Encore 23 Fort Max

[GoktimusPrime]

All I have to say is.......

TOLD YOU SO!!!!!

During the Cybertron-con at Singapore in March, TakaraTomy never denied the question when we asked if there rumour was true about the Encore Fort Max.



The Brave Max I recently got was 30000yen plus 11000yen EMS postage which worked out to be $525 total with PayPal.

.... *pats himself on the back after telling this very website more than a year ago this would happen*....

Yes.... I told you so.

Now please tell me which horse will win this year's Melbourne Cup!

Anyway, I personally never believe in anything until it's officially announced because I don't wanna get my hopes up in case it doesn't happen! I'm totally gonna get Encore Fortress Maximus. Firstly because I just want a MISB complete Fort Max, but also I hope that this toy will sell well and prompt TakaraTOMY to do more reissues -- especially more big cityformer reissues like Trypticon (they used the mould for Gigastorm in Beast Wars!) and Scorponok (not sure if they still have the mould... hope so!) etc.

So what was all that stuff about Fort Max failing the "drop test"? Was that just for the USA?

Yeah, that's only in America. That's why Takara was able to release Brave Maximus for Car Robot, but Hasbro couldn't release it as Fortress Maximus for Robots In Disguise.

Fort Max is a Brick but so are most of the G1's, I love the 80s robot style far more than the later stuff (but thats just me )

To be honest, Fortress Maximus really isn't that impressive a Transformer action figure, even by G1 standards. The transformation/engineering isn't all that clever -- toys like Triggerhappy and Snapdragon have far more interesting designs. And the size kinda makes him hard to interact with other Transformers as an action figure. Marvel Comic artists had to significantly downsize him to make him work, like going toe to toe with Galvatron. Toywise Fort Max could just step on Galvatron (whereas in the comics Galvatron could wrestle with Fort Max and rip his circuitry out with his bare teeth!). But Fortress Maximus is a really impressive play set for other Transformers! And unlike Metroplex who's really a playset for the smaller carded Transformers (specifically the Scramble City gestalt limbformers, but Mini-bots work too), Fortress Maximus can work with the larger boxed Autobots! He has all kinds of neat play features like the ramps, launchers, lift, prison etc. that make him a really cool play set. Much better than the Cyberverse rubbish.

The real "action figure" feature is in Cerebros -- they made him a Headmasters too (w/ Spike) so that he could be interactive with the other Autobot Headmasters (this play pattern was heavily promoted in the Headmasters anime series) -- but let's face it, Cerebros sucks compared to any of the other Headmasters (because he's just a head... you'd certainly never buy this toy on its own!). But yeah, the real appeal of the toy is as a playset. Oh, and the size is bloody impressive!! When my daughter was born I couldn't resist doing this...


IMO $300 for a MISB Fortress Maximus reissue is a good price. It's what I paid for my Brave Maximus, so I consider that within the RRP range (albeit at the upper end - but still acceptable ). It's a helluva lot cheaper than what you'd pay for a MISB G1 Fortress Maximus now... my G1 Fort Max cost me about $300 and it's yellowed and incomplete (no weapons/radar). So I'm more than happy to pay $300 for an Encore Fort Max... plus it means I still won't be breaking my record of paying $300 for a single toy (Brave Max remains the most expensive TF I've ever purchased -- so this will match it, but won't exceed it -- I don't _want_ to break this record! (unless the toy is bigger/better than a MISB Maximus)

eHobby should totally do Grand Maximus. Still can't believe TakTOM didn't do eHobby Metrotitan. Gah! I can't find our phone card to call overseas... I wanna call TakaraTOMY and get confirmation about this news (and also ask about the RRP) ... I'll have to wait for the missus to get home (cos she usually uses the card). Anyone else able to call them first?

[Trent]

People have been speculating over this release for many years now, it was inevitable really but still great news for anyone that wants a complete minty fresh one without spending over 1k.

The appeal is lost on me. Having grown up in the 80's in Oz and only watching the cartoon and reading the Marvel comic series, I wasn't really exposed all that much to Fortress Maximus. Don't get me wrong, I can understand why many of you are excited, I personally can't justify spending $400+ (including shipping) on what is essentially a brick.

This sums my thoughts on the matter up nicely as well. Very glad for those of you who want it, but I personally have no interest.

[GoktimusPrime]

Fortress Maximus was a prominent character in the G1 comics (or as Grimlock calls him, "Forky Maxiface"), which is also part of the appeal of this toy to me. In Transformers Prime, the Autobot Elite Guard ship that Ultra Magnus/Sentinel Prime used was called the Steelhaven, which of course was also the name of the ship commanded by Fortress Maximus in G1.

[Shirokaze]

Semi-excited I guess. I already have Brave Maximus, so I don't know if I want to shell out the money....

[GoktimusPrime]

That's fair enough. Considering that this is the biggest most expensive (RRP) toy ever, I can definitely understand people not wanting to get this toy unless they were absolutely 100% convinced that they wanted it. It's certainly not something you'd buy on some impulsive whim! Also, when we take off our rose-tinted G1 nostalgia glasses, Brave Maximus really is the best looking version of that mould anyway.

[liegeprime]

Gok's "babies"

oh and Gok you can complete that Fort Max you have now if it's just the radar and a few guns, cheaply I may add. But knowing you, you're probably averse to getting resin replicas to substitute for the real thing. You've seen my Brave Max guns right - same stuff but cheaper - I got mine for $50 but this costs less. pm if interested so Ill send you the ... oh wait you dont have an ebay account oh for crying out loud get an ebay account will yah!!

eHobby should totally do Grand Maximus. Still can't believe TakTOM didn't do eHobby Metrotitan. Gah! I can't find our phone card to call overseas... I wanna call TakaraTOMY and get confirmation about this news (and also ask about the RRP) ... I'll have to wait for the missus to get home (cos she usually uses the card). Anyone else able to call them first?

NOOOO E hobby should not do this, why because they charge FREAKIN MUCH!! It should just be a regular Taktom Encore release, E-hobby just ruins any savings by charging for items like it's gilded in gold or something - e.g. Omega Sentinel costs double of what Encore Omega Supreme costs - unreal!! and its not even colored well, just plain jane blue and white! BS pricing....

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

now do Overlord!!

THIS AGAIN AGAIN!

Fort Max is a Brick but so are most of the G1's, I love the 80s robot style far more than the later stuff (but thats just me )

He is a brick, but he's a 2 foot tall brick of awesome!

[GoktimusPrime]

oh and Gok you can complete that Fort Max you have now if it's just the radar and a few guns, cheaply I may add. But knowing you, you're probably averse to getting resin replicas to substitute for the real thing. You've seen my Brave Max guns right - same stuff but cheaper - I got mine for $50 but this costs less. pm if interested so Ill send you the ... oh wait you dont have an ebay account oh for crying out loud get an ebay account will yah!!

Pppffftt! eBay's for... people who use eBay. Besides, once I get Encore Fort Max, this'll all be irrelevant -- I'll have all the accessories I need! Yesss... Plus a minty new Fort Max that isn't all faded and yellowed like mine. Also, I can display the reissue in robot mode and the original in battleship mode!

NOOOO E hobby should not do this, why because they charge FREAKIN MUCH!! It should just be a regular Taktom Encore release, E-hobby just ruins any savings by charging for items like it's gilded in gold or something - e.g. Omega Sentinel costs double of what Encore Omega Supreme costs - unreal!! and its not even colored well, just plain jane blue and white! BS pricing....

Encore Omega Supreme's RRP is 10,000JPY ($125) and eHobby GADEP's RRP is 13,000JPY ($163) -- so it's a price difference of 3000JPY ($37.53, or a 20% increase; possibly to cover the cost of the exclusive packaging and comic book -- most eHobbies just come in that generic packaging). Although at the time 13000JPY was more like $200 because the Australian Dollar was so weak. But still... certainly nowhere near being "double" the RRP of Encore Omega Supreme. And GADEP was the most 'inflated' eHobby toy (i.e. compared to the cost of their regular retail counterpart's RRP). The majority of eHobby exclusives' RRPs are 'uninflated' though.

I hope that there'll be enough market demand for Encore Fortress Maximus and he doesn't languish as a shelfwarmer like other big expensive Encores. Already we're seeing people here talk about how they can't justify the cost of getting this toy because they either have the original G1 toy or Brave Maximus... or they just don't want to get such an expensive item at all. I really don't know if there's enough demand to warrant a regular retail release of an Encore Grand Maximus -- releasing both in the mainstream market would have them cross-competing with each other. You and I may buy both, but a lot of people wouldn't. That's why I think it makes more sense to have it as a more limited eHobby exclusive -- not to shaft fans/collectors, but to make it viable for TakaraTOMY to do it without suffering a loss.

[Paulbot]

This was a big surprise last night and I quickly put a preorder in a BBTS since why not? Doesn't cost me anything yet.

Then in the morning I woke up and looked at my (still quite new to me, but a bit worn) Fortress Maximus sitting on my drawers and wondered do I really need two?

Fortress Maximus. Fun gimmicks and just by pure size it's damn impressive looking in any collection. But I think part of what made Fort Max such an appealing toy to buy was that it was, until now, generally unobtainable.

Due to price and rarity, having a Fortress Maxmius was a status symbol. It showed you're a little insane to spend so much on a figure, but that you were truly committed to your Transformer collecting . You hunted down parts, or used chemicals to get the white back. You didn't acquire a Fort Max lightly (unless you fluked an opp shop find as has happened).

Now that it's a newly mass-produced figure, that specialness has gone. When the orders start coming in and twenty people in a row post their Fort Max acquisition it wont be the same as the rare acquisitions they've been in the past.

Perhaps Grand Max will fill that void now? Or an intact Black Zarak? Or another Japanese figure. I don't think any other Western release will quite match Fort Max as a object of desire, and that's a little sad.

I'm kind of hoping the Brave Max prices drop. It might happen since I think a lot of the interest in that figure was that it was the cheapest way to get the mold. (And I need one to finish my RID show cast collection)

Regardless getting a nice new MISB version of a G1 toy is great. Long live the Encore line.

[SkyWarp91]

PRE-ORDERED. WOOO!