Oh, sweet! That's great news. When I got Code, that was my one and only complaint about the toy, because it seemed like it would have been so easily do-able. I wrote FP, and either they listened to feedback, or else thought of it on their own.

That also means that if the BMOG Kickstarter gets done, those weapons will be able to interact with the Autobot weapons designer... and possibly others yet to come in this series!  

 

Will work with either act 4 or act 5 Bandai Tamashii stands.

 

Be mindful of Tamashii Stages, they're not made to hold much weight for any length of time. The Act 5 stages are a little more durable because they're designed for use with Bandai's mecha action figures and have a main arm better designed against cracking and a riveted claw piece. Act 3 and Act 4 are much more fragile.

 

Hi--Would you mind elaborating on the transformation? Is it difficult? Complex? You mentioned that it makes Code seem amateurish, and I found it a bit fussy to transform, so I was just curious. The kinds of TFs I like are like Apex/Geminus, as far as simplicity/intuitiveness and parts snapping together cleanly in both modes. Thanks for your feedback.

 

hi. for how it goes exactly, maybe it would be best if we just wait for a video review. comparing this to apex and geminus, smart robin's transformation is better hands down. everything except the forefeet is pegged and there's no empty space or cavity. one thing i don't like about apex/geminus is how the treads move freely at the back in bot mode.

 

MP cars can extend their arms outward fully, so they should be able to do a simple kneeling pose right? Oh wait...

 

I hated Code's aesthetics when he came out (and I still kinda do). Then, I watched a video review of him and bought him immediately afterwards, simply for that damn transformation. Blind-bought Quad U and will be getting Smart Robin too, after hearing about his transformation too. Don't care much for the Function-X line's looks, but those transformations...good lord. Jizai knows his stuff; pretty sure he designed the X-Transbots Powerglide and that Super Alloy Wheelie too, both of which I own. This stuff is the epitome of the word "Transformers," IMO.

 

Code looks like a brown '84 Vanagon, and I love him dearly.

 

Got mine and am really happy with him (of course I'd have liked the face-plated head sculpt better). He feels pretty sturdy and he locks together well in both modes. The transformation is clever and fun without being frustrating.

One word of caution: he does NOT have wrist swivels. It seems kind of surreal now but when I first took him out of the box and was giving all his articulation a once over I thought for some reason that he had wrist swivels and so, without even trying very hard, I managed to twist one of his wrists right the hell off. The plastic doesn't feel cheap or anything so I can't place any blame there but I can assure you that I wasn't using very much force and I also am not the incredible hulk. The break was weird too and while I have reattached the first with some super glue the connection isn't as good of a fit as I would have liked.

 

I'm in the same boat. I was going to skip this line to save some money. But after hearing so much about these transformations, I bit the bullet and got Code and Quad-U last week. My goodness these guys are truly incredibly well engineered transformers. I love intricate fiddly transformations, so these guys are right up my alley. Smart Robin will be under the tree in a couple of weeks and the wait is going to kill me..

 

My Fansproject - Function X-3: Smart Robin Gallery:

 

For more pics, click on the image above

Prelude: Legal stuff first as always. Smart Robin here is not a figure released by Hasbro or Takara-Tomy and thus not officially a Transformer. He’s from third party company Fansproject and clearly meant to be G1 Headmaster Brainstorm, but can’t be called that for legal reasons.

Robot Mode: Let’s get my one big gripe with this figure out of the way first. All incarnations of Brainstorm (cartoon, comic, toy) showed him having an Optimus-Prime-style mouth plate instead of a nose and mouth. For reasons that escape me, to be honest, Fansproject gave Smart Robin a human-style face instead, foregoing the mouth plate. Why? Can’t tell you, sorry. Maybe they just wanted him to look a bit different. It’s not a big thing, mind you, and easily fixed if you really want to (just glue something over the mouth or whatever), but it does bother me a little bit.

That’s pretty much the only thing, though. The rest of this figure is just plain good. Articulation is excellent and leaves no room for complaint. The detailing and paintjob are pretty cool as well, very accurate to the G1 toy the figure pays homage to. And one thing that deserves explicit mention: given the fact that this robot transforms into a jet with a pretty big wingspan, you see no trace of said wings at all.

The only clue as to his alternate mode are the little wings on his back, but those are actually belong to his weapons (which do become part of the jet, but not the wings). The actual jet wings fold up into his legs, very nicely done. The weapons, which are basically two smaller wings for the jet mode and can be stashed on his back, serve as a kind of jetpack when on his back, suggesting flight capability in robot mode as well.

So bottom line: an excellent robot mode. The thing with the missing mouth plate isn’t really a flaw, just a (to me) strange design choice.

Partner: Being a homage to a G1 Headmaster, Smart Robin can naturally detach his head, which transforms into a smaller robot. The little guy (who doesn’t have a name of his own) is about as nicely detailed and articulated as you can expect at this size. He has knee joints and quite a few paint apps. He can also sit in the pilot seat of Smart Robin’s jet mode, of course. So to sum it up: a nice little Headmaster figure.

Alternate Mode: It’s a very nice piece of engineering that transforms a pretty sleep and kibble-less robot with almost no visible signs of a jet mode into a space jet with a pretty wide wingspan and a long nose with a cockpit, where you can actually seat a pilot. Smart Robin becomes the same kind of futuristic space jet as G1 Brainstorm, though he does look a whole lot sleeker and far more aerodynamic. The wing-weapons attach to the nose, while the bigger wings also contain a gun each, giving Smart Robin quite a bit of firepower in jet mode.

No traces of the robot mode to be seen, the Headmaster can sit inside with no problems, the jet has a landing gear, and it just looks pretty awesome, I must say. So bottom line: an excellent jet mode, no complaints at all.

Remarks: Smart Robin is Fansproject’s third Headmaster homage, following Code (aka Chromedome) and Quadruple-U (aka Weirdwolf). Personally I can only compare him to Code and I must say he’s just as excellent engineering-wise and a lot cooler look-wise.

Brainstorm has recently come back into vogue as a character thanks to his role in IDW’s More Than Meets the Eye comic series, so it’s not surprising that two third party companies have come up with a version of him (Toyworld Brainwave being the other) and there is rumor of an official Hasbro Generations version, too. I decided on the Fansproject version mostly because my buddy Caked-Up favored it over the Toyworld version and I am not disappointed. He looks great, he moves great, he transforms great. An excellent third party version of Brainstorm. Fully recommended to everyone not put off by the higher price tag of a third party figure.

Rating: A-

 

I really should post this here too:

The reprolabel faceplate, PLEASE NOTE: the flash washed it out but the orange is MUCH more perfectly matched than the pic shows.


It's actually 2 stickers, a thick clear one goes on first and the faceplate goes over that.

Link:
Brainstorm Reprolabels

 

I'm guessing you never saw the Transformers Headmasters series from Japan...the entire series focused on Headmasters of course, and Brainstorm never had a face guard/plate...If I had my best guess, the Fansproject guys are from Japan, or at the very least, somewhere in Asia where this series was prevalent.

 

I'm guessing the guys from toyworld are from that part of the world too and their version has a faceplate

 

lol...the sarcasm...if mine smelled of sarcasm, then I apologize b/c that was not the intent...meant to inform, but you sir...smh

 

I actually didn't mean any either, don't know where you got that from.

 

My contribution :













A good figure with a clever transformation.

 

Damn, this guy looks GOOD. Seeing the images for Mindwipe, his transformation seems to be insane. I'd love to get this guy and the Reprolabels set. Mainly for the mouth piece. One thing I don't like is the face sculpt.

 

I like the regular Headmasters toon face just fine, being that he probably had more time on that show than any other g1 media, but The IDW brainstorm is one of my favorite characters and I'd love someone to make a whole replacement head to match IDW. I guess it doesn't even need to be a headmaster. Or maybe someone will just make a whole new IDW brainstorm. That would be ok too.