Kurisama Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Wait, you're the guy who did THIS: http://cwmodels.deviantart.com/art/Decepti...p-Shot-86279011 ?!?! I only just now made the connection. That's probably my all-time fave fan-art. Now I feel the need to pimp my own TF fan art http://kurisama.deviantart.com/art/How-It-...o-This-95345755 http://kurisama.deviantart.com/art/Autobot...ntier-102738960 Lulz
cwmodels Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Now I feel the need to pimp my own TF fan art http://kurisama.deviantart.com/art/How-It-...o-This-95345755 http://kurisama.deviantart.com/art/Autobot...ntier-102738960 Lulz Cool. That is some unique 3D CG art you got there. I really like the texturing.
promethuem5 Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Wait... cwmodels is also an artist!? Sweet work there... the comic strip is great, always fun to see PM Prime get some love.
David Hingtgen Posted January 1, 2009 Posted January 1, 2009 Spending New Year's day working on my MP TC. Have closed up 2 gaps, working on the third (right behind the canopy--biggest of them all). Have done my first color alteration (very minor, more of a test)---colored the two molded triangles on the underside of the intakes red with a Sharpie. Almost perfectly matches the factory red knee paint. (which is good, as I plan to use that color for all the bot mode red accents) Debating if I should try to match the pelvis gunmetal color and fully paint the hinged bits---Takara only sprayed the very front edge, and you can see blue from all angles still. (I'd really like to repaint all the gunmetal into silver, but can't since the chest/shoulders can't be disassembled--and the paint would chip off instantly anyways there) Also thinking about painting the vent at the bottom of the shin piece silver. Non-canon, but seems appropriate and adds a highlight there. (if anything, it'd make the shins have the G1 foot colors---since G1 seeker foot colors and patterns just DON'T work on the MP mold)
David Hingtgen Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Does Seibertron.com photoshop their gallery pics, or do they buy like a dozen of each and only photograph the most perfect one? Going through their MP seekers, every one they have is FLAWLESS, with no gaps or paint smudges or anything, even their Thundercracker is flawless---amazing, considering every other one I've seen, and my own. Even the airbrake section is flush--and I've spent WAY too much time tonight sanding it down with minimal improvement. Are they super-lucky, have a dozen to go through, or have some super-secret knowledge that no one else does to get an MP seeker to lock together perfectly in jet mode?
cwmodels Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Wait... cwmodels is also an artist!? Sweet work there... the comic strip is great, always fun to see PM Prime get some love. Artist first... modeler second. That's how it's been in my life. But I was spending more time doing modeling than art for the past few years. I'm just getting back into it more and more recently.
Vermillion21 Posted January 2, 2009 Posted January 2, 2009 Finally found TF Universe wave 4 at Wal-mart yesterday!! Woot! woot! Only saw the 1 case and they are AWESOME. I am very impressed with them. Hound and Cyclonus are MUST HAVES IMO if you are a G1 TF fan - the molds and transformations are great for Deluxed sized TFs. Transformations are very original. Both are great homages to their G1 counterparts. Hound's design is slightly TF Animated-like with a simplistic appearance, and the Ravage that comes with him is neat too. I suppose the alt mode for Cyclonus is a little weak, cause you can see the legs ... if you look for 'em. Cheetor is ok. Not as bad as some have said, but it's a tough figure to pull off IMO. The rear legs in beast mode are weak and kinda lame. I've left the G1 colour accurate Starscream in package - not sure if he's a keeper since his robot mode looks so plain. Apologies for the pics, I am not a great photographer. Good hunting ...
Vermillion One Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 I agree, Hound and Cyclonus are probably the best of the strong classics line. I hope that Inferno is just as good.
mikeszekely Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Man... I've had Hound and Starscream for something like a week now, but I still can't find Cyclonus.
dizman Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 I have yet to find any of them, dammit I really want Cyclonus and Hound!
Grand Admiral Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Hound and Cyclonus are MUST HAVES IMO if you are a G1 TF fan - the molds and transformations are great for Deluxed sized TFs. Transformations are very original. Both are great homages to their G1 counterparts. Hound I think is great in both modes. Although, Cyclonus, while having an excellent bot mode, seems kind of stubby and clunky in jet mode. However, the G1 toy had a fairly sleek jet mode and a clunky bot mode, I guess.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) I bought Cheetor recently, not as bad as I imagined he would be, but flawed nonetheless. The cat arm kibble in robot mode hinders articulation for the arms, not just on the elbows, but shoulders, as the arms cannot be placed parallel to the body due to the kibble. The cat mode is excellent, except for the plate that folds to show a maximal symbol in robot mode, it seems like an afterthought in cat mode. I wish there was a way to keep the eyes red without opening the mouth, it is neat to see the color change, but ultimately I prefer being able to keep the eye red without pulling back a lever. Poseability is decent, I like the ninja stars, but don't like how the ninja stars cannot be held securely in the hands. I can see what the designers were aiming for by making a sleek, slender robot mode, but I prefer the thicker, more balanced look of the original. Edited January 3, 2009 by Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0
David Hingtgen Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Fiddling with MP TC airbrake section again. The problem is actually the metal bar, not the plastic. It's just that sanding down the plastic seems the only option, as the metal bar doesn't really seem "adjustable" in any way. I'm going to try to remove its pins, see if something can be done. (Really, sanding out the plastic just underneath its hinge points should work, you just can't get to them with it in the way) Alternatively--see if a hair dryer can do anything.
Fit For Natalie Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Yeah I actually have that figure at home. The paint app. on this one though (as well as the addition of the Cybertron Defense Scattershot head?) just takes the cake. I'm actually in the middle of replacing Blades' head with an extra Alternator Optimus head i had and I'm having trouble finding any easy way to 1) remove his original head and 2) attach Prime's head, so more credit to FrenzyRumble on his customs. According to the deco artist, the reason why Universe Blades doesn't look too much like G1 Blades (specifically missing things like the white chest and blue face) is because he was actually developed for the Movie line, but its slot was taken by the Blackout retool, Evac.
Black Valkyrie Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Finally found TF Universe wave 4 at Wal-mart yesterday!! Woot! woot! Only saw the 1 case and they are AWESOME. I am very impressed with them. Hound and Cyclonus are MUST HAVES IMO if you are a G1 TF fan - the molds and transformations are great for Deluxed sized TFs. Transformations are very original. Both are great homages to their G1 counterparts. Hound's design is slightly TF Animated-like with a simplistic appearance, and the Ravage that comes with him is neat too. I suppose the alt mode for Cyclonus is a little weak, cause you can see the legs ... if you look for 'em. Cheetor is ok. Not as bad as some have said, but it's a tough figure to pull off IMO. The rear legs in beast mode are weak and kinda lame. I've left the G1 colour accurate Starscream in package - not sure if he's a keeper since his robot mode looks so plain. Apologies for the pics, I am not a great photographer. Good hunting ... How is the QC because they look cheap.
David Hingtgen Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Movie Leader Prime: http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/viewtopic.php?t=48354 (that is so NOT a spoiler--we all know he's in the movie and he looks 99% the same) Hmmn. Hood goes onto his forearms, don't know how the drive wheels work now. Kinda BW kibble-y in appearance now--little bits hanging off everywhere. Maybe when he's half off. (like I just saw Premium Leader Movie Prime for yesterday) Of course I'll be waiting for a JP/chomed version... (grey plastic just will NOT do for an American semi) PS---Just IMHO, Prime, Starscream, and BB are about the only characters/toys that could be discussed in this thread--just about everything else is a spoiler and should go in the movie thread. At least until like June or something, when all the toys are on the shelves.
Fit For Natalie Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 I don't know how the hell they did it. That's pretty damn accurate in bot mode. How is the truck mode? Any better or worse? It still has rubber tires, apparently. The back has that headache rack thing.
Guest sh002 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 looks better than the first movie versions. hopefully his shoulders can be pushed in a little more and there is no huge backpack. i read on another forum that someone bought a universe smokescreen that was accidentally put out early at walmart. if anyone finds one and doesn't want it, please get it and sell it to me. thanks.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 I hope that Starscream gets an all new, far more accurate, sleeker, kibbleless, larger pricepoint figure this time around. I don't care if the other seekers like Ramjet or Skywarp are repaints of the 1st movie molds, just make Starscream all new this time around!
David Hingtgen Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 It's sad--I didn't realize how much better the new one was until I saw side-by-side comparison pics. As for Starscream--seconded. That mold can't be salvaged or re-molded. We need an all-new SS, preferably leader class. Heck, *Brawl* got a leader class mold last time around?!?! (his dx toy is quite good IMHO). SS really, really needs a better toy. Heck, every comic artist and fan artist has already worked out how to make an F-22 transform nigh-perfectly. (of course, that's going for a G1-esque robot mode, not a cyber-ape)
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 We need an all-new SS, preferably leader class. Heck, *Brawl* got a leader class mold last time around?!?! (his dx toy is quite good IMHO). Starscream deserves a leader figure more than Brawl because: A-He has far higher brand recognition B-He survived in the film C-He will play a prominent role in ROTF. D-Jets sell. E-As much as I like the 2007 movie toy, it is dated, and does not match up to what we see onscreen, unlike the dlx Bumblebee remold that we saw a while back with new head/cannon. Starscream's robot mode onscreen has skinnier legs, more weaponry, and is more slender, and we all know how inaccurate the F-22 mode on the 2007 toy is.
Fit For Natalie Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) Here's the comparison between the 2007 leader class, the CG model and the 2009 ROTF Prime, if anybody was wondering Edited January 3, 2009 by Fit For Natalie
kanedaestes Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Well hot damn, someone went to toy engineering school and came back and taught these country bumpkins how to make a toy that looks like the movie.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 Well hot damn, someone went to toy engineering school and came back and taught these country bumpkins how to make a toy that looks like the movie. To be fair, Hasbro and Takara had to work off of character designs that weren't even finished. This time around, the character designs of returning characters were already finished, hence the higher accuracy. Now I seriously hope Starscream has been completely redesigned as well.
mikeszekely Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 (edited) How is the QC because they look cheap. I went to Wal-Mart today, and it looks like they finally restocked. One or two G1 Screamers, a solitary Hound, three Cyclonuses (Cycloni?), and more Cheetor's than you can shake a stick at. Hound is pretty good. On mine, the head is a little loose, and the weapon doesn't clip onto his shoulder very tightly. It's still one of the better Classics/Universe designs, though. The transformation is good, the bot mode has good posability, and there's no real kibble in either mode. And unlike Prowl/Bluestreak/Smokescreen or Sideswipe/Sunstreaker/Red Alert (I know the Henkei line is getting him, are we getting him here too?) the transformation isn't overly complicated. If you can only buy one Classics/Universe toy, it's definitely Cyclonus. Yeah, his jet mode is a chunkier, although I kinda like it. It sorta reminds me of his IDW self, with the extra engines. What really makes him a winner, though, is how well he was designed. His nosecone folds up inside his back, and the top and bottom of his main engines swing down from his thigh and snap together to form his lower legs. His wings and his other engines rotate up to form his shoulders and arms, and the result is a bot mode with no kibble (save the wings, which is part of his look), and Mirage-like posability. Even Nightstick impressed me. While the transformation is similar, he's got joints at the shoulders and elbows, plus his legs can move independent of each other. In fact, the only area you could really complain about is that the Henkei version seems to be a lot more toon-accurate color-wise, but frankly, the Hasbro paint-job makes him look a little tougher, in my book. Even the QC is good. All his joints and pegs are tight. There's some silver paint on the nosecone... on some of them look like the silver paint was a bit smeared, but the one I took home is more or less perfect. EDIT: I never owned a G1 Cyclonus, so I didn't realize it until I was poking around on the TF Wiki, but while the Henkei version is more toon-accurate, the Hasbro version is colored to match the toy. In that sense, Universe Cyclonus is still a bit darker than the G1 toy, but is still fairly accurate. As for RotF Leader Prime, I'm glad I passed on the first movie Leader Prime. The new one looks a lot closer to the slimmed character we saw in the movie. I want to say I'll pick him up, as I'm a sucker for Prime, but I wasn't real fond of most of the first movie's toys, and I don't really plan on buying many if any RotF toys. It's too bad another season of TF Animated and TotF will probably mean a big empty gap (at best) or an end (at worst) to the Universe line. Edited January 4, 2009 by mikeszekely
Vermillion21 Posted January 3, 2009 Posted January 3, 2009 How is the QC because they look cheap. I've had no problems with them. My only complaint would be that the fighter nose on Cyclonus doesn't really lock into place when extended, so it has a tendency to slide back into the main nose section. But for $7.77 a piece, these TF Deluxes are sweet. Here's the comparison between the 2007 leader class, the CG model and the 2009 ROTF Prime, if anybody was wondering Thanks for posting this. Awesome. I'll be getting Leader Class Prime from the ROTF series!!
Dobber Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Wow, that does look alot better. I hope they make a better......no...........MUCH better Starscream sculpt. I still think they could easily make a good looking f-22 that transforms. Chris
Fit For Natalie Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Thanks for posting this. Awesome. I'll be getting Leader Class Prime from the ROTF series!! Don't thank me, thank Corey Bauer on TFW2005.com, since I didn't want to gank his bandwidth I still can't figure out where the stuff on the back of the truck goes.
Shin Densetsu Kai 7.0 Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Wow, that does look alot better. I hope they make a better......no...........MUCH better Starscream sculpt. I still think they could easily make a good looking f-22 that transforms. Oh HELL YEAH they can! I just hope they will. Not all of the returning characters need new molds. Bumblebee doesn't. Characters such as Starscream, and Jazz do. Starscream was a fun toy, but definitely could have been executed much better, with the design not changing much(if at all) this time around, there was more time to make an accurate figure this time around, which I hope Hasbro did. Jazz was the most disappointing figure that I bought in the movie line, even moreso than Swindle. The range of motion on the knees was heavily hindered to the point of disappointment, the lack of appropriate forearms was very obvious, and the arm articulation overall wasn't great.
Alpha OTS Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 Here's the comparison between the 2007 leader class, the CG model and the 2009 ROTF Prime, if anybody was wondering I didn't think so when I first looked at it, but when shown side by side with the movie model, it's an obvious marked improvement. I'm holding out hopes for an improved SS, but given the Skywarp and Ramjet repaints, I'm not too confident we're going to see a retool.
Arthurius Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 wow, what a beauty Grimlock is, now i dont know which to choose, this or the Robotech Beta Fighter green when it comes out.... Economy not so great, we are supposed to save, yet prices on these are on the rize, why isnt this grimlock the same price that MP optimus or Starscream, it just makes it so much harder...
Guest sh002 Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 i've decided to cut my collecting so i cancelled my preorders for henkei dirge and thrust, universe dinobot, smokescreen, and ratchet, and the encore cassette set. i still have my preorder for mp grimlock and a few macross items but once those arrive i think it will soon be over. it's just too addicting.
GobotFool Posted January 4, 2009 Posted January 4, 2009 I didn't think so when I first looked at it, but when shown side by side with the movie model, it's an obvious marked improvement. I'm holding out hopes for an improved SS, but given the Skywarp and Ramjet repaints, I'm not too confident we're going to see a retool. Hot damn! That is a serious improvement over the old figure. I am definitely nabbing this one. While everyone has mentioned hope for a remold of Starscream, I'd like to see improved versions of Ironhide, ratchet, and barricade as well. Are they going to bring back blackout? I'd love to have a better leader class scaled figure of him, I know the chances are slim, but I thought he was one of the coolest designs in the film. While I would love to see a more accurate bumblebee figure as well, the deluxe they made for the last movie was good enough.
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