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.