Just a quick little query about FCT Astrotrain.
1.is it worth the price of around $100?
2.how well built is it?
3.how complex is the transformation?
4.what parts of it are fragile?
5.how well does it fit in with CHUG?
6.where is the best place to buy?
7.what version of ol' Spacebus do you believe is superior?

Any feedback would be appreciated and would love to see pics your copy of the figure if it's at all possible.  

 

I've got one and I think he fits in perfect with my chug collection. Scales well with hegemon and the igear raptor squad seekers. Seems well built to me, but I actually haven't transformed him yet. I haven't had him that long. I think you should be able to get him cheaper than $100, uncle billy on aliexpress has him for $75, chimungmung for $70. Both are reliable. I'll try and add a pic with some other chug stuff later.

 

It's kinda iffy on quality....but it will do nicely as a display piece if you are careful. 70 seems a more reasonable price point. I will say if you like g1 Astrotrain, the sculpt and alt modes are pretty spot on.

 

Why not ask in the dedicated thread?

 

Literally five minutes after I posted this I found the correct thread....so....yeah...Hi, I'm Ned. I'm a known idiot.

 

It's not a big deal.

 

I do think the aesthetic of this one is better than the alternatives. I looked into Evila-Star and it just looks....no. And Chigurgh takes a few too many liberties for my taste. But the Fancy Cell one I haven't seen much on. None of the mainstream YouTube reviewers have covered it so it kind of just slipped under the radar for me till I saw a eBay ad for one on here.

 

Nah. It would have probably helped you answer a few of your questions though with a quick peruse of the last few pages.

You're good.

 

On chimungmung and aliexpress, it's still $100 after shipping. On eBay he's $85 shipped...

 

There's a reason that they never had a second toy released...I wouldn't buy it again, but it also just doesn't fit my MP display. It looks exactly like g1 Astrotrain in every mode but feels like a cheap knockoff. So...85$ is ok I guess if you need a chug Astrotrain. Just don't let your kid play with it.

 

Noted.

 

85 shipped is a good deal and you,ll probably receive it faster Chimungmung seems to ship by boat now instead of air mail last 2 orders took over a month to arrive.

 

well if the ebay one is cheaper and has a two week shipping estimate.

 

Is the plastic quality better than the likes of TR or CW?

 

for a chug astrotrain I dont think you can do any better! Is it the same level of quality as some of the more well known 3rd parties? No not really, but thats not to say he is a terrible figure by any means. He is not as hefty as you would imagine, but is still sturdy. the backpack hinge is not a great design but it works and as long as you are aware of it and pay attention during transformation its not really an issue. I have mine next to generations blitzwing and dx9 tankor on my classics shelf, He is a great fit.

That said if you are after an MP astrotrain look else where as you will be dissapointed, his transformation is simple and the train bits like the piston rams for the wheels and the wheels themselves are nothing more than molded detail and offer no movement. its essentially a large cover that hides the shuttle bits and allows the wings to fold very similar to the G1 toy actually ( these are things i find acceptable on a classics figure as its not intended to be overly detail oriented) but he is a great likeness to the cartoon which is why many view at as an MP'esque figure.

I think he is a great addition to the classics shelf

 

The backpack is one thing I've heard isn't the best. I have seen a picture of it and it does look a bit....frail

 

^^ yeah you should be careful not to twist it when pulling it out but it's not that bad and anchors in all modes. Mine had an issue where it wasn't transforming right because they put a long screw in the backpack, but I found the short one and switched them and now it works great.

I find him also too accurate to be CHUG, but the scale is nice. Head is a tiny bit small. Plastic as acceptable, I wish it wasn't as shiny. The other thing I find with the figure is how "fake" the wheels look in train mode compared to say Evila Star or Chigurh.

But despite these minor issues, I'm super satisfied with him and think he is underrated...he is a great representation of the character, great colors, intuitive to transform (as Megatron 31 said) and reasonably solid!

 

As in, he matches his cartoon aesthetic better than most classics?

 

I don't see many reviews or coverage of Transportation Captain. Lots of people tackle Chigurh or Evila Star, but not this one. I wonder why.

 

Possibly just because it's not by one of the bigger companies like DX-9 or Maketoys. Which is a shame. That people put time, love, and money into something only to have it just kind of overlooked.