I'm still sticking with Haslab, but this isn't looking too bad. Hopefully they'll fix those tolerances, and maybe upsize the wings and it's looking like a decent Unicron figure.

 

um, test shot?  

Hasbro's Unicron is impressive mainly because of its sheer size (and the audacity of their $575 asking price, haha!).

Zeta's version is impressive because of its actual engineering, and far more accurate robot mode (but i agree about wishing it were bigger!). i know it's not perfect either, but it's a helluva lot closer - the picture below pretty much says it all:



EDIT: (a few more pics for comparison!)

 

After October 6th, pretty good!

 

hmm, looking at the pictures above it appears that the collar is actually animation accurate (i never realized that!) - but some pictures show Zeta's Unicron WITHOUT the collar, so is it meant to be removable then?

 

No need to be a jerk. I stated above that I hadn't seen those interviews, and that I'm thrilled to hear that it can evidently stand on its own.

 

Well. Can it do anything else without the stand? The Zeta had a picture of it doing a side kick and Iron Man pose.

 

Might be removable to give easier access to the LED battery compartment in the head, plus the bonus of giving the option of a collar-less look.

This guy is pretty much Masterpiece Unicron at this point. Better than I ever would have imagined possible.

 

i was actually just wondering the exact same thing - i wish Hasbro would post more pics with action poses like these (assuming it can do them):

 

Where are the promotional pics of the Haslab doing one legged kicks or kneeling down or anything half dynamic? 'Cause the Zeta has done more promotional material in a sweaty looking showroom in a day than Haslab in two months... And they aren't even doing a crowdsourcing campaign.

I want the Hasbro campaign to succeed but you have to admit that their promotional campaign has been barebones. So much that a smaller Unicron is stealing the spotlight easy.

 

As someone who is tempted by Hasbro with no bias against or for 3rd party, Zeta's looks better for my collection in every way. The size of Hasbro's was my main issue, but getting a smaller, more accurate, better engineered version for probably less money is great for me.

 

if the haslab version fails I am not going to feel so bad because I will be getting this one if the haslab one doesnt get made. Takara/hasbro should be a bit ashamed of themselves after seeing this.

 

just watched the video, holy hell is the engineering crazy on that thing. and i mentioned before on the haslab thread... for a figure that size, it doesn’t even have individually articulated fingers that can splay - there’s no excuses for that on a $600 figure that size. it seems like all the money went into the panel detailing and the r&d to have joints to support the sheer size, and less so on the actual transformation.

my interpretation is that haslab’s unicron is marketed as “war for cybertron” instead of their mp line to encourage playability and durability (as demonstrated with their 5mm pegs all over the figure) while zeta is more about accurate modes, similar to what takara did with mp-44 prime v3. different figures for different collectors: haslab for for size and playability, and zeta for someone that actually appreciates the transformation aspect.

 

Do we know the price point of the Zeta one already? Haven't seen any preorder up yet in my usual shops.

 

Rumor/stated estimate is around $250 USD. But not official preorder yet.

 

You'd have to ask the Haslab guys. Just from looking at both, Haslab's offering doesn't have any waist swivel or ab-crunch... Which is a let-down considering they didn't need to make any consessions in the torso for the sake of planet mode. Normally I'd say the more articulation you can give a figure the better. But this is Unicron, and in his bot mode (<12 total minutes of screen time at the end of the movie) all he does is reach-out to smash Cybertron and swat pesky gnats. He has no peer to grapple with, kick, duck from, or planetary body that he does the Iron Man pose when landing on, hence my sarcastic jab at people wanting super poseability earlier in the thread.

That the Zeta figure has so much articulation is, I suspect, largely a byproduct of the needs of its transformation.

 

Thank you kind sir.

 

It's a test sample.

 

A fair and relevant point. Between the questionable timing of the announcement, the need to extend the funding window and not accepting overseas orders straight away, it all seems a tad improvised for a multi-million dollar company with decades of experience.

 

yeah ........ because the first time a 3rd party company causes a hasbro project to fail..... its going to just wash off Hasbro's back and they'll not be p*ssed at all. The MP Ko's have gotten them mad enough to go after KO companies.... and at some point... some time they'll go after 3rd party.... its just a matter of when Hasbro feels its taking enough money from them.