The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[Scyla]

I've always disliked visible faction symbols in alt mode. It's like the whole idea of an alt mode is a disguise on earth, so wouldn't you kind of ruin that disguise by plastering a giant logo on yourself that says "hi, I'm a bad guy"?

I've noticed a lot of newer 3p figures have VERY specific spots molded in for faction symbols now though.

anyways; BBTS just emailed me that not-scrapper and Not-mixmaster are gonna be in stock in the next ten days. kind of exciting but also kind of disappointing, mostly because they're supposed to be numbers 5 and 6, but 3 and 4 don't seem to have a release date yet.

also, not-hook is supposed to be coming with the fixed shoulders I need for scavenger so...

...but they never have the right size for actual faction symbols.

[David Hingtgen]

Exactly. Somehow they don't seem to know the shape/angle needed (the "chin" is often too pointy for the "right" size to fit)

Also----what if you don't want one THERE? Or want one at all? Molded-in spots are generally bad, as both pro- and anti-insignia people have issues with them.

Simply leave decently blank/smooth spots, on chest or shoulder. Then it looks good either way----if there's no sticker, there's no obvious "molded spot" that's empty. If you want to use it---you should have a range of sizes/styles that'll work.

In short----don't force a sticker location, but also don't prevent me from using one. It's fairly simple to do--just don't put ridges and valleys and dimples EVERYWHERE. Leave a spot or two more plain/flat.

[anime52k8]

I think instead of faction symbols, I'm gonna put little smiley face stickers on my constructicons.

[mikeszekely]

After completing Guardia and Warbotron Bruticus I'm thinking about taking a break from combiners before doing Devastator, Liokaiser, Dinobot Combiner, Throttlebot Combiner, Monstructor, Piranacon, etc. Kind of interested in Fansproject's Function X line. Couple quick questions:

1. Are the only differences between X-1 Code and X-0 Code more paint (and $20)?

2. Does Fansproject do reissues? The ones I'm most interested in are Code, Smart Robin, and Quadruple U (I already have Sigma L on the way). Since Code was redone as X-0, it looks like he can found relatively easily, but it doesn't look like anyone has Smart Robin or UUUU.

3. X-0 is Code, X-1 is Code (or Code Virus), X-2 is UUUU, X-3 is Smart Robin, X-4 is Sigma L, X-5 is MADLAW, X-6 is Knight, X-7 is Combes Robin, X-8 is Crox, X-9 is Positum, and X-10 will be Browning II. X-1 and X-0 are the same mold, X-3 and X-7 are the same mold, X-5 and X-6 are the same mold, and X-8 and X-9 are the same mold. Am I missing anything? I'm not interested in collecting the whole line, maybe one of each mold (and even then, maybe not X-5 or X-6).

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

1. Yep, different paint job; red "shorts", different chest deco, grey head. That one came out around the same time as Maketoys' bigger, more accurate version of Chromedome.

2. No reissues yet, AFAIK.

3.I guess FP changed their numbers around, cuz I thought X6 was Hardhead, X7 Apeface, and X8 Highbrow. That was over a year ago, though.

[mikeszekely]

1. Yep, different paint job; red "shorts", different chest deco, grey head. That one came out around the same time as Maketoys' bigger, more accurate version of Chromedome.

2. No reissues yet, AFAIK.

3.I guess FP changed their numbers around, cuz I thought X6 was Hardhead, X7 Apeface, and X8 Highbrow. That was over a year ago, though.

1. Ok, so I'm good to go with X-0.

2. Dang. I guess I'll be watching Ebay auctions...

3. They must of; I don't know what they did a year ago. But X-10 is definitely Browning II, and that's their Highbrow. He's up for preorder now. If Fansproject is planning on doing Hardhead and Apeface (I hope they're doing Hardhead and Apeface!) they must be further down the road. I know Toyworld and Maketoys did Hardhead; I don't know of anyone who's done Apeface. Toyworld's Headmasters haven't impressed me, and while Maketoys' seem pretty good I'm into CHUG scale, not MP.

[Scyla]

I think you should focus on Code, U^4 and Smart Robin for now. After that the line took a few steps in being these awesome transforming toys that do incredible stuff you never (or rarely) have seen on a transforming toy to just regular transformers. Sigma L is neat but Madlaw is a trashy looking robots in all other modes that doesn't resemble anything and has parts that don't work at all (like the hind legs on the animal mode) and Crox is just a transforming toy. Browning II is not out jet so maybe they are back up. I think Smart Robin is the best of the bunch.

On other news I'm super hyped for MMCs Backdraft which should be out early May. I just wish they kept the Portland Fire Department printings on the side panels and the insignias on the doors that it would be a perfect toy for me (final verdict after I actually have him in hand). I think he would have benefited from a bit more white bits and less chrome/silver paint but he still looks stunning. When looking at the discussion thread over at TFW I'm surprised how many people seem to be ladder fetishists. Ladder not long enough, ladder has to rotate, etc.

I guess I have to put ladders next to light-up features, sound and large toys (for the sake of being large) on my list of feature where I don't get why people dig them.

[raptormesh]

TFC's Minos. Finally a transformable Rafale that has most of the right curves! Very happy. The quality is higher than I expected, only had a few issues tabbing the hands when transforming to jet mode. The lil batbreast is kinda cute. This is my first ever 3P, mind.

Can't wait for not-Gaihawk so I'll have a transformable MiG-29. I'm still on the fence on collecting the entire set and not-Leozack seems kinda blocky. Anybody else getting these? What are your opinions?

Edited April 27, 2016 by raptormesh

[dizman]

I picked up Hades (Leozack) a few days ago just to see if I would be interested in the whole set and I'm thinking I'll pass. He just doesn't feel like $100 well spent to me, sure there is some clever engineering in there (the way the Liokaiser head pops on top of Leozack's head is pretty cool) but there are also a few weird things about him that just baffle me.

When you transform him to F-14, the arms fit into these pop out leg panels that don't really do a great job of hiding the arms or even holding them, I feel like the hinges are going to break. Then when you transform him back to robot you realize that his hands are a few millimeters too long to pop back out so with some trial and error you have to hinge the arm flap just right so that the tips of the fingers have enough clearance to slide out. He's also a big brick attached to the upper side of an F-14, I'm not too bummed about that since he's a combiner torso and needs to have some girth but there should have been some better way to do it.

That said it is nice to have an MP esque Leozack since he was my favorite Destron in Victory, I just doubt I'm going to collect the other five. Hmm maybe I'll give Minos a try, I dunno yet.

[mikeszekely]

Based on the experience I've had with them, TFC just doesn't make as good toys as pretty much every other company I have 3P Transformers from. I think Minos looks really cool though, so I might give them another shot with this set. Didn't watch Victory, though, so I'm not in a hurry.

In other news, I got an email from BBTS the Talon and Tigris I preordered back in January are going to be ready in the next 10 days.

[Scyla]

Based on the experience I've had with them, TFC just doesn't make as good toys as pretty much every other company I have 3P Transformers from. I think Minos looks really cool though, so I might give them another shot with this set. Didn't watch Victory, though, so I'm not in a hurry.

In other news, I got an email from BBTS the Talon and Tigris I preordered back in January are going to be ready in the next 10 days.

Great news my Seraphicus Prominion will also be available soon.

[edit:] It seems like it is TFCs hidden agenda to make toys HasTak would make if they hadn't adhere to a budget and still would design toys in the Unicron trilogy style.

Edited April 27, 2016 by Scyla

[David Hingtgen]

In other news, I got an email from BBTS the Talon and Tigris I preordered back in January are going to be ready in the next 10 days.

Yay. Remember to watch when combining Tigris and Fortis's blades in blade-staff mode. If it gets tight, don't force it. Separate and sand, and try again.

[mikeszekely]

Well, as long as we're talking about TFC, I guess it's a good time to start my next batch of reviews. So today, it's F-4 Phantom, TFC's version of Fireflight.

Phantom is a bit taller than Combiner Wars Firefly, and has a seriously different aesthetic. The head sculpt is close enough to Fireflight, and he's got more red on his torso than Firefly, which does give him a slightly more G1 appearance, excluding the red shins. Still, there's something off about TFC's design, beyond the yellow eyes.

For a 3P toy, Phantom has almost the same articulation as Firefly. Sure, the types of joints might be different, but the end result is about the same: head can swivel, shoulders can rotate and bring the arms out the sides, elbows can bend, biceps and waist can swivel, hips can move the legs forward, backward, and side-to-side, and knees can bend. Neither figure has wrist swivels. The only real difference is that Phantom has ankle tilts, and even then they're the kind of fake ankles where really just the toe moves.

Phantom comes with two... things. I don't want to say missiles, because both ends are pointed. Fuel or sensor pods? Whatever. They're kind of stupid as weapons. Fortunately, I also have the Wing of Uranos add-on, which I'll be discussing more later. For now I'll simply say that it comes with new guns for each of the Uranos limbs, and new sets of missiles. These missiles are paired, then set on c-clips so that there's two pairs for each jet. While I'll show off the original accessories in these reviews the original accessories are going back in the box.

Speaking of jets, Phantom's alt mode is, like G1 Fireflight, an F-4 Phantom. I think it's fair to say that Phantom's alt mode is pretty good. I know that there are members on this board who can probably nit-pick details, but Phantom pulls off a fair approximation of both his namesake jet and the original G1 toy, right down to the white arms along the sides. He's certainly better than Firefly, with his wings mounted at the top of fuselage and large chunks of arms and hands showing.

Sure, if you turn the jet over, there's going to be robot kibble down there. But it's not really any worse than the G1 toy or the Combiner Wars toy. It's kind of just a fact of life with jet Transformers.

So, do I recommend Phantom? Well, keeping in mind that this is strictly as a solo toy and NOT as a combiner (I'll tell you my recommendation on Uranos when we get to him), I'd say maybe. By modern 3P standards he's kind of dated, and the design is a little funky, but ultimately I think his bot mode is a decent take on Fireflight and his alt mode is a good jet. If you're a fan of Fireflight, or you like the idea of a transforming F-4 and you can overlook the fact that 3P toys have come a long way in design and QC since TFC originally released this guy, I say go for it.

[raptormesh]

I picked up Hades (Leozack) a few days ago just to see if I would be interested in the whole set and I'm thinking I'll pass. He just doesn't feel like $100 well spent to me, sure there is some clever engineering in there (the way the Liokaiser head pops on top of Leozack's head is pretty cool) but there are also a few weird things about him that just baffle me.

When you transform him to F-14, the arms fit into these pop out leg panels that don't really do a great job of hiding the arms or even holding them, I feel like the hinges are going to break. Then when you transform him back to robot you realize that his hands are a few millimeters too long to pop back out so with some trial and error you have to hinge the arm flap just right so that the tips of the fingers have enough clearance to slide out. He's also a big brick attached to the upper side of an F-14, I'm not too bummed about that since he's a combiner torso and needs to have some girth but there should have been some better way to do it.

That said it is nice to have an MP esque Leozack since he was my favorite Destron in Victory, I just doubt I'm going to collect the other five. Hmm maybe I'll give Minos a try, I dunno yet.

Yeah there seems to be a quirky way the arms tab onto the legs for Minos as well, but like you said it's nice to have a decent Leozack. Victory is actually the transformers I grew up with, so clearly there is some interest but even if I do get this will probably display them separately.

Based on the experience I've had with them, TFC just doesn't make as good toys as pretty much every other company I have 3P Transformers from. I think Minos looks really cool though, so I might give them another shot with this set. Didn't watch Victory, though, so I'm not in a hurry.

In other news, I got an email from BBTS the Talon and Tigris I preordered back in January are going to be ready in the next 10 days.

I might just get the jets and forget about the combined mode. Perhaps if Victory Leo is on the horizons or if a 3P is attempting Road Caesar.

[mikeszekely]

Well, I expect I'll have Sigma L and Quantron by Saturday, and I'm waiting for the four WuKong KO Bruticus limbs to get through customs, plus now I know Tigris and Talon should be on the way soon. And knowing me, instead of waiting until July for the WuKong not-Onslaught I'll probably crack and buy the original Warbotron one. So, instead of waiting until tomorrow I'm going to go ahead and post another review, this time for TFC's AV-8B Harrier II, their version of Slingshot.

From the neck down, Harrier is pretty good approximation of Slingshot. His white thighs are more toy and 'toon accurate than CW Quickslinger's black ones. The head is crap, though. Seriously, Slingshot's most-recognizable feature is his orange bald-guy with goggles between two white boards head, and that's toy and 'toon right there. So TFC's choice of such a generic head with his mix of red and white for a color scheme means you have to look for a minute to tell him and Phantom apart. It sort of makes me appreciate the little color changes Hasbro made to make Firefly and Quickslinger visually distinct.

I'm wondering why, in all the years since, hasn't anyone made 4P head's for these guys?

Harrier is basically a retool of Phantom, so his articulation is identical. Because their heels are made from jet parts, though, Harrier has a little trouble standing. Also, like Phantom, his accessories are stupid and going back in the box.

And again, we turn to the Wing of Uranos add-on for real missiles and a real gun.

Harrier turns into, you guessed it, a Harrier. I think it fares pretty well against the G1 toy, although it's too bad his forearms weren't molded in white so they'd blend in with the fuselage better. I also think he looks better than CW Quickslinger, although Quickslinger is closer to being a Harrier than Firefly was to being a Phantom. Harrier's got some nice touches from the real plane, like the landing gear and their storage slots on the wings... which are attached by 5mm pegs, and are going in the box since they interfere with putting other things on his wings and he's got landing gear in his knees, too. One thing that bugs me, though, is that the molded exhausts are near the back, just before the split for the tail. That's back too far, although they're at least molded to look like the rear exhausts. The forward exhausts aren't on the figure.

Getting to the nitty gritty, do I recommend Harrier? I'll say pass. Chances are, if you're into Slingshot you're going to find Harrier's head unacceptable, and if you're into Harriers you're going to find the inaccuracies similarly unacceptable. Phantom's the stronger of this mold. Only get this guy if you really want the completed Uranos for your display... but even then, you might want to wait until I give you my impression of Uranos.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I'm curious, could you do head swap with Harrier and Slingshot? They look similar in size.

[mikeszekely]

I'm curious, could you do head swap with Harrier and Slingshot? They look similar in size.

Good question! And the answer, sadly, is no, at least not without some modifications. While they're both on ball pegs, the one on Harrier is smaller. Quickslinger's head falls right off.

That said, there's a seller on Shapeways offering these 4mm to 6mm ball peg adapters. I'm just not sure how big the ball peg is on Harrier. If it's 4mm, it could work, but I think it might be 5mm.

Great news my Seraphicus Prominion will also be available soon.

[edit:] It seems like it is TFCs hidden agenda to make toys HasTak would make if they hadn't adhere to a budget and still would design toys in the Unicron trilogy style.

I wound up canceling my Seraphicus. I'm just too into combiners. Let me know how you like him, though. I'll probably still pick him up later.

As for TFC, it's kind of funny that you said that, because that's sort of what I was thinking. I don't know how much they've improved since Uranos, which was, what, their second project? But a lot of the issues I'm running into remind me of issues I've had with Hasbro toys. Maybe things were different back when Uranos came out, but when I compare him to M3, Ordin, or Feral Rex I'd be pretty upset if I'd paid whatever he was going for back in the day. Heck, I'd be angry if I'd paid the $420 price BBTS is currently asking for the complete set. I got mine through a trade, though.

[Scyla]

From looking at reviews of Hades it seems that they really improved from Ares but they still look and handle like big chunky retail toy. However they are lacking a sense of smoothness compared to retail Transformers. If your into that this is great however it is not for me.

[mikeszekely]

From looking at reviews of Hades it seems that they really improved from Ares but they still look and handle like big chunky retail toy. However they are lacking a sense of smoothness compared to retail Transformers. If your into that this is great however it is not for me.

Well, what I really want from my toys are high-quality, articulate toys that look G1. So I don't mind "chunkiness," if that's what you mean by it. I've already stated a preference for Warbotron's Technobots, at least aesthetically. Not everything has to be a re-imagining with clever transformation gimmicks (like the Fansproject's Function X line). So, I mean, aesthetically I like what TFC's doing with the Hades guys. My concerns, based on what I've heard about Hercules, Ares, and Prometheus and my personal experience is the "high-quality" part.

So, without further adieu, F-16 Falcon, TFC's Skydive.

Falcon's colors are just about spot on. He's got a little extra red on his biceps, but it matches and helps break up the black. Likewise, he's got red feet, but even that sort of matches the stickers that went on the G1 toy's feet. I might have liked if that silver paint on his chest were black, but whatever. What throws me off is his head. I didn't have Skydive as a kid, so my impression of him is the cartoon, which CW Skydive nails. I might suggest that Falcon's head is more like the G1 toy's, but the toy's head was pretty much all-black. The silver paint makes it look like neither.

Although not a remold of Phantom or Harrier, he's not that different. Articulation's the same, and he comes with the same stupid missiles that will go back in the box.

And his accessories will be replaced with a gun and missiles from the Wing of Uranos kit.

Continuing the theme of this set, the alt mode is pretty good and recognizable as an F-16. No twin tail or glaringly obvious robot arms like the CW toy, although his hands are visible under the wings if viewed from the bottom. The fuselage could stand to be a little rounder, especially near the exhaust. I like how TFC actual made detailed little missiles for the wing tips. They're tabbed on, but they fall off VERY easily. I'm gluing mine on.

Something I haven't mentioned yet about the jet modes... all four limb bots have at least two 5mm peg holes underneath, so you have places to store missiles, guns, or other accessories. The wings themselves are all attached via pegs and can be removed, if necessary. They use 5mm pegs, so they could even be used as weapons or shields or something.

So, do I recommend Falcon? Still nope. I don't think he's a bad figure, exactly, but aesthetically he's just not Skydive-ish enough for me.

[David Hingtgen]

I could go on for pages about Uranos' jet modes, but suffice it to say---Harrier's the worst by far, followed by Falcon. Phantom's probably the best.

Ares has MUCH better jets. But the Rafale's better than the Tomcat. (sorry, I don't know Liokaiser well enough to know their real names, much less TFC's names)

[mikeszekely]

I could go on for pages about Uranos' jet modes

I didn't refer to you by name, but you were certainly in the back of my mind when I mentioned board members who could nit-pick details.

but suffice it to say---Harrier's the worst by far, followed by Falcon. Phantom's probably the best.

That's pretty much in line with my thinking. Harrier and Falcon have the most glaring departures from the real jets. That said, I think they're both better than the CW versions, although I suppose that might frustrate someone like you who could at least write off the CW toys since they're not really supposed to be licensed jets. Phantom and Eagle came out ok, though.

Speaking of F-15 Eagle... here's TFC's take on Air Raid.

My biggest complaint with Eagle's bot mode is that he's got too much black. In my mind, Air Raid was a black jet that turned into a mostly-white robot. If TFC used white shoulders and painted the front of Eagle's shins white, he'd have looked a lot better. I don't really mind the head. He could have done with a blue or silver dome on his head, but I kind of like the happy smile.

Dumb accessories that are going back in the box: check. But I gotta say, TFC really missed an opportunity here. The intakes don't have to folded onto his back, his missile's can be mounted onto his arms, and his wings can be straightened and flipped. In other words, a new head, a new chest piece, and Eagle could have would have made a great CHUG Seeker. He's miles better than the Classics Deluxe mold, and he even has the old MP Seeker gimmick where his chest vents can flip up to reveal little molded missiles.

But I digress. He's not supposed to be a Seeker, he's supposed to be Air Raid. And he does a so better with a gun and missiles from the Wing of Uranos kit. Eagle's largely the same mold as Falcon, so articulation is the same. Let's move on to alt-mode.

Eagle is an F-15 Eagle, which is more than we can say for CW Air Raid, who looks more like an F-14. I think his alt mode is pretty good. Sure, he's clearly a robot when viewed from underneath, but much less so than CW Air Raid, and about par for the course for jet transformers.

Something else I've neglected to mention... it's very difficult to do so, but all the jets have working canopies.

So, would I recommend Eagle? Maybe. I think if another 3P tackles Superion there's a good chance that their version will be a better Air Raid than Eagle, but I don't think Eagle's bad, really. And, if you can get a used one or find him on clearance somewhere, he might even make a fun project to remake into a Seeker.

[mikeszekely]

Tonight we're going to look at the last of the not-Aerialbots, TFC's SR-71 Blackbird, a rather different take on Silverbolt.

Aesthetically, Blackbird looks mostly like Silverbolt, but has too much red on his torso (due to his intended torso mode, actually). Interestingly, he has black on his knees before the Combiner Wars Silverbolt came along with black on his knees, a feature not on the G1 toy or 'toon. But he's still mostly white with black hands and feet, and gold biceps and thighs. Well, yellow, really, but it's a better color choice than the brownish gold on CW Silverbolt. Due to the way Blackbird's torso is constructed, he tends to look a little beer-bellied. I like the way that, rather than simple carry a jet on his back, the jet bits try to fold up onto his back, but they don't tab together tightly and tend to flop back into their jet-mode positions.

Rather than his usual gun, which is really the same gun Superion used, Blackbird's front end detaches and transforms into a kind of gun. A lot of people hated this, I think, but I kind of like it. I mean, it's not the best-looking gun out there, but by not carrying that chunk on his back (like pretty much every other Silverbolt) he's got less of a mess to throw off his balance or block a waist swivel. It's nice to have a Silverbolt you can actually pose! So, for articulation Blackbird's head can swivel (I don't recall if it was ball-jointed or could look up and down), he's got a waist swivel, ratcheted universal hips with forward/backward and lateral movement, knees bend find, and his toes can turn to give him so faux ankle tilt. His shoulders have a joint for rotation, and a separate one in the chest for lateral movement. He's got bicep and wrist swivels, and his elbows bend quite nicely (although doing so exposes the combiner ports). On his back, the pieces that his boosters are attached to are hinged so they can be moved backward, they're attached via 5mm pegs so they can rotate or be removed entirely, and the peg is on an armature with a pair of joints that allow the boosters to stretch and turn so that the exhausts are pointed out to the sides.

While the four limb-bots stayed truer to their G1 alt-modes than the Combiner Wars versions, Blackbird eschews Silverbolt's Concord alt mode for that of an SR-71 Blackbird. While I often lean toward being a G1 purist, I can get behind this change. If the other four Aerialbots are all military aircraft, I think it makes sense for Silverbolt to also be a military aircraft instead of a commercial passenger jet. And, despite being a Blackbird instead of a Concord, Blackbird retains Silverbolt's mostly white color with a black nose, and even has yellow stripes down the sides of the fuselage to mimic the windows of the 'toon or the gold and black stripes of the G1 toy.

Blackbird has been criticized for alternatively being a jet with a folded up robot stuck to the bottom, or a robot carrying a whole jet on his back. This is mostly fair, although Blackbird does fold a lot of the jet up and gives you enough articulation in the boosters that the robot-with-a-jet isn't super egregious. As for the jet with a robot underneath problem, this was also true for Leader-class RotF Jetfire, the only other transforming SR-71 I can think of, as well as G1 Silverbolt, Universe Silverbolt, and Combiner Wars Silverbolt. Silverbolt's just too blocky of a robot who has transformed into too sleek jets to ever pull it off, so I'm going to cut Blackbird a little slack. At least the whole robot is underneath; Combiner Wars Silverbolt has elbows, biceps, shoulders, and knees that are clearly visible even when viewed from top-down.

Blackbird isn't alone in his box; he also comes with this guy, X-47 Phantom Ray. Phantom Ray is a TFC original character. He's a little Legends-sized dude, and he sucks like one. Well, that's not entirely fair, as recent Legend figures have been much better than Phantom Ray. His head can swivel, his shoulders can rotate, and due to transformation have a bit of a butterfly joint, but no lateral movement. His elbows can bend a bit, but he doesn't have hands. He's got no waist, ball-jointed hips, knees that can bend quite deeply, and toes that can point downward due to transformation but no ankles. In a lot of ways, he reminds me of Legends-class Cosmos. Not the recent good one, but the crappy one from a few years ago. He feels loose. The fold out panels on his elbows and shoulders don't peg or tab in, and although his chest has tabs and slots to peg together they really don't.

Phantom Ray's name is actually a horrible misnomer; he's a Boeing X-45A UCAV, not an X-47 (which is a different Northrop Grumman UCAV), nor is it a Phantom Ray (Boeing's X-45 successor, and more of a flying wing than the X-45A). Despite being a drone, Phantom Ray has a painted-on window.

Blackbird has a little fold-out peg on top. This goes with a peg hole on Phantom Ray's underside, so Blackbird can carry him around the way actual UCAVs are sometimes carried by modified Boeing 747's.

So, do I recommend Blackbird? Well... if I'm being totally honest, I actually like Blackbird a lot. Yes, he's got flaws- serious flaws. But they're flaws that are shared by literally every other version of Silverbolt you could buy, and he makes up for it by being the best Silverbolt for posing. So yes, I will recommend him. However, I seem to be a minority here, though, and Blackbird's flaws are perhaps easier to swallow on a $25 toy than a $100 one, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.

[mikeszekely]

Let's wrap this up so we can move onto better things next week, shall we? So here's TFC's Uranos, the combiner who's supposed to be Superion.

So, this is intended configuration, and I'll be blunt; this guy's a hot mess. I don't even think it's fair to compare him to the Combiner Wars version like this, which is why he isn't in the shot. I mean, where to start? The head sculpt goes for the mouthed version of the G1 toy, but with the face painted silver so it's neither toy nor 'toon accurate (unless you count The Headmasters series in Japan... which I don't). To make matters worse, the sculpted mouth has probably the derpiest expression I've ever seen on a Transformer, official or third party. Blackbird's chest folds downward, so his waist is Uranos' crotch. Phantom Ray folds up into a loose ball of crap that floppily clings to Blackbird to form a decidedly un-Superion chest plate. Blackbird's arms tab into his sides, but they are very loose which makes the pretty much the whole torso come apart. His hips don't have enough detents; he can either stand straight up or go to a wide-legged stance. At least, in theory. In practice, Falcon and Eagle are too wide for both of Uranos' legs to be straight, and the ratchets in his hips are so loose that attempting to put him into the wide-legged stance just makes him do the splits. You're pretty much forced to set one leg straight and one wide, which gives him a crooked stance. His ankles don't help, either. While they do have a ratchet, rather than pin the joint in the leg like Feral Rex or Ordin, Uranos' uses a simple 5mm peg, and a connector piece with a peg hole on the legs (arms too, but it's less of a problem there). That means his ankles twist when you don't want them too, or the peg simply pops out when you're trying to use the ankle ratchet. Speaking of connector pieces, Uranos' gun is the same as Blackbird's. I like that the barrel can extend to give it a slightly different look, but for Uranos to hold it you have to use the peg for Blackbird's hand in a handle designed to Uranos' hand. The problem here is that the gun pegs into the handle VERY loosely. Sneeze and you're going to have Blackbird's gun and the ground while Uranos holds an empty handle.

One thing I will give Uranos credit for are the elbows. They do use the Harrier and Phantom's hips for elbow joints, but all the limb bots transform their legs by simply sliding up and down instead of the splitting and folding of most of the Combiner Wars figures. So, for those of you who hate the thigh gap showing in the elbow, you only have to pull the legs down enough to expose the hips and you'll get about 90 degrees of bend. And, unlike the Combiner Wars toys, Phantom and Harrier's ball-jointed hips are nice and tight, especially Phantom's. Uranos could hold that gun all day long without any droopage... you know, if the gun would stay on the handle.

Now, with all the guns and missiles from the Wing of Uranos kit divvied out, you're still left with this:

The two white bits are collar pieces for Uranos. I don't recommend using them; he doesn't really look any better with them, and they restrict his neck movement. The black bit is a faceplate. And the rest is, I dunno, some kind of flying drone gun? It splits apart into a gun, a chest plate, and a crotch plate. To install them, you remove Phantom Ray and put Blackbird's chest back up into it's normal position. The chest plate fits over Blackbird's chest, and the little red wings fold around to grab into Blackbird's arms. Not only will this lock the chest plate in place, but it holds Blackbird's arms in the tabs so they stop falling out. As for the crotch plate, pop Uranos' legs off, rotate the waist 180 degrees, and there's a peg hole on Blackbird's butt that it clips into, then you just spin the thighs back around and put the legs back on.

The difference is night and day, and now he doesn't fare so poorly against the Combiner Wars toy. The black face plate gives Uranos a more 'toon look and hides the derpy mouth. The chest plate gives his torso a better shape, holds him together more snugly, and is more recognizably Superion. The new gun is also much closer to the G1 toy's gun, and unlike the Combiner Wars toy, Uranos' hands and feet are mostly white with a little silver and red thrown in.

Optionally, you can further clean him up Uranos by removing Phantom and Harrier's wings, or even Blackbird's boosters. I also like to extend Phantom and Harrier's legs all the way.

The reason is, now he has double-jointed elbows that can bend enough to allow Uranos to touch his shoulders. Speaking of shoulders, his arms can rotate all the way around on the combiner joint, and the combiner pegs can move up and down to give him lateral movement. His head is on a ball joint and can look up, down just tiny bit, and of course swivel. Unlike the Combiner Wars toy, Uranos has a functional waist joint. His wrist can rotate, and each finger is individually articulated with the thumb on a ball-joint with a pinned knuckle, and each of the fingers on connected to the hand with a pin and having a pinned knuckle. His hips are ratcheted universals with forward, backward, and lateral movement. I complained about the lateral ratchet being too weak, but there's ways around it. You can open up Blackbird's legs and stick something behind the spring like a nylon washer, or you can replace the spring with a stiffer one. I had a lot of success swapping the with the springs from Cybertron Leader Prime's hips. If you don't feel like opening up the legs, you can turn Blackbird's legs sideways and bend Blackbird at a transformation joint a little (similar to how Combiner Wars Menasor works). This increases the space between Falcon and Eagle enough that Uranos can stand straight up instead of a wide-legged stance. And by the way, if you missed the implication, Uranos has thigh swivels. If you do this, you don't loose Uranos' knee since that's handled by the combiner ports on Falcon and Eagle ratcheting. Finally, Uranos' feet can turn on their connector peg, they have ratcheting tilt, and the toes can tilt up and down. So yeah, if you're patient, you can coax some good poses out of him.

Uranos' new gun fits into his hand by plugging into the same handle Blackbird's weapon used. It's a bit more secure in there, though. If you don't feel like tossing Blackbird's weapon aside, you can peg it onto his arm.

And, if you're the kind of person who doesn't like setting any parts aside but you like the cleaner look you got from popping Phantom and Harrier's wings off, you can store them elsewhere. I had some luck by plugging Harrier's wings onto Blackbird's boosters, and Phantom's wings on the backs of Uranos' shoulders using Phantom and Harrier's forearm peg holes.

Now, do I recommend Uranos? Mostly, no. I mean, without the Wing of Uranos add-on, absolutely not. Combiner Wars Superion, even with the default hands and feet, looks better and is more solid. This makes the Wing of Uranos add-on feel less like an optional add-on to fix a few minor annoyances and more like a necessity to fix glaringly obvious issues. And while most add-ons are usually 4th parties attempting to make something they like better, Wing of Uranos is made by TFC themselves, one that feels planned for from the beginning and a cynical cash grab by a company on a figure that was already over the $500 mark. Given that BBTS's discounted price for the complete Uranos set still doesn't include Wing of Uranos, you're still looking at nearly $500 for this guy new, and I can't say that he's worth it. Get the Combiner Wars or Unite Warriors version and buy the Perfect Effect hands and feet for him.

That said, if you look at the "for sale" section of some Transformers message boards, you're likely to find this guy for under $300, Wing of Uranos included, or under $250 without (and the Wing add-on is still available at some retailers). At that price, if you're willing to do a little work to fix the hips, I do think he's worth it. He's better articulated than the Combiner Wars version, even with the PE add-ons, and he's got stronger elbows. He's actually grown on me a lot since I got him.

If M3 is your Menasor, though, Uranos is a little big of a Superion to go up against his arch rival. Then again, Quantron's a little small to be taking on Ordin... I guess they could switch.

[JB0]

Blackbird has a little fold-out peg on top. This goes with a peg hole on Phantom Ray's underside, so Blackbird can carry him around the way actual UCAVs are sometimes carried by modified Boeing 747's.

Or the way the M-21 carried a D-21?

Pity that Ray isn't styled after the D-21, he could actually be something that BELONGS on a Blackbird.

[mikeszekely]

Or the way the M-21 carried a D-21?

Pity that Ray isn't styled after the D-21, he could actually be something that BELONGS on a Blackbird.

Or that exactly, yeah.

[Scyla]

*snip*

So, do I recommend Blackbird? Well... if I'm being totally honest, I actually like Blackbird a lot. Yes, he's got flaws- serious flaws. But they're flaws that are shared by literally every other version of Silverbolt you could buy, and he makes up for it by being the best Silverbolt for posing. So yes, I will recommend him. However, I seem to be a minority here, though, and Blackbird's flaws are perhaps easier to swallow on a $25 toy than a $100 one, so take my recommendation with a grain of salt.

Which is understandable because you get two toys in one. A white Blackbird toy and a box that forms into a robot. You can even display them besides each other.

[mikeszekely]

It's like Christmas morning at my house after the mail came. I'm gonna start calling my mail guy Santa.

[anime52k8]

So warbatron doesn't give a flip about pretending these aren't combaticons do they? I wanna here about sigma-L first, I'm thinking about getting him.

BTW, does anyone have any opinions on terminus Hexatron?

[mikeszekely]

So warbatron doesn't give a flip about pretending these aren't combaticons do they? I wanna here about sigma-L first, I'm thinking about getting him.

Warbotron does. WuKong doesn't. These are actually KOs of 3P toys that I decided to try because 1.) they're cheaper (I paid $250 for all four limbs, free shipping), 2.) Benscollectibles reviews of them said they were pretty good, and 3.) WuKong supposedly included some extra accessories and fixed some of the problems of the original Warbotrons. WuKong's Onslaught got delayed, though, and these guys took forever to clear customs, so I'll probably buy the real Warbotron version for him.

And since you asked, I'll try to have Sigma L up tonight.

[technoblue]

BTW, does anyone have any opinions on terminus Hexatron?

If you like six-changers, then Hexy is a fun one. Personally, I like to figure out the fan transformations that people share over on TFW. In bot mode, he's half a head taller than MP-10. I think Hexy looks good in any Transformers display or even solo on his own. He can stand with Masterpieces or with smaller classics, or you can keep him segregated with the other MMC Reformatted bots, if that's your thing.

I picked up my Hexatron late, so I have the R-01C version which comes with additional paint apps and chrome. Mine doesn't have the swords/sheaths or the hubcaps that turn into Shuriken. Also, there is no helmet gimmick in bot mode.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

BTW, does anyone have any opinions on terminus Hexatron?

[mikeszekely]

OK, at Mike's request, here's Sigma L, Fansproject's version of Mindwipe.

In bat mode, while there are some changes, I think Sigma L is pretty recognizable as Mindwipe. He's got a more stylized bat head with bigger ears, which I like, nicer wings, more bat-like legs, and looses the pink compartment on his chest for Vorath, but he retains most of the usual Mindwipe colors and has molded speaker details for his hypnotic powers. I dig the addition of the green accents. In bat mode, the head can look up, the ears can (due to transformation) tilt forward, and his mouth can open and close, but he can't turn his head. The bat legs have three soft ratchets; one at the "hips" that can move the leg forward, one at the knee that also moves forward and one at the ankle that can tilt the foot forward or backward. They're stiff enough that, despite their small size, he doesn't have trouble standing on them when they're straight. Bend them, though, and his weight will cause him to tip forward. However, if you have some string or a thin rod, they can curl around it and he can hang upside down. His wings are where he has the most articulation. They're on swiveling arm that can move them up, then hinged on that arm to go a little forward or back until they start popping his bot arms out place. There's two more hinges along the black rods running through the middle of the wing that can go straight back or fold nearly entirely over on the front side. Additionally, there's a pivot joint near the body that allows the wings to spread laterally.

Despite the removal of the chest compartment, the Headmaster still has a place to sit... behind that awesomely gothtic translucent green cross on panels that look sort of like a coffin on Sigma's back.

Speaking of the Headmaster, instead of a dull black generic body with reddish-purple legs, Fansproject did a little more stylizing for the better. He's got a nice painted face, little black gauntlet blades, and a silver bat painted on his chest. Sigma L's Headmaster dude is basically evil Batman.

Be careful transforming him. There's a visor piece that needs to slide out before folding down over the face. In another nice touch, Sigma's got red painted eyes behind his translucent greenish-yellow visor, and Batman's gauntlets form Sigma's ears.

And then we have Sigma's bot mode. It's a much greater departure from G1 Mindwipe than his bat mode, but I gotta tell you, if you're going to re-imagine a design this is how you do it. Instead of just another chunky robot, Sigma is a thin, almost gaunt figure, with a high collar, clawed (fixed) fingers, and points on his toes and the backs of his arms. It's a look that makes you think of Sigma as a vampire. As before, he mostly retains Mindwipe's black and purple colors but tosses in some nice painted silver and green accents. Height-wise, here he's with Combiner Wars Prowl and Unique Toys Mania King, so I'd say that Sigma is comfortably a Voyager-sized figure.

Sigma comes with a pair of shotguns with nicely-painted silver barrels. They peg just fine into his hands, or they can store on his wings in robot mode. In bat mode, they can either plug onto the front of his wings or onto his back. A nice touch is that the handles are on a hinge, so the guns can swivel up a bit if they're on his back.

Articulation-wise, Sigma's got ball-jointed shoulders that go all the way around and a little over 45 degrees out to the side before his shoulder hits his collar. He's got double-jointed elbows that let him curl his arms all the way to his shoulders. Both of his wrists swivel, as does his waist and biceps. His hips are soft-ratcheting universal joints, he's got thigh swivels, and his knees can bend 90 degrees. His feet are on (big) ball-joints that give him some forward and backward tilt, as well as his ankle title. As for his head, the joint for the Headmaster is a disc that can turn from side to side. I've seen videos of other Function X toys where the disc can also tip to let the figure look down, or if the disc is turned 180 degrees before the head is inserted, up. If Sigma L can do that, it's so tight on my copy that I'm afraid the Headmaster's head will break, so I don't want to force it.

I really only have two issues with Sigma, and they're kind of related. The first is that the wings are attached to his shoulders, not his back, in robot mode, and there's a molded stop point. That means that if his arm is raised, the wing goes with it, which can look goofy. If not for the stop point, the wings could be rotated to stay behind him, but oh well. The second is the ball-jointed shoulders. The're not bad; on any other figure, I probably wouldn't have a problem. But on Sigma the weight of his wings can cause his shoulders to droop.

Despite these minor issues, I strongly recommend Sigma L. The toy just oozes character. Even if he's too drastic of a departure from G1 Mindwipe for you to think of him as Mindwipe, I'd like to believe that your collections still have room for a robot vampire whose head turns into evil Batman and rides in a coffin when the vampire is in bat mode.

[anime52k8]

BW.jpg

This is kind of why I'm not sure about getting him. I dig sixshot, but the ribbing everywhere is offputting in pictures.

[technoblue]

For me, I'm used to MMC's other Reformatted bots, so Hexy's lines fade into the background. Maybe they are more prominent on the Supernova or Shadow Emissary version, but that's just a guess.

Edit: too much repetition.

Edited April 30, 2016 by technoblue

[Scyla]

So warbatron doesn't give a flip about pretending these aren't combaticons do they? I wanna here about sigma-L first, I'm thinking about getting him.

BTW, does anyone have any opinions on terminus Hexatron?

I HAVE OPINIONS!!!!

The version of Terminus Hexatron I own is the Continuum release with more paint applications, the more G1 styled head, chest wings and guns. I also ordered the set of gladiator swords he had in the comics as well as the eness die-cast recasts of his Katana swords and sheaths that came with originally.

Since the ridges seem to be so much of a concern I would go with the Continuum release since the thick layer of paint on the legs and shoulder spikes tone down the hard angles of the sculpting a fair bit. The black Shadow Emissary release might also be interesting since the black paint also won't highlight the ridges that much.

To the toy itself has some issues. The hind legs in wolf mode are really lacking both in looks and articulation since they don't have dedicated joints for posing and are just the robot legs backwards. The fact that the panels inside his legs don't fold down 180 degrees is baffling to me. Some of the modes are not really convincing. I think lasergun (both as G1 gun and Reformatted gun), space-fighter and boat are the the best (besides the robot). Now the robot itself is good but I'd wish for double jointed elbows. He doesn't have much kibble that doesn't belong to a Sixshot (besides the panels on the inside of his legs there are some additional parts on the back of his elbows).

What makes the toy stand out along other robots is the handfeel and the engineering. The toy is hefty without being too heavy. He is all plastic so all his parts are made out of a dense material which feels good while handing the toy. There are some clever engineering parts during transformation like the way the shoulders transform. Even if he is a six-changer the transformation follows logic steps and is fairly intuitive. Some parts are a bit finicky but that involves mainly the two rings in his waist for storing the weapons which you don't have to mess with if you go with the Continuum or Shadow Emissary version.

I like him a lot but there are definitely spots in his design where you can see his age. I would still recommend him or one of his variants since it is the best six-changer out there.