Toy Review - Titans Return Fortress Maximus

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Originally Posted by Dr Ian Malcolm

Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could that they didn't stop to think if they should.

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FORTRESS MAXIMUS
Series - Titan Wars
Sub-line - none
Size/class - Titan
New/remould/redeco – Remould of Generations Metroplex
Wave - 1
Released here - May 2016
Approximate Retail Price – $369.95 (Myer)
Approximate Size - 60cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Space Cruiser or City
Main Features/Gimmicks - Headmaster, Sound chip, Size
Main Colours – Blue, Grey, Red, White
Main Accessories – Cerebros, Emissary, 2 shin guns (detachable for hand guns), Black weapons emplacement (hand gun for Cerebros) Helipad gun emplacement


Vehicle Mode
The space cruiser mode stays faithful t othe original, except the ratchets are too loose... Try and fly and he takes on properties of the 12 letter without warning is it a bird? Is it a plane? No.... It's a flying L!!!


City Mode
Looks like the 1987 pack in catalogue was the only piece of reference material given to the Redesigner of this guy. We have a perfect recreation of the advertised 3rd mode, and Fort Max is now able to be displayed as intended!

Robot Mode
Be honest.... This is why you will get Fort Max. As a robot, he delivers, and has been changed enough from Metroplex you can forget try are the same base. This has been done in amazingly subtle ways.... Lower legs the same, but hip spin puts left on right side, right on left side. Wheels were removed, and replaced with a kids shoe with hidden rollers thingy I should have mentioned in vehicle mode. The Arm Ramps? These are repositioned Metro leg ramps. The chest/body is new.... But for some reason, the mechanism to move Metroplex's arm to rear tower mode is still there and functional. Oh, this is on the other side as well.... Don't know why, but they just spun his whole top 180 degrees....


Heads
Cerebros is AMAZING!!! Finally a comics/tv version with good proportions, that isn't just a weird head with tech counter display in chest. Now he is a good looking head with sound and battery compartment hidden in head. FMs horns are no longer on the legs, and knees now bend properly. A nice update. Emissary is like a pre-serum Steve Rodgers, but the Cerbros head is perfect.

Biggest issue.... You have to spin Emissarys head 180 for attachment... Don't know why. And surely it wouldn't have broken the budget to fold Cerbros hands away.... They show just above the head nomatter what.... At least this guy will live on high and won't be seen due to height.

Transformation
Decapitate. Raise rear ramp. Push over. Flail arms towards the sky as he falls. At some stage, rotate centre tower halves into position. Tickle toes until in position.

When parked, do splits.

Not noted in the instructions, shin guns are detachable and hand grips fold down for handgun mode.

Overall
Typical city brick.... But so was the original. But you know what?.... You want it. Some how you'll get it...articulation upgrades make it way more playable than G1... But they just don't make homes (or cities) like they used too...

I noticed with mine that if you open that arm that is a metroplex leftover. You will find a big open space. You can use it as a jail for decepticon little headmaster guys. Like G1 Max had a jail.

Had the same thought....

Hey... How's the clip that holds on your leg/wheel cover blue thingy on the helipad side? Mine unclipped first time, and has scrapped off the tiny micron of plastic that was locking it in place.

And did you notice the gun handles?

Just saw a semi-G1 toy base mode.. http://news.tfw2005.com/wp-content/u...eturns-053.jpg

Is this layout with the legs upright any good or unstable as heck?

Tried one leg.... Beyond unstable. Need a rear shot to work out how they did it vertical, the ratchets can't take any weight

Edit....

Ok, spin upper leg 90 degrees to allow a couple of clicks past verticals, and weight pulls leg back to near vertical. But waist has no support, so is floppy side to side, and nothing to lock in the back of the legs, so these flop around in the breeze...

Nice review - can't wait to collect mine! :)

Some generous bugger was able to get me one at nearly half price - it's just sitting at a mates place in Melb waiting for me to collect ;)

The blue pieces on the back of his legs do seem to want to pop out a little on mine too Krayt. I tried taking them off to apply the stickers, which I don't think I should have done.

Yeah the blue bits like to pop off on one leg. Gun handles? Where? Im thinking of getting some better springs for the ratchet joints.

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Originally Posted by VERT

Yeah the blue bits like to pop off on one leg. Gun handles? Where? Im thinking of getting some better springs for the ratchet joints.

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Both shin guns have connectors like the helipad does, but on both sides. So pull out from the leg and under neath is a gun handle.

Is he compatible with Perfect Effect Warden?

Hey thanks. Just found the gun handles :)

The poll options appear to be gauging people's interest/anticipation in the toy rather than their opinion of the toy itself. None of these options appear to give people the option of voting on whether people think that this toy is worth buying or not. JMHO.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

The poll options appear to be gauging people's interest/anticipation in the toy rather than their opinion of the toy itself. None of these options appear to give people the option of voting on whether people think that this toy is worth buying or not. JMHO.

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Looked at all poll options, including your own, and they are all done the same way.... Open your narrow mind and interpret "will it be on your top shelf" as " is it worth buying"

Interpret the parental voice as a "no"

Loved the review. Honest and on point.:D

My opinion is coloured by never having seen Metroplex in the flesh, but I think Fort Max is amazing. There's a huge amount of fun to be had just with Cerebros and Emmissary. Even at dreadful Myer prices this is a purchase I feel was worthwhile.

Bring on the rest of TR because this Headmaster gimmick is just brilliantly executed.

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Originally Posted by Maruten

My opinion is coloured by never having seen Metroplex in the flesh, but I think Fort Max is amazing. There's a huge amount of fun to be had just with Cerebros and Emmissary. Even at dreadful Myer prices this is a purchase I feel was worthwhile.

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Or one could wait a few weeks and buy it from Big W for $160 odd less. :o I wonder why they called the smallest Headmaster unit "Emissary" instead of Spike, because we know that Hasbro still holds the trademark for "Spike Witwicky" from Dark of the Moon.

The Emissary was the name for Cerebros in RID... So maybe it's linked to the trademarks.... Or maybe just a nice nod without causing a "you called it spike? But it's Galen!!!" Fight

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Originally Posted by Krayt

The Emissary was the name for Cerebros in RID... So maybe it's linked to the trademarks.... Or maybe just a nice nod without causing a "you called it spike? But it's Galen!!!" Fight

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Beat me to the punch, I have been watching RID with the kids lately and thought that it was pretty cool that the headmaster component was called Emissary... :D

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Originally Posted by MayzaPrime

Beat me to the punch, I have been watching RID with the kids lately and thought that it was pretty cool that the headmaster component was called Emissary... :D

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I get the reference, but it doesn't make sense to me. Imagine if Combiner Wars Swindle was called "Rollbar" as a homage to RiD, but still looked like Swindle and the rest of the Combaticons kept their G1 names. :eek: JMO

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

I get the reference, but it doesn't make sense to me. Imagine if Combiner Wars Swindle was called "Rollbar" as a homage to RiD, but still looked like Swindle and the rest of the Combaticons kept their G1 names. :eek: JMO

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If it means that we get a Ruination repaint then I would be all for it :p

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

I get the reference, but it doesn't make sense to me. Imagine if Combiner Wars Swindle was called "Rollbar" as a homage to RiD, but still looked like Swindle and the rest of the Combaticons kept their G1 names. :eek: JMO

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It would be like taking a heroic character failing a simple translation by warping it's classic and well known personality into your own personal fan fiction, just coz that's what a couple of badly edited comics have done in recent times

Anyone know where the gun he's holding on the box art, is located??

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Originally Posted by Fungal Infection

Anyone know where the gun he's holding on the box art, is located??

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In the mind of the artist.....

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Originally Posted by Krayt

In the mind of the artist.....

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LOL:D

(It's Titans Return)

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Originally Posted by Megatran

(It's Titans Return)

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Stupid running changes! You think I spent time reading the box? It got hidden from the wife in record time!

Plus I poured over the initial sdcc pics or leak or whatever it was that called it Titan wars... So that's stuck in the Ol' memory banks

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Originally Posted by Fungal Infection

Anyone know where the gun he's holding on the box art, is located??

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Yeah it seems old how he's holding a gun in the art, but he doesn't include on at all.
And based on older images of him, I don't think he had a gun in the first place. Apparently you can take out the cannons in his legs, but I want a giant gun to shoot all the lil decepticons trying to dismantle him :p

UPDATE: Apparently there is a gun that can be used by Cerebros. It's the gun that the Titan masters can use in City mode.

Is Generations (Titan class) Metroplex still the 'Biggest Autobot Ever'? That is, tallest figure? It's hard to tell from this pic.

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Originally Posted by Megatran

Is Generations (Titan class) Metroplex still the 'Biggest Autobot Ever'? That is, tallest figure? It's hard to tell from this pic.

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Fort max is slightly taller (from head to feet)

So opened him up today, and got to say he's a bit disappointing, and not just in the ways that you can see in the pictures.

The build quality doesn't seem as high as Metroplex for starters. Getting Cerebros into his 'tower slot' for the alt modes is a bit frustrating, and both alt modes look quite incomplete without him in there, meaning opportunity to have Cerebros himself out on display is a bit limited.

The feet/toes are difficult to lock in place in alt mode, and don't sit flush with the floor - that means they spend a lot of time not properly locked into place hanging at an odd angle. For that reason alone, the fan-made G1 Fortress Mode is actually more secure once you set it up nicely.

There's also no denying that both alt modes are a robot lying down, or a robot lying down doing the splits. The shared engineering between Metroplex and Fort is also a little odd - the legs retain the ability to splay open like on Metroplex, but for no purpose whatsoever (except for the marginally more satisfying fan mode). Also, the right arm still has the ratched hinge for it to become the tower behind Metro's helicopter pad. It has no function here at all (can't even fan mode it!). Seems like a waste of materials that could have been better used to have the legs transform more.

Another annoying thing is that Fort's hands are pinned this time. Some might see that as an improvement, but it was quite useful being able to easily remove Metro's hands and therefore improve the look of City mode. At least Fort's are coloured the same as the arms and blend better.

As it is, I can only recommend Fort Max for completist CHUG fans. I wouldn't recommend it as a fun toy for kids either, which Metroplex was. Here's hoping that Hasbro does a better job on Trypticon!

Some thoughts after getting this guy today:

1. SO BIG! I don't have Metroplex so I had no idea what to expect, but his size is just awesome! And the massive ratchets mean I've no issues getting him into poses (it's more the weight that's the issue).

2. Doesn't need all the stickers, but they do make him pop, especially the Autobot logo ones and those long ones on the guns.

3. Cerebros is excellent (almost want another of him to display solo) and I was surprised by just how small the Titan Masters are, esp compared to Brainstorm's.

4. Bot mode is super cool. Wish he had head tilt but otherwise great! Could have done with another weapon (sword/gun, so I'll probs get a 3rd party one if possible) but even with the leg guns he looks menacing, and the fact he can hold them in his arms is even better.

5. Other modes are kinda meh, I don't have much of an interest in the city mode so the battle ship thing is my preferred of the 2.

Overall super happy with this guy (though, like Devy last year, I'll probs see the SDCC version and wish I waited), at $240 not too bad (though 200 would be nicer as though he's larger than Devy he's only 2(3) robots... but electronics... )

Either way, recommended!

So much fun with the head & the sound effect,
I will apply the decal later.
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...b1&oe=57D89D31
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...8c&oe=57D78254
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...d6&oe=57C2CF36
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...32f7f86bd42ff9
https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.n...70fe8b44735f16
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a-a.akamaihd.n...0746b2eeefc7d2
https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...6b98992a14e3dc
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...29&oe=57C3481C
https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net...35&oe=57C6F132

Nice pics mate but Krayt already did a thread about this toy. So this post should really go in there.

Don't worry, I did the same with MP G2 Lambor :o

If we are to have a second review thread for Fortress Maximus, I wouldn't mind it having a poll that follows the more standard protocol for review threads; i.e. asking people about what they think about the toy rather than our anticipation for the toy. Just suggesting.

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Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime

If we are to have a second review thread for Fortress Maximus, I wouldn't mind it having a poll that follows the more standard protocol for review threads; i.e. asking people about what they think about the toy rather than our anticipation for the toy. Just suggesting.

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For a school teacher who constantly complains about the behaviour of others, you seem to be lacking in respect for others and purposely intending to create an argument

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Originally Posted by BigTransformerTrev

Nice pics mate but Krayt already did a thread about this toy.

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But this one has pics! And because of that, I might buy one now.

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Originally Posted by Omega Metro

But this one has pics! And because of that, I might buy one now.

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Heh - I never noticed before that not one post in the other thread has pics in it :people

Thanks for the photos. The base mode pics are really interesting, especially with other TF's in there for scale.

How does it compare to metroplex? Which is the better city-former play-wise. Whatever we decide it will be a play toy not a display piece.

I'm still really undecided if this guy is worth adding or if I should hunt down a Metroplex instead...

Heh... Metroplex's butt is now Fortress Maximus' crotch! And it looks like it's the same on TakaraTOMY's Fort Max. I suppose because rotating the waist 180 degrees isn't necessarily for either of Fort Max's alt modes, but it also has the added effect of making his waist look different from Metroplex's. :o

Nice photos, showing the scale with other Legends/Legion figures.

You've motivated me to bust Fort Max out of the box and transform him