Absolutely this. I think at this point the best we can hope for is for Fans Hobby to do them both.  

 

I would be over the moon if they got that treatment but as you said, it won't happen so this would at least be a decentish compromise. :/

 

In my experience of the Hasbro Max (and LG-EX 'Plex) robot mode Maxy has so much mass up top (and at the upper part of the torso to boot due to his hollow tower-side love handles, including a pretty big bonce with internal electronics, and the arm ramps additional weight at the shoulder) that, unless painstakingly posed, it can easily overpower the hips, and sometimes the knees, particularly if that weight gets even a bit of momentum behind it, which can happen easily with the upper torso's waist wiggle, and/or the seismic shakes of his shoulder ratchets.
Plus the way the 'Plex/Max joints are so locked in at their ratchet points but so much looser between them does not make them good for any kind of mid-play reposing in their respective robot modes (though LG-EX's ratchets are quite a bit less senses-shattering than Max's *CLACKS!*), the two early Titans seem set up for being statically single-posed in robot mode.
And Max suffers from having joints designed for Metroplex's weight distribution rather than his own.
I've accidentally "cheated" with my Max's Robot mode poseability, as the Iron factory rocket pods I leave on his thighs actually add an extra load distributing points for some more stability in more expressive action poses (plus mine has some extra leg weight from the shin enstuffenings) but, boy, I have to take my time doing it (though the results are worth it). Though I don't think enough props are given that the stock leg joint springs have enough oomph to carry off legs-as-towers G1 homage fanmoding (so long as you stabilise the waist).
The DNA hip set also helps with the upgraded lateral movement springs.

Omega & Scorpy's knees and hips are way smoother and easier to transition in play but I suspect, even if you could magically transplant them to Max (or 'Plex), those more modern joints couldn't handle the sheer weight of the OG Titan Class Bois, not that they are immensely heavier, just that the WFC era Titans have been designed with posing as the play feature not posing alongside other play features, and thus their weight is way more evenly distributed (I'd also note that the WFC joints aren't always perfect out the box themselves, for example my ER Scorpy's arms were too weak to handle their own weight, never mind his Brunt-based gun or Fasttrack's Pointing Stick mode, never mind waggling poor ER Prime about as depicted on-box art, before I shored them up with some internal springs for extra tension).
The Cons of the Early titan Class bods are pretty much from compromises that the WFC era Titans were not designed to accommodate. I think the relative simplicity and boringness of the Autobot Ark are a testament to that. The earlier emphasis was Playset but also a Massive Robot, the current emphasis is Massive Action Figure that can be a Playset-ish.
The engineering has certainly improved on the modern WFC bois but not everything else has IMO.

 

I await the inevitable re-dos of Fort Max, Trypticon and Metroplex*, no matter how long they take. And I mean a 'good' Metroplex, not the 'look, your nan bought it, just say thank you' version  

* I missed them all and didn't like the current prices whilst paying for the likes of Omega and Scorpy too. Then stupid sexy Zarak. And far too many other toys. And...

Edit

@Apollux IIRC (big if) when we first learned of the Ark a few people had misgivings about buying it, and you said it gave you pause for thought on a big upcoming release. Was that the Metroplex we now know about or someone else? Tell me to politely get stuffed if need be and I won't pry for details  

 

That's an amazing price for him!

 

I'm having dreadful rememberances of TR Slugslinger and RTS Frenzy right about now.

Word is Zarak is a fan of A Place in the Sun and Come Dine with me.
Those two should but aside their differences and just watch shit daytime TV together.

Ah yes I'd forgotten about that. Hopefully some decent plastic gets shown, but when they did something similar last year didn't it turn out to be very little?
I live in hope, but I prepare for nothing.

Good stuff.
FYI managed to get my hands on some of those Jaffa Cake Doughnuts. Not bad at all.

My original Metroplex had weak knees and would collapse under it's own weight from time to time. But I never had that issue with and iteration of Max that I've had. And Takara Metroplex is as stable as a horses house.

We can dream. But I'm not holding my breath.


At least... it wasn't my fault this time.

 

I can't believe I ever thought the trailer pants were better than jet pants.

Add me to the Fort Max devotees. All the things you mentioned and more is why I love Max so much. There's a lot you can do with him due to all the space and 5mm ports.

You've added more? I don't remember those last few pics! Looks cool!

I don't know which mine is from since I bought a pre-owned Fort Max off of ebay but mine isn't a floppy mess either. Joints and ratchets are super tight and holds poses during play (Metroplex is a whole different conversation however...those thighs...ugh).

Wife isn't exactly going to be happy with me. I already have a few ideas for that Bulkhead but planned to skip Laser Optimus (the relief on her face when I mentioned this lol "Yeah, you don't really need another Optimus do you?" was the exact phrasing I believe). But seeing that flame design it occurred to me...I really don't need another Optimus but it'd be cool to make him a g1ified movie Optimus, especially if you go chromed and rich blues and candy red with the flame fade like in AoE.  

 

There is a Photoshop of that doing the rounds, looks pretty nice.

 

Oh yes, I absolutely agree that Bombadil would be massively out of place in a movie, or even a TV series (though I would love it if he were to cameo in the back of a random crowd scene in the Amazon series - just stood there, in his blue coat and yellow hat, daft grin on his face while Elrond says something important and portentous). But I do like his section in the book, where it suddenly goes super-dark with the Barrow-Downs and the wights. It has a practical purpose in the narrative as well, though a somewhat dry one, in that the daggers the hobbits get from the barrows are some of the only weapons that could defeat the Nazgul. Merry didn't hit the weak spot for massive damage, he had a secret advantage that he had no idea about.

And in the movies Aragorn just rocks up on Weathertop and hands out magic daggers like they'd been in a secret stash the whole time. Irony is, if he'd known they would work so well on Nazgul he could have taken half of them out there and then.

Never has there been such a very Napalm toy. Can't wait to see your pictures with it.

(I secretly prefer Alpha Bravo. But they both look like incredibly cross teenagers and I love that)

I would genuinely love to see a Transit van transformer. But knowing how slapdash Ford are with who they licence toys with, I doubt Hasbro will be doing one any time soon.

POINT OF ORDER! Steamhammer's where you draw the line? He's the best of the bunch! At the time I didn't like the design because of the massive hoofing scoop hand, but now I think it's his best feature. I've got tons of symmetrical bots, so having one with a bit more personality is a real step up for me. The ones I find most disappointing are the jet limb mould - too chunky in the chest, and his limb modes are utter gash - and to an extent the helicopter mould - really lazy transformations, again too much chest kibble. Chibble.

Incidentally guys I'm still in the market for any of the crane limb fellas. If I can get a respectable Devastator out of this I'd be chuffed.

If they are it's a half-term holiday that's lasted most of the previous decade.

What an absolute lad. Gorgeous.

Eh, at this point the only thing that could get my interest again would be to show off the core class stuff. Or the Studio Series stuff. Or both.

I'd buy a Clench deco of that mould in a heartbeat, but I very much doubt it'd happen. Since there's going to be a Scourge deco it's unlikely they'd do a second black remould.

 

It was the pinheaded combiner head what dunnit for me guv.

 

Yeah, there have been some further tweaks and additions ongoing so much so that I'd decided to hold off on a "Grand Tour" of the Ol' Fort until it was all more finalised. I think I only posted about the finalised Comms centre here in the UK thread when I finished that...


Since sorted his toe gaps...


Improved Battlestation mode air defence/city cargo management...


You might have already seen the Leg "Hospital" expansion elsewhere?


MOAR Missiles...


I've actually shifted the left side point defence turret out of the helipad turrets way as well as dyeing the LEGO "suppressors" here a darker red (not yet documented)...


Forearm turrets got a bit of a beefed-up central section upgrade thanks to plenty of spare Constructbot feet...


And city mode's had a minor overhaul to add Road Battlemasters to the modded ramp extensions to make the ramp inclines less lethal...


Still not done though, this is just a "quick" update post, it'll take way longer to document his full features Joerg Sprave-style once I'm done (if I ever am at this rate  )!

 

Can we have warnings before the use of steamhammer in casual conversation, I misread it as Sternhammer and got all excited for a 6" Strontium Dog action figure line.  

 

Wow! Outside of the hospital leg I haven't seen nearly any of these. Max has a ton of detail, space that really lends himself to customizing, doesn't he? And yes, it seems like he's never really ever "done" ishe?  

 

I've just had an "It's on its way" email from Yodel.

...
"Where we're going, we don't need scale"



Funny how when you get a box set it's not always the bot you expect that you end up playing with most  

 

G1/JG1 this wouldn't even be out of place. Lol  . Armada/Energon too come to think of it.

 

I really do like that city mode. If ever I get a Max (unlikely) I'd keep him like that the whole time.

 

Oh boy, yeah, it's like he contains the "spirit of ultimate" playset that can possess a weak-minded purchaser such as myself!  
The hang fire on a proper update post policy got cemented when the original M.S.G. turrets I added just didn't sit right, and got the boot for a NuDiaclone KO upgrade, I haven't regretted it since! Even the side point defence is on Version 2.0!

Robot having a lie down it may be but I've always loved Battlestation mode for it's Macross-y SDF vibe.
There's a subtle genius to the original design element of having the central city tower be a command bridge/tower round the back for "vehicle" mode.

 

I think I finally understood why this community had got to the point of using blue text.
TFW2005 Coverage Of Hasbro 2021 Q3 Financial Call

 

 . Risky click of the day but at least it wasn't a link to a dumpster fire chain.