FansProject WB001 Warbot Defender Reviews

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Reviews' started by Vangelus, Mar 24, 2010.

  1. Master Blaster

    Master Blaster Banned

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    I have to say, I've enjoyed Defender all these years, but I'm starting to grow distant from this figure. It just doesn't hold up to par as well as more modern 3rd party figures, and it just doesn't look like Springer enough for me anymore.

    I'll stick with him for now, but he's outta here when we see a better Springer pop up.

    I feel the same about City Commander too. The armour's great, but Magnus' base shoulders ruin it by massively limiting the mobility of the whole arm, and the shoulder armour looks weird not moving when the arm does.
    He's outta here too just as soon as we see another 3rd party Ultra Magnus.




    Though I think Protector's here to stay for a lot longer, still love that guy.
     
  2. Bountyan

    Bountyan Well-Known Member

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    ^I'm keeping my City Commander, but I agree with Warbot Defender. I want a better one.
     
  3. Master Blaster

    Master Blaster Banned

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    I has a sad thinking that nobody's bothered to try and upscale and upgrade the titanium Ultra Magnus design. With a bit more size, sliders on the arms/hands and a collapsible cab, I think that one would be perfect.

    I swear there was a CG design fairly recently of a new Springer design that looked a helluva lot more like the cartoon design. Can't remember who did it though?
     
  4. Bountyan

    Bountyan Well-Known Member

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    Are you talking about this one? It's by X-Transbots.

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Master Blaster

    Master Blaster Banned

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    That's the one! Good find, I had a quick forum search but didn't dig it up. I'd love to know what's happening with that one, though I do hope they make the arms green with white hands....all this grey and black on Springer is driving me nuts.
     
  6. dmc2008

    dmc2008 Well-Known Member

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    Just got this guy in the Warbot bundle. So far I love him, but I pushed a bit too hard when placing his helicopter blades in his roof, and snapped the little U-ring that holds up the blades :( 
    Anyone have a suggestion?
    I was gonna find one of those tiny rubber bands to hold it on, but maybe someone with experience has a better suggestion.
    Thanks ahead of time!
     
  7. Volney

    Volney Autobot

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    Same exact thing happened to mine. I just crazy glued the piece back together. It's holding up so far.
     
  8. Sentinel

    Sentinel TF Museum Curator Moderator

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    Thanks for the warning. My Warbot bundle arrived yesterday and Defender is the only one I've even opened so far, but I haven't tried helicopter mode yet. I'll have to be careful.
     
  9. Geterman

    Geterman Second Coming of Primus

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    The samething just happened to mine. I am just going to put some super glue on it and hope for the best.
     
  10. Terremoto214

    Terremoto214 ALPHACORE

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    That U-clip broke off on mine too. I emailed FPC about it some hours ago hoping to get a replacement, fingers crossed.

    Has anyone ever bought these?
    Defender swords kit mk4 by CALLOWAY75 on Shapeways

    These look great, but i havent seen any pics of the prints, like Fakebuster does for his stuff
     
  11. OptionZero

    OptionZero Well-Known Member

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    I got them, but in the wrong material. Accidentally put in an order for clear. The fitment was a bit off.

    Get them in black or something and it'll probably stay together better
     
  12. Terremoto214

    Terremoto214 ALPHACORE

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    Do they spin okay?

    How big are they?
     
  13. ninjaslacker

    ninjaslacker Well-Known Member

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    Anyone got one for trade??? Really want a this guy
     
  14. TCJJ

    TCJJ 125% Tank Engine

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    If the usual retailers don't have them, just wait. I'm sure they'll be restocked again sometime soon. TFsource, for instance, has pre-orders up for a restock (albeit seemingly overpriced). Otherwise, do a search for someone who is selling one. No point in asking here.

    I decided to pick up my Defender again the other day to see if I could fix some problems with him. To put it simply, I DID fix what I set out to fix. Granted, I still need to buy fakebusker's heels for him sometime. You NEED those things. As it is, my Defender is leaning against one of the walls of my shelving (albeit only slightly).

    However, I fixed the loose knees, and also stopped the heels from being able to rock.

    The heels first: As Peaugh suggested, you could tape a little piece of paper in there to make it thicker, thus solving the problem. I wanted a more.... permanent solution, so I opted for using superglue. You need to unscrew the two black screws on the lower leg, remove the foot, then on the bottom of the cavity at the back of the leg that is angled differently to the rest of the cavity, you just need to apply superglue. A few tips for this, though. First of all, you need to apply quite a lot of superglue - you'll need a thick layer for this to work. Second of all, don't be impatient like me. Let it dry first, before reassembling. Leave it for about 24 hours, I'd say. Mine works fine, but the cog-esque piece on the foot is now mostly white, thanks to the superglue and my impatience.

    As for the knees, the two halves of the legs are held in-place at the knees by metal pins, but they're hollow, so they're kind of tricky to get out. I recommend unscrewing each leg from the hips to make it easier to access.

    I also recommend unscrewing the metal leg pieces whilst you do this. They're a little tricky to remove: unscrew them, then unpeg them but keep them as parallel to the leg as possible without pegging them back in, the gently slide them forward and they should come away without a problem.

    Now, you need something like a small screwdriver that is about the same size as the pin hole, preferably maybe a little bigger so it's not a tight fit (just comfortable), but will help push completely on the pin for even pressure. You might have pins that are near impossible to remove or ones that budge without too much effort. I had one of each. Trust me, the former is not impossible to do, but it does require a lot of time and patience. Put it on a flat surface that won't obstruct the pin as it comes out the other side.

    Once you (eventually) get the pins out, you can separate the two halves of the legs. You'll notice a little nub of plastic on the inside of the bottom leg piece. This is your problem right here. It wears down so easily, so it basically brushes past the knee joint and stops holding the knee in place. Carefully place a blob of superglue here, let it dry a bit, then apply a thin layer of superglue in a square or circular shape around both holes for the pin. This should help give it a bit more friction, even if that darn notch of plastic, even reinforced, ever decides to give out again.

    Right, so now you can put it back together. If you had trouble getting the pins out, I recommend getting pliers and GENTLY pressing down on one third of the pin on either end, so that it's thinner on the ends and wider in the middle. This should make it easier to put back in place, whilst still retaining a solid connection. I recommend placing the side of the leg with the pin sticking out against a surface (not an expensive one you don't want damaged, mind you) and pushing. You can apply more force that way, and the pin will go in easier. Oh, and when you are putting the two leg halves back together before you insert the pin, make sure you put the cog piece of the knee joint on the little nub that you reinforced. That is to say, slide the little nub into a gap in the cog. That way, you won't break it before you're finished.

    There IS one last thing that you can try - tightening the hips. However, whilst I managed to salvage mine and they are NOW better, initially, I ended up making them worse.

    Open up the waist, and you'll see two cog mechanisms, one on either side. You want to just thicken either the cog piece, or its track (or both, if you really want). Make sure to use clear paint or clear nail polish.
    Make sure that whatever you do, you take your time and you DO NOT USE SUPERGLUE. I cannot stress that point enough. Why? Because.... see that green plastic? The superglue will MELT it. Yes. Melt. I applied some superglue, assuming it'd work like the rest of the figure that I'd already fixed up. Nope. It started melting. I managed to salvage it with some clear paint, but the right hip is still a little wobbly now. A few days later, and it's actually sturdier than before I modified it, but still a little wobbly.

    Good luck, people. Warbot Defender is great, and much better with these few minor fixes to tighten up his joints. And don't forget to get those heels that fakebusker made on Shapeways. They'll be worth it, I just know it.
     
  15. NGW

    NGW Rawr

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    Just picked this guy up from a local collectible shop for $50. Seemed a good price.

    My opinion is...mixed. He looks great, he feels good, I dig his transformations.......but loose knees and arms make it hard to appreciate it completely.
     
  16. OptionZero

    OptionZero Well-Known Member

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    FPs first full figure. There were good ideas, I love the three modes and overall look, but yes, the joints were not durable enough
     
  17. Rakzo

    Rakzo Peruvian Transformers Fan

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    Hey, so I just got this figure basically as a gift along with Steel Core and City Commander

    Aaand it certainly has all the problems that most people have been pointing out since its release. I mean, the diecast is a nice touch but it's badly distributed and makes the figure almost impossible to stand up, in fact my Defender would fall if it wasn't for the ankles that were included (at the cost of a handgun that was missing but I still think I got the better deal here).

    Also, I don't like the overall "blocky" design the figure has. It certainly seems like a company's first attempt to enter into the toy industry (and one of the earliest at that), it lacks the kind of sleek style you would want in most professional works.

    Still, I think he fits much better into the early Classics line for a 1986 movie collection than Generations Springer since the latter is pretty much IDW and deserves to be put among figures with a similar aesthetic. Plus, it goes much better with Protector and City Commander which are more faithful upgrades for the G1 characters than recent official attempts.

    To conclude, it's an okay figure but I'm glad I didn't have to pay what they were initially asking for when it was released.

    Also, does anyone have an extra Defender handgun to sell?
     
  18. Dev1160

    Dev1160 A.K.A. DevastaTTor

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    I know people are occasionally looking for this figure. I'm reducing my figure count and have Defender for sale. Great shape, complete with packaging. See my sales thread--price includes shipping in the U.S.
     
  19. greboguru

    greboguru Psychedelic Brainchild

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    I really like the design of Defender, I just don't see it as Springer.
    I wish Fansproject did a black recolor -- it'd make a pretty terrific "Tumbler"-style Batmobile transformer.

    [​IMG]
     
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  20. Thinktank

    Thinktank Well-Known Member

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    There was one similar depicted in the comic Defender came with.