The Energon Pub

I'm pretty interested in getting the TFC Hercules set, but I'm having trouble justifying $500 for it. There's a few things I'm wondering about it, and I'd like to get this information from owners who have had some playtime with the set.

1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

I'll also add that I'm quite surprised that the Giant sets on eBay are quite a bit more expensive now than Hercules at BBTS or TFSource, but then again my understanding that Giant is mostly OOP.

Please be aware that I'm very biased against Hercules; I'm going to try and remain neutral, but of the two, my preference is for Giant.

1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

I had it on my shelves for 1 and a half years or so. I got the set when they first came out and sold it off about 3 months back.

2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

I didn't play around with it much. I transformed the figs a couple times each, combined them into Herc and put him on my shelf. Eventually when I got Giant, I moved him to my side shelf, then into my "Goodbye Bin" then finally sold him off.

3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

They weren't bad. I've heard that constant play will cause them to wear out though. Mine held a fairly static pose most of his shelf life, so I can't confirm.

4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

The differences are actually quite astounding. I'm not sure what Giant uses, but I do know that it's a simple catch-release mechanism to slide the points in and out. And they're built in suck a way that they don't feel like they'll wear out over time. I recently saw a similarity between this joint system and the joints used by (I think) a Bandai-created combiner that was mostly diecast I think. Herc's joints require a bit of force to push them together or to separate them. Eventually, those'll fail after constant use.

5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

When it comes to play, I would recommend Hercules. The figures are simpler to transform and combine. It's quite intuitive actually. Giant requires fiddling and finessing, especially in the Long Haul and Hook centre sections.

You are correct - Giant is out of manufacturing which is why he fetches a better price on the secondary market.

As a display piece, I like Giant but I can certainly understand (some of) the arguments against the set. If you want to play with your figures, go with Hercules. Just be careful of Long Haul's hips; they may need a bit of extra lube.

Personally I'm biased against Giant because it is butt ugly and I'll never spend a cent on him

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

I shipped all six together once Not-Mixmaster arrived in my PoL.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

While they are mainly combined as Herc, I've transformed then many times.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

The joints are as tight now as when they were first removed from the box.

I've posted this before, but it applies here to show just how stable Herc is.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

Can't speak for Giant, but Herc's connectors are as tight now as ever and show no signs of failing any time soon.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

Herc is great for both displaying and playing with. I've had heaps of fun finding different poses for Combined, individual bot modes and vehicle modes as well as playing with them in all three modes

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

I got the individuals as they released, or close to it.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

Quite a bit in the beginning as individuals, as I waited for the others to release. As a combined set it is mostly a static piece, due largely to the location on my shelf.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

All solid. While one arm is extended with a weapon, it is not what I'd call an over extended pose.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

I avoided Giant.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

I thought the individual figs were a BLAST to transform! When they were separate, I swapped modes, poses etc. often. Because of Herc's size and location, he is tough to get out of my shelf, so I don't mess with him much. When I redo my shelves (which may be soon to accommodate Superion) I may move these guys to my desk.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:I'm pretty interested in getting the TFC Hercules set, but I'm having trouble justifying $500 for it. There's a few things I'm wondering about it, and I'd like to get this information from owners who have had some playtime with the set.

I don't have Giant, so I cannot speak to comparisons, but here's the rest. (And I don't have a strong like or dislike for either.)

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

Since the very beginning. My accountant weathered the cost spread out over the 8 months or so, IIRC on the delivery times.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

When the first ones came out, I played with them all the time. By the time the last 2 came, I was assembling Herc into the towering figure he is. He's fun to fiddle with, in my opinion. He's just big. Right now I have him in a display case battling Omega Supreme (Encore). It's not that I don't want to play with him or enjoy it. Almost all of my figures get put into displays at some point and then are not touched for some time.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

Since I have not played with full Herc much, mine are holding up fine. I have to admit that one of the reasons I don't fiddle with him a lot is the issue with the gears stripping on the hips. The issue with the excavator arm cracking never manifested with mine, and I played with him more than any others, since he was my first.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

Can't really say. The torso to hip connection is a bit tight. I've not tried to disassemble Herc in a long time. I don't have Giant, so no comparisons there. I can say that I like Herc's plastic quality. The designs appeal to the kid in me. The transformations are not overly complicated. I like the design "scale" with the vehicles being more of the massive mining equipment size than Giant's more mundane construction equipment.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

He is now, mostly because I have moved on to other toys/projects. That's my MO. I play with stuff for quite a while and then put them in display for use later. I have started to photo them for use in some digital comics I intend to produce at some point. No idea if I will ever publish them. But, I am happy with Herc being my "Classics" Devastator.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:I'll also add that I'm quite surprised that the Giant sets on eBay are quite a bit more expensive now than Hercules at BBTS or TFSource, but then again my understanding that Giant is mostly OOP.

For me, I bought into Herc right away, and it was later that Giant started to be released. Since I was invested in Herc, I didn't really consider Giant. If Giant had come first, I probably would have gone with him. However, the one thing I can say about Herc is that I love his towering size.

I own both Hercules and Yellow Giant. I can honestly say Hercules is the better set because he is more G1 cartoon accurate. (including Rage of Hercules, Crazydevy, Reprolabels add-ons of course) Giant looks a lot more G1 toy accurate if you prefer that sort of thing, but honestly it was the G2 yellow that sold me, not the figure itself. I don’t play with my figures, I just display them so I cant be of much help there. All I can tell you is add some lube to Long Haul’s hip gears before you move them. If you go with Giant, be prepared for complex transformations with scary tabs that seem destined to break if you like to “play” with them. The vehicle modes are pretty toy accurate. But the robot modes are not very cartoon or toy accurate, so you better be into the whole neo concept big time if you go with Giant. Hercules is the other way around. For Herc, the robot modes are more cartoon accurate, and the vehicle modes are neo. That’s the deal maker in my honest opinion. Owning both of them, I really cant comment on which price tag is a better buy. Were not talking Hasbro here, it’s P2P. Hasbto will probably do Devastator one day, but will probably screw him up in an attempt to market him to today’s kids (FOC Bruticus) So whichever toy you pick, youre gonna be happy.

Thank you all for the replies so far. I'm getting a better idea of what to expect of the Hercules set, and some comparisons between Herc and Giant that I haven't been able to find in a forum search.

Agamemnon, I want to clarify something about your response here:

Agamemnon wrote:

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

Since I have not played with full Herc much, mine are holding up fine. I have to admit that one of the reasons I don't fiddle with him a lot is the issue with the gears stripping on the hips. The issue with the excavator arm cracking never manifested with mine, and I played with him more than any others, since he was my first.

It sounds like you got the first release version, where TFC actually mailed out replacement parts to correct some problems with the figures. Is that so? I can understand lubing up the hip joints, but in the corrected figures, is there less of a possibility for the hip joints to strip out?

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Thank you all for the replies so far. I'm getting a better idea of what to expect of the Hercules set, and some comparisons between Herc and Giant that I haven't been able to find in a forum search.

Agamemnon, I want to clarify something about your response here:

Agamemnon wrote:

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

Since I have not played with full Herc much, mine are holding up fine. I have to admit that one of the reasons I don't fiddle with him a lot is the issue with the gears stripping on the hips. The issue with the excavator arm cracking never manifested with mine, and I played with him more than any others, since he was my first.

All the "corrected" hip joints are is the same parts lubed with Vaseline. I got the news before I opened my Long Haul, so I opened both sets of hips up to see what the difference was. No Vaseline, that's it. I added some lube and threw the replacement in my parts box in case I ever need it. No issues with posing Hercs legs so far. No clicking stripping gears. Theyre not as tight as Giant, but he's not falling or doing splits either...
It sounds like you got the first release version, where TFC actually mailed out replacement parts to correct some problems with the figures. Is that so? I can understand lubing up the hip joints, but in the corrected figures, is there less of a possibility for the hip joints to strip out?

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:Thank you all for the replies so far. I'm getting a better idea of what to expect of the Hercules set, and some comparisons between Herc and Giant that I haven't been able to find in a forum search.

Agamemnon, I want to clarify something about your response here:

Agamemnon wrote:

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

Since I have not played with full Herc much, mine are holding up fine. I have to admit that one of the reasons I don't fiddle with him a lot is the issue with the gears stripping on the hips. The issue with the excavator arm cracking never manifested with mine, and I played with him more than any others, since he was my first.

It sounds like you got the first release version, where TFC actually mailed out replacement parts to correct some problems with the figures. Is that so? I can understand lubing up the hip joints, but in the corrected figures, is there less of a possibility for the hip joints to strip out?

I did get the first release version, and yeah, basically what X said. I'm wary of the lube fix as the gears still seem destined to be stripped by the tension "spring". I swapped thighs around, did the tension spring mod, and kept the replacement version in case I need it. So far, everything is working well, unless I bend him over backward. (Gears were chewed up the first time I moved the legs, before I knew there was a problem.)

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:1) How long have you had the Hercules set?

I pre-ordered each figure, so received them right after each release.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:2) Tying in with how long you've had the set, how much have you played around with it?

Quite a bit before all 6 were released and I combined them. Most of my figures get transformed a few times and then on on the shelf. I liked the transformation steps for each Hercules figure. A few weeks ago, I took the set to a friend's house because he has been interested in getting his own. I was quite glad I was able to take them apart and demonstrate each of the vehicle and robot modes and finally get back to gestalt without needing instructions. And I was reminded of how much of a beast Heavy Load is in robot mode.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:3) Throughout your time with the set, how are the joints on both the individual figures and the combined form holding up?

They seem to be holding up well. Of course, Hercules has a bit of a lean to him, but that's always been the case.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:4) I understand that quite a few TF hobbyists think that MakeToy's Giant has better limb connection joints than the Hercules set. If you own both Hercules and Giant, how big are the differences and would it be a deal breaker?

I own both, and I think the connection joints on Herc (with the upgrade kit) are just fine.

BATTLEMASTER IIC wrote:5) Is the Hercules set more of a display piece rather than a play piece? I do enjoy transforming my figures. That's why I get them, after all

Most of my figures are display pieces. But as I mentioned earlier, being able to bring him off the display and demonstrate the engineering was a fun time. I kinda wish I had the resources to pick up a second set for individual display.

If you look at RatedX's picture, two issues are relevant: size and likeness. What matters to you the most? There are other issues too: playability of either the Herc or Giant set, cost, scale with your collection. I didn't want to choose, so I didn't. I will say that another factor which I'll give to Hercules is uniformity. Giant's individual bots don't seem to mesh as well as a team.