Studio Series Deluxe Wave One at Walmart

[Zobovor]

Got a case of them in yesterday. I don't collect the movie toys any longer, so I'm not interested in them personally, but for those who are looking for them, the toys are shipping.

It's a little bittersweet that they finally produced a Deluxe-class Stinger toy. He's also twenty bucks, which seems outrageous.


Zob (this space for rent)

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

Deluxe Stinger was supposed to be a movie 4 Walmart exclusive that never shipped for that movie.

I'm not interested in 95% of movie toys. I know they are generally unpopular here because they are connected to confusing drivel, but I still appreciate a few of them for the engineering. Some of the designs are complex and interesting.

[Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats]

On Tuesday, April 10, 2018 at 3:58:35 PM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> Got a case of them in yesterday. I don't collect the movie toys any longer, so I'm not interested in them personally, but for those who are looking for them, the toys are shipping.

I still strongly recommend TLK Voyager Megatron. There are no others I would say are worth breaking a ban on new movie toys for, but that mold is excellent.

> It's a little bittersweet that they finally produced a Deluxe-class Stinger toy. He's also twenty bucks, which seems outrageous.

I might pick up Stinger when/if I see him, since I don't have any representation of the character, I think.

I did get Ratchet and the Dreadlock Dude.

Ratchet is so similar to an earlier Deluxe Ratchet that he felt like the same toy. He's kind of a complete rip off, since he doesn't add anything to that other mold at all. Slightly smaller.

Dreadlock Dude is just a remold of the similar character from the TLK toyline. He is terrible and should be avoided at all costs.

(Both of the Deluxes are good, but also share some engineering designs with previous toys -- Optimus borrows from TF:Prime First Edition Voyager Optimus, and Starscream borrows from DotM(?) Deluxe Starscream)

I do think that I might be very wary of the toyline from now on though, given how similar the toys are to things that have come before.

[Zobovor]

On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 1:08:16 AM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:

> I still strongly recommend TLK Voyager Megatron. There are no others I would
> say are worth breaking a ban on new movie toys for, but that mold is
> excellent.

It's not so much a ban against them as just a lack of active interest. I think by the time movie four rolled around, I was just going through the motions. I feel like the films have gotten progressively worse instead of better, and I just don't have any desire to continue celebrating them.

> I might pick up Stinger when/if I see him, since I don't have any
> representation of the character, I think.

I would probably buy Deluxe versions of Soundwave or Wheeljack if they were in this line, since I was disappointed that I never got them and my existing collection would feel more complete with them stuffed into the box with the others.

> I do think that I might be very wary of the toyline from now on though, given
> how similar the toys are to things that have come before.

In some ways, the movie toy lines allow for very little innovation——either a toy is screen-accurate, or it's not. I think now that we've gotten multiple versions of the same characters, it's starting to result in some really homogenous-looking toys.


Zob (doesn't need another movie Bumblebee)

[David Connell]

On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 8:44:45 AM UTC-4, Zobovor wrote:

> Zob (doesn't need another movie Bumblebee)

You especially don't need the Studio Series Bumblebee. It's total garbage that refuses to stay together, and when getting the hood in place feels like you're going to break it. I was excited for another figure of the the classic Camero `Bee but the `07 version is superior in every way.

[Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats]

On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 5:44:45 AM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 1:08:16 AM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
>
> > I still strongly recommend TLK Voyager Megatron. There are no others I would
> > say are worth breaking a ban on new movie toys for, but that mold is
> > excellent.
>
> It's not so much a ban against them as just a lack of active interest. I think by the time movie four rolled around, I was just going through the motions. I feel like the films have gotten progressively worse instead of better, and I just don't have any desire to continue celebrating them.

The movies peaked at ROTF. And ROTF was terrible. ROTF was so terrible that it was kind of fun, while the others are terrible and boring.

> > I do think that I might be very wary of the toyline from now on though, given
> > how similar the toys are to things that have come before.
>
> In some ways, the movie toy lines allow for very little innovation——either a toy is screen-accurate, or it's not. I think now that we've gotten multiple versions of the same characters, it's starting to result in some really homogenous-looking toys.

I have a certain fascination with Movie Optimus, as there have been roughly 30 molds of the character, each with an entirely different transformation. How many ways can they transform a long nosed truck into a vaguely Optimus shaped robot? Always a few more than they have done before.

It's as if they created a toy for every single animation sequence of Hot Rod in TFTM, and then added another few dozen for good measure.

But Studio Series is relying on existing transformations for toys -- to the point where they don't feel new at all, despite being new molds.

> Zob (doesn't need another movie Bumblebee)

I'm not sure I need all the movie Bumblebees that I do have.

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

On Thursday, April 12, 2018 at 2:07:45 AM UTC-5, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 5:44:45 AM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> > On Wednesday, April 11, 2018 at 1:08:16 AM UTC-6, Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats wrote:
> >
> > > I still strongly recommend TLK Voyager Megatron. There are no others I would
> > > say are worth breaking a ban on new movie toys for, but that mold is
> > > excellent.
> >
> > It's not so much a ban against them as just a lack of active interest. I think by the time movie four rolled around, I was just going through the motions. I feel like the films have gotten progressively worse instead of better, and I just don't have any desire to continue celebrating them.
>
> The movies peaked at ROTF. And ROTF was terrible. ROTF was so terrible that it was kind of fun, while the others are terrible and boring.
>

DOTM. DOTM was the best. Sentinel Prime was amazing, and Megatron finally transforms into something that doesn't look like someone just let a glue gun go through 12 sticks of glue.

> > > I do think that I might be very wary of the toyline from now on though, given
> > > how similar the toys are to things that have come before.
> >
> > In some ways, the movie toy lines allow for very little innovation——either a toy is screen-accurate, or it's not. I think now that we've gotten multiple versions of the same characters, it's starting to result in some really homogenous-looking toys.
>

Some of the original toys were not that accurate at all, and the new versions fix problems. Others are piles of junk. Luckily I can consult the all-mighty internet to see what's a repaint or a minor retool.

> I have a certain fascination with Movie Optimus, as there have been roughly 30 molds of the character, each with an entirely different transformation. How many ways can they transform a long nosed truck into a vaguely Optimus shaped robot? Always a few more than they have done before.
>

They started getting pretty bad when he went to the whole knight motif. Also, many of them are repaints. I think there's probably 15 different transformations for 60 toys. These numbers are a guess, I'm not going to count them all.

> It's as if they created a toy for every single animation sequence of Hot Rod in TFTM, and then added another few dozen for good measure.
>
> But Studio Series is relying on existing transformations for toys -- to the point where they don't feel new at all, despite being new molds.
>

Some are very different. Some are far more detailed and screen accurate. And then there is a another Bumblebee and Ratchet nobody wanted.

> > Zob (doesn't need another movie Bumblebee)
>
> I'm not sure I need all the movie Bumblebees that I do have.

Nobody does. A friend of mine runs a toy store. He has a lateral file cabinet, and one drawer is just the Bumblebees that people traded in.

[banzait...@gmail.com]

I too had sworn off collecting any more movie toys. I didn't even buy the most recent on blue ray when it came out. I saw a sole SS blackout at target today, and threw him in my cart. He was my favorite character of the movies, and I am pretty sure I only have one mold of him. That was my rationalization anyways. Note, I am using the word "character" loosely, since he basically had zero personality in the movie (that's a whole other thread). I haven't opened him or researched him yet, other than seeing a headline somewhere that his hands are reversed. im hoping I didn't just waste $50... anyone here bought him?

-Banzaitron

[Gustavo Wombat, of the Seattle Wombats]

On Sunday, April 15, 2018 at 5:12:01 PM UTC-7, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> I too had sworn off collecting any more movie toys. I didn't even buy the most recent on blue ray when it came out. I saw a sole SS blackout at target today, and threw him in my cart. He was my favorite character of the movies, and I am pretty sure I only have one mold of him. That was my rationalization anyways. Note, I am using the word "character" loosely, since he basically had zero personality in the movie (that's a whole other thread). I haven't opened him or researched him yet, other than seeing a headline somewhere that his hands are reversed. im hoping I didn't just waste $50... anyone here bought him?

I don't think the hands can be reversed. I think they are the same (three fingers, a thumb on top and bottom.

I really like this toy. But it is very closely based on the DOTM Deluxe Starscream, just larger, so you might be less excited if that happens to be the one toy you have of him. It's a good design, though.

[Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.]

The hands aren't reversed, it's just in an odd position with not much mobility. The palms facing downward, but his hands aren't really there to do anything, his weapon clips onto his forearm.