save money for other figures? I know I'm not alone in being tired of rebuying and rebuying the same figures over and over again. Has/Tak has faith in their older figures, they wouldn't be reissuing POTP Punch/Counterpunch and the TR Clones if they didn't.

Some figures definitely had a terrible first update, no doubt, but most are fine as-is. We've got to stop redoing everything, and doing it so soon, just because "ooh, shiny". Menasor is a special case because he should've been made in the Legacy design from the get-go, yet he was forced to fit CW's system because it was planned and they knew we'd complain if we didn't get one, so they made it happen. Now, they're fixing him. Doesn't mean they all need to be fixed.

 

Whatever will result in the best individual figures, which I'm guessing would be the first option.

 

I appreciate the well thought out answer, and your thoughts are not far from mine. The issue of buying the same guys all over again is a valid one. Each slot given to one of these guys is one less slot for Needlenose after all! But this poll isn't really asking about that.

If I could summarise your answer into the parameters for this poll? You are saying Stunticons get a bespoke system but the other Scramble City teams are to remain cross-compatible? Is that fair?

 

To be completely honest, I really like the Scramble City style myself. I also think this style would be more beneficial going forward.

1. It provides more play value for the older fans that like to play with their toys and also for kids as well. I love to mix and match and to create new combinations and it also harkens back to the vintage G1 days for myself as an older collector.

2. Availability. This is the biggest point for me for the Scramble City style. Growing up I remember I did not have one complete specific combiner because I could not get all the specific members of any one group at the same time either because of money or they didn't have all the limbs at the time on pegs. That could prove to be another issue today for slightly different reasons. Shipping and availability is still iffy at best and while us older collectors know where to go to get them at either collector stores or online, some parents might not be so interested to try to fight online to find all of one team or they might not have the money to get them all with the way prices are climbing. Not to mention some waves in the past have been complete pains in the ass to find for even certain collectors (like the rest of the CW Stunticons in Europe, IIRC). Keeping the Scramble City style would at least give the younger fans a chance to have a "complete" combiner even if their parents are not able to get all the members of that one team but could at least they could find members of other teams to make up for it.

 

So I would prefer that each limb bot be a specific limb since being a good looking triple changer is hard enough, but having to design 4 bots to have 4 different modes will lead to a lot of compromises as CW showed us. I will say that I am not against the limbs being used on different torso bots, ie making Blastoff as the right arm of Defensor as an example. If the team uses the same connections for the limbs between teams that would be great and allow an aspect of scramble city to keep going. What I don’t want is for quality to be sacrificed so that Blastoff can be either arm or leg since that will surely result in a lower quality figure and combiner overall. There is a reason most 3P combiners have the limb bots turn into one specific limb after all.

 

The Combiner Wars line was my favorite since Human Alliance, which was my favorite since G1. I collected nearly all the Combiner Wars toys. (Full disclosure: Years later I sold off almost all my Transformers, including the Combiner Wars toys.)

I loved the "Scramble City"-inspired, cross-team compatibility. I have no interest in another combiner-like "reboot" at this point.

 

I like the scramble city gimmick so ideally I'd like for it to be kept and I voted option 2. Since we live in the real world where compromises are usually unavoidable, I can live without it if that results in much better figures. One thing to note, if Hasbro makes the next combiners with a specific limbs configuration for each one, they better make sure all the limbs are readily available or offer a boxset with all the members.

 

This for sure on the availability. I do like the idea of the box sets but with Motormaster being a commander class at $90 and each limb running about $25 each, you are easily looking at a set that is equal or little more than the price of a Titan-Class Transformer. Not saying it would be impossible to box set it but it would probably a limited release and released after most of the components have come and gone off shelves to be most feasible.

 

I like the scramble city gimmick as much as the next guy, but it wasn't a feature that I used much outside of the first two waves of Combiner Wars. It led to the limb bots getting really repetitive for me since they all had to be engineered around the same ratcheting combiner post system. I'd rather have figures be designed exclusively for their teams for the sake of having more individuality in each figure.

That being said, it'd take a lot for me to replace the CW figures. Menasor was the only one that I feel like would benefit from a redo.

 

Legacy

 

I like the Scramble gimmick, and it let me make my reject meme combiner with Betatron, Alpha Bravo, Offroad, Jet Blast Off and Rook. So I like to see it used when possible.

That said, we did just get an entire (large) line of them, so I'm cool with a few combiners coming now that don't follow that. I'm also totally okay for specific combiners to deviate from it if it makes that team significantly better. I think Menasor is one of those designs that benefits the most from doing the skeleton-combiner thing. On the other hand, someone like Superion really doesn't need that.

 

First option for me. I enjoyed combiner wars at the time but it has lost its luster in the years since, so replacing those teams for me isnt an issue. The main one I want redone is Superion though.

I just wish Menasor and any future combiners were released in a box set instead of individually.

 

Yes, indeed. Sorry, I should've done that myself.

 

I perfer that each combiner team have their own system of combination to make both the individual characters/limbs and the combiner more cartoon accurate. Hopefully this Menasor would be bigger then CW Menasor and I do say Combiners Wars was fun it wasn't exactly what I want with the combiners. Don't get me wrong I like the Scramble City gimmick of swaping different limbs is fun, but it sacrifice somethings and that's one thing I didn't like about Combiners Wars.

 

Voted unique. Love the sound of Stunticons and the roundtable discussion. Couldn't care less about swapping parts.

 

Look, I only got 5 random combiners in CW, if I couldn’t make those into a single combiner I would have been sol. I love that I am able to collect only the characters I care about and turn them into a combiner. Hodgepodgatron would not be alive right now if that weren’t the case.

 

I picked scramble city, just because I really liked the joint system from CW. The individual bots and combiners not so much. Honestly whatever results in the best Gestalt is fine by me though.

I enjoy cross compatibility, but if it makes for improvements across the board(all modes) dedicated positions is an acceptable sacrifice.

 

I guess I support the first option. But I really want the second one to win.

 

I was pleased with the CW system, but not pleased with the poor quality core for Bruticus and Menasor. I am fortunate that my Hot Spot handles the combination well for Defensor. I missed out on G1 Superioin but have G2 in a box still. Over the past few years, we have seen 3rd parties giving us a different take on Menasor that has grown on me. I will give Hasbro the benefit of the doubt on the new Menasor since I was disappointed in the CW version. Unless I am blown away by a new version of Defensor rumored to be after Menasor, I will not be replacing my CW version.