encore and classics stuff

Yeah the colors bite. I'm cool with it from a "it's the unique Prime of the collection" point of view. As usual I have no idea what the re-paint guy at Hasbro was smoking when he came up with these colors.

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Since my Ironhide will never look quite like a G1 Ironhide with his orange and black color scheme (didn't want to spend so much on a Henkei version), as well as having the screws exposed on the front arms, I thought might as well emphasize on the orange/silver/black combo and gave him some accent to that color scheme. Quite like it now, and look less plain when standing along side with my other Classic & Henkei guys.

Got a chance to take a group pic of my 'selective' Classics Collection, after doing some touch ups & minor mods on the ones I am less happy with. I can get pretty picky sometimes, and only picked up the figures I really like, or has potential for a good mod. So the collection is not that big. They seem to work out well as a good size Autobots gang though, and looks like Hound will be joining them shortly. Also gave Bumblebee the 2 big guns. The black and silver works great with the Henkei yellow color scheme, and there is something about the short chubby guy having twin giant guns that intrigued me. ;D

You should get the seekers, dude. Seriously...you won't be disappointed.

Pssht.
I still need to get the City Commander armor. ...Maybe I'll just hold out for the "Shadow" Commander armor with all it's supposed upgrades, and repaint it in the original Diaclone Powered Convoy colors.
Yeah...and maybe I'll buy a fucking SoC ever again...

[edited to lay off the board whipping boy]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/01/2008 03:48PM by Sanjeev.

Which seekers are you talking about? Not the incredibly overpriced Henkei Dirge, Thrust and so on? Please don't tell me you nabbed those and HAVEN'T bought the City Commander yet?

More serious than thou

Yeah, those are the ones. And I totally just saw how much those cost. Ouchy. I only have the very first Starscream that Hasbro put out. Y'know, I coulda sworn I saw the Henkei Skywarp and Thundercracker for $50 each somewhere at some point.

Obviously that's still horrifically overpriced for teh MARKET standards for a deluxe-class TF, but I look at it this way: we throw absurd money at toys as it is. If someone where to pay $150 for the first full set of seekers (Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker), I know I couldn't fault the man.

I've thrown even more money at much dumber toys. :)

I'm just hoping that we Americans will just have to wait a bit for them to come out here. It's hard to find a gripe about the mold, that's for sure.

More serious than thou

Quite true...that's a good point: even if someone in the US were to pay $150 for the Henkei set, I can't imagine him/her NOT throwing a shit-fit if Hasbro released them here for a third of the price!

Didn't Hasbro say they wouldn't make the other seekers so they could preserve the value of the Botcon set?

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Anyone wanting to buy the Henkei seekers might want to read the reviews first. I was about to throw down on the Skywarp/Thundercracker set, and then read the news that apparently, almost all of the Thundercrackers are riddled with some kind of QC defect (arm cannons that are too loose to stay in the arms, assorted joint issues). The Skywarp is possibly okay, depending on your luck, but for about $75 each, I didn't want to risk it.

I managed to get the UM/Skywarp set back when, but the US Skywarp has that awful near magenta instead of lavender for his accent color. If the parts were just plastic, one could repaint it, but the nose cone is rubbery.

More serious than thou

I'm a real sucker for the Seeker-style jets. US Skywarp's color didn't bug me too much. He's close enough, especially for the price, and he gets a lot of play time with my daughters.

The only thing I did to mod him - and what I do with most of the Classics I get - was to put big silvery ReproLabels G1 faction crests on his wings, nosecone and tailfins.

In reference to the earlier comment about the Henkei jet's QC problems: I don't own any of those editions, but I did notice that the recent "Acid Storm" repaint looks really shoddy in the package with regard to parts assembly and alignment. The upper surface seams in the legs had lots of separation and poor gluing. I'm inclined to wonder if the tooling for the classics seekers was lower-grade and is at the end of its life-span.

Did anyone get the Henkei version of Galvatron? The Universe version is built poorly I heard and I want to make sure that isn't the case here.

Plus I kinda have to him if I get Cyclonus. Hilarity!

--------------------------------------------------------------

I asked if I have "Time For L-Gaim" but I got "No Reply From The Wind".

Just scored DX Cyclonus, Hound, and Cheetor. I'll have some reviews up on my site soon.

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Universe Ravage with Hound!!

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I grabbed a bundle Henkei Galvatron and Rodimus...those were two I couldn't stand to see in the US colors. I'll let you know how galvatron is when it arrives, unless someone beats me to it.

Cheetor looks really funny, but I kinda like it. It transforms nicely and looks good in Cheetah mode.



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Bad news, looks like the universe/classics line will be put on hold again for the new movie line. www.tfw2005.com

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Crap. So by the time I catch up and milk the 2.0 line, the movie will be done with and classics/universe/henkei 'might' return?

Maybe Fansproject will make some new add-on's to spice up the line while we wait.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/11/2008 07:35PM by RedAleseides.

Bah. Movie figs can go suck it. It's nice for Hasbro, but, hey, I guess it's another reason for me to save my dough.

More serious than thou

Yeah, there were only 4 figures I thought were really nice from the first movie line. But now Universe/Classics go on hold for this crap?

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/12/2008 12:51PM by B00.

B00 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Universe Ravage with Hound!!

Nice pics. But Hound is actually a lot more well known and showed up very often in multi episodes in season 1, with many dialogues too. Not just a 'filler' autobot in the background.

I was lucky enough to have my girlfriend found one for me at Target. Haven't open it yet, but both Hound & Ravage look sweet from the package. Probably the most bang for the buck on the Classics 2.0 Deluxes, since Ravage is actually a decently complex figure on its own, better than the little Legend figures that already cost $4.99 alone.

Quote
mpchi
Nice pics. But Hound is actually a lot more well known and showed up very often in multi episodes in season 1, with many dialogues too. Not just a 'filler' autobot in the background.

Thanks man. I was just fool'n around in my review. Hound is actually one of my favorite G1 bots. I'll stay a little more on topic form here on out.

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Haha...I knew it was only a matter of time before someone got caught by the sarcasm!

Sanjeev Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Haha...I knew it was only a matter of time before
> someone got caught by the sarcasm!


Haha...silly me. Forgot I was reading the ToyboxDX forum. :D

Universe Cyclonus review. And I actually put some effort into it this time.

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Good review. I've already got Henkei Cyclonus preordered but I might get the US version as well for the mean little chromeless Nightstick.

Thanks. Cyclonus rules end-o-story. The Henkai version version looks great, but Nightstick looks like a bootleg with all that chrome.

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A little late to the party, as usual. I've become quite enamored with the cartoon-inspired Henkei Skyfire:



Small changes in paint apps make such a big difference.

Saw Cyclonus at Wal-Mart the other day, but I passed. Waiting for the Henkei version.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2008 03:46AM by gingaio.

Vincent Z. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did anyone get the Henkei version of Galvatron?
> The Universe version is built poorly

Mine just came in today. First off, the colors look great! And the transformation was a bit of a puzzle cube at first, I think I got the hang of it after then 2nd or 3rd transformation.

Problem #1: I'm having difficulty on step 12 (http://www.hasbro.com/common/instruct/83670.pdf) where I slide the hinge in to lock the shoulder mechanism. the hinge piece on the close up won't close all the way, probably because they made ratchet notches (like a gear), and it keeps getting caught.

Possible solution: I haven't figured out if I'm going to shave it down with an x-acto blade, or loosen the screws.

Problem #2: The ball joints are noticeably loose. On the first transformation, the cannon got too loose when it was pulled out from between the round halves. There was no way to tighten it, so the cannon section just flopped about loosely.

Solution: transforming it back to tank and re-transformation it to robot. The gun popped back into place when changed to tank mode, but now I'm a little cautious about it.

Problem #3: the back covers/supporting feet behind the legs don't really snapped in. But don't worry, the figure has no problem standing up.

My big problem is with #2, otherwise, I love this figure. it's (almost) everything i wanted in a galvatron. Plus, I got it as a bundle with Henkei Hot Rodimus, which is my favorite TF character.

*sigh* this is terrible, I don't think I'll ever go back after tasting Henkei.

I just read some more reviews on the Universe version, and let me say that I didn't have a SINGLE part fall of while transforming.

Bonus: One of the numerous versions of Henkei/Universe Galvatron's secret 3rd mode. The second pic shows an artillery alt mode. (the caption says something about the right hand having missiles in vehicle mode).



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/18/2008 03:10AM by RedAleseides.

Ah, thanks RedAlesides. I might still get the Henkei Galvy.

Still not sure which version of Cyclonus I want to get.

--------------------------------------------------------------

I asked if I have "Time For L-Gaim" but I got "No Reply From The Wind".

I guess I'm not seeing how the two are different. I own the Universe version and can't see an appreciable difference.

More serious than thou

Quote
RedAleseides
Problem #2: The ball joints are noticeably loose. On the first transformation, the cannon got too loose when it was pulled out from between the round halves. There was no way to tighten it, so the cannon section just flopped about loosely.

This is a common problem on the Hasbro version too, my solution was to sand down the pegs on the inside of the turret so the cannon didn't need to be forced out.

I hope we get Kup before the line ends, the original movie bots have gotten some much needed love from the classics line so far.

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fujikuro Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I'm not seeing how the two are different.
> I own the Universe version and can't see an
> appreciable difference.

Mainly the colors are "1984 movie" accurate. The purple a plum on Universe, while a blue-purple on Henkei. The red joints on Universe are charcoal grey on Henkei, Then there is the chrome.

Does your Universe ver. fall apart? I've read many reviews & seen pics of the notoriousness of it falling to pieces. Also, did you have Problem #1 with the cannon arm sliding into place?

No, the only problem I've had has to do with the left arm popping off during transformation. Perhaps the color doesn't much come across in the photos online. But, Hasbro's famous for not getting colors "right" when they do a nod to an older character.

More serious than thou

Looks like TF Club is rolling out with more accessories for your Classics/Universe/Henkei figures. Doesn't look bad. Personally, I like how these non-hasbro/taktom companies are bringing new love to already released figures.

more at [tformers.com]

Legends class supa reveiw. New G1 Mini-Bot legends.

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RedAleseides Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> more at
> [tformers.com]
> ar-transformers-universe-accessories/10692/news.ht
> ml

Yeah, I was really excited when I found out about this set. The lack of weapons/accessories for the Henkei line is really teh suck.

Speaking of which, stole an idea from tfw2005 and outfitted my Henkei Hound with the gun from the crappy Optimus/Megatron 2-pack. Didn't really want to buy the pack, but it also gave me a gun for Bumblebee. Only $13 shipped from eBay, btw.

Hound is a real gem, one of my favorite Transformers, like, ever. And the toy would be absolutely perfect were it not for the gimpy connection for the shoulder cannon. Real, real lame on an otherwise spectacular toy.





Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/11/2009 11:33PM by gingaio.

New upcoming Encore releases.

15-Ravage, Buzzsaw, Eject and Rewind

16-Bruticus

17-Ramhorn, Steeljaw, Ratbat and Slugfest

--------------------------------------------------------------

I asked if I have "Time For L-Gaim" but I got "No Reply From The Wind".

Universe Starscream pics and review at MoonBase.



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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/14/2009 07:34PM by B00.