The Knock off transformers thread

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by blunghole, Oct 5, 2008.

  1. imfallenangel

    imfallenangel Well-Known Member

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    Exactly, I love my Devastator but my annoyances are the feet that really should have been engineered better and some tolerances for some tabs. It's odd that the plastic feels so solid but a few things just don't lock as they should...

    For fully integrated, it really comes down to the engineering and the effort done into it. The examples in my collections that comes to mind:

    My Weijiang Calculation King (original design Computron) is a great example of how they can be done. Of course there's a few things that could have been done a tab better, but overall, it's a very solid figure, sturdy, and can balance quite fine... articulation is pretty good with just a few things that they could have done to make it better.

    Centuritron, it's a minicon set of all things that manages to do a LOT right.

    Gobots Puzzler, out around the same time that original Devastator came out... intergrated, amazing articulation for the time (arms have almost full range, elbows, and legs have hips mouvement), solid, heck, made of lots of metal, rubber tires, etc. it shows that Devastator was a really cheap toy in comparison.

    FoC Bruticus: The set that I got on liquidation that made me say "what the heck Hasbro, you're going with dollar store cheap plastic now??", but the plastic quality aside, it's a set that gets a lot of hate, and it's far from being great, BUT if they had done a few things better he would have been impressive. As he is, he's still a decent figure in terms of combining as he does, considering that the members are interchangeable. Is he great? No, but it's a decent concept that does work to an extent, so the engineering does deserve a certain amount of praise.

    Aside that, I do consider it is acceptable if the "parts" can be used by the individuals, so the PE hands/feet kits can fall between the lines of partforming and integrated as a middle solution... as to me, "true" partforming is when you cannot use the parts if not in combined mode at all and have to be set aside completely. If you can still use the parts as a base, cannon/blaster, drone, secondary vehicle (non-transforming), etc. it gets a pass for me.

    I wouldn't be opposed to a 6-team where one member is just that, similar to the weaponizers and would be the hands/feet and any additional parts required for combiners, if anything, that would be interesting to see something like that. (unless there's already some that I'm not aware of)
     
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  2. Napjr

    Napjr Mr. Internet Veteran

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    Does anyone have seen one of these for sale somewhere? Got a loose Metrotitan and would like to use the KO accesories

    titan09_1206626058.jpg
     
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  3. DarkSkull

    DarkSkull Well-Known Member

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    No, but I hope that the new KO OS T30 Metroplex will have a Metrotitan recolor...
     
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  4. The13Primes

    The13Primes hot shot fanatic

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    t30 metroplex ko
    since when?
     
  5. DarkSkull

    DarkSkull Well-Known Member

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  6. The13Primes

    The13Primes hot shot fanatic

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    The legs alone make that a million times better, not sure if i would want it to be OS though i am already running out of room
     
  7. DarkSkull

    DarkSkull Well-Known Member

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    120 cm is too much for almost all the collections, but if it had an affordable price I think many of us would find space in one way or another
     
  8. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    I find the eyes on the v1 head look quite weird when the visor is removed. Unvisored, I've realized the v2 head has more of a 'Diaclone-style' vibe for me, and some seam lines that will look nice once they're plucked out by a silver finish.

    DaimChoc shared some good comparison photos (not by him) on his feed recently (which is where I stole the head comparison from). I didn't dislike the old V1, but I'm enjoying the V2's improvements.

    That looks really nice! Especially the weathering on the chestplate. Gives it a real sense of mass. I like the original chestplate too, but comparing the two, the V2 chestplate actually has way more molded detail, and is larger, so I kind of like that. It doesn't have articulated guns though. :) 

    zmog
     
  9. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Exactly. I think part of the issue is just the sheer weight of the figure at this size puts a lot of strain on the relatively complex design of the individual bots.

    Calculation King is a shockingly sturdy combiner, and it's one more reason that the fall of Weijiang was so unfortunate. I really wanted to see what the did for an encore. And of course, fully integrated.

    Puzzler is the proof-of-concept that a fully integrated combiner could work even in the 1980s. Sure, it has some weaknesses, but no more than regular non-combining toy robots did at the time. I agree that it's a superior combiner to Devastator. I feel like the waist section could have been designed a bit better, and the aesthetics could have been enhanced, but overall it's a winner.

    This reminds me of how sad it is that we don't get more 3rd party Gobots.

    I wanted to like this one, but I couldn't. It's an important figure, in that it's the first time Hasbro seriously revisited the idea of a classic G1-style 5-part combiner as part of the regular retail line... but they really hadn't fine-tuned the formula yet, and the materials are very second-rate compared to the CW stuff that would follow. And of course, with a Deluxe-sized Onslaught, things were already stacked against them. Honestly, I t

    I used to agree with this premise, and I still do in principle. However, I find that sometimes those combiner parts that form extra weapons and stuff end up being just a lot of extra kibble that does 2 things poorly rather than one thing well... and can look a bit forced when they try to stick all these extra bits to the component robots. "Oh look, he has battle armour" No, that's just a bunch of random combiner kibble pegged awkwardly onto an otherwise clean robot mode.

    I think the PE kits are not bad this way, since the hands/feet only become 6 guns, but I remember the old FansProject Colossus (Bruticus) upgrade set for the Energon Combiners had so much extra clutter that you could just "attach" to the figures

    Cool idea. I think the closest thing to that is what CangToys recently did with their crazy Predaking figure. They basically added like 4 robots to the team just to cover all the combiner parts. His hands now combine and transform into a robot crab. His feet now each transform into a wolf (who also has a robot mode) and famously, his hip section is now a totally separate transforming gorilla named Thorilla (which many have dubbed "Gorillapants")

    I don't know how I feel about filling out the Predacons that way, but both Gorillapants and the Wolfshoes are cool enough that I'd genuinely like to have them as standalone figures. :) 

    zmog
     
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  10. The Happenin Rhinoceros

    The Happenin Rhinoceros TEAM MONKEY PANTS FOREVER

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    Worth it. The gorilla is really solid and fun. Those wolves are also very nice. I have no intention of combining mine, so I removed a bit of the foot kibble and think they are excellent standalone figures

    I was lucky enough to find the full set with the Microblaze upgrade at a local toy shop. That new Onslaught has its issues but, maaaaan...what a difference that kit makes to the overall combined mode. It really shows what a dumb move making Onslaught a deluxe was.

    I only had the top torso bot of Puzzler. Sounds like I really missed out on a killer toy for the time period.
     
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  11. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    I think that the full integration was as mindblowing at the time as it seems now :lol 

    A friend had the set when I was a kit. I picked up a full set on Ebay in decent condition about 15 years ago. Wasn't expensive. Still holds together pretty nicely. Individual bots are a bit loose, but the combined mode is still sturdy even with all that diecast.

    re: Cangtoys, they're neat, but I actually have more interest in the new bots than I do in any of their 'official' Predacons.

    zmog
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2023
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  12. CypherZero

    CypherZero Well-Known Member

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    My purchase of the KO G1 Metroplex has arrived, and I was very excited to take it out of the package. It was a mixed bag of excitement and disappointment. Now, the box quality is very good, though I've never owned the original. However, once I cut the tape and opened the tab, I was greeted with a cut flap. They must have made a cutting error when they made the boxes. In the styrofoam packaging, Metroplex looks great...from a distance. Once you take a closer look, you can tell it's a KO. Plastic quality is not so great with obvious signs of slight lines on the surface of the plastic. Even the feel of the plastic is an obvious sign that this product is a KO. My version has the legs installed backwards. Flashing on some of the small pieces are noticeable. One good thing, is that the springs are included in the big red guns, so they do shoot out the black missiles. It does have chrome in all the right places, and rubber tires. In regards to accessories, there is a +1 -1 issue which needs to be addresed for those who wish to have a 100% complete Metroplex. The original Six Gun comes with one small black gun which is mounted on one of the large black guns. The KO version comes with 2. The small black car (with the original G1 release) comes with a small black gun, the KO release is missing that accessory.

    So, the final question is, for the price, is it worth getting? If you're looking to obtain a complete G1 Metroplex figure, ebay would be your best source. This KO release has its downfalls, but a some positive points.

    I haven't gotten around to transforming it into base mode to discover any other flaws which may be lurking within its frame. In the meantime, here are some photos of the KO G1 Metroplex.
    DSC_6362a.jpg DSC_6363a.jpg DSC_6364a.jpg DSC_6365a.jpg DSC_6366a.jpg DSC_6367a.jpg DSC_6368a.jpg
     
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  13. deliciouspeter

    deliciouspeter Back in Black TFW2005 Supporter

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    what a time to be alive
    300990AB-BD65-44D7-93B6-7EB2CCE81672.jpeg
    Bluebolt by @Dyotropic
     
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  14. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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  15. Robogeek28

    Robogeek28 Proud grandpa

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  16. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Are there any 1:1 knock offs of Studio Series 38 Optimus Prime (Bumblebee movie)? Getting into the Bumblebee movie figures late and I'd like a Prime to go with the rest of the Autobots.
     
  17. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Yeah, there's at least one (and also a Nemesis version I think?)

    It's quite nice looking, and I think it has a bit of metal in it, but I don't think there are any simplifications. I have one, but I haven't handled it in a while. It's rather cheap, as I recall. I forget which company made it.

    zmog
     
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  18. robotmel

    robotmel *All must transform*

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    I like them! A nice weight to them too - mine aint sagging, though didn't know that was a thing?
    Sorry been busy recently with work. :) 
    I'm not much of a reviewer but I would recommend grabbing a set at the current price before they dry up and disapear. Looks great alongside the CW combiners, perfect fit in a Detolf cabinet.
    Mine arrived with a 'fused' weapon - two small guns clipped together which would NOT come apart until I broke them trying to seperate, also one of the sword handles was broken, also fused, but this was stipulated in the listing. Not a problem once combined into the large arm gun and large sword.
    I might part swap Bovis and Fortis as they share the same basic torso and parts as the colours are the wrong way around compared to the original MMC colour scheme. ;) 
    Original coloured red Optimus is up on sir Toys for a tenner or free postage for a tad more on Aliexpress. I have all three versions, red Op, black Nemesis and purple Shattered Op and all three are great.
    Some diecast as Smog mentioned, overall pretty decent, grab one! Or three! LOL! ;) 
     
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  19. Fenrys

    Fenrys Formerly Tigatron2002

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    Thanks, personally I avoid Sirtoys these days, but Aliexpress is definitely an option. Glad to hear that they're decent KOs, might have to look into them as an option to get Prime.
     
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  20. SMOG

    SMOG Vocabchampion ArgueTitan

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    Not specifically... just that combiners with weak joints sometimes have trouble holding a nice pose, and end up floppy or looking "tired" :) 

    It's more something you'd feel if you were handling it in person (rather than in photos) but sometimes things just don't look so sturdy.

    zmog
     
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