FANS HOBBY MB-15 Naval Commander (Armada Optimus Prime)

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by blitzjoans, Dec 15, 2018.

  1. Kaynowa

    Kaynowa #MakeTransformersStupidAgain

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    Did anyone catch any of these issues on their resins or other samples? Its bizarre that they only show up now. I wish they had review samples to catch this
     
  2. idkwdya

    idkwdya Nicks_Plastic_Shelf

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    Well I gave it a shot and applied the tiniest and most precise portions of super glue to all the cracked areas I could find (and then some) and it seems to have dried ok. Nothing is now too thick to move or anything and I feel slightly more confident in the longevity of the figure. Still a bummer that this needs to be done but I’ll take this over it falling apart in a week.
    EC92528B-AFDF-4870-9704-6C93E4BD2148.jpeg B13610D3-F399-409C-BE61-83670DDF9AC5.jpeg 3D793836-1ADA-46F3-B11F-A6D5DA5DAE34.jpeg
     
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  3. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    This is a great point.
     
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  4. BlueAngel_Bolt

    BlueAngel_Bolt I'M REALLY FEELING IT

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    Good to know that seemed to work for you! When mine gets out of winter limbo and to me I may just apply a bit to the troubled spots regardless if there are any cracks or not
     
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  5. Grendel163

    Grendel163 Galactic Transcender

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    Mine is still in USPS limbo but with all these QC issues, I probably wont open him and send him back.. when he does eventually come in. I really, really wanted to like this figure.
     
  6. God Orion

    God Orion Well-Known Member

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    Can you detail how you applied the glue? And what kind of glue was used?
    This is what I think I will do actually. Does anyone know if TFs Express accept returns?
     
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  7. GX9901DoubleX

    GX9901DoubleX Just a passing through rider...

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    Based on the language on their website, they will issue refund for unopened item, but it doesn't look like that they will refund the original shipping or the return shipping cost under any of the return scenarios. Not awesome when it has to do with a faulty figure, but at least you get some money back if you'd rather not have a fragile $200 toy. I think with all of the hinge issues that points at not only the oversized pins, but also sub-par plastics, and the easily broken rear skirt, chances of this toy being fixable with replacement parts seems kind of slim.
     
  8. RoboW4rrior298

    RoboW4rrior298 Maximum blast!

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    Opened my copy. Very very minor cracks on the hinge except a more visible one on the main hinge to swing the cab forward but nothing I'm that worried about right now. Definitely will take care.

    I made it to base mode and nearly super mode but didn’t have enough time to connect the two halves and have a mess around as responsibility calls.

    @Kuma Style I can easily see how possible it was to crack or break those grey hinges mine were tight and there’s quite a lot of weight on either end to account for too.

    I won’t be changing mine very often I don’t think. The most gentle I’ve ever been with a figure and I’d consider myself very light handed on figures that don’t have issues like this.
     
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  9. God Orion

    God Orion Well-Known Member

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    Exactly what I think. It seems to me that it's more a plastic issue than a pin issue.
     
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  10. idkwdya

    idkwdya Nicks_Plastic_Shelf

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    That’s mainly why I’m repairing my copy where I can. I’d rather just fix some of the issues and take a chance instead of maybe getting replacement parts that will have the same cracking issues. So far that seems to be going well!
     
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  11. God Orion

    God Orion Well-Known Member

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  12. Nova Maximus

    Nova Maximus Well-Known Member

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  13. Plaiskool1201

    Plaiskool1201 Well-Known Member

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    Did you fold it without extending the hinges?
     
  14. Pride21

    Pride21 Honor Wisdom Virtue

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    Cancelled my pre-order.

    Think I'll wait to see if the next batch corrects the current issues.
     
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  15. mikeszekely

    mikeszekely Not Pessimus Prime

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  16. idkwdya

    idkwdya Nicks_Plastic_Shelf

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    Sorry for missing that!
    I used a very thin plastic toothpick and this super glue pictured below. Only applying a very thin amount over each of the cracks. Waited for those to dry for a day and did a second coat in the exact same spot right over the previous one but slightly wider so it would cover more of the surrounding plastic and “hold” the whole thing together.

    So far that seems to be doing just fine. The cracks haven’t gotten bigger and haven’t caused any stress marks along with it being thin enough to still have the hungers move freely without causing additional tension.
     

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  17. rikkomba

    rikkomba Hunger

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    Great review.
    All things considered, I think Naval Commander is an interesting toy, but ultimately fails to be either a CHUG or a MP version of Armada Supebase OP.

    The key aspect of Armada was specifically the interaction with mini-con figures, to unlock weapons, features and transformations. This is why Superbase OP packed so much value into the base mode. Boxes and ramps are no substitute for that level of interaction - it's a sterile, unfaithful, crude adaptation.
    With its designs for Superbase OP and Megatron, FH has thrown out of the window Armada itself.

    In comparison, what we have seen so far for "FH Energon OP" is much, much closer to a MP representation of Fattimus Prime -helped by the lack of ambition of the original material, of course, but still closer to that ideal.
     
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  18. RoboW4rrior298

    RoboW4rrior298 Maximum blast!

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    Is there a trick to connecting Prime to the trailer for super mode? I can get hook just fine but can’t seem to really get those tabs to peg in. I did it once but I’m not 100% what I actually did..is there a good spot to apply force to solidify the connection?

    Also, that chest piece with the chains is awful design. Easily my most disliked part of the whole transformation and so fiddly. More worried about that breaking than the cracks..
     
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  19. Kuma Style

    Kuma Style I'm boney. I'm boney; Leave me aloney! TFW2005 Supporter

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    They've mailed replacement hinges and I think once I get a feel for this figure I'm honestly just buying another to keep them in separate modes forever. It honestly rubs me like a brittle time bomb so I'd rather just play it safe even at an expense.
     
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  20. Nova Maximus

    Nova Maximus Well-Known Member

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    Personally from the look of it I don't mind the chains, but hey, if the worse happens he still seems to be able to transform, just as a partsformer.