Nice Custom! I like the wash and weathered effects. The pins are not too bad to remove and reinstall.

The guy who modeled the Chest piece is also doing a 3D printed more detail head with LEDs for UT too. I think he is getting more interests from people which is good for this figure lol.

Here are some pics he sent to me. He said price is $30 for the head unpainted and comes with masked attachment:


He says he is sending it out to get painted so I will update you guys if I hear back from him.

I wonder what else this figure we can upgrade and maybe suggest to him  

 

WTF dude I asked him just the other day if he was going to do any more upgrade pieces and he said no!

 

I'm not sure what else could be upgraded?

 

Yea..idk..he just sent this to me right before I posted so he probably just worked on it recently :/

 

I mean, I'm happy that he said he's doing more stuff, but it's also possible he misunderstood me and thought I was asking about something more specific? Maybe he doesn't consider this an "upgrade part"? Anyway, the new head looks great but I'll have to see it painted before I can decide if it's any better than the "new" head that UT made. Looks like mostly it's better because of the LEDs and the more detailed neck part.

 

The more I see Challenger get specific upgrade parts ( head sculpt, chest details ), the more I realize how close to perfection he is. Now I’m also interested in the new TMT Knight Prime after he is completely revealed, I will decide what knight prime to order

 

Even if the TMT one is perfect (and I hope it is!) I’m still very happy with my challenger. I’ve had over two years of happiness with this thing, and upgrade parts this late in the game only serve to extend its long shelf life.

 

All MPM styled figures were “accurate enough” until now but the ones that are coming up are “Accurate”. I’m not sure if that’s the best way to express it but Peru Kill, Challenger, Knight Orion, Firage, TE Bee, Zeta Toys Bes and others were accurate enough but not completely accurate. And then looking at TC Bee, possible TC Optimus, TMT Bees, TMT Knight Prime, Toy Lab Optimus, UT Galvatron and all are extremely accurate.

 

I saw the TMT Kinght Prime tease but I want to see the front side first lol.

Here is a Video from a reviewer on Youtube that compares the ToyWorld Optimus with the UT Challenger with upgraded chest/cannon parts:

Here's a few points/comments made by the reviewer:
-He mentioned that the pricing of the ToyWorld is higher than the UT - base without upgrades. However, UT with the upgraded parts is similar pricing to the ToyWorld Optimus deluxe version although TW deluxe will come with base and lights.
-He mentioned the paint apps on the ToyWorld is better than UT. ToyWorld paint app is similar to 3A.
-The shield on the TW does not separate like UT.
-He mentioned the proportions of the TW is off since there is a large Chest and narrow waist (similar to a body builder with a V shape chest).
-He mentioned the forearms for the TW is too big and the fingers articulation is lacking especially the thumb.
-The side skirts from TW is not as accurate as UT.
-The backside of TW is not as accurate as UT.

Keep in mind that these are comparison between the UT with upgraded chest piece with ToyWorld. I was planning on getting the ToyWorld before but I think I will stick with the UT challenger for now. I do like the paint apps on the TW though. I will keep an eye out for the TMT Knight Prime to see how accurate that mold will be.

 

@Tyman I got my kit in! I'm so excited! First I gotta paint it, then comes installation (which I'm worried about). What are the two blocky pieces for, anyways? And do I need to separate the two hip pieces from that bar in the middle?

 

Nice! Congrats! Keep us posted with pics  

The two blocky pieces are for the feet to keep it stable. I believe some other guys on this forum were doing a similar mod to keep the toes stable. I didn't need to use mine since the feet on my OP was stable already.



I received my two side pieces separately so you would need to remove it from the bar in the middle. I am assuming that was there to print the pieces.


Each side piece tabs into the portion below:

 

OK gotcha. Thanks for the tips! I just tried to install the foot pieces and one of them broke... it’s really my fault though I was applying a lot of force. I think even having only one will make him more stable. I’m seriously so excited to paint up the chest piece and install it! I think I’m going to do what you did which is do a gunmetal spray/wash, install it, THEN paint in the details. And I love how he molded the Autobot symbol in! Would be cool to get a piece to add to the front of the vehicle mode grill as well since the little area when that goes is empty (for copyright reasons).

 

No problem.

Yea...3D printed pieces can be fragile so be careful not to use too much force. I really love all the small details that the piece has.

I first installed it to make sure it fits then I painted it with Alclad Chrome. Then I got too excited and posted the pics for you guys. Then I went back and took a picture of the Chest/Ab from my 3A and used that as a reference to put in all the small gold/copper details.

I just used this as a guide on my phone as I was painting lol

 

The 3A figure really is amazing. I use it for reference when drawing Knight Prime, plus I could stare at all the details for hours (and I have!).

Anyways, I just sprayed the pieces and I'm letting them dry while I go through the forums. I'm still nervous about taking the pins out but I'll go slow like you suggested.

 

Update: Several parts broke when attempting installation. I'm so sick of 3D printed stuff being so fragile! I think from now on it's cast plastic or nothing for me. I think the chest piece will still work despite half the areas where the pin is supposed to go in breaking off almost instantly (I was being VERY careful). One of the foot stabilizers broke in half, and one of the side waist pieces broke in half as well. I had to do a lot of cutting myself to get the side pieces to fit on, and even then it was a struggle to not break the other side too. I think I'll probably just leave them off. I've contacted the seller to get replacements. This shouldn't happen after paying so much and waiting weeks for it to arrive, especially considering how careful I was being (@Tyman I have no idea how you did yours without breaking anything. Bravo!). The circled parts are the broken areas.

 

I'm SO sorry man! Are you still able to attach the old chest piece? I'm still waiting for mine to arrive and hope I have better luck with installing it.

 

Oh man, I know some 3D printed pieces are fragile but didn’t know it was this much fragile.
Hope you get replacement parts

 

Aw Man..So sorry to see that  

Yea..I was being very careful but I might've gotten lucky with the tolerances on my copy. My side pieces came in two instead of one with the bar so I'm not sure. Hopefully you get replacements. The side pieces are definitely a bumper if that broke off.

Keep us updated.

 

Hey guys, thanks for your concerns. I am getting replacement parts for free but I agreed to pay full shipping and also buy the new head he's making with LEDs. I think I got the chest piece to stay in decently enough, but it might need some super glue to stay on the pin. I think it entirely depends on the tolerances, because the top pin broke the pieces but the bottom pin slid in very smoothly and easily. I think I was just unlucky. And honestly, I'm beginning to think that from every angle besides the front he might even look better without the extra waist pieces (but that could also be me trying to trick myself into being less upset).

The seller also did a quick redesign of the interior to strengthen the design and sent me a pic. This should solve the issue that I had. The waist pieces also slide on more easily this time. Here's a pic of the new head as well. I think it looks great, although the head that UT made is enough for me. The main thing with the new head is the LEDs of course, and the neck looks nicer as well.



And here's my challenger now. I broke the other waist piece to match, and I think it still looks good while also allowing for full waist movement. What do you guys think?

 

Looks awesome! The level of detailing on the torso piece is insane haha. Good to hear you’re able to get replacement parts too