Zeta is pretty new, yes. It was started by former designers for Toyworld after tw screwed them over and refused to pay for designs. Their Air Raid (known by its 3p name Air Strike) has been out for a month or so and their Fireflight should be out soon. Both of those first two figures go for around $60 so quite a bit cheaper than most previous 3p combiners. We don't know yet how much Silverbolt will be but he should be the next in the lineup.

 

Is this a new company? Technically yes, but they were the guys who did designs for Toyworld, including their Constructor. This Combiner looks to be similar in how they connect together and use parts-forming to add stability.

No, Firefly is not their first offering for Superion — Airsteike (Air Raid) is. It’s been out for a month and a few weeks now.

These are nothing like the TFC combiners. Constructor set the new standard on how combiners should be formed in order to be stable and possible and still look great! You won’t be disappointed or have tegret, especially at the price point!

 

The consensus seems to be pretty good for Zeta's Air Raid, too--good, solid quality figure with a transformation that's stable and fun and not too complicated, and modes that look great. I was on the fence about going in on another 3P combiner, but Air Raid sold me.

 

Nice gestalt elbow design. Good to see designers moving away from the hips/pelvis and [limited] ab crunch elbows for non-parts-forming arms.

 

Just realized with it not being Scramble City that we're going to have to go through the annoying leg, arm, torso, etc etc release order instead of leg, leg, torso, arm, arm.

 

Whoaaa! Me likey. Fireflight was the first of the Aerialbots I got back for my birthday in \'86. Always had a soft spot for him. 

 

Why is that order annoying? Personally I'm glad that I'll be able to try him out with one leg and one arm to see how they fit while I'm still waiting for the remaining figures to release.

 

Woah, Fireflight's head is nearly identical to the Combiner Wars version.

 

To me FT is more like Beats, Dr Dre style. Stylish, bass driven but made with metal to feel premium vs the Sennheisers, Audio Technica's, Sony's, Shure's studio headphones.

 

...don't know if this has been asked before, but...

...will these guys be able to be swapped out with their not-Bruticus counterparts?
(...ie: will Firefly be able to be a Bruticus arm or Airstrike a leg?)

 

Really puts Hasbro to shame. $60 for a non mass market toy that has that level of engineering, quality plastic, and design. Or you can buy TLK Leader Optimus for $10 less.

 

Arms can swap but the legs secure differently

 

Looks pretty great.

Though it's always been weird to me that Fireflight's releases have all been so biased towards a toy-accurate head rather than toon-accurate. Not complaining, mind you. Just the opposite, really. Just odd. Nice, but odd.

Glad to have Fireflight back in his original alt-mode, too. CW was disappointing since Fireflight is... pretty much the only Aerialbot who is actually tied to his particular alt-mode.

 

Fortunately where toy head accuracy is concerned for these bots (in sing-song voice) "Faaaaaaansssstoooyyyyssss" has us covered.

 

Thanks!!!

I'm thinking of picking up an extra Firefly and doing him up in Blastoff colors...just to have the option of swapping out Blastoff for a military plane rather than a space shuttle.

If I had the $$$ I'd pick up extra Fireflys and extra Skydives(eventually) to do up as Blue Angels and Thunderbirds respectively and have an airshow Superion... 

 

At the beginning of this thread i speculated who would be the first to make a blastoff jet. U win!!

 

U mean cartoon head?

 

I think your "R" key is broken.  

The legs are completely different connections, so no scrambling unfortunately. Not sure why it'd be so hard to incorporate the elbows into both, and use the same connector for the shoulders and knees but yeah, that's how it is. Oh well.

I assume you mean cartoon-accuracy, because FansToys are doing cartoon heads, not toy heads. Zeta's doing the toy heads (or, at least, they were).

That's the most sick and twisted thing I've ever heard!