115 Utopia YYYW-05 Upgrade Kit For Studio Series SS-34 DOTM Megatron

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by Hoptimus, Apr 22, 2020.

  1. AutobotMirage

    AutobotMirage Wrecker

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  2. kwanzaabot

    kwanzaabot Well-Known Member

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    Just watched the Emgo review.
    The one thing stopping me from getting DOTM Megatron is his hollow torso, and this upgrade doesn't exactly do a great job of filling that in.

    Upgrade kit makers love to fill in leg gaps, and this does that pretty well, but honestly the leg gaps on Megatron aren't too bad. It's the torso I have a problem with, and this torso filler isn't exactly an improvement. It's just a pair of grey rectangles--not even the right shape for his torso.

    I guess I'll keep waiting for the MPM.
     
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  3. SillyMcGilly

    SillyMcGilly Well-Known Member

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    Can they please release an upgrade for SS 2007 Megatron too? He needs a weapon other than a funni paddle. Also some articulated fingers would be pretty badass...

    Maybe even an upgrade set for SS-38 BBM Optimus, to make his arms less kibbly...? But Idk how well they could pull that off.
     
  4. Hoptimus

    Hoptimus How I roll.

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    Mine is in the US now! After weeks without a tracking update.
    Screenshot_20200615-223450_1.png
     
  5. jru42287

    jru42287 Ass Möde is a way of life.

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    Hmm, I didn't realize they were 3D printed. That kind of kills it for me.
     
  6. Rated X

    Rated X Banned

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    Thats exactly the point. It never should have been a "toy" in the first place. It should be a "replica" and I would gladly pay more to rid it of the guise that its a toy. Now a days kids play with I-phones, drones, and other high tech gadgets. I can understand "toys" for smaller children like the cyberverse line. But who are they kidding with "advanced level" toys ? The gap between the recommended age and puberty is what ? 2 years tops ? The Hasbro photoshoots of 12 year olds playing with toys are borderline creepy. Lets not kid ourselves, Studio Series (and Generations) are replicas for adults being marketed as toys. What "kid" cares about a movie from 10 years ago, let alone a 35 year old cartoon ? The kids that love Transformers usually have a father that is a hardcore collector so they get action figures shoved down their throat from day one. So yeah, upgrade kits that appeal to the majority of studio series buyers are awesome. Take the Shockwave upgrade kit for example. No collector is going to poke out their eyes. It doesnt need rubber parts. If some 10 year old is stupid enough to poke his eyes out with his advanced level toy, I blame that on bad parenting. Also, hollow filler parts only exist because Hasbro got cheap over the years There was a time when "toys" werent hollow.
     
  7. Toadalinakong

    Toadalinakong Well-Known Member

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    Masterpieces are the exception, but transformers are toys. And toys are toys.
     
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  8. Rated X

    Rated X Banned

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    I respectfully disagree. Nobody is calling Gundam robots toys. At least not in America. I would define a "toy" as something kids play with. When I was a kid, BB gubs were considered "toys". Some rocket scientist finally figured out years later they were more marketable to adults. Im not saying robots fall into the same dangerous scenario, but its becoming more and more obvious that the brand is moving more towards adult collectors. 1986 movie Alicon getting a figure ? What more proof do you need ?
     
  9. CobraKai

    CobraKai Well-Known Member

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    It is a toy. It’s audience includes a broad spectrum of ages. Replicas would be those $1000 Prime 1 Deluxe Figures or statues. These are made in the same price range as other competing toys and are designed to be appealing to kids and adults. Hasbro wants to introduce old characters to new and/or younger consumers which is why Allicon is made. Hell I watched the 86 movie when I was 6 and I didn’t even know who Allicon was until now.
    Plus, unlike Gundams, they’re sold in the toy aisle. What more proof do you need?
     
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  10. Rated X

    Rated X Banned

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    Youre basing something being a "toy" on a price range ? Thats absurd. So thats like saying a drone that costs $50 is a toy but a drone that costs $500 is not even though they do the same exact thing. And how is a statue a replica ? It doesnt even move or transform. A statue is art, not a replica. Kids dont give two shits about 35 year old obscure G1 characters. Theyre too busy playing their Nintendo switches. Whats really happening slowly but surely is the death of action figures among kids, especially older kids. Adult collectors have literally saved the brand. Thats why were seeing obscure characters that hardcore fans have been begging for years. Adult collectors are the brands new cash cow. Kids are the "front". Hasbro isnt ready to admit it just yet. Half of the stock that comes out of their factories ends up being sold by smaller online retailers that are frequented by adults. What parent shops at BBTS or The Chosen Prime for Christmas gifts ? As far as Hasbro is concerned, every unit sold is owned by a "kid" even if it sits MISB on ebay for the next 3 years. Its Hasbro's dirty little secret. Theyre scared of marketing Transformers as an adult brand like replicas you might find in a hobby store of Predator, Chuckie, or Pumpkinhead. (Which would also be toys by your definition, even though the fanbase is clearly adults and the company publicly aknowledges it)
     
  11. CobraKai

    CobraKai Well-Known Member

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    Studio Series is like the Marvel Legends line. It’s aim is to appeal to young and old alike. Yes I can can consider drones toys. Like how there’s RC cars that are toys. My kids play with drones that are toys. They’re inexpensive, and they fly which kids love. But like RC cars there are toys and there are adult RC cars that go beyond and are more for adults who want to build and paint, like Gundams. Also growing up they had Robocop, Rambo, Predator, Terminator, Toxic Avenger all sold in Toys R Us with realistically modeled weapons and cool actions that kids would love, and were specifically aimed at kids, so the content doesn’t matter. As long as kids can/will play with it, it’s a toy. I play with my transformers by posing and converting. Kids don’t care about the fact that a character is 35 years old, they’ll care that it’s a cool robot alligator toy. Just like my son had to have Voyager Skybyte cuz it was a cool robot shark. That’s how Hasbro gets all possible customers. It’s absurd that you think they just cut out potential customers and cater only to adults. It’s beyond just pricing. As a marketing strategy for Hasbro wants to appeal to a broad range with Transformers. It started as a toy and continues to be a toy. Also, where are Transformers located in a store? Next to Ninja Turtles? Which are toys. Power Rangers? Which are toys. DC and Marvel? Which are toys. Face it Transformers are toys!! And whether you want to admit it or not, kids do like Transformers, even Studio Series. They don’t have to just like Cyberverse or Rescue Bots. I know adult collectors who love rescue bots. Transformers is so diverse and so appealing that to leave out potential customers and therefore profit is ridiculous. You want your replicas? Get a Movie Masterpiece and spend $80+ on a movie replica or even more on Three Zeros deluxe figures. Face it you are a grown ass person who buys toys.
     
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  12. Rated X

    Rated X Banned

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    Dude theyre not toys. Theyre replicss of 35 year old characters in their G1 form for man children. (Like both of us) I mean you could believe the front Hasbro goes by, or you can follow the money. All indications online are that adults are buying these things up faster than the kids can even find out they exist. Hasbro saves their biggest reveals for SDCC which is an adult themed event filled with grown man children and scantily clad women dressed up as anime characters with their ass cheeks hanging out. Now dont get me wrong, im not saying kids dont buy Transformers at all. Im just saying adults collectors are what is keeping this franchise alive.
     
  13. CobraKai

    CobraKai Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Jun 16, 2020
  14. Rated X

    Rated X Banned

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    You quoted me but left no response. Ok. I guess we gonna have to agree to disagree. Could be a regional/cultural thing. Here in my city the kids grow up quick. By 7-8 they are into video games and by 12-13 theyre already discovering girls. The action figure aisles in walmart and target are always getting raided by grown men in their 30s and 40s. And when you observe them you can just tell most of them arent parents.
     
  15. CobraKai

    CobraKai Well-Known Member

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    That’s weird I did but it seemed to post your quote twice instead. But I pretty much said we both have different views on toys vs replicas.
     
  16. WEEGEE

    WEEGEE Cringe memer

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    I swear this and that soundwave kit have been out for a while, yet for some reason TFW is making articles really after the fact.
     
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  17. Hooper_X

    Hooper_X hit dogs holler

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    So I got this kit in the mail today.

    BE VERY CAREFUL INSERTING THE THIGH FILLERS.

    They're held on with thin plastic and one of them snapped off in the socket because I assembled it in the wrong order.

    You're gonna want to put the great big one (#3) in first, then the other two around it. I accidentally snapped off a #1 because I put it in first and then #2 put too much force on it while being inserted.

    The lat fillers look okay in robot mode once they're in place and held down by the armpits, but they look great in truck mode and go a long way to filling in that hollow cab.
     
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  18. Hoptimus

    Hoptimus How I roll.

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    Good to know. My set is coming today, but I'll probably be gluing the legs parts on.
     
  19. Hoptimus

    Hoptimus How I roll.

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    It came a couple days late, but the parts are in and really nice. No pics, but we all know what they look like. ;) 
     
  20. mikeszekely

    mikeszekely Not Pessimus Prime

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    Got my kit yesterday (finally). The thigh fillers do the job; it'd be nice if they colored matched a bit better, but they don't look too out-of-place. The difference in color is more noticeable on the side fillers, especially in truck mode. Oh well.

    The new shotgun is actually pretty nice. At first I thought it looked pretty bad. It's molded in the same color as the rest of the parts, which is to say gray with an odd tinge of green, but it's got some brown dry brushed on to simulate the rust. It didn't come out well. But the sculpt itself is pretty close to the Hasbro one. It's not, as someone suggested, bigger, at least not length-wise. It's slightly thicker in spots, but that's because they filled in spaces that were left too thin and/or hollow on the original. So what I decided to do was repaint it myself in a fashion more like the Hasbro one. I used a dark gunmetal color for the base instead of black, then I painted over some of it in silver. I'll try to get a picture for you guys when it's finished drying, but suffice to say that it looks much better now.
     
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