X-Transbots Locke (MP Kup)

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by daimchoc, Sep 11, 2015.

  1. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    I dont know if you read all of this thread, but that didn't turn out to be false. It was discussed in a Chinese group, and someone was kind enough to translate it for us. XTB has said there is no truth to that, I'm assuming because they didn't anticipate anyone being kind enough to share the screenshot and translate for us. XTB said there was no recall and chose to admit that a panel does keep coming off, but declined to acknowledge any of the other QC issues being discussed in Overseas groups, and on here. I sincerely hope that your copy arrives in good shape but it's far harder to find a properly QC'd copy at this point than one that wasn't. As someone that only started collecting during Covid, I can't speak to what used to happen back in the day, but I have a low tolerance for anything that was poorly QC'd for over a hundred dollars. That's too much Cheddar for me to be repairing something myself, which is also why I only own a few FTs, and don't count Sheridan or Thomas among them.

    Again, I do think that arguing someone needs to hold a poorly QC'd toy to call it a poorly QC'd toy is a bizarre standard. I used to ding papers for this all the time. You're appealing to a standard of argument where no one has the credentials to argue properly without spending money. You can't appeal to the fact that no one has the proper experience to refute your argument. It's a bad faith argument that creates an impossible (or at least unfair) standard for those that disagree with you. People look to reviews and early images from collectors to determine quality. If there was a known issue with engines on a specific car you were considering buying, you wouldn’t go buy it just to throw a rod and prove to everyone that the car has problems with catastrophic engine failure. You certainly wouldn't tell someone that, yes, there have been a number of reports about the issue but unless you specifically were effected, then you shouldn't bring the issue up. If you found a video that speaks positively of Locke, and that's good enough for you, then awesome. It's bizarre to say that people are down on this toy because they want it to fail, or that you need it in hand to make that determination yourself though.

    I don't like to throw shade, it bummed me out a lot to cancel all my XTB P.Os (except for Eligos because he's a reissue). XTB wants me to perceive them as a prestige brand though, and for that to happen they need to outperform FT in terms of quality and QC. If they fail to meet a basic quality standard, then they clearly aren't justifying their price point. That's true for FT, and it's definitely true for the company that wants to be FT and has inconsistent messaging and a lack of accountability with regards to their product. When all your main competitor has done in the past to right wrongs is send a screw, the bar is set pretty darn low. Their failing to meet or exceed that standard is just depressing.

    Edit: I didn't mean to go too far down the rabbit hole on that informal fallacy thing, but it's a slow day and that's a real trigger for anyone that has degrees in rhetoric. I apologize if I came off like a tool. I never know the line between over simplifying and looking like I'm intentionally engaging in obfuscation. Also, I'm TERRIBLE at typing on my phone.
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2021
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  2. BIOMEC

    BIOMEC Terrorcon, aka "Ratchetman"

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    I know that you are new to the hobby, but keep in mind that there are other 3P companies just as good or better than FT in some aspects. FT isn't the only gold standard out there.
     
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  3. Mykltron

    Mykltron Well-Known Member

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  4. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    So, that isn't really addressing the main point of my argument in that paragraph or the post as a whole. From my view though, their prices are realigning to place them in direct competition with Fanstoys. Based on the Springer War that we're seeing it does seem like FT might agree as well. While I'm sure there are other brands I could compare them too, FT seems to be a more appropriate comparrison than Transart, DX9, TE, Toyworld, Zeta, or any other 3p competitor that I can think of. I feel that based on their pricing and very competitive release schedules though, FT is the most appropriate comparrison for XTB. Were that not to be the cade however, everything I said would still in my opinion hold true. Again though, taking issue with one sentence in a multiple paragraph post feels like my larger point is being ignored. If that isn't the case and you're simply trying to make me aware of other 3p brands, then I apologize for misunderstanding.
     
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  5. Christiano

    Christiano Banned

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    They do, and while I agree with the general notion of bad-faith standards for establishing credibility, it's also important to note that there's a difference between voicing concern due to reviews of QC issues and direct criticism of the piece itself or the people who bought it.

    I've watched a lot of movie reviews where my response was "I might wait for this one on video." I've never watched a review of a movie and then said "Yeah, totally! Only an idiot would like this movie!" And if you're heavily involved in niche-pop culture, then you know just how common it is to see someone try to antagonize people by trying to attach an objective standard to something despite only having second- or third-hand knowledge of it.
     
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  6. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    Fair point, and I apologize if I failed to capture the nuance of the issue.
     
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  7. BIOMEC

    BIOMEC Terrorcon, aka "Ratchetman"

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    I really don't have an issue with your post but...

    What I really wanted is to make you aware of other 3p companies like MMC, OM, TFC, JX, CT, UT, etc which imo are excellent too and some even better than FT in some aspects.

    :) 
     
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  8. Christiano

    Christiano Banned

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    Fandom can definitely be a toxic thing.
     
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  9. ghostfossil

    ghostfossil Well-Known Member

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    And don't forget Gigapower, their six products beat Fanstoys counterparts hands down.
    Gigapower monsterbots... one can dream.
     
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  10. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    I haven't had anything that felt better than FT to me with those brands except my OM Saltus. I didn't do the reissue because I actually like how the original is a bit brighter (love Springer but his colors can be a bit baby vomity for me). Saltus is just exactly the right kind of weighty, fun and easy to transform that I look for in an MP. Just an absolutely perfect figure to me, and for such a reasonable price too, even when reissued. For me, that toy won the Springer Wars so ruthlessly that it's probably guilty of war crimes.
     
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  11. OstOgBajer

    OstOgBajer Well-Known Member

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    Honestly, I kinda feel like MT was on-par, if not better than FT aside from the head sculpts.Great paint, presence, more intuitive transformations. I'm sad they lost their way. *Cries*
     
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  12. divinecomedy

    divinecomedy Board Certified Fans Trollar

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    +1. I love FT products, but I love MT products more.
     
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  13. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    I want that visualizer set bbaaaaaaad, but at the places I can still find him online he is spendy for something I'm going to transform into a camera with a Decepticon logo. I don't know why that matters to me but it does. It's the same reason I've never been able to justify paying real money on the secondary for a FT brand Telescope. I'm sure I'll break down eventually on them though. Joining a hobby late and having poor self-control usually means it's a "when" rather than "if".
     
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  14. OstOgBajer

    OstOgBajer Well-Known Member

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    I have the set and I like them, but they aren't as nice as the later figures. Great articulation and presence, but it's a lot of bare plastic. Of the three MP options though, I think it's the best.
     
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  15. silith210518

    silith210518 Well-Known Member

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    Just proving my point that someone who owns a product would have a better understanding of to what standard it's at. Outside of that we just use reviews obviously. Of which none exist right now. The windcharger video is the closest thing to it and that was by and large more of a livestream.

    If the figures a dud the figures a dud. Everyone will either get refunds or xtb will send out replacement parts. It's not a vacuum where you put money in and get nothing back.
     
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  16. realwhz

    realwhz Well-Known Member

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    My Locke arrived today from tfs-express. My first glance seems to be okay. Quite heavy given the size. Holding it in hands can feel the diecast parts. Will check further after work.
     

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  17. DrCalligari

    DrCalligari Does it come in purple?

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    I like the way you're think man!
     
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  18. Virtual Venom

    Virtual Venom Well-Known Member

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    Just received mine. It’s been out in the cold for awhile. So I’m letting it acclimate before doing too much. Lots of diecast in the legs. No broken parts from what I can tell. All I did was change the face, rounded head piece and put the gun in hand for now. The waist doesn’t seem to completely lock in on the backside. So when picked up by the upper torso it has a little wobble. Nowhere near as bad as the mp seekers though. It’s fine when standing. The hip ratchets are interesting. Soft detents but close to a friction joint. They seem to hold the weight of the diecast fine. I’m also loving the color in hand. Looks pretty close to how kup is in my minds eye.

    0534998E-4D9F-4C69-8C58-F21D047C55EB.jpeg
     
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  19. The Allspice

    The Allspice Seasoning is the right of all sentient beings!

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    I'm not sure you actually read everything that I posted if that was your take away. The talk of a recall was not totally false. XTB admitted to it in a discussion amongst Chinese Collectors. They said it was totally false in their English language posts, likely assuming no one would find out about the other thread. You're kind of breezing past this bit to make your point. It's a fairly important one though when you attempted to blame discussions of quality on a false recall narrative rather than actual QC issues.

    The toys have made their way into the hands of a number of collectors and the reports aren't great. You found a limited body of information which contradicted that and chose to accept it against the body of QC issues emerging here and elsewhere. You even attempted to define certain collectors as normal. This places those views which you agree with in an in-group, while labeling all of the negative information about the product as "abnormal". That's a level of "reflection, selection, and deflection" that would make even Kenneth Burke blush (if he still had a pulse).

    I argued that we are capable of making informed decisions based on all of the evidence presented to us. I used a body of testimonial as an example of how people that do not own a product can still make an informed decision about that product. It's a behavior you engage in, as a consumer, on a regular basis. You attempted to argue that we needed to wait for normal collectors to handle a toy, disregarded the information that didn't fit your point, and blamed the chorus of negative voices on people wanting to "throw shade". Saying that I'm proving your point speaks to you missing the point of what I said altogether.

    Hopefully it is just an astonishingly bad first batch, but I'm not overly optimistic after the Stunticons.
     
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  20. BIOMEC

    BIOMEC Terrorcon, aka "Ratchetman"

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    What joints are ratcheted? :D 
     
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