Toy Review - Titans Return Fortress Maximus

[Krayt]

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

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...