We can f****n do these also to our Kronos, and there is nothing you can do! - Zeta     

 

Quick comps

 

What's the width on this guy? (And Bruticon) Need to work out if I can get them into a cabinet!

 

This looks really good. I always liked toy style bot modes.

 

Cool. So basically metallic paint and a few minor changes to details? Theres no major paint overhauls? no attempt to make it more G1 with a proper chest?
I’m happy enough with my current set in that case

 

I wonder how many zeta unicrons just got un-preordered in anticipation of a metallic version lol

The new combined mode head and feet are nice tho. I still haven't put mine together :/

 

Remember they fully tooned up Bruticus but didn't alter the chest plate. I'd have been shocked if they'd done it for Superion, given that Bruticus' is so vastly different that it warrants it more in comparison (I'm buying a kit from @TigerBlade to fix Kronos' chest so I do know it needs it still).

My main concern now us that the next combiner offering won't be clearly toon or toy, and that's a shame if it happens. It looks like the direction is to reprint with a fresh paint job a couple of times. Look at Zeta and XTB currently. I'll ignore ToyWorld and the colour swatch that is Constructor...

I'm envisioning Defensor and Predaking, Abominus and Computron, all having mismatched schemes, even from the same company.

I reckon the Core Star thing is what led to a quick metallic spray on old Kronos, actually. Keeps the $$$$ rolling in for not much outlay

 

the new paint apps and colrs on the new version look nice. not nice enough for me to double dip though. individula bot modes see the most improvement. the orangey cockpit...is it opque or still tranlucent? the yellower, less orange/gold thighs look nicer too on the combiner pants.

little details like black joints that were black for no reason being body colored is nice...like silverbolts elbows.

 

I vastly prefer a thick glossy non-metallic paint finish on my MP's. I actually really like the "+" repaints from Takara because they get that really nice glossy paint on them. I don't expect much paint at all on Zeta's Unicron.. well, that's not true, I expect quite a few small detail paint apps, but I doubt we'll see large swathes of the figure in paint. It's going to be coloured plastic. The Hasbro Unicron will be the same, though I expect even fewer paint detailing on that (and I'm getting both).
I like paint but the metallic stuff doesn't really work for me, except in a very few special cases.

Cheers, I was wracking my brain to remember what changes happened with Brituicus. I remembered pretty extensive paint changes, especially in the combiner pants, and I know there are two heads floating around (can't remember which came where and when). for me, my Bruticus is a mix of UT limbs and Zeta torso, so I struggle to remember what bits came from where.

But in terms of combiners, going forwards? I think if you want proper Toon accuracy, neither Zeta or ToyWorld are going to be it. They want to steer this line between Ox and G1 and try and capture both markets but end up doing neither one well. Contrast that with FT who are going that extra mile to add functionality so you can get two genuine iterations of the combiner with swappable parts. or XTB who are covering all bases with separate individual releases for toon, toy, G2...
Zeta still make good, solid and fun figures that are far more reasonable in price, and thanks to custom paint and 3D printed parts can often be "fixed" but for out of the box accuracy, I think XTB and FT are better options. I'm reserving judgement on DX9's long term combiner efforts until I see a finished Menasor and they announce they're doing other combiners. I sometimes wonder if DX9 are testing the waters with Menasr to see if it's worth their while to try and compete in that space.

 

Up for Pre-order at TFSource:
Zeta Toys - ZB Kronos - Full Set of 5 Figures
... for $26 more than the original release  

 

haha good point... keeping lawyers on retainer in case of TT threats would be expensive  

I don't know that I have a strong preference towards either glossy or flat(ish) finishes, I just like consistency. Finish is part of the overall aesthetic for me. I like the mp+ paint jobs on the officials, and I like FT Hydra and Sovvy... but I already had a half decent collection going by the point those were happening... so the painted windows, metallic sheen and sovvy looks oiled up like he's competing at a bodybuilding competition. I just bought the metallic dumpyard because of the 11.11 sale, and he would really fit better on a shelf with quietus and hydra than my original dx9 wreck gar, who is both flat and glossy, but not metallic lol

So putting a metallic Superion next to my old MP Autobots, maybe in front of terminus giganticus... he'd look a little out of place (maybe?).

Like you, it won't really stop me from buying them (usually)   but it does annoy me a little. Legends are a different story tho, they can be all over the place and I don't care.

 

Yeah, it really comes down to consistency. I've embraced the toon accurate look and am gradually either customising or replacing older figures to bring the collection up to that standard. For the most part, metallic paints don't fit in with that. I sold off my V1 Metallic Transistor and replaced with the red version - I miss the all-over paint on the V1 but it really didn't fit in. I'd have preferred a glossy red paint on Transistor instead of the bare plastic, which is a little bland, but it's better than the bling.
Sovereign and Quietus are both very blingy, though Sovereign just seems to be overly glossy (oiled up is exactly right!!) while Quietus is the full-on pearlescent look. They're otherwise great so they can stay, but overall, I just want consistency.

And unlike you, I actually love my new Legends collection because of the amazing consistency. I'm sticking with NewAge, (with the odd MS bot that fits the look and scale) and I just can't get over how amazing they are. So clean and neat, I can actually figure out the transformations myself, they look amazing - better than many older MP figures in my opinion. But best of all is the consistency.
There's none of that whiney "urgh the cartoon was ugly", "never go full toon" "I want a mix of different influences" guff here. It's unashamedly and unabashedly toon-centric. They do alt deco's for those who want them, but the toon-look remains uncompromised.
The colours are right, the details are right, the scale is spot on.. and oh my god.. the windows!! The windows are ALL THE SAME COLOUR!!! I mean who would have thought that would be so hard? Takara are more than 40 releases into their MP line, they've rebooted it at least twice, and they STILL can't get the same window colour on both MP-44 and MP-45!! Those two are released only a few months apart and they have wildly different windscreen colours!! I genuinely think almost every single MP from Takara has a different colour windscreen. It seems like nitpicking until you realise just how pervasive the issue is. Throw in 3P's who also seem to just randomly choose a colour, and the collection is really inconsistent.

Well, that went pretty far off topic... sorry.

 

I wonder if Dangard Ace is still an active member on the board. I will drop him a PM. If he still makes his parts I might try to get back into Tfs after I got robbed an some ahole stole most of my MP TF collection.  

 

You actually got robbed or burglarized?

 

Sadly yes. Some aholes stole most of my entire collection of figures, my arcade machines, pinball tables, and every piece of home electronic related devices that were worth anything that wasn't nailed down while I was gone on vacation. I am currently trying to find a new home or add security around my home if I cant move to a safer area.  

 

Dam, that’s terrible. Best of luck on finding a better place or security. Those kinds of people make me wish lethal security was legal.....

 

I recommend live watch from Brinks. It’s cheap, it’s satellite connected and directly tied into the cops. Had it for years....I accidentally tripped it and cops were there in 5. Can’t get around it. Everyone should have one....

 

Yeah, I went for the orange version after it came out and stuck him with GT Jazz. Now MT Jazz stands up with his MP brethren.

haha I mix and match to find the best fit or if I can convince myself of some story to explain why they're still different (like my IF bots have "just arrived from earth and not taken on new forms yet" heheh

On topic... I just dropped five hundy on that perfection edition constructor, so I will likely pass on this redeco. Ugh, I just bought most of MMC's combaticons too... DX9's motormaster is about to drop.... aieeeee

 

Wonder if they might consider selling recoloured hands for the original, and not just this metallic toon set (Skydive's grey arm stripe, slingshots black feet, new bright yellow, and goofy heads). I think I'll end up spraying all the biceps on mine, but the fingers look way to fiddly to hold paint well.

 

New metallic looks good. Might be worth a double down.