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Zob's Thoughts on Transformers: Generations Voyager Whirl
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Zobovor
Apr 22, 2014, 7:59:03 PM4/22/14
to
In a way, Roadbuster and Whirl have always been the black sheep of the Transformers family. Their toys were originally created for a Japanese series called Special Armored Battalion Dorvack, licensed to Hasbro through Bandai. This meant the characters fell under the same licensing umbrella as Jetfire and the Deluxe Insecticons: competitor's toys that Takara did not want appearing in the Transformers cartoon. No cartoon models were made for them, which also meant they never appeared in the U.S. version of Marvel Comics. (Bob Budianksy did write up a full-length TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE treatment for the character, but it was never used by Marvel.) Just as there was a smaller, off-colored version of Jetfire available as part of the Convertors toy line, there were also miniature versions of Mugen Caliber (Roadbuster) and Oberon Gazzette (Whirl).
I owned the original Whirl for many years until I grew up, got married, discovered alt.toys.transformers, and realized how much potential liquid capital I was sitting on. People were buying up old Transformers instruction booklets for five or ten dollars a pop! I was broke and needed cash, so I ended up parting with a lot of non-media (read: non-cartoon) characters I had no real love for (Whirl, Roadbuster, Hosehead, my headless Chromedome, Grotusque, Doublecross, Crossblades, Skystalker, and probably a few others). Do I regret it now? Well, of course. In 1996, though, I had no idea that the advent of eBay was just around the corner and how it would change the global marketplace. I felt like it was either sell off the unloved G1 toys, or never get to own the tail-end G2 toys and the first batch of Beast Wars toys. (My first online transaction was to buy G2 Dirtbag and BW Scorponok. There's an unlikely pairing!)
As with a lot of tail-ender toys, this is a difficult one to track down at retail. I got mine at ComicCon; barring that, I had considered getting a Whirl/Rhinox set from bbts.com (a week or two ago you could get both for $45.99, but they're sold out now). It's so weird that I was so desperate to own this toy, a representation of a (for all intents and porpoises) non-media character, especially after I jettisoned the first one from my Collection-with-a-capital-C. (The reality of the situation is that Hasbro is running out of marketable G1 characters to revisit. There were over 400 toys during G1, but a small fraction of a percentage of them are actually worth revisiting. They never would have dreamed of addressing Whirl even five years or so ago. Now that they've done Whirl, and Roadbuster is in the works, I fully expect to see Deluxe-class versions of the Omnibots in the next couple of years.)
The original Whirl from 1985 was actually a pretty cool toy, even as a standable collectible with no episodes (memorable or otherwise) or voice characterization to breathe life into him. He had an unconventional design, with a Shockwave-like single eye dominating his face, gigantic landing skis for feet, and big ol' black claws in place of hands. He was also notable as the first Transformers helicopter, released a year before Blades or Vortex. As a Deluxe Autobot, he was bigger than most of the toys in the series, though he didn't come with nearly as many accessories and weapons as Roadbuster.
The new toy really does stay pretty faithful to the design of the original. Without having both toys in front of me to compare, I'd say the new Whirl is approximately the same size as the original (he's not quite seven inches in height), and takes most of his design cues from the G1 toy. The design of his legs has changed a bit; where the original toy was straight-legged, with die-cast metal upper legs and long, flat feet formed from the landing skis, the new Whirl boasts a digitigrade design, standing slightly chicken-legged, and has dedicated toes and heel struts. What may not be readily apparent is that the hell struts are designed to lock in place; failure to lock them results in a toy that does not like to stand up.
Another change is that Whirl now actually has functional claws. For the G1 toy, the claws were visible on either side of the forearm even when retracted; each claw was a single piece that could slide out for the transformation. On the new toy, the claws are designed to open; keep opening it enough and eventually you've transformed them. The new toy has an opening canopy, like the old one, but the pilot's seat doesn't move on the new edition (the old one could pivot and retained its correct orientation even in robot mode). Finally, the old Whirl did have an articulated antenna, but they've added a cool feature on the new toy where adjusting the antenna opens up the light pipe gimmick in the back of his head, giving you the ability to control whether his eye glows or not.
Whirl originally came with four black weapons that you could either plug into his hands or slide onto the little canards on his legs. I still have all their names memorized: he had a null ray module (he's the only character besides Starscream to ever use them; it's the big box that fit over his forearm and the one seen in his box art); a paralyzo-box that mounted to his leg; a shell cannon, and a photon beam rifle. The null ray module and the shell cannon were more or less reproduced for the Generations toy, but the shapes of the other two weapons are new (one is a Soundwave-like cannon and the other is a missile rack). Every one of them is designed with numerous c-clips, and Whirl himself is a veritable c-clip repository, with mounting bars on his arms and legs and tail. A couple of the weapons have mounting bars themselves, so you can combine them together, double Targetmasters style. The weapons also have traditional five-millimeter pegs and peg holes (some of them have more than one!). There are lots of options for his weapons, though it's a little frustrating not having an "official" way to arm him.
Transforming him is basically the same as the G1 toy, though his arms fold in half at the elbows instead of collapsing, his legs don't collapse at all (and the landing skids are modest in size, on either side of his lower legs this time), and there's a new trick where his engine cowling splits in half to make more room for his tail as a robot. He has an official third mode, a helicopter-with-legs (Hasbro calls it a "heloped" mode) which is very rarely acknowledged officially (they did with G1 Jetfire, which translated to Skyfire turning into a sort of half-transformed robot in a couple of episodes of the G1 cartoon). There are lots of really nice and helpful tabs that let you lock everything in place for vehicle mode. It seems like we've gotten a lot of shellformers lately, with vehicle panels that require liberal massaging and finagling, so it's nice to get a more straightforward transformation for a change, where parts just move into their correct places without trying to snap everything together like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.
In a rare move these days for a mainline toy, Whirl actually comes with a sticker sheet. They're the nice ones, too, printed on translucent stock, just like the G1 toy. (I've always liked these stickers the best. I wish we'd seen them more often, besides just for Omega Supreme and the first-year Pretenders.) There are awesome, authentic warnings in tiny print, like "DO NOT PAINT" (bad news for customizers, I guess!) and "ENERGON/GYROTRON FUEL" (it's nice to have options). The stickers also add some much-needed color to the rotor blades and tail rotors, and the red stripes are long enough to wrap around themselves several times to provide some rich, deep color. I know a lot of people are against the stickers (for reason I simply cannot fathom), but it's a great way of decorating the toy without bumping up the price due to the costs associated with what would have otherwise been a lot of extra paint applications. Just get the consumers to do the work for you!
This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
Zob
I owned the original Whirl for many years until I grew up, got married, discovered alt.toys.transformers, and realized how much potential liquid capital I was sitting on. People were buying up old Transformers instruction booklets for five or ten dollars a pop! I was broke and needed cash, so I ended up parting with a lot of non-media (read: non-cartoon) characters I had no real love for (Whirl, Roadbuster, Hosehead, my headless Chromedome, Grotusque, Doublecross, Crossblades, Skystalker, and probably a few others). Do I regret it now? Well, of course. In 1996, though, I had no idea that the advent of eBay was just around the corner and how it would change the global marketplace. I felt like it was either sell off the unloved G1 toys, or never get to own the tail-end G2 toys and the first batch of Beast Wars toys. (My first online transaction was to buy G2 Dirtbag and BW Scorponok. There's an unlikely pairing!)
As with a lot of tail-ender toys, this is a difficult one to track down at retail. I got mine at ComicCon; barring that, I had considered getting a Whirl/Rhinox set from bbts.com (a week or two ago you could get both for $45.99, but they're sold out now). It's so weird that I was so desperate to own this toy, a representation of a (for all intents and porpoises) non-media character, especially after I jettisoned the first one from my Collection-with-a-capital-C. (The reality of the situation is that Hasbro is running out of marketable G1 characters to revisit. There were over 400 toys during G1, but a small fraction of a percentage of them are actually worth revisiting. They never would have dreamed of addressing Whirl even five years or so ago. Now that they've done Whirl, and Roadbuster is in the works, I fully expect to see Deluxe-class versions of the Omnibots in the next couple of years.)
The original Whirl from 1985 was actually a pretty cool toy, even as a standable collectible with no episodes (memorable or otherwise) or voice characterization to breathe life into him. He had an unconventional design, with a Shockwave-like single eye dominating his face, gigantic landing skis for feet, and big ol' black claws in place of hands. He was also notable as the first Transformers helicopter, released a year before Blades or Vortex. As a Deluxe Autobot, he was bigger than most of the toys in the series, though he didn't come with nearly as many accessories and weapons as Roadbuster.
The new toy really does stay pretty faithful to the design of the original. Without having both toys in front of me to compare, I'd say the new Whirl is approximately the same size as the original (he's not quite seven inches in height), and takes most of his design cues from the G1 toy. The design of his legs has changed a bit; where the original toy was straight-legged, with die-cast metal upper legs and long, flat feet formed from the landing skis, the new Whirl boasts a digitigrade design, standing slightly chicken-legged, and has dedicated toes and heel struts. What may not be readily apparent is that the hell struts are designed to lock in place; failure to lock them results in a toy that does not like to stand up.
Another change is that Whirl now actually has functional claws. For the G1 toy, the claws were visible on either side of the forearm even when retracted; each claw was a single piece that could slide out for the transformation. On the new toy, the claws are designed to open; keep opening it enough and eventually you've transformed them. The new toy has an opening canopy, like the old one, but the pilot's seat doesn't move on the new edition (the old one could pivot and retained its correct orientation even in robot mode). Finally, the old Whirl did have an articulated antenna, but they've added a cool feature on the new toy where adjusting the antenna opens up the light pipe gimmick in the back of his head, giving you the ability to control whether his eye glows or not.
Whirl originally came with four black weapons that you could either plug into his hands or slide onto the little canards on his legs. I still have all their names memorized: he had a null ray module (he's the only character besides Starscream to ever use them; it's the big box that fit over his forearm and the one seen in his box art); a paralyzo-box that mounted to his leg; a shell cannon, and a photon beam rifle. The null ray module and the shell cannon were more or less reproduced for the Generations toy, but the shapes of the other two weapons are new (one is a Soundwave-like cannon and the other is a missile rack). Every one of them is designed with numerous c-clips, and Whirl himself is a veritable c-clip repository, with mounting bars on his arms and legs and tail. A couple of the weapons have mounting bars themselves, so you can combine them together, double Targetmasters style. The weapons also have traditional five-millimeter pegs and peg holes (some of them have more than one!). There are lots of options for his weapons, though it's a little frustrating not having an "official" way to arm him.
Transforming him is basically the same as the G1 toy, though his arms fold in half at the elbows instead of collapsing, his legs don't collapse at all (and the landing skids are modest in size, on either side of his lower legs this time), and there's a new trick where his engine cowling splits in half to make more room for his tail as a robot. He has an official third mode, a helicopter-with-legs (Hasbro calls it a "heloped" mode) which is very rarely acknowledged officially (they did with G1 Jetfire, which translated to Skyfire turning into a sort of half-transformed robot in a couple of episodes of the G1 cartoon). There are lots of really nice and helpful tabs that let you lock everything in place for vehicle mode. It seems like we've gotten a lot of shellformers lately, with vehicle panels that require liberal massaging and finagling, so it's nice to get a more straightforward transformation for a change, where parts just move into their correct places without trying to snap everything together like a three-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.
In a rare move these days for a mainline toy, Whirl actually comes with a sticker sheet. They're the nice ones, too, printed on translucent stock, just like the G1 toy. (I've always liked these stickers the best. I wish we'd seen them more often, besides just for Omega Supreme and the first-year Pretenders.) There are awesome, authentic warnings in tiny print, like "DO NOT PAINT" (bad news for customizers, I guess!) and "ENERGON/GYROTRON FUEL" (it's nice to have options). The stickers also add some much-needed color to the rotor blades and tail rotors, and the red stripes are long enough to wrap around themselves several times to provide some rich, deep color. I know a lot of people are against the stickers (for reason I simply cannot fathom), but it's a great way of decorating the toy without bumping up the price due to the costs associated with what would have otherwise been a lot of extra paint applications. Just get the consumers to do the work for you!
This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
Zob
No One In Particular
Apr 22, 2014, 9:16:39 PM4/22/14
to
I just got mine-actually found it at retail in a Toys R Us! It might be
just because the new hasn't worn off yet, but right now Whirl is my
favorite toy that I've bought in lately.
My only grip is the backwards knees. I guess it's an IDW deal, since
the original toy had nothing like it, and I don't care for it here.
Other than that, this toy is pure win.
Brian. (I reckon I'm in the small minority that is very happy that this
toy is so G1. I don't need a representation of the comic character. I
wanted the updated G1 toy we got.)
Travoltron
Jun 12, 2014, 1:25:02 PM6/12/14
to
So I was wondering how Takaratomy was going to handle Generations Whirl
in Japan, what with Dorvack being owned by Bandai and all.
This seems to be the answer, if you believe the internet:
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10454302_695125127220097_2179917453012833502_n.jpg
The Whirl mold will be recolored and released as Shockwave. Thus
lessening the connection to the problematic character.
in Japan, what with Dorvack being owned by Bandai and all.
This seems to be the answer, if you believe the internet:
https://scontent-a-lax.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpf1/t1.0-9/10454302_695125127220097_2179917453012833502_n.jpg
The Whirl mold will be recolored and released as Shockwave. Thus
lessening the connection to the problematic character.
Zobovor
Jun 12, 2014, 7:17:57 PM6/12/14
to
On Thursday, June 12, 2014 11:25:02 AM UTC-6, Travoltron wrote:
> The Whirl mold will be recolored and released as Shockwave.
That's funny. JUST TODAY, in fact, I was thinking about what Whirl could be repurposed as, and Shockwave came to mind. I'm not really sure that body type works for the character, though. Not unless you can fold the helicopter up into something vaguely space gun shaped...
> The Whirl mold will be recolored and released as Shockwave.
Zob
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Jun 17, 2014, 1:13:27 PM6/17/14
to
On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 6:59:03 PM UTC-5, Zobovor wrote:
> As with a lot of tail-ender toys, this is a difficult one to track down at retail. I got mine at ComicCon; barring that, I had considered getting a Whirl/Rhinox set from bbts.com (a week or two ago you could get both for $45.99, but they're sold out now).
> Zob
> As with a lot of tail-ender toys, this is a difficult one to track down at retail. I got mine at ComicCon; barring that, I had considered getting a Whirl/Rhinox set from bbts.com (a week or two ago you could get both for $45.99, but they're sold out now).
I am seeing Whirl and Rhinox everywhere, they are still shipping out here. Each store has about 4, the Generations line seems to keep going alongside the movie line, as Cosmos and Tailgate also just showed up.
Judoon
Jul 3, 2014, 1:52:32 PM7/3/14
to
and they're great. Now I'd like to find AOE Hound and Galvatron.
Thaddeus Cultt
--
Damn lying squirrels!
No One In Particular
Jul 3, 2014, 5:50:51 PM7/3/14
to
seen them in the stores and at this point I don't expect to. The
original four releases only started showing up any any measurable
quantity around here about three months ago.
Brian
Onslaught Six
Jul 6, 2014, 4:40:23 PM7/6/14
to
On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 7:59:03 PM UTC-4, Zobovor wrote:
> This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
I think it's important to note just how much Whirl is a main character in the current IDW comics. You say he needs Roadbuster to pal around with, but you could easily put him with Cyclonus, or Ultra Magnus. So, y'know, there's that.
> This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
Irrellius Spamticon of the Potato People.
Jul 7, 2014, 12:13:05 AM7/7/14
to
> On Tuesday, April 22, 2014 7:59:03 PM UTC-4, Zobovor wrote:
> > This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
> \
> > This toy will make a little more sense when Roadbuster is released, giving Whirl somebody to pal around with. In the meantime, I wonder what other non-media characters Hasbro is considering updating? Might we get new versions of Topspin and Twin Twist? Could they be considering modern-era versions of the Deluxe Insecticons (we already got a tiny Chop Shop)? It's kind of insane that there's even a market for this toy at all. This goes far, far beyond the casual fan or collector seeing a new version of Optimus Prime or Starscream in stores and unlocking a flood of childhood memories. Whirl is one of the most utterly unsung G1 characters, right up there with nobodies like Strikedown and Direct-Hit. I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
would love to see Misfire Triggerhappy and Slugslinger get updates, as the original characters not as this new Misfire Autobot...
I'm a little afraid of what Grotesque, Repugnus, and Doublecross would turn out like, at this point they would just repaint Beast Hunters Predacons.
I also wonder what pretenders would be like with more modern toymaking tech.
Cappeca
Jul 7, 2014, 6:20:15 AM7/7/14
to
Em domingo, 6 de julho de 2014 17h40min23s UTC-3, Onslaught Six escreveu:
> > I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
>
>
> I think it's important to note just how much Whirl is a main character in the current IDW comics. You say he needs Roadbuster to pal around with, but you could easily put him with Cyclonus, or Ultra Magnus. So, y'know, there's that.
Zob's Thoughts go all the way around the fact that these are being released only because of IDW and their current ongoing comics. Last time I pointed it out people ended up discussing religion. Now I just find it amusing how he manages to honestly stay away from it - I wish I could do that to the Bayverse. In fact, I'd like to see a review of Evasion Prime totally dismissing the Bayverse. That would be fun.
> > I love this toy, but I'm so surprised that it even exists!
>
>
> I think it's important to note just how much Whirl is a main character in the current IDW comics. You say he needs Roadbuster to pal around with, but you could easily put him with Cyclonus, or Ultra Magnus. So, y'know, there's that.
For me, I just wanted to have a clear idea of how many more IDW characters are gonna be released. I loved Whirl and Swerve, and I may go after club exclusive Chromedome and Rewind (I've only seen pics, don't know if/when they're out). Brainstorm was a great surprise. Now if they release a decent Overlord, I may even go back to believing in Hasbro again.
Zobovor
Jul 7, 2014, 2:19:58 PM7/7/14
to
On Monday, July 7, 2014 4:20:15 AM UTC-6, Cappeca wrote:
> Zob's Thoughts go all the way around the fact that these are being released
> only because of IDW and their current ongoing comics.
There have been two or three times now where I've posted a toy review and people have gone, "Hey, you totally forgot that he's in the IDW comics; how can you write a review of the toy without mentioning this?" Uh, maybe because I didn't... know about it? I don't read the new comics, guys. I think everybody knows that, and yet I keep feeling like people want me to apologize for it.
> Zob's Thoughts go all the way around the fact that these are being released
> only because of IDW and their current ongoing comics.
With that said, I find it interesting that people keep making the claim that Hasbro is only releasing such-and-such toy only because IDW put him in a comic book. Isn't it at least possible that it's the other way around; i.e., IDW put this guy in the comics *because* Hasbro was releasing a new toy?
Zob
Cappeca
Jul 8, 2014, 9:33:45 AM7/8/14
to
Em segunda-feira, 7 de julho de 2014 15h19min58s UTC-3, Zobovor escreveu:
>
> I don't read the new comics, guys. I think everybody knows that, and yet I keep feeling like people want me to apologize for it.
>
Nah, this new group doesn't care about what others do, we're cool that way. You're just starting to feel like you're missing out (and you are, this recent run is pretty awesome. RID and MTMTE from #1 to #16 is one of the best TF arcs I've seen).
>
> I don't read the new comics, guys. I think everybody knows that, and yet I keep feeling like people want me to apologize for it.
>
>
> With that said, I find it interesting that people keep making the claim that Hasbro is only releasing such-and-such toy only because IDW put him in a comic book. Isn't it at least possible that it's the other way around; i.e., IDW put this guy in the comics *because* Hasbro was releasing a new toy?
>
banzait...@gmail.com
Jul 8, 2014, 9:56:24 PM7/8/14
to
> Doesn't change the fact that it's thanks to IDW and their current G1 run that we're having lots of new G1 toys this year.
If I had to guess, I would think Hasbro would dictate since engineering the toy is infinitely more difficult than drawing the character. Also, I would think the toy market is MUCH greater than the comic market. If the comics were dictating the toy production, it would definitely be the cart pulling the horse.
I have no proof of course, just a theory.
-Banzaitron
Cappeca
Jul 10, 2014, 9:23:19 AM7/10/14
to
Em terça-feira, 8 de julho de 2014 22h56min24s UTC-3, banzait...@gmail.com escreveu:
> Fact? It sounds to me like a chicken or the egg argument. Are the toys being made because they are in the comics, or is the comic featuring the characters because Hasbro is churning out the toys. I honestly have no idea.
>
I meant that although they're happening at the same time, the comics are very popular because they're good on their own. Without them, there wouldn't be a significative point for obscure G1 homages. You'd have a new Optimus and a new Bumblebee, but no Skids, no Swerve and *certainly* no Whirl, of all bots.
> Fact? It sounds to me like a chicken or the egg argument. Are the toys being made because they are in the comics, or is the comic featuring the characters because Hasbro is churning out the toys. I honestly have no idea.
>
> If I had to guess, I would think Hasbro would dictate since engineering the toy is infinitely more difficult than drawing the character. Also, I would think the toy market is MUCH greater than the comic market. If the comics were dictating the toy production, it would definitely be the cart pulling the horse.
>
Travoltron
Jul 10, 2014, 12:58:41 PM7/10/14
to
OK, so I was totally wrong about the legal rights thing.
Whirl and Roadbuster ARE coming out in Japan.
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/japanese-transformers-40/new-takara-transformers-legends-images-roadbuster-whirl-and-tankor-180622/
I preordered them on hlj.com
Whirl and Roadbuster ARE coming out in Japan.
http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/japanese-transformers-40/new-takara-transformers-legends-images-roadbuster-whirl-and-tankor-180622/
I preordered them on hlj.com
Zobovor
Jul 10, 2014, 10:49:42 PM7/10/14
to
On Tuesday, July 8, 2014 7:56:24 PM UTC-6, banzait...@gmail.com wrote:
> Are the toys being made because they are in the comics, or is the comic
> featuring the characters because Hasbro is churning out the toys?
> Are the toys being made because they are in the comics, or is the comic
Either scenario seems likely. Hasbro plans toys many months in advance, so it would certainly be possible for them to say to IDW, "Hey, we're coming out with a new Screwloose toy in six months' time. Here are designs of what he's going to look like; will you introduce him in the comics, please?"
Based on what very little I've read of the current IDW stuff (mostly the pack-in comics that come with the toys), I cannot imagine that somebody willfully and deliberately thought that pairing up Beast Wars Rattrap with Armada Starscream seemed like a really super-cool idea. That just smacks of somebody featuring toys from a multi-generational assortment.
> If I had to guess, I would think Hasbro would dictate since engineering
> the toy is infinitely more difficult than drawing the character.
Viscerally, I really dislike the idea that IDW is helping to shape the toy line, but intellectually I accept that it probably is happening on some level.
Zob
Judoon
Jul 16, 2014, 7:01:53 PM7/16/14
to
but none if the other new ones from other areas.
--
Damn lying squirrels!
Travoltron
Jul 16, 2014, 7:48:57 PM7/16/14
to
On 7/16/2014 4:01 PM, Judoon wrote:
> Over the last couple weeks Walmart's in my area all have Cosmos and Swerve,
> but none if the other new ones from other areas.
I'll have to check Wal-Mart again. Can't find Cosmos and Swerve anywhere.
> Over the last couple weeks Walmart's in my area all have Cosmos and Swerve,
> but none if the other new ones from other areas.
Zobovor
Jul 16, 2014, 7:57:58 PM7/16/14
to
On Wednesday, July 16, 2014 5:48:57 PM UTC-6, Travoltron wrote:
> I'll have to check Wal-Mart again. Can't find Cosmos and Swerve anywhere.
I'm hopeful those two show up at retail in my area. I really don't want to pay eBay prices if I can help it.
> I'll have to check Wal-Mart again. Can't find Cosmos and Swerve anywhere.
Zob
Judoon
Aug 11, 2014, 9:54:05 AM8/11/14
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local TRU manager had 6 Masterpiece Grimlocks on eBay. I don't know how
limited they were, he had 8 MP Primes, and 12 MP Soundwaves, so either he
hasn't been able to grab them all, or they got less. Usually he grabs all
the Transformers exclusives, and hard to find Legos.
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