The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[Tking22]

This guy looks pretty damn good, that alt mode is miles better then Scoria, but I don't think the bot mode is really any better, plus it better come with an all red toon face.

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/perfectfusion-caesium-masterpiece-slag.1064281/page-67

I have the Toon Scoria re-issue on pre-order, but this guy looks real nice too, and he's cheaper. I'll probably cancel Scoria and just go with this guy.

-I can't post the photos in here for some stupid reason, but the link above goes to new colored shots of PF Cesium, aka the new FansToys offshoot not MP Slag.

[technoblue]

Sweet.

The toon colors look good, although I'm trying to imagine what the X version will look like since I'm picking up that paint scheme. I'm also hoping Cesium X and Grinder X do not release in the same month like Soar X and Stomp X did. My wallet could use a breather in between these last two Fans Toys dinos, especially with all the other stuff that's on the way.

[M'Kyuun]

Finally got my Toy World Unearth (Scavenger), fortunately without any defects. Scavenger was my first Constructicon back in the 80's, and this figure is about everything I could have asked for in a MP interpretation. (IMHO, his vehicle mode scales better with CHUG, but he's generally accepted as being MP scaled). Also got my Perfect Effect hands and feet set for Bruticus- such an improvement over the stock hand/foot/weapon parts that come stock. He's towering over the other bots on my CHUG shelf, commanding attention.

[sh9000]

http://tfsource.com/make-toys/contact-shot/

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MKT10045&mode=retail

If they ever make it to a MP styled Powermaster Getaway, I might consider buying one.

[JB0]

http://tfsource.com/make-toys/contact-shot/

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=MKT10045&mode=retail

If they ever make it to a MP styled Powermaster Getaway, I might consider buying one.

I think it's mostly the shoulders, but the uncolored prototype just makes me think of CounterPunch.

[sh9000]

Apache

http://tfsource.com/fanstoys/ft-19-apache/

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Apache

http://tfsource.com/fanstoys/ft-19-apache/

It's the best looking one thus far IMO.

[M'Kyuun]

I'm an admitted G1 guy, but Springer's car mode has not stood the test of time well. While FT did a great job of capturing all three modes (that bot mode looks great), I prefer the updated Generations toy, as both his alts look good as well as his bot mode.

For those who really like G1 Springer, there are a few options out there now.

[CoryHolmes]

I got excited upon hearing of a 3P CounterPunch, then came crashing back to earth hard. Don't toy with my feelings, JB0!

[JB0]

I got excited upon hearing of a 3P CounterPunch, then came crashing back to earth hard. Don't toy with my feelings, JB0!

Now you know how I felt when I saw it. THE SUFFERING MUST BE SHARED!

[CoryHolmes]

*tears up JB0's Christmas card*

[JB0]

:'(

[mikeszekely]

Man, I go away for three weeks and this thread turns into a ghost town.

Meanwhile at TFCon Chicago... MMC's ReFormatted take on Megatron.

[Scyla]

That looks awesome and I will buy it. MMCs Cyclonus does away with Jaegertrons backpack so I hope he will have the same hefty feel as MMCs other bots. There are some reports over at TFW that the plastic on Jaegertron feels not up to par to the rest of the Reformatted line so I hope they fix that. Backdraft was already sub par quality wise so I don't hope this becomes the new norm when talking about MMC.

Speaking of MMC one of their designers is trying to kick start a new line of transforming toys called Unrustable Bastards. Complete new IP, transformable motorcycles with a core that also transforms into a smaller bot that can ride said machine:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/882339483/mayhem-mekanics-presents-the-unrustable-batards

I'm not a super fan of transforming robots but I will back it because it seems like a fun toy and I want 3rd party transforming robots to grow out of their IP infringing business someday.

[sh9000]

TFCon sale

https://tfsource.com/tfcon-sale/

[Dangard Ace]

Whehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe.....mine mine mine mine mine mine mine

[sh9000]

That looks pretty cool.

[Scyla]

Best news out of TFCon Chicago:

Oh, it seems like Ocular Max is doing a Springer too:

[kanedaestes]

Fanstoys had a silhouette image of devastator. Man I would be at that con this weekend since I live in the chi but more important things in life happened.

[mikeszekely]

TFCon sale

https://tfsource.com/tfcon-sale/

Kind of a disappointing sale; a lot of that Fansproject stuff has been their recent weekend sales, so I either already bought it or still don't want it.

For $20, though, I think I'll try KFC's Mugan Scope.

[valhary]

at least another option for optimus ginrai

Edited October 24, 2016 by valhary

[Dangard Ace]

Maketoys Downbeat is amazing. Looks like Jazz walked right out of the cartoon. Just like Ocular Max Sphinx. http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/maketoys-mtrm-9-downbeat-mp-jazz.1076382/

[sh9000]

I'll buy that. Maketoys MP G1 cartoon robot and car mode Stunticons would be an instant buy from me.

[mikeszekely]

Well, I might have been abroad for nearly a month, but that didn't stop me from letting my order stack fill up while I was gone. Tonight we're picking up where we left off with Generation Toys' not-Constructicons, starting with Crane, their version of Hook.

Based only on appearances, I think Crane makes a fine Hook. His head is a little short, and his torso has the same stylized look as the other GT Non-structicons, but he's got plenty of Hook-ish details: flat-top head, visored eyes, crane boom on his back, silver thighs, mostly-purple torso broken up by silver, green arms, cab on his shin. Where he does deviate from toy and 'toon, namely his gray biceps, black hands, and his rear wheels living on shoulder wings instead of his upper arm, deviate almost exactly the same way ToyWorld's Hook did.

Right off the bat, though, there are a few issues I'm having with the execution. His head wants to pop off almost every time I transform him. His backpack has two areas where stuff tabs in to hold it in place, but in both cases does so rather loosely. GT thinks to do stuff like have panels swing up to cover up the last little gap on the insides of his shins, but the cab collapses and the flaps just lay on his left shins. He's got these flaps that fold around to fill in the gaps on his shoulders, but moving his arms tends to push those panels back up (and why GT didn't just have the whole shoulder rotate is beyond me). The crane boom is longer than Crane is tall, so you have to angle it (for Mode 1) just so he can stand. And if you transform him according to his instructions kibble on the sides of his thighs will hinder his knee articulation.

Crane comes with his gun, the combined mode's gun, and an alternate head. The alternate head is a tad generic-looking, so it'll probably stay in the box.

The combined-mode gun does have a feature that allows it to be used outside of combined mode. You can transform it a little, then peg it into the chest plate that came with Dump Truck to make a sort of artillery piece. Do note that the sides should sit up higher than I have pictured. The tolerances on the gun are just way off... those panels are supposed to slide, but I put as much force on them as I dared and the wouldn't budge. It's worth noting that the gun pegs into the chest plate it two spots, but I only have it pegged in one because the other hole is too small for the peg on the chest plate.

Articulation is pretty much what you'd expect from a member of this set by now. His head is on a ball joint that provides both his neck rotation as well as good up-down and lateral tilt. His shoulders can rotate 360 degrees, and lateral movement his handled by the transformation joint. Essentially that gives him 90 degrees of ratcheted lateral movement, but the whole shoulder piece moves up above the torso. His shoulder wings are hinged laterally and can move 90 degrees out from the shoulder, as well as rotate. Molded detail makes it look like he's guns or missiles in his wings, which is cool. He's got bicep swivels, and his elbows are single hinges that get a little over 90 degrees. His hands are identical to the other GT figures; wrist rotation, fingers molded as once piece with a single hinge at the knuckles. He's got waist and thigh swivels. His hips are ratcheted for forward/backward movement, and he can get just shy of 90 degrees forward and maybe 45 degrees backward. Lateral movement is just a friction joint, but it does the job and gets you 90 degrees. His knees bend 90 degrees on friction joints, but again the leg kibble on the sides of his legs has to be moved so as not to impede his shins. I find that a little easier to do if you rotate the panels 90 degrees from what the instructions tell you. His ankles are on complicated armatures, but they can rotate and provide plenty of inward ankle tilt.

Crane's instructions describe three modes for the robot. The first is vintage Hook, with the crane boom lying over his back. The second has you rotate the boom around, then bend it at a joint so that it's over his shoulder.

Mode 3 is detaching the boom, which slides on and off via a pair of mushroom pegs. Aside from having less kibble on his back, I don't see the point. You could pretend it's a melee weapon, I guess, but there's really nowhere for him to hold onto it.

Up until now, the GT Constructicons have been getting a lot of praise from me for their alt modes, which are a pleasant blend of G1 and realistic details. And... I kind of feel like GT dropped the ball on Crane. He's still got the rubber tires, the painted hubcaps, painted lights and grill, caution marks, ladders, safety rails, and details like the pistons on the crane boom. In that sense, he's visually cohesive with the other members of the set. However, the space between the driver's cab and the crane operator's cab seems unusually long and empty, plus the black rear cab with painted windows doesn't match the front cab at all.

Unlike Combiner Wars Hook or ToyWorld's version, the crane deck doesn't turn, just the crane boom. That means that the rear cab prevents the boom from turning past it. The boom itself does turn, it can move from lying flat to pointed straight up, and it can extend one segment. The hook at the end has a pair of joints. One thing I do really like is that GT managed to work in stabilizers on the sides. Like the other GT Constructions, Crane's weapon does store in vehicle mode, and it's brilliant in its simplicity. The front cab opens up, and the gun folds up and tucks inside.

You'll recall that I originally decided to go with ToyWorld's Constructicons because, from photos alone, I thought they looked better. GT managed to surprise me because I found that in hand I really liked their Scrapper, Mixmaster, and Long Haul better than ToyWorld's. This time, though, ToyWorld's walking away the victor. Loose flaps, tolerances that are too tight in some spots and too loose in others, and some design choices that sometimes feel over-engineered don't quite measure up to the clean lines of ToyWorld's Hook. That's not to say that Crane's bad- he's still better than Maketoys' or Has/Tak's versions, but he's not quite on the level that his teammates are.

[mikeszekely]

Continuing with GT's Constructicon's, here's Navvy, their take on Scavenger.

Navvy is a fairly stylized version of Scavenger, but he's got most of the right details in the right places. It's smaller, but he's got his silver ironing board chest. He's still got the black head, silver mouth plate, and red visor, although the head has a more generic shape. He's still green on top, purple below the belt. He's still got a shovel coming out of his back, although the way it comes out has it sitting higher and not reaching down the way G1 and ToyWorld Scavenger's shovels do. The big difference between Navvy and other Scavengers is that he trades their T-shaped torsos for something a little more naturally proportioned, and in my opinion Navvy looks more dynamic for it.

The elephant in the room would be the big backpack kibble tucked between his back and the shovel. I'll give GT kudos, they worked to incorporate the combined-mode forearm into Navvy's bot mode so that you can say that there's no partsforming involved, and they even tried to make it interesting with little missiles and a thruster. However, if you're like me and don't necessarily mind partsforming, you can easily remove the backpack.

Navvy doesn't come with much in the way of accessories, since his contribution to the gestalt is the forearm and he's wearing it. You get his gun, an extra gun handle (presumably for either Scraper or Mixer Truck's guns), and a second head. The extra head is a touch more Scavenger-y, with the flat top and square section in the middle of a more squarish mouth plate. Unlike the extra heads that came with their Long Haul and their Hook, I think I prefer Navvy's extra head...

Yep, much better!

So, articulation. His head is on a ball joint with pretty good up-down and lateral tilt. His shoulders can rotate, and he's got hinges in his chest to allow the shoulders to swing out 90 degrees laterally. He's got bicep swivels and double-jointed elbows that go well past 90 degrees but don't quite have the room to get his forearm all the way up so he can touch his shoulder. His hands are identical to the other four in the set I've reviewed. He's got a waist swivel, but due to his transformation he can also rotate at the middle of his chest. Also do to transformation, Navvy sports an ab crunch. His hips can bend a little less than 90 degrees forward, backward, or laterally. Folding down a flap on the front of his leg is necessary to get more than the slightest bend forward, though. Navvy has thigh swivels, and his knees are single-jointed but go well past 90 degrees. His feet are kind of weird. Due to his transformation his foot can rotate, but he doesn't really have an ankle. Instead, his toes are attached to a discs, and you can position them by rotating the disc so that they're at an angle, simulating ankle tilt and keeping them flat when you put him in an A-stance. For stability, he's got heel spurs on the other side, and they're on identical discs and work the same way.

Like we've come to expect from GT, Navvy's got a nice, detailed alt mode, but there are a few things that stand out as being less-than-ideal. First, the front of the excavator is very obviously robot crotch. Second, his head is clearly visible behind the shovel. Third, the questionable use of silver for the filler panels on the back. There's some stuff I like going on, though, like the black treads and the fact that you can go from robot to excavator without removing the combined-mode forearm, which like Maketoys' is towed behind like a portable generator.

Again, though, you can remove the forearm if you prefer. My initial thought was that his top half and bottom half look weirdly off-center if you do that, but a quick Google search indicates that this is both real-world and G1 accurate. The top of the excavator doesn't rotate, but the shovel arm itself does. In addition to rotating, it can move up and down at the base of the shovel, with a second up-down hinge mid-arm and a third at the bucket. And like the other GT Constructicons, Navvy can store his gun in alt mode so that it's hidden and out-of-the-way.

My main gripe with Navvy is a continuing theme with this set. GT does some interesting engineering, but time and again you find yourself folding panels that don't lock into place. On the whole, though, I'd say that I prefer Navvy's robot mode but would probably give ToyWorld a slight edge on alt-mode. If I had to choose, though, I'd probably go with Navvy. He just feels a little more fun in hand.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

It looks like Toyworld is coming out swinging with MP-styled Aerialbots and Combaticons. Yeah, I know it's just one pic, but those front ends indicate stubby proportions. Well, maybe not Air Raid or Brawl (if that is who they are, that is).

[mikeszekely]

And now the last of the Generation Toy Constructicons, here's Bulldozer, their version of Bonecrusher (at least I assume it's supposed to be Bonecrusher...).

I kind of feel like I'm watching Sesame Street. "One of these things is not like the other..."

In all seriousness, GT went ahead and came up with a stylized version of Bonecrusher, just as the rest of their Constructicons were stylized. Thing is, while the other five were stylized they were still very recognizable (although I do wish Mixmaster had included an alternate toon-style head). Bonecrusher here, not so much. From the waist down he does have those green tread legs, but from the waist up he's really lacking any sort of Bonecrusher-y details. I mean, I guess the silver angular chest is meant to evoke the sticker details on the G1 toy, but in my not-so-humble opinion fails miserably. Then there's the head, which looks like it'd be a better fit for Scrapper or Scavenger than Bonecrusher. (Yes, one could argue that they were going for the toy's head, but then why the silver mouth plate instead of black?)

Of more practical concern is GT's decision to follow in Maketoys' footsteps and stick the dozer blade somewhere beside the chest, and like Maketoys it just creates a kibbley mess. At least on Maketoys' Bonecrusher's blade kibble was somewhat out of the way on his hips; by sticking the blades on his forearms and wrapping them up behind the shoulders GT has virtually guaranteed that they'll be in the way. There's enough articulation on the blades and the connecting parts that articulation isn't necessarily hindered, but posing the arms more or less requires you to move the kibble, get the arm in the pose you want, then finagle the blade around the posed arm.

Bottom line is that while GT's Bonecrusher looks kind of cool and fits aesthetically with the other five members of the set he looks about as much like Bonecrusher as a white and red painted Leader-1 from the Gobots looks like Starscream. It's like the other five Constructicons fired Bonecrusher and replaced him with with another Transformer who happened to turn into a bulldozer. In my head, I call him Constructicon Steve.

As with GT's Scavenger, Steve wears a combined-mode forearm like a cape with the same thruster and missiles. He doesn't have Scavenger's scoop to help hide the combiner hand, though. Once again, although Steve can transform between all three modes with it attached, it can easily be removed if you prefer.

Steve's accessories are basically the same as Scavengers; the attached forearm, his gun, an extra gun handle (also presumably for either Scrapper or Mixmaster), and an extra head. The extra head's kind of a disappointment. It does ditch the mouth plate of the installed head, which is kind of a step toward looking more like Bonecrusher... except that it still doesn't really look anything like Bonecrusher. However, with the vented cheeks, black chinstrap, thick brow, and trapezoidal mohawk flanked by two round bits, it does bear an uncanny resemblance to Maketoys' Bonecrusher...

(It's also kind of disappointing that everyone released after Mixmaster came with an alternate head when I still really want an alternate head for Mixmaster).

Well, it's either I at least give Steve a Bonecrusher mouth or I put one of Scavenger's heads on Hook so that he's not the left as the only Constructicon with a mouth...

Steve's articulation is more or less the same as Scavenger's, especially since they're 99% the same from the waist down. Since my review of Scavenger was just one post ago, I'll let you take a quick peek instead of re-typing the same stuff. Good? OK, now here's where Steve is different. One, the fold in his body is a little lower on the torso and locks into place, so it doesn't really work as an ab crunch the way it did on Scavenger. Two, due to some combination of how his arms transform and/or the shape of the arms themselves, he struggles to get a 90 degree bend at the elbow despite it being double-jointed.

Some unofficial fun- the sides of the dozer blade are just pegged onto the rest of the blade. They come off quite easily, and the little arms are just the right size to fit into Steve's hands, if you want to give him a melee weapon. I just wouldn't do it too often. While his gun slides down into his grip, the dozer pieces have to be forced in past his thumb, which could/will probably cause the thumb to eventually break.

Some official fun, too- while his legs are 99% the same as Scavenger's, there's a little bit extra for the dozer blade to attach to. While GT could have just left it on the sides of Steve's legs they actually fold into leg-mounted missile launchers, complete with little silver missiles poking out. The missiles slide in for alt mode and stick out for bot mode. They don't interfere with articulation, but they do rotate where they're attached so you can have them aiming however you like regardless of however you pose his legs.

Credit where credit is due, Steve makes for a pretty fantastic bulldozer. The large, wide dozer blade makes the one on ToyWorld's Bonecrusher look positively anemic, and I greatly prefer the closed cab to the little roof on ToyWorld/the original G1 toy. The grill, the large pistons on the main body, the smaller arms that hold the dozer blade to the treads, the exhaust pipe, and the air pre-cleaner filter are all nice real-world touches.

Like Scavenger, Steve tows the combined-mode forearm behind him disguised as some sort of portable generator, and like Scavenger's it can be removed. The pistons and the dozer blade attached to them can be manipulated a bit for posing, and like the other members of the set his gun stores out-of-sight in alt mode.

Ultimately, Steve suffers from the same sort of flaws that GT has had on every member of this set; unsecured flaps. In this case, the biggest offender is the front grill just lying on the back of his forearms. Despite that and the dozer kibble on his arms, my unbiased opinion is that he's actually a better toy than their Hook. My unbiased opinion, though, is that I can't get over how un-Bonescrusher he is. When I first saw him he was probably the single biggest reason I decided to buy the ToyWorld Constructicons, and if having a good Bonecrusher in robot mode is important to you then, yes, go with ToyWorld. Steve is definitely my least-favorite of the set. Of course, I don't think many people are buying this or any other version of the Constructions because they want the best Bonecrusher, so tune in tomorrow when I review the combined form of Gravity Builder.

[mikeszekely]

Tonight, at long last, I give you Gravity Builder, Generation Toys' version of Devastator!

Aesthetically... yep, that's Devastator all right. Now, you could argue that CW Devy is closer to the Sunbow model (minus his left leg), but let's all take a minute to recall that the Sunbow model looks like crap. Gravity Builder combines some good, burly proportions with the detail that came from GT's more realistic alt modes. While you can make the argument that Gravity Builder is a stylized Devastator, I personally feel like he's pretty close to the kind of monster I'd imagine the simplified Sunbow art was meant to represent.

And as long as I'm comparing him to CW Devy, I think it goes without saying that Gravity Builder has greater articulation. He doesn't feel as cheap, either. When I was arranging them for photos, I'd swear the entire CW Devy weighs as much as one GT Constructicon.

I think this is probably the comparison that most people are interested in, GT vs ToyWorld. And the ToyWorld set does have a lot going for it- it's bigger, if you're into that, and it's got a presence. It's got the most articulated hands of any combiner in my collection, and the partsforming hips and thighs give ToyWorld's Devy a lot of stability. For me, though, TW Devy is too big, and I was never a fan of the Studio OX head, silver thighs, or the way that Scavenger's shovel just dangled there. It also has those too-long arms and that too-small waist. Taking a look at Gravity Builder, he's got the shovel folded up, he's got much better proportions, and GT crafted a much better head. In other words, I think Gravity Builder is a better combined Devastator than ToyWorld's.

Then there's Maketoys' Giant. Side-by-side, it's clear that Gravity Builder took a lot of cues from Giant. They both use Long Haul to form the hips and thighs, and they both continue to minimize partsforming by having the forearms turn into portable generators that are towed by Constructicons and having the chest shield integrate into Long Haul's bed. They both have their heads permanently part of Hook. They both have detachable crane booms, and both of their booms bend in the middle to fold down over their backs. They're both more detailed due to the more realistic alt-modes of their constituent members. And, if you'll recall from my earlier review, GT's Bonecrusher has a head that looks very similar to Maketoys'. And while Giant is smaller than Gravity Builder, I'd say they even have pretty similar proportions. Giant is still a great-looking Devastator, but the so-called "Warbotron size" has become something of the de facto standard for 3P combiners now, and the Maketoys/Fansproject ones are just too small for my collection.

Gravity Builder, on the other hand, fits right in with the two Warbotron Combiners, most of TFC's stuff, Ordin, or Feral Rex.

You get two faces for Gravity Builder. The default is, I assume, his rage face. You can pop off just the silver part and swap it out with a more stoic face. Personally, I think the rage face is less, "I'm going to crush you, Autobots!" and more like he had the misfortune to use the toilet after Bruticus dropped a steamer and forgot to flush, so I'm going to go with the stoic face.

So, articulation. I think that Gravity Builder's head is on a ball joint, but I'm not sure if it's due to the way it's assembled or what but mine seems to have some issues getting the poses I want. His shoulders can rotate on ratchets that don't require a ton of force to move, but do hold the weight of the arm even when holding his gun. There are two or three ratchets in each shoulder for lateral movement as well. It can take a little work to coax his arms into the position you want, but the lateral range is nearly 90 degrees and that's pretty good for a combiner. He's got two bicep swivels, one at the top of the bicep and one at the bottom. It's important that you use the bottom one, as the one above is for unlocking and detaching the forearms from Scavenger and Bonecrusher. He's got a ratcheted, single-jointed elbow that gets more than 90 degrees. His wrist swivels, and each finger is individually articulated. The thumb is on a hinge with a ball joint at the base with a second hinge mid-way, so you can rotate it, fold it flat over the palm, make a thumb's up, whatever your heart desires. The fingers are on ball joints at the base with two more hinges. His fingers can get some splay and make some good poses, but he doesn't have as much range as ToyWorld's Devy, nor does he have the wrist bend. He uses Long Haul's waist and hips so the articulation is the same there. The knees use the ratchets in the combiner ports on Scrapper and Mixmaster, and they're very tight. You have to be careful manipulating them, because when you try to straighten his leg after bending the knee the force required makes Scrapper and Mixmaster want to slide back off. Finally, Scrapper and Mixmaster have a joint built into their torsos so that they can bend in combined mode, providing Gravity Builder with ankle tilt.

I want to note here that I do have two issues with articulation. The first is lower bicep swivel, the one for articulation, is a little loose, especially on the right arm. The second is that while Long Haul's hip ratchets are almost insanely tight, there's a lot of play between the clicks which makes Gravity Builder want to do the splits. It should be noted, however, that GT included replacement parts for both of those joints in the "Megasorry" pack that's supposed to come with Crane. I haven't installed them so I don't have any firsthand knowledge, but I'm hearing that the parts do fix those issues (although they're supposed to be somewhat difficult to install).

Gravity Builder's gun fits into his palm via a pair of tabs. The connection is tight; not the kind of tight that makes it hard to get out once you put it in, but the kind of tight where the pressure or the tabs wants to force the gun back out. So, while he can hold his gun, it doesn't take a lot of effort to get him to drop it.

In theory, Gravity Builder should also be able to use his crane boom as a melee weapon. Unfortunately, I couldn't seem to get the boom off, despite having done it with no issue when I reviewed GT's Hook. The boom can also rotate 180 degrees, allowing the boom to be deployed over his shoulder.

Gravity Builder's hands might not be as articulated as ToyWorld Devy's, but they do have a neat trick. You can fold open the back of the hand to reveal a trio of missiles inside.

Back view. As you can see, Gravity Builder cleans up pretty well even from behind. One small gripe is that Long Haul's hands are kind of visible in the small of Gravity Builder's back, but who's going to look back there anyway? As I mentioned before, the crane boom has a joint in it so it can fold over Gravity Builder's back. You can also see Scrapper, Mixmaster, and Long Haul's guns stowed away. Scrapper, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Hook, and Bonecrusher all store their weapons in exactly the same places as they do in vehicle mode, leaving them thoroughly tucked away to the point of being integrated. Long Haul can't, because his legs make up Gravity Builder's thighs, but his gun can still use one of the peg holes on his back.

Hook's can actually be deployed in combine mode by opening his cab and extending the barrel, giving Gravity Builder a small shoulder gun.

I like Gravity Builder a lot. He's got a lot of competition, though, so the question is really, "Is this the definitive Devastator?" With FansToys having recently announced that they're working a Devastator, knowing their reputation for quality and G1 accuracy, maybe not. I think you can also make a case for ToyWorld's Devastator being a better fit for an MP display, what with the better G1 accuracy of the individual Constructicons and the extra height in combined mode from the partsforming. That said, knowing Fanstoys it'll be years before they release their first Constructicon, and I personally think that Gravity Builder looks a lot better than ToyWorld's Devy when combined. Whether you call them MP, CHUG, or something else, Gravity Builder fits much better size-wise with the majority of other 3P combiners as well. So yeah, of the Devastators you can buy today, Gravity Builder is probably the best. So unless you really like the extra size of ToyWorld's Devy or you're looking for Constructicons to display uncombined with your MP Decepticons, Gravity Builder would be the Devastator I'd suggest.

[SuperHobo]

20 tons of hot teal blue robot steel. Oh so hot. Short review: buy MMC Carnifex if you want a hot Overlord toy.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Dem lips. Got mine stuck in a Pile o Loot, can't wait!

[SuperHobo]

Dem lips. Got mine stuck in a Pile o Loot, can't wait!

You'll love dem lips when you get him. Shoulder transformation is tricky and the front of the jet is fiddly to get pegged together, but once you do it a few times it's not too shabby.

[mikeszekely]

Wife picked up a camera for our vacation, so I figured I'd give it a whirl and let you guys decide if it's better or worse than my cell.

Anyway, the Constructicons weren't the only Generation Toy figures I picked up. Tonight, we'll have a look at J4ZZ, their oh-so-cleverly-named version of Jazz.

Over at the TFW2005 boards far too many "discussions" devolve into debates about what is and is not "Masterpiece," often with meaningless words like "Chugsterpiece" thrown around. I'm pretty content to ignore them 99% of the time, but I must confess that I'm not exactly sure what GT was going for here. He's very close in size to a HasTak MP car like Prowl here. And yet, Takara's MP line has always been about delivering toys that are accurate to the G1 cartoon (almost to a fault on some of the latest releases), and J4ZZ is clearly not. In fact, he seems to borrow a lot aesthetically from Reveal the Shield Jazz, with some people suggesting that he's meant to be more of an IDW version of Jazz.

Then again, if you're like me and don't really care about official, CHUG or MP, then he's about the same size as most combiner limbs.

However you want to slice it, he's definitely Jazz. He's got the car front for his chest, the head with the little ears, and mostly the right colors in the right places. One thing I dig is that the Jazz had light blue panels on his pelvis in the cartoon, perhaps in an attempt to recreate sticker detail. The cartoon didn't have square panels on his knees that the toy did, though. J4ZZ keeps the squares on his knees, but makes them translucent blue and ditches the blue on the pelvis.

Oh, for people who are about that sort of thing, J4ZZ is covered in paint. It might bother some people that his forearms are silver instead of white. It might also bother some people that his white isn't a flat white, but a pearlescent white that almost looks white compared to silver but silver compared to flat white.

One other aesthetic complain I have is that I wish the doors had more articulation than the open/close hinge. I know a lot of people would like them to hide away somehow, like G1 Jazz's animation model, but I'd have even been happy with a little joint like MP Prowl's that would let you angle the doors upward a little.

J4ZZ has very solid articulation. His head is on a hinged swivel with good upward tilt, poor downward tilt, and 360 degree rotation. The tires that sit above his shoulders are on a trio of hinges so they can stay close to his shoulders without hindering his shoulder movement. Likewise, the guns on his shoulders can rotate where they're connected to the back of his shoulders, plus there's a hinge and a ball joint, so they too can be maneuvered out of the way*. Then his actual shoulder can use both the transformation joint and a built-in hinge to get 90 degrees of lateral movement, and of course it can rotate. He's got bicep swivels, and his elbows are double-hinged to nearly allow him to touch his shoulder (if you transform him properly, a lot of people seem to like putting his arms backward which would only allow a single joint to bend 90 degrees). His wrists swivel, and his hands are typical GT and basically the same as MP cars (which is to say, molded fingers on a single hinge and a molded thumb). He's got a waist swivel. His hip armor can hinge out of the way, allowing his hips to bend nearly 90 degrees forward, backward, and laterally. He's got limited thigh swivels, but if you want more he's got a second swivel at the knee. Speaking of knees, they're a single joint that can bend 90 degrees, and oddly enough the only ratcheting joints on the figure. His ankles can tilt downward due to transformation, but there's not enough clearance to get any real upward tilt. He can get about 45 degrees of inward ankle tilt, which I think should be enough for most poses. If you want to fake a little more, though, his toes can rotate due to his transformation.

His lone accessory is his gun, which he holds fantastically well. Better than any of the MP cars I have, better than GT's Constructicons, and better than TFM's Wildrider.

*The shoulder guns are apparently a source of contention. Are they meant to reference the shoulder cannon the toy had? Neither G1 cartoon Jazz nor IDW Jazz has anything like them, and many fans have indicated a desire to remove them. Note that you can pop them off the ball joint, or remove the pin on the hinge, but you shouldn't unscrew the whole thing since the tires tab into the part that's screwed to back of his shoulders in alt mode.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. One major complaint is that J4ZZ's torso is pretty hollow. GT does have some fold out panels to help hide it, but panels that make up is abs don't sit flush with the panels on his sides. The white space indicated in the picture is actually the background showing through that gap.

In alt mode, J4ZZ's modern alt mode stands in stark contrast to the '70s and '80s alt modes of the official MP carbots. That said, he looks really good with the similarly modern alt mode of TFM's Wildrider.

J4ZZ seems to borrow less from RTS Jazz in alt mode. While RTS Jazz almost looks like a hatchback, J4ZZ is clearly a Porsche; a 997 GT3**, to be exact. GT uses a lot of both molded and painted details and rubber tires to bring his at mode to life.

**There's been some complaining that "a 911 doesn't suit Jazz". The 997 GT3 is in the 911 family, sure, but so was G1 Jazz's 935 Turbo. If you ask me, a 997 GT3 is as close you can get to modern version of

The side view mirrors and rear spoiler are a softer, rubbery plastic which will allow them to be bent and flexed without breaking.

While I think J4ZZ could use a little more, like 4s on the doors, the paint job is very Jazz-esque, which is to say it's very Martini Racing. Indeed, it's very close to actual Martini Racing livery on actual 997 GT3s. Maybe some Reprolabels for license plates, the Porsche badge, numbers, and the stripes on the sides?

While J4ZZ's feet occupy his cabin and there's really nothing to see by doing so, both doors are super easy to open and close. Rather than peg in, they're held in place in alt mode by magnets.

There's a small peg hole on J4ZZ's roof. You can peg his gun into it, and the gun even has a hinge to allow it to swivel upward about 45 degrees. This is fairly in keeping with Takara's MP cars (at least the ones I have). However, I'd rather have it hide away in alt mode like GT did with their Constructicons or TFM did with their Wildrider.

J4ZZ even cleans up well from underneath his alt mode, with practically nothing showing that looks like obvious robot. I'm doubly frustrated by those shoulder guns, though. If they weren't there, I'd imagine that there's just enough space there that if J4ZZ's gun folded up a little it could have stowed in the space those shoulder guns occupy.

J4ZZ is a great Jazz toy, but as I noted at the beginning of this review it's hard to say what exactly GT's plan was. I'd imagine that most people looking for an MP-sized Jazz will say that he's not G1-enough, especially with Maketoys' Downbeat just around the corner. I suppose, with an MP-10-sized IDW Optimus Prime and a companion IDW bomber Megatron coming from GT that maybe they're thinking about doing an entire line of "MP" IDW characters? Personally, I think he's a fine fit for my decidedly not MP collection; rather than pine for a more G1 Jazz, J4ZZ has me wanting a Prowl that's a Nissan 370Z. If modern takes on G1 characters is something that appeals to you then I'd happily recommend J4ZZ. However, I think I'm probably in the minority. If a G1 Jazz to fill a gap Takara's left if your official G1 MP collection is what you want J4ZZ is an aesthetic mismatch and you're probably better off waiting.

Edited November 3, 2016 by mikeszekely

[mikeszekely]

Last one until more stuff comes in. Tonight it's Fansproject's Function X8 Crox, their take on Skullcruncher.

Previously, Code, Smart Robin, and UUUU were fairly stylized yet ultimately close to Chromedome, Brainstorm, and Weirdwolf respectively, while Sigma L was barely recognizable as Mindwipe but done up in such an over-the-top vampire style that I was happy to go along with it. Crox here looks enough like Skullcruncher that he's recognizable as such, but Fansproject made some design decisions that are either odd (his mostly-green lower legs and green tail weapon) or done in a way that hurt this toy in favor of an Optimus Prime repaint (the black chest windows, and shrinking and moving Skullcruncher's white chest panel down to a grill-like spot on his abdomen). I get that repaints are often a necessary evil in this business; I think every release in the Function X line has seen repaints except for UUUU, Sigma L, and Browning II (and since Browning just came out there's still time for that mold to get repaints), but I'm not a fan of making sacrifices on the main mold that I will buy for the limited-edition repaint I won't. Aesthetically, I kind of prefer the Hasbro version.

I will say this, though- in typical Function X fashion, Crox cleans up really well. Titans Return Skullcruncher has the rear crocodile legs just hanging off of his shins and the crocodile head hanging off his back, while Crox has them hidden away so well you really couldn't tell what his alt mode is if you didn't already know. He's got some molded back detail painted up very nicely, and flaps to cover hollow gaps in his legs.

As long as I'm talking about where Crox beats Skullcruncher, I think Crox has a much better head sculpt. Also, and this is more a problem with Hasbro than something that Fansproject doing something exceptional, but Skullcruncher's knee joints are some of the loosest joints I've encountered on a Hasbro toy (which already tend to have looser joints than 3P toys or their Takara counterparts). I actually had a hard time keeping Skullcruncher standing.

Since we're on the subject of joints, Crox's head uses the same rotating disc system as most of the other Function X figures so his head can rotate and look down, or if you plug the head in backward and rotate it 180 degrees he can look up. His shoulders are on balljoints that give him some lateral movement, but combined with a transformation hinge can get over 90 degrees of lateral extension. He's got a bicep swivel and a single elbow hinge that can go a little over 90 degrees before his shoulder armor starts to get in the way. He doesn't have a wrist swivel exactly, but his forearm can rotate below the elbow joint and provides the same effect. He has a waist swivel, but it sometimes take some finesse to work the bottom of his abs around his hips. Also, his abs can't really crunch but he can arch his back a little. His hips are ball joints that can rotate 90 degrees forward or backward, but only about 45 degrees laterally before his hips collide with his torso. His thighs can swivel below the hips and his double-jointed knees can bend a little past 90 degrees. His feet are kind of weird, due to his transformation. Basically, they're connected to his legs on the front of his shin just above the foot. That connection can rotate, providing him with a small degree of inward ankle tilt but no ankle rotation or up/down tilt.

Like UUUU, he's got his tail weapon but lacks the gun of his G1 or Titans Return counterpart. The handle is quite long and the shape doesn't quite match the holes in his fists, so it takes a bit of effort to work it in and out of his hands. Once in place, though, it's held quite securely.

Also like UUUU, his weapon can be stored in robot mode so he doesn't have to carry it. It looks more natural than the way UUUU's sword hooked onto his thighs, which is a good thing.

Crox's only other accessory would be his Headmaster. The Headmaster is more G1-accurate, more detailed, and slightly more articulated than his Titans Return counterpart, and is almost identical to UUUU and Sigma L's with the visor that folds up over the face on his back.

If the competition between Crox and TR Skullcruncher was already a little closer than you'd expect, Crox actually fairs even less well against TR Skullcruncher in crocodile mode. Aesthetically, we have the same baffling decision to make his rear half and tail green instead of pink (at least from the top), plus Fansproject opted for green forepaws instead of white, and while Crox's more mechanical appearance is arguably more accurate I really dig the technorganic look of TR Skullcruncher. Both figures can look up and down, but TR Skullcruncher can also turn his head and look left or right. Both can rotate their front legs at the shoulder, both can extend their legs laterally at the elbow, and both can rotate their legs just below the elbow, while Crox can also move his paws a little on ball joints. Both can rotate at the waist, although Crox can wiggle a little up/down at the waist. Skullcruncher's hips are balljoints and can rotate and move a little laterally while Crox uses one joint for rotating and a separate hinge for lateral movement. The result is that Skullcruncher kind of spreads his legs while Crox just widens his stance. His rear paws are hinged so they can lie flat however you rotate his hips, but without any ankle tilt widening his stance is basically useless. Both figures have a single joint for swinging their tails left and right.

Both figures can open their mouths. Crox can open his mouth wider and he's got some spinning, spiked gears for grinding whatever he bites, while Skullcruncher has a molded tongue. Both figures also have spaces for their Headmasters to sit. Neither use the old G1 spot in the crocodile head, either, instead opting for space in the back. Credit where credit is due, the little windshield that Fansproject gave Crox makes does make sense here.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting a little cool on the Function X line. Crox lacks the innovative transformation of Code, Smart Robin, or UUUU- in fact, it's very similar to TR Skullcruncher. He also lacks the inspired design Fansproject used for Sigma L. His articulation is only superior to Skullcruncher's in that he has ankle tilts (with fairly limited range at that) and tighter joints, and below average compared to most modern 3P figures. Plus, he's basically Deluxe-sized, something that's true for most of the Function X line but smaller than most 3P "CHUG" figures. When I look at some of the Generation Toys figures that are retailing for $100, at Striker Manus retailing for $80, or MMC figures like Anarchus and Spartan retailing for $85, there's just no way that I can say that Crox is worth the $80 retail price tag he's carrying. When it comes to 3P, there are better figures at that price and for just a little more. When it comes to Skullcrunchers, yes, he's better than the TR version, but not that much better (especially if the Takara version fixes the weak knee joints). However, TFSource has been frequently running Fansproject figures on sale and I snagged Crox there for $40. Crox is a lot more palatable at that price, expecially if you're like me and you want to get all the Headmasters in the Function X line. That being said, I'm definitely waiting for TFSource to put Browning II on sale before I pick him up, and while I do want him and a Function X version of Hardhead to round out the collection I'm not particularly interested in Fansproject taking on the Headmaster Juniors.

Edited November 4, 2016 by mikeszekely

[CoryHolmes]

Agreed with all your points about the Function line. Code was groundbreaking, Smart Robin was sublime, and UUUU was just awesome. What they lack in size, they more than make up for with innovation. Then came Crox and I exited, stage right. Just bland and uninteresting, and def. not up to the bar set by the first 3.

[JB0]

In fairness, Skullcruncher really is one of the better of the recent Transformers. I'd say most of the figures at that scale are not as good as him.

He still shouldn't be punching that far above his class, but... he DOES punch a bit farther than his TR brothers.

Edited November 4, 2016 by JB0