The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[M'Kyuun]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Newage and Magic Square both do different things really well.  I tend to prefer the sculpts of Magic Square, but Newage usually has better materials.

That said, as I don't really want to start a Legends collection on top of MP and WfC, I really wish they (or someone like KBB, who upscaled Newage's first Bumblebee) would upscale some of Newage, Magic Square, and Mech Fans Toys stuff to scale with WfC.  Not only would it help fill out the roster, but it'd be a great opportunity to replace some of the less-good figures like Astrotrain and the Vanettes with much better versions.

Right there with ya- why isn't anybody jumping on this obvious opportunity?  If I had the know-how and the tech to do it, I'd be all over it. As it is, I have money to throw at the people who do, as I'm sure do many of us CHUG collectors who are discontent with some of the official figs.

As for the legends I've bought: NA's original release Harry (Prowl)- love this little guy- he's about the size of a Matchbox car, but with MP levels of articulation. Brilliant little pocket fig to just take with you.

All three of NA's first season Seekers- I preferred these over MS' take- Ingenious transformation, great looking in both modes. F-15 mode isn't completely accurate, but far better, IMHO than the new MP Seeker.

NA's Megatron- fun fig with a cool transformation that, IIRC, doesn't require bending parts around other parts. the downside is that the hips are wonky due to their design, and the back suffers from quite a bit of gun kibble. NA's plastics generally have a solid feel to them which translates to the fig as a whole.

Magic Square's Megatron- This guy takes the prize for nailing the toon look in bot mode unburdened by kibble, save for the gun trigger that looks like a little tail on his butt. His proportions are beefier than the NA, with a wider chest that just looks better when they're compared side by side. The downside is along with the more flexible feeling plastics they use, in this fig's case, a few parts need to bend slightly beyond their natural tendency around other parts to achieve transformation. I haven't had any stress or breakage, but it's just never a good feeling to have to do that. That said, if I had to make a recommendation between MS' and NA's Megs, I'd have to go with the MS for presence alone. The transformation is clever and fairly complex, marred only by the aforementioned bending of certain parts.

MS' Soundwave and Cassette Team- I confess I liked the look of NA's Soundwave better, but MS' still captures the look of G1 soundwave very well, and his clean bot mode manages the kibble far better than NA's take.  The transformation is clever, with the bulk of it happening in the legs. The result is a nice looking little cassette recorder that looks good from the front, but kinda gives itself away from the back. It's a shame they couldn't have recreated the brilliant weapon/battery storage area of the original toy, but sadly no. The back is gappy and the weapons peg in between the arms and the panels forming the exterior shell of the recorder. It works, but it lacks the elegance of the original toy. The cassettes were designed with their bot modes as the priority, which I agree with. The cassette modes range from pretty accurate (Ratbat) to maybe passable if I squint from across the room (Ravage). That said, bot mode is where these guys shine, and for such diminutive transforming figures, they feature an exceptional amount of articulation and paint and detail.  Of course, they all fit in Soundwave, with a caveat: the fit is quite snug, and the only way to get them out is to open his back panels in bot mode and work the cassette out with a finger. The requisite panel is inaccessible in his recorder mode, an unfortunate decision, or oversight, on MS' part. MS's cassttes drove my decision to also get their Soundwave, as due to scaling differences, they're not cross compatible. I'm sure that's not a coincidence. 

MS' Huffer- Nice take on the character. Clever engineering, although this fig also has some parts that have to pass by each other with very close tolerances. 

NA's Cosmos- Again, nice little fig that does a good job of capturing the toon likeness. Articulation leaves a bit to be desired compared to their other figs, but that's inherent with Cosmos' design. At this scale, I can forgive it.  The hips on this fig do not have good clearance with the body, and they rub anytime they're moved more than about 20 degrees or so fore or aft. Pretty sucktastic. Transformation is clever and effective, and the end result is a little green 50's inspired flying saucer. 

Despite my attempts to avoid collecting legends, I recently PO'd a number of Iron Factory figs, including their take on Huffer which looks fantastic. I also went in on a toy colored version of DR. Wu's Chatter, his take on Beastbox and Squalktalk. I hope he eventually does Raindance and Grand Slam, as Chatter looks pretty sweet.

[troyness]

Never owned anything resembling a Megatron MP36. But looking forward to the Infinite transformation emperor of Destruction reissue coming out in July!!!

[Convectuoso]

Thanks for the review of Wheeljack, @technoblue!

[technoblue]

1 hour ago, Convectuoso said:

Thanks for the review of Wheeljack, @technoblue!

My pleasure. 

[mikeszekely]

Newage's Galvatron looks pretty good (even if the back is a little messy in cannon mode).  But that Straxus remold...

Kinda hoping Hasbro does a similar retool to Kingdom Galvatron, now.

EDIT: For reference

Edited March 26, 2021 by mikeszekely

[technoblue]

12 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Newage's Galvatron looks pretty good (even if the back is a little messy in cannon mode).  But that Straxus remold...

<snip>

Newage doesn't hold back when they repurpose a mould, that's for sure. Both Straxus and SG Megatron have caught my eye. 

[sh9000]

[mikeszekely]

Looks pretty good, but I'm going with MMC.

[Chronocidal]

Just got my invoice for Zeta Toys Flash, time to test how shipping speeds are working these days.  

[Mechapilot77]

18 hours ago, sh9000 said:

it looks OK, BUT i just figured out whats bothering me.  streetwise's chest windshield needs to angle out a bit more...the top should be fruther away from the plane where his face would be in other words.  Same thing about the lower legs.  the lower lets are suppose to slope out a bit the lower they get....based on the shape of the back of the car.  this one seems to go to lengths to avoid tat part of his look.  MMC's  (by the basic render anyway) got that right.  even the CHUGsterpiece aka updated GT Sarge (based on a modern 370z) got those 2 points about streetwise right.  i REALLY hope MMC's is carbot height in bot mode and car mode because right now its winning this battle after these photos came out.  also flipout would like his feet back.

[David Hingtgen]

I legit can't tell if that's "white" plastic, or they're intentionally doing a proper light grey.  (I suspect the former, based on their earlier reveals)

[Convectuoso]

Magic Square's Cliffjumper

 

 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Convectuoso

[Kuma Style]

 

[tekering]

19 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Magic Square's Cliffjumper

Wow, those are the worst figures I've ever seen from Magic Square.  The chests look better than New Age's 'Bee and Cliffy, but the faces are much worse... and the alt. modes are an abomination. 

[Convectuoso]

38 minutes ago, tekering said:

Wow, those are the worst figures I've ever seen from Magic Square.  The chests look better than New Age's 'Bee and Cliffy, but the faces are much worse... and the alt. modes are an abomination. 

I agree.

Is there another option for a Legends scale Cliffjumper?

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, Convectuoso said:

I agree.

Is there another option for a Legends scale Cliffjumper?

Iron Factory. But it had an IDW-ish thing going on, with an alt mode that looked like a Lego Mini Cooper.

[Scyla]

3 hours ago, tekering said:

Wow, those are the worst figures I've ever seen from Magic Square.  The chests look better than New Age's 'Bee and Cliffy, but the faces are much worse... and the alt. modes are an abomination. 

Well, at least you can buy them individually so you don’t end up with an Bumblebee that you have no use for. 

[mikeszekely]

Well, when I reviewed Studio Series 86 Grimlock in the official thread I found a lot to like, but I had some problems with it, too.  Now Nonnef has an add-on kit for it.  Let's see how it addresses the issues I had.

Nonnef's kit comes with some of what you see here.  As is often the case with his stuff, many of the pieces are on sprues and have the be cut and occasionally assembled.  You get covers for his forearm gaps, teeth for the dino head, a crown, and some screw hole fillers (be advised that they're on the sprues with the teeth and the crown, don't miss them!).  Then, you also get a replacement chest cover and the parts to make a sword.  However, the sword and chest cover come in two different options, and you have to pick when you buy the kit (although you can buy the extra chest and/or the extra sword without buying a whole second kit).

We'll start with the chest.  To remove the original chest you'll have to open him up like you're going to dino mode and look at the inside.  There's two screws you'll have to remove, then the chest comes off.

Nonnef's chests come in two choices- "clear" (which looks more like frosted to me) and a tinted chest that's somewhere between the clear chest and the original.  My first thought was that the tinted chest was still too dark, and the clear chest was like the prototype pictures we were first shown.  I thought I'd prefer the clear.  But in hand I think I actually like the tinted one.  It's not far off from Gigapower's or MP-08.

Nonnef's chest has pegs that fit into the same holes as the original, but no screws are necessary.

To install the forearm gap covers you'll need to remove one screw, as marked.  Line up the screw hole on the cover with the one on his arm and replace the screw.  The cover just sits over the gap; it's not a great fit, since it's just hanging on by that one screw and sort of hovering over the gap, but it's something.  And you don't have to remove it for transformation.  The entire cover swivels at the screw, allowing Grimlock's fist to fold in.  Note that Nonnef's plastic isn't a perfect match for Hasbro's.  In fact, on mine it's almost two-tone, lighter near the top and darker near the bottom.  But it's close enough for me.

The sword needs to be assembled, too.  There's a blade, and then halves of the hilt that fit together around the blade.  Now, when you order the kit you'll have two choices.  You can get a red sword with a red hilt, which is fairly toy-accurate.  And there's a black hilt with a translucent orange blade.  This option reminds me of stuff like Animated or Fall of Cybertron Grimlock's swords.  That said, after Gigapower, Maketoys, ToyWorld, and GCreation selling me Dinobots over the years with black hilts and red blades that's actually my preference.  Meanwhile, the orange blade with the red hilt strikes me as toy-style with an imagined heat glow.  Since the molds are the same you have the option to set them up like that, but only if you buy both swords.  Regardless of how you match them, I had some difficulty getting the hilt to fit around the blade.  I had to use a hobby knife to remove some of the material on one side of the hilt.

The crown is... ok.  The light caramel color doesn't look as good as Grimlock's own gold-painted parts, so I figure I'll have to paint it myself.  The look is a bit basic; I'd prefer if it were spikier.  But it fits alright.  I mean, it'll fall off if you turn him upside down, but it's snug enough otherwise.

So far things are shaping up pretty well.  The sword and crown seem a little cheap, and the forearm covers could connect a little more securely.  That said, two of my four biggest complaints are now addressed- the too-dark chest is now lighter, and he's got his sword.  Now onto dino mode.

Installing the teeth in the lower jaw is simple enough.  A small Glue Dot is included; stick it into the lower jaw, then stick the teeth to it.  The upper teeth require a bit more work.  You'll have to remove two screws and pull off half of Grimlock's face.  The teeth fit with a slightly-curved bit wedging between the post for the screw hole and the front of Grimlock's face.

Nonnef's teeth are a bit darker than Hasbro's plastic.  They seem a bit recessed, too, compared to the 3D-printed kit I had, and doesn't add as much material and detail to the inside of Grimlock's mouth.  However, the teeth are a bit longer than the 3D-printed kit, and the teeth are staggered (three on top, two on bottom vs three and three).  Also, while they're not in danger of falling out the upper teeth are slightly loose and rattle in his head.  I wound up putting a little glue on the front so they'd stick in place.  All-in-all not perfect, but I do prefer them to the 3D-printed teeth, and either way it's a definite improvement over the toothless out-of-the-package face.

Lastly, there are the screw covers.  Two are gray, and for Grimlock's face.  They're the same screws you need to remove to open his head, so be sure you have the teeth you like before you install them.  As for the others, you'll have two gold ones but you'll only use one.  It goes into the hole on Grimlock's neck.  As with the crown it's not a match for Hasbro's gold paint, but it's a better match than a hole in his neck.  Note that the gray covers just wedge into their holes and friction keeps them in place, but the gold one was super loose and kept falling out, not to mention that it's not as long as the hole is deep.  So I wound up slipping a little glue on it to keep it in just the right spot.

Nonnef's kit reminds me of the story about the monkey's paw.  I had four main complaints that I wished this kit would address- the too-dark chest, the lack of a sword, the screw holes on the side of Grimlock's head and neck, and the absence of front teeth on the dino head.  This kit addresses all of those issues, plus it gives you a crown and forearm gap covers.  On paper, it checks all the boxes, right?  But this kit is far from perfect.  The fit and finish could be better; the sword and crown feel cheap, and the teeth, screw hole covers, and forearm covers could fit a bit more snugly.  I had to cut into the hilts to make them fit around the blades on the swords.  The color matching could be better, too.  Plus, to get the sword in the colors you like you might actually have to order an extra sword to mix and match blades and hilts.  Overall, though, I do recommend this kit, precisely because it's not super expensive and it does address all my main complaints.  Just don't expect too much from it.

[Scyla]

Since it hasn’t been reported yet. MMC is introducing a new line called Infinitefinity and on April 1st revealed the first toy Eris a female Tarn or maybe Deathsaurus‘ wife (who knows):

Check out TFW for more images: https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ocular-max-if-01-eris-kultur.1190995/

I‘m a sucker for purple transforming robots so I will getting it for sure.
But the line is about characters reimagined so I want something else from it like a G1 MP Barricade and Drift.

It is a Planet Steel Express exclusive with no free shipping for the preorder.

 

[Mechapilot77]

6 hours ago, Scyla said:

Since it hasn’t been reported yet. MMC is introducing a new line called Infinitefinity and on April 1st revealed the first toy Eris a female Tarn or maybe Deathsaurus‘ wife (who knows):

Check out TFW for more images: https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/ocular-max-if-01-eris-kultur.1190995/

I‘m a sucker for purple transforming robots so I will getting it for sure.
But the line is about characters reimagined so I want something else from it like a G1 MP Barricade and Drift.

It is a Planet Steel Express exclusive with no free shipping for the preorder.

 

i assumed that was an april fool's joke....is it not?

[Scyla]

21 minutes ago, Mechapilot77 said:

i assumed that was an april fool's joke....is it not?

The design line art was leaked a while back and this looks like a finished product that you can order and is scheduled for release in May. If this is an April fools joke it is the most elaborate I‘ve ever seen. 

[Rhubarbarian]

Haha, yeah, I pre-ordered it yesterday and they sure did take my money/send a confirmation e-mail, so they're pretty committed to the bit if it's an April Fools. Also, just doing a full, colored and molded plastic toy would be pretty heavy commitment on its own. I'm a little worried it'll be top-heavy with that big backpack and narrow legs/feet, but the design itself is pretty rad.

[sh9000]

XTB.

Ocular Max.

[tekering]

You'd think, after a solid decade of this behavior, I would no longer be surprised by how these Asian third-party manufacturers are constantly competing with each other, announcing the same projects at the same time, fracturing and dividing the very market they're trying to appeal to... 

...but it continues to dumbfound me. 

[Scyla]

30 minutes ago, tekering said:

You'd think, after a solid decade of this behavior, I would no longer be surprised by how these Asian third-party manufacturers are constantly competing with each other, announcing the same projects at the same time, fracturing and dividing the very market they're trying to appeal to... 

...but it continues to dumbfound me. 

I’m more confused why MMC never did a  OX Predaking. I mean they made one in Reformatted almost a decade ago and no G1 MP Predaking exists that is more than leaked line art.

[mikeszekely]

34 minutes ago, tekering said:

You'd think, after a solid decade of this behavior, I would no longer be surprised by how these Asian third-party manufacturers are constantly competing with each other, announcing the same projects at the same time, fracturing and dividing the very market they're trying to appeal to... 

...but it continues to dumbfound me. 

To be fair, I think MMC/Ocular Max announced theirs first. And it makes sense that, after doing Bruticus, they'd make his rival.

To me it's really no competition, anyway. While I liked XTB's Stunticons well enough, the fact that they left Motormaster's trailer as a separate purchase necessary for combining them, priced the trailer more than any three of the Stunticons combined, and it turned out to be a fiddly, overcomplicated mess while MMC's Combaticons were a joy all around pretty much guarantees that I'll pick up the Ocular Max Defensor while steering clear of XTB's.

[tekering]

Well, of course: if it's between MMC and XTB, that's a no-brainer.  MMC will always be the clear winner.

29 minutes ago, Scyla said:

I’m more confused why MMC never did a OX Predaking.

Oh, they will... just not until FansToys, X-Transbots, and DX9 announce theirs. 

[Convectuoso]

Magic Square's Perceptor:

[tekering]

3 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Magic Square's Perceptor:

Wow, that Prime's not to scale with the others, is he...? 

[Convectuoso]

Now that Magic Square is reissuing their version of Optimus Prime, NewAge is showing some pictures of theirs

Edited April 5, 2021 by Convectuoso
Duplicate Pic

[derex3592]

about time.....

[Convectuoso]

11 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

about time.....

Which Optimus are you getting, @derex3592?

NA or MS?

[derex3592]

I'm gonna wait to see what NA's turns out like....I still need to decide which Megs I want to get! I'm leaning MS, but he's getting kinda hard to find now...

 

[Convectuoso]

Just now, derex3592 said:

I'm gonna wait to see what NA's turns out like....I still need to decide which Megs I want to get! I'm leaning MS, but he's getting kinda hard to find now...

 

 I strongly recommend MS's Megatron. NA's had a lot of problems.

https://showzstore.com/magic-square-ms-b36-doomsday-megatron_p1584.html

[derex3592]

@Convectuoso - Does the MS Megs scale well with the NA seekers in bot mode? Anybody got pics?