Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

Mostly Fansproject Stuff; City Commander, CM add-on, D.I.A. Commander, G3 Trailer, Aerial Team Add-on, Warbot Defender, Colossus, Protector, Sidearm, Thundershred, Stormbomb, Backfirey. Few exceptions are the iGear Kup head, and Headrobots Hothead, plus a pile of stuff from Maketoys sitting in my POL. I'd like to say I'm somewhat of an FP loyalist myself, as I love their aesthetics and most of their releases fit into my Classics shelf... but having waited on them a long time for a new release, I gave up and decided to invest a huge chunk of money into Maketoys... now it seems they're getting on the ball and I can't possibly afford a Heartmaster for a loooooong time after this

I've got a quite a bit.

Fansproject:
Cliff upgrade
City Commander and rifle & shoulder missiles
Protector & Sidearm
Crossfire 1 (Superion)
Crossfire 2 A&B (Bruticus)
Blesser (and the uncomfortable fact that it took a free toy to get me to donate to the Tsunami Relief Fund)
G3 Trailer (highly recommended!)
Stormbomb (notBombshell)
Defender
And I just got CA-01 Warcry yesterday to make into G2 Swindle!

Maketoys:
Battle Tanker (KO to make into Scourge but I do intend to get the original)
Yellow Giant sets 1 and 2 are in my POL awaiting set 3 and Green to ship!

iGear:
Kup head
Rager
Spray
Ark playset (which I sold because it didn't hold all of my Season 1 Autobots on the shelf)

Perfect Effect:
Two of the Shadow Warrior figures repainted into screen accurate Rumble and Frenzy.
Upsized KO of their Reflector to repaint.

Megavolt Robot Factory: Deluxe Starscream's coronation set
TFC:
MP Starscream's coronation set
Battle Roller (which I regret selling)
MP Megatron add-on parts (which I sold because I never transform him int a gun anyway)

BTS Nemesis Trailer

Impossible Toys first Quintesson

TFCon Nightbird (which I sold)

Unicron.com:
Botcon '07 Vector Sigma
Beast Wars Golden Disk set
Animated Allspark set
I had the original metal Key to Vector Sigma but I lost it when I moved.

Headrobots:
TFCon Stronghold which I am selling (Check out below!)
Blood set for Bludgeon
Getting a Centurion at some point

Maiden Japan:
The original Wreck Gar chest, pads, wheel shield, and ax and the Bludgeon chest & legs and an Inferno headpiece are both on order.

I had the Natobot Roadbuster set as well and have various one of a kind and limited run garage kit items and sets. Soon enough I'll have my set for Botcon Octopunch (and hopefully so will everyone who wants one!) and a bunch of stuff from Shapeways like an abdomen filler for Energon/ROTF Superion, and heads and weapons and the like. Plus more Reprolabel sets than I could even hope to name.

And I still found enough money in the couch to give to Hasbro from time to time.

As far as I am concerned 3rd party products are the Transformers “collector’s division”. Whether or Not Hasbro/Takara wants to invest the money to unite the best 3rd party designers under one label and make them “official” is not my concern. Hasbro wants to target the kids market and Trix are for kids. My objective is to obtain a figure of every G1 character closest to the original animated series. And of course other repaints that replicate E-Hobby, Diaclone, Go-Bots, IDW and Marvel only characters are welcome in my collection if KO companies want to invest in Hasbro’s lack of interest in the adult collectors market. I have other 3rd party and KO items in my pile of loot and on pre-order but here is a list of everything in my collection that is currently in my possession:

TFC Hercules
FP Protector with Sidearm
FP City Commander
FP Warbot Defender
PE Ejector and Rewinder
IT Valkarie, Medic, and Nightbird
IT Spike and Daniel (exo-suits)
IT Spike and Sparkplug
IT Quints (all five)
IT Nightbird
Igear Kup head
IT Kremzeek
PE Reflector
PE Kingbat
PE Rosana
PE Laser and Buzzer
PE Rumble and Frenzy
FP Insecticons (all three)
BTS Shadow Trailer
BTS Trailer upgrade with Octane and Drag Strip guns
FP G3 Trailer
TFC Gear of War set
FP Blast Off and Swindle repaints (cant remember names)
XTransbots Powerglide, Badboy, Hot House, and Cobra Rattler (Tailwind for me)
BB Devil’s Horns Cliffjumper upgrade
Custom posts and gun for classics Sunstreaker and Diaclone version
Custom gun and rocket launcher for classics Sideswipe and Diaclone version
Custom head, gun and rocket launcher for classics Red Alert
FP Superion Upgrade
Igear Spray
Igear Rager
Renderform Red Alert upgrade set
Renderform Goldbug upgrade set
Renderform Skyjack upgrade set
Renderform Darkwind upgrade set
Headrobots Hardhead upgrade set (both versions)
Headrobots Stronghold upgrade set
Renderform classics Ravage missiles (and blue for SG Ravage)
Headrobots Megatoyfan Whirl upgrade set
Headrobots Bludgon upgrade
Maiden Japan Junkion Armor sets (at least 10 some still on order)
Maketoys Battle Tanker
Dr. Wu Protector face set
Dr. Wu Ultra Magnus face set
CHMS Rainmakers set
CHMS Purple clone seeker
CHMS Sunstorm
CHMS Black Death Starscream
CHMS Yellow seeker
CHMS Gold seeker
CHMS Ghost Skywarp and Thundercracker
CHMS Ghost Coneheads
CHMS Ghost Starscream (E-Hobby version and regular)
CHMS Wildrider
CHMS SG Rodimus
CHMS Botcon Mirage
CHMS Electro-Distruptor Mirage
CHMS Animated Chromia
CHMS Animated Medic
CHMS Shadow Commander
CHMS DIA Commander
CHMS SG City Commander ( never made by FP)
KOLD classics Nemesis Prime
KOLD blue classics Optimus Prime
KOLD black classics Winterfest Optimus Prime
KOLD SG Botcon Optimus Prime
KOLD clear seeker
KOLD Glow in the dark Rainmakers set
KO Toys pink seeker
KO Toys White and Burgundy seeker
KO Toys Orange classics Ramjet
KO Toys classics Mirage
KO Toys classics deluxe Optimus Prime (Ultra Magnus colors)
KO Toys classics deluxe tank Megatron (camouflage colors)
KO Toys legends WEheelie
KO Toys Legends Beachcomber
KO Toys oversized classics Grimlock (green and orange versions)
KO Toys ROTF Dirt Boss (Orange, brown and light grey repaint)
KO Toys mini G1 Devastator
KO Toys mini G1 Ruination
KO Toys G1 Dino Cassettes (all four)
KO Toys G1 Liokaiser
KO Toys G1 Double Dealer

Here's my 2 cents on OP's queries:

Personally, I only buy 3rd party stuff when it either compliments a piece already owned, or fills a gap I know Hasbro never will in their endless quest to overrun the world with their Bee Clone Army.

For instance, OPTION 1: While trying to complete my G1 seeker roster, the only way I could get Skywarp was to buy the 2-pack which also came with "Ultra Magnus"...which was just Hasbro's crappy OP repaint with a new name slapped on him. My conspiracy-theory-mind knows that Hasbro knew that NO ONE would buy this crap on its own, so they stuffed him in a 2-pack with another bot that people would be hungry for and just doubled the price, knowing we would jump on the grenade to get our hands on Skywarp (who was ONLY available like this, and not on his own).

Lame-SAUCE. A crappy re-paint 'bot which most likely would have spent eternity in a box in the garage until such a time as he found his way to a dumpster or used for kitbash parts.
BUT WAIT! Fansproject puts out a trailer accessory which not only makes this 'bot desirable, but actual SUPERIOR, not just as a stand alone toy but as a slot filler for your G2 roster

Similarly, I acquired Munitioner and Explorer for the same reason...was itchin' to collect me some G1 Gestalts, but the only ones available were the then-crappy Hasbro versions (day-glo hands and feet? do they not know their own product?).

OPTION 2: Comes into play with 'bots like the not-insecticons, Warbot Defender, and TFC's Herc collection. All necessary parts of my G1/movie/G2 display roster, which Hasbro never sees fit to provide for their own product line (would take away too much production time from their 67th run of Blast-Action/Battle Damaged/Space Vacuum/Spaghetti Stain Bumblebees.

SERIOUSLY, BROS, IF YOU ARE READING THIS...ENOUGH WITH THE DAMN BUMBLEBEES ALREADY!

For an easy example...look at all the upcoming stuff I already have personally earmarked (which Hasbron't will never see fit to produce): Igear's new minibots (Gears and Cosmos for my G1 roster?...CHECK). Hegemon...finally a classic G1 Megatron that doesnt have wings, a hideous alt mode, or some other abomination that is more than enough to make us say to ourselves (in our sad little child voices) "thats NOT really megatron....sigh". Arcee...the new Ironhide and Ratchet molds...sharkticons...and now TFC's second Uber-Gestalt...Not-Superion!

Overall, I also find 3rd party stuff to be of higher quality, better engineered, and much more "satisfying" as toys. Unfortunately for Hasbron't, its almost getting close to the point that you can put together a full G1/G2 collection of JUST 3rd party figures and leave Hasbron't totally out of the picture.
They really did it to themselves...they felt comfortable with their self-supposed monopoly of the TF toy market that they could get by putting all their proverbial eggs in one basket with nothing but different molds of Battle Damaged OP and a thousand different Bumblebee versions...and now they are falling behind so-called "3rd party" companies who actually provide us as collectors and consumers with what we WANT.

To me, Hasbro is now officially the "3rd party" provider that I only go to on rare occasions when I find a diamond in the rough...my "main" suppliers are people like TFC, Perfect Effect, and Fansproject who have really provided me with probably over 50% of my total collection.

• FP City Commander
• FP DIA Commander
• KO FP DIA Commander (customized by me to be my version of Powermaster Optimus Prime)
• Renderform Classics/Generations Red Alert upgrade kit
• FP Munitioner and Explorer (bought these just for the combiner parts, I didn't use the actual figures for Bruticus, see below)
• FP Causality Warcry and Flameblast (combined these with the combiner parts from Munitioner & Explorer above and used them with the TFCC Nexus Maximus set to make my own custom 'Bruticus' with clear parts and a lot of red, including red paint on some parts of the combiner parts and I painted Flameblast's vehicle mode purple to match the overall red and purple color sheme I was shooting for with the combiner)
• FP Superion upgrade set combined with 3 figures from the Energon Superion set and 2 from the TFCC Nexus Maximus set, painted the combiner parts dark metallic purple to match the purple+red color scheme of the combiner set I used, similar to Nexus Maximus above)
• BTS-03 G1 Prime upgrade set
• Unicron.com Golden Discs with Reader
• TFC Hercules (all 6)
• FP Thundershred (I regret purchasing it and I refuse to purchase the other 2 after the QC issues I encountered with it)
• FP Clear Protector Armor
• Dr Wu DW-TP01 Blade Prime (Wheeljack) Upgrade Kit
• Dr. Wu DW-TP03 Max Power (Prime) Blasters (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you have FE Prime!!!)
• All of the CrazyDevy upgrades for the Seacons
• FP TFX-02 G3 Trailer & Classic Accessory Pack
• Perfect Effect Scouting Force X
• Lots of ReproLabels (mostly just faction symbols for Maximals, Predacons, Vehicons, Autobots and Decepticons, but a couple of sets for a couple of G1 figures as well)
• FP Warbot Defender
• BTS-05 Minions Series A - Tremor & Frequenzy
• BTS-05 Minions Series B - Nightfang & Savage

I also have several on pre-order right now:

• PE-DX-01B RC (will hopefully be able to replace head with that of a FE Prime Arcee)
• iGear MW-04 UFO
• Shooter Master 3-Pack - Automated Robots
• Shooter Master 3-Pack - Deceptive Constructs
• TFC-007 Rage of Hercules Upgrades

I plan to purchase these once released/pre-orders are up:

• Dr Wu's Transformers Prime FE Prime blades
• PerfectEffect Pre-Beast Big Convoy
• PerfectEffect Pre-Beast Lio Convoy
• Any G1 combiners TFC does (ESPECIALLY Computron and Abominus )
• Xovergen Trailerforce TF-01

DJrasmo wrote:For instance, OPTION 1: While trying to complete my G1 seeker roster, the only way I could get Skywarp was to buy the 2-pack which also came with "Ultra Magnus"...which was just Hasbro's crappy OP repaint with a new name slapped on him. My conspiracy-theory-mind knows that Hasbro knew that NO ONE would buy this crap on its own, so they stuffed him in a 2-pack with another bot that people would be hungry for and just doubled the price, knowing we would jump on the grenade to get our hands on Skywarp (who was ONLY available like this, and not on his own).

I bought the Magnus/Skywarp at full price the first time I saw it because I wanted Magnus. Skywarp was just a bonus. At the time, Classics was just a pre-movie filler line and the only other Seekers even planned on were Starscream and Ramjet (both of whom were already released by that point) so people weren't jumping up and down to get the incomplete Seeker lineup. I do find it funny that to this day, it is the only way to have all the Seekers here in the States without having to import something. But that's how this hobby is: you get it while it's out or you get screwed on eBay for it later when you realize you need it.

City Commander
FP Warbot
FP Insecticons
Bruticus
Giant (not complete yet, obviously)
I've got some Shapeways parts on order as well.

They're filling gaps in the collection. I haven't gone overboard on these things as they're so expensive and I'd rather have official products, trouble is, some of these 3rd party things are so good.

I am truly amazed by the sheer number of third-party items some of you guys have. Honestly, I figured most people had *some* stuff. I didn't realize that such a huge percentage of your collections was third-party merchandise.

SJ21 wrote:I am truly amazed by the sheer number of third-party items some of you guys have. Honestly, I figured most people had *some* stuff. I didn't realize that such a huge percentage of your collections was third-party merchandise.

How many Bumblebees do you own ?