The Energon Pub

Tsutsukakushi wrote:My package was scheduled for delivery today. When I checked the UPS Tracking number a few minutes ago. I got a big surprise. My package is delayed due to the snow weather. So now I've got to wait another day or few to get this package. I'm just hoping the delay doesn't cause UPS to damage the items inside. As UPS is known to rush thing & crush packages in the process. This delayed package has Mania King & the SXS Blitzwing add ons. I'll keep everyone posted on this shipping delay.

More than the delay, I hope the cold weather doesn't damage the plastic. Hopefully, it all arrives safely and you can enjoy your Galvatron!

I love this Galvatron, the fist thing doesn't bother me at all really, I mostly like wrist swivel for characters that wield blasters or melee weapons. I do think wrist swivel could have been done however if the arms are the same I think the parts involved would be very thin and could lead to collectors breaking wrists, ahem, left and right.

The colors are beautiful and for the most part, paint apps look really nice. One thing tha tseems to be bugging folks is the barrel of the cannon. I actually think it looks really nice in grey and gold. It actually looks really really nice in hand. Had they opted to stick with the clear orange plastic I think it would have looked much darker in hand and would be nearly as striking.

The joints are very tight and proportions are great. While he doesn't match the cartoon scale with Universe Cyclonus, I think they look great together, add Scourge in as well and its a party.

I just did tracking on the package & its reading Out for delivery.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:I just did tracking on the package & its reading Out for delivery.

Good news, hope it arrives today!

Banjo-Tron wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:I just did tracking on the package & its reading Out for delivery.

Good news, hope it arrives today!

Thanks

I received the package from UPS a few minutes ago. Joel From BBTS puts packs items real well with bubble wrap. So it's harder for shipping provider to damage the items inside. The outer brown shipping box was not damaged.

I was surprised to see Mania Kings box not have any sealing clear tape on each side. Mania kings box uses heavy cardboard but the ink looks similar to OTFCC & FT Quakwave's boxes.

SXS Blitzwing upgrade box came in a much bigger,nicer & sturdier box than I thought it would.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:

Banjo-Tron wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:I just did tracking on the package & its reading Out for delivery.

Good news, hope it arrives today!

Thanks

I received the package from UPS a few minutes ago. Joel From BBTS puts packs items real well with bubble wrap. So it's harder for shipping provider to damage the items inside. The outer brown shipping box was not damaged.

I was surprised to see Mania Kings box not have any sealing clear tape on each side. Mania kings box uses heavy cardboard but the ink looks similar to OTFCC & FT Quakwave's boxes.

SXS Blitzwing upgrade box came in a much bigger,nicer & sturdier box than I thought it would.

Cool. Let me know what you think of the blitzwing upgrade. I have it and the different purple bugs me.

Banjo-Tron wrote:Let me know what you think of the blitzwing upgrade. I have it and the different purple bugs me.

That's precisely why I hope Dr. Wu comes out with their upgrade.

I opened up the box & played with the toy a bit. I measured it & its 7 1/3 inches. The toy has the bulk & narrowness of almost a deluxe sized toy. The toy has weight to it & appears to use stronger higher grade plastic than HasTak does for a toy this size. The sculpt & detail are very high. Articulation seems a bit more than a HasTak voyager toy. Colors are high gloss like Takara does. Paint apps are a lot like TFCC does. The cardboard box is very heavy & thick. The box & inner styrofoam reminds me of what TFCC does. There is a bio art card & instruction in a bag like Takara does. All in all,It feels like a high end collectible.

FYI to those on the fence - there are several Chinese sellers on eBay selling ManiaKing for $99.99 or less.

megatronus wrote:FYI to those on the fence - there are several Chinese sellers on eBay selling ManiaKing for $99.99 or less.

Some ebay Hong Kong sellers are charging $25 in shipping fees to ship the $98.90 Mania king toy. BBTS has Mania king for $114.99 with a $9.19 shipping fee.

I have seen a few ebay auctions from Hong Kong sellers having mania King for $99.99 with free shipping. These sellers will probably just wrap the toy in brown paper. The box will most likely get heavily banged up during shipping. This package will probably take over 6 weeks to receive. These sellers are going to have to pay shipping out of there own pocket. which means they are going to package up the item on the cheapest side possible. using brown paper instead of a box. no bubble wrap or no paper cushioning. slowest & cheapest shipping.

I've had some bad experiences with buying from overseas sellers. Years ago,I bought a brand new in box sealed collectors grade Microman Browning toy off a Hong Kong ebay seller. I paid $40 for the toy & $10 for shipping. Yeah I know it was probably one of those high quallity KO's. Anyways this seller placed the item in a cheap thin,tiny box that got almost destroyed during the shipping process to me. The KO Browning box was heavily crushed on one side.

Ebay overseas sellers near or from the Hong Kong region do not package collectibles items that great. once they get your money then they could care less how the buyer recieves his package.

BBTS has more than built a reputation for caring about the customers needs. Joel packages collectibles with extreme care & uses the right stuff to ensure your package arives in great condition.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ebay overseas sellers near or from the Hong Kong region do not package collectibles items that great. once they get your money then they could care less how the buyer recieves his package.

I'm sorry but my experience is radically different from yours. I've been buying items from HK, China and Japan since I got my first salary and I've never had that kind of problem, as long as I choose and pay for registered airmail or simply buy from a seller I already trust. Being from Spain, it would be impossible to collect TF toys without buying from overseas sellers. Besides, it's usually much cheaper for me to buy from China or HK than the US.

Recently I started getting my items from Kapow (UK) as well, in order to avoid customs.

synapse wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ebay overseas sellers near or from the Hong Kong region do not package collectibles items that great. once they get your money then they could care less how the buyer recieves his package.

I'm sorry but my experience is radically different from yours. I've been buying items from HK, China and Japan since I got my first salary and I've never had that kind of problem, as long as I choose and pay for registered airmail or simply buy from a seller I already trust. Being from Spain, it would be impossible to collect TF toys without buying from overseas sellers. Besides, it's usually much cheaper for me to buy from China or HK than the US.

Recently I started getting my items from Kapow (UK) as well, in order to avoid customs.

Agreed, every experience I have had with Chinese or HK sellers has been positive. Quick postage, and well-packaged items. I normally get lumbered with customs charges when I buy from the US so I avoid it.

Banjo-Tron wrote:

synapse wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ebay overseas sellers near or from the Hong Kong region do not package collectibles items that great. once they get your money then they could care less how the buyer recieves his package.

I'm sorry but my experience is radically different from yours. I've been buying items from HK, China and Japan since I got my first salary and I've never had that kind of problem, as long as I choose and pay for registered airmail or simply buy from a seller I already trust. Being from Spain, it would be impossible to collect TF toys without buying from overseas sellers. Besides, it's usually much cheaper for me to buy from China or HK than the US.

Recently I started getting my items from Kapow (UK) as well, in order to avoid customs.

Agreed, every experience I have had with Chinese or HK sellers has been positive. Quick postage, and well-packaged items. I normally get lumbered with customs charges when I buy from the US so I avoid it.

Yep. I've got nothing but positives with my experiences from overseas sellers. But than again I wouldn't risk buying this figure (if i was interested) for $15 less but no protection if there are issues and or broken parts.

I decided to grab MK from Chimungmung just the other day. He may have flaws, but I like the overall figure and, as a Galvatron fan, I don't mind having more than one (or five) in my collection.

Chimungmung';s wound up being $100 after shipping for the figure arriving late feb / early march. If it means saving a few bucks, I don't mind waiting. If you're worried about packaging get it from him. I haven't had any worries about things arriving damaged from him. Generally, I've only worried about packaging from long-defunct KOToys and iGear.

Yea, I see nobody verified what I said... so I'll elucidate:

It's $99 or less, free shipping. So.

megatronus wrote:Yea, I see nobody verified what I said... so I'll elucidate:

It's $99 or less, free shipping. So.

Megatronus you buying?

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:Yea, I see nobody verified what I said... so I'll elucidate:

It's $99 or less, free shipping. So.

Megatronus you buying?

Sounds like it to me!

<_< >_>

FREE GALVATRONS FOR EVERYONE, C/O MEGATRONUS!!!

Agamemnon wrote:

mooncake623 wrote:

megatronus wrote:Yea, I see nobody verified what I said... so I'll elucidate:

It's $99 or less, free shipping. So.

Megatronus you buying?

Sounds like it to me!

<_< >_>

FREE GALVATRONS FOR EVERYONE, C/O MEGATRONUS!!!

Ha! No, I'm not buying... yet. Just wanted to do a service to y'all by letting you know that there's an option that's $15 less than the U.S. retailers.

If/when one of the domestic retailers/online eBayers drops the price to $80-$90, I'll bite.

mooncake623 wrote:

Banjo-Tron wrote:

synapse wrote:

Tsutsukakushi wrote:Ebay overseas sellers near or from the Hong Kong region do not package collectibles items that great. once they get your money then they could care less how the buyer recieves his package.

I'm sorry but my experience is radically different from yours. I've been buying items from HK, China and Japan since I got my first salary and I've never had that kind of problem, as long as I choose and pay for registered airmail or simply buy from a seller I already trust. Being from Spain, it would be impossible to collect TF toys without buying from overseas sellers. Besides, it's usually much cheaper for me to buy from China or HK than the US.

Recently I started getting my items from Kapow (UK) as well, in order to avoid customs.

Agreed, every experience I have had with Chinese or HK sellers has been positive. Quick postage, and well-packaged items. I normally get lumbered with customs charges when I buy from the US so I avoid it.

Yep. I've got nothing but positives with my experiences from overseas sellers. But than again I wouldn't risk buying this figure (if i was interested) for $15 less but no protection if there are issues and or broken parts.

I've had good experiences with Chinese and HK sellers as well. Tend to go with them because the U.S. sellers always charge outrageous prices for shipping.

UniqueToys G-01 ManiaKing is currently available for pre-order for the second run via Chimungmung.com for the reasonable price of $79.90 and $20 worldwide shipping, which gives you peace of mind that if there are Q.C. issues Tony @ Chimungmung will be able to sort.
http://chimungmung.com/product_info.php?products_id=1653

I recently received Mania King, and I really like him, he is a beautiful looking figure. I really don't mind the lack of wrist swivel.

That said I had to do some fixes to him, to get him working right.

First off his knees would not pop out to swing the barrel shins back around the other way to form the cannon barrel. I had to unscrew his legs and knees to get at the peg and knee piece to sand them down. Unfortunately the screws suck and strip easily. I stripped one screw ... luckily I was able to drill it out and substitute another one back in with no damage to the fig. I was lucky.

Second the cannon barrel in gun mode made by his shins wouldn't peg together, I had to shave down his crotch piece so his legs would stay closer together so when pegged in it would stay.

Third, in step 13 you have to fold his back down and peg into his waist. That peg is quite large and requires way too much force to get in, I had to sand that down.

Lastly, his head leaned to the left and wouldn't stay straight so I had to sand some of the inside of the head to get it to stay straight.

I don't want to deter anyone though, because now he is fixed he is quite stunning. I wouldn't say the plastic quality is the best, but I feel confident he will survive a lot of transformations as long as I am careful.

warzon3 wrote:I recently received Mania King, and I really like him, he is a beautiful looking figure. I really don't mind the lack of wrist swivel.

That said I had to do some fixes to him, to get him working right.

First off his knees would not pop out to swing the barrel shins back around the other way to form the cannon barrel. I had to unscrew his legs and knees to get at the peg and knee piece to sand them down. Unfortunately the screws suck and strip easily. I stripped one screw ... luckily I was able to drill it out and substitute another one back in with no damage to the fig. I was lucky.

Second the cannon barrel in gun mode made by his shins wouldn't peg together, I had to shave down his crotch piece so his legs would stay closer together so when pegged in it would stay.

Third, in step 13 you have to fold his back down and peg into his waist. That peg is quite large and requires way too much force to get in, I had to sand that down.

Lastly, his head leaned to the left and wouldn't stay straight so I had to sand some of the inside of the head to get it to stay straight.

I don't want to deter anyone though, because now he is fixed he is quite stunning. I wouldn't say the plastic quality is the best, but I feel confident he will survive a lot of transformations as long as I am careful.

My only complaint was the scale. I wish it was Leader size.

Tsutsukakushi wrote:My only complaint was the scale. I wish it was Leader size.

Leader.

Scale.

Makes.
No.

Sense.



If you want a Leader Scale Galvatron, get the Leader Scale Energon Galvatron figure, or the G1 figure, and be done with it.

warzon3 wrote:I recently received Mania King, and I really like him, he is a beautiful looking figure. I really don't mind the lack of wrist swivel.

"Lots of QC issues"

This type of thinking from a large portion of the community is really bugging me atm

If MMC released something like this everyone would be up in arms about all the QC issues and demanding everyone boycott them! Even TFC produce MUCH better quality figures than this yet they get blasted constantly!

For ages many were calling for 3P companies to get their act together and improve the quality of their products, which many of them did, then **** like this comes along and everyone is, blahblahblah-QCissues-blahblahblah, but it's okay!!!

I've helped to encourage the dodgy releases by buying a few of the KFC cassettes and regret it, but at least I won't let the QC issues slide, but where does it end? A transforming toy won't transform until it is dismantled and sanded down, I'm sorry, but that's unforgivable in my book

Arctorro wrote:

warzon3 wrote:I recently received Mania King, and I really like him, he is a beautiful looking figure. I really don't mind the lack of wrist swivel.

"Lots of QC issues"

This type of thinking from a large portion of the community is really bugging me atm

If MMC released something like this everyone would be up in arms about all the QC issues and demanding everyone boycott them! Even TFC produce MUCH better quality figures than this yet they get blasted constantly!

For ages many were calling for 3P companies to get their act together and improve the quality of their products, which many of them did, then **** like this comes along and everyone is, blahblahblah-QCissues-blahblahblah, but it's okay!!!

I've helped to encourage the dodgy releases by buying a few of the KFC cassettes and regret it, but at least I won't let the QC issues slide, but where does it end? A transforming toy won't transform until it is dismantled and sanded down, I'm sorry, but that's unforgivable in my book

His figure is probably one of the absolute worst examples. I've yet to see anyone have that many complaints about their own personal figure. (That's not to say warzon's complaints aren't valid, btw.)

Just because his experience wasn't as fortunate, doesn't mean the figure is dodgy and that it's part of the "let's excuse everything" movement that people are so sure exists.

I have Maniaking in my collection and he's quite solid. I'm more than happy with him.