So Target seemingly is clearing out all of their Exclusive Road Rage for $11.49 and anyone can buy her now. They were Red Card exclusives before, and the lowest they had her on sale was around $17 or $18 something.
I bought two right before this sale and luckily Target CS allowed me to price match her instead of making me return and repurchase. Yay!
Alrighty, and here's the other toy I wanted to talk about: FansToys FT-51 Chomp, their Masterpiece take on Skullcruncher (paging Dr. @Athenor ). This is another Headmaster, just like the Hannibal I talked about previously. I completely forgot to take photos of the two Headmaster gimmicks (the stats hidden behind a panel on his chest, and the Headmaster robot in robot mode), please forgive me.
Here he is in bot mode:
I think they did a really great job with the face sculpt and deco. The yellow paint - typically a hard color to make look good - is gorgeous.
Chomp turns from a big ol' watermelon-deco robot into a bi ol' watermelon-deco crocodile:
It's a biiiiig crocodile:
Not pictured: His bot-mode height, which is basically the same as MP Optimus Prime, so he's on the tallest end of the MP height scale.
The smokey, transparent panel on his croc-head opens up to reveal a cockpit; the Headmaster can ride inside:
This figure has kind of a notable history. FansToys released their other two Decepticon Headmasters - FT-23 Dracula, their Mindwipe, and FT-18 Lupus, their Weirdwolf - something like 4-5 years ago. Skullcruncher would complete the trio, and yet there was neither sight nor sound of him anywhere for years. People started to doubt he'd ever be released. Then, in May 2021, pre-orders for him appeared completely out of the blue. This was notable because there had been no new FansToys releases for many months at that point, no new pre-orders for even longer; if I remember correctly, there was actually no public schedule of FansToys releases for 2021 at all at that point, which was concerning given what a knock-out year they had in 2020. Furthermore, we were in Year Two of the pandemic, and folks were really feeling that collector's itch.
When pre-orders for this figure dropped out of the blue, there was a lot of e-ink spilled over analyzing it. On the one hand, a new FansToys pre-order! Huzzah! On the other hand, it's for a relatively niche character that wouldn't be on everyone's to-buy list. On the one hand, it's a unique-looking figure that would finish off a team in your collection! On the other hand, the pre-order was for 250 of your human dollars, who the hell is gonna pay that for this, FansToys is shooting themselves in the foot, they are over. Of course, people railed and whined and argued and complained online with one hand, and locked in their pre-orders with the other - in 2020, if you missed a FansToys pre-order, then that's it, it was an absolute guarantee that you would not be able to get the figure on release without paying wild scalper prices; furthermore, if you didn't lock in a FansToys pre-order within 10 minutes of it going live, you were guaranteed to not have any more opportunities later. At the time, there was no reason to think 2021 would be any different. Things have calmed down since then, and you can comfortably pick up an FT toy after release, sometimes even on sale. I put in a pre-order (despite having no interest in the character or the toy) because of that collector itch, but also because it was a genuine rush trying to secure that pre-order.
A year passed, and Chomp finally came out in spring of 2022. The FansToys supply/demand situation became sensible again, and more reasonable prices started appearing as well. People who have the time and know-how to buy from Chinese retailers on Taobao can typically get FansToys figures for about half the U.S. price. Then there are retailers like Show.Z Store and Bombusbee, which are located in China and get their stock in the same way that other Chinese retailers do, but sell primarily to non-Chinese audiences; they typically offer a price somewhere between the Taobao and U.S. retailers, and have become my go-to source for figures from certain 3rd party companies (only some, because other 3P companies, like X-Transbots and Mastermind Creations, do not allow ShowZ to sell for cheaper than U.S. retailers). Anyway, I was able to cancel my U.S. $250 pre-order and get Chomp from ShowZ for $200. Today, you can get it from them for $160 (link).
Honestly, I think it was worth the $200.
The figure has one major, undeniable pain-point: when transforming to croc mode, there's a bit where you have to fold the lower legs over and around the upper legs, tucking some panels in between the legs, right below the crotch. There's just no clearance to do this without flexing plastic, pressing plastic into plastic, maybe even doing a scrape if you're not careful. I'm a huge FansToys fan, and I'll let them off the hook a lot, but this part just sucks. It's a small part of a largely fun transformation, but it leaves such a bad taste in your mouth. And there was no reason to do it like this! Another flaw is the shoulder joint: it's a ball joint. I haven't had any problems with it as of yet, but there's a line of thinking that says that there's no justifiable reason for an MP figure shoulder joint to be anything but ratchets, and I personally agree.
On the plus side, though, I think the figure looks gorgeous (the FansToys MO). The physical quality (plastic, die-cast, paint) is S-tier, the FansToys standard. The articulation is quite good, although the sculpt does get in the way a tiny bit for more extreme poses (but I mean, you get more than you'd need, I think). The face-sculp is great, the color-scheme is wildly unique and executed so well (I can't tell you how much I love FansToys's metallic paints), the croc mode is extremely fun, and the transformation - barring that bit with the leg panels - is enjoyable. I don't care at all about the character, but fell in love with this toy immediately.
I very highly and unreservedly recommend this guy. And if you're a completionist, don't worry: FT has announced reissues of their other two Decepticon Headmasters for winter of 2022/2023. I'm curious how that's gonna go, because at the time of release, Lupus was considered one of the crummiest FansToys releases, borderline flop, and did a whole lot of shelf-warming. And then, of course, went through a period of huge demand. Anyway, a whole lot of collectors entered the market during the pandemic, so I'm curious to see how well these reissues due.
And here is the official FansToys transformation video:
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
I mentioned I recently got a shipment from Volks, and in that shipment was the red outfit that Mina is currently wearing, and her eyes. Well in that shipment I also got five or so other pairs of anime-style eyes, and a cool doll bookbag that looks like a spellbook. Then right after that, Smart Doll had some accessories on sale that I also purchased. There was also a little bit of wig try-ons I needed to do, because weeks a go I gave Susanna's lavender wig to June, so I needed to find a wig that I thought worked with her. And finally, I moved some dolls around for organization and display reasons.
I've mentioned before that somehow with wigs, you can try one on 20 dolls and it doesn't seem to work or be a good wig, and then once you get it on the right doll then bam, the wig is perfect. Another thing I've learned is that even if two wigs were created with the same "cut" and to the same exacting standards, they can end up looking very different. I've found this out about the pixie-cut red wig I have, that I tried today on Lucy Shepard. I really want this pixie cut to work, but everytime I see it on a doll, it looks like a bowl cut. I'm wondering if I just need to trim up the front to change the shape. The dark brown pixie cut that's on Sofia doesn't have the same issue at all, it's perfect.
Anyway, on to the choices I ended up making - for now.
First up I decided that the top row will be "anime" style dolls, and the bottom row will be "semi-real" style. Mina is only occupying the first floor because I still need to paint her, and it's easier to pick up the doll from the bottom shelf (no step stool needed) when I want to work on her.
You may also have noticed that Batgirl has moved. I decided that since she's a pure display piece and unlikely to ever have her outfit changed, that she's best to sit on my upper shelf facing my Zoom meetings.
I've also left a space in the middle, not only for Mina, but for Megumin when she arrives in November. (which reminds me, @HexDex thanks for the write-up about who she is. Though I do have one question: is Konosuba a harem anime? I generally can't stand harem anime, but if there's a reason this is an exception to the rule let me know)
Next up is Fianna's outfit changes:
Before, I had Fianna in a "St. Pauli Girl" barmaid outfit. I kept the corselet and discarded everything else. Then for an underdress I gave her not one, but two nightgowns that I bought off of Etsy years ago. The reason I did two is that each one is see-through by itself, and I wasn't trying to make it look like she's wearing lingerie. The double-gown turned out to look pretty cool I think. My goal for her outfit was to make her look like a witch or mystical herbal healer, something along those lines. The idea for her outfit came from the bookbag she's now wearing, which is the one I mentioned earlier I got from Volks. The "cover" has the title "Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants." She has no shoes yet, because I don't have the kind of shoes I feel would fit this character. I looked around on Etsy and didn't see much there that would work for me, except maybe a pair of ballet flats. I think what I'll end up doing is making her a pair of ghillie shoes, because those have a really basic construction and feel suited to a forest witch. The final thing I did for her look was just slightly flattened her curls with a flat iron. Puffiness of the curls on this wig had been getting on my nerves for a while, but I worried I would miss them if I flattened them, and I wouldn't be able to curl them back myself easily. As it turns out I worried for nothing, I much prefer the wig like this.
I also considered switching her wig for a different one. This isn't because I dislike the wig on her, quite the contrary - it's because Susanna didn't really have a wig "for" her at this point, and the red-wine wig is the one she originally came with, so I considered giving it back to her. Ultimately after trying the wig on Susanna, and a few others, I decided against it. I wanted Susanna to have lighter-colored hair, and if possible to have a wig that looks like she dyes her hair. I eventually settled on the silver wig:
I also gave her jeans in place of her shorts (it's almost fall, it was time for at least a minor change), and I moved her to the spot where Batgirl used to be. My lore for Susanna is that she's Max's (my only anime boy so far) sister, so it seemed fitting that she stand next to them. I also switched her eyes out for these ones from Volks. Not sure how I feel about the wig on her but the eyes are badass. Once June gets her new wigs in, I'll probably give Susanna the lavender wig back.
Next up on slight style changes is Sofia:
All her new stuff came from Smart Doll. They released a new belt with pouches called the combat belt. To me it just seemed good for someone who's clearly going for a hike as Sofia is. It's actually two belts with pouches, and it's obvious that one of the two belts is a brown pallet-swap of the one Batgirl is wearing, but I'm cool with that, I like it. I also gave Sofia a brown canvas bag I got from Smart Doll last year. Now she's truly ready for whatever the trail throws at her.
Here's the new backdrop for my Zoom calls:
Aside from Batgirl towering over everything like THE NIGHT ITSELF, you'll notice a small change with Jane Shepard: She has a cape. I know Mass Effect isn't a universe that's huge on capes, I just liked the cape and wanted to use it. I dunno, I'm still questioning myself on this one. Obviously a cape like this isn't for practical purposes, it's for a dramatic flair. But I figure in this uniform, at least, the cape is a signifier of rank and used only for formal occasions, not for actual combat. Also, Shepard is surrounded by a bit more of my other Mass Effect toys.
Eh... It is not, strictly speaking, a harem anime. It is not in that genre. It is an isekai fantasy comedy.
But I am not sure I would say you should watch it, either. This is very much a male power driven fantasy.
There are also some deeply eh, lets call them, deviant, aspects to the show. The main character has an ability to steal at random from an opponent, and ends up with panties more often than not. One of the other main characters is a large busted masochist, who is also the parties tank, and so well, I think you can see where that might be headed. Lots of women who end up very, creatively, framed in the shots. Fan service aplenty.
The main plot points are around how the party has stumbled their way into victories fall beyond their skill, yet are also perpetually broke and trying not to be. It has some pretty funny moments, but it not without some pretty cringe moments also.
If you want to PM some anime you actually do enjoy, we can stop cluttering the toy thread with anime talk and I could let you have a better idea of if I think you might enjoy it or not. For what it's worth, my spouse loves it, but she is a huge perv so, ymmv. haha.
If you are reading this add me.
D3: HexDex#1281, PSN: DireOtter, Live: DireOtter
Sadly there's still not enough grey on his torso, but this corrects a lot of things I didn't like about his deco AND it allows you to chrome his trailer the hell up!
Seeing this shelf line-up has made me feel vaguely anxious about a shelf-dive. Cambiata, do the dolls have any kind of a stay-in-place provision (magnets in feet, holes in soles that fit on pegs, etc etc)? Or are you relying on level shelves and good balance?
Also, it just occurred to me: How do you handle dust? I find plain plastic already hard to keep clean (especially given nooks and crannies), but your dolls have wigs and clothing and all kind of other materials - not to mention the material that the dolls themselves are made of. What's your approach?
Seeing this shelf line-up has made me feel vaguely anxious about a shelf-dive. Cambiata, do the dolls have any kind of a stay-in-place provision (magnets in feet, holes in soles that fit on pegs, etc etc)? Or are you relying on level shelves and good balance?
They don't have anything to keep them in place, I am in fact relying on level shelves and having correctly set them up to stand on their own. The vinyl dolls will take a tumble now and then but it's not a big deal - they're pretty resilient. The resin dolls are another story, though, if they were to fall from height I suspect a breakage would occur. However, since they are so much heavier than the Smart Dolls, I think they have pretty solid footing. The doll at most risk is Mina, since she doesn't have the broad faun legs that June has.
Smart Dolls do come with a single-leg stand that you can hook into a port in the center of their backs, then lean against the floor for some added support. I was using the stand on Isobel (upper shelf, long blonde wig) before, because she felt kind of shaky on those heels, but today when I set her up I feel like I got her sturdy enough to not need the stand. Unfortunately those single-leg stands are only really helpful if you have the doll lean into them on purpose, and I don't want to do that. I also don't like the look of the stands (though you can hide them behind the dolls legs), and I just generally like that the dolls have the ability to stand on their own.
Also, it just occurred to me: How do you handle dust? I find plain plastic already hard to keep clean (especially given nooks and crannies), but your dolls have wigs and clothing and all kind of other materials - not to mention the material that the dolls themselves are made of. What's your approach?
Dust is a pain in the ass. I do dust them with a cloth now and then. For hair I can just remove the wig and beat it against something like you might do with a rug. The clothes can be handwashed with fabric detergent if they get too dusty. But I don't bother with doing that kind of work with the wigs and clothes very often, maybe once a year. For clothes, I change the clothes often enough that I don't think they get too much dust buildup. Wigs are similar in that if I just take a doll down, remove the wig and try new clothes on it, then put the wig back on, I've already eliminated a lot of the dust on those parts. Now that I have the shelves up I might start getting more dust issues, since I may not touch stuff on the upper shelf as often. We'll see.
Sadly there's still not enough grey on his torso, but this corrects a lot of things I didn't like about his deco AND it allows you to chrome his trailer the hell up!
THAT is what was missing. Holy cow do those stickers go a long way to improving that figure.
the $65 for the Ark set (which doesn't even cover Mainframe) is kinda crazy.
Especially since I'm definitely not using all of the stickers.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I figured tonight would be a good night to play around with another one of these limbs. Specifically, I wanted to try and see how transformation went on Ferocious (Rampage).
... Three hours later, I've decided I might not transform him again before the other parts show up, because holy cow.
Alright, starting point. As I've shown in other pictures, Ferocious comes in robot mode, with a cannon and a sword. I used some nail polish on his hand to help his pinky finger stay in place better, and now that particular hand is quite tight. However, the loosening I did on some panels is still present and there are a few places I should glue together or otherwise reinforce. In fact, there was an entire other panel that just kept slipping out. Nothing too horrible, just.. annoying because it was on a leg near a ratchet and would shake loose easily.
Onto beast mode. And this is where that joy of loosening joints really came in place. These are so tight, and yet I fear I may break them... but I got through everything. The arms are easy. The rear legs basically flip in on each other and the panels all re-arrange. There's some weirdness with the hind leg digitigrade bits. It never really locked in the way I expected. But in the end, that's okay.
What is really surprising is how many design cues the beast mode takes from Zoids. Like.. I could draw direct references and inspiration from various models. I really do think they went with "hey, let's make transforming zoids" as the basis for this. I can't complain.
It was about this time, as I was referring to videos online, that I noticed the orange of Ferocious was much more like yellow on Emgo's. I am fearing that they did some color changes along the production run... which is more of a big deal with Firmament (Divebomb), who definitely has the yellow highlights.
Another hour later, and I get his arm mode completed. There's a lot of very particular panel alignments that you need to get juuust right. And to make matters worse, everything clicks together in very precise ways. So doing the final "collapse" is a bit of a bear. It is cool how they essentially flip the legs to build out the forearms. And the most important part: Ferocious's torso hides a beefy elbow joint that can rotate on either side. Quite a bit of poseability!
Small note about the photo shoot: I guess I installed Divebomb and Rampage backwards on my PotP Predaking. It's not horrible or anything, just.. missed it.
In reality, it isn't the most complex of transformations. It's just that there are a LOT of sliding panels that you desperately don't want to scrape or damage. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any paint near the parts that are rubbing together. A couple tampographs are close, but that is easy to be careful with.
... I am not looking forward to Firmament. I think Kinglion is going to be last.
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited September 2022
It's funny that Delduwath just asked me about falls, because someone fell from the shelf a few minutes ago and it wasn't any of my giant dolls, it was world's best space boyfriend, Garrus. This guy:
This dude has never had a stand and I have always had a difficult time making him stand up on his own two feet. Right now I just have him using the N7 helmet to keep him up.
Edit: Oh, also! My rare earth magnets arrived today. I put two on the inside of Mina's head, and added one of the extra thin ones that Mina came with to her ears, and that's finally enough to keep the ears on. I liked the security of this so much that I swapped out June's original magnets for the thicker ones I bought I didn't put an extra thin one on the horns, though, because they didn't really need it, and they were also too visible on her.
Anyway, here's Mina with two upright ears. I still haven't started painting her, though:
Man, trying to grow past my packratting behavior and actually throw away packaging that I'm only keeping "in case I resell this" which I have never resold a thing in my entire damn life. :biggrin:
Like, am I ever going to sell my DS or 3DS? Probably not. Do I still have thier boxes? Absolutely.
Biggest sticking point right now is I have a ton of Transformers CLassics and Transformers: Alternators boxes. I have the figures, and I might sell them some day (I currently live in a place where shipping is atrocious) but I don't think they go for much money on ebay, even WITH packaging, so maybe I should just get rid of it?
Baby steps I guess, I did get rid of SOME stuff at least.
+3
CambiataCommander ShepardThe likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered Userregular
edited September 2022
FYI this robo-bust is one of the items I expect to get in my chaos haul this time:
I'll know for sure when it's delivered on Monday (or it might get delivered on Saturday, they do tend to get delivered a day earlier than the estimate)
I'm still debating whether I want to cut a hole in it to put a USB charger in one of my dolls.
I dunno if the Classics line is that sought after right now, but Alternators seems to depend on which one you have. Ebay has listings ranging from $25 to $130ish (Nemesis Prime).
EDIT: In box or out doesn't seem to be very important from what I saw though.
I've only got two (Battle Ravage and Shockblast). Only ones I'd really be interested in are Nemesis Prime (not likely, apparently was a con exclusive), and Grimlock.
I think I'm missing Swerve, Prowl, Skids, Sunstreaker, Ricochet, Optimus Prime, Mirage and the exclusives (Nemesis Prime, Rodimus, Rumble and the Cat Ravage.)
I also have zero attachment to them at this point and if someone wanted to buy the lot, I would be against it. I even have the packaging!
Undead Scottsman on
+2
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
I have discovered a new "oddly satisfying" sound that I really like.
Applying this shock oil to the squeaky joints of this 3rd party transformer, and all of a sudden all those squeaks just go away as the piece gets easier and easier to turn. It... brings a tear to my eye.
I'm not feeling great today in general, but I decided to try my hand at a bit of work on Kinglion himself. Just... messing around with poses, getting the cannons right, etc.
I'm glad the shock oil worked out for you, Athenor! It really does feel like absolute magic when you feel that resistance and the plastic squeak suddenly start to give, and then a few more rotations and suddenly it's completely smooth and silent, like as if though it's never been a problem.
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Hey! Unlike the Bull and the Panther, the lion actually is just "lay down and spread the legs! Surprisingly simple transformation... to this step.
There were a couple of gotchas, and a couple tight joints to fix up, and surprisingly his foreleg isn't a fan of the weight... but all in all...
Part of me thought about getting out all my Liger Zeros... then I figured.. nah. Didn't want to get them all down, pose them, dust them, etc.
Left is Liger Zero, right is Blade Liger AB - Leon Ver.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Another few hours, some more vids, and more fiddling to loosen joints, and...
Big boy. Definitely missing its pants though.
Guns are well hinged, has more articulation than you'd expect, and some very tough ratchets.
The back... actually looks very Predaking-like! Lots of folded up lion bits, and in the process it makes a very backpack-like feel. Also all the pieces arranging to look like booster engines is a nice touch.
The one.. ONE part that may throw people off is the combiner head. It looks VERY different from Predaking's. It has the two antenna and the visor, sure. But it is super angled, and much more feral looking. It looks like an upsized version of Kinglion's head.
The mouth does move, though, revealing a beam port. It also can accept watch batteries to light up, but I haven't got those at the moment.
Because I did this before Firmament, I only have 1 arm transformed and don't have his wings. So he's kind of pissed at the further indignities beyond just missing his pants.
The next of the legends-scale version of Thunderking is showing up. Gotta admit.. it looks nice! I also really like how it is quite unique looking from the masterpiece scale one.
Well after noting the other day that I was still missing a few transformers from completing my Alternators collection, I once again perused eBay. And found an auction for both Rumble and Ravage (note, not Battle Ravage) which are two of the four I was missing. I just won the auction for $59, which comes out to ~$76 after shipping and taxes. So that's pretty cool.
The next of the legends-scale version of Thunderking is showing up. Gotta admit.. it looks nice! I also really like how it is quite unique looking from the masterpiece scale one.
Thanks! Cang Toys had said previously that they plan to finish the MP set before moving forward with the Legends set, and I think the last MP member is supposed to come out next spring or something? Haven't really kept track, tbh. I wonder if this is them just getting the ball rolling on the next Legends release, or if they might move the release up a bit.
Anyway, yeah, I think it looks great! I like the aesthetics of the MP set, but they are just so big and the expensive (...in the context of me already having a lot of big and expensive things on my to-buy list for the next year) that I had to draw a line. Fortunately, the Legends set is a great alternative. I'm just a little bummed the hands and feet don't transform, but whatever, no biggie.
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Forever Zefirocloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered Userregular
I dunno if the Classics line is that sought after right now, but Alternators seems to depend on which one you have. Ebay has listings ranging from $25 to $130ish (Nemesis Prime).
EDIT: In box or out doesn't seem to be very important from what I saw though.
I would think Classics would be more desirable than Alternators, but that’s probably bias
Alternators are of course neat for their vehicle mode but their robot modes are so disappointing imo
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Classics Prime, Megatron and Jetfire have better Siege/Earthrise versions. Bee and Soundwave (g1 reissue was in classics packing) have their netflix figures. Stascream and the seekers have the Earthrise figures. Grimlock and Rodimus have much better studio series figures.
Even Mirage and Astrotrain have gotten better, more accurate figures since then.
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Forever Zefirocloaked in the midnight glory of an event horizonRegistered Userregular
And yet I’d still rather have those Classics than the Alternators
But yeah sure some of those “core” characters finally have better versions, but the CHUGs line has a lot of neat figures with interesting alt modes and good transformations, but they’re often less hollow than recent stuff
Idk I just appreciate how fun they were
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
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AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Damn. I went too far the other direction!
I had been warned that Firmament was extremely tight in his joints. So I went to work on the shock oil treatment, working on the connectors for the wings and the combiner connector. I was surprised to see that there was absolutely no lubricant on the extremely aggressive and strong ratcheting joint, but I did manage to fix that.
The problem is the wings. The lubricant I have put in has gone too far the other direction, and now the friction can't hold up the massive weight of the wings. This isn't a huge deal if they are horizontal, like they'd be in robot or combined mode.
But in alt mode? Yeah... Firmament's wings just divebomb to the ground.
No clue how to fix this. Obviously this pose works, which is fine. But I don't exactly know how to disassemble all this and clean off some of the oil, to reach kind of a "happy medium" where the joints move without complaining much but can still hold their pose.
Could you take some pieces of paper towel to wick away the excess shock oil? All I remember doing for RC cars is using a rag to wipe away the excess oil. I'm trying to think what the equivalent to cat litter would be to that scale. Desiccant packet probably wouldn't work, would it?
I have seen shop towels recommend for cleaning up excess lubricant. Shop towels are blue paper towels that are extra dense and tough, and almost have a cloth-y texture. My understanding is that they are commonly used in mechanical shops to clean up greasy parts.
I have used them for wiping extra lubricant, and sure, they work nicely. I honestly can't tell you if they're any better than regular paper towels for something this small, but it's fun to buy special accoutrements for your hobby. Not sure they can really wick away oil, though.
AthenorBattle Hardened OptimistThe Skies of HiigaraRegistered Userregular
Sigh... Damnit, Hasbro.
So I am not a huge Sentai guy. I enjoy Power Rangers though, due to when it hit during my childhood and my love of giant robots.
If asked, I would say I have 4 favorite Zord teams:: The Dino Megazord, the Thunder/tiger Megazord, the Shogun Megazord, and the Astro Megazord. My hope was always that the Legacy line would make the Space stuff after Shogun... But that never happened.
Well, go figure. The next Zord in Hasbro's Zord Ascension Project is the Astro Megazord! Reviews of the first ZAP had some extremely big flaws... But I cannot imagine the Astro Megazord having those same issues.
Posts
I bought two right before this sale and luckily Target CS allowed me to price match her instead of making me return and repurchase. Yay!
Link!
https://www.target.com/p/transformers-generations-war-for-cybertron--kingdom-deluxe-wfc-k41-autobot-road-rage--target-exclusive---no-aasa/-/A-81473374
Steam: betsuni7
Here he is in bot mode:
I think they did a really great job with the face sculpt and deco. The yellow paint - typically a hard color to make look good - is gorgeous.
Chomp turns from a big ol' watermelon-deco robot into a bi ol' watermelon-deco crocodile:
It's a biiiiig crocodile:
Not pictured: His bot-mode height, which is basically the same as MP Optimus Prime, so he's on the tallest end of the MP height scale.
The smokey, transparent panel on his croc-head opens up to reveal a cockpit; the Headmaster can ride inside:
This figure has kind of a notable history. FansToys released their other two Decepticon Headmasters - FT-23 Dracula, their Mindwipe, and FT-18 Lupus, their Weirdwolf - something like 4-5 years ago. Skullcruncher would complete the trio, and yet there was neither sight nor sound of him anywhere for years. People started to doubt he'd ever be released. Then, in May 2021, pre-orders for him appeared completely out of the blue. This was notable because there had been no new FansToys releases for many months at that point, no new pre-orders for even longer; if I remember correctly, there was actually no public schedule of FansToys releases for 2021 at all at that point, which was concerning given what a knock-out year they had in 2020. Furthermore, we were in Year Two of the pandemic, and folks were really feeling that collector's itch.
When pre-orders for this figure dropped out of the blue, there was a lot of e-ink spilled over analyzing it. On the one hand, a new FansToys pre-order! Huzzah! On the other hand, it's for a relatively niche character that wouldn't be on everyone's to-buy list. On the one hand, it's a unique-looking figure that would finish off a team in your collection! On the other hand, the pre-order was for 250 of your human dollars, who the hell is gonna pay that for this, FansToys is shooting themselves in the foot, they are over. Of course, people railed and whined and argued and complained online with one hand, and locked in their pre-orders with the other - in 2020, if you missed a FansToys pre-order, then that's it, it was an absolute guarantee that you would not be able to get the figure on release without paying wild scalper prices; furthermore, if you didn't lock in a FansToys pre-order within 10 minutes of it going live, you were guaranteed to not have any more opportunities later. At the time, there was no reason to think 2021 would be any different. Things have calmed down since then, and you can comfortably pick up an FT toy after release, sometimes even on sale. I put in a pre-order (despite having no interest in the character or the toy) because of that collector itch, but also because it was a genuine rush trying to secure that pre-order.
A year passed, and Chomp finally came out in spring of 2022. The FansToys supply/demand situation became sensible again, and more reasonable prices started appearing as well. People who have the time and know-how to buy from Chinese retailers on Taobao can typically get FansToys figures for about half the U.S. price. Then there are retailers like Show.Z Store and Bombusbee, which are located in China and get their stock in the same way that other Chinese retailers do, but sell primarily to non-Chinese audiences; they typically offer a price somewhere between the Taobao and U.S. retailers, and have become my go-to source for figures from certain 3rd party companies (only some, because other 3P companies, like X-Transbots and Mastermind Creations, do not allow ShowZ to sell for cheaper than U.S. retailers). Anyway, I was able to cancel my U.S. $250 pre-order and get Chomp from ShowZ for $200. Today, you can get it from them for $160 (link).
Honestly, I think it was worth the $200.
The figure has one major, undeniable pain-point: when transforming to croc mode, there's a bit where you have to fold the lower legs over and around the upper legs, tucking some panels in between the legs, right below the crotch. There's just no clearance to do this without flexing plastic, pressing plastic into plastic, maybe even doing a scrape if you're not careful. I'm a huge FansToys fan, and I'll let them off the hook a lot, but this part just sucks. It's a small part of a largely fun transformation, but it leaves such a bad taste in your mouth. And there was no reason to do it like this! Another flaw is the shoulder joint: it's a ball joint. I haven't had any problems with it as of yet, but there's a line of thinking that says that there's no justifiable reason for an MP figure shoulder joint to be anything but ratchets, and I personally agree.
On the plus side, though, I think the figure looks gorgeous (the FansToys MO). The physical quality (plastic, die-cast, paint) is S-tier, the FansToys standard. The articulation is quite good, although the sculpt does get in the way a tiny bit for more extreme poses (but I mean, you get more than you'd need, I think). The face-sculp is great, the color-scheme is wildly unique and executed so well (I can't tell you how much I love FansToys's metallic paints), the croc mode is extremely fun, and the transformation - barring that bit with the leg panels - is enjoyable. I don't care at all about the character, but fell in love with this toy immediately.
I very highly and unreservedly recommend this guy. And if you're a completionist, don't worry: FT has announced reissues of their other two Decepticon Headmasters for winter of 2022/2023. I'm curious how that's gonna go, because at the time of release, Lupus was considered one of the crummiest FansToys releases, borderline flop, and did a whole lot of shelf-warming. And then, of course, went through a period of huge demand. Anyway, a whole lot of collectors entered the market during the pandemic, so I'm curious to see how well these reissues due.
And here is the official FansToys transformation video:
I've mentioned before that somehow with wigs, you can try one on 20 dolls and it doesn't seem to work or be a good wig, and then once you get it on the right doll then bam, the wig is perfect. Another thing I've learned is that even if two wigs were created with the same "cut" and to the same exacting standards, they can end up looking very different. I've found this out about the pixie-cut red wig I have, that I tried today on Lucy Shepard. I really want this pixie cut to work, but everytime I see it on a doll, it looks like a bowl cut. I'm wondering if I just need to trim up the front to change the shape. The dark brown pixie cut that's on Sofia doesn't have the same issue at all, it's perfect.
Anyway, on to the choices I ended up making - for now.
First up I decided that the top row will be "anime" style dolls, and the bottom row will be "semi-real" style. Mina is only occupying the first floor because I still need to paint her, and it's easier to pick up the doll from the bottom shelf (no step stool needed) when I want to work on her.
You may also have noticed that Batgirl has moved. I decided that since she's a pure display piece and unlikely to ever have her outfit changed, that she's best to sit on my upper shelf facing my Zoom meetings.
I've also left a space in the middle, not only for Mina, but for Megumin when she arrives in November. (which reminds me, @HexDex thanks for the write-up about who she is. Though I do have one question: is Konosuba a harem anime? I generally can't stand harem anime, but if there's a reason this is an exception to the rule let me know)
Next up is Fianna's outfit changes:
Before, I had Fianna in a "St. Pauli Girl" barmaid outfit. I kept the corselet and discarded everything else. Then for an underdress I gave her not one, but two nightgowns that I bought off of Etsy years ago. The reason I did two is that each one is see-through by itself, and I wasn't trying to make it look like she's wearing lingerie. The double-gown turned out to look pretty cool I think. My goal for her outfit was to make her look like a witch or mystical herbal healer, something along those lines. The idea for her outfit came from the bookbag she's now wearing, which is the one I mentioned earlier I got from Volks. The "cover" has the title "Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants." She has no shoes yet, because I don't have the kind of shoes I feel would fit this character. I looked around on Etsy and didn't see much there that would work for me, except maybe a pair of ballet flats. I think what I'll end up doing is making her a pair of ghillie shoes, because those have a really basic construction and feel suited to a forest witch. The final thing I did for her look was just slightly flattened her curls with a flat iron. Puffiness of the curls on this wig had been getting on my nerves for a while, but I worried I would miss them if I flattened them, and I wouldn't be able to curl them back myself easily. As it turns out I worried for nothing, I much prefer the wig like this.
I also considered switching her wig for a different one. This isn't because I dislike the wig on her, quite the contrary - it's because Susanna didn't really have a wig "for" her at this point, and the red-wine wig is the one she originally came with, so I considered giving it back to her. Ultimately after trying the wig on Susanna, and a few others, I decided against it. I wanted Susanna to have lighter-colored hair, and if possible to have a wig that looks like she dyes her hair. I eventually settled on the silver wig:
I also gave her jeans in place of her shorts (it's almost fall, it was time for at least a minor change), and I moved her to the spot where Batgirl used to be. My lore for Susanna is that she's Max's (my only anime boy so far) sister, so it seemed fitting that she stand next to them. I also switched her eyes out for these ones from Volks. Not sure how I feel about the wig on her but the eyes are badass. Once June gets her new wigs in, I'll probably give Susanna the lavender wig back.
Next up on slight style changes is Sofia:
All her new stuff came from Smart Doll. They released a new belt with pouches called the combat belt. To me it just seemed good for someone who's clearly going for a hike as Sofia is. It's actually two belts with pouches, and it's obvious that one of the two belts is a brown pallet-swap of the one Batgirl is wearing, but I'm cool with that, I like it. I also gave Sofia a brown canvas bag I got from Smart Doll last year. Now she's truly ready for whatever the trail throws at her.
Here's the new backdrop for my Zoom calls:
Aside from Batgirl towering over everything like THE NIGHT ITSELF, you'll notice a small change with Jane Shepard: She has a cape. I know Mass Effect isn't a universe that's huge on capes, I just liked the cape and wanted to use it. I dunno, I'm still questioning myself on this one. Obviously a cape like this isn't for practical purposes, it's for a dramatic flair. But I figure in this uniform, at least, the cape is a signifier of rank and used only for formal occasions, not for actual combat. Also, Shepard is surrounded by a bit more of my other Mass Effect toys.
Eh... It is not, strictly speaking, a harem anime. It is not in that genre. It is an isekai fantasy comedy.
But I am not sure I would say you should watch it, either. This is very much a male power driven fantasy.
There are also some deeply eh, lets call them, deviant, aspects to the show. The main character has an ability to steal at random from an opponent, and ends up with panties more often than not. One of the other main characters is a large busted masochist, who is also the parties tank, and so well, I think you can see where that might be headed. Lots of women who end up very, creatively, framed in the shots. Fan service aplenty.
The main plot points are around how the party has stumbled their way into victories fall beyond their skill, yet are also perpetually broke and trying not to be. It has some pretty funny moments, but it not without some pretty cringe moments also.
If you want to PM some anime you actually do enjoy, we can stop cluttering the toy thread with anime talk and I could let you have a better idea of if I think you might enjoy it or not. For what it's worth, my spouse loves it, but she is a huge perv so, ymmv. haha.
D3: HexDex#1281, PSN: DireOtter, Live: DireOtter
https://toyhax.com/for-legacy/7248-labels-for-legacy-scourge.html
Sadly there's still not enough grey on his torso, but this corrects a lot of things I didn't like about his deco AND it allows you to chrome his trailer the hell up!
Also, it just occurred to me: How do you handle dust? I find plain plastic already hard to keep clean (especially given nooks and crannies), but your dolls have wigs and clothing and all kind of other materials - not to mention the material that the dolls themselves are made of. What's your approach?
Personally I use the dust as a protective layer.
Just like I keep a protective layer of tacos to keep my six-pack in near mint condition.
They don't have anything to keep them in place, I am in fact relying on level shelves and having correctly set them up to stand on their own. The vinyl dolls will take a tumble now and then but it's not a big deal - they're pretty resilient. The resin dolls are another story, though, if they were to fall from height I suspect a breakage would occur. However, since they are so much heavier than the Smart Dolls, I think they have pretty solid footing. The doll at most risk is Mina, since she doesn't have the broad faun legs that June has.
Smart Dolls do come with a single-leg stand that you can hook into a port in the center of their backs, then lean against the floor for some added support. I was using the stand on Isobel (upper shelf, long blonde wig) before, because she felt kind of shaky on those heels, but today when I set her up I feel like I got her sturdy enough to not need the stand. Unfortunately those single-leg stands are only really helpful if you have the doll lean into them on purpose, and I don't want to do that. I also don't like the look of the stands (though you can hide them behind the dolls legs), and I just generally like that the dolls have the ability to stand on their own.
Dust is a pain in the ass. I do dust them with a cloth now and then. For hair I can just remove the wig and beat it against something like you might do with a rug. The clothes can be handwashed with fabric detergent if they get too dusty. But I don't bother with doing that kind of work with the wigs and clothes very often, maybe once a year. For clothes, I change the clothes often enough that I don't think they get too much dust buildup. Wigs are similar in that if I just take a doll down, remove the wig and try new clothes on it, then put the wig back on, I've already eliminated a lot of the dust on those parts. Now that I have the shelves up I might start getting more dust issues, since I may not touch stuff on the upper shelf as often. We'll see.
Who wants a six pack when you can have a keg?
It's less about the keg itself and more about the handles, IMO.
THAT is what was missing. Holy cow do those stickers go a long way to improving that figure.
the $65 for the Ark set (which doesn't even cover Mainframe) is kinda crazy.
Especially since I'm definitely not using all of the stickers.
... Three hours later, I've decided I might not transform him again before the other parts show up, because holy cow.
Alright, starting point. As I've shown in other pictures, Ferocious comes in robot mode, with a cannon and a sword. I used some nail polish on his hand to help his pinky finger stay in place better, and now that particular hand is quite tight. However, the loosening I did on some panels is still present and there are a few places I should glue together or otherwise reinforce. In fact, there was an entire other panel that just kept slipping out. Nothing too horrible, just.. annoying because it was on a leg near a ratchet and would shake loose easily.
Onto beast mode. And this is where that joy of loosening joints really came in place. These are so tight, and yet I fear I may break them... but I got through everything. The arms are easy. The rear legs basically flip in on each other and the panels all re-arrange. There's some weirdness with the hind leg digitigrade bits. It never really locked in the way I expected. But in the end, that's okay.
What is really surprising is how many design cues the beast mode takes from Zoids. Like.. I could draw direct references and inspiration from various models. I really do think they went with "hey, let's make transforming zoids" as the basis for this. I can't complain.
It was about this time, as I was referring to videos online, that I noticed the orange of Ferocious was much more like yellow on Emgo's. I am fearing that they did some color changes along the production run... which is more of a big deal with Firmament (Divebomb), who definitely has the yellow highlights.
Another hour later, and I get his arm mode completed. There's a lot of very particular panel alignments that you need to get juuust right. And to make matters worse, everything clicks together in very precise ways. So doing the final "collapse" is a bit of a bear. It is cool how they essentially flip the legs to build out the forearms. And the most important part: Ferocious's torso hides a beefy elbow joint that can rotate on either side. Quite a bit of poseability!
Small note about the photo shoot: I guess I installed Divebomb and Rampage backwards on my PotP Predaking. It's not horrible or anything, just.. missed it.
In reality, it isn't the most complex of transformations. It's just that there are a LOT of sliding panels that you desperately don't want to scrape or damage. Thankfully there doesn't appear to be any paint near the parts that are rubbing together. A couple tampographs are close, but that is easy to be careful with.
... I am not looking forward to Firmament. I think Kinglion is going to be last.
This dude has never had a stand and I have always had a difficult time making him stand up on his own two feet. Right now I just have him using the N7 helmet to keep him up.
Edit: Oh, also! My rare earth magnets arrived today. I put two on the inside of Mina's head, and added one of the extra thin ones that Mina came with to her ears, and that's finally enough to keep the ears on. I liked the security of this so much that I swapped out June's original magnets for the thicker ones I bought I didn't put an extra thin one on the horns, though, because they didn't really need it, and they were also too visible on her.
Anyway, here's Mina with two upright ears. I still haven't started painting her, though:
Like, am I ever going to sell my DS or 3DS? Probably not. Do I still have thier boxes? Absolutely.
Biggest sticking point right now is I have a ton of Transformers CLassics and Transformers: Alternators boxes. I have the figures, and I might sell them some day (I currently live in a place where shipping is atrocious) but I don't think they go for much money on ebay, even WITH packaging, so maybe I should just get rid of it?
Baby steps I guess, I did get rid of SOME stuff at least.
I'll know for sure when it's delivered on Monday (or it might get delivered on Saturday, they do tend to get delivered a day earlier than the estimate)
I'm still debating whether I want to cut a hole in it to put a USB charger in one of my dolls.
EDIT: In box or out doesn't seem to be very important from what I saw though.
Steam: betsuni7
I also have zero attachment to them at this point and if someone wanted to buy the lot, I would be against it. I even have the packaging!
Applying this shock oil to the squeaky joints of this 3rd party transformer, and all of a sudden all those squeaks just go away as the piece gets easier and easier to turn. It... brings a tear to my eye.
I'm not feeling great today in general, but I decided to try my hand at a bit of work on Kinglion himself. Just... messing around with poses, getting the cannons right, etc.
Dusty Shelf returns!
And size comparisons.
There were a couple of gotchas, and a couple tight joints to fix up, and surprisingly his foreleg isn't a fan of the weight... but all in all...
Part of me thought about getting out all my Liger Zeros... then I figured.. nah. Didn't want to get them all down, pose them, dust them, etc.
Left is Liger Zero, right is Blade Liger AB - Leon Ver.
Big boy. Definitely missing its pants though.
Guns are well hinged, has more articulation than you'd expect, and some very tough ratchets.
The back... actually looks very Predaking-like! Lots of folded up lion bits, and in the process it makes a very backpack-like feel. Also all the pieces arranging to look like booster engines is a nice touch.
The one.. ONE part that may throw people off is the combiner head. It looks VERY different from Predaking's. It has the two antenna and the visor, sure. But it is super angled, and much more feral looking. It looks like an upsized version of Kinglion's head.
The mouth does move, though, revealing a beam port. It also can accept watch batteries to light up, but I haven't got those at the moment.
Because I did this before Firmament, I only have 1 arm transformed and don't have his wings. So he's kind of pissed at the further indignities beyond just missing his pants.
"Seriously, where are my pants?"
"They're coming in November."
"DAMNIT I DON'T WANT TO WAIT THAT LONG!!!"
D3: HexDex#1281, PSN: DireOtter, Live: DireOtter
The next of the legends-scale version of Thunderking is showing up. Gotta admit.. it looks nice! I also really like how it is quite unique looking from the masterpiece scale one.
Anyway, yeah, I think it looks great! I like the aesthetics of the MP set, but they are just so big and the expensive (...in the context of me already having a lot of big and expensive things on my to-buy list for the next year) that I had to draw a line. Fortunately, the Legends set is a great alternative. I'm just a little bummed the hands and feet don't transform, but whatever, no biggie.
I would think Classics would be more desirable than Alternators, but that’s probably bias
Alternators are of course neat for their vehicle mode but their robot modes are so disappointing imo
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
Classics Prime, Megatron and Jetfire have better Siege/Earthrise versions. Bee and Soundwave (g1 reissue was in classics packing) have their netflix figures. Stascream and the seekers have the Earthrise figures. Grimlock and Rodimus have much better studio series figures.
Even Mirage and Astrotrain have gotten better, more accurate figures since then.
But yeah sure some of those “core” characters finally have better versions, but the CHUGs line has a lot of neat figures with interesting alt modes and good transformations, but they’re often less hollow than recent stuff
Idk I just appreciate how fun they were
XBL - Foreverender | 3DS FC - 1418 6696 1012 | Steam ID | LoL
I had been warned that Firmament was extremely tight in his joints. So I went to work on the shock oil treatment, working on the connectors for the wings and the combiner connector. I was surprised to see that there was absolutely no lubricant on the extremely aggressive and strong ratcheting joint, but I did manage to fix that.
The problem is the wings. The lubricant I have put in has gone too far the other direction, and now the friction can't hold up the massive weight of the wings. This isn't a huge deal if they are horizontal, like they'd be in robot or combined mode.
But in alt mode? Yeah... Firmament's wings just divebomb to the ground.
No clue how to fix this. Obviously this pose works, which is fine. But I don't exactly know how to disassemble all this and clean off some of the oil, to reach kind of a "happy medium" where the joints move without complaining much but can still hold their pose.
Steam: betsuni7
I have used them for wiping extra lubricant, and sure, they work nicely. I honestly can't tell you if they're any better than regular paper towels for something this small, but it's fun to buy special accoutrements for your hobby. Not sure they can really wick away oil, though.
PS - Local_H_Jay
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So I am not a huge Sentai guy. I enjoy Power Rangers though, due to when it hit during my childhood and my love of giant robots.
If asked, I would say I have 4 favorite Zord teams:: The Dino Megazord, the Thunder/tiger Megazord, the Shogun Megazord, and the Astro Megazord. My hope was always that the Legacy line would make the Space stuff after Shogun... But that never happened.
Well, go figure. The next Zord in Hasbro's Zord Ascension Project is the Astro Megazord! Reviews of the first ZAP had some extremely big flaws... But I cannot imagine the Astro Megazord having those same issues.