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Post by jessedart on Aug 30, 2010 7:20:30 GMT -5
Looks freakin' cool. How tall is Bruticus (Not including the backpack cannons)?
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Post by supergetterv on Aug 30, 2010 11:22:52 GMT -5
Looks freakin' cool. How tall is Bruticus (Not including the backpack cannons)? If I remember correctly from their promo video, it stands right around the chest of MP Optimus Prime. The shoulder of the Explorer, right arm is around the same height of MP Optimus. Getting this set is pricey now that a regular Bruticus set will cost anywhere from 60 if you are lucky to 90 USD. Then another 100+ for the FP add on. I would suggest people to find loose versions of Energon Barricade, and Energon version of one arm piece and leg piece. Probably be able to do it for less than 50 if you go this route.
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Post by nikodiablo on Aug 30, 2010 20:58:21 GMT -5
GOTCHA ! -> a must buy ! I know it's not "the blue left arm"... I chosed sand colors to get it more "military"... Cool!! Using the tan helicopter makes the color more uniform. Still waiting for mine to arrive
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Post by supergetterv on Aug 31, 2010 23:05:33 GMT -5
Here is a video of Fansprojects Protector. I am not sure if this was posted previously as this was filed over two months ago. Better view of what we can expect and it's schedule to come out at the end of the year, according to the fansproject rep. Also has different face sculpts and additional wings and other bits they are planning. Still nothing is finalize yet because there are a lot things they can do with the trailer.
!
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Post by newtype78 on Sept 1, 2010 8:53:33 GMT -5
Looks freakin' cool. How tall is Bruticus (Not including the backpack cannons)? Bruticus with the add ons is about 10.5" tall at the top of its head with the legs slightly apart for a more natural looking standing pose. To me, the plastic quality feels the same in the Munitioner and Explorer sets as the plastic used in City Commander, Aerial Team Appendage kit, and Warbot Defender. It's just that the parts use thinner pieces of plastic. I do think that these sets are worth the roughly $50 USD that they're retailing for. FP is a small, independently run operation that can't produce these products at the same price that massive companies like Hasbro/TakaraTomy can. They've developed perfect transforming figures(Munitioner and Explorer), multi-functional accessory components(weapons that work for both individual figures as well as combined form), and the product packaging presentation is at a very high level(the instruction manual is fully coloured, has photographed images for instructions, and the paper feels like something between magazine stock and card stock rather than the typical paper used for manuals. It's superior to the high end action figure manuals I've seen with respect to presentation and depth of content. To me, the $50 price tag isn't simply for the figures and accessories, it's for the presentation, packaging, and for the high manufacturing costs as well as the R&D behind these items. There are flaws, basically those listed by jessedart, but I think they're all outweighed by what these two add on sets accomplish. Aesthetically, we essentially get what a Classics or Generations version of G1 Bruticus. Functionally, we get a combiner that doesn't have decreased articulation from the base body of Bruticus Maximus. In fact, we get additional articulation at the hands, neck, and ankles. We get a plethora of accessories that are not kibble. They all serve a purpose in either combined form or in individual action figure form. I must disagree with the assertion that these figures, when put beside Hasbro/TakaraTomy figures, make official TF figures look obsolete. It's not an "apple to apple" comparison. FP and any other 3rd party product company doesn't have the same guidelines for product design as companies like Hasbro and TakaraTomy. FP, for example, creates stand alone, one off, products. They don't market to a massive casual customerbase with a relatively low spending psychology. FP markets to a niche market of hardcore collectors who are willing to pay a premium price for products. Hisashi Yuki, a designer for TT(he designed figures like Car Robots Fire Convoy/RiD Optimus Prime), stated in an interview during RotF's promotion that size classes/price classes of TF figures have limitations such as a certain amount of parts. Explorer and Munitioner are basically Scout class figures but are comparable to the more exceptional Deluxe class figure designs with respect to both parts count and complexity of transformation. I'm not accusing anyone here of this but there seems to be an underlying insinuation in most discussions involving 3rd party Transformers products that such companies are superior to Hasbro/TT or that they are doing things that the official companies can't. I don't believe that's the case at all. The best of what Hasbro/TT offers such as Masterpiece, Binaltech/Alternators, Alternity, exceptional Classics or Generations figures(ie. Classics Mirage) is hands down superior to what 3rd party companies have developed so far. As great as Munitioner is, it's not an example of revolutionary TF styled toy design and engineering. Explorer has a great transformation design but as anyone will experience when they get the figure, the clearance for certain parts is not great at all so the transformation is marred by such flaws. Warbot Defender, while an impressive first effort in designing a fully fledged transforming action figure, is also not without flaws, though it does many things well. FP is great but in the end if we bring forth the best of what Hasbro/TT has made, it will outclass any current 3rd party product. Now I may sound like a Hasbro/TT fanboy, which I'm not as I have numerous criticisms of their products, but to be honest, I don't see how the success of a great 3rd party producer like FP(well, they're the only great 3rd party producer as far as I'm concerned) diminishes what Hasbro/TT have accomplished. They do make many disposable toys that are mediocre at best but they also create some great toys on a reasonably regular basis. A recent example of exceptional toy design in the mainline is Scout class Breacher. It's an impressive display of engineering at the Scout class level and it's a $5 to $10 product depending on where you buy it(I live in Canada where Scout class figures normally retail for $10). It combines the typical chunky aesthetics of G1 Transformers with the more overtly mechanical nature of the live action movie designs. This blend of attributes from both the past and the present are also incorporated into the transformation design, which is more complex as the live action movie toys tend to be, but the transformation process feels more intuitive in some ways like the generally simpler G1 TF toys. Another way to put it, I suppose, is that it's complex[/i] but not complicated[/i].
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Post by emerje on Sept 1, 2010 13:27:21 GMT -5
Any pics of this connected to the Energon set? I've got a spare of the orange helicopter (Stormcloud) so if it looks good I'll just track down the other two i'd need (Barricade and Kickback). Be a whole lot cheaper than buying the Target set. One nice thing is you know they made more of the Target sets than there are option parts so eventually the demand for that will decrease and so too will the price.
Emerje
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Post by edge on Sept 1, 2010 22:16:36 GMT -5
Im actually pretty pissed about having to wait for TF Source to ship or even update my order for these things. They've been instock for a while now and my order status hasnt changed... do they run out of some kids apartment or something? this is rediculous.
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Post by robwhit1 on Sept 2, 2010 6:04:21 GMT -5
Im actually pretty pissed about having to wait for TF Source to ship or even update my order for these things. They've been instock for a while now and my order status hasnt changed... do they run out of some kids apartment or something? this is rediculous. Goto the website and send them a message. I was also tired of waiting and did the same thing earlier this week. The items shipped about 1-2 hours after I sent the message. They then responded the next morning with "oh they just shipped". You know, I have had 3-4 preorders that took forever to ship from them. In most of these cases, I have had to contact them to get them shipped. I normally order multiple items together and they have told me that my order was missed before due to the fact that I had items other than the one just released. I would also think part of the problem is all the extra packing they put onto the items. If you have several hundred orders that need to be filled, it will take some time to put all that plastic wrap and carboard on the items. Anyway, I have pretty much decided that this will be the last time I preorder from TFsource. Normal orders seem to move fine, but they are just too slow on preorders.
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Post by robwhit1 on Sept 3, 2010 11:59:20 GMT -5
Finally got my FP Crossfire sets in last night. Here is a short review and several pics. Pros - Bruticus looks simply amazing. - Tons of accessories - Both figures are very ell articulated and look great in both modes - Like the Superion set, this set takes a figure that almost no-one wanted or liked and makes it a must have. Cons - Plastic is a little thin/stiff. If you have the Warbot, these feel very similar to the sword - just a little thicker. - If you loved the Superion set, this set will make it look BAD. They don't look the best together as I had hoped. Here are some pics I took. Normal Bruticus Here is what the Energon Barricade and the other limbs look like (in case you are splitting a set with someone) Bruticus VS Superion (not even close) Other combiners G1 Bruticus on the left Takara Reissue on the right The FP Figs
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Post by supergetterv on Sept 3, 2010 12:35:39 GMT -5
Looks amazing and I love those comparison pics to the original G1. I am supposed to get mines today via ups. I don't have the original G1 Bruticus so I didn't know that they base the design of Explorer an Munitioner on the original Swindle and Blastoff. Just like they did with Warbot Defender, aka Springer.
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Post by emerje on Sept 3, 2010 18:38:15 GMT -5
Nice pics, thanks a lot! Any shots of the new limb bots with their other team mates in bot mode?
Emerje
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Post by coldiron on Sept 3, 2010 20:21:05 GMT -5
Looks like I am going to need to do some painting on the Barricade figure to maybe make him blend better.
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Post by supergetterv on Sept 3, 2010 23:16:51 GMT -5
Ijust really have been messing with this for the past two hour playing around with the poses. The finish look is just beautiful. My main problem is how the new head piece snapping onto Onslaught. The old one get swapped out but the new one is really hard to snap in. Also, I suggest removing the head and snapping the plate on first. It felt like I was going to break the connection point because that's how much force I needed to use. Also you need to tilt it in an angle. Be careful with Explorer, especially when you move the two panels on the back and clipping it in place. You will know when you get this. My only other dislike with the set is how the forearm piece connects to Vortex. I would have prefer that there be a way to lock it in place better. I mean, it just slide into tabs and is rather loose. Granted you probably don't pose him with his forearm facing down. I didn't even have the time to transform both Munitioner and Explorer to their bot forms. Will try that tomorrow.
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Post by robwhit1 on Sept 4, 2010 12:22:33 GMT -5
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Post by emerje on Sept 4, 2010 14:40:00 GMT -5
Thanks for that last set of pics, they seem to blend pretty well in bot modes, better than I thought they would.
Emerje
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Post by zeomare on Sept 4, 2010 17:25:12 GMT -5
hi i so want this set, i wish i could find a alternative for brawl in bot mode however he just looks so weird the rest look god but he looks to much like something from the Bay movies and not from the original cartoon, buy the way can someone post how big they are in bot mode near a normal henkei figure i wanted to see how they look in terms of scale.
thanks
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Post by robwhit1 on Sept 5, 2010 10:36:22 GMT -5
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Post by coldiron on Sept 5, 2010 11:23:45 GMT -5
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Post by Chen on Sept 5, 2010 12:09:15 GMT -5
I wonder if there will be any add-on's for the Dinobots Power Core Combiners.
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Post by supergetterv on Sept 5, 2010 19:35:00 GMT -5
Sorry, but these are from my cell phone camera, no excuse, just need to have more steadier hands but here is a quick limb exchange pic that I snapped. And here is a picture comparison, with Onslaught and Superion Limbs and comparision, almost same height. These next couple of pics, I snapped for Robwhit1, I am not sure if you know or notice that Brawl and Blastoff Tanks have the ability to turn the back plate, like so. This way you can reconnect the hands and the weapons and this will not block the Bruticus knee when you combine him, like so and the hands will not cover up the left knee, Also notice, while it isn't necessary, but Explorer forearm, the top part is meant to be face this way, so that the legs isn't showing, like this, well the thighs still show but that's how they show it in the instruction booklet. Just some tips, no one have to follow them, just pointing them out in case you missed it. I wish I had other Energon combiners like Nexus Prime to do more parts swapping, but I only have these two. Now, I get to look forward to the Rodimus Protector Upgrade.
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