What do you think about the Beast Hunters Prime news.

[Mako Crab]

Mako, you're definitely not a troll.

Thanks. Maybe I'm overreacting just a bit, but it felt like I was being called out as a troll. Anyway.

So back on the topic- I did read that the Insecticon(s) from season 2 will be released under the Beast Hunters line. If that's true, then I'll be sure to snag him, but only to complete my season 1/2 cast!

[Shockwave]

Deathy calls us out on all sorts of stuff that we didn't say all the time so it's kinda par for the course really. This time you just got caught in the crossfire.

[JediTricks]

A troll because you have an opinion and have conversed about it? No, sorry. WTF.


Annnnyway, my TRU had wave 1 deluxe Beast Hunters. The new smaller card has only 1 bio note sentence and very little room for pictures of product and other products, in a way it's a tighter experience, but at the pricepoint it's very difficult to justify. It's also very loud and goofy-looking in person, the art looks silly like they're aiming for a Power Rangers crowd. The toys inside look pretty bad, very few paint apps coupled with bright plastics that look cheap, somewhere between Savage/Noble and Armada. Nothing about this line so far looks appealing in person, and the single beast in the wave looks cheap as all get-out. Were it not for the recent reveal of dlx new-mold Smokescreen I'd call this a walk-away point.

[BWprowl]

I felt the same way you did about the compressed bio-notes, JT, but then when I got Lazerback I discovered that the completely new-format instruction sheet (which uses grayscale photos like the BM Battle for the Spark instructions) contains an extended bio-note for the character, which additionally ties into the other characters' write-ups by way of being designated a particular 'part' of the story. Interesting way of doing it, at any rate. I agree that the packaging doesn't do much for me by itself, particularly with the lack of character art, but it's disposable.

As for Lazerback, I disagree about cheapness. He's actually a pretty good-sized toy, feeling closer to the beefier Deluxes from a couple years ago, and his plastic feels very solid, unlike the airy stuff I expressed concern over on, say, Powerizer Megatron. Transformation's a bit on the simple side, but the figure itself has a lot going on (opening gun with a launching missile on a mount that gives the beast head a little movement gimmickry, lots of joints in the legs, as well as wrist swivels, shoulder pads the open up to differentiate the robot mode more, opening beast mouth, soft plastic used in bits like the beast tail/weapon thing), and I certainly feel more like I got my money's worth than when I bought, say, Hot Shot. Colors are a bit loud, but I can live with them, and the marbled plastic is an interesting factor (means that no two copies of the same figure will be totally identical). The paint is definitely a weak point, being kinda sloppy on the face and having only the outer-facing halves of his elbow spikes painted yellow, but between the contrast and the use of marbled plastic, there's plenty of color on the toy already.

Hardly perfect and definitely not for everyone, but I feel Lazerback's a step up from the previous TFPrime toys, and dammit, he definitely earns points for being something different. I'm looking forward to some of the other Predacons, the upcoming Ripclaw looks pretty cool, and then of course there's that big-ass version of Predaking that looks great.

Can I just take an aside here to gush about how happy the introduction of the Predacons makes me? A third faction with a brand-new faction symbol, sporting their own aesthetic and altmode philosophy that hasn't really been explored before (different varieties of dragons and mythical monsters), introduced specifically to shake up the Autobot/Decepticon dynamic? TRANSFORMERS IS SAVED! Smokescreen the white Autobot car really doesn't generate much excitement alongside these guys.

So yeah, I don't know that Lazerback would be a solid investment for you, JT, given that you've already said that you don't care for the look of him, but if he and the faction he's representing the first of were created with the intent to draw in people like me, then mission a-friggin-complished! You buy the cars, I'll buy the dragons, deal?

[Tigermegatron]

Annnnyway, my TRU had wave 1 deluxe Beast Hunters. The new smaller card has only 1 bio note sentence and very little room for pictures of product and other products, in a way it's a tighter experience, but at the pricepoint it's very difficult to justify. It's also very loud and goofy-looking in person, the art looks silly like they're aiming for a Power Rangers crowd. The toys inside look pretty bad, very few paint apps coupled with bright plastics that look cheap, somewhere between Savage/Noble and Armada. Nothing about this line so far looks appealing in person, and the single beast in the wave looks cheap as all get-out. Were it not for the recent reveal of dlx new-mold Smokescreen I'd call this a walk-away point.

1- Since the Beast hunters toys are bigger in their size classes as far as height,width & mass are concerned. Perhaps the bigger toys leave little room for the package art & bio's.

1a- Like BW Prowl replied,the bio story is now inside with the instructions.

2- It's a well documented fact,that the first few waves of any TF toy line are always inferior to the last few waves of any TF toy line. The first wave of any newer TF toy line most of the time is a guaranteed bomb/awful/garbage.

3- From what I've seen,Voyager & $29.99 weaponizer/leader size Predaking are awesome must get toys. My guess is $29.99 weaponizers ultra magnus,optimus will be pure awesome toys. If they make sinnertwin in a deluxe class this will be a awesome homage toy that can be put in the classics display shelves.

4- Hasbro needs to keep changing the toy package art & has to add a secondary banner label to a existing TF toy line. this is the only way retailers & parents will keep buying newer TF toys in stores. ANYWAYS MOST COLLECTORS BUY NEWER TF TOYS FOR THE TOYS INSIDE NOT FOR THE PACKAGE ART.

[JediTricks]

TFPBH Optimus Voyager: http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-new ... ew-176650/
TFPBH Predaking: http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-new ... ew-176651/

I felt the same way you did about the compressed bio-notes, JT, but then when I got Lazerback I discovered that the completely new-format instruction sheet (which uses grayscale photos like the BM Battle for the Spark instructions) contains an extended bio-note for the character, which additionally ties into the other characters' write-ups by way of being designated a particular 'part' of the story. Interesting way of doing it, at any rate. I agree that the packaging doesn't do much for me by itself, particularly with the lack of character art, but it's disposable.

The packaging is meant to sell the product to a casual consumer audience, with TF that is mainly kids and parents/gift-givers. If the bio-note is inside the package, the casual consumer isn't going to be able to use that information to help guide them towards a toy/character they like. That's a failure IMO, and dropping it into the instructions is a waste of Hasbro resources to pay someone to take the time to come up with this stuff only to leave it where it'll be least seen.

As for Lazerback, I disagree about cheapness. He's actually a pretty good-sized toy, feeling closer to the beefier Deluxes from a couple years ago, and his plastic feels very solid, unlike the airy stuff I expressed concern over on, say, Powerizer Megatron. Transformation's a bit on the simple side, but the figure itself has a lot going on (opening gun with a launching missile on a mount that gives the beast head a little movement gimmickry, lots of joints in the legs, as well as wrist swivels, shoulder pads the open up to differentiate the robot mode more, opening beast mouth, soft plastic used in bits like the beast tail/weapon thing), and I certainly feel more like I got my money's worth than when I bought, say, Hot Shot. Colors are a bit loud, but I can live with them, and the marbled plastic is an interesting factor (means that no two copies of the same figure will be totally identical). The paint is definitely a weak point, being kinda sloppy on the face and having only the outer-facing halves of his elbow spikes painted yellow, but between the contrast and the use of marbled plastic, there's plenty of color on the toy already.

Hardly perfect and definitely not for everyone, but I feel Lazerback's a step up from the previous TFPrime toys, and dammit, he definitely earns points for being something different. I'm looking forward to some of the other Predacons, the upcoming Ripclaw looks pretty cool, and then of course there's that big-ass version of Predaking that looks great.

I wasn't speaking to how it is, only how it looks, and I stand by the statement that it looks cheap, it doesn't look like $16 worth of toy from the packaging.

Pics of Voyager Predaking came out, and it looks not even like a Transformer to me, it looks like something from a generic Japanese "dragon to guy" toy, the deco is super chintzy and the whole thing does nothing for me. Also, his size increase is so significant that I'm sure this shit comes with a hefty MSRP increase for the entire Voyager priceline, at least $25, more likely $27-$30.
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-new ... ew-176651/

So yeah, I don't know that Lazerback would be a solid investment for you, JT, given that you've already said that you don't care for the look of him, but if he and the faction he's representing the first of were created with the intent to draw in people like me, then mission a-friggin-complished! You buy the cars, I'll buy the dragons, deal?

Everything I've seen so far in this line looks bad, cheap and thin and not cohesive, save Smokescreen who likely was designed before TFPBH, but that said, this to me isn't about "dragons vs cars", I don't give a FUCK about the alt mode being ONLY one thing or another, I love most alt modes, but it just has to look like a Transformer, and these toys don't so far, the only reason they look robotic at all is that it's humanoid.

2- It's a well documented fact,that the first few waves of any TF toy line are always inferior to the last few waves of any TF toy line. The first wave of any newer TF toy line most of the time is a guaranteed bomb/awful/garbage.

Sorry, I couldn't hear you so well what with you talking out of your ass like that.
Generations mk 1, wv 1: WFC Optimus & Bumblebee, Drift, Thrust. The entire wave was a high watermark.
TFP RID dlx wv 1: Wheeljack and Soundwave both pretty good, half the wave right there, and the former is another high watermark.
TFP Cyberverse Commander wv 1: Optimus, Megatron, Starscream, Bulkhead. All decent.
TF Animated dlx wv 1: Lockdown, Optimus Cybertronian, Prowl. All very good.
ROTF scout wv 1: Ransack, Depth Charge, Knock Out. Half the wave is pretty good, and the half I didn't mention aren't terrible either.
Movie 1 Real Gear wv 1: every entry is good, and every non-wave 1 Real Gear ends up inferior.
Movie 1 dlx wv 1: Jazz, Barricade, '76 Bumblebee, Bonecrusher, Brawl, Wreckage, Scorponok. These are all day-one releases, and only Swindle doesn't make the cut here.
Classics dlx wv 1: Bumblebee, Rodimus, Starscream. All pretty good, with only Astrotrain not deserving mention.
Classics voy wv 1: Optimus, Megatron. Both good.
Cybertron scout wv 1: Scattorshot, Ransack, Overhaul. All decent.
I could keep going, but it's tiresome. The point is made, you're totally off-base here, you've made up a fad that doesn't exist to justify the overall shittiness of Beast Hunters wave 1.

4- Hasbro needs to keep changing the toy package art & has to add a secondary banner label to a existing TF toy line. this is the only way retailers & parents will keep buying newer TF toys in stores.

That's true, but it surely helps to have packaging art not look horrible too.

[BWprowl]

The packaging is meant to sell the product to a casual consumer audience, with TF that is mainly kids and parents/gift-givers. If the bio-note is inside the package, the casual consumer isn't going to be able to use that information to help guide them towards a toy/character they like. That's a failure IMO, and dropping it into the instructions is a waste of Hasbro resources to pay someone to take the time to come up with this stuff only to leave it where it'll be least seen.

I agree that relocating the bio note is probably a mis-step, but I'm not a kid or a gift-giving parent, so it's not a concern of mine. Moreso with how much I'm generally disregarding the fiction side of TFPrime.

I wasn't speaking to how it is, only how it looks, and I stand by the statement that it looks cheap, it doesn't look like $16 worth of toy from the packaging.

I'm curious as to what specifically about it looks cheap and insubstantial. One of the first things that jumped out at me about it when I picked up the box was how much toy it DID feel like; the bubble actually sticks out further than the other toys to accommodate his greater mass.

Pics of Voyager Predaking came out, and it looks not even like a Transformer to me

I know, I'm loving it. Yes, the chest definitely needs more paint on it, but the toy itself looks wonderfully dynamic in those pics, the way it can wield the axe and the cannons and those cool leaping poses, and while initial pics made the wings seem too small, here they look rather slick.

That new Optimus doesn't look half-bad either. The sword looks cool, and the contrast between those shades of blue and red comes across as rather distinctive.

Also, his size increase is so significant that I'm sure this shit comes with a hefty MSRP increase for the entire Voyager priceline, at least $25, more likely $27-$30.

I'll start panicking about that when we know for sure. As-is I'm too busy being impressed with how nice these Voyagers look (much moreso than in the early pics we saw).

this to me isn't about "dragons vs cars", I don't give a FUCK about the alt mode being ONLY one thing or another, I love most alt modes, but it just has to look like a Transformer, and these toys don't so far, the only reason they look robotic at all is that it's humanoid.

Yeah, that's what I'm loving most about these new guys, the way they *don't* look like all the samey, generic-Transformers robots that made up TFPrime's initial offerings. I'm actually excited to start seeing a lot of these guys on store shelves.

That's true, but it surely helps to have packaging art not look horrible too.

I'd be willing to settle for at least character art on the cards. Did Hasbro not learn anything from Beast Machines? Character-specific art on the packaging is TF's *thing*!

[Mako Crab]

Returning to this thread now that we've seen all the Predacons and retooled bots and cons.

And I still think they're ugly. Predaking is a decent figure, but not so much, that I feel the need to have him in my collection. Most of the others still don't appeal to me in terms of color schemes or robot modes.

I will be picking up the deluxe Smokescreen and Shlockwave though. I saw a pic of Smokey without his armor on, and he looks good. From what I can see of Shockles, he looks good too underneath all that tacky armor. First thing I'm going to do when I get them, is rip that armor off and toss it in the bin. Still looking forward to see what the Insecticon will look like.

[Tigermegatron]

I noticed various on-line sites that sellTransformers Beast Hunters toys,that Have various BH assortment waves up. The GOOD NEWS IS Hasbro isn't overloading assortment waves with Bumblebee anymore. EVEN BETTER NEWS most BH wave 2's are newer characters in the assortment wave minus wave one characters. This all will no doubt help BH toys sell faster in stores. As newer product flies off pegs/shelves faster. while older product put in newer waves are guaranteed shelves/pegs warmers.

[Tigermegatron]

Yesterday,I saw more official Hasbro pics of some Beast Hunters toys. I was puzzled to see a decepticon insignis faction symbol on Deluxe Beast Hunters Skystalker. I thought all Beast Hunters Dragon-bots Predacons were going to use there own Predacon Faction symbol on there dragon-bots toys. http://tformers.com/ig.php?mode=view&al ... ansformers

I'm thinking perhaps some/maybe all BH Predacons dragons-bots will have 2 different faction symbols on their toys. one Predacon faction symbol & one Decepticon faction symbol on each toy BH Predacon Dragon-bot toy.

If not,I wonder if this is a spoiler that BH Skystalker will join the decepticons either by free will or maybe thru being enslaved.