The Energon Pub

Well....after tracking the shipment number numerous times a day since I got the email that the shipment had left TFSource, yesterday I FINALLY got the one Transformers toy I'd been waiting nearly 26 years to own, Fortress Maximus!

No, he's not a G1 original of course (which is WAY out of my price range at nearly $1000 a pop for a complete one on eBay), but he's MINE, in all his humongous glory

I've been taking it in time to put stickers on (so far only Cog and Cerebros have theirs), because I don't want the enormous grin I've had on my face for the last two days to go away. And because there are two fricking HUGE sheets of stickers. Everything about this guy is huge. And I love it. I'm eleven years old again!!!

All kid in a candy store excitement aside, I've noticed a couple of things I'm wondering about, especially for those of you who may have a G1 Fullstrength Motleypuss (STILL can't get over how that name makes me grin all these years later). My biggest, and really only, issue is with my Spike figure. The QC on this little figure isn't as great as I'd hoped. his left arm is sort of permanently attached at a slight angle, and his legs aren't even/straight. Neither is terrible noticeable, really, and it doesn't affect his transformation at all. Cog's arms don't seem to stay easily attached to his body, though I think that has to do more with the plastic type.

The other thing I'm wondering about is some of the doors and sliding panels on Fort Max himself. They seem to be made of a softer, more malleable plastic than the rest of him. The prison door and the chest panel that his rubsign is on in particular. Can anyone with a G1 Fort Max confirm if this was the same for those pieces back in '87? Unlike with Spike, I don't consider this a QC issue, as it doesn't affect the figure visually- you don't notice the softness of the plastic until you touch it, and it all fits together nicely.

Does anyone else who's gotten their Encore Fort Max have anything they want to talk about or share? I'd love to know- it's fun to discover something this awesome at the same time someone else is.

Mold degradation or different type of plastics used. Btw, on my 1987 FM, the plastics on the right compartment panels a slightly softer too. Even his "Jail cell" doors are not what you would call hard/thick plastic.

Exactly....do you have the Encore version too? I'm wondering if his central chest panel and the jail-cell door, etc....were made of hard plastic on the original G1 release, and if so, why not on Encore? Cost decision?

The central ramp(the one with the rub symbol)is fairly hard in my 1987 edition. The pink jail cell door is not that hard(kind of malleable hard). As for owning the Encore, nope, already own the 1987 ver, that's enough for me (except I don't own the two master swords............lucky you)