I really don't get what people are seeing with the face sculpts. Saltus' face looks like the cartoon, with the right angle to the jawline and everything. Apache's face looks like something Fanstoys made up.

 

Agreed, though personally I still prefer Apache's mainly due to the added details, which I think REALLY help to bring out the rest of the face, and is a big reason why I say it's one of if not the best face sculpts to come out of 3P as a whole. It just works, haha.

 

I guess what gets me is it feels like Saltus just doesn't get the credit it deserves for its accuracy compared to the Fanstoys counterpart. It's like, whenever Fanstoys decides "eh, Hasui level accuracy is enough", everyone suddenly wants Hasui style again in their otherwise toon-centric collections.

At least until Takara comes out with a super toon Springer, then most people will switch to that one on the virtue of its toon accuracy.

(And obviously there's nothing wrong with not caring about toon accuracy or only wanting Fanstoys and/or Takara figures, I'm just pointing out overall trends and how much they are affected by brand strength. Basically...someone's gotta stand up for the little guy)

 

FansToys hasn’t ever been really toon-accurate. They’ve moved more in that direction lately but their figures usually have heroic proportions and are meant to be able to fit with the older and the newer aesthetics. So comparing them to Sunbow or onscreen models is an exercise in futility.

Even MMC didn’t move to toon-accuracy until more recently. They put out great figures but they too take liberties or are a bit stylized. Each company just has a different design philosophy and priorities to address their fan base. They don’t need to be defended because their Reformatted line has been thriving and their Masterpiece figures are fun and look good.

Mastermind Creations has been doing well and many of their recent releases have had to be reissued a few times. FansToys just has a lot more hype because their fandom is a bit over the edge. However, buzz does not always equal substance. Plus, it’s good to have options to customize your collection.

 

Well, it's a spectrum thing. Some Fanstoys figures are much toonier on the toon spectrum than others. Same goes for MMC, though the difference with MMC is that very few of their figures are as toony on the toon spectrum as Saltus, so the company doesn't have the same kind of brand recognition with toon focused collectors.

 

FansToys just came out swinging immediately with Quakewave and the Dinobots and their figures came to be seen as premium. They’ve just been consistent longer.

Early on Ocular Max competed in the same lane as FansToys, they just took the Studio Ox influence and that didn’t set them apart. It’s only been more recently where they’ve been distinguishing themselves with great transformations and playability, as well as being more toon-accurate and looking good on the shelf. I think they’ve niche themselves well, especially with Takara going hyper-toon aesthetic and their devoted fan base will continue to grow.

 

mmc should get this re issue out soon... or they waiting to match xtb springer???

 

Nah we've had a test copy of Saltus Alternative for weeks now he's in production. Could release by months end if he manages to wrap up next week anyway but ah my gut says early august more likely.

 

i will forsaken my PO of ft springer for this

 

Defanders going to defand...

 

Thanks for the update!

 

Speaking as someone who owns Apache and did own the OG Saltus deco w/ the new deco on preorder I don't think one sculpt is arbitrarily better than the other. Both are excellent and just aim for different objectives.

 

The face sculpt on Saltus was one of the things that sold me on it. I think they pretty much nailed it.

 

To me, both faces look quite similar, to the point where I really don't care.

If I would have to choose one I would get Apache just for the hardware. But what I am really waiting for is Virtus, again just for the hardware lol.

 

Just got ship notice from PSX for the alt deco.

 

Ok, got Apache yesterday and ran through all his modes alongside my Saltus. Here are my thoughts. [Spoiler: Saltus >> Apache].


Apache is a good figure and I like it, but the only itch it scratches better than Saltus are better/more toon accurate alt modes.

The car mode is much closer to the cartoon than Saltus’, but I prefer Saltus’ car mode because it’s such a solid lump of a thing. Plus I love the headlight gimmick that Apache It’s close but I edged out MMC by a hair.

Helicoptor mode is the one big advantage Apache has over Saltus. Not only is Apache’s helicopter mode much more toon accurate, I think it just looks much better overall. Not that MMC’s is bad bu any stretch.

Robot mode I would give to MMC hands down. While I prefer the look of the chest and torso on Apache, especially the chest vents, MMC looks much better and cleaner overall. Especially in the legs. And much more dynamic and less stiff. And MMC’s face sculpt kills FT’s. Which looks decent but not particularly like Springer IMO. I do like the eye color they used on Apache better.

I think Saltus clearly looks better standing in a display.

 

My favorite has always been Saltus because he nails Springer's overall look, especially the face. I look at it and say "That's Springer." Car mode is very cool even though it's not 100% accurate, helicopter mode is solid too. I also have Apache and the bot mode is fine but I only really like his Helicopter mode, the car mode is ridiculously long and looks weird to me. I agree that Apache has the best chest and grille, though. I was going to buy Virtus specifically for car mode but i'm gonna wait until people have properly reviewed it. If I have the money and if XTB's QC is up to snuff I'm going to end up with 3 Springers displayed in the following ways.

Saltus - Bot mode
Apache - helicopter mode
Virtus - car mode.

But still I like Saltus the best overall and can't wait to get him.

 

I like Apache's arms a bit more. Saltus has those weird black elbows that I don't really like. It doesn't fit with the green color. And of course, Apache has a much better chest. If Apache would have better legs, I think it would look very good. But with this carmode Apache has it will be difficult to make.

 

That’s true, I’m not a fan of the black elbow hinges on Saltus but it doesn’t hurt his look too much.

 

Does anyone know when Saltus 2.0 will ship? Have distributors received it yet?