The Energon Pub

OK so I just got Maketoys Yellow Giant at the Great sale price at TFSource. They say Set C will contain extra parts to correct issues from set B. (as per TFSource) My set did not come with any extra parts. Is this a 2nd run with the figures fixed before assembly at Maketoys ? I e-mailed TFSource but havent recieved a response. And what were these issues from set B ? Can someone please list what extra parts were included that I didnt get and what was the issue with the old part ? Thanks in advance.

Rated X wrote:OK so I just got Maketoys Yellow Giant at the Great sale price at TFSource. They say Set C will contain extra parts to correct issues from set B. (as per TFSource) My set did not come with any extra parts. Is this a 2nd run with the figures fixed before assembly at Maketoys ? I e-mailed TFSource but havent recieved a response. And what were these issues from set B ? Can someone please list what extra parts were included that I didnt get and what was the issue with the old part ? Thanks in advance.

I would suggest that you go read the info from Maketoys' website as it's listed on their front page.

Whats the link X?

Thadicon wrote:Whats the link X?

http://www.maketoys.jp/

Just scroll down the page a bit and you'll see the post about notes on Dump Truck.

*Edited for helpfulness*

Just pulled the replacement set that I received. It contains a revised Giant head, revised left and right shoulder pieces for Dump Truck, along with a revised front/grill for him. Also included were instructions on how to put together (which are NOT on MT's site) and also the necessary screws.

I believe the Giant head was issued because the instructions didn't warn people about the needed locking/unlocking of that neck connector piece to Crane, and Dump Truck had some clearance issues which caused some of his pieces to break when transforming. Hope these pieces are still available to those who ordered the sets recently, I got all these during initial release.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the feedback. Im still waiting on a response from TF Source. Is there anyone else out there who just recieved a yellow giant from TF Source this week and didnt get the spare parts ? Im wondering if this "restock" was recently assembled and not in need of fixes...

Which version has the new Hook crane design that make the crane arm removable?

Thadicon wrote:Which version has the new Hook crane design that make the crane arm removable?

That's only available for Type-61.

X let us know what you think about MT Giant once you get all this figured out. would like to know how in hand experiences would effect your opinion since you were not a fan of it in the beginning.

Giant type 61 is great. Since yellow is only slightly different, I would imagine he's nearly if not as good as that. Word to the wise, don't push the piledriver/screwdriver bits all the way in to store them on dump truck/Long Haul. At least on type 61, they're a real bear to remove again. Pay attention to the instructions for the arms on crane/Hook too. There's a step that's easy to miss that can cause them to break if you force them.

If there was any pre-done re-assembly, the most distinguishable parts to check for differences would be the front vehicle panels on dump truck. I don't have everything out to make adequate comparisons, but from what I recall the bottom edge of the panels was squared off instead of round, thus making said panel almost impossible to fold in without breaking, or at the very least a major stress.
I got mine from BBTS last year with the replacement parts and made sure to replace that section on Dump Truck right away. It's not a terrible thing to just leave them be though since those panels don't really get in the way, they just serve to fill out the bot mode torso a bit.

In terms of what Type-61 has over the yellow version there is and Alternate head, removable crane, and some kind of parts combination with said crane to make a club. Personally I'm actually quite peeved at how the crane removal was handled, as you now HAVE to remove it to transform not-Hook.

While I was not initially interested in Giant being a Hercules fan, I decided G2 Bruticus needed a partner on my G2 shelf. I needed that G2 Devy. It appears that my set may have the fixed parts installed because MY Dump Truck grill did not take extreme force to fold in and I saw no stress marks afterward on either the yellow or yellow parts. Also my Giant came with a head that has the silver paint on the forehead to give him that anime “balding” effect. I have read that the first run of yellow Giant didn’t have this until the fans recommended it for the upcoming green version. Can anyone with the first run of yellow Giant confirm this? Sadly, I can’t remove the hook on Crane/Hook like the green version.
Here are my thoughts on Giant:

Alt modes – I really like the G1 toy accuracy on these construction vehicles. Although I don’t like how many parts don’t move. I understand this was supposed to be a more affordable version of Devastator, but I would have rather paid an extra $100 to get a spinning cement barrel, scooping excavator shovel, moving crane hook, treads with wheels on the bottom, and working pistons on the bulldozer. Other than that I have no complaints about the alt mode.
Transformation to robot mode and back – This is where the Giant set is flawed in my book. There is nothing fun about transforming these figures. Each one is either overly complicated or extremely scary to transform without breaking. Way too many tabs were used in spots where a peg would have been easier and safer. Tabs are a pain in the ass to line up when transforming into vehicle mode. And the tab that holds together the cab of the cement mixer seems like it is doomed to break as the plastic weakens with age. I’m not a big fan of complex transformations. Hercules was actually fun to transform. These guys weren’t. Transforming Scrapper was extremely difficult. I felt like I was transforming ROTF Rampage at one point out of pure frustration. And what the hell is that big silver piston for that is always in the way? I had trouble with Bulldozer and Excavator when it came to lining up the treads to get them back into vehicle mode. Anyways, I’m glad I so many people have reviews up because those were a lifesaver. I never even opened the instructions, I went right to YouTube. That’s why I hate when reviewers don’t start the review in the mode the figure was packaged in. I wish 3rd parties would release instructional videos (in English) on YouTube. They’re the real experts and should be showing us how to transforming it easily without breaking fragile parts.

Individual robot modes – I have stated plenty of times I am not a fan of these robot modes and I stand by that. I’m a big fan of cartoon accuracy which these are not. The funny thing is that the vehicle and Combiner mode seem to be fairly G1 toy accurate, but the individual robot modes are NOT toy accurate at all, except Mixmaster. Cabs on Scrapper and Bonecrusher’s chest? Long haul with short legs and wing flaps? Hook and scavenger with Hasbroish construction parts connected to one arm in an asymmetrical way? Definitely not my thing. Im not a fan of the yellow heads on Hook and Scavenger either, but after seeing the transformation in hand I understand why they needed to do it that way. I intend to buy the Reprolabels sets and see if it adds so character to their robot modes. But right now they don’t give me a “classics” vibe. I get more of a weird 3rd party neo vibe that doesn’t match with classics or other 3rd party robot modes very well.

Combiner mode - The Giant combiner mode really did live up to the hype. I really love the possibility of Giant. I also love the tightness of the legs that don’t pop off easy when you bend the knees. The arms hold in fairly tight as well but are a little loose when it comes to posing. The weight of the gun makes the right hand flop sometimes and takes a little work to pose so he points his gun. The grey extended barrel on the gun adds to the weight which makes the arm sink back down, but I leave it pushed in to make his gone look more G1 accurate. It flops less if you leave it pushed in. I really like the feature that lets you pull out the crane on Hook and fold it behind Giant’s back. This is great because it allows you to save space by backing him up against the wall behind smaller figures. I love the way Giant looks more toy accurate since I already own a Hercules with Crazy Devy upgrades as my cartoon accurate version. And since Giant is in G2 colors, having a different mold as G2 Devastator adds variety to my collection rather than having another Hercules in yellow if they had made one. The combiner mode makes this figure totally worth the price. Especially if you can snag one at TF Source for only $379.55 while they still have them. Free shipping included.

My final thoughts – If you want a G2 Devastator is a must. Although I’m not a fan of the individual robot modes, or how difficult it is to transform them, the combiner mode more than makes up for it. I wouldn’t recommend the green version as classics Constructicons, but that’s just my personal taste. But I am definitely glad I purchased the G2 version.

Rated X wrote:While I was not initially interested in Giant being a Hercules fan, I decided G2 Bruticus needed a partner on my G2 shelf. I needed that G2 Devy. It appears that my set may have the fixed parts installed because MY Dump Truck grill did not take extreme force to fold in and I saw no stress marks afterward on either the yellow or yellow parts. Also my Giant came with a head that has the silver paint on the forehead to give him that anime “balding” effect. I have read that the first run of yellow Giant didn’t have this until the fans recommended it for the upcoming green version. Can anyone with the first run of yellow Giant confirm this? Sadly, I can’t remove the hook on Crane/Hook like the green version.

Glad to hear you didn't need the extra parts. I can confirm that neither the original yellow set (nor the replacement Giant head I received with Set C) have the silver paint on the forehead. I'm surprised this is part of the new yellow sets (but even more surprised that more yellow sets would be released). Also, if MT used new parts on Long Haul/Dump Truck as well as provided the extra paint app for Giant's head, it's interesting that they didn't use the updated hook like they did with Type 61 (Green Giant).

Would you let us know if the individual bots still have a mix of blue and red eyes? That was definitely a point of contention in the original release of the yellow sets which apparently they fixed to all red in Type 61.

I got my reply from TFSource today. They are going to send me a set of the spare parts. I’m very happy they took care of me. This is what they said concerning the yellow Giants they currently have in stock:

Hello (Name edited)

We are sorry to hear there is a problem with your order. The set of Yellow Giant you received is not a 2nd run of the figures with possible fixes to the issues with some of the figures, it is still the 1st run of the figures and the spare parts were not packed with the Set C that you received. We do however have some spare parts that were suppose to be in the Set C and we will get them sent off to you either today or on Monday.


Sorry for the inconvenience.

Thank You and Best Regards,

(Name edited)

TFSource - Service


But I am very surprised my Giant has the silver paint on the forehead and the grill wasnt too hard to fold up. I wonder if Maketoys did open these up at some point and fix them but failed to notify TF Source. Very odd but I guess it worked to my advantage. And the figures still have a mix of blue and red eyes. I remember this on the Scavenger and Bonecrusher set, but cant recall what color the others have and wont be disassembling him until I get the Reprolabels sets. (Waiting for Reprolabels to release the 3rd and final set)

Here are a few pictures to compare scale to various figures for anybody who might be interested…

Today I got my replacement packet in the mail. The “revised” Dump Truck grill seems to have the same rounded corners as the one that came installed on my figure. The “revised” head didn’t have the silver painted forehead like the one that came installed on my Crane figure. Not sure about the differences about the shoulder part either. Now I am convinced that Maketoys fixed these at the factory and failed to notify TF Source they were fixed. As an extra bonus they installed silver painted heads probably left over from the Green Giant run. Good on Maketoys part. Also, great job by TF Source for the excellent customer service. And just in case something does break, these extra parts will come in handy.

I was thinking about picking up the yellow set of 6 in at TFsource would they come with the replacement parts aswell?

Thadicon wrote:I was thinking about picking up the yellow set of 6 in at TFsource would they come with the replacement parts aswell?

They wont come with the extra parts, but if you ask TF Source can send you the extra parts as they did with me. Keep in mind, the revised parts turned out to be the same thing attached to my figure (minus the chrome on the extra head) Sooner or later TF Source might open one up and realize the sets were fixed and no longer provide the spare parts. Unless my set was an oddity. Lucky me.

Rated X wrote:

Thadicon wrote:I was thinking about picking up the yellow set of 6 in at TFsource would they come with the replacement parts aswell?

They wont come with the extra parts, but if you ask TF Source can send you the extra parts as they did with me. Keep in mind, the revised parts turned out to be the same thing attached to my figure (minus the chrome on the extra head) Sooner or later TF Source might open one up and realize the sets were fixed and no longer provide the spare parts. Unless my set was an oddity. Lucky me.

I might ask them in the comments then when i order it, about the extra parts and hopefully they will put them in. oh how is the crane attached to not-Hook? and is it easily removable?

tfsource have always been great with me for customer service.

I didn't realize they had the full set of 6 out again in yellow. I may have to get it. I have Herc for my big green guy, but I always liked the look of the yellow set and it would be nice to see what Giant is all about first hand.

I may have to get him if they're still around at the end of the month (when I'll have a bit more money to spend ).

xyl360 wrote:I didn't realize they had the full set of 6 out again in yellow. I may have to get it. I have Herc for my big green guy, but I always liked the look of the yellow set and it would be nice to see what Giant is all about first hand.

I may have to get him if they're still around at the end of the month (when I'll have a bit more money to spend ).

It's not a gift set in one box like the green version. It's just all 3 box sets for one great price.

Rated X wrote:

xyl360 wrote:I didn't realize they had the full set of 6 out again in yellow. I may have to get it. I have Herc for my big green guy, but I always liked the look of the yellow set and it would be nice to see what Giant is all about first hand.

I may have to get him if they're still around at the end of the month (when I'll have a bit more money to spend ).

It's not a gift set in one box like the green version. It's just all 3 box sets for one great price.

Yep, and that's fine. I don't keep my toys in the boxes anyway so it's the same to me. Discounted price for all 3 sets together.

Back when I was first considering getting the yellow Giant, it was already sold out (or at least one of the sets always was) so it's nice to have a second chance to snatch it up.

I just picked up the set C from TFsource and I am really surprised at the quality of the figures. I have been watching alot of youtube clips about them and I had my skepticism from what people have said about not-Scrapper being so difficult to transform and whatnot. But after receiving and having a go at forming them both, I really really like them and transforming not-Scrapper is actually not to hard as people have made out to be on youtube. Also I was freaking out that the bot mode's head would end up staring down his cab/chest, but fortunately hes not which is great. not-Mixmaster is pretty awesome but his height over not-Scrapper bugged me abit so I don't pull out his calves and that makes them both a similar height. The general size of the figures is quite nice too because I never bothered to look up any comparison pictures I naturally assumed that they would be just a little bit smaller than deluxe seekers but thankfully they are a touch bigger. So all in all i will definitely be purchasing the remaining sets to complete Giant and the reprolabels to go with them

Thadicon wrote:I just picked up the set C from TFsource and I am really surprised at the quality of the figures. I have been watching alot of youtube clips about them and I had my skepticism from what people have said about not-Scrapper being so difficult to transform and whatnot. But after receiving and having a go at forming them both, I really really like them and transforming not-Scrapper is actually not to hard as people have made out to be on youtube. Also I was freaking out that the bot mode's head would end up staring down his cab/chest, but fortunately hes not which is great. not-Mixmaster is pretty awesome but his height over not-Scrapper bugged me abit so I don't pull out his calves and that makes them both a similar height. The general size of the figures is quite nice too because I never bothered to look up any comparison pictures I naturally assumed that they would be just a little bit smaller than deluxe seekers but thankfully they are a touch bigger. So all in all i will definitely be purchasing the remaining sets to complete Giant and the reprolabels to go with them

I got the Reprolabels, I just haven't had a chance to put them on. There are a few labels in green meant for the green version, but I'm hoping a yellow sharpie will fix that. But you must admit, the tabs that hold Mixmaster's cab together are downright scary and have the potential to snap off eventually.

Rated X wrote:

Thadicon wrote:I just picked up the set C from TFsource and I am really surprised at the quality of the figures. I have been watching alot of youtube clips about them and I had my skepticism from what people have said about not-Scrapper being so difficult to transform and whatnot. But after receiving and having a go at forming them both, I really really like them and transforming not-Scrapper is actually not to hard as people have made out to be on youtube. Also I was freaking out that the bot mode's head would end up staring down his cab/chest, but fortunately hes not which is great. not-Mixmaster is pretty awesome but his height over not-Scrapper bugged me abit so I don't pull out his calves and that makes them both a similar height. The general size of the figures is quite nice too because I never bothered to look up any comparison pictures I naturally assumed that they would be just a little bit smaller than deluxe seekers but thankfully they are a touch bigger. So all in all i will definitely be purchasing the remaining sets to complete Giant and the reprolabels to go with them

I got the Reprolabels, I just haven't had a chance to put them on. There are a few labels in green meant for the green version, but I'm hoping a yellow sharpie will fix that. But you must admit, the tabs that hold Mixmaster's cab together are downright scary and have the potential to snap off eventually.

What are the labels like? and are there any that cover the "MTCco"?
Oh dude I was packing myself about Mixmasters tabs too but I found an easy way to unclip both tabs without the stress sweating involved. all you do is pull the cab out as if you were going to put him into foot mode and unclip the tab on truck cab, It should unclip fair;ly easily and then unclip the tab on the his calves, and they should come apart easily but not as easy as the cab ones but easier than if you didnt pull out that cab section. If you want i can put a video up tonight on how i do it?