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Hi,

It was the summer of 1989. My mom and I were in Toys R Us and as always I was looking at the Transformers aisle when I saw the largest Transformer I had ever seen. MMy memory has it being half as tall as I was, so maybe 2 feet? I wanted it more than anything else that I had ever wanted before.

Much to my chagrin, my mom said no, that it was too expensive. If my memory serves me, I believe it was $70.

Now here is where my memory is foggy. For some reason i remember thinking, "Oooh a spaceship for all my transformers to travel in." Since then, my memory has created this picture of a 2-3 foot long Ark.....

Did such a thing ever exist, especially in 1989. I have looked around a lot and not seen any such item. I am starting to think that my memory of that day is a little off and that i must have seebn a Fortress Maximus. Was Fort. Max. about $70 back then? Is there anyway I could have really seen an Ark or something similar?

It sounds like Fort Max you're talking about, especially since he had a Battle Station mode.

I should note that the ship mode very much resembled the White Base from the original Gundam series...

Well I'm not wizard of G1 toy knowledge but there was no Ark created for the line.

Omega Supreme
Fort Max
Metroplex

Those are a few that spring to mind as being pretty big. And being that it was 18 years ago it might have seemed larger than it really was.

So noone ever made a big ass Ark huh? Thats too bad.

Hmm, they toy I always wanted....damn it mom, it was just $70 back then.

Bonger wrote:So noone ever made a big ass Ark huh? Thats too bad.

Hmm, they toy I always wanted....damn it mom, it was just $70 back then.

I know how you feel man. Amazing how many times you wouldn't get something as a kid, only to have to pay 4 times that amount on ebay 10-20 years later.

Yes, seriously, 4 times as much if I get lucky. I just checked ebay and the buy it now prices are closer to a grand than 500 in most cases.

I might have to settle for an incomplete one for now.

Fortress Maximus is the conclusion I came to as well since it would have been on shelves at about the right time. I saw it the same day I got the Powermaster Optimus. I'm pretty sure Metroplex and Omega Supreme were off the shelves by then.

Ah well, thats too bad. A 2 fot long ark woyuld have been so freakin awesome. I can just see my GF freaking out on me as I carry it into the living room for display.

Which is more expensive - Brave Maximus or Fort Maximus?

They're both pricey on ebay. Judging by ebay, Brave is $100 less. However, I want the original. I'm not crazy about the brightly colored Brave Maximus.

Though, atleast they are a lot less on ebay than Lee's prices, which is a relief.

I paid a little over $200 for my Brave Max--he's not a bad way to go if you just want to add the Fort Max mold to your collection. I actually prefer the blue and red over Fort Max's original dull grey.

That sounds about right. There is a Brave MIB on ebay for 350ish right now.

If you're coughing up for a Fortress Maximus, you might want to know of all the different versions out there.
And if anyone sees mistakes, correct me:

--Fortress Maximus (US) - has a large rifle, large gun, 4-piece robot friend, gun for smaller headmaster, radar dish.

--Fortress Maximus (Japan) - same as US version, but has a 3 part sword.

--Grand Maximus (Japan) - Rare. Different colors. Has everything of Japanese Fort Max Japanese release AND a Pretender shell, along with a gun for the Pretender.

--Brave Maximus - Darker version. Missing EVERYTHING but radar dish, gun for larger head robot and both head robots.

(As for his sword, there was a brief promotion in Japan to get his sword during the Brave Maximus release. Likewise, a blue version of the sword, but without the handle to fit it in his fist, came in the Japan-only Toys R Us Super God Fire Convoy clear double set).

I THINK that's all of the regular FMs. Did I mess up?

Keep in mind too, that pieces often missing on loose Maximuses are:

-the 2 giant guns on his legs
-the 2 wrist guns inside his hand compartment
-the 2 rifle barrels on the sides of his waist
-the door to the "jail" in his leg
-the clear door to his chest
-the 2 door flaps to the other side of his chest
-the door / ramp right under his chin
-the 2 ramps, as well as the sections of those ramps for the back of his arms

As for seeing him for $70, that was a damn fine price.
I remember him being on the end cap of the boys aisle at Toys R Us for $99.99.

I'm surprised nobody metioned Countdown. It's fairly obvious he was talking about Fort Max but Countdown fits the base and spaceship part. Just sayin'.

God Magnus wrote:I'm surprised nobody metioned Countdown. It's fairly obvious he was talking about Fort Max but Countdown fits the base and spaceship part. Just sayin'.

Ah, maybe. There ARE similarities.

http://www.tfu.info/1989/Autobot/Countd ... ntdown.htm

I have seen the blue sword that Riotflea describes sell for as much as $200 in Japan. I am astonished the plastic sword by itself can sell for that much money.

i thught grand max was the rid version( no weapons) and brave max was the guy with the pretender shell. i cant see countdown being $70 though . by todays standards $70 back then would probably be about $125

stormrider wrote:I have seen the blue sword that Riotflea describes sell for as much as $200 in Japan. I am astonished the plastic sword by itself can sell for that much money.

Well, that's what happens when Takara GUTS a toy of all it's weapons. :D

To make it worse, all the preliminary photos and I think even the Robots In Disguise collection notes showed him with his rifle and gun.
Yeah, I was pissed when I finally got my $175 import of him from Japan.
Even better, he was missing his ear stickers. >__<

You have to admit though... the blue sword was so much cooler, what with it's "Till All Are One" sticker written in a funky font at the base of it.

Oh Thanks, thats really good info on the different Maximus's.

I'm going to go for the G1 US release as every other member of my collection is G1 US.

As far as countdown goes, how tall would he have been in a package and what year was he released in. I can't seem to find any info on him.

If I remember right Countdown was about a 18" by 12" or so and it was released in '89, I believe.

Hmm, Myabe it was countdown then. This incident in the Toystore was in the summer of 1989. And my memory from almost 20 years ago was a spaceship. Maybe it just seemed HUGE as I was a kid and much smaller.

Anyone remember the opriginal MSRP on Countdown?

Bonger wrote:Hmm, Myabe it was countdown then. This incident in the Toystore was in the summer of 1989. And my memory from almost 20 years ago was a spaceship. Maybe it just seemed HUGE as I was a kid and much smaller.

Anyone remember the opriginal MSRP on Countdown?

I've looked over every single helpfull post, and none of them have links to images of the toys! Time to remedy that:

Fortress Maximus
Grand Maximus
Brave Maximus
Countdown with Rocket Base

And everyone forgot:

Skystalker with Space Shuttle

The last one is the toy I think you saw.

What's the deal with the pretender shell for Grand Maximus? Never saw that before......

Dagon wrote:What's the deal with the pretender shell for Grand Maximus? Never saw that before......

Probably an atempt to keep him in line with one of the main focuses of the line at the time.

Redimus wrote:

Dagon wrote:What's the deal with the pretender shell for Grand Maximus? Never saw that before......

Probably an atempt to keep him in line with one of the main focuses of the line at the time.

Wow, how very corporate of them......

God Magnus wrote:I'm surprised nobody metioned Countdown. It's fairly obvious he was talking about Fort Max but Countdown fits the base and spaceship part. Just sayin'.

I don't remember that costing $70. (If it were, my parents wouldn't have bought me it!). For some reason, I remember it as $20.

On a side note, this got me thinking about GI Joe's Defiant playset. I'd kill to own that thing. But I don't have the space for it.

My first thought was actually Skylynx. I remember seeing one in Toy Circus when I was little and thinking it was gigantic. Plus, it would be more recognizable as a spaceship to a little kid than Fort Max.