Now that is one heckuva jam. George Clinton is one of my favorites.

 

The redesign actually made me PO this character. The proportions are night and day more appealing. Details like vents are less important than the overall design, proportions and character likeness.

 

I love the new sculpt! I actually don't like the weird gap on the chest, glad its gone.

I really hope he can transform like in the cartoon from standing pose! Ignore TE Mirage in the background photo bombing...

 

I much prefer the new design as well. I do like details, so I'm not suggesting that toon simplicity is always desirable over realistic detail. But the design is clean and smooth and much more elegant than before. I also much prefer the chest to the one with the gap we had before. It didn't resemble the toon...it just looked gappy.

I'm a Season 1 cast completionist so this is one of my most anticipated figures. Bring it on!

 

Aren't there enough Trailbreakers around that one could find close enough what they want?

 

Nope. Toy collectors are an entitled bunch. It's their way or the highway. Many have been known to take their toys and go home.

 

The hood vents are still there on the alt mode render, so maybe they just didnt print those details on the proto? Hopefully they'll return. The side repeaters are missing though and the missing groves on the base of the hand cannon is a head scratcher since they are on the animation model.

I actually dont mind the new position of the hood! In the animation model the screen looks sunken and behind the hood, there's not a full screen showing. So doing it like this allows them to move the hood up a bit so his proportions are more accurate and there is even room for a little ab section below the hood which the animation model has. I think it's overall leading to better proportions although does look a little off from the side.

What bothers me much more are the crazy changes to the alt mode which now looks nothing like the Toyota. This is what it's supposed to look like...



Apart from the wheel arch cutting a tiny bit too high up the fender and the missing vertical strip in the side windows, the original design was pretty spot on. It's now off in so many ways. Look at the tapered hip-line all along the side that starts top of the fender/just below the side windows, and ends with a crease below the door handle above the lock - it's perfect on the original and now almost gone, reduced to a small chamfer then it's slab sided. The raised section at the back of the hood that the vents are cut into is far too pronounced now. The indented grove along the side has now bizarrely changed into a step out and down as if he's wearing some stick on body kit. The actual profile is a subtle flare outwards then the indented groove immediately below, so the original with only a groove wasnt 100% but looked much better than this totally inaccurate feature. The wheel arch cut is now much too low, accentuating the slab side already begun by the lack of the hip taper, and the arch is too squared. And the front grill and lights detail is just a million miles off - barely resembles the Toyota - what's with the thick blocky outline and sticking out indicators? Bumper is bad too.

It's like they fired the guy who could accurately observe and model a real vehicle and somebody with minimal 3d CAD experience who could only create basic blocks and use chamfers, etc bashed up something vaguely pick-up truck shaped. It just looks like some chunky toy. Even the G1 toy did a better job!!

Siiiiiiigh. And the bot mode is so epic! I feel like most of this can be easily fixed without affecting the transformation engineering - just a matter of looking at the real thing competently. Just like they did with the original design. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease fix it!

 

They're not going to fix it because it's obvious that they altered it to be more cartoon accurate.

 

I dunno, even the cartoon does a better job of the front grill! And it has the orange side repeaters. Why would they go toon/chibi for this when they are real world for the stunticons and, so far it seems, Jazz and Mirage, and TT are still doing real world?? Makes no sense.

 

1985 Toyota Hilux?

 

1981 Toyota SR5

 

I like this one better.

 

No, the one I like is the one everyone should like and if you do not like the one I like, then I do not like you.

 

Hahahaha. That is the new American way.

 

A few people hating on the changes to alt mode designs or flat out “wrong” modes.... I don’t wonder if we’re starting to see less accurate alt modes because those are licensed vehicles, and perhaps there is pressure on FT to use less accurate designs?

-A.S.

 

That would line up with TakaraTomy's penchant for only going with 100% licensed vehicle designs.

 

No, great backpack. But what's going on with the chest? I don't remember his chest sticking out like a massive underbite.

 

God, I hope not, that'd mean we're never gonna get any kind of proper Cliffjumper, and Jazz would have to get neutered. I'm sure they're in grey enough waters in China that they can't really be hassled over vehicle designs any more than TF IP

 

I was curious to see how Outrider would look coloured up, next to these two lads. So, I had a crack at a digibash.

I filled in the windshield detail, using the inner windshield from Terraegis. I avoided going too white on his forearms and legs, when compared to Hunk's forearms, but left the shoulder mounted weapons, a slightly lighter tone, with reference to some of the animation stills.

Hope ya like him!

 

Stellar work! Those are pretty much the colors I would want. The slightly lighter shoulder weapons is a nice detail that I think has been glossed over on the renditions that have been released so far - glad you included it!