ALL THINGS TRANSFORMERS!!!!

[thecorsair]

Thanks for not being a shill for Sunsurge... I love how some will wax poetic about him, and minimize the issues just to hype up the 3rd party developers... it seems hypocritical the side establishing based on love or hate for some manaufacturers. Kara, Hot Rod is Amazing! Sunsurge... clearly a pedestrian figure for a pedestrian "fan."

I was asked my opinion on the figure by franpincho and gave it.

Liking Sunsurge as much as I do also doesn't make me a "shill". It just means I really like it.

I own more Takara figures than 3rd party.

No hypocrisy there, just fact.

Not everyone likes the same things but most posters here can articulate their disagreement on something without resorting to the sort of inflammatory remarks and insults you have consistently aimed at me over the past few months.

franpincho,
Glad to hear the Make Toys Headmasters are decent, I definitely think I'll pick up Hardhead at some point as I'd like another tank bot to go with Warpath.

 

[karamazov80]

C'mon guys. Let's restrict our comments to the products and not collectors.

Ironhide certainly does have bicep rotation! The joint there is a little tight but it definitely rotates at the top of the red bicep area on the arm.

Thanks for that. I'll try it again later. It sure seemed locked in place when I was checking it out last night, but of course some of the joints on these figures are pretty tight. There is inevitably one or two points during transformation where I feel a little worried having because of the pressure it takes to move something around.

 

[franpincho]

I was asked my opinion on the figure by franpincho and gave it.

Liking Sunsurge as much as I do also doesn't make me a "shill". It just means I really like it.

I own more Takara figures than 3rd party.

No hypocrisy there, just fact.

Not everyone likes the same things but most posters here can articulate their disagreement on something without resorting to the sort of inflammatory remarks and insults you have consistently aimed at me over the past few months.

franpincho,
Glad to hear the Make Toys Headmasters are decent, I definitely think I'll pick up Hardhead at some point as I'd like another tank bot to go with Warpath.

They are great! Id say on par with FT as far as build quality is concerned.

I ordered sunsurge last night, and will give my verdict once on hand.

MT's Wrestle had finally shipped and it's on its way as well!

 

[thecorsair]

They are great! Id say on par with FT as far as build quality is concerned.

I ordered sunsurge last night, and will give my verdict once on hand.

MT's Wrestle had finally shipped and it's on its way as well!

I think Make Toys are just about up there with Fans Toys, Badcube and MMC, I think their Headmasters are probably their best MP style figures so far and most of their non MP stuff has been decent as well especially the IDW Minibots.

I hope you like Sunsurge when it arrives, but if not then you'll be able to resell and get your cash back easy enough, another decent one is likely to show up sooner or later.

 

[franpincho]

I think Make Toys are just about up there with Fans Toys, Badcube and MMC, I think their Headmasters are probably their best MP style figures so far and most of their non MP stuff has been decent as well especially the IDW Minibots.

I hope you like Sunsurge when it arrives, but if not then you'll be able to resell and get your cash back easy enough, another decent one is likely to show up sooner or later.

For sure, I'm trying to keep an open mind for things like these nowadays. I REALLY wanted a TT Sunstreaker, but the way they modified the vehicle is something I'm having a hard time seeing Lamborghini ever agreeing to. And if a better version comes along, then yeah, I'll upgrade. Simple enough.

On other subject, It's happening, boys and girls:

Ratchet is coming and it looks absolutely GLORIOUS.

 

[Spanbauer]

Ratchet looks great! I had a chance to take some photos of Ultra Magnus and Hot Rod today.

Hot Rod's a very nice figure. I like the color - not too pink and not too red. The backpack really doesn't bother me like it does others; in fact I actually think it's a very clever bit of engineering how they were able to compact so much of the car in the way that they have. The completely flat chest is less than ideal but I'm not convinced eliminating the Matrix gimmick (which I love) would have changed anything in that regard; the chest would still have to align with the collapsing headlght parts that complete the hood of the car. Of course I wish his upper legs were twice as thick as they are, but I don't see how that's possible. Not sure why they went with the opening panel technique that they did, as opposed to having the legs slide out like Prime's, but it's easily the cheapest feeling component of him.

Ultra Magnus is a beast; the weight and die cast of the figure definitely makes an impression. In photos I always thought he looked rather plain and in need of more detailing, but in person I think he's perfect. I love the all-in-one transformation that doesn't require removing the cab, and that no step is more complicated that necessary. In fact I believe that's true of all official Masterpiece figures after MP-10 and something that sets them apart from 3rd party figures. Magnus' legs are a great example; they could have easily made that a completely unecessary 30-step process, but instead forming his legs is about 4 simple steps. The arms and body are far more elaborate, because they need to be.

My reissue Magnus isn't great in truck mode. One of the smokestacks is loose, the white pegs that are supposed to hold the arms together always press apart, and the little blue tabs that hold the arms to the back of the truck are pretty weak sauce. But no real dealbreakers and everything's solid in robot mode.

In no particular order:

 

[thecorsair]

For sure, I'm trying to keep an open mind for things like these nowadays. I REALLY wanted a TT Sunstreaker, but the way they modified the vehicle is something I'm having a hard time seeing Lamborghini ever agreeing to. And if a better version comes along, then yeah, I'll upgrade. Simple enough.

On other subject, It's happening, boys and girls:

Ratchet is coming and it looks absolutely GLORIOUS.

View attachment 250690

High end car companies can be very picky so it's a decent bet that it's a reason why there's been no MP Sunstreaker and there's also a chance that a licensing issue is why we've not seen Jazz & Cliffjumper yet.

Porsche are apparently much more independent of their parent company than others within the VW Group so the existing agreements Takara have to use the VW Beetle and Lamborghini Countach don't mean it's a foregone conclusion that Porsche will follow suit which throws some doubt over Jazz and Cliffjumper.

There's been one Jazz revealed from that new company which seems to have died a death and the only confirmed Cliffjumper so far is from XTransbots which will probably look nice, but the chances of QC issues are high, particularly if you order from the first run.

Hopefully there'll be better options for both in due course.

What to say about Ratchet,

I like the character, mainly due to the UK Marvel comics as I recall him getting some good moments in those.

Do I want an MP scale figure of him? Yes. I'm just not convinced by any of the current options.

 

[BurningRage]

 

[YankeesFanboy]

Great pics, Spanbauer and BurningRage!

So production Ratchet's not going to have the Autobot/Red Cross amalgam on the shoulders? I would very much prefer them blank, hopefully there'll be Reprolabel crosses in the future.

Also, which is the better buy, the MT Visualizers or FT Spotter? I'm leaning toward the latter but I don't like how the panels behind the knees flop around after one transformation, at least according to one YouTube review.

 

[koolkollectibleskhai]

Great pics, Spanbauer and BurningRage!

So production Ratchet's not going to have the Autobot/Red Cross amalgam on the shoulders? I would very much prefer them blank, hopefully there'll be Reprolabel crosses in the future.

Also, which is the better buy, the MT Visualizers or FT Spotter? I'm leaning toward the latter but I don't like how the panels behind the knees flop around after one transformation, at least according to one YouTube review.

The inbox photos show that ratchet comes with its own sticker set with the cross.

 

[thecorsair]

which is the better buy, the MT Visualizers or FT Spotter? I'm leaning toward the latter but I don't like how the panels behind the knees flop around after one transformation, at least according to one YouTube review.

Having handled both I don't think there's a bad option whichever one you decide on.

I went with the FT one as at the time it was £40 cheaper and I wasn't about to pay jacked up ebay prices for the Make Toys effort. In the last day or two Make Toys have announced another run of theirs so now's the time to jump on that one should you choose it as prices are back to what the original run went for.

I like some things better on the Make Toys figure,

1. The green on the chest panel is so vibrant that when the light hits it the detailing looks like it's backlit. Not at all cartoon accurate, but it adds to the visual appeal of a character that's a bit bland compared to some of the heavier hitters.

2. The weapons are a nod to the G1 toy and how they tab in is a nice alternative to the usual MP style as it means they stay in the hand more solidly.

3. The transformation is more self contained.

Things I prefer on the FT one,

1. The overall color scheme, particularly the grey which makes the robots fit in with other MP's a bit better than the off white that Make Toys used.

2. The robot mode proportions.

3. The mini Reflector camera looks a tad nicer.

As yet I haven't transformed mine so I don't know if the knee panels loosening is a widespread issue or not. If it's a concern watch a few more reviews to see what others have said as that one guy might just have got a random dud or mishandled the figure to the point they loosened. Some reviewers treat their figures with no care and then wonder why problems occur.

If it is a production issue then FT usually offer replacement parts and will ship them to your dealer. If it's not something that's easily replaceable then your dealer should be OK with replacing the whole figure.

 

[Spanbauer]

Great pics, Spanbauer

Thanks!

 

[BurningRage]

Ordered delta magnus at amiami.

 

[lerath666]

loving the extra IDW style faces for magnus that come with Delta. But i don't want to get the whole figure just for the extra faces. anyone not like the IDW faces that are being included, and want tp sell them off?

 

[franpincho]

loving the extra IDW style faces for magnus that come with Delta. But i don't want to get the whole figure just for the extra faces. anyone not like the IDW faces that are being included, and want tp sell them off?

I'd wait for a KO set or something. I don't see how anyone in their right mind parting those out TBH.

Not for cheap at least.

 

[lerath666]

I'd wait for a KO set or something. I don't see how anyone in their right mind parting those out TBH.

Not for cheap at least.

Depends on your definition of cheap/ ESP considering they're his IDW face, considering how much HATE IDW styles get on these boards, I doubt I'll have that much difficulty.

Larger eyes + his chin "articulation". Really works for me The stock face is tooo cartoony for my tastes.

 

[EndoSickness]

I received Ironhide yesterday and I am really in love.
He looks beautiful. Memories cramped into a "toy".
I don´t care about the hip panels, I just care about the wonderful transformation, articuation, paintjob and accesories.
Even came with the collector coin and I´m as happy as it can get.
Definitely gonna get Bee, Wheeljack, Magnus, Hot Rod, Ratched at of course Prime.
But will keep MP-01 and 05. Those are first.
Photos will come, this needs to be shot.
Great job, Takara.

 

[Reinhardt]

Ironhide truly is gorgeous! And I have a feeling I'll like Ratchet even more.

 

[thecorsair]

New pics of Fans Toys Kickback & Hound



The bug wings are obviously not in the right place in robot mode but that's a mistake on the part of whoever posed it. The figure otherwise looks fantastic.



The eyes on the new face look too small and squinty which reminds me of Snarl's face before they tweaked it. I don't suppose it'll be too noticeable from across a room when he's on the shelf but it'd be nice if it got fixed before the figure goes into production.

The green has changed from the last prototype to a shade that's closer to the cartoon. I would have preferred a darker green like the G1 toy.

It looks like the alternate head is meant to be the diving mask from when he jumped into the water after Rumble in "More Than Meets The Eye".

I'm not quite as excited for Hound as I was prior to this pic but I still intend on getting two as my '84 alt mode shelf needs something other than sports cars and Optimus on it.

 

[lerath666]

Transformers MP-31 Delta Magnus by Takara Tomy | HobbyLink Japan

HLJ has delta magnus for 127$. average shipping from them is about 17$ for me .