Toy Review - JP Encore 23 Fortress Maximus

[DarkHyren]

1. Cerebros has very tight leg joints (fixable: loosen the screw and/or shave off some plastic).

7. Cannon on left leg is loose and is prone to popping out easily.

14. A lot of big "sprue marks" on the toy and scratches where the sprues are.

Noticed these with mine.
Also some bits are really tight (example, his legs need a fair bit of pressure to turn) and others a bit too loose for my liking (like his right hip cannon, it's a bit floppy and doesnt seem to click into place in attack mode), but overall I suppose he's ok and for all I know these "issues" are ones the original suffered so I'm not complaining.

[Sinnertwin]

Is it just me, or are there a lot more QC issues lately with TFs?

[GoktimusPrime]

Is it just me, or are there a lot more QC issues lately with TFs?

http://otca.com.au/boards/showpost.p...3&postcount=11

[GoktimusPrime]

Happy to report that there are no problems with my Fortress Maximus. The only real issue I'd say would be Cog's arms which don't plug in as tightly as my G1 Cog's. Applying the stickers was an arduous pain in the backside. The tampographed eyes look really nice. The joints are nice -- not as awkwardly tight as on G1 Fort Max or Brave Max, but not too loose either. Great reissue, I have no real complaints about it. Highly recommended.


Pics...

Battleship Maximus


Maximus City




Robot mode:






Comparison w/ my yellowed G1 Fort Max

[primetime]

My Fort Max box was double taped - indicating that it was taken back by TT and opened to inspect for QC issues.

The numnuts obviously did not check thoroughly - as my Fort Max was missing its small green canopy on the tower!

[5FDP]

Happy to report that there are no problems with my Fortress Maximus. The only real issue I'd say would be Cog's arms which don't plug in as tightly as my G1 Cog's. Applying the stickers was an arduous pain in the backside. The tampographed eyes look really nice. The joints are nice -- not as awkwardly tight as on G1 Fort Max or Brave Max, but not too loose either. Great reissue, I have no real complaints about it. Highly recommended.

Great to hear Goki I don't think that QC issues are as rampant with this reissue as some people would lead others to believe. IMO they're either jaded vintage owners or people trying to convince themselves that they don't need one by rubbishing the reissue.

I've read a lot of reviews of this toy and 99.9% are positive and the 0.1% who are complaining surprisingly never back up their claims with photo evidence I'm not referring to anyone specifically, it's just sad when people can't be happy for others who have waited a long time for this reissue.

[1AZRAEL1]

No complaints with mine, little tight on the legs for cerebros, but easily remedied by loosening the screws a lil bit. Everything there and fits together nicely. Suckers took me a few hours to apply, and do so with a steady hand.

Glad to finally own a complete fort max for way cheaper than it woulda cost to complete my other one.

[Hursticon]

Sorry to hear about the unfortunate circumstances befalling you Primetime.

My Encore #23 Fortress Maximus was double-taped at the top of the box, which I actually saw as a relief & an explanation as to why HLJ delayed its shipping by 3 days.
(Having waited many years & the total cost being $340.00AUD, I was patient... sorta )

Here is what I've found with my figure:

• Very slightly loose knees & hips on Spike - Non-issue.
• Very tight knee joints on Cerebros - Non-issue.
• Transparent-Green chest door slightly looser than preferred but holds its own weight - Non-issue.
• FortMax's waist cannons slightly looser than preferred but hold their own weight & don't fall out at all - Non-issue.
• Left fist hole slightly looser than the Right, guns hold fine though - Non-issue.

After a lengthy discussion with 1AZRAEL1 this afternoon & checking various posts around the net, the above is literally all I could find fault with regarding my example of this reissue & I'm being overly picky at that (IMO) ; Missing, broken or double-sided parts are legitimate complaints however and I hope that the few people finding themselves in this situation are able to find quick & cost free remedies.

I am extremely pleased & over the moon with my Fortress Maximus and I highly recommend anyone sitting on the fence about purchasing TakaraTomy's Transformers Encore #23, to strongly consider purchasing this affordable, stunning, imposing, play-value laden Behemoth of a figure.

[Chinta63]

Totally worth it! Mine is the one with the smudge paint =( BUT he is totally awesome !

[griffin]

I almost wish I didn't already have a Fort Max toy, as this would be a rather exciting time for any Gen1 fan, or partial Gen1 fan... to get the "flagship" Transformers toy.
I remember how exciting it was to finally own a Fort Max toy (back in 2006), so know how many of you feel, especially those of you who were around in the 80s when it was first released, but could not afford (or justify) the expense of one.
Fortunately for me, it was over 6 years ago when I forked out over a thousand dollars for mine, so I don't feel bad about it at all.
I would however feel bad if a JP Gen1 toy was reissued within a year of buying an expensive original... like Grand Max (which I got only 6 months ago).... which I'm expecting will happen if they still have the mould for the pretender shell. (it could be why Metrotitan never happened, if they didn't have the mould for the micromaster and didn't want to release the set without it)