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First and foremost, just in case someone randomly enter the thread at this here post and is also relatively new to Transformers collecting, clicky the video below for an important context:



And now, at very last,

G1 ULTRA PRETENDERS SKYHAMMER!



Pretenders were weird. I mean, mass shifting robots wearing a human or monster "skin" is a pretty bad-ass idea. Usually, it's only a "shell" that contain a mini bot. But the ULTRA Pretenders give a vehicle to a transforming shell that contain a transforming minibot. It's the matroiska dolls of Transformers!

So, the main "body" or rather, main vehicle is beefy but dangerous looking. The blue cannons on front can rotate at 180°. The vehicle roll very well and the propellers can turn. As you can see, the stickers are in almost perfect shape and the golden vehicle body is in PERFECT condition.




Open the vehicle and you see the main shell inside.



Take the main body out...



The minibot in inside the shell. That is the "REAL" Skyhammer.



As you can see, that part above is the ONLY part that is broken and it still function somewhat.

So before continuing to the main shell, let's open the shell, take the little guy out, and have a look at Skyhammer himself:





His main gold body is not really at risk, but rotating the feet in position is a bit risky.



He wield his gunshield like a champ.



He does have a "vehicle mode" where he just do a yoga pose and plug his gunshield in his chest hole. But that chest hole is in gold so I just barely pegged it in.



"Oh take me daddy!"



The big vehicle shell have an added function and it's to be a weapon platform for the minibot. However, no way in freaking hell will I try to peg in his gold feet in those pegs. So for the photo, he's just balancing there.



The inner shell do transform into a vehicle for the minibot.
The vehicle is cool, but it's kinda like a chestburster from Alien being born......



I barely pegged in the gold guns just to be on the safe side.





Now, I stored the minibot back inside and it's time to go all MISSION IMPOSSIBLE.
Transforming the inner shell into a human.

Those feet are the scariest part of the transformation because they are TIGHT as hell to rotate into position. I shot some Gigaloo in the joints to give me a fighting chance. As you see, only that part of the foot is broken. It still peg in it's place.




MISSION SUCCESS!



Who can't fall in love with this derpface?





I love the fact that Skyhammer as a human is just an average middle-aged Joe, who just made himself an ackward but cool cardboard costume to entertain his nephew's B-Day party at McDonald's!



But then, shizz get real when a Karen comes in to spoil the party! Uncle Skyhammer will protect the kid's fun from the annoying complainer with GOLDEN JUSTICE!!!



I'm so glad that I've finally decided to give Roadblock his nemesis! I can't believes it took me around 3 years to finally buy Skyhammer from Geek Stuff. And I still can't believe I was able to buy him still after all that time.



And 92$CAN taxes included for a toy that usually go from 200$CAN to 500$CAN+, that was quite the steal!

Looks fantastic, Kanra! Love his derpy face

Just went to transform the Pretender shell, and yeah, those feet are ridiculously tight. I stopped because if I hadn't, the same thing would have happened.

Burn wrote:Just went to transform the Pretender shell, and yeah, those feet are ridiculously tight. I stopped because if I hadn't, the same thing would have happened.

I shot Gigaloo lubricant in the joints so I'm safe.... For now.
I walked on a thin line, however.

I don't think I would transform that Pretender if i had him, I'd probably have the mega jet shell and then the human with the bot inside, best of the whole package to display.

Torca is in a similar condition, I cannot transform him, so he is posed nicely in robot mode to look sharp while being critically injured

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Burn wrote:Just went to transform the Pretender shell, and yeah, those feet are ridiculously tight. I stopped because if I hadn't, the same thing would have happened.

I shot Gigaloo lubricant in the joints so I'm safe.... For now.
I walked on a thin line, however.

I should have a spare (think he already had a broken foot) floating around. Might have a look and take him apart. Best way around it would be to sand down those shafts.

Burn wrote:I should have a spare (think he already had a broken foot) floating around. Might have a look and take him apart. Best way around it would be to sand down those shafts.

This make me think. No one at Shapeway or Nonef (or someone) thought about making 3D printed replacements of the gold parts that are commonly broken on Transformers figures? I know it take man hours to design and create those parts for maybe too few sales to be truly worth it, but still...

-Kanrabat- wrote:

Burn wrote:I should have a spare (think he already had a broken foot) floating around. Might have a look and take him apart. Best way around it would be to sand down those shafts.

This make me think. No one at Shapeway or Nonef (or someone) thought about making 3D printed replacements of the gold parts that are commonly broken on Transformers figures? I know it take man hours to design and create those parts for maybe too few sales to be truly worth it, but still...

Or any parts at all, really. I don't know how 3D-printed compares to cast when it comes to breakage.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Or any parts at all, really. I don't know how 3D-printed compares to cast when it comes to breakage.

Depends on the quality of the printer and the design file.

For what collectors like us intend it for, it should be fine.

Burn wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Or any parts at all, really. I don't know how 3D-printed compares to cast when it comes to breakage.

Depends on the quality of the printer and the design file.

For what collectors like us intend it for, it should be fine.

I bought some Shapeway upgrades already. The quality of the plastics used is solid. Kinda like nylon. So unless the part is made to be extremely thin like a sheet of paper, it's pretty much very solid and durable. Plus making parts as simple as a Pretender Skyhammer half-foot is piss-easy to do. That is, for someone who have the tools and the skills, obviously.

My Octopunch actually has 3D printed parts that I refused to pay an arm and a leg for — they work fine for me, but obviously aren’t the exact same for texture/color.

Got this in the mail, meaning my Icepick is now only 1 tiny piece away from completion, and at the very least I am on my way to Monstructor!

How is your ice pick pretender shell holding up, from things I've read it seems they're quite vulnerable

ZeroWolf wrote:How is your ice pick pretender shell holding up, from things I've read it seems they're quite vulnerable

Fairly good, it looks the part and it still feels good

I'd still kill for a modern Monstructor but I think the best chance for him as passed (when he was a bigger deal in the comics)

ZeroWolf wrote:I'd still kill for a modern Monstructor but I think the best chance for him as passed (when he was a bigger deal in the comics)

I agree, they had their chance, and now it might be forever before we get another chance... unless he is next year's Titan

I wouldn't say no to him being next years titan but I think we need another bot titan to even thd odds... But I can't think of any that would fit the bill.

ZeroWolf wrote:I wouldn't say no to him being next years titan but I think we need another bot titan to even thd odds... But I can't think of any that would fit the bill.

The only one that might would be Raiden, but since he is going the MP route- wait nevermind, there are several bots over the past few years that have gotten an MP and retail generations figure in the same year, so Raiden might be possible.

But I want a Monstructor, and I want them to make him good and proper, with some sort of Pretender stuff included. Even if you make him a regular sized combiner from 6 members but use extra budget to give each a shell or "shell armor"

The decoy armours was a nice attempt at doing the idea but I wonder if they could do the idea justice with the engineering of today. I would've willing to pay the extra if they needed to up the parts count

I really think they could.

Think of it this way: look at the clones. They are basically $10 legends figures that are nigh identical to the styling of the inner robot. Now if you maybe make them a hair smaller/thinner, you can move some budget to the other $10 or $20 to make the deluxe or voyager pricepoint, and use that to make a shell with some basic articulation. Maybe do it like the Botcon Oilmaster, the bot folds up into alt mode or just a cube, goes inside the chest, and then you can have universal or ball joints for shoulders/thighs with hinge or ball joint elbows and knees, with a head swivel.

I was thinking a cube myself, especially if they keep the inner robot simple enough then a cube shape would work but it'd be interesting to see what ascetic the shells would take in this day and age

I want to see what they could do with the Decepticon pretenders, I want to see mean beast shells. Skullgrin especially

I can't explain it but as a kid, submarauder was the one I wanted most though I honestly think that if they do pretenders again properly, it'd be Bludgeon who gets the focus on the con side of things

A bludgeon would be awesome.

And think about this, use the Leader class to make ultra Pretenders, so the likes of Sky Shadow, Thunderwing, etc' can be done. Or better yet, make Thunderwing a Commander Pretender

Thunderwing needs to be nothing less then a commander, there's enough scope for one line of pretenders at least, and they could make another Metal hawk... That's not a boxset exclusive or a very expensive retro item