The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[Kuma Style]

23 minutes ago, David Hingtgen said:

Can Brawl be flipped around (turret in back), for a "proper" Ruination combined mode?

I don't know what you mean? The turret on Brawl's back is already still behind him in combined mode? 

[mikeszekely]

18 minutes ago, Kuma Style said:

I don't know what you mean? The turret on Brawl's back is already still behind him in combined mode? 

In the Car Robots/RiD cartoon Armorhide connected backwards compared to how Brawl connected.

See, on Bruticus, the top of the tank is the shin, with the front bending backward (or disappearing entirely) and the turret sitting on the front.

 

But on Ruination, Armorhide is reversed.  The front of the tank bends forward and forms his knee, and the top of the tank and turret are on his calf.

Now to answer David's question... short answer "no".  Longer answer is "kind of".  You can flip the foot around, but there doesn't seem to be enough clearance to get the port on the tank to hook onto Onslaught/Mega-Octane's connector if you try to do it backward.  Not that you'd want to, because Brawl/Armorhide's head is very visible back there.  Also, the front of the tank doesn't bend, so you can't recreate that kneecap.

However, the turret is just pegged on, and there happens to be a peg hole on the back of the leg.  So you can't turn the leg around, but you can move the turret to the backside.

 

[Kuma Style]

I'm sorry guys, I'm sitting here trying to get some stuff done for Sentinel and watch Baki and got brawl mixed up with Onslaught mentally. 

No. 

[JB0]

We need more unlicensed not-Ruinations. Not because I have any soft spot for him, but because I want more Movor clones. 

I WILL HAVE ALL THE SPACE SHUTTLES, AS LONG AS THEY ARE WHITE!

...

Well, all the ones with decent vehicle modes.

Edited December 20, 2018 by JB0

[tekering]

11 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I'm not really sold on the whole Legends thing.

Masterpiece has run its course, Mike.  Third-party Legends are the future.   

But you gotta stagger your shelves 'cause -- like TJ says -- that samey height makes it all blend.  

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, tekering said:

Masterpiece has run its course, Mike.  Third-party Legends are the future.   

So I've heard. But I really don't feel like starting over again (already did that when I switched from CHUG to MP). And, like I said, I wasn't really impressed with the Legends stuff. I mean, I like that they have all the articulation that they do, but it's just too many ball joints for my tastes.

That said, Magic Square's stuff is looking more appealing to me than Iron Factory's, so if I we're going to jump in now would be the time...

[Kuma Style]

7 hours ago, JB0 said:

We need more unlicensed not-Ruinations. Not because I have any soft spot for him, but because I want more Movor clones. 

I WILL HAVE ALL THE SPACE SHUTTLES, AS LONG AS THEY ARE WHITE!

...

Well, all the ones with decent vehicle modes.

Honestly I wish Hasbro had done a ruination version of the RoTF set back in the day so that FPJ would've done upgrades to match. It's still my favorite Bruticus to date.

 

[mikeszekely]

With the current trend in MP Transformers having shifted from trying to look like the realistic robots the poorly drawn cartoon could have been based on to trying to look exactly like the poorly drawn cartoon, MMC Occular Max is set to cash in by re-releasing Sphinx, their MP Mirage, with a new extra cartoony deco.  Frankly, I think it looks pretty bad... but lucky for me, there are people out there who are into the super cartoon look, people who do want this Sphinx repaint, and already have an earlier Sphinx release.  And it turns out that those people are all too willing to sell their older Sphinx to me at a reduced price.

Something I liked about Invisible is that his T-shaped torso and wheels behind his shoulders reminded me of the excellent Classics Mirage.  As I transitioned away from a CHUG-style collection to a more G1 MP collection, though, I'm forced to admit that the stylized head and narrow waist (and the aforementioned tires behind the shoulders) don't really capture Mirage as he looked in the cartoon.  Sphinx definitely captures the cartoon look a lot better, in my opinion.  His head is more cartoon-accurate and isn't so small, his torso has better (or at least more cartoon-accurate) proportions, he's got the front wing visible on his torso instead of folded away inside, he's got white biceps and dark shoulders like the cartoon, his wheels tuck into his heels a little further, and he's even got a little of the cartoon's crotch bulge.

Things aren't exactly perfect, though.  His legs have a more complex transformation than Invisible's do, and that does leave some gaps and some exposed gray hinges on his shins.  The flip out panels on his chest and the exposed backs of the front wheels (also in his chest) would have looked better in white.  Finally, some the kibble on his back sticks out further than the rest of his torso so it spoils his silhouette and is visible from the front.  And while the racing livery will make for a cool alt mode, I'm looking at his chest and wondering where to put an Autobot insignia.  Still, based on looks alone, Sphinx is the clear winner for a G1 MP collection.

The back is a bit of mixed bag, too.  There's a bit of kibbly mess going on that I'm not thrilled with.  But, there's no hollow gaps on the backs of his forearms, no half-hearted concealed hollow calves, and no tires hanging off his shoulders.  Something worth noting here is that Invisible's head sits in front of a hood formed from the front of the cockpit.  Sphinx, like the G1 toy, uses the front of the cockpit for the back of his head.  That means the racing decals are tampoed on the back of Sphinx's head.

MMC OX has you covered, though.  You can swap the back of his head with a clean, decal-less part.  Or, if you don't like his default face, with it's mostly stoic expression yet still slightly upturned at the corners of his mouth, you can replace it with a clearly happy face, or go with the toy-style face.  In addition to head parts, Sphinx comes with his gun, painted in silver and sporting a very cartoon-accurate sculpt (vs Invisible's more toy-inspired gun), and his shoulder rocket launcher.  Not pictured (I don't know how I missed it is the transparent blue top half of a guy.

Now it is, at this point, that I have to point out again that I bought this from another collector, and I'm not entirely clear on which run or which version of Sphinx this is (although I believe it to be first run original).  I tell you this because mine came with a second box, and in that box I got a clear plastic parachute (aka "that thing from that episode") and one more face.  The sculpt on this extra face is pretty muddy; in hand it looked like a slight pout, but looking at my photo it looks like it was meant to be an open-mouthed yelling face.  I dunno.  My point is, while these are the accessories that I got with the copy of Sphinx I bought I don't know what is and isn't standard, aside from the gun and rocket launcher, so your mileage may vary if you pick up a different version.

Sphinx's head is on a ball joint, but that ball joint is on a hinge inside his chest.  The ball joint itself can look down a lot and tilt his head sideways a bit, but he can't really look up, and if he turns his head it gets caught on his collar.  However, you can move the hinge back to let him look up or to get the clearance to turn his head, so it's a wash.  His shoulders rotate, and a hinge inside his shoulders lets him extend his arms 90 degrees.  Another hinge inside his torso can be used to gain almost an additional 90 degrees.  Plus, he's got a bit of forward butterfly.  His biceps can swivel, and the sides of the car on the outside of his arms actually swivel on his shoulders so they stay clear.  His elbows are double jointed, but here's where we run into another problem.  Instead of having a hinged flap on the forearm to hide the fists in alt mode, there is a flap, but it's connected to the wrist and folds inside the forearm with the hand.  And it doesn't lock down, it just kind of lays over the hollow top of the forearm.  The top hinge is enough to get you over 90 degrees of elbow bend, but it's tighter than the lower hinge.  And if the lower hinge bends more than 60-ish degrees it pushes the forearm flap open.

Moving along, we have wrist swivels.  His fingers are pinned at the base knuckle, and the pointer finger is a separate piece.  Oddly, the thumb isn't fixed like I'd expect on a hand this size.  It's on a swivel for some reason.  Speaking of swivels, he has a waist swivel and a small ab crunch.  His hip skirts can move out of the way so he can move his legs forward 90 degrees, backward about 75 degrees, and laterally about 75.  They're just friction joints, though, and as there's a bit of diecast in his legs they're a bit looser than I'd like.  He's not going to collapse under his own weight; he can hold a pose, as long as it's not a kicking pose.  Continuing with the legs, he's got thigh swivels that are limited to turning about 45 degrees out or in, and double-jointed knees that get just a little over 90 degrees.  His spoiler toes can tilt down a little, but here's my next problem: both of the hinges are, again, a little too loose for the weight of the figure.  This means that his spoiler feet naturally want to bend up until they meet his shins.  However, his tire heels are lower than the ends of the spoiler toes, so if his legs are perfectly straight he'll lean forward.  To get him to stand up straight you have to either bends his knees or his hips backward so that his lower leg is at an angle vs his torso.

Oh, but he's got great ankle pivots.  A dedicated hinge moves his whole foot, tires and all, up to 90 degrees.  A lot of companies would have just moved the spoiler toes and called it a day.

He holds his gun just fine in either hand using the standard MP tabs on handle, slots on palms.  The shoulder rocket uses some prongs to clasp onto a diecast bit in his collar.  It's offset to that the rocket doesn't collide with his head, but that does mean that it can only sit on his right shoulder.  The parachute works the same as the guns, with handles that have tabs on them to fit in his hands.  The back of his head just pops off, if you want to switch to the clean piece.  You also have to pull it off if you want to swap the face, although swapping the face does require you to remove a screw.  The inner piece, with the metallic blue eyes, is shared among all three non-toy heads.

Sphinx's alt mode is quite good, with big rubber racing slick tires that roll fairly well, although the transformation hinges in the front tires can cause them to bow out.  In some ways, there's a lot more attention to detail than Invisible that's closer to the real #26 Ligier JS11 driven by Jacques Laffite that was the inspiration for G1 Mirage.  The shade of blue is more accurate.  The sides of both the front and rear spoilers are blue (although they're missing the the "elf" decals").  It's got the clear windscreen and little black side view mirrors that Invisible is lacking.  Although Sphinx uses the misspells "Ligier" as "Liger" and uses the G1 toy's deliberate misspelling of "Citanes" instead of "Gitanes", the Liger/Citanes decal below the windscreen is accurate (although the Goodyear one below it isn't).  Those decals are missing if you switch the back of the heads.  The "26", "Goodyear" (misspelled as "Goooyear"), and "elf" (misspelled as "ell") are also all correct, along with the dancing lady on the sides, the "Goodyear" on the tires, and all the red pinstriping.  Those are all details I had to go to Reprolabels to get on Invisble (although, to be fair, most of those details will probably be missing on the upcoming Sphinx Cel, because cartoons).  The engine is more accurate, there's a steering wheel in the cockpit, and even a little silver paint behind the cockpit where the real car has a metal ring.  For all that attention to detail, though, it's baffling to me that MMC OX put "Citanes 26" on the sides instead of "26 Citanes."  Not the end of the world by any means, but it just seems weird that they'd get so much right and then goof on that bit.  And while I'm being picky, despite the steering wheel and clear windscreen, Sphinx's cockpit is kind of a mess compared to the simple, empty seat in Invisible.  That hinge in the middle is actually part of his neck assembly, and behind that hinge those arms are for folding the stuff between the cockpit and engine up and around onto Sphinx's back.

It's not really a pro or con either way, but I do find it curious that DX9 used chrome for the spoilers and vents, but silver paint for the wheels, while MMC OX used silver paint for the spoilers and vents and chrome for the wheels.  I think chrome for the spoilers and vents is accurate for the real car, with silver or black wheels.

If you don't mind a bit of partsforming, you can cover up a lot of the mess in the cockpit with the little translucent blue half of a guy.  I guess it's supposed to be like a holographic driver  It looks pretty cool, but since it's got no place to go in robot mode it's the kind of accessory that you toss in the box with the extra heads you're not using into a closet.  Both Sphinx's gun and his rocket launcher have little tabs on them that fit into the sides of the rear spoiler.  While I prefer the weapons to be hidden in alt mode, I'll take some alt mode weapon storage over none any day.

Sphinx is a figure that's been hyped up a lot since he first came out.  Even today I'll hear people complaining about the QC on some of MMC OX's more recent releases saying things like "Sphinx was great, but they've gotten worse since."  And I've got to be honest, I don't think Sphinx really lives up to the hype.  I don't think he's better than Backdraft or Hellion, anyway (they're the only other OX stuff I have, besides the OX Remix tapes).  The joints could have been better.  The transformation of the legs seems needlessly complex and leaves a gap on his shins.  The angle of the bottom of his feet is a bit of a problem.  The flaps on his forearms are a big problem.  I don't really feel like this is the definitive Mirage, which was what I expected; there's plenty of room for Takara, Fans Toys, XTB, etc to step in and deliver something better.

That being said, Sphinx is quite good despite his issues.  Perhaps good enough that, even if someone can and does come out with a better one, you probably won't feel the need to replace him.  I'd definitely recommend Sphinx over Invisible.  I'd go so far as to say that if you already have Invisible it's still worth upgrading to Sphinx.

[nhyone]

14 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

That said, Magic Square's stuff is looking more appealing to me than Iron Factory's, so if I we're going to jump in now would be the time...

I like MS's G1 look, but the products look quite low quality (gaps and paint app). IF looks very polished, but is too stylized for me.

I can't get over the price, though. MS costs some $23 each on TaoBao before International shipping.

Maybe that's for the better. Just in MP-scale, the multiple Optimus Primes and Stunticons are so good that it's not just a either-or choice. They are good enough to collect-them-all.

[Scyla]

Nice review about Sphinx Mike. I would like to add some personal thoughts to it since I  do love Sphinx. Is he perfect? No but he was OX first release so I was able to overlook some of the flaws of the toy. I think he is a November 2015 release I believe so he is over three years old at this point and the transforming robots game has change since then especially the quality of official Masterpiece releases.

At that time the Masterpiece line was up to MP Tracks and in retrospective some of the official MP figures aren't that good compared to Sphinx. Especially the MP cars with their light builds- limited articulation and shoddy paint Sphinx stood out as a release that had all the features  I'd wished the officials had. Rubber wheels, die-cast bits, lots of paint.

Regarding the other OX releases. My Backdraft had terrible QC with the red paint (even the replacement parts where terrible), he was missing the fire engine livery as paint applications and had some questionable design decisions (like the black painted details where you pegged the covers into the arms which lead to instant paint rub . So I would say he is inferior to Sphinx. Jaguar was good, Terraegis was floppy, hollow and had even less paint than Backdraft. The bird cassettes had terrible stickers, terrible transformation and sloppy paint while the Insecticons where so bad they had to be released under a different line and their Omne.. well better not speak of him (I do like him quite a bit but he is loaded with issues).

Thankfully OX is getting better with their releases.

So... I still love my Sphnix and I think he has aged well, other than MP Sideswipe which I have on my desk at work since the MP-12+ replaced him on my shelf.  

[Tking22]

I love Sphinx, I got him and Badcube Sunsurge in one package, my first two third party MP Transformers ever, they let me know, loud and clear, what companies other then Takara could do with MP. Agreed on most points Scyla, especially considering he released when Takara was getting clearly more toon centric, less real world detail on alt modes, Sphinx was a breath of fresh air, paint, die-cast used intelligently, rubber, his aesthetic was, for me, pretty much spot on. I put a Autobot logo on him and Sunsurge and they both put HUGE smiles on my face, I had a hard time getting rid of Sunsurge for the official Streaker, I loved it so much, IF Takara gets to Mirage, once again, that will be a hard decision for me, Takara's will probably be too plain and toon accurate, which is why I'm passing on their Hound.

In other news, Striker Noir arrived at work today, JUST in time for Christmas, and damn, this is one badass little Optimus figure! I love it! I've been pretty boring as far as Transformers are concerned, it's been G1 MP only, but I've always ooed and awed at the many, many other figures out there that went for a different aesthetic than G1, and other more manageable scales then MP. I love this guy, very fun and intuitive transformation, the bot mode is striking and heroic, and it's caught some flack, but I really like the alt mode. Like most other Optimus figures in history, when you swing his arms out from underneath the cab windows, it always puts a smile on my face, and this guy was not different, brilliant little figure.

I was looking for add-ons and found some kind of combiner wars add-on for Manus, but my question, is there a trailer on the way for Noir or Manus? That would really complete the figure for me. I mean, I love it as is, but some kind of add-on would be awesome.

[Dobber]

AAAARRRRG! My Wei Jiang Blackout arrived today but I was out when they tried to deliver it. Can’t get it until tomorrow now. 

Cnris

[Kuma Style]

1 hour ago, Tking22 said:

 

In other news, Striker Noir arrived at work today, JUST in time for Christmas, and damn, this is one badass little Optimus figure! I love it! I've been pretty boring as far as Transformers are concerned, it's been G1 MP only, but I've always ooed and awed at the many, many other figures out there that went for a different aesthetic than G1, and other more manageable scales then MP. I love this guy, very fun and intuitive transformation, the bot mode is striking and heroic, and it's caught some flack, but I really like the alt mode. Like most other Optimus figures in history, when you swing his arms out from underneath the cab windows, it always puts a smile on my face, and this guy was not different, brilliant little figure.

I was looking for add-ons and found some kind of combiner wars add-on for Manus, but my question, is there a trailer on the way for Noir or Manus? That would really complete the figure for me. I mean, I love it as is, but some kind of add-on would be awesome.

Right now there's no official (or even other company iirc)add on for the Striker Manus molds but their upcoming regular and black versions of Jetfire become armor for them. 

[tekering]

14 hours ago, Dobber said:

My Wei Jiang Blackout arrived today but I was out when they tried to deliver it. Can’t get it until tomorrow now. 

I hope you enjoy him as much as I am!  

Although the deliberately messed-up tampo is perplexing, to say the least...  

[David Hingtgen]

On ‎12‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 12:11 AM, mikeszekely said:

With the current trend in MP Transformers having shifted from trying to look like the realistic robots the poorly drawn cartoon could have been based on to trying to look exactly like the poorly drawn cartoon,

Which is why I've only bought like one 3P figure this year...  (and that was to finish off a combiner from earlier)

(I still want Thunder Manus, but am waiting for a second run with fixes etc---I like it, but it's not "mind-blowingly awesomely gotta-have-it-----so I have basically no tolerance for putting up with any "issues" at the moment)

[Dobber]

9 hours ago, tekering said:

I hope you enjoy him as much as I am!  

Although the deliberately messed-up tampo is perplexing, to say the least...  

I am indeed! It is so awesome!! I can’t get over how big and detailed it is. All for under $100! Great ratchet joints too. I’ll have to watch some transforming videos before attempting on my own.  Not a fan of Bayformers but Blackout is awesome looking and to me is the closest to the G1 look as they got as you can easily see what the alt mode is on him in bot mode. Tempted to get Brawl now....though he is a fake tank.

Chris

[Kuma Style]

[derex3592]

On 12/22/2018 at 8:33 AM, tekering said:

I hope you enjoy him as much as I am!  

Although the deliberately messed-up tampo is perplexing, to say the least...  

SO much WIN here!!! I want it!!! However....wife....LOOOL

[tekering]

On 12/23/2018 at 9:34 AM, Dobber said:

It is so awesome!! I can’t get over how big and detailed it is. All for under $100!

Was that the "deluxe" version, with the underside filler piece?

'Cause it makes a great little diorama, you know.  

[Dobber]

Yes it is and yes I know. 

[mikeszekely]

Chinese shipping with questionable tracking and an overworked US customs cut it pretty fine, but it looks like I have one more review for you in 2018.  This time it's KFC's Crash Hog, their MP Wreck-Gar.

So here's the thing... I looked for Wreck-Gar's character model, and only found a Derry drawing from 1985 that definitely wasn't the final one.  I rewatched the portion of the '86 movie with the Junkions.  I checked screen caps from episodes of season 3 that he was in.  I looked at the old Marvel comics, and even some Dreamwave stuff.  I looked at the G1 toy.  And I gotta say that Wreck-Gar was one of the more inconsistently-drawn and colored characters out there.  That being said... I really think that KFC nailed it.  Don't get me wrong, I do have some nitpicks.  I think the face is a little bland, and would have liked more of a sneering "you check in, but you don't check out" expression.  The reddish orange on his torso probably could have been redder, and there are some other spots where I might have adjusted the colors a bit.  He's also got the typical articulated KFC hands, and they look too big for him when his fingers are open.  Still, the overall sculpt is pretty great, right down to the fuel tank backpack and saddlebag hip pouches.  Considering how the G1 toy transformed and it's giant head I confess that I'm pretty impressed that KFC made a Wreck-Gar this close to what was actually animated that still transforms.

Do note one thing I didn't notice until after I took this pictures and tried to transform him, though.  I actually have his forearms backward- the side with the screws should be facing out.  And the reason I didn't realize this at first is because his biceps are facing the correct way, screw on the inside... which meant that my copy was actually misassembled.  I had to take his arms apart and flip is biceps 180 degrees.  Although some of my pictures might be wrong, the information I'm typing here will reflect the fixed arms with the forearms facing the right way.

Size-wise, he's a little more than a head taller than MP Hot Rod.  For those keeping score, that makes him shorter than MP-08, DX9's Carry, or the various Springers out there, maybe half a head taller than FT's Kup, and roughly the same size as DX9's Blurr, which I think is about right for Wreck-Gar.

Crash Hog comes with a ton of accessories.  Naturally, you've got his two wheels, with yellow rims that look different on one side.  You've also got his trademark axe, although with a longer handle than you're probably used to.  You've got not one but three different guns, each one a different mold but all basically cast in the same gray plastic with little silver accents.  You've got four rubbery spikes, two brown pegs, a pair of wing mirrors, a pair of brake levers, and for "that thing in that episode" you've got his little TV.  But wait, there's more!  As a bonus "that thing in that episode" you've got the box he beats on before telling Hot Rod that he talks TV.

Crash Hog's head is on a swivel with a hinge inside his head.  He can look up and down a fair amount, but his ability to do so becomes limited he his head is also swiveled.  The antenna on his head are on ball joints so you can wiggle them a bit.  His shoulders can rotate on ratchets, and extend about 90 degrees laterally on what feels like a very soft ratchet.  His biceps cans swivel.  His elbows are double-jointed, with the upper joint being friction and the lower joint a ratchet.  Combined he can curl his arm all the way up to touch his shoulder, just about 180 degrees.  His wrists can swivel.  As I mentioned, the hands are KFC/XTB hands with all five digits on a ball joint at the base, with the thumb cut so that it can fold down over the palm.  Each digit has two additional hinges, although they're not pinned.  I know some people like these hands due to the range of articulation you can get, but personally I think they're too fragile.  To be totally fair, though, none of the ball joints have broke on me (like XTB Scourge's thumb did), and none of the digits have come apart at the unpinned knuckles (the way XTB's Hoist did).

Moving along, the waist has a ratcheted swivel.  The saddlebags can rotate as well as swing upward.  The hip skirts can also hinge up.  This gives you enough clearance for a little under 90 degrees of lateral movement on a friction joint at the hip as well as a little under 90 degrees forward and about 45 degrees backward on ratchets.  The thighs can swivel.  His knees a single-jointed ratchet good for 90 degrees.  The front of his foot can bend down due to transformation, and he's got about 45 degrees of ankle pivot.

He holds any of his guns using the typical MP methold of tabs on the handles that fit into slots on his palms.  The fit is a little on the tight side, but that means once you do get them snapped in place they're very secure.  His axe works the same way, although there's two spots on the handle with tabs.  That gives you options for where on the handle you want him to grip it.  The handle itself also comes apart if you want a more accurate, smaller handle, or the axe head can be removed entirely.  You'll note that all three guns and the axe head have pegs on them.  You'll also note that there are an abundance of peg holes on Crash Hog.  He's got one on each shoulder, one on the outside of each upper elbow joint, one on the inside of each lower elbow joint, one on the outside of each forearm just above the wrist, one on the outside of each knee, one on the inside of each knee, one on the back middle of the outside of each lower leg and one on each side of his butt kibble.  These pegs can be used as mounting points for his various weapons.  They can also be used as mounting points for his spikes or his wheels, giving you a large degree of freedom for how you want to arrange him.  You do have to be careful with the spikes, though, as they're very easy to knock loose as you manipulate him.

You can get him to hold his little TV, although there's no way to secure it in his hand.  (Note the molded gauges on the back of his head; that's nice attention to detail.)  When he's watching it, either saddlebag can be opened and the TV stuck inside.  Not as accurate as stuffing it into his stomach, but better use of space.  As for the box, it has a handle at one end with the same tabs that fit into his palms that his weapons have, if you're into that.  The bottom also opens up, allowing you to store some of the little pieces, which is pretty handle.  More Transformers should come with boxes.

Crash Hog has one more gimmick.  You see, Wreck-Gar isn't the only Junkion KFC is tackling.  They've done one more, Dumpyard, with teases for an additional four (and that doesn't count the Cy-Kill that appears in Crash Hog's comic book instructions).  The gimmick here is that the arms can be removed at the bicep, as well as the head with some of the front of the torso.  These pieces can then be swapped around between Junkions, giving you even more customization options.  The parts are secure when they are attached, so I think this is a pretty cool gimmick that KFC executed well.

Y'know, after watching the Junkion scenes in the movie, I'm not sure that Wreck-Gar's motorcycle mode ever actually appeared in the animation.  One does assume that some choices, like the yellow wheels and gray saddlebags, are based on robot-mode colors.  Otherwise, Derry's character model or the G1 toy may have informed some design choices.  Crash Hog's axe handle splits apart to become the spokes for the front wheel instead of using his arms, leaving his arms to kind of bend up and tuck into his feet in a way that probably changes the look slightly, but his legs do bend up in a pretty G1 way.  His backpack unfurls a bit to hide his head and bring out a new, properly-sized front and controls.  Ultimately, even if it's not totally 100% accurate, I think it's close enough, especially if the inaccuracies are thought of as small sacrifices necessary to make such a good robot mode.

For a size reference, here he is with DX9's Salmoore...

Or, here he is being ridden by MP Hot Rod.  This makes me think that the bike mode is a good size for most MP cars and ok for Hot Rod, but I'd imagine that he's actually a little small for another KFC Junkion to ride.  Although I've seen pictures showing that it can be done, I can't really test this myself as I don't have any other Junkions.

The axle handles have springs and do compress like shocks, and the piece they mount to can rotate so it looks like the bike is turning.  There's a flip down kick stand on both sides of the bike.  The wheels do spin, and although they're spiked it's still pretty easy to balance the bike when you use the kick stands.  And most of the accessories we've talked about already can be mounted in bike mode, as there are ports on both sides of both wheels, three ports on the each side of the bike where the legs and arms are folded up, one port on each side of the rear of the bike, and a port on top of the back.  You still have access to the saddlebags, which means you still have storage for the TV.  Additionally, we can finally use the other accessories we haven't talked about.  The brake levers and mirrors use c-clips to grab onto the diecast handlebars.  You can see more molded gauges above the handle bars.

Do note that the instructions suggest that once the mirrors and brake levers are attached that it should be possible to fold them up and leave them on when you transform him back to robot mode.  In practice I had no trouble with the brake levers, but the mirrors kept popping off.  YMMV, but I ultimately decided to leave the mirrors off.  I don't think the bike mode looks bad without them, in any case.

Now if you really hate partsforming, KFC's still got you covered.  The axe handle doesn't have to be used to hold the front wheel.  Instead, you can tuck the wheel between his elbows.  This does change the silhouette of the bike, though, shortening it quite a bit.  You also lose that wheel-turning ability.  Still, I don't exactly hate this look.  It's probably not as accurate, but the overall look kind of reminds me of a smaller Japanese sports bike.

Which finally brings us to the last two accessories: those little brown pegs.  Should you for some reason decide you don't want the axle handle for the steering stems but still want them carried on the bike, you can put the pegs into the halves of the axe handle, turning what's regularly a peg hole into a peg.  You can then use this new peg to attach the handle halves to the sides of the bike, on the robot legs.  The result looks something like exhaust pipes.  This is the sort of thing that seems like it might make for good customization options as KFC releases more Junkions, but I'm pretty content to put the pegs in the box (first the green accessory, then put the whole thing back into the packaging).

Now, I do have a few more complaints.  The QC, while not as horrible as some KFC/XTB stuff, is a little iffy in spots.  I already mentioned that his biceps were assembled backward.  There's a few spots where I could find some sprue marks or stress marks  One of his little chest guns, in fact, is slightly bent and has a noticeable stress mark.  And one of the pins fired through the bike-mode controls/windshield was misaligned slightly, so the controls are a little crooked and the windshield doesn't sit flush on one side.  Plus, while the transformation is pretty easy to understand what you're supposed to do, actually transforming the backpack section to the front of the bike and bike is a bit of a pain that involves threading the handlebars, bike controls, and windshield through a gap between the front of the bike and the fuel tank with minimal clearance.  And going back to bot mode those same parts have to be situated just right for the backpack, head, chest, and sides to all peg in right without something popping back out.

I think those annoyances are ultimately worth it, though, as this might be the best toy Keith has released under the KFC label.  The plastic feels like a definite improvement from even other good KFC releases like Transistor.  There's diecast in smart places, too, namely the handlebars, his thighs, and his feet.  His articulation is pretty good, and his joints (be they friction or ratchet) all feel like they have the right amount of tension so that nothing is loose or floppy.  The sculpt is nigh-on perfect.  He's got a ton of accessories.  And although he's got gimmicks I think they're well-executed gimmicks that work well without interfering with other aspects of the figure.

All-in-all, I think I could imagine a company like Fans Toys doing an even more accurate sculpt with better paint and colors, or a company like DX9 engineering transformation that's less of a pain.  But I'm not sure I can imagine a company doing another Wreck-Gar that looks better, transforms better, and matches the customization and playability of Crash Hog.  Truthfully, I really only wanted an MP Wreck-Gar to round out my Season 3 cast and had no intention of picking up any other Junkions, but I'm so pleased with Crash Hog that I'm planning on buying at least two of the other Junkions once KFC releases them.  I think that's probably the best recommendation I could give him.

[RavenHawk]

I have the two-pack of Crash Hog and Dumpyard pre-ordered from BBTS and am really looking forward to it.

Great review!

FYI, this is the only piece of concept art I remember seeing for Wreck Gar (from Floro Dery, who I believe did the bulk of the movie concept art).

[mikeszekely]

22 minutes ago, RavenHawk said:

Great review!

Thanks!

22 minutes ago, RavenHawk said:

FYI, this is the only piece of concept art I remember seeing for Wreck Gar (from Floro Dery, who I believe did the bulk of the movie concept art).

Yep, that's the art I was referring to in my review.  AFAIK, it was used as the basis for his Marvel Comics appearance and his G1 toy, but it's not the design the animators for the movie and Season 3 went with.  It seems that it was Toei Animation that altered Derry's designs.  While I can find accurate, revised character models for other movie/S3 characters, I just couldn't find one for Wreck-Gar.  That really leaves the animation itself as a reference, and like I said it's pretty inconsistent.  The number and location of his spikes and his colors were sometimes different between the movie and Season 3 (or even once scene to the next in the movie).  That's why I feel like, even though I might have made a few tweaks to his colors or given him a more expressive face, I ultimately think that KFC did a really good job capturing Wreck-Gar's animated appearance.

[RavenHawk]

4 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

Thanks!

Yep, that's the art I was referring to in my review.  AFAIK, it was used as the basis for his Marvel Comics appearance and his G1 toy, but it's not the design the animators for the movie and Season 3 went with.  It seems that it was Toei Animation that altered Derry's designs.  While I can find accurate, revised character models for other movie/S3 characters, I just couldn't find one for Wreck-Gar.  That really leaves the animation itself as a reference, and like I said it's pretty inconsistent.  The number and location of his spikes and his colors were sometimes different between the movie and Season 3 (or even once scene to the next in the movie).  That's why I feel like, even though I might have made a few tweaks to his colors or given him a more expressive face, I ultimately think that KFC did a really good job capturing Wreck-Gar's animated appearance.

from the pics I've seen, I agree with you on all of that except for the cowl. It just looks... off... to me.

[JB0]

3 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

You'll note that all three guns and the axe head have pegs on them.  You'll also note that there are an abundance of peg holes on Crash Hog.  He's got one on each shoulder, one on the outside of each upper elbow joint, one on the inside of each lower elbow joint, one on the outside of each forearm just above the wrist, one on the outside of each knee, one on the inside of each knee, one on the back middle of the outside of each lower leg and one on each side of his butt kibble.  These pegs can be used as mounting points for his various weapons.  

Transformers x Centurions: Power Xtreme!

[tekering]

4 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

While I can find accurate, revised character models for other movie/S3 characters, I just couldn't find one for Wreck-Gar.

I believe this is the line art you were looking for:

Courtesy of Jim Sorenson's Transformers: The Ark — A Complete Compendium of Character Designs.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I finally got my Wei Jiang Blackout. Frankly, I don't like the parts-forming going on with the fuselage pieces. Was it all done for the Scorpinok diorama gimmick? With all the engineering done to improve upon the original Studio Series Blackout, WJ could've knocked it out of the park by integrating the fuselage pieces in the transformation.  Another niggle I have is with the painted red and white stripes on the tail rotor piece; they're not painted straight as they wrap around the piece. It just looks sloppy when compared to the rest of the paint apps on the toy.  While they were at it, they also could've molded the tail rotor blades in the same color as the main rotor blades.  That being said, I still think it is a killer toy. It feels rock solid and stable. WJ did an excellent job with the molded details and the intricate paint apps.  Its imposing presence on my shelf almost makes me forget about the huge pieces left out for it's alt mode.  Anyways, much kudos to WJ; this is a serious upgrade to any movie Blackout toy released in the past.

[Kuma Style]

[Tking22]

I pre-ordered a MakeToys Stealthwing to go with my Striker Noir, I think they'll look pretty fantastic together. That said, I REALLY like the look of the premium Striker Manus, I may get him too and bump my Stealthwing order to two, one for each Striker.

[Kuma Style]

1 hour ago, Tking22 said:

I pre-ordered a MakeToys Stealthwing to go with my Striker Noir, I think they'll look pretty fantastic together. That said, I REALLY like the look of the premium Striker Manus, I may get him too and bump my Stealthwing order to two, one for each Striker.

I ordered two stealths but just to have one on display and one on a second Noir as armor.  Doing the same with the regular buster for a second Manus. 

[Kuma Style]

[Kuma Style]

[Dangard Ace]

On 12/24/2018 at 3:31 PM, mikeszekely said:

Chinese shipping with questionable tracking and an overworked US customs cut it pretty fine, but it looks like I have one more review for you in 2018.  This time it's KFC's Crash Hog, their MP Wreck-Gar.

So here's the thing... I looked for Wreck-Gar's character model, and only found a Derry drawing from 1985 that definitely wasn't the final one.  I rewatched the portion of the '86 movie with the Junkions.  I checked screen caps from episodes of season 3 that he was in.  I looked at the old Marvel comics, and even some Dreamwave stuff.  I looked at the G1 toy.  And I gotta say that Wreck-Gar was one of the more inconsistently-drawn and colored characters out there.  That being said... I really think that KFC nailed it.  Don't get me wrong, I do have some nitpicks.  I think the face is a little bland, and would have liked more of a sneering "you check in, but you don't check out" expression.  The reddish orange on his torso probably could have been redder, and there are some other spots where I might have adjusted the colors a bit.  He's also got the typical articulated KFC hands, and they look too big for him when his fingers are open.  Still, the overall sculpt is pretty great, right down to the fuel tank backpack and saddlebag hip pouches.  Considering how the G1 toy transformed and it's giant head I confess that I'm pretty impressed that KFC made a Wreck-Gar this close to what was actually animated that still transforms.

Do note one thing I didn't notice until after I took this pictures and tried to transform him, though.  I actually have his forearms backward- the side with the screws should be facing out.  And the reason I didn't realize this at first is because his biceps are facing the correct way, screw on the inside... which meant that my copy was actually misassembled.  I had to take his arms apart and flip is biceps 180 degrees.  Although some of my pictures might be wrong, the information I'm typing here will reflect the fixed arms with the forearms facing the right way.

Size-wise, he's a little more than a head taller than MP Hot Rod.  For those keeping score, that makes him shorter than MP-08, DX9's Carry, or the various Springers out there, maybe half a head taller than FT's Kup, and roughly the same size as DX9's Blurr, which I think is about right for Wreck-Gar.

Crash Hog comes with a ton of accessories.  Naturally, you've got his two wheels, with yellow rims that look different on one side.  You've also got his trademark axe, although with a longer handle than you're probably used to.  You've got not one but three different guns, each one a different mold but all basically cast in the same gray plastic with little silver accents.  You've got four rubbery spikes, two brown pegs, a pair of wing mirrors, a pair of brake levers, and for "that thing in that episode" you've got his little TV.  But wait, there's more!  As a bonus "that thing in that episode" you've got the box he beats on before telling Hot Rod that he talks TV.

Crash Hog's head is on a swivel with a hinge inside his head.  He can look up and down a fair amount, but his ability to do so becomes limited he his head is also swiveled.  The antenna on his head are on ball joints so you can wiggle them a bit.  His shoulders can rotate on ratchets, and extend about 90 degrees laterally on what feels like a very soft ratchet.  His biceps cans swivel.  His elbows are double-jointed, with the upper joint being friction and the lower joint a ratchet.  Combined he can curl his arm all the way up to touch his shoulder, just about 180 degrees.  His wrists can swivel.  As I mentioned, the hands are KFC/XTB hands with all five digits on a ball joint at the base, with the thumb cut so that it can fold down over the palm.  Each digit has two additional hinges, although they're not pinned.  I know some people like these hands due to the range of articulation you can get, but personally I think they're too fragile.  To be totally fair, though, none of the ball joints have broke on me (like XTB Scourge's thumb did), and none of the digits have come apart at the unpinned knuckles (the way XTB's Hoist did).

Moving along, the waist has a ratcheted swivel.  The saddlebags can rotate as well as swing upward.  The hip skirts can also hinge up.  This gives you enough clearance for a little under 90 degrees of lateral movement on a friction joint at the hip as well as a little under 90 degrees forward and about 45 degrees backward on ratchets.  The thighs can swivel.  His knees a single-jointed ratchet good for 90 degrees.  The front of his foot can bend down due to transformation, and he's got about 45 degrees of ankle pivot.

He holds any of his guns using the typical MP methold of tabs on the handles that fit into slots on his palms.  The fit is a little on the tight side, but that means once you do get them snapped in place they're very secure.  His axe works the same way, although there's two spots on the handle with tabs.  That gives you options for where on the handle you want him to grip it.  The handle itself also comes apart if you want a more accurate, smaller handle, or the axe head can be removed entirely.  You'll note that all three guns and the axe head have pegs on them.  You'll also note that there are an abundance of peg holes on Crash Hog.  He's got one on each shoulder, one on the outside of each upper elbow joint, one on the inside of each lower elbow joint, one on the outside of each forearm just above the wrist, one on the outside of each knee, one on the inside of each knee, one on the back middle of the outside of each lower leg and one on each side of his butt kibble.  These pegs can be used as mounting points for his various weapons.  They can also be used as mounting points for his spikes or his wheels, giving you a large degree of freedom for how you want to arrange him.  You do have to be careful with the spikes, though, as they're very easy to knock loose as you manipulate him.

You can get him to hold his little TV, although there's no way to secure it in his hand.  (Note the molded gauges on the back of his head; that's nice attention to detail.)  When he's watching it, either saddlebag can be opened and the TV stuck inside.  Not as accurate as stuffing it into his stomach, but better use of space.  As for the box, it has a handle at one end with the same tabs that fit into his palms that his weapons have, if you're into that.  The bottom also opens up, allowing you to store some of the little pieces, which is pretty handle.  More Transformers should come with boxes.

Crash Hog has one more gimmick.  You see, Wreck-Gar isn't the only Junkion KFC is tackling.  They've done one more, Dumpyard, with teases for an additional four (and that doesn't count the Cy-Kill that appears in Crash Hog's comic book instructions).  The gimmick here is that the arms can be removed at the bicep, as well as the head with some of the front of the torso.  These pieces can then be swapped around between Junkions, giving you even more customization options.  The parts are secure when they are attached, so I think this is a pretty cool gimmick that KFC executed well.

Y'know, after watching the Junkion scenes in the movie, I'm not sure that Wreck-Gar's motorcycle mode ever actually appeared in the animation.  One does assume that some choices, like the yellow wheels and gray saddlebags, are based on robot-mode colors.  Otherwise, Derry's character model or the G1 toy may have informed some design choices.  Crash Hog's axe handle splits apart to become the spokes for the front wheel instead of using his arms, leaving his arms to kind of bend up and tuck into his feet in a way that probably changes the look slightly, but his legs do bend up in a pretty G1 way.  His backpack unfurls a bit to hide his head and bring out a new, properly-sized front and controls.  Ultimately, even if it's not totally 100% accurate, I think it's close enough, especially if the inaccuracies are thought of as small sacrifices necessary to make such a good robot mode.

For a size reference, here he is with DX9's Salmoore...

Or, here he is being ridden by MP Hot Rod.  This makes me think that the bike mode is a good size for most MP cars and ok for Hot Rod, but I'd imagine that he's actually a little small for another KFC Junkion to ride.  Although I've seen pictures showing that it can be done, I can't really test this myself as I don't have any other Junkions.

The axle handles have springs and do compress like shocks, and the piece they mount to can rotate so it looks like the bike is turning.  There's a flip down kick stand on both sides of the bike.  The wheels do spin, and although they're spiked it's still pretty easy to balance the bike when you use the kick stands.  And most of the accessories we've talked about already can be mounted in bike mode, as there are ports on both sides of both wheels, three ports on the each side of the bike where the legs and arms are folded up, one port on each side of the rear of the bike, and a port on top of the back.  You still have access to the saddlebags, which means you still have storage for the TV.  Additionally, we can finally use the other accessories we haven't talked about.  The brake levers and mirrors use c-clips to grab onto the diecast handlebars.  You can see more molded gauges above the handle bars.

Do note that the instructions suggest that once the mirrors and brake levers are attached that it should be possible to fold them up and leave them on when you transform him back to robot mode.  In practice I had no trouble with the brake levers, but the mirrors kept popping off.  YMMV, but I ultimately decided to leave the mirrors off.  I don't think the bike mode looks bad without them, in any case.

Now if you really hate partsforming, KFC's still got you covered.  The axe handle doesn't have to be used to hold the front wheel.  Instead, you can tuck the wheel between his elbows.  This does change the silhouette of the bike, though, shortening it quite a bit.  You also lose that wheel-turning ability.  Still, I don't exactly hate this look.  It's probably not as accurate, but the overall look kind of reminds me of a smaller Japanese sports bike.

Which finally brings us to the last two accessories: those little brown pegs.  Should you for some reason decide you don't want the axle handle for the steering stems but still want them carried on the bike, you can put the pegs into the halves of the axe handle, turning what's regularly a peg hole into a peg.  You can then use this new peg to attach the handle halves to the sides of the bike, on the robot legs.  The result looks something like exhaust pipes.  This is the sort of thing that seems like it might make for good customization options as KFC releases more Junkions, but I'm pretty content to put the pegs in the box (first the green accessory, then put the whole thing back into the packaging).

Now, I do have a few more complaints.  The QC, while not as horrible as some KFC/XTB stuff, is a little iffy in spots.  I already mentioned that his biceps were assembled backward.  There's a few spots where I could find some sprue marks or stress marks  One of his little chest guns, in fact, is slightly bent and has a noticeable stress mark.  And one of the pins fired through the bike-mode controls/windshield was misaligned slightly, so the controls are a little crooked and the windshield doesn't sit flush on one side.  Plus, while the transformation is pretty easy to understand what you're supposed to do, actually transforming the backpack section to the front of the bike and bike is a bit of a pain that involves threading the handlebars, bike controls, and windshield through a gap between the front of the bike and the fuel tank with minimal clearance.  And going back to bot mode those same parts have to be situated just right for the backpack, head, chest, and sides to all peg in right without something popping back out.

I think those annoyances are ultimately worth it, though, as this might be the best toy Keith has released under the KFC label.  The plastic feels like a definite improvement from even other good KFC releases like Transistor.  There's diecast in smart places, too, namely the handlebars, his thighs, and his feet.  His articulation is pretty good, and his joints (be they friction or ratchet) all feel like they have the right amount of tension so that nothing is loose or floppy.  The sculpt is nigh-on perfect.  He's got a ton of accessories.  And although he's got gimmicks I think they're well-executed gimmicks that work well without interfering with other aspects of the figure.

All-in-all, I think I could imagine a company like Fans Toys doing an even more accurate sculpt with better paint and colors, or a company like DX9 engineering transformation that's less of a pain.  But I'm not sure I can imagine a company doing another Wreck-Gar that looks better, transforms better, and matches the customization and playability of Crash Hog.  Truthfully, I really only wanted an MP Wreck-Gar to round out my Season 3 cast and had no intention of picking up any other Junkions, but I'm so pleased with Crash Hog that I'm planning on buying at least two of the other Junkions once KFC releases them.  I think that's probably the best recommendation I could give him.

I got Crash Hog about the same time you did.  eBay flash sale?  I can’t believe this is an old KFC design but I bought a Dumpyard because of how good Crash Hog is and Wreck Gar needs to ride a motorcycle.  

[Kuma Style]

[Old_Nash]

https://toy-wizards.com/2018/12/27/hasbro-cant-stop-3rd-parties-from-making-transformer-toys-and-here-is-why/?fbclid=IwAR13gb34Qia9PLjt1J5gpfhK1lGv-uLoMamHID2-Aq2Dku5qrDV97AtgOno