Managed to pick my set up yesterday after shipping from BBTS. So here's a brief rundown of the figure.

Grimlock:

Probably the most significant change to this set is the Dinobot leader himself. I had the original Generations version and sold him off soon as Mr Shiny was on his way. I certainly find this version to be an improvement. This isn't the perfect figure, we all know that. But that doesn't stop it being an enjoyable figure regardless and I think some of the hate directed towards this figure is unwarranted. The colours on this version really make him 'pop'. There's also extra paint detailing in T-Rex mode too, which will keep people happy.

Bruticus:

Not going to do an individualised review as these are almost entirely identical to the SDCC versions, and there's enough reviews of those out here. Only thing I did want to point out, which is a real shame, is mold degradation. Blast Off is looser than a hooker on a Saturday night. He seems to be the worst culprit of the lot. He also seems to have difficulty with his right hand pistol, the peg for it won't fit into either hand, and even the left pistol has some difficulty being held, but can be. The other can't be held at all. His shoulders/arm pop off incredibly easy. I'm hoping a bit of clear nail polish may resolve this issue, but the weapon holding is a shame.

Vortex as well seems to be on the loose side, specifically in the legs department, no where near as bad as the Blast Off, but he doesn't hold together in vehicle mode well, and the this is the first time i've really had these figures feel as 'cheap' as others have complained of them as being.

Brawl seems to be mostly fine though i've had his legs fall off their clip, something that never happened with my original release, or G2 version.

Onslaught and Swindle come out of this seemingly unscathed, i'm not seeing any stress points showing up on Onslaught or his weaponry.



Overall while i'm glad I have a more game-accurate set of Combaticons, the QC on these ones is quite disappointing and I wish this set didn't have the flaws it seems to. As he'll probably stay displayed in combined mode this won't be a huge issue, but anyone wanting to have a regular play around may want to stick to the original Generations run, they seem a bit more durable.

 

You already won this thread within the original post.....

 

I hope someone else who picked these up can comment, and I REALLY hope you just got a bad run, but for the price I bet you didn't. Shame. This was going to be my splash into this mold. Couldn't care less about Grimlock, actually.

 

I second that.

 

I picked this set up as well, and did not have as many QC issues as Starscream NZ. My Blast-off also has shoulders that pop off if you look at them funny, but the guns fit fine. Brawl has the same waist syndrome as well, but the other three are just fine. I also love the deco on Grimlock.

I'll see if nail polish helps with Blast-off. I really do enjoy the decos on these guys though, and think that is easily worth the few extra bucks over what they cost individually. Another way of looking at it is that we get a chance to pick up SCDD Bruticus for the same price the folks at the con got, plus we get a tricked-out Grimlock thrown in for free!

These were my first experiences with these molds as well.

 

Do you like them? There's such wild variance in the opinion on these I'd love to hear from a first timer.

 

This is my third outing with the molds, I got the previous mass-retail release, as well as the G2 release.

Hands down my favourite is still the G2 figures. For some inexplicable reason these molds just really pop in those colours more than any other. There's just something about it that makes it, to me, the best version of these figures.

As for the individual figures I actually think that they're good figures. They don't have the complexity of the WFC figures, and yes, they could be considered 'hollow', but a lot of this is due to the fact that they're combiners that're limited by the need to keep costs under a certain level. They're easily the best combiner we've seen in quite some time so I think some of the hate is unwarranted. Yes there are 3P offerings that are more complex/better. However you're paying upwards of 2-3 times in cost for these figures as opposed to the cost of Hasbro/Takara's Bruticus. I recommend getting at least one set of the figures. I'd recommend this set, and it seems like potentially it's just my set that is suffering from poor QC.

 

That's helpful. And as much as my wallet wants me to turn away, I know I'll cave. Looking forward to Ecchotransformers' upgrade kit, too.

 

Thanks for the review! Are any quick pics possible? Ive got all 5 of the other versions of the mold (SDCC, G2, Retail, Takara, Wreckers) and would be interested if this is worth picking up to complete my collection or is just a rerelease of SDCC.

 

Interesting comment about the molds, I think my Wreckers suffer from degradation. No big on most of them but Roadbuster is intolerable. I keep trying to fix him with floor polish but I'll just need a replacement figure. His ball joints are too loose and too tight at the same time, i.e. they wobble around in most configurations but are too large to stay fitting together in others.

 

Well, the QC issues put me off a little at first, to be honest. But after spending some quality time with them, they really grew on me, especially when I finally understood how all the tabs worked.

I do like them now  

 

I bought this set for Bruticus, but it's the Grimlock included that has grown on me. That being said it's the flaws that pushed me to favor Grimlock.

Bruticus is much too floppy. Blastoff is the worst offender when it comes to being loose. The lack of hip articulation kinda kills it as well. Maybe I should pickup something to tighten some of the ball joints and revisit. This is my first introduction to this version of Bruticus. I don't think I could see myself buying another version, not even Ruination.

Grimlock pissed me off right out of the box. The shoulders were so damned tight I had to take a knife and score away plastic on the ratchet gears just to move them. Took me twenty minutes to get into all the hard to reach places. After I fixed it this version started to grow on me. I couldn't find the regular release on store shelves, and I sure as heck wasn't paying $65 for a Japanese version when people are crapping on this mold left and right anyways. My only other complaint is that mine has loose shins. The pros are that I frickin' love the color scheme. The chrome kicks ass in my opinion. And I can live with the gaps. Don't know why, but I can. Maybe because I've come to expect every Grimlock to fall from Energon to now. MP Grimlock being the exception. And this guy looks pretty great next to his pappy with all that chrome.

 

I'm in the same exact boat...

I have Bruticus, Dudicus, Fruiticus, Beauticus, and Ruinicus.  

 

by soundwavewill, on Flickr


by soundwavewill, on Flickr


by soundwavewill, on Flickr


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by soundwavewill, on Flickr

 

Are there any differences to the SDCC version? I need an excuse to get them.

 

The only differences are like 1 additional paint app on Blast Off somewhere (some purple lines or something), and a slightly lighter shade of mustard on Vortex. Oh and a more shinier green on Brawl.

 

The reviews I've watched mentioned they were negligible. Blastoff is just a bit lighter in this version compared to the SDCC, and I think there may be one or two minor details highlighted on one over the other. This is what I heard and saw when doing my "research" before pulling the trigger on this set. Initially I was unhappy with it, but in the week or so since arrived it has grown on me.

 

What is the plastic quality on this version when compare to G2 Bruticus and Fruticus?

 

That Brawl and Grimlock look REALLY good with those shiny paint apps.

 

So nobody wants to bother and write about the plastic quality of the new Bruticus version?