So just a week ago, after nearly three decades of collecting Hasbro's toys almost exclusively (I say almost because I have a few Takara imports), I decided to finally dip my toes into the world of third-party toys! One trip to TF Source, and a week's wait, I just received MakeToys' Battle Sentinel.

Just getting this out of the way: holy crap you guys, this thing is awesome!

With that said, I'd like to continue with collecting 3P figures, but I have some questions for anyone willing to take the time to read this.

1. What are some of the best 3P brands (apparently MakeToys is great, think I got lucky there just blindly picking one of the cheaper toys), and what should I avoid?

2. What are some concerns I should be worried about? I admit, there were a couple bits I was paranoid about breaking on Battle Sentinel ( like attaching the tanker to his back), and I understand most, if not all 3P toys don't follow toy safety standards.

3. Grimlock is my favorite character, what is the consensus for best 3P Grimlock? I was looking at Fans Project's (think I spelled it right) Severo and that looks amazing.

I intend to read more reviews and figure out what are some must-haves or just look cool, but any help would be appreciated, please and thank you!

 

Chug or mp?

 

You need to loosen the screws on his backpack on the side of the trailer - then it will fit without risking breaking it.

3rd party Weapons are usually good.

Severo is a bit floppy I'd not recommend him unless he's dirt cheap or you plan to complete the set.

Personally I like Make Toys and Mastermind Creations stuff.

 

It really depends on what you're collecting.

If you're looking for Masterpiece type figures, Fans Toys, Make Toys and Badcube have a lot of VERY solid offerings and are known for overall good QC. KFC has some good offering as well, but I don't have many so I'll let others comment on them.

If you're more into classics type figures again Make Toys is very good along with Fansproject.

 

In general, 3P toys skew more towards complexity and need to be handled with more care than mass-market toys. The good ones are quite robust, some not so much. It often boils down the figure itself... they almost always have individual quirks, and it depends a lot on what you want from it.

The good news is there's so much out there now that you can probably find some excellent figures regardless of what your specific wants are. Maketoys are a personal favorite of mine, I've loved every figure I've gotten from them.

 

Grimlock fan, then may I suggest Planet X Grimlock? He's just been reissued: Planet X PX-06 Vulcan (FoC Grimlock)

Grab him while he's hot. He may run out again.

 

If you want a great 3rd party Grimlock figure, I would highly suggest Planet X Vulcan.

Its basically a MP version of FOC Grimlock.

 

Not advice about specific toys, but every company (and aesthetic, e.g. MP vs legends vs IDW) has their partisans. When reading the advice here, keep in mind there will be people that think MP is the only way to collect, people that think FansProject is trash (even though they haven't picked up a figure in years), people that think FansToys has never done anything wrong, etc., etc. It'll be helpful (both in figuring out which toys to avoid and which to pick up) if you can parse out who is who.

As to Grimlock, Planet X's offering is superb. Great toy. There's one step in the tail transformation that's a little scary, but it's really just amazing. If you don't mind him being in a FoC aesthetic, I'd recommend him. Severo is fun - I like FP, but every one of their Dinobots has one design/engineering flaw that bugs people. Severo's is that his shoulders don't lock (people also dislike how he looks, but that's an entirely subjective issue, so if you like how he looks, just keep the shoulder thing in mind). If you're going to get all the Dinobots, FP's are probably the easiest to acquire - Planet X's Sludge is currently rather hard to track down.

As to brands, some companies have multiple lines. Maketoys, for example, has the Cross Dimension line (updated takes on popular characters and totally awesome), their MP line (MTRM), and a Galaxy Force/Cybertron line (name escapes me). Even within a company, different lines will have different reputations, build qualities, etc. It'll help if you get an idea of which lines, as well as companies, are well-regarded.

 

Oh yeah, should have specified, huh? My bad! Mostly into CHUG type figures, as that is what the majority of my collection is made up of.

Good to know, thanks!

I will definitely look into this one, thanks!

 

Don't forget MMC here

 

He just said MT Battle Sentinel and FP Grimlock, so I'm going to assume he doesn't want MP.

The most important thing I would suggest is asking before making any purchase (as you did for Grimlock). Try finding the thread that's already made for that specific figure.
Chances are others have experienced the figure you're interested in; and they can let you know.

I don't own any Grimlocks except for Iron Factory's legends Grimlock, so I can't comment based on personal experience.
Just based on looks I would go with Planet X Grimlock, then Fansproject. MMC has one in the works, but no one knows when it'll come out.

As for companies, Maketoys, Fansproject, MMC, TransformMission/Generation Toy/Warbotron, and TFC have all been pretty solid for me.
Perfect Effect are beautiful yet fragile.
I'll leave the other companies for those who have more figures from them.

 

I'd say your best 3P CHUG options are Fansproject, Planet X, Maketoys Cross Dimension, and MMC's Reformatted.

For Grimlock, Severo is a decent original take on Grimlock, Planet X is an excellent choice if you like the designs from the Fall of Cybertron game, but keep in mind that MMC is doing one based on the IDW comics.

 

+1 regarding the awesomeness of Battle Sentinel. As I sell off my CHUG-scale collection, Battle Sentinel will be the last to go.

Unfortunately, few of the 3P companies are playing in the CHUG-scale space, so the pickings are slimmer than MP-scale.

But there are a few figures at CHUG-scale that might be fun, including FansProject Dai-Z and Dinobots... and a lot of MakeToys figures.
Have fun!

 

At this point it's already been said, but for CHUG scale you can't really go wrong with Maketoys' Cross Dimension line, MMC's Reformatted line and Planet X.

I'm only a year into 3rd Party collecting myself, but Maketoys Cross Dimension Striker Manus changed my life. When I got him my mind was blown at how absolutely amazing a Transformers toy could be. Their Rioter Despotron figure is also absolutely amazing however I find his transformation and alt mode doesn't quite live up to the Greatness that is Striker Manus.

MMC's Carnifex is expensive, but worth every penny.

MMC's Kultur is a stellar representation of the pinnacle of 3rd Party CHUG toys, simple and fun transformation, looks great in both modes, super poseable, fantastic materials and build quality.

Planet X Vulcan has the best dinosaur mode of any transformer ever in my opinion. People complain about the armatures that the tail pieces are on because if you aren't careful during the transformation they will flex. I've transformed mine a lot and have had no issues. People seem to ignore the fact that if you manipulate the figure correctly you can transform him little to no flex on those armatures. With that said Planet X used sturdy and flexible plastic for this design and it's really a non-issue as long as you pay attention and aren't overly rough with your toys. Planet X just released a Metallic painted Grimlock that looks phenomenal, just be aware that their Sludge is VERY hard to come by and you may never be able to complete the team if you start down that road.

I'm confident that you would be happy with any of the toys I've listed, granted there are many many more that are fantastic, these are solid gold.

 

Best 3p is subjective, however i have never been disappointed by Maketoys, Mastermind Creations, or planet X. I buy Maketoys for CHUG, Mastermind Creations for IDW, and Planet X makes FOC (videogame) figures only sofar. I just ordered Vulcun (planet x grimlock) myself after comparing prices to what you get I'd have to say that Vulcun is the best bang for your buck if you're not looking for a G1 grimlock.

 

Also don't hesitate on getting maketoys striker manus (Optimus) or striker noir (nemesis/scourge) they are my personal favorite CHUG figures at the moment. In my eyes they are like a classic prime 2.0 in transformation and where they fit in a collection. They are also SUPER SUPER (yes I meant to double that) poseable

 

I have enjoyed my kbb and dx9 purchases. Hasbro did so well for so long with cw and tr then potp happened so 2018 is looking mostly 3p for me.

 

Come now people don't push a newbie to the fragile end of the market you will just put them off.

 

You might find some of the Legends scale stuff good for smaller characters (eg. cassette-bots) too.

 

Advice? Get out while you still can!  







JK, but I like saying that when newbs show up.