It's incredible, the recent slew of third party Transformers product being released.
While I generally loathe third party products that knock off existing Hasbro / Takara products (eg: iGear MP-seekers Thundercracker), I'm usually pleased with innovative original third party designs (eg: most of the FansProject stuff).
In quite an unprecedented move, I have actually pre-ordered a number of upcoming third party products that will be released as soon as by the end of this week. Unlike many other collectors, I don't have to wait for them to ship, but merely have to rock up to the shop and pick them up after work, all in a day's work style and all.
I pre-ordered these:
- TFC Toys - Uranos Blackbird, aka not-Silverbolt.
- Master Mind Creations - Terminus Hexatron, aka not-Sixshot
- Toy World - TW-H01, Hardbone, aka not-Hardhead
- FansProject - Causality CA-09: Car Crash, aka not-Breakdown
- FansProject - Causality CA-10: T-Bone, aka not-Wildrider
- FansProject - Function X-2: Quadruple U, aka not-Weirdwolf
- FansProject - Function X-3: Smart Robin, aka not-Brainstorm
- Make Toys - MB-01C: Mobine Chaos, aka not-The Fallen
Looking forward to end of the week!
~ HD
Consider getting the universe Hardhead with the head robot hardhead upgrade. That is pretty much dead on homage both using hasbro and 3rd party stuff.
ReplyDeleteI already have the Wal-Mart exclusive HH with the Headrobots upgrade (the non face-mask head). It is awesome and I think you are right that its a pretty good homage.
DeleteHowever, I was just thinking that the Toy World HH would go well with the FP Headmasters (or maybe not?).
I just found out about Shapeways, a 3D printer service. People upload their designs for original figures, like a Targetmaster that's a chainsaw. A TARGETMASTER THAT'S A CHAINSAW! Once I get some moolah I'm ordering that. They also have a head for WFC Slipstream, and a bunch of other interesting things. Shapeways.com
ReplyDeleteI love the iGear Brawn, but jeez louise releasing (well, soliciting) Gears, Outback, Beachcomber, and Swerve at the same time, for nearly 10 bucks each more (on BBTS)?!?! How much money do you think I DON'T have!
-paul
hey Paul, thanks for the input! A TM that is a chainsaw, sounds a little like a misnomer...? I will check out this place, but not sure I'd be fond of the quality of something generated from a 3D printer... hmmm...
Deletethe iGear stuff is just way too expensive for what they are. The designs look nice, but as for quality, I dont have high hopes for iGear's stuff...
Oh damn! - You too!?! :O :D
ReplyDeleteMy current 3rd Party Pre-order list looks like this:
-FansProject 'Car Crash'
-Fansproject 'Code'
-FansProject 'T-Bone'
-FansProject 'Quadruple U'
-MakeToys 'Chaos Paladin'
-Mastermind Creations 'Talon'
-Mastermind Creations 'Bovis'
A number of the later ones I believe aren't expected until March/April but I'm having to do my best to work the funds around a certain Encore 'Elephant in the room'... FortMax! :D
Mind you, I cannot wait for all the amazing FP figures though; I'm really liking what they're doing with both the Function(X) line as well as the Not-Stunticons, of whom I truly can't wait to see a complete photo/render of but more importantly - own! ;)
So are you expecting to receive all that you listed by the end of the week are you?, if so - MAN!, the rest of the world (TFsource, BBTS & UpgradeCommander) isn't expecting to see a lot of them for quite a while! :O
hey Hursti! I'm recently very excited about the third party stuff. There are more and more products out meeting fans' needs and the quality is general improving. Anything that is KO-ed from an official figure, I still don't care for, but anything that is an innovative creation, I'd have a look.
DeleteMy buying list is pretty much the same as yours, except for the MMC Predacons. I'd buy those if I see those, but so far no one in HK seems to be carrying them. I did however buy the Unique Toys Not-Divebomb last night and I really enjoyed it - plastic quality is okay (not say great), but the play value was excellent. It was such a simple creation and transforms almost exactly like his G1 incarnation, but will all the poseability that G1 never had. It's kind of as close to a "G1 update" as any figure I know.
I also collected Apex and Geminii (not-Top Spin and not-Twin Twist), which are also, excellent excellent figures and cheap too. I'm very much a fan of all the above I bought.
The FP figures were here, but seller did not have enough to give me mine, so mine will be given to me in March, which is okay.
MP Rumble and Ravage has just arrived and I am going to collect them tonight, surely, this would be ahead of most of the world too, haha...
Yeah 3rd party is going crazy this year. I am surprised someone in Hong Kong is offering MMC's Sixshot for preorder. Mind sharing the price? Over here in Singapore, U-Toys is offering one at a grand price of USD200, quite insane really.
ReplyDeleteyes, Hexatron is offered for pre-order. I'm little apprehensive of this as all we have seen are computer rendered images, but its Sixshot and it looks good. Price is under SGD$200 for sure. U-Toys sounds expensive.
DeleteHehe, thanks for your reply, but you must have thought that I had wrongly written 200 SGD as 200 USD, but no, U-Toys is really offering one at 245 SGD and that's roughly 200 USD!!!
DeleteBut in comparison they are offering the Fan Toys Shockwave at 140 SGD, which is way cheaper than most places. Sometimes I don't understand how various stores are pricing their stuff.
whoa, okay. Gotta admit that's what I thought.
DeleteThe pre-order price here works out to be SGD$160, seriously. SGD$245 is pretty insane. I am interested in the FansToys Shockwave, but I think that is being peddled by Falcon's? Their prices are usually better.
Falcon's offering FT's Shockwave at 180 SGD. Again the stores are usually pretty close when it comes to prices, but this one seems to be ... weird.
DeleteSGD$160 is what I am expecting as well. Well hopefully this madness will be rectified soon.
I think this madness will take a long time to subside, as long as there is money to be pocketed
Deletethink so far my 3rd Party items would be FanProject's version of Menasor and Headmasters. while i'm tempted over another Predaking neither of the 2 has really attracted me. Will someone please make a Defensor or Liokaiser? :D
ReplyDeleteWhat's App-ed you my thoughts on the Unique Toys Divebomb. Like I mentioned to Hursti above, its actually surprisingly nice and good play value (cost me SGD$75, so not say very cheap).
DeleteI'd like someone to make Defensor and Liokaiser too... and what about a to scale version of Monstructor? (can be repainted into Dinoking!)
Did you look at my pre-order history?! We've ordered just about all of the same stuff!
ReplyDeleteI got my not-Silverbolt last week and he's BIG and pretty darn awesome. I've heard a lot of griping about TFC not being G1 accurate when it comes to "Silverbolt" since the other jets were spot on. My reaction is Silverbolt was a freakin' Concord jet! Are those type of jets even used anymore? Come on, a blackbird is so much cooler than a Concord! Plus look at the robot mode...it's pretty G1 faithful.
Can't wait to read your take on some of these items!
hey Colbey! I'm not surprised that we 'hardcore' G1 collectors would be ordering more or less the same third party homages, given our G1-ish tastes.
DeleteHmmm... that's quick for not-Silverbolt. It's still yet to arrive in HK yet, which is odd. Anyway, its in the pipeline and I don't mind just getting 1-2 figures per week, adds to the excitment. I do love the concord, and wouldn't have mind him being a concord, but a Blackbird is equally cool (although the SR-71 is also a jet that is no longer in use).
So far, I have found TFC's not-aerialbots to be very close to G1 and I really appreciate their simple but effective transformations. I am growing slight weary of FP's very complex transformations where a figure could take me up to 15mins to transform.
Yeah, I am growing weary of complex transformations as well especially when it comes to smaller figures. Wait till you have FP 09 Car Crash, I think the transformation is too complex for such a small figure and those panels on the legs are just accidents waiting to happen. FP 10 shares the same leg transformation as well, and let's just say I am not a big fan.
DeleteI was planning to buy TFC's Aerialbots, but Not Silverbolt looks like a guy with a beer gut. I've seen photos of that and G1 Silverbolt side by side and it may serve as a slimming advertisement. Also not a big fan of the V chest. If someone makes a G1 looking chest, I may still jump in the project.
you're right about the panels. FP creations seems to always have panels here and there and some of them are very sharp (I'm thinking FP not-Blast Off). I mean, we are adults sure, but even I got jabbed by the sharp pieces. I certainly wouldn't want to let a non-Transformers initiated person fiddle with these as they are likely to injure themselves.
DeleteI don't know about the rest of the aerialbots, but Air Raid is decent and Fireflight is just awesome. I'd display them as individuals if Superion turns out lousy. Not a fan of the V-chest neither.
Have you seen that third party gun set for the TFC Aerialbots? My set just shipped from a Hong Kong seller the other day. 5 individual rifles that combine to form a gun that better resembles Silverbolt/Superion's large rifle. Can't remember who is making this set though. Dr. Wu maybe?
Deletehey buddy, no, not seen that particular upgrade. There's so much third party stuff floating around that I often times miss things... I will keep a look out.
Delete