Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
haha... What? That is like comparing chocolate to sh..Originally Posted by kup
No reason to get worked up over that.
Fans that are purists of "Transformers" by Hasbro/Tak or for other reasons cannot acquire it- I respect that. But the active haters whom are bashing it purely based on ignorance or blind faith due to the brand?... I pity them, because they don't know what they are missing out on and its their loss.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
lol Right on!Hmm, what does Crossfire'd Bruticus have to say about that?
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Minte arrived today. I've got some minor gripes but its nice overall.
One thing I really liked it show solid it is in the combined mode.
I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
got mine last week, cant believe how much bigger he is in combined mode. looks a s@#t load better to! i have say i to have some minor issues, but averall im pretty happy with the level of detail of the kits and the increased articulation.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Right so now I've been messing with them for most of the evening in between uni stuff, here are some more extended thoughts.
The Figures
The figures themselves are nice. NotSwindle and NotBlastoff look really nice in both modes. I also quite like their headsculpts. Not Swindle is a bit backheavy if you're standing him straight up and down but if you get a bit of an Animated forward lean going on it's fine. Their individual weapons are nice as well, especially NotBlastoffs sword, which he is adequately articulated to work with. My main issue when them is plastic quality - it feels poor, and more than one member on other forums have had the main figures break at or around joints. There is definitely a fragility there, so handle with care.
The weapons
The weapons included are really nice. The shotgun halves make really nice individual guns for the figures and while they might be out of place for the character the missile blocks look very menacing on Vortex in both modes. The weapons also work more or less in vehicle mode. I'll talk about Onslaught more later on, but I feel that the weapons that were given to him were pretty much taking what was left and then pegging them flimsily onto Onslaught, especially the missile racks which severly limit articulation and fall off all the time. Also the hand/gauntlet half guns aren't brilliant by any means, and again feel like FP just whacking a handle on excess bits of the combined mode and calling it a weapon. Oh and the crotchplate doesn't do anything really, and falls off the back of the main cannon too easily.
Onslaught
The only original figure to undergo any massive transformation due to the set. The new vehicle mode is absolutely fantastic. It rolls well and you can put any of the other team members on there. The artillery cannons secure to the roof of the cab reasonably well, and the feet forming the rear of the vehicle really works well. It looks particularly nice with NotBlastoff or Vortex sitting on the tray. However, the new head is larger than the standard one and the head having to fold into the same sized cavity at just the right angle leaves me cringing every time I do it, because I feel that one day one of the antennae on the head will snap off. Robot mode isn't brilliant, as the backpack just sort of floats there because again the head is larger than before, and thus it can't fold up. Attaching the weapons reduces the arm poseability to nil effectively - any attempt to eke out a bit of movement from the arms causes the missile racks to fall off. To be fair it looks nice standing there but it's effectively reduced to a statue.
Bruticus
As poor as Onslaught is, Bruticus more than makes up for it. The combined more is absolutely amazing. Everything plugs together really really firmly (except the crotchplate - why can't FP seem to make crotchplates that plug in properly?) and the broader shoulders and bigger feet compared to the original release make this one of the most imposing transformers ever. I don't know if it's all the added bulk but it seems to have gained a ton of height over the original Energon Bruticus. The way that the main cannons expand for the combined mode is really nice, and the fact that they can flip down over the shoulders is a nice touch. I've really got nothing bad to say about this mode, crotchplate issues aside. It looks nice, it's really sturdy, it plays well, there's plenty to do with it. It's a thing of beauty.
In summary I don't think these can be compared to the original Universe or Energon Bruticus, or even the later PCC Bruticus. You get what you pay for and for the retail prices for those mass releases you cerainly get a hell of a lot. However, if you're willing to pay roughly $60AUD per kit and postage, as well as for the original set of figures as well, despite approaching $200AUD of outlay it is a fantastic set. In that sense I'd compare it to other Transformers releases priced at this level, the only recent example of which I can think of is the Buster Prime/Jetfire leader two pack. Would I get FP NotBruticus over that? Well, probably not. It's a set with it's faults. As much as the majority of it is excellent stuff, there's more than one element of it that feels roughly shoehorned in (the 'hand' guns, Onslaught's weapons, etc) and there are question marks over the durability of the figures. While these have tempered my enjoyment Crossfire 02 set they're still a lovely set to own and I'd recomment it if you've got the spare cash lynig around. Otherwise, play with a mates first.
I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.
Rank 9 - Board Staff
Couple of comments on your comments:
1. The crotchpiece clips VERY firmly in place to the back of the cannon and crotch. I think you just might need to give it a bit more force.
2. In the instructions, they instruct you to put Bruticus's antennas into Onslaught's fist holes while transformingn to vehicle mode. I managed a different position before noticing that, and had the same trepidation you mention. However, once doing it as instructed, i'm much more comfortable with it. It's still a bit nerve racking though, and I'm sure there will be a few broken antennas over the years.
P.S. Thanks for the great pics King Atlas! I had no idea Bruticus's toes opened up to reveal those missile silos!
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
You know, looking at peoples pictures, I never noticed it until I looked at my Bruticus, but is there meant to be paint missing on Onslaught's thigh right below the minicon plug? One leg has paint, the other doesn't.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Yes, I noticed this when I looked at Zed's. At first I thought it was just me having bad QC. It seems everyone who got a Universe Bruticus ended up with a missing paint app.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
It's funny, because I was looking at King Atlas' and his has the paint missing on his left leg, while mine is missing on the right leg. Glad I am not the only one though.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Now that I've leaned the entire weight of my body onto it its clipped in. I retract my comment.
I gathered that was where they were meant to go first time out, but if there's a 'sweet spot' I'm yet to find it - it feels like there's an uncomfortable amount of friction each time I put Onslaught into his now excellent vehicle mode.
I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.
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