Those pics are so win! I really dig that "Arcee"

 

THANK YOU HERE ARE SOME MORE pics with classics hot rod (awaiting protector armor) and a activators OP customized into a G1 Kup by SHINOBITRON

 

Just got him in the mail. Man is he awesome! His feet being a little short are my only complaint, otherwise he transforms great and he makes an awesome Springer. Now I just need an Autobot symbol.

 

I gotta admit, he's one of the most beautiful figures I own.

It's literally a tossup between him and the new generations figures like Drift and Blur for now.

 

I finally got this guy in my POL with the crossfire kits. Robot mode is awesome. The other two are okay. I like them about the same. He just seems over engineered. Things lock and stay in place reasonably well, but he just seems overly fiddly. There is a lot to do between modes but the results aren't particularly different. He will stay in bot mode on my shelf once I get the time to transform him back.

 

I picked mine up used from eBay, and I guess I'm not as super blown away as I was with City Commander. He's still pretty awesome, but just kind of disappointed after seeing all the video reviews praising him. His biggest detriment is the heels, for sure, just like everyone mentioned in their reviews. He keeps falling over because of his top-heaviness. Vange1us also mentioned how his pistol doesn't hold well in his right hand, which is the same as mine.

I dig his helicopter mode more than anything! Probably pick up one of the action stands and pose him on there. I also really like the die-cast parts. Really gives him some heft and sturdiness! Pretty impressive figure, I must say!

The one question I have is whether anyone has any QC issues with theirs? For me, the left heel, where you can pose it side-to-side doesn't straighten all the way, making it hard for the heel to attach to the plastic bit during helicopter mode. Does anyone else have a problem like this?

 

I find it difficult to get both heels to stay in place in heli mode. They kinda peg in, but they pop out very easily, one slight movement and they're out ! I just leave them out as it's hard to tell from looking at it anyway, but it still bothers me that everything doesn't fit in perfectly, especially for an $80 figure !

 

Yep, I was running into the same problem as you, and I traced it to the heel not being able to straighten out all the way. I also found that the tab that connects the spine to the main helicopter rotor piece wouldn't stick on straight and I had to curve it in there. When I got that piece in there, I was able to get the heel to push in, but yeah, it doesn't fully lock on. A little finicky in some areas I guess.

Seems like you and I have some similar issues in this regard! I feel better knowing I didn't get a lemon.  

 

Just got this badboy today & thanks to this thread for all the info regarding the do's & don'ts of this piece. by the time I got it, I alrdy know what to expect. a worthy buy imo if you can afford it.

Btw for those who alrdy owns one, try & get the Bandai "Action Base Stage 1" (it's rather cheap), makes posing it in chopper mode even more exciting to look at.  

Vangelus latest update preview:
Vangelus Review 99-X - Warbot Defender Updates and Editorial

 

Will be getting this guy for Christmas, and I can't wait!

I was on the fence, despite Springer being one of my favorite bots, due to the price.

Then I watched Vangelus' review and couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing out.

So thanks Vangelus!

 

Just caved and bought this guy on eBay for about $80 shipped, I'm really looking forward to getting him.

 

I'm not a big Springer fan, but I like how this mold looks so I'm waiting for the inevitable evil repaint. You know it's going to happen eventually.

 

Congrats man. That's a really good deal.  

 

Thanks! I also went ahead and ordered the Reprolabels sticker set for him. I figure if I'm going to get Springer, I'm going to do it right, haha.

I'm working on assembling the Wreckers team from Last Stand of the Wreckers (minus Impactor, who doesn't have a toy). I've got Topspin, Twin Twist, and Guzzle, and now I'll have Springer. Kup and Perceptor are coming out soon, which only leaves Ironfist, Pyro, and Rotorstorm (bidding on one on eBay right now).

 

Got mine in yesterday as an early present.

Holy shit. I'm officially on this whole "Fansproject" bandwagon. It's so complicated, yet so sturdy.

Amazing, amazing toy. Well worth the $80.

If you're on the fence about this one, just buy it. Trust me.

 

Just picked up this thing from a guy on the forums for $80 and I love him. He really does need the reprolabels to fill out the smaller details, but I'm super impressed.The build quality is excellent, I'm particularly impressed by the paint job on him. He's also very sturdy, which is good given the high price. I'm so used to high end collectables being fragile. It's nice to see one so sturdy.

The bot mode looks good, not as good as the other two but still cool. The armored car is particularly cool and I'm pleasantly surprised by the amount of transformation to helicopter.

As for the negatives, he's a bit of a pinhead but it doesn't detract too much. The arm transformation for the helicopter mode is particularly fiddly. In armored car, once you have an idea how it works everything lines up well by itself. The heli, on the other hand, is a crapshoot. Everything needs to be perfect and it takes a bit of maneuvering and practice to get it down. In the end, this guy is great. Get him while you still can. I woudn't pay over a $100 for him, but for $80-90 bucks he's great. Fansproject does it again. Also, packaging is the best I've seen for a figure in a while. Just love it.

 

This guy does a decent job of standing the test of time. I got this guy back in May, and he's been MOSTLY a display piece. Reason being that the toys I keep on my desk are generally Hasbro deluxes that have a simple but fun transformation (come-to-mind examples include WFC Megatron, Drift/Blurr, Scout Hubcap, and a few PCC 2-packs). Still, every time I pull Mr. Defender out, I can't help but transform him into each of his three modes at least once.

My only complaints are these: First, his arms are still a little tricky to transform for either alt mode - they take some figuring out, and it's not hard, but they're not particularly intuitive, especially in copter mode. Second, he's almost a little TOO detailed. This is a very, VERY minor gripe, because he still looks great. He doesn't match his cartoon model very well, but he follows the Classics idea of being an updated version... and as Springer never had a real Earth-mode, the Cybertronian car and helicopter are still very cool. Oh, and his balance is off. He tips backward in a neutral pose. Not enough weight in his front.

After 7 months, am I still happy to have spent about $90 (shipping included) on this guy? The answer isn't exactly "YES!", but it's definitely not a "no." Expensive toys are a luxury I can very rarely afford, so that $90 hurt the wallet... but it's a piece of my collection I'm very proud of, and it sure is a VERY cool toy. He's not as awesome as City Commander (probably my favorite toy+addon in my collection), but still quite awesome in his own right.

If you're interested, I really hope you can get this guy at his original price (or lower). If you're not... I wouldn't worry about it too much. Objectively, a good toy, but not for $80+. If you like Springer and want one for your collection, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and find a way to get together funds for this guy. Though, currently, I imagine you're probably drooling over Protector, too. I know I am.

 

I dig this guy. One thing I figured out is that you can click his arms back from his chest so that his shoulders align better with his neck, giving him more human proportions.

See the pictures below, the black shoulder connector joint basically just clicks back from full flush against his chest and you're there.

 

What would be a good existing weapon to take from another tf to give to Springer/Warbot to replicate the cover of the Last Stand of the Wreckers TPB?