The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[mikeszekely]

22 hours ago, Silverstreak said:

Your write-ups are always a good read. Have you considered a way of indexing them? Once or twice I've wanted to go back and read your thoughts on something I was thinking of getting but it's buried in the vast depths of this thread.

Thanks for the kind words!  Indexing would be a good idea... just not sure how to implement it on the boards.  I could maybe move to a blog, but I've not got the photography skills nor the HTML skills to make anything as nice as some of the other blogs out there.

[JB0]

You don't have to have the nicest blag, just... not the worst blag.

 

Also, please keep posting them here as well.

[Kuma Style]

I just read your write up, Mike S. Honestly it makes me look forward to H/M even more and your pics are honestly the best in-hand look I've gotten at the faces yet. I think it looks great, man. 

In regards  to you doing a blog; why not? There are a lot of free options where you don't have to have any HTML skills at all and like others(?) have said, it really is nice to have an actual archive of your stuff rather than limiting it to a single thread on a single message board. I don't know if this is the only board you post on, but that'd help you share elsewhere easier as well. 

Forgot about the Holiday tomorrow. Tuesday it looks like Howling, Galaxy, and *Kultur are coming with terraegis (Sp?) Rally coming later in the week. Been a bit since I've gotten some new TFs to shoot so I'm pretty excited.

[nhyone]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Thanks for the kind words!  Indexing would be a good idea... just not sure how to implement it on the boards.  I could maybe move to a blog, but I've not got the photography skills nor the HTML skills to make anything as nice as some of the other blogs out there.

I believe editing is not time-limited on this board, so simply start a new topic and update the first post to link to the individual review posts.

[mikeszekely]

14 hours ago, nhyone said:

I believe editing is not time-limited on this board, so simply start a new topic and update the first post to link to the individual review posts.

I'm not sure I'm comfortable starting a whole new thread just to index my posts.  Unless the mods are cool with it?  But maybe I could make a public Google Docs page with links to the posts, then put the link to the doc in my sig.  You're giving me ideas.

As for the rest... you guys are really encouraging!  Kuma, you're right, there's stuff like Wordpress and Blogger, I could always mess around with those.  I also have an offer from a fellow board member to host reviews on his site, so that's an option to consider as well.

Whatever I end up doing, it's going to be awhile.  I'm leaving in the morning, and for the next five weeks I'll be behind the great firewall of China.  Meteor's going to be my last review for that period, but I'm sure stuff is going to drop into my TFSource stack while I'm gone, plus I'm hoping to visit Hong Kong and Action Robo while I'm there, so I'll hopefully have some new stuff for you guys when I get back.

[Kuma Style]

I'm going to bring the thread back to topic here as it's veering off pretty bad.



Galaxy Meteor is just incredible and the dark face on Howling isn't bad at all. It's perfect. Absolutely perfect.

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[Ignacio Ocamica]

Awesome pics Kuma!!! Waiting for your Howling Meteor review.

[no3Ljm]

That Starscream kinda leap out from the G1 cartoon series. Awesome.

 

[Kuma Style]

5 hours ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

Awesome pics Kuma!!! Waiting for your Howling Meteor review.

Thanks, brother. Hoping to get them both up by this weekend. Problem is they didn't ship the additional faces and told me they are going out today so they should be here shortly. Just plan on getting everything BUT the shots using those done and from then it'll be a quick finish whenever they do arrive.

Random shots of new gets and an oldie-but-goodie.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

22 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

Awesome, picture and I have always loved the Galaxy Force Starscream mold and this just makes it 100x better.

[Kuma Style]

Thanks brother and hell yes on the SS mold.

[Kuma Style]

 

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[Scyla]

Can't wait for Maketoys Galaxy Force Galvatron.  

I'm also getting the Galaxy Force Skywarp but I hope Maketoys is changing one tones of black on him. I would be super into a Skywarp where the outer armor parts would be a darker gray and the inner parts on thighs and upper arms be black.

The prototype at TFCon was just too much black and dull to me. I know that is what Skywarp is suppose to look like but it didn't look as stunning as the Starscream and Thundercracker. 

I wonder if they gonna release the Galaxy Force Optimus Prime as a black and teal repaint. I don't think HasTak ever released a Nemesis Prime based on the Galaxy Force mold but neither where Skywarp and Thundercracker made from this Starscream so I can still hope.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Scyla

[no3Ljm]

On 10/11/2017 at 12:08 PM, Kuma Style said:

I didn't know there was a character with the Autobot logo head. Cool. Were there any character that has the Decepticon logo head?

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by no3Ljm

[Scyla]

Yes the original character Tarn from IDWs MTMTE was homaged by MMCs Kultur: http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/mmc-kultur-idw-tarn.1039646/

 

Here is how Tarn looks in the IDW comics:

 

Edited October 13, 2017 by Scyla

[no3Ljm]

49 minutes ago, Scyla said:

Here is how Tarn looks in the IDW comics:

That looks cool. Thanks Scyla.

Ok, here's my last TF Question for the day. Were there any figures made (before or recent) that transforms into the actual Autobot and Decepticon logos? You know, kind of like Optimus Prime that transforms into pen. So instead of pen, it transforms into a 3D form of the logo itself.

Thanks!

 

[Scyla]

Seeing the Takara reissue of God Fire Convoy I was thinking that I would love to see Maketoys to take a shot at this robot preferably in the Cross Dimension line . I would be super into a giant super robot that is made out of two other robots and one of the base robots can be upgraded with armor parts.

The old Car Robots mold doesn't do it for me due to all the gimmicks and concessions made for being a kids toys that could be bought at a retailer.

Lights and sounds just don't do it for me especially since the electronic boxes are that clunky. I even think you could to a proper God Magnus if you don't need a car carrier that can hold the Autobot Brothers.

Since I think that the Super/Armor parts are the best part of Macross toys (playing dress-up rocks) a 3rd Party God Fire Convoy would be right up my alley. 

[JB0]

5 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

I didn't know there was a character with the Autobot logo head. Cool. Were there any character that has the Decepticon logo head?

You mean "besides Prowl and Soundwave"?

[Kuma Style]

Scyla, Galaxy Force Convoy will take care of all of the descriptors you listed and combines with Sonic Bomber for an even further powered mode. 

[Scyla]

Maybe but something about Fire Convoy is special. I think it is the orange stripe on his asymmetric chest. That somehow does it for me.

[mikeszekely]

5 hours ago, Scyla said:

Maybe but something about Fire Convoy is special. I think it is the orange stripe on his asymmetric chest. That somehow does it for me.

I'm right there with you, Scyla.  Fire Convoy is my favorite non-G1 (or G1-inspired, like IDW) Optimus.  I'd kill for Maketoys or Fans Hobby to take a crack at an MP-style Fire Convoy.

[Scyla]

I don't understand all the fuzz about Fans Hobby. All of their releases look terrible to me, especially Double Devil. The aesthetic is not for my tastest and even if they where I don't like how flimsy they look in all the reviews.

Kuma one quick question. If I'm a big fan of the Maketoys Combiner Series, do you think that FansProject Dai Z would be for me? I really dig the look and feel of those robots. 

[Kuma Style]

15 hours ago, Scyla said:

Maybe but something about Fire Convoy is special. I think it is the orange stripe on his asymmetric chest. That somehow does it for me.

Nothing wrong with that. I'm obviously a huge mark for Galaxy Force so I'm extremely excited for the Masterpiece-Scaled stuff incoming for that series. 

@Scyla - MakeToys is actually a totally different company but regardless Dai-Z is really freaking cool. One of my favorite FP offerings. I'll take a pic in a second of my Warbot collection. You guys are going to think I'm nuts.

[David Hingtgen]

On 10/13/2017 at 1:09 PM, no3Ljm said:

I didn't know there was a character with the Autobot logo head. Cool. Were there any character that has the Decepticon logo head?

 

It's kind of the opposite---this is a non-canon Autobot variant/pun of the official character Tarn, who has a 'con logo for a face.  (As described in other posts). 

 

[Kuma Style]

Warbots:

[mikeszekely]

12 hours ago, Scyla said:

I don't understand all the fuzz about Fans Hobby. All of their releases look terrible to me, especially Double Devil. The aesthetic is not for my tastest and even if they where I don't like how flimsy they look in all the reviews.

I don't have their monster bots, so no comment there, but I have their RiD Scourge and their Laser Optimus.  Not sure what makes you say that they look flimsy; they're solid, chunky pieces.  My only real complaints are that the transformation is too simple.  I'm not arguing for super complicated transformations with extra clever engineering when you don't really need it, mind you, but a little extra engineering would have adressed my only real aesthetic gripes with that mold.

Maketoys would be my first choice for a Fire Convoy, because their style is aces for that Japanese super robot style, but Fans Hobby would be my second choice because they've got a track record of solid, chunky, MP-sized figures of characters outside the G1 cartoon with reasonable articulation.

[Kuma Style]

12 hours ago, Scyla said:

I don't understand all the fuzz about Fans Hobby. All of their releases look terrible to me, especially Double Devil. The aesthetic is not for my tastest and even if they where I don't like how flimsy they look in all the reviews.

Honestly,  I do photography for them and their products are solid. Looks are subjective but they're undoubtedly pieces that play and hold up well and I've had them all. 

[Scyla]

Ok so I have to revoke my statement that Fans Hobby bots are flimsy. After re-watching reviews for their releases they look solid.

What I think lead me to my initial statement was Megatooth who is not flimsy but has this issue that if you move some joint all the other parts start to wobble around which is something I don't like in toys. Flypro and Fei Long seem to not have that going on but they are a bit flimsy in the leg transformation. So I think Megatooth tainted my evaluation of the other toys from Fans Hobby.

Maybe I should check out their Archenemy since I love black trucks with teal trim. However while watching the review for him (he is solid, no worries) I remembered something that was bothering me for some time now. He is too similar to the toy that was originally released for Car Robots. What I mean is that he goes through the same motions during the transformation that the toy from almost 20 years ago.

This is an issue for me since I like to experience new engineering on toys so I'm bummed out if I get a toy in my hand that does exactly the same as another toy. This seems to get a larger issue for my collecting because if we continue to Car Robots and the Unicron trilogy we get to designs where the toy looks very similar to the show design so a masterpiece versions of those characters will very similar to those toys released in the past.

With the G1 characters you need to put some creative engineering into the Masterpiece toys to recreate the cartoon magic from a poorly drawn show. To get them look like real vehicles in alt-mode sleek robots in bot-mode you need to implement a different transformation strategy in those toys compared to their 80s counterparts. 

This is something that most intrigued me by the Masterpiece line so maybe I should just stop at G1... but Galaxy Meteor looks so sweet.

Edited October 15, 2017 by Scyla

[Kuma Style]

Just buy what you want.

[Scyla]

That’s why I’m buying Metal Build & DX Valkyrie releases left and right.  

Edited October 16, 2017 by Scyla

[Kuma Style]