The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[Scyla]

4 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

- I'm alright with FT's engineering, tbh. Never had a problem with transformations one way or another,  really.  I do wish there was more focus on advanced articulation with them,  though.  They're really starting to conne off mediocre there where specific pieces like Phoenix are plain poor.

- I just got shown the MT Rodimus thiiiiis morning! That thing looks killer. It's good to see Maketoys and FPJ still knocking out classics becayse fml outside of the Spartan mold nothing the MMC Reformatted line does works for me. The fact that literally every mold of theirs is made with 2 or 3 characters in mind ends up with not a single character being accurate. That stuff is a mess. 

- Wise Blast looks great but definitely different from the initial line art tease. He's chubby now.

-----------

Looks like MT Skycrow and Lightning are actually out for delivery TODAY so that's exciting.

 

 

 

You're talking about the MakeToys Cross Dimensions Rodimus correct? 

[technoblue]

6 hours ago, Scyla said:

You're talking about the MakeToys Cross Dimensions Rodimus correct? 

That was the one I was referencing. If @Kuma Style knows of another, then that’s cool too. I think IDW gave me a better impression of Rodimus. If I were stuck with only my nostalgic G1 impressions, I wouldn’t want anything to do with him.

I really like how Cross Dimension is building its own lore. CD Rodimus looks rather unique and I’m excited to see how the TFCon bot mode tease translates to alt mode in Maketoys’ creative universe.

[Kurisama]

Good news everyone 

Still a few hours to go if you want to chip in some more!!

https://maastoys.com/projects/air-soldiers/

[Kuma Style]

Sorry... I refer to MakeToys as MT because as far as I was aware they were the only ones with those initials. There are so many damned 3Ps now though that I wouldn't be surprised if there were 5 more with those initials right now.

Opened the MT Seekers and man... so pretty the colors.

[M'Kyuun]

Congrats to MAAS for reaching their goal!

Oh man, so can't wait to get Skycrow- absolutely  Skywarp's color scheme, and MT did a great job, to my eyes anyway. But yeah, all three of those guys together just look awesome. 

I've got Skycrow and Zeta Toys Jazzy PO'd with Chosen Prime- hoping they'll get stock in for both soon so I qualify for the free shipping, and just b/c I can't wait to mess with them. I may have to put in a PO for MT's Thrust (not sure what they're calling their version), as I've always loved his wings with the turbines, as well as his color scheme.

[Mechapilot77]

so tfcon happened and i haven' t been on tfw yet but my FB and IG feeds blew up this weekend and i almost feel as if i don't need tfw as much lol.  my thoughts

-Buster Skywing looks great as he had earlier - good to see this moving along.  not sure its for me - i stopped buying "classics" scaled stuff around the time of MMC's femmebots but he isn't so jetfire/skyfire like that i can't see him as a newer SMALLER character. haha.  its still too busy overall but i like someone is doing a cool take on this and i love flying things that turn into robots.

-MMC's onslaught looks pretty nice except for lack of proper hip skirts etc.  probably the best looking onslaught (comparing to zeta's and unique toys' and even TW's CW scaled one) but his combiner mode form looks like too G1 toy and i think it won't looks great in combined mode. sort of replaying feral rex's weak points.  so to me still not good MP bruticus exists or on the horizon (zeta's combined form looks decent but the individual bots...ugh...especially onslaught)

-speaking of tW

-Congrats to MAAS toys - your seekers looks pretty nice, hope they turn out well.  if they do rainseeker or cybertron only seeker colors i may get a few if they do turn out well.

-theres lots of beasty stuff for which i know crap about - ancestrod or whatever looks cool...not sure who he is but its a cool lion that turns into a bot (way cooler than the optimus lion thing from PE years ago)

-no one gonna comment on how small/undersized giga's grimlocks lower legs looks?  at least the arms aren't too long like FT's (which i have and have looked past that flaw). 

-MMC IDW- dang you guys making lots of stuff i guess from IDW but some of those designs.....sorry they're wacked and i'm sure its someone at IDW's fault.  just not for me.

-FT's warparth....looks more cartoon obviously than Badcube's (who weren't going for that obviously) but something....seems off?  speaking of FT, i think the hot rod looks good.  i might get him just to have a better looking hot rod for someone to kill in any photos i might take of him.  lol.  (i once did a short photo series where mp-10b decapitates mp rodimus and puts his head on the tip of a sword lol). 

-how come on magic square or TE MP optimus at the show?  (unless i missed it?)

-XTB's stunticons continue to ooze g1 stunticon vibes even if two were held together literally with rubber bands it seeems ahha.  hopefullly each release is as good or better than the first.  i'll be finishing that set hopefullly.

-Zeta's aerialbots...not much to say but it looks like if you like the first couple the last 3 seem consistent in style to the first 2 which is mostly a good thing ( i know the plane modes aren't super accurate and the bot modes are totally toon either but they are still mostly good).  i might pick up the zeta aerialbots during ebay flash sales or other sales.  bang for buck looks good plus if i have stunticons they need aerialbots to fight. haha

did i miss anything cool?  haha

Edited July 16, 2018 by Mechapilot77

[Tking22]

Man that FansToys Warpath looks fantastic! I'm glad I never bothered with the BadCube version, this thing looks to be a proper minibot with a solid tank mode. Xtransbots Seaspray is looking really good too, Klaatu and Toro were quite brilliant so I am really looking forward to Seaspray, Xtransbots is on a roll with their minibots. FansToys Beachcomber and Brawl on the other hand, don't look so good, there are only silhouettes to go off of but still, that Brawn looks WAY off, and Xtransbots Beachcomber is already quite perfect IMO.

[mikeszekely]

People already complain that BadCube's Warpath is hard to transform. I can only imagine what kind of nightmare FT's will be.

[M'Kyuun]

2 hours ago, Mechapilot77 said:

 

-Buster Skywing looks great as he had earlier - good to see this moving along.  not sure its for me - i stopped buying "classics" scaled stuff around the time of MMC's femmebots but he isn't so jetfire/skyfire like that i can't see him as a newer SMALLER character. haha.  its still too busy overall but i like someone is doing a cool take on this and i love flying things that turn into robots.

 

-no one gonna comment on how small/undersized giga's grimlocks lower legs looks?  at least the arms aren't too long like FT's (which i have and have looked past that flaw). 

 

-FT's warparth....looks more cartoon obviously than Badcube's (who weren't going for that obviously) but something....seems off?  speaking of FT, i think the hot rod looks good.  i might get him just to have a better looking hot rod for someone to kill in any photos i might take of him.  lol.  (i once did a short photo series where mp-10b decapitates mp rodimus and puts his head on the tip of a sword lol). 

-how come on magic square or TE MP optimus at the show?  (unless i missed it?)

 

-Gotta agree about Buster Skywing (honestly, these names)- totally unique take on Jet/Skyfire that makes sense from a more realistic alt mode perspective, even if it is a fictitious plane. They could have chosen a much worse alt than a Quinjet, but that alt mode itself makes him that much more appealing, to me anyway.

-Y'know, until your comment, I never noticed Grinder's ape arms. It's one of the first things I noticed, and disliked, on MP-10, but somehow I didn't even register them on Grinder. After reading your comment, I had to run downstairs and take a quick look- sure enough, ape arms. Somehow, though, it still doesn't bother me near as much as Prime's. Concerning Giga's Grimlock, I wish they'd taken a standing pic next to MP-10- that's one massive Dinobot.

-Something seemed off to me about FT's Warpath, too, so you're not alone. Badcube's looks better to me, esp in bot mode. I like the chunkiness.

Magic Square were there, with a number of legends class G1 figures that look very close to their original toys, albeit with articulation. I thought they were deluxes initially, which would have filled a CHUG void, but no. Still wish we'd get a more exacting G1 Sideswipe and Sunstreaker for the Generations line. Got my eye on the upcoming War for Cybertron Sideswipe toy, as that may be the closest we'll get, depending on how that alt comes out. I don't remember seeing any pics of MS's MP OP, which I would have thought to be their centerpiece.

I don't remember seeing any pics of TE's OP in the slides or dealer room pics, so they may not have been there. It looks pretty good from the pics I've seen previously, so if it had been there, I'm sure there would have been pics aplenty from every imaginable angle. Aw, fandom.

[Kuma Style]

The full review of Fansproject's EB-009 Severo Core is up! http://kumastyledesigns.com/fansproject-severo-core-review/

Overall it's a fantastic use of the mold however the mold itself is a bit dated in areas which carries over in terms of play. It's definitely a solid reocmmendation though and if you have the rest of the Warbot family it really looks great in the group. Check out the full review for a complete breakdown but here are some pictures from the gallery section:

 

 

 

 

[M'Kyuun]

Not my cup of tea in the least, but your pics sure do make it look pretty.

[Silverstreak]

20 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

People already complain that BadCube's Warpath is hard to transform. I can only imagine what kind of nightmare FT's will be.

Badcube's Warpath isn't that bad. There's a lot going on and some pins are way tighter than they should be but it's actually not that hard if you just take a minute to think about where stuff needs to get to. I mean, I haven't looked at the instructions since the first time I transformed it when it was released and have a play with it once, maybe twice a year and can figure it out. I'd say it's I smidge easier than Sunsurge.

i also have no desire to replace it with the FT version. I recently bought FT Springer and have yet to even transform it. Took a look, went "meh", put it back and went straight for Crack Up. 

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

On 7/16/2018 at 9:40 AM, M'Kyuun said:

-Something seemed off to me about FT's Warpath, too, so you're not alone. Badcube's looks better to me, esp in bot mode. I like the chunkiness.

I agree. FT's version is svelte, and while the engineering to get there may be quite a feat, Wardog's chunkiness fits his alt mode better and has more appeal to me.

As far as the reveals go, I'm definitely liking where MMC's Bruticus is going and their Sky Lynx looks like it's going to get along real well with my Feral Rex.  Ooh, and Hoodlum is finally coming-good times!

[Kuma Style]

@Silverstreak is absolutely right about BC's Warpath. I'm by no means some sort of pro transformer (verb,) but I literally was able to do it without instructions after a single transformation back and forth.

 

 

 

[Kuma Style]

[M'Kyuun]

That Lightning is a lovely figure. Shame about the lower wing area, but the rest is just about as 'right' as you can get. Still wish they'd put optional shin vents in the box for these guys, but not a deal-breaker.

[tekering]

55 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

That Lightning is a lovely figure. Shame about the lower wing area, but the rest is just about as 'right' as you can get. Still wish they'd put optional shin vents in the box for these guys, but not a deal-breaker.

The intakes on the shoulders are a deal-breaker for me.  Why can't they rotate forward to be perpendicular, like the Masterpiece seekers can?  It seems silly for MakeToys to try so hard for additional cartoon accuracy, but fail to do what HasTak has done for over a decade...

[Kuma Style]

3 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

That Lightning is a lovely figure. Shame about the lower wing area, but the rest is just about as 'right' as you can get. Still wish they'd put optional shin vents in the box for these guys, but not a deal-breaker.

It's extremely pretty. The display presence on all three is undeniable.
 

 

[M'Kyuun]

6 hours ago, tekering said:

The intakes on the shoulders are a deal-breaker for me.  Why can't they rotate forward to be perpendicular, like the Masterpiece seekers can?  It seems silly for MakeToys to try so hard for additional cartoon accuracy, but fail to do what HasTak has done for over a decade...

Toon accuracy, bro. They're all about it, and to be fair, the original toy had the same configuration, so from that standpoint it's a faithful representation. However, I wouldn't have had a problem with MT's copying the Takara so the chest intakes face forward in jet mode. The technique benefitted both modes, IMO.

Not a dealbreaker for me, as so much else is pretty spot on. In this instance, I prefer the toonier aspect of its overall shaping. The original toy, as well as the official MPs, were rather blocky and stiff looking. The curved legs and shaping of the pelvis help the MT version a lot aesthetically. Purely my opinion.

[Tking22]

Man those MakeToys seekers are gorgeous! I'm waiting on BBTS to get Skywarp and Thundercracker in, as usual, BBTS is always last to the party. Intakes look fine to me, will look even better when I put those sweet intake fans I got from Jream in, doubly so when I get his perfectly color matched shin vents in! I'm excited to see color prototypes of the cone heads, so glad I never bothered with Takara's quite mediocre attempts, I get that they wanted to retool as little as possible but still, they just look bad.

[Kuma Style]

Same.. I regretted not getting the Talara Seekers for the longest and now I'm definitely happy I didn't. 

[Kuma Style]

[Ignacio Ocamica]

 

13 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

 

 

 

 

Gorgeous pics as usual. I'm fighting the temptation to get this Thundercracker. The looks of it is slowly winning me over.

[Tking22]

Man, that's a nice pic, I love that mold in black. When it comes to a new Prime getting announced, I can't help but find myself getting FAR more excited about the inevitable Nemesis repaint. I'll just say it, Prime looks better in black, always. Not that his original colors are bad or not insanely iconic, it's just the black Nemesis repaints are always so much more eye catching.

[mikeszekely]

7 hours ago, tekering said:

The intakes on the shoulders are a deal-breaker for me.  Why can't they rotate forward to be perpendicular, like the Masterpiece seekers can?  It seems silly for MakeToys to try so hard for additional cartoon accuracy, but fail to do what HasTak has done for over a decade...

Didn't Takara do it by having the entire intakes tilt down/forward? And I think they didn't lock into place well? Looking at pictures of MP-11 online and it seems like people either forget to tilt them or they got bumped back to jet mode position.

One of the interesting things ToyWorld did with their Coneheads was have the entire intake rotate 180 degrees, then the painted side on top of the intakes in jet mode push in to becomes the inside back wall in bot mode. Those painted details represent stickers on the original toys, though, so they're not toon accurate. They're also a little taller, around MP Megatron's height, which is a deal breaker for some.

Personally, the intakes aren't a big deal to me, and Meteor is the best Seeker mold I've handled. I'm definitely going with MT for my season 1 Seekers. The ToyWorld ones were definitely an improvement over the Takaras, though, and I don't mind that they're a little more toy than toon, or that the Coneheads wind up a little bigger than the Season 1 Seekers. Besides, I already have them (and got all three for just a little more than one of MT's Seekers). So I'm thinking about passing on MT's Coneheads.

(FYI, Zeta wound up with TW's Seekers in the divorce. Starscream and the season 1 Seekers apparently coming after the rest of their Aerialbots. If you're cool with slightly bigger, toy-style Seekers they might be a future option.)

[technoblue]

Gotta go with the majority here, I'm not fussed about the intakes either. Jream's add-ons were enough to satisfy my need for toy details on Meteor too. I'm planning to pick up the same add-ons for Skycrow and Lightning when they are available.

I agree with @M'Kyuun about the wings, though. It's a shame we didn't get a smooth lower half, complete with bottom stripes to match the top. I also miss the rolling landing gear of the official MP, although if I'm going to nitpick landing gear I have to admit that Macross has spoiled me in that regard. I sold my two Takara MPs (Acid Storm and Starscream) long ago, and overall I'm happy to be replacing them with a team that captures bot mode so very well.

[Kuma Style]

Thanks, Ignacio! One thing I will say in regards to Lightning is that it needs the right background to really pop where skycrow just lights your eyes up no matter where you see it. It's very good but just isn't as " electric"

 

 

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

MT Maestro came in today. Can't wait to get home and check it out 

[sh9000]

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/77322

https://tfsource.com/ocular-max/PS-35-magna/

 

[tekering]

Even at CHUG scale, $120 is a great price for --

Oh.  Just the lynx.  

[mikeszekely]

I like how that lynx looks, but, yeah, not sure about the price or scale.  Maybe wait and see what Gigapower's doing?

[Kuma Style]