COMBINER DEBATE! Scramble City VS Regular Gestalt! Which Transformers Are BETTER?!?!

[@Chrisjaam]

Which Type of Combiner do yall prefer ❓️❓️❓️

[@Jazmission]

I don't care as long if it just combines

[@jackblackrosedragon9325]

I like a combiner where all of the bots become limbs. I don't mind parts forming, I just don't like the skeletons. Personally. I can understand why people do and I can humbly sit them out as not every figure is meant to be mine. The world doesn't revolve around me lol. I just wish that we could have a civil conversation about what is LOST with the skeleton method. I'm tired of hearing what's essentially COMBINER WARS IS TRASH, SKELETON IS THE WAYYYY!!!! We all collect for different reasons and we all like different things. I feel like the skeleton takes out a lot of the puzzle aspect out of the toy. I enjoy the idea that each figure has to be a triple changer. I also don't like that they have stopped the limbs from basically doing any transformation, and yet STILL seem to have weaknesses in robot modes and in vehicle modes. I don't like how thin the arms are on the one arm bot(forgive me not remembering which one). The team completely removed an entire mode, I feel like the least we should get is decent transformers at the end of the day. But look at menasor. Most people HATE the figures outside of dragstrip. Where the skeleton makes for a better combined figure, combiner wars I feel gave us better individual robots. Just my OPINION.

[@ZiYT4227]

both nuff said

[@tiagosales4913]

Both

[@Mask2177-i7z]

I like all the legacy combiners minus super combiner war superior it’s just my personal favorite and I own him now

[@coffeeinhandproductions3238]

While I'm not really a stickler for animation accuracy finding it more the icing on the cake what ultimately decides me is overall quality, articulation and stability. These later era Combiners seem to do all that, and at a Commander Class price point given 8 solid releases you know you're probably getting your moneys worth with Silverbolt, Hook, and Longhaul. The main infrastructure is what's the selling point here for me, and like Menasaur not expecting anything from the individual limbs. The combined effort looks great though, holds together without issue, and poses great. I subjectively don't see what more there is to want here. This for the first time in collecting actually excites me for both Brutucus, and Defensor who are sure to follow in the years to come. Those who have and love the Combiner Wars variations are more than welcome to, I'm just moving on.

[@nathangerardy2669]

As a G1er who likes the cartoon aesthetic I am happy with the new frame based designs. Toon look, then stability, pose ability then individual bots same in that same order. CW looked horrible, and had really weak stability. They could be better, but I'll be getting them.

[@hthrun]

How can people complain when both options are available? Just get the sets you like.

[@Ms.Ronloodle]

Not necessarily, unless you wanna pay the high aftermarket prices for the individual components.

[@hthrun]

@@Ms.Ronloodle that's a conversation about distribution. Unless people think they were going to make pretty much the same sets all over again...

[@RogueWarbird118TFPF]

The 'new' ones aren't combiners, they're decorations on a bigger robot. And the dedication to a shitty low detail 40 year old cartoon baffles me tbh. And i grew up with it! That cartoon did nothing to suck me into the world like the comic did. That was always where it was at for me. I love the creativity of scramble city, the potential mix and matchy ness of it. And not feeling like you have to buy a specific limb bot to complete it if you don't like the look of it.

[@xtroguyver]

and if you want scrable city style thats what combiner wars deed, in order to do new version of the combiners they have to try something different, and the comics for the most part used the same designs as the cartoon did

[@jackblackrosedragon9325]

I TOTALLY agree.

[@dgray3771]

I am very much an audio sensitive person. For me the voices of the characters as well as the music " used for both the Transformers and GI Joe" really brought everything to life for me as a kid. Not so much the look of the figures in cartoon per say. But I get what you are saying. As far as the combiners go, the old Scramble city is where it's at. I still got my original Computron, I got Bruticus, Piranacon and Menasor. And I love how they are very interchangeable and as a kid they were so much fun to play with. I feel the CW toys try it but ultimately fail. Why I say that is pretty simple. The stability isn't there. And I got all of them. Every single figure from the main release. Just too much issues with stability. Where the gestalt simply droops or has to be at an awkward angle to stay up. Over time it gets worse too. Combiners is where my love with Transformers is, and I dare say I go far and beyond with HasTak figures in getting combiners. The best from that era would be Predaking from PotP, that is the only one as a gestalt that works. It stands rock-solid and holds together perfectly. The downside is the figures separately are just not that pretty to look at. and their alt modes are more goofy than anything. But in terms of making the gestalt work they were in the right direction. As for the limb bots. all of them in CW and PotP failed. They cant even hold up a pew pew. They just droop. At least the 80s combiners could put the arm straight forward and hold a gun... This is really unacceptable. But if you like that then go ahead. Also for those that say they can do mods, buy add-ons etc etc. Hold on, does the new Menasor need add ons to do basic functions like stand an A pose with ankle rockers? Or hold his arms up? Because those features are included. Now in terms of play, having scramble city figures makes it possible to switcharoo yeah that is fun. But the figures can barely pose. This new line of combiners will be able to pose and do all that and more. Yeah they can't scramble, but I wonder if kids find that a big issue.

[@DarthRakdos0805]

Superion and Menasor never were true combiners in the first place.

[@xtroguyver]

@@RogueWarbird118TFPF and the only time tf fiction ever used the scramble combining feature is g1 was a Japanese oav, outside of that ruination in RiD

[@IMosuGoji]

The “frame” design will only work, and it fails to work even then, for Superion and Menasor. Bruticus, Defensor, and every other Combiner to ever come out for G1 uses the Scramble City design, where the bots actually become the limbs instead of the combined mode wearing the vehicles. Hasbro/Takara have essentially locked themselves into the frame design and now they have to do an entirely new system. Scramble City is also a fundamentally better system because you can switch arms to be legs and vice versa, adding a lot more options (which are good! as Emgo says) and play for kids and collectors alike. This is why Combiner Wars and G1 worked so well, by allowing you to mix and match arms and make your own teams. If they can just find out how to ensure that the limbs will hold up and the torso will have more stability than the CW, then the perfect Combiner system can be achieved.

[@reedy9333]

Well, it really seems like even with the body frame. Engineering, they could do something similar to the scramble city, if say the uh arm jets break in half at the same point, and in the same way as the car arms so you could throw slingshot on minissaur and drag strip on superion...

[@caffeinedelusions]

Here’s my biggest thought on it. Both are cool and have their place… but the differences between them should matter within the fiction and lore. I love seeing big powerhouse combiners like Devastator and Predaking being big bruisers that raise the stakes of an engagement instantly because the whole is more than the sum of its parts. I feel like a good Gestalt should be nearly on-par with baseformers like Metroplex. Not perfectly on par, but Devastator forming on his front lawn should be enough to make Fortress Maximus get out of bed and put pants on. I feel like the Scramble City model is cool and versatile on the fantasy front (especially back in G1 where the team bosses all had some kind of base mode that brought the ‘city’ to the name), but it would pay for them to think of ways in which scrambling (swapping around who’s an arm and who’s a leg) could MATTER. Take a hypothetical Bruticus, for instance. Blast Off as an arm might offer Bruticus a flamethrower, while as a leg he might give Bruticus a rocket-powered dash. Brawl as a leg might give Bruticus a shockwave stomp, while as an arm he might give Bruticus a Megatron-style forearm canon. Scramble City combiners are where the fantasy should be on the versatility and capabilities of the TEAM so that the way they scramble together matters to what they can do. If we ever see Scramble City 3.0, that’s what I want out of the fiction. And they should contrast that with Single Configuration Gestalts at the same time.

[@hthrun]

I don't care about Sunbow screen accuracy, but I prefer figures that are easier to pose and play with. I imagine the new sets are better for both of those areas. However, I don't care for many extra parts.... I only collect movie toys, so I don't have to worry about it...

[@d.r.dproductions6519]

Scramble city

[@matiasmarcelotoledop]

I prefer scramble city, i like seeing the components on combiners

[@Gigi4u]

There are 3 types of combiner. 1st Scramble city type(all limb bots are interchangeable for fun factor) 2nd specialized type (with no interchangeable limb bots for better look and proportions) 3rd heavy partsforming/frame type (Were major parts of the combined mode are made from one or more separate parts that don't transform in to a combiner team member, it's done for maximum accuracy).

[@royasturias1784]

2nd type applies to Rail Racer / JRX

[@zacharyowenmartin8247]

If they use this frame style for Bruticus, I'd argue it would be less screen accurate. His limbs are literally the vehicles vs Menasor's "cars strapped to a dude" look

[@royasturias1784]

Yeah, not every gestalt can do the Scramble City-style combination... Raiden formed by the 6 Autobot Trainbots (not sure about the MPG version of them) Devastator (except Constructicon Maximus in Superlink/Energon) Predaking that isn't a 3rd-party attempt Magnaboss (Maximals Lio Junior, Santon and Skywarp) and Tripredacus (Predacons Cicadacon, Ramhorn and Sea Clamp) Road Caesar (one member forms the head, body and arms while the remaining two form the legs) Landfill (Wedge forms the head and body, while the remaining three rotate behind Wedge to form arms, legs and various weapon loadouts) Rail Racer / JRX that is partly inspired by Getter Robo and also the two Autobot trios in the gaiden show TF GO! The Prime Core Combiner releases The RiD201x Combiners from S3, ugh!

[@franzise3605]

I'd almost consider Landfill a spiritual successor to the Scramble City style, you have the head/torso formed by one guy while the other three can each become both arms or one of the legs

[@shadowinthevoid]

The main CombinerWars/PowerOfThePrime combiners suffered from a some specific issues with certain figures and just too many figures using too close a mold. I'd love to see some more combiners in that style again with a bit more effort taken. That said, Legacy Menosor is great. I really like the look of Superior. I'd like a Bruticus and Defensor that is half way between the 2, a nice big Onslaught and Hotspot with any extra combiner bits in a trailer but just really solid but with CW style ports and the limb bots are the actual limbs

[@greendragon1226]

Scramble city aesthetic wise (having the actual bots be the limbs) but the newer ones for everything else really

[@Loremastrful]

My top concern is story. Without story you have a chunk of plastic. Like the Power Core Combiners, clever engineering, but its wasted without a good story. I imagine Scramble City types were created with the idea that you weren't going to get a whole team every single time. It was true in my childhood. I had Onslaught, Blast Off and Swindle, my brother had Dragstrip, Wildrider and a Blades. So until we could finish the teams (a real big if in those days) we'd cobble together a Brutisor and took turns. (A rare time when we worked together and shared. Fast forward 30 years and I find some things about Combiner Wars I like and things I still hate with a burning passion. Some of the CW molds, I genuinely like: the helicopter, the off-road truck and stratojet body. I still despise the sports car mold and the fembot hot-rod mold. But what I enjoyed from Combiner Wars was the chance to make up new stories for these teams. I don't mind what came before in previous series, but I prefer a story where they are more involved with the team dynamic and how those teams are integrated into the fighting force. The more recent combiners are cool. (Accept for the scarcity of Motormaster). But just like the minicars, I'm not thrilled about re-buying figures a second or third time. Repaints are on me. It's ultimately on me if I buy the red one AND the blue one knowing they are the same figure. But selling a different figure that gives me pause.

[@Hot.Rod0311]

The topic is as always very much subjective. As for having the toys look as they did from the cartoon…. i have been waiting 40yrs since i was a kid to have that look. I remember being a kid & having TFs in hand, my 7yr old self knew that this looked nothing like the cartoon. As a professional adult, i am very pleased that Hasbro is FINALLY making their toys look as the cartoons/comics look & will be buying these new combiners & selling the old one for fair market price, not scumbag scalper prices. Not to mention that this new style is much sturdier as well. Ppl can cry all they want, but they are the same ppl who will spend hundreds of dollars on bootleg combiners; i.e ZetaToys Superion, UniqueToys Bruticus, & etc.

[@jakethegreatest473]

The trailer being part of combined mode is fine....Scramble City style is fine........depends on the figure.....I lean toward more engineering on the core robot.

[@franzise3605]

Scramble City-style combining is cool but if I had to pick between CW era combiners or the stability of Legacy Menasor, I'd go with the latter any day, being more animation-accurate is just a bonus Of course having both would be awesome, but I'm pretty sure even most third party combiners struggle with that

[@dgray3771]

I got both Menasor combiners and the Legacy Menasor is better. In every way. I love scramble city, but the sacrifices made to function that way are too great. A voyager cannot hold 4 figures and function. Neither can the elbows and knees work properly without ratchets for something that big. They can't hold weapons properly at all. And if you want anything like posable hands or ankle rockers you need 3p add ons.

[@yee_dino]

I didn't exist during G1, so I don't really care about cartoon accuracy. But I do prefer the OG because it looks cleaner to me. Would be nice if Hasbro mixed both OG and scramble. Tbh this doesn't really matter to me as I won't be able to get a full combiner.

[@ammiel_0087]

For me at least i like both cw and the new one i love the g2 aerialbots that we got in cw and recently i buy them for a really decent price so i plan getting the new one for g1 representation an keep the cw until someday we have g2 repaints of the new ones

[@dgray3771]

Ill have a hard time letting go of my Takara Computron and my set of Seacons. If they plan to revisit them with new figures. Basically they cost me an arm and a leg to get. And I love both combiners a lot. I got the G1 originals too.

[@IssacGausman]

I'm not sure I Don t collect combiners to the cost

[@theragoooverlord5021]

I can get that menasor is a frame the sunticims attach to but you cant really see breakdown and wildrider on legacy menasor, they added kneepads. That frame design they are using right now would be terrible for a bruticus.

[@NemesisPrimeWOOO]

My menosor is really stable so i think gestalt works but scramble city looks so fun and silly

[@Toucan101]

Sry I’m late, fell asleep, also, cartoon acurate

[@osenator]

Bah, I am happy with Combiner War tfs. They do the job, most of the toys are good. If you don't have them, buy the new version.

[@canadiacookie]

I'm all for the newer combiners coming out. I wasn't satisfied with Combiner Wars for the most part and skipped on the majority of them. I was always indifferent to Scramble City. I always preferred them having a set place and being unable to substitute members. This is probably why I hate Prowlvastator so much. 🤮

[@steventhompson5998]

Cartoon accuracy

[@HunterChau]

I mean the legs come off for the new ones so can probily swich them the new ones and they are a lot nicer so i relly like regular gastalts

[@IssacGausman]

But i can t wait for a legacy scorn and maybe a giganotosaurus dinobot

[@IssacGausman]

The name of giganotosaurus dinobot gigatronus

[@poweroftheprimes7616]

i don't have an og gestalt so i cant really compare

[@tiagosales4913]

I think hasbro should alternate between the two combiner sistems from time to time. Do the frame type for 5 year, later the scramble City one next 5 year, returns to frame and repeat.

[@JurassicRod]

The new designs are far superior. Hasbro haven't been able to get the Combiners right till now. Combiner Wars were mostly pretty bad in combined mode. Looked a mess and were so floppy.

[@Gregory11811]

The G1 animation was often oversimplified to the point of being sloppy and lazy. Of course combiners were drawn to look like a kid in a homemade Halloween costume with vehicle bits attached to his arms and legs: it was easier than drawing cars and airplanes as the arms and legs. It looked awful then (I know. I was there.) and it looks awful now.