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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 10, 2012 9:52:46 GMT
The iGear minis really are looking great. I must start getting some of these.
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Post by Benn on Apr 10, 2012 12:10:55 GMT
I saw Spray at Memorabilia, and thought "Ooh, thats nice," I see Cogz and think "I NEED." sigh.
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Post by Bogatan on Apr 10, 2012 13:21:13 GMT
I think I will grab Gears, generally I dont bother with the third party stuff, but I've been waiting a long time for a new gears.
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,244
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Post by The Huff on Apr 15, 2012 19:43:45 GMT
This should probably be in the Knock-off thread but as I am currentlyre-watching Masterforce, I looked and I found this on ebay and is great - and cheaper than the real thing! Attachments:
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Post by Andy Turnbull on Apr 15, 2012 19:54:51 GMT
oooh that does indeed look very nice.
Andy
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The Huff
Thunderjet
Hufferlover
Posts: 4,244
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Post by The Huff on Apr 15, 2012 20:44:04 GMT
There was also a GoShooter too but the seller can't find any more. The toys are by a company called Aladdin Toys.
The Minelba comes with different stickers and a black chest (that I painted white) and obviously doesn't come with the PVC schoolgirl. (!)
Recommended if you can find one.
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Post by shadowynne on Apr 15, 2012 21:55:37 GMT
hmmmm third party is a mixed bag... on one hand takaras sheer arrogance and petty behavior disgusts me... reallly? takara and hasbro are the only companies in the whole world that have the right to produce transforming robots? no, no they dont. they own names. and character images. thats it. i love takara transformers they are things of beauty, but this makes me want to never buy from them again... this is nothing short of school yard bully behaviour... its cheap, and nasty... now to get things straight i do not approve of blatant ripoffs. piracy is piracy. if a company infringes on an existing product or uses a trademarked name that is wrong. however T&H have some cheek bitching about companies taking up their slack. i do own a few third party transforming toys, but they are toys that do not exist otherwise, and if i had to wait for T&H to get around to maybe eventually kinda sorta getting around to making a toy that i want... well just plain unnacceptable... me, im a perfect effect fan. i have shadow demolitions, and rewinder, both so cool. excellent figures, well designed and flawlessly executed. i also have the scouting force set, which has got to be one of my favorite toys ever...EVER. just so cool... i am also a new fan of ariels customs. i have a thugger and a purrdator... just so damn cool i could scream. a tiny transforming feline that fits in wfc/generations soundwave yes please! i cant recomend these guys enough, anyone owning a wfc soundwave MUST own at least one of these guys! heres links www.shapeways.com/model/229196/thugger.htmlwww.shapeways.com/model/405692/purrdator.htmlbe warned though, these guys are tiny! now, if H&T made these figures would i buy them? of course! i do beleive that H&T should prtect themselve, but acting like they have divine right over all transforming toys is just petty and wrong... |
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 16, 2012 7:36:59 GMT
Er, I think they're just trying to look after their IP's.
-Ralph
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Post by glaug on Apr 16, 2012 10:19:13 GMT
The mention of Shapeways stuff reminds me; As someone not only totally obsessed with Nebulan figures and their ilk, but who owns a bunch of G1 Targetmaster toys missing their guns, I was about to plonk down the cash for several of the not-Targetmaster figures people have up there... Right until I heard about the "Master Shooter" figures we should be seeing sometime this year. tformers.com/article.php?sid=17009 Somehow I can't justify the DIY hassle of dying Shapeways pieces when something pre-coloured is being released soon enough. |
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Post by Jaymz on Apr 16, 2012 19:36:03 GMT
There was also a GoShooter too but the seller can't find any more. The toys are by a company called Aladdin Toys. The Minelba comes with different stickers and a black chest (that I painted white) and obviously doesn't come with the PVC schoolgirl. (!) Recommended if you can find one. I got both of them, they're good enough placeholders for me until a reissue comes along. Reprolabels did a freebie set of stickers for them too, to celebrate their forum launching, not sure if they're still available though. |
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Post by legios on Apr 16, 2012 19:46:54 GMT
i do beleive that H&T should prtect themselve, but acting like they have divine right over all transforming toys is just petty and wrong... I wouldn't say that they were doing that. After all they aren't trying to pick a fight with the owners/licensors of other transforming mecha franchises like Bandai, CMS Corp or the like. Hasbro and Tomy's problem seems to be with folk who are either treading very close to or blatantly using the trademarked likenesses of their IP without their permission. Which seems reasonable to me. Especially when you look at folks like Igear who have been quite blatant about trampling over all Hasbro and Tomy's turf. When they've are making things quite as on the nose as their Masterpiece sized "not Thrust honest guv'nor" I think they've surrendered much chance of arguing that they are not making off with someone else's design work. Karl |
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Post by shadowynne on Apr 16, 2012 19:58:24 GMT
i do agree that i gear take the pish and it is due to their behavior that other third party manufacturers will suffer. i still think that takara's strong arm tactics are unacceptable...
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Post by The Doctor on Apr 16, 2012 21:11:09 GMT
What are these strong-arm tactics? I'm not trying to start an argument, I'm just curious.
-Ralph
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Post by Shockprowl on Apr 16, 2012 23:05:52 GMT
I agree with Karlos. The odd 3rd party Transformer homage is fine, but when third party companies blatantly copy HasTakToms products, then the offending third party company are drawing too much attention to the third party industry and spoiling it for the rest of 'em. There's nothing wrong in the odd new head, or mini bot, or original larger figure, but when they're out-right copying a HasTakTom mold, as with the Strike Planes, they're asking for trouble.
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Post by shadowynne on Apr 17, 2012 16:19:23 GMT
I agree with Karlos. The odd 3rd party Transformer homage is fine, but when third party companies blatantly copy HasTakToms products, then the offending third party company are drawing too much attention to the third party industry and spoiling it for the rest of 'em. There's nothing wrong in the odd new head, or mini bot, or original larger figure, but when they're out-right copying a HasTakTom mold, as with the Strike Planes, they're asking for trouble. yes exactly! this is how i feel about it i just gibberred my version incoherently! "A few months ago (Not sure exactly when. If it was mid to late last year, or early this year), it was pretty big news and reported and frontpaged on several of the news sites, like TFW. Takara banned all third party items. Any japanese web site that deals TomyTakara product has to stop selling third party product, or else Takara will stop vending to them." (Crazy Jetty) this is what i mean by strong arm tactics Doc, protecting yourself is one thing. but beating down the little man with superior financial backing is always a petty and ugly trick (yes i understand its legal and common practice, that does not make it any less unpalatable). it does damage to the retailers, the fans, independent companies, and to the whole of product advancement and design. its behavior like this that ends up with inferior products and no choice. once again i am all for H&T protecting themselves, after all they have brought me a lot of great toys and joy over the years. |
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Post by Toph on Apr 19, 2012 1:08:33 GMT
I agree with Karlos. The odd 3rd party Transformer homage is fine, but when third party companies blatantly copy HasTakToms products, then the offending third party company are drawing too much attention to the third party industry and spoiling it for the rest of 'em. There's nothing wrong in the odd new head, or mini bot, or original larger figure, but when they're out-right copying a HasTakTom mold, as with the Strike Planes, they're asking for trouble. yes exactly! this is how i feel about it i just gibberred my version incoherently! "A few months ago (Not sure exactly when. If it was mid to late last year, or early this year), it was pretty big news and reported and frontpaged on several of the news sites, like TFW. Takara banned all third party items. Any japanese web site that deals TomyTakara product has to stop selling third party product, or else Takara will stop vending to them." (Crazy Jetty) this is what i mean by strong arm tactics Doc, protecting yourself is one thing. but beating down the little man with superior financial backing is always a petty and ugly trick (yes i understand its legal and common practice, that does not make it any less unpalatable). it does damage to the retailers, the fans, independent companies, and to the whole of product advancement and design. its behavior like this that ends up with inferior products and no choice. once again i am all for H&T protecting themselves, after all they have brought me a lot of great toys and joy over the years. Personally, I feel Takara is within their rights, and don't see it as reprehensable as you. I do know that for the most part, both Takara and Hasbro have been looking the other way, until the companies went into blatant IP theft (Such as iGear's faith leader, and MP s.eekers, TFclub's Hercules, and the slew of minibots everyone and their mother seems to be doing). I believe at one of the Botcon's hasbro said that things like City Commander help sell Hasbro product (Not in those words. What they said was more legally ambiguous to watch out for themselves). As well as things like this are much more prevalent in japan, with tiny fan companies starting up and making things for bigger lines. Takara has even comissioned such garage companies in the past. So, all I know is Takara must *really* see this as dead serious if they finally put the foot down. The problem is, it's really hard to weed out the grey areas (Weapons, armor, heads, "Homages" that share little likeness to the source such as Fans Project's Insecticons) from the ones that trample that line instead of walk it (igear's masterripoffs, tf club's and maketoy's devestators, any given minibot) It's much easier to just outright ban everything ment to go with official product. And it really does start hurting the brand as a whole. Especially once you get into kids, and mom's who start looking around for special transformers for their kids. They don't know the difference between TFClub and the Transformers Club (I've had to explain this to supossedly hardcore fans, that TFClub aand Hercules is not the TF Collectors Club, or Hasbro). It's made even harder for them when the fandom as a whole treats these items as real transformers. And don't tell me they don't, because the majority honestly do. Especially the insanity that is iGear supporters. While you're certainly entitled to your opinion, and I'm not saying otherwise, I do feel Takara isn't strongarming anyone. They're just protecting themselves from people who really aren't as innocent as some people make them out to be. |
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Post by shadowynne on Apr 19, 2012 19:44:46 GMT
yeah i get you... i do. and like i said i do think H&T should protect themselves but for me this just said it all...
"It's much easier to just outright ban everything ment to go with official product."
yep thats the kind of mentality that ends up destroying industry.
"im bigger than you so im going to crush you out of existence and everyone who happens to get in the way is just a casualty of war"... nice... what they should be doing is pursuing copyright infringement on a case by case basis... sure its time consuming and expensive, but you know what? thats what i would have to do if someone was infringing my ip. but apparently takara doesnt have to play by the rules.
i just think this is teetering on a most unpleasant slippery slope.
for me i would rather get all my transformers from hasbro (or takara to be totally honest) but that is not completely realistic H&T wont release all the characters i want. if they do they might be inferior products (come on you know they have produced some right stinkers in the past). so does that mean i can never own an item that i really want even though another company could produce it?
besides all this if they successfully crush all the competition then it comes down to the classic situation of 0 competition = complacency which then = poor product...
at the end of the day im glad there are 3rd party companies out there. they help push forward the industry and provide at least a small amount of competition to H&T to keep them on their toes.
aaanyways this is turning into a pointless rant really. and i really do respect your point of view man. i think the fact that im a small producer that has been forced out of galleries by big name artists just because they cant deal with a little competition really makes this hit close to home. so a sore point for me!
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Post by Toph on Apr 20, 2012 6:17:03 GMT
Yeah, I'll drop it too, after this.
I just feel that that's not the deal at all. And I can't blaim them at all. It's no different than after all the work I do in creating, writing, drawing, and hopefully publishing the characetr who's in my icon... all the hard work I put into her, it's no different than someone else coming along and making toys based on her, and I see nothing from it.
They're doing the exact same thing, each time they make a Hearts of Steal Optimus Prime, no matter what name they put on it. Each time they make a Brawn or Seaspray, no matter what name they put on it.
And also, we can't forget that we're dealing with people based in china, a country that does not respect such laws. Legal recourse is simply not an option, or else it would have been done already.
I don't think all of the third party items are outright wrong (Morally ambiguous, sure, and definately a very grey line). But, even some of the ones I've purchased (Giant), and some of the ones I want (upcoming Brawn and Cosmos, and HoS Thundercracker) are definatively blatantly IP theft.
So I disagree that this is "stamping out competition." They're not putting a stop to legitamet endevors. Not like Bandai bought the rights to Voltron so no one can ever use it again, so it'll never be a competitor to Power Rangers. Or Hasbro forbidding any website from selling DC superhero toys so it doesn't compete against Marvel Universe.
They're putting a stop to people profitting off their intellectual property. Stopping people from making money off of the designs they,a nd their employees worked hard to create.
Just because Hasbro hasn't put out a 2" devestator, doesn't mean it's perfectly acceptible for Mattel to, or Bandai, or some small time chinese knockoff company to do so.
Would I buy it? Sure (That is, if hercules weren't way too expensive, and hidiously ugly). But I'm not going to whine and moan about it when Takara decides to put a stop to it. Or when Hasbro declairs they cannot be sold at Botcon.
And please believe me when I say that last comment is absolutely *not* directed at you. I respect you, and I respect the thoughts and reasons you put behind your opinion, and the reasons you feel the way you do. Even if I disagree.
The comment is directed at a lot of the threads I've seen of people who get way too butthurt over this, on other boards.
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Post by shadowynne on Apr 20, 2012 14:23:22 GMT
hey man no worries, i havnt been offended by anything you have said. well argued and valid points so we are all good  yeah im a self employed artist as well so i really understand where you are coming from! i do like your avatar, nice work. "(That is, if hercules weren't way too expensive, and hidiously ugly)" gods isnt that just the truth! i am just as desperate as everyone else for a good constructicon set but i really dont see what all the hoopla is about... i mean both third party offerings are... ok... but really thats it. certainly not worth several hundred quid in my opinion! i have repainted my pcc constructicons to g1 colours and i like it. it will do for me for now. who knows maybe the foc bruticus will encourage H&T to make a constructicon set. that would be fantastic! who knows maybe we might even get an acceptable prime devastator... i am really warming to the prime aethetic. not for all the characters but some are spot on. wheeljack is a fantastic mold, i just need to find a good shoulder mount weapon and he would be near perfect. |
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Post by Toph on Apr 20, 2012 21:20:48 GMT
I've chosen the Maketoys for myself. What won me over is that I feel they look a lot better as individuals. More personality in their sculpts and designs.
Also, G2! I've got it bad for G2, and one of my primary collecting points is putting together a "G2 Classics" display. Maketoys also costs about half of TFClub's.
And the way Botcon prices are rising... Giant complete is only a little more expensive than a botcon box set!
For repaints, Botcon is now almost in the price range of comissioning a set of brand new molds! Ain't that rediculous?
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Post by Shockprowl on May 7, 2012 22:51:33 GMT
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Post by Toph on May 7, 2012 22:59:29 GMT
I know! I waaaaant thooooooose! That rollbar looks amazing!
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Post by Shockprowl on May 8, 2012 10:32:28 GMT
Uh-oh. I may have decided to save up for a Make Toys Green Giant. Divorce here I come.
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Post by shadowynne on May 8, 2012 16:35:14 GMT
Uh-oh. I may have decided to save up for a Make Toys Green Giant. Divorce here I come. yeah, it is tempting isnt it. i keep telling myself the portable generator kibble that has the arms and fists is just a bit to part former-ee, but yeah its the best not-devastator we have had so far. hercules still leaves me cold though. but then again im not impressed by big toys, im more of a perfect effect kinda guy. still loving my scouting force, they just get cooler and cooler everytime i mess with them! |
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Dezzeh
Thunderjet
Wait, what?
Posts: 4,888
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Post by Dezzeh on May 8, 2012 18:28:48 GMT
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Post by Shockprowl on May 9, 2012 9:06:53 GMT
Yeah he looks the biz alright. He looks kinda scary without legs! I imagine him crawling through the monitor to get me!
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Post by Shockprowl on May 9, 2012 9:11:19 GMT
Uh-oh. I may have decided to save up for a Make Toys Green Giant. Divorce here I come. yeah, it is tempting isnt it. i keep telling myself the portable generator kibble that has the arms and fists is just a bit to part former-ee, but yeah its the best not-devastator we have had so far. hercules still leaves me cold though. but then again im not impressed by big toys, im more of a perfect effect kinda guy. still loving my scouting force, they just get cooler and cooler everytime i mess with them! Hercules is massive, but, this may shock my cyber chumbs me saying this, but I prefer the better styling of Giant over the size of Hercules. Both combined and individual, Giant just looks the superior. And he's still pretty big. I haven't been able to find any direct size comparisons on-line, but having looked and millions of pics of both, Giant is still an impressive size. Better get saving! Expect alot of activity on my C.O.C.K. in the weeks and months to come! |
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Post by Toph on May 9, 2012 10:40:35 GMT
Very much agreed, on Giant. Hercules is impressive, but it's both overdetailed and extremely... I dunno... bland. None of the sculpts have any personality. And they all look like Pat Lee's worst art. Expecially in vehicle mode.
I only have the arms for Giand to far, but these look absolutely great with the transformers classics.
They look very different from the Constructicons they're ment to homage, and at the same time feel much more like the constructicons.
If I had Hercules, I would never take it apart, and only display it in that mode. With Giant, I'll be constantly changing it back and forth so I can enjoy the individual toys.
I also have no problem with the "Generator" forearms. I personally don't consider that to be blockformerish. (It takes something on the level of God Magnus for me to consider it a "blockformer." I tend to exclude combiners from blockformer/partsformer status altogether, considering that's entirely their deal.
As for size... I believe/predict that this is going to be as tall, or slightly taller than the Crossfire enhanced Bruticus Maximus, which itself is a bit taller than the three normal E-Combiners.
In arm mode, Giant's arms are a little longer than a good sized deluxe, like RtS Jazz or Gen Kup. InSo if anyone looking at images online, mentally lines up an equivalent figure to the arm, making it maybe half an inch shorter (If that much) than the arm, you can get a pretty good guestimate to Giant's size.
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Post by Shockprowl on May 9, 2012 12:14:27 GMT
Thanks for the size info there, CJ, helps to visualise. I think Giant will be large enough for me. Plus there's the huge cost saving. Bland is a good way to describe the Hercules design.
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Post by Shockprowl on May 26, 2012 2:23:36 GMT
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