I am looking to get my first 3rd party combiner and was set on M3 as I always loved the stunticons as a kid but I see bbts has the perseus set(aka sg hercules) on clearance for arouns the same price. to those with both sets, which is a better toy? colors not withstanding as while its no true devestator, I am fairly certain I can find a place for him withmy bots or cons

 

If it your first combiner.. I'd say spend less and get green giant. You won't be dissapointed. Arguably one of, if not THE, best combiner we've gotten. They have him in stock but that won't last long.

 

Watch the reviews of Herc and M3 and you'll see what you're getting from each

 

I own both and think they both look cool as hell. Given that choice though... I'd probably go with M3. The individual bots have so much personality and Diesel should be experienced by all.

 

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Deisel is a PITA tho..

ive got them all(combiners) and M3 bots are sweet!!! combine mode is spectacular..only gripe is that its a tad small..

 

Actually, whilst this might not be a popular suggestion, for your first 3rd party combiner and to save your wallet I'd consider:

Microblaze Military Titans.

You won't have to sell a lung and it will give you an idea of if you want to go all in for the future.

 

I'd say hold off. Neither are good for first timers.

M3 isn't really fun as a combiner. Diesel and Car Crash look fantastic as stand alones, but the whole set is frustrating and to get from mode to mode is just not worth it most of the time.

Meanwhile Hercules is ok, but comes with a slew of problems. The SG should have many of the fixes and come with the additional addons if you are into a G1 look, but the basic bots are all over the place and handle like AEC lines.

 

I loved the Stunticons as a kid as well, and have really enjoyed M3. He is tabby and complicated, but I think that aspect is often oversold by some of the commenters here. There are lots of videos online showing how best to get through the difficult bits on Diesel, and once you've done it a couple of times, it's easy to remember. In my own experience, M3's component guys have all been fun to play with, and Diesel becomes even better if you follow GI Eddie's instructions in the M3 thread on removing some of the waist ratchets (it takes some of the stress off a particular piece, and in the process makes transforming him faster and easier).

I've got Hercules, and he's great as a cartoony Devastator, but he's less fun than M3, and I'd think a cartoony Devastator in the wrong colors wouldn't have quite the same level of appeal. It's a good toy, but for me, it works because of the nostalgia it inspires, more than because of any particular element of genius in its construction.

 

Both are fun and look great. M3 is, how should I put this, complicated. If you do get it, TAKE YOUR TIME with the transformations. You'll be engaged for hours going back and forth between bot, alt and combined modes. Lots of play value.

Perseus, I don't have, but I do have Herc. I love it and I sum it up in one word, options.
Robot mode for all six look great, much better than the maketoys set, but that's just me (like me some chunky blocky bots lol). Combined mode is a bulky tower that you may have to "tweak" to get balanced just right. Very top heavy. Alt modes look the part for most, the weakest if their version of scrapper, it's kinda boring and doesn't really look right.

In the end, it's all up to what you prefer. M3 is delicate, complicated, and rewarding. Herc/Perseus is big, bulky and feels like you could throw it around without breaking anything. My Herc shelf dived once, nothing broke, 4 foot drop, combined. Limbs didn't even seperate.

Sorry for long post, lots to love about both. Wanted to share.

 

You can't go wrong with Green Giant.

 

This ^^

1. I have Hercules. I wish I could go back in time and get my money back. Poor quality period.
2. I wanted a Menasor really bad but the reviews I watched totally turned me off to M3. Challenging transformations are cool but that thing looks to be nothing but a royal pain. Ironic since everything else FP does is gold.
3. My MT giant is so so sweet. It's one of the best TF's ever made. Top quality.

 

Get Feral Rex. He only has 3 members out but if you don't enjoy complex transformations and still want what should be a cool combiner .....

 

M3 being a pain is kinda overblown IMO. yes a bit complicated, but far from the most difficult we've seen from even retail toys. The combined mode is great, albeit he's get some holes/gaps to fill. It's super poseable and the feet allow it to balance well.

I own both combiners in question. Hard to decide on one. With Menasor rumored to be getting the Warbotron treatment, might want to see what happens there. Perseus is a very unique figure and he looks cool as well.

 

I agree. This poll should have had more options. I vote for Green or Yellow Giant. Best 3rd party combiner period.

 

yeah as a display piece and in terms of stability and articulation m3 is much better. But if this is your first combiner you might want to get green giant instead since its better than both unless you really prefer stunticons

 

oh and my gripe about m3 is that it is overengineered, pushing the plastic tolerance to its limits requiring really precise movements in order to get everything lined up.

 

If you want something that's going to endure repeated handling, buy Perseus.

I like M3/Diesel/Intimiator a lot, but you have to be careful with it. There are several points on Diesel that require patience, or you may end up with breakage. The limbs are not particularly robust either.

Some would say it's over engineered, or flimsy. I would prefer to say it's finely tuned... but some of the criticisms directed at it are fair.

 

I have both molds and I kinda don't like M3 I do love Herc though not sure how I feel about SG colors.

 

I didn't add more options because I was fairly set on?M3 but then saw the perseus set for cheaper and was always a fan of herc. Not a huge fan of how g/y giant looks

 

Get GG or something else.