third party newbie - where do i start?

[Melike]

So I've been looking around at some of these third party Transformers and they've been blowing my mind. BUt its also a lot of info to absorb with the multiple versions (predaking) coming out and all the different companies working on stuff.

Can anyone give me a quick and easy intro to the wonderful world of third party transfomers - which are the good companies, the not so good, the best toys to get (Quakewave will be my first I think but all the combiners are making me drool) and most of all - where you guys get these from?

Any help would be truly appreciated.

[Trent]

So I've been looking around at some of these third party Transformers and they've been blowing my mind. BUt its also a lot of info to absorb with the multiple versions (predaking) coming out and all the different companies working on stuff.

Can anyone give me a quick and easy intro to the wonderful world of third party transfomers - which are the good companies, the not so good, the best toys to get (Quakewave will be my first I think but all the combiners are making me drool) and most of all - where you guys get these from?

Any help would be truly appreciated.

Quakewave is the best 3P product made so far. It is awesome.

It really depends on your taste as to what to get. Each company has their own style and likes to put their own spin on their renditions. Most of the big ones are good QC-wise these days and they have no more issues then an equivalent HasTak toy, albiet they cost significantly more.

I collect a bit of everything and have several 3P combiners and I think they are all great. My favourite is easily Green Giant, he is so well built and solid and also looks tough. I also have Perseus which is the SG recolour of Hercules and while he as a few faults, he is still very cool.

As for which Predaking to get, whichever one you like the best. I'm going for Feral Rex personally as I have Hexatron and he is wicked. Plus MMCs Predaking looks awesome.

As for which companies are rubbish, if you can stand the drivel (and there is heaps of it), the TFW 3P serction is very good for getting an idea of whether a product is worth the cash. Also watch lots of reviews on youtube. Kalel on this forum does a few and Peaugh over on TFW does good ones to.

Hope this helps

[Melike]

Thanks for the info - ive been trying to absorb it all but theres a lot to absorb. Which is good. Where do you all get them from? Is there any proven local sites at all? I got an order from BBTS and the shipping was insane, the tracking info was wrong, the courier only attempted delivery once and i had to drive an hour to go pick it up myself (I was hoping for some kind of reaction on BBTS side but they didnt care).

So yeah, good alternatives to BBTS?

[Hursticon]

So yeah, good alternatives to BBTS?

• TFSource (US)
• RobotKingdom (HK)
• UpgradeCommander (JP)
• FansProjectCore (Exclusives Only) (CA)
• Chimungmung (HK)

[llamatron]

TFW's 3rd party forum seems to be the best English language place on the interwebs to get this sort of information.

If you're looking for a good entry figure into 3rd party stuff, I recommend Mech Ideas Apex + Gemini. They're relatively cheap and very good.

[Melike]

Thanks for the info guys. I guess ill look at th e various websites and see which has the best shipping.

And llamatron - ill look into it. Not familiar with that one. Cheers.

[kaiden]

it really depends on what you want.

first there's the upgrade kits
- FP released some for henkei/classics hot rod, ultra magnus.
they also made a trailer for Optimus that included a few chrome weapons for mirage, hound etc.
the upgrade set for Bruticus is really good too.
-igear's kup head is a much nicer head sculpt with cigar.
-Maketoys Battle Tanker.
-Dr Wu make some really good accessories

stand alone figures
-FP Insecticons, Headmasters (Function X)
-MMC everything but knightmorpher commander.
-Maketoys Nova Prime.

combiners
-depends on what you want, there's only been a few so far. Maketoys seems pretty good and we're all waiting for MMC's Predaking to finish.

I guess the best place to start would be with Fansproject - most of us probably started buying their stuff as they were innovative and of high quality.

[Melike]

Def stand alone figures. Dont think im too worried about the add on kits.
There's a lot of websites posted up there. Does anyone have a favourite?

Thanks for all the help everyone btw, it's appreciated.

As for the combiners, can you really afford to wait until they're all finished. Then Wouldnt it be hard to find the initial figures released? Of course, if you don't wait how reliable are these companies that they're going t see it through and you're left with an arm missing or something

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Def stand alone figures. Dont think im too worried about the add on kits.

Just a suggestion, but maybe don't rule out add-on kits just yet. The difference a good upgrade kit can make to an official HTT toy is amazing. I've only got City Commander (which was crazy expensive but so worth it, even despite its age), HeadRobots Blood, and that Beelzeboss United Bumblebee Goldbug kit from a while back, but they're some of my favourite pieces in my collection. A decent upgrade kit can turn a decent TF into a really good TF, and a great TF into an amazing one.

More importantly, you seem to be sort of going about this the wrong way, hey. There's a lot of great 3P stuff out there, as well as a lot of mediocre stuff as well. The best starting point is to ask yourself what characters you're interested in, especially those that HasTakTom hasn't done and/or done to your satisfaction, and what 3P stuff appeals to you personally. After that, do some research, weigh up the value VS cost ('cos 3P stuff is expensive), and see what ends up making the cut for you.
It's really all about what you yourself want from your collection - if you see something you like, look into it, and if it seems worth it, then get it.

[liegeprime]

BBTS would be too expensive... get it from Chimungmung, they've got their 3P items in a per company itemization. as everyone has said the tfw 3P thread is where you can get product descriptions , company reviews and other statistics , then when you've decided which ones to get, definitely from Chimungmung.

Of course a lot of these are quite pricy nowadays especially the older ones. The thing is, 3P are always going to be pricy even on first release. So, best to scan thru the latest ones, and pick out which you want and buy them while their available. Coz, when these ran out, usually the second runs are more expensive...

Some recommended figures - all of which are available at Chimungmung.

1. Maketoys Giant ( not devastator)
2. Fans Project (FP) Causality not stunticons
3. Fanstoys QuakeWave - not shockwave
4. Fansproject Function X1 - not Chromedome
5. MMC Hexatron - not Sixshot
6. Mech Ideas - Apex and Gemini - not Twintwist, Topspin
7. Igear for minibots and Generations Kup alternate head
8. Maketoys Battle tanker add on,
9. Dr Wu for accessory weapons