The Energon Pub

Not at all. They're freefloating in the holes if the head is correctly positionned and the antennas correctly inserted at the right angle before tabbing the cab in its final position.

I love how the axe/sword stores on the side of bruticus's arm for when he is duel wielding the shotguns. Pure genius.

I love it, I love it, I freaking LOVE IT!

And Swindle is so sweet I'm still going to use the brown tank for that leg and keep him out on the Swindle shelf. Better than leaving it buried in the back of the Decepticon shelf where you can't see it anyway.

After a friend stops by to check it out this weekend, most of the extra weapons are going back in the box though. I'm of the opinion that combiners are used for their brute strength, not for any weapons they carry. He's still keeping one of his shotguns, of course!

I take it Onslaught's backpack doesn't fold all the way back with the new head installed in his bot mode, right?

El Duque wrote:I take it Onslaught's backpack doesn't fold all the way back with the new head installed in his bot mode, right?

No it doesn't. But the head is on a ball joint and peg. It can be easily be taken off.

Thank you fansproject this by far is the best upgrade ever(intill protector) almost broke off one of the horns on bruticus head transforming onslaught to vehicle mode (just gotta pull it off when doing so)

omega666 wrote:

El Duque wrote:I take it Onslaught's backpack doesn't fold all the way back with the new head installed in his bot mode, right?

No it doesn't. But the head is on a ball joint and peg. It can be easily be taken off.

That's what I thought, just wanted to make sure I was doing everything right.

El Duque wrote:

omega666 wrote:

El Duque wrote:I take it Onslaught's backpack doesn't fold all the way back with the new head installed in his bot mode, right?

No it doesn't. But the head is on a ball joint and peg. It can be easily be taken off.

That's what I thought, just wanted to make sure I was doing everything right.

I didn't mess with it long because I just went straight to combined mode.

I definitely see FansProject making Swindle and Blast-off in G2 colors for the Energon/Superlink set. One thing I see is Swindle being painted orange-red like G2, and Blast-Off in an off white paint job minus the camouflage. Or, they could make a clear set for Heatwave and them too. But the G2 set I can see a lot.

I was able to open and play with my Crossfire sets today...

This is awesome!!!!!

How it combines and how it integrates and just... damn. Swindle and Blast Off-we all know who they are - are incredible figures. And Bruticus...

I got my money's worth. Oh, yes.

bvzxa wrote:

I definitely see FansProject making Swindle and Blast-off in G2 colors for the Energon/Superlink set. One thing I see is Swindle being painted orange-red like G2, and Blast-Off in an off white paint job minus the camouflage. Or, they could make a clear set for Heatwave and them too. But the G2 set I can see a lot.

Im using the energon set for my Bruticus and FP had better not make another version! i think the energon colors work just fine..

I would like to see FP maybe do the same thing for Superion. I hate to say it but he looks puny now comapred to the mighty Bruticus!

LiKwid wrote:

bvzxa wrote:

I definitely see FansProject making Swindle and Blast-off in G2 colors for the Energon/Superlink set. One thing I see is Swindle being painted orange-red like G2, and Blast-Off in an off white paint job minus the camouflage. Or, they could make a clear set for Heatwave and them too. But the G2 set I can see a lot.

Im using the energon set for my Bruticus and FP had better not make another version! i think the energon colors work just fine..

I would like to see FP maybe do the same thing for Superion. I hate to say it but he looks puny now comapred to the mighty Bruticus!

You know this set makes Bruticus look menacing. I took him to my two dealers who know it's out, but mostly deal in G1 toys. One dealer said how come Hasbro did not make Swindle and Blast-Off like this. He couldn't believe how well FP put these guys together. people thought I was selling it. One guy wanted to pay me $300. I said no.

Just got my Explorer and Munitioner in the mail yesterday...I don't know why, but I expected them to be bigger. Besides the point this figures are badass and worth the $100! One problem though...after such a delay, I fear quality control suffered (somehow.) One of the Bruticus feet came mis-assembled. I haven't gotten around to it yet, but it appears to be easily fixable, one of the wheel tracks wasn't properly installed...I just have to pull the thing apart, luckily its only phillip's head screws!

Besides the whole foot thing...these sets are awesome, even without the rest of the set. Having Swindle hold a GIANT sniper rifle is just too sweet!

And unlike my WST Shockwave, no loose joints!

bvzxa wrote:You know this set makes Bruticus look menacing. I took him to my two dealers who know it's out, but mostly deal in G1 toys. One dealer said how come Hasbro did not make Swindle and Blast-Off like this. He couldn't believe how well FP put these guys together. people thought I was selling it. One guy wanted to pay me $300. I said no.

I think I would've taken the $300. You could have ordered another Munitioner/Explorer set for $100 and got another Bruticus set off ebay for $100 or less and pocketed the rest.

LOST Cybertronian wrote:

bvzxa wrote:You know this set makes Bruticus look menacing. I took him to my two dealers who know it's out, but mostly deal in G1 toys. One dealer said how come Hasbro did not make Swindle and Blast-Off like this. He couldn't believe how well FP put these guys together. people thought I was selling it. One guy wanted to pay me $300. I said no.

I think I would've taken the $300. You could have ordered another Munitioner/Explorer set for $100 and got another Bruticus set off ebay for $100 or less and pocketed the rest.

Oh yeah. Take the $300 and order another one right away.

bvzxa wrote:I got mine today. There are a lot of parts to work with here. Since I did not have time to work with each individually, I put him together to form the new Bruticus. No real flaws, but I agree with some about the pegs, and the waist issue The minicon pegs make for some odd fiddling in the legs with the waistpiece. Swindle is pretty sturdy, but Blast-Off feels like if you make one false move, the poor guy may break. Not that he feels like he's brittle or KO-ish, but the parts have a delicacy that needs to be addressed. Do not handle Blast-Off with force, he will break.

The overall presentation is nice, heavy, and big. He's bigger than Superion with the add-on kit. He's broader with the new arm-connector configuration. I too don't like how the hand connector placement is.

I got mine in yesterday (Thursday) and my Explorer already broke. It wasn't even my doing. The shoulder connection, where it's held in by a small pin, the plastic around the pin has cracked. Like the plastic has separated. It's a clean break, no stresses in the plastic, it simply just split.

I'm not placing blame on anyone, and I doubt there's much I can do about it, but at $50.00, I'm a little pissed off.

As for the rest of the set, I also worry about the hands as well. The connection point for the left hand, having to force the two halves together...bothers me immensely. I can see that getting stressed and fracturing as well.

The tolerances were extreme on Warbot Defender, but never crossed the line. Explorer? Definitely crossed it and left it behind, miles and miles ago.

Munitioner's a bit scary in spots too, but Explorer definitely let me down. Part of me says I should fire off an email to BBTS and ask for a replacement, part of me says fix it myself, part of me says I'm pissed, garghablargh at the top of my lungs.

(Insert version here) Commander has extreme tolerances, especially in the leg armor, but it bends and gives and bounces right back. He can be downright frightening to transform, but he's rock solid.

Explorer is...a mystery to me. I don't know if it's because they used a different plastic, or it's just mine, or what, but I'm seriously unimpressed with this turn of events.

No, it hasn't soured me on FP. I'll still buy from them, in fact, I just preordered Protector and the Targetmaster guy, but I'm not as happy as I once was.

WD and D.I.A. Commander raised the bar a bit too high I guess. I guess we got spoiled and forgot that these aren't impervious. I dunno, it's just a suckerpunch to the gut, for me.

If the figures come to you in pristine condition, with no breaks, no problems, then yeah, they're definitely worth the money. If, and only if, you have the rest of the team to make Bruticus.

On their own? Too dang expensive for what you get. Two nice (for the most part) robots and a bunch of accessories you'll never use.

That, to me, is a waste of big bucks. Hard earned money, right down the drain. I can only recommend these if you have the rest of the set, I can't recommend them as individual purchases. I just can't.

Oh man! That sucks that is broke. I would check to see if you can replace it. No harm in asking, right?

Autobot032 wrote:Munitioner's a bit scary in spots too, but Explorer definitely let me down. Part of me says I should fire off an email to BBTS and ask for a replacement, part of me says fix it myself, part of me says I'm pissed, garghablargh at the top of my lungs.

Just email BBTS and get a replacement. It's not that big a deal, you just got a defective one, it happens. I know it's a pain in the ass to go through the motions, but it's just something that is inevitable with these kinds of things.

I got mine in the mail yesterday by the way, and I have to say that it is INCREDIBLE. The amount of detail and articulation on these figures is exceptional. It is definitely the new definitive version of Bruticus.

Syndrome wrote:It is definitely the new definitive version of Bruticus.

Hell yeah. It really does make you wonder, WHY won't Hasbro do this? I wonder how much these would cost if these were in retail.

omega666 wrote:Hell yeah. It really does make you wonder, WHY won't Hasbro do this? I wonder how much these would cost if these were in retail.

Probably as much as a masterpiece if not more... I have no idea why they don't make official products like this, and the whole "Safety Tests" excuse sounds like BS to me. If they really wanted to, they could make figures like this that would pass all safety regulations. I honestly believe that often times they just go for the cheapest designs instead of the best ones.

omega666 wrote:

Syndrome wrote:It is definitely the new definitive version of Bruticus.

Hell yeah. It really does make you wonder, WHY won't Hasbro do this? I wonder how much these would cost if these were in retail.

Hasbro wouldn't consider this because of the work that has to go into it. Its a lot of detail and a lot of design that Hasbro would have to pass off onto the customers and would I believe be more than most people would buy in the amounts that Hasbro would want. Just my thoughts.

After having seen a couple reviews of the Bruticus upgrade sets, I think I may have gotten a lemon Munitioner. First off the knee and waist ratcheting joints that Vange1us mentioned are not on mine, the head he came with does not clip on to Onslaughts metal pin at all, and the combiner port is allot looser than the one on Explorer. Overall it seems that all of Munitioners parts are a little too loose or something.

*edit*
Actually upon further inspection the waist does kinda click, but the knees are still just friction, which isn't that big of a deal since Explorer's don't click either but I do worry that it may wear down easier than if it were a ratchet. The combiner connection I can also live with, and it may be fixable with a little superglue (advice welcome), still the head is a real nuisance and a major downside as the inability to stay on during transformation often has me just setting it aside like an old energon weapon, which is really bad for me considering the head was one of the biggest draw factors for this upgrade in my opinion.

Vicalliose wrote:After having seen a couple reviews of the Bruticus upgrade sets, I think I may have gotten a lemon Munitioner. First off the knee and waist ratcheting joints that Vange1us mentioned are not on mine, the head he came with does not clip on to Onslaughts metal pin at all, and the combiner port is allot looser than the one on Explorer. Overall it seems that all of Munitioners parts are a little too loose or something.

In all fairness, the head plate is rather difficult to attach. It feels as though you're going to break it when you're installing it, but it won't. It's a very tight fit. It's also a difficult act. You have to line up everything just right or it won't snap onto the metal rod.

My Munitioner has no ratcheting waist or knee joints. He's just tight as can be. Explorer has the same issue with ratchets. He has a ratcheting waist, but you wouldn't know it. It moves so smoothly with no catches.

Warbot Defender has the same problems. One joint's ratchets work, the opposite's doesn't. But they're so tight that he can still hold a pose just fine.

I don't quite understand how it works, but it works.

Autobot032 wrote:

Vicalliose wrote:After having seen a couple reviews of the Bruticus upgrade sets, I think I may have gotten a lemon Munitioner. First off the knee and waist ratcheting joints that Vange1us mentioned are not on mine, the head he came with does not clip on to Onslaughts metal pin at all, and the combiner port is allot looser than the one on Explorer. Overall it seems that all of Munitioners parts are a little too loose or something.

In all fairness, the head plate is rather difficult to attach. It feels as though you're going to break it when you're installing it, but it won't. It's a very tight fit. It's also a difficult act. You have to line up everything just right or it won't snap onto the metal rod.

My Munitioner has no ratcheting waist or knee joints. He's just tight as can be. Explorer has the same issue with ratchets. He has a ratcheting waist, but you wouldn't know it. It moves so smoothly with no catches.

Warbot Defender has the same problems. One joint's ratchets work, the opposite's doesn't. But they're so tight that he can still hold a pose just fine.

I don't quite understand how it works, but it works.

I changed my last post a bit but you say that the thing will still snap on eh?
I tried, or well me and my brother tried to get it to stay on. Applied ALLOT of pressure to get it to stay on, and soon realized that the half loop on ours was molded in such a way that it can't snap on at all. The difference is hard to see but we compared it to the original and it's there. It's a loose piece not a part that has a hard time going on.

*silly edits*
Oh and on my Warbot the joint's are clearly ratcheted but quite loose, still works though.

Vicalliose wrote:
Oh and on my Warbot the joint's are clearly ratcheted but quite loose, still works though.

Don't even get me started on Warbot's knees.