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STL
29th September 2008, 10:16 PM
Animated < Marvel Crossovers.

The line may be four figures old but I feel an immense amount of satisfaction from the Marvel toys in comparison to the Animated toys which filled me with utter frustration with their QC issues and all.

Cracking open my Venom and Iron Man, I found myself surprised that both are stellar figures. Great transformations, uncompromised robot modes and alt modes.

Iron Man has the common cockpit=central feature of robot mode problem but that aside, there's some ingenuous clips and folds that help to obscure the rest of the robot mode. One of my favourite modern jets to date. Period. I just wished the mold had been used for say Slingshot or Skydive. Very nice and very intuitive. Delightful toy. Awesome poseability to boot too.

Venom. Wow. Kurdt's review awhile back made me think this guy would be awesome but I had no idea how awesome. I was totally blown away by the alt mode. In real life, out of package, it is a bundle of joy. Its mean and nasty and this is a case where Hasbro has the perfect deco. Kudos to them. I highly highly recommend Venom to start. I love the mid section. Hell, it took me awhile to figure out but as with TFM Ironhide, this guy has propelled himself into being one of my favourites. Very sturdy, everything fits into place with the exception of the shoulders which I think in the long run might be become flimsy.

Definitely better than SWTF by a mile and I am looking forward to the next wave immensely (as well as opening Hulk and Spider-Man)!

iceburn
29th September 2008, 10:23 PM
I totally agree with Ironman but i'm abit disappointed with Venom, despite it being a cool figure to own.

My recommended figures to get in sequence:
- Ironman
- Hulk
- Venom
- Spiderman

Can't waiting for the others...

Stompy
29th September 2008, 10:31 PM
It's a high quality line thats for sure. I was pleasantly surprised myself.

You summed up my feelings about Venom, although I'm not too keen on his chunky lower legs but love the complicated conversion. Who wants a torso panel sandwich? It feels as if Venom and Movie Ironhide were born from the same engineer.

Ironman is a work of art. A very wide and relatively flat jet mode which converts into a very thin proportioned robot mode. Simply outstanding. Not too keen on the manta ray like wings in alt mode but the robot mode is simply outstanding.

Hulk is my favorite. The alt mode looks great despite having little to no play value. But his robot mode... WOW! Just WOW! Huge chunky arms that is highly articulated. Coupled with proportionate legs and torso. Simply awesome.

Spiderman is ok. Not my favorite superhero and the colour scheme doesn't really work witht he alt mode. His conversion is almost identical to movie Arcee but at least you can hide his hands. With saying that, this figure is a lot better than I expected.

This line is a million miles better than SWTF but I still prefer Animated STL. ;)

STL
6th October 2008, 10:58 AM
Spiderman is ok. Not my favorite superhero and the colour scheme doesn't really work witht he alt mode. His conversion is almost identical to movie Arcee but at least you can hide his hands. With saying that, this figure is a lot better than I expected.


I opened mine finally yesterday while watching the NSWRL grand final. Not really impressed. This is some of the worst articulation I've seen in a while. I do like how its alt mode is very solid and everything almost has a place to clip/fold into. But the articulation ahd arms make it a very awhward toy. I think if Arcee was blown up to this size, she'd be a better toy given her better articulation



This line is a million miles better than SWTF but I still prefer Animated STL. ;)

You'll come to see the light ;)

dirge
6th October 2008, 11:37 AM
While the line doesn't interest me, it's interesting to read that the QC is higher than other lines. I suspect Hasbro has made the decision to keep the QC of SWTF and the Crossovers high, otherwise the large adult fanbases of those franchises might not delve into those lines.

Paulbot
6th October 2008, 11:38 AM
I was disappointed with Venom and Spider-Man. Venom's chest is too frustrating, but the toy captures the character nicely and the vehicle mode is very good. Spider-Man is solid in bike mode, but a bit floppy in robot mode, things that feel like they should lock into place don't. But it's generally a nice figure although the Symbiote costume version looks a bit cleaner -- maybe I should have waited for the repaint.

I played with Iceburn's Iron Man and Hulk. Iron Man has some nice touches, I particularly like the way the legs transform to cover the thighs in jet mode. But I've never liked the character of Iron Man at all (except in the movie), so it puts me off the toy a bit. The jet mode looks a little cheap. If Human Torch is a repaint of this toy than I would get that.

I really liked the Hulk though. The transformation of the arms into the tank treads is fun, a bit of a puzzle, and very satisying. The Tank cannon is a bit too small but it can be turned into an attacking claw if you don't lock the main body of the tank into place. The autopunch gimmick is a bit weak because the arms are too big/heavy, but it works alright. Of the four, I like the Hulk toy the most but I'm going to wait for the Grey Hulk which is the first Hulk I really knew as a character.

TheDirtyDigger
6th October 2008, 11:39 AM
While the line doesn't interest me, it's interesting to read that the QC is higher than other lines. I suspect Hasbro has made the decision to keep the QC of SWTF and the Crossovers high, otherwise the large adult fanbases of those franchises might not delve into those lines.


Also there could possibly be stipulations from Marvel and Lucas about QC in general.

I have all the released in AU ones so far but the packaging is just so nice I can't bring myself to open them.

Pulse
6th October 2008, 11:43 AM
While the line doesn't interest me, it's interesting to read that the QC is higher than other lines. I suspect Hasbro has made the decision to keep the QC of SWTF and the Crossovers high, otherwise the large adult fanbases of those franchises might not delve into those lines.

I heard they spent quite a few years perfecting all the kinks in these Marvel TFs (I'm not sure where I heard it *shrugs*) so you know they definitely didn't rush these from the design process & into the stores... :)

STL
6th October 2008, 09:55 PM
I was disappointed with Venom and Spider-Man. Venom's chest is too frustrating,

Says the TFM Ironhide hater... :p

Paulbot
7th October 2008, 08:11 AM
Says the TFM Ironhide hater... :p

At least Ironhide's convoluted chest transformation makes sense. When I saw Iceburn's Venom I realised I was doing wrong because I was trying to make the chest straighter then it's supposed to be. The instructions are useless.

iceburn
7th October 2008, 08:46 AM
at first i thought it's meant to be straight and it doesn't seem to lock in properly.
the joints on the arms to the chest are also a pain to pop into place (likewise when trying to transform him back into the alt mode) thus...i don't really like Venom alot but character wise..he's great and looks good too.

Spiderman is a great disappointment. wished they could have done something with the front bike window that can be a removable shield

liegeprime
7th October 2008, 09:00 PM
I played with Iceburn's Iron Man and Hulk. Iron Man has some nice touches, I particularly like the way the legs transform to cover the thighs in jet mode. But I've never liked the character of Iron Man at all (except in the movie), so it puts me off the toy a bit. The jet mode looks a little cheap. If Human Torch is a repaint of this toy than I would get that.

.

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=cFpb26Mis6s&feature=user

heres a link to the Human torch Crossover figure Paulbot... is it better than the ironman? is it a repaint of the jet figure. I havent a clue coz I dont have the figure and still is considering getting any of these Marvel crossovers.

Paulbot
7th October 2008, 09:12 PM
Human Torch isn't a repaint, it's a new toy and it looks better. The wings aren't fixed like on Iron Man and the front of the jet wrapping around to the back is nice. I'm much more keen to get Human Torch than Iron Man.

iceburn
7th October 2008, 09:44 PM
what i meant with human torch is that the mould is quite similar i think such that the cockpit joins to the hip...so they might have reused some parts

Paulbot
7th October 2008, 09:51 PM
what i meant with human torch is that the mould is quite similar i think such that the cockpit joins to the hip...so they might have reused some parts

The legs are similar too. I didn't know either way, I'd only remember vague images of Johnny turning into a jet. The video is a good introduction.

The Scream Man
8th December 2008, 02:17 PM
ive been umming and ahhing these....so they're actually quite good?

STL
8th December 2008, 05:14 PM
ive been umming and ahhing these....so they're actually quite good?

I reckon start w/ Venom, Iron Man and Hulk. Their your best two bets. I'm pretty iffy on Spider-Man. Others seem not to like Venom b/c of his chest but I do disagree but maybe safer to go with the majority. Alternatively play w/ someone else's first if u can. I'd offer mine but I'm rather south. ;)

Golden Phoenix
8th December 2008, 10:47 PM
I reckon start w/ Venom, Iron Man and Hulk. Their your best two bets.

I wouldn't go with Venom, unless you are going to keep him in vehicle mode.
I have some problems with him, and the chest is only one of them, and it isnt the worst.
Lets start with the Arms. They are horrible. To thin and the doors that fold around them get in the way. The hands also get blocked if you have the missile/web shot in. They just look so out of place on Venom. He is supposed to be big and tanky, not to the extent of the Hulk, but still well built.
They are also very out of scale with the rest of the figure as well as being not proportional to itself.
Look at this:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jimmey-11/reviews/Venom/arm02.jpg
The upper arm is way to short in comparison to the forearm. The forearm is also way to thick. So thick, due to the spring loaded launcher, that it restricts the elbows movement to this far:
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jimmey-11/reviews/Venom/arm01.jpg
Like no joke, that is only 1 click of the joint. If you want to move the arm any further, you have to do so at the shoulder.
The shoulder itself is pretty simple. The wheel tries to hide the bare basics of it, which only works if the wheel is facing the front. The view from the back is about as pretty as that hippy that told STL that he's beautiful.

The legs are also pretty poor. There is a HUGE block on his lower leg. The upper leg attaches to the front of it, but the feet come from the middle of it, gives him this horrible shape when viewed from the side. They look alright from the front, and the joints are good
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jimmey-11/reviews/Venom/venom01.jpg
As for the torso, from the front, and slightly raised angles from the front, the torso looks fine, but any other angle, unless you block the view, it looks like a mess. Even worse is from the side you can see straight through it!

The thing that really gets me though, is that he cannot stand up straight. From the side he looks like he is slouching because you have to tilt the torso back at the waist and that makes his pelvis angle back.
Other then that, the closest is to miss-transform him. I know that Venom does sometimes look like a horrific monster, but he is also still very humanoid and does stand up straight sometimes, and as a humanoid it is simply one thing he should be able to do, at least for a static shot.

I suppose the best way to view Venom's Robot mode is as a Façade. He looks good from the front, and that's about it. He has some pretty poor posability, with the exception of his hip and knee joints, the sculpting is good, but he appears to a clear case of the Robot mode being sacrificed for the Vehicle mode. And as much as I love his vehicle mode, the robot mode really drags down my opinion of the figure and really drives home my thankfulness that I picked him up for a discounted price.


ive been umming and ahhing these....so they're actually quite good?
I think you should start with the Hulk. It really nails the typical traits for the Hulk while also being a very nice figure.
Unlike Venom, he is in proportion to the character.
There are only 3 minor things I don't like though:
- The waist has a spring in it so when you twist the upper torso it will just go back to normal.
- The Elbows and Shoulders a bit thin, although this is so the arms can bend further
- And the forearm has a fair bit of kibble that sometimes gets in the way of the hands, but only when you want to spin them to positions they usually wouldn't go.
Like I said, minor problems, but the rest of the figure make up for them.

lcz128
8th December 2008, 11:10 PM
Personally, I think I'll start with Wolverine :b Played the others - can't say I'm impressed unfortunately :(

STL
8th December 2008, 11:11 PM
My counter to Scrawny's rebuke of Venom. Kurdt the Goat did a stunning review of Venom that I agree with. He also takes some brilliant pictures.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=1603

Golden Phoenix
8th December 2008, 11:32 PM
My counter to Scrawny's rebuke of Venom. Kurdt the Goat did a stunning review of Venom that I agree with. He also takes some brilliant pictures.

http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=1603

While I acknowledge the good sculpting and great vehicle mode, the flaws I think really detract from the figure, and as such I think other, such as the Hulk, would be preferable over it


Personally, I think I'll start with Wolverine :b Played the others - can't say I'm impressed unfortunately :(
Isn't out here yet, and I haven't had a play with one so I couldn't say

Tallestblue
10th December 2008, 03:52 PM
I got Iron Man and Hulk today, as they were on sale at Big W.
I must say I really enjoy these toys.I even appreciate the Bio for Iron Man hinting at how much of a Jerk Tony Stark is. I can't wait for Thor and Cap.
Some Villains and the rest of the FF would be nice tho.
On that subject does any have ideas as to what future Characters they want and what alt modes they would have?

The Scream Man
14th December 2008, 08:17 AM
decided to grab Iron man and Spiderman yesterday, and while not perfect they're kinda cool. In my imagination it will be Marvel characters who's consciousness's are transported into Cybretronian bodies, which then format themselves to suit their new personalities.

Hulk n Venom I may just pick up now.... Are there pics of upcoming figs?

GoktimusPrime
14th December 2008, 09:41 AM
Wave 3 (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=2870)

The Scream Man
14th December 2008, 09:14 PM
Cap looks ok but....Thor...wow. i....Just wow.

Golden Phoenix
14th December 2008, 11:04 PM
Cap looks ok but....Thor...wow. i....Just wow.

Is that a "wow how awesome" or a "wow I can't beleive that got past the concept stage"

i_amtrunks
15th December 2008, 10:32 AM
The robot and alt mode for the wave 3 figures is fine and dandy, but the paints apps are so goddamn horrendous especially on cap and Thor.

Guess to have decent looking paint apps on robot mode the payoff is terrible alt mode paint apps.

The Scream Man
16th December 2008, 10:36 AM
Is that a "wow how awesome" or a "wow I can't beleive that got past the concept stage"

wow that looks like crap :P The colours alone are monstrous, but even the sculpt isnt great.


Got Hulk, but havent had time to play much with it. Seems cool though.

STL
2nd April 2009, 11:27 PM
Picked up Wolverine and Human Torch over the weekend. VERY impressed by both. I think Wolverine has an excellent transformation and gimmicks as well as a solid robot mode. Human Torch is another great jet. Sure, not traditional robot looking but a very solid toy all round with far less of the inherent problems in most TF jets.

The biggest disappointment with the figures I found was the quality of plastic. It to me feels cheaper than standard TFs

GoktimusPrime
3rd April 2009, 09:47 AM
This is about Star Wars Transformers which has been lumped into the TF Crossovers line with Marvel - so I'm posting it here. If mods feel that it should be in a separate thread then feel free to split. :)

I got TIE Pilot/TIE Bomber yesterday - my first SWTF with no pilot (yet I paid an additional $1.80 (+-_-)). The toy has no pilot. It has a cockpit in TIE Bomber mode but not in robot mode - so unlike other SWTFs it doesn't appear to have been designed to hold a pilot figurine in both modes. There's a small cavity in the chest that might be able to hold a pilot, but it looks too small and I don't think it was designed/intended to be a pilot's compartment.

Anyway - one complaint that people have had about some SWTFs (e.g.: Jedi Starfighters) is the way that the robot modes and transformations have been compromised to cater for the pilot. So you'd think that when you remove that from the equation that you'd be able to engineer a Star Wars Transformers on par with the standards of most other Transformers - perhaps even on par with Marvel Transformers like Iron Man (using him as a comparison as he's the only Marvel TF I have) - right?

Nope! Despite the greater amount of freedom granted to HasTak engineers by removing the need to house a pilot in both modes, I find TIE Pilot/TIE Bomber to be poorly engineered, even compared to other Star Wars Transformers. Darth Vader/TIE Advanced is a much better toy than this one. There are three panels which don't seem to have any locking mechanism in robot mode, so they just dangle as loose kibble. And the alignment of the elbows/forearms to shields is awkward and one in an unrealistic position.

The vehicle mode is reasonably well done. I can appreciate that it is a very ambitious vehicle to do - we know that aircraft is always hard to do, and TIE fighters are quite difficult. They've obviously chosen the TIE Bomber because it's bulkier than a regular TIE Fighter and thus has more to work with in terms of hiding a robot inside the vehicle - and it does a reasonably decent job. The missile launcher is very... crap.

Disappointed. :( It's not the worst SWTF - IMO that would still have to be General Grievous/Wheelbike... but yeah, it's below average compared to other SWTFs.

lcz128
4th April 2009, 04:01 PM
I'm pretty sure a recent question-answer session revealed that the Marvel Crossovers and StarWars Crossovers are engineered in-house by hasbro...

STL
5th April 2009, 11:56 PM
The biggest disappointment with the figures I found was the quality of plastic. It to me feels cheaper than standard TFs

Adding to that courtesy of Gok's post about SWTF, does the quality of plastic on the Marvel toys seem inferior to SWTF? Cos it certainly does for me.

GoktimusPrime
6th April 2009, 11:58 AM
I only have the one Marvel Transformer, but Iron Man's plastic quality feels more or less on par with Star Wars Transformers. The missiles are flimsier that SWTFs though.

The Scream Man
30th June 2009, 02:58 PM
has anyone got that Ironman/Spiderman combo Ive seen in Hobbyco? It looks kind of cool from what i see there, but i couldnt find any reviews on it.

Paulbot
30th June 2009, 03:24 PM
I'm sure someone did get it and posted a big review of it... but I can't find it.

Stompy did a review (http://www.otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=4224)

The Scream Man
2nd July 2009, 03:43 PM
ah, much obliged
the leg ratchetng wrecks it for me i think. i didnt like it on the other Marvel TF's either.

griffin
15th August 2009, 07:33 PM
Altered the topic title, as I wanted to comment on both Star Wars and Mavel Crossovers without having two, often-dorment, topics - due to them both being small sublines that aren't getting much coverage in Australia.

Grievous
27th March 2010, 06:47 PM
I recently picked up a few Marvel crossovers and they aren't half bad...

Venom has a wicked Alt. mode but his mech mode is just awkward...
Wolverine seems more balanced but I don't like the yellow on him...
&
Human Torch...well...this guy is just fantastic (Pun Time!). His Alt.
mode is sleek & creative (but missing landing gear) and his mech mode
is flawless...well...beside a kinda large back pack. His colors are so sexy...
God I love that orange and it works really well with the silver.
:D