Looks great!

 

Well ain’t that black magic!

 

So far Bumblebee is not a success. My plan was to still make him "transformable" by just having 90% of the car mode be a shell removed for robot mode, but even that didn't pan out. So now he's just a non-transforming figure with better proportions.  

Shatter should be coming tomorrow and she will definitely be a better success.  

 

Make sure you understand what this guys is saying, he is massive. I didn’t quite understand until I got him and damn he’s huge. But it’s perfect.

 

I don't mean to dredge up old ground but the discussion on MPMs and KOs made me want to post this brilliant podcast from Radio Free Cybertron. This episode lays out perfectly the different types of Intellectual Property and some of the legal issues behind it.

The RFC Mini-cast – 069: Intellectual Property and Transformers 101, let's play it!
The RFC Mini-cast – 069: Intellectual Property and Transformers 101

I recommend listening to the whole episode but a quick summary is this: Hasbro is really only obligated to go after things that infringe upon their Trademarks. Those being the name "Transformers" or "Optimus Prime" or the Autobot or Decepticon logo. Hasbro has to go after companies that infringe upon those trademarks because they establish an origin - or in essence - you know where that product came from. Something that says Optimus Prime makes you think instantly that it came from Hasbro, and for another company to produce something that had that name, would force Hasbro to get involved because it violates one of their Trademarked names.

Copyright is a little different and admittedly a little bit of a gray area. Copyright is the expression of an idea. So a company like Mastermind Creations to make their version of Predaking, it comes close enough to make you think they copied the expression of Hasbro's idea of Predaking. The problem is, for Hasbro to go after MMC, they have to 1.) find the original person who "copied" the work, and 2.) they have to prove that the person who "copied" the work had access to the original work.

The thing is, doing all of that takes a lot of work and money that Habro doesn't always want to spend. Moreover, Hasbro is not obligated to go after copyright violations. And as they said in the episode, if Hasbro doesn't feel the need to go after these companies, then it certainly isn't my obligation as a fan to go after the companies or to not buy their products.

I highly recommend listening to the whole episode but at the end of the day it's your toys and this is your hobby. You enjoy it how you want to. If you want to defend Hasbro and the products that they exclusively make, more power to you. And for those of you who like the 3rd party toys and the improved KOs, enjoy them. Buy what you want and don't feel guilty for your purchases.

Alright, carry on everyone   

 

lol, stage 1 "denial and isolation". I know I should not insult you. This won't magically turn you into a better person. Besides you made it very clear what kind of person you want to be... so, there's that

Hm, interesting. However, I cannot agree with "if Hasbro doesn't feel the need to go after these companies, then it certainly isn't my obligation as a fan to go after the companies or to not buy their products". You see, there's judgement in there. It says, that hasbro "doesn't care" as the reason they don't go after eveyone. That's like saying "Stealing that bike is ok, because the police are not coming after you. That means they don't care. Therefore it's ok to do it."

Hear this: It's NEVER ok, ya? Stop searching for excuses. Ignorance is the fuel of crime. Remember the whole piracy debate? Yes you can watch the latest movies illegally because you probaby won't get caught. Is it thus ok to do so. NO! It's a crime. Albeit a small one punishable by decent people pointing their fingers at you  

 

I hope I can find this guy sooner rather than later. Pretty much the whole reason I got Shatter.

I got no excuses. If I like a KO better than the official for whatever reason, be it design or price, I'll get it. It's supporting IP theft, yes, but at the end of the day I'm limited to what I can afford. I bought the MP Ratbat KO because I wasn't about to get Soundblaster just for that.

99.999999% time I go official, though. I think Ratbat is the only actual KO I own, and the only 3P figure I own is Peru Kill whom I hate. In fact the main reason I avoid 3P/KOs is because they're just not great and don't fit in with my collection, yet if I was going to get an MPM Megs it would be the KO. Less than half the price with a better deco.

 

I’m a bit late but here you go!

 

I won't say SS-46 Dropkick is the best that Studio Series can offer, but he still isn't a bad figure and a step up from SS-40 Shatter in every aspects. One thing I'll like attention is that the transformation of that figure is on the tricky side, and requires some practices and understanding of how the transformation works to get used to.

If you can find SS-46 Dropkick for less than 30 USD, I say it's worth it.

This is an earlier picture of mine and I'm late, but does this still counts?

 

Knock offs offer what Hasbro cannot in many cases. Just like third party. It’s up to the consumer to buy whatever they want. Nobody should judge anyone else for their buying choices. I’d love a KO SS DOTM Optimus and a Megatron because they’d most likely be larger and not have as many hollow parts.

 

Deluxes are $30 CnD here so that shouldn't be a problem.  

Also here's the current state of my sad little Bumblebee:



Poor little bastard can't transform but hey at least he doesn't have freak-ass Katoki legs anymore.

 

Clearly we will never see eye to eye on this and that's okay. However, I will say that the argument of "Hasbro doesn't care" is a bit of a stretch. I'm not privy to their corporate meetings but I am 100% sure that Hasbro does care about 3rd party companies and does not like seeing their copyrights being infringed upon. But it comes down to their want to go after those companies. The legal costs of trying to take down these companies does not outweigh the benefits that they would receive. For right now, the 3rd party market is taking up such a small percentage of this fandom and really only catering to the adult collectors. Hasbro is still making plenty of money selling their products to kids and their parents at your local Walmarts and Targets. That could change in the future and it might provide Hasbro some incentive to go after the 3rd market but for now, they don't think it's in their best interest financially.

All of this is messy, and again, it seems like neither of us will budge on our ways of thinking and that's okay   I totally understand where you are coming from in wanting to support Hasbro and not promote the IP theft. I just don't like when we start pointing fingers at one another and harping on what collectors purchase. We're all in this fandom because we like the franchise and we can all support it in our own ways. And we are all entitled to spend our hard earned money however we wish. And that's where I'll leave it.  

Here's some obligatory Bayhem to keep us on topic  

 

I certainly don’t judge people for wanting KOs. I have a couple. But it’s also OK to be against them as long as you don’t harass others for buying them if they’re available. I definitely feel better about getting “original” 3P figures or at least majorly upgraded KOs but they just usually don’t fit my collection. Plus no one seems interested in downsizing figures which I think would be pretty cool.

Dude he looks so damn cute!

 

As part of some home renovations, I am going to be clearing off all of my Transformers shelves (which are guarded by plastic covers) within the next week or two.

Suffice to say, this will give me a ridiculous amount of ammo for the "multiple versions of the same character" theme. Hopefully it is not out of fashion by that time!

 

Thanks! Now I just have to tidy of the damage I did and maybe give him a bit more paint detail to make up for the lack of alt mode.

 

Looks really good! Great job!

I like the look of him even more now! He looks a lot better without the kibble and he's a lot more accurate to the CGI model. Yeah, he can't transform but it was a real pain transforming him anyway! He also looks a lot cuter!

 

Very annoyed right now. Ordered the DNA Ironhide kit off eBay from a Chinese seller. I knew it would take a while to arrive- so it finally did, and was a tiny little package filled with foam and a tiny Autobot sticker. That was it.

Filled a complaint with eBay so should hopefully get a full refund, but that's just another length of time I now need to wait before getting the kit from an actual seller.