The Unlicensed Third Party Transformers Thread

[Dangard Ace]

The DNA upgrade kit for TFxGodzilla is peak.  This is what Takara Tony should've release.  

 

[mikeszekely]

46 minutes ago, Dangard Ace said:

The DNA upgrade kit for TFxGodzilla is peak.  This is what Takara Tony should've release.

I've been really looking forward to this kit.  I'll review it proper when I get mine, but painting Grimlock gray and calling it a day was a huge letdown.  This kit really looks to take the figure from dud to stud.

I like supporting domestic small businesses when there isn't a huge price difference, and with DNA it was often even cheaper to buy from TCP than ShowZ in the pre-tariff days.  But TCP has gotten to be BBTS slow lately.  If it weren't for the fact that it's CNY and nobody's shipping anything for the next week anyway I'd cancel my preorder and just buy from ShowZ.

[M'Kyuun]

6 hours ago, Dangard Ace said:

The DNA upgrade kit for TFxGodzilla is peak.  This is what Takara Tony should've release.  

 

I didn't go in for this variation, but I'll add my two cents and compliment the good changes that the DNA kit make towards making him more Godzilla-y. As you said, TT should have released it like this themselves, especially with Gojira being a Japanese icon.

[Dangard Ace]

7 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I didn't go in for this variation, but I'll add my two cents and compliment the good changes that the DNA kit make towards making him more Godzilla-y. As you said, TT should have released it like this themselves, especially with Gojira being a Japanese icon.

13 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I've been really looking forward to this kit.  I'll review it proper when I get mine, but painting Grimlock gray and calling it a day was a huge letdown.  This kit really looks to take the figure from dud to stud.

I like supporting domestic small businesses when there isn't a huge price difference, and with DNA it was often even cheaper to buy from TCP than ShowZ in the pre-tariff days.  But TCP has gotten to be BBTS slow lately.  If it weren't for the fact that it's CNY and nobody's shipping anything for the next week anyway I'd cancel my preorder and just buy from ShowZ.

I didn’t buy this variation until I saw the DNA kit.   IMO TT half assed it and wasn’t worth my money.  
 

Too bad DNA couldn’t save Kiryu Prime.  Wasn’t feeling that one at all even with DNAs kit.  

[m0n5t3r]

On 9/24/2025 at 4:11 AM, mikeszekely said:

Me: I love a good "white Optimus" Ultra Magnus... too bad the only one Hasbro gave us is the one that makes up the core of Earthrise Ultra Magnus.  And at least that was Earthrise... I don't think we've had a Nemesis Prime since Siege!

Hasbro: Ok... we'll repaint that toy-style Deluxe Optimus as Magnus, and we'll pack him with a Nemesis repaint of Animated Optimus.  As a Target exclusive with two other guys.

Me, looking at SS86 Optimus: "Not exactly what I had in mind..."

Some guy in China, whispering: "Oh, I got you, bro..."

I'll be honest, I have no idea who's making these.  They come in a plain brown box with "MD-005" A, B, and C written on it, with check boxes that ostensibly should indicate what variant is inside but none of which were checked on either of the copies I got.  As you can see, they're knock-offs of SS86 Optimus, but in Ultra Magnus white and Nemesis black.  Note that Shattered Glass purple also exists, as well as regular red-and-blue Optimus.  I haven't decided if I want the SG version or not, and the regular Optimus version is sold out at my usual stores.

Now, again, this is MD-005.  There's another KO going around as AS-08.  By all reports, AS-08 is an inferior KO that's uses shoddy materials.  MD-005 does seem to use a different plastic than the official figure, but it's solid and feels good in the hands.  The joints are all solid, some tighter than the official figure.  In short, MD-005 feels like a quality figure.

These two versions (and the SG version) come with the rifle, Matrix, axe, and blast effects that SS86 Optimus came with, but not the trailer, repair drone, Roller, or the other effect parts.  Instead, they come with some alternate heads, a battle damage part, and some filler for the truck mode.  Regular Optimus comes with even more stuff, which I'll bring up if I can manage to get my hands on one.

The heads are probably the most interesting bit.  A lot of people seemed to not like the original SS86 head (left), though I thought it was fine.  But here you also get a season 1 head (middle) and 86 movie head (right), plus a battle damaged version of the movie head.  Personally I kinda like the SS86 head on Magnus, but the movie head for Nemesis.  Swapping them is as simple as yanking one head off the ball joint and popping another one on.

There's a notch in the panels on the sides you have to flip up when you spin the upper body for transformation.  The battle damage part takes advantage of that by using a small tab to plug into it.  Undoubtedly this part was created for the regular version of Prime, to recreate his iconic wound from his battle with Megatron, and whoever's making these figured they already had the part might as well stuff it in with all the colors.

As a (nearly) 1:1 copy of SS86, the transformation is the same.  They did replace the plastic wheels with rubber tires, though.  I didn't test the Season 1 head, but the movie head transforms just fine.

Which brings me to that last filler piece.  It's filler for the back of the cab, designed to look like an AC unit.  One side is flat, the other sloped, so you'll know which way it fits in.  And it just wedges in place, it doesn't tab or lock in.  It's a nice idea, and I don't even mind partsforming it, but there's no place to store it on the robot mode, so I doubt I'll ever really use them.

At roughly $40, these are high-quality figures that deliver the repaints that Hasbro can't/won't.  The extra heads are an especially nice touch.  My only real complaint is that I wish they painted the tops of their crotches, the way the official figure did.  If you're a fan of Magnus, SG Optimus, or Nemesis (@Scyla) then I can comfortably recommend them.  Heck, I'd be in for Delta Magnus, Shining Magnus, or Pepsi Optimus repaints, too. 

Sorry for resurrecting an old post. Wasn't sure where this goes... thanks for this and other YT reviews, I finally received my regular MD005 OP copy. Although I had to wait almost 3 months for this 4th batch to become available... good thing though, cuz I got in before the price increase. 

Amazing. All this for only $35. And the subtle aesthetic improvements make a world of difference... better colors (imo), no visible screws and seams, windshield options with no holes, head options, chrome wheels and rubber tires. Plus, qc on this thing (at least my copy) is close to perfect, which, sadly, I can't say for 1 out of every 2 or 3 Hasbro TFs I get, especially when they started with those open window packaging (paint touchups, joint tightening etc.)

Wishful thinking, but I wish all TF releases would be like this.

 

Edited yesterday at 06:30 AM by m0n5t3r

[mikeszekely]

1 minute ago, m0n5t3r said:

Sorry for resurrecting an old post. Wasn't sure where this goes... thanks for this and other YT reviews, I finally received my regular MD005 OP copy. Although I had to wait almost 3 months for this 4th batch to become available... good thing though, cuz I got in before the price increase. 

Amazing. All this for only $35. And the subtle aesthetic improvements make a world of difference... better colors imo, no visible screws and seams, windshield options with no holes, head options, chrome wheels and rubber tires. Plus, qc on this thing (at least my copy) is close to perfect, which, sadly, I can't say for 1 out of every 2 or 3 Hasbro TFs I get, especially when they started with those open window packaging.

Wishful thinking, but I wish all TF releases would be like this.

 

My original thinking was that I'd be fine with SS86 Optimus for regular colors, and that I'd just get the Magnus and Nemesis versions of MD005... but then I went and preordered the Optimus colors.  My just arrived this week, and I showed it to my wife alongside SS86.  I asked her to guess which one was the KO, and she picked the official.

One of the smokestacks on my copy was a little loose, but that wasn't a big deal since I'd bought some aftermarket stacks for the official.  Once I swapped them onto MD005 the figure is darn near perfect.  My only serious complaint with the mold is that the fillers they added to the parts of Prime's legs that fold up from his calves do too good of a job; one of those cutouts on the official figure is the right shape to plug in the magazine of Prime's rifle, allowing you to store it without putting it in the trailer.

Speaking of trailers... I prefer the blue stripes of the G1 toy (among other toys).  I ordered the Toyhax trailer labels.  I'll put them on the MD005 trailer and get the look I want while allowing the official trailer to remain pristine.

[m0n5t3r]

My thinking now, of course, is I saved some money . I canceled my preorder for the SS86 when I heard about the heel issue and I never got around to getting one whether online or when I saw it in a couple of stores in HK (Takara ver.). Didn't think it was worth the price anymore and I had also just gotten DCS OP to replace the Earthrise OP I sold off... and I was content at the time. I am planning to get that Magnus version when it becomes available from my go-to seller.

Edit: I was pleasantly surprised to find that my fusion cannon already includes batteries . The one I was watching online didn't have any batteries included in his copy.

Edited 21 hours ago by m0n5t3r