The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[mikeszekely]

I'd been hearing a ton of good things about Magic Square's Legends-scale figures, and with MS-01 on the way (just hit the States, so hopefully he gets through customs quickly) I thought I might check out one of those Legends figures.  Since I'm not totally sold on the scale, I decided to go with Stereo Master, Magic Square's Blaster.  I figure worst-case scenario he'd make a fun little accessory for my MP-scale figures.

One of the first things you notice about Stereo Master is the plastic.  It's not very glossy, and it feels a bit rougher than most TF figures.  If you have some of the older Fansproject stuff, like the heads for the Function X figures, Sidearm, or the Protector trailer, it's sort of similar to that.  The difference takes some getting used to, but it feels sturdy, so I guess it's not really a bad thing.

The second thing you notice is, holy cow, that's definitely Blaster!  Despite his much smaller size I think he's actually got better proportions and more cartoon accuracy than pretty much any other Blaster toy I can think of.  They even nailed the hips, which KFC couldn't manage.  I've heard the expression "mini Masterpiece" used to describe Magic Square's offerings, and if Stereo Master is any indication I'd say the label fits.

For a more accurate size comparison, here he is with a Hasbro Legends figure (Slash) and an Iron Factory one (Armor Boar, aka Brawl).  As an MP collector I'm not sure how Legends are supposed to work (I think the idea is that they're sort of the same size as the Hasbro ones, but when Hasbro was doing characters like Optimus in Legends-scale and not reserving it for minibots, but the Legends figures from a company like DX9 might not match the scale of Iron Factory's, or something like that).  I think Stereo Master looks fine with Armor Boar, though.  And you'll note that Iron Factory and Hasbro both use 5mm peg holes for their hands, which makes them pretty big.  Magic Square seems to be using a smaller 3mm size.  That means they're not really compatible with other weapons you might have lying around, but it seems to result in hands that are more proportional.

Stereo Master doesn't come with a lot.  He's got his electro scrambler rifle, with a good sculpt for the size.  Plus it's got some silver paint, which is more than I can say for even the KFC version.  He also comes with an adorably tiny little tape that transforms into a similarly tiny, similarly adorable Ramhorn.  The tape mode is a little on the thick side, and the halves a held in place by friction alone, but I think it's fair for what it is.

Despite Stereo Master's small size, Magic Square didn't cut corners on the articulation.  His head is on a ball joint that can swivel, look up 90 degrees, and look down or tilt his head sideways a little.  His shoulders are also ball joints, and he can rotate them and extend them laterally 90 degrees.  He's got a dedicated bicep swivel, an elbow hinge good for 90 degrees, plus a hinge just below the bicep swivel that effectively works as a second elbow joint.  His wrists can swivel.  His waist can swivel.  He's got 90 degrees of ab crunch, and a hinged panel on his crotch even moves to give the ab crunch clearance.  It's not a joint required for transformation, either; it exists because MS wanted the figure to have an ab crunch.  His hips are on ball joints, so they can move 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally, plus he's got a little swivel there.  If that's not enough for you, he's got dedicated thigh swivels where the darker gray thigh meets the lighter gray hip.  His knees are single-jointed hinges good for 90 degrees.  His toes have a little bit of up/down bend, and the entire foot is hinged for 90 degrees of ankle pivot.

The tape door on his chest does open, and the buttons are all hinged so they can move, but there's no springs or anything.  You have to pull the door open and position the buttons manually.  I think that's acceptable at this size, though.  He holds his gun fine in either hand, and the little Ramhorn does fit into his chest.

From most angles Stereo Master's alt mode looks as good as his robot mode.  He doesn't have a lot of extra details, but pretty much all the details from the animation model are there.  He's even got tab slots where the animation model had lines from where the G1 toy had grooves for turning out the arms.  There are seems where the G1 model had some lines.  All he's really missing is a circle on one side, something that maybe Toyhax can fix with Reprolabels.

He is a little messy from the back, especially with the hands showing.  But if I'm being totally fair, I don't think he looks that much worse than the Voyager-sized Unique Toys figure or the MP-sized KFC one from behind.

Besides, although it's not the prettiest, having his hands visible does allow him to hang onto his rifle in this mode, so you don't lose it.

The connection between the two halves of his handle is a little less secure than I'd like.  You can still open his tape door, and Ramhorn can still store inside.  Without Ramhorn in there his head is super visible, though.  Even with the tape door closed, the clear panel is very see through.  MS should have gone less transparent and more translucent.  Again, I'm kind of hoping Toyhax can make some Reprolabels to go behind the door, maybe something in gray with lines that look like the animation model.  In the meantime, it's best to keep Ramhorn stored inside while he's in this mode.

I said at the beginning of this review that chose this guy because I wanted to check out MS's Legends-scale offerings and that, as a boom box, he'd make a cool accessory for my MP-scaled figures.  And he definitely does!  The thing is, I'm actually kind of blown away by this little guy.  Now, I said I wasn't going to do Legends.  I said I was far along into my MP collection, and I don't want to try to find space for a Legends collection.  And even though I liked Iron Factory's Bruticus in combined mode a lot, despite their reputation I wasn't even impressed enough with them to as individual robots to change my mind on Legends.  But Stereo Master really is like a mini MP.  In fact, if you scaled him up, replaced the ball joints in his shoulders and hips with universal joints, maybe replace some of the friction joints with ratchets and include a little more engineering in the arms to tuck them into the alt mode better (honestly, I think folding the hands into the forearms and putting other swivel at the lower elbow might be enough) and Stereo Master would be a much better MP KFC's.  It's amazing to me that MS was able to nail the aesthetics of both modes as well as they did in such a small package and with such simple yet effective engineering.  So ultimately, Magic Square and Stereo Master have done what not even Iron Factory could- they got me into Legends.  I will definitely be picking up some more Magic Square figures, and soon.  I can't really think of a stronger recommendation than that.

[M'Kyuun]

Before they ventured into the MP realm with MS-01, I think Magic Square were primarily known for their very G1esque legends sized figs. I've seen pics from a convention or two, and they always impress. I wish they were deluxe, as many of them would fill gaps on the CHUG shelves. Why does no-one do deluxe figs? Third Party seems to go either MP or legends, with little in between.

Speaking of impressive legends figs, have you seen this Prowl from New Age? 

https://showzstore.com/pre-order-newage-new-age-na-h3-harry-prowl_p1188.html  

I so wish this was deluxe, as CHUG Prowl just never really satisfied. Even at legends scale, I'm very tempted, as this thing is amazing.

Edited January 8, 2019 by M'Kyuun

[peter]

Kind of want:

 

 

[Mechapilot77]

11 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I'd been hearing a ton of good things about Magic Square's Legends-scale figures, and with MS-01 on the way (just hit the States, so hopefully he gets through customs quickly) I thought I might check out one of those Legends figures.  Since I'm not totally sold on the scale, I decided to go with Stereo Master, Magic Square's Blaster.  I figure worst-case scenario he'd make a fun little accessory for my MP-scale figures.

One of the first things you notice about Stereo Master is the plastic.  It's not very glossy, and it feels a bit rougher than most TF figures.  If you have some of the older Fansproject stuff, like the heads for the Function X figures, Sidearm, or the Protector trailer, it's sort of similar to that.  The difference takes some getting used to, but it feels sturdy, so I guess it's not really a bad thing.

The second thing you notice is, holy cow, that's definitely Blaster!  Despite his much smaller size I think he's actually got better proportions and more cartoon accuracy than pretty much any other Blaster toy I can think of.  They even nailed the hips, which KFC couldn't manage.  I've heard the expression "mini Masterpiece" used to describe Magic Square's offerings, and if Stereo Master is any indication I'd say the label fits.

For a more accurate size comparison, here he is with a Hasbro Legends figure (Slash) and an Iron Factory one (Armor Boar, aka Brawl).  As an MP collector I'm not sure how Legends are supposed to work (I think the idea is that they're sort of the same size as the Hasbro ones, but when Hasbro was doing characters like Optimus in Legends-scale and not reserving it for minibots, but the Legends figures from a company like DX9 might not match the scale of Iron Factory's, or something like that).  I think Stereo Master looks fine with Armor Boar, though.  And you'll note that Iron Factory and Hasbro both use 5mm peg holes for their hands, which makes them pretty big.  Magic Square seems to be using a smaller 3mm size.  That means they're not really compatible with other weapons you might have lying around, but it seems to result in hands that are more proportional.

Stereo Master doesn't come with a lot.  He's got his electro scrambler rifle, with a good sculpt for the size.  Plus it's got some silver paint, which is more than I can say for even the KFC version.  He also comes with an adorably tiny little tape that transforms into a similarly tiny, similarly adorable Ramhorn.  The tape mode is a little on the thick side, and the halves a held in place by friction alone, but I think it's fair for what it is.

Despite Stereo Master's small size, Magic Square didn't cut corners on the articulation.  His head is on a ball joint that can swivel, look up 90 degrees, and look down or tilt his head sideways a little.  His shoulders are also ball joints, and he can rotate them and extend them laterally 90 degrees.  He's got a dedicated bicep swivel, an elbow hinge good for 90 degrees, plus a hinge just below the bicep swivel that effectively works as a second elbow joint.  His wrists can swivel.  His waist can swivel.  He's got 90 degrees of ab crunch, and a hinged panel on his crotch even moves to give the ab crunch clearance.  It's not a joint required for transformation, either; it exists because MS wanted the figure to have an ab crunch.  His hips are on ball joints, so they can move 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally, plus he's got a little swivel there.  If that's not enough for you, he's got dedicated thigh swivels where the darker gray thigh meets the lighter gray hip.  His knees are single-jointed hinges good for 90 degrees.  His toes have a little bit of up/down bend, and the entire foot is hinged for 90 degrees of ankle pivot.

The tape door on his chest does open, and the buttons are all hinged so they can move, but there's no springs or anything.  You have to pull the door open and position the buttons manually.  I think that's acceptable at this size, though.  He holds his gun fine in either hand, and the little Ramhorn does fit into his chest.

From most angles Stereo Master's alt mode looks as good as his robot mode.  He doesn't have a lot of extra details, but pretty much all the details from the animation model are there.  He's even got tab slots where the animation model had lines from where the G1 toy had grooves for turning out the arms.  There are seems where the G1 model had some lines.  All he's really missing is a circle on one side, something that maybe Toyhax can fix with Reprolabels.

He is a little messy from the back, especially with the hands showing.  But if I'm being totally fair, I don't think he looks that much worse than the Voyager-sized Unique Toys figure or the MP-sized KFC one from behind.

Besides, although it's not the prettiest, having his hands visible does allow him to hang onto his rifle in this mode, so you don't lose it.

The connection between the two halves of his handle is a little less secure than I'd like.  You can still open his tape door, and Ramhorn can still store inside.  Without Ramhorn in there his head is super visible, though.  Even with the tape door closed, the clear panel is very see through.  MS should have gone less transparent and more translucent.  Again, I'm kind of hoping Toyhax can make some Reprolabels to go behind the door, maybe something in gray with lines that look like the animation model.  In the meantime, it's best to keep Ramhorn stored inside while he's in this mode.

I said at the beginning of this review that chose this guy because I wanted to check out MS's Legends-scale offerings and that, as a boom box, he'd make a cool accessory for my MP-scaled figures.  And he definitely does!  The thing is, I'm actually kind of blown away by this little guy.  Now, I said I wasn't going to do Legends.  I said I was far along into my MP collection, and I don't want to try to find space for a Legends collection.  And even though I liked Iron Factory's Bruticus in combined mode a lot, despite their reputation I wasn't even impressed enough with them to as individual robots to change my mind on Legends.  But Stereo Master really is like a mini MP.  In fact, if you scaled him up, replaced the ball joints in his shoulders and hips with universal joints, maybe replace some of the friction joints with ratchets and include a little more engineering in the arms to tuck them into the alt mode better (honestly, I think folding the hands into the forearms and putting other swivel at the lower elbow might be enough) and Stereo Master would be a much better MP KFC's.  It's amazing to me that MS was able to nail the aesthetics of both modes as well as they did in such a small package and with such simple yet effective engineering.  So ultimately, Magic Square and Stereo Master have done what not even Iron Factory could- they got me into Legends.  I will definitely be picking up some more Magic Square figures, and soon.  I can't really think of a stronger recommendation than that.

they've got proportions and g1 feel down and the figures are solid.  i have their mini magnus and it definitely feels more like magnus than mp magnus, despite havin the whole cab visible from the back.  that blaster is 10X closer to the look and "feeling" of blaster than kfc's.  i've been trying to unload my kfc blaster pure red (well not trying that hard lol) partially because the hips are "wrong" ( guess more normal and heroic?) and not a fan of mid thigh swivels.  i really don't want to collect another line/scale of TF either but i had to have that magnus because mr. mp fat buttflap having no waist swivel magnus was a huge disapointment.   and hey it might look ok next ot a hi metal r?  hahaha

[mikeszekely]

12 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

Speaking of impressive legends figs, have you seen this Prowl from New Age? 

So I've heard good things about New Age, and I'm thinking about getting Flipper (their Bumblebee) because he supposedly scales really well with other Legends figures and he looks so cute.  But I think that, instead of going all in on a Legends-scale collection, I might limit myself to just Magic Square's stuff (well, maybe Iron Factory's DJD, too).

That NA Prowl does look pretty cool... minus the elbows.  Nothing makes a toy feel cheaper to me than when a ball joint is doing double-duty as an elbow and a bicep swivel.

But don't worry, looks like I might still end up with Legends-scale Datsuns...

[captain america]

47 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

So I've heard good things about New Age, and I'm thinking about getting Flipper (their Bumblebee) because he supposedly scales really well with other Legends figures and he looks so cute.  But I think that, instead of going all in on a Legends-scale collection, I might limit myself to just Magic Square's stuff (well, maybe Iron Factory's DJD, too).

That NA Prowl does look pretty cool... minus the elbows.  Nothing makes a toy feel cheaper to me than when a ball joint is doing double-duty as an elbow and a bicep swivel.

But don't worry, looks like I might still end up with Legends-scale Datsuns...

That's a really cool looking Prowl. With a little tweaking, it could be a Masterpiece. Certainly better than TT's Prowl.

 

Oh, and for those upset/concerned with TE Prime's lack of thigh swivel, it doesn't affect posing. I thought it would be more of an eyesore too, but you get used to it.

[derex3592]

Man...I REALLY want that TE-01 --But do I want it more than the upcoming HM-R VF-4??? hmmmmm....

[Tking22]

8 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Man...I REALLY want that TE-01 --But do I want it more than the upcoming HM-R VF-4??? hmmmmm....

That's a tough call though honestly if you can only do 1, the VF-4 pre-orders sold out, and it will probably only be available at NY after release, at a mark up. But it also seems TE-01 and MS-01 first runs are selling out, supposedly the second run will include the second head, but that's not a guarantee and nobody knows when a second run could happen.

 

Seriously though, TE-01 is a gorgeous Prime, holy crap, he looks fantastic, and agreed, the lack of thigh swivel isn't as egregious as I thought it would be. Those proportions, those legs, it's all really beautiful IMO, and at $96 shipped, what a steal. I was a bit on the fence before we started getting more official and finished shots, but each new batch gets me more excited, which I never thought I would be for ANOTHER MP Prime.

[slaginpit]

Got my Magic Square today. Will have to open. After seeing bens review of the TE version I might pick it up too. I mean I can have 2 plus another two to pose in Vehicle mode for the price of one MP Prime v3.

[M'Kyuun]

Too true; you can't beat the price of these Prime toys. MS's is a little more, but I got it for $108 shipped, which is still better than the vast majority of third party figures.

I didn't see that MS Prowl.  It's like MP Prowl's mini-me. Still, I find myself gravitating towards the New Age, as it gives me a strong G1 toy vibe  (Prowl was my first TF toy, so I have an attachment), and I don't mind the ball jointed elbows. Options are nice, though.

[eXis10z]

Well those TE pics and review certainly makes the decision harder.

[Negotiator]

ben's review on TE-01 confirmed for me you can cross the arms in front of the chest which was a concern of mine.  no ab crunch, but i can live with it. ordered!

[mikeszekely]

I know I'm pretty late to the show on this one, but he was sitting in my stack at TFSource just waiting for more stuff to pile up so I (being cheap) could hit that $150 free shipping mark.  But this is X-Transbots Flipout, aka MP Wildrider.

I looked at the prototypes for DX9 and FansToys' takes on Wildrider... look, I'm all for competition.  And while I've heard some mixed things about Montana, I could say there are definitely some things that were nicer on it than XTB's Crackup.  But this guy, right here?  Flipout?  He looks darn near perfect.  The lines on his feet and circles on his toes.  The trapezoids on his shins.  The rectangles on his knees. The octagons on his thighs.  The linework on his hips (that DX9 and FT both seem to think is also some of his waist/abs).  The big black square on his abs.  The asymmetrical white and blue chest squares.  The tires in his shoulders.  The red forearms broken up with some gray at the elbows and hands.  The suitably grumpy face, ear spikes, and a squarish head with just the right linework.  The built-like-a-refrigerator torso.  He is, of the G1 Wildriders that will be available at some point, the most cartoon accurate.  Yet he doesn't feel like he's venturing into that "looks like crappy drawing someone rushed out for a cartoon 35 years ago" look.  He looks rather premium, in fact, as nearly every surface is covered in paint.  That's glossy white, black, and blue on his torso, a metal-flaked gray on most of the rest of him, and a gorgeous metallic red on his arms and face.  He looks and feels so good that he makes the GT Wildrider here look and feel cheap next to him.  His back cleans up much better than Crackup's.  Honestly, the only thing I can think of to complain about might be that you wish he looked a bit more toy accurate.  I didn't have the Stunticons as a kid, so that's a non-issue for me.

He doesn't come with much... not that he needs to.  You get this cartoon-accurate blaster, mostly painted in that same metal-flake gray used on the rest of him.  Not pictured, but he also comes with a second face.  The face looks to be the same sculpt as the default one, just done in a glossy red that matches Crackup's instead of the metallic red.

Flipout's head is on a hinged swivel that can look down a little, up a little, and rotate.  His shoulders are actually on ball joints that rotate and extend 90 degrees.  There's a transformation hinge in the torso that you can use to get a little extra lateral movement out of, though.  He's got bicep swivels where the red stops, above his elbow.  The elbow itself is double-jointed and curls nearly the whole way up.  His wrists can swivel.  His hands are your basic MP car's, with a fixed thumb and all four fingers molded as one piece hinged at the base.  He's got an ab crunch, and his waist can swivel.  His hip skirts are hinged at the front and sides, so his hips can bend 90 degrees forwards, backwards, or laterally, on on soft-ratcheted universal joints.  His thighs have swivels around the joint.  His knees can bend 90 degrees on ratchets.  His feet can bend up slightly, down 90 degrees, and pivot about 45 degrees.

He holds his gun just fine, using the usual MP method of a tabbed handle fitting into slots on his palms.

Flipout transforms into a Ferrari 308 GTB, like you'd expect.  Maybe not as cool as the 599XX (sorry, I'm a sucker for modern supercars and don't care as much for '80s Ferraris), but such is life.  Being cartoon-based he's sporting the metallic red striping on the sides and lacks the carbon fiber hood of the G1's sticker.  I think a case could be made, especially in the bright lights, that the gray is a little light, but I think I'm ok with that.

He can't hide his gun in alt mode, but he can plug it into the back of the car, and the handle is on a hinge so it can be aimed up.

Despite the emphasis on the cartoon's design, XTB made sure that Flipout looks like an accurate Ferrari 308.  The grill is accurate.  The tail is mostly accurate, although it seems like it's missing some of the undercarriage shroud around the exhaust pipes.  The lights are accurate, including the white circle inside the orange on the taillights and the turn signals in front of the front tires.  There's molded and gold-painted spots for the Ferrari badge on the hood, behind the front tires, and on the rims (rims that are also accurate).  There's a molded key hole under the triangular door handle groove.  The tires are rubber.  The translucent red windows let in enough light that they look like realistic windows but are shaded enough that you can't really make out the robot bits inside if you're not actively looking for them.  I wish some of the tabs fit together a little more snugly, but one the whole this is a car that won't look at all out of place with your other Hasui-era MP cars.

I really don't have a lot of complaints here.  Some of the tabs, specifically the ones that lock the rear of the car in and the ones that hold the front of the car and the doors together are a little tight, and he's a little more expensive than Crackup, but I think he's a better figure with a smoother transformation than Crackup.  And even with the increase in price, he's still below the price of an MP car, even when MP cars were regularly under $80.  He's well made, the materials are good, and he looks spot on in both modes.  I'll tell you right now, I don't know if I'm sold on XTB's Menasor (if Zeta does a toy/OX-style Menasor that'll probably be my MP Menasor), but Flipout is a fantastic MP take on Wildrider at a price that makes him very worthwhile even if he never gets combined.  Definite recommend from me.

[Dobber]

Will MS or TE be making more of their Primes? I’m getting really tempted by them and am not sure which one I would like. I’m now leaning towards TE. They both seem to be selling out though. Ben’s review of the TE makes me want it now and he mentioned a rerelease with possible optional parts? I’m new to the third party game so I don’t know how production runs are done. Thanks for any help.

Chris

[Xigfrid]

With KO stuff, you can be sure there will be re-releases otherwise a KO's copies of the actual KO!

That's what happened when UT-01 Peru Kill was harder and harder to find, then BSL-01 appeared out of nowhere at half the price, just before the second release of UT-01

[Xigfrid]

BTW I am more and more tempted by MS optimus prime now...  I thought the only Optimus I wanted so far was the TLK Toyworld Optimus Prime

[Kuma Style]

 

[Tking22]

2 hours ago, Dobber said:

Will MS or TE be making more of their Primes? I’m getting really tempted by them and am not sure which one I would like. I’m now leaning towards TE. They both seem to be selling out though. Ben’s review of the TE makes me want it now and he mentioned a rerelease with possible optional parts? I’m new to the third party game so I don’t know how production runs are done. Thanks for any help.

Chris

They both definitely will, it's just a matter of time. TE-01s second run will supposedly come with a second, non transforming head, but for those that bought the first run we will be able to just contact our supplier to get one for free when it releases. These two figures weren't really available at most US sites that normally carry third party, it seems a lot of retailers figured most folks would go with MP-44 and call it a day, The Chosen Prime had both available, Toy Dojo as well. Both those sites are looking to be out of most of their original batches, you can check some non US based sites, TF-Direct is reliable. From what I've read, second runs of MS-01 might not come with his second head, that seems to be a first run bonus only, but that could change. As of now, ToyDojo has both MS and TE 01 on pre-order, slightly marked up due to being US sites.

https://www.toydojo.com/

[Dobber]

Thanks guys, they both have their strengths and weaknesses...something I like in both. TF-Direct has them, I think, in stock. But now is not a great time for me to buy, I’m a government worker and Furloughed.  plus if TE is rereleasing with some extra parts, it may be better to wait.

Chris

[Sildani]

@Kuma Stylenice review... so he transforms into an Avenger Quinjet?

[Kuma Style]

Thanks and Pretty much, yea. It's a really neat take on it.

 

IMG]http://kumastyledesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2-287.png[/IMG]

 

[Tking22]

Heavy breathing... He's almost ready, and hot damn does he look handsome. Honestly? That face looks fine. I'll gladly put in my request and pay $5 for shipping when the second head releases, but that final production head doesn't look bad at all. The legs are beautiful, he hides the windshield wipers, he has white legs, no truck cab stripe, this thing look gorgeous. TFW2005 is flooded with MS-01 pics as well, another fine looking Prime, but just not for me.

[Kuma Style]

 

[Kuma Style]

[mikeszekely]

Y'know, I sold my Striker Manus, figuring that he was too small for my Optimus display (which does still have Thunder Manus), and I still have the Noir version if I want to mess with the mold.  But that Premium version has me thinking about picking him up again (and maybe Planet X Jupiter, too).  Size doesn't really matter, right?

[Kuma Style]

[JetJockey]

I thought after looking at all the pictures that the Magic Square Optimus was the one I was going with. I preferred the look, paint job, and battle damaged parts. I believe it was mikeszekely that pointed out the grey bits on the waist of the Transform Element Optimus and I can't stop seeing them. But I'm thinking that these companies look at what each other is doing and change things just to be different. It's like the 3rd Party Jazz versions. They all have both good and odd design elements. The Transform Element version has the best Matrix chamber out of all of them. So much that I'm leaning that version now over the Magic Square. It's like Magic Square cheapened out on that bit. I see some people on the Transformer forum using paper to cover the glass on the Magic Square. But still you shouldn't have to do that. Maybe if there are second versions, there will be more design improvements. I saw on one youtube review an MP-10 with anime style glass that looked really cool.

[JB0]

Every time I see Buster Stealthwing, I think "That is a cool robot", but also "I swear I saw that in Dancouga." Not that this is a bad thing at all. Dancouga had some cool mecha designs.

I just can't NOT see it as a buffed-up version of the Eagle Fighter, is all I'm saying.

[mikeszekely]

34 minutes ago, JetJockey said:

I believe it was mikeszekely that pointed out the grey bits on the waist of the Transform Element Optimus and I can't stop seeing them.

Sorry!

35 minutes ago, JetJockey said:

They all have both good and odd design elements. The Transform Element version has the best Matrix chamber out of all of them. So much that I'm leaning that version now over the Magic Square. It's like Magic Square cheapened out on that bit. I see some people on the Transformer forum using paper to cover the glass on the Magic Square. But still you shouldn't have to do that.

I mean, yeah, they all have their pros and cons.  And yeah, the Matrix chamber is probably what I'd say is the biggest strike against Magic Square  But you gotta pick your poisons, and for me the bright white thighs and pelvis and lack of proper thigh swivels on TE are the bigger sins, at least for me personally.

13 minutes ago, JB0 said:

Every time I see Buster Stealthwing, I think "That is a cool robot", but also "I swear I saw that in Dancouga." Not that this is a bad thing at all. Dancouga had some cool mecha designs.

I just can't NOT see it as a buffed-up version of the Eagle Fighter, is all I'm saying.

Yeah, I can kind of see that.  It's the head, with the red dome on top the black helmet around a silver face on a mostly black robot with red cockpit glass on his tummy.

[Mechapilot77]

i kinda wonder what the TE-01 would look like with light silver (or maybe even mid to dark silver or metallic grey) thighs and hips plus a chrome grill and smoke stacks.  i think that'd be my ideal deco but i'm getting this toonish release anyway...hope they will do other decos though.

[derex3592]

GO! GO! GO! guys! Don't know if it's a price mistake but I just grabbed one!  Says there's one left!  At that price, why not!!!! Slow boat free delivery but who cares??!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Transformers-toy-Transform-Element-TE-01-OP-Commander-Action-Figure-New-In-Stock/292918990158?hash=item443355154e:g:78YAAOSwsQJcNKGD:rk:8:pf:0

[Mechapilot77]

38 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

GO! GO! GO! guys! Don't know if it's a price mistake but I just grabbed one!  Says there's one left!  At that price, why not!!!! Slow boat free delivery but who cares??!!!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Transformers-toy-Transform-Element-TE-01-OP-Commander-Action-Figure-New-In-Stock/292918990158?hash=item443355154e:g:78YAAOSwsQJcNKGD:rk:8:pf:0

"87.9% Positive feedback " though so....yeah you are protected via paypal and through ebay but i've learned that too good to be true prices on ebay are usually sellers "going rogue"...could be wrong though.

[RavenHawk]

1 minute ago, Mechapilot77 said:

"87.9% Positive feedback " though so....yeah you are protected via paypal and through ebay but i've learned that too good to be true prices on ebay are usually sellers "going rogue"...could be wrong though.

I buy a lot of stuff from Japan and China through eBay, and my experience with these types of posts (relatively low seller ratings, prices too good to be true) is that they either end up canceling the orders, or you just don't get what you ordered. You wait 2 months for the packet to arrive, then it doesn't, the seller doesn't respond to emails, eBay won't do anything because it's been too long, and you're stuck with PayPal. PayPal refunds you the money, but you've lost a couple months of time, the prices have gone up meanwhile, and, oh yeah, since it's been so long, you can no longer leave the seller a negative review (i.e. an 87.9% rating would actually be like 50% if people were able to leave reviews by the time they knew for sure there was an issue).

Personally, I only deal with sellers who have about 95% or who are very responsive to initial questions about the item. I've had a lot of good experiences, I've gotten some fantastic deals, but also been soured by some negative ones.

[derex3592]

I normally only deal with sellers above 95% or higher as well, but I figure if they end up cancelling, oh well. No harm no foul. I'm not dying to have the figure.  We'll see what happens. I'm patient. 

[mikeszekely]

2 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Slow boat free delivery but who cares??!!!

So slow it's never gonna arrive.