The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[eriku]

But that's pretty much what the fandom wants at this point. They want a spot-on plastic figure of the *TV show* Skyfire. Not Jetfire, not a VF-1, not a "classics Skyfire". There's already plenty of those out there. They want THIS:

And that's what it is. So those who want it, are probably happy with it.

Yep, that's what I want, and have wanted for years. I've always thought I found his cartoon design aesthetically pleasing based on my wide and varied tastes for fantasy space robots, but just recently I found out I only want a toy of it because I am stupid.

[Gakken85]

hahaha.

The twisted saga of jetfire never ends

[renegadeleader1]

Yep, that's what I want, and have wanted for years. I've always thought I found his cartoon design aesthetically pleasing based on my wide and varied tastes for fantasy space robots, but just recently I found out I only want a toy of it because I am stupid.

What's stupid is paying an extra couple hundred for the old same toy with a new paint scheme over and over, seeing a Michael Bay movie and expecting it to be good, or pre ordering a half naked girlie statue with removable clothing you really can't display out of embaressment over and over yet still buy anyway. Basically what I'm trying to say is we all are stupid for various reasons on this site.

[big F]

What's stupid is paying an extra couple hundred for the old same toy with a new paint scheme over and over, seeing a Michael Bay movie and expecting it to be good, or pre ordering a half naked girlie statue with removable clothing you really can't display out of embaressment over and over yet still buy anyway. Basically what I'm trying to say is we all are stupid for various reasons on this site.

Well at least that's settled, we can all just carry on being stupid Edited July 1, 2014 by big F

[JET7]

whats the estimated retail price on kronos-jetfire?

[eriku]

Kronos is approximately nine thousand $tupid$.

Converted to non-stupid-person currency that equals about $165

Here is his listing at BBTS (the S is for Stupid)

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=DCT10002&mode=retail

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

That is some stoopid money.

Shifting gears; now I like playing with my toys, but this dude takes it to another level:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=8LHWPvwD8Xk

Probably the best Maketoys commercial I have ever seen.

[UN Spacy]

That was pretty damn awesome.

[Gakken85]

very cool.

[areaseven]

Now that's how you sell a toy.

[big F]

Possibly more script than a Micheal Bay film.

Someone should start a crowd fund to stop motion the 86 movie.

[RD Blade]

Not interested unless they duplicate the backgrounds. Alot of those stop motions look great...until you see kitty litter box in the background.

[eriku]

That actually made me want the set, and I've never been much of a Constructicon guy. I love stop motion animation.

[Valkyrie2008]

That stop motion video is awesome, wish I have the time and relent to do that.

[big F]

My old boss's eldest does it he built a filming stage for him in the shed, he spend all weekend in there with his Lego, to get a few mins of footage.

Stop motion version of the 1986 movie would have to have all the proper backgrounds for me. Except the Junkion planet which could be filmed in a kitty litter box full of scrap toys parts.

[David Hingtgen]

My only complaint is--why did they make him LOSE? Should have had him win, if he's the featured character.

[Silverstreak]

Because Optimus Prime.

[David Hingtgen]

MMC's Talon (not-Divebomb) is out---at least a couple people have received shipping notices from HK-based retailers, and Peaugh just got his (shipped straight from MMC). So that's 4/5 of the team, with the final one still on-track for next month. Quite possible Feral Rex will be finished before TFC even reveals their not-Divebomb.

[Scyla]

So I received my FansToys Scoria and after having experience with their Quakewave toy it is kind of a letdown. QC issues all over the place mostly paint strokes not hitting the designated area which I can easily remove. A few other things are more of a concern to me.

The second head has fallen into the dirt while the paint was drying.

The die cast feet have a wired finish in some areas. It looks like as if they are covered in bruises. I think I can remove them with a polishing cloth.

A piece of chrome is missing on the side of his robot chest plate.

Other than that I noticed some wrong design choices. Where Quakewave hat ratchet joint in the right areas to hold all different kinds of poses Scoria is missing them in vital areas like the shoulder joint. The hips have the same design as MP Grimlock where they can fold down to make room for the transformation. In this area the joints are too weak for the weight of the legs. The legs are very heavy so I'm not sure how they could hold poses even if the transformation joint in the hip was super tight.

Also in some areas the plastic is very thin on the edges like the sides of the back plate and panels that cover the forearm where the fists store. Here I would have liked thicker plastic because to me it looks better than the thin edges for an aesthetic point of view.

Other than that I think it is a good figure but after they knocked it out of the park with Quakewave I expected a better product. I think the problem was that this figure has clear parts, chromed parts lots of (small) painted compared to Quakewave so I think their factory was not suited for such a jump in complexity.

I will try to get some replacement parts form the shop where I bought Scoria and hopefully they can figure out how to reduce the qc issues because I'm looking forward to their next release.

[edit:] After handling the toy some more I notice some strange design choices. Like the hind legs in alt mode have a beefy ball joints on the thighs and ratchets on the knees which would be great for holding weapons and posing but sadly they are on the wrong legs. The front legs have a friction joint on the elbows and a shoulder rotation as well as a ratchet for the outward motion. Sadly the friction joints are not strong enough to hold the weapons but are ok for posing in alt mode.

All the other joints have great ratchets (besides the transformation joint on the waist) so why leave the out on the arms in robot mode. There would be a real benefit. Even the head ratchets from side to side. The chromed plastic look f'in great especially on the head. I could have done without the die cast (even if I like the material itself) since it makes the arms and legs heavy and because the are anodized (I believe) instead of chromed the area a strange mismatch with the chromed plastic. However the material look is identical to MP Grimlock (which is a good thing I guess).

dl:dr Good solid toy with (some questionable design decisions) but a letdown after Quakewave.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Scyla

[Gakken85]

I'm glad I skipped it

Beyond the lackluster dino mode and scale problems with mp08, he just seems blocky and simple in the wrong places. Just not the same quality as the official stuff.

Edited July 3, 2014 by Gakken85

[Mechapilot77]

So I received my FansToys Scoria and after having experience with their Quakewave toy it is kind of a letdown. QC issues all over the place mostly paint strokes not hitting the designated area which I can easily remove. A few other things are more of a concern to me.

The second head has fallen into the dirt while the paint was drying.

The die cast feet have a wired finish in some areas. It looks like as if they are covered in bruises. I think I can remove them with a polishing cloth.

A piece of chrome is missing on the side of his robot chest plate.

Other than that I noticed some wrong design choices. Where Quakewave hat ratchet joint in the right areas to hold all different kinds of poses Scoria is missing them in vital areas like the shoulder joint. The hips have the same design as MP Grimlock where they can fold down to make room for the transformation. In this area the joints are too weak for the weight of the legs. The legs are very heavy so I'm not sure how they could hold poses even if the transformation joint in the hip was super tight.

Also in some areas the plastic is very thin on the edges like the sides of the back plate and panels that cover the forearm where the fists store. Here I would have liked thicker plastic because to me it looks better than the thin edges for an aesthetic point of view.

Other than that I think it is a good figure but after they knocked it out of the park with Quakewave I expected a better product. I think the problem was that this figure has clear parts, chromed parts lots of (small) painted compared to Quakewave so I think their factory was not suited for such a jump in complexity.

I will try to get some replacement parts form the shop where I bought Scoria and hopefully they can figure out how to reduce the qc issues because I'm looking forward to their next release.

[edit:] After handling the toy some more I notice some strange design choices. Like the hind legs in alt mode have a beefy ball joints on the thighs and ratchets on the knees which would be great for holding weapons and posing but sadly they are on the wrong legs. The front legs have a friction joint on the elbows and a shoulder rotation as well as a ratchet for the outward motion. Sadly the friction joints are not strong enough to hold the weapons but are ok for posing in alt mode.

All the other joints have great ratchets (besides the transformation joint on the waist) so why leave the out on the arms in robot mode. There would be a real benefit. Even the head ratchets from side to side. The chromed plastic look f'in great especially on the head. I could have done without the die cast (even if I like the material itself) since it makes the arms and legs heavy and because the are anodized (I believe) instead of chromed the area a strange mismatch with the chromed plastic. However the material look is identical to MP Grimlock (which is a good thing I guess).

dl:dr Good solid toy with (some questionable design decisions) but a letdown after Quakewave.

Mine is without issue at all, but i do agree that there were several design choices that i question. That being said, even the "loose hips" on some people's scoria is better than what most are getting with any grimlock made after the 2010 hasbro release (mine is still way tighter than my 2010 tru grimlock FWIW). i don't think this guy will be doin any high kung fun kicks (not for a long time anyway), but again i think this was a design choice...they made ratchets strong enough for most things but if people are expecting th eratchets to hold those heavy legs in any unsupported pose (like high kicks etc.)....its an unrealistic expectation for a figure with diecast in its feet. that said i'm totally happy i have it and mine will hold any pose (my shoulders are good) as long as both feet are on the ground. i know diecast wa s big part of qhy quakewave felt so good in hand but i think they need to reevalate its use and use sparingly if they don't put stronger ratchets in place as 3P customers will expect the world. still far and away the best dinobot toy produced by a wide wide margin.

[Gakken85]

Kronos review.

Looks ok... The big takeaway from the review is

1. Lots of weight.

2. No landing gear.

3. Fair amount of parts forming.

4. Looks pretty sad from the bottom (Not so great from the top either haha)

5. The reviewer is sorta sweaty...Hah.

It is kind of crazy that they made the chest transformation so floppy when they had all that blocky space to work with. I have to say it looks a lot better in robot mode in the video. Not nearly as bland. Still, doesn't make me want to buy one.

[Gakken85]

Got my first third party today. Stoked to open him.

[eriku]

Cool, how do you like him? I'm not really into the whole Bruticus project they have going, but I like Brawl and Swindle enough that I'm considering getting those two.

[Gakken85]

Haven't opened yet but I'll let you know.

yeah I'm going to base my future buys off how much I like this guy.

I just couldn't resist a decepticon tank.

[CoryHolmes]

I think the most disappointing thing about Warbatron is that even at this larger scale they haven't found a way to get a viable Bruticus elbow joint that isn't the arm-robot pulled open at the waist and legs pegged together.

[Hikuro]

But.....that's how it's always been. Why fix what ain't broken?

[Gakken85]

Some thoughts as I handle him:

Pros:

1. I like the packaging. It's sturdy and has a slip cover. It comes with a little comic that doesn't make sense and easy to understand instructions.

2. He looks good in Bot mode and has plenty of articulation. The hands are better than MP hands for sure. They hold his guns like a vice.

3. Everything is rock solid hard plastic. Pushing his arms in and out for transformation takes some doing, but it doesn't feel cheap in any capacity.

4. The transformation is simple, yet satisfying. You could probably figure it out without instructions.

5. The tank mode is cool, I vroomed it around my desk a bit and made some boom noises. The turret is fun.

6. I love the clear plastic on his head/eyes, and the little clear yellow target that pops up, adds some much needed variety to the palette.

7. The feet are just like Autobot MP feet, with little backwards "toes" for balance. The upper legs remind me a lot of soundwave's actually.

Cons:

1. The backpack/turret stays in pretty securely, but I feel like the peg could be longer for a better connection.

2. The knee joint is low, and the shoulder joint is a little odd. It's more the design of the figure itself though, and all the other articulation makes it work, but it feels a little .. crowded at times.

3. The head kind of sits on a pin that doesn't feel super sturdy when it's in place, as there is nothing behind its for a neck support. It stays up and tilts just fine, but it feels odd.

4. No wheels. Some simple slotted metal wheels would have been nice. Probably my biggest complaint about this figure. It reminds you that it's not a top shelf release, and it seems so simple to do.

5. The treads need more detail. It's just kind of a shaped gray with no color to make it more realistic.

Overall he's a pretty cool little bot for my first 3rd party purchase. It's not quite the quality of an Masterpiece Car, but it's almost there. It's definitely a big jump up from Generations level quality, with the plastic quality being so thick, the size, and no noticeable hollow spots, though the lack of material variety is a little bit of a let down. Maybe a little reflective paint would have helped in places, and a bit of diecast.

I feel like $65 would have been a better deal than the asking $88, but I guess 3rd parties generally run higher.

I always wanted this guy as a kid, and never had him, so that's one reason I bought it. I'll have to think long and hard about spending another $450 to complete Warbotron though. As fun as he is to handle and decent as the quality is, that's a big commitment. and I don't know if I want to devote that much space to a third party.

And here is a crappy pic next to lonely, lonely soundwave:

He displays just fine with MP's, which is what I want. I need to get some repro labels for him for sure.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Gakken85

[areaseven]

"Who is the bot that would risk his neck for his brother bot? Can ya dig it?"

[Twoducks]

Year of the dinobots just got even more dinobots. Fansproject enters with their own version with targetmasters included:

Looking good.

And review of the production sample of the Bullsfire Swoop:

Like it a lot more than the FT one.

[JB0]

Derpan? Really? You could at least arrange things so the fact that it's an anagram of pander isn't QUITE so obvious.

I mean, it's POSSIBLE to be less subtle, but... it'd be hard.

Or should I just assume that's an unfortunate coincidence and they have the utmost of respect for their audience?

[Gakken85]

Dinobot overload.
When did the dinos have targetmasters? Must have missed that.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Gakken85

[Twoducks]

Dinobot overload? Well then, prepare for Dinobot Überload:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/993740-mechaform-dino-mechs.html

Yep, ANOTHER 3P doing dinobots LOL

[Gakken85]

Pretty much guarantees that Takara will release official versions. I'm betting we see some kind of announcement by the end of the year or start of next. I don't see them leaving all this money on the table.

The only ones that look decent to me are the gigapowers.

Edited July 10, 2014 by Gakken85

[Mechapilot77]

Pretty much guarantees that Takara will release official versions. I'm betting we see some kind of announcement by the end of the year or start of next. I don't see them leaving all this money on the table.

The only ones that look decent to me are the gigapowers.

call me crazy but i think the FP ones look pretty awesome...if i was INTO "CHUG", i'd get it but a 7.6" figure from FP with a targetmaster? that will be expensive if they stick to their premium pricing scheme and the inlcusion of the targetmaster seems likely for them to try to justify a high price...i would not expect them to be much cheaper than the "MP Style" offerings form FT or GP I think the FT ones look great so far. I already have a scoria. gigapowers look ok too but not a fan of the exposed dino legs in bot mode (unless its sludge) as...i had the g1 toys already. I also like the FT aesthetics better so far. Size...well, gigpaowers will be slightly bigger but both will still be too short compared to the upcoming giant magnus. who knows, maybe i will get both sets if macrosss stuff form arcadia and bandai is slow this year. haha