Showing posts with label FansToys. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FansToys. Show all posts
Tuesday, 22 December 2020
Thursday, 17 December 2020
Wednesday, 9 December 2020
Tuesday, 27 October 2020
Thursday, 14 May 2020
REVIEW: FansToys FT-41 Sheridan
It’s time for another third party Transformers review, and today we’re taking a look at FansToys’ latest offering with FT-41 Sheridan! This is of course their take on a Masterpiece-styled Warpath and is already causing quite a bit of reaction online. Does it live up to the hype or is it just all overblown noise? Let’s find out.
Wednesday, 13 November 2019
REVIEW: FansToys FT-29T Quietus
As I was preparing for this review I looked up the last write-up I did on this blog about a third party Masterpiece-style Cyclonus and was surprised to see it was published almost three years ago to the day! I don't know why but I'm sure that says something about the whole notion of assembling a Masterpiece collection and the fact that we're never really "done" as there'll always be tweaks and upgrades to make along the way. In any case it also made me feel that three years wasn't such a bad length of time to have passed before looking at a new version of the character, so with that said let's dive into it!
Wednesday, 6 November 2019
REVIEW: FansToys TF-31C Spoiler
For whatever reason, third party attempts at Transformers characters generally come in threes. Someone, somewhere decreed it. It's rarely less than three and it's even rarer to be more than three, as three seems to be the absolute sweet spot. Reflectors, Insecticons, Seasprays, Springers, you name it. Oh, and now the rule of three has spread to the Combiner wars (see what I did there?) as everyone and their mum is having a go at giving us Masterpiece-styled big lads. Well, now FansToys are throwing their hat into the Stunticon ring with - Spoiler alert! - Spoiler!
Monday, 28 October 2019
REVIEW: FansToys FT-39 Jabber
It's been a good while since I've flexed my review muscles properly outside of doing monthly rundowns, but here we are back at it again with a new FansToys release. Yep, I've been inspired to get typing by heft and sparkly finish. After all, many of us have been waiting patiently for another stab at a Masterpiece-styled Blurr for a little while now, so let's take a look at Jabber and see if he absolutely, positively, definitely hits the spot.
Thursday, 10 August 2017
REVIEW: FansToys FT-20 Terminus Giganticus
INTRODUCTION
Where to begin with this one, eh? There are certain releases that can only be considered "event" figures, and I'm sure you'll agree that the idea of a Masterpiece-inspired Omega Supreme definitely qualifies for that honour. I mean, seriously - it's ridiculous when you think about it, isn't it? The size of the thing by itself is seemingly crazy, and for the longest time it seemed like such a release would always be merely a pipe dream for MP collectors. But what's this? We now have not one, but two third party offerings on the horizon representing that very character. First out of the gate is of course FansToys Terminus Giganticus, with DX9's Gabriel soon to follow. What a time to be a collector!
Thursday, 16 March 2017
REVIEW: FansToys FT-10 Phoenix
INTRODUCTION
For many collectors in the world of so-called third party “Masterpiece” Transformers, FansToys reign supreme. They were one of the first to usher in this current era of collecting of course, with Quakewave having been the figure to lead many of us down the rabbit hole initally. Since then they have bolstered an extremely loyal fanbase and a strong reputation, so it’s perhaps no surprise that each new release is met with almost unparalleled excitement. Add to the mix that their success seems to be allowing them more and more daring efforts, which brings us up-to-date with Phoenix. It wasn’t so long ago that the idea of a quality, full-size Masterpiece-styled Skyfire to fill out your Autobot ranks was the stuff of dreams. Now, here we are, and I for one couldn’t be more excited!
Sunday, 29 January 2017
REVIEW: FansToys FT-08 Grinder
INTRODUCTION
To many, including myself, the FansToys Iron Dibots represent one of the highlights of third party Transformers collecting so far. Despite only being a few years ago, the scale & ambition of producing an entire team of massive high-end figures like this was relatively unheard of outside of combiner teams when Scoria was first revealed, and it’s insane to think that it’s only just coming to an end now. Or is it?
I only ask as of course, we’ve been here before, haven’t we? Many of us thought we were done with our Dinobot-collecting after Stomp arrived last year (to a significantly warm reception, it must be stated!), as FansToys had already provided a solution for Masterpiece MP-8 Grimlock’s comparatively diminutive height with a set of platform shoe-type lifts as an accessory with Scoria. I think if we’re being honest though, this was never really a definitive solution, even if I will say that I was certainly happier with it than most.
Sunday, 15 January 2017
REVIEW: FansToys FT-16 Sovereign
INTRODUCTION
There are a handful of characters that, by their very nature, will always be more desirable to Transformers collectors than any others. Obvious names like Optimus Prime & Megatron are obvious examples, but for many the Autobots & Decepticons who made their debut in the 1986 animated movie are near the top of that list too, such is the impact of that particular piece of fiction on our collective childhood years. Galvatron is a character that many collectors have been hoping that TakaraTomy would tackle as part of the official Masterpiece line for some time, and remains a frequent namedrop in any conversation speculating future characters that will be released. Still, so far there's been no indication that this is about to happen, and so of course many of us are naturally turning towards third party efforts to fill the gap.
Thus far, only one contender has arguably come close to hitting the spot: DX9's Tyrant. Tyrant proved to be something of a divisive figure, with arguably as many ardent supporters as vehement detractors, though he still remains the bar to beat as far as crafting the ultimate Masterpiece-styled Galvatron goes. Naturally, many people were overjoyed when FansToys threw their hat in the ring and unveiled their design for Sovereign, but can he live up to the hype? Let's dig in and find out.
Saturday, 26 November 2016
REVIEW: FansToys FT-18 Lupus
INTRODUCTION
Ask most Transformers collectors what their favourite third party company might be and there's at least a relatively safe bet that they might mention FansToys in the list of names they give you. The company has achieved a level of reputation that most can only aspire to, and perhaps with good reason - they do put out pretty consistently good figures. Clearly their success has allowed them the confidence to experiment a little more, as we have seen them recently branch out into more and more unusual choices for the characters they've been recreating. And so we come to Lupus, which sees them attempting something outside of the arguably safer territory of the first three seasons of the G1 cartoon for the first time. Let's take a look at what is also the first "Masterpiece-styled" Weirdwolf on the market!
Friday, 5 February 2016
REVIEW: FansToys FT-07 Stomp
INTRODUCTION
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that for many Transfans, the FansToys Iron Dibots have been a particular highlight of our collective hobby over the last couple of years. Ever since FT-04 Scoria was first unveiled as the company's sophomore character release, many have been eagerly awaiting the day when we would be able to complete the set. Soar and Sever have been similar delights since, and even if the notion of finally completing the Dibots line up is now a little further away with the subsequent reveal of Grinder, that takes nothing from the sheer, unbridled excitement that surrounds the release of Stomp, their interpretation of a Masterpiece-styled G1 Sludge.
For my own part, I have to confess now that this is the figure that I have been most looking forward to in this particular line-up. Sludge was always a favourite character of mine growing up, and despite a general love of dinosaurs there was always something that I thought was particularly amazing about him transforming into the rather distinctive and herbivorous Brontosaurus (now officially considered a valid genus in its own right again, as of 2015!).
It's not much of an exaggeration to say that for many Transfans, the FansToys Iron Dibots have been a particular highlight of our collective hobby over the last couple of years. Ever since FT-04 Scoria was first unveiled as the company's sophomore character release, many have been eagerly awaiting the day when we would be able to complete the set. Soar and Sever have been similar delights since, and even if the notion of finally completing the Dibots line up is now a little further away with the subsequent reveal of Grinder, that takes nothing from the sheer, unbridled excitement that surrounds the release of Stomp, their interpretation of a Masterpiece-styled G1 Sludge.
For my own part, I have to confess now that this is the figure that I have been most looking forward to in this particular line-up. Sludge was always a favourite character of mine growing up, and despite a general love of dinosaurs there was always something that I thought was particularly amazing about him transforming into the rather distinctive and herbivorous Brontosaurus (now officially considered a valid genus in its own right again, as of 2015!).
Sunday, 10 January 2016
REVIEW: FansToys FT-13 Mercenary
INTRODUCTION
Outside of the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line, there's not much that is greeted with quite the amount of excitement that a new FansToys' release seems to generate. However, it's perhaps also true that many of their recent reveals have also brought at least some element of controversy, with even their most ardent fans claiming that figures like their upcoming Spotter have somehow 'dropped the ball' (which is very much not the case, as you will hopefully know from my review of that figure). Despite almost unanimous praise for the first in their line of Masterpiece-styled Insecticon homages, Grenadier, the sophomore effort has been met with its own share of concern, particularly around the design of the face.
So, have FansToys finally gone and done what everyone was worried about and dropped the ball for arguably the first time, or have they crafted another figure that is a welcome and worthy part of their increasingly large line-up? The answer to this question is perhaps not as surprising as some may think, but let's give this new figure a good old once over anyway.
Outside of the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece line, there's not much that is greeted with quite the amount of excitement that a new FansToys' release seems to generate. However, it's perhaps also true that many of their recent reveals have also brought at least some element of controversy, with even their most ardent fans claiming that figures like their upcoming Spotter have somehow 'dropped the ball' (which is very much not the case, as you will hopefully know from my review of that figure). Despite almost unanimous praise for the first in their line of Masterpiece-styled Insecticon homages, Grenadier, the sophomore effort has been met with its own share of concern, particularly around the design of the face.
So, have FansToys finally gone and done what everyone was worried about and dropped the ball for arguably the first time, or have they crafted another figure that is a welcome and worthy part of their increasingly large line-up? The answer to this question is perhaps not as surprising as some may think, but let's give this new figure a good old once over anyway.
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
REVIEW: FansToys FT-11 Spotter
INTRODUCTION
Not so long ago, building a Masterpiece collection with the occasional third party addition was a relatively simple affair. TakaraTomy seemed to be working to a relatively slow burn of only a couple of new moulds every year, and these were typically fairly easy to predict as the majority of releases were G1 season 1 Autobots, an intent which was pretty much confirmed by communication from the designers themselves alongside the release of MP-12 Sideswipe.