The Energon Pub

I'm liking what I see, but I'm going to hold off until I see LioKaiser in full combined mode, scaled with other combiners.

Mkall wrote:I'm liking what I see, but I'm going to hold off until I see LioKaiser in full combined mode, scaled with other combiners.

If it's any help, he looks to be a teeny tiny bit taller than Ares (at least from these pictures).




A bit of extra info regarding the hands from 4chan. They fold up and transform into quad-barrelled rocket pod things. It's actually a very elegant solution.




EDIT: More and better pics.

Got in Minos and Thanatos today. I'm really happy with them. They transform like slightly more complicated versions of CW limbs. I like how the feet integrate on Thanatos. However, not sure if Bisonbreast transforming exactly like Classics Ravage is inspired or lazy.

Also, the folding cannon hands are an alternate set of hands that are going to come with Aiakos(Guyhawk). Minos comes with a set of clawed hands that turn into nothing but fists.

Huh. Well it's pretty neat that they've put the option there. Also, spare combiner hands is always good.

Delta Magnus wrote:Huh. Well it's pretty neat that they've put the option there. Also, spare combiner hands is always good.

Agreed. Interesting note, the connector for the hands that plugs them into place on Minos and Aiakos is removable and fits onto what I'm fairly certain is a standard 5mm post on the hand itself, so whichever pair you don't use will be usable on CW figures.

I'll grab pictures of what I'm talking about tomorrow after work.

Midnight_Fox wrote:Agreed. Interesting note, the connector for the hands that plugs them into place on Minos and Aiakos is removable and fits onto what I'm fairly certain is a standard 5mm post on the hand itself, so whichever pair you don't use will be usable on CW figures.

CW figures like the upcoming official Liokaiser, right?

These look awesome and I'm biting the bullet and getting them, but I hope they're followed up by Road Caesar.

Glarryg

Skullface review of Not-Killbison.



Gotta say, he's looking good. The little Bisonbreast is simply great and the main guy looks good. I'm loving the tank mode, and the integration of the foot pieces is superb.

I only really have 3 complaints.

1: The price. $100 is a lot of money. Sure it'll probably be cheaper to buy the whole set, but...ehhhh, I dunno.

2: I kinda wish he was a little less mustardy and a little more brassy.

3: The foot looks a little unstable. It should be fine in combined mode but I can't see Liokaiser doing any high kicks. Though saying that, once you get over a certain size, extreme poses become essentially impossible anyway- Feral Rex is one of the most stable combiners there is (AFAIK) and he isn't going to be pulling off ballet poses either.

Still, all in all I'm impressed. Good work TFC.

Here's what I was talking about. The piece on the left is attached in box and it wasn't until I looked up the rocket pod hands that I noticed that the second set didn't have that, so I pulled on it to see if it came off.



Comparison of the hands to a CW hand to see if they were close enough.



The Hades hand on Menasor.

These figures are big, solid, and a lot of fun. Hellbat is my favorite of the two but Killbison isn't far behind. There's a learning process with the legs of Killbison transforming him back and forth but it isn't bad once you know what you're doing. I highly recommend them.

Delta Magnus wrote:Skullface review of Not-Killbison.



Gotta say, he's looking good. The little Bisonbreast is simply great and the main guy looks good. I'm loving the tank mode, and the integration of the foot pieces is superb.

I only really have 3 complaints.

1: The price. $100 is a lot of money. Sure it'll probably be cheaper to buy the whole set, but...ehhhh, I dunno.

2: I kinda wish he was a little less mustardy and a little more brassy.

3: The foot looks a little unstable. It should be fine in combined mode but I can't see Liokaiser doing any high kicks. Though saying that, once you get over a certain size, extreme poses become essentially impossible anyway- Feral Rex is one of the most stable combiners there is (AFAIK) and he isn't going to be pulling off ballet poses either.

Still, all in all I'm impressed. Good work TFC.

I'd take Skullface's criticisms with a pinch of salt. From the feel I get, he kinda hamhands and rushes his way through the review, and after watching the Ben's Collectibles review of it, from the way each of them describe it, you'd think they were both talking about a completely different figure.

Now it could be that Ben is in the "I get paid to like this!" camp, or it could be that Skullface is a little tushie-troubled about having to pay $200 in one month on these badboys and generally wasn't controlled and methodical about the transformation, or possibly some combination of the 2, but your mileage may vary.

Anyways, the BC review shows the foot supporting the whole leg mode on it's own free standing, though it looks like he may be tilting the heel spur inwards to stop it toppling over, but at any rate, it does seem plenty stable.

I would love to go in on these, but I can't decide if they're £70 quid figures. And never having TFC stuff before, I don't know what they're like. Anyone else able to give a fair review on these guys or TFC in general?

I have no idea what the skull face guy is talking about. I have zero stability issues with either one of these guys. I watched his Unique Toys Provider & I'm convinced he just doesn't know how to handle a bipedal robot with multiple modes.

That said, I am in no way a TFC fanboy, but these two are superb. The tolerances on both of my copies almost reaches the too tight area so there is no floppiness. The sculpts are prestine & the paint work is on par with MMC/FP. These feel like MMC products with slightly more simple transformations.

Hellbat is my favorite of the two. He can be transformed relatively easy back & forth without looking at the instructions. The transformation is very remenicent of a combiner wars jet & there are plenty of tabs to keep everything, including the wings, locked in tight. Speaking of the wings, I do recommend taking them off when going from jet to robot & vice versa but it isn't necessary. That just falls into the smarter, not harder category for me. The Brestmaster is simple but manages pull off everything it needs to in all three modes. My one issue with Hellbat is that I wish his little bat buddy could store on top of the jet in that mode. He is able to store in the spot dedicated to him in robot mode but doing so renders the front landing gear useless.

Killbison is a little more complicated but bring another pairing off gorgeous sculpt & paint work to the table. His transformation makes sense & isn't hindered by steps that must be completed in order but does require a certain level of precision. For Liokaiser TFC decided to integrate the combiner feet within Killbison & Drillhorn. Because of this, the combiner feet must be moved out of the way, literally through Killbison's legs, going from one mode to the next. I do suggest that anyone buying this figure watch a review of this part of the transformation before trying it. I did not & that led to about 15 minutes of extreme frustration & two stressed gold tabs. This part isn't difficult in theory but becomes slightly harder bc of the extremely stiff ratchets located in the combiner feet. The combiner feet have to be rotated on two different ratchets in a certain position & it works effortlessly every time. Just watch a review to learn that trick & you won't have a problem. I suggest the Chosen Prime review bc he shows this step twice, once during his transformation & then again at the end. Killbison's Brestmaster is a little more involved, not complicated, and turns into a really cool looking bull. He also has a satisfying place to store in tank mode which is a cool touch. Pro tip: don't forget to fold out the satellite when enjoying your gold anti-aircraft tank.

All together, if you don't mind spending $100 on a transformer I say go for one or both. I feel confident saying that I don't think you'll be disappointed. Mine came in a PoL with MakeToys Tailgate & PX's Vulcun. Hellbat & Killbison are the two I've played with the most. Also, go look at BBTS see how many TFC products have sold out. Solid chance these guys will be around for a while so don't feel like you need to rush. Either way, they're fun.

Doctor McGrath wrote:I have no idea what the skull face guy is talking about. I have zero stability issues with either one of these guys. I watched his Unique Toys Provider & I'm convinced he just doesn't know how to handle a bipedal robot with multiple modes.

That said, I am in no way a TFC fanboy, but these two are superb. The tolerances on both of my copies almost reaches the too tight area so there is no floppiness. The sculpts are prestine & the paint work is on par with MMC/FP. These feel like MMC products with slightly more simple transformations.

Hellbat is my favorite of the two. He can be transformed relatively easy back & forth without looking at the instructions. The transformation is very remenicent of a combiner wars jet & there are plenty of tabs to keep everything, including the wings, locked in tight. Speaking of the wings, I do recommend taking them off when going from jet to robot & vice versa but it isn't necessary. That just falls into the smarter, not harder category for me. The Brestmaster is simple but manages pull off everything it needs to in all three modes. My one issue with Hellbat is that I wish his little bat buddy could store on top of the jet in that mode. He is able to store in the spot dedicated to him in robot mode but doing so renders the front landing gear useless.

Killbison is a little more complicated but bring another pairing off gorgeous sculpt & paint work to the table. His transformation makes sense & isn't hindered by steps that must be completed in order but does require a certain level of precision. For Liokaiser TFC decided to integrate the combiner feet within Killbison & Drillhorn. Because of this, the combiner feet must be moved out of the way, literally through Killbison's legs, going from one mode to the next. I do suggest that anyone buying this figure watch a review of this part of the transformation before trying it. I did not & that led to about 15 minutes of extreme frustration & two stressed gold tabs. This part isn't difficult in theory but becomes slightly harder bc of the extremely stiff ratchets located in the combiner feet. The combiner feet have to be rotated on two different ratchets in a certain position & it works effortlessly every time. Just watch a review to learn that trick & you won't have a problem. I suggest the Chosen Prime review bc he shows this step twice, once during his transformation & then again at the end. Killbison's Brestmaster is a little more involved, not complicated, and turns into a really cool looking bull. He also has a satisfying place to store in tank mode which is a cool touch. Pro tip: don't forget to fold out the satellite when enjoying your gold anti-aircraft tank.

All together, if you don't mind spending $100 on a transformer I say go for one or both. I feel confident saying that I don't think you'll be disappointed. Mine came in a PoL with MakeToys Tailgate & PX's Vulcun. Hellbat & Killbison are the two I've played with the most. Also, go look at BBTS see how many TFC products have sold out. Solid chance these guys will be around for a while so don't feel like you need to rush. Either way, they're fun.

Great to hear! If I do decide for whatever reason "You know what? I need a Liokaiser" these guys will be my choice. They look to be pretty much perfect and Hasbro's is seriously sub-par.

Thanks Doctor. I do dearly love Lio Kaiser, and I don't mind paying if the quality is there. Either way, I'll certainly finish my CW custom, but it would be nice to have a proper looking Lio Kaiser, with his little minions. I have some deciding to do. Can the chest minions store anywhere in combined mode?


EDIT: I've decided to bite on this. After all, it's still gonna work out cheaper than a G1 Lio Kaiser.

I ended up caving on these two last night and ordered them. I wanted to wait until they were all released before ordering, just in case there were QC issues with later figures, but the good reviews broke my resolve.

Insurgent wrote:Thanks Doctor. I do dearly love Lio Kaiser, and I don't mind paying if the quality is there. Either way, I'll certainly finish my CW custom, but it would be nice to have a proper looking Lio Kaiser, with his little minions. I have some deciding to do. Can the chest minions store anywhere in combined mode?


EDIT: I've decided to bite on this. After all, it's still gonna work out cheaper than a G1 Lio Kaiser.

Haha right on. Killbison's do for sure. I'll have to look into Hellbat. I don't think it does though.

Doctor McGrath wrote:

Insurgent wrote:Thanks Doctor. I do dearly love Lio Kaiser, and I don't mind paying if the quality is there. Either way, I'll certainly finish my CW custom, but it would be nice to have a proper looking Lio Kaiser, with his little minions. I have some deciding to do. Can the chest minions store anywhere in combined mode?


EDIT: I've decided to bite on this. After all, it's still gonna work out cheaper than a G1 Lio Kaiser.

Haha right on. Killbison's do for sure. I'll have to look into Hellbat. I don't think it does though.

It attaches to his chest under his plane mode, backwards so that the guns point forward.

It's even shown in the directions. ;P

Midnight_Fox wrote:

Doctor McGrath wrote:

Insurgent wrote:Thanks Doctor. I do dearly love Lio Kaiser, and I don't mind paying if the quality is there. Either way, I'll certainly finish my CW custom, but it would be nice to have a proper looking Lio Kaiser, with his little minions. I have some deciding to do. Can the chest minions store anywhere in combined mode?


EDIT: I've decided to bite on this. After all, it's still gonna work out cheaper than a G1 Lio Kaiser.

Haha right on. Killbison's do for sure. I'll have to look into Hellbat. I don't think it does though.

It attaches to his chest under his plane mode, backwards so that the guns point forward.

It's even shown in the directions. ;P

Well there you go. I've never opened the directions for Hellbat.

Well, they arrived. And I like them. The brestplates look a bit thick and sticking out when connected, but I guess nothing can be done about that. I haven't transformed them into alt modes yet, and I'm not doing combined modes till I have the set. But I'm glad I picked them up.


When you put Hellbat's bat plate on, do you have to have the gun barrels flipped down so they're visible?

Drillhorn:



Gaihawk:



Yep, lookin' good.

Sweet! (Although, given that these are clearly remolds of not-Killbison and not-Hellbat, it'd be nice for them to not cost as much.)

Glarryg

Glarryg wrote:Sweet! (Although, given that these are clearly remolds of not-Killbison and not-Hellbat, it'd be nice for them to not cost as much.)

Glarryg

Drillhorn seems to at least be a bit more of an involved retool.

Glarryg wrote:Sweet! (Although, given that these are clearly remolds of not-Killbison and not-Hellbat, it'd be nice for them to not cost as much.)

Glarryg

The engineering on Drillhorn is similar to Killbison, but it looks like they're completely different molds- every single identifiable piece looks different from Killbison in some way. At the very least it's a HEAVY reshell.

Yeah, I see what you're saying. Still, aside from the upper back portion (drill vs. turret), it's got to be the same engineering/transformation, which to me is different from making a new figure from scratch. And, yes, I realize that the originals were engineered pretty much the same (like most of the Scramble City limbs), but they were more affordable to begin with (back then).

Glarryg

Just got Jaruga and Leozack. Jaruga is nice, if a little stubby without being stubby, if that makes sense. He has a lot of translucent red though, which is ok except for the hands. Not a fan of translucent hands. But he looks awesome with his chestplate.

Leozack on the other hand. Wow. Seriously, just wow. A fantastic figure with a great smirk, enough detailing to look mechanical without looking busy, and wow. He is the best of the 4 so far, and I would say even worth it as an individual purchase (if you don't mind the combiner pegs on the back of his arms). And the brest members on these two don't seem to stick out as much when stuck on their chest as the last two. Well looking forward to completing this set. I should take a photo of them at some point.