The Energon Pub

I'm wanting the new fansproject not menasor but I want to save money by buying them all at once much like TFC toys Devestator which is selling as all six at one time at many online sites. My concern is that I will wait, and that will never happen because the first toys released won't be around because they are no longer being produced.
I know this is a vague question but does any one know if there are plans to sell them togethor when the 5th car is released?

Thanks for any info.

The overall answer to the topic question is "it depends". If the figures/characters mean that much to you AND you can afford it, just get them as they are released.

To answer your question regarding the Stunticon set, I don't recall hearing any plans to release a box set of all 5. General conjecture says that the limbs are priced a bit higher than normal to help with the costs of Motormaster, and that piece will be priced accordingly. The problem with that is, we don't know what the final cost of MM will be, and can't really be sure that paying an estimated $10 more for each of the limbs makes any difference on the total cost to the consumer. I was hoping we could get the set around $250 before prices on Car Crash and T-Bone were released. Now, I simply don't know. IF there is a box set for all 5 figures at some point, I doubt we'll see a price reduction compared to buying individually.

Regarding TFC's Hercules, you can buy all 6 figures as a "set" from retailers with a lower rate PROBABLY because many sites were charging $100/ea just because they could get away with it. The "set" is just buying all 6 individually boxed figures at once, and not like MakeToys' Green Giant which has a specific box for it.

Good luck with your decision. I'm ordering the Stunticons as they come out, but due to other obligations I'm holding off on TFC's Uranos and hoping that once all figures are out retailers will sell at a bit of a discount only because it's the same manufacturer as Hercules.

waiting on any 3rd party product is a HUGE gamble. even on official Hasbro products I'd recommend pre-ordering any items you really want. Some 3rd party stuff hangs around for ages in online stores, either because they've ordered loads, or there is continual re-stocks but some sells out near instantly and can take years before it's re-released, if at all.

If you're set on getting something, I'd say the extra few quid you might have to pay up front is probably well worth the risk of not getting it at all later.

So far TFC seem to be restocking there combiners so they are always available, FP on the other hand don't seem to restock after 2 or so production runs.

No idea what FP are planning for the Stunticons, but with their history your best bet would be to get them as they are released so you don't risk missing out. Kind of a sucky way to do it (which is why I'm not buying them yet) because we have no idea how much MM will cost, but FP don't seem to keep restocking their products like TFC and others.

[rant]There is also the (reasonably good) chance that TFC or MMC will do their own version which will consist of deluxe size cars (not the undersized crap FP insist on doing) and a Menasor that will scale with their own products so he will actually tower over other Neo-Classic figures.

If MM price isn't released before the cars sell out, I'll be waiting for that. If we do find out his price early enough I might just bite.[/rant]

TFC's version of superion looks awesome. I hear the red jet has some qc issues, so i'm a bit put off by that.
Also i did notice fansproject menasor was much smaller. I love the size of tfc combiners.

Kup98ss wrote:TFC's version of superion looks awesome. I hear the red jet has some qc issues, so i'm a bit put off by that.
Also i did notice fansproject menasor was much smaller. I love the size of tfc combiners.

The only qc issue I've found is squeaky hips, which is easy to get around. Otherwise I'm really happy with him

TFC hasn't announced a Menasor at all yet. An alternative may be a long time coming if at all.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:TFC hasn't announced a Menasor at all yet. An alternative may be a long time coming if at all.

That doesn't mean much, we never know exactly what is on the horizon. Besides, it has been proven that the two different sizes we have been getting are profitable, so it is only a matter of time. Might take a year or two, but it will happen.

good topic question. I have been wondering the same thing. I am interested in TFC Superion but want to wait until all the figures come and the reviews are done. But hope there will be enough figures left on the market at the time to order. Ideally, I would like a second edition to fix any issues before purchasing.

Stormrider wrote:good topic question. I have been wondering the same thing. I am interested in TFC Superion but want to wait until all the figures come and the reviews are done. But hope there will be enough figures left on the market at the time to order. Ideally, I would like a second edition to fix any issues before purchasing.

Waiting might've been the better decision. Herc is still in stock after all this time and the three Uranos releases haven't sold out yet. If TFC keep both teams in stock, the next time I buy a gestalt of theirs I might wait as well.

Arctorro wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:TFC hasn't announced a Menasor at all yet. An alternative may be a long time coming if at all.

That doesn't mean much, we never know exactly what is on the horizon. Besides, it has been proven that the two different sizes we have been getting are profitable, so it is only a matter of time. Might take a year or two, but it will happen.

It doesn't mean much?? You're just assuming they'll do it. But they've already got the Dinobots combienr prototyped and the Starcats combiner as well. AND they've teased the Predacons as their next project. They could just as easily do any other combiner, TF or otherwise ... or they could go back to doing other figures like Reflector. I wouldn't hold my breath on TFC specifically laying out another Menasor option. There may not BE another option any time soon.

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:TFC hasn't announced a Menasor at all yet. An alternative may be a long time coming if at all.

That doesn't mean much, we never know exactly what is on the horizon. Besides, it has been proven that the two different sizes we have been getting are profitable, so it is only a matter of time. Might take a year or two, but it will happen.

It doesn't mean much?? You're just assuming they'll do it. But they've already got the Dinobots combienr prototyped and the Starcats combiner as well. AND they've teased the Predacons as their next project. They could just as easily do any other combiner, TF or otherwise ... or they could go back to doing other figures like Reflector. I wouldn't hold my breath on TFC specifically laying out another Menasor option. There may not BE another option any time soon.

I'm not holding my breath, nor am I only talking about TFC (I also mentioned MMC, you just said TFC). Also, I'm not assuming anything, a larger Stunticon set will happen at some point because there is money to be made from it. Like I said, it could be a few years, but when we are getting plenty of other options atm I'm not that fussed if I miss out on FP's take on it if it means I'll have the cash to buy the better stuff that's slated for release this year. FP are handling the release of their Stunticons badly with not releasing proper images of MM and Menasor, and not at least giving us a ballpark price for MM. The best images we've had of MM and Menasor were an accidental leak.

You seem to be assuming that those BADLY received Dinobot and Starcat (wanna be Protectobots) gestalts are still in production even though nothing more has happened with them. Like I said, we don't know what the 3P companies are planning and just need to wait and see.

Btw, did we get any prototype images of hints about Uranos before it was announced?

Another consideration in buying all at once or over time is the amortization of the cost. For some of us with touchy accountants (read: wife) a single purchase of $300-$600 is problematic. (Indeed, this is one major reason I have not purchased Genesis.) If I can spread that cost out at $100 a pop over 2, 3, 8 months, then it is easier to absorb. I can also offset in other areas like not spending as much as the comic book store or movies or components for my home network domain.

Plus, for me, the anticipation is half the fun. (Maybe more!) While some complain about not seeing any news on Motormaster, to me it just adds to the anticipation. I might be having more fun waiting for the impending release of Hexatreon than I will when I get the figure in hand. I know I loved fiddling with the first several figures of Herc, trying to figure out how the combination was going to work, standing up a leg with nothing above it. (At least until I ground down the hip gears.) Then I would get excited when I got a ship notificatoin from BBTS that the next component is shipping. (I live close to BBTS, so it is always the next day!)

However, this is going to be different for each person. Money is a big factor, but really, that is to be expected with such an expensive hobby as 3rd party Transformer collecting. Some can easily absorb $500. I prefer to spread it out without paying credit card interest rates. BBTS's pile of loot can help defray some of the shipping costs of each component, yet still allow for the amortization of the figure costs. (Does anybody else have experience "returning" a figure from POL? Does it cost a penalty, or is BBTS really customer focussed with this feature?)

My personal take on getting FP's Menasor versus waiting on another, larger version has to do with what has been announced and how long I have already waited for the big guy. Perhaps TFC's Predaking will be awesome, but since MMC and UT have their versoins, and they look pretty good to spectacular, I think TFC is going to lose some sales from people like me. Any future Menasor will likely suffer from lost sales by not competing with FP now. The Herc-Giant debate was fun. UT-MMC debate has been less fun because it appears that MMC is giving us so much more for the money. Still, if there had been no MMC, I would have bit on UT for my neo-classics Predaking and not purchased MMC down the line. I have been tempted by TFC superion, but two things have kept me away. 1, I am satisfied with FP's add-on kit. 2, while I love the limb figures (well, except for the fugly F16 that has yet to be released) I would have prefered to stay true to the originals and stick with the concord for Silverbolt. It's hard for me to accept 4 of 5 being great G1 representations and changing the one so much.

When did I lose everybody with my rambling...

Arctorro wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:

Gauntlet101010 wrote:TFC hasn't announced a Menasor at all yet. An alternative may be a long time coming if at all.

That doesn't mean much, we never know exactly what is on the horizon. Besides, it has been proven that the two different sizes we have been getting are profitable, so it is only a matter of time. Might take a year or two, but it will happen.

It doesn't mean much?? You're just assuming they'll do it. But they've already got the Dinobots combienr prototyped and the Starcats combiner as well. AND they've teased the Predacons as their next project. They could just as easily do any other combiner, TF or otherwise ... or they could go back to doing other figures like Reflector. I wouldn't hold my breath on TFC specifically laying out another Menasor option. There may not BE another option any time soon.

I'm not holding my breath, nor am I only talking about TFC (I also mentioned MMC, you just said TFC). Also, I'm not assuming anything, a larger Stunticon set will happen at some point because there is money to be made from it. Like I said, it could be a few years, but when we are getting plenty of other options atm I'm not that fussed if I miss out on FP's take on it if it means I'll have the cash to buy the better stuff that's slated for release this year. FP are handling the release of their Stunticons badly with not releasing proper images of MM and Menasor, and not at least giving us a ballpark price for MM. The best images we've had of MM and Menasor were an accidental leak.

You seem to be assuming that those BADLY received Dinobot and Starcat (wanna be Protectobots) gestalts are still in production even though nothing more has happened with them. Like I said, we don't know what the 3P companies are planning and just need to wait and see.

Btw, did we get any prototype images of hints about Uranos before it was announced?

Okay, I misread your post, that's my bad. But it's still a pretty big assumption to think MMC will decide to do Menasor, as opposed to any other combiner out there. They could just as easily do Pirranacon. Or even a non combiner. Yeah, there's a market for a bigger size class of combiner, but that doesn't mean we'll actually get a larger Mensor even a few years down the road. There's a TON of other combiners and single figures they could do. By the same argument they could make new, larger, Insecticons. Or the Dinobots. Or anything. It doesn't change the act that you're just assuming they'll make Menasor because FP's try is too small for some.

If people want a classics Menasor one's available now. There's no garuntee MMC, TFC, or Toyworld or anyone else in the 3rd party scene will make one at a larger size. None. They could make any other combiner and there's still plenty to choose from.

Agamemnon wrote:BBTS's pile of loot can help defray some of the shipping costs of each component, yet still allow for the amortization of the figure costs. (Does anybody else have experience "returning" a figure from POL? Does it cost a penalty, or is BBTS really customer focussed with this feature?)

There is no penalty. My current PoL has 3 deleted purchases and the money paid is turned into store credit. For someone who is guaranteed to be spending money with them again it works out great.

Agamemnon wrote:My personal take on getting FP's Menasor versus waiting on another, larger version has to do with what has been announced and how long I have already waited for the big guy. Perhaps TFC's Predaking will be awesome, but since MMC and UT have their versoins, and they look pretty good to spectacular, I think TFC is going to lose some sales from people like me. Any future Menasor will likely suffer from lost sales by not competing with FP now. The Herc-Giant debate was fun. UT-MMC debate has been less fun because it appears that MMC is giving us so much more for the money. Still, if there had been no MMC, I would have bit on UT for my neo-classics Predaking and not purchased MMC down the line.

I know I would never have bought UT's version for 2 reasons; 1) it is bloody ugly and I really can't stand looking at it, 2) they are just too damn expensive for deluxe size figures, even with the price drop that happened after MMC's prices were announced. So I would've been waiting for something better (bigger).

I know I'm not the only one who is holding off or passing on FP's Menasor and plenty of people got Herc and Giant, so not releasing now shouldn't hurt sales later on. And that's not including people who can't justify Predaking, Menasor and all the Headmasters we're getting atm. There will be a market for a larger set of Stunticons in the future.

Agamemnon wrote:When did I lose everybody with my rambling...

Didn't lose me, enjoyed the read

All of this talk about FP's menasor being smaller has got me thinking. He should be smaller because cars are way smaller than jets and construction equipment. Still when you bring up pricing FP's menasor isn't as good of a deal as hercules or uranos.

Just curious if there is a confirmation that Menasor will be small. It does seem to make sense looking at the size of the cars. But didn't we see a picture showing Menasor's calves made up of a combination of Motormaster's trailer plus the cars? Is there any possibility that this figure is the same size as FP Bruticus or MT Giant?

Kup98ss wrote:All of this talk about FP's menasor being smaller has got me thinking. He should be smaller because cars are way smaller than jets and construction equipment. Still when you bring up pricing FP's menasor isn't as good of a deal as hercules or uranos.

It all depends on MM, if he is $80 - $90 max, then they will be on par with TFC. Any more and they are a bit expensive. And as to the size, when compared to Giant they are fairly good, when compared to Herc not so much. Also depends on what other figures you compare them to, Classics seekers are a little undersized so they'd go well together. Autobot cars will look a lot bigger next to them so if you are wanting to set a scene where the Stunticons are owning the Autobots on the road it might not work

Stormrider wrote:Just curious if there is a confirmation that Menasor will be small. It does seem to make sense looking at the size of the cars. But didn't we see a picture showing Menasor's calves made up of a combination of Motormaster's trailer plus the cars? Is there any possibility that this figure is the same size as FP Bruticus or MT Giant?

I'm expecting him to be around the same size as Giant and Brut, but we don't know exactly. The cars are small, but with MM acting as the legs as well we can only guess what Menasor's size will be. He should definitely scale well with the smaller gestalts, but it is all speculation atm.

Are there any good pics of FP menasor out there?

Probably the best one ?

He looks great but he looks like he will be much smaller than TFC's offerings. Thanks for the pic.

Kup98ss wrote:He looks great but he looks like he will be much smaller than TFC's offerings. Thanks for the pic.

He is supposed to be 11.5 inches tall, but I don't know if that measurement is to the top of his head or shoulders.

Here you go. Scale is no longer a mystery. He looks great with Bruticus. I have no comment on Giant.

wow, that's a good pic. not sold on the arms, sure they're the same style as Bruticus' but a bit more spindly.

this our first colour pic of MM/Menasor?

That's a Photoshopped image with the person who did it assuming the scale.