Third party toy discussion (stuff that's been released)

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 5:31 pm

Ah damn it man, you swayed me over again!

I'm going to use the shortest setting for the hips anyway, so the extending tabs only matter on me for Razorclaw's robot mode.

Some pictures would be nice, just to gawk at the thing in general!

Paul053 · Post by **Paul053** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 7:34 pm

So far, I have no problem with my arm less MMC Predaking. I do find he does lean backward a tiny bit but like Clay said, there is a tab thing at the foot that can secure the position. I got Talon and Tigris but still haven't got the chance to open them. I can see the extra weight of the arms and wings on the tab cause some issues, but many pictures I saw on the web seemed fine.

If you want, you can see this dude's review as he got some decent pictures and mentioned some issues, too.
http://blackplasticlife.blogspot.com/20 ... feral.html

numbat · Post by **numbat** » Thu Sep 25, 2014 9:00 pm

I got Fansproject City Commander armour for my Classics Ultra Magnus way back in the first release, and have picked up various Justitoys WSTs (including the Dinobots, Blaster and Shockwave) plus iGear Legends Bumblebee.

I absolutely love my City Commander armour, and the build quality and finish are great. It's a shame I missed out on the upgrade with the shoulder missiles later on though (didn't have enough money at the time of release... but if anyone could ever help me out, please let me know!).

The WSTs vary wildly, as my reviews elsewhere on the Archive show. I gave up after Shockwave and Blaster were both pretty major disasters (following Swoop, who was only a moderate and fixable disaster).

iGear Bumblebee was meh.

Recently, however, I have picked up the Maketoys Armageddon add-on for YOTS Supreme Omega Supreme. It is absolutely awesome! And the build quality seems good. In all, my Omega Supreme now has almost as much mass as Generations Metroplex (which says a lot about the build quality of the current mainline toys...). And the base mode! Wow! I have never been excited by a base mode in my life before, but with the Armageddon add-on Omega Supreme is imposing and a great homage to the G1 character (particularly if you keep the arm cannon attached to the spaceship for a more rocket-like effect). The only negative about the add-on is that the light switches are in awkward places (indeed, you need to part dismantle the arm cannon to switch on the light, and then reassemble with it turned on). However, I would have happily bought it without lights (I'm not generally a fan of electronics), and at the same price too. So the arm cannon light is actually a nice bonus.

I also got Perfect Effect Warden (IDW Fortress Maximus). This is my first proper big third party stand-alone figure. I am extremely impressed by the build quality and finish. The articulation and centre of gravity also allows for amazing poses, and the robot mode and Headmaster are awesome. I wasn't blown away by the transformation or alt mode though - he's basically a part-former, and a fiddly one at that. If Hasbro or Takara released him, the internet would ring with the clamour of moaning fanboys due to the transformation and alt mode. However, he is one of my favourite display pieces just now and reckon he will remain as one. (After all, City Commander Ultra Magnus doesn't work well in alt mode either...)

I've got Hexatron Continuum on preorder, as well as the upgrade kit for Warden.

I think the third party toys I have all fit in with their respective Hasbro lines (WSTs with WSTs and others with Classics). With the Classics inspired ones, the only difference is they generally have a better finish than the 'official' toys, although I have a very limited selection so it may not be widely true.

Third party toys have the potential to effectively allow me to complete my updated G1 collection relatively shortly I think, and possibly better than Hasbro would ever let me (if at all). The Combiner Wars pictures just put me off finally - I can't believe I missed out an an excellent third party Menasor waiting for the 'official' one, which is frankly terrible (at least not my style). I had been drawing an arbitrary line between official and third party figures, but now I see no reason they can't all be part of what is really quite a personal collection.

Post by **Clay** » Fri Sep 26, 2014 12:36 am

numbat wrote:
Recently, however, I have picked up the Maketoys Armageddon add-on for YOTS Supreme Omega Supreme. It is absolutely awesome!

I've seen that! It does make a fine rocket base.

I had been drawing an arbitrary line between official and third party figures, but now I see no reason they can't all be part of what is really quite a personal collection.

Yep, you got it. The caveat of course is the price of the figures... smaller production runs lead to a higher price per unit. So you just have to use your best judgment as to what Hasbro will and won't make. Nice, high end collectible combiners seem firmly in the camp of the later, whereas virtually any other single character is fair game (Straxus, Springer, Skybite). And then sometimes the Hasbro stuff comes out later and is actually less impressive than the unofficial stuff (I like my Uranos and Intimidator just fine!). It's a crapshoot in that regard.

Anyway! Some Feral Rex pictures! Sorry for the low definition; I was using my phone.

Here his holding his sword. No problems with the elbow joint in Talon supporting the weight.

Here he is doing so while on one foot! His right foot is off the ground by about an inch or two. I used the tab in the heel to help lock the left ankle in place. Some fine-tune counterbalancing is done by manipulating the wings.

Here he is with arms outstretched and using the articulation in his toe. Again, I used the wings to counterbalance where needed.

Here Feral Rex does the "Flying Crane" from the Karate Kid:

And here's an attempt at the "Iron Man" pose:

And here he is just standing there, not doing anything.

So... yeah. I don't have any balance issues with Feral Rex at all. Between having the articulated wings for counterbalance and the locks in the ankles, he's very stable for a big combiner. He is, of course, super-fiddly, but that's just their nature. Big combiners aren't like Unicron or some other large figure that is comprised of large, static parts. They're made of many more pieces that consequently like to move around when you're trying to pose the figure, so it takes a bit more patience.

I'm probably going to take him apart over the weekend and just display the group as an ensemble, though. They're quite nice that way, too!

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 10:58 am

Thumbs aren't showing up here, but links work.

Quantron is nice. At closer to half the price I'd probably snap up another set; Overheat is the only figure that's a bit weak in robot mode -- Metalstorm would look good alongside Assaulter in a Wreckers display, and the limb deluxes are all very characterful (particularly Sonic Drill). All feel well-made and substantial enough, minor odd design choices (Sonic Drill's telescopic torso connector and the half-wheels on Celeritas). There are a few tight tolerances, but I only had to give up and read the step-by-step instructions with Drillstorm. The result's gorgeous.

Tempted by the recolour of Sonic Drill that'll be out in future and Warbotron's not-Afterburner for the better robot mode.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 11:38 am

LOL Clay you must either have a very solid copy or half the reviewers and naggers I have seen/read are just piss poor bad.

I'm constantly swinging back and forth on this set

At least Talon gives me enough practice on sliding these knives onto their hands. Read that a lot of people had issues with them snapping on Bovis and Fortis.

Next Feralcon for me? Bovis or Tigris? Hmmm...

Post by **Clay** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 3:38 pm

Denyer wrote:Quantron is nice. ...The result's gorgeous.

You've got one already? Where did you preorder it from? I know they've been starting to filter out into the wild for a few weeks now.

Knightdramon wrote:LOL Clay you must either have a very solid copy or half the reviewers and naggers I have seen/read are just piss poor bad.

It could be both? As I say, patience is the key... after they've waited for a year to collect the full set, they may just be too impatient to mess with it properly. After all, they've got to get it on the shelf and start on the next set!

But yeah, they may just be bad at balancing things. Feral Rex is easy to balance compared to something like Hercules.

At least Talon gives me enough practice on sliding these knives onto their hands. Read that a lot of people had issues with them snapping on Bovis and Fortis.

That is legitimately tricky, true. I can't remember if I ever succeeded with Bovis or if I just didn't bother. I know I got Fortis to hold his... In the end, I just put the knives on the little hip holsters and they looked great there. But that's a relatively minor quibble. Two component figures having difficulty holding some of their weapons is much different than "combined mode can't stand", you know?

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 5:01 pm

As far as I know, Quantron is available in the UK already via at least Kapow. Lots of people have gotten theirs from Kapow. No clue about the US yet.

I've read reports of people actually snapping the daggers on the palms of the figures, so I was very careful and hesitant initially with Talon.

What you're saying can also be constituted as actual constructive criticism on 99% of the reviewers out there; the need to be the first to have that damn video out overcomes the need to know how to handle the figure in your hands. The MP Wheeljack review [the first that came out] was so rushed I think it was the guy's second transformation or so.

Paul053 · Post by **Paul053** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 5:24 pm

Clay wrote:As I say, patience is the key

This! That's why I never bother open them quickly. I always spend my time to enjoy each individual figure first, then take the pictures and write my own reviews and then move on to the next. That's how I did with the Green Giant, too.

That is legitimately tricky, true. I can't remember if I ever succeeded with Bovis or if I just didn't bother. I know I got Fortis to hold his... In the end, I just put the knives on the little hip holsters and they looked great there. But that's a relatively minor quibble. Two component figures having difficulty holding some of their weapons is much different than "combined mode can't stand", you know?

Me too. I never succeed on Bovis. Always fear I would break something. Those daggers look nice on the side of his arms, too.

I will be taking a break from 3rd party stuffs for now as there aren't much I'm interested in, too. Maybe MMC's Elita-One. But will wait until I see the pictures and then decide.

Post by **Clay** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 6:29 pm

Paul053 wrote:This! That's why I never bother open them quickly. I always spend my time to enjoy each individual figure first, then take the pictures and write my own reviews and then move on to the next. That's how I did with the Green Giant, too.

But if they're not the first one to have it, it doesn't count!

Nah, you hit the nail on the head. And it actually quietly irks me that some of the "video reviewer" people have made a name for themselves and get free toys out of it by getting video reviews up first, despite it being blatantly obvious that they have no idea what they're doing. But they're the first!

How is Giant, anyway? I've always wanted the yellow version, but it seems I missed the window of opportunity for that. But the more that I look at the green version, the more appealing double-dipping on Devastators becomes...

Post by **Denyer** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:23 pm

As Dion said, they've made it to the UK.

despite it being blatantly obvious that they have no idea what they're doing

I kind of like the more clueless reviews rather than folk who've posed things to show off the best side. Also tend to watch YouTube reviews on mute and/or fast forward to the angles I'm interested in, though.

Feralcons "sword" weapons... they just need a bit of care with Bovis (but mine are on his hips anyway, he's got a blaster and the sword that came with FP not-Vortex).

Anything the size of these combiners is going to be fairly heavy. Quantron and FP Bruticus have different approaches but are both pretty successful, and judging by the big cylinder pegs Feral Rex should hold together well enough... but a lot of people don't seem to latch onto the concept of centre of gravity.

Thumbs seem to be working now.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Sat Sep 27, 2014 7:35 pm

I can't watch video reviews with the sound off---I actually want to hear the sounds joints/the plastic makes to determine strong ratchets/weak ratchets, squeaky thin plastic etc.

For video reviews I tend to follow emg316 myself---once you get over his "furmanisms" [he basically repeats every other word in every review of his] he's good at showing things properly, his reviews are well-lit, no "inside" buddy buddy jokes for/from other reviewers, properly showing what has to be done and pokes some fun at the fandom's OCD more than often.

---On topic---

People [or a certain sub-set of them] are making a fuss of MT Defensor's Streetwise being white instead of light gray on the CAD.

F*cking laughing 1st world problems matter or important?

Fire away

Paul053 · Post by **Paul053** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 3:15 pm

Clay wrote:But if they're not the first one to have it, it doesn't count!

Right...... Actually just think by. I haven't got any used toys off eBay or others for quite a while.

How is Giant, anyway? I've always wanted the yellow version, but it seems I missed the window of opportunity for that. But the more that I look at the green version, the more appealing double-dipping on Devastators becomes...

He is awesome. I knew there was a huge debate between Giant and Hercules when they came out. But I have no regret when I choose MT. I know they don't have same height in each individual's robot mode bothered many people but not me. And many people complained each individual robot mode is not G1 enough but I'm totally fine, too. Yes, each individual robot has some flaws but the combined mode is just too cool. I still remembered the first time when I combined him. My jaw was opened in awesomeness. Hope I will have the same feeling when I finally combine MMC's Predaking. Here is my review of Giant if you are interested in browsing it.

Post by **Clay** » Mon Sep 29, 2014 9:51 pm

Clay wrote:As for the telescoping legs, yeah, they could have made little external tabs to lock them into a position instead of using just the internal ratchets,

Nevermind, I found them...

DERP.

Paul053 wrote:He is awesome. I knew there was a huge debate between Giant and Hercules when they came out. But I have no regret when I choose MT. I know they don't have same height in each individual's robot mode bothered many people but not me. And many people complained each individual robot mode is not G1 enough but I'm totally fine, too. Yes, each individual robot has some flaws but the combined mode is just too cool. I still remembered the first time when I combined him. My jaw was opened in awesomeness. Hope I will have the same feeling when I finally combine MMC's Predaking. Here is my review of Giant if you are interested in browsing it.

Already read your review

.

Yeah, the more I look at it, the more I like the deviations from G1. I especially like the way the crane arm folds down behind the combined form, and how the ensemble of robots are quite different from one another. I don't dislike Hercules now, but I've been playing around with Uranos, Intimidator, and Feral Rex frequently after completing the latter, and it amazes me how far these things have come in such a short span of time. Hercules was a great rough start and showed that it could be done and be economically viable, but I think Giant fits more with the overall style of those that have followed - more detailed, figures more lean and less blocky, etc.

I highly doubt I'll ever get rid of Herc, but Giant seems to fit the "flow" as it's just happened to turn out. I'm strongly considering acquiring one after Quantron and not-Bruticus finish up.

Paul053 · Post by **Paul053** » Tue Sep 30, 2014 4:32 pm

Clay wrote:Nevermind, I found them...

Not really sure which one you were talking about but I like the way you fold the lion paws up. Tried myself last night and that actually gave more clearance room for the knees bend.

Already read your review .

I don't dislike Hercules now, but I've been playing around with Uranos, Intimidator, and Feral Rex frequently after completing the latter, and it amazes me how far these things have come in such a short span of time. Hercules was a great rough start and showed that it could be done and be economically viable, but I think Giant fits more with the overall style of those that have followed - more detailed, figures more lean and less blocky, etc.

Actually last week I just took my Green Giant down, separated him apart and transformed each one, and then put them back in one and back to the shelve. I have to say I still like him/them a lot. True, Scrapper is still a pain to get things right especially his scoop, but their overall quality and engineer are still very good (and different than MMC Predaking). I feel I still like the tall deluxe class size although MMC's tall voyager and ultra sizes are also pretty good. Lucky you got all those. 3rd party combiners I only got Green Giant and Feral Rex and the rest I still use FP upgrade Bruticus and FP upgrade Superion (and a homemade Nexus). I'm thinking about Hasbro's Menasor next year although he still looks kind of ............. ugly.

Post by **Clay** » Sun Oct 05, 2014 10:43 pm

It's been two weeks and I'm still playing with the MMC Predacons everyday. They're the most persistent fun I've had with transformers in a long time.

More pictures! I discovered that the animal modes are all articulate enough to relax and lay down instead of being stuck in the vicious stand off pose all the time. I like this.

Skyquake87 · Post by **Skyquake87** » Mon Oct 06, 2014 8:10 am

Aww would not-Razorclaw like a kitty treat..?

Post by **Clay** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 1:59 am

So I've been missing around with Quantron since Saturday now. It gets most of it right. The fact that Computron had a giant gun on his back that he couldn't use was always a bit silly. Quantron is a fair bit more efficient in that regard. Having the hands stow inside the combiner toes is a nice touch, too. But, unlike Feral Rex or Intimidator, the gestalt parts really don't have anywhere to go when the team is in robot mode. Granted, they can attach to Metalstorm's legs, but this looks ridiculous and causes lots of balance problems (Diesel also has this problem, but the surplus parts also make a nice box thing). Would've been nice if the extra parts could have made artillery or something for the smaller limb bots.

I really like the individual robots as well. Sonic Drill's transformation is an over-engineered mess, but everything's fine on either end of the process. All five of them are nicely reminiscent of their original counterparts while having varying degrees of revision. I love the Tron cycle! They make a lovely ensemble group, although I'm terribly biased towards the Technobots. I had them all for my fifth birthday, and still have most of them today (although Nosecone is the only one with his head still intact). They just hit that "late 80's sci-fi futuristic vehicles and spaceships" spot so resoundingly that I can't help but like them. And I do. And now I've totally exhausted the toy budget for the foreseeable future. But it was worth it.

Post by **zigzagger** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 2:39 am

Re: Quantron -- Of all the third party combiners out there that I've seen, I think Quantron is the most... 'slick', I guess is the word I'm looking for. It all just comes together nicely.

Also like how Not-Scattorshot's cannon can be shaped to look like both a crossbow and a bow and arrow. Has that whole elegant archer thing going for it.

Not-Strafe is pretty sharp. He looks suitably fast and properly "futuristic".

Post by **Denyer** » Tue Oct 14, 2014 7:34 pm

http://www.mmc-hub.com/interview-mmcs-griffith76/