I see a lot of new bots on websites like tfdir... And showz... And sometimes random aliex.. Or weibo, But not much about them here. Im looking for the best place to find out about all these. Years ago tfw2005 was the only place i went, but seems to have changed. Anyone know of any good places to look?

 

You're on it. It all tends to get posted here relatively quickly.

For anything faster, you'll need to read Mandarin and visit weibo and similar sites.

 

is 4th party really a thing now?   just how?  

also here is a great place for news

 

Facebook

 

this place is prettu much the number one hot spot for all TF news. no matter who makes it

 

I didnt make up 4th party , its just what ive seen them called.

Ok, thanks everyone. I just dont seem to be seeing new stuff like i used to. And ill see it for sale before i ever see it on here. Am I looking in the wrong place?

 

...so is 'fourth party' just a moniker for modified knockoffs, or does it encompass all knockoffs in general?..

 

I assume modified KOs of 3rd party figures.

 

There's no accepted definition, which is what makes it such a difficult term to use. On stores it usually means 'all knockoffs', but I prefer it meaning 'modified knockoffs'. I think that there deserves to be a distinction between 'Spoderman figure you found at a dollar store' and 'holy crap, they actually put some effort into this'.

 

I’m holding out for fifth party

 

OP: I look at the likes of Baltmatrix, and Wotafa on youtube for transforming figures outside the Has/tak-established mythos.

Off-topic: in my mind, 2nd party is like the licensed apparel, maquette, and die cast cars producers. 3rd party means anything outside Has/tak that is not officially licensed. And 4th party would be KO's of 2nd and 3rd party products.

4th party then splits off into two catefories: dollar store screaming-child fodder, and high end quality improvement retools.

5th party would be a "Transbotron"-labelled KO of a weijiang OS figure, with a Spidroman head and Col. Italica shield that attaches to a Triasic-pork trailer that carries a bunch of purple army men in it.

 

Its for all Ko's. (to be fair, makes it sound less "illegal", so that's good for us   )

 

I still use the 'earlier' definition of 4th party, before the "enlarged, improved KO's of official molds" were even a thing:

An upgrade/improvement, for a 3rd-party figure, by another company. This would be stuff like the new face for FP Protector, and the claws for MMC Feral Rex (the precision-molded plastic ones, not the painted resin ones).

In other words, 3rd-party add-ons, for something that is already 3rd-party to begin with. Some of Dr Wu's stuff would fall under this category.

 

Seibertron Forum

 

IMHO:

This forum and: DaimChoc Reports - ダイムチョック・リポーツ

 

everyone needs to stop saying 4th party is a thing

 

yes, this and Daim

as an aside…

1st party is the license/ip/platform holder
2nd party is the consumer
3rd party is someone other than the first party making something from/on that IP/platform wether licensed or unlicensed. both Hot Toys and Fans Toys are 3rd party
…
there are no other parties. there are KO's which take something already created PHYSICALLY and reproduce that with or without alteration

 

LOL

 

CNN for 3rd party
FOX for 4th party

 

anyone who doesn't follow Daimchoc on Facebook is a disgrace to proper following techniques. Not if you didn't know about it before now though.