The IGear Seeker Appreciation Thread!

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by Kuma Style, Mar 28, 2012.

  1. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    PRetty much what the title says. My interests are phasing out of classics, and more towards Masterpieces, so it's time for me to go ahead and get the Seekers.

    The colors of the IGear Seekers really impress me over Hasbro's, and at 100 each shipped, the price kicks the shit out of Has/Tak too.

    For those of you who own them though, what do you think? Any Q.C. issues I should look out for, or anything?
     
  2. CVprowl

    CVprowl Done

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    im looking at those igear seekers real hard. i'll wait to see if the price can drop anymore though. im not in a hurry. hpefully has/taks activity in the mp seeker arena will push igears prices lower.

    all reports ive heard have basically been very good. :) 
     
  3. Skywarp181

    Skywarp181 Well-Known Member

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    Their good, minus the lack of paint apps
     
  4. ae_productions

    ae_productions G1 Fan

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    They are AMAZING. TJ, here is an in-depth review I wrote about the iGear seekers:

    IGEAR VS. HASBRO / TAKARA RELEASES

    IGEAR SEEKER PROS (OVER THE HASBRO/TAKARA RELEASES):

    1. Swing bar has been removed. This panel does NOT line up at all in jet mode with the official releases. (This is the part the cockpit and nose section "clicks into" in fighter jet mode). Now that this bar is removed, it not only helps with the parts lining up in fighter mode, eliminating that bar prevents the head from getting stuck during transformation.

    2. Wrist communicators. Very neat gimmick.

    3. Improved Null rays. The Null Rays can now be held in the seeker's hand like a gun with the extended handle (this was done a few times in the G1 cartoon), or can be pegged onto the arm like the G1 toy (or how the seekers usually held this weapon on the cartoon). The barrel can also be removed which is nice.

    4. Improved rear wings. The originals pop off if you look at them funny. The iGear versions have been molded so they are permanently attached to the toy. This adds a lot more playability to the toy. Is playability even a word? I'm not sure, but we all get the meaning, so I recon it is now. :) 

    5. The hip Kibble has been eradicated. This was not only an eyesore, but it also got in the way taking the "playability" (There's that made up word again) down a notch.

    6. Rear wing fix. This is, in my opinion the best improvement of the iGear mold over Hasbro / Takara's. 2 of the 3 Takara Thundercrackers I have owned had wings that broke off entirely. One was broken right out of the box! In addition, the only one I have that isn't broken is about to break, with major stress marks. It was only transformed two, maybe three times, and displayed on a shelf. I'd hate to see what happened if I ever "played" with it. I don't know if the metal pin was too big to connect those two parts together, or if the plastic was too brittle, but in either case, it's bad. Most of the other official releases also have major stress marks on that section. Ironically, Ghost Starscream is the only one that does not have this problem. In any case, breaking wings completely diminishes the "playability" of the toy. Igear's Seekers do NOT have this problem. At all. In fact, I actually can "play" with my iGear seekers. No stress marks anywhere. On any of them.

    7. Detailed face. This one is actually preference. The iGear heads have all been painted, and I think they just look better than the Takara/Hasbro versions. In my opinion.

    8. Nub removed. There is a long piece of plastic on the end of the hand (where the fist pops up) that connects into the "hip kibble" of the official releases. This nub has broken off my Hasbro Skywarp and Takara Thundercracker. (NOTE: The rest of my official seekers do not have this part broken). Igear shortened this part drastically, so it is no longer in danger of breaking off.

    9. This can be an addendum of #5, but on MP-11 (the newer version of Starscream and SunStorm), there are gaping screw holes on the sides of the leg, visible in robot mode. The iGear version does NOT have this issue.

    10. Unpainted metal. At first, I thought of this as a con. But recently, I noticed my Hasbro Skywarp's metal inner frame, which was painted black, has a lot of paint coming off, scratched or flaking. In all honesty, it's not really an issue with the Hasbro or the IGear versions since the metal frame is only seen during transformation (you do not see it in fighter jet nor robot modes). However, being anal about everything, the fact that my Hasbro Skywarp's metal paint is not holding up bothers me. Since iGear's is NOT painted on any of the seekers, this will NEVER be an issue. Again, this is just me being anal.

    *****

    IGEAR SEEKER CONS (WHERE TAKARA/HASBRO HAVE THE EDGE OVER IGEAR):

    There are negatives to the Igear seekers, too.

    1. The connector part that connects the toy to the base does NOT fit in the base. I have had to sand EVERY ONE of them just to fit. This has NOT been a problem with any of my Takara/Hasbro seekers, all of which fit perfectly onto their respective stands.

    2. Lack of painted detail. This does not bother me as much, cause they still look amazing. And, as one member put it, it's perfect as a canvas if you wish to customize it with Reprolabels or weathering/panel lining your seekers. I find even the Takara versions to be very...bland. Takara tried to fix this issue by tapoo printing "NO STEP" decals all over the wings. But still, they are all bland.

    3. Back to that connector part covered in con #1...ALL of my iGear seekers have an orange connector part. Again, this is preference, but I do prefer the Hasbro / Takara clear (except for Ghost Starscream, which has the same orange part used by iGear).

    4. Unpainted noses. This is just for the Coneheads, but all three need the noses of the jets painted black. But this can be an addendum to Con #2, I guess.

    5. NO INSTRUCTIONS. Not one of my iGear jets have instructions. I guess iGear assumes we know how to transform this toy already, which was true in my case, but seriously?

    6. The side parts connected to the side intakes don't line up in fighter mode. They stick out a bit. I've gotten use to it, and it's kinda a small nit pick, but still.

    7. Again, this can be attributed to #2, but there is NO PAINT APPS on the rear wings. I mean, sure, all of them are painted, but the strips are not there. Yes, you can buy reprolabels for Thundercracker and Skywarp, but it is expensive, and that does not help Sunstorm or Starscream.


    Anyhow. Just a few things to point out.
     
  5. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Hey thanks guys, and I honestly read through every word of that AE.

    Honestly, I think my biggest gripe will be the lack of instructions, since I have NO idea how to transform these and have never even touched a MP seaker... is this something I can find online?
     
  6. blueben

    blueben Holocaust

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    The only problem I have is the waist piece drops off that is attached by the pin. Maybe is my mis-transformation that causes it.
     
  7. Thinktank

    Thinktank Well-Known Member

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    I bought a Sunstorm version just to test them out compared some of their older projects
    that were lacking in QC. The one I got was easily comparable to the Has/tak versions.

    I give them my full endoresment.
     
    Last edited: Mar 14, 2022
    • Like Like x 1
  8. mrtbone81

    mrtbone81 Bringer of Devastation

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    I have the Coneheads and the iGear Thundercracker and I must say they are very good quality IMO. I also have the MP SS and SW and comparing them, they are pretty good. No QC issues that I have noticed since owning them. Pretty solid figures.

    And YES...you can find reviews on how to transform them. The nice thing is they all share the same transformation. So check out Youtube and it should be easy.

    I would definitely recommend getting them because they look awesome in an MP collection.
     
  9. Max Rawhide

    Max Rawhide Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' ... uh, never mind

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    Have a bunch of iGear seekers (Coneheads, G2 Ramjet, Sunstorm, Rain and Thundercracker) and I'm very pleased with them. I also have (or used to have) a lot of official version (US starscream, MP-3, MP-3 G1 colors, Skywarp and Thundercracker) and I really feel that the iGear versions are superior -- hence why I sold all my MP-3 Starscreams and would sell Thundercracker if the the damn thing didn't have a split seam on the winghinge.

    AEprod already summed it up perfectly: iGear (or actually kitbasher Wheeljack) made changes to the mold that really improve it. Whereas an official MP seeker is difficult to transform and you always worry about the winghinges, the iGear seekers transform fluidly without any worries.

    The only things to look out for is the screws along which the upper body assembly slides down. These sometimes need loosening or tightening to work.

    And yes, some are a bit bland. But reprolables exist for some and with a little paint others can be fixed.


    (I like them so much that unless MP-11 overwhelms me, but otherwise I'll also get iGear's starscream and skywarp.)
     
  10. kaos

    kaos the original thirteen

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    ive got em all cept for the prototype ones that were recently released..i also own all has/tak seekers...igears seekers are one par with has/tak and i havent had any issue w/them..if ur going to go all in get the c.heads..by far my fav seekers from either side(has/tak or igear)
     
  11. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Nice guys. I'm actually really hyped to order these tomorrow now.

    Would you guys suggest:

    - Starscream, TCracker, Sunstorm all at once

    or

    - Starscream, TCracker, and then preordering Skywarp

    I eventually want all 4 regardless, but I'm wondering if I should get the immediate fulfillment with the three in stock right now, and order Skywarp later, or do two, secure Skywarp, and get Sunstorm later. Just don't want to spend more than $300.

    Also, why do NO American retailers carry these?
     
  12. TigerBlade

    TigerBlade Prepare for extermination

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    I had to use a YT vid to transform Thundercracker as it has been literally years since I transformed my Takara Skywarp and the box is somewhere in storage.

    With a lick of paint and a few 'con symbols they look just as good as the real thing too:

    [​IMG]

    Do it!! You won't regret it!

    I'd personally go for the 3 that are in stock right now for the immediate hit, I would imagine Skywarp will be around for a while due to the cheapness of the real deal and most who wanted him already having him.

    EDIT - I did get two left hands with 'cracker tho, seems a pretty rare occurance tbh and the seller was really good getting the correct part sent out for me.
     
  13. kaos

    kaos the original thirteen

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    this^^^...sunstorm is AWESOME.my fav seeker and is orange(way better than yellow)..t.crackers color is sweet and looks like the cartoon.. and whats the point of having seekers if u dont have the main man to kick it off with..
     
  14. Max Rawhide

    Max Rawhide Rollin' Rollin' Rollin' ... uh, never mind

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    I'd also go for what's current in stock and most especially Sunstorm.

    Sunstorm's been out for a while now (so lower stock) and those collectors who wanted a MP sunstorm but were hoping for an official one, might now reconsider since MP-11 Sunstorm is going to be at least twice the price of the iGear version.
     
  15. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    Thanks guys. I just wish there was an american retailer who was selling these, because fuck me if I feel like having them shipped separately and taking two weeks a piece.
     
  16. Sammael

    Sammael MightyMegatron from ATT

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    I hope the coneheads will be re-released at a lower price at some point in the future so I can get them.
     
  17. DJCHARTERS

    DJCHARTERS Well-Known Member

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    this is actually exactly where i am at the moment. im finding the odd classics is being sold from my collection as i gear more towards masterpiece. especially now i know any characters on the cards. not just leaders.

    the igear coneheads are amazing, very well made and indistinguishable from a normal masterpiece. the 3 main seekers id imagine to be the same. i was going to by mp11 but ive decided to get the igear seekers instead. i really prefer the feet area on them compared to mp11.
     
  18. ae_productions

    ae_productions G1 Fan

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    TJ, there are TWO options for ordering these in the USA.

    ONE, I can get you a set.

    RE: Starscream, TCracker, Sunstorm. It will be $310 shipped for all three. (USA Address only).

    I tried to send you a PM but it didn't work. I think it's my phone.

    If you need here's my email:

    [email protected]

    I do have a feedback link in my signature below. (I also think we have traded before in the past, but not 100% on that).

    ****

    Another option is VNC toys. They carry the iGear seekers.

    If you want to order it from a store in the USA, here is a place I found that has them in stock:

    http://vnctoys.com/search.aspx?find=iGear

    They have them all in stock for $110 each plus $25 shipping ($135 each shipped, $405 for the set of three).
     
  19. Billzilla

    Billzilla Skepticon

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    I've got TC, Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet. Not a single QC issue among them. They're in better shape than my Hasbro ones, actually. I bought TC from the gentleman directly above me and can vouch for his excellence as a seller, too. One thing that is really weird about them is they don't have any kind of blackwash or anything unlike the hastak seekers, which makes their details vanish. It makes them look a little cheaper. I've been toying with adding it myself but it does look more anime without the detailing. I'm interested to know what you think. The plastic quality also might be a bit cheaper. It definitely feels "different." Not hollow or shitty, but definitely not the same. Also interested to know how you feel about Sunstorm. I'm having a hard time not buying him, but I've already got so much shelf space devoted to that mold.

    Anyway, I think you'll be happy with the change of focus. Though I still loves me some classicsverse, Masterpiece has been my focus for some time. I get quite a bit more satisfaction out of them.
     
  20. wildfly

    wildfly Fermenting pork tube.

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    Side panels, by the air intakes, aren't quite flush with the fuselage on any my coneheads.

    Other than that, they're probably within stirking distance of the real thing, but i sometimes wonder if they feel just a tiny bit more 'cheap'?


    With Mp11 running $140+, i'm less than convinced.