I got Backdraft recently (well, recent in the grand scheme of things. It's probably been almost three years now but the last two years kinda feel like a blur). I looked into all the options and I just liked his look the best. But then I've never been a hyper toon enthusiast nor do I worry too much about my figures all having the same aesthetic.

 

From Shelf Diver to Shelf Survivor. Thank you Fanstoys for the replacement parts.

 

Blot: "Gah, Blot... can't...do arm!"
Abominus: "Alright, fine, just get back here stinky."

 

Poor stinky  

 

I was previously not really a toon-centric collector. I liked the original MP aesthetic of real-world vehicles and highly detailed bot-modes that were still largely influenced by the 1984 cartoon and the Sunbow designs!!

I collected whatever filled a roster hole and looked acceptable-to-great! So like many, I own some old Takara, DX9, Ace, Cloud9, DacaToys, Zeta/ToyWorld, WJ, BadCube, MMC, FT, etc... i never owned any iGear figures though



Until recently, I was a big fan of having figures that were differently designed... while all being a representation of the developers concept of these old properties that are near and dear to our nostalgic hearts!!

Well, as long as the design looked innovative and cool to me, and the money was there... I was all in!

But then Deformation Space and Robot Paradise happened in a few weeks of each other!

Seeing how fantastic a bunch of figures look together, when it seems that everyone was on the same page, designing/manufacturing figures that look like detailed cell-art in the tangible 3-dimensional form really spoke to me!



One argument that is often repeated on some of these boards is that people don't want their figures designed after rushed, terrible art.

I agreed with that before, and I agree with that now! I don't want figures designed to represent the worst possible designs and concepts... and I don't really think anyone does!

I want figures that were/are designed to represent the best of the original art, concepts and intensions, that were in the cartoon!

Now I grew up in the 80s. In 1984 I was nine! So for me, I am the definition of a 'gee-wunner' since I never cared about any other incarnation after 1987 and the Marvel line!

And now that it looks like much of the variance between figure aesthetics is starting to disappear, I am going to try to fill any 'toon' gaps that I can!




But I think some manufacturers were already headed in a more G1 cartoon-oriented direction back in 2015 or 2016. It looks like MMC's Backdraft and Teraegis were attempts at achieving a toon-esque figure. Same with FT's Spotter and Willis, as well as XTB's Ollie.

But I don't think the design-prowess or the technology was there yet.

Its clear that whatever was missing... its there now!

Congratulations on resurrecting your Soar! My heart sinks any time one of my FansToys figures just falls over from a standing position... let alone taking a dive from a high place!!

Great render too! It kinda reminds me of what Greg Land would do if he was hired on as an artist for a Transformers title... except for the fact that you do it better!

Hmmm...

 

I'm really happy to see the aesthetics go from a realistic rendition to cartoony! It's so nice. I haven't been collecting for too long (since 2019!) and I think I got in at the right time, I always loved the G1 cartoon and I'm so happy to have characters I love brought out of the TV screen (or computer) and become amazing action figures!!! Your line up of figures is looking great!! :>

 

Thanks Abigail!!

It is certainly great that we are seeing a shift to a more cohesive and consistent aesthetical style, and that these aesthetics are much more closely aligned to the 1984 cartoon!

I just wish all of these toy designers/manufacturers had gone in this direction sooner, rather than later! Not a real big fan of spending money onna figure twice... but its really hard to say "No" to a figure like FT Thomas, RP Acoustic Wave, or the DS Seekers!

(Still waiting on my DS Skywarp... its stuck in a volley between shipping partners or something)

So I think you are correct... if masterpiece scale figures with great G1 Sunbow presence and unprecedented articulation is what you're looking for, now is the perfect time to be collecting!

But if I had it to do all over again, I'd go in the direction of Legends scale! Between NewAge and MagicSquare, they are creating fantastic cartoon accurate figures at 3 and 4 inches! And if you miss out on them, there's usually a more affordable MechFansToys version on the way!

When I see the NA or MS Constructicons, their Soundwaves, Shockwaves, Carbots, Seekers, etc... it is clear that they've got their fingers on the pulse... much more so than the mp-scale line-ups... until now.

So for anyone become challenged by space and money (like me... i am often challenged by the mysteries of the money/space continuum), Legends is probably the way to go!

But being this deep in the mp-scale, I can't switch now.

 

Switch?  

 

Then & Now

 

Old Hound was better and Prowl is 99% the same figure. The rest are major improvements. Crazy how far we've come.

 

Willis is a great figure that looks awesome and just oozes style but MP Hound (or rather the KO that doesn't fall to pieces) is definitely a better figure and a better Transformer.

 

True. But the latter doesn't look at all like this:

Willis' facesculpt looks much closer. That's the biggest problem I have with MP Hound.

 

Looks GREAT! Really wish my TE Speed Star came with the grinning face!

The aforementioned money/space continuum. I barely have the space for the masterpiece scale figures I own. Much less the money. C.R.E.A.M.

I can't imagine trying to finagle space for a legends line!

But I have three Legends scale figures... MFT's Hound, NA's Cosmos, and MFT's Shockwave/Bridgewatcher. I use MFT's Shockwave/Bridgewater as Bruticus' firearm!


"If I have to have Devastator drill it into your head, I will! Shockwave was outfitted with smartgun technology. He will NEVER fire a single blast for Bruticus!!"

I have to admit, NA's and MS's Shockwave looks so great its completely bonkers!! I thought about upgrading my Bridgewatcher... but other figure collecting priorities take precedence!!

Like paying down the remaining $900 for the damage I did between late October and January! But I couldn't help it! Too many figures all released at about the same time!

Agree Agree Agree!!! But I ordered a KO-MP-47 from Mr.Brian2009 a few weeks ago. We'll see how he stacks up against my FT Willis!

I don't expect KO-47 to have the quality or heft of Willis, but his legs look a better... and hopefully his articulation is improved!

Never getting rid of Willis though... well, maybe for the right price.

As for the others, its sad when legends scale figures do it better than masterpiece! We really need updates for:

All Datsun-bots
Windcharger
Wheeljack
Vanette-bots
Sideswipe (sorry BC, I barely even like Recon)
Constructicons (again, legends scale is doing it better!)
Bumblebee (sorry MP-45 is just too unsightly for my tastes... really hoping FT can make the Cliffjumper and Bumblebee of my dreams! I'd even trust TE or DS to do it.. not sure about anyone else though)

I think FT Willis was 'toon-accurate' for its time.




But now everyone is 'TOON-OCD'!!

Of course I speak in absolutes here. Obviously not everyone...

But we wouldn't see this noticeable shift to toon-accuracy, if the manufacturers weren't conducting analysis of our purchasing habits and comments on boards like this.

I cannot wait to receive my KO-47, just so I can compare the two!

Between my KO-47 from Mr.Brian2009, and my DS Skywarp from Show.Z, I wonder which will get here first?!

 

Oof. Yeah, I don't allow myself to go into debt for toys because it wouldn't be long until I racked up thousands of dollars. That's why I was so stressed heading into cny - I didn't want to cancel any of my pre-orders but I wasn't going to dip into savings or the credit card for them. Fortunately, my Etsy store did much better than I expected (well, the Optimus head did; I didn't end up selling very many Arcee faces, which is honestly just as well because those are a pain to make) so I ended up with enough extra fun budget to just barely scrape by. I'm just glad no more pre-orders came in.

For me it's not necessarily about toon accuracy but what looks best to me. I think accurate vehicles look better than toonified ones (or at least accurate enough that I can't tell the difference), but the toon robots tend to be sleek, expressive, and well articulated which makes them look better to my eye. There are exceptions - I still prefer C9 Shockwave to the MP, and we just talked about Backdraft - but on general the toon versions just tend to be nicer. I mean I have a Starscream now that can actually pose  

 

(I know it's been literally two years since you posted this but I click on random pages sometimes)
I really like the relationship you made for these two! It's like Brawn is a sorta teacher to the other bot! I love it :>

 

Prowl, Sideswipe and Wheeljack could use an update.

Kinda what I was going for. Brawn is the gruff veteran and Minerva and Slash are the young rookies.

 

Added @jimmyh Dead End label and decided to paint the bicep too.