The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[captain america]

11 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

But can you correct them yourself? Supposedly TE will be shipping to retailers next week, so I don't see TE making any of those changes.

Dude, it's me here. 

I'm curious to see what the extra head they're supposed to include will look like. If necessary, I can sculpt my own.

[M'Kyuun]

MS-01 paid- can't wait to get it. For $107, that's a pretty good deal for a really nice looking Prime.

Edited January 3, 2019 by M'Kyuun

[Tking22]

Wow yeah I've definitely decided, it's TE for me, this thing looks gorgeous. That back shot is definitely something, TT certainly didn't strive for toon accuracy there did they? Once again, bullshit electronics jacked the price up and messed up the backpack for poor MP-44, also, a bunch of dumb accessories hardly anyone will bother with. It looks like MP-44 is about to tip over holding all that backpack up :).

[nightmareB4macross]

I am really digging those round cartoon hands. 

[Dangard Ace]

For the 3P OP battle It’s TE for me.  Boots look great, doesn’t have the rear ankle that MS has and I prefer the slimmer season 1 look.   I’ll chrome the grill and stacks. Head and thighs I’ll wait to see what the alt head looks like and the engineering for the thighs before firing up the ol’ 3D printer.  

[Tking22]

5 minutes ago, Dangard Ace said:

For the 3P OP battle It’s TE for me.  Boots look great, doesn’t have the rear ankle that MS has and I prefer the slimmer season 1 look.   I’ll chrome the grill and stacks. Head and thighs I’ll wait to see what the alt head looks like and the engineering for the thighs before firing up the ol’ 3D printer.  

The highlighted is actually a sticking point for me, both MP-44 and MS have a weird heel that isn't accurate, TE gets it just right. But once again, there are plenty of little things like that to like and dislike about all 3 figures available. Once again, thanks to third party, I'm sure everyone that wants to get an upgraded Optimus will find something to like. Also, looking at MS, I REALLY don't like the knees, once I saw the design, it's all my eyes go to in every shot. Standing straight we're good, but once there's any knee bend it starts to look odd.

[Dangard Ace]

30 minutes ago, Tking22 said:

I REALLY don't like the knees, once I saw the design, it's all my eyes go to in every shot. Standing straight we're good, but once there's any knee bend it starts to look odd.

 Great.  Now I can’t unsee those knees.  Thanks a lot.     

 

I am curious what this “bonus” piece that MS is supposed to come with in the first batch.  

[Tking22]

1 hour ago, Dangard Ace said:

 Great.  Now I can’t unsee those knees.  Thanks a lot.     

 

I am curious what this “bonus” piece that MS is supposed to come with in the first batch.  

Lol my bad, I didn't notice either until we started getting more shots of him in some cool poses, standing straight I didn't even notice.

From what I read, MS comes with battle damaged parts, and on TFW2005 I saw some shots of an alternate head with red eyes for zombie Optimus. Not sure if those shots were legit or Photoshop though.

[derex3592]

Where's the best (reliable) place to get the best deal on the TE Optimus once it's released?

 

[captain america]

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Where's the best (reliable) place to get the best deal on the TE Optimus once it's released?

 

https://tf-direct.com/deposit-only-transform-element-te-01-op_p2616.html

Cheapest too!

[Dangard Ace]

I prefer showzstore ($110)but he’s currently sold out.  

 

https://showzstore.com/pre-order-transform-element-te-01-te01-masterpiece-mp-10-mp10-optimus-prime_p1004.html

 

edit and now back for preorder

[slaginpit]

Some simple mods and a great paint job with some diecast can turn a decent original  mold into something worthy of a masterpiece 

Edited January 4, 2019 by slaginpit

[nhyone]

21 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

The more I look at TE, the more it just looks off to me.

I'm the opposite. I used to think MS looks better in bot mode, now I think TE looks better in both modes. But as a result, TE makes some compromise in posability.

I'm not choosing between MS and TE.  MP-44 is definitely out of the race for me.

I'm also thinking if there is any point to keep MP-10... (MS-01 is a tweaked MP-10.)

Edited January 4, 2019 by nhyone

[Tking22]

Benscollectibles has a review up for MS-01, looking pretty good. That transformation is quite intuitive, there's a lot of clever engineering going on in there, that said, the alt mode is still fairly ugly to me, but that bot does look beefy. Also, it seems TE-01 comes with an adapter to use the MP-10 trailer, and apparently his matrix chamber is compatible with the MP-10 matrix, for those that would care about those little details.

 

 

[Tking22]

Found a solid review for TE-01 as well. That's a FAR more complex transformation then I thought, more complex then MS-01, but probably on par for Takara MP-44. Like MS-01, there's a lot of clever engineering going on, the way the wheels hide in the crotch is pretty fantastic. I already paid up, so TE-01 is the new Optimus for me.

 

 

[eXis10z]

[Negotiator]

Hmm I thought TE Would be the clear winner but it lacks articulation the others have. Still might bite thr bullet on it.

[technoblue]

Mm. I think Ben sold me on Magic Square's iteration. Since I have a long wait for MP-44, I'm tempted to pick up MS-01 in the meantime. I love the articulation, and how fun it appears to transform it back and forth. I like the silhouette when standing MS-01 next to MP-10 too. They both really look good together.

The one area Magic Square might have improved, though, was the matrix chamber. Transform Element did a better job there making it so that the matrix is hidden in bot mode, but that's a minor nitpick.

Edited January 4, 2019 by technoblue

[JB0]

Man, when you put them all side-by-side like that, the Transform Element and MP v3 both just look cheap.

 

[Dangard Ace]

Found pics on weibo.  TE is definitely a buy and replacing MP10.  Still on the fence on MS.  Not a fan of the chunky look or the alt mode.

https://www.weibo.com/u/6013666165?refer_flag=1005055014_&is_hot=1

[Dobber]

Great scene recreation pictures...absolutely brilliant!

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

50 minutes ago, Dobber said:

Great scene recreation pictures...absolutely brilliant!

Chris

Agree- looks great. Shame the grill's not chromed to give that nice reflection of Thrust like the scene. TE did a really nice job on their Matrix chamber, the overall look of his back, and the truck mode. The transformation is rather involved, but brilliant. It's a nice looking figure, but I ultimately went for Magic Square's OP, as I like the bot proportions, the leg detail, and the superior articulation. TE did a great job capturing the toon look, though, and IMHO, both 3P offerings look better than MP-44, especially in side profile.

It's good that the two companies took different aesthetic cues, as options are nice based upon one's preferences. Hoping they turn out to be excellent figures in hand.

 

[mikeszekely]

Replace  the head, paint the stripe on the cab, replace the white thighs and pelvis with silver or light gray, and replace the dark gray hinges in his pelvis with hinges that match the pelvis, and then TE would have a chance.

[captain america]

7 hours ago, Dangard Ace said:

Found pics on weibo.  TE is definitely a buy and replacing MP10.  Still on the fence on MS.  Not a fan of the chunky look or the alt mode.

https://www.weibo.com/u/6013666165?refer_flag=1005055014_&is_hot=1

 

I don't know if they've done some subtle adjustments to the head since the test-shots or if it's just the lighting, but it looks considerably better in this newest batch of pics; maybe not perfect, but definitely better. Poseability looks decent enough to tackle most of Prime's iconic poses. Can't wait to have this in hand and implement a few tweaks.

[Dangard Ace]

Blazing Mewtwo on TFW2005 did a comparison of all MP OP vs the Cartoon model.

[David Hingtgen]

4 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Replace  the head, paint the stripe on the cab, replace the white thighs and pelvis with silver or light gray, and replace the dark gray hinges in his pelvis with hinges that match the pelvis, and then TE would have a chance.

Pretty much that.  Prime has silver/metal/chrome accents, not white.  No more than Superman's hair has blue streaks in it...

You know, nobody ever makes his stacks white---somehow, "common sense and logic" always prevails there, no matter how "toon-accurate" they try to make it elsewhere. 

[Xigfrid]

I got a question, will MS or TE Optimus prime be compatible with a KBB (MP10V) trailer? 

[mikeszekely]

26 minutes ago, Xigfrid said:

I got a question, will MS or TE Optimus prime be compatible with a KBB (MP10V) trailer? 

Almost definitely not. MS and TE are both designed to be MP-scaled. Pics have been shown of both with regular MP-10's trailer. The kbb one will be too small.

[Tking22]

26 minutes ago, Xigfrid said:

I got a question, will MS or TE Optimus prime be compatible with a KBB (MP10V) trailer? 

Isn't that the voyager scale MP-10? I'd say too small, MS and TE are MP scale like MP-10. TE is compatible with the regular MP-10 trailer.

Damn, I'm loving these shots of TE, that thing looks fantastic. Aside from thigh swivel, I'm not seeing any superior articulation on MS, and the white thighs are what I wanted, the grey is more a toy thing. The cab stripe as well, it was missing far more then it was on him in the original cartoon.

Also it seems the battle damage parts for MS aren't original movie battle damage, it appears to be shattered glass Optimus parts, specifically the bullet holes in the cab windows.

 

[Dobber]

Out of all these Primes, I think I prefer the Magic Square version the most. Yes ot’s Alt mode is laughable for a real Cab over Semi....but it’s bot just looks more proportional. TE’s while nice just looks odd. It’s thighs are way too small to me and just look out of scale with the rest of the legs and pelvis.

Chris

[M'Kyuun]

For toon accuracy, especially compared to that lineart, TE just nailed it aesthetically, down to how the joints look when articulated (def beat MS in that area). I don't care for the white thighs, but I think they look fine proportionally. And they managed to get a much more 'realistically' proportionate cab out of it, especially the thinner hitch deck, which requires an add-on fifth-wheel hitch be installed to enable hitching up MP-10's trailer. Honestly, that little bit of partsforming is forgivable, especially to maintain the clean look of his bot mode, which would be my preference to having it shoehorned in there somewhere where it might disrupt the sculpt. I'd surmise that most of us probably don't display our MP Prime with his trailer anyway- I don't.

I went with Magic Square, as I like the chunkier look of him and his somewhat better articulation (especially in the shoulders- impressive range of motion), but I've certainly come around towards appreciating TE's version as well. Bottom line, if both turn out to be durable toys, I don't think either will be disappointing in hand. Moreover, I think both look better than V3, especially in profile. I'm looking forward to getting my copy and spending some time putting him through his paces. 

[eXis10z]

The MS prime is in stock at my locale but I'm waiting to see more reviews of MS and TE before biting the bullet.

I like the matte finish of MS and it's proportions but the knee joints are one of the killers. Not liking the torso joint too.

[M'Kyuun]

I also prefer the matte finish to TE's more plasticky look. The blue plastic they used just doesn't look right to me- kinda cheap looking. And while the knees aren't the best (although I do like how that little center bit is part of the knee block and moves with it), the ratchets all around in his legs and hips give me more confidence that it'll hold up better over the long haul. I believe TE's  legs ratchet fore and aft, but IIRC the lateral movement is friction, which will likely wear over time. I love MS's paint accents throughout the legs, and still wish they had painted his leg vents silver instead of leaving them blue. I'll either attempt to paint them myself, or wait to see if Toyhax make a decent set of labels to fix it. I'm not much of a painter, so I'll likely opt for the latter.  The only other real niggle I have with MS-01 is the lack of a Matrix chamber cover. TE did a great job with that, and with the back details. 

My MS Optimus is on its way, and I'm pretty excited to have it in hand. This will be my first product from them, and I really hope it's a solid toy. If it and the TE versions both turn out well, it opens the MP-scale door to two more companies, provided the Chinese authorities don't C&D them out of business. 

It strikes me that there is a lot of talent behind these third party companies; while I appreciate what they do for us fans, especially in light of the ever increasing pricey-ness of the MP line, it's a shame they can't, don't, or won't pool their resources and produce their own transforming toy IP. I suppose it's easier to piggyback on an established franchise with a built-in fanbase, but it just seems to me, especially with Hasbro and the Chinese govt enforcing the protection of their IP, that it'd be wise to do an original project.  I'd welcome a new show featuring transforming robots or mecha apart from Macross and Transformers, accompanied by a well-engineered toyline.

[Tking22]

And Ben's review for TE-01 is up!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkqoGYDkCj4

edit: Can't post in thread for some reason, copy and pasted as usual but nothing.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Tking22

[Tking22]

That alt mode is gorgeous, hot damn. I really don't mind the extra involved transformation to get there either, honestly, the only tricky part looks to be fitting the robot back pieces into the roof position for alt mode, getting past the smoke stacks and arms looks like it has to be done in a very specific way. That said both MS and TE came up with some very neat and intuitive transformations for the legs, we've definitely moved on from MP-10s good enough leg transformation, those both look phenomenal.

I love what TE did with the legs, and the backs of the legs and most importantly the backs of the feet, look soooooo good and on point, a dumb little detail, but I like it a lot. MS definitely looks beefier next to TE, he's got bulk, Prime that's been hitting the gym. Seeing MP-10s trailer on MS and TE looks great as well, I think that trailer is still really nice looking, and with the MP-10 matrix also fitting TE, I'll just cannibalize MP-10 for the parts I want and sell him for cheap.

edit: From what I'm reading, TE-01 is scheduled for release sometime tomorrow, 1/8/19. Hopefully everyone that pre-ordered will be getting shipping notices by the end of the week, would be neat if MS and TE both deliver MP Primes at almost the same time.

Edited January 7, 2019 by Tking22