The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[dizman]

Sure I'd watch, though maybe you should slow down a bit on the combiner mania.

[technoblue]

By combiners, are you including all combining toy robots (like the chogokin releases) or are you limiting yourself to Transformers only?

Either way, it sounds like an interesting idea to me.

[mikeszekely]

By combiners, are you including all combining toy robots (like the chogokin releases) or are you limiting yourself to Transformers only?

Either way, it sounds like an interesting idea to me.

I was thinking just Transformers, because if I did every combining robot from every franchise where robots combine then I'd be in WAY over my head.

Sure I'd watch, though maybe you should slow down a bit on the combiner mania.

Even more so than I already am!

Who knows, though. After I'm a little more caught up on combiners (I'm hoping to have 8 or 9 3P combiners and all the US Combiner Wars except for the G2, Computron, and Victorion gift sets by the end of the year), though, I guess I'd be open to doing some other combiners who are near and dear to me, like the original Power Rangers Megazord and Voltron(s).

[Ignacio Ocamica]

I think maybe I have a problem... I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I'm thinking about collecting ALL of the combiners. Even the less-good ones. And not all as in "one representation of every combiner character". I mean all as in CW Devy, TW Constructor, GT Gravity Builder, MT Green Giant, TFC Hercules, and DX9 Hulkie should all be in my house at some point.

Maybe I'll start a YouTube channel focused on combiners. Review the pieces, review the combiners, and have comparison videos for different versions. You guys would watch, right?

Would watch all of them!!!

[Dio]

I think maybe I have a problem... I'm getting a little ahead of myself, but I'm thinking about collecting ALL of the combiners. Even the less-good ones. And not all as in "one representation of every combiner character". I mean all as in CW Devy, TW Constructor, GT Gravity Builder, MT Green Giant, TFC Hercules, and DX9 Hulkie should all be in my house at some point.

Maybe I'll start a YouTube channel focused on combiners. Review the pieces, review the combiners, and have comparison videos for different versions. You guys would watch, right?

I'd slow down and stick to your original plan. Every combiner toy has its positives and negatives, but none is perfect, and racking up $500 sets just for completion's sake just leads to disappointing clutter. I went with green Giant years ago, and have felt the pull to get Hercules (IDW style!) as well as the later editions (Larger scale!), but moderation has really helped me to appreciate what I got initially, as well as keep my display clean and presentable. I've even been able to more seriously focus my collecting interest (CHUG scale, Cybertronian modes), which has helped me to recognize just what I like about the toys. The money savings has also been a good thing, particularly since having a kid.

Your written reviews have been informative and well-written, but video reviews are a different game entirely, involving planning, editing, writing, etc (not to mention equipment). I'd try converting some of your written reviews into video and see how it pans out first.

[M'Kyuun]

Gotta go with Dio...the expenditure for collecting all these combiners, esp 3P toys, is immense, esp if you're collecting multiple versions of the same characters. However, Mike, your reviews are really well done, and video reviews of all these toys would be an invaluable resource to prospective buyers. Best wishes if you go forward.

As for me, between LEGO, Macross, TFs, anime, and the occasional random toy or model, moderation and choosiness have become necessary to maintain within my budget. That said, I decided to to splurge on Toyworld's Unearth yesterday while POing Takara's far superior Legends Blurr. Scavenger was my first Constructicon (I still only have him and Long Haul), and TW have made the best overall version of him I've seen among the various 3P Constructicons, IMHO. Granted, I think some of the other guys have made better looking alt modes, but those rolling treads had me from day one, and his overall G1 appearance fans the flame of nostalgia. Anyway, I may end up getting all 6 of TW's figs for my first Devastator. Hopefully I can talk my wife into getting me one of them for my birthday.

[mikeszekely]

I'd slow down and stick to your original plan. Every combiner toy has its positives and negatives, but none is perfect, and racking up $500 sets just for completion's sake just leads to disappointing clutter. I went with green Giant years ago, and have felt the pull to get Hercules (IDW style!) as well as the later editions (Larger scale!), but moderation has really helped me to appreciate what I got initially, as well as keep my display clean and presentable. I've even been able to more seriously focus my collecting interest (CHUG scale, Cybertronian modes), which has helped me to recognize just what I like about the toys. The money savings has also been a good thing, particularly since having a kid.

Your written reviews have been informative and well-written, but video reviews are a different game entirely, involving planning, editing, writing, etc (not to mention equipment). I'd try converting some of your written reviews into video and see how it pans out first.

That's good advice, although I think it's becoming clear to me with a handful of Hasbro MPs and a box full of CHUGs in the closet that combiners really are my thing. In fact, I'd quit collecting Transformers entirely; it was Combiner Wars that brought me back, and the sorts of improvements you expect from something that costs 5x as much that's drawn me to 3P. Plus, there are things I really like about different versions. TFC's Prometheus is a great example... as a combined Defensor, I think even the Combiner Wars version looks better, and Guardia will blow him out of the water. But... I really like TFC's alt-modes for their Streetwise and First Aid. Then there's stuff like GT's Devastator, that looks really good all-around, but whose individual Constructicons maybe don't look as good as ToyWorld's.

And sure, there's duds. Heck, I already have Uranos, who's been pretty widely-panned. I just think there's value in comparing different versions and making up my mind about them for myself.

In any case, my original plan stays. First get one of every combiner from US G1, then the Japanese G1, then combiners who weren't traditionally combiners. I've got a way to go before I can start doing doubles.

As for making videos... yeah, it's a whole order of magnitude above writing a review, and I'd be entering a pretty crowded arena. Thing is... I have several combiners (and opinions on them) already, so I'm not lacking for material. Writing reviews has also given me a clearer idea of what I want to focus on (aesthetics, articulation, accessories, a definitive recommendation or not) and what I'm content to leave for others (transformation, packaging). As a stay-at-home dad, I have time to write while my daughter's playing, I'll have space to shoot when I clean up downstairs, and I have maybe half the equipment.

And I guess I don't have to own every combiner (although, as mentioned, there are definitely some sets I want even though I already have a version of them). I could always sell off the versions I don't like as much, or maybe I'll start networking at cons and people will let me use their copies, as seems to be the case with Bobby Skullface sometimes.

However, Mike, your reviews are really well done, and video reviews of all these toys would be an invaluable resource to prospective buyers. Best wishes if you go forward.

And that's one of the best reasons to do it. There are a ton of reviewers out there, but not a ton who do direct comparisons (John Garringer is the only one I know of). I write reviews because I want to share my experience, and I think taking it to YouTube could reach more people. I just hope focusing on the combining gimmick will help set me apart from established guys like peaugh, emgo, or Skullface. Because, that's the other thing... I might only get a token amount from ad revenue, but as far as my wonderfully-understanding-but-not-super-keen-on-funding-my-hobby wife is concerned anything is better than nothing.

But seriously, you guys, thanks for the advice, support, and especially the kind words on the written reviews I've left here. It really means alot to me.

[kanedaestes]

Review of DX-9's not MP Blitzwing

Edited June 3, 2016 by kanedaestes

[dizman]

The transformation looks fun enough and given a triple changers limitations the alt modes look decent but there's something that just feels off with Gewalt and I can't place what it is. Maybe I just want him to look closer to the G1 toy, I'll wait to see if KFC makes a decent product or another QC mess before I get DX-9.

[M'Kyuun]

As it is, Gewalt is the best looking all-around Blitzwing I've seen. I like their solution for hiding the turret in plane mode, although the treads hanging off the wings look odd. But, aside from the lack of proper vertical and horizontal stabs, it bears a strong resemblance to the MiG-25. The tank mode is solid as well, and the bot mode is unmistakably Blitzwing. All that ratchety goodness is a plus in a toy this size. But as much as I like it, I echo your sentiment that something feels off. I'm not sure what it is either.

[mikeszekely]

The purple that shows on tank mode?

I like Gewalt, but he's too big for me. I heard his jet mode is as long as Ordin is tall.

(And he's not a combiner... )

[technoblue]

The purple that shows on tank mode?

I like Gewalt, but he's too big for me. I heard his jet mode is as long as Ordin is tall.

(And he's not a combiner... )

It seems solid with all those ratchety joints, but bot mode scales too big for my taste. I would like this version better if that mode scaled closer to MP Soundwave's height and no taller than MP-10 at the head.

[mikeszekely]

So, that purple bit that's on Concrete's cab/leg? I know there was some discussion that you can twist it around so that, if you put a Decepticon symbol on it, it's not upside-down in bot mode. Well, it turns that not only does it rotate, it's actually just on a peg. If you can work a nail/spunger/flathead screwdriver/knife tip under it, you can actually pop it off, revealing a peg hole identical to the other side and allowing him to arm up with both his gun and the combined-mode gun in alt mode.

[technoblue]

Is anyone else planning to pick up PX-07 Triton (Paddles)?

I was planning to pass, even though it is a remold of Neptune and I think Neptune is one of the better figures in this line (next to Vulcun/Grimlock). But Planet X went and included an incentive this time: new translucent swords for Caelus. It's silly that this would make me flinch for the new mold, but it has. I didn't mind having the opaque swords when there wasn't an option to have something else, but now there is.

[mikeszekely]

Did some late night Ebaying. Wound up snagging a used Fansproject Function-X3 Smart Robin, aka Brainstorm. I was pretty excited to review this guy... I got Sigma L because I really liked Fansproject's vampiric re-imagining of Mindwipe, and Code because he seemed like a good price and I wanted to try another one. But Brainstorm was the only Autobot Headmaster I had as a kid, and he was always my favorite. So let's jump right in.

Aesthetically, he's much more G1 than the Generations version from awhile back. This can be a blessing if G1 is what you're looking for, but as much as I loved the Brainstorm of my youth I'm a huge fan of the mad scientist version in IDW's More Than Meets the Eye, which the Generations one takes his cues from.

One thing worth noting about Smart Robin is how well he hides his jet mode, especially from the front. He's missing the G1 wings on his shoulders, but he's still a very good match for G1 Brainstorm.

Even his back cleans up well, although from that side you can see where some jet mode parts are hiding.

"But Mike!" you say, "Brainstorm had a mouth plate! What's up with this face on Smart Robin?"

Well, for whatever reason he was animated with a face in the Japanese Headmasters cartoon, Fansproject is (I'm pretty sure) Japanese, and that's the look they went for. Fansproject didn't leave American/toy fans high and dry, though. Fansproject sells a masked face exclusively through their store for $20-$30, depending on whether or not you're a FP Core member. Fortunately, the seller I bought from already had and including the masked face, making me think I got a pretty good deal for $60.

And the masked face is Brainstorm exactly how I remembered him. I actually like the sculpt of Fansproject's heads a lot better than Has/Tak's.

There's not a ton of difference between the heads in their little robot modes. The masked face has lighter eyes and darker grays on his knees and abdomen. Both heads have the FP gimmick of having the forehead cover up the eyes in this mode. Articulation on the heads isn't great, and the same as the other heads in the Function-X line: shoulders can rotate, his can bend forward and a tiny shade backward, and the knees can bend. One advantage they've got over the Has/Tak head, aside from the knees, is that legs can move independently and aren't pinned together at the knee.

Well, masked face in hand, mouthed face goes back in the box.

While Smart Robin is much smaller than the Voyager-class Brainstorm, he scales just fine with fellow Function-X member Code. Now that I have three of them, though, I'm wondering if Sigma L is the odd Voayger-ish sized bot out? I guess I'll see after I get Quadruple U, who should arrive sometime next week.

I'm sorry to report that Smart Robin suffers from the same limited shoulder articulation and lack of wrist swivels that plagued Code. While his shoulders are on ball joints, they're just not cut out enough and his lateral movement is negligible. He does have bicep swivels and double-jointed elbows, which is nice and all... but so does the Hasbro version. Similarly, the head plugs on the same sort of rotating disc we saw on Code, so he can turn his head, but it lacks the swiveling part so he's got no up/down tilt. Since Hasbro Brainstorm's head guy has neck rotation that doubled as Brainstorm's, again we find that Smart Robin's no better than Brainstorm. Worse, actually, because Brainstorm has better lateral shoulder movement.

Things do improve on the lower half of the figure, though. His ball-jointed hips can swing all the way forward and back, and while he can't do the splits he can spread his legs much wider than Code. He's also got thigh swivels and knees that can bend well past 90 degrees. And while he doesn't have true ankle tilt, the front half of his foot is on a ball joint that, combined with a hinge, gives him his foot a good downward point, his toes can point up a bit, and the front half of his foot can rotate on the peg to give the impression of ankle tilt.

Oh, and one thing he definitely has Generations Brainstorm... a waist swivel. That's right, without that huge alt nose on his back he can turn at the hips- all the way around, in fact.

Speaking of his alt mode, it's again more G1 than Generations Brainstorm. Honestly, I think he cleans up nicer and does a better job hiding his robot bits, too. My only small complaint is that I wish the barrels of his guns came out past the nose a bit more, but that's pretty small potatoes. You'll notice that, while still smaller than Brainstorm, the size discrepancy isn't as pronounced in jet modes. This is because he's got a lot more alt nose than he was wearing on his back. Like Code, he's got a pretty ingenious transformation that has a lot of his fuselage stuff up inside his torso.

Well, it's a little tougher to recommend Smart Robin than his Function-X linemates. Fansproject went with a very thematic, very un-G1 look for Sigma L that I think paid off and gave him a ton of character. And Code's clever transformation seemed to make up for his shortcomings more since there wasn't another Chromedome toy to compare him too (at least, not in that scale). That's not the case for Smart Robin. Hasbro gave us a pretty good Brainstorm already, and while I feel comfortable telling you that Smart Robin is better, I don't know that he's triple or more the cost better, especially if you're into Nick Roche's MTMtE designs. I'd say if you have other Function-X releases Smart Robin has the same feel and you won't be disappointed if you pick him up, but if all you want is a Brainstorm for a Lost Light shelf you can probably save some money and get the Generations version.

[technoblue]

Jazz has some new paint:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/1054199-generation-toy-jazz-j4zz-69.html#post13680341

I dig it. I dig it more than the silver Martini-esque racer from the earlier photos.

[anime52k8]

better. not 100% sold yet but better.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Jazz has some new paint:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/1054199-generation-toy-jazz-j4zz-69.html#post13680341

I dig it. I dig it more than the silver Martini-esque racer from the earlier photos.

Definitely a step in the right direction. Give that thing a box spoiler and then I'll call it my MP Jazz.

[CoryHolmes]

Honestly, I thought that Smart Robin's transformation was the best of all the Function releases. The way the arms and torso collapse to fill in the cockpit is nothing short of amazing, something most Headmaster wannabe's don't even bother trying.

[mikeszekely]

Honestly, I thought that Smart Robin's transformation was the best of all the Function releases. The way the arms and torso collapse to fill in the cockpit is nothing short of amazing, something most Headmaster wannabe's don't even bother trying.

Yeah, I really love both his and Code's transformations. And I don't mean to sound negative on him, because he's an awesome figure in a vacuum. It's just that we're not in a vacuum, and I think that Generations Brainstorm is good enough for most people at (optimistically) a third of the price.

[David Hingtgen]

Mike---you got a GREAT deal on that Smart Robin. He was going for well above MSRP not that long ago, and to get the bonus head included----I'm envious. I want the head pretty bad, but not willing to pay half again what I did for the entire figure.

[mikeszekely]

Mike---you got a GREAT deal on that Smart Robin. He was going for well above MSRP not that long ago, and to get the bonus head included----I'm envious. I want the head pretty bad, but not willing to pay half again what I did for the entire figure.

Yeah, I think I've gotten pretty lucky with the Function-X line in general. Not counting shipping, I've yet to pay over $60 for any of them, and I've technically bought five of them now (M.A.D.L.A.W. is in my TFSource stack, and I'm waiting for Quadruple U to ship). But Smart Robin seems like the best deal I've gotten, since he's usually between $70-$100 on Ebay with just the one head. Which makes me really happy, but I think overall underscores my point about Generations Brainstorm being good enough for most people at a much lower price.

FWIW, have you looked at the Reprolabel set for Smart Robin? There's a special sticker in the set that gives him a faceplate. It's not as nice as the actual faceplated head, but it's a lot cheaper.

[anime52k8]

But as much as I like it, I echo your sentiment that something feels off. I'm not sure what it is either.

it's that he doesn't have 3 faces to swap between, that's what's off about him.

Edited June 12, 2016 by anime52k8

[David Hingtgen]

FWIW, have you looked at the Reprolabel set for Smart Robin? There's a special sticker in the set that gives him a faceplate. It's not as nice as the actual faceplated head, but it's a lot cheaper.

I own it. And didn't use the faceplate stickers. It's no substitute IMHO. I've seen headmasters, so I'm ok/used to a "faced" Brainstorm. But yeah---comics Brainstorm, and the original toy---I prefer a faceplate.

[seti88]

Not sure if this belongs here, however it is optimus with real bulky proportions...

http://www.taghobby.com/1-0/1-1/oritoy-2016%E5%B9%B4%E6%98%A5%E5%AD%A3%E7%99%BC%E5%94%AE-23cm%E9%AB%98-action-figure-transformers-hero-of-steel-series-optimus-prime-hk950/

[dizman]

I like it, shame it doesn't transform though. That high kick pose is pretty great, reminds me of the PS2 Yakuza game (same angle and everything).

[Tking22]

Yay! Now I don't have to settle for that Generation Toy Jazz! I don't own any ToyWorld figures, but from what I recall they put out those MP sized Constructicons that most people are loving right? I can't wait, I need me an MP Jazz.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Hmmm, 3 proposed MP-styled Jazz toys. It's right around this time when Takara reveals an official version....I hope.

[technoblue]

I hope Takara doesn't skimp on the details if they do decide to release an MP Jazz. But I fear the trend for cartoon accuracy.

[mikeszekely]

A lot of people like TW's Constructions because they're fairly accurate, appropriately sized bits that turn into very big, G1 toy-accurate vehicles that combine into a gigantic, insanely articulate OX-style Devy. Be warned, however, that they were also plagued with a variety of QC problems that have the set's staunchest defenders chewing out ToyWorld's account at TFW.

[anime52k8]

TW are ambitious and they have good ideas, but their final delivery needs work. I feel extremely lucky that mine didn't have any major problems other than scavengers arm.

[Dangard Ace]

I think someone said MMC was going to do Jazz as well. Consider how much I like Sphinx and Backdraft looks pretty nice I'll wait and see what they come up with.

https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/12523184_726575464144968_4054929061393033930_n.jpg?oh=052b8bbd28e044191b8bcebcfadff15d&oe=577BA491

[mikeszekely]

TW are ambitious and they have good ideas, but their final delivery needs work. I feel extremely lucky that mine didn't have any major problems other than scavengers arm.

You didn't have to file the parts that connect the leg to Scrapper?

[anime52k8]

You didn't have to file the parts that connect the leg to Scrapper?

no, the rails were super tight but I just kind of forced them til they worked. I'd like to figure out how to get apart the side pieces though. the springs that hold them in are WAY to strong.

[mikeszekely]

Hmm. So far I still have just the two, but I was planning on buying two more this month. I hope my luck is as good as yours...