BTS-01S Mobile Command Base with Rollout Drone

Discussion in 'Transformers Feedback & Reviews' started by 0R10N P4X, Apr 23, 2009.

  1. Runamuck

    Runamuck Sushi

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    This.

    I bought the Nemesis version, as well.

    The ONLY thing I have to complain about is this. The trailer doesn't stay on worth a flip. It has to be on a completely flat surface to stay in. If you move Nemesis Prime up or down in the slightest, it falls off. I really wish they would've made the hook-up snap on somehow.

    And the roller wheels slide in and out a little too easy. Not loose, but not tight either.

    [​IMG]
     
  2. Runamuck

    Runamuck Sushi

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    Ah, I forgot to mention that in my above post. I find it really disheartening that they somehow overlooked that. I was thinking there was some way to tighten it.
     
  3. Lucs

    Lucs This Guy!

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    Thanks after seeing your post again I must have glossed over it the first time. I was searching with 'trailer' in the title and it was only listed under mobile command base, which is what BTS calls it but 'trailer' seemed appropriate to me. Silly I guess
     
  4. TM2 D-bot

    TM2 D-bot Forsight Into the Future Veteran

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  5. jason jupiter

    jason jupiter weird/ rare g1 KO hunter

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    Negative Review: BTS-01 Mobile Command Base (Classics/Henkei Prime Trailer)

    I am a product designer so i'm a little nitpicky when it comes to this stuff. I'll post up some pictures you won't find from stores/people trying to sell this product.

    When this trailer was first announced I was excited and put in a pre-order with BBTS as soon as it was up. It looked so cool and it actually had a roller, repair arm, and all these little extra features; I had to have it!

    2 or 3 days ago I received it and after messing with it for awhile it somehow feels incomplete or lazy. After fansproject the bar is set REALLY high on these custom part projects. I may have received one with more faults than others so let me know if your trailers are different than this one.


    I'll start with the good. I think the design really matches in with the whole "updated g1" theme of classics/henkei. It looks great in trailer mode, REALLY BAD-ASS actually.

    I think the price is another positive compared to the FP G3 trailer, especially if you live in Asia, lol. You all are paying like $30-$40 US for this and can just head to CSC in Singapore, CTMA in Monkok HK, etc... no need to pay shipping.

    The trailer also provides a cool place to store all those classics/henkei missiles and weapons that aren't used:
    [​IMG]


    Alright, this really trips me out, does this trailer hitch piece lock in for everybody else? You can see from the "teeth" that its supposed to be tension fit but mine wont lock on, it basically just rests on top of henkei prime feeling really loose.

    I went and added some pictures with digital calipers, i think maybe I just got a bad one that was cast out toward the end of the run when the mold already went through hell cranking the rest of these guys out. You can see the mold has slightly degraded because the edges aren't as sharp on my bts hitch and it looks like a fan custom or something and not a manufactured part; and maybe that's why its around 0.25 mm off, its just the thickness of a piece of paper but when it comes to tolerances it matters:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    When you turn the trailer into "base mode" you pull off the wheels so you have roller and then have to fold these plastic plates down to keep the base elevated. It just doesn't look right and feels really half assed. I did a quick google search and there is plenty of real life reference for design inspiration, I know the solid plates are strong and a fast, simple solution but it could have been a lot cooler:
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]


    Because the front end of the trailer is smaller the inside cavity suffers. The repair arm won't fit!! When you put it in trailer mode the repair arm has to be folded back with the arm resting on TOP of the one deluxe vehicle you could put in the trailer:
    [​IMG]


    And here's some pictures of it up in the corner, yeah my bts repair arm was loose so it took awhile to get it to freeze up there. Man, it still looks so weird up there yeah? I'm still really keen on the OG g1 trailer that shoji kawamori and hideaki yoke made so PIMP. Theres just something strange about looking into the back of the BTS trailer and seeing the repair arm just chilling in there and the repair-cockpit-thing up on its end about to fall over.

    And solscud you bastard I fixed sunstreaker's engine, lol.
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]





    I don't really care about decals. Sometimes though, figures need some stickers or they look too blank and sometimes the stickers really make the figure look better; for example, takara's brave series had a lot of really cool designs that looked even better with the stickers applied.

    I think the trailer's interior could really use some stickers. The funny thing is I didn't open the instructions at all and after I saw this screen I thought there might be a decal sheet so i went back and opened the instruction sheet baggy. no stickers in there.....
    [​IMG]


    The extra guns are cool but they feel really bulky and are certainly less sophisticated and elegant compared to the normal weapon designs. They are too simple and goofy looking:
    [​IMG]




    And these two cabinets for two guns were unnecessary! They take up so much space, you could easily fit 2-3 guns in one of these cabinets:
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Finally, I had all these signs of "weathering" from a MISB toy. Paint scraps, weird marks, etc..These are just some of the stuff that was all over the exterior:
    [​IMG]



    Overall, I really admire these fan companies that have the balls to fund these projects because I know manufacturing is EXPENSIVE and profit margins are really small for such niche products. The BTS trailer isn't bad for the price and I hope these criticisms will improve future products for BTS and bring them up to the next level.
     
  6. 0R10N P4X

    0R10N P4X Banned

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    1. The trailer connection isn't any sturdier or weaker than the one for the City Commander trailer; there just isn't much material to grab on the Prime/Convoy mold.
    2. I agree the elevating plates aren't the most clever solution but you don't see them in base mode and they work. They also make the trailer mode very clean.
    3. The storage compartments are certainly more inspired than weapons just clipped/pegged to the walls (G3).
    4. No paint defects on mine.
    5. I agree it could use some stickers... I'm sure Reprolabels will offer a set soon.
    6. The guns fit perfectly Bumblebee's and Roller's aesthetics, the figures they were made for.
    7. The repair arm doesn't have to rest on the car in trailer mode, it can stay higher up along the top. Maybe yours got loose joints and falls down?

    Also, this thread should be combined with the one I already started. One per toy (dunno why they don't do that for video reviews though).
     
  7. Solscud007

    Solscud007 Banned

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    Sorry man those flip down legs are garbage. Looking at them, I could come up with something better. I might have to mod mine when I get one.

    I dont want to sit here and jsut take it as it is. That is rather lazy.

    While I dont have the BTS trailer, I do have all three commanders and everyone of them lock very well in trailer mode to the classics prime mold.

    Jason, your sunstreaker engine is on wrong. flip it around 180 degrees and further back on the car.
     
  8. 0R10N P4X

    0R10N P4X Banned

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    "Very well"? From my own experience with CC and PC, "very well" is more like "acceptable but far from perfect". The BTS trailer is every bit as secure.
     
  9. Solscud007

    Solscud007 Banned

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    apparently our standards differ.
     
  10. rizuan76

    rizuan76 Banned

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    Props up to Jason for providing an alternative review on this less than inspired piece. :thumbs2: 

    To the point that here in S'pore, the going price for it is USD$33.00++. it seems that most ppl here are more eagerly awaiting for the release of the FP G3 trailer.
     
  11. Makxsh1mum

    Makxsh1mum Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for the insight. I don't have this, but is definitely good to know. Especially the flip out "legs" that form the base of the trailer when roller is out. Woulda been much cooler if it utilized some flip down mechanism that looks similar to those standard truck landings with the sand shoes as is in your pic.
     
  12. mugen_prime

    mugen_prime Well-Known Member

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    I always thought FPs trailer looked better, and more well thought out. After seeing this, I'm SOOO glad I ordered FPs instead of this one. The BTS one just seems cheep, and half done compared to the FP trailer.... & I haven't even seen the final FP trailer yet. That's my opinion anyway.
     
  13. SCPrime

    SCPrime Well-Known Member

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    People wonder why this BTS trailer is cheaper than the fansproject one. I guess we know at least one reason why now.
     
  14. Automorpher

    Automorpher Autobot Slut!

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    That was insightful, j.j. :thumbs2: 

    A MUST READ for guys who's planning on getting these. I was simply glad that I chose to ignore BTS version & stuck with the upcoming FP's instead. :D 
     
  15. jason jupiter

    jason jupiter weird/ rare g1 KO hunter

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    yeah, its cool to combine, i didn't want to go posting a reply and having it disappear after awhile.

    and i probably sounded too negative so i added something at the end, i DO LIKE this product for the price.

    ah dude, i must have got a bad one then. so your hitch stays on? mine keeps popping off of henkei prime. yeah man, all that "pre-weathering" i have on mine is my bad luck too.

    and great! i really hope repro label tackles the interior of this guy.

    about the fold down doors not being visible, sometimes i think its about what you don't see? when honda makes chassis they make sure even the chassis have beautiful welds and don't look sloppy even though very few people will see it. a certain OTHER car company tried to cut costs and just made the chassis sloppy as shit because very few people would see them and they didn't really care. i think its the little details that may take even 5 years to discover that shows whoever designed the product really cared about the consumer and not just about making money.

    ahh man, i don't know about those guns. i know they tried matching it to the gun from the bumblbee art, that one looks decent but the roller gun looks like it came with a bootleg gundam or something, it just looks so goofy! they could have made that gun look like ANYTHING and they made it look like that, hahaa.
     
  16. Lumpy

    Lumpy Taylor Swift Action Master Super Mod

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    wow, i had one on order, and actually cancelled it today before reading this and had just decided to wait awhile, but man, that bums me out...especially the legs...that's UBER lame...maybe if this goes cheaper someday, but i think my nemesis prime will just be trailer less...cuz magnus has CC, prime will have g3, but nemmy will be all alone...for now at least...
     
  17. mugen_prime

    mugen_prime Well-Known Member

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    I wouldn't be too surprised if FP ends up doing a nemesis G3 trailer.
     
  18. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    I think you're grasping at straws, considering this is a fan-made item.

    complaining about paint wear out of the box? that happens on toys all the time, including hasbro and takara products. that right there is in no way even a slightly valid complaint.
     
  19. red00wolf

    red00wolf Insatiable collector

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    I have to disagree, just becuse it happens all the time dosent make it ok It's not like we got the trailer for free.
    My nemisis trailer has deep scratches on top of it right out of box.
     
  20. Valkysas

    Valkysas Attack Buffalo

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    doesnt really make it okay, but it does make it common as fuck, and not really worth pointing out. I dont see mentions of paint being scratched in any reviews of official products, even when I can see the scratches or chunks of paint actually rubbed off the figure in the review photos.