Did Combiner Wars peak with Superion? John DeLuna puts that question to Exvee and Matt one year into the line. Exvee says yes, and the crew picks apart Brawl’s waist joint, Scattershot’s remolded nose and the deluxe molds that keep coming back. The episode opens with the second Combiner Wars Legends wave, and it closes on fan expectations for Combiner Wars Computron.
Combiner Wars Legends Wave 2: Mostly Reruns
Exvee runs down the assortment: a Wreck-Gar built from the Legends Groove mold, plus Bombshell, Shockwave and Warpath. The crew notes that everything except Wreck-Gar has been out before. Reshipping Bombshell makes sense, but a full wave of mold reruns feels like the line limping along. One host points out that TakaraTomy already made Overrun from the Groove mold. The Junkions should ride each other’s bikes, but the hosts doubt the Groove legs sit low enough for that. Wreck-Gar gets a new head with a beard. [Source: TFW2005]
Did Combiner Wars Peak with Superion?
John asks whether the line peaked with Superion. Exvee says yes. Combiner Wars Superion was the first Superion toy that was actually good, and everything after it came at a cost. Matt calls Superion a high point but loves Defensor and Bruticus just as much. Menasor gets named the clear loser. One host says the Aerialbots remain the best total package, since later teams borrow their engineering in new vehicle shells.
Brawl and Scattershot
Brawl was the only all-new mold in his wave, and his waist joint lets the torso fall backward. Some copies hold a pose and others do not. The crew hopes the coming Unite Warriors, BotCon and Computron uses of the mold fix the joint. Nobody here minds Brawl’s military green. Scattershot fares worse: in torso mode he reads as a red Superion. The crew finds his remolded jet nose awkward and would rather the retooling budget had gone to his chest or head.
The Best Deluxe Mold and the Wave 3 Turning Point
Rook and Swindle share the deluxe skeleton the crew rates highest in the line. The hosts count how few distinct deluxe molds the line really has. Wave 3, Defensor, is called the watershed where reruns took over. Three waves in rapid succession, then a five-month gap, made the repetition obvious. The crew wishes each team had one new character, especially a proper Blast Off replacement for the Combaticons instead of a jet named Blast Off.
Combiner Wars Computron Expectations
John raises a question he saw on Twitter: will fans expect too heavy a remold on Combiner Wars Computron? The crew predicts many fans will hate it no matter what. Message board posters are already expecting an all-new Scattershot. John expects third-party upgrade kits, and the crew names color-matched Perfect Effect sets and a swappable head as likely options. One host would want renders of a kit before buying. Matt jokes that the roughly $100 price leaves room to give a third party the difference.
Contributors: John DeLuna, Exvee, Matt
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