Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

With Studio Series being a pretty big deal (both to Hasbro and fans) this year, and with Canada finally stocking all of wave 1, I thought it would be a good time to exchange our thoughts on them here.

Here are my thoughts so far:

I still dont think the premium price is equal to how much more I get from these than the Generations mainline figures. I personally find Hun Gurr to be as good if not better a toy than the 2 SS voyagers we got so far and he is 10$ less.

I am a bit dissapointed with the approach to reuse so much engineering. Granted, the transformations are good and both Crowbar and Starscream are improvements over the prvious toys that had the same engineering (Berserker and deluxe starscream).
But still, for a line that is supposed to be a big deal (with a premium price and all) and Hasbro saying that all these are new molds, its a bit of a letdown.

So far BB, Ratchet, Starscream and Crowbar are all based very closely previous transformation schemes.

And while I do preffer this Sarscream to the deluxe (and any other movei Starscream aside from the leader) and Crowbar to Berserker, I a very dissapointed with BB. I was let down by TLK Wave 2 Bee and this guy si worse. I really hate that car roof that keeps unlatching. It could be a great toy but they really screwed up on that part and it ruins the toy for me.

I do like Starscream, I like the deco (which uses that MP Beast Wars technique of adding that extra skin layer digitally) and he feels very solid.

Grimlock is pretty great in robot mode. The articulation is a bit limited compared to what I expected, but the deco and proportions and detailing are incredible. Smart transformation but not everything pegs in the back.

Basically, while this line may have been hyped, Ifind that its similar to the TLK line. Some great toys, some piss poor toys, with a nice helping of reused engineering.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Do the roof before the doors are closed. It is sometimes easy and sometimes a nuisance, but it keeps the roof from popping off. Close the doors last.

So far, i am generally more impressed than I thought I would be with Studio Series. Starscream is basically perfect with, at least in my experience, every single hinge, joint and tab working like butter. Prime takes the best parts of previous versions. I find Crowbar even worse than poor ole Berserker and those dreads all but have nowhere to go. Stinger kinda rocks and is involved and interesting. Grimlock is definitely intended for his pure display appeal but, man, what a display. I find the line far superior than TLK which was pretty aweful seven ways from Sunday WITh the very, very clear exception of all the voyagers. That was the absolute shining point of that line for sure.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I feel the same about most of the line. Every Bee I have seen has the roof half off the hinge in the package so it seems to be a widespread issue. My Ratchet has loose hips and Starscream loose knees. Optimus Prime is a new mold but it borrows a lot of design aspects from TF Prime First Edition Optimus Prime (Chest, arm, and some of the back transformation) and AOE Evasion Prime (Lower legs).

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Blah... only like the beserker so far

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I only have Stinger and Starscream, and love them both. Planning to grab Blackout, Grimlock, Megatron, Jazz and Lockdown, quality dependant. I think Hasbro should straight up recall that Bumblebee, (every review I’ve watch it falls apart), and the others seem...ok... on a steep sale. I agree that the prices are generally too high for what you’re getting though.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

The only ones so far that have peaked my interest are Stinger & Crowbar. The rest of them anh I'll pass at the price point. Save my money for POTP wave 2 deluxes .... that is if we ever get them in my area ?

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I have Bumblebee and while I like the figure, it has some issues. It's rather floppy with loose joints and the car mode hood and roof are a bit of a pain to get transformed, not to mention the roof detaches way too easy for my liking. Still, posed on the shelf, it's certainly a much better looking figure than the '07 figure.

I'm looking forward to Jazz and Blackout. I think those will be the only other two figures I pick up from the line. I have other movie figures that I'm quite happy with for the remaining characters.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Seems idiotic that they didn’t give more attention to figures we’re lacking in. I’d have like to see Soundwave, Leadfoot, Dino and Q instead of more Bumblebee and Ratchet. Hopefully the line lasts and we actually get these instead of getting them cancelled or in a last wave that never materializes.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Bee's roof should have been pinned.

I have Bee and Stinger, I'm really liking Stinger. Bee leaves me cold, I'm just hoping we someday get a MPM version of the old Camaro instead. I still find the original deluxe toy more interesting. Prime is solid (but small), Starscream is great.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

In terms of engineering, it's shrug. They based the Star Scream off a the old DOTM deluxe, no skin off my nose. BUT, it's the priemium price that gets me.

To me, these aren't premium figures. A little extra paint, a fancy name for the line, "scaling", doesn't overcome all the short comings.

To me, these aren't necessarily the best representations of the movie characters and leave a lot to be desired, especially with the price tag. If the price tag wasn't so high, I think I'd be looking at these in a better light.

Even the leader Blackout and Grimlock--figures I was looking forward too--fall short in areas they shouldn't fall short in, like Grimlock's fist or lack there of and Blackout's height. From the pictures I've seen, he's roughly the same height as Starscream, a Voyager.

Overall, this adds up to me not really being interested in any of this. The dollars and cents just don't add up in my head, so I'm probably going to pass on most if not all of it, so more for everyone else.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

No.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Very well said. Pretty much the same feeling I have.
I will buy the Studio Series if they are on sale later, and I will buy the KO or OS version for some of them, if the KO version indeed improve the design and quality, like Weijiang MPP or KBB did before.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

The problem with Grimlock, once you have it in hand, is not the fist but instead the limited articulation. Like the dino mouth only having 2 settings and his robot elbows being really odd again.

As for Blackout, I agree that none of these leaders make a good case for being at ahgher price point than the POTP Leaders, but Blackout definitely deserves to be called a leader. He is MASSIVE. Starscream is just tall but there isnt much mass there. Its like Animated lockdown being a deluxe. We dont suddenly scoff at every single voyager toy because they are as short as Deluxe Lockdown in robot mode, so I dont know why we would do that here.

Blackout doesnt feel small at all.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Got my blackout from amazon.com yesterday, it looks good in bot mode and alt mode. transforming is a bit tedious, a lot of panels and tabs, hard to line them up correctly without something pop out.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Good Lord! I finally saw the Leaders today and while the sculpting is pretty good, the lack of paint is appalling, particularly in Blackout. I thought this was supposed to be a premium line.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Its as much a premium line at The Last Knight so make of that as you will.

The deco on Grimlock is stellar. LOTS of cool geen/silver paint done in a cool wash. Makes him look quite movie accurate.

Blackout has quite a it of paint but it happens to be very close to the colour of the plastic. Hence why it could look unpainted.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

If you tell me that you find these figures great, or any of the movie toys for that matter. I would find it hard to trust your opinion as a transformer collector.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Well to be fair, if you're under the age of like 25 or so the movies might really be your first introduction to the franchise.

The SS series ARE better than the original releases... which really speaks to how bad the original toys were.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

^Don't listen to that guy.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Who.. me? I don't like the movie designs on the whole, although there are a few standouts.

I just feel bad for people who live for the movie stuff.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

If there's one thing that's great for collectors right now it's choice. Not everyone has to like the same thing. And truthfully, I'd be really scared if they did, because it's a sign there some sort of conspiracy mind control happening.

I hated the movie look when it first came out. Still not a big fan, but I've come to appreciate some of the things it brings. And regardless of whether I like it or not, for some, this is their G1. This is what they grew up with, and for them, this is what Transformers is.

People like what they like, and with pop culture stuff like toys, I'm not going to tell them to stop taking joy in what they like.

It's like the saying goes one persons trash is another person's treasure.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Got Blackout this week and I absolutely love him. He’s beefy and brawly in bot mode, and friggin huge in alt mode. The paint is lacking, yes, and hilariously his star is upside down on one side, but he’s chunky and fun and fabulous. I wish he had less kibble on his arms and swivel wrists, but he still looks badass and even lil Scorpy is great. Transformation is decently involved and I even dig his display. Very happy with him, and can’t wait to get Grimlock too.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Only a Sith deals in absolutes.

Some I love, some I like, and some are garbage fire fuel. I’ll take Human Alliance Jazz and ROTF Leader Prime, for example, over anything released in Titans Return. Just a matter of opinion.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I was hoping for some more paint

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Only have Grimlock, but he’s pretty awesome.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

100% agree with this. I haven't gotten Grimlock but Blackout is my favorite of the line so far. At $62.99 + taxes I am happy with him. The star is correct on both sides of mine I believe.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Anyone else who braved the freezing rain this past Sunday @ 80's Toy Expo remember seeing any Studio Series ? I don't remember seeing any myself.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Having seen all of this line in hand over the last couple of days, it's a mixed bag. Stinger is the winner in the deluxes by far, Ratchet and Crowbar don't seem all that much different to me from their previous incarnations and BB is a flimsy mess if not handled in a specific way.

What bugged me most of BB is his size, or rather, what you're paying for that size. When you look at his proportions, he seems long in the legs. Take away what the feet give him and he looks better proportioned but then you realize without the feet, he's legends sized. A $30 legends on a mass produced mainline toy that has the build quality of a KO?! Eat shit, Hasbro.

The voyagers are not much different to me either. Starscream is just an upsize of a previous version. Optimus is a downsize with a darker coloring that also screams cheap KO to me.

I really wanted to like Blackout and must have stood in the aisle looking him over for about a half hour at the store but ultimately put him back on the shelf. Sorely lacking paint, and just really couldn't muster up any love for this Bayverse design. It has kibble everywhere all over it.

Grimlock is the only I one seem to enjoy. Good size and scale compared to even the previous movie lines, much better detail over what we got before, and an intricate enough paint design to be interesting and not scream lack of paint.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Got Blackout tonight. His helicopter mode is massive. He does have a fair amount paint, it's just not noticeable since most of it is the blue-ish gray of the helicopter. Some TLK and AOE toys had the same "issue", paint not being noticeable because it was the same color as the surrounding plastic. Interesting transformation. Really liking the robot mode even if it feels a bit light. Tons of sculpted details all over.

We got PLENTY of good toys. And obviously, we're still getting some.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Of the SS I bought Prime, Starscream and Grimlock waiting on finding Blackout.
Aesthetics standpoint, Prime is mediocre but as a whole I kind of dig it. Starscream is a really nice redone version of the deluxe and I will say it, I am disappointed with Grimlock. His robot mode looks nice but I feel they made too much sacrifice to make that awful dino mode and yet still better than the AOE Leader dino mode, imo, not by much. I had high hopes on this one and I dig HOW they did what they did for the robot mode, but again, like...just make a fucking tail already. I just think there are things they could have done even better with Grimlock, and given him 2 hands plus an optional spiked ball.
So feelings are kinda mixed. Waiting on finding Blackout. No desire to get the Deluxe figs aside from Jazz in wave 2.

Edit: So, been playing around with Grimlock. I still think they could have done better on the dino mode, especially all the gaps and weak excuse of a tail, but I am also contemplating on fixing that. I may try to make him a hand, a ball weapon and a tail and 3d print it. I'd rather have tail kibble or as an attachable part than constantly getting these weird tails they keep giving movie Grimlock.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I bought some studio series at Walmart and noticed something interesting on the receipt. The item name for one was "TRA AST 30" and cost $40. Feels like they are saying this is the $30 toy we are selling for $40.

http://www.cybertron.ca/boards/attac...1&d=1524449571

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

This X2 and some not all of the As are good.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Or it may be size in cm? A Deluxe SS box is almost 20 cm...

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

That might be the price in USD.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Yes, those represent the MSRP in USD, which is the currency the Hasbro corporation deals with.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

How does Starscream compare to the movie masterpeice? I think MM SS is probably the best incarnation for engineering, and a good size for a F-22.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Studio Series Leader Blackout available @ walmart.ca -

https://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/transfo.../6000197949325

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Consider it a mini MP. Of one of the most solid designs of the series so far.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

Hmm.. I might check it out in that case.

Re: Thoughts on Studio Series so far?
 

I HATE all the movies but I have to say that Blackout looks bad ass. Hopefully I'll find him in the bargain bin one day.