Target Exclusive Transformers Battle Masters Silver Knight Optimus Prime vs. Grimlock Set

After seeing the listings on HTS and doing the math, I think I may forego any of the Movie "Generations" toys in favor of Construct-bots. Construct-bot versions of Grimlock, Slug, Scorn, Strafe, and Slash come to $50, versus $85 for their Generations counterparts, and I imagine the Construct-bot versions are a good deal bigger than the deluxes.

If we get G1-style repaints of the Dinobots this Fall, I'll scoop those up, but I have to be a lot more selective with my spending in the summer, and the AoE "Generations" figures aren't making the cut, I'm afraid.

Edit: On the other hand, I see a lot of design changes in the new Construct-Bots that I really don't like.

I can't help but find it slightly amusing/depressing hat after years of clamouring for the return of chrome to Transformers toys, when Hasbro finally gives it to them the community starts complaining about it.

Some people will never be happy.

Transformers 4 Age of Extinction Voyager Hound and Galvatron Boxed pictures

From Hasbrotoyshop.com

Dseptykon13 wrote:Anyone else get their shipping notifications for pre-orders with Amazon?

Yeah, my leaders are arriving tomorrow!

Delta Magnus wrote:I can't help but find it slightly amusing/depressing hat after years of clamouring for the return of chrome to Transformers toys, when Hasbro finally gives it to them the community starts complaining about it.

Some people will never be happy.

Who's been clamoring for chrome to return? When it returned with the Henkei! Henkei! figures, I remember that stirring plenty of complaints.

Let's wait around for Takara Galvatron, shall we?

Though I'd usually be inclined to jump onto the Bumblebee hate wagon, with this I'm actually rather happy. Since it's inevitable that there shall be shelfwarmers from any TF toyline, I'd rather the shelfwarmer be a redeco, and not another waste of time and engineering skills.

Picked up voyager evasion prime, voyager grimlock, and scorn this morning at a local Walmart for my son. Didn't realize the price went up, but still nice find.

Sabrblade wrote:Who's been clamoring for chrome to return?

I thought die-cast and rubber tires were the big wants, and even then mostly by the older, G1 fans.
'Course, the thing about communities is you're getting a thousand different opinions, given, y'know, there's a thousand different people. Trying to spin that as "people are never happy" is plain foolish. Even if you were to pinpoint specific people not liking what they were asking for doesn't mean much, as there are always exceptions and opinions can change.

Thanks to UK retailer Argos we have official images descriptions of the Transformers: Age of Extinction Grimlock and Optimus Prime Challenge track sets. Check 'em out below:

Awesome Optimus Prime Challenge Track Set! With two pullback cars - Bumblebee and Lockdown.

You can race them on the track, through Optimus Prime and off the ramp!

Includes 2 targets to place on the floor so you can aim for the Autobot or Decepticon, depending on which car you are racing.

All parts pack away into Optimus Prime transporter and includes a handle for easy take-away play.

Optimus Prime is a free-wheeling vehicle.

One supplied.
Size H17.3, W55, D9.5cm.
For ages 3 years and over.
EAN: 5050841594515.
WARNING(S):

Not suitable for children under 3 years old.
To be used under the direct supervision of an adult.

Awesome Transformers Grimlock track set.

With 3 metres of track - plus 1.7 metres of bonus track.

Total track length of 4.7 metres.

One supplied.
Size H40, W348, D16cm.
For ages 3 years and over.
EAN: 5050841602913.
WARNING(S):

Not suitable for children under 3 years old.
To be used under the direct supervision of an adult.

That car thing looks pretty fun. Not for me, but if I were 25 years younger I'd be all over it.

william-james88 wrote:

Autobot032 wrote:It will look like a trench coat/cape if you do it just right. Avoid the rubber pieces, they're crap.

I am really intrigued by that last bit. What do you mean by avoiding the rubber pieces? Are you referring to the transformation?

Sorry, I should've clarified. The final piece of the transformation says to swing those rubber flaps outward and then hook them into his chest. Skip it. Leave them folded in. They only frustrate and make the cape all off kilter. The only downside is that his two smaller pistols are hidden behind them and access is a pain, but he'll look so much better without them.

Great! More things that'll stay on shelves until Transformers 5.

I submitted news about the Optimus track set a LONG time ago

That grimlock has the right colors, unlike the main toy line (brown). I might get it only for dispay as movie color accurate toy. >:oP

Diem wrote:That car thing looks pretty fun. Not for me, but if I were 25 years younger I'd be all over it.

Same here. I was really into those kinds of car race tracks as a kid. The ones I had were from lines/brands called Darta and Top Speed. I doubt they're still around anymore, but these would have been right up my alley back in the day.

Not Wheels!!!

Beat that!!!!!

Sabrblade wrote:

Diem wrote:That car thing looks pretty fun. Not for me, but if I were 25 years younger I'd be all over it.

Same here. I was really into those kinds of car race tracks as a kid. The ones I had were from lines/brands called Darta and Top Speed. I doubt they're still around anymore, but these would have been right up my alley back in the day.

Thirded. Hot Wheels tracks AND transformers AND a t-rex? My 7 year-old self would snap that up in a heartbeat.

(as a kid, all Matchbox-style cars were just Hot Wheels to me)

Courtesy of RobotKingdom's Facebook page, they have added new images of the upcoming Platinum Edition Age of Extinction Generations Voyager Class Evasion Mode Optimus Prime with Voyager Class Grimlock. This set is a Toys R Us exclusive and will also be released in Asia. Both figures feature several differences from the regular retail versions of Grimlock and Evasion Mode Optimus Prime. Most notably, this version of Evasion Mode Optimus Prime has chrome and the face shield and Grimlock also has chrome, much like his Leader Class counterpart.

Yikes chrome hands for Optimus? Thats just as bad as the clown red hands they gave Platinum Ultra Magnus...oh well.

Hey can someone remind me the reference made towards OP gun and Megatron?

Nemesis Destron wrote:Hey can someone remind me the reference made towards OP gun and Megatron?

That was Megatron's shotgun in the DotM Movie, remember? Optimus used it against Sentinel Prime. And yes, the DotM Megatron can wield it with the tabs.

Chrome is great and all but why on Optimus' knee things? They have always looked awesome to me on his, now, old design but being this bright silver just looks awkward. They shoulda taken that chrome and put it on his thighs, to complete the look with his already-chromed crotch!

What moron though chrome in those areas was a good idea?

Ugh...

Was hoping for Platinum Edition but then we yet again get the chrome in all the wrong places. The tolerances on Optimus are so tight with the arm transformation that you could never transform him if you wanted to keep the chrome looking good. I was just hoping for an even more accurate G1 deco with a face shield and the arms/feet a different color. This is ridiculous!!

~reluctantyouth~

I may look for an Optimus faceplate head to substitute on my regular Evasion Mode Prime. I'm wondering if my Transformers Prime FE Optimus Prime head will fit on Evasion Prime body? Anybody else contemplating a head change?

It would appear that the new design team seems to a real boner fascination for chrome.

Baltmatrix takes a look at Galvatron! I kinda like it, even though it's a shell former with weird articulation.

reluctantyouth wrote:Ugh...

Was hoping for Platinum Edition but then we yet again get the chrome in all the wrong places. The tolerances on Optimus are so tight with the arm transformation that you could never transform him if you wanted to keep the chrome looking good. I was just hoping for an even more accurate G1 deco with a face shield and the arms/feet a different color. This is ridiculous!!

~reluctantyouth~

I may look for an Optimus faceplate head to substitute on my regular Evasion Mode Prime. I'm wondering if my Transformers Prime FE Optimus Prime head will fit on Evasion Prime body? Anybody else contemplating a head change?

Someone on eBay is already selling a modded Optimus Prime:

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?siteid=0&pub=5574891718&campid=5336631220&customid=&toolid=10001&mkevt=1&mpre=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fitm%2FCustom-OPTIMUS-%20...%201201911377%3C%2Fa%3E%3F

Sabrblade wrote:It would appear that the new design team seems to a real boner fascination for chrome.

I read an interview with the Hasbro design team where they claimed that they had come up with chrome that no longer flaked. From what I've heard though, swing and a miss.

http://www.toplessrobot.com/2014/05/talking_toys_with_hasbros_transformers_age_of_exti.php

Link is (usually) SFW despite URL.

Chrome gone wrong, lol... Grimlock looks decent bit I'm not buying that figure until we see it in a Hasbro-released G1 scheme.

Thanks to fellow Seibertron.com user Fires_Of_Inferno we get to look at a new Baltmatrix video review, and this time, it's Transformers: Age of Extinction Voyager class Galvatron! This appears to be, for now, a new take on the characters, whose alt-mode is a flat-nosed silver Freightliner Argosy - check it out below.

Galvatron's alt mode is sweet. Shame that he's just a shellformer. When you look at the bot mode (from the front), there are no elements of the alt mode visible.

GuyIncognito wrote:Galvatron's alt mode is sweet. Shame that he's just a shellformer. When you look at the bot mode (from the front), there are no elements of the alt mode visible.

That seems to be the 'thing' with this line. No altmode parts visible in the robot mode.

It's awful.

LOL i just realized grimlock has dog ears, grimlock good little puppy. But anyway who decides where the chrome goes on these guys? the shoulders on prime look stupid & the hands are just a very bad idea cause its going to flake off from the gun being inserted repeatedly. The chrome does make these look better but still doesnt justify the price, id still rather just wait for a clearance to pick up prime & paint him my self. Thats if these ever show in my area, stopped by a few stores today to kill time & look for a charger for my phone & no one had any AoE stuff not eve a place for them. The walmarts are the only stores that have anything but its only leaders & the quick change guys. It pisses me off that the store still dont stock things cause it means ill never see any generations but im also glad cause hasbro wont be making any money in this area. Also didnt find the charger i need either

RAcast wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:Galvatron's alt mode is sweet. Shame that he's just a shellformer. When you look at the bot mode (from the front), there are no elements of the alt mode visible.

That seems to be the 'thing' with this line. No altmode parts visible in the robot mode.

It's awful.

So I am the only one who notices his giant alt mode backpack? And I have seen shots of the figure from the front and those alt mode panels are very visible.

william-james88 wrote:

RAcast wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:Galvatron's alt mode is sweet. Shame that he's just a shellformer. When you look at the bot mode (from the front), there are no elements of the alt mode visible.

That seems to be the 'thing' with this line. No altmode parts visible in the robot mode.

It's awful.

So I am the only one who notices his giant alt mode backpack? And I have seen shots of the figure from the front and those alt mode panels are very visible.

They mean in the robot mode's design are there no vehicle parts visible. Little-to-nothing from the truck actually integrates into his body in robot mode, resulting in the outlandish backpack of truck kibble. The backpack isn't part of his robot mode body design, hence all the talk of the truck parts not being part of his robot mode body.

Megatron Wolf wrote:LOL i just realized grimlock has dog ears, grimlock good little puppy.

I just noticed that myself for the first time and they just don't look right!

That Galvatron is just hot garbage in bot mode. I hope Takara can salvage this hot mess and give more impressive paint apps or a G1 version. The alt-mode I think is far more impressive and though it is a shell-former kinda it all seems to collapse quite nicely IMO.

Nemesis Destron wrote:

Megatron Wolf wrote:LOL i just realized grimlock has dog ears, grimlock good little puppy.

I just noticed that myself for the first time and they just don't look right!

Devil horns, not ears.

That backpack really is nothing to fuss about. I'd rather have all the kibble on the back allowing the robot to be as screen accurate as possible over having it anywhere else. Galvatron appears to have a pretty well executed design. The only thing I'm a little bothered with is where the knees bend. Other than that though, I'm really looking forward to him. However, I may wait till Botcon reveals to see if there is a more attractive deco being released. I can see this figure having several different versions down the line or being packed with something good.

RAcast wrote:

GuyIncognito wrote:Galvatron's alt mode is sweet. Shame that he's just a shellformer. When you look at the bot mode (from the front), there are no elements of the alt mode visible.

That seems to be the 'thing' with this line. No altmode parts visible in the robot mode.

It's awful.

That doesn't seem to be the "thing" with Evasion Mode OP, or Crosshairs, or Drift, or BB, or Hound, or any of the Dinobots. It's really just Galvatron and the Leader-class OPs.

Yes, this is a shellformer, but it's like the best shellformer ever. And the complaints about no kibble? really?

The robot mode seems a little action figurey but then again, isn't that the point?

I don't see any reason why this can't be considered a decent toy.

Optimizzy wrote:Yes, this is a shellformer, but it's like the best shellformer ever. And the complaints about no kibble? really?

The robot mode seems a little action figurey but then again, isn't that the point?

I don't see any reason why this can't be considered a decent toy.

I can't speak for anyone else but the big concern for me is how little each mode actually transforms into the other. What we have is not quite an action figure, not quite a Transformer, and not quite the sum of its parts.

Prime RID Deluxe Vehicon is a fine example of how a figure can have a coherent robot mode design with little-to-no traces of altmode elements or kibble in it anywhere and still transform excellently into a just as coherent altmode design.

Leader OP and Voyager Galvatron? No so much.

Going for this Optimus Prime over the Evasion Mode one.

Ratchet joints!

That chrome looks really nice. Shame about the dull grey on the things and stuff, but nothing a bit of paint won't fix.

Also, for all this talk about how Hasbro needs to "aim for collectors" if you're having that much trouble with the chrome flaking you're obviously being much too rough with it.

After the Voyager Galvatron review, here's a very quick look at the other Voyager figure from the Transformers: Age of Extinction first wave, courtesy of YouTube reviewer Peaugh's Twitter feed: Autobot Hound! Check out the robot mode in the images below, and the actually amazingly combining and storing weapons.

Wish he was fatter.

Might as well buy Hound only for all those cool weapons. The arms are horrible looking. Something like Stretch Armstrong and an accordion had a baby Hound.