Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned
Thursday, February 2nd, 2023 10:44AM CST
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: william-james88 Views: 37,619
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Thanks to Mark Maher, we have what might be the most interesting behind the scenes look at a Transformer design ever. In his most recent Instagram post, he shows us the original design for Legacy Prime Skyquake by Marcello Materre. This was designed at the same time as Legacy Arcee and Bulkhead, so a couple of years ago. We then see the new design Mark drew after hearing the comments regarding the Legacy prime characters' reveals in October 2021. We can see that while the original was a Gi-ified version of the Prime character, with the cockpit chest, mark went for a merge of the G1 Skyquake and the Prime Skyquake, combinig elements evoking both versions rather than making a new design for the Prime character. Let us know which version you preffer.
This also gives us a really good idea of the time frame for Transformers designs. Technically, the concept to shelf cycle of Legacy Skyquake is several years if we start with the Marcello Materre design that was approved by Hasbro to what it is now, but in reality we see that we can go from a sketch to a mass assembly of the toy in about 1 year (with this toy coming out in summer, the complete concept to shelf cycle would be Fall 2021 - Summer 2023 so just shy of 2 years).
We also have a behind the scenes post from Sam Smith for Animated Prowl and from Evan Brooks for Metalhawk.
“Leader Legacy Evolution Skyquake is ready to take over the seeker skies and put the smackdown on some autobrats!
The second image features an outline done by the great marcelomatere when the prime redesigns were decided upon before we started Legacy. Since there was mixed feedback on Arcee and Bulkhead I decided to take a swing. My linework is featured underneath Marcelo’s , then my colored concept is featured on the next slide. Then the amazing Hisashi Yuki san from Takara Tomy had a great sketch with some renditions and suggestions. I reformatted my design and along the design development journey we both went.
You can see all the iterations of his head sculpt throughout the process.
The transformation sequence is complex but strong, Yuki sans transformations are always amazing and I often stare in wonderment when he figures them out. The articulation packed into this beast is just wild. You just get a great experience of all kinds of abilities and poses.
IMPORTANT: this sample does not have the final colors, I will try and update yall with the final deets. But I can assure you this guy has some sweet candy metallic paint applications that do wonderous things in good lighting.
He does have head light piping and the engines on his feet along with his gatling blaster are blast effect compatible. The cockpit and sculpt details all over this dude command a decepticons respect.
Please do yourself a favor and rewatch how amazing his brief appearance in the Prime series is, you will not regret it!"
“Transformers Legacy Evolution – Animated Universe Prowl
So this guys been floating around the internet for a few months, but I am glad to finally have him revealed! So let’s get into the details of Legacy Evolution Prowl. Building on the design ideology that had been established for Legacy, it was clear that we were going to have two pieces of entertainment that would require us to push the designs outside of their comfort zones, Transformers Prime and Transformers Animated.
As the debut character to represent the tone of the 2007 animation, I wanted to preserve a recognizable design aesthetic from the original character, while ensuring that it would sit comfortably amongst the rest of the legacy expression.
I reached out to santalux75 with my ideas and he got to work on an incredibly faithful design for both the bot and alt modes. With a couple of alterations to some of the proportions we were in a comfortable position to start executing the design kick off with Takara. Kunihiro Takashi is a huge Animated Prowl fan and put together a wonderful transformation plan that incorporated plenty of historical character attributes along met with modern articulation. We found a balance for how much detail we wanted to texturize the model with, that still left enough of the smooth paneling of the source material. The deco was treated much the same way, utilizing his iconic black and gold livery, met with the patroller khaki pants and his iconic blue visor.
Prowl is outfitted with his shurikens that rotate closed and can be stowed onto the wheels. While he can hold them in both hands, we wanted to ensure that the figure was still compatible with 5mm post accessories, so his right hand is sculpted to support both.”
“Hi Transformer Fans!
Just popping in to do my do-diligence to give you all a few more looks at what we revealed this week!
Starting off with our Voyager, Metalhawk!
So as mentioned in the stream, this bot is a partial of the Kingdom Cyclonus.
It uses the Hands, Shoulders, Biceps, Feet, Back of the legs, Part of the wings and a few of the joints from that figure.
You can probably get a better understanding of what pieces are re-used from Ittoku-san’s masterful detail drawing.
A few other points that I forgot to mention on the stream is that his thrusters use 3mm ports so you can load him up with blast effects. He also has a 3mm hole that becomes accessible in Jet mode for use with a display stand.
This is just a fun figure and I’m hoping going forward we can complete the JG1 Pretender teams.
Thanks for checking out the stream and supporting Transformers!
-Evan”
This also gives us a really good idea of the time frame for Transformers designs. Technically, the concept to shelf cycle of Legacy Skyquake is several years if we start with the Marcello Materre design that was approved by Hasbro to what it is now, but in reality we see that we can go from a sketch to a mass assembly of the toy in about 1 year (with this toy coming out in summer, the complete concept to shelf cycle would be Fall 2021 - Summer 2023 so just shy of 2 years).
We also have a behind the scenes post from Sam Smith for Animated Prowl and from Evan Brooks for Metalhawk.
“Leader Legacy Evolution Skyquake is ready to take over the seeker skies and put the smackdown on some autobrats!
The second image features an outline done by the great marcelomatere when the prime redesigns were decided upon before we started Legacy. Since there was mixed feedback on Arcee and Bulkhead I decided to take a swing. My linework is featured underneath Marcelo’s , then my colored concept is featured on the next slide. Then the amazing Hisashi Yuki san from Takara Tomy had a great sketch with some renditions and suggestions. I reformatted my design and along the design development journey we both went.
You can see all the iterations of his head sculpt throughout the process.
The transformation sequence is complex but strong, Yuki sans transformations are always amazing and I often stare in wonderment when he figures them out. The articulation packed into this beast is just wild. You just get a great experience of all kinds of abilities and poses.
IMPORTANT: this sample does not have the final colors, I will try and update yall with the final deets. But I can assure you this guy has some sweet candy metallic paint applications that do wonderous things in good lighting.
He does have head light piping and the engines on his feet along with his gatling blaster are blast effect compatible. The cockpit and sculpt details all over this dude command a decepticons respect.
Please do yourself a favor and rewatch how amazing his brief appearance in the Prime series is, you will not regret it!"
“Transformers Legacy Evolution – Animated Universe Prowl
So this guys been floating around the internet for a few months, but I am glad to finally have him revealed! So let’s get into the details of Legacy Evolution Prowl. Building on the design ideology that had been established for Legacy, it was clear that we were going to have two pieces of entertainment that would require us to push the designs outside of their comfort zones, Transformers Prime and Transformers Animated.
As the debut character to represent the tone of the 2007 animation, I wanted to preserve a recognizable design aesthetic from the original character, while ensuring that it would sit comfortably amongst the rest of the legacy expression.
I reached out to santalux75 with my ideas and he got to work on an incredibly faithful design for both the bot and alt modes. With a couple of alterations to some of the proportions we were in a comfortable position to start executing the design kick off with Takara. Kunihiro Takashi is a huge Animated Prowl fan and put together a wonderful transformation plan that incorporated plenty of historical character attributes along met with modern articulation. We found a balance for how much detail we wanted to texturize the model with, that still left enough of the smooth paneling of the source material. The deco was treated much the same way, utilizing his iconic black and gold livery, met with the patroller khaki pants and his iconic blue visor.
Prowl is outfitted with his shurikens that rotate closed and can be stowed onto the wheels. While he can hold them in both hands, we wanted to ensure that the figure was still compatible with 5mm post accessories, so his right hand is sculpted to support both.”
“Hi Transformer Fans!
Just popping in to do my do-diligence to give you all a few more looks at what we revealed this week!
Starting off with our Voyager, Metalhawk!
So as mentioned in the stream, this bot is a partial of the Kingdom Cyclonus.
It uses the Hands, Shoulders, Biceps, Feet, Back of the legs, Part of the wings and a few of the joints from that figure.
You can probably get a better understanding of what pieces are re-used from Ittoku-san’s masterful detail drawing.
A few other points that I forgot to mention on the stream is that his thrusters use 3mm ports so you can load him up with blast effects. He also has a 3mm hole that becomes accessible in Jet mode for use with a display stand.
This is just a fun figure and I’m hoping going forward we can complete the JG1 Pretender teams.
Thanks for checking out the stream and supporting Transformers!
-Evan”
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Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2154994)
Posted by sol magnus on February 2nd, 2023 @ 11:09am CST
Posted by sol magnus on February 2nd, 2023 @ 11:09am CST
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2154995)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 2nd, 2023 @ 11:15am CST
Posted by Sabrblade on February 2nd, 2023 @ 11:15am CST
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155000)
Posted by william-james88 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 1:22pm CST
Posted by william-james88 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 1:22pm CST
Anyone have an image of how Metalhawk's alt mode looked like in the cartoon?
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155001)
Posted by AcademyofDrX on February 2nd, 2023 @ 1:26pm CST
Posted by AcademyofDrX on February 2nd, 2023 @ 1:26pm CST
william-james88 wrote:Anyone have an image of how Metalhawk's alt mode looked like in the cartoon?
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155011)
Posted by SpaceEagle on February 2nd, 2023 @ 2:56pm CST
Posted by SpaceEagle on February 2nd, 2023 @ 2:56pm CST
Honestly I didn't dislike the original design they were going to go for with Skyquake, but only in a "that's a neat design" way more than "that's a good Skyquake design". Not to mention the older design doesn't make him seem as beefy as the new one! 
I also just really like the new design being an amalgamation, I just find that neat personally.
I also just really like the new design being an amalgamation, I just find that neat personally.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155012)
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on February 2nd, 2023 @ 3:01pm CST
Only real change is that the arms have been relocated from the top of the jet to the sides.
Found a pic of Grimlock's leg mode, and he transforms roughly how I thought he would: arms swing to the front and peg in, legs swing back and over and the 5mm peg flips out of the main body assembly. Not bad, I wonder how they'll do Snarl.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on February 2nd, 2023 @ 3:01pm CST
AcademyofDrX wrote:william-james88 wrote:Anyone have an image of how Metalhawk's alt mode looked like in the cartoon?
Only real change is that the arms have been relocated from the top of the jet to the sides.
Found a pic of Grimlock's leg mode, and he transforms roughly how I thought he would: arms swing to the front and peg in, legs swing back and over and the 5mm peg flips out of the main body assembly. Not bad, I wonder how they'll do Snarl.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155025)
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 6:29pm CST
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 6:29pm CST
Honestly, I like the original Skyquake look, I'd like to see a jet like that down the line.
I knew something was bothering me about Metalhawk and it finally hit me, the rifle wings should sit lower to the main tail fins and/or the main tail fins should be smaller. I also would've liked to have had the Jet Rifle included too. These are probably all things that a totally new mold could've solved.
I knew something was bothering me about Metalhawk and it finally hit me, the rifle wings should sit lower to the main tail fins and/or the main tail fins should be smaller. I also would've liked to have had the Jet Rifle included too. These are probably all things that a totally new mold could've solved.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155033)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:15pm CST
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:15pm CST
I am forever grateful that they listened to the bad feedback on Bulkhead and Arcee and changed the Skyquake design. That original design was a disaster waiting to happen. The one we got is much better.
Also, Chuck, I cannot disagree more about the Menasor distribution. Thanks to SS Devastator, I discovered that I far prefer to have the combiner spread out over waves. And even so, so long as you have Motormaster, you can have a full big robot, so he suffers the least for it
Also, Chuck, I cannot disagree more about the Menasor distribution. Thanks to SS Devastator, I discovered that I far prefer to have the combiner spread out over waves. And even so, so long as you have Motormaster, you can have a full big robot, so he suffers the least for it
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155034)
Posted by Till-all-R1 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:23pm CST
Posted by Till-all-R1 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:23pm CST
Metalhawk looks alright for the most part but he simply an unknown to me as I stopped watching the show after seeing the Movie. I don't really remember why, but has I recently went back to watch the whole series to reacquaint myself with everyone I can understand why I stopped.
Thus he's not really a character that resonates with me and I don't need every bot made, and I don't really care for how thick the body design is under the "Jet" part. Just throws off the aesthetics when in alt mode IMO. Though I might get him if I see him on a sale because his bot mode ain't too bad.
I'm not into Prime series design at all, so none of those are ever going to interest me.
Thus he's not really a character that resonates with me and I don't need every bot made, and I don't really care for how thick the body design is under the "Jet" part. Just throws off the aesthetics when in alt mode IMO. Though I might get him if I see him on a sale because his bot mode ain't too bad.
I'm not into Prime series design at all, so none of those are ever going to interest me.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155037)
Posted by Sowndwave76 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:43pm CST
I’m in this same boat with you.
On both accounts.
I really like the original Prime design aesthetic…. But these new designs have moved away from those enough that I really have no interest in those at all.
And unfortunately the same can be said for Animated Prowl.
Saying I don’t like that look is a ginormous understatement.
Posted by Sowndwave76 on February 2nd, 2023 @ 7:43pm CST
Till-all-R1 wrote:Metalhawk looks alright for the most part but he simply an unknown to me as I stopped watching the show after seeing the Movie. I don't really remember why, but has I recently went back to watch the whole series to reacquaint myself with everyone I can understand why I stopped.
Thus he's not really a character that resonates with me and I don't need every bot made, and I don't really care for how thick the body design is under the "Jet" part. Just throws off the aesthetics when in alt mode IMO. Though I might get him if I see him on a sale because his bot mode ain't too bad.
I'm not into Prime series design at all, so none of those are ever going to interest me.
I’m in this same boat with you.
On both accounts.
I really like the original Prime design aesthetic…. But these new designs have moved away from those enough that I really have no interest in those at all.
And unfortunately the same can be said for Animated Prowl.
Saying I don’t like that look is a ginormous understatement.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155050)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 12:43am CST
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 12:43am CST
Unless you were Japanese (or had someone in Japan sending you tapes) you wouldn't have seen Metalhawk in the 80s anyway as his series, super god masterforce, wasn't officially subbed till the 00s (fan subs filled the void before then)
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155052)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 1:22am CST
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 1:22am CST
Don't forget all the Malaysian kids who watched the Omni Productions dub.ZeroWolf wrote:Unless you were Japanese (or had someone in Japan sending you tapes) you wouldn't have seen Metalhawk in the 80s anyway as his series, super god masterforce, wasn't officially subbed till the 00s (fan subs filled the void before then)
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155053)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 2:39am CST
Ah yes, how could I have forgotten those dubs
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 2:39am CST
Sabrblade wrote:Don't forget all the Malaysian kids who watched the Omni Productions dub.ZeroWolf wrote:Unless you were Japanese (or had someone in Japan sending you tapes) you wouldn't have seen Metalhawk in the 80s anyway as his series, super god masterforce, wasn't officially subbed till the 00s (fan subs filled the void before then)
Ah yes, how could I have forgotten those dubs
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155061)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:13am CST
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:13am CST
Back in December I had said...
I got some flack about it being too soon for those comments to have an effect on Skyquake. And yet:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Emerje wrote:Hasbro also said they acknowledge the complaints about the Prime Universe figure designs and will be taking that into consideration for Animated toys. Skyquake looks to be the best of the Prime Universe figures so they do seem to be listening.
I got some flack about it being too soon for those comments to have an effect on Skyquake. And yet:
The second image features an outline done by the great marcelomatere when the prime redesigns were decided upon before we started Legacy. Since there was mixed feedback on Arcee and Bulkhead I decided to take a swing.
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155074)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:44am CST
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:44am CST
And, shockingly, Metalhawk and the Masterforce Pretenders all got a shout-out in one of the Marvel UK letters pages (in the first question):ZeroWolf wrote:Sabrblade wrote:Don't forget all the Malaysian kids who watched the Omni Productions dub.ZeroWolf wrote:Unless you were Japanese (or had someone in Japan sending you tapes) you wouldn't have seen Metalhawk in the 80s anyway as his series, super god masterforce, wasn't officially subbed till the 00s (fan subs filled the void before then)
Ah yes, how could I have forgotten those dubs
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155077)
Posted by Immortal Starscream on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:04am CST
Posted by Immortal Starscream on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:04am CST
so when bbts had preorders up for metalhawk and twincast, before they had images and took them down, I got an order in for metalhawk. Today, I just got an arrival notice for him. 
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155079)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:33am CST
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:33am CST
Emerje wrote:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155081)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:39am CST
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:39am CST
Got'em.
I'll post pictures and my impressions tonight.
I'll post pictures and my impressions tonight.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155082)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:45am CST
More like 1.5ish years (though the .3 is heavily variable depending on when we get the first sightings in.)
If I recall correctly, we first saw Arcee and Bulkhead in the September/October time of 2021. A full 2 years would mean Skyquake dropping into shelves fall this year. Or at least, that's my take on it.
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 3rd, 2023 @ 11:45am CST
william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
More like 1.5ish years (though the .3 is heavily variable depending on when we get the first sightings in.)
If I recall correctly, we first saw Arcee and Bulkhead in the September/October time of 2021. A full 2 years would mean Skyquake dropping into shelves fall this year. Or at least, that's my take on it.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155102)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 2:32pm CST
Since when does the two years go from concept to release? It's supposed to be from concept to production. And I'd like to think they weren't taking the criticism seriously until people started to get these in hand just a little over a year ago. Seeing as how we now have multiple reports of people either finding wave 2 in shops or ready to ship (and in North America, not Asia!) I don't think we're that far from Skyquake turning up. Hasbro has tightened up their turnaround times to unprecedented levels.
Emerje
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 2:32pm CST
william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
Since when does the two years go from concept to release? It's supposed to be from concept to production. And I'd like to think they weren't taking the criticism seriously until people started to get these in hand just a little over a year ago. Seeing as how we now have multiple reports of people either finding wave 2 in shops or ready to ship (and in North America, not Asia!) I don't think we're that far from Skyquake turning up. Hasbro has tightened up their turnaround times to unprecedented levels.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155112)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 3:04pm CST
I thought it was from concept to release. Hasbro would use the two years to talk of toys they were revealing ("we started working on these two years ago, and here they are now" type thing), often times not far from actual release.
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 3:04pm CST
Emerje wrote:william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
Since when does the two years go from concept to release? It's supposed to be from concept to production.
I thought it was from concept to release. Hasbro would use the two years to talk of toys they were revealing ("we started working on these two years ago, and here they are now" type thing), often times not far from actual release.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155125)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 3:47pm CST
But the whole, "here's some new toys, they'll be out in a couple months" thing is a pretty recent development. Back when they used to talk about the two year time during Toy Fair, BotCon and SDCC we had to wait nearly half a year before figures would actually see release. I really doubt the Skyquake redesign happened in 2021, it make no sense for them to make such a drastic change before fans actually had them in hand and could form a better opinion of them. Surely their original plan was to ease fans into new designs that they could easily use for other figures and would have resisted Prime accuracy as long as they could.
Emerje
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 3:47pm CST
william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:
I've said for a while that the whole two year production schedule isn't really a thing anymore. Sure, they plan lines long in advance and probably already have a solid idea of what they're doing in 2025, but they can also do things like overhauling War for Cybertron part 3 in record time and not just produce Kingdom but also SS86.
Emerje
Isn't it still 2 years between Mark drawing that new Skyquake and it appearing evebtually on shelves ?
Since when does the two years go from concept to release? It's supposed to be from concept to production.
I thought it was from concept to release. Hasbro would use the two years to talk of toys they were revealing ("we started working on these two years ago, and here they are now" type thing), often times not far from actual release.
But the whole, "here's some new toys, they'll be out in a couple months" thing is a pretty recent development. Back when they used to talk about the two year time during Toy Fair, BotCon and SDCC we had to wait nearly half a year before figures would actually see release. I really doubt the Skyquake redesign happened in 2021, it make no sense for them to make such a drastic change before fans actually had them in hand and could form a better opinion of them. Surely their original plan was to ease fans into new designs that they could easily use for other figures and would have resisted Prime accuracy as long as they could.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155129)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:20pm CST
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:20pm CST
Distribution is wild. Turns out Metalhawk shipments landed in North America a little while ago and the smaller stores have been quicker to get them to their clients. While BBTS is in the process of fulfilling orders, some Canadians (like me) were able to get him live. The one pictured below (by me) was bought at the store Geekstuff in Laval, Qc, where he is still in stock at $50 CAD ($37 USD). While a review is coming, here are some in hand images first. We see a comparison to Cyclonus, his mold mate, and the Titans Return Metalhawk. Plus lots of other images showcasing his effects part compatibility and scale with other figures.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155132)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:34pm CST
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:34pm CST
Looks like I can be lazy then.
I'll open my Metalhawk later.
Now all I'll need is the Botcon Metalhawk.
And if I ever find a Monkey Paw, the original and complete G1...
I'll open my Metalhawk later.
Now all I'll need is the Botcon Metalhawk.
And if I ever find a Monkey Paw, the original and complete G1...
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155133)
Posted by Till-all-R1 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:35pm CST
Posted by Till-all-R1 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:35pm CST
I can understand that time frame for an all new mold, but for a retool it shouldn't take as long as they only need to adjust the new to fit the old. A repaint it should be even far less.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155134)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:38pm CST
It's not just some retool like a new head. At least 60% of the thing is all new parts. Those take time to do. Regardless, Kingdom Cyclonus is not that old so unless you have the life expectancy of a mouse, the timeframe was relatively short.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:38pm CST
Till-all-R1 wrote:I can understand that time frame for an all new mold, but for a retool it shouldn't take as long as they only need to adjust the new to fit the old. A repaint it should be even far less.
It's not just some retool like a new head. At least 60% of the thing is all new parts. Those take time to do. Regardless, Kingdom Cyclonus is not that old so unless you have the life expectancy of a mouse, the timeframe was relatively short.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155136)
Posted by DeathReviews on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:43pm CST
Posted by DeathReviews on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:43pm CST
Oh, and rubbing it in that he's got a copy of Cosmos? That's just cruel...
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155137)
Posted by Flashwave on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:51pm CST
I know. "I have a legally obtained copy of a figure that we only saw 3 days ago for the first time" and the biggest flex in the photo is still *****in' Cosmos
I have given up on the little green mech.
Posted by Flashwave on February 3rd, 2023 @ 4:51pm CST
DeathReviews wrote:Oh, and rubbing it in that he's got a copy of Cosmos? That's just cruel...
I know. "I have a legally obtained copy of a figure that we only saw 3 days ago for the first time" and the biggest flex in the photo is still *****in' Cosmos
I have given up on the little green mech.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155140)
Posted by o.supreme on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:07pm CST
Posted by o.supreme on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:07pm CST
Wow great pics. Even side by side I see very little similarities to Kingdom Cyclonus. I'm glad I pre ordered him. I wonder if I can request a picture with him next to ER Prime and Kingdom Rodimus.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155142)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:19pm CST
Sure thing!
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:19pm CST
o.supreme wrote:Wow great pics. Even side by side I see very little similarities to Kingdom Cyclonus. I'm glad I pre ordered him. I wonder if I can request a picture with him next to ER Prime and Kingdom Rodimus.
Sure thing!
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155144)
Posted by Nemesis Primal on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:47pm CST
Posted by Nemesis Primal on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:47pm CST
That original Skyquake concept design isn't a bad design overall, but it also definitely isn't Skyquake, so I guess I'm glad now that people complained so much about Bulkhead and Arcee even though I don't have problems with either of them. Shame it came too late to fix Knock Out though. I am confused what exactly he's saying is inaccurate about the current deco though, since the leaks and the samples shown here and on Tuesday all match the box renders & art as well?
Also, Metalhawk arriving already?! Guess I might seriously consider putting in a BBTS preorder at this rate.
Also, Metalhawk arriving already?! Guess I might seriously consider putting in a BBTS preorder at this rate.
Did they say Deluxe Class when they confirmed the name and I missed it, or is this just an assumption? It'd make their comment about the pipeline stuff not all being 1 wave make sense if they revealed 3 Voyagers between Dirge, Nemesis Leo, and Axlegrease being our mystery Voyager Junkion, if Axlegrease is the "Junkion 3" Deluxe I'm confused why they felt the need to say that (and that'll lead to a kinda-short Lockdown if all that "the muscle car Junkion is a Lockdown pretool" speculation pans out).william-james88 wrote:Nemesis Primal wrote:Also, is Axlegrease gonna be the remaining Deluxe Junkion or the Voyager....
Pretty sure it will be the remaining deluxe Junkion
...or it just means they used switch-gating (I think is the right term?) to get all the parts the correct color despite still technically sharing the sprue, like how Minerva came out with 3 different colors of clear plastic parts.ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Twincast is... a mixed bag for me.
While it's interesting to know that I was wrong and that the Eject mold is apparently completely separate from his sprues (since the tape window is red while Rewind is black)... that means that they didn't have to include Rewind with him and could have given us the expanded tape door instead, with Rewind being sold in a pack or something.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155145)
Posted by Razorbeast88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:52pm CST
I agree with all of this
Skyquake looks great now, previous design would've been a big letdown
Bulkhead and Arcee weren't perfect but I own both and I like them enough
Knock Out I just couldn't justify purchasing. The character is cool but the headsculpt just bothers me too much
Posted by Razorbeast88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 6:52pm CST
Nemesis Primal wrote:That original Skyquake concept design isn't a bad design overall, but it also definitely isn't Skyquake, so I guess I'm glad now that people complained so much about Bulkhead and Arcee even though I don't have problems with either of them. Shame it came too late to fix Knock Out though.
I agree with all of this
Skyquake looks great now, previous design would've been a big letdown
Bulkhead and Arcee weren't perfect but I own both and I like them enough
Knock Out I just couldn't justify purchasing. The character is cool but the headsculpt just bothers me too much
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155147)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 7:16pm CST
He mentioned "candy metallic" so I'm thinking the red is supposed to be metallic as well to match the silver and green paint details instead of dark gloss red. They also could have decided to add a metallic coating to all the green similar to What Takara Tomy used to do with a lot of their figures.
Emerje
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 7:16pm CST
Nemesis Primal wrote:That original Skyquake concept design isn't a bad design overall, but it also definitely isn't Skyquake, so I guess I'm glad now that people complained so much about Bulkhead and Arcee even though I don't have problems with either of them. Shame it came too late to fix Knock Out though. I am confused what exactly he's saying is inaccurate about the current deco though, since the leaks and the samples shown here and on Tuesday all match the box renders & art as well?
He mentioned "candy metallic" so I'm thinking the red is supposed to be metallic as well to match the silver and green paint details instead of dark gloss red. They also could have decided to add a metallic coating to all the green similar to What Takara Tomy used to do with a lot of their figures.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155148)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 7:56pm CST
I could only locate seige Optimus now, so he'll have to do.
.
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 7:56pm CST
o.supreme wrote:Wow great pics. Even side by side I see very little similarities to Kingdom Cyclonus. I'm glad I pre ordered him. I wonder if I can request a picture with him next to ER Prime and Kingdom Rodimus.
I could only locate seige Optimus now, so he'll have to do.
.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155149)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:03pm CST
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:03pm CST
Here is a review for the newly revealed Transformers Legacy Evolution voyager Metalhawk. This item is out at specialty retailers, along with Twincast. The review below compares the mold to Cyclonus, showing how it is less complex in certain places. So, with this toy available at collector retailers in Canada and the US, are you going to be getting it now? Or wait to see if Walmart or Target stock it sufficiently in stores?
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155150)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:04pm CST
Posted by Sabrblade on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:04pm CST
This just all makes me think about what could have been if Fun Pub had instead used Universe Cyclonus to make Metalhawk back in 2012.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155157)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:57pm CST
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 8:57pm CST
Can his wing tips also take blast effect parts?
I think we can thank his simplicity for getting us two guns and a sword instead of just one very hollow gun like on Cyclonus.
Emerje
I think we can thank his simplicity for getting us two guns and a sword instead of just one very hollow gun like on Cyclonus.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155159)
Posted by o.supreme on February 3rd, 2023 @ 9:03pm CST
Looking good. Thank you so much
. I'll definitely have to retake my pictures of heroic leaders once I get him.
Posted by o.supreme on February 3rd, 2023 @ 9:03pm CST
william-james88 wrote:
I could only locate seige Optimus now, so he'll have to do.
.
Looking good. Thank you so much
. I'll definitely have to retake my pictures of heroic leaders once I get him.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155161)
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:17pm CST
Indeed
Posted by william-james88 on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:17pm CST
Emerje wrote:Can his wing tips also take blast effect parts?
Indeed
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155162)
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:43pm CST
Great, I wasn't all that thrilled with the tail wing guns being blocked in jet mode so it's good to know the ones on the wing tips are actually intended as guns.
Emerje
Posted by Emerje on February 3rd, 2023 @ 10:43pm CST
william-james88 wrote:Emerje wrote:Can his wing tips also take blast effect parts?
Indeed
Great, I wasn't all that thrilled with the tail wing guns being blocked in jet mode so it's good to know the ones on the wing tips are actually intended as guns.
Emerje
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155169)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:26am CST
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:26am CST
I just transformed Metalhawk and he's just 50% Cyclonus. The transformation is much more simple, with less steps. Also this time around, the arms turn to the front of the jet instead of the back.
Metalhawk is still pretty massive and he got a LOT of paint. It's just too bad that he doesn't have a gold plated chestplate, but that would have been overkill.
As for Rewind, he's pretty awesome. But man, they really overdid it with his accessories.
Metalhawk is still pretty massive and he got a LOT of paint. It's just too bad that he doesn't have a gold plated chestplate, but that would have been overkill.
As for Rewind, he's pretty awesome. But man, they really overdid it with his accessories.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155170)
Posted by Nemesis Reformatted on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:56am CST
Posted by Nemesis Reformatted on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:56am CST
What is up with Hasbro & their jet modes lately? Jhiaxus, Skyquake & now Metal Hawk have absolutely godawful alt modes. I'm all about jet & spaceship Transformers but I won't touch any of these. I was really looking forward to this one because there haven't been many jet transformers recently but I almost puked when I saw that jet mode. What the hell happened to Hasbro? They're not even trying anymore. 
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155175)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 7:08am CST
3/4 of your posts are just about being negative and depressing over nonsensical things.
Please just go outside and touch grass. Dig through the snow if you have to.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 7:08am CST
Nemesis Reformatted wrote:What is up with Hasbro & their jet modes lately? Jhiaxus, Skyquake & now Metal Hawk have absolutely godawful alt modes. I'm all about jet & spaceship Transformers but I won't touch any of these. I was really looking forward to this one because there haven't been many jet transformers recently but I almost puked when I saw that jet mode. What the hell happened to Hasbro? They're not even trying anymore.
3/4 of your posts are just about being negative and depressing over nonsensical things.
Please just go outside and touch grass. Dig through the snow if you have to.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155186)
Posted by transformers_va on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:02am CST
And almost all your posts, when responding to people who dislike certain designs/lines, are just about how wrong their opinions are (especially bad, when you're a member of staff). Sorry, not all of us are happy with the way Transformers are progressing.
This used to be a forum where we could discuss differing views civilly, but apparently it's become an "agree with us, or go away" site... sad.
Posted by transformers_va on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:02am CST
100%!Nemesis Reformatted wrote:What the hell happened to Hasbro? They're not even trying anymore.
-Kanrabat- wrote:3/4 of your posts are just about being negative and depressing over nonsensical things.
Please just go outside and touch grass. Dig through the snow if you have to.
And almost all your posts, when responding to people who dislike certain designs/lines, are just about how wrong their opinions are (especially bad, when you're a member of staff). Sorry, not all of us are happy with the way Transformers are progressing.
This used to be a forum where we could discuss differing views civilly, but apparently it's become an "agree with us, or go away" site... sad.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155187)
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:20am CST
All you and that other one do is whine, whine, whine, whine, and feel "superior" about it.
You are free to be negative about everything.
And we are free to call you out for it.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:20am CST
transformers_va wrote:This used to be a forum where we could discuss differing views civilly, but apparently it's become an "agree with us, or go away" site... sad.
All you and that other one do is whine, whine, whine, whine, and feel "superior" about it.
You are free to be negative about everything.
And we are free to call you out for it.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155188)
Posted by transformers_va on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:28am CST
Thanks for proving my point... hahahaha
Insults and personal attacks are indications of a weak mind.
Posted by transformers_va on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:28am CST
-Kanrabat- wrote:All you and that other one do is whine, whine, whine, whine, and feel "superior" about it.
You are free to be negative about everything.
And we are free to call you out for it.
Thanks for proving my point... hahahaha
Insults and personal attacks are indications of a weak mind.
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155189)
Posted by Sabrblade on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:29am CST
Posted by Sabrblade on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:29am CST
New leak updates on future Legacy waves from Jtprime17:
Updated wave breakdowns for legacy evo wave 3 and 4. What’s interesting is voyager Ramjet PR is listed in neither assortments but is still listed across multiple store systems. I’ll keep y’all posted if I get anymore info on his availability.
Wave 3: July
Core:
Skar x2
Swoop x2
Starscream PR x2
Grimlock x2
Deluxe:
Beachcomber x2
Devcon x2
Axelgreese x2
Tarantulas PR x2
Voyager:
Nemesis Leo x2
Dirge PR x1
Leader:
Armada Megatron x1
Blitzwing PR x1
Wave 4: October
Core:
Snarl x2
Optimus Prime PR x2
Sludge x2
Slug x2
Deluxe:
Shadowstriker x2
Strongarm x2
Bombshell x2
Detritus x2
Voyager:
Junkion x2
Bludgeon x1
Leader:
Prime Dreadwing x1
Laser Optimus Prime PR x1
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155193)
Posted by Razorbeast88 on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:54am CST
I really like Skyquake's alt mode, looks pretty solid
Jhiaxus is good too, I thought. Lots of undercarriage, if thats the part that you dislike
When I first saw Metalhawks jet mode I didn't like it either, looks kind of ugly and oversimplified. But then I saw how it looked in the cartoon on this forum and the design looks pretty faithful. How did you feel about the alt mode for Cyclonus though?
Posted by Razorbeast88 on February 4th, 2023 @ 11:54am CST
Nemesis Reformatted wrote:What is up with Hasbro & their jet modes lately? Jhiaxus, Skyquake & now Metal Hawk have absolutely godawful alt modes. I'm all about jet & spaceship Transformers but I won't touch any of these. I was really looking forward to this one because there haven't been many jet transformers recently but I almost puked when I saw that jet mode. What the hell happened to Hasbro? They're not even trying anymore.
I really like Skyquake's alt mode, looks pretty solid
Jhiaxus is good too, I thought. Lots of undercarriage, if thats the part that you dislike
When I first saw Metalhawks jet mode I didn't like it either, looks kind of ugly and oversimplified. But then I saw how it looked in the cartoon on this forum and the design looks pretty faithful. How did you feel about the alt mode for Cyclonus though?
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155196)
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 4th, 2023 @ 12:07pm CST
I'm quite impressed by the retool effort shown on metalhawk here, I also like Skyquake but everyone's tastes are subjective (I'm not a big fan of the attempt of animated Prowl for instance but I won't begrudge anyone who wants it).
Posted by ZeroWolf on February 4th, 2023 @ 12:07pm CST
Razorbeast88 wrote:Nemesis Reformatted wrote:What is up with Hasbro & their jet modes lately? Jhiaxus, Skyquake & now Metal Hawk have absolutely godawful alt modes. I'm all about jet & spaceship Transformers but I won't touch any of these. I was really looking forward to this one because there haven't been many jet transformers recently but I almost puked when I saw that jet mode. What the hell happened to Hasbro? They're not even trying anymore.
I really like Skyquake's alt mode, looks pretty solid
Jhiaxus is good too, I thought. Lots of undercarriage, if thats the part that you dislike
When I first saw Metalhawks jet mode I didn't like it either, looks kind of ugly and oversimplified. But then I saw how it looked in the cartoon on this forum and the design looks pretty faithful. How did you feel about the alt mode for Cyclonus though?
I'm quite impressed by the retool effort shown on metalhawk here, I also like Skyquake but everyone's tastes are subjective (I'm not a big fan of the attempt of animated Prowl for instance but I won't begrudge anyone who wants it).
Re: Here is How Legacy Skyquake Looked Originally and how it was Redesigned (2155204)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:29pm CST
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on February 4th, 2023 @ 1:29pm CST
Here's a way to think about Animated Prowl: He deliberately restyled his body to blend in, because Ninja.
So, Black Zarak is technically Legacy (if by way of Selects). And so...
Did not get around to taking a picture of him with Skullgrin yet.
So, Black Zarak is technically Legacy (if by way of Selects). And so...
Did not get around to taking a picture of him with Skullgrin yet.
