The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[M'Kyuun]

14 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

Fan's Hobby is doing the work of a higher power with that PMOP.

Nice! While I like my Apollyon, Despotron wins for best 3P MP scaled Megs, IMHO.  HM looks awesome, the closest yet to what I want in a MP Seeker. I'd love a new official version along these lines.

And yeah, that PMOP looks amazing; my Takara PMOP hides in shame. 

As for butt flap eradication, I have Delta Magnus, which I find to be a nice figure. I don't really notice the flap, and honestly, it doesn't bother me as much as it seems to bother others. To each, his own. However, I'm curious to see what other changes they make to the mold. For those who despise the flap. though, options are good.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

17 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

Nice!   

By the way, which Megatron figure is this?

 

That's Despotron, it's Make Toys own rendition.

Can't say much about it, until the official MP36 Megatron my 3P Megs was Apollyon from X-Transbots.

I you're interested in a masterpiece Megatron figure I highly recommend Takaras MP36, it blows all the other 3P out of the water.

[Scyla]

I have to disagree. Despotron is better than MP Megatron. Major reason being that his transformation is imaginative and fun. Also he fits much better with the design of MP-10 Convoy. 

[no3Ljm]

15 minutes ago, Ignacio Ocamica said:

That's Despotron, it's Make Toys own rendition.

Can't say much about it, until the official MP36 Megatron my 3P Megs was Apollyon from X-Transbots.

I you're interested in a masterpiece Megatron figure I highly recommend Takaras MP36, it blows all the other 3P out of the water.

I'm actually considering a Prime and Megatron in my collection somehow but I know once I do that it's like me opening a new can of worms. Don't want to start a new line somehow. 

11 minutes ago, Scyla said:

I have to disagree. Despotron is better than MP Megatron. Major reason being that his transformation is imaginative and fun. Also he fits much better with the design of MP-10 Convoy. 

See. This is where it gets complicated sometimes for me. I know there's versions that they look good in Robot form and more accurate and there's a different versions that they look great in Vehicle form compared than the other company did. So it's very hard for me to decide which is which. And if ever, and I mean just in case I'll buy Optimus Prime and Megatron down the line, what's the best company make do I need to buy? And should I go with same company who does both figures? Or depends on which figure and which company that both looks great together? What do you guys suggest to a guy like me who has less knowledge on TF toys?

Thanks!  

 

[derex3592]

I like MP-36 better. To each his own!!! That being said, I've never tried to transform it!!! ... and probably never will! 

[no3Ljm]

4 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

I like MP-36 better. To each his own!!! That being said, I've never tried to transform it!!! ... and probably never will! 

Forever in gun mode, I presume?

 

[derex3592]

no---robot mode with the evil smiling face -- I just love it. 

[Tking22]

14 minutes ago, no3Ljm said:

See. This is where it gets complicated sometimes for me. I know there's versions that they look good in Robot form and more accurate and there's a different versions that they look great in Vehicle form compared than the other company did. So it's very hard for me to decide which is which. And if ever, and I mean just in case I'll buy Optimus Prime and Megatron down the line, what's the best company make do I need to buy? And should I go with same company who does both figures? Or depends on which figure and which company that both looks great together? What do you guys suggest to a guy like me who has less knowledge on TF toys?

Thanks!  

 

I gotta throw my hat in for either Mightron or Despotron as well. MP-36 has a great silhouette, but I had to do a TON of customizing and painting to make him worthy of my shelf, he's toon accurate to a fault aesthetically in my opinion. MP-36 has this absurdly ugly "toon" accurate mis-drawn Decepticon logo on his chest, it's bad, and doesn't match a single other MP Con released to date, he can ONLY be displayed as a cartoon Megatron, there's zero other references in his design. Odd sounding I know, I own MP-36 as my MP Megs but I recommended third party, but that's only because I was willing to customize my MP-36 to not look like a derpy old cartoon, Despotron and Mightron look much better right out of the box in my opinion. Also, MP-36 has a FAR worse transformation then any 3P option, and I think his gun mode is the worst of the bunch as well, very broken up and panel-liney.

 

 

[derex3592]

I will agree that the pics I've seen of MP-36 in gun mode are not at all flattering, as you point out, very panel-liney,  but see I'm the guy that grew up with the G1 cartoon on a 19" color TV at home and I like the "derpy old cartoon" look of him in robot mode!    It's good that we have 3 different ones to pick from! 

[no3Ljm]

Thanks guys for the fast replies.  

Next is which Optimus Prime looks great with it?

 

[Scyla]

So..

If you say you only want to have Optimus Prime and Megatron and you love the way they look in the G1 cartoon I would suggest that you wait till Takara releases the inevitable version 3 of Masterpiece Convoy. This will go quite well with MP-36 Megatron. This is especially true if you usually don't transform your toys.

There has been a change in the lead designer for the Takara Masterpiece line around MP-24. The new designer has shifted the aesthetic more to the looks of the G1 toon. The old designer who was in charge before had a different idea whereas the robots looked more heroic and more rooted in reality. What I mean by that is that the alt-modes looked realistic (in case of the Autobots they where mostly licensed cars) and this traversed to their bot-modes.

The Carbots after the design switch are schizophrenic because they still try to do realistic, licensed alt-modes but the robot had the cartoon aesthetic going on. This means you have parts that are detailed like a real-life object (like Ironhides chest) that clash with the bland cartoon look of the rest of the robot. 

To me the approach of MP-10 is much more intriguing than the one of MP-36. This is one of the reasons why I prefer Despotorn (I still bought MP-36 to check him out). He feels much more in line with the ideas behind MP-10. That said most 3rd party companies are switching to the new design language of Takara.  That is why Maketoys Meteor (the Starscream seen in Kumas pictures) looks more bland than Despotron since he follows the toon aesthetic. 

So you need to decide which design idea suits your likings the most. You prefer the toon -> MP-36 and wait for Takara announcing MP Convoy V3; you prefer the more realistic look -> Despotron and MP-10.

They are both marvels of engineering. For MP-36 the designer said one of his objectives was to keep the position of the arms and legs of Megatron at the same place where they where on the G1 toy which means that they do some amazing tricks in mass shifting.

Despotron on the other hand has much more unique approach. His robot parts layout in gun-mode is vastly different than on the G1 toy and any other gun Megatron. He does some amazing tricks to store the gun trigger in his chest which makes him kibble free whereas MP-36 has a massive panel mess on his back.

What makes Despotron truly great is that he is the only Walther P38 Megatron that is fun and easy to transform. Tuck the hands hin, flop the arms up, rotate and extend the barrel -> torso done. Turn the legs, connect them, fold the gun grip panels out, collapse the legs, collapse the feet -> lower body done. The middle part is a bit fiddly but not nearly as frustrating as the MP-36 experience.

[Kuma Style]

TBH, MP-36 Megs is by far my favorite rendition of MP-scaled Megatron. The robot mode is just glorious but I think it's the worst of all of the alt. modes due to the panel line breaks throughout it.

[no3Ljm]

17 minutes ago, Scyla said:

So..

If you say you only want to have Optimus Prime and Megatron and you love the way they look in the G1 cartoon I would suggest that you wait till Takara releases the inevitable version 3 of Masterpiece Convoy. This will go quite well with MP-36 Megatron. This is especially true if you usually don't transform your toys.

There has been a change in the lead designer for the Takara Masterpiece line around MP-24. The new designer has shifted the aesthetic more to the looks of the G1 toon. The old designer who was in charge before had a different idea whereas the robots looked more heroic and more rooted in reality. What I mean by that is that the alt-modes looked realistic (in case of the Autobots they where mostly licensed cars) and this traversed to their bot-modes.

The Carbots after the design switch are schizophrenic because they still try to do realistic, licensed alt-modes but the robot had the cartoon aesthetic going on. This means you have parts that are detailed like a real-life object (like Ironhides chest) that clash with the bland cartoon look of the rest of the robot. 

To me the approach of MP-10 is much more intriguing than the one of MP-36. This is one of the reasons why I prefer Despotorn (I still bought MP-36 to check him out). He feels much more in line with the ideas behind MP-10. That said most 3rd party companies are switching to the new design language of Takara.  That is why Maketoys Meteor (the Starscream seen in Kumas pictures) looks more bland than Despotron since he follows the toon aesthetic. 

So you need to decide which design idea suits your likings the most. You prefer the toon -> MP-36 and wait for Takara announcing MP Convoy V3; you prefer the more realistic look -> Despotron and MP-10.

They are both marvels of engineering. For MP-36 the designer said one of his objectives was to keep the position of the arms and legs of Megatron at the same place where they where on the G1 toy which means that they do some amazing tricks in mass shifting.

Despotron on the other hand has much more unique approach. His robot parts layout in gun-mode is vastly different than on the G1 toy and any other gun Megatron. He does some amazing tricks to store the gun trigger in his chest which makes him kibble free whereas MP-36 has a massive panel mess on his back.

What makes Despotron truly great is that he is the only Walther P38 Megatron that is fun and easy to transform. Tuck the hands hin, flop the arms up, rotate and extend the barrel -> torso done. Turn the legs, connect them, fold the gun grip panels out, collapse the legs, collapse the feet -> lower body done. The middle part is a bit fiddly but not nearly as frustrating as the MP-36 experience.

Wow. Thanks for that comprehensive answer. Atleast now I know that MP-10 doesn't look quite well with MP-36 based on your answer. TBH, I like G1 cartoons but I don't want my toys to look like cartoons. So I'm still leaning towards in more realism somehow. So I guess the 3P route is the best to pick. But like I said, I'm not in a hurry to get both figures. Who knows maybe down the line when I decided to finally get both figures, Takara will announce the V3 Convoy and will see it from there.

Thanks for helping out someone who has less knowledge on TF toys, Scyla!   

 

[Scyla]

A few points to add. To be honest MP-10 is a bit dated by now. He has some odd proportions in the arms and its articulation was limited even back when he came out (no double jointed legs or arms). His gun is also tiny due to a transformation gimmick to store it in alt-mode. That said he is still my favorite entry in the Masterpiece line

Another thing to consider is that MP-10 comes with his trailer and Roller, MP-36 comes with the gun attachments of G1 Megatron (silencer and stock) that double as a stand in robot mode and a bunch of accessories like his laser sword, morning star with a posable chain and Blitzwings gun which he used to shoot Prime in the 86 movie. He also comes with a effect part that can double as the sword blade and the firing effect of the gun, the key to Vector Sigma and the mind control helmet for the Optimus Prime clone as well a battle damaged face and chest.

Despotron on the other hand is fairly bare-bones since he only comes with a morning star. Both come with a few extra faces that are easy to swap out (no tools required). I prefer Despotrons solution where you lift the whole helmet up to exchange the face whereas for Megatron you exchange the front of the helmet. 

All the accessories of MP Megatron come with a price (literally). Especially if you buy from a shop that imports the stuff from Japan like BBTS. Compared the Japanese MSRP of Megatron which is 23000 JPY to the roughly $150 Depsotron is going for the price for MP-36 gets more competitive depending on the exchange rate of your local currency. If you can get MP Megatron for his preorder price which is around 18000 JPY  it gets better but shipping will be expensive still.  So if you don't need all the extra stuff in the box Despotron (or DX9 Mightron) might be the MP Megatron for you (his box is also tiny compared to MP-36). 

[edit:] I don't want to sweep the negative points of Despotron under the rug. There was a assembly error on all of the first run Despotrons where a pin in the knee was not shoot through all the way making one of his legs droop easily. This can be fixed by yourself but it shouldn't be an issue to begin with. Maybe the second run of Despotron will have this fixed. Also his ankle joints are not the strongest so he can tip over in some poses even standing on the shelf. 

There is also the controversial gap in the chest which can be pretty visible in some lighting conditions and even if you don't shine a light source directly at the toy it is still visible. I also feel like Maketoys skimped on the paint because for me the red on the legs would benefit from a coat of red paint since to me bright red plastic without finish looks terrible most of the time. I also think Maketoys should have painted the front of Despotrons shins with a dark gunmetal paint to give the legs more definition. 

Edited October 27, 2017 by Scyla

[mikeszekely]

I held of on any MP-ish Megatron after MP-05 until I'd seen reviews for Apollyon, Despotron, Mightron, and MP-36.  Now, I don't want to talk smack on figures I don't have or have never handled, but after watching the reviews and looking at pics with MP-10 I bought Despotron.  Apollyon is too fiddly and too prone to QC issues.  I don't think MP-36 fits well with MP-10... his gray paint, large head, and high waist are simply too cartoonish.  That's great if you want a toy that looks as much like the cartoon as possible, but I want a Megatron that looks like he kicked butt in the gladiator pits on Kaon, not the bumbling idiot with a string of hairbrained schemes to steal Earth's energy.  Mightron was close, and does a few things I think better than Despotron, but ultimately Despotron seems to have the most intuitive, fun transformation and the cleanest robot mode.

One more thing... in a perfect world money would be no object; you'd decide which one is the best and buy it without looking at the price tag.  Unfortunately, this world isn't perfect.  If I'm not mistaken, MP-36 hovers somewhere around US $200-$250, yeah?  But last I checked you can buy Despotron directly from Maketoys' store for $100 + $16 shipping.  I think even the people who like MP-36 best would have a hard time arguing that he's that much better than Despotron.

[JB0]

Honestly, my opinion on MP-36 hinges(no pun intended) entirely around how fiddly and complex he is.

There is a point where your engineering is too clever, and MP Megatron II is WELL past that point. A less complex toy that is easier to transform would better serve most people. Or a non-transforming articulated figure, if we are honest about what most of us are going to do with him.

 

Everything else is better than MP Meg II by virtue of being less than 50% hinge by volume.

[mikeszekely]

20 hours ago, no3Ljm said:

I'm actually considering a Prime and Megatron in my collection somehow but I know once I do that it's like me opening a new can of worms. Don't want to start a new line somehow. 

Just a thought... are you dead set on a purely cartoon G1 Megatron and Optimus? If you're open to Don Figueroa's IDW designs, Generation Toys' Optimus and Megatron are pretty great.

[Ignacio Ocamica]

The best thing about Megatron is that we have choices!!!

I prefer toy aesthetics but I love MP 36. It's true his proportions are as if he jumped out of the screen, but he has details, hes not that plain as other late MP's.

Had MP-05 and sold it, then Apollyon which I thought would be my definite Megs but comparing both made Apollyon redundant in my collection.

[technoblue]

I've had the unique opportunity of having Apollyon, Mightron, Despotron, and MP-36 in my hands. I went a little nuts looking for a G1-style Megatron that I could display with MP-10. I decided on MP-36, and then downsizing. I'm not too fussed by the fact that the two figures have two different engineering philosophies behind them. I still think they look good together. If Takara were to release another toon-accurate Optimus, then I think I would be willing to double dip if it had the same improved articulation as MP-36.

It's hard to say which of the third-party Megatrons I enjoyed the most. Despotron was cool because of Maketoys penchant for articulation. Mightron was cool because DX9 didn't compromise on proportions in bot mode or alt mode, and that created some interesting transformation techniques. Apollyon...man I was hoping that X-Transbots would deliver a strong mid point between the other two, but my copy had QC issues out of the box. The toy looked nice as long as I didn't touch it, but then I couldn't appreciate it as much as I wanted to. Once I transformed it, issues started cropping up. I'm glad there are some copies out in the wild that are solid, though.

As others have already said above, it's great that we have so many choices with Megatron today.

 

Edited October 29, 2017 by technoblue

[Kuma Style]

Sorry for veering off Megatrons. But I got a bunch of stuff this past week so I'm going to be posting a lot of pics and reviews.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

20 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

Sorry for veering off Megatrons. But I got a bunch of stuff this past week so I'm going to be posting a lot of pics and reviews.

Love, that 3rd Party Optimal Optimus .

[Kuma Style]

It's pretty damned good. Unfortunately these weapons expose some floppiness in his bicep swivels as they aren't weighty at all and makles the arms just spin trying to hold them. Very unfortunate.

[nhyone]

On 10/28/2017 at 3:03 PM, mikeszekely said:

If I'm not mistaken, MP-36 hovers somewhere around US $200-$250, yeah?

All I see is how perfect and cartoon accurate MP-36 is. But it is not. Not at >US$200 price tag anyway.

As mentioned many times, its back is a mess. But somehow, it gets a pass. Because it looks good from other angles?

Not so, IMO. MP-36 is too stout. His upper chest is too short and protruded. It's like he is wearing body armour. Bobby Skullface compared MP-36 to a line-art of Megatron taken from a low-angle and said it was accurate. But he is wrong. The proportions are wrong due to perspective and he should know it.

Edited October 30, 2017 by nhyone

[David Hingtgen]

But it's TOON-ACCURATE (even if it's only for 2 frames and an animation-error) so that mean's it's the BEST EVUR for a lot of fans...  

Some day they'll make a Starscream where the canopy framing is painted orange, like the canopy glass itself, and it'll be "the most screen-accurate one yet!" and it'll sell zillions, to replace the slightly-less-error-accurate ones...

 

[JB0]

KumaStyle: That is a SUPER-sexy Megatron.  Not G1 toon-accurate, obviously, but... it has the FEEL of a Megatron.  Powerful, with an air of dignity and aloofness, and a big flippin' arm-gun just in case someone dares to defy him.  

Which Meg is it?

[Scyla]

It’s MMCs Tyrantron, their homage to MTMTE Autobot Megatron.

[JB0]

Thanks!

[slaginpit]

On 10/27/2017 at 1:04 PM, Scyla said:

I have to disagree. Despotron is better than MP Megatron. Major reason being that his transformation is imaginative and fun. Also he fits much better with the design of MP-10 Convoy. 

AGREE! Heck even the DX-9 version is better

[Kuma Style]

 

Got the full written review up for PerfectEffect Gorira Jr. 2-Pack up!: http://kumastyledesigns.com/perfecteffect-gorira-jr-review/

Here are some pics from the gallery:

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

1 hour ago, Kuma Style said:

 

Got the full written review up for PerfectEffect Gorira Jr. 2-Pack up!: http://kumastyledesigns.com/perfecteffect-gorira-jr-review/

Here are some pics from the gallery:

Wow, your pictures make it look better than it did in person.

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[M'Kyuun]

Damn, you've got a great eye, Kuma. Your passion for these figures really shines in your photography. Thanks for sharing.

After seeing your Conehead pics, I checked out your IF Starscream and Ultra Magnus reviews. Amazing figures for the scale, although for UM, bot mode got all the love. But then, who's really going to keep him in truck mode? I think they struck a better balance between modes with the seekers, and the landing gear is a nice feature that's usually not seen on figures this small, especially the HasTak stuff.  Like you, I dig these smaller figures, and I find these Iron Factory toys to be really well done. I don't own any (too many other pursuits, not enough cash flow to fund everything), so I appreciate the photography and reviews to at least vicariously appreciate the craftsmanship and engineering that goes into them. Thanks.

[vlenhoff]

IMHO MP-36 transformation is involved, but it is satisfying. I have transformed mine several times with no issues.

 

 

[M'Kyuun]

1 hour ago, vlenhoff said:

IMHO MP-36 transformation is involved, but it is satisfying. I have transformed mine several times with no issues.

 

 

As have I, and the transformation is what I'd expect in a leader sized MP figure commanding a rather steep price point. The leg design, IMHO, is the high point- just a brilliant bit of engineering to collapse the legs into about half their width to form the grip. The upper torso and arms can be challenging to achieve all the necessary alignments, but once accomplished, it comes together nicely. The pistol mode is good, but visually weakened by the plethora of panel lines and breaks , especially the slide area where his torso origami is most noticeable. I wouldn't say he's a fun figure to transform, though; he can be frustrating. 

That said, I'd love to get my hands on Despotron at some point, as he looks like a fun figure from both aspects of transformation and poseability. And, I like his chunky proportions.