After really putz'n around with the new minicons, I kinda wish they'd gone with a Classics Micromasters kind of vibe and by that I mean tiny versions of more standard looking bots.
Classics Minicon Sledge
Yes. I thought Divebomb had a garishly ugly bot mode.
And yes, I think Sledge here does too.
The "shovel" hands just will never make me happy no matter how they are used.
Sledge does have a great alt mode though. All of these new minicons have excellent alt modes.
What's kinda of sad is that Sledge has a much better paint deco on the back of the package. It makes the bot look so much better in the other colors and with the detail.
lassics Minicon Broadside
I like Broadside in a creepy robot kind of way. He also suffers from the same lack of deco that is now missing from the final release. Check the back of the package. He's a lot better there.
I had a really hard time twisting his parts along the axis so that pretty much explains the poor pose.
I like him through. Much much better than Sledge.
Classics Minicon Wideload
Wideload looks practically identical to Energon Demolisher in alt mode.
He's not bad. He has two massive spinning "breasts" in the the front due to the way his wheels come forward but at least it makes him look unique.
Classics Minicon Terrorsaur
Classics Minicon Swoop
Classics Minicon Knockdown
The dinosaur minicons are what they are. I can't get into them.
I love Broadside more and more; I think it's the tank mode - that and the minigun-for-a-hand. That totally sold me. I am *astounded* you got him to stand up under his own power though. ^_^
The others... I think we glossed over this already, but it just seems like the awesome alt. modes overpowered any other kind of design consideration.
What is probably most maddening - and as you pointed out, evidence that Hasbro 'called them in' - is that some of the design mistakes just aren't warrented. For instance:
* Why do Strongarms knees bend to the side?
* On the same subject, Firebot - why no knee love?
* What on earth is going on with Wideload's hands?
* Why are Broadside's legs so long? Why no feet?
* Why are Swoop's hands so stubby?
* Sledge's lower legs don't even snap in! WTH?
The actual ideas - i.e. Dino-Cons - equal greatness. But for every design problem that could be attributed to vehicle mode considerations or interesting transformations, two more seem to just be oversight.
Personally, and in all seriousness, I would've been happy if they just re-released some Micromasters. Those guys were solid, and they also usually had the four points of articulation necessary at that scale - two arms, two legs. Too much to ask?
Broadside fell over constantly. This was one of the few times he didn't.
They are doing the pain-in-the-ass-to-find overpriced Micromaster combiners but yeah, I wish they would have done a gift set of the Micromasters.
Man... it would have been awesome if they could have released the Micromasters that only came with bases and transports. That would be awesome.