Not sure why people in NA continue to buy from Rub. You can get better prices through eBay + 15/20% off every single time and the difference can be significant. Good eBay sellers are also very good in sending replacements, etc.

Get that ShowZ crap out of here!!!!

 

Oh I totally feel you on that one ... last yr I thought I'd throw a bone to dude bc he was a fellow 'fan,' but the whole TG mess showed me the guy is just pretending to be a fan so he can drum up business, and regardless of motivations, all Rub does is cop TFs off the ShowZ site and resell them, so not really sure what the entire premise of his business model is, other than pure mark-up ... its like Nonnef all over again, where ppl clearly exhibit semi-shady behavior (being charitable here) ... yet if I speak on it, I'm vilified while a shit-ton of white knights come outta nowhere vomiting down my throat for having the temerity to call a spade a spade ... (I'm still blocked from the TG thread btw haha)

 

I was thinking the other day that I think I enjoy/like Gabriel more than my Hot Toys Hulkbuster. I took myself by surprise when I thought about it. At less than a third of the cost he is remarkable. I know opinions are subjective and HT HB is still a beast and a top favorite of mine, but there is something very special about Gabriel. His presence he exudes is unmatched. Maybe subconsciously knowing that he transforms as well adds to it. I don't buy figures that don't transform with the exception of the HB.

This guy is close to the Soc Voltron as far as value and quality of figure you get.

 

Bobby must have a slanted table cause my gabe doesnt lean in the slightest.

But gotta negate the one huge thing dx9 has over ft in this case I guess.

Love how that dude talks about people being biased to the product they purchase without handling both and then is still biased to the product he purchased.

 

My Gabe has the option to lean. Hell stand straight up or lean back/Forwards. I don't have any issues like Ft. I poo refer this bc there is play in my copy and I prefer the slight lean back that is more opposing

 

My Gabriel definitely leans. He can be adjusted to straight, but tends to lean forward. Nothing major, but it's definitely there.

 

Before my joints were lubed mine had no lean but I also couldn't move the leg because the joint was seized. I think to have a moving joint, something with that much weight has to have some play. Then you realize that the long arms create a lever arm that will naturally bend the weight forward when bent at the elbows but if the arm are hanging back a little bit you can get a back lean.

 

So picked one of for a pretty good price. Some quick thoughts. I already own Terminus so to compare the two.

1.) Both have a lean, although Terminus is much much worse.
2.) Build quality on both are about the same. My Gabriels left arm required some grease to loosen up because it was scary tight. Terminus has wobby hips.
3.) Transformation on DX9 is much easier than Terminus (my opinion)
4.) I prefer Terminus base mode and tank over Gabriels, but both are fantastic. Gabriel's tank almost looks too large for the base.
5.) Gabriel robot mode and colors seem more cartoon accurate over Terminus.

Long story short, can't go wrong with either. I look at is as, if you are going to display an Omega in robot mode with MP-10, get Terminus. If you are planning on displaying him with the "+" figures and MP-35 get Gabriel.

One note, as far as I am concerned the Jream symbols make the figure.

 

Anyone?

 

bobby is just about Faaaaans-Toooooyyyys it's obvioius.

Gabriel is clearly the better of the two. He's far more solid and stable overall. and yeah he don't fuckin lean. Don't believe the hype of that Cult Leader.

 

No lean on mine either. In terms of the three TG was ridiculous in that respect, Ultima Guard had a slight lean but no balance issues and Gabriel is stood to attention with no lean at all.

 

Had TG, loved him, admired him, sold him.
All the pictures of Gabriel made me realize I prefer Gabriel's look, stability, neck, articulation, hips.

But, it's not like Fanstoys in general are 100% free from qc issues. I just got FT Rouge with the green qc sticker on and one shoulder assembled backwards (pin assembled, waiting for replacement)

But WTF ???? DX9 ? This is a total disgrace.

Rocket elbow totally stiff caused the plus shape connector to separate, hips ? Not one click out of the ratchet, forward or backward. Had to replace both hips. It's like I had to replace 33% of the robot. Are they shutting down the business ??

I love Gabriel but now after all the fun replacing, dissesmbling, reassembling (it was fun, still waiting for the elbow replacing, hoping it too will be fun)
I'm now afraid to touch him. Afraid to pose him. Who knows what issue I might discover next...

 

Macross!

 

Got the insignia from @jream! Looks and feels great; I originally intended to use some blu tack to hold it on, but it looked so good that I superglued it in place.

 

Mine doesn't lean, however he does have an issue in base mode where the legs can't fold up completely flush against the backpack. I just can't rotate the upper legs enough to get that final "click" I need.

The below video review (at 15:00) shows a much more extreme version of what I'm talking about:

Seems like there's some variation in the positioning of the teeth of the ratchets in his hips. Based on that, I definitely could see some examples of Gabriel having a bit of a lean to him in bot mode.

 

Had some leftover stickers from my Yamamoto Valkyrie they seem to go well with Gabriel.

 

I think it's funny that people give BSF crap for him doing a positive review of Gabriel. Both figures are really nice, but it's not like Gabriel is that much better than TG to go through the trouble to upgrade.

 

I think there's value in going through a trusted seller that can be cheaper on many items vs NA retailers. The only Chinese sellers I'm willing to use on eBay are Babba and Netclow. Too many of the others turn into scammers.

 

I put some felt pads on the bottom of Gabriel's feet, to help a bit from sliding. Wish they were just slightly thicker, but they seem to help somewhat. I didn't even use the sticky side (white part), I just wedged them in there, heh.

 

All other things aside, mine also leans back a bit.