Images and Preorder Link for Exclusive Studio Series 86 Blaster and Eject

They didn’t “instantly sell out”. They had 1,800 on pulse according to others and while Blaster did sell out on pulse it was 2 hours after made available to order. I’m not even a pulse member anymore, haven’t for 2 1/2 years and i locked my preorder in. Not pulses fault seibertron didn’t make this news till 18 hours after he was revealed and available. No other site had problems getting the info out for fans to order in time.

Randomhero wrote:They didn’t “instantly sell out”. They had 1,800 on pulse according to others and while Blaster did sell out on pulse it was 2 hours after made available to order. I’m not even a pulse member anymore, haven’t for 2 1/2 years and i locked my preorder in. Not pulses fault seibertron didn’t make this news till 18 hours after he was revealed and available. No other site had problems getting the info out for fans to order in time.

That's pretty much "instantly".
People have lives to live instead of being on the net, refreshing the same page every 30 seconds in hope something pop up.

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Randomhero wrote:They didn’t “instantly sell out”. They had 1,800 on pulse according to others and while Blaster did sell out on pulse it was 2 hours after made available to order. I’m not even a pulse member anymore, haven’t for 2 1/2 years and i locked my preorder in. Not pulses fault seibertron didn’t make this news till 18 hours after he was revealed and available. No other site had problems getting the info out for fans to order in time.

That's pretty much "instantly".
People have lives to live instead of being on the net, refreshing the same page every 30 seconds in hope something pop up.

I don't think it was even up for two hours. It was sold out initially at 10:08, which was right after the 10:00 general on sale and about an hour after the Premium exclusivity period. More were made available during the stream but sold out before it ended.

^ Exactly, I was at an appointment and didn't know anything until I got home checked my email and clicked said link to find out it's sold out at around 9:40 AM.

Now I'm not saying it's a travesty because you can still get it at Target, it would have been different if it were only Pulse Exclusive and sold out so soon. There have been worse Exclusives like VW Bee, Dirge & Thrust, Ironhide & Prowl etc.

Regardless, Target Preorders are also sold out now to, I guess I have my answer on if I want this or not

Yeah I'm good with Legacy Blaster and Twincast. Like I said earlier if they had included all four cassettes depicted in the movie I would be interested. That would have been an really nice surprise to roll out and they would get even more buyers because of it.

I've learned a long time ago that Pulse is not the place to get anything, unless it is exclusive only to that site ( which Blaster is not). In the case of such things like the past weapons packs with Centurion Drone or Fossilizer, they had an ample supply.

I was pretty skeptical that this SS86 figure would be worth it…. But for me it is.
Although there wasn’t much of anything I found really wrong with my Legacy copy, the more I’ve looked and compared them, the better this new Blaster looks.
It was the Buzzworthy Ironhide and Prowl 2-pk that really helped me realize that I don’t really like metallic paint when it’s solely used for the figure’s face. At that point I’d rather it match the animation model.
With this, is the use of gray (even dark gray) instead of black. Not some huge difference, & yet I appreciate it for sure.
One aspect I did find to be a surprising improvement are the lower legs and feet; the previous version made his feet look tiny and more isolated from the shins, whereas this SS86 version makes the feet look more a part of the lower legs, & with the matching color, don’t look as small even though they’re obvsly the exact same parts.
I also think the cassette door looks more interesting. I don’t care about Eject nearly as much, but that is a huge improvement with this new release.

This is also a pretty good indicator that I’ll also be getting SS86 Galvatron…. I love that mold, but I’ve always known the red-violet color Hastak used was wrong. The new version should be a blue-violet. I would even say a tone of blue-violet, but I think Hastak will stick to pretty saturated colors to be a little more cartoon-like.

Blaster selling out on Target too this soon basically made the decision for me, guess that's what I get for hesitating and rationally thinking about a purchase. lol

Till-all-R1 wrote:Blaster selling out on Target too this soon basically made the decision for me, guess that's what I get for hesitating and rationally thinking about a purchase. lol

There's always the possibility that you could still find in-store.

No Targets for me, closest one is 100 miles away. It's the major reason I don't care for Store Exclusives.

Till-all-R1 wrote:No Targets for me, closest one is 100 miles away. It's the major reason I don't care for Store Exclusives.

That's how it used to be for me with TRU and Target exclusives back in the day. We got our first Target in the state in the early 2000s, just up the road from TRU, some 70 miles away. Their Universe exclusives sold out far too fast for me to get, I was only able to get the Build Team repaints. About 10 years later I got a local Target so all was good there, but plans to build a new local TRU next to Walmart never happened and the space became a GAP and Old Navy instead (definitely a much better investment for the area in the long run since those stores are still open).

Emerje

Till-all-R1 wrote:Blaster selling out on Target too this soon basically made the decision for me, guess that's what I get for hesitating and rationally thinking about a purchase. lol

Yeah, I’m not saying it easy for everyone, but these days I pretty much preorder immediately. Then even if I haven’t canceled, the figure shows up, and I’ve changed my mind, it’s obvsly worth making a pit stop and making the return.
I was telling a friend, I’m pretty much done “hunting” in stores, and I’m probably never going to make special stops, let alone trips, to look for TF ever again. It’s truly not worth the time.
In fact, I will be very, very surprised if I end up buying any figure in-store over the next couple years until I “retire” from this game.
I’m just glad that ordering online is relatively easy and also consistently delivers.

Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I was telling a friend, I’m pretty much done “hunting” in stores, and I’m probably never going to make special stops, let alone trips, to look for TF ever again. It’s truly not worth the time.
In fact, I will be very, very surprised if I end up buying any figure in-store over the next couple years until I “retire” from this game.

While I don't actively "hunt" anymore, I do stop by the toy dept to see what's in stock the problem is it's never anything I'm after and mostly stuff from 2-3 waves ago That I've already bought online with ease and cheaper. The local Fred Meyer is almost $20 for Core, $30 for DLX and $40 for Voyagers so absolutely no point in bothering to shop there for stuff.

I think what annoys me the most is the double dips like this when it should have been this in the beginning. And I don't mean the "repaints" like Twincast or SG, I mean actual OG bot just different packaging and alt cassette cash grabs. Because I would have gladly waited for this release had I known it was only a year away. I've just about been put off of this line as it is so these little things don't help win me over.

And yes I understand it's a Company doing business trying to earn Money, it's just ever so frustrating.

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I have all 4 as well, they look great together. For me, Snarl has the best-looking bot mode but the worst dino mode.

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I have all 4 as well, they look great together. For me, Snarl has the best-looking bot mode but the worst dino mode.

The worst looking dino mode to me is Sludge's. It's really hard for me not to see that huge gap under him and how neatly his toes could have fit there.

We know we are getting a dying (or dead or battle damaged, however you prefer calling it) Brawn and Ratchet 2 pack and it will be exclusive to Target, just like the previous one was. And now we may have our first look at the Ratchet figure, which comes to us from a facebook post. It is basically a redeco of the Ironhide we got like this but with a new head for Ratchet. Below is the image along with the product number for those interested.



TRA BB GEN SS 2 PACK VOY 86 RATCHET, & DLX 86 BRAWN (battle damaged)
Product Number: F9878

That Ratchet was obvious. What I want to see is Brawn.

If they’re going to keep doing dying/dead Autobot from the movie, I really hope we get a Windcharger too! Would be cool to see a new mold or maybe a reuse of his PotP fig.

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I kindof want them all, but in Holland they are expensive as hell.
A normal is 60 to 70 euro's. And I missed out on Grimlock and Slag already and Slag is unpayable on the secondary market.

noctorro wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I kindof want them all, but in Holland they are expensive as hell.
A normal is 60 to 70 euro's. And I missed out on Grimlock and Slag already and Slag is unpayable on the secondary market.

There are some good Dutch webshops with far better prices than the brick and mortar stores.
I don't know if I'm allowed to post them here, but a quick google search will bring up a few.

Darth Zax wrote:

noctorro wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I kindof want them all, but in Holland they are expensive as hell.
A normal is 60 to 70 euro's. And I missed out on Grimlock and Slag already and Slag is unpayable on the secondary market.

There are some good Dutch webshops with far better prices than the brick and mortar stores.
I don't know if I'm allowed to post them here, but a quick google search will bring up a few.

Post 'em shops. If they do have ANY official merch in store, post them links! More hunting grounds is always welcome. Even local independent shops.

For example, anyone who live in Laval or Montreal, Canada, should have a look at Geek Stuff. They don't sell anything internationally and it's better to go over there in person.

First look at a future clearance item.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Prime wrote:

Roadbuster wrote:Just picked this guy up at Target. I read a story they were starting to appear in US retail. Keep tour eyes peeled if you haven't gotten SS86 Snarl yet.

I have all 4 as well, they look great together. For me, Snarl has the best-looking bot mode but the worst dino mode.

The worst looking dino mode to me is Sludge's. It's really hard for me not to see that huge gap under him and how neatly his toes could have fit there.

I can get past that easier than Snarl's head that's split down the middle. Yes I know the G1 figure was the same way, but it still looks dumb. And due to the leader size it's even more prominent.

Solrac333 wrote:First look at a future clearance item.

Or first look at something that you never see in stores. Not every store got these and they didn't hit clearance online.

Emerje

So obviously, Hasbro likes to make $$$, and use the tooling as much as they can. In addition, I wonder if we will get a "dead" SS86 Wheeljack & Windcharger (would have to be a new mold) set?

Also, just to be fair, we could get a Battledamaged/Dead Insecticons 3-pack, or a Battledmaged/Dead Thundercracker/Skywarp set (Earthrise repaints/retools) .

I know this is a bit of a hot take, but after watching TF:TM countless times, over the past 38 years; while Megatron was obviously still (barely) functional when he was reformatted by Unicron into Galvatron (and thus retains the memories of his former self). I do honestly believe Thundercracker, Skywarp, & The Insecticons were truly dead, their sparks extinguished. (They were drifting lifelessly, without movement) Unicron merely used their dead husks and created New Life. Thus Cyclonus, Scourge & The Sweeps are all new Beings and have no retention of who they formerly were.

So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

o.supreme wrote:So obviously, Hasbro likes to make $$$, and use the tooling as much as they can. In addition, I wonder if we will get a "dead" SS86 Wheeljack & Windcharger (would have to be a new mold) set?

Also, just to be fair, we could get a Battledamaged/Dead Insecticons 3-pack, or a Battledmaged/Dead Thundercracker/Skywarp set (Earthrise repaints/retools) .

I know this is a bit of a hot take, but after watching TF:TM countless times, over the past 38 years; while Megatron was obviously still (barely) functional when he was reformatted by Unicron into Galvatron (and thus retains the memories of his former self). I do honestly believe Thundercracker, Skywarp, & The Insecticons were truly dead, their sparks extinguished. (They were drifting lifelessly, without movement) Unicron merely used their dead husks and created New Life. Thus Cyclonus, Scourge & The Sweeps are all new Beings and have no retention of who they formerly were.

Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

I presume you are referring to the Decepticon Crypt scene in "Starscreams Ghost" ? The instance you are referring to does not happen. probably Mandela effect (There is a scene where Octane asks forgiveness for standing in front of Thundercrackers "marker", also he quotes Dirge (who is oddly alive in the same episode)). Lastly there's a statue that has a passing resemblance to Megatron, but that's about it.

o.supreme wrote:

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Except there was an episode of Season 3 where Cyclonus is standing in front of a memorial statue of Skywarp and he looks up at it with a knowing gaze.

I presume you are referring to the Decepticon Crypt scene in "Starscreams Ghost" ? The instance you are referring to does not happen. probably Mandela effect (There is a scene where Octane asks forgiveness for standing in front of Thundercrackers "marker", also he quotes Dirge (who is oddly alive in the same episode)). Lastly there's a statue that has a passing resemblance to Megatron, but that's about it.

And then there's this:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master. IDK.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master. IDK.

One thing is sure.

It's clearly not the same story as Rodimus Prime.
Poor guy was so unpopular, it's still possible to get in so many stores even now...

-Kanrabat- wrote:It's clearly not the same story as Rodimus Prime.
Poor guy was so unpopular, it's still possible to get in so many stores even now...

Yeah numbers are tough. Jetfire & Skylynx were so popular they were given a 2nd run (although 2nd run Skylynx is still available at Pulse). Rodimus is a great toy, but way overproduced. Although now, almost 3 years after its release, its finally getting an asking price slightly above retail on Amazon. Never saw it at B&M, but I know they were in abundance.

Motor Master was underproduced, so they had a 2nd run. Armada Prime -I have no idea. I never saw it at B&M, but I never wanted it, so I'm not sure if the supply/demand was sufficient, or if a lot of fans are still wanting it?

I'm almost certain the intent was ro re-release CC Rodimus at some point in SS86, perhaps for 2026, it might work, but it's going to be a hard sell and the MOQ will definitely be far less, unless they make a significant difference to the toy, which I'm not sure how TT/Hasbro could.

It could very well they were being conservative. Thinking that fans might not be willing to drop $100 on a New UM when they've already had 2 others in the past 3 years. But if the demand is there, hasbro has shown a pretty willing spirit, especially with CC and Titans, to reissue them if they are popular enough.

To play devil's advocate, it could also boil down to the longtime resentment that dates back to the movie's original release.

Ultra Magnus was handpicked by Optimus to be his successor, and even looks like a Super Mode version of Optimus. In season 3, he even had a lot of cool hero movements where he took charge, got things done, and knew what he was doing.

Rodimus, on the other hand, was not picked by Optimus, and was the snot-nosed punk who got Optimus killed. In season 3, he instead had a lot of whiny moments of uncertainty where he struggled, stumbled, and didn't know what he was doing.

In other words, to those who still harbor this resentment after all these years, Ultra Magnus is viewed as "Optimus 2.0", while Rodimus is viewed as "Not-Optimus".

For now, CC Armada Prime is "fairly balanced" in sales. Meaning he's still available at a few places, but at full price.

Ultra Magnus pretty much sold instantly and that was really unexpected. I'm sure they will make a second run of him sooner or later.

As for the upcoming CC G1 Optimus Prime, I predict that will be one that should be preordered right away. There will be more units produced for sure, but he'll still be one of those toy that you CANNOT wait for a sale. If anyone does, they'll miss out.

If we do get a SS86 Rodimus, I hope it's not just a Kingdom repack, but an all-new mold where he uses his entire vehicle mode for the robot, like he did on screen. A larger version of the Titanium figure with a bit better engineering would work. But I'm sure it's wishful thinking, since it's easier to just rerelease the Kingdom figure, seeing as Hasbro never redecoed him so they probably still want to get more out of the mold.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Nemesis Destron wrote:So I got Magnus paying $125 on eBay and with the flaws involved it's still a great figure replacing my Kingdom figure in my Neo G1 collection.

In the reviews I saw I forgot that a smaller weapon was included and I wondered why? I was then compelled to forward through the movie to check and I couldn't spot him wielding a smaller blaster so I wondered.

But I do feel his main gun should have been a fraction bigger IMO.

It's baffling you had to resort to eBay to get SS86 Magnus.

Was it under-produced?

Not sure if underproduced but it certainly shot through initial shipments as Amazon, BBTS, EE and Pulse are completely sold out. Even EE's preorders are sold out. So it's definitely difficult to get right now if you didn't preorder or was lucky enough to order it when Pulse had it in stock, and will be until it makes landfall in a couple stores. If it does.

Maybe they misjudged how many actually wanted a new more expensive version so soon on the heals of the last five releases by making few than they did for Motor Master . IDK.

Well I didn't buy it on eBay by choice but in a way I guess did since I missed out buying him cheaper elsewhere. So with no signs of Magnus to hit retail shelves and eBay prices what they are I shot to get the best price.

Rodimus Prime wrote:If we do get a SS86 Rodimus, I hope it's not just a Kingdom repack, but an all-new mold where he uses his entire vehicle mode for the robot, like he did on screen. A larger version of the Titanium figure with a bit better engineering would work. But I'm sure it's wishful thinking, since it's easier to just rerelease the Kingdom figure, seeing as Hasbro never redecoed him so they probably still want to get more out of the mold.

Maybe it will be another Dk-move like Blaster and leaving fans passing up the 86 figure and staying with their Legacy/Kingdom one.

Might anyone know if the MP Grimlock gun work for Studio86 Grimlock or may the peg be too small? If it's too big I could shave it down some.

-Kanrabat- wrote:Ultra Magnus pretty much sold instantly and that was really unexpected. I'm sure they will make a second run of him sooner or later.

I'd be keen if it does happen, while I was originally 100% not interested just because, I have recently come around on his CC version and maybe by the time it's reissued I'll have totally been won over.

Dull Surprise Ratchet

As much as I've supported the SS86 subline, I'm not sure I'm going for this new "dead" character 2-pack... In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm skipping this one, and probably the 1-2 that could follow in the future.
SS86 Brawn already has opaque plastic windows, and I definitely don't need an injured version.
Plus, with getting SS86 Blaster, I'm not okay with playing more of the "sell-off older versions" game.

The one thing I wish SS86 would've done from the start, was throw in 1-2 different heads with a couple different emotive face sculpts. And for any figure where this isn't possible or doesn't make much sense (Grimlock never has different facial expressions), throw in a few blast effects.

I am going to be interested to see if Hastak makes a "dead" 2-pk with Wheeljack... After this new 5-pk version, they need to give this character a break.

Sowndwave76 wrote:As much as I've supported the SS86 subline, I'm not sure I'm going for this new "dead" character 2-pack... In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm skipping this one, and probably the 1-2 that could follow in the future.
SS86 Brawn already has opaque plastic windows, and I definitely don't need an injured version.
Plus, with getting SS86 Blaster, I'm not okay with playing more of the "sell-off older versions" game.

The one thing I wish SS86 would've done from the start, was throw in 1-2 different heads with a couple different emotive face sculpts. And for any figure where this isn't possible or doesn't make much sense (Grimlock never has different facial expressions), throw in a few blast effects.

I am going to be interested to see if Hastak makes a "dead" 2-pk with Wheeljack... After this new 5-pk version, they need to give this character a break.

For me it's just too niche/scene specific which I simply do not have the room for. And evwn if I did I don't think I'd be interested in said gimmick unless there was a "bridge dio" to place them in. lol
In fact I'd rather use that space for other things besides dead characters TBH.

While it's good for Hasbro because it's another release of essentially the same one you already have, only "different" which allows milking of a mold, I would rather the battle damage was removable so that those who may have missed an earlier release could opt not to apply said damage.
While Pretty much already have them all I'd like to have been able to get this version of Prowl as I didn't like the solo release.

Granted it's still early yet, but so far the only one that really appeals to me is Gears. Everything else has been meh.

Till-all-R1 wrote:For me it's just too niche/scene specific which I simply do not have the room for. And evwn if I did I don't think I'd be interested in said gimmick unless there was a "bridge dio" to place them in. lol
In fact I'd rather use that space for other things besides dead characters TBH.

While it's good for Hasbro because it's another release of essentially the same one you already have, only "different" which allows milking of a mold, I would rather the battle damage was removable so that those who may have missed an earlier release could opt not to apply said damage.
While Pretty much already have them all I'd like to have been able to get this version of Prowl as I didn't like the solo release.

Granted it's still early yet, but so far the only one that really appeals to me is Gears. Everything else has been meh.

We're on the same page with this... You made a couple points that I have in the past, especially with these "dead" figures being too limiting. I really thought that somehow Hastak was going to make additional pieces that slid-on, clipped, or possibly pegged in. Of course there's a chance that pushes the budget, but I also thought between the figures being repaint/retools, and the fact that there is a track record of multi-packs with repaints/retools being priced lower than what the total could be, that there was a chance extra parts were possible.

I'm on the fence about canceling my preorder for the Decepticon Bridge 3-pk. Other than that, my list for the year as of right now:
Gears
Origins Wheeljack
SS86 Blaster
The Autobot 5 pack
SS86 Swoop
Ferak (I'm not completely convinced I'll keep him)
Soundwave (Hopefully the forearms have been retooled)
SS86 CC Optimus
SS86 Springer
SS86 Steeljaw (is a maybe)

Yeah, I'm passing on a whole lot this year.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I'm on the fence about canceling my preorder for the Decepticon Bridge 3-pk. Other than that, my list for the year as of right now:

I was so torn on this simply because I wanted a very different deco on Megs than ER offers, yet the other two didn't quite live up to expectations. Shockwave should be a slightly lighter color for a G1 preference, and I still don't care much for that Soundwave mold.

My planned purchases for the year are, so pretty light.
Gears
Origins Wheeljack
SS86 Blaster
Undecided on SS86 Swoop

I'm still planning on getting that 3-pack, just because all 3 figures would be improvements on my current collection. But the main reason for me was Shockwave, however the new Marvel comics version coming out has me thinking twice about the purchase as well. And we're getting both Soundwave and supposedly Megatron in SS86 as well, so that set might become lower priority. Hopefully the price won't go up on the 2ndary market.

Till-all-R1 wrote:

Sowndwave76 wrote:I'm on the fence about canceling my preorder for the Decepticon Bridge 3-pk. Other than that, my list for the year as of right now:

I was so torn on this simply because I wanted a very different deco on Megs than ER offers, yet the other two didn't quite live up to expectations. Shockwave should be a slightly lighter color for a G1 preference, and I still don't care much for that Soundwave mold.

My planned purchases for the year are, so pretty light.
Gears
Origins Wheeljack
SS86 Blaster
Undecided on SS86 Swoop

I usually don’t mean anything in a judging way, especially when we’re talking TF toys…
But I’m always surprised when I read that people are skipping the SS86 Dinobots. I know you’re saying Swoop is a possibility…. Just sharing my thoughts.
Of course any of these figures still could have been improved in some way or ways. But man, they’re pretty strong figures and G1 representations of these characters. And considering what’s gone into each (being leader class), I don’t believe Hastak is working on any “improved” versions in secret.
In fact these are some of the figures that I call definitive versions. I don’t know how any of them could be improved under the same budget…. If they had the money to make the dino modes more articulated, I’m sure that’s what would’ve happened.

If I stick with that Decepticon 3-pk, it will mainly be for Shockwave. The MP figure is the only version I have in my collection (oh, other than the Funko figure). I agree he probably is too dark, but still, I’d say this version is better than the Siege offering. I will sell that Megatron and the throne…. The ER head/face sculpt look really bad imo…. I can definitely wait for the SS86 figure next year.
Being that Soundwave is my favorite character, I could see keeping this one. I’d really appreciate Hastak revealing the L.U. version; that really would help me make a decision on this 3-pk. I will be really surprised if Soundwave doesn’t get a new mold for SS86 in 2026. I HATE the Siege greebling (in general, not just with Soundwave), and why the forearms weren’t retooled into panels for the NF version is baffling. Especially since Hastak probably knew this mold was going to be used at least a few more times.

It’s also pretty disappointing hearing that a “SS86 Astrotrain” will just use the Siege mold…
Relatively speaking, that figure is maybe just a hair better than Kingdom (ER) Ultra Magnus. Which isn’t saying much, other than it wasn’t good enough for me to buy. I know triple changers are probably a b!tch to engineer, but come on, Astrotrain deserves bette than that Siege train (and shuttle) wreck of a figure.

Sowndwave76 wrote:I usually don’t mean anything in a judging way, especially when we’re talking TF toys…
But I’m always surprised when I read that people are skipping the SS86 Dinobots. I know you’re saying Swoop is a possibility…. Just sharing my thoughts.

Well to preface this I'm not 100% on the Dinobots in general, I owned Grimlock as a kid and maybe one other, long time ago and bad memory. So I've not no real huge affinity for them, particularly when considering space issues I have.

That said, and I know it's my own fault for skipping the new Grimlock, I did buy Sludge and intend on buying Slag and Snarl. For "just in case" scenario but I'd be lying if missing out on Grimlock hasn't made me think twice about getting any of them. Knowing that they won't be complete now kind of does hinder my overall interest. I won't go into the whole story on why I chose not to, suffice to say as time went on and seeing pics of him and the others I've since come around on getting them.
Same sentiments I'm now feeling about CC Ultra Magnus. lol

I'm going to hold out as long as I can for an all new Astrotain and Soundwave because I feel teh current ones are garbage, no offense to those who genuinely like Siege bots. They just ain't for me.

Sowndwave76 wrote:It’s also pretty disappointing hearing that a “SS86 Astrotrain” will just use the Siege mold…
Relatively speaking, that figure is maybe just a hair better than Kingdom (ER) Ultra Magnus. Which isn’t saying much, other than it wasn’t good enough for me to buy. I know triple changers are probably a b!tch to engineer, but come on, Astrotrain deserves bette than that Siege train (and shuttle) wreck of a figure.

This is why I think Commander might help with that, as in hiding some of the extra bulk needed to triple change, also by losing the tender maybe that would allow all resources to go strait into Bot Mode not looking like crap. Plus maybe it might get a small cargo area for a smaller Bot to fit?

Leader seem to work okay for Blitzwing but I'm thinking Astrotrain would be larger in principle, being a Space shuttle. None of his modes look good at all, and I'm hoping he'd get better treatment in the future particularly with accuracy to G1 appearances. With as many times they've reused Siege mold it should be paid for by now.

To me all the Dinobots look great. Especially as a group. However, I think only Grimlock achieved "no improvement needed" status. The other 3 IMO all have things that could have been done better, at least somewhat.

They don't feel leader class when I'm transforming them. Only Grimlock does. They just seem too simple. I still got them all so Hasbro got my money, so in the end that's what matters, but aside from Grimlock, I probably wouldn't like having them individually for that price.

I just hope that since we're getting a comics version of Grimlock, hopefully we'll get a red version of Swoop down the line as well.