The Energon Pub

[Wes Crayon]

What the subject line says! I'm the kind of collector who doesn't need or even want every figure in a given line -- but I do like to have at least one of each so that I can develop a general hands-on impression of the toys. So for those of you who have been getting the FABs, which would you recommend? Some of my thoughts thus far:

Frenzy -- doesn't have a deluxe class, figure, so this would be the most obvious choice. That said, I hated the character in the movie and don't particularly care if I have him in my collection or not.

Megatron -- looks nice enough, and since I don't plan on getting any of the other movie Megatrons unless I can find a metallic voyager at retail price getting him wouldn't result in any repeats in my collection.

Starscream/Ironhide/Blackout -- don't plan on getting the voyager versions, so one of these could be a go. Not fond of the feet hanging off of SS's plane mode, though, and Ironhide's arm articulation seems kinda weird.

Brawl/Bumblebee/Barricade -- these all look pretty great, but for the same price I could get the deluxe versions. (Assuming I can find them, anyway!)

Please chime in with your thoughts on these or any of the figures I haven't mentioned here.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

If you're into object-formers and the Real Gear line, Frenzy is the way to go. I saw him in a store yesterday and thought he looked neat. Probably the only FAB I would ever get, for the same reason as you

[Hip-Hoptimus Rime]

I got FAB SS originally bec. I couldn't find Voy SS. The FAb version isna't half-bad, he has actual nose landing gear, and his automorph is really cool- it tf's his whole body except for the legs. Neat to watch.

Speaking of legs, and subsequently feet, I felt the same way about his feet, so I trimmed them down to more clsoely match Voy SS's. Result, they don't quite stick out as far in alt mode, and still support him and look good in robot mode.

I also got FAB Ironhide, bec. I'm on an IH kick lately and he was the only thing they had at Walgreens the other day- it's a sickness. He's not bad, and I love how movie-accurate his guns are, at least IMO; I'm tempted to cut one off and attach it to Voy IH's left arm-gun. Nice head sculpt, too, very similar to the Voy version. The arms are goofy tho, no elbows, and the're permanently set at a 90-deg angle, making them hard to pose around his front wheels, which do not hide away like the Voy version.

HTH, enjoy!

[Icetron]

The only one I ever thought about grabbing was Ratchet, but I ended up deciding to just get the Voyager. If I got one it would probably be Ratchet since he looks pretty good, except his feet.

[tom brokaw]

fab brawl is pretty cool.

[Autobot032]

F.A.B. Frenzy is fantastic. I highly recommend him. His transformation is more intricate than you'd imagine, but not overly so. His disc shooting gimmick works well, in both robot and alt mode. Super detailed for a F.A.B.

It's only $10.00 and if you don't like it, just take it back, but at least give him a chance.

[Bugbite]

Honestly, I say take the money you have to buy FAB's and start a bank account. Or if you already have one get your self a nice meal. Those things are a waste of plastic in my opinion.

But if you can't live without one get Optimus he had a decent bot mode.

[i_amtrunks]

Alright I am going to be brutally honest with you.

Get FAB Frenzy, Blackout and Brawl at the very least.
FAB Ratchet, Megatron and Ironhide are also very good figures that are worth a purchase if you are not going to get their full sized figures.

I bought myself FAB Frenzy because he has not gotten a toy in any other line, he is a great figure with a very different transformation that really is not all that hard to work out (as long as you ignore the instruction book). His alt mode is certainly different, and looks quite good.

FAB Brawl is superior to his deluxe version, even if he is a very simple figure with a very simple transformation. His arms stick in place and he is bigger and more menacing looking than his deluxe counterpart. The only problem with FAB Brawl is his missile shooting abilities are pathetic, but you don't care too much for good firing missiles, it will not bother you in the slightest.

FAB Blackout is a figure I bought for my cousin for his birthday as he loved him in the film. I own the Voyager version as was severely disappointed in the figure being no bigger than a deluxe, having stress marks straight out of the box and a giant backpack/weapon that made him very hard to pose. The FAB version has none of the aforementioned problems, and looks just as close to the movie rendition as the Voyager.

FAB Megatron is only worth a buy if you have not got a larger version, as "the cost per suckiness is lower"

FAB Ratchet and Ironhide are both decent figures in their own right, but their Voyager figures are far superior in every way bar cost.

Happy hunting.

[Wes Crayon]

Thanks so much, guys (and gals?) -- your comments have been very helpful. Given that Brawl really is significantly bigger than his deluxe figure and looks about the same otherwise, he looks like a go to me. Frenzy also sounds excellent, but at the same time I'm still undecided on him since he might end up being the one Robot Replica that I get. Good to know about the voyager comparisons too, since I'm totally gunning for a Rescue Ratchet and could potentially end up getting an Ironhide if they give him a metallic makeover.

I'll post again once I get one of these guys!

[Wes Crayon]

Okay! Picked up a FAB Blackout today -- I really like this guy. I've never handled the voyager version, so I can't compare him to that, but after fooling with Rescue Ratchet and Thundercracker (who I also picked up today), I found the simplicity of Blackout's transformation to be quite fun and refreshing. I also appreciated the user-friendly packaging -- whereas Blackout and I were ready to go in seconds flat, I had to spend about 15 minutes transforming the voyager figures from messes of cardboard and tape and twisty ties before I could even begin playing with them.

So thanks for the rec, i_amtrunks -- I'm definitely a fan of FAB Blackout. Besides the slightly recessed head, the only problem that I have with him is the waist spring gimmick, as it'd be nice to have a functional posing joint there. I may have to break out the screwdriver (and clear nail polish!) at some point to see if I can't do something about that.

Looking forward to picking up Frenzy and Brawl (whenever they get new FAB shipments) and maybe others in the future! Given how much I like this guy, I'm tempted to get a Ratchet or even FAB and deluxe Barricades to see which versions I prefer.

[DevastaTTor]

fab brawl is pretty cool.

Yep, Brawl. I returned Deluxe Brawl and bought FAB Brawl.

[Bumbled]

I'd get Frenzy because he isn't in the Deluxe

[Archaim]

fab brawl is pretty cool.

Yep, Brawl. I returned Deluxe Brawl and bought FAB Brawl.

agree.get brawl!

[Optimist_Prime]

Could FAB Starscream's head be swaped out with Voyager Screamer's head since the FAB head is more movie accurate?

[i_amtrunks]

Glad to be of assistance!

I believe all the FAB's bar Frenzy (and I dont remember if Brawl has it...) have the rotating waist gimmick to give them a "punch" action. Works with Ratchet far better than Blackout.

[*Soundwave*]

Could FAB Starscream's head be swaped out with Voyager Screamer's head since the FAB head is more movie accurate?

Probably. FAB's is ball joint, and normal is a swively one, you might be able to.

On Topic: Get Frenzy, got it today and its really good.
(PS: just need Wreckage and Blackout to complete my movie collection!(not including FAB's, replicas, repaints, etc.))

[Wes Crayon]

Glad to be of assistance!

I believe all the FAB's bar Frenzy (and I dont remember if Brawl has it...) have the rotating waist gimmick to give them a "punch" action. Works with Ratchet far better than Blackout.

So it seems! I was able to get the spring out with a bit of unscrewing and finagling and throw in a bit of superglue to tighten up the joint, so Blackout has lost his windup punch action but has gained waist poseability. In reality, it's not THAT big of a change -- he can only turn maybe 45 degrees in either direction (which is about all I can turn too!) -- but given that one of the only ways I can get Blackout to stand effectively involves spread-legged stances that balance him on the sides of his feet, it does help to give him some much more dynamic poses. One can also make him look a bit more like the CGI model (and the voyager version) by not moving the sides of the helicopter down from their original position.

Incidentally, I have noticed that one of those sides is a bit loose on mine -- and that there are some tiny stress marks in the offending position -- so it's likely that my Blackout had stress marks right out of the package as well! But at least they're in a position where they're hardly noticeable.

Edited to add pics! The waist poseability doesn't look all that dramatic here for some reason, but it looks slightly better in person. Maybe it's the angle.



With the helicopter sides straight, sorta like the CGI render and voyager figure:



And just for fun!