TFC Toys Next Project: Superion!

[Hursticon]

Courtesy of Seibertron.com (http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2012-coverage-tfc-toys-next-combiner-project-revealed-superion/24706/), TFC representatives at the RobotKingdom (http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?lang=us) Botcon Dealer Room booth have stated that their Technobots combiner is now on hold and that their next project would be Superion at the same scale as their Hercules gestalt. :eek::cool:



http://i1032.photobucket.com/albums/a409/Darkone666au/Webpics/1335635042_IMG_2737.jpg

[Ultra Mackness]

This sounds very cool! I never really got super excited about the constructicons when I was younger since I must have missed the phase where I was supposed to get excited about construction equipment (I jumped straight to time travel and space lego thanks to Dr. Who:D!). But the notion of some very accurate transforming jets! That combine into a bigger gestalt! Okay, I'm excited by this.

[KalEl]

Oh god between this and all the Hasbro stuff coming out I'll need a bank loan

[Trent]

Very cool. Very exspensive. Is this because maketoys are doing computron? Will they fix the supposedly many issues that Herc had?

I can see the look on my wife's face now----->:mad:

[kup]

Love the idea but I will wait to see what the actual execution is. I am not a fan of the 'TFC style' when it comes to sculpting and engineering.

[SuspectimusPrime]

A bit worried about the 'TFC scale'. :confused: Not too comfortable with Voyager sized Aerialbots.

Does this mean that TFC Superion might possibly be taller than Fansproject Bruticus?

[Hursticon]

This sounds very cool! I never really got super excited about the constructicons when I was younger since I must have missed the phase where I was supposed to get excited about construction equipment (I jumped straight to time travel and space lego thanks to Dr. Who:D!). But the notion of some very accurate transforming jets! That combine into a bigger gestalt! Okay, I'm excited by this.

It's very much a curve-ball as I don't think many were expecting this, not to mention that it'll be putting their Computron on the back-burner which seemed further along in production. :)


Oh god between this and allege Hasbro stuff coming out I'll need a bank loan

The past couple of years have been rather expensive to say the least, in being a TF collector; A trend which looks to continue into the future for certain. :o:D


Very cool. Very exspensive. Is this because maketoys are doing computron? Will they fix the supposedly many issues that Herc had?

I can see the look on my wife's face now----->:mad:

It is possible that they've decided to do this in response to Maketoys doing their own Computron, as they may want to avoid the issues that have arisen with Hercules & Giant; Either the 2 companies are thinking along very similar lines or there is a rat in the midst, I tend to think the former as 3rd Parties directly competing against each other will not do either party any favours IMO. ;)


Love the idea but I will wait to see what the actual execution is. I am not a fan of the 'TFC style' when it comes to sculpting and engineering.

To be perfectly honest, I'm again with you on this one Kup; I'm not the biggest fan of TFC's design aesthetic (Not that it's bad it's just not for me ;)), but I'm also very content with my FansProject enhanced Classicsverse Superion. :)


A bit worried about the 'TFC scale'. :confused: Not too comfortable with Voyager sized Aerialbots.

Does this mean that TFC Superion might possibly be taller than Fansproject Bruticus?

I can almost give you a certainty dude that this TFC Superion set will be bigger than FansProject's Colossus (Bruticus); TFC's Hercules towers over Bruticus and if this Superion set is to be 'in-scale' with Hercules, poor old Bruticus will be looking rather small compared. :o

[ITZTRU]

Sorry to be a little offtopic, but in regards to Hercules, can anyone point me to a link which has your negative sentiments toward the toy that I can read? Many of you seem to favor Giant. I'm trying to decide between the two and I'm liking Herc better to be honest... :confused:

[canofwhoopass_87]

Heh they're putting their technobots on hold because they don't want to get crapped on again by maketoys. Or maybe they're working together to time their releases so they can milk our wallets of every last penny!?

Regardless though, I agree with kup. Really didn't like their Hercules design and I feel that Superion is gona be the same story. I'd pay $600 for a MP style set, but a deluxe class combiner set is just ridiculous at that price.

Just hope this doesn't deter other 3rd parties from developing their own take on G1 Superion

[Hursticon]

Sorry to be a little offtopic, but in regards to Hercules, can anyone point me to a link which has your negative sentiments toward the toy that I can read? Many of you seem to favor Giant. I'm trying to decide between the two and I'm liking Herc better to be honest... :confused:

It's not so much that we're ragging on Hercules dude (At least I don't think I am), but rather a couple of us prefer Giant based purely on design aesthetics but also the fact he's more to scale with FansProject's Colossus (Bruticus) & their Superion upgrade which a number of us possess; Here's a link (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=8633) though. ;):)
(It's a long read but it should give you an idea ;))


*I personally think the fact that a complete 3rd Party combiner even existing stands testament to what fans can achieve, but also that there is clearly a large enough market out there crying out to be catered to; Hercules is an awesome set of toys, don't get me wrong, but the fact that there is 2 to choose from is what gives rise to division - I feel there wouldn't be an argument if there was only 1x Not-Devastator ever produced. ;):)

[KalEl]

Sorry to be a little offtopic, but in regards to Hercules, can anyone point me to a link which has your negative sentiments toward the toy that I can read? Many of you seem to favor Giant. I'm trying to decide between the two and I'm liking Herc better to be honest... :confused:

just get both... lol

[ITZTRU]

It's not so much that we're ragging on Hercules dude (At least I don't think I am), but rather a couple of us prefer Giant based purely on design aesthetics but also the fact he's more to scale with FansProject's Colossus (Bruticus) & their Superion upgrade which a number of us possess; Here's a link (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=8633) though. ;):)
(It's a long read but it should give you an idea ;))


*I personally think the fact that a complete 3rd Party combiner even existing stands testament to what fans can achieve, but also that there is clearly a large enough market out there crying out to be catered to; Hercules is an awesome set of toys, don't get me wrong, but the fact that there is 2 to choose from is what gives rise to division - I feel there wouldn't be an argument if there was only 1x Not-Devastator ever produced. ;):)

Hehe, didn't mean to sound like I thought you guys were raggin' on Herc but yeah. There's still something about Herc that I prefer. The scale aspect of things I can understand. (Something that was never quite an issue for me until the TFPrime line came along) but i'll go ahead and check out your link. Thanks Hurst.

[Lord_Zed]

Not a fan of TFC's individual robot sculpts so far, however I do like well executed jet robots, so I may get this if the component toys can stand on their own.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Just hope this doesn't deter other 3rd parties from developing their own take on G1 Superion

Hope not!

With so many new third party producers popping up for the money grabbing, hopefully once more of them move past that initial phase, they may look towards redirecting their funds into quality originals - like Fansproject's original not-Insecticons and that Heart Master we're waiting forever on.

[Sutton]

Not interested in another combiner at a ridiculous size (and expense). I went with MT Giant so it can stand shoulder to shoulder with FP Bruticus, and I'll wait for a 3rd party Superion that can do the same.

[Raptormesh]

Always hunting for TF jets that could fit in the macross verse so this made me a little curious.

[Sam]

Interesting, but not the "right" scale for me.

[reillyd]

Well the name for the combiner has been released, Project Uranus. Maybe they will go with roman. Sounding names?

I can't believe no one had asked this yet, but are there rings around Uranus?

[canofwhoopass_87]

Well the name for the combiner has been released, Project Uranus. Maybe they will go with roman. Sounding names?

I can't believe no one had asked this yet, but are there rings around Uranus?

Eh? What does a ring have to do with anything?

[Hursticon]

Eh? What does a ring have to do with anything?

I think there might be a little issue when one gets on his knee to propose to that one. :o

[Decepticon]

Nice! Shame I will never see one in the flesh......I mean metal....I mean............plastic!:D

[1AZRAEL1]

As much as this seems cool, I am quite content with the Universe version with the Crossfire addon. Though if it looks really cool, I may consider it :p

[KaRNiV8L PRiME]

Looking Nice

Eagle & Phantom

[Trent]

I have very high hopes for this project. Superion has always been my favourite gestalt.

[canofwhoopass_87]

Very interested to see what Superion looks like. Those two jets have a very "fansproject" sort of feel to them IMO. Maybe they've sidestepped from Herc...

Regardless, it's probably gona be another $600 kick in the balls.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Those jet modes look amazing. Really hope they've scaled down to a Classicsverse deluxe level. These guys would look fantastic standing behind City Commander :)

[ITZTRU]

God I hope they DONT scale him down. I want "superion" to be the same size as Herc or else Herc and Superion will look odd together!

[kup]

Looking Nice

Eagle & Phantom

Phantom kind of looks like a seeker but I know the engineering is totally different.

[Tallestblue]

Gah. this is going to look Amazing. hopefully it won't have the same teething problems Hercules did.

[kup]

Gah. this is going to look Amazing. hopefully it won't have the same teething problems Hercules did.

I am hoping for a better, less cumbersome and blocky designs. The Hercules design and aesthetic look was very unappealing to me. They looked too much like simplistic Energon toys.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Very curious about the paint scheme they plan to go with.. G1, G1 Cartoon, or G2?

[Lord_Zed]

The jet modes look decent, at least better than some of there construction vehicles.

I have to say though Air Raid's Eagle makes me think of the Gobot Leader One because of the very square intakes and the lack of the bump where the wings meet the fuselage.

Still that is true to the original Air Raid toy.

It's nice to see Fireflights Phantom mode too, his altmode is almost as classic and out of date as ROTF Ransack's. ;)

[Paulbot]

Those jets do look pretty nice, but I'll resist (on price mostly).

[Trent]

http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqmaxwm7j.jpg
http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqnzcsurj.jpg
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqrgo0d3j.jpg
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqt3dsr4j.jpg


I'm impressed.

[ITZTRU]

Oh god. I am too. I was skeptical about "Superion" because...well...let's face it - like most of the other combiners, they're just four alt modes stuck onto one almost transformed robot with a helmet attached.

But those limbs, especially the leg, is looking quite impressive indeed! I fear another 600 dollar hole in my wallet soon :(

[Lord_Zed]

They are looking quite nice, robot proportions so far are better than the constructions.

I wish they could make them smaller than the previous set or do something to reduce the cost though.

[kup]

Yep, this is a lot better than what I was expecting. Very impressive and certainly on the agenda!

[TheFallen]

I am actually trying hard to not to get caught up with the over abundance of 3rd Party products. I want to focus solely on Masterpiece and what they are trying to achieve with that line but I can't help thinking this is very nice indeed.

[nofacej]

This looks amazing.

[SharkyMcShark]

Pass - they've not managed to make the Aerialbots any less boring and generic in robot mode than the originals.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Do like the jet-cone back kibble! Aerialbots just won't be the same without it!

[KalEl]

http://ww4.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqmaxwm7j.jpg
http://ww3.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqnzcsurj.jpg
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqrgo0d3j.jpg
http://ww1.sinaimg.cn/large/8271cf6egw1dubqt3dsr4j.jpg


I'm impressed.

god these look good! my wallet is still bleeding from hercules, oh well ima gettin this guy too!

[Trent]

Interesting how a lot of discussion on other forums has centred around what scale TFC will use. Same as Herc or a shift toward the Giant scale. From the look of that hand my guess is that they're sticking with their Herc scale. It looks way to big to be any smaller.




Could be wrong though.

[optimus1]

Looking really good here :)
Hopefully not GIANT or HERCULES prices :(

[Sutton]

That's looking pretty damn nice. I'd still rather a Superion in Giant / FP Bruticus scale but if one isn't announced before this becomes reality, I may well bite.

The jet modes in particular look really nice (I'm sure the underside is a mess) and a real departure from the blocky and uncharismatic vehicles of Hercules. Nice little details like seats etc go a long way for me.

[nofacej]

(I'm sure the underside is a mess)
You can see their undersides in their limb modes. Looks like the robots will collapses into a more or less flat brick that will sit on the underside of their plane modes just like the Classics line Seekers. Overall not that bad and certainly not messy.

[VERT]

Looks good. Its going to cost me. Wondering what they will do with Silverbolt. He is larger so what will he cost.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Looks good. Its going to cost me. Wondering what they will do with Silverbolt. He is larger so what will he cost.

Using the screw holes in the legs as a scale, these figs would be at least deluxe size. If Silverbolt is to scale with the limbs, then he's likely to be voyager sized? Looks like slimmer chances of TFC Superion being to scale with FP Bruticus :(:(

[Sutton]

Using the screw holes in the legs as a scale, these figs would be at least deluxe size. If Silverbolt is to scale with the limbs, then he's likely to be voyager sized? Looks like slimmer chances of TFC Superion being to scale with FP Bruticus :(:(

First of all, it would be LUDICROUS for TFC to make a combiner out of scale with their own product.

FP Bruticus is bigger than his Scout/Deluxe combination suggests he should be. Certainly much larger than his original Bruticus Maximus configuration. Maketoys Giant isn't really in scale with FP Bruticus either - he's a fair bit bigger and bulkier, if not a lot taller. TFC Hercules isn't astronomically bigger than MT Giant either. So scales are all over the place. Superion is generally a more 'thin' combiner than Devs as well.

Personally, my Autobots are in one display while my Cons are on another - the only time they generally come together is when my kids are playing with them, which is obviously not something I'd let them do with my expensive 3rd party toys.

Other collectors like their toy's alt modes to be comparable in scale. Because of the mass shifting involved with combiners, this is usually a bit of an issue (Blast-off and Groove can GTFO), but FP employed genius in using an unmanned drone for their Blast-off. Meanwhile Superion being all made up of planes, he should be bigger than Devs and Bruticus.

As much as I like things to scale well on the shelf, the main reason I went with Giant over Hercules was the aesthetic of the individual bots and vehicles - they're worth displaying in all three modes, while Herc's components were very boring bricks. These guys look a lot more interesting and well done than Herc's components though, so this guy could definitely end up in my collection.

Very interested to see what they do with Silverbolt. Hopefully they ditch the Concorde and go with something a little more military. Hopefully not something completely left field (like a B52 or a Chinook etc).

[kup]

Giant does not seem to be that much bigger than FP Bruticus, they are still within the same scale as one another from the comparison pics we have seen. Hercules on the other hand, looks out of place with FP Bruticus as his proportions are much blockier and that bit of extra height does take him out of scale from Bruticus.

[Lord_Zed]

It's not so much scale that makes Hercules loom bigger it's his more blocky look as Kup pointed out, his bulkier body makes him look bigger and aesthetically different to Crossfire and Giant.

I'm not to concerned anyway about the scale and all that. While I would like him to be in scale with my existing toys getting to fixated on scale with transforming toys can only lead to disappointment. So I'll judge this product by its own merits. And most important for me will be can the toys stand on their own as individual toys.

[ispayks]

Based on TFC StarQ prototype(which is a 5 bot combiner), Not-Superion might be the same size as MT Giant.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428789_404547516258329_1888973228_n.jpg

[nofacej]

http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/07831504/fireflight1.jpg
http://i1238.photobucket.com/albums/ff489/07831504/airraid2.jpg
Some pretty awesome colour mockups put together by Necio of tfw2005.

[Trent]

Hopefully the actual colours look more like these than the teasers they released.

[KalEl]

Based on TFC StarQ prototype(which is a 5 bot combiner), Not-Superion might be the same size as MT Giant.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/428789_404547516258329_1888973228_n.jpg

What is this starQ????

[SuspectimusPrime]

What is this starQ????

It's the 'other' combiner that TFC is planning on rolling out, and perhaps getting a Protectobot repaint. Based off an actual animation called Star Cat Rescue Team, who's combiner members resemble futuristic Protectobots.

[canofwhoopass_87]

Some pretty awesome colour mockups put together by Necio of tfw2005.

Looks nice, but the final product will no doubt look nothing like that :(

[kup]

It's the 'other' combiner that TFC is planning on rolling out, and perhaps getting a Protectobot repaint. Based off an actual animation called Star Cat Rescue Team, who's combiner members resemble futuristic Protectobots.

Seems like a completely new creation to me.

[nofacej]

Looks nice, but the final product will no doubt look nothing like that :(
We'll see. There isn't a whole lot of detailing in those mockups so it's possible the real thing will resemble them pretty well but, like you, I also have my doubts given how bland the Hercules figures are.

[KalEl]

It's the 'other' combiner that TFC is planning on rolling out, and perhaps getting a Protectobot repaint. Based off an actual animation called Star Cat Rescue Team, who's combiner members resemble futuristic Protectobots.

ahhh

[Hursticon]

Indeed, if those mock-ups are even remotely close to the end result that would be 1. Amazing! :eek:, and 2. A damn recipe for success - They'd sell like hotcakes IMO but I'm still curious to see if they'll stick to their Hercules-established scale or if they'll downsize it for development cost reasons?... ;):cool:

[ispayks]

Pre-orders up!

http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU001&lang=us&CatID=

http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU002&lang=us&CatID=

[kup]

They are pretty expensive when you compare to the FP Stunticons which are set to go for around $50.

I hope they don't end up as blocky and awkward looking like Hercules.

[Trent]

Pre-orders up!

http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU001&lang=us&CatID=

http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU002&lang=us&CatID=

While I really want these guys, I will wait until the 2nd run/gisftset comes out. It seems that the people that preorder these are the test mules to work out any QC issues, which then get fixed for the 2nd run. Seems like the TFC business model.


They are pretty expensive when you compare to the FP Stunticons which are set to go for around $50.

I hope they don't end up as blocky and awkward looking like Hercules.


From what we've seem so far they look pretty good in Gestalt mode. However it will all hinge on how they make Silverbolt work.

[SuspectimusPrime]

They are pretty expensive when you compare to the FP Stunticons which are set to go for around $50.

Agreed, they're asking for FP Steel Core prices at this range.


From what we've seem so far they look pretty good in Gestalt mode. However it will all hinge on how they make Silverbolt work.

I would like to see a height comparison for these two with normal deluxes. If the limb components are deluxe or larger, then Silverbolt would likely be the size of Universe Silverbolt.

[Trent]

Agreed, they're asking for FP Steel Core prices at this range.



I would like to see a height comparison for these two with normal deluxes. If the limb components are deluxe or larger, then Silverbolt would likely be the size of Universe Silverbolt.

Which realistically is what they have to do to get the torso large enough. Remember that Herc and Giant torso is made up of 2 cons. Silverbolt has to be big enough to do it all on his own.

All in good time.

[canofwhoopass_87]

They are pretty expensive when you compare to the FP Stunticons which are set to go for around $50.

I hope they don't end up as blocky and awkward looking like Hercules.

I don't think it'll be blocky like Herc. Hard to do with pointy jets :D

The $80 pricetag ain't gona budge I reckon. At that rate, going to have to give this fella a miss. Prob end up costing some $450-$500 for this set.

[Lord_Zed]

Hmmm, how much were the Hercules Constrcuticons again? Seems like they are a little cheaper, still big ask if they are smaller than deluxe.

Oddly enough I'm still quite a bit tempted. I'm a sucker for jet robots, but I want to see a few more pics, and some coloured prototypes please TFC.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Hmmm, how much were the Hercules Constrcuticons again? Seems like they are a little cheaper, still big ask if they are smaller than deluxe.

Oddly enough I'm still quite a bit tempted. I'm a sucker for jet robots, but I want to see a few more pics, and some coloured prototypes please TFC.

Hercules is still around $500-550 for the set. The individual bots are still $80 on RK and $90ish on eBay.

My value perception will depend on how these figs feel in-hand. People that attended TFCON have mentioned that FP Assaulter feels quite heavy. As Steel Core was asking for $70, then Assaulter may be between $70-100 considering his size. If TFC is asking for roughly the same for Silverbolt, then they should be delivering similar quality standards.

[Sam]

I think these may look better than my current Superion with the add-on kit from Fansproject, but I will give these a pass.

Need to save money for Menasor!

[Trent]

Indeed I now have a conundrum on my hands. Menasor will be mine. No question there. But how do I go about Superion??? I was gonna hold off and get the TFC one, but now I'm wondering which one will likely go better with the FP stunticons?? Scale wise TFC's might be a bit to big, Menasor might look better next to DOTM w/FP add on Superion.

:confused:

He'd be cheaper too. You see my dilemma.

[kup]

Indeed I now have a conundrum on my hands. Menasor will be mine. No question there. But how do I go about Superion??? I was gonna hold off and get the TFC one, but now I'm wondering which one will likely go better with the FP stunticons?? Scale wise TFC's might be a bit to big, Menasor might look better next to DOTM w/FP add on Superion.

:confused:

He'd be cheaper too. You see my dilemma.

I am on 'Wait and see' mode when it comes to TFC Superion. It's not a factor until we have more information in regards to size and sculpt style. This will determine if they can fit with classics or not.

At this point, I am sticking to my FP upgraded Superion but if TFC's makes more reveals and it looks really good, then the game plan will change.

[Trent]

Out of curiousity, how tall is FP upgraded Superion? Menasor is gonna come in at 11.5 inches. From what ican gather superions a little shorter?

[SuspectimusPrime]

Comparison pics via Seibertron :):

http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/uploads/1273597179_ca2_t1_20100417_63.jpg

[Lord_Zed]

Indeed I now have a conundrum on my hands. Menasor will be mine. No question there. But how do I go about Superion??? I was gonna hold off and get the TFC one, but now I'm wondering which one will likely go better with the FP stunticons?? Scale wise TFC's might be a bit to big, Menasor might look better next to DOTM w/FP add on Superion.

:confused:

He'd be cheaper too. You see my dilemma.

I imagine Menasor probably will look more at home next to the upgraded Superion as they (the upgrade set and Menasor) will both be FP products.

I feel pretty certain that TFC's Superion will be a bit bigger and the design aesthetic a little different to FP's.

Oddly enough this doesn't bother me so much as if the individual bots are good then I will get them, and so far it is looking good.

While I like the DOTM FP upgrade Superion, the individual robot components are all pretty terrible (except the A10ish one), so I'd rather a combiner composed oh cool looking robots hence why I chose Maketoys Giant over Hercules.

It seems like TFC may have increased their attention to detail on the individual robot toys compared to Hercules, we'll see though. if so though then I will be happy even if Superion is a bit bigger. He is made of jets and will need the extra heft as he will likely be out numbered 3 to one. :D

[Hursticon]

Comparison pics via Seibertron :):
*snip*

Hehe, I could totally replicate that shot... :p:D

[Sutton]

6 members? Crap. :(

[Trent]

Where does it say that?

[Sutton]

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

Apparently the writing on the board says he will be made up of six members...

[Hursticon]

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

Apparently the writing on the board says he will be made up of six members...

Could it be a typo? - As I don't know how that'd even work, engineering-wise. :confused:
Also, I think that is the 1st official photo of this upcoming set that has had actual coloured examples rather than the grey prototypes! :eek:

[kup]

http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

Apparently the writing on the board says he will be made up of six members...

According to some guy on facebook apparently. No one else has managed to confirm this yet so it's probably best to wait and see.

[Hursticon]

According to some guy on facebook apparently. No one else has managed to confirm this yet so it's probably best to wait and see.

Certainly raises a number of questions doesn't it? ;) - I honestly can't picture a 6 component Not-Superion myself. :p

[Sam]

Could it be a typo? - As I don't know how that'd even work, engineering-wise. :confused:

The Chinese characters for five and six are fairly different, I think it's hard for it to be an unintentional typo.

That said, even though the characters state "Six combine", I'd like to see more text before and after the description before I would be certain that's indeed what it means - the context can change the meaning quite easily.

[Hursticon]

The Chinese characters for five and six are fairly different, I think it's hard for it to be an unintentional typo.

I will openly admit that unless it's written in Anglophone, I cannot read/understand it; You seem to know what you're talking about Sam so I'll take your word for it dude. :D


That said, even though the characters state "Six combine", I'd like to see more text before and after the description before I would be certain that's indeed what it means - the context can change the meaning quite easily.

The plot indeed thickens! ;):cool:

[Sam]

I will openly admit that unless it's written in Anglophone, I cannot read/understand it; You seem to know what you're talking about Sam so I'll take your word for it dude. :D

The plot indeed thickens! ;):cool:

Just to clarify, I can only read some of it, because I was brought up in Hong Kong, where the traditional form of Chinese was used. Those who grew up in China would understand the simplified / modern form of Chinese, which is the form of the text in the picture.

I might post the link to my dad and ask him. :)

[Lord_Zed]

Interesting news, I was hopping Silverbolt would actually be an SST, though from the silhouette he looks like a Blackbird. I do quite like the first two they've shown though. jet modes look decent and not questionable like some of Hercules vehicle components.

So if there is a sixth team member are we to call him Barrel Roll? :D

[SuspectimusPrime]

I guess these will just be really really big Micromaster Aerialbots.. :)

[kup]

So if there is a sixth team member are we to call him Barrel Roll? :D

It would be kind of cool if they do but I am not sure if Barrel Roll will be part of Superion because he is green!

http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Barrel_Roll

[Sutton]

Sixth member will likely be a drone plane made up of the hands/feet/thighs etc. Didn't TFC actually say something along those lines initially?

[Sam]

Ok, I was able to get the traditional Chinese form of the words in this picture:http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

and essentially it means "Small flying squadron six-member combination team Uranos".

(Literally translates as "Flying small team six combination Uranos")

[kup]

Ok, I was able to get the traditional Chinese form of the words in this picture:http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

and essentially it means "Small flying squadron six-member combination team Uranos".

(Literally translates as "Flying small team six combination Uranos")

Interesting. Thanks for confirming that, Sam. I imagine that the 6th guy is is composed of combiner kibble but that could be a bit of a cop out as the other 3rd party combiners have been able to handle excess combiner kibble remarkably well by making them into individual weapons and accessories.

I am looking forward to the reveal of how they plan to execute this.

[Sutton]

They've confirmed on their FB page that it's 6 separate bots.

Puts this project on the back foot for me, personally. I could yet be blown away by the overall package, especially if the sixth member fits in nicely. But at the moment it feels a lot like I just saved $600...

[Trent]

Hmmmm. Not sure what to think. They may yet pull it off awesomesauce stylz, although FP Superion just got slightly more attractive...

[Hursticon]

Ok, I was able to get the traditional Chinese form of the words in this picture:http://i607.photobucket.com/albums/tt160/Joey_Santana/484429_391094704289809_1792162583_n.jpg

and essentially it means "Small flying squadron six-member combination team Uranos".

(Literally translates as "Flying small team six combination Uranos")

Awesome! :)
Thank you very much for getting your Father to clarify that Sam, it's very appreciated and it certainly makes things curiouser huh? :cool:


Interesting. Thanks for confirming that, Sam. I imagine that the 6th guy is is composed of combiner kibble but that could be a bit of a cop out as the other 3rd party combiners have been able to handle excess combiner kibble remarkably well by making them into individual weapons and accessories.

I am looking forward to the reveal of how they plan to execute this.

I could see the kibble doing just that Kup & it'd make for a more interesting set IMO, it's a good opportunity for TFC to further experiment with 'Combiners' but I don't blame Trent or Sutton for feeling the way they do. ;)
I must say that I'm a little more interested in the design/development/production of this set now, I'm certainly not committing to buy it (For reasons previously stated) but I'm definitely more intrigued by it. :cool:

[Trent]

Interesting. Thanks for confirming that, Sam. I imagine that the 6th guy is is composed of combiner kibble but that could be a bit of a cop out as the other 3rd party combiners have been able to handle excess combiner kibble remarkably well by making them into individual weapons and accessories.

I am looking forward to the reveal of how they plan to execute this.

The fact that TFC incorporated the combined kibble into Herc pretty well indicates to me that if they can't do it with Uranus, then as far as they're concerned, it can't be done in a way that they would be happy with. I mean where are you going to hide a foot and a hand on those jets? I just don't think it could be done in any reasonable manner. Could be wrong though.

And if there indeed is a 6th member, then the biggest problem I have is the price. That could potentially add another $80 plus shipping to the price. Which in all honesty would put the total out of range of what I'm willing to pay. It's already teetering on the edge.

[kup]

And if there indeed is a 6th member, then the biggest problem I have is the price. That could potentially add another $80 plus shipping to the price. Which in all honesty would put the total out of range of what I'm willing to pay. It's already teetering on the edge.

Price is certainly a concern. Hercules was around $600 for all 6.

[Sam]

Maybe the sixth figure transformers into the combined form's main weapon? Or it could be a small robot that acts as the "pilot" for the combined form (but that's essentially a "throwaway" figure, hahha).

@kup and Hursticon: No worries about the Chinese text info guys. In fact I also have my dad to thank for teaching me 3D solid concepts and continuing my interest for drawing.

[theheretic]

I too am worried about the combined form of these 6 'bots. But after seeing some of the colour sampling they displayed I am happy to buy these guys as just individuals. Already preordered (the first 2) almost 2 weeks ago and unless they change the colours to something horrid I will keep the order.

[Lord_Zed]

A kibble combiner doesn't seem like to bad an idea, Superion like Bruticus has more large kibble mostly because of his feet. While yes FP Crossfire Bruticus hides his feet kibble well as an upgrade to Onslaught, and the FP Superion kit does a similar job, I don't know if that would work so well as TFC seem to be going for fairly real world alt modes, where as the the Energon based sets have more fictional modes. Therefore if the kibble jet or bot saves the combiner parts alt modes from being comprised I will be happy.

And if he is a whole new robot, then he better have a damn fine alt mode.

[G1Optimal]

TFSource Update TFC Toys Project Uranos Sixth Member Info (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/sponsor-news-19/tfsource-update-tfc-toys-project-uranos-sixth-member-info-175823/)
source: TFW2005.com (http://www.tfw2005.com)

[1AZRAEL1]

At nearly 100 a piece, id have to think about it. As much as i want it, i may have to wait. Too many other debts to pay off first. That and the missus just put an order on mpp soundwave and red alert for my xmas pressie lol

[kup]

To charge $100 more for something as peripheral as the chest plate seems a bit much. They could of easily added it as an accessory or combination of accessories. There was no need to make it into a fully transforming individual toy.

I am still unsure if I want to get it. I will need to wait for the final set pics to make up my mind.

[Gutsman Heavy]

At least it comes with Silverbolt

[Trent]

I will need to wait for the final set pics to make up my mind.

Really? :)

[kup]

At least it comes with Silverbolt

Yeah but they did say Silverbolt would be at a higher price but I guess that is to be expected since he is larger. Hopefully the mark up won't be too much but having to add such engineering to the chest plate seems to add more cost than was necessary.

We shall see.


Really? :)

I already have the FP Superion. This needs to be something really special for me to justify it. There is also the factor that I don't really like TFC's sculpting style so I need to see if the final figures are aesthetically appealing to me.

[canofwhoopass_87]

I am still unsure if I want to get it. I will need to wait for the final set pics to make up my mind.


Really? :)

kup, I think you're alone on this one. Everyone else has already pre ordered it and paid for the entire set after just seeing only a couple of prototype photos. I mean, at $600-700 - who needs to see final set pics before making up their minds? :p

[Trent]

kup, I think you're alone on this one. Everyone else has already pre ordered it and paid for the entire set after just seeing only a couple of prototype photos. I mean, at $600-700 - who needs to see final set pics before making up their minds? :p

Actually I think I'm gonna give this one a miss. I don't think I can justify the price. At least not to my wife:o.Not compared to Menasor anyway. Gonna start looking for a FP upgraded Superion instead.

[Lord_Zed]

I ain't making any decisions to preorder or avoid any figure I haven't seen yet. I don't see any big issue with this latest revelation either, it might be good or bad don't know yet. the first two figures are promising though.

[kup]

I ain't making any decisions to preorder or avoid any figure I haven't seen yet. I don't see any big issue with this latest revelation either, it might be good or bad don't know yet. the first two figures are promising though.

I am also in 'Wait and see' mode. I won't jump in without being well informed on what I will be buying.

[canofwhoopass_87]

I am also in 'Wait and see' mode. I won't jump in without being well informed on what I will be buying.

Ok I see no one picked up the sarcasm in my previous post. kup, I'm not really sure what drives you to keep posting your super generic "I need to see more before I make a decision" posts in virtually every thread that contains news/photos of a new prototype. Everyone that's keen on this set wants to see more before they commit money.

[kup]

I'm not really sure what drives you to keep posting your super generic "I need to see more before I make a decision" posts in virtually every thread that contains news/photos of a new prototype. [B]

What drives me are my fans who always seem to be keeping taps on what I post ;)

[Hursticon]

Ok I see no one picked up the sarcasm in my previous post.

I did :p, mind you sometimes sarcasm can be easily missed with text on the internet (Hence why I make liberal use of emoticons :D) but I saw it. ;)
Have to agree with Kup though, I like to be well informed before I buy anything (As most do I'm sure); even though I don't intend on picking this set up, it's still a very cool looking set that I look forward to seeing Video/Written Reviews and photos shoots of however. :)

[SuspectimusPrime]

Coloured teasers (http://tformers.com/transformers-tfc-toys-project-uranus-color/18486/news.html) of not-Fireflight are out. Looks like the combiner connector piece is just hidden underneath his head.

[Trent]

At least the wings are white now

[theheretic]

I don't like the colour teasers pics :-( I'll keep my preorder for the time being but if the colours are all like this then maybe not

[theheretic]

Change my mind, this looks great!

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/new-in-color-images-of-tfc-toys-f-4-phantom-176017/

[UltraMarginal]

While I'm still Umming and arring over the TFC herc, I'm more intrested in their Uranos simply because I used to Love Superion and I'm a bit of a transforming jet junky.
If these things were 50% of their asking price I'd snap them all up without much hesitation at all.

these new photos are great, my biggest concern going forward is that Silverbolt needs to be a concord and not an SR-71. that would close my wallet and put it back in my pocket.

[theheretic]

Has it been said they will be using the SR-71?

[Trent]

While I'm still Umming and arring over the TFC herc, I'm more intrested in their Uranos simply because I used to Love Superion and I'm a bit of a transforming jet junky.
If these things were 50% of their asking price I'd snap them all up without much hesitation at all.

these new photos are great, my biggest concern going forward is that Silverbolt needs to be a concord and not an SR-71. that would close my wallet and put it back in my pocket.

I can see why you want the whole G1 thing but as long as it looks good it doesn't bother me what he is.


Has it been said they will be using the SR-71?
No. One of the planes is going to be a SR-71, and it may be Silverbolt, but it could just as easily be the 6th member/drone

[UltraMarginal]

Has it been said they will be using the SR-71?

there is a silhouette of an SR-71 in their promotional material,


I can see why you want the whole G1 thing but as long as it looks good it doesn't bother me what he is.


No. One of the planes is going to be a SR-71, and it may be Silverbolt, but it could just as easily be the 6th member/drone

I've always thought the concord was a good alt mode representing the character of Silverbolt, Strong and quite powerful but not outwardly. silverbolt also suffers from a lot of self doiubt and fear of heights. The SR-71 is a much more aggressive vehicle and it's a high altitude spy plane, which doesn't really suit his character so much.

If the 6th character that makes up the chest plate is the SR-71, I'll be OK with that except for the massive scale disparity that will entail. but scales never been that important, I do tend to prefer larger things to be bigger, even if not actually an accurate scale.


And based on what we've seen so far of their material on this team it is surely going to look very good, so I am pretty confidant you'll be happy, your wallet might not be though:D

[theheretic]

I see whAt your saying about the concord matching his character, but the scale would be horribly off if they use that. It makes it hard for them to choose an appropriate alt mode for Silverbolt

[Lord_Zed]

It's very G1 looking colour wise.

Quite nice indeed.

[UltraMarginal]

I see whAt your saying about the concord matching his character, but the scale would be horribly off if they use that. It makes it hard for them to choose an appropriate alt mode for Silverbolt

they are differnt, concord is 62m long:eek:, the blackbird is about 33m long.
I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[theheretic]

they are differnt, concord is 62m long:eek:, the blackbird is about 33m long.
I guess we'll have to wait and see.

So Silverbolt would need to be leader size while the blackbird would be voyager and remainder being deluxe :-)

[SuspectimusPrime]

So Silverbolt would need to be leader size while the blackbird would be voyager and remainder being deluxe :-)

:eek: The Skydive and Air Raid must be pretty stocky to hold up the weight of a leader, a voyager, and two more other deluxes!

[theheretic]

Sorry guys

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-project-uranus-sr-71-blackbird-revealed-176032/

[Trent]

I see no problem so far. From those shots he looks pretty good. And I highly doubt he's gonna be black.

I'm actually getting more interested in this. Whith each reveal its more likely I'll pick this up.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Sorry guys

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-project-uranus-sr-71-blackbird-revealed-176032/

That chest looks a bit unfinished? Doesn't really look as cartoon accurate as the other Aerialbots or TFC's other releases, so I guess there's still some hope of a 6th member that will make that chest more screen accurate.

[theheretic]

That chest looks a bit unfinished? Doesn't really look as cartoon accurate as the other Aerialbots or TFC's other releases, so I guess there's still some hope of a 6th member that will make that chest more screen accurate.

Pretty sure there is a sixth member still to come that will make the chest plate.

[kup]

The Blackbird pics are a bit too blurry to make out detail but so far I like what I see. Silverbolt looks to have pretty decent proportions and the 'Energon' blocky body shapes we saw with Hercules are not present here when it comes to the TFC Aerialbots which was my main turn off originally.

In regards to the chest piece, yeah it does look off and perhaps this is due to the 'transforming' factor as it's supposed to be the '6th guy' but I would have preferred a better looking chest armor.

I'll guess that we will have to wait for better and perhaps colored pics to see how successful the chest armor is.

[Trent]

Gives us an idea of what it will look like.

Courtesy of Psychoshi on TFW (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/598199-new-tfctoys-project-uranos-mega-thread-79.html#post8371790)

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachments/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/27323187d1348992976-new-tfctoys-project-uranos-mega-thread-78d46d5fgw.jpg

[1AZRAEL1]

Whilst it looks cool, I think I prefer my FP Superion.

Not saying I wouldn't buy them and display them individually, coz they do look cool on their own :o

[Trent]

Remember we still haven't seen the bot/drone/plane/thing that will be the chest piece. Should clean him up a bit.


And it's growing on me.

[The Scream Man]

Worst case, the individual robots look pretty amazing. I mean i get that Superion is the draw, but the single units are amazing, and I can live with that! :)

[Lord_Zed]

Need proper pics to asses the combined mode, but the individual bots look good.

For one thing when we see the finished combiner robot, it's arms wont be turned inward like that picture.

[Sutton]

Need proper pics to asses the combined mode, but the individual bots look good.

For one thing when we see the finished combiner robot, it's arms wont be turned inward like that picture.

Yes, and the shoulders should be higher - as it is the arms are attached by the limb-robot's head. G1 sure, but not how it'll actually work. But this was just a very quick paintshop job to get an idea of his proportions.

[theheretic]

I'm sold! Check out these pictures!

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-project-uranos-x-45-phantom-ray-new-images-of-sr-71-blackbird-176067/

[kup]

I'm sold! Check out these pictures!

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-project-uranos-x-45-phantom-ray-new-images-of-sr-71-blackbird-176067/

Silverbolt is very impressive, he certainly helps to sell the set. However I am not convinced that the Superion chest plate looks as good as it should. It still feels compromised due to the transforming gimmick.

The Superion face also seems a little off to me but I think it's mostly the expression than the sculpt as a whole.

[Trent]

Dammit. I think I'm gonna have to actually fork out for this set. It looks pretty impressive.

Silverbolts head sculpt looks really good.

[SuspectimusPrime]

All 3 modes look really good :o I agree with Superion's head looking a bit off, I really dig that help but the visor sticks out a bit and the facial expressions are a bit plain (more heads coming along? :p).

Would like to see Silverbolt do some more dynamic poses - the back of his lower legs could be hollow. Looking at the combined mode and robot mode, it looks as though the legs do a 180 degree turn backwards, then is folded upwards at the knees to cover the thighs. Shin guards and toes both then fold 180 degrees.

[theheretic]

Looks like hollow lower legs to me too but I can live with that. I like the head but I hope it comes with a second alternate one too

[Lord_Zed]

I stand impressed.

Silverbolt does look good.

Wonder what the colours would be like, I actually wouldn't mind if they made his Jet mode black or grey, but kept his robot colours white and red. he wouldn't be much of a silver bolt, but his jet mode would probably look better.

I'm sure if there is enough discontent with the heads Dr Wu will make some alternates, I'm not to bothered by it myself. it's a bit plain but that seem the norm with the guys. Hercules head is fairly plain, and Giant has one weird head and one plain one.

[kup]

I stand impressed.

Silverbolt does look good.

Wonder what the colours would be like, I actually wouldn't mind if they made his Jet mode black or grey, but kept his robot colours white and red. he wouldn't be much of a silver bolt, but his jet mode would probably look better.

I'm sure if there is enough discontent with the heads Dr Wu will make some alternates, I'm not to bothered by it myself. it's a bit plain but that seem the norm with the guys. Hercules head is fairly plain, and Giant has one weird head and one plain one.

Agreed, the facial expression is not a deal breaker even if it could be better.

[seespotrun]

Silverbolt's looking pretty nice; it's unfortunate he seems to suffer the same robot-under-plane syndrome that ROTF Leader Jetfire (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Jetfire_%28ROTF%29#Leader_Class_toys) did. I guess it's unavoidable given how the sleekness of the plane gives you nowhere to hide the robot bits. I hope he doesn't turn out like Universe Silverbolt (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Silverbolt_%28G1%29#Universe_.282008.29), whose transformation was basically "fold the plane in half, then unpack the robot attached underneath". Heck, given that Leader Jetfire was compromised to make a power-up mode for Optimus, TFC's Silverbolt could end up being the best of the three.

Their Air Raid (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=405509869509642&set=a.145368155523816.27702.123904231003542&type=1&theater) is quite interesting, as it introduces a new seeker mould. Maybe TFC can improve on my favourite deluxe mould (Classics Starscream (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Starscream_%28G1%29/toys#Classics_.282006.29)) with a seeker who doesn't have gaping holes in his underside in alt mode.

[Trent]

More pics are up over at TFW. (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-3rd-party-discussion/598199-new-tfctoys-project-uranos-mega-thread-100.html#post8472901) They show what appear to be the final versions of not-Air Raid and not-Fireflight. I must admit they look pretty good. A few small nit picky things but overall I'm impressed.

And I really like how not-Superions feet can be used as stands for the jets. Very cool:cool:

[theheretic]

I've been bac and forth with these guys but after looking at these pictures I'm glad I preordered them way back

[Trent]

I've been bac and forth with these guys but after looking at these pictures I'm glad I preordered them way back

I'd say I'm Definately gonna pick these guys up, but I'm gonna wait for version 2. That way all the small niggley problems that the fandom find and common about will be fixed:) and I will be happy:D

[canofwhoopass_87]

I'm actually really liking the way these look, but not a fan of this 6th member thingo and the whole $100 pre order price. Could've sworn it was $80 not long ago wasn't it?

Well regardless, not paying that much money, no matter how good it looks. TFC's greed lost me

[1AZRAEL1]

While cool, I can't justify $100 a piece atm. Even Herc cost me less than that.

[Lord_Zed]

I like both of them a lot, lots of paint aps is nice to see, and I quite like the way the foot can be used as a stand, there isn't really much you can do with the foot that wont look silly on a jet.

The only thing i'm not a fan of are those missile guns, I like that they have missiles, but as guns they are a bit bland. Maybe they need a Dr Wu pistol set.

[theheretic]

Third preorder is up over at BBTS

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10028&mode=retail&picture=out

[SuspectimusPrime]

Third preorder is up over at BBTS

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10028&mode=retail&picture=out

Ouch$$$ :eek:

[1AZRAEL1]

Ouch indeed. Way too much for me right now.

[theheretic]

I couldn't help myself :-( I really want Superion


Hi. My name is Mark and I'm a plastic addict.

[Hursticon]

I couldn't help myself :-( I really want Superion


Hi. My name is Mark and I'm a plastic addict.

Hehe, lol! :p:D

At least you've admitted you've an issue, you're in the right place though as we all suffer a similar affliction. :D:cool:

[SuspectimusPrime]

Cheaper pre-order from RK (http://robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU003&lang=us). Also pictured is photos of X-45 Phantom Ray (Chest/Breastformer :p) with a blurred out work-in-progress head.

Phantom Ray's alt mode looks like a flying chest piece. Looks quite neat, however his arms are just his wings folded - not that anybody is paying for this guy to be displayed in bot mode :p:rolleyes:

[canofwhoopass_87]

Cheaper pre-order from RK (http://robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU003&lang=us). Also pictured is photos of X-45 Phantom Ray (Chest/Breastformer :p) with a blurred out work-in-progress head.

Phantom Ray's alt mode looks like a flying chest piece. Looks quite neat, however his arms are just his wings folded - not that anybody is paying for this guy to be displayed in bot mode :p:rolleyes:

Ah RK's price is much more palatable. The set is starting to grow on me now, with all these new pics. Really cool what they did with the 6th member. Some colour photos of the team combined may win me over!

[1AZRAEL1]

The set is growing on me. I just can't justify buying something of this magnitude with so little funds I have atm.

[VGMStudios]

I am extremely excited about this one as Superion is my favorite transformer!
I would love to get him but I'm going to wait till I see it complete and in colour.
I really hope they do him justice! So far so good!

[rocman12]

I loved Superion as a kid in the cartoon series, but the original toys are a little disappointing! Probably the worst out of the combiners for me! So im using this excuse and i pre-ordered them!!!

[theheretic]

I loved Superion as a kid in the cartoon series, but the original toys are a little disappointing! Probably the worst out of the combiners for me! So im using this excuse and i pre-ordered them!!!

We all have our excuses :-D

[theheretic]

Box packaging images have been release

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-f-4-phantom-box-image-176287/

[SuspectimusPrime]

Robot modes for the first two figs have been released (http://tformers.com/transformers-tfc-toys-uranos-f15-eagle/18920/news.html). Colours look quite spot-on :)

[theheretic]

All has been revealed! Well except colours...

Combined TFC Superion and last two arielbots (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-uranos-harrier-falcon-and-combined-form-revealed-176415/)

[canofwhoopass_87]

All has been revealed! Well except colours...

Combined TFC Superion and last two arielbots (http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-uranos-harrier-falcon-and-combined-form-revealed-176415/)

Boom! Was hyped up for a second there. The combined mode was a make or break for me and it looks like I'm gona give this guy a miss now. Doesn't feel like superion to me. The different chest piece makes it lose the G1 feel.

[kup]

Boom! Was hyped up for a second there. The combined mode was a make or break for me and it looks like I'm gona give this guy a miss now. Doesn't feel like superion to me. The different chest piece makes it lose the G1 feel.

It doesn't feel like Superion to me either. It has somehow lost the character in it's sculpt.

Silverbolt and the rest of the team individually does look really good though

[canofwhoopass_87]

It doesn't feel like Superion to me either. It has somehow lost the character in it's sculpt.

Silverbolt and the rest of the team individually does look really good though

Looking at it again, I reckon it's because we're all used to Superion being a bit more lean. That sculpt is pretty chunky.

[kup]

Looking at it again, I reckon it's because we're all used to Superion being a bit more lean. That sculpt is pretty chunky.

For me it's not so much the chunkiness for me (although it is a factor). The chest plate and head kind of turn me off a bit.

He is also seems a bit too tall for me too.

[1AZRAEL1]

Looks nice, but I'll pass until i have money. I like the individual robots but the combined mode looks a bit meh. There will be an addon pack that will come out with a better chest plate.

[kup]

I still dream for the day that the FP Superion set is given the same treatmean as Crossfire Bruticus.

I would love it if they replace Silverbolt and at last a couple of the other guys.

[SuspectimusPrime]

Superion should not be taller than Devastator (screw mass-shifting; also, especially since Hercules is humongous to begin with). The chest seems to protrude a bit too much, and head sticks out a bit too much as well?

The best part of the combined mode is probably the head sculpt - do like the laser antennae and visor. Arm jet kibble works really well too.

[SuspectimusPrime]

I still dream for the day that the FP Superion set is given the same treatmean as Crossfire Bruticus.

I would love it if they replace Silverbolt and at last a couple of the other guys.

I wouldn't mind another two Causality figures to add on to the existing Crossfire set.

[Trent]

Can't say i'm a massive fan. As previously stated the individual bots look good, but the combined mode lets it down. It's something to do witht the chest.

Maybe it will grow on me once I see the final colours.

We'll see...

[Lord_Zed]

For me the key element of Superion are his mini jet shoulders, and antennae/horns. I don't like this combiner as much as Giant though, but its still nice.

The individual bots though. Wow! Falcon looks awesome, I love the attention to detail on the paneling in jet mode. I reckon the mold would work well by itself as Dreadwind repaint too. Harrier is pretty nice too, but not quite as good as Falcon. I wonder if his face will be orange?

[Verno]

Hurry up with the colour pics of not-Silverbolt already!

[VGMStudios]

Definitely want to get this guy. I can get over and forgive the chest piece.
Looks really good. Thought I'd have to get him slowly as the cost for each will hurt the wallet.

Vgm out...

[KalEl]

Got Phantom today, really like him. Mind you a lot of pointy bit you have to be careful of lol.

Easy to transform, with out being to easy. Simple is good in this case. A very nice jet mode and a nice size as well.

The arm mode is pretty damned cool.

Better Photos to come when i upload them to my site.

Here's a real dodgy snap of the arm mode off my phone:

http://i1271.photobucket.com/albums/jj621/KalElofKrypton87/D8D14A7B-C0ED-4EF9-91B4-A45F54E7FB18-12455-00000824DB909AA1.jpg

[kup]

Just curious, how does the arm look on an Energon combiner?

[KalEl]

Just curious, how does the arm look on an Energon combiner?

the connector is too big for and energon connection (as was hercules) plus it would be way to big

[VGMStudios]

Is there a drooling emoticon???
Want it SO badly! Looks really good! thanks for the pic mate!

[senzan]

Recently discovered the awesome 3rd party TFC combiners and must say these thing are betetr than any official Tformer released in the last 30 years. Absolutely amazing. In saying that - here is my Uranos in progress.... ;)

http://i.imgur.com/HCMAC.jpg

[SuspectimusPrime]

Recently discovered the awesome 3rd party TFC combiners and must say these thing are betetr than any official Tformer released in the last 30 years. Absolutely amazing. In saying that - here is my Uranos in progress.... ;)

http://i.imgur.com/HCMAC.jpg

Hadn't realised that the limbs were interchangeable. Uranos' limbs look much larger than Hercules' parts. Thanks for sharing :)

[seespotrun]

The first review of the next member -- not-Silverbolt -- is out: Tambeyoda's review on YouTube (www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nh9IetbR-jU).

Seems like TFC's attempt isn't much better than either leader-class Jetfire or ultra-class Silverbolt. The layout is very similar to leader-class Jetfire.

http://i.imgur.com/iycdM12.jpg (http://youtu.be/Nh9IetbR-jU?t=1m52s)

Hilariously, they worked in a completely pointless waist swivel as part of the transformation.

I'm disappointed that this is the Silverbolt they went with. Granted, the SR-71 is nigh impossible to implement well in a transformer, but if they couldn't pull it off, why didn't they pick a more reasonable alt mode? They've already departed from the original Concorde.

Looks like this one will quietly stay in the hangar when the rest of the team are out in alt mode. Even the phantom ray drone he comes packaged with is a better transformer -- at least it doesn't have massive robot undercarriage.

[Tallestblue]

There's something just not right about a white Blackbird. but still when i can i'll be glad to have this.

[Trent]

I'm very glad I decided to wait for the 2nd run for this. I will have to see some quite positive reviews on the final combined mode before I drop any money on these guys. Also the price almost certainly will drop as it did with Hercules. I may even end up passing on them all together.

[kup]

I want to see if he would be compatible with the upgraded Energon limbs from the FP Superion kit. The elevated waist and lanky legs of Blackbird as Uranus torso makes it seem as if it might work.

[Sutton]

Just not feeling it with this group :(

Going to have to wait for a different company to make one in the style of MT/FP methinks. This thing's just a big bright mess.

[Trent]

Just not feeling it with this group :(

Going to have to wait for a different company to make one in the style of MT/FP methinks. This thing's just a big bright mess.

I REALLY want to like it. I loved superion as a kid. He was the first complete combiner I had. I'll have to wait and see :/

[Sutton]

I REALLY want to like it. I loved superion as a kid. He was the first complete combiner I had. I'll have to wait and see :/

There's definitely not $500 worth of awesome in this guy. I went Giant over Herc anyway, but I could at least understand why people preferred Herc. This time, I just don't get it. Silverbolt is just so lazy...:confused:

If this guy was $200, I'd buy him in a heartbeat. But these things cost a premium, they need to be absolutely perfect IMHO.

[Trent]

There's definitely not $500 worth of awesome in this guy. I went Giant over Herc anyway, but I could at least understand why people preferred Herc. This time, I just don't get it. Silverbolt is just so lazy...:confused:

If this guy was $200, I'd buy him in a heartbeat. But these things cost a premium, they need to be absolutely perfect IMHO.

Speaking of lazy (http://i1272.photobucket.com/albums/y386/devyfan5/IMGP0181_zps9d4d7e6d.jpg) click on the link in the quote. Definition of a jet strapped to the robots back!

Highly disappointing.

[theheretic]

Oh wow! That's bad. He can bot mode and alt mode at the same time. I'm sad I've got this sitting in my pile of loot. I like the other two but Silverbolt is just bad comedy.

[Trent]

Yeah I get the feeling this set isn't going to sell so well. I'm gonna hang off and see if I can pick it up on clearance a few months after they're all out.

If I don't get them at all, then, meh

[Trent]

Well rumor has it that their wont be a second run of this guy due to low sales. While this is not big news to many due to TFC's styling of Uranos, to me it hints at another issue that has been speculated at a bit recently.

I have hit a point now that there is SO MUCH 3rd party stuff coming out that I can't in possibly buy it all. When I think about the figures getting released this year and do a quick mental cost calculation of the ones that interest me, my eyes nearly fall out of my head. And that's not counting official products!!!:eek:

So therefore I need to pick and choose my purchases. No doubt many others are finding themselves in the same situation. And it would appear that Uranos is becoming the first major victim of this over saturation of the 3rd party market. TFC seem to have made a few bad decisions recently, design cues on Uranos and now their next project, Ares seems like a case of incredibly bad timing. Whether they have already invested too much in Ares, or they just think that there is room for a 3rd Predaking, I can't say. But with the market as packed with products as it is now, I think TFC drastically need to lift their game and make some smart decisions about their future direction.

[Lord_Zed]

Not sure what you mean by bad decisions and design cues, that seems a bit subjective. I've been rather enjoying TFC's Uranos toys and their retro fighter plane alt modes, and I'm particularly looking forward to Falcon.

Compared to Hercules most of the robot designs and alt modes show a marked improvement in design and proportions IMHO. While the toys are not as amazing as some, they are all competently executed and solid all three forms. Blackbird is the weakest link, there's no doubt about that, however you can see the designers have prioritized a blocky G1 looking robot mode and his combiner form over his alt mode and it really shows. It's not a far cry from the sort of things Hasbro might have done in back in the day, and the sleekest transforming SR71 robot is still a Gobot.

As for Ares, I still feel everyone is jumping the gun on that, I don't think there is room for any more Predacons either, but I want to see exactly what the're offering before I go on the rampage. I really wish they'd release a torso bot for the Iron Army first though.

As for the rapid increase in Third Party products, I agree that there will soon come a time when we reach critical mass, and the amount for Third Party products begins to contract. Not sure if were there yet though. Though I have little doubt Hasbro's new generations and Takara's MP toys will eat into sales though.

[1orion2many]

I have been interested in some of the third party items but due to the MP's coming on strong this year it has stopped me looking at buying them altogether at the moment. Maybe if the MP line slows down towards the end of the year I may start buying the odd one again:)

[Trent]

Not sure what you mean by bad decisions and design cues, that seems a bit subjective. I've been rather enjoying TFC's Uranos toys and their retro fighter plane alt modes, and I'm particularly looking forward to Falcon.

Compared to Hercules most of the robot designs and alt modes show a marked improvement in design and proportions IMHO. While the toys are not as amazing as some, they are all competently executed and solid all three forms. Blackbird is the weakest link, there's no doubt about that, however you can see the designers have prioritized a blocky G1 looking robot mode and his combiner form over his alt mode and it really shows. It's not a far cry from the sort of things Hasbro might have done in back in the day, and the sleekest transforming SR71 robot is still a Gobot.

As for Ares, I still feel everyone is jumping the gun on that, I don't think there is room for any more Predacons either, but I want to see exactly what the're offering before I go on the rampage. I really wish they'd release a torso bot for the Iron Army first though.

As for the rapid increase in Third Party products, I agree that there will soon come a time when we reach critical mass, and the amount for Third Party products begins to contract. Not sure if were there yet though. Though I have little doubt Hasbro's new generations and Takara's MP toys will eat into sales though.

I agree that this project has a lot going for it. Like I have said a few times in this thread already, I REALLY want to like it. And from all appearances the limb bots are living up to my expectations. It was just sheer will power that stoppped me from buying them when Phantom and Eagle came out, based on the great reviews. I literally spent 20 minutes in a shop in the Sino Centre in HK staring at them both before pulling my self away.

But Blackbird seems to be a massive let down in that:
-The whole bot under a plane alt mode is disappointing. If they departed from the Concord, they should have picked an alt mode that could incorporate the robot parts better.
-The whole 6th member as a chest shield. PR doesnt exactly work very well as a chest shield. With it Uranos looks very bitty and unrefined.
-Uranos head. There is a whole lot of :confused: going on there.
- Cost of the figures. While these guys are on par with 3rd party costs of about 12 months ago, things have changed in that time. Many more players are entering the market with similar/better quality releases at more competitive prices. Just look at Mech Ideas. $35 a figure. While I understand that they are different products, the fact is that 3P prices are coming down due to competition. Thus people will start comparing them and asking for justification for the extra money.

I admit all my problems are with one of the 5 figures, but he is the torso bot, thus the one that they needed to get right. In reality VERY few people are buying these for the individual bots. Everyone wants Superion. But due to BB, Superion just doesnt look that good. Not for $430 + shipping.

I understand that Robot Kingdom were asking for submissions on their facebook page for a 'Rage' kit for Uranos. I can't figure out if they are simply listening to the fandom and admitting that things need changing and as such are putting together a kit, OR whether this was a plan to milk a bit more money out of people. Personally I think it's a bit of both.

The thing with Ares is, we know TFC's aesthetic. We know their pricing. We have very strong hints that these Predacons will have Cybertronian alt modes/designs, so it won't be as G1 as the others. How many people are realistically going to buy this over the either UT or MMC's Predaking? Considering that the other 2 (especialy UT) are significantly ahead of them and most people would have by now committed to one or the other. I see most of their sales coming from die hard TFC fans, people that have not yet made up their mind on one of the other 2, or people with enough cash to fork out for 2 or even all 3 versions. I am none of the above, so that counts me out.

On the other hand, TFC are now the market leader when it comes to combiners. Ares will be their 3rd so you would think that it should be their best release yet. I hope so. The more companies chasing our money, the better it is for the consumer. And I am by no means hating on TFC. They are just the company I have picked as my example. There are a few of them out there that I believe can't continue to function the way they are. Xovergen, PE, iGear are other I can see that either do or potentially could have big problems.

Now, all of this is (in a very long winded way) comes back to my previous post about 3rd party market saturation. 12 Months ago, I still would have bought Uranos. No hesitation. Despite the problems, I would have still bought it and been happy with it. Not now though. I look at Uranos and think that there are better looking, better made (debatable I know) and better priced figures out there. And this is a line of thought that I am seeing becoming evident in others on boards as well.



Anyway, If you made it this far, give yourself a pat on the back and go do something to purge my nonsensical ramblings from your mind. I suggest listening to Miley Cyrus. That will empty anyones mind :D:p


TL;DR - Trent is bored and rambling.;)

[VGMStudios]

So I got silverbolt err blackbird today and I really like it.
Was searching about him and saw that someone on tfw did a chest mod and it looks pretty good except that I didnt like how the black was showing so I did this.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-UrvxCj-vq5k/UZV2Nd6JTtI/AAAAAAAADtE/0DcCwuvv3YE/s1024/20130516_201026.jpg
What do you think? I will be modifying his a head a little so all those clear yellow will be gold.

Or how about this?
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rOVRa9GGEUU/UZV_Bo7fy8I/AAAAAAAADtU/0CuyeLB0oXs/s1024/20130516_205015.jpg

Could someone post this on the tfw in their Uranos thread. Id like to see what they say since I don't havean account...well I forgot my login information.
Thanks.

[Blink90210]

I will be modifying his a head a little so all those clear yellow will be gold.

Thanks.

How will you go about doing this? I'm keen to make that visor more opaque, was considering just straight up painting it red or something.



https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-rOVRa9GGEUU/UZV_Bo7fy8I/AAAAAAAADtU/0CuyeLB0oXs/s1024/20130516_205015.jpg


I like this one better, the white breaks it the body a little more cosmetically, in my opinion.

[VGMStudios]

Wow some feedback. Thanks dude. Thought no one cared to provide me with some feedback.

To answer your question. Ill be painting his visor and antenna gold just like the original toy and im thinking of painting his face a dark grey or something.

I too like the 2nd pic as well but it seems off.
I really hope they make a proper chest plate as they did for Hercules.

Vgm out...

[Blink90210]

Wow some feedback. Thanks dude. Thought no one cared to provide me with some feedback.

To answer your question. Ill be painting his visor and antenna gold just like the original toy and im thinking of painting his face a dark grey or something.

I too like the 2nd pic as well but it seems off.
I really hope they make a proper chest plate as they did for Hercules.

Vgm out...

I'm sure plenty of people just looking will be very keen to see how it turns out even if they don't give you feedback, but at least you know now that there's at least one person here interested!
The chest plate as is doesn't bug me as much as it does most people, I agree that it could be nicer but unless the upgrade is significantly better, I'm happy to just leave it as is or steal yours.
Please do show us/me how you go with the visor though, to me that was the part that I was most disappointed with (not the chest plate, the flappy bits, the "basic engineering" etc.)

[The Scream Man]

My roommate picked got him as a gift today, and seems happy with him. i like em OK, thouhg Im not blown away by him completely. Which is how i feel about all the TFC stuff actually; Its GOOD, but something about it just doesnt quite sing to me. Thats said i love planes, so that helps :)

[Trent]

Wings of Uranos upgrade set:

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/tfc-toys-wing-of-uranos-upgrade-set-177610/

[VGMStudios]

I cant wait. Looks so much better!
Wings of Uranos (http://tformers.com/transformers-tfc-toys-announce-tfc-008/20216/news.html)

[VGMStudios]

Tfc-008 wings of uranos is up for preorder
http://www.robotkingdom.com/services/eshop/main.php?action=details&CatType=&II=TFCU008&lang=us

Id would have rather liked that they shipped these parts with the 2 unreleased figures then spend extra.
Oh well. Kinda of a douchey move on tfc's part.

[KalEl]

I've still only got phantom, need the rest! anyone got them for sale? :P cheap ;)

[SuspectimusPrime]

Pre-order for Falcon from BBTS (http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=TFC10032&mode=retail&utm_source=retail_news&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=BigBadToyStore-Retail&utm_content=). That's a pretty nice metallic paint scheme. Never understood why, but Skydive was my singularly favourite Aerialbot when I was a kid.

[VGMStudios]

Got the last bot today.
Now I just need to wait for the upgrade kit!

[Hursticon]

Got the last bot today.
Now I just need to wait for the upgrade kit!

Are you finding that it's meeting your expectations or do you feel it's a bit hit & miss? :)

[VGMStudios]

Are you finding that it's meeting your expectations or do you feel it's a bit hit & miss? :)

To be honest I have not yet put him all together yet.
I'm waiting for WOU. I would have liked if some of the paint apps where like the art but I can easily fix that myself.
I've seen pix of him put together and I really like it so far.
Though some are having quality issues mine seems to be ok.
So yes he is a better g1 superion from what I can see but my tune might change once I try to put him together. I'll let you know.
Did you aquire him?

[UltraMarginal]

It looks nice all together but the add on set is a bit of a jerk move, it's clear that they always intended for it to happen, especially with the mouth piece.

The initial release design isn't represented anywhere so if you're going to get this as a G1 representation of superion, and lets face it, why else would you? you also need to fork out for the add on set.

At least with Hercules you had a great representation of Devastator without the add on set.

I'm still yet to buy any of them due to lack of expendable cash so my viewpoint is only as an observer, but there it is.:D

[kaiden]

It looks nice all together but the add on set is a bit of a jerk move, it's clear that they always intended for it to happen, especially with the mouth piece.

The initial release design isn't represented anywhere so if you're going to get this as a G1 representation of superion, and lets face it, why else would you? you also need to fork out for the add on set.

At least with Hercules you had a great representation of Devastator without the add on set.

When the Rage add on set was announced I always thought it was a jerk move by TFC and knew that Uranos would be no different.

[UltraMarginal]

When the Rage add on set was announced I always thought it was a jerk move by TFC and knew that Uranos would be no different.

for sure, but at least hercules looked complete without the add on set. I liked the idea of the treads becoming the forearms. much like the DW version and the cartoon interpretation.

but your right, still a bit of a jerk move money grab in both cases.

[VGMStudios]

And im sure they will do the same thing with thier predaking set.