The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[M'Kyuun]

5 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

So, I guess there's been some debate over the years that brontosaurus and apatosaurus might have been the same thing, and if so that apatosaurus is the technically correct name, and then later that maybe brontosaurus might be the same genus but a different species, and if they are different then Sludge's stockier body and shorter neck might yet mark him as an apatosaurus.  The Diaclone toy that became Sludge, though, was "Dinosaur Robo No. 3 Brontosaurus."  Short of Hasbro making a definitive statement on the matter I'm sticking with brontosaurus.

Fair enough. I've not done any recent reading on the matter, but my understanding has been for years that the two were one and the same, and since apatosaurus was the first name applied to fossils of the long-necked beasties, that was the official name. As with many historical, archaeological, and paleontological, new discoveries are made all the time that change the views of scientists, and this is no doubt another of those instances. I take no issue with either name but use apatosaurus simply due to my previous understanding. 

[JB0]

My thought is that waether brontosaurus is "real" or just an apatosaurus with the wrong head, Sludge was based on that wrong-headed apatosaurus, not a "proper" apatosaur.

Thus "brontosaurus" is still a legitimate label for the character regardless if it is accurate for the bones in much the same way that the vertical, tail-dragging tyrannosaurus is right for Grimlock while wrong for science.

...

Or we can just sidestep the issue and call him a "sauropod".

[lechuck]

19 hours ago, Hikaru Ichijo SL said:

It is such a awesome update of Galaxy Convoy.

Looks great! Really wish Takara would start branching out their MP line for the other continuities.

[M'Kyuun]

23 hours ago, lechuck said:

Looks great! Really wish Takara would start branching out their MP line for the other continuities.

Give them time; they've already done Lio Prime and Star Saber. I think if the Armada stuff sells well in the mainline, that might encourage them to do MP figs of those characters as well. In the interim, third parties have filled some of those gaps, not all-inclusive, but better than nothing. 

Considering how many 80's properties have gone silent, I'm still very thankful that Transformers is still around and enjoying as robust a toy market as it has and does. Of course, being human, there'll always be something more that we as fans want (Omnibots in the mainline and a titan class Animated Omega Supreme for me), but I'm super thankful that we have what we have. It's been a good run so far, and cheers to many, many more years of Cybertronian goodness!

Edited October 22, 2022 by M'Kyuun

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

The only thing about that Galaxy Convoy I hate is no force chip. 

[Scyla]

Apparently TFCon was this weekend and they had a 3rd Party panel. Here are the slides courtesy of TFW2005:

https://news.tfw2005.com/2022/10/22/tfcon-chicago-2022-3rd-party-panel-slides-in-full-468486
 

For me there were not many new reveals. The highlight for me was FansToys with an Ultra Magnus with a inner Prime figure. Not 100% certain on the face sculpt but I am excited:

 

[mikeszekely]

It's what I  always wanted in an MP Magnus, but I'd be a lot more excited if it was anyone but Fans Toys.

[lechuck]

Optimus Prime with GBP-1S armour... meh, not my cup of tea.

I guess FM-01 (why are they calling themselves Fans Models now?) is going to be their Masterpiece OP.

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, lechuck said:

I guess FM-01 (why are they calling themselves Fans Models now?) is going to be their Masterpiece OP.

 

Maybe?  On the one hand, if you're doing Magnus with the inner robot than the regular Optimus repaint seems inevitable.  But, the consensus seems to be that there are several good options for a Masterpiece Optimus Prime, and that concessions made to allow the armor to attach make this a sort of poor alternative to TE-01/MS-01/MS-02/MP-44 etc.  It'd have to be remolded, not straight repainted, and even that might not be enough.

I guess it'll come down to price and availability.  If it sells out super quick like a lot of FT stuff, and it's overpriced the way a lot of FT stuff is, then both Prime and Magnus will be a pass for me.  If FM turns out to be their more budget-friendly line, though, I could be in for both.

Let's see, what else was at TFCon?  It was pretty underwhelming, really.  Robosen showed off a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper version of their Optimus.  Iron Factory showed off a bunch of their Legends-class samurai stuff, which is cool but not for me.  Fans Hobby had a repaint of their Armada Prime and a note that Armada Jetfire is coming, and prototypes for Doubledealer and Dreadwind.  I'm not all-in on Armada stuff (and I'm more interested in their Energon Prime), but I'll probably wind up getting their other Masterforce figures.  Oh, they have a Chosen Prime-exclusive repaint of their God Ginrai, but in Delta Magnus colors.  

XTB had G2 repaints of their Groove and Streetwise, I think they're also exclusives.  There's also prototypes for Counterpunch, the Quintesson prosecutor, and Galvatron.  I do want Punch/Counterpunch.

Runabout and Runamuck, of which I'd like both.

And the first two of their Constructicons, Scrapper and Long Haul.  I've got mixed feelings about these... on the one hand, they look far more cartoon-accurate than ToyWorld's.  On the other hand, this is XTB we're talking here.  I don't know if I want to commit to the whole gang (especially when I suspect that MMC is planning one doing Devastator).

Oh, yeah, I guess Maketoys was technically there, too.  Nothing new or exciting, though, just a rainbow of TFSource-exclusive Seekers.

[Convectuoso]

Prototype pics for Magic Square's Jetfire

Edited October 23, 2022 by Convectuoso

[mark-1s]

21 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Maybe?  On the one hand, if you're doing Magnus with the inner robot than the regular Optimus repaint seems inevitable.  But, the consensus seems to be that there are several good options for a Masterpiece Optimus Prime, and that concessions made to allow the armor to attach make this a sort of poor alternative to TE-01/MS-01/MS-02/MP-44 etc.  It'd have to be remolded, not straight repainted, and even that might not be enough.

I guess it'll come down to price and availability.  If it sells out super quick like a lot of FT stuff, and it's overpriced the way a lot of FT stuff is, then both Prime and Magnus will be a pass for me.  If FM turns out to be their more budget-friendly line, though, I could be in for both.

Let's see, what else was at TFCon?  It was pretty underwhelming, really.  Robosen showed off a slightly smaller, slightly cheaper version of their Optimus.  Iron Factory showed off a bunch of their Legends-class samurai stuff, which is cool but not for me.  Fans Hobby had a repaint of their Armada Prime and a note that Armada Jetfire is coming, and prototypes for Doubledealer and Dreadwind.  I'm not all-in on Armada stuff (and I'm more interested in their Energon Prime), but I'll probably wind up getting their other Masterforce figures.  Oh, they have a Chosen Prime-exclusive repaint of their God Ginrai, but in Delta Magnus colors.  

XTB had G2 repaints of their Groove and Streetwise, I think they're also exclusives.  There's also prototypes for Counterpunch, the Quintesson prosecutor, and Galvatron.  I do want Punch/Counterpunch.

Runabout and Runamuck, of which I'd like both.

And the first two of their Constructicons, Scrapper and Long Haul.  I've got mixed feelings about these... on the one hand, they look far more cartoon-accurate than ToyWorld's.  On the other hand, this is XTB we're talking here.  I don't know if I want to commit to the whole gang (especially when I suspect that MMC is planning one doing Devastator).

Oh, yeah, I guess Maketoys was technically there, too.  Nothing new or exciting, though, just a rainbow of TFSource-exclusive Seekers.

That's a damn fine looking Galvatron. And I'm not that big of a fan of the character.

Edited October 24, 2022 by mark-1s

[Convectuoso]

Yesterday I got NewAge's Jetfire.

Haven't had the chance to transform it yet, but I'll post pictures when I do.

 

[M'Kyuun]

16 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

Yesterday I got NewAge's Jetfire.

Haven't had the chance to transform it yet, but I'll post pictures when I do.

 

Amazing looking fig. I think I like their take over Magic Square's. I'm probably going to pass on it, but I think they did an amazing job.

[mikeszekely]

I'm not a huge of an Earthrise Megatron.  I mean, I guess I like it better than the Siege version- it's a bit more cartoon-accurate, has head sculpt I prefer and a better fusion cannon, and based on my personal copies is a lot less floppy than Siege.  But, while the barrel on Siege turned into a passable sword the Earthrise toy was the barrel and a chunk of the turret, plus a black filler piece, that are pretty much unusable for anything in robot mode.  And I can't decide what's worse, that you have this pretty egregious partsforming at all, or that you have this partsforming but he still has to carry those big tank treads on his back.  Maybe I'd have been happier if you had a more Sunbow Megatron with a turret along the lines of the one you could form with the G1 toy's stock and silencer that partsformed into like half the tank.  I dunno.

Regardless.  My dissatisfaction with Earthrise Megatron has already caused me to pick up the Zeta Toys Mega-Tron, basically a reissue of ToyWorld's Hegemon.  And it's OK, but it's hampered by an older design and hampered by a few issues with kibble, articulation, and a few transformation annoyances.  Then someone told me about the Zhan Jiang MO1 Mechinic* Master.  Could this be the War For Cybertron-style Megatron I've been looking for?

*Yes, that's how it's spelled on the box.

Well, out of the box we're already not off to a great start, as Mechinic Master is quite a bit taller than either Earthrise Megatron or Hegemon.  I don't necessarily mind a Megatron that's a head taller than Prime- Hegemon makes the cut, I think- but Earthrise Prime's eye level is right at the bottom of Mechinic Master's chest.  That makes him a bit too big, I think.

The proportions aren't great, either.  I think he looks great from the waist down, and his chest is pretty on-point, too.  But his head is a little squished, his face a little too recessed.  His midsection is too long, and his arms are way too big.  Plus his hands look terrible, and the gun barrel on his back is too thick and too far to his left.

There's quite a bit of kibble on his back, too, and weirdly hollowed-out forearms.  My copy also came with some grunge on his left leg out of the box. 

I can't speak to the grunge, but I think some of his aesthetic issues, especially the hands, come down to the fact that his is a figure that was never meant to be this size.  Rather, this is a pre-built, upscale KO of the Legends-sized "Mega Sorry" model kit mini-figure that Generation Toy designed back when they were releasing their Gravity Builder figures.  In other words, this is a toy from an era where G1-style transforming Megatron figures were limited to MP-05, Hegemon, and Apollyon.  I'd argue that a great G1 gun Megatron hadn't truly been done yet in the MP scale, let alone a tiny Legends figure.

Mechinic Master comes with a few accessories.  You get the barrel for his back, which tabs into the side of his back kibble (hence why it's out-of-place vs the usual right side).  You've got a fusion cannon, which looks ok but I wish the convex purple lenses  were either concave or set more deeply in.  You get a silencer piece.  You get an alternate back of the head in translucent purple, in case you'd rather Megatron have light-piped purple eyes than solid red ones.  You get a mace; I'm not sure if this is a fresh design or a KO.  And finally, you get a sword that looks to me like a KO of Dr Wu's Dark Star Saber.

In addition to size, we're about to run into more problems, as the articulation on this guy isn't great.  His head is a ball joint.  It can swivel, tilt sideways a little, and tilt down, but nothing really up.  His shoulders can rotate and extend laterally around 75 degrees.  However, the way the joints are designed, he can't really rotate his shoulders and use the lateral movement at the same time.  Plus, on my copy the rotation is pretty loose and has a hard time supporting the weight of his arms.  His biceps swivel.  His elbows bend a little under 90 degrees, but there's a little wiggle at the top of the bicep that you can use to fake a 90 degree bend.  No wrist articulation.  His waist doesn't swivel, either, but for some reason he's got a ball joint in his crotch that gives him a limited swivel and teapot joint.  His hips are ball joints that get about 75 degrees forward and backward but only about 45 degrees laterally.  His thighs swivel, and his knees bend a little under 90 degrees.  His feet have a hinged ball joint for transformation, but the shape of his leg armor around the foot pretty much limits him to a downward tilt, nothing up, and no ankle pivot.

His huge, ugly hands are still basically 5mm ports.  So the mace and the sword just slide into his hands.

Or, you can give them to any other Megatron toy that has 5mm fists.

Transforming Mechinic Master into a gun is similar too, but kind of simplified from, Hegemon.  In both cases one arm has to move to the other side of the body, their forearms form the back of the gun instead of the shoulders, the legs collapse and connect to each other at the calves to form the grip, and the trigger is part of the back kibble.  The biggest differences are that the hip kibble that helps fill in the top of the grip on Hegemon is also part of the back kibble, and where Hegemon just left Megatron's midsection showing Mechinic Master has flaps silver flaps that fold up over it.  Oh, and Mechinic Master has one arm on top of the other, hence the long midsection, where Hegemon has one arm on either side like the G1 toy.  While Hegemon's barrel and scope can remain attached for the entire transformation, both of those things have to be removed and partsformed into place on Mechinic Master.

Another mild annoyance... Hegemon's silencer fits over his barrel, and although it's kind of weird he has the stock attachment.  Mechinic Master doesn't have a stock, and if you want to use the silencer you have to pull the tip of the barrel off and replace it with the silencer.  It's ultimately short and not worth the hassle, IMHO.

All of the shortcomings I've mentioned so far are leaving out what's probably the biggest one, and that's the quality of the materials.  Mechinic Master is made from a light, brittle-feeling plastic, and there's parts of the transformation where it feels like you're definitely going to break something the first time you run into a little resistance. 

For the low price (I got this for under $50 shipped), I don't really regret buying Mechinic Master.  Despite his proportions being a little off, in some ways he does look pretty good.  With slightly smaller arms and a shorter midsection I'd argue that he'd look better than Hegemon, and has an easier transformation to boot.  He's ok as a one-off display piece.  But the size, limited articulation, loose joints, and icky plastic unfortunately mean he's not quite the Megatron I'm looking for.

[M'Kyuun]

I have yet to see a 3P G1 Megatron that does the character justice to the level of Magic Square's Doomsday. I say this acknowledging it's not a perfect toy, but in terms of looking the part in both modes, it's about as nigh perfect as we we've gotten from any company including Takara. I say this as an owner of Apollyon, who was a flawed but decent early placeholder in the MP scale until MP-36, which has its own issues and inaccuracies, came along. I own both of those figures, as well as NewAge's and Magic Square's Megatron figs. IMHO, Magic Square surpasses every other G1 Megatron toy in terms of the bot aesthetics, transformation (i.e. follows a similar pattern as the G1 toy), articulation (MP-36 notwithstanding- Takara has really upped their game in that dept w/ the MP line and MP-36 is no exception), accessories, and alt mode accuracy. TBH, I'm not a gun guy, so as long as he's a decent facsimile of the Walther P-38, as Doomsday is, I'm satisfied. This is the toy I want to see in voyager scale for my CHUG collection. Nothing else comes close.

And while I love ER Prime, I'd happily take their Light of Justice V1 or 2 in voyager scale as well.  Both are excellent representations of G1 OP that do things a little differently aesthetically, but I'd be fine with either one in my CHUG collection.

While I'm wishlisting, I'd happily take New Age's Seeker design in voyager scale as well. It's a cleverly designed fig, and while it's still not perfectly accurate to the real F-15 (I think the OG MP Seeker continues to wear that crown- not perfect either, but really well done. The bot mode OTOH- ugh), it skews close enough, and presents far better than either the ER Seeker or the Classics Seeker upon which it was based and was more accurate in its alt mode than its successor. So much for progress. 🙄

 

[mikeszekely]

I know you guys dig transforming planes... especially ones that clean up in alt mode.  Looking at you, @M'Kyuun.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Shenyang FC-31.

 

[M'Kyuun]

2 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

I know you guys dig transforming planes... especially ones that clean up in alt mode.  Looking at you, @M'Kyuun.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Shenyang FC-31.

 

Hey, Mike, thanks for the callout. I must say, if the actual toy is this well-executed, I am duly impressed. Jetformers, for lack of a better term, are so rarely realized to the extent that one could be forgiven for not recognizing the dual nature of its design. The gears have accurate placement and retract w/ doors, the weapon bays are realized realistically, and the bot mode, while a bit kibbly, presents well. I think this is the rare case where the bot was the secondary consideration after the alt. It's a commendable effort. Who's the maker?

[mikeszekely]

They're calling themselves Touch Toys, but it's the same designer that did the J-20 and the helicopter for TFC.  I think it's meant to be part of the same line, just TFC isn't producing them anymore.

[M'Kyuun]

4 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

They're calling themselves Touch Toys, but it's the same designer that did the J-20 and the helicopter for TFC.  I think it's meant to be part of the same line, just TFC isn't producing them anymore.

Hmm, that's interesting. The design is reminiscent of those figs, of which I have the helicopter, itself an extraordinary feat of engineering. I was very much anticipating a possible Su-27 Flanker, or the Chinese equivalent, that was teased with concept art. I wonder, then, if TFC is still solvent, and if so, if they're still producing these things, or if the designer is freelancing? Either way, this latest offering is quite impressive, but if I had my druthers, I'd rather have a Flanker over an F-35 look-alike any day of the week.

I will say, though, the FC-31 is slightly reminiscent of RotF Breakaway, which of course was based on the F-35, with many a liberty taken in its realization as a Transformer fig. It was the first thing I thought of when I initially saw your previous post. The FC-31 appears to take cues from both the F-22 and the F-35.  I wish they'd do a version of the YF-23 and give us a toy of that at this level. It'd be an insta-buy. Still want a Flanker, too.

[Chronocidal]

7 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I know you guys dig transforming planes... especially ones that clean up in alt mode.  Looking at you, @M'Kyuun.

If I'm not mistaken, that's a Shenyang FC-31.

 

Ok, that is literally insane.  Clean body, full landing gear, and a functional weapons bay, and it transforms?

I want to buy a cargo plane full and airdrop them on Takara/Hasbro HQ with a giant label that says "DO THIS."

[M'Kyuun]

3 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

Ok, that is literally insane.  Clean body, full landing gear, and a functional weapons bay, and it transforms?

I want to buy a cargo plane full and airdrop them on Takara/Hasbro HQ with a giant label that says "DO THIS."

😁 As much as I like to levy criticism at Hasbro and Takara for many of their lackluster to downright awful aircraft Transformers designs, I get why designs like this FC-31 are beyond the scope of at least the mainline.  We're obviously in MP-level territory, and to be fair, many of the most recent MP designs, love 'em, hate 'em, or just tolerate 'em, have been consistently, Skids notwithstanding, on the complicated side with high parts counts and lots of moving parts, as well as articulation at a level I never believed possible in a transforming toy.  That said, the differences between this and the latest MP Seeker are stark and couldn't be further removed regarding the alt modes. I wish they'd brought some of the engineering, like the brilliant chest intake swivels to form part of the aircraft intake from the original MP Seeker design.

Since MP is really the provenance of Takara, and the mainline that of Hasbro, each with very different budget limitations and design philosophies, I'll play devil's advocate concerning Hasbro. There have been through the years and various lines instances of brilliance whence flying Transformers received notably good to excellent alts. However, opinions on the bot modes may vary. I'm not including the OG Jetfire, as he was a Takatoku design. And while I much prefer real world inspired plane alts, I'm not wholly opposed to those of a more sci-fi bent if they present well. For your consideration:

[Chronocidal]

I won't deny there have been some good ones now and again, but what I find kind of baffling is that a lot the highest-end products always seem to wind up the worst of the bunch in that regard.  

They can really do well when they have room to play with the bot design, but when trying to adhere strictly to a well-known bot design, we generally wind up with things like the new MP Starscream.

[Scyla]

2 hours ago, Chronocidal said:

I won't deny there have been some good ones now and again, but what I find kind of baffling is that a lot the highest-end products always seem to wind up the worst of the bunch in that regard.  

They can really do well when they have room to play with the bot design, but when trying to adhere strictly to a well-known bot design, we generally wind up with things like the new MP Starscream.

But the new MP Starscream alt mode looks like the cartoon:

I think that was the main goal of the designer: Maximum toon accuracy in all modes. I’m sure they could do a real life F-15 if they want to.

[edit:] 

Edited November 11, 2022 by Scyla

[M'Kyuun]

5 hours ago, Scyla said:

But the new MP Starscream alt mode looks like the cartoon:

I think that was the main goal of the designer: Maximum toon accuracy in all modes. I’m sure they could do a real life F-15 if they want to.

[edit:] 

They already did.

Even the bottom cleaned up very well. Of course, the bot mode took the brunt of concessions with this mold which MP-52 rectified to the opposite end concerning the jet mode. I'm waiting for a third option that takes the best of both molds and combines them in a definitive Seeker with both an accurate F-15 mode and a bot mode that, while not needing to be as toon accurate as MP-52, skews close with good proportions, articulation, and detail.

[Chronocidal]

I am glad I was able to find an original Greenscream in good shape not long ago.  It just looks so good, even in the inaccurate colors.  

I think my ideal would be a hybrid of the original MP-3 and the later remold.  It doesn't need the strike eagle FAST packs, but when they moved the tails to the legs, they also destroyed the smooth underside.     

I think with a little ingenuity, they could iterate on that original design and come up with something that hides the tails and stabs in the legs, and still keeps the original intake/shoulder arrangement.  For all of the improvements to the legs they've managed over the years, that original arm transformation still feels like the best design they've ever had.

[Hikuro]

I had a question....with the Haslab Starsaber coming out soon, and missing out on the chance to order it due to timing, is there any third party equivalent to get? I know there's the Iron-trans version but that's an MP scale figure. So the only other one I know of that'll go with generations is Kadmos but he's more along the IDW design of the character and I'm not a big fan of the overall look.

[M'Kyuun]

On 11/11/2022 at 9:15 PM, Chronocidal said:

I am glad I was able to find an original Greenscream in good shape not long ago.  It just looks so good, even in the inaccurate colors.  

I think my ideal would be a hybrid of the original MP-3 and the later remold.  It doesn't need the strike eagle FAST packs, but when they moved the tails to the legs, they also destroyed the smooth underside.     

I think with a little ingenuity, they could iterate on that original design and come up with something that hides the tails and stabs in the legs, and still keeps the original intake/shoulder arrangement.  For all of the improvements to the legs they've managed over the years, that original arm transformation still feels like the best design they've ever had.

Still have both my original Greenscream and the later toon-colored Walmart exclusive of the MP-03 mold. Good toy, still holds up. My biggest beef with it was always the placement of the hinge for the forward fuselage which sat too high above the intakes in bot mode. Had they lowered that down about a quarter of an inch, it would have looked amazing. And while Kawamori's reworked feet aren't G1 toy or toon accurate, they smoothed out the shaping of the jet mode beautifully and still, IMHO, looked fine.

As for Hasbro hiding the stabs in bot mode, I like New Age's solution. Granted, you can see the stabs on the inside lower legs, but it's a simple solution that would likely be more cost effective on a retail toy than having any number of armatures and folding panels and such to hide them. Third party can get away with it, but Hasbro and their ever-present toy budget limits make the simpler but effective solutions more appealing. I'd happily take an upscaled version of New Age's Seeker for my CHUG collection. Neat design.

As for the arms- I'd love to see Hasbro fold the arms into the spine of the plane like the G1 toy- always seemed like the best solution to me and have often wondered why nobody has done it outside of the G1 toy and Takara's Robot Masters Starscream, a neat little toy for its time. Kinda sad that this old small fig looks better than the both the most recent Seeker in the main line and MP-52. That canopy sits too low, but otherwise, the rest is pretty good.

[Scyla]

11 hours ago, Hikuro said:

I had a question....with the Haslab Starsaber coming out soon, and missing out on the chance to order it due to timing, is there any third party equivalent to get? I know there's the Iron-trans version but that's an MP scale figure. So the only other one I know of that'll go with generations is Kadmos but he's more along the IDW design of the character and I'm not a big fan of the overall look.

I think you are out of options. There is not really a Star Saber that goes well with the mainline toys. 
On top of all that the unofficial transforming 3rd party versions are all varying degrees of terrible (Star Blade > Kadmos > MP Star Saber).

The best version of Star Saber is the non transforming Flame Toys Kuro Kara Kuri Star Saber which is stellar but it is also in the IDW style.

I have written rants about the available 3rd party options: IronTrans Star Blade and PlanetX Kadmos. You can find them in this very thread. I could dig up some links if you are interested.

Honestly, I would wait and see if the aftermarket prices for HasLab Star Saber stabilize and buy one on the secondary market if it needs to fit into your collection of other mainline Transformers.

If you are interested in Kadmos I would also buy their Victory Leo called Nemeios. It comes with a new head for Kadmos which is one of the biggest flaw of the original toy.

Be aware that my Kadmos has super weak knees that can’t keep the toy stable so hopefully you would get a better copy (or maybe someone will release an upgrade for them). I doubt any copy of Kadmos out there will be able to stand up with Nemeios attached.

If you just need the best Star Saber toy there is and money is not a problem buy the Flame Toys one; it is spectacular and one of my favorite pieces in my collection. Sadly he is also unable to be combined with their Victory Leo.

[Chronocidal]

On 11/13/2022 at 3:05 PM, M'Kyuun said:

Still have both my original Greenscream and the later toon-colored Walmart exclusive of the MP-03 mold. Good toy, still holds up. My biggest beef with it was always the placement of the hinge for the forward fuselage which sat too high above the intakes in bot mode. Had they lowered that down about a quarter of an inch, it would have looked amazing. And while Kawamori's reworked feet aren't G1 toy or toon accurate, they smoothed out the shaping of the jet mode beautifully and still, IMHO, looked fine.

As for Hasbro hiding the stabs in bot mode, I like New Age's solution. Granted, you can see the stabs on the inside lower legs, but it's a simple solution that would likely be more cost effective on a retail toy than having any number of armatures and folding panels and such to hide them. Third party can get away with it, but Hasbro and their ever-present toy budget limits make the simpler but effective solutions more appealing. I'd happily take an upscaled version of New Age's Seeker for my CHUG collection. Neat design.

As for the arms- I'd love to see Hasbro fold the arms into the spine of the plane like the G1 toy- always seemed like the best solution to me and have often wondered why nobody has done it outside of the G1 toy and Takara's Robot Masters Starscream, a neat little toy for its time. Kinda sad that this old small fig looks better than the both the most recent Seeker in the main line and MP-52. That canopy sits too low, but otherwise, the rest is pretty good.

I forget who had my favorite "new" take on how to manage the stabs and tails.. I want to say it was the DX9 release?

They combined the stabs and tails into one folding panel with the wing control surfaces, and everything folded flat against the back of the wing.  It wasn't clean from the back, obviously, but it felt like an improvement over either of the first two MP iterations.

There it is.

I think this only really works out well in a really small scale, but I like most of what they managed with this design, especially the way the legs open to contain the feet.  The weird arrangement of the arms kind of turned me off more than the back kibble, but I liked that they solved the biggest problem I have with so many of the modern seekers: wings and tails full of ugly folding joints.  Some are better than others, but they usually don't streamline very well, and they generally go limp over time, leaving everything sloppy and misaligned.

[M'Kyuun]

Got this guy POed.  Just a beautiful fig in either mode. Transformation looks a bit involved but interesting- some neat solutions. The choice of the lovely Asurada GSX from Future GPX Cyber Formula works so well for this character design. I hope the final toy is equally well realized in the QC department. If this is what they can do as an introductory product into the transforming toy scene, and their QC is good, I'm looking forward to future releases.

[M'Kyuun]

Homemade Transformers: Animated Scrapper that actually transforms. Phenomenal work. Wish Hasbro would hire this guy to fill in some missing characters from Animated.

 

[Convectuoso]

Jetfire. Magic Square vs NewAge

[mikeszekely]

14 minutes ago, Convectuoso said:

Jetfire. Magic Square vs NewAge

That head on the one on the left... oof. Looks like Jetfire and his elementary-age son.

[Convectuoso]

2 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

That head on the one on the left... oof. Looks like Jetfire and his elementary-age son.

My thoughts exactly. NewAge (right) is the clear winner here, to me at least 

[nightmareB4macross]

9 hours ago, Convectuoso said:

My thoughts exactly. NewAge (right) is the clear winner here, to me at least 

You might make better version if you switch the heads. I agree New Age’s is great but the body on Magic Square is pretty clean and very toon like.

New Age seems to have taken cues from Fans Toys, which isn’t a bad thing.