3rd Party way of deciding the next character to work on:
1. Let's vote on character of the month.
2. Build character of the month.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.

 

They are going to compete with each other, so it is no surprise you would get the same characters around the same time. And isn't it better to get both options at once than have them spaced out so you constantly keep discovering you already bought one that you now think is inferior? And in addition to that, we are getting ones that are fairly different from each other, so we even get to pick and choose the one that seems most awesome. Bring me 10 Astrotrains, I'll still pick the one best one I enjoy to fit in to my collection (not to mention prices would be cheaper due to the increased competition).

Smokestack or crotch doesn't bother me at all. It's the fear of a lack of proper leg articulation that is the real problem.

 

Why are we saying this isnt MP enough? Hes very articulated, MP height, looks pretty detailed. He looks great to me. He was never much bigger than a seeker in g1...until he mass shifted in alt mode so others could fit inside him...

 

his alt modes don't match the g1 toon or toy look, therefore, not mp.
toyworld has gotten the alt modes right, only thing is theirs is based heavier on toy than toon.

 

Mp generally evokes a sense of g1 toon nostalgia. Often the fandom will say things like, "this looks like it jumped right out of the tv!" This is a great classics toy, but size and detail an mp does not make.

Basically if it deviates too much from the onscreen toon appearance, it's a CHUG...

 

Finally got through both Astrotrain threads. For me TW looks good, this one looks amazing. If TW's progresses well I may well try for both, but if I could only get one (which may well be the case, we'll see), and I had to base it on these early images I would go with DX9. For me TW wins train mode, but DX9 wins the other two. For the most part my problems are just nitpicks, and I don't feel like going into them.

As for "MP", neither works for me as an MP stand in. TW's is probably closer to my definition of MP though. DX9's feels more like Warbotron.

That was one thing that bothered me. You aren't the only one.

 

Best price so far ($120) @ Robotkingdom

DX-9 D05 Chigurh (Masterpiece Size). Preorder. Available in January 2015. - Pre-Order

 

don't like the rectangular torso in bot mode, don't like the feet design, weapon does look better than the other company version.

 

I guess... But...I mean...the train looks basically like a locomotive....thw shuttle looks like the space shuttle...and bot mode is pretty good...granted he doesnt have the stupid wing chest thing going on...but i always hated that part of the toy it hinders arm movement and looks dumb to me. Oh well... And also how long will we wait before a real Astrotrain mp is put out? I mean a lot of people like the omni spinout as mp but hes different from the g1 toy as well...

 

-Looks at a nice 3rd party product
-Sees lots of unnecessary nitpicking
-Realizes this is TFW

All is right with the world.

 

They both looks nice in their own way at this stage. I can see if I had either or both of these in my collection, I would be displaying them mostly in shuttle mode with flight pose stands.

 

AMEN 

 

I don't mind at all. I beleive his cartoon gun wasn't huge.

I don't mind for accessories like guns.
As long as the main body isn't a lego-former, it's morally sound.

I didn't like the Classics hands with the nose parts blocking most of it.
I'm glad we're finally getting an Astrotrain with normal hands!

HAH! Love it!  

 

He's beautiful! Bravo to the ever growing world of TF homage!

 

The amount of happiness i got when i was told about this at TFcon yesterday had me stoked. January isn't too far finally getting my favorite decepticon. The price is justifiable because THAT'S THE ASTROTRAIN GUARANTEE.

 

after having a day to digest all the awesome new stuff unveiled, i'm not sure i'm going to bite on this or the other astrotrain (which hits its target better than this one but is further off from what i want). the thing is, i think it can be done better. the other thing is that...with one each of mp scale and classics scale out there...not sure anyone else will try. i'll wait for reviews i suppose. the thing that bugs me about dx-9 is they get so close from their renders but in my opinion (and i've nothing to point at specifically)...something misses the mark but they come so close each time. the mirage looks pretty great but something about it is off and doesn't say "i am mp mirage" to me. this astrotrain has more things that are "off" but i'll take that as artistic license vs. mirage where it seems like they went with faithful interpretation but somehow for me it lacks "feeling". anyway if the reviews are solid i might still pick it up.

 

^ FT may try, but the question is, when? I am leaning on the TW because of price... I like the looks of both, but I think maybe the TW a bit more for the alt modes, and maybe this one a bit more for the bot mode.

 

I could be the only one that sees this, but the train and bot mode almost have a hearts of steel look to them.

Like if this would look perfectly fine standing next to MMC HOS Shockwave. Anyone else kind of see this too?

It's killing the MP vibe for me...

 

Yeah both Astrotrains are off. It seems like Toyworld's effort is closer to what I want. But, he's not close enough for purchase (if his legs were rectangular like G1 he would be bought). I think the two Mirage releases are keeping my finger hovering over the buy button from what I have seen so far. The divergences from a G1 Mirage are not big, unlike the Astrotrains. Once MMC puts up their bot mode, I will know which one to buy.

 

mmc? wait is there another mirage?" lol now i need to go get updated on the info