I was in a little bit of a fluster last week having seen how sweet the FansProject Protector armour is going to be. My problem is this: I sold my Classics Hot Rodimus more than 2 years ago and never got around to getting the Henkei one.
My buddies at OZ Formers suggested that the Henkei version goes best with the Protector amour. I tend to believe their judgment. So I decided to go out and hunt for the Henkei Hot Rod. Here comes the second problem - he goes for between US$100 to US$150, way too much for a recent release. For that amount, I'd rather buy a vintage G1 figure.
I decided that since I am in HK, now, nothing is impossible. I just have to look really really hard at each and every toy shop. Surely someone here must have a Henkei Hot Rod for sale at a reasonable price, right? After lots and lots of looking and literally hundreds of shops later, I did find a Henkei Hot Rod tonight - for HK$450. That's AUD$57.44 and highly highly reasonable in the context of the stratospheric prices for this piece nowadays. Needless to say, I grabbed it and ran, and never looked back.
Ran into another shop and into Henkei Cyclonus, another Henkei piece I have been looking for. This one for HK$299 (approx AUD$38.16; SGD$49.67). A very good price too considering that I have seen pieces sell for HK$580 and in Singapore for SGD$70. So, I grabbed it too and ran.
2 'rare' Henkeis in a day. Not bad for a Tuesday.
What's the difference between these and the Challenge at Cybertron set?
ReplyDeleteI can grab the later for 50 SGD. The Galvatron is a total meh, but I'll count it as a free figure.
In the short, (1) the colour of the plastic; (2) the paint applications; (3) the chrome; and (4) if you are interested, the packaging.
ReplyDeleteThe Henkei colour schemes are widely considered to be more G1 accurate than Classics and/or Generations.
The Challenge for Cybertron Cyclonus is actually pretty decent, but Hot Rod and Galvatron looks terrible and you'd have to look really carefully to make sure the set you are getting is painted well (as with Hasbro releases, quality varies from one package to another).
The KEY point, however, is this: Only the Henkei Hot Rod colour scheme compliments the December 2010 release of the FansProject Protector amour, which is coloured with Henkei Hot Rod in mind (including the colour, the flames, etc). If you ever want a "Henkei/Classics" Rodimus Prime and you want it to look good and consistent, only Henkei Hot Rod will do it for you.