I remember you saying he made dolls that represent more realistic issues and thought that was awesome of him. Love the look of your "new" doll and glad you can enjoy your existing stock like that.
Much easier than Transformers or Star Wars toys I have. I can't just give a different weapon to someone and say it is a new character. Closest thing I can get is swapping heads for my Headmasters.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Yeah. that birthmark just looks badass. I really like that kind of representation, and letting people be who they are.
So! The "Expected" package from yesterday came in!
Now, I'll admit... this was one I was very hesitant on. While it was cool to see a Hatsune Miku x MLP crossover, I don't have a ton of attachment to Miku. Vocaloids have been something in my life, of course, but I didn't treat them with any kind of reverence. Plus Vinyl Scratch / DJ Pon3 was more my style. A couple months back, I figured... what the hell. Get her, and if she doesn't sit well I can always sell her.
Today, I got the box... which was very well marked if you know what it is! I always find it humorous to see what companies mark their boxes and which don't. So it's that time, yet again:
As usual, it is packaged such to show off the figure if you don't want to take her out of the box.
It isn't considered an LE, so the box is much more "plain" than the others, and the styling is definitely heavier on Miku's themes than anything else.
Interestingly, this probably had the most padding/protective coverings of any figure I'd gotten. The microphone was packed separately, there were plastic bags around all the twintails individually, and there was a foam piece to prevent the left twintail on human Miku to prevent it from bumping into her arm. Also, neither figure was glued to their base - they can easily come off it! They won't be able to stand, of course, but I did find that interesting.
I adore the gradients. The blue to pink/lavender is done so well. And there's just a hint of translucence, hinting at her digital nature.
She is probably the most expressive figure in the set, which makes sense as she's obviously performing.
But what really blows me away, as usual, is the pony figure. While either the smallest or second-smallest of the set I've got, a detail caught me completely by surprise. Miku has some hanging hairs that are loose from her ponytails on her human model. They actually molded those into the pony version! (In retrospect the picture doesn't show the curl all that well.)
At first I thought I'd have Miku separated out from the rest of the gang. Then I decided... screw it. She looks like she's having a ton of fun with Pinkie Pie, so that's where she's gonna live for now.
I remember you saying he made dolls that represent more realistic issues and thought that was awesome of him.
Yeah, this is definitely one of the things that make me prefer Smart Doll over other dolls, the willingness to represent real people, even though it's still in an ultra-idealized doll form. Here's a new doll he is planning to release in the future:
Acne is a pretty universal problem that everyone deals with, and it's very strange, when you think about it, that all of our beauty standards revolve around pretending that blemishes don't exist.
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
Miku looks great! Don't often see her with pink highlights, but it looks good and the pony version is a fun idea. Honestly, just give me all the Miku collaborations.
I doubt I'll have the money and/or space for a Smart Doll any time soon, but I do admire Danny's philosophy and his obvious passion for what he creates.
Yay. Got Cosmos (apparently he sold out on both sites rather quickly), Override (because of you guys here made her sound awesome), and Burn Out (not sure if I'll keep this one, but figured I better put in an order to think about it).
I managed to get everything I wanted on Walmart, no thanks to their utterly shitty search engine. Had to rely on people on TWF2005 having the direct links. Cosmos and Override are must gets, but I may cancel Scourge, Burn-Out and Maverick depending on how I feel later. Figured it was best to get them now rather that not and regret it later.
Yeah. I hear you on the pre-order to give yourself some time to think it over.
Glad you for everything pre-ordered.
I do have to say that Maverick is cool if you like F-14s and Transformers. Or if you are a fan of Top Gun. I have him and like that he fits in with all the crossover stuff and a really good jet mode. My only complaint is the "weathering" effect sort of sucks on it.
I feel like Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett (In Disguise) should actually be titled Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett "In Disguise" because that is one crappy disguise.
Also no TF exclusive? There was a rumor of Alpha Trion and Orion Pax.
I feel like Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett (In Disguise) should actually be titled Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett "In Disguise" because that is one crappy disguise.
Oh man, who could this be? I guess we'll never know
So, "Boba Fett in disguise" is literally Boba Fett with his iconic, universally recognized armor... painted black?
I mean, if it works sure...
But it seems like you'd want to put in a bit more effort than that if you're going to go on a first hand tour of an underground fighting arena and don't want to be recognized.
On the other hand, I don't write for Star Wars, so what do I know?
The disguise is from the comic series War of the Bounty Hunters where Fett paints his armor black (apparently). So yeah this is aimed at the comic fans (obviously).
So, "Boba Fett in disguise" is literally Boba Fett with his iconic, universally recognized armor... painted black?
I mean, if it works sure...
But it seems like you'd want to put in a bit more effort than that if you're going to go on a first hand tour of an underground fighting arena and don't want to be recognized.
On the other hand, I don't write for Star Wars, so what do I know?
Ok I see from that page that the Optimus Prime that matches the trailer is also $750, but what I want to know is, can you still buy that Optimus Prime, or was it a limited edition that it's now too late to purchase?
Not that I plan to lay down anything like $1500 for Optimus Prime collectibles, I was just wondering if it's literally impossible to get the complete set at this point.
Edit: OK, nevermind, I found the page for Optimus Prime, the link from the trailer wasn't working so I made assumptions. I guess the Optimus being that expensive makes sense since it has robotics inside. I'm less convinced that the trailer is worth it since it can't have as complex a robotic setup as the transformer does.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Yeah, that's the insanely complex auto-transforming robot version of Optimus Prime.
Whoaaaa buddy, the Beast Wars reissues keep rolling in! Literally! Because it's this guy:
who is notable for being able to do this:
My parents definitely spoiled me, and I had a whooole lot of Beast Wars toys, but this is one that I never got. I think it was one of the most unique ones; the transformation wasn't anything to write home about (it's mostly "unfold the legs and unpeg the arms, ta-daa"), but the body plan is very different from other bots, and the gimmick is pretty unique, too.
Yeah, that's the insanely complex auto-transforming robot version of Optimus Prime.
Yep! I have him on my display shelf right now. He is absolutely huge and crazy fun for a bit.
I didn't get the trailer since I don't really need more display space taken up. The trailer also transforms through the/an app and Roller (the small vehicle accessory) is controllable through the app and can pull the trailer. Guess it is complex, but to be honest not nearly as complex as Optimus Prime himself.
Whoaaaa buddy, the Beast Wars reissues keep rolling in! Literally! Because it's this guy:
who is notable for being able to do this:
My parents definitely spoiled me, and I had a whooole lot of Beast Wars toys, but this is one that I never got. I think it was one of the most unique ones; the transformation wasn't anything to write home about (it's mostly "unfold the legs and unpeg the arms, ta-daa"), but the body plan is very different from other bots, and the gimmick is pretty unique, too.
So the bigger question is did you buy one to make your child self happy?
The disguise is from the comic series War of the Bounty Hunters where Fett paints his armor black (apparently). So yeah this is aimed at the comic fans (obviously).
I don't have any connections to the line but figured others might want him.
I was just chuckling at this kind of non-disguise working.
I'd argue that it's less of a disguise than Superman's glasses/slouch into Clark Kent. At least he tries to change his facial appearance between the glasses and hair.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Fuck.
Sightings reports are showing that Cybertron Metroplex (AKA Giant Convoy) and Masterpiece Movie Blackout are starting to show up at Target. Just New Jersey/East Coast for now, but the urge to hop over to my local target is strong. I need to find the DCPI codes so I don't need to hunt.
MPM Blackout is a must, as it is one of the few movie designs I truly enjoy. Metroplex... is a harder sell. My Titans already take up a TON of room, and my Cybertron Metroplex is already on my "to sell" list... this new one doesn't have the key gimmick either. So.. do I want another big hunk of plastic when I have no where to put it?
Sightings reports are showing that Cybertron Metroplex (AKA Giant Convoy) and Masterpiece Movie Blackout are starting to show up at Target. Just New Jersey/East Coast for now, but the urge to hop over to my local target is strong. I need to find the DCPI codes so I don't need to hunt.
MPM Blackout is a must, as it is one of the few movie designs I truly enjoy. Metroplex... is a harder sell. My Titans already take up a TON of room, and my Cybertron Metroplex is already on my "to sell" list... this new one doesn't have the key gimmick either. So.. do I want another big hunk of plastic when I have no where to put it?
Sorry, I think I may be misunderstanding. You have a Cybertron Metroplex that you want to sell, and you are wondering if you should buy a Cybertron Metroplex (which doesn't have some feature that the one you already don't want does have)?
It feels to me like you've answered your own question. You can buy the new Metroplex and get a few minutes of joy, but the price will be a long period of stress at having to deal with this big thing that you don't want.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Sightings reports are showing that Cybertron Metroplex (AKA Giant Convoy) and Masterpiece Movie Blackout are starting to show up at Target. Just New Jersey/East Coast for now, but the urge to hop over to my local target is strong. I need to find the DCPI codes so I don't need to hunt.
MPM Blackout is a must, as it is one of the few movie designs I truly enjoy. Metroplex... is a harder sell. My Titans already take up a TON of room, and my Cybertron Metroplex is already on my "to sell" list... this new one doesn't have the key gimmick either. So.. do I want another big hunk of plastic when I have no where to put it?
Sorry, I think I may be misunderstanding. You have a Cybertron Metroplex that you want to sell, and you are wondering if you should buy a Cybertron Metroplex (which doesn't have some feature that the one you already don't want does have)?
It feels to me like you've answered your own question. You can buy the new Metroplex and get a few minutes of joy, but the price will be a long period of stress at having to deal with this big thing that you don't want.
Exactly. It should be an easy pass. Sorta like I haven't pulled the trigger on getting the 3rd party upgrades for Armada and Energon Optimus Prime.
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited July 2022
Cinnamon option heads got released early this morning, so I just put in an order for one, along with enough other things so I'd get free shipping.
So remember earlier I said I have another body I'm going to use? This is (most of) the body right now:
I left out the most NSFW section, the boobies, but I have those, too, and a full set of arms. This body was cobbled together from parts sold in the Chaos outlet - so parts considered too flawed to use in production, though I've never been able to find any flaws in them. Most of the frame is the correct color, too, the only reason I have cocoa pieces for the upper leg frame is because those are completely covered up so there's no need to worry what color they are, and most people who wanted to buy parts off of me wanted pieces that matched the dolls they were making.
The reason I left it unassembled so long is because originally, I saved these pieces because I was going to attempt to dye them some color that Smart Doll doesn't carry, like lavender. But from my dye experiments, the plastic of the frame is extremely difficult to dye, so I have given up that plan. If I really want a lavender doll, there are plenty of small creators who make them. Danny might also release a doll in that color some day, he already has gray skin in the works (I don't know why this is a popular color in dolls, but it is. I guess people want zombie dolls).
Anyway, I wanted to show the "before" picture, because I'm about to assemble this bad boy.
Edit: And done. It was really mostly assembled, I just had to use a blow dryer to soften the upper legs so I could slip them on the frame. Now I wait for the new head.
Cambiata on
"If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
The disguise is from the comic series War of the Bounty Hunters where Fett paints his armor black (apparently). So yeah this is aimed at the comic fans (obviously).
I don't have any connections to the line but figured others might want him.
I was just chuckling at this kind of non-disguise working.
I'd argue that it's less of a disguise than Superman's glasses/slouch into Clark Kent. At least he tries to change his facial appearance between the glasses and hair.
Oh same here... Especially since I read on one of the pages he enters a tournament or something like that under his Dad's name. Uh, yeah, nobody in the SW Universe wouldn't put one and one together.
Then again I remember reading a book (or was it a comic) long ago about someone wearing Mandalorian armor painted up like Boba Fett and was passing himself off as Fett to get the fame. So maybe others figured it was someone faking that they were Boba Fett?
Either way we all know it is to sell more toys. Hahahaha.
I feel like Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett (In Disguise) should actually be titled Star Wars The Black Series Boba Fett "In Disguise" because that is one crappy disguise.
Also no TF exclusive? There was a rumor of Alpha Trion and Orion Pax.
So the bigger question is did you buy one to make your child self happy?
No, and realistically I probably won't. As much as I'd love to satisfy that small part of my childhood, and as much as I'd love to fiddle around with this guy, I would lose interest after a day and just stuff him in a drawer. Better to not go down that rabbit hole (especially given that I'm already sitting at the intersection of like five different rabbit warrens).
Betsuni and I have discussed this before, but a big part of the reason we like getting these fancy toys is to just play around with them with our own hands. We don't even necessarily want to keep them, we might not even get long-term pleasure from them; we just want to transform them, fiddle with them, pose them and make pew-pew noises with the laser guns, and then... that might be about it for the fun we'll have with them. Of course, one option is to buy them, hold on to them for a bit, and then sell them on. The truth is, that requires enough effort on my part that I would just never do it.
The answer, obviously, is a daycare center for plastic-addled adults, where I can come in, play with the fancy, expensive toys they have there, and then go home (without the burden of a chunk of plastic and credit card debt).
So the bigger question is did you buy one to make your child self happy?
No, and realistically I probably won't. As much as I'd love to satisfy that small part of my childhood, and as much as I'd love to fiddle around with this guy, I would lose interest after a day and just stuff him in a drawer. Better to not go down that rabbit hole (especially given that I'm already sitting at the intersection of like five different rabbit warrens).
Betsuni and I have discussed this before, but a big part of the reason we like getting these fancy toys is to just play around with them with our own hands. We don't even necessarily want to keep them, we might not even get long-term pleasure from them; we just want to transform them, fiddle with them, pose them and make pew-pew noises with the laser guns, and then... that might be about it for the fun we'll have with them. Of course, one option is to buy them, hold on to them for a bit, and then sell them on. The truth is, that requires enough effort on my part that I would just never do it.
The answer, obviously, is a daycare center for plastic-addled adults, where I can come in, play with the fancy, expensive toys they have there, and then go home (without the burden of a chunk of plastic and credit card debt).
When I graduated college and moved, I realized after about two years I never opened the box with the Armada and Energon transformers I had collected. So I took them out, played with them one time, then gave them all to my brother for his recently adopted son to enjoy. I occasionally miss some of them like Tidal Wave, but I'm happy I brought joy to someone else's life with them. I'm glad I kept Unicron, due to my love of the 86 movie.
Since then I have kept all of my transformers, and really the only ones I may not keep are the G2 Combiners from Combiner Wars and PotP. All the others I take down as play with at least once a year.
I've been debating on whether or not to get the new Velocitron Scourge. His color scheme is fairly off (more Nemesis Prime, than Scourge; same colors but different configuration) and his trailer is such a pathetic thing compared to the original... which I still own.
So I finally dug out my old boxes until I got to my RiD collection and man, that was not a toyline intended to last awhile. Figures with lots of ball joints and transparent plastic. They're now floppy, fragile figures. I had a small piece of one them break off because they decided to use transparent plastic for a peg hole. I feel like giving these to a kid would be a real jerk move as they would disintegrate within a few months.
RiD Megatron is still a hell of a figure though, balljoints nonwithstanding. They should retool him as Amalgamous Prime. (One of the 13 primes whose power was basically to Transform into anything.). The vacuum metalized paint on his ears was starting to chip even before I put him into storage.
does walmart charge for preorders up front? or is it like amazon where it charges when it ships? I want to order override but I'm broke until next week.
does walmart charge for preorders up front? or is it like amazon where it charges when it ships? I want to order override but I'm broke until next week.
As far as I can see Walmart does a temp charge but it falls off. I know they only charge when it ships.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
edited July 2022
We finally have images... or more precisely, digital renders, of Legacy Transmetal II Megatron!
For those that don't know, the original TM2 Megs was the toy that got me into toy collecting as an adult. I was in Toys R Us, looking for Zoids kits, and I stumbled across one solitary one left. And I had to have it. My bro had one earlier, but it got horribly broken/damaged by him. So this? This was one of my crown jewels.
Sadly, it looks like this one ditches the asymmetric wings/body of the original. It's a small detail, but on the original, one wing is mechanical and the other is organic.
Edit: Forgive the lack of dusting, but here you can see the wing shapes.
I was hoping to be really wowed by the Legacy TM2 Megatron, and while he definitely looks cool, I keep focusing on the details that bug me; the too-wide chest (in both modes), disproportionately thin arms and legs in dragon mode, and the robot shoulder joint that's not right at the base of the neck in dragon mode.
The original toy was certainly quite amazing. I wonder if the Legacy one will have the secondary dragster mode.
In some 3rd party news - specifically, news related to one of the toys I'm really excited about - let me tell you about the soon-to-be-released NewAge Ymir, their Legends version of Grimlock. This guy will come in the customary decos:
G1 Toon:
G1 Toy:
Oh but... this is NewAge, the Kings of Decos, who will find a way to sell you the same figure half a dozen times (this is not an exaggeration, most of their figures have 5-6 repaints or remolds). In addition to G1 toon and toy, they also always do a version that is
Clear:
and for those figures that appeared in the Marvel comics, they also typically do a version that's inspired by the
Comic:
...and of course you gotta have
G2 Toy:
And for those of you who love bad boys, we've got
Shattered Glass (please note that the dinosaur head has been redesigned to have more prominent, furrowed eyebrows to emphasize that he is very very evil):
NewAge typically puts out a lot of promo photos for every figure, but I didn't grab all of them to post here. Just some to give you a feel for it. If you're curious, I can point you towards the other photos.
You may notice that Grimlock's lower legs are wide open on the inside, and you can see all the gory transformation bits. NewAge fans noticed too, and made sure to let NewAge know; NA has already announced that they have designed covers for those sections of the leg, which will be released at a later date (since Grimlock is so close to production, and they won't be able to get them manufactured in time). This is actually the third time that NewAge has flubbed leg design on their bots. The first time was a few years ago, on Megatron - his hip joints weren't at the actual hips, but rather below the pelvis. He looked fine standing up, but if you bent his legs at the hips (like to have him sit on a throne), it looked weird. NA redesigned the legs to have traditional hip joints, and included them for free with the next figure they released (a Seeker); some retailers also sold those pieces separately, for $10. The next time was with their Constructicons, where 3 of them had extremely hollow legs from behind; NA extensively redesigned the legs to look more like legs, as a side-effect they have what I think is a more interesting transformation, and the legs have recently started being distributed to retailers; I believe NA is making them available to retailers for free, and the expectation is that retailers will give them for free to customers who bought Constructicons previously, although technically retailers can do whatever they want. ShowZ has caught some flak from fans for the way they're handling it (charging customers $70 for them, then later refunding them $60 in store credit). For Grimlock, NewAge said that these leg covers will be included with the next Dinobot they release, where each deco of the next dino will have leg covers for the Grimlock of the same deco. It's also not clear if these are snap-on partsforming pieces, or if they actually integrate into the transformation.
Aaaaaanyway, I'm really mad about how good all of these look. I thought I'd be able to get away with just the toon and the G2 deco, but man that black Shattered Glass looks so appealing (and eeeevil). And the clear one looks really unique. But like... NewAge will 100% do the entire Dinobot team, and if I get 4 dang Grimlocks, am I trapping myself into buying 4 sets of Dinobots? For completeness' sake???
Oh, and if you want to see a showcase + transformation of the figure, Mangmotion has you covered (just note that he forgets to extend the legs in dino mode): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgntHFDu53o
Delduwath on
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Good lord that's some insane, tiny detail!
So what's the difference between the golden G2 and the blue G2?
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Much easier than Transformers or Star Wars toys I have. I can't just give a different weapon to someone and say it is a new character. Closest thing I can get is swapping heads for my Headmasters.
Steam: betsuni7
So! The "Expected" package from yesterday came in!
Now, I'll admit... this was one I was very hesitant on. While it was cool to see a Hatsune Miku x MLP crossover, I don't have a ton of attachment to Miku. Vocaloids have been something in my life, of course, but I didn't treat them with any kind of reverence. Plus Vinyl Scratch / DJ Pon3 was more my style. A couple months back, I figured... what the hell. Get her, and if she doesn't sit well I can always sell her.
Today, I got the box... which was very well marked if you know what it is! I always find it humorous to see what companies mark their boxes and which don't. So it's that time, yet again:
As usual, it is packaged such to show off the figure if you don't want to take her out of the box.
It isn't considered an LE, so the box is much more "plain" than the others, and the styling is definitely heavier on Miku's themes than anything else.
Interestingly, this probably had the most padding/protective coverings of any figure I'd gotten. The microphone was packed separately, there were plastic bags around all the twintails individually, and there was a foam piece to prevent the left twintail on human Miku to prevent it from bumping into her arm. Also, neither figure was glued to their base - they can easily come off it! They won't be able to stand, of course, but I did find that interesting.
I adore the gradients. The blue to pink/lavender is done so well. And there's just a hint of translucence, hinting at her digital nature.
She is probably the most expressive figure in the set, which makes sense as she's obviously performing.
But what really blows me away, as usual, is the pony figure. While either the smallest or second-smallest of the set I've got, a detail caught me completely by surprise. Miku has some hanging hairs that are loose from her ponytails on her human model. They actually molded those into the pony version! (In retrospect the picture doesn't show the curl all that well.)
At first I thought I'd have Miku separated out from the rest of the gang. Then I decided... screw it. She looks like she's having a ton of fun with Pinkie Pie, so that's where she's gonna live for now.
Yeah, this is definitely one of the things that make me prefer Smart Doll over other dolls, the willingness to represent real people, even though it's still in an ultra-idealized doll form. Here's a new doll he is planning to release in the future:
Acne is a pretty universal problem that everyone deals with, and it's very strange, when you think about it, that all of our beauty standards revolve around pretending that blemishes don't exist.
I doubt I'll have the money and/or space for a Smart Doll any time soon, but I do admire Danny's philosophy and his obvious passion for what he creates.
Steam: betsuni7
Glad you for everything pre-ordered.
I do have to say that Maverick is cool if you like F-14s and Transformers. Or if you are a fan of Top Gun. I have him and like that he fits in with all the crossover stuff and a really good jet mode. My only complaint is the "weathering" effect sort of sucks on it.
Steam: betsuni7
https://hasbropulse.com/products/star-wars-the-black-series-boba-fett-in-disguise
https://hasbropulse.com/products/g-i-joe-classified-series-dr-mindbender-action-figure
Steam: betsuni7
Also no TF exclusive? There was a rumor of Alpha Trion and Orion Pax.
Oh man, who could this be? I guess we'll never know
So, "Boba Fett in disguise" is literally Boba Fett with his iconic, universally recognized armor... painted black?
I mean, if it works sure...
But it seems like you'd want to put in a bit more effort than that if you're going to go on a first hand tour of an underground fighting arena and don't want to be recognized.
On the other hand, I don't write for Star Wars, so what do I know?
Anyone have 800 bucks for an Optimus Prime trailer?
https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-optimus-prime-auto-converting-trailer-with-roller-collector-s-edition
*Optimus Prime not included
https://starwars.fandom.com/wiki/Star_Wars:_War_of_the_Bounty_Hunters
I don't have any connections to the line but figured others might want him.
Steam: betsuni7
Ok I see from that page that the Optimus Prime that matches the trailer is also $750, but what I want to know is, can you still buy that Optimus Prime, or was it a limited edition that it's now too late to purchase?
Not that I plan to lay down anything like $1500 for Optimus Prime collectibles, I was just wondering if it's literally impossible to get the complete set at this point.
Edit: OK, nevermind, I found the page for Optimus Prime, the link from the trailer wasn't working so I made assumptions. I guess the Optimus being that expensive makes sense since it has robotics inside. I'm less convinced that the trailer is worth it since it can't have as complex a robotic setup as the transformer does.
who is notable for being able to do this:
My parents definitely spoiled me, and I had a whooole lot of Beast Wars toys, but this is one that I never got. I think it was one of the most unique ones; the transformation wasn't anything to write home about (it's mostly "unfold the legs and unpeg the arms, ta-daa"), but the body plan is very different from other bots, and the gimmick is pretty unique, too.
Yep! I have him on my display shelf right now. He is absolutely huge and crazy fun for a bit.
I didn't get the trailer since I don't really need more display space taken up. The trailer also transforms through the/an app and Roller (the small vehicle accessory) is controllable through the app and can pull the trailer. Guess it is complex, but to be honest not nearly as complex as Optimus Prime himself.
So the bigger question is did you buy one to make your child self happy?
Steam: betsuni7
I was just chuckling at this kind of non-disguise working.
I'd argue that it's less of a disguise than Superman's glasses/slouch into Clark Kent. At least he tries to change his facial appearance between the glasses and hair.
Sightings reports are showing that Cybertron Metroplex (AKA Giant Convoy) and Masterpiece Movie Blackout are starting to show up at Target. Just New Jersey/East Coast for now, but the urge to hop over to my local target is strong. I need to find the DCPI codes so I don't need to hunt.
MPM Blackout is a must, as it is one of the few movie designs I truly enjoy. Metroplex... is a harder sell. My Titans already take up a TON of room, and my Cybertron Metroplex is already on my "to sell" list... this new one doesn't have the key gimmick either. So.. do I want another big hunk of plastic when I have no where to put it?
It feels to me like you've answered your own question. You can buy the new Metroplex and get a few minutes of joy, but the price will be a long period of stress at having to deal with this big thing that you don't want.
Exactly. It should be an easy pass. Sorta like I haven't pulled the trigger on getting the 3rd party upgrades for Armada and Energon Optimus Prime.
And yet here I am. =P
So remember earlier I said I have another body I'm going to use? This is (most of) the body right now:
I left out the most NSFW section, the boobies, but I have those, too, and a full set of arms. This body was cobbled together from parts sold in the Chaos outlet - so parts considered too flawed to use in production, though I've never been able to find any flaws in them. Most of the frame is the correct color, too, the only reason I have cocoa pieces for the upper leg frame is because those are completely covered up so there's no need to worry what color they are, and most people who wanted to buy parts off of me wanted pieces that matched the dolls they were making.
The reason I left it unassembled so long is because originally, I saved these pieces because I was going to attempt to dye them some color that Smart Doll doesn't carry, like lavender. But from my dye experiments, the plastic of the frame is extremely difficult to dye, so I have given up that plan. If I really want a lavender doll, there are plenty of small creators who make them. Danny might also release a doll in that color some day, he already has gray skin in the works (I don't know why this is a popular color in dolls, but it is. I guess people want zombie dolls).
Anyway, I wanted to show the "before" picture, because I'm about to assemble this bad boy.
Edit: And done. It was really mostly assembled, I just had to use a blow dryer to soften the upper legs so I could slip them on the frame. Now I wait for the new head.
Oh same here... Especially since I read on one of the pages he enters a tournament or something like that under his Dad's name. Uh, yeah, nobody in the SW Universe wouldn't put one and one together.
Then again I remember reading a book (or was it a comic) long ago about someone wearing Mandalorian armor painted up like Boba Fett and was passing himself off as Fett to get the fame. So maybe others figured it was someone faking that they were Boba Fett?
Either way we all know it is to sell more toys. Hahahaha.
Steam: betsuni7
Here you go. The Alpha Trion and Orion Pax set.
https://news.tfw2005.com/2022/07/21/transformers-legacy-a-hero-is-born-alpha-trion-orion-pax-2-pack-official-images-461270
Also a diaclone blue Trailbreaker.
https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-generations-selects-deluxe-dk-3-breaker
Steam: betsuni7
Betsuni and I have discussed this before, but a big part of the reason we like getting these fancy toys is to just play around with them with our own hands. We don't even necessarily want to keep them, we might not even get long-term pleasure from them; we just want to transform them, fiddle with them, pose them and make pew-pew noises with the laser guns, and then... that might be about it for the fun we'll have with them. Of course, one option is to buy them, hold on to them for a bit, and then sell them on. The truth is, that requires enough effort on my part that I would just never do it.
The answer, obviously, is a daycare center for plastic-addled adults, where I can come in, play with the fancy, expensive toys they have there, and then go home (without the burden of a chunk of plastic and credit card debt).
When I graduated college and moved, I realized after about two years I never opened the box with the Armada and Energon transformers I had collected. So I took them out, played with them one time, then gave them all to my brother for his recently adopted son to enjoy. I occasionally miss some of them like Tidal Wave, but I'm happy I brought joy to someone else's life with them. I'm glad I kept Unicron, due to my love of the 86 movie.
Since then I have kept all of my transformers, and really the only ones I may not keep are the G2 Combiners from Combiner Wars and PotP. All the others I take down as play with at least once a year.
So I finally dug out my old boxes until I got to my RiD collection and man, that was not a toyline intended to last awhile. Figures with lots of ball joints and transparent plastic. They're now floppy, fragile figures. I had a small piece of one them break off because they decided to use transparent plastic for a peg hole. I feel like giving these to a kid would be a real jerk move as they would disintegrate within a few months.
RiD Megatron is still a hell of a figure though, balljoints nonwithstanding. They should retool him as Amalgamous Prime. (One of the 13 primes whose power was basically to Transform into anything.). The vacuum metalized paint on his ears was starting to chip even before I put him into storage.
As far as I can see Walmart does a temp charge but it falls off. I know they only charge when it ships.
Steam: betsuni7
For those that don't know, the original TM2 Megs was the toy that got me into toy collecting as an adult. I was in Toys R Us, looking for Zoids kits, and I stumbled across one solitary one left. And I had to have it. My bro had one earlier, but it got horribly broken/damaged by him. So this? This was one of my crown jewels.
Sadly, it looks like this one ditches the asymmetric wings/body of the original. It's a small detail, but on the original, one wing is mechanical and the other is organic.
Edit: Forgive the lack of dusting, but here you can see the wing shapes.
The original toy was certainly quite amazing. I wonder if the Legacy one will have the secondary dragster mode.
G1 Toon:
G1 Toy:
Oh but... this is NewAge, the Kings of Decos, who will find a way to sell you the same figure half a dozen times (this is not an exaggeration, most of their figures have 5-6 repaints or remolds). In addition to G1 toon and toy, they also always do a version that is
Clear:
and for those figures that appeared in the Marvel comics, they also typically do a version that's inspired by the
Comic:
...and of course you gotta have
G2 Toy:
And for those of you who love bad boys, we've got
Shattered Glass (please note that the dinosaur head has been redesigned to have more prominent, furrowed eyebrows to emphasize that he is very very evil):
NewAge typically puts out a lot of promo photos for every figure, but I didn't grab all of them to post here. Just some to give you a feel for it. If you're curious, I can point you towards the other photos.
You may notice that Grimlock's lower legs are wide open on the inside, and you can see all the gory transformation bits. NewAge fans noticed too, and made sure to let NewAge know; NA has already announced that they have designed covers for those sections of the leg, which will be released at a later date (since Grimlock is so close to production, and they won't be able to get them manufactured in time). This is actually the third time that NewAge has flubbed leg design on their bots. The first time was a few years ago, on Megatron - his hip joints weren't at the actual hips, but rather below the pelvis. He looked fine standing up, but if you bent his legs at the hips (like to have him sit on a throne), it looked weird. NA redesigned the legs to have traditional hip joints, and included them for free with the next figure they released (a Seeker); some retailers also sold those pieces separately, for $10. The next time was with their Constructicons, where 3 of them had extremely hollow legs from behind; NA extensively redesigned the legs to look more like legs, as a side-effect they have what I think is a more interesting transformation, and the legs have recently started being distributed to retailers; I believe NA is making them available to retailers for free, and the expectation is that retailers will give them for free to customers who bought Constructicons previously, although technically retailers can do whatever they want. ShowZ has caught some flak from fans for the way they're handling it (charging customers $70 for them, then later refunding them $60 in store credit). For Grimlock, NewAge said that these leg covers will be included with the next Dinobot they release, where each deco of the next dino will have leg covers for the Grimlock of the same deco. It's also not clear if these are snap-on partsforming pieces, or if they actually integrate into the transformation.
Aaaaaanyway, I'm really mad about how good all of these look. I thought I'd be able to get away with just the toon and the G2 deco, but man that black Shattered Glass looks so appealing (and eeeevil). And the clear one looks really unique. But like... NewAge will 100% do the entire Dinobot team, and if I get 4 dang Grimlocks, am I trapping myself into buying 4 sets of Dinobots? For completeness' sake???
Oh, and if you want to see a showcase + transformation of the figure, Mangmotion has you covered (just note that he forgets to extend the legs in dino mode):
So what's the difference between the golden G2 and the blue G2?
An unreleased deco.
A deco that hasn't even been homaged in any subsequent version of Grimlock (...as far as I know).
The forbidden deco.
Yeah baby, make way for tiger Grimlock: