Spanbauer wrote:I see what you guys are saying. Personally however, even if I have to pay $300 to get an SDCC version from a scalper off eBay, I'd still go that route over the current two third party options - without a moment of hesitation. For me, the Hasbro set has 3 things going for it that the 3rd parties do not:
1. Scale with Masterpiece line
2. Aesthetics fit with the Masterpiece line
3. In masterpiece fashion, individual robots are dead ringers for the original characters
Scaled-up Deluxe-class engineering or not, I want Scrapper, Mixmaster, Long Haul, Hook, Scavenger and Bonecrusher. Not...just some green robots who turn into construction vehicles. Which is what I personally feel you're getting with both Green Giant and Hercules.
Looks like your wish may come true. Most of them are hovering around $300 for pre-order:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R4 ... r&_sacat=0tbh, Devastator is the one model I would prefer a set of high quality kit, because it's something I'd want to display, not play with. I don't need it to be kid-proof simple-transforming G1-style Constructicons. I'd actually want the alt modes to look good (like feasible construction vehicles with some functionality and articulation), as well as the gestalt mode looking good. The robot mode is least important to me, but even there I think Green Giant does quite well (at least compared with Hercules). Not as good as the upcoming TG Devy, but fairly close.
Seems like the paint and detail on GG is also probably the best of the bunch, too, though maybe SDCC version of Devy will compete with it. Really, after the underwhelming quality of the paint application on many of the Takara Tomy Masterpiece models (supposedly the high-end product for collectors), I'd really have to see Devy up close to be sure it is actually done well. I don't recall paint issues on my G1 Transformers 25+ years ago, but then I was much younger at the time, but I seem to recall more color-infused plastic and less actual paint. Though they did have that cheap chrome paint that always faded yellow over time. =)
well I don't 
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Thanks Sabrblade for the info!
) kind of like Metroplex was very similar to the convention exclusives that year. They'll all be JUST enough to make them different, but I'm still going to stick with one of the Has/Tak versions over the third party offerings personally. Also, I think the big comparisons would be any of the Takara CHUG figures vs Hasbro CHUG as far as paint goes (not MP).
