Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime

stephenusprime wrote:Hi guys,

I am not sure where do I post this, but two fellow members, sabsabby85 and griffith76 of our Singapore Fan Forum (http://www.tf.sg) has recently done a custom of Hearts of Steel Optimus Prime. Just thought I'd share the appreciation of such nice works here with everyone.

This is actually an improved 6.5 inches tall figure which has a split in the legs which the older 10" one didn't have.

More of the pictures could be found here: TF.SG = Hearts of Steel and here sabsabby85's blog and griffith76's blog

Some of the pictures are actually here for you to see:









Cheers!

Thanks for posting these.

Transformers + Locomotives = Must buys.

As long as I do not have to sell off my body organs to afford it, I'll be getting one of these, HoS was a nifty story and the aesthetic of the Designs have been captured masterfully in this figure.

It's a great design. I like the rivets and details. It's amazing how the creator taught himself and used the computer to create the parts.

I am a sucker for trains. LOVE THIS!

This is some awesome shit.

Man, garage customs just seem so awesome these days

Depending how much he is talking, I wouldn't mind buying it as long as its under $100. Wish he would release a Megatron Hearts of Steel kit.

i_amtrunks wrote:As long as I do not have to sell off my body organs to afford it, I'll be getting one of these

I'll second that but somehow I'm less than hopeful

I knew about this custom before, had no idea they were planning to make it available.
I hope it isnt as flimsy as it looks.
anyway... Getting this!

dabattousai wrote:Depending how much he is talking, I wouldn't mind buying it as long as its under $100. Wish he would release a Megatron Hearts of Steel kit.

He mentioned that he is doing other Hearts of Steel.

I can totally do without an expensive trailer/armor for my Ultra Magnus, but dammit, I want an Optimus Prime steam engine. Will watch the progress on this.

That Optimus looks awesome. I must buy. And now I shall pray for HOS Shockwave & Starscream. And a small Ravage would be cool too.

Good gawd Griffith is such a damn master. That Hearts of Steel Prime is just mad sexy.

I loved this concept and the figures pictured here look awesome. Very nice work.

That is freakin awesome looking. If they sell these, I hope it's affordable.

The original version is being made by CyberFembot, http://cyberfembot.com/CustomToys/FerrumCarboMaster/FerrumCarboMaster.htm

I have 2 on order from him. They aren't cheap, but I think that they are worth every penny. Of course now I'm probably going to have to buy the new version too. I need a second job to feed my Transformers habit...

WOW That is Freaking Sweet

Ariannus wrote:The original version is being made by CyberFembot, http://cyberfembot.com/CustomToys/FerrumCarboMaster/FerrumCarboMaster.htm

I have 2 on order from him. They aren't cheap, but I think that they are worth every penny. Of course now I'm probably going to have to buy the new version too. I need a second job to feed my Transformers habit...

$350 each?! And you ordered TWO?! Must be nice to have that kind of money.

thats great lokoing figure but will bbts get him in stock i hat to buy this 500 or over $1000 for this guy on ebay.

GuyIncognito wrote:$350 each?! And you ordered TWO?! Must be nice to have that kind of money.

Well I got them at a special discount for $250 a piece, and I had been saving up for them for about a year.

stephenusprime wrote:

Shadowstream wrote:this the same one?

Please spot the difference before commenting.

Griffith has told me it this new project of his is of 6.5" and the old thread which you posted was of 10".

And since you are asking if it is the same or not:

Here are the differences for you to spot:

1) ladder of the larger one is separate, smaller one is a whole solid block

2) there's a split in the arm of the large one, non in the smaller one

3) a split in the leg of the small one, none in the larger one

4) the details of the chest of the larger one is a little faded

5) gun barrel of large one splits into 2, solid tube for the smaller one

Same basic design + Same designer = pretty much the same as far as I care.

Detail freaks

Besides, Optimus as a train of any kind is fairly dumb idea to begin with

What's not too like about this design besides the price? It's a very good representation of the figure. Lots of detail and a great head sculpt. The concept is very imaginative.

If you didn't follow the comic, then this figure will probably look nothing more than a random vehicle choice.

I don't think it makes much difference if you followed the comic or not as it was only a concept sketch unless Im horribly mistaken

eather way that thing look skeglly if I were rich I'd buy it

AWESOME!!!!

I got to have this one!

I don't know how I missed this but this is AWESOME!!!

I am still getting more information about this kit from griffith. Hopefully he'll be doing up a number of it so everyone will have a share of this.

Also, it was previously mentioned to be an exclusive at another singapore forum, which is totally untrue. As far as I know, it was never said to be just exclusive to them.

will let everyone know the good news.

Thanks. Keep us posted.

That's truly incredible! Great detail work and I think both modes are great, and it even looks pretty well articulated.

The only thing I'd change is the colour choices for Prime. I'd make the reds rustier and the blues more like blue steel or navy blue paint. Right now, it looks a little too bright and cheery.

Hi Guys,

more up close pics of Prime. Unpainted however





from TF.SG

Thanks. Front paged.

These customs jobs are most times better than anything made by Hasbro/Tomy!

Enjoy paying for your lead testing guys.

freaking sweet.
looks like he came strait out of the comic book
im suprised that nobody has made thomas the tank engine jokes yet.

How many hundreds of dollars will this go for?

NuclearConvoy wrote:How many hundreds of dollars will this go for?

$120 not including shipping, or assembly or anything. Just the garage kit.

http://griffith-monolog.blogspot.com/20 ... order.html

oh, so now it's stupid and overpriced

I want this!

onewaydown wrote:

NuclearConvoy wrote:How many hundreds of dollars will this go for?

$120 not including shipping, or assembly or anything. Just the garage kit.

http://griffith-monolog.blogspot.com/20 ... order.html

Thanks for that link.
While absolutely affordable for what it is, I'm just not certain my modeling and painting skills are stron g enough to warrant a purchase. I have a feeling I'd drop 120$ on it and then leave it unbuilt for years out of a fear of fucking it up and/or not having money to buy proper supplies.
If i could spend *just that much extra* to have it come prepainted and pre drilled, I would (call it, then, a 250$ kit).

I'm still kinda hoping that Hasbro comes out with an All-Plastic Collector's line featuring unique character moulds that would target distinct audiences (like HOS and War Within designs, but not suffering from the poor engineering and non-main team problems that Titanium clearly had).

Nice. Hopefully one day hasbro will make toys for the comic.

That is exceptionally cool, especially for a custom figure.

I love how it has details reminicent of normal Optimus. Cowcatcher over waist/groin in place of front bumper, stacks on shoulders, and the pipes along the back portion form the same pattern as on the side of the trailer...

Hey guys,


Griffith has just requested as Q&A session over here: TF.SG-HOS Prime Custom

He mentioned that he would be answering questions about making orders and such so perhaps you would wanna take a look at it.

onewaydown wrote:

NuclearConvoy wrote:How many hundreds of dollars will this go for?

$120 not including shipping, or assembly or anything. Just the garage kit.

http://griffith-monolog.blogspot.com/20 ... order.html

Thanks. Updated the story. Credited.

Shadowstream wrote:oh, so now it's stupid and overpriced

1.) STFU!!!
2.) Quit being an asshole.
3.) Constructively criticize, don't just flat out criticize someone's work.

Now go down to B&N, grab your self a copy of the Hearts of Steal TPB, sit down in one of those big plushy chairs, and read it. I'm not saying your mind will be changed, but at least you'll know the basis of the project.

Shadowstream wrote:oh, so now it's stupid and overpriced

I'll politely disagree with you, especially now that I'm a part of the project team behind this figure, and will be producing professional-grade boxart, a G1-style tech spec, and a G1-style instruction booklet to be included with each kit.

Stay tuned to the fan art forum for a sneak peek of the aforementioned boxart, coming soon to a Seibertron near you.

- Alty

Well, it IS expensive for something that doesn't even come assembled. Despite its awesomeness, many (including myself) won't be willing to shell out $120 or more for it.

You know what that needs to be even better? Rollar as a handcar:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handcar

Altitron wrote:

Shadowstream wrote:oh, so now it's stupid and overpriced

I'll politely disagree with you, especially now that I'm a part of the project team behind this figure, and will be producing professional-grade boxart, a G1-style tech spec, and a G1-style instruction booklet to be included with each kit.

Stay tuned to the fan art forum for a sneak peek of the aforementioned boxart, coming soon to a Seibertron near you.

- Alty

Wow, that sounds awesome. We would definitely like to have a peek.

Hmmm everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And its social norm that the truth is somewhat decided by the public majority so I think its ok to let people voice out their thoughts be it constructive or otherwise.

I do think it is expensive myself, but not overpriced. Compared to a real toy that is made in tens of thousands of units this is expensive, but in the category of resin garage kits (that's what it is in the first place), it's selling about half the price of what a similar type of kit goes for in Japan. This figure is made affordable to those who wanted it badly enough and meant for this group of collectors, I would not recommend it to people who would compare it to a real toy made and funded by one of the largest toy makers in the world. I would like to sell it cheaper as much as I can, but the material and labor costs (not including my own labor) is already more than half of the price set, meaning that one rejected set or one that is produced but not sold will offset the "profit" that I get from one successful transaction. So if the price doesn't work for most people, I'd have better things to do instead of trying to offer collectors an "overpriced" figure.

LOL I've got friends who jokingly suggested that handcar roller, it's a little silly but if you can come up with an idea that makes sense I might include that in for those who have supported this project if overall response is good enough.

griffith76 wrote:Hmmm everyone is entitled to their own opinion. And its social norm that the truth is somewhat decided by the public majority so I think its ok to let people voice out their thoughts be it constructive or otherwise.

I do think it is expensive myself, but not overpriced. Compared to a real toy that is made in tens of thousands of units this is expensive, but in the category of resin garage kits (that's what it is in the first place), it's selling about half the price of what a similar type of kit goes for in Japan. This figure is made affordable to those who wanted it badly enough and meant for this group of collectors, I would not recommend it to people who would compare it to a real toy made and funded by one of the largest toy makers in the world. I would like to sell it cheaper as much as I can, but the material and labor costs (not including my own labor) is already more than half of the price set, meaning that one rejected set or one that is produced but not sold will offset the "profit" that I get from one successful transaction. So if the price doesn't work for most people, I'd have better things to do instead of trying to offer collectors an "overpriced" figure.

LOL I've got friends who jokingly suggested that handcar roller, it's a little silly but if you can come up with an idea that makes sense I might include that in for those who have supported this project if overall response is good enough.

Thanks for stopping by. The price makes sense to anyone who has been collecting Transformers for many years. Hasbro would never produce HOS. Fans are really lucky. The design is incredible. The transformation is smooth and the details look great.


Questions -
1. When do you expect these to be released?

2. It was mentioned that you might do other characters from this series. If this production is successful, who would you like to do next?

3. How long does it take to create a figure?

4. If this first figure is successful, do you have any long term plans for the series, or yourself? Would you use different materials? Are you thinking about forming a company?

1. When do you expect these to be released?
I'm still changing a couple of small parts that I think do not work very well from the first 2 copies I fixed up for sabsabby85 to paint. After that I'll be making sets of molds one by one and get my part time worker to do casting while I continue making molds as a set can probably only last me about 15 casts and a few more if I'm lucky. So the early orders will be sent out hopefully during mid Feb when everything (like boxes, instructions and misc) are ready


2. It was mentioned that you might do other characters from this series. If this production is successful, who would you like to do next?

Megatron definitely. Someone suggested Shockwave since we have already seen a great rendition of Megs from Lobo but I won't know when such projects can be shut down or if things may not work out at all after some time. I'd want to make the main figures I want to have first.

3. How long does it take to create a figure?

Prime was my first attempt in modeling on 3D so it took about 2 months to design him on the computer and another month to prototype the parts out. On and off a lot more time making mods here and there as it didn't turn out well for certain parts. I hope I can reduce the overall time down to 1 month for design and 2 weeks for prototyping in the future with more experience.

4. If this first figure is successful, do you have any long term plans for the series, or yourself? Would you use different materials? Are you thinking about forming a company?

Short term, yes. I'll move on to each design as long as I can cover basic costs and expenses for the time I have to put into the projects. Once there is sufficient evidence and resources I'd try to make or organize a fan production to have the figures made in ABS.

I will be forming a toy company some day but not for making such projects but original and licensed figures. These projects are mainly for experience gaining and to fulfill my dreams to have my very own Transformer product/line. I have no intentions to steal or make use of Hasbro/Takara's designs or properties to build up my toy company. So if things really happen, let this be a true series of projects for fans and by fans. But of course there must be some form of incentives and profits for people who participate or invest in these projects for the risks taken.