Anyone in Australia have any experience with obtaining Nonnef kits? I'm very impressed by their spoilers for the Siege lambos (and very surprised to see that Go Better don't make articulated spoilers), but it appears you have to buy at least USD $50 worth of stuff from them, and then pay half that much again in postage (which is an absolute rip-off for tiny parcels like these, even factoring in the insane cost of posting overseas in the US); and those spoilers are the only thing they make that I have any interest in.

 

I wondered why nobody else bothered to make articulated spoilers myself.
Apparently it's cool to pirate ZBX designs, but Nonnef is off limits.
There's some other kits he makes that I wish a Chinese company ko'd, like his Ratchet crotch.

 

Failing there being a simple and cost-effective way to obtain these items, I'm just going to ask my friend with a 3d printer (and much more CAD experience than me) to basically make the same thing.

 

I've bought from him three or four times over the past eighteen months.

His stuff and the quality of his service is very good, I have no complaints. But the expense of getting over his US$50 purchase minimum, plus the increased cost of postage has been a one-two whack of deterrence.

I think I could be open to facilitating a group buy if one or two other Australians here are in the same situation.

I'm at work right now, but if people are interested PM me and if I hear from a couple more buyers over the weekend I'll start up a group PM conversation for everybody and we'll hammer out the details.

~L~

 

As much as I appreciate Nonnef's work, I can't really ignore the fact a lot of his recent work has parts cast way too close on sprue, which ends up damaging the parts a bit when cutting them off.

 

Not for everybody but I take my time with "Cutty," my favorite small folding utility knife. It's about the size of my palm for more control, I apply slow but steady pressure at the sprue until the blade "melts" through the plastic. This leaves very little flash if any. I use the same utility knife to shave of very thin layers of any remaining flash until I get it to just the right size/thickness. Not for kids. Have bandaids ready.

 

Several kits from unknown group on eBay. Not planning on getting any of these, so someone else can be a guinea pig.
Items for sale by sweetmall-1 | eBay

Kingdom Scorponok: Longer replacement thighs. Makes bot mode taller but at the expense of making alt mode looks worse.

SS86 Jazz: Speaker / weapons set


Siege / Kingdom Ultra Magnus set: shoulder pylon fillers (Kingdom only), foot slippers, and new modular blaster. The color choice of the fillers is bizarre. The foot slippers create a more straightened look for the feet.


Kingdom Beast Megatron: Modular shotgun

 

Been waiting for some kind of height upgrade for Kingdom Scorponok, and here's the first attempt: So Cool Leg Heightener Upgrade Kit For Kingdom Scorponok Thigh Increase Height | eBay



I think it looks great in bot mode, and pretty good from the front in alt mode.



Just don't turn him.

 

The grey color for the pylon fillers is weird but they should be easily paintable and I'm glad there's a way to get pylon fillers without all the other fillers I don't care about. The blaster looks good too.

 

Ugh, not a fan of that Scorponok upgrade. The real solution is to make the torso a bit taller, not the legs (and hopefully integrating it nicely in beast mode).

 

I don't dislike the Ultra Magnus rifle, but I have reservations.

Firstly, I think I would like the option to buy it painted white.

Secondly, I would like it a lot more if the modular function permitted the user to move the handgrip to different places, so Ultra Magnus' inner robot could hold the rifle differently.

Being able to flip the rifle upside down for the smaller robot to hold in his own unique way is one of the key features of G1 Ultra Magnus' for me.

~L~

 

The Scorponok "upgrade" (if you can call it that...) pretty much ruins the figure. I know he's small (probably too small) but this isn't the way. *cue sad Mandalorian*

 

If they are going to take away the leg transformation of Scorponok, they should probably make some calf fillers. I still think the proportions with this upgrade kit look great for bot mode. A torso upgrade on its own is going to make the legs look even more squat than they already look.

 

Love the fillers and feet kit for irrrnnnharrd

 

Matrix Workshop set for the stunticons/orthia

 

Which set is the gun Soundwave is holding from?

 

Sweetmall also listed an IDW Cyclonus set from the same unknown maker:
Replacement Head Big Gun Double Knife Upgrade Kit For Kingdom Cyclonus IDW Style | eBay

 

I wonder why there are shoulder wings that look like the hip skirts. Maybe they were pegged to the wrong area?

 

As I'm fine with the stock feet it's a shame the launchers can't be bought by themselves, maybe with a copy of the spanner instead.

For me his products' aesthetic has been on a downward curve from the start of WFC, compared to his Prime Trilogy Era weapons and accessories his current stuff seems to lack the great G1 homage aesthetic, and creative stylistic flair of stuff like his TR & Legends guns. In fact the modern stuff looks pretty basic design-wise, so much so that I suspect a parting of the ways with a designer or two he may have employed or engaged before.

One can't help wondering if those horns mean you have to take the head off for transformation, neat but a little too chomky for my taste.

 

Another listing by Sweetmall for SS86 Grimlock: Crown / claw weapon and modular sword
NEW Design Crown Weapon Upgrade Kit For SS86 Grimlock Multiple Deformation Modes | eBay