Thanks to Twitter user @RydeAndrew we can share for your our first in-hand images of the new Transfomers Legacy Wave 1 Core Class Iguanus.
This figure is part of the first wave of Legacy core figures together with Hot Rod (Kingdom re-release) and Skywarp. Iguanus is a great homage of his original G1 Pretender incarnation. His robot mode is modeled after G1 Iguanus Pretender shell and he transforms into a motorcycle inspired by G1 Iguanus inner robot alt mode. As we can see from the image this is a very detailed figure for its size.
See the images after the break and then share your impressions on the 2005 Boards!
toretilo
Jazz, Grimlock and Starscream were lame for sure, but Bumblebee was an improvement for me, they could have used minibots to update their designs, and small bots like Reflector or insecticons for the cons.
Since the old 3P times, when the trailers for Hot Rod and White Optimus that exploded into pieces to form armors that turned them into Rodimus and Ultramagnus (just like the modern Newage Octavian/Magnus), I have thought about that idea of pretender exploding armors that can combine into bigger alt modes, forming extensions for the different vehicles, so they don't compromise the look, articulation or size of the pretender.
Fliers like Thunderwing, Cloudburst, Bomburst or Bugly, as inner bots that turn into spaceships while the armor forms the back half of the bigger spaceship, just like the original Thunderwing. A back extension or trailer for Skullgrin and Landmine tank modes. Iguanus' inner bot that turns into the motorbike while the lizard armor forms a sidecar and some armor for the bike, etc. I'd love to see something like that someday.
combinerlover
I liked it too, and still do.. like it or not thats were the US story went… and Im not bothered by it in the slightest.
MegaGnaw
Well, Grimlock, yeah. Or any monsters, but for car and jetformers, it definitely holds.
Lol at thought of Jazz opening up and having bumper car pop out of him. Well, I guess since mass shifting is a thing in the TF universe, it would apply here.
ca12nag3
They had certain design elements for Dinoking but didn't go through with it.
The alternate head on cutthroat and the gun piece on Snarls neck. Yet nothing was released after potp.
I doubt we get anything soon from beyond G1 in combiner form. Especially since they are experimenting with the new Menasor conbiner.
ca12nag3
I get that. But it isn't exactly on collectable level.
Dirge121
I think the big problem is that standards for an action figure these days are much higher than they were in the 80s. Back then, 2 POA on the shell was fine. These days we'd look at any humanoid shell with anything less than 10 POA as the absolute bare minimum. If you wanted deluxe size inner-bots you'd need big chunky shells to house them and those are going to be expensive and a hard sell to casual buyers.
That said, a set of Deluxe class Monstructor bots with 3-5 POA shells is a Haslab I would absolutely get behind.
yvk2000
The 'armor up' alternative has been going around for a while now. I think that could have been interesting. Accuracy would have taken a hit ofcourse (since you’d not be able to fully realize the organic shapes of the Pretender shells).
T-Hybrid
Challenge accepted!
Neko-bot77
"Masterforce" had a decent explanation. The Autobot pretenders are human size in the shells, then do a mass-shift into transformers size robots. The cons were just giant monsters, lol.
Deathx360
I would be fine making the Pretenders as a Deluxe inner robot with a Weaponizer/Modulator/Fossilizer style shell.
Foster
Tbh, holding Transformers up to a "is this is robot in disguise?" test is going to fail the toy in question more often than not.
I don't know any Grimlock at all that would pass this test!
MegaGnaw
The whole pretenders thing was weird. I had Grimlock when I was a kid, and the figure was a huge letdown for anyone who missed out on The original.
I could never figure out how they were supposed to be perceived. Is Grimlock supposed to be a Giant human with the Robot inside, and if so, how is it a robot in disguise, let alone a pretender?
Now I'm to understand that they're supposed to be human sized? In other words, Jazz was a tiny car inside of a man-sized shell, Grimlock is a T rex in a human shell? No wonder the concept failed.
And why didn't they make Jazz's shell a black guy!!?
UltraViolet
The Cyberverse line played with a rather interesting “Armor Up” gimmick for a little bit… I only own one of those guys but I think that’s the best hope for a decent pretender concept nowadays. My idea would be a small deluxe figure that merges some of the details of the shells with the inner robot (much like Iguanus here…) and give them detachable armor pieces that invoke the major characteristics of the shells.
You could bring in ultra pretenders and all that shit too by giving Voyager and up figures the ability to combine their leftover armor pieces into a vehicle mode.
I think that’s the only compromise that is feasible at Hasbro’s current price point that would satisfy collector desires for articulation and detail.
Keep the organic shell aesthetic for the Decepticons but scrap the Autobots just being “40 year old white man in a suit” IMO. Tie it into Beast Wars and say the suits help negate energon radiation or whatever. Hell, u could even call them “Armor Masters” instead of pretenders, cuz we all know the shell concept never made any sense for disguise. You ain’t fooling nobody, 30 foot tall samurai skeleton!!!
Oniconvoy
Maybe not. But it’s a recent failure that corporate won’t be keen to revisit soon.
yvk2000
The inner robots were bad in G1, but that’s where Generations can step in and say 'let's update this'. I don't see a problem with the shells being non-articulated actually. But again, plenty of ways to go about updating and redesigning.
To you. I liked concept when I was young and I still think its neat (and no, I'm not alone).
'PotP attempt fail = Pretender concept fail' is not a very strong argument.
Gastrotrain
Just to piggy back onto this, you can look to the original Beast Wars transmetals for a template. Vehicle mode probably suffers most but TM Waspinator from what I remember, got the jet mode to look pretty good.
I actually use TM Rhinox as a Stranglehold stand in.
Ramberk Magnus
The defining gimmick never worked. The shells had no articulation and the inner robots suffered in both modes as well (boring-generic appearance).
The only thing worthwhile from the Pretenders was the visual designs of the shells. And Hasbro kept that. I think that’s the big win.
The shells aren’t going to make a comeback. Hasbro tried it once with PotP and it wasn’t a hit.
T-Hybrid
But…that's the point. Core is to help deliver popular characters at lower prices.
yvk2000
I am letdown Hasbro took the same approach to Pretenders again. Never mind the fact these aren’t Pretenders, there aren’t any fresh ideas being offered. It’s just lame. Yes, Iguanus’ robot mode looks good. So do countless other Transformers they put out.
Generations; where we take away the defining gimmicks of the original toys so we can all be the same.
T-Hybrid
If they're not going to do Pretenders in the "original" style, then why bother doing something uniform. Just sprinkle them throughout the line in ways that let you play around with new ideas on a per character basis. Retool Rhinox in to Stranglehold. Do a Commander Thunderwing. Don't get tied down with a one-size fits all solution.