Is that the original Paean? They're doing a toon version of him too aren't they?

 

Yup.

 

Yes. Thats the original Paean. The new Aegis has exactly the same shoulder mechanism as Paean. It still contacts the backpack. I don't see any improvement.

 

My Aegis came with two right hands. I have already contacted TCP for a replacement.

 

You're right From what I've observed there isn't any real significant improvement, if any at all, regarding the shoulder/arm contact with the backpack. Bummer, too.

 

And TCP replied: The hands seems about right to me...Next!  

 

He's in my BBTS pol

 

I thought the fix was to the outward movement of the arms and not the 360 rotation. I could be wrong....

 

Lifting the arm upward causing the shoulder to strike against (and in cases dislodging) the backpack is quite common in the v1 and apparntly it hasn't been resolved with v2. Paean v1 has the same issue and more than likely the v2 will be the same in that regard.

 

The arms also slide out at the shoulder joint, giving plenty of clearance.

 

Having just looked at my V1 shoulders, damn I really wish XTB could just sell us V1 owners the shoulder joints alone.

They would probably sell quite well.

 

Does the new version have other engineering improvements? I prefer the look of this over the mmc one but I want to be able to transform it without fear of breakage

 

The arms should have been made to have such clearance while positioned close to the body. The arms/shoulders shouldn't have to be only positioned at such an angle to have clearance.
A perfect example is FT Roadking.

 

It's not an angle that does it, the shoulders literally slide out to give clearence. They could have done nothing and left it like the V1, but they did specifically address the issue and make an improvement.

 

Oh nice find. Didn't notice that. That is not in the instructions.

 

I am torn between this v2 and my Badcube Speedbump.

Speedbump's legs are the absolute worst in my MP collection, but is that reason enough to upgrade to the CTB v2???

 

I'd have to see it with shoulders slid out and arms parallel to the body. Actually they shouldn't have had to do anything at all this time around because they should've done it right the first time.

 

This is where I was last week. Today, when I received XTB's, it was immediately clear, Aegis was totally worth it!

Speedbump still has, as far as I'm concerned, the best truck mode, with the larger 4x4 wheels, and most accurately shaped camper shell. But Aegis (the V2) does everything else right, especially if you want the toon look, like me.

First, the proportions are just better. Especially the lower legs. But the arms in general just look alot better. The new headsculpt is perfect, and the dark purple gray with subtle metal flake paint job is stunning in hand.

Aegis' transformation is also much more straightforward, far less involved, and pretty user friendly. Except trying to pry the tailgate over the red knee blocks...that's kind of a pain. Everything in robot is nice and tight, and he stands solidly. In fact, I think he feels more solid all around than Speedbump. However, Aegis' torso is noticably more hollow.

Articulation is a little more limited than Speedbump, and a little "stiff" in a few places, but nothing that's a deal breaker, imo.

Aegis' also has more accessories, if that's something you look forward to.

So yeah, another really excellent XTB release, more in line with Savant and their Wildrider than say their Dragstrip. Don't regret the purchase at all. And he looks fantastic with the more toon centric and Plus releases.

 

Well, sure they should have. But that's not the point here. The claims were that XTB did not improve the shoulder joint, and it was the same as the V1.

But, in fact, they did improve it. XTB addressed the issue of the shoulders hitting the camper, and added more ability to swing out to the side. I'm sorry it's not up to your standards, but it is, still, changed and improved.