The Energon Pub

[Blurrz]

If you wanted to get up-close and personal with FansProject's Warbot Defender without actually owning the figure, we've got a pictorial review from Cybertron.ca member Slave. While we have seen Defender quite a lot lately, Slave goes over a lot of details along with some nice pictures. You can check out a summation of the review below, and for the full review, you can check it out here.

The robot mode is superb. Very solid, good balance, incredibly nice articulation. You can pose Defender in pretty much any position you'd like, he's so much articulated. He's got ball joints on the forearms, but the rest is pretty much all Clicky articulation, so it's very solid, holds into place. I couldn't ask for anything else.

While Defender has been praised as a wonderful figure, Slave does point out some weak points.

1. The back of his legs are empty, it just plain doesn't look too good IMO. Thankfully I never showcase my TFs from their backs, so it's pretty minor.

2. The second thing that bothers me the most is the chest plate, it's in Diecast... nothing against it. I love it, but it plain simply feel like Cold plastic to me. The diecast is so well made and painted, it actually feel and look like plastic, so I dunno why they even bother making the diecast parts.

I want to clear something out, Defender is not a "shellformer" obviously. I freaking hate those, he's highly complex, but here's the thing, Defender is a more of a "FOLDFORMER", he just folds and folds and folds again and voilà! A car! FOLD FOLD FOLD FOLD and voilà! An helicopter. The complexity of DEFENDER is trying to fold correctly, in the right order and right angle, that's it.

Overall..

Pros:
+Great looking Robot
+Highly Complex transformation
+Homage, accuracy colours to G1 Springer
+Highly collectible
+Posability
+Clicky joints

Cons:
-Price
-fold fold fold fold
-nothing actually tabs or properly hold together other than the clicky joints to hold everything together

Is Defender worth the buy?
I'm still hesitant really. I watched Vange1us' video review while my Defender was in the UPS truck coming my way, I was really worried that I made a mistake buying him... but Vange1us reassured me, what he says at the end of the video, that he's not cheap because he's third party, that I'm buying a great garage kit, limited, etc. Because this is what I wanted, it is a great TF after all, maybe it is because I never really like Cybertronian looking vehicles. My main Turnoff about this figure is the folding aspect of the transformation.

Keep it at Seibertron.com - The Ultimate Transformers Resource!

[Blackstreak]

I would just like to say that I have one of these and highly recommend it to any collector. Very solid piece and the transformation will challenge you.

[kirbenvost]

Needs more pics! Haha, but I'm still drooling over this. Too bad I have to wait so long to receive mine.

[Shadowstream]

I've had a gallery of pics sitting over here for some time.

I see there's no complaints about the length of the blade. Looking at it realistically I don't see how something that small could lift the copter mode up.

Apart from that I'm very satisfied with it myself.

[Gauntlet101010]

You know, I don't mind that he's a "foldformer". Actually, I'm looking forward to it. I like a little variety in the types of Transformers I have, from Partsformers like City Commander to Shellformers like Universe 1 Nemesis Prime to more standard TFs. I don't think I have a TF I could classify as a "foldformer" yet.

[alldarker]

Looks like he's mistransformed the hips: they need some twisting and locking. In actual fact there's quite a lot of lockable tabs in all modes, although perhaps not quite enoughfor total stability. The folding difficulties are mainly in the arms: the legs are pretty obvious for each mode.

[JRFitzpatrick7]

I'm dying to ship my pile of loot I can't even tell you. I have 2 of these suckers ordered and paid.

[Autobot032]

1. The back of his legs are empty, it just plain doesn't look too good IMO. Thankfully I never showcase my TFs from their backs, so it's pretty minor.

2. The second thing that bothers me the most is the chest plate, it's in Diecast... nothing against it. I love it, but it plain simply feel like Cold plastic to me. The diecast is so well made and painted, it actually feel and look like plastic, so I dunno why they even bother making the diecast parts.

Okay, the leg issue, he might have a point, but I don't know of a great deal of TFs that look good from behind, anyway. That's usually where shellformer kibble goes, so this? Not really worth complaining about, but I'll give him this one.

What really grinds my gears? Whining about the metal. Quite a few G1 fans (and some newer) have clamored and complained and whined for die cast to return to their toys, and when they finally get it, and it's done well...they complain?

FansProject could've made him entirely out of plastic, but to appease everyone, they covered all the bases.

Now, do you see why Hasbro pulls their hair out and why some of us in the fandom are on the verge of quitting, just to silencing their unending stupidity?

What the hell do you want?!

I want to clear something out, Defender is not a "shellformer" obviously. I freaking hate those, he's highly complex, but here's the thing, Defender is a more of a "FOLDFORMER", he just folds and folds and folds again and voilà! A car! FOLD FOLD FOLD FOLD and voilà! An helicopter. The complexity of DEFENDER is trying to fold correctly, in the right order and right angle, that's it.

...complaining because he's a "foldformer"? One of the better (and obviously necessary due to this figure's design) transformation schemes (which finds a place for everything and everything in it's place) and he's complaining?

WHAT THE?! WHY?!

FansProject could've made him like a Disney Label figure. How happy would you've been paying $80.00 for that? ARGH!

I'm sorry, but this is one of the most pathetic reviews I've read in a while. Some of his negative points just don't seem all that necessary. It's purely complaining for the sake of being able to do so.

Vangelus hit the highs and lows perfectly, and his sword is a potential problem, what with being so thin and all, but beyond that, the figure itself seems to be a great hit with the people.

If you don't like the design as a whole, okay. Don't buy it.

If you don't like it because it's not what you collect, okay. Don't buy it.

If you're whining because of how it transforms (intricately, I might add), and it die cast metal content doesn't "feel" right, well then... SHUT UP.

[Burn]

If you're whining because of how it transforms (intricately, I might add), and it die cast metal content doesn't "feel" right, well then... SHUT UP.

Just because you didn't like his review style or agreed with everything he had to say, doesn't give you the right to make comments like that, especially the "SHUT UP" comment. Completely and utterly un-necessary.

[Autobot032]

If you're whining because of how it transforms (intricately, I might add), and it die cast metal content doesn't "feel" right, well then... SHUT UP.

Just because you didn't like his review style or agreed with everything he had to say, doesn't give you the right to make comments like that, especially the "SHUT UP" comment. Completely and utterly un-necessary.

Actually it is, when it's umpteenth countless time someone's been negative, and over something so stupid. Can you honestly say that he's being reasonable?

The die cast doesn't "feel" like die cast? That doesn't make you want to scream at someone when you've heard silliness like this a million times before?

Sorry, I can't help but scream.

Too much is too much.

[alldarker]

I have to say I'm with Autobot032 with this one. The review is actually totally factually off for the reasons I named in my earlier post: he's basing his views on a mis-transformed 'bot mode, and in the review he states as a con: "nothing actually tabs or properly hold together other than the clicky joints to hold everything together", which is also factually WRONG. There's plenty of tabs in all three modes which hold parts together tighter that lots of regular TF's. Still, it could do with some more tabs (for example, the legs in car mode.
And the complaints about the metal parts and the 'folding' are just silly. The metal really doesn't get in the way at all, and I'd say it has very little bearing on stability problems of this 'bot.
Biggest complaint I'd have is that I just don't like the sculpting of the metal parts in the legs, but it is the shape and not the material which irks me.
And 'folding'?!?... I like to call this 'transforming' myself, but maybe I'm just weird.

Now there's nothing wrong with voicing an opinion or writing a review, but the biggest mistake was presenting this review (with bad pics, IMHO) as a front paged news item.

[Dead Metal]

Yea so the negatives are that the Die-cast is well made, the transformation is made up of folding and folding like most other transformers and that the legs have a space on the back so the figure can transform like 90% of all tfs?
Wow.

[Autobot032]

I have to say I'm with Autobot032 with this one. The review is actually totally factually off for the reasons I named in my earlier post: he's basing his views on a mis-transformed 'bot mode, and in the review he states as a con: "nothing actually tabs or properly hold together other than the clicky joints to hold everything together", which is also factually WRONG. There's plenty of tabs in all three modes which hold parts together tighter that lots of regular TF's. Still, it could do with some more tabs (for example, the legs in car mode.
And the complaints about the metal parts and the 'folding' are just silly. The metal really doesn't get in the way at all, and I'd say it has very little bearing on stability problems of this 'bot.
Biggest complaint I'd have is that I just don't like the sculpting of the metal parts in the legs, but it is the shape and not the material which irks me.
And 'folding'?!?... I like to call this 'transforming' myself, but maybe I'm just weird.

Now there's nothing wrong with voicing an opinion or writing a review, but the biggest mistake was presenting this review (with bad pics, IMHO) as a front paged news item.

Thank you, thank you. (Not just for agreeing with me) I'm glad to see someone got my point. And even your negative comments were handled in the correct manner. You critiqued it in a reasonable way, and stated FACTS, whereas Slave did not.

His ineptitude is not FansProject's fault, and blaming their product because he doesn't know what he's doing or what he's talking about, and then whining about is what set me off.

There are plenty of people do backflips for joy over this guy and I can see why. I don't even own the dang thing and I have to say they handled the die cast extremely well.

His review was just a chance for him to whine about something, for some unknown reason and it IRKS me.

There's a huge trend of douchebaggery, in this fandom, lately. It's getting out of hand and it needs to stop. There's a difference between voicing one's opinion and performing feats of douchebaggery.

Yea so the negatives are that the Die-cast is well made, the transformation is made up of folding and folding like most other transformers and that the legs have a space on the back so the figure can transform like 90% of all tfs?
Wow.

Thank you! Exactly!

[Mykltron]

I'm with Alldarker, Dead Metal and Autobot032 but I think that Autobot032 didn't have to be quite so abbrasive. One has to be very careful about phrasing things on forums.

And Shadowstreams photo review was far, far better. It really gives you a good idea of how good this figure is.

[dragons]

i agree with the metal took mineuot package yesturday first thing i did was to feel what made of metal or plastic i couldnt tell in soem parts & i felt it was pointless on this figure anyont think we may see repaint of this of guy in smaller quaintitys as was shown sueprion add on kit?

but needs more detail though paint an autobot sign on his chest or something but very well done & strudy except for his sword dont like the flimsyness to it.

[Counterpunch]

Why are we mad?

Springer is nice for what he is.

He tabs up well, has good articulation, and a lot of interesting little spots of cool for collectors to go gaga over.

The paint is somewhat washed out, the instructions omit a step, and his proportions are a bit weird (particularly his head and chest).

It's a good first attempt for Fansproject at a full figure toy, but not their best product yet. (Their best is the TF Con Powered Commander)

[puttster3]

For his cons/negatives in this review, it looked more like he was trying to fill in a void to me. Its expected in any review to have something said about faults, but often these faults are very difficult to find, and even harder for some people.

Thus produces slight panic causing severe irrational thought producing false statements of an excellent product. With practice this often goes away... usually.

Another point is the best way to go around this is to write the review, save, sleep, examine product again, and examine what was written, correcting any errors.

[Autobot032]

i agree with the metal took mineuot package yesturday first thing i did was to feel what made of metal or plastic i couldnt tell in soem parts & i felt it was pointless on this figure anyont think we may see repaint of this of guy in smaller quaintitys as was shown sueprion add on kit?

but needs more detail though paint an autobot sign on his chest or something but very well done & strudy except for his sword dont like the flimsyness to it.

The repaint's most likely a guarantee. I doubt they'd break their track record now.

And they're not allowed to put any identifying marks on him other than his face.

If they put anything on him that belongs to Hasbro (such as an Autobot symbol) they'll come and sue them immediately.

[Counterpunch]

i agree with the metal took mineuot package yesturday first thing i did was to feel what made of metal or plastic i couldnt tell in soem parts & i felt it was pointless on this figure anyont think we may see repaint of this of guy in smaller quaintitys as was shown sueprion add on kit?

but needs more detail though paint an autobot sign on his chest or something but very well done & strudy except for his sword dont like the flimsyness to it.

The repaint's most likely a guarantee. I doubt they'd break their track record now.

And they're not allowed to put any identifying marks on him other than his face.

If they put anything on him that belongs to Hasbro (such as an Autobot symbol) they'll come and sue them immediately.

The repaint is revealed in the associated fiction. It's just going to be a dark/SG version of Springer.

(I refused to call it Defender.)

[--B--]

I'm dying to ship my pile of loot I can't even tell you. I have 2 of these suckers ordered and paid.

I hear that, and with the couple of people reporting missing accessories, I am afraid that I won't be able to get replacement parts if it sits in my POL for too long.

That would be teh suck.

[Mechastrike]

next stop: Arcee and Protector. i mean those third part groups better start working on G1 Arcee

[SLUGSLINGER81]

I got mine yesterday and I gotta say...I love it, the best part is having him stand next to Ultra Magnus with his armor upgrade & Hot Rod (which I can't wait for his upgrade into Rodimus) granted the price is a bit steep but well worth the spoils...3 THUMBS UP!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Okay, I'm sorry but like others, I have to disagree with the review here. He tabs fine. His transformation's great, too. Defender is just... incredible. Well worth the money I spent on him.

[ang3l3s]

Nice to see more opinion on any product, another look at the gap makes mw wonder.

[Gandalf]

Yes, alot of this review is nitpicking. And most "issues" have been clarified by other posters here.

We all know that empty spaces are fairly common with official Hasbro products, so it's no big deal on a third party figure.

Fold-former? Aside from a twist here and there (of which this figure has one or two), isn't that what most Transformers do?

It's a little odd that one of the reviewer's strong points, balance, is actually not true...at least not with mine. In a regular standing pose, one bump to the shelf and Defender is on his back, taking whoever is at his flanks with him. Slightly longer feet would have helped this problem.

The reviewer also failed to mention the figure's weakest point: the sword/rotor. As already noted, it's thin and flimsy, and I'm afraid if he pulls the fainting goat trick again, the sword might not survive.

Anyway, barring any accidents, the sword should be okay if you're careful. Definitely not a dealbreaker. This figure is great, and fits in with the Classics Universe perfectly. Highly recommended.