WFC Earthrise Grapple - Voyager class

Discussion in 'Transformers Feedback & Reviews' started by MadMaximus, Feb 7, 2020.

  1. Chaos Muffin

    Chaos Muffin Misadventure Veteran

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    What would make Earthrise even better is if they came in G1 packaging.
    Would feel like Christmas of 85 again.
     
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  2. Dexatronic

    Dexatronic Well-Known Member

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    Now that seems like a missed opportunity!
     
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  3. SPLIT LIP

    SPLIT LIP Be strong enough to be gentle

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    I've decided I hate this figure.

    The cheapness is just too overwhelming. The otherwise perfect headsculpt is ruined but the cheap construction/design that lets even the tiniest amount of light bleed through the eyes. I tried to put just a little black paint inside the head, and not only did it not work, now the entire back of the half is green because the plastic is that cheap and easily stained. I'm stunned at how badly Hasbro messed up a Transformer's head.

    Then there's just the off feeling of it. The crane being such a stiff ratchet joint means moving it causes the whole toy to flex. The light bleeding happens just about everywhere there's bare yellow/orange plastic, and the alt mode is to squat. It's too short and too low to the ground to look like a real 70's crane truck. The articulation is nice but the tolerances are all off. It's so close to being perfect but marred in every way by the cheapness and poor design choices.
     
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  4. artiepants

    artiepants Transformers '84!!!

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    the cheapness is getting harder and harder to ignore, especially when we're paying 20% more for it across the board.
     
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  5. LoserBroadside

    LoserBroadside Your ship just came in.

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    This is exactly how I feel about Combiner Wars ultra Magnus. I adore that design and I really like the sculpt. But handling it is downright terrifying.
     
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  6. heltskelt

    heltskelt Well-Known Member

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    This is exactly what has kept me off buying it. Every time I’ve seen it in person, I just can’t bring myself to pay $30 for it. The plastic looks translucent even in the box. The tolerances I can deal with. My decision was cemented once I saw a picture of the alt mode next to ER Hoist (which I did buy). I’ll stick with RTS Grapple. I really wanted to like this, since the design is the Grapple I watched as a kid. I’m glad for those that do enjoy it, though.
     
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  7. Shin Densetsu

    Shin Densetsu I WILL DESTROY YOU Content Contributor Veteran

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    RTS Grapple is substantially larger and has better construction all around. It only lacks points for the limited hip articulation and for having more shoulder kibble.

    ER Grapple's main advantage are nostalgia(if you prefer it, it's proportions match the G1 toy) and better articulation. It does feel significantly cheaper in hand than RTS Grapple though(I'm objectively saying this, I know they were made 10 years apart under different conditions).

    The most disappointing thing about ER Grapple is that for the all the articulation it has, the joints are not tight enough to stay posed dynamically when armed with Weaponizers/Modulators, unless you're very careful with balancing. Should be okay wielding Battle/Targermasters but anything else, not so much.
     
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  8. TickTockGoesTheClock

    TickTockGoesTheClock Dōmo arigatō, Mr Roboto.

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    That's a great way to put it. As much as I don't like bashing Hastak because, as a concept, this grapple is really good. It's just, in comparison to astrotrain or sideswipe, the plastic is so cheap feeling that it's kind of a turn off.
     
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  9. SPLIT LIP

    SPLIT LIP Be strong enough to be gentle

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    Exactly. If the plastic and construction were higher quality, this would honestly be one of my favourite TFs of modern years. He looks great, evoking the original toy and animation whilst having more heroic, dynamic proportions. The face sculpt especially is perfect.

    Conceptually, the figure is flawless, it's all down to execution.
     
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  10. yvk2000

    yvk2000 Well-Known Member

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    This is one of those figures that messes with my mind because when I put it on a shelf and see it from a distance he looks great, but when I pick it up I am reminded of the cheapness. Really a pity. There's only one avenue to redeem this mold; a Generations Selects Artfire. I don't care if it's leaderclass money or whatever, just pimp it up with paint and details. And gimme that toy head.
     
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  11. LeTigre

    LeTigre Meat popsicle

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    I went through the trouble of hand drilling the holes and I still broke a peg.

    Anyway, I still love him, enough that I bought the GX gap filler kit to finish things up nicely.
     
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  12. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    Which one is that? I'm seeing 2 gap fillers on eBay. The cheaper one (<$20) is just gap fillers and it looks well done. The more expensive one ($30+) doesn't have as many gap fillers, but has an articulated claw and a bucket for the crane.
     
  13. LeTigre

    LeTigre Meat popsicle

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    The set of just the gap fillers.

    I was onboard for the thigh fillers and legs, but the hinged forearms and crane sold me over the set with the bucket and claw.
     
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  14. Mister D

    Mister D Bloosh Compatible

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    Will likely pick up the gap fillers. Just feels more complete (which I suppose is the point). The bucket is neat, but really not something I'd use, and I wouldn't be shocked if Dr Wu or someone ends up making a claw.
     
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  15. Windsweeper II

    Windsweeper II Banned

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    This is exactly how I feel about siege.
    Why should I pay more for less?
    It's good to see that Hasbro is going in the right direction again with Earthrise, except that the figures are still too short.
     
  16. Chaos Muffin

    Chaos Muffin Misadventure Veteran

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    Siege has been a major improvement over PotP. Better plastic , detail, stiffer joints and pinned swivel joints instead of just balljoints.
    Earthrise is going downhill a bit with some cost cutting decisions.

    Loving both though, every line seems to have some gems.
     
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  17. BlastOff682

    BlastOff682 Well-Known Member

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    I'm kind of hesitant on buying grapple again right now cause the first one I got broke when I transformed it, the peg that connects to the feet snapped right off and I dont know if they fixed it yet, I really hope Hasbro becomes aware of it because I wouldn't want the eventual inferno retool to be affected by this either.
     
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  18. artiepants

    artiepants Transformers '84!!!

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    that's the frustrating thing. you know they justified the 20% line-wide price increase with the promise of "increased quality" but it also brought the downsizing, but already in Earthrise we are seeing a lot of the quality dropping back. I fear by whatever follows WFCpart3 we're either at $25 deluxes or hollow barely-painted junk like the Cyberverse deluxes
     
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  19. LeTigre

    LeTigre Meat popsicle

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    Quality going down..has anybody handled 10 year old Generations toy? Or even just something from PotP that isn't a Legend.. they aren't exactly rays of sunshine, there is couple of winners but a whole lot of losers.
     
  20. Shin Densetsu

    Shin Densetsu I WILL DESTROY YOU Content Contributor Veteran

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    Well as this thread is about EarthRise Grapple, the cheapness can be felt on Grapple due to the lightness, hollow parts(which stuck out to me visually even in the renders) and most disappointingly(and something I only noticed when posing).... cannot really take on the added weight of modulators/weaponizers as you can feel the joints loosening under the weight. That's a sore point given that the entire gimmick of the line is the modular capability of Modulators/Weaponizers as weaponized armor components for other figures.

    Great figure to pose on its own but if armed with Modulators/Weaponizers, has to be posed carefully as to not weigh the joints down.