Well, GT Defensor topic dates back to 2016, and it's in the home stretch.

Don't give up!

 

Why stop there FT. Let’s shoot for 8

 

The zeta legends arrived today for the kids so I got the fanstoys out for some comparison shots lol.

 

I recently purchased a KO Iron Factory War Giant (Legend Bruticus), I think this set's usage of combiner parts is super smart, much better than the messy base-mode or parts lying around. In team mode, the extra parts can be a bust mode for display.
I wish all the parts-forming combiners can copy this brilliant idea:

 

Five bots…. 1 per year so we’ll all have him finished this time 2022.

But the good news is that all the other combiners will be done within the next 4 years as well. Is that the time frame that was quoted direct from FT?

I will of course take this with a pinch of salt.

Yeah I'm with this view also. At the time it was cool to dream up these ideas for what the combiner parts could do. Now I'm just happy with a torso and legs that I can box up when I want bot or alt modes, or bring out for when I feel like Superion should be on the shelf. Having owned the Zeta version in the past it's exactly how I would like FT's to be; solid and looking the part. Even if sometimes some of the parts are in the box.

 

I bought a set of Zeta Aerialbots yesterday. If they're okay then my three FT can probably go (and likely for more than I paid for all five Zeta). I think I've got bored of waiting.

But on the plus side for the rest of you, this will surely guarantee a reveal and preorder from FT the following day!

 

I remember D man also saying: “well do all combiners in 4 years”

 

I'll wait for the end of the year.
If I don't have any updates I will sell the sets.
If they were in the sense of zeta.Ja was ending.

 

I think there definitely a middle ground. Should his gun transform into a bug? Does anyone care?

For most people these are display pieces so the goal is for it to look the part. Of course they should transform buts it also about winning the right battles. Zeta chose not to fight the battle to get the torso to transform and it certainly was a good result for them.

 

A noble sentiment, but in collecting there is no middle ground. Someone likes what they like and that's it and everything should adhere to those standards and preferences.

Biomec and myself are on opposite sides when it comes to combiners; he wants ZERO partsforming and everything should be built into the bots, I prefer partsforming because it gives properly proportionate and stable combiners. There is no meeting in the middle with this, so we should (hopefully) be able to rely on 3rd parties to make one in each style. In this case MMC for the all-in-one, and XTB, Zeta (if Zeta was still making new combiners) and Fanstoys for partsforming.

 

I don't mind the partsforming one bit. But XTB did a good job without it, if you don't count the accessoires for Menasor.

 

i need a maverick reissue...

 

Well, if you're willing to pay $300, here is one:

Fanstoys FT-30A Maverick

 

I agree with some of the more recent comments about Superion & Menasor's combiner engineering. It would appear that Superion is much less involved as far as the arms go. The chief concerns would be how much die cast is going into Fireflight & Slingshot and how to have super strong shoulder joints to allow good articulation while weight-bearing. After all, both arm bots completely form each arm itself. And from pics I seen so far, it looks like Ethereaon will have a lot of similarities with Zeta's version: pants for the legs to attach to, hollowed out chest & shoulder assembly allowing Maverick to fold up into a square block to fit inside - just like Silver Arrow does. And standard add on fists and feet for all 4 limb bots.

Marauder on the other hand is a bit more involved. The cars that form the arms bolt onto those inner existing arms. Then there'll need to be a shell torso & pants piece allowing Roadking to fold up into the box, super strong and articulate shoulder joints to carry the weight of each car + the grey inner arm sections with fists on each end.

but unlike Ethereaon, the pants don't end at the knees. They keep on going all the way to the purple feet with those 2 big chunky rectangular grey blocks to allow the 2 leg cars to attach to. Gotta feeling Mensaor is much more of a nightmare for them at the moment over Superion. Even if the air-bots are only 3 out of 5 where the car-bots are 4 out of 5.

Just my 2 cents worth team.

 

If I look at the ratchets/pins used in CT's Predacons, I wouldn't be surprised if they used that. They are VERY tight and hard to move, which makes me think that it can hold a pose decently well. I hope FT makes a suit to connect them all to, unless they want to go with something fancy.

Menasor is, no pun intended, a menace I think.

 

that looks fantastic

 

The cang ratchets were impressive. Zeta's Unicron has the best joints ever.

 

I believe you on your word, as I don't own any Zeta combiners  

 

I think there has to be a middle ground. There’s just no physical way MMC could have made their individual bots scale in combined mode to the standard Zeta have set without additional parts. And there’s no way Zeta / FT / DX9 or XTB could make their combiners scale down to the standard bot size with the combined scale they have and all the additional volume they are made of. It’s just physically impossible.

I still like the idea of what DX9 did with the bug transformation but it’s not for me. I mean I personally don’t find it necessary. It’s my view on the base mode thing that XTB had as well. And watching it develop it did seem as though the base mode was what caused delays and issues. I am hoping that FT are simply struggling with the weight of the figure and that it’s not something to do with making the trailer turn into more than it really needs to.

 

You know G1 Scorpy had some pretty heavy duty ratchets as well. Believe me. I took two of them apart for the custom I made. That was what? 30 years ago?