Swivel here?

 

tbh, conversation meta-analysis should never be necessary. It's making a mess of a product thread. I'm very aware of that. But some posters have trouble with context, like to assume and strawman their fellow posters, or can't follow a conversation flow but feel entitled to attack someone in the conversation. And when they do it to me, I'm too stubborn to let it go but too nice to call people names. So it generally threads a fine line of acceptable content, though I often end up regretting ever posting at all.

 

It can be if you want it to.

 

As much as I’d like to derail the bullshit train, I’m working on other stuff both personally and for mmc atm. Promise I’ll do something before the new year as I still owe a pic of the upgrade chest with the fins out properly.

 

There is no "full masterpiece scale combiner." Until Takara releases an MP combiner (and maybe that rumored Raiden will turn out to be real and we can put this one to bed) it's just a couple of 3Ps doing their best to interpret one tiny drawing of Devastator with Optimus Prime. Do I like the 20" size? Sure, a lot of fans do. That's why Constructor's been reissued like 30 times. I'm sure other 3Ps are aware of that, and that's why they're aiming for that size too, but ultimately it's still Takara that sets the standard. And with comments from the designer floating around about how Unite Warriors Devastator was the closest they'd get to an MP combiner (at least at the time), it's not like scaling with that instead of Constructor doesn't have some reason behind it. There's also MMC's intent to consider. It might not fit with what you want on your MP shelf, which is fine, but MMC does seem to intend for this to be an MP-style set.

And "regardless of the market" seems to imply that you think the market is demanding something other than what MMC is delivering. It's certainly true that Takara is going as hard 'toon as possible, and that does seem to be working for them. And different MMC reps here have explained how their approach is more of an amalgamation of sources instead of chasing after that ultra-toon look, but that seems to be working just fine for them. Perhaps there's a market for both, and MMC would rather cater to the market Takara left behind rather than compete directly with them (and FT, DX9, XTB, etc) for that Sunbow look.

I mean, what a given person thinks "scales best" is ultimately subjective, but I kind of feel like you're misrepresenting the size difference. By "pre-MP combiners" I'm assuming you mean stuff like GT's Devastator, Ordin, Feral Rex, Warbotron, stuff like that? Ordin, GT's Devastator, the TFM Menasor, and the two Warbotrons were about 14" (but Rex and some of the older TFC Combiners were even shorter, to say nothing of the FansProject and Maketoys ones). Constructor, the Zeta combiners, and DX9's Menasor are 20", and we're expecting FT and XTB to be close to that. And Assaultus is supposed to be 18", which is certainly shorter, but 18 is still closer to 20 than 14. If my math is right (and trust me, I make no claims that it is) Assaultus is roughly 10% shorter than Constructor, but 25% taller than GT's Devastator. So, yeah, in a perfect world I want all the combiners to be the same size, but I'm a lot closer to accepting Bruticus as a bit shorter than Devastator than I am to Bruticus being significantly taller than him.

This is probably where the things started going off the rails. When I read this I took it as a comment specifically on scale, as in people disregarding scale doesn't negate the fact that scale is still a thing that exists within the Transformers franchise. But in the greater context of the discussion of Assaultus' size I can see how it could come off as "Assaultus isn't MP because it's not 20" so you're denying reality if you think it is MP" even though I don't think that's what you meant.

 

You could also just not give a flying f*ck about what any (official) chart for something as seldom seen side by side as 2 gestalts says about scale and heights. I personally don't care or necessarily want all my combiners the exact same height. Assaultus isn't any less a MP combiner as say, Constructor just because its shorter by 2 inches. What a silly rigid rule imo.
And what, if a day comes when Constructor is the tallest MP Devy but its shorter than all the other MP combiners that were made, it suddenly loses its MP Combiner status?

 

I'm so glad I don't care about scale...

 

I’d have thought you have some sensible scale thoughts. Mostly alt. mode based.

 

I think you'd find almost everyone just wants figures that look good on their shelf, which is very much subjective. For those who are aiming to achieve a collection that displays like a cohesive cast of G1 characters, a relatively consistent scale is a benefit that pays dividends in the display case.

By "MMC goes their own way, regardless of the market.", what I mean is that MMC does their own thing (to their credit) whether talking scale or aesthetic, just as they have all along with the Reformatted line, which I think we all agree has been a huge success in its own right. And just because the majority of the market is going one direction, doesn't mean there isn't room for other niches as well.

Both sides of the G1 MP market (producer and consumer) seem to have taken a fairly consistent direction when it comes to combiner size and character aesthetic. The majority of the 3P combiner market has been moving toward Constructor height & mass since Constructor came out as the first ostensibly MP scaled G1 combiner and was well received. "MP scaled" means it is based on MP-10 and the related scale charts, from which Takara scaled their Masterpiece line, and which FT/XTB/DX9/OX have generally scaled their masterpiece grade figures to fit. We've had Zeta Toys release three combiners at that scale now, plus FT-20, DX-9 Gabriel, their Guardian repaints, and then FT, DX9, and XTB announced their MP G1 combiners. All are roughly in scale with Constructor, and in turn fit the Takara scale charts and MP-10.

Scale is not just height, it's also body mass/proportions. All of the above large bots/combiners also feel like part of the same series or product line and in turn they match with Takara's MP figures because they all share that same general scale. When you're a 3P creating products to attract Takara Masterpiece buyers that is precisely what you do. When looking at Assaultus, just like when looking at UT's Ragnaros, they seem scaled a bit more in line with the pre-MP combiners (TFC's stuff, Takara UW Devastator, etc) and/or the recent non-G1 combiners like TFM/GT's Menasor and Defensor. Thing is, none of those are G1 MP products. All of the ones in the previous paragraph are. This is the dichotomy of Assaultus that some of us picked up on and have discussed.

Given the limitations created by going for all-in-one, it seems they had to give up achieving the full Constructor size (what is typically referred to as "MP scale" because it fits closest with Takara's baseline) for combined mode in order to keep the individual bots in the proper scale to other masterpiece figures. Yes, that's why partsforming matters. He looks small in stature (mass and height) because he is, because that's just how it has to be given the requirements and the laws of physics.

If someone has a pre-MP combiner collection and they think Assaultus fits it, more power to them. There's no reason to tell them they're doing it wrong because Assaultus is maybe intended to go with an MP collection. And likewise, if someone collects MP and doesn't mind a little visual disparity in their combiners, and places Assaultus with Constructor, more power to them. None of it is complaining, it's a discussion about the figure's characteristics, not about how any given person chooses to collect.

What happens when people start discussing these things is those who need validation from others to justify their own purchases to themselves, get bent out of shape and engage anyone discussing the products they're buying when the questionable or ambiguous aspects of the product are being discussed. And there's the occasional 3P associate that doesn't like people saying anything negative about their product so they'll take shots from the sideline and are pleased to see mischaracterization of certain posters.

As for aesthetic, I don't particularly care for excessive toon look, even as far as Takara's been going lately has been not very likeable. I like detail, somewhere between Hasui and toon, and particularly on real world inspired alt modes. But that's just me, and I've adapted in some ways to accept more toon aesthetics, just not so quite as far as MT Meteor took it. Some people like it, as the market went in that direction because it was selling. And because it gave companies a way to rehash previous characters but that's another topic.  

 

TFM?

 

Nope. It's a fool's errand, even among "easy" stuff like Aerialbot and Stunticon limbs. If they don't scale, nothing will.

 

Chosen Prime has the cel-shaded Sphinx, which is damn close to the original release, as well as Omne, in stock.
Ocular Max PS-01C SPHINX CEL
Ocular Max PS-11 OMNE (Cosmos)

Hellion is in stock at TFSource: Mastermind Creations - Ocular Max - PS-09 Hellion

Get them while they’re around!

 

Are Brawl's rear-view mirrors chrome-plated inside? (or at least painted silver)? Brawl is of course VERY concerned about checking for traffic before he changes lanes...

 

Yes, something tells me he’s rolling uninsured.

 

Brawls current test has no real paint or surface treatments on him to speak of atm, that's all HR altering his photos as best he can to match the intended deco we're still working on implementing.

But yes I had silver added to the reverse sides of the mirrors ages ago so that'll be a detail he hopefully has in tact when he is painted for reals.

 

Wow, that is some serious attention to alt-mode accuracy, that I was honestly not expecting. Props for that.

Is it too late to split the inner taillight orange/red upper/lower, and not just all-red?  

(I do hope ToyHax gives us a good number of license plate options). BRUT1CUS is a must...

 

Oh nah I can change the upper light to orange easy peasy I'll go do that now.

 

Are you doing the color on Brawl only or all five of them? I really like the colors. Very nice work.

 

I have an impetus for sale on eBay, UK only though as postage would be a bitch. Never been opened.
http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/710-5...29508&kwid=902099&mtid=824&kw=lg&toolid=11111

 

The "white cross on a shield" centered on the back is also an "all Leopard 1's" thing, too, if that's not earmarked already. (assuming it's within the paint-app-budget)