The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[slaginpit]

For the price this guy is awesome nice diecast to plastic distribution the plastic is solid like a rock very nice paint apps

e

[Kuma Style]

[Negotiator]

7 hours ago, slaginpit said:

For the price this guy is awesome nice diecast to plastic distribution the plastic is solid like a rock very nice paint apps

e

 

tempting. how big next to mp 10 or mpm 4

[Scyla]

19 hours ago, sqidd said:

 That room! 

I'm playing checkers with 14 missing pieces. You're playing 4D chess.

Got a close up pic of that I'm guessing big Gundam guy on the LH side of the pic? That looks like it could really be something.

Do you do anything for dust control in your toy room/rooms? It's going to be a ways off because I'm not going to have time to build a hose for 3-4yrs. But my next house is going to be my forever home (that's code for I'm dying in it because I don't want to move again). I've been planning out the design in my head and a toy room is going to be a thing. I haven't put much thought into how to execute but I'm thinking that some sort of dust/atmosphere control wouldn't be a bad idea. Maybe an air lock.............

The white Gundam should be the Perfect Grade Unicorn Gundam model kit: https://www.hlj.com/1-60-scale-pg-unicorn-gundam-ban994365

There is a Fixed Figuration Metal Composite available but I think you have one of those already.

[sqidd]

3 hours ago, Scyla said:

The white Gundam should be the Perfect Grade Unicorn Gundam model kit: https://www.hlj.com/1-60-scale-pg-unicorn-gundam-ban994365

There is a Fixed Figuration Metal Composite available but I think you have one of those already.

Those PG kits are that big?

[tekering]

1 hour ago, sqidd said:

Those PG kits are that big?

Nah, the PG kits are only 1:60 scale.

The Hyper Hybrid Gundams, however...

They remain the biggest robot toys ever mass-produced.  

[anime52k8]

2 hours ago, sqidd said:

Those PG kits are that big?

I think it's just perspective making it look huge. They make a 1/48 scale RX-0 that's even bigger.

[slaginpit]

11 hours ago, Negotiator said:

 

tempting. how big next to mp 10 or mpm 4

its bigger

 

[sh9000]

Now just waiting for the release of XTB’s Motormaster trailer and I’ll be happy to complete my set of Stunticons.

[nightmareB4macross]

8 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

Now just waiting for the release of XTB’s Motormaster trailer and I’ll be happy to complete my set of Stunticons.

Please take and share plenty of pics.
 

in the meantime, NewAge continue’s to bring out some really cool figures.  

[Kuma Style]

Need more, like yesterday.

[David Hingtgen]

On ‎1‎/‎23‎/‎2020 at 4:50 PM, slaginpit said:

For the price this guy is awesome nice diecast to plastic distribution the plastic is solid like a rock very nice paint apps

Wait---a recent 3P Prime without rust/scratches/weathering?  Which one is that? 

[nhyone]

On 1/19/2020 at 10:43 PM, tekering said:

Incidentally, a company presents itself to the public using "PR," and "marketing" is how they present their products.  

"Propaganda" concerns social or political ideology, not toy robots.  

If it were directly from the company, it is marketing.

In the first video, at 4:04 onward, the reviewer described the First Devastator War between TFC and MT. At that time, TFC was 'king' and MT a contender. TFC came out with Hercules first. MT realized fans wanted G1-style and announced Giant. It was a huge hit. To fight back, TFC had to introduce an upgrade kit to make its figure more G1. MT took this opportunity to turn online fans against TFC. 'Virtually overnight', everyone turned away from TFC and towards MT. TFC never recovered from this loss in reputation. A new king was born.

I remembered Spencer mentioned in his Bobby Skullface interview that MT was very concerned about its image online. In the early days, companies were more prone to using 'fans' to raise the company image.

This could be why NewAge refused to sell new legs separately for its Agamemnon (Megatron). But then MMC doesn't care and sells its Assaultus upgrade kit so expensively. I wonder what's the reaction in Chinese forums today.

I can tell you straightway that, watching some of his reviews, this reviewer does not like MMC -- mainly due to its high pricing.

 

On 1/19/2020 at 11:46 PM, Kuma Style said:

Thank you very much. There's a lot of personal bias towards this company having worked with them and their designs being such a favorite that MT/FPJ were legitimately the only reason I kept collecting for a few years after official classics went to hell and it's really unfortunate to see.

The reviewer wrote this sort-of like a historical 'documentary' (from what he knew) and has an earlier video talking about FPJ: 【变百科】史上最悲催第三方, 物极必反的FPJ

(The saddest 3P in history, the peak and decline of FPJ.)

Basically, he said FPJ kept wanting to do its own thing after it got recognition from Transformers fans, but they weren't buying into it, so ultimately it just faded away.

 

On 1/19/2020 at 11:46 PM, Kuma Style said:

I understand "changing times" but I really wish that they would have stuck to the classics scaled lines that  gave them the popularity they had in the first place on top of not having fallen so much in terms of quality control.

I think there's no more room for 3P in CHUG, that's why they had to move on.

 

The whole 变百科 is worth watching.

 

Two-part series on UniqueToys:

【变百科】江东自古怀才俊，一朝乘雷便化龙

Its beginnings and early challenges. Its greatest work (to date) Ragnaros (Bruticus) was upstaged by TW's Armageddon and they had to rush it out. [Now we know why the limbs weren't as refined as the legs.] In the end, UT found it was tricked when TW finally revealed it was using the pants approach.

 

【变百科】跃龙门的小鱼变锦鲤，运气确实是实力的一部分

UT refocused on movie stuff and collaborated with DX9 to overcome its weakness in aesthetics. The last part shifted to DX9 and he said DX9 had an ace up its sleeve, but he left it as a cliffhanger.

 

On Legends:

【变百科】弑神三部曲第一章：昙花一现的神，口袋中的战争

The very first 3P Legend figures were the VIP three Datsun brothers by ARK Studio. (Its designer was well known as 'the god of scale'.) It was not successful. DX9 saw the potential and followed with its ace -- its War in Pocket series. UniqueToys joined in the fun. Good times did not last. Both were forced to stop due to over-KO'ing. One particular KOer was especially lethal. UT 'died' first, leaving DX9 to fight alone. But even DX9 found it harder and harder to 'live'. DX9's last WiP was Dutch (Optimus Prime) as a send-off, and it was KO'ed too. The lethal KOer was revealed to be MFT. And MFT was allied with the designer of ARK Studio.

 

【变百科】弑神三部曲第二章：河森正治的精神续作如何中道崩

MFT is revealed to be backed by Machine Boy (a big organization with vast experience with 4P/KO Transformers). MFT planned to dominate the Legends market by having both original designs and KO'ing its competitors: DX9, UT, MST and even IronFactory. It went with Legends+ scale for a few reasons.

Hot Soldiers was supposed to be its original brand, led by ex-designer from ARK Studio. The reviewer explained why HS started at 03. But HS products weren't very well designed, despite what its designer may think. It accumulated at HS-09 Big Yellow Bee (Bumblebee), which received harsh criticism due to its open back. The designer hit back with a number of points, one of which was that "no one is capable of making a 6cm Bumblebee". And this would be his undoing.

Where was the DX9 WiP designer? Where was the UT designer? They were not idling, but were sharpening their swords to challenge MFT once more.

 

【变百科】弑神三部曲第三章：黎明前的天际必将赤红如血

What is the relationship between DX9 and New Age? It's too long to explain [his words, not mine], but New Age is undeniably DX9 WiP designer. ("It's him!")

New Age's first release was a 6.0cm Bumblebee. It had good looks, good transformation, good material and was well-made. It made NA famous overnight. And it was also a slap on HS designer's face, who once claimed it was impossible ('no one is capable of making a 6cm Bumblebee').

This was extremely significant because it showed 'the god of scale' was not infallible after all. Previously, his word on scale was taken as gospel.

With NA-H1 Flipper (Bumblebee), NA established a new Legends- scale. MFT would not be able to dictate the Legends market. NA went on to do very well.

When NA came out with the Datsun three brothers, MFT released their own using updated VIP design. It was supposed to be HS-17, but later branded as Iron Trans. Only the designer knew why.

Flipper was KO'ed by KBB and UI. Due to popularity of MFT, many people thought these were original designs. The reviewer had no heart to tell them the truth when he saw people playing happily with these. Some were aware of MFT, but not NA. The irony of being original.

At one time, Jizai announced they were going to KO NA Ratchet/Iron Hide, but then they dropped it quietly. The reviewer speculated Jizai wanted to buy the blueprint from NA (common practice in 3P; this is 'KO' to the outside world), but NA didn't want to sell.

[Followed by a short review on Agamemnon (Megatron), Insecticons and seekers.]

The DX9 WiP designer who was once 'beaten to near death' had come back. But where was his Legends ex-companion? Was he still a friend, or was he a foe now?

 

【变百科】弑神番外篇（序）：如果我是DJ你会爱我吗？当长毛变秃头的时候…

An intro of Magic Square designer. He was a former DJ and had no formal training in design. But he loved combiners and tinkered with existing combiners to improve them or create new ones. His work was noticed by 3P companies and he joined Unique Toys. Ragnaros was designed by him. After that, he left and set up his own design studio, Magic Square. And one of the first things he wanted to do was Menasor, something he was not able to do in MP scale in the past. He revealed the fourth version of his Menasor in the 2019 Shanghai Toy Show.

What this tells me: (i) we will see Legends Menasor. This is a given since the last reveal; (ii) I don't think we will see any MP-scale figures from MST any time soon. His focus is on Legends.

[Note: from his other reviews, I gather the reviewer is a friend of the MST designer.]

Edited January 28, 2020 by nhyone

[Kuma Style]

Finished up filming the review for these guys... couple of units. Measured about 15" tall with 18" wing spans

Edited January 27, 2020 by Kuma Style

[mikeszekely]

Got this in the mail today.  It's a bit different than the usual stuff I do since it's a KO, but unlike the usual upscale CHUGs or KOs of Takara MPs I think this one's worth talking about because it's a KO of a figure a lot of us never had the chance to get, and it's tapping a well that hasn't really been touched by third parties but a lot of fans seem to really want.  This is APC toys Attack Prime, a KO of Transformers Prime First Edition Voyager-class Optimus Prime.

I (like most American collectors) never got the original FE Prime, so I can't directly compare APC's release to the original.  I'll say that, based on what I can tell, APC used more silver paint on the torso and the smokestacks than either the Hasbro or Takara versions of the mold, and it helps make the figure a bit more cartoon-accurate.  I'm not a fan of the weird brownish plastic APC used for the hands, biceps, neck, shins, and the unpainted parts of the torso, but it seems to be a case of APC mimicking the original toy.  Likewise, pretty much every toy of TF Prime Optimus has black feet, despite his   In any case, it looks like the figure shouldn't be too hard to disassemble if you want to paint at least the biceps and hands.  I think I might paint the thighs and around the windows on his chest, too.

I don't have the original FE Prime, but I do have the Deluxe-class from the "Rivalry Reborn" two-pack with Megatron and the more widely-available Robots in Disguise (the Prime subline, not the 2001 or 2015).  It's interesting because, even without the extra paint APC used, this was clearly the superior mold with a cleaner backpack and a sculpt and proportions that look a lot more like the cartoon than the later Voyager, and yet the engineering is very similar to the Deluxe.

Attack Prime comes with quite a few accessories.  The guns and arm blades seem to be the same gun and arm blade the original HasTak version did, although the HasTak version of the arm blades used gray plastic with blue paint and APC used translucent blue plastic and silver paint, and APC included two of each instead of one of each.  I'd have preferred the guns to be silver and blue like the cartoon, but again I can't really fault APC for doing what HasTak did in the first place.  APC also included a sword, a holder for the sword, and a second head.  Those accessories seem to be copies of up accessories made by Dr Wu.

Attack Prime's head is on a ball joint, but the range seems fairly limited (if you swap to the Dr Wu head you actually have a bit more up/down tilt).  His shoulders can rotate and extend a little under 90 degrees laterally just due to some interference from his shoulder armor.  His biceps swivel, and his elbows can bend 90 degrees.  Unlike the later Robots in Disguise Voyager-class this figure has wrist swivels and a waist swivel.  Be advised, though, that the waist swivel is really meant for transformation, and the more you turn it the more it looks like he's actually been cut in half at the waist and his top half is sliding off.  His hips are universal joints that can go about 90 degrees forward and backward, but the shape of his hips and pelvis limit him to 75-80 degrees of lateral spread.  He's got swivels just above his knees, and the knees themselves bend 90 degrees.  His feet have a little downward tilt, nothing really up, and his ankles can pivot about 45 degrees.  As far as I can tell that's the same articulation the original figure had, and nothing amazing compared to many modern 3P figures, but it's honestly not bad for a HasTak Voyager and I'd argue it's slightly better than the RiD Voayger, which lacked wrist and waist swivels.  And with the exception of the lateral movement in the hips all of his joints feel properly snug (and even that lateral motion isn't any worse on Attack Prime than it is on RiD Prime).

His arm blades and blasters have 5mm pegs that slide into his hands.  They simply mimic the cartoon's turn-the-hands-into-weapons thing by setting the pegs inside a hollow cavity that covers the fists.  The blaster looks fine (aside from being black instead of silver and blue), but the arm blade looks kind of upside down to me.  Maybe I need to re-watch some episodes to be sure.

A gimmick retained by this figure from the HasTak version is that there's a 5mm peg hole under the barrel of the blasters.  This allows you to plug the arm blade into the blaster like a bayonet.

As for the sword, he holds it, but with issues.  To even get it into his hand you have to pull the pommel off, slide the handle into his hand, then put the pommel back on.  After you get it in, you'll notice that there's a spike coming down from the cross guard.  While this spike does seem to be cartoon accurate it gets in the way of the figure holding the sword.  The shape of his fingers doesn't allow the spike to go in front of them, like a guard, so it has to lie against his wrist.

When Attack Prime isn't holding the sword he can carry it on his back.  The bottom of the long slingshot-shaped piece plugs into a screw hole on the figure's back, and it's long enough to clear his back kibble.  Then it's just a matter of clipping the narrowest part of the blade between the tabs.

Attack Prime's truck mode is largely unchanged from the HasTak toy.  The only noticeable differences are the removal of Autobot insignia from the grill and the fact that they painted the rims silver, which to the best of my knowledge even Takara didn't do.  Could have used some of that silver along the bottom behind the step, like the RiD version has, for greated show accuracy, but again it's a detail the original toy didn't have painted either (and something I should be able to do easily myself).  It's missing some marker lights that you can see molded onto the RiD version, but on the whole I think the proportions are a bit better than the stubbier RiD and Deluxe versions.

An interesting thing about this figure that carried over from the original HasTak version is that the designers molded an interior with a steering wheel and center column inside the chest.  It's a neat little attention to detail, something that the designers didn't have to do at all.  You can't even really see it from the front, only when you open him up to transform him.  What you can kind of see through the windows, though, is that the collar piece that folds down with Prime's head into that space has two molded seats on it.  The original designer clearly put a lot of love into this figure.

Another thing I like is how Prime's shins fold up to form the back of the cab.  Sure, it's still slightly gappy and not realistic, but it's certainly better than the mess that the RiD Voyager left.  There's even some molded detail from inside his ankles, normally hidden in robot mode, that look like they could be some kind of fans.

Prime's got a pair of 5mm pegs on either side of the fifth wheel that you can plug his accessories into.  The fifth wheel itself has a hole in the middle, but it seems to be slightly larger than 5mm so accessories and kind of sit in it but they don't fit securely.

Usually, the big draw with KOs is that they did something to improve the original figure, or they're cheaper than the original figure.  While APC did add some paint and some Dr Wu accessories the basic mold seems largely unchanged from the original HasTak First Edition figure.  And if I'm being perfectly honest, I have a few minor stress marks and paint blemishes on my copy, so it's hard to argue how improved Attack Prime actually is.  It's also debatable whether or not Attack Prime is really cheaper, since it's going for around $40 when the original figure was $20.  Of course, it does come with more accessories, including some Dr Wu stuff that would have ran you around $35 back in the day.  And to my knowledge, First Edition Prime was never widely available in the US and certainly isn't likely to be had anywhere outside of places like Ebay now, where it's going for $70+.  That does make APC's Attack Prime likely the cheapest option for people who'd like to experience this mold.  I

If you already have the original HasTak figure there's really no need to upgrade for the extra accessories or paint.  That being said, if you have a Transformers Prime collection and you don't have FE Prime then I'd recommend picking this figure up, as it's a pretty significant upgrade over RiD Prime.  It might even be worth picking up if you don't have a Transformers Prime collection but kind of wish you did, since APC toys seems inclined to continue the line.

t's worth noting that the box has a "coming soon" preview on the side that indicates their next release will be a KO of First Edition Bulkhead.

[Kuma Style]

 

[nightmareB4macross]

From Daim Choc Reports on FB. Custom MP sized Metroplex.

 

 

[M'Kyuun]

Holy crap! That Metroplex is HUGE, and pretty freakin' awesome. Right off the top, kudos for the ratchet designs to keep that behemoth upright.  I never thought I'd see a version of this guy at this size, so it's a rather tremendous engineering feat, and a treat to the eyes. Hopefully, there'll be a demo vid at some point. I'm curious how much effort it takes to move those ratchets, as I know just trying to move the ratchets on TW's Constructor takes a bit of oomph, so these have to be several times stiffer than those .

In my mind, this would work well with CHUG, too. Either way, pretty neat.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

These oversize KO's are getting out of hand.

[Mazinger]

Yo dawg I heard you liked Metroplex, so we put a Metroplex in your Metroplex!

Also, when's the 1/1 scale VF-1 already?

Seriously though, that must have been a very big/expensive 3D printer that printed out those pieces, because I don't know of sub $500 model with a bed big enough for some of those chunks.

Well done.

[David Hingtgen]

Let me know when he makes a Trypticon...

Anyways, a bit OT, but my Type 74 kit (early version) came in!  It's gonna be my MP actionmaster Blitzwing.  (Actionmaster because it doesn't transform out of alt-mode...)     Looks pretty good at first glance (this may literally be the kit that G1 Blitzwing is based on, as very few Type 74's seem to match his upper turret details--but this one does!)    Painting over the dark green will be a challenge though, will need a lot of primer, then layers of sand and purple.   Worst issue may be the wheel hubs---they're polycaps, molded in olive.   Can't paint, so will probably just have to live with it.    But it's remote-control.....  

Overall though, still a lot better than my MP actionmaster Astrotrain plans went.  (that kit turned out to NOT match the box at all, and there's no alternative kit that's cheap----it's either the big expensive kit now, or nothing)  

[nightmareB4macross]

And then we’re back to the smaller side of 3P TFs.

 

[nightmareB4macross]

The tiny figures scale vary well with NewAge TFs.

[Axelay]

Kuma, fantastic review of the MB-11 God Armor! You have sold me on getting a set for my Power Baser. I don't even have the first clue about the Japanese version of God Ginrai, but it surely does look nice. Thanks so much for making that video - it's exactly what I had wanted to see.

[Kuma Style]

3 hours ago, Axelay said:

Kuma, fantastic review of the MB-11 God Armor! You have sold me on getting a set for my Power Baser. I don't even have the first clue about the Japanese version of God Ginrai, but it surely does look nice. Thanks so much for making that video - it's exactly what I had wanted to see.

No problem man and thank you for taking the time to check it out.

[sh9000]

That’s an awesome Metroplex!

[mikeszekely]

Well, TFSource apparently got Capone in before I got mine from ShowZ.  If mine doesn't turn up by Monday I'm asking ShowZ for a refund and buying one from TFS.

[sh9000]

Apparently none of my orders from TFSource have been charged tax so I’m sticking with them.  When does the XTB Gravestone trailer come out?

[mikeszekely]

26 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

When does the XTB Gravestone trailer come out?

The last official word was April, but when is a 3P ever on time?

[sh9000]

31 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

The last official word was April, but when is a 3P ever on time?

Thanks.

[vlenhoff]

On 1/23/2020 at 7:50 AM, tekering said:

I got that beat...  

I removed the doors (and one perpendicular side) from each of these Detolf knock-offs, and used them as shelves to bridge the two showcases.  This way, I've effectively quadrupled the display space.  

Is there anything more beautiful that virgin shelves?  

[M'Kyuun]

"My God, it's full of ABS."

I thought I had a lot of stuff, but you shame me , at least on the figure front. However, I have a room full of LEGO, plus LEGO in one form or another and in varying quantities in just about every room of the house, so it's probably equitable from that standpoint. I seldom have visitors, but when I do they just look incredulous.

[tekering]

6 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

"My God, it's full of ABS."

Well, it just got a whole lot more PVC...  

My virgin shelves got violated a lot more quickly than I'd anticipated.  

At least the bulk of my anime figures aren't languishing in boxes anymore... most of these have been in the closet for the past five years.  

Now, where the hell am I gonna put MP Menasor and Bruticus?  

[mikeszekely]

While the big names in unofficial Transformers are making their own figures the scene was really born from making add-on kits for official figures, and the market for those upgrades still exists.  One of the more interesting groups filling that niche is DNA Design, for a number of reasons.  Their kits are arguably of a higher quality than the 3D-printed stuff a lot of other groups are offering, they're professionally packaged and not just some parts in a bag like my last Dr. Wu orders, and they're making kits for more than just combiners like Transform Dream Wave and a lot of Perfect Effect's stuff.  On the other hand, they've been kind of hit or miss.  Their better kits, like the ones they did for Studio Series Grimlock and SS Ironhide, fixed some problems and added a good bit to the base figures.  Some, like the one for SS Megatron, were ok but didn't feel necessary.  And some, like the foot kit for Metroplex, seemed to cause more problems than it solved.

DNA Design released three kits recently.  The first, DK-11, is an upgrade kit primarily for the combined mode of Studio Series Prime and Jetfire, and I won't be reviewing it because I'm not interested in a little more combined mode screen-accuracy at the expense of clutter that negatively affects their individual modes (canards on an SR-71!).  The other kits are for Siege Ultra Magnus and Siege Galaxy Upgrade Optimus.  Now, I liked both of those figures, but they definitely had their issues.  Most notably they had some weird proportions, and I hated the very visible hollow spaces in Prime's back guns.  DNA's kits promised to address those issues, so those I did pick up.

Other companies like Ratchet Studio have attempted to take on the leg proportions before with hip extensions, but DNA's kits include whole legs.  Both kits also include some new weapons- a hammer that's probably designed with Ultra Magnus in mind, and an axe that makes me think more of Prime.  The legs and weapons are all you get in the Ultra Magnus version (DK-14), but the one for Prime (DK-13 also includes two silver bits for filling some hollow spaces on those back guns.

To start, then we need to swap those legs, and it's a pretty simple matter.  They're attached to the hips via a mushroom peg, so you just have to work the old legs off and then push the new ones on.  Be advised, though, that the fit on my copies was extremely tight, and I had to file the slots inside the DNA legs.  Otherwise they wouldn't swivel.  Anyway, once the new legs are on, don't toss those old ones yet!  You need to pop the wheels off of them and swap them over to the new legs.

The new legs have improved articulation over the originals.  The knees are double-jointed, so they can bend nearly 180 degrees instead of the 90 degree bend on the original.  And the ankle pivot has a much deeper bend.

Of course we're not here for articulation, we're here to fix the proportions, and I'd say that they definitely look a bit better with longer legs.  It does look like the extra length comes from shins, but the lower knee bend is below the panels with the silver rectangles.  Actually, my biggest complaint here might be the extra height.  I mean, I don't mind it so much for Magnus, but I don't really care for Prime being taller than Megatron or, well, himself.

If it really bothers you for the unarmored robot, though, you can fold a panel up and collapse the shin Combiner Wars-style.  It's a step that's necessary for vehicle mode (more on that in a bit), but the practical result is that the leg will have the same proportions as the original, with the upper knee joint being in the same spot as the original's knee.

With the knee panels flipped up but the leg still fully extended you can armor the figures up exactly as you normally would.  While the smaller robots look a bit better with the longer legs the armored robots is a huge improvement with much more proportional thighs and a resulting lower knee bend.  It's not perfect, though.  DNA used the same plastic for the clips on the legs as they used for the rest of the figure, while Hasbro used a different plastic with more flex.  The result is that it took more force for get the boots on the first time, and pushing them on ground the nubs on the clips down enough that the connection is less secure than the original legs.  On Magnus in particular I kept knocking the boots off while manipulating his legs.

The added weapons are a nice touch, even if I could have lived without them.  Ever since Transformers Animated hammers are apparently Magnus' thing.  This hammer is fairly reminiscent of Solus' hammer that Magnus used in Transformers Prime, although it feels a bit small here.  It looks likes like Magnus is going to bash some 'Cons and more like he's getting ready to do some carpentry.  The axe is a bit more proportional.  For Magnus, both weapons can fold up and plug into the sides of his gun, then the whole thing can plug into Magnus' back for storage.

Things are a bit more interesting for Prime.  The silver bits attach to Prime's back cannons by wedging in near the tips.  You'll notice that they don't totally fill the hollow spots the way competing fillers do.  This is a deliberate choice by DNA.  See, their fillers are hinged.  You can open them up, then store the hammer and axe in them, with the ends of the weapons filling the remaining hollow space.

With or without the weapons stored inside, the fillers do cover the hollow spots that were on display when Prime has the guns folded onto his back.  That's what's most important, anyway.

Other leg extensions I've seen for these figures have either needed to be removed to transform the figures to alt mode, or they've changed the proportions of the alt mode (negatively, in my opinion).  I've already talked about how DNA designed their new legs to collapse, restoring the legs to their original proportions.  But they did one other thing that impacts the alt mode- they put one of the tires on his legs on some moving parts.  See, one of the big complaints some people had with these guys was that there's a large gap between the hips and the front wheels.  DNA fills that gap by moving a wheel from his leg into that spot.  Of course, now you've got four wheels in the front and two on the back, which is a little weird, but if it bothers you then you don't have to do it.

As odd as it looks on just the truck cabs, I don't think it looks as bad when they're fully transformed with their trailers.  Magnus now has four wheels in the front, two in the middle, and four in the back.  Unusual, but it's supposed to be a Cybertronian truck, so I'll allow it.  It works even better on Prime, though.  Prime's wing's cover the middle wheels, so it looks like four wheels in the front and four wheels in the back.

At $20 per kit I have to say that I highly recommend them if you have these figures.  They do exactly what they set out to do by fixing the leg proportions and filling the gaps on Prime's cannons, they fill the gap behind the front wheels, and they do so while giving you extra articulation and weapons.  Even better, they do it in a way that gives you options instead of being all-or-nothing.  Want better armored proportions but you don't want to change the size of the cab robot?  You can do that.  Prefer the wheels were they originally were in alt mode?  You can do that.  My one and only complaint is that the clips on the new legs that hold them in their armor boots aren't as effective as the ones Hasbro used.

[mikeszekely]

Upgrade kits are fun and all, but how about something juicier?  Something like Occular Max's Incursus, their MP-style Onslaught?

Not gonna lie, when I preordered Incursus months ago I was doing it mostly because I wanted to complete this set.  Viewed from straight on like this Incursus' torso looks too long, especially between his chest and his waist.  As chunky as it is, Zeta's actually seems to have better proportions, and to get his arms as close to his sides as I have them in the above picture you actually have to fold a flap needed for alt mode down.  Additionally, Incursus has some visible hinges and silver paint showing on his midriff, and the round circles (lights?) look like the more correct size on Zeta's and UT's.

That said, his torso really isn't that much longer than Zeta's.  I think he looks longer than he his because his torso doesn't taper in the way Zeta's or UT's do.  In that sense, and with the prominent wheels on the front of his torso, he's definitely got a bit of the G1 toy's appearance.  Of the three, I prefer MMC's head sculpt.  MMC also has the best colors, with a deep blue and a proper olive color vs the baby blues UT and Zeta used and the Zeta brown and UT tan.

Incursus' sole accessory is the most G1 cartoony gun of the three.  It's not just for Incursus, though; like many combiners Onslaught's gun will be Bruticus' as well.  Usualy it seems like when this happens there's one hand the folds out for the torso bot and a second handle for the gestalt, but MMC's doing something a little different.  Yes, a smaller handle folds out for Incursus.  But instead of a whole second handle, the larger handle folds out from the same spot and incorporates the smaller one.  I dig it.

Incursus looks better in motion than he does in static poses, I think.  His head's on a ball joint with decent up/down/sideways tilt.  His shoulders rotate on a ratchet, extend laterally 90 degrees on another ratchet, and a third ratcheted hinge more for transformation can push his arm past 90 degrees.  He does have a bicep swivel, but his biceps are plagued with clearance issues.  I already mentioned that flap; if it's folded down in alt mode position it'll be in the way, but even if it's not the cab on the back of his shoulder is also in the way.  You can untab it and move it as you would for combined mode to get it out of the way, but then it just hangs there.  His elbows are double-jointed and can curl 180 degrees.  His wrists swivel, and he's got articulated hands with a ball joint at the base of the thumb, a pin hinge at the base of each finger, and two additional hinged knuckles on each finger.  His waist has a ratcheted swivel, and he's got a small ab crunch.  His hips can go forward and sideways 90 degrees and backward just a little less, all on ratchets.  He has thigh swivels just above his knees, and his knees bend slightly over 90 degrees on very soft ratchets.  Part of his foot can tilt down a little, his toes can bend up, and his ankles can pivot 90 degrees.

He holds his gun in the pretty standard MP method of using tabs on the handle to fit into slots on his palms.  The cannons on his back can slide forward a bit, exposing hinges that will allow them to swivel over his shoulders.

I thought Zeta did a pretty good truck mode (UT's not as much), but MMC's is definitely the most accurate.  Only MMC got the shape of the guns right and the camo pattern, plus the cartoon-accurate round headlights, black grill with silver bars in the middle and a silver bumper, and the olive hinge on the cab and olive tool boxes along the bed.  And for what it's worth, Incursus has the most straightforward engineering of the three, with a lot of it coming straight from the G1 toy.

While in truck mode the guns on the bend can raise up and swivel.  He rolls just fine on rubber tires.

Incursus' gun can plug in between the barrels of his AA guns.  The instructions (and some online images) suggest that the gun should be oriented the same way as he holds it, with a hole on the butt that fits onto a peg between the barrels.  However, you'll notice that there are details that sort of look like tabs on the sides.  I've found if you plug the gun in upside-down those tabs line up with grooves on the AA barrels.

The hatch on top of the guns can be opened.  There's some neat molded details inside, but not much else.

One thing I should mention- I've seen pictures of Incursus with his bed swung to the side, like a truck taking a corner.  The instructions do mention a button that detaches the waist, and I found the button on my copy.  However, I can't get it to press and I can't get the waist to detach, and frankly I don't feel like breaking the figure over a feature I'd rarely use.

Once again, I don't normally cover the combined modes of figures until I have the whole team, but since MMC's gimmick is zero partsforming I do want to show you how that pans out.  As with his alt mode, the bulk of the transformation is very similar to the G1 toy.  Bruticus' head even opens up and fits over Incursus' own head.  The big difference is that, instead of taking Onslaught's chest off and replacing it with Bruticus', Incursus' chest splits in half and rotates out to form the "wings" of the chest piece, his abs spill down to form his pelvis armor, and the rest of his chest comes with his head out of his back to wrap over the front.

I don't really know what to say about the looks.  I do like the proportions.  In my mind, Bruticus has the G1 toy's broad chest, narrow waist, and wide hips, and MMC nailed that, but it's not sort of taper that the cartoon had.  The head is certainly cartoon-accurate, but despite being painted like the cartoon's Blast Off chest it's too flat.  And Sunbow purists are going to complain that much of the torso and thighs are blue instead of silver... probably before extolling the virtues of pantsforming and bemoaning the sacrifices MMC made for the all-in-one gimmick.  The blue doesn't bother me.  While I like cartoon-accurate Combaticons I've always preferred a toy/Studio OX-style Bruticus.

Fortunately, MMC does have that covered, albeit with a rather pricey "upgrade" kit.  The kit includes two boxes, which can lock together to form one longer box.  The boxes can unfold into silver slippers for the combined mode feet.  You also get a replacement toy-style chest for Incursus, a toy-style silver chest for Bruticus, a Studio OX-style Bruticus head, and a larger Studio OX-style rifle.

First thing's first, then: we have to replace Incursus' chest panels.  This is the only step that requires a screwdriver.  You have to unfold the panels like you're going into combined mode, then you can unscrew the old panels.  Keep the screws, since the new chest doesn't come with them!  Screw the new chest in place and you're good to go.

Replacing the Bruticus chest is a cinch.  There are pins running through long hinges, and you just have to slide the original chest off then slide the replacement on.  As for the heads, open the front of the head then push it back off the nubbins.  Then just find the notches in the replacement head and pop it onto the nubbins.  Everything still folds up into Incursus' body the same as the old parts.

The all-in-one thing is still very important to MMC, so they didn't leave anything to just sit around.  The new rifle, like the default gun, has smaller handle and a larger handle the folds onto the smaller one.  And with the smaller handle Incursus can hold the new rifle just the same as the old one.  As for the boxes, if you flip open one side you'll find some slots that fit over some tabs on top of Incursus' shoulders.  I guess the black circles are supposed to be rocket launchers or something.

In truck mode, the boxes can stick together to make a longer box, and the box again has some slots that fit into tabs on the bed.  And while the new gun doesn't have a peg hole on the back like the default gun, it does have those tabs on the sides that fit into the barrels of the AA gun.  And you know what?  I thought sticking the default gun there seemed kind of like an afterthought, that it didn't really fit there.  But this new gun kind of works there.  Almost like the took a mobile AA platform and fitted it with a railgun to shoot at enemy satellites or something.

Note that the barrel of the OX gun can actually fold over on itself.  There's even a slot near the tip that fits onto a tab further down.  The instructions don't mention it, and I'm not really sure why it's there.  But it is.

The best use of the boxes (outside of shoes) isn't even in the instructions.  Fold up the panels that end up on Incursus' butt, then bend his thighs out and use the combined mode transformation joint to spread the back of the truck in half.  With the boxes combined, they'll fit in the space you just created.  Open the end of the box at the back to form a ramp.  Swivel the AA gun around, split the cab in half and lay the halves alongside Incursus' torso.  Voilà!  It's the base mode from the G1 toy.

Boxes and ramps and big guns are all well and good, but that's not enough of a reason in my book to spend the cash on this upgrade.  It's all about how the combined mode looks... and it looks good!  I prefer the thinner antenna, taller crest, sharper details, and smaller eyes of the OX head over the cartoon head.  Likewise, especially with the blue thighs, the silver chest is my jam.  I totally understand and respect anyone who's looking for colors and proportions more like the Sunbow model, but this absolutely looks like a Masterpiece version of the G1 toy to me.  The shoes, which have a surprisingly involved transformation, will give me the silver color I want on the feet plus and extra maybe half inch of height.

Partsforming advocates keep bringing up the sacrifices the all-in-one gimmick have brought to this set.  With Swindle and Vortex I didn't totally get it; they're cartoon accurate, look good in both modes, have good articulation, Swindle's all-in-one feet have tilt and pivot, and Vortex's arm mode has a deeper elbow bend and less-restricted bicep swivel than either Zeta or Unique Toys'.  With Incursus, though, I have to admit that I get it.  Incursus is not a perfect Onslaught.  The all-in-one gimmick left him with a short chest on a long, blocky torso.  A torso with hinges and paint and tabs where I'd prefer things a little smoother.

Despite these sacrifices, Incursus is the best Onslaught I've handled.  Maybe he doesn't clean up as well as Zeta in a stoic pose, but for the most part he handles his bulk better and has better engineering that makes for a smoother transformation between modes.  So sure, there's still room for improvement, and maybe someday Fans Toys or XTB or DX9 will come along with something better.  For now, this is the best stand-alone MP Onslaught you can get.

As for the upgrade kit, there's enough moving parts and paint that I can kind of see why it's as pricey as it is, but it's definitely pricey for an add-on.  If Sunbow Bruticus is your jam, or you're just interested in Incursus as a stand-alone Onslaught to go with Zeta or someone else's Bruticus then I'd have to say pass, it's not worth it.  But if you're like me and prefer the toy/OX look for combined mode, and you're definitely planning on collecting the whole team and combining them, then the upgrade kit makes a good-looking Bruticus a great-looking Bruticus and I'll definitely recommend it.