FOC Bruticus upgrade kit by Echotransformer

[kaiden]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra1n6J0IvbI&

WATCH IT!

[1AZRAEL1]

Now that is Bruticus!!! I shall purchase this when it is released.

[ILikeSoundwave]

I bet it's only for the SDCC version because of the colors.:(

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Apparently it's a Shapeways kit, so it can be for whatever Bruticus you paint it as.
Thread at TFW2005.com (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/777746-shapeways-foc-bruticus-upgrade-kit-more-game-accurate.html)

[liegeprime]

Well I wish you can purchase it colored already, Im not too keen on doing some paintjob, coz I might botch it up, but that SIGNIFICANTLY improves the toy.

[1AZRAEL1]

Im with liege on this. I can't do a good paint job on this if i had to do it. Still,i May get it and have someone who can paint well do it for me.

[Omega Metro]

Legs/feet are too big. Same with the hands. Chest piece is great though but couldn't be stuffed painting it.

[kup]

To me this looks awesome and totally remakes the Hasbro abomination into something pretty cool. I was actually making my own upgrade kit and made some headway into it but this is a lot better.

I wish they would release it as a proper 3rd party all factory painted and all.

Edit: Where are the links to the Shapeway parts for ordering, I don't see them anywhere.

[KalEl]

Im am going to get this! and paint the hell out of it!

[Sinnertwin]

Edit: Where are the links to the Shapeway parts for ordering, I don't see them anywhere.

Echtransformer answers some questions 2/3 down the page
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/777746-shapeways-foc-bruticus-upgrade-kit-more-game-accurate-58.html

[Trent]

Group buy.

[Lord_Zed]

The components are pretty big and simple, you could paint them easy enough with sprays or a cheap airbrush so long as you can match the colours.

I think I will pass though, while it is a significant improvement it, the added parts can't disguise the fact the core toy is terrible.

[theheretic]

I've been following this for a while now. Parts aren't up for order yet as he is still tweaking some bits. He has a shapeways page/store with a G1 predaking and Hercules upgrade kits. It's hard to tell what material he has used from the video but looking at the pictures it is either white polished or white strong and flexible. There is one or two radicons doing commissions for painted kits but I'm not sure how much they will be charging.

[kup]

Echtransformer answers some questions 2/3 down the page
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/777746-shapeways-foc-bruticus-upgrade-kit-more-game-accurate-58.html

Thanks! Looks like we have some waiting to do but I fear the cost prohibitive pricing.

[Iriorne]

Been following this thread on TFW for a little while, too, and the difference is like night and day. Someone mentioned (http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/radicons-customs/777746-shapeways-foc-bruticus-upgrade-kit-more-game-accurate-65.html#post9354856) in the TFW thread that Echotransformer was talking to some third party manufacturers about releasing it, but I'd treat that as rumour until it's confirmed.

If it comes out through shapeways, depending on the cost, I might be in for a group order. I'd also be happy to have a go at painting the parts for others but I only have the G2 version so colour matching the other variants might be difficult.

[KalEl]

I really want this, hope he can work out a reasonable price for the kit

[Iriorne]

Looks like this kit is going to be mass produced. Should mean it will be cheaper and probably pre-painted. :)

From the TFW thread:

Hi Everyone,

It's definitely been too long since my last update...finally I can share some news.

My official decision is that I am going to do my best to bring this to market via mass production instead of Shapeways. This was by no means an easy decision...hence the long period without updates.

All of you have been tremendously supportive of my efforts and have contributed greatly to my understanding of what to do here.

Here are my 'top 3' reasons why I am working towards mass production.

1. Quality. It will simply be the best possible way to enjoy the kit--in quality plastic, crisply molded with factory paint applications and carefully matched color in a nice retail box.
2. Reach. Simply put, more people can enjoy the kit this way because it will be a great price and accessible from many online retail stores.
3. Design. I believe that in the transition to mass production, the kit will go through yet another redesign that will make it even better. I've already started to explore 'mold ready' designs, and some parts will evolve to be 2-sided, while others will receive additional detail and scuplting -- all the while preserving the fundamental proportions and scuplting you have all helped to shape

This will be a journey for me. Although we all enjoy these products on a daily basis, much blood, sweat and tears go into every collectible we buy--and this kit will be no exception. I have brought in a very good friend of mine who has supported my work for many years and together we are already in the process of talking to the industry.

We have goals for this kit:

-top-notch quality
-fair pricing
-good time to market

Balancing these goals will be the challenge. But we're up for it!

We will do our best to share progress which updates and announcements. They will likely not be as frequent as the Radicons/Shapeways projects simply because this kind of work takes more time.

[...]

[Bidoofdude]

Pretty good-looking. I'd go crazy happy if they do the one for the Grimlock vs Bruticus one, once it's revealed. ;):cool:

[Hursticon]

This has promise :eek:, I like what this bloke has been able to achieve in his spare time and the fact that he's aiming for mass production is excellent :); We'll have to keep an eye on this one :cool:, it's not perfect but it does an amazing job considering what it has to work with so I'm willing to play the waiting game. ;)

[1AZRAEL1]

The fact he may have found help in mass producing this, makes me glad because there is such a demand for this upgrade. Wondering if I should order 3 sets for all the Brutici I own lol.

[CHILENO20]

I. WANT. THIS. KIT!!!!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

I'll just stick to the standard Hasbro version as I don't have a SDCC or BBTS/TRU version. I'm in if there will be a group order!!!

[1AZRAEL1]

Was it xtransbots that he was going through?

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=XTR10008&mode=retail

$55 isn't too bad.

[kup]

Was it xtransbots that he was going through?

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/product.aspx?product=XTR10008&mode=retail

$55 isn't too bad.

Yeah that's a decent price for a 3rd party upgrade kit given the number and size of pieces.

Is that pre-order for Fruiticus or the more sensibly colored releases? So far it look Fruiticus given the pic.

[Trent]

G2 version dammit!!!

[Iriorne]

The retail version probably makes the most sense for a first release as it would have had the widest availability. Pretty sure I read that a G2 version and an SDCC/Platinum Grimlock vs. set are coming too - the G2 version topped out the poll on TFW so I'd say that's almost a certainty. There's even a rumour of a Ruination set to come with redesigned parts for the differing limb configuration.

[1AZRAEL1]

I'd say it's a good idea for them to do this one first. It'll give a good indication if the set works or not, work out the kinks anyway. They are said to be doing the G2 version next or the platinum/SDCC version. Hope they do the shiny Takara version too.

Besides, I have put a set on order anyway :D (still a s*** sandwich, just not a soggy one :P)

[Hursticon]

G2 version dammit!!!

Eeyup! :cool:

[CBratron]

Better off waiting for the voyager-sized Onslaught?

[kup]

Better off waiting for the voyager-sized Onslaught?

The what now? :confused:

[ILikeSoundwave]

The what now? :confused:

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/third-party-unofficial-fall-of-cybertron-onslaught-178258/

[Trent]

Better off waiting for the voyager-sized Onslaught?

I think that this add on will help achieve a much more game accurate version than the voyager onslaught will. It needs more than a new torso and hands.

[kup]

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/3rd-party-unlicensed-41/third-party-unofficial-fall-of-cybertron-onslaught-178258/

Thanks!

Actually that looks pretty decent and could go further in making the toy more game accurate. The biggest problem with the vanilla set is Onslaught.

[1AZRAEL1]

Received the retail version of the upgrade. Looks nice. My bad pictures don't do it justice. I will bring it with me to Parramatta Fair.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/1AZRAEL1/IMG_3946_zps3fd4b467.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1AZRAEL1/media/IMG_3946_zps3fd4b467.jpg.html)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v502/1AZRAEL1/IMG_3948_zps5dbf0af3.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/1AZRAEL1/media/IMG_3948_zps5dbf0af3.jpg.html)

[Sinnertwin]

Very nice.

[Iriorne]

Nice, definitely improves the look of the figure. I just received the black version for my G2 set yesterday but don't have Bruticus to hand at the moment so can't try it out. Some of the clips in trailer mode are a little scary, but it'll probably spend all it's time in robot mode anyway. :)

Shame it doesn't include a new gun for combined mode as the mish-mash of weapons is now the weakest aspect of the set.

[1AZRAEL1]

Nice, definitely improves the look of the figure. I just received the black version for my G2 set yesterday but don't have Bruticus to hand at the moment so can't try it out. Some of the clips in trailer mode are a little scary, but it'll probably spend all it's time in robot mode anyway. :)

I found the clips not too bad really. But the Swindle foot is a pain in the arse to get right. The instructions say to fold Swindles feet back in to put the Brut foot plate on, but I found I couldn't secure it too well, and he stood a bit taller than Brawl. Kept the feet out as you would for a normal configuration for Swindle, and it clicked in better, but stood slightly shorter. Can't figure it out, so if you do, lemme know lol. I've also ordered the G2 set anyway :p


Shame it doesn't include a new gun for combined mode as the mish-mash of weapons is now the weakest aspect of the set.

Yea that gun I created is something I came up with. There is nothing on their instructions for it. Yea I too wish there was a gun that came with it, but I think they went with game accuracy, and he didn't have a gun. Don't forget, this was created from someone who made the custom then decided to get it mass-produced.

[Iriorne]

Ah, thanks for the tip, hopefully will be able to try it out in the next few days. With the feet, I found a video from Echotransformer (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra1n6J0IvbI) showing the shapeways prototypes - he angles Swindle's feet slightly down to insert them into the foot, but I think they straighten out again when it clips in. Might be worth having a watch through to make sure the supplied instructions actually match up with what you're supposed to be doing. :)

I can understand the omission of a weapon, especially when it was a shapeways project but when it went to mass production, I wouldn't have expected the cost of a new gun to be significant. I tried a Franken-gun for a while but ended up settling on just using Brawl and Swindle's guns, with the rest mounted on the back cannon. Now that he has decent hands I might just ditch all his weapons. :D

[Mythirax]

What's your thoughts on the quality of the plastic?

[1AZRAEL1]

What's your thoughts on the quality of the plastic?

Kinda cheap, but not the worst. But it looks good when all together. Has a bit of durability, flexs well. Doesn't feel like it will break if you play with it too much. For some things, some of the plastic bends quite a bit. Putting Swindle in the footplate for instance, the sides bend out quite far and clip him in place after going past a certain point. I need to watch a video of it to see if I have done it properly because it doesn't feel right.

No stress marks from all the bending. The plugs fit in the holes really tight, maybe a little too much. Takes some effort to get them in.

Colours are pretty close, but I fear after a few plays, some of the paint will chip.

Do love the flamethrower part, a nice touch from the game.

How all the parts fit together in trailer mode and combined mode that it doesn't feel forced with each part having a place.

Overall I think it's a good upgrade and think its worth it.

[Mythirax]

Kinda cheap, but not the worst. But it looks good when all together. Has a bit of durability, flexs well. Doesn't feel like it will break if you play with it too much. For some things, some of the plastic bends quite a bit. Putting Swindle in the footplate for instance, the sides bend out quite far and clip him in place after going past a certain point. I need to watch a video of it to see if I have done it properly because it doesn't feel right.

No stress marks from all the bending. The plugs fit in the holes really tight, maybe a little too much. Takes some effort to get them in.

Colours are pretty close, but I fear after a few plays, some of the paint will chip.

Do love the flamethrower part, a nice touch from the game.

How all the parts fit together in trailer mode and combined mode that it doesn't feel forced with each part having a place.

Overall I think it's a good upgrade and think its worth it.

Awesome thanks for your thoughts on it. I just ordered a Dark Force(?) one. The one that's all black. And purchased a set of FoC Wreckers (Ruination). So I'm hoping they mesh together well. As the pictures I saw of it looked fantastic. I'm putting together a set of the current listed wreckers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wreckers_(Transformers)#Transformers:_Prime). And well, I really wanted these guys to be included in a nice combiner form standing with them. I can't choose if I like him more, with or without the chest pieces though. What's your thoughts on these?

http://i.imgur.com/IWtebb8.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/scpT97Z.jpg

[1AZRAEL1]

Wow both look pretty cool. I'm keeping my Wreckers as robots, but that still looks pretty cool. Personally I couldn't decide on either of which is better.

And remembering that I have the Wreckers too, I'm gonna steal the heel spurs for Brawl and give them to Twintwist :p

[Mythirax]

And remembering that I have the Wreckers too, I'm gonna steal the heel spurs for Brawl and give them to Twintwist :p

Smart :D I just watched the 20~ minute video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra1n6J0IvbI) on the upgrade kit. And I got to say I can't wait to get mine now :D This is my first 3rd party purchase as well, so I hope all goes well when I get it. Watching echo put it all together as well made it look super easy. I'll post my thoughts on it when I get it which, should be very early march.

[Iriorne]

Got my Bruticus kitted up tonight, he looks heaps better. Regarding the slight mismatch in leg height, I was watching the video I linked earlier and the foot plates have some ratcheted ankle tilt in them. I found the Brawl foot likes to collapse a little more easily and causes a slight lean to that side - maybe that's your problem too, Az? With the feet set properly mine is close enough to level, though he does still have an annoying slight forward lean.

Plastic feels ok, I was worried that some clips might break or stress when I clipped everything into trailer mode but it seems pretty resilient so far. Everything clips together onto the figures easily, too, which is always nice. Instructions could be better in a couple of areas but it's fairly easy to figure out with Echo's video. Unfortunately in shortening the arms, the articulation at the elbows becomes quite limited but I think it's a reasonable trade off for the look. Very pleased overall, will post up a pic tomorrow. :)

[1AZRAEL1]

I thought the tilt rachet in the footplate was for some articulation. But yea I've fixed it so he is more level.

[Deonasis]

Damn I like that Wreckers set with Echo's add-on!!! I hope my FoC Bruticus will be using the voyager Onslaught so that will differentiate them.

[Hursticon]

Great pics Az, you should've taken more though man! :p

This kit really does go a long way in taking a complete POS of a combiner toy and actually presenting it as a decently proportioned, somewhat game-accurate gestalt. :cool:

I'd very much like the G2-flavoured version of this set but there are just far too many more important & better figures that are worth spending the money on - we'll see what happens down the track. ;):)

[Mythirax]

I noticed on TFW2005 this morning echo made a post saying:

Quote: "I am hopeful that the new Ruination kit I have designed will be of interest for customs like this because you can mix and match the parts between the sets. I was fiddling with my prototypes recently and had a blast mixing arms, legs and chest pieces to create different gestalts!

Transbots and I need to gauge interest on Ruination to ensure we will have enough sales...expect a poll with some pictures soon!"

Be interesting what exactly they have created for the wreckers set. If it's good I might have to get it and throw this Dark Force on G2 Bruticus :D

[Iriorne]

Not the greatest photo, but you get the idea. I'm planning to paint the Vortex and Blast Off parts, as well as add the purple camouflage pattern to the chest/waist shields. Hopefully I can get a pretty close colour match.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/233731/OTCA/brut_kit.jpg

[Trent]

Not the greatest photo, but you get the idea. I'm planning to paint the Vortex and Blast Off parts, as well as add the purple camouflage pattern to the chest/waist shields. Hopefully I can get a pretty close colour match.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/233731/OTCA/brut_kit.jpg

Nice. I can't wait for my G2 version. Ordered some G2 reprolabels yesterday in preparation :)

[Mythirax]

So I got this guy, but I'm presuming Vortex's tail fin isn't cut properly. What should I do? And if I need to cut it (which i sort of tried, Stanley knife wont go through it). What should I use to cut it?

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

[Iriorne]

Looks like a mould fail, you can see the outline of the clips in the photo. Is it solid plastic? You could try going gently with a hobby knife or razor saw, or you could try a dremel. Might be easier to see if you can get a replacement part for your vendor, though.

[kup]

Are they not releasing a G2 version of this upgrade or is the black it? That's actually what I am waiting for as I want the purple camo.

[Trent]

Are they not releasing a G2 version of this upgrade or is the black it? That's actually what I am waiting for as I want the purple camo.

G2 colours is the next release. Any month now…

[Mythirax]

Looks like a mould fail, you can see the outline of the clips in the photo. Is it solid plastic? You could try going gently with a hobby knife or razor saw, or you could try a dremel. Might be easier to see if you can get a replacement part for your vendor, though.

Think I might have to get myself a hobby knife, do they end up being pretty sharp? As this plastic is a good 1mm~ thick? And sadly I purchased it off ebay :D

[1AZRAEL1]

Think I might have to get myself a hobby knife, do they end up being pretty sharp? As this plastic is a good 1mm~ thick? And sadly I purchased it off ebay :D

Try sand paper. At least that way you can easily keep testing if it will fit after sanding it down a bit at a time.

[Iriorne]

Are they not releasing a G2 version of this upgrade or is the black it? That's actually what I am waiting for as I want the purple camo.


G2 colours is the next release. Any month now…

Chimungmung has it down for March 7.


Think I might have to get myself a hobby knife, do they end up being pretty sharp? As this plastic is a good 1mm~ thick? And sadly I purchased it off ebay :D

Yeah, I'd say they're pretty sharp and reasonably cheap, plus it's a good tool to have on hand. I suggest taking it gently and carve out a rough square, then finish with an emery board followed by sand paper to get the clips right. Try and support it on a block of wood or something so you have a flat surface to cut on. Try test fitting as you go to make sure you don't take too much off but it should be fairly forgiving. You can see the outline of how it's supposed to be so use that as your guide.

[Mythirax]

Yeah, I'd say they're pretty sharp and reasonably cheap, plus it's a good tool to have on hand. I suggest taking it gently and carve out a rough square, then finish with an emery board followed by sand paper to get the clips right. Try and support it on a block of wood or something so you have a flat surface to cut on. Try test fitting as you go to make sure you don't take too much off but it should be fairly forgiving. You can see the outline of how it's supposed to be so use that as your guide.

Sounds like a plan, anywhere good to get a hobby knife? I've never used one before. Not sure what sort of thing I should be getting.

Thanks for your help :D

[Iriorne]

You'll want an Exacto #11 (https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Exacto+%2311&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wa8PU7SXG4SlkAXy1IHQAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1068&bih=762) or equivalent. I think you can get Exactos from Officeworks but they're a bit more expensive. Excel is cheaper but just as good, in my opinion. They're pretty common at art and craft or hobby shops.

[Mythirax]

You'll want an Exacto #11 (https://www.google.com.au/search?q=Exacto+%2311&espv=210&es_sm=122&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=wa8PU7SXG4SlkAXy1IHQAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1068&bih=762) or equivalent. I think you can get Exactos from Officeworks but they're a bit more expensive. Excel is cheaper but just as good, in my opinion. They're pretty common at art and craft or hobby shops.

Perfect! I need to head up office works next month. So I'll pop in then and see what they offer. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction :D