Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 convention.

No noses? No problem! Zombiebots? Sure, why not. A confusing new canon that allows loose and contradictory material? And now a new sequel show with an entirely different art style that takes place way in the future!
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by BWprowl »

Shockwave wrote:Yeah, but what problems? This really didn't tell me anything other than to say that you dislike the figure. I already knew that. I'm wondering what specifically is worse than the 2006 version? Does it have less articulation? Worse paint apps? From the pics I saw, it looked fine
Flagrantly hollow wing parts visible from the front in robot mode, giant fake chest-cockpit that just HANGS there in vehicle mode without being hidden, overall simplistic hollow design.

Anyway, all that's irrelevant in the face of my main problem with the toy: The old Classics Jetfire was great and we didn't need a new one. Every time I see that stupid new Jetfire that everyone loves even though they all also loved the 2006 version except nope now there's a new one so we have to hate it, I think "Why?" Why does that toy exist, barely eight years after the first one? Why couldn't it have been something new, or at least someone who didn't already have a perfectly good modern toy? Why did Hasbro even make the old Classics Jetfire, that I loved, and my friends loved, and lots of people I talked to in the community loved, if they were just going to chuck it out the window a few years later and go "NO! Buy this instead!"? And why should anyone go in for this new one then, if we can just assume IT'S going to get replaced a few years down the line too?

Because in Beast Wars when a new Optimus Primal got made? That's because it was a NEW Optimus Primal, a Transmetal version, or Optimal, or what-have-you. It was an upgrade, it had a reason to exist. This new Jetfire...is just Another Fucking Jetfire. And for some reason, more than any of these other repeats that pissed me off about the way Hasbro has run the line lately, that Jetfire really, REALLY gets to me.

BUT ANYWAY
AU wrote:All of the stasis pods on the ship are damaged in the crash and the various decepticons, including Grimlock (yes, he's a 'con) are set free and escape into Earth. 'Bee and his crew befriend Grimlock, who claims he isn't actually a decepticon and was framed (and doesn't have the typical "Me Grimlock" voice but seems to be kind of like a mixture of Grimlock and Bulkhead) and a local human kid, whose dad owns a junkyard full of collectible cars that he's too squeamish to sell. 'Bee is being played with a massive inferiority complex and he's always trying to throw his weight around because he was given command by Prime, but no one listens to him. He says he's gonna go hunt down the 'cons by himself and everyone pretty much says "fuck you, 'bee, you're not half the kid appeal character fucking Cheetor was" and they insist they go to help him. They also showed a clip of the team taking down a decepticon who looked like a humanoid lobster, so I'm guessing that for some reason the 'cons in this show all have animal influences (Grimlock, Steeljaw, etc).
This all actually sounds super-neat, especially maybe-a-Decepticon Grimlock. His 'framing' could provide a strong central mystery to at least base the first season around, that'll be interesting. Bee sounds like a mix between Rodimus and BM Cheetor, which isn't terribly interesting at this juncture, but we'll see how they execute it. At least it's *trying* to do something with the technically-post-war setting by having the Autobots as cops rather than an army, so.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by Sparky Prime »

The two scenes shown at the panel AU described are on Hasbro's youtube page if anyone wants to check them out:
Bumblebee's Mission
Masters of Destruction

So I guess they're completely ignoring Grimlock's origins from FOC. Not that I'm surprised with how disconnected the Aligned continuity is. Anyway, I have to say I like the RID portrayal of him so far. It's nice to see a version of him that doesn't talk like Bizzaro for a change, yet he seems to retain a lot of Grimlock's traits. I'm liking the story premise so far, it looks like it'll be a nice change of pace with the war over, yet still having it essentially be Autobots vs Decepticons. Be interesting to see how this series develops.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by BWprowl »

Oh, and an article on TFW confirmed that the AR symbols gimmick is indeed just for a crappy smartphone game, so boo, but at least it's a thing, I guess. I'll still take it since it means we got 'new' faction symbols out of the deal.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by Shockwave »

BWprowl wrote:
Shockwave wrote:Yeah, but what problems? This really didn't tell me anything other than to say that you dislike the figure. I already knew that. I'm wondering what specifically is worse than the 2006 version? Does it have less articulation? Worse paint apps? From the pics I saw, it looked fine
Flagrantly hollow wing parts visible from the front in robot mode, giant fake chest-cockpit that just HANGS there in vehicle mode without being hidden, overall simplistic hollow design.

Anyway, all that's irrelevant in the face of my main problem with the toy: The old Classics Jetfire was great and we didn't need a new one. Every time I see that stupid new Jetfire that everyone loves even though they all also loved the 2006 version except nope now there's a new one so we have to hate it, I think "Why?" Why does that toy exist, barely eight years after the first one? Why couldn't it have been something new, or at least someone who didn't already have a perfectly good modern toy? Why did Hasbro even make the old Classics Jetfire, that I loved, and my friends loved, and lots of people I talked to in the community loved, if they were just going to chuck it out the window a few years later and go "NO! Buy this instead!"? And why should anyone go in for this new one then, if we can just assume IT'S going to get replaced a few years down the line too?

Because in Beast Wars when a new Optimus Primal got made? That's because it was a NEW Optimus Primal, a Transmetal version, or Optimal, or what-have-you. It was an upgrade, it had a reason to exist. This new Jetfire...is just Another Fucking Jetfire. And for some reason, more than any of these other repeats that pissed me off about the way Hasbro has run the line lately, that Jetfire really, REALLY gets to me.
Ok so just to recap: Hollow wings visible in bot mode, faux vehicle parts that aren't hidden, hands that don't turn, and hollow other parts. Yeah... shit dude, even I have to agree with you on this one. Looks like if I want a Jetfire, I'll be getting the apparently superior Classics one.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by andersonh1 »

Classics Jetfire is an excellent mix of the tv version and the old G1 figure. It's got a few flaws, and maybe I'll have to pull it out and review it, but it's well worth owning.

Just don't drop the helmet on the floor. I did accidentally, and one of the antennae broke off, which annoys me. I guess I accidentally customized my Jetfire figure. Battle damaged Jetfire or something.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by JediTricks »

Ugh, RID15 figures look horrendously simplistic, and those faction logos are like slapping price tags right on the figure. I'm impressed in how inept this line is, it makes Prime: RID look reasonable by comparison.

And then I watched the trailer and new videos, and that's the end of my interest in this series entirely.
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See, that one's a camcorder, that one's a camera, that one's a phone, and they're doing "Speak no evil, See no evil, Hear no evil", get it?
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by Onslaught Six »

Prowl wrote:I generally like the look of the Combiner Wars line but damn if I don't hate the boxes.
I love the boxes! They take everything that I liked about the AOE line and turn it on its head. Distinctly more collector-oriented than AOE was or RID will be, while still retaining the same brand identity and big title across the side. Works for me.
Shocktrek wrote:Looks like if I want a Jetfire, I'll be getting the apparently superior Classics one.
Don't.

I had Classics Jetfire. When he came out, I did like him, because he was the first Jetfire toy I owned, and I love Jetfire, and he was a good $20 approximation of the 1985 toy. And then, over the next several years, a lot of things about it that I thought were just minor issues or only bothered me a little started to bother me a lot. This was before the new Jetfire was even announced or seen, mind you; this would've been towards the beginning of 2013 or so that I really took a look at Classics Jetfire again and re-evaluated him.

ClaJetfire has almost no paintapps. Sure, his wings are decked out pretty wildly, on both sides even, but that's literally where the paint stops. The rest of it is pure white plastic. He REALLY could have done with some red detailing on the sides of his legs, and I wouldn't even reject some blackwash or panel lining. The big vents on top of his shoulders are pure white; they could have been filled in with black for some contrast. It's just, Jetfire to me always was "huge amounts of white AND RED," and ClaFire has almost no red. He also has some blue, which I understand is there because you have to cater to the filthy unwashed cartoon fans too, but still.

Both of his heads were unsatisfactory to me. I don't like Skyfire (the cartoon design) and never have; I'm a fan of the 1985 Jetfire toy (because, to me, Toys Come First) and as such, didn't really like the more TF-like faceplate design either. I was also really disappointed with his overall size--he might be pretty bulky, with his huge backpage and stuff, but he's not very 'tall,' which leads him to kind of blend into the background of Deluxes and shit that everybody else already has on display. I wanted my Jetfire to be huge. My G1 Shockwave--hell, almost any Shockwave--absolutely dwarfed him in comparison.

Finally, the armour was lackluster. Without it, he looks naked, and with it, he looks overbulked and bad. It doesn't have the Valkyrie's FAST Pack armour's elegance and simplicity; it just doesn't work, either on or off. Also, his gun sucked, a weird twin-gun thing that could split in half (and look bad) or go together (and not look very good). Altogether, just a very underwhelming package.

Around January or February of last year, I sold a bunch of stuff I didn't want (mostly some Universe 2.0 like Galvatron and Hot Shot) and used the profits to buy myself a real G1 Jetfire and part of the armour. I haven't gotten around to completing it yet, but I will, and when I do, it'll be glorious. Even without all the armour, Jetfire now stands proudly behind the Classics with my G1 Ultra Magnus and alongside other huge dudes, where he belongs. 30 years out, and the original is still the best. I don't know how much Classics Jetfire goes for now, but it can't be cheap; if you wait and look around, you can get a G1 Jetfire in fine condition (a little paint chipping in unnoticable places, not yellowed, incomplete, needs new stickers) for under or around $50, which if nothing else is a competitive offer.


As for the cartoon: I'll wait and see. Really doesn't seem like my thing; the humour seems forced and not character-driven, the bad guys look goofy as opposed to threatening, etc. Maybe that's my cynicism.
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by BWprowl »

Onslaught Six wrote:I love the boxes! They take everything that I liked about the AOE line and turn it on its head. Distinctly more collector-oriented than AOE was or RID will be, while still retaining the same brand identity and big title across the side.
That's specifically why I hate them! They want so badly to be SERIOUS and MATURE and ADULT COLLECTIBLE, but these are still action figures for Ages 5 & Up to be sold next to the Ninja Turtles in the aisle of Wal-Mart. It's like, c'mon guys, quit trying so hard. It's almost comical.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by Shockwave »

Onslaught Six wrote:
Prowl wrote:I generally like the look of the Combiner Wars line but damn if I don't hate the boxes.
I love the boxes! They take everything that I liked about the AOE line and turn it on its head. Distinctly more collector-oriented than AOE was or RID will be, while still retaining the same brand identity and big title across the side. Works for me.
Shocktrek wrote:Looks like if I want a Jetfire, I'll be getting the apparently superior Classics one.
Don't.

I had Classics Jetfire. When he came out, I did like him, because he was the first Jetfire toy I owned, and I love Jetfire, and he was a good $20 approximation of the 1985 toy. And then, over the next several years, a lot of things about it that I thought were just minor issues or only bothered me a little started to bother me a lot. This was before the new Jetfire was even announced or seen, mind you; this would've been towards the beginning of 2013 or so that I really took a look at Classics Jetfire again and re-evaluated him.

ClaJetfire has almost no paintapps. Sure, his wings are decked out pretty wildly, on both sides even, but that's literally where the paint stops. The rest of it is pure white plastic. He REALLY could have done with some red detailing on the sides of his legs, and I wouldn't even reject some blackwash or panel lining. The big vents on top of his shoulders are pure white; they could have been filled in with black for some contrast. It's just, Jetfire to me always was "huge amounts of white AND RED," and ClaFire has almost no red. He also has some blue, which I understand is there because you have to cater to the filthy unwashed cartoon fans too, but still.

Both of his heads were unsatisfactory to me. I don't like Skyfire (the cartoon design) and never have; I'm a fan of the 1985 Jetfire toy (because, to me, Toys Come First) and as such, didn't really like the more TF-like faceplate design either. I was also really disappointed with his overall size--he might be pretty bulky, with his huge backpage and stuff, but he's not very 'tall,' which leads him to kind of blend into the background of Deluxes and shit that everybody else already has on display. I wanted my Jetfire to be huge. My G1 Shockwave--hell, almost any Shockwave--absolutely dwarfed him in comparison.

Finally, the armour was lackluster. Without it, he looks naked, and with it, he looks overbulked and bad. It doesn't have the Valkyrie's FAST Pack armour's elegance and simplicity; it just doesn't work, either on or off. Also, his gun sucked, a weird twin-gun thing that could split in half (and look bad) or go together (and not look very good). Altogether, just a very underwhelming package.

Around January or February of last year, I sold a bunch of stuff I didn't want (mostly some Universe 2.0 like Galvatron and Hot Shot) and used the profits to buy myself a real G1 Jetfire and part of the armour. I haven't gotten around to completing it yet, but I will, and when I do, it'll be glorious. Even without all the armour, Jetfire now stands proudly behind the Classics with my G1 Ultra Magnus and alongside other huge dudes, where he belongs. 30 years out, and the original is still the best. I don't know how much Classics Jetfire goes for now, but it can't be cheap; if you wait and look around, you can get a G1 Jetfire in fine condition (a little paint chipping in unnoticable places, not yellowed, incomplete, needs new stickers) for under or around $50, which if nothing else is a competitive offer.


As for the cartoon: I'll wait and see. Really doesn't seem like my thing; the humour seems forced and not character-driven, the bad guys look goofy as opposed to threatening, etc. Maybe that's my cynicism.
Yeah see, none of that bothered me. He looked G1 enough for me, had about the same articulation (G1 Jetfire remains one of the most poseable G1 figures), and I also liked how the cannons on his back could fold down over his shoulders in bot mode. And, right now, all three are going for about the same on ebay: ~$40.
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Re: Rid 2015 Hasbro panel at the NYCC October 2014 conventio

Post by Onslaught Six »

BWprowl wrote:
Onslaught Six wrote:I love the boxes! They take everything that I liked about the AOE line and turn it on its head. Distinctly more collector-oriented than AOE was or RID will be, while still retaining the same brand identity and big title across the side.
That's specifically why I hate them! They want so badly to be SERIOUS and MATURE and ADULT COLLECTIBLE, but these are still action figures for Ages 5 & Up to be sold next to the Ninja Turtles in the aisle of Wal-Mart. It's like, c'mon guys, quit trying so hard. It's almost comical.
I understand your frustrations, I do, but my thing is...Cool shit is cool shit. If the boxes are cool to me, they're probably cool to a kid too anyway.
BWprowl wrote:The internet having this many different words to describe nerdy folks is akin to the whole eskimos/ice situation, I would presume.
People spend so much time worrying about whether a figure is "mint" or not that they never stop to consider other flavours.
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