The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[mikeszekely]

Has/Tak's non-movie, non-current-cartoon lines have a very G1 focus.  While the various Classics/Henkei/Universe/Generations/Legends/whatever lines have had a little more freedom to re-imagine characters than the slavishly cartoon MP line, and while some toys have used their comic book appearances, Windblade and Drift are the only characters that are original to the current run of IDW comics that have received a toy.  That's kind of a shame, because James Roberts is a fantastic character writer; not only are there several interesting new characters, but the IDW More Than Meets the Eye versions of some characters like Skids, Tailgate, Swerve, and Whirl have become the definitive versions of those characters for a lot of fans.

While Has/Tak might be neglecting this field of untapped potential, 3P companies are not.  One of the more notable companies doing IDW-inspired toys is MMC, and tonight we're looking at Kultur, their version of the Decepticon Justice Division's Tarn.

Kultur's a pretty big fellow, although I was kind of surprised to find that he's really only half a head taller or so than Serpaphicus Prominion's core robot or Maketoy's Rioter Despotron.  Actually, he comes in a smaller box than Seraphicus did.  Kultur is noticeably broader, though, and very solid.  Maybe a big part of why he seems so much bigger than he really is is that he just exudes so much presence.

And perhaps part of the reason he exudes so much presence is because he looks like he stepped right out of the comic book.  Since he's not a G1 character, I'm not sure how familiar most of you are.  Here's a picture of Alex Milne's design for Tarn.

I mean, I really have to start nitpicking little details like the fact that Kultur's fusion cannons are roughly even but in Milne's art the cannons are offset so the one looks a little shorter in the front and a little longer in the back, or the pinky-purple on his abs don't make the same lines as the art.  Kultur is still 99% accurate to the source material, and that's a lot better than most toys get.  Honestly, if all of MMC's Reformatted figures were this accurate to the comics I'd have a lot more of them on preorder.

Part of the reason Kultur's box is so small is because he comes in alt mode.  Another part is because he doesn't have much in the way off accessories.  Really just his double fusion cannon, which consists of three parts; two cannons, and the middle section that holds them together.  And yes, the two cannons are not the same.  That is, again, totally accurate to the comic design.

I guess you could argue that he does come with one other accessory.  As comic fans know, that big Decepticon symbol of a face is a mask, and MMC made it removable.  Now, fans of the series were guessing at Tarn's identity behind the mask.  Fans guessed at one, and that character does seem to be who MMC based the head off of.  Without giving too much away, Tarn didn't turn out to be that character.  However, that character didn't exactly have the most unique face, nor the did the character Tarn really turned out to be.  So while the face behind the mask isn't spot on, the differences are mostly in the forehead and Kultur's face can still arguably pass for Tarn's real face.

Kultur's head is on a ball joint with a hinge where it connects to his torso.  This gives him good range down, fantastic range up, and just the barest hint of sideways tilt in addition to the standard rotation (seriously, if I don't mention that a head rotates in a review just assume that it rotates 360 degrees, because it's honestly more noteworthy if it doesn't).  His shoulders have a soft-ratcheted hinge for lateral movement, about 90 degrees, but end in a ball joint that provides both rotation, the lateral movement between detents, and even a little forward/backward butterfly movement.  His biceps and wrists are on swivels.  His elbows are double-jointed and bend well over 90 degrees, but as Scyla noted the combination of his large fusion cannons and his large shoulder pads combine to hinder exactly how you pose that arm.  His hands have a fixed thumb with fingers molded into a curve and pinned at teh base knuckle, with the index finger being one separate piece and the other three fingers being one solid piece.  His waist swivels, and although it seems to be intended as a transformation aid he's even got about 45 degrees of forward ab crunch, which I love.  He's got universal hips with ratchets that do 90 degrees backward, a little less than 90 degrees forward, and friction for 90 degrees of lateral movement.  He has thigh swivels just below the hips, and ratcheted knees that bend 90 degrees before the treads on the backs of his shins meet the backs of his thighs.  While YMMV, I think that's perfectly adequate for most poses.  Yes, it's true that his knees are actually double jointed and could bend more if the treads weren't in the way, but the second joint is really for transformation.  I rarely find myself bending knees more than 90 degrees, and when I do it's usually on flyer-types who go on stands, not burly guys like Tarn.  His feet have good upward tilt, more than enough downward tilt, and at least 45 degrees of inward ankle tilt.  Plus his toes are hinged and can tilt upward about 30-40 degrees.  Knee and shoulder/cannon clearance issues aside, you won't have a lot of trouble finding cool poses for Kultur, and with excellent tolerances even on the friction joints and those comic-accurate big feet to provide a solid, stable base he'll have no trouble keeping those poses.

Kultur's alt mode is a Cybertronian tank.  Kultur's not as comic-accurate in alt mode as he is in robot mode.

That being said, it's certainly close enough.  I mean, there's an argument that Kultur's transformation is too simple, and a few more parts might have made for a more accurate alt mode.  While I can think of maybe a few things MMC could have done differently, it's pretty obvious that some of the stuff is anime magic (or whatever you call the comic book equivalent of anime magic).

While I think Rioter Despotron is a useful comparison for bot mode (people want to know how Tarn sizes with Megatron), I swapped him with J4ZZ for an alt mode comparison (people want to know how tanks scale with MP-ish cars).

Tarn's treads don't actually work, and there's no wheels in them.  Some people might complain, but I think wheels would have spoiled the look of his shoulders in robot mode and working treads that split in half like that are, again, comic book/anime magic, so I'll give that a pass.  The little guns in the front are on swivels and can aim left and right but not up or down.  The cannons, on the other hand, can swing up and down a little where they peg into the central piece.  The central piece itself can turn a little to the left or right.  You can get more range out of it if you unplug it about half way.

You can also take the cannons and their connector off.  That'll help you get the clearance to open the "cockpit" on his back and the panels on his toes to reveal eight missiles.  The ones on his back seem to just be molded in, but the blue ones in his feet are actually separate pieces.  They're not glued or pegged into their holes, so be careful that they don't fall out.

Way back when I first started collecting 3P toys MMC's Feralcons were among the first I bought.  At that time, I debated on whether or not to collect the whole Reformatted line before deciding to focus on combiners.  I have to say, after being rather disappointed with Seraphicus Prominon I was glad I hadn't been back to this line.  Kultur is the total opposite of that.  Excellent quality in plastic, build, paint, and design, with a simple but fun and effective transformation that'll encourage me to keep him at my desk to fiddle with. Although, like Scyla, I do wish they had included a better way to keep the halves of his shoulders together (it's really not too bad, though, if you push the outside half in it'll overlap some of the greebles oon the other half.  That joint is honestly tight enough that it mostly stays in place, but that overlap keeps it from moving too much when it doesn't).  He's an almost perfect representation of the character he's meant to be, and that "almost" is the worst I can say about him.  Now that my combiners are mostly taken care of, Kultur has me taking another look at the Reformatted line.  While I can't say that I'm in for everything, I've already put in an order for Anarchus and a preorder for a restock of Cynicus to help fill out the DJD.  If you can, I do highly recommend Kultur.  I know that 2017 is young, but despite his minor flaws Kultur is definitely the early favorite for my figure of the year.

[slaginpit]

 

[Scyla]

Now here is a tread for you. Skullface reviews the GCreations Ultra Maximus. I'm really intrigued by the complexity of the toy. So I might bite if they release it in Nemesis Prime colors. However with all the stress marks showing on Skullfaces copy I fear that they will also be on other versions if they don't improve the mold. And stress marks will look horrible on black plastic compared to red.

 

[technoblue]

Hey! BBTS is shipping Kultur. I'll be able to get in on all the fun soon. 

[Tking22]

My Downbeat got delivered to work today along with a bunch of other goodies from BBTS! I messed around with him for a bit, his alt mode is beautiful! The white is really pristine so all of the other markings and paint on it really pop! I haven't had a chance to transform him but damn, once again, this thing screams MP Jazz!

[mikeszekely]

I'm sort of surprised Skullface reviewed GCreation's Prime.  I've seen him struggle with way easier toys.

That said, I'm glad he did, because A) if he can do it, I can do it, and B) even when I don't agree with him I find myself really respecting his opinions lately.  He's one of five guys I watch regularly, and of the others two seem to be overly positive on what they review (Emgo and Ben of Ben's Collectibles), one has been updating fairly infrequently (Vangelus), and one has gotten kind of lazy with his reviews (Peaugh).  I know I can count on Skullface to be thorough and be honest about anything he sees as a negative.

[M'Kyuun]

Just watched Skullface's review; GCreation made a lovely Prime figure, but that transformation is...scary, not to mention the sheer amount of fragmentation that takes place to effect transformation. It doesn't bode well for durability over time, in addition to potential for stress marks and breakage as Bobby pointed out already on his copy. It just doesn't look like a fun transformer; laborious is the word that comes to mind. I don't mind a complex transformation if the design incorporates good clearances and takes into account durability in places where movement has to occur, and this has its failings. It strikes me as being over-complex for complexity's sake. As far as the aesthetics go, I love the stylized look of his robot mode- very sharp and eye-catching.  The truck mode is ok; I like MP-10's truck mode better. YMMV.  

Peaugh and Emgo are my usual go-to guys, but the more I watch Bobby's vids, the more I like his honest and frank approach. Moreover, he freely admits to struggling with transformations, but carries on regardless. During that last vid, patience would have abandoned me so many times during that transformation and I would have descended into rage- probably a good thing I didn't choose to review TFs on camera for the general public. My hat's off to Bobby for keeping his cool while handling such an intricate toy.

[vlenhoff]

Wow, I never thought i would say things like this when i was younger. Some of these transformations are ridiculously complicated. Or as M'Kyuun said: "Scary"

[M'Kyuun]

57 minutes ago, vlenhoff said:

Wow, I never thought i would say things like this when i was younger. Some of these transformations are ridiculously complicated. Or as M'Kyuun said: "Scary"

To be fair, though, transformable toys in general weren't very complex until 2007 when Bayformers came on the scene. That's a milestone, in my eyes, concerning toys of this nature.  I remember a number of Bayformers figs from various movies being rather challenging to transform. Third parties upped the ante on complexity, sometimes needlessly so, IMHO.  I think a good balance has been struck in the recent TR line, and with the CHUG line overall, as well as with the MP line. Some are more complex than others, but most can be figured out without instructions if one takes the time to look at the toy and make sense of what's what and where it likely needs to go during the transformation. This approach has worked well for me over the years, although, from time to time, I get stumped, or I refer to instructions b/c I'm afraid I'm going to break something. It's a silly matter of pride to me to be able to transform my toys without instructions, but that pride goes down like a caramel frappuccino when I consider the alternative outcomes of warpage or outright breakage. Pride's cheap, not nearly as much as the cost of  dismay, time, and labor to make repairs.

I find as I get older (I'm 45 now, with about 32 years experience transforming these little robots into their various alt modes, not to mention designing and building a few of my own from LEGO), I'm drawn more to the simpler Transformer figs, just to take them off the shelf and play around a bit. The recent Machine Robo figs are great in this respect- just fun simple figures to transform. Blackbird Robo probably gets the most attention from me-cool toy, and while his proportions are far from accurate, there's just something fulfilling about him. He's deliciously sweet  hand-candy.

[mikeszekely]

When it rains it pours, eh? After getting Kultur I decided I wanted the other DJD members. Anarchus was in stock at BBTS, so I ordered him and he shipped out today. No one had Cynicus, though, but there was talk of another run,so I just tossed him in with my preorders at TFSource. Didn't expect to hear anything until after CNY, but I got the in-stock notification today. He'll have to wait until Deathclaw comes in before I'll ship him, but just like that I've basically got my February toy budget. And it's not even actually February yet.

Regarding other recent 3P news, J4ZZ was going to be my Jazz but after watching TCP's review I might have to pick up Downbeat. I think Promotion has sort of a neat look, but one that's not really doing it for me. I think GCreations's Prime looks amazing as a display piece but he didn't look like a fun toy, so he's out. Finally, saw TCP's preview of Ditka. Compared to Gewalt, I like how his jet mode looks more like the G1 toy and animation model than Gewalt's stab at a more realistic MiG. I think the Tank mode makes Gewalt's look like CHUG. Not loving the bot mode though; hopefully KFC can clean that up before release. Not that it matters; I need a Blitzwing that's Transportation Captain sized. Gewalt and Ditka are both to big for me.

[CoryHolmes]

23 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

 He's one of five guys I watch regularly, and of the others two seem to be overly positive on what they review (Emgo and Ben of Ben's Collectibles), one has been updating fairly infrequently (Vangelus), and one has gotten kind of lazy with his reviews (Peaugh).  I know I can count on Skullface to be thorough and be honest about anything he sees as a negative.

I loved Vangelus' earlier stuff.  But the more he's branched out from just reviewing toys, the less content he puts out.  Peaugh is a good instructional source, when I have issues with transforming toys; but he doesn't really review the toy.

 

I wish I could like Emgo.  I really do.  He puts out a ton of content, regular updates...  I just feel my IQ dropping by 20 points whenever he speaks    His actual videos are worse than nails on a chalkboard.

[DyNo]

Finally... After all these years, this is the Jazz I've been waiting for!

[mark-1s]

Wow! He looks great next to the official MP's

[Scyla]

Skullface reviews Maketoys Downbeat:

 

My ramblings about the toy:

While there is a lot to love about the figure there are a few things that make me pass the toy. The unpainted gun, shoulder rocket and feet/shins are terrible looking. I don't know why toy companies that can afford a budget to paint a toy still come back to this awful cheap looking swirly plastic.

Next on the list is the excess plastic that runs directly through Downbeats lower abdomen. Why would you design a mold where your eyes are always drawn to the ugliest area of the toy. The fact that Downbeat follows the new, cartoon focused, bland looking style that the designer of the Takara Masterpieces seems to be so fond of doesn't help.

Lastly having the light blue highlights on the lower legs are really jarring when the rest of the blue color is this rich and dark blue. It is somewhat accurate when you look at the G1 animation but there the light blue was muted and not that vibrant blending in much nicer.

I really want to love Downbeat since he has so many positive sides but I can't deal with that line running down his abdomen (I know I'm probably super nitpicky).

Maybe all my criticism stem from a rushed toy that needed to be out of the factories before Chinese New Year and later runs will have the issues fixed. Sadly I doubt that.

I wonder if Maketoys is willing to release a race car deco version with more decals. I would be interested in more funny brand names like Marlini, Portsche, Dunlap, Busch and Sholl. That would go well with Goooyear Sphinx and SlotFever Smokescreen (if they get rid of line on his abdomen)

[David Hingtgen]

Swirly plastic, is, as a rule, not heating it hot enough, and/or not enough pressure to truly mix it while liquid and injecting from multiple points into the cavity.  

The technical term is "flow marks".   But it seems to have affected J4ZZ's feet pretty bad.  

I don't know many companies that can do metallic silver plastic without getting noticeable flow marks---even Bandai gets it wrong sometimes.   

[Sandman]

On 1/27/2017 at 7:16 PM, CoryHolmes said:

I loved Vangelus' earlier stuff.  But the more he's branched out from just reviewing toys, the less content he puts out.  Peaugh is a good instructional source, when I have issues with transforming toys; but he doesn't really review the toy.

 

I wish I could like Emgo.  I really do.  He puts out a ton of content, regular updates...  I just feel my IQ dropping by 20 points whenever he speaks    His actual videos are worse than nails on a chalkboard.

I have to agree with you on Emgo. Wish he'd stop trying to be funny.

[M'Kyuun]

Downbeat had my attention when it was first revealed, but after having watched a couple reviews and looking at pics, I find my interest turning more towards Toyworld's take on Jazz, Coolsville. Funny name aside, it takes its inspiration more from the toy, and I find the overall aesthetics in both modes to be better. I'm hoping TW will release an early copy for review soon, as I'm curious to see how it stacks up.

Edited January 31, 2017 by M'Kyuun

[mikeszekely]

20 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

Downbeat had my attention when it was first revealed, but after having watched a couple reviews and looking at pics, I find my interest turning more towards Toyworld's take on Jazz, Coolsville. Funny name aside, it takes its inspiration more from the toy, and I find the overall aesthetics in both modes to be better. I'm hoping TW will release an early copy for review soon, as I'm curious to see how it stacks up.

Really?  I mean, I respect your opinion, but I find it to be quite the opposite of my own.  I have a few minor qualms about Downbeat, but it looks like at least one of them can be fixed with some paint, and I love how his upper body transforms.  He looks so much like the cartoon it's incredible, without being super bland like Takara's most recent MPs.  I bought GT's J4ZZ because I dig a little modernization in my carbots, but Downbeat just screams Jazz to me, so I'm seriously considering selling J4ZZ and picking up Downbeat.  Maybe in the spring; as much as I like Downbeat there's a few things ahead of him right now in my "really want this" list, starting with some Insecticons.

As for Coolsville, I hate the flap behind his head.  I know, that's kind of picky of me given that I tolerate it just fine on Gundog, but yeah.  I get that some people want a Jazz with tampoed or painted racing livery, but "Mortini Racing" isn't working for me.  His torso looks hollow and gappy, he looks like he's got hollow spots in his arms like MP Bumblebee, and I'm not a fan of asymmetric toy details on his knees.  Good looking alt mode, though.

[M'Kyuun]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Really?  I mean, I respect your opinion, but I find it to be quite the opposite of my own.  I have a few minor qualms about Downbeat, but it looks like at least one of them can be fixed with some paint, and I love how his upper body transforms.  He looks so much like the cartoon it's incredible, without being super bland like Takara's most recent MPs.  I bought GT's J4ZZ because I dig a little modernization in my carbots, but Downbeat just screams Jazz to me, so I'm seriously considering selling J4ZZ and picking up Downbeat.  Maybe in the spring; as much as I like Downbeat there's a few things ahead of him right now in my "really want this" list, starting with some Insecticons.

As for Coolsville, I hate the flap behind his head.  I know, that's kind of picky of me given that I tolerate it just fine on Gundog, but yeah.  I get that some people want a Jazz with tampoed or painted racing livery, but "Mortini Racing" isn't working for me.  His torso looks hollow and gappy, he looks like he's got hollow spots in his arms like MP Bumblebee, and I'm not a fan of asymmetric toy details on his knees.  Good looking alt mode, though.

Options are a good thing. I respect your opinion, as well, Mike. It'd be a damned boring world if everyone thought the same way, and we all approach this hobby from different experiences and perspectives, which is why I'm glad these third parties are doing the same with their products; there's a greater chance of a figure being made that appeals to different sensibilities as opposed to the limitation of only an official toy which may or may not hit the mark for everyone.

On to the business: I think Downbeat is good figure, but it skews more towards animation accuracy, like the current MP trend, and my own preference is more towards toy, or a nice amalgamation of toy and animation models. However, I'm not crazy about the huge gaps at the rear of Downbeat's car mode, nor do I like being able to see the secondary fender parts that complete the leg peeking through. Overall finish and look are lovely though- unmistakably Jazz. In his bot mode, the face sculpt with that chrome visor looks great (the neutral face; I'll agree with Skullface that a subtle smirk would have worked better-Jazz wasn't so much snarky as perpetually bemused). I like that Downbeat's forearms are closed without gaps, ala MP Bee, and that arm transformation is really clever. Also, from the pics I've been looking at, Coolsville's door windows don't seem to tuck away in bot mode, and yeah, that flap behind the head should've been made to hinge out of sight; Downbeat does these things better. I also prefer Downbeat's rims to Coolsville's- that coppery color really stands out nicely. I'm not sure where you're seeing gaps and hollow spots in Coolsville's torso; it looks filled out to me, and is actually beefier in proportion to Downbeat's, closer to the G1 toy, which was certainly the major inspiration for this take on Jazz. Along with that, the asymmetrical prints near the knees are taken directly from decals on the original G1 toy (which I have sitting in front of me as I type), and is one of many toy cues that I really like on this figure, along with the detailing on the silvery part of his torso. Honestly, this figure tugs really hard at my nostalgia- this is my 80's toy the way I wanted it to be as a kid. Unfortunately, it retains some undesirable 80's toy features, like the gaps in the forearms and the flap behind the head. Given all the flaps and hinging panels on their Constructor figs, this is kind of unexpected from TW. 

So, I think we both agree that Coolsville has his flaws, but from what I see so far, I can live with them for all the other things it does well. Still, I'll wait for a review or two before I invest. Hopefully, TW will read the criticism/feedback, and fix some of the issues pointed out. I doubt it, but there's always room for hope until final release.

 

[mikeszekely]

Options are definitely good, and I'm certainly not begrudging them.  I'm just surprised, I guess, that the stuff you're honing in on as more important is kind of flipped from what I'd focus on.  That is, as you noted, a very good reason for why options are so good, though.  And I definitely get the appeal of toy homages.  It's a big reason why I went with the toy-colored Gundog instead of Willis.  I'd also have no interest in a Bruticus with a purple and brown chest (no matter how much using Blast Off's wings makes sense) and yellow and green feet.

Oh, but as for the gaps, I think the spots I marked in yellow are gaps, and the spot I marked in blue looks like you can see all the way through the figure.  Might be that they've changed it since; this shot is still showing him with the Toyworld livery.

But yes, I think that we are in agreement that Coolsville has his pros and cons.  That's also true for Downbeat.  It's just interesting how we determine which pros outweigh which cons to come to different conclusions.

Anyway, speaking of options, while I'm definitely focused on 3P combiners I think you guys know that I've been filling out my collection with "core" characters.  I'm looking to get some Insecticons... anyone have any strong opinions there?  Fanstoys' Grenadier looks just about perfect to me.  However, while the other two Fanstoys Insecticons look really nice, they seem like a pain to transform and play with.  The Badcube ones look pretty good in a vacuum, but I'll allow that they don't look as good as the Fanstoys ones.  Their Shrapnel and Kickback look a lot more playable, though.  There's also the little matter of the Badcube ones selling in a 3-pack that's significantly cheaper than buying all three Fanstoys bugs.  To be honest, right now I'm leaning toward picking up the Badcube pack and then possibly replacing their Bombshell with Grenadier.

[slaginpit]

[M'Kyuun]

That is one chunktastic Prime. It reminds me a lot of MP-01.

Mike- Thanks for posting that early shot of Coolsville (I think Toyworld were still calling him Blues at that point). I can see where he looks gappy in that shot, esp the silver torso piece. I'd heard he originally sported "Toyworld Racing" livery, which had some people up in arms. I hadn't seen it until now. I still don't think it would have bothered me, although "Mortini Racing" is far closer to the actual livery. One other thing I was going to gripe about is the wide stripes on the rear fenders; I've always seen them portrayed as thinner, probably due to the stickers on the G1 toy. In reality, it matches the real car, so I give TW credit for authenticity.

[slaginpit]

59 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

That is one chunktastic Prime. It reminds me a lot of MP-01.

Mike- Thanks for posting that early shot of Coolsville (I think Toyworld were still calling him Blues at that point). I can see where he looks gappy in that shot, esp the silver torso piece. I'd heard he originally sported "Toyworld Racing" livery, which had some people up in arms. I hadn't seen it until now. I still don't think it would have bothered me, although "Mortini Racing" is far closer to the actual livery. One other thing I was going to gripe about is the wide stripes on the rear fenders; I've always seen them portrayed as thinner, probably due to the stickers on the G1 toy. In reality, it matches the real car, so I give TW credit for authenticity.

 I think he fits in well with that muscular Prime G1 Look.

[JB0]

That chunky Prime looks, well, armored. A rare case where painting him white and calling him Ultra Magnus would be forgivable.

[JET7]

Jinbao OS KO warbo copy not bruticus

Size reference CHUGS/Classics starscream

size reference Revoltech Starscream

size reference Combiner wars bruticus

size reference Combiner Wars devastator w/ Generation Toy megatron kit

 

Edited February 1, 2017 by JET7

[Sandman]

6 hours ago, slaginpit said:

What is this from?

[technoblue]

Isn't it Hot Toys Optimus Prime? 

[slaginpit]

NO

 

Another third Party Toys Alliance. But they got the license from Hasbro

Next up is Fall of Cybertron Prime then Megatron. Its very good and has the exact light plastic feel as the ThreeA transformers so its very posable, it has light up eyes and light matrix that can be lit up even if taken out of the chest. Unfortunately it doesn't come with the watch batteries. Its bigger than  the unimetal but much much ......much cheaper. Really lines up well with ThreeA but not the diecast Comicave AoE prime

AS a summary review. I would say for 150US you cant go wrong. I would say its the best non transforming G1 Prime. The detail is phenomenal, and the paint apps are stellar. Everywhere it didn't have small paint detail apps, its there. The tires on the legs are rubber so that has me a bit concerned. It holds poses like a champ. Something that MP 1, 2 and unimetal cannot do. The chunky aesthetics really don't distract from the overall presence. However, due to the size, like THreeA DoM and the toyworld Devy it wont fit in a detolf so it would have to go on top or you would have to take out one class shelf. It has butterfly joints in th e shoulders and all ratchet joints in the legs knees, angles. Double jointed knees and elbows. Great articulation in the neck and head area. I am very impressed. It has this weird metallic red paint that when in very bright lighting comes off as a bit pinkish to me but over all 4 out of 5 from me

Edited February 1, 2017 by slaginpit

[slaginpit]

Here is the HT OP. AS you can see its pretty bland. I hear its nowhere near posable.

And when I saw it in person comes off as pretty cheap looking, which is unusual since HT is pretty well know for their paint apps.

 

[Dangard Ace]

Nice as those OPs are because they are licensed as official toys by Hasbro I would put them in the normal Transformers thread and not in the 3rd Party thread.

[slaginpit]

1 hour ago, Dangard Ace said:

Nice as those OPs are because they are licensed as official toys by Hasbro I would put them in the normal Transformers thread and not in the 3rd Party thread.

Leafs LOL

Technically its a third party that received a license to print. Its not Hasbro or Takara. But my thread your website. Do as you like. Not sure if your asking my permission as I know the moderators are very VERY strict and will do as they please :/

[Dangard Ace]

Yup Leafs.  They're not sucking as badly as I want them to this year so that kinda sucks.

 

 Not sure how I'm coming across as strict here.  I'm just saying that since these toys are officially licensed by Hasbro, even though these companies normally do not make licensed TF toys, they'll get more exposure in the TF thread instead of here.    MAS-1, for instance, isn't in the 3P Discussion board section of TFW2005.  It's in the News and Rumors area.

[slaginpit]

1 minute ago, Dangard Ace said:

Yup Leafs.  They're not sucking as badly as I want them to this year so that kinda sucks.

 

 Not sure how I'm coming across as strict here.  I'm just saying that since these toys are officially licensed by Hasbro, even though these companies normally do not make licensed TF toys, they'll get more exposure in the TF thread instead of here.    MAS-1, for instance, isn't in the 3P Discussion board section of TFW2005.  It's in the News and Rumors area.

So you want me to move the pics or post the same pics there?

[Dangard Ace]

You can repost the pics if you want.  You can even quote me on that so that the other mods will know I asked you to do that.  

[technoblue]

3 hours ago, slaginpit said:

Here is the HT OP. AS you can see its pretty bland. I hear its nowhere near posable.

And when I saw it in person comes off as pretty cheap looking, which is unusual since HT is pretty well know for their paint apps.

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I'll take your word for it on articulation because I'm not a Hot Toys fan at all. Looking at the pictures alone, they look very close in likeness to me but HT Prime has a wash and extra parts with that Screamer gimmick. 

Edited February 1, 2017 by technoblue