The Energon Pub

Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:08 am

I love the mold but that paintjob...man what an expensive piece of crap !!! And with all due respect to the reviewer, "guns stay in the hands during transformation, much like ROTF DLX Brawn" should have been placed in the "CONS" section. Who wants a figure with anything stuck in their hands rather than giving you the option to attach it or leave it off ???

News Credits: 6 · Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:11 am

Rated X wrote:I love the mold but that paintjob...man what an expensive piece of crap !!! And with all due respect to the reviewer, "guns stay in the hands during transformation, much like ROTF DLX Brawn" should have been placed in the "CONS" section. Who wants a figure with anything stuck in their hands rather than giving you the option to attach it or leave it off ???

You can leave them off, I've already stated that.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 11:51 am

So glad I didn't order this now. Thank you for the review! The paint job is horrendous! And the horse riding wide hip issue, ick.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 5:37 pm

Okay, got mine.

The paint applications aren't that bad. Like I said before, I have some Hasbro Transformers that have some pretty sloppy paint work as well. She really only shows some flaws on close inspection.

If I do have a complaint, she does feel fragile, I'm afraid of pieces snapping off. (in fact, one of her seats did pop off, though it just look like the glue underneath gave out) For such an expensive toy, this does add a bit of fear in handling her. Collectible or not, you shouldn't be afraid of simply handling a toy.

I can't say I'm sorry I bought her. I always wanted a G1 Arcee and until Hasbro get off their butts, this is the closest thing. For a third party, she is a pretty good transformer (essentually giving us all a chance to get that Hironori Kobayashi custom that has always been floating around) However, that price tag is a big deal so I can't recommend her to anyone else but die-hard Arcee fans.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 5:44 pm

RiddlerJ wrote:Okay, got mine.

The paint applications aren't that bad. Like I said before, I have some Hasbro Transformers that have some pretty sloppy paint work as well. She really only shows some flaws on close inspection.

For the price she's going for though. You know? I don't think the comments on her poor paint apps in that respect are unreasonable.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:54 pm

Just got mine in today.The paint job was not as bad as pascal but i am sure thats a hit and miss issue.It dose look nice though.Some issues i had with it was one of the seats did pop off so I glued that back.The joints are a little lose so when you have it in a good pose leave it alone.The left arm on mine seems to be out a little more so it dose not really lock into the chest but I guess that has something to do with the mold.Aside from that it is ok.I would only recommend for die hards.Because the price is really high and what type of paint job you get again is going to be hit or miss.
Some things i forgot to mention head dose move you just got to work with it alittle if it is stuck.

p.s.Pascal were did you get the faction symbols?

News Credits: 5 · Thu Jul 15, 2010 7:59 pm

Hmm, that's a real shame. Guess I'll wait for a video review and Hasbro's reveal at SDCC.

News Credits: 6 · Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:07 pm

CrowDragon wrote:Just got mine in today.The paint job was not as bad as pascal but i am sure thats a hit and miss issue.It dose look nice though.Some issues i had with it was one of the seats did pop off so I glued that back.The joints are a little lose so when you have it in a good pose leave it alone.The left arm on mine seems to be out a little more so it dose not really lock into the chest but I guess that has something to do with the mold.Aside from that it is ok.I would only recommend for die hards.Because the price is really high and what type of paint job you get again is going to be hit or miss.
Some things i forgot to mention head dose move you just got to work with it alittle if it is stuck.

p.s.Pascal were did you get the faction symbols?

Reprolabels. They look like **** up close though, they're kinda blurry.

Maybe I'll try loosening the screw on the back of her head.

News Credits: 668 · Thu Jul 15, 2010 9:18 pm

With a bit of work, I'll bet the figure could be fixed up some. Shouldn't have to, but we've had to do that with some Hasbro products, so...

I do wonder though...could these just be problems due to a rush job and future production runs will fare better?

I mean, we heard she was coming out, then a video showing the finished product, and then a little over a month later, she's on people's door steps. I'm thinking the first wave, much like the first ROTF figures, is very much a rush job and the problems will work themselves out in the future?

If nothing else, I'm sure someone with skills will break down their TRNS figure, make molds and cast new and sturdier parts. I won't be the least bit surprised if we hear that there are a bunch of TRNS knockoffs being made.

Thu Jul 15, 2010 10:08 pm

Here is a pic

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

and here is another in robot mode

URL=http://img69.imageshack.us/i/sdc11151n.jpg/]

[/URL]

News Credits: 6 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 6:59 am

Autobot032 wrote:With a bit of work, I'll bet the figure could be fixed up some. Shouldn't have to, but we've had to do that with some Hasbro products, so...

I do wonder though...could these just be problems due to a rush job and future production runs will fare better?

I mean, we heard she was coming out, then a video showing the finished product, and then a little over a month later, she's on people's door steps. I'm thinking the first wave, much like the first ROTF figures, is very much a rush job and the problems will work themselves out in the future?

If nothing else, I'm sure someone with skills will break down their TRNS figure, make molds and cast new and sturdier parts. I won't be the least bit surprised if we hear that there are a bunch of TRNS knockoffs being made.

She wasn't rushed, I've seen pictures of that prototype almost 2 years ago (well before they got unveiled), and she was already pretty much finished.

I don't think a 2nd run will fix anything but paint problems. The molds are already done, and I don't think they will redo them for the heck of it.

The design itself is pretty good, it's just that there's not a lot of material to work with from the start. She would definitely benefit from an upscale.

News Credits: 26 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:02 am

I like it but I cannot justify paying that price

If it was around $40 I would but..

Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:24 am

Just got mine in the mail a few minutes ago.

The paint-job is pretty clean. That's about the nicest thing I have to say about it.

There are flash line (mold lines) everywhere, and no amount of creative positioning is gonna make this chick stand up for any length of time. Her feet are so loose that when I pick her up, they fall forward (to the closed, ready to transform into car mode form). The 'chest plate' doesn't lock in anywhere, despite there appearing to be 2 'tabs' underneath and 1 more on each side where the arms fold in. If I position the arms at all, the whole thing tries to open up.

I'm just not impressed with it and I had really been looking forward to it since Hasbro just can't seem to get a figure of her made (except for the animated version).

This is the first figure I've ever purchased from this company, and most likely will be the last. I'm not into spending $70 for a figure I have to "fix" myself. I generally stay away from that kind of crap.

News Credits: 6 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:47 am

I've finally been able to make the head turn. But boy is the joint stiff!

News Credits: 129 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 11:54 am

So, I got mine today.

My paint aps were fine actually. The only issue is that Medic has a green smudge on her leg, but the parts that are supposed to be painted are painted fine. The smudge will come off with some rubbing alcohol.

Both toys were dirty, though the "Dirt" is really just release agent used to get the figure out of the mold. Again, rubbing alcohol will fix that.

So, the real design issue is in the shoulder attachment design. It's too thin. It's very breakable. A collector who is careful will not have any problems, but someone who is the slightest bit ham-handed will likely break the thing . If this was perhaps 10-15% larger, there would be no problem.

The other design issue to look for is the bicep piece. I plan to take this apart, sand down the connector and put it back together. I believe this will correct the problem entirely. As it stands, the screw is set to the bottom half of the piece creating unequal pressure points of securement. So, the male-tab that hooks into the bicep, because it is slightly too big, causes the bicep "gap" that you see in pics.

I think this is fixable. I'll find out this weekend.

What we have, feels like a high-quality knock off.

Once you get and clean the toy, assuming that you don't have paint mishaps, she's fine and even kind of cool for a collector. Like a fancy model kit even.

For $70 a pop, this isn't a casual purchase. You're not getting finished product. It's close, it's cool, it's also a bit of a gamble and a bit of work.

Buyer beware, but there's no doubt that she'll look great next to G1 Hotrod and Kupp.

News Credits: 1452 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:34 pm

I've been a customizer since age 5, looking forward to working on this project..

News Credits: 2 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 12:51 pm

What I find the most ironic about this item is that if it had
been released in all white plastic unassembled for the same
price, I think folks would be yelling from the rooftops
about how awesome a garage kit it is.

Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:10 pm

Counterpunch wrote:
If this was perhaps 10-15% larger, there would be no problem.

I agree. The first thing that struck me when I recieved her was how tiny she was. She's more of a scout class.

I think if she was larger, and therefore made of thicker plastic, she would be more durable. I would be much happier with her then.

News Credits: 11 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 1:25 pm

Glad to hear the paint issues are an exception to the rule. I only hope mine turns out to be okay. Same with the tightness of the joints.

News Credits: 60 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:13 pm

pascal sure has opened a can of worms with his shoddy paint job purchase. Isolated it may be but an immediate black eye if you ask me. IT should have been strict with QC. FP really heightened the bar for 3rd party quality control.

News Credits: 13 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 4:44 pm

just got her this afternoon and im quite happy with her. i must be one of the lucky ones cause her paintjob is pretty good. (not perfect but very nice) ill put a shot of her with my other Arcees as soon as i can.

News Credits: 1 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 5:00 pm

Counterpunch wrote:
The other design issue to look for is the bicep piece. I plan to take this apart, sand down the connector and put it back together. I believe this will correct the problem entirely. As it stands, the screw is set to the bottom half of the piece creating unequal pressure points of securement. So, the male-tab that hooks into the bicep, because it is slightly too big, causes the bicep "gap" that you see in pics.

I think this is fixable. I'll find out this weekend.

Is there any possible way you could take a few pics for us mechanically deficient? I kind of understand what your saying but a few pics of this fix-up would help. Great idea thought!

Fri Jul 16, 2010 7:50 pm

I received my Valkyrie today from BBTS, and I think it's both awesome and well worth the money. My Valkyrie's paint job looks better than that of Pascal's Valkyrie. My only gripe -- and it's minor -- is that the right foot is floppy.

I didn't expect Hasbro-quality perfection, so I wasn't disappointed with this figure's minor flaws. $69.99 is obviously a lot more than one would pay for a similar toy made by Hasbro, but there is no way that Impossible Toys could charge $15-20 for a toy like this without losing their shirts. Toys cost a lot of money to manufacture, complicated toys like the Valkyrie cost a lot more money to manufacture, and the manufacturing cost per unit is much higher when you manufacture a relatively small number of units.

The Valkyrie was my first foray into fan-made Transformer toys, and I'm happy with my purchase.

News Credits: 13 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:10 pm

she looks good with her other incarnations. shes somewhere between scout and deluxe sizes. at least we have proof that a G1 like Arcee can be done

News Credits: 2 · Fri Jul 16, 2010 8:25 pm

Got mine too, paint seems to be pretty much perfect. The right foot is loose so it's hard to stand up. But the most annoying thing is the pegs for the chest and arm pits. Neither of them snap in, so it's very hard to keep together when posing. Otherwise, looks great with the classics.