ALL THINGS TRANSFORMERS!!!!

[Spanbauer]

Constructicons!

The amount of disgust I've seen for these figures around the web from Transformers fans just blows my mind. Outside of the Masterpiece line, I don't believe Hasbro has ever created such blatantly loyal updates to G1 characters as they have with these Constructicons and Devastator. I thought people would be just ecstatic that each and every robot and vehicle mode (apart from Mixmaster) is an updated, articulated clone of the G1 toy/cartoon. I'm personally blown away by how loyal they are, and yet nearly everyone else has described these figures as "trash", "okay at best", and "I was expecting better". REALLY? Because I was expecting some halfassery like Combiner Wars Motormaster. Has the 3rd party market spoiled the Transformers fanbase rotten?

I've seen a lot of discussion about Scrapper not having elbow articulation, and people writing off the entire set because of it. Well back in my day, Scrapper could swing his arms forward at the shoulders and that was it. So the addition of neck, wrists, hips and knee articulation seems like a pretty great deal to me! Likewise for the remaining figures; they're all huge upgrades in the articulation department compared to the originals.

I also keep seeing comparisons to the "superior" 3rd party Constructicons. Really? Because between the 12 of them there's 1 that actually looks like the character its intended to be; the vast majority of those figures look nothing like them. That MakeToys Devastator is very nice, but they obviously went in their own direction with the individual bots. And TFC kind of goes in their own direction with the bots and the vehicles. The Hasbro set is really the only way to get modern-day G1 Constructicons.

I'd love to see what a series of them in the Masterpiece line would look like, but to fit the aesthetic I think they'd have to really alter the stylized vehicles and take some serious artistic license. Plus, then they'd be $75-$150 per figure instead of $150 for the complete set.

 

[teemu]

The amount of disgust I've seen for these figures around the web from Transformers fans just blows my mind. Outside of the Masterpiece line, I don't believe Hasbro has ever created such blatantly loyal updates to G1 characters as they have with these Constructicons and Devastator. I thought people would be just ecstatic that each and every robot and vehicle mode (apart from Mixmaster) is an updated, articulated clone of the G1 toy/cartoon. I'm personally blown away by how loyal they are, and yet nearly everyone else has described these figures as "trash", "okay at best", and "I was expecting better". REALLY? Because I was expecting some halfassery like Combiner Wars Motormaster. Has the 3rd party market spoiled the Transformers fanbase rotten?

I've seen a lot of discussion about Scrapper not having elbow articulation, and people writing off the entire set because of it. Well back in my day, Scrapper could swing his arms forward at the shoulders and that was it. So the addition of neck, wrists, hips and knee articulation seems like a pretty great deal to me! Likewise for the remaining figures; they're all huge upgrades in the articulation department compared to the originals.

I also keep seeing comparisons to the "superior" 3rd party Constructicons. Really? Because between the 12 of them there's 1 that actually looks like the character its intended to be; the vast majority of those figures look nothing like them. That MakeToys Devastator is very nice, but they obviously went in their own direction with the individual bots. And TFC kind of goes in their own direction with the bots and the vehicles. The Hasbro set is really the only way to get modern-day G1 Constructicons.

I'd love to see what a series of them in the Masterpiece line would look like, but to fit the aesthetic I think they'd have to really alter the stylized vehicles and take some serious artistic license. Plus, then they'd be $75-$150 per figure instead of $150 for the complete set.

that's the problem with it.It just a "modern" update of the Constructicon G1 toys....It's neat,but not worth the $150 price tag and certainly does not belong standing next to Takara/3rd Party Masterpieces

 

[Spanbauer]

that's the problem with it.It just a "modern" update of the Constructicon G1 toys....It's neat,but not worth the $150 price tag and certainly does not belong standing next to Takara/3rd Party Masterpieces

But...they're not from the Masterpiece line. They're from Combiner Wars. So I don't understand why not belonging in the Masterpiece line is a fault? And again, it's six figures for the price of 1.5 masterpiece or 3rd party figures.

 

[franpincho]

It does seem like everything Hasbro does nowadays MUST be compared to the Masterpiece series or 3rd party.

I love this set for what it is, a newly redesigned version of the toy I never had as a kid.

 

[dajuice]

The Hasbro Devastator/Constructicons is definitely awesome but what's up with:

-Long Haul's height or his proportions
-Bonecrusher and Scavengers skinny legs
-Mixmaster's backwards mixing drum

 

[Spanbauer]

The Hasbro Devastator/Constructicons is definitely awesome but what's up with:

-Long Haul's height or his proportions
-Bonecrusher and Scavengers skinny legs
-Mixmaster's backwards mixing drum

Yeah Long Haul is definitely a large husky fellow now (not unlike the new IDW comics), but that's due to him forming such a large portion of Devastator's torso without relying on add-on parts to complete the formation. With as much mass as he needed to achieve that, I guess they could have either made Long Haul better-proportioned and be twice as tall as the others, or do what they did and make him very squat.

They changed Mixmaster's alt mode to be a front-pouring cement truck, like this. Dunno why.



I didn't really perceive Bonecrusher and Scavenger's legs as being skinny; they look about right to me?

 

[Furyan]

For what it is, Hasbro did an outstanding job on the Constructicons/Devestator. Although the MP line has spoiled me I still feel these are a really great rep of G1. Ill be buying a set for sure to support hasbros effort or maybe wait for Takaras version. He will be a decent stand in for my MP's until Takara gets to it.

 

[Niltusk]

That's Kotetsu Jeeg, quite a popular character is Asia and South/Central America.

Why he's posed next to the Gobots is anyone's guess.

But...they're not from the Masterpiece line. They're from Combiner Wars. So I don't understand why not belonging in the Masterpiece line is a fault? And again, it's six figures for the price of 1.5 masterpiece or 3rd party figures.

These are 25 buck a pop.

 

[DPrime]

Meh, the Combiner Wars Constructicons do nothing for me, sorry. As far as Classics-style goes, I definitely prefer both Hercules and Giant to this.

Not saying it's bad - and quite frankly, it's BETTER than I expected, but not the best Devy out there by any means. And that's okay. I'm really not that into Classics-style figures these days, anyway.

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Now as for Fans Toys' Bombshell... I STILL haven't decided whether I want purple or grey. I might just end up getting both just in case. I'm sure I can sell off one of them over cost if I decide later on.

In terms of the official Masterpiece line... I am starting to get impatient. We need a reveal already!

 

[karamazov80]

Well, the smaller MP figures like Bumblebee and Wheeljack are still $35-40 when you order direct from Japan, so they're still a much better relative deal IMO. But the value of the dollar vs. yen plays into that. I think the MP comparisons make sense on this site, where you have largely older collectors into higher end figures. I would guess that on TFW and elsewhere you will have folks more sympathetic to the fact that these aren't only intended for collectors willing to spend more money for the highest quality product.

 

[soundwave]

-----

Now as for Fans Toys' Bombshell... I STILL haven't decided whether I want purple or grey. I might just end up getting both just in case. I'm sure I can sell off one of them over cost if I decide later on.

In terms of the official Masterpiece line... I am starting to get impatient. We need a reveal already!

I ended up going grey just because someone pointed out to me that was the colour in the cartoon & if I'm honest even having watched the cartoons a billion times I hadn't even noticed.
I always thought they were purple like the toy.

I admit the purple definitely means more to me than the grey as I had the originals back in the day & I always just remember them as purple.
If I have spare cash when they release I'll get Purple too...that said the more I think about it the more I want the purple one...cartoon accuracy be damned lol

I definitely concur on the official announcement...we need something soon, this radio silence is worrying me a bit

Neil

 

[Spanbauer]

I think the MP comparisons make sense on this site, where you have largely older collectors into higher end figures.

I guess I don't follow. I mean I collect dominantly Hot toys figures that are $200-$300 a piece, but that doesn't mean I expect Hasbro's kids' toys to hold a candle to them. And quite frankly the value of the Masterpiece figures for what they cost is largely why I got out of collecting Transformers; $80 for one little car that's about on par with the Alternators figures I used to buy for $19.99? Not for me.

Nobody's wrong that these Constructicons are far from Masterpiece quality. From that perspective, yeah they suck. But given that we're not paying $80-$200 per Constructicon here, the angle I choose to look at it is how much of an upgrade they are from the only other Constructicons I have. While everyone else is freaking out because Scrapper doesn't have elbows, my reaction was, "holy crap Bonecrusher finally has knees!"

 

[karamazov80]

I'm not arguing with your perspective. In fact, I share it. These are nice upgrades. But I can understand why on this forum you would see a number of members unsatisfied with what we're getting here (self included).

 

[Reinhardt]

All good points. I have no doubt though, that a third party company will release some badass upgrades to the constructicon set.

 

[Spanbauer]

I'm not arguing with your perspective. In fact, I share it. These are nice upgrades. But I can understand why on this forum you would see a number of members unsatisfied with what we're getting here (self included).

Actually I think this board is very level-headed! Its the overwhelmingly negative comments on Transformers-specific sites that have really surprised me.

 

[Whyee]

what mp scale decepticons are out right now that are less than $200? besides the mp starscream and soundwave

 

[Chr0n0]

what mp scale decepticons are out right now that are less than $200? besides the mp starscream and soundwave

Just the Screamer repaints (Thundercracker and Sunstorm) I think...

 

[Whyee]

what about 3rd parties?

 

[Chr0n0]

what about 3rd parties?

Aside from Apollyon I'm not sure. I think most of them are scaled smaller but maybe KFC Reflectron?

 

[karamazov80]

I think one of the gray Fanstoys Shockwave can be bought for less than $200. And their version of Reflector and Bombshell are up for pre-order.

FT-11 Spotter - Early Bird - Save $10 - Third Party Transforming Toys & Accessories Fans Toys

FT-12T Grenadier - Purple Chest - Early Bird - Save $8 - Third Party Transforming Toys & Accessories Fans Toys

And of course, the tapes.