WFC vs FOC vs TiWWI - A Prime Challenge
Posted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:00 pmOkay, I currently own three roughly equal-sized "Cybertron mode" Optimus Primes - War for Cybertron, Fall of Cybertron, and Titanium War Within. Just a quick overview:
1 ) VEHICLE MODES
WFC loses, but only barely. It blank, undetailed front end, combined with extremely fiddly transform leaving gaps and panels all over the place, really make WFC's vehicle mode disappointing.
TiWWI is in second, but not by much. It's a much more visually interesting vehicle, but the clearly visible hands, and general appearance of a robot on its belly holding its arms behind it, take significant points away.
Far and away, FoC has the best vehicle mode of the three. Chunkier than TiWWI, and more detailed than WFC, it has an agressive look to it lacking in the other two, as well as not relying on a fake chest like WFC.
2 ) TRANSFORMATION
TiWWI fails hard. Parts fall off at the slightest touch, pegs and tabs either refuse to stay in or refuse to budge once in, and in general it's a boring transform.
WFC is a much more complex and detailed transform, but it has the same flaw as some middle-period Cl/Gen/Uni/etc figures (*coughIronhidecough*), namely relying too much on tiny panels that are tough as heck to slide into place. It's the most complex of the three, and it shows - to its detriment, sadly.
FoC once again wins. It has a simpler transform than WFC but more complex than TiWWI, with a solid alt mode that isn't falling apart at a touch or separating panels when moved.
3 ) ROBOT MODE
A much closer race, here. However, TiWWI once again falls short of its later, all-plastic cousins. Its articulation is lesser, and as you attempt to pose it once again body parts (usually the shoulder) fall off, and the weight of its componants makes some poses pretty much impossible.
As to WfC vs FoC... it's down to personal taste. Click the link below to see a nice comparison between the two in Seib's galleries:
http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... 818/2/144/
In my personal opinion, FoC wins here as well. It's more self-contained, with fewer widdly bits hanging off, with a more athletic build. On the other hand, WFC is more detailed, beefier, and simply larger.
Okay, now to prove that this isn't a review thread, and get on to the meat of what I was trying to say:
FoC IS NOT BAD. The actual overall design of the figures is at LEAST equal to, if not better than, what we got in many previous lines. Yes, they're smaller. Yes, they're made of slightly lighter plastics. Yes, some characters could have been done much better (I'm looking at you, "Short Legs" Jazz). But, no, they are not that bad.
I've seen people wail and moan and complain about the latest figures, usually for the size and plastic content, but I've even heard people complain about the look of FoC Prime, which is what prompted this entire rant. And, in my opinion? There's no reason. People are just complaining for the sake of complaining, or making mountains out of molehills.
FOR THE TL;DR CROWD:
New figures not that bad, complaining sucks.
1 ) VEHICLE MODES
WFC loses, but only barely. It blank, undetailed front end, combined with extremely fiddly transform leaving gaps and panels all over the place, really make WFC's vehicle mode disappointing.
TiWWI is in second, but not by much. It's a much more visually interesting vehicle, but the clearly visible hands, and general appearance of a robot on its belly holding its arms behind it, take significant points away.
Far and away, FoC has the best vehicle mode of the three. Chunkier than TiWWI, and more detailed than WFC, it has an agressive look to it lacking in the other two, as well as not relying on a fake chest like WFC.
2 ) TRANSFORMATION
TiWWI fails hard. Parts fall off at the slightest touch, pegs and tabs either refuse to stay in or refuse to budge once in, and in general it's a boring transform.
WFC is a much more complex and detailed transform, but it has the same flaw as some middle-period Cl/Gen/Uni/etc figures (*coughIronhidecough*), namely relying too much on tiny panels that are tough as heck to slide into place. It's the most complex of the three, and it shows - to its detriment, sadly.
FoC once again wins. It has a simpler transform than WFC but more complex than TiWWI, with a solid alt mode that isn't falling apart at a touch or separating panels when moved.
3 ) ROBOT MODE
A much closer race, here. However, TiWWI once again falls short of its later, all-plastic cousins. Its articulation is lesser, and as you attempt to pose it once again body parts (usually the shoulder) fall off, and the weight of its componants makes some poses pretty much impossible.
As to WfC vs FoC... it's down to personal taste. Click the link below to see a nice comparison between the two in Seib's galleries:
http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/ ... 818/2/144/
In my personal opinion, FoC wins here as well. It's more self-contained, with fewer widdly bits hanging off, with a more athletic build. On the other hand, WFC is more detailed, beefier, and simply larger.
Okay, now to prove that this isn't a review thread, and get on to the meat of what I was trying to say:
FoC IS NOT BAD. The actual overall design of the figures is at LEAST equal to, if not better than, what we got in many previous lines. Yes, they're smaller. Yes, they're made of slightly lighter plastics. Yes, some characters could have been done much better (I'm looking at you, "Short Legs" Jazz). But, no, they are not that bad.
I've seen people wail and moan and complain about the latest figures, usually for the size and plastic content, but I've even heard people complain about the look of FoC Prime, which is what prompted this entire rant. And, in my opinion? There's no reason. People are just complaining for the sake of complaining, or making mountains out of molehills.
FOR THE TL;DR CROWD:
New figures not that bad, complaining sucks.
