The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[technoblue]

I think I would forgive not-Sandstorm's odd car mode if the bot mode had a better face. The current face looks like they borrowed the head from a Decepticon prototype. Not-Octane was closer to the mark, IMO.

Added Sandstorm's name (originally had Springer, because I was half asleep or something).

Edited March 23, 2016 by technoblue

[sh9000]

That's supposed to be not-Sandstorm.

But it's more like not not-Sandstorm.

[M'Kyuun]

That's supposed to be not-Sandstorm.

But it's more like not not-Sandstorm.

That land vehicle mode-kinda has a German WWII vibe to it, not in a good way. The word 'eyesore' comes to mind. The helicopter mode looks decent, though. I'll stick with Hasbro's Sandstorm, even if the dune buggy looks like it borrowed some tires from a John Deere.

[technoblue]

That's supposed to be not-Sandstorm.

But it's more like not not-Sandstorm.

Woops. Late night sleep posting. Thanks for the correction.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Eh? I think UT's Octane looks pretty dang good.

That said, when competing in the MP-scale market collectors tend to demand G1 accuracy more so than CHUG-scale toys. This take on Sandstorm isn't going to go over well with that... thing... instead of a dune buggy.

I don't like Provider's proportions in both alt modes. The G1 toy had some believable proportions for a tanker truck and plane. With Provider, I see a truck cab that is oversized, and a plane that has a tree stump for a vertical stabilizer. I think if they went for a more elongated look, Provider would look a lot better.

As for Sworder, his dune buggy mode looks like an amphibious armored truck, and an ugly one at that. It looks like UT prioritizes bot mode since both Provider and Sworder look ok in said mode.

[Scyla]

I think Paik4Life sold me on Fanstoys Wilis:

[Scyla]

Do you mind telling me what the issues are? Are they that bad? I wanted Grimlock to be bigger than Prime. If the other third party version has something better, then I'll wait for it.

The issues on MP-08 aren't bad per se but the toy shows its age now. First of all I'm not a fan of gimmicks for the toys since they usually take away from the experience of being a transformable toy and usually lead to a clash with my top priorities of a transforming toy (engineering and fit and finish).

That said I think the two biggest detriments of MP-08 are the light up gimmick for the fist leading to a non posable hand and the tail wiggle feature make it floppy and flimsy in robot mode. I also don't like the way the torso transforms. It doesn't lock into place so every time you try to manipulate the toy you unseat the chest. It feels very floppy in hand too. The shoulder mechanism also needs to work perfectly. On mine one shoulder is pushed outwards leaving a big gap between the upper body and the shoulder joint making it a very unsightly robot-mode. Again due to the mechanism it feels floppy.

Other cons would be the slim midriff around the waist and the cheap looking gun (again due to the fact that it needs to encompass a gimmick that doesn't really work well).

Since I'm a bit of a naysayer I have to stress that MP Grimlock is a good toy (even a great toy when he was originally released). It just doesn't cater to my preferences and is too floppy. I think FansToys Grinder has the possibility to get all the stuff I don't like about MP-08 right (even if his waist is too narrow).

[Gunbuster]

The issues on MP-08 aren't bad per se but the toy shows its age now. First of all I'm not a fan of gimmicks for the toys since they usually take away from the experience of being a transformable toy and usually lead to a clash with my top priorities of a transforming toy (engineering and fit and finish).

That said I think the two biggest detriments of MP-08 are the light up gimmick for the fist leading to a non posable hand and the tail wiggle feature make it floppy and flimsy in robot mode. I also don't like the way the torso transforms. It doesn't lock into place so every time you try to manipulate the toy you unseat the chest. It feels very floppy in hand too. The shoulder mechanism also needs to work perfectly. On mine one shoulder is pushed outwards leaving a big gap between the upper body and the shoulder joint making it a very unsightly robot-mode. Again due to the mechanism it feels floppy.

Other cons would be the slim midriff around the waist and the cheap looking gun (again due to the fact that it needs to encompass a gimmick that doesn't really work well).

Since I'm a bit of a naysayer I have to stress that MP Grimlock is a good toy (even a great toy when he was originally released). It just doesn't cater to my preferences and is too floppy. I think FansToys Grinder has the possibility to get all the stuff I don't like about MP-08 right (even if his waist is too narrow).

I see what you mean. My MP Grimlock also has that shoulder issue too. I google Grinder and he does indeed look awesome. I just hope he doesn't cost an arm and a leg when he's released. Thanks for getting back to me on this!

[sh9000]

One day sale on TFC CHUG Defensor.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10051&mode=retail

[M'Kyuun]

Following the conversation about Fans toys' Grinder, I took a look. Those shoulders are a huge improvement over Takara's limited ball joints. Overall, it's an improvement over the Takara, but as mentioned, the figure is a bit dated now. I hold out hope that Takara will eventually produce all the Dinobots to scale with MP-10.

If I had the financial resources, though, I'd be tempted to get Fans Toys' Dinobots. They look great.

[Scyla]

One day sale on TFC CHUG Defensor.

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10051&mode=retail

I wish someone would to a Green Giant sale now that the official Devastator is out and two new companies are releasing their version. I know they are probably relatively inexpensive to get through ebay but I don't want to spend that amount of money for a potential knock off.

[sh9000]

TFSource had a sale on Green Giant last week. $50 off.

[Scyla]

TFSource had a sale on Green Giant last week. $50 off.

image.jpeg

Not enough. I bought their Quantron for $250 so this is where I would like to see a future sales price. On ebay they usually go from $175 to $250 these days.

[sh9000]

I think they usually have bigger sales during Black Friday.

[mikeszekely]

I really like the combined look of Giant, but their individual bots don't do it for me. Some are pretty good, but some really go off the rails in their reinterpretation.

[Scyla]

I really like the combined look of Giant, but their individual bots don't do it for me. Some are pretty good, but some really go off the rails in their reinterpretation.

That is why I don't like to pay full price for it. I really dig the individual robots of M³ and Quantron but the individual bots of Giant are a bit wonky. Especially their crane bot. Maybe I should go for MakeToys Guardia instead. Their individual bots look amazing so far. I probably will wait till they reveal their Hotspot to make my final verdict but they look great so far.

[anime52k8]

I actually like the individual bots of Giant. They're not very G1 but I don't really care, they all have cool silhouettes to me. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. Giant may look better but Takara's devastator set is like half the price and twice as large.

Edited March 24, 2016 by anime52k8

[Scyla]

I actually like the individual bot of Giant. They're not very G1 but I don't really care, they all have cool silhouettes to me. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. Giant may look better but Takara's devastator set is like half the price and twice as large.

But it doesn't fit in with my other FP/MT combiners. I need consistency in my life!!!

I'm also not a fan of toys that are big for the sake of being big. The MT/FP size is big enough for me. I never get the draw of figures like UW Devastator or the Titan Class Metroplex. They all look and feel terribly cheap to me.

The Giant set have some good bots in them. I like Scrapper and Mixmaster as well as Long Haul. The two arms are not as good because they carry Giants shoulder joints on their back. Hook is just all sorts of terrible with the crane and a head that looks out of place with the other bots to me.

Edited March 24, 2016 by Scyla

[technoblue]

The latest images of Guardia over on tfw look very good, and Vulcan appears to have a lot of storage options in alt mode:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/1044584-maketoys-guardia-vulcan-hot-spot-13.html#post13448582

* sigh *

I do enjoy Maketoys transformers and they are making it more and more difficult for me to ignore combiners with each new release in this line. Guardia is going to be so very hard to resist, even more of a pain than Quantron in some ways. The Protectobots were the only complete Transformers combiners that I had as a kid. In contrast, I only had two of the Technobots and never completed Computron. The nostalgia draw is strong with this one.

[anime52k8]

But it doesn't fit in with my other FP/MT combiners. I need consistency in my life!!!

I'm also not a fan of toys that are big for the sake of being big. The MT/FP size is big enough for me. I never get the draw of figures like UW Devastator or the Titan Class Metroplex. They all look and feel terribly cheap to me.

because two foot tall toys are the best things ever. I know from experience.

[mikeszekely]

I actually like the individual bots of Giant. They're not very G1 but I don't really care, they all have cool silhouettes to me. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. Giant may look better but Takara's devastator set is like half the price and twice as large.

I think that's a fair assessment... I think most of the MT figures look better in both modes than, say, the TFC guys, and I likewise think Giant's a better Devastator than Hercules. But MT's reinterpretations deviate too far from G1 for my liking, especially on their not-Long Haul and not-Bonecrusher. And while not too bad overall, I don't like not-Scrapper's chest, I loathe not-Hook's head, and why the heck is Giant's head not-Hook's foot?

At the end of the day, the CW/UW Devastator is a lot cheaper and way more G1-accurate, even if it is missing a lot of the articulation and premium feel that many adult collectors crave. Mixmaster's the only real problem, and Dr. Wu is fixing that. I had hopes for Gravity Builder... their not-Scrapper, not-Scavenger, and not-Mixmaster were hitting the right notes, but their not-Bonecrusher is weird.

That is why I don't like to pay full price for it. I really dig the individual robots of M³ and Quantron but the individual bots of Giant are a bit wonky. Especially their crane bot. Maybe I should go for MakeToys Guardia instead. Their individual bots look amazing so far. I probably will wait till they reveal their Hotspot to make my final verdict but they look great so far.

If I were you, I'd totally go for Guardia instead! I mean, I have Combiner Wars Defensor (who is honestly pretty good for a mass-market, $85 toy, and I think better than TFC's version), and I'm super tempted by Guardia. Katana seems to have a few issues, and while he doesn't really do anything wrong Axle doesn't particularly excite me. But Rover and HiMed are darn sexy toys, and Vulcan and the combined Guardia are looking pretty darn good. I'd probably have ordered the four available members by now, but I just ordered the rest of Ordin and preordered Seraphicus, so I'm a bit tapped right now.

[M'Kyuun]

Watched the Willis review vid. He's a decent figure, but I hope when Takara get around to making an official Hound, they'll find a way to collapse his front fenders or give his arms clearance around them. I still think CHUG Hound is the best toy ever made of the character, even if it's not G1 accurate. It's just an exceedingly well designed and highly articulated figure.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Yeah, I miss the Henkei/Classics line. Hound and Mirage are still tops in my book. I also miss hunting TFs at the local stores. The last one I got locally was Springer.

[anime52k8]

I think that's a fair assessment... I think most of the MT figures look better in both modes than, say, the TFC guys, and I likewise think Giant's a better Devastator than Hercules. But MT's reinterpretations deviate too far from G1 for my liking, especially on their not-Long Haul and not-Bonecrusher. And while not too bad overall, I don't like not-Scrapper's chest, I loathe not-Hook's head, and why the heck is Giant's head not-Hook's foot?

funny thing is not-bonecrusher is my favorite figure from Giant based on how he looks. I love his cab chest and the Kawamori hip-thingies made from his dozer blade. I'd like Not-scrapper more if he didn't have the perpetually screaming face sculpted into his chest. once you see it you can never unsee it.

Edited March 24, 2016 by anime52k8

[anime52k8]

At the end of the day, the CW/UW Devastator is a lot cheaper and way more G1-accurate, even if it is missing a lot of the articulation and premium feel that many adult collectors crave. Mixmaster's the only real problem, and Dr. Wu is fixing that. I had hopes for Gravity Builder... their not-Scrapper, not-Scavenger, and not-Mixmaster were hitting the right notes, but their not-Bonecrusher is weird.

personally I'm not feeling Gravity builder's combined mode nearly enough to drop that insane amount of money on it. That said I'm debating going on bbts and buying Scraper right now just as a stand alone Scrapper toy because he's so perfect looking.

at this point I think I'm just seeing how long I can put off buying UW devastator while it's on sale at HLJ.

[anime52k8]

c-c-c-combo!

has anyone been talking about Toyworld's Devastator? I totally didn't know it was a thing until I started looking at Gravity Builder but I'm now aware that Toyworld's Devastator has spring loaded launching fists and now I have a MIGHTY NEED!

Seriously, I'm ludicrously engrossed by toys with launching fists. I wonder if you could plug scavenger and bonecrusher from toyworld onto gravity builder?

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

I reckon you'd probably need some sort of adapter to do so. Some enterprising hobbyists already make them in Shapeways for other combiners, so maybe it's just a matter of time.

Your mighty need for launching fists maybe matched by my need for working treads on TFs, which is why TW's Devastator is on my radar.

[M'Kyuun]

I reckon you'd probably need some sort of adapter to do so. Some enterprising hobbyists already make them in Shapeways for other combiners, so maybe it's just a matter of time.

Your mighty need for launching fists maybe matched by my need for working treads on TFs, which is why TW's Devastator is on my radar.

Working treads on a transforming toy is fantastic, and Toyworld did a great job implementing them on their Bonecrusher and Scavenger figures. I wish more official treaded TFs had them.

[Dangard Ace]

Toyworld Devastator looks to be an awesome toy. Straight out of that Studio Ox drawing. Sadly my slavish devotion to G1 Toon MP toys prevents me from buying this thus I must live vicariously through those that do.

[Scyla]

I think that's a fair assessment... I think most of the MT figures look better in both modes than, say, the TFC guys, and I likewise think Giant's a better Devastator than Hercules. But MT's reinterpretations deviate too far from G1 for my liking, especially on their not-Long Haul and not-Bonecrusher. And while not too bad overall, I don't like not-Scrapper's chest, I loathe not-Hook's head, and why the heck is Giant's head not-Hook's foot?

At the end of the day, the CW/UW Devastator is a lot cheaper and way more G1-accurate, even if it is missing a lot of the articulation and premium feel that many adult collectors crave. Mixmaster's the only real problem, and Dr. Wu is fixing that. I had hopes for Gravity Builder... their not-Scrapper, not-Scavenger, and not-Mixmaster were hitting the right notes, but their not-Bonecrusher is weird.

If I were you, I'd totally go for Guardia instead! I mean, I have Combiner Wars Defensor (who is honestly pretty good for a mass-market, $85 toy, and I think better than TFC's version), and I'm super tempted by Guardia. Katana seems to have a few issues, and while he doesn't really do anything wrong Axle doesn't particularly excite me. But Rover and HiMed are darn sexy toys, and Vulcan and the combined Guardia are looking pretty darn good. I'd probably have ordered the four available members by now, but I just ordered the rest of Ordin and preordered Seraphicus, so I'm a bit tapped right now.

As I said in the Transformers thread (I think) I value consistency over anything else in my collectibles. So the fact that Green Giant is in line with M³ and Quantron makes it an instant win. I also think from all the Devastators out there he has the best combo of purple and green.

Regarding Guardia I think Axel has a intriguing transformation. The only thing that could made it better would be a front wheel that doesn't just sit there on his back like on an ordinary retail Transformer for kids.

[JB0]

Regarding Guardia I think Axel has a intriguing transformation. The only thing that could made it better would be a front wheel that doesn't just sit there on his back like on an ordinary retail Transformer for kids.

Sometimes that's all it has to do, though. I mean, the wheels gotta wind up SOMEWHERE, and they're pretty much guaranteed to just hang there and do nothing no matter where they are.

Sure, you can do some creative engineering to make them wind up inside the robot... but it stops looking like a robot that transforms, and starts just looking like a robot.

[RD Blade]

I also miss hunting TFs at the local stores. The last one I got locally was Springer.

Something seems to have gone wrong with the way TFs make it to shelves. A collector can no longer trust that any given TF that's produced can be easily found in stores. Just in the past few years my online vs. in-store purchases has increased from about 20% to 80%.

[anime52k8]

Sometimes you guys really suck. Because of this thread I'm now I'm sitting here trying to decide which $600 devastator I want to buy.

I really like Constructors combined mode, it's pretty much perfect. But some of Gravity builder's component bots look better and I like that it has an all in one transformation and doesn't involve huge chunks of devastator just sitting around when it's not combined.

and nobody say get both because that is a terrible suggestion.

:edit:

As an aside; I find it kind of funny that all of TFC's combiners honestly look inferior to their unite warrior/combiner wars counterparts which all cost a fraction of the price.

Edited March 25, 2016 by anime52k8

[Scyla]

I would go with the toy world one because of the working thread-legs.

[mikeszekely]

As an aside; I find it kind of funny that all of TFC's combiners honestly look inferior to their unite warrior/combiner wars counterparts which all cost a fraction of the price.

This. I don't know if they just got carried away with their re-imaginings or if they were afraid that they'd get sued if their transforming-toys-who-are-not-Transformers looked too recognizable, but Hercules was just off, and Ares, Uranos and Prometheus are way off.

That said, I'm kind of waiting to see how their not-Piranacon shakes out, if only because no one else is doing one and Piranacon will be the only non-Micromaster G1 combiner I'll be missing after I finish Ordin and Feral Rex for Abominus and Predaking and after I get a Combiner Wars Computron.

Depending on how disposable my disposable income gets, though, I'm open to replacing every one of the Combiner Wars guys with a better third-party product.

Speaking of finishing Ordin, the four limbs I need to go with Siegfried just shipped. I have no idea what's up with the remaining two Feral Rex dudes, though. When I preordered them back in January, they were expected to ship in Q1 2016, and that what it still says on Talon and Tigris' pages, but we're running out of Q1.