TFC -007 Hercules Upgrade

And here I thought I was done with Hercules.

Oh well, At least there's a little time before this comes out.

If it is less than $40 then I will pick it up, otherwise, I'm fine with how my Hercules looks right now. I do hope there is a TFC - 008 with G1 style heads for the individual bots and a purple mixer barrel.

I confess, I'm quite happy with Hercules' head the way it is, but WTF?! They actually go to the bother of designing a more G1 accurate head and don't build a visor into it. I lack the words to express my disbelief at that.

Would like to get the new gun, but I don't really care about anything else in the set. A proper G1 head might have swung me, but then again those shoulder extensions will probably allow for a greater range of movement.

Will hold final judgement for when we get a price.

It's like they just 3rd Partied themselves!

Kinda at a loss right now, I really like the gun, definitely think anything they could add to Mad Blender's arsenal is welcome. Don't really need/want a new head. I will agree that the shoulder extensions are needed!

I hope the price is decent.

If the price is decent, i.e. under 40ish, I'll get it.

I only really want the shoulder addition though, the rest isn't all that interesting to me.

I'm ashamed to admit that I will buy this. I don't care if it's another 100 bucks. Those treads on the shoulders, wider, bigger gun, G1 forearms, optional faces and head. Throw in the reprolabels stickers and....With what I will end up spending on this guy, I could have bought a Star Saber in the box....

Sorry, TFC. CAll me when you get those Dinobots ready.

The only decent thing here is the gun. G1 Devy is awesome but ole Herc doesn't need to be that close to it. If I wanted an oversize G1 Devy, I probably would have went with Giant. I love the tread arms, gives him more of a classics look.

Ill get it for the arm and shoulder pieces, hoping they address the possible stripping of the pegs for the arms. But, I still will be buying the Crazydevy head since this one seems kind of weird. Maybe color will do it some justice. Is it too late to ask for some G1 guns for the individual bots and a gun cannon that plugs into the screw holes above Mixmasters head to make him look more G1 ???

It's getting kinda out of hand with the third party upgrades.

Absolute Zero wrote:It's getting kinda out of hand with the third party upgrades.

Dude, out of hand is the 7 upgrades I have on my Classics Magnus!

-City Commander
-tfx-03 missles and rifle
-PFX-03 backback
-PFX-05 eject
-PFX-06 rewind
-PFX-07 sun
-PFX-08 moon

I can even add the iGear or Dr. Wu face and a God sword for 9 upgrades on one figure! THAT is out of hand!

And yet it is not a cartoon accurate head. Why bother?

I might just get this. If only for kicks.

Here are my thoughts on the kit's components, in order of how I rate each components' awesomeness:

1. Gun: is awesome. The problem with the original combined gun is just that - the combination, though very, very good, looks a little gimmicky. This remedies that. Verdict: Want it.

2. Shoulder Extensions: are awesome. Hercules has decent shoulder articulation, but as anyone who owns it can attest to, there is much to be desired in that arena. This remedies that. Verdict: Want it.

3. Rage Face: pretty cool. I honestly like the Dr. Wu design better, since it has the wide open mouth versus and allows for light piping to show through the mouth. But Dr. Wu "borrowed" the design, and I'm wary of them. TFC's design is one of more controlled rage, and I though I like Wu's design better overall, the subtlety of TFC's design is growing on me. I wouldn't buy it outright, but as part of a kit, I'll take it. Verdict: Want it.

4. Head/Visor: 'Meh'. The thing TFC did very well with Hercules was walk the tightrope between the blocky, retro design that is a G1 transformer and the smoothly integrated modern styling that collectors have come to expect. The new head is therefore a backwards step. It's blockier, less elegant, and though styled right, I don't think it fits with the overall aesthetic as well as the original head does. And the visor? No thanks. I like my Hercules without it. Verdict: Don't want them.

5. Forearms: NOOOO!!! Again, it's the tightrope (see 4). I love the Hercules arms because the whole toy is perfectly integrated, with the treads as forearms. One reason I bash MakeToys' Giant is because I hate the look of just sticking the vehicles on as shoulders and adding separate mechanisms for the forearms. I know it's more G1 accurate, but I feel it's too clunky. On the flip side, there are peg holes that might allow for Exgraver's shovel to be used as a melee weapon, and the design may give better arm articulation. But those positives don't outweigh the negatives to me. Verdict: Don't want it.

Overall: I would get this at a decent price point. The overall package is nice, and I might change my mind on a few of my more negative assessments. Plus, I totally respect the fact that TFC is preempting efforts to '3rd Party' their own 3rd Party product. Honestly, it's what Hasbro/Takara should have been doing all along.

That said, TFC, you're breaking my heart. Stop stealin' my money!

Interesting.

It puts the combined form of Herc directly against the combined form of Giant.

It is also smart to put out many of the upgrades people have been asking for.

While I'll probably get this set simply for completeness, I doubt I'll use any of it.

I like the current head and gun design.

I may prefer the added shoulders, but how I have him on the shelf, he looks fine the way he is.

Toss in the purple barrel though, and I'll definitely get this!

Make a barrel upgrade that can stay in bot mode and Devastator and all his parts will be perfect IMO.

You know, I just realized that if they colored that head right you could slap the visor on it and make a good cartoon head. Maybe that's what they're thinking? Because I'd buy the entire set just for that. Yes, I throw away my money like that!

Someone's bound to make a purple barrel. You wouldn't even need to make an entire barrel either, the "skin" is just screwed in.

Head aside one other thing I'd want ... is a reworked HL hip. From somebody else, prefferrably. I applied the hip fix and lubed it, but ... I don't trust it to work, so I haven't pressed my luck.

Woah, nicely done. Though I think TFC's "forearms from treads" design is genius and don't really need the more G1-accurate arms as separate pieces.

Anyway, I'm interested, but it depends upon the cost and seeing the final colours.

I would definitely be interested in more G1-accurate heads for the individual bots though. I'd happily pay $20 for a 6-pack of heads.

good effort from TFC, but i'm not interested in this
though he could use some better shoulder acticulation, i think hercules looks fine the way he is, especially with the tread-forearms. the whole combiner is just perfectly integrated

TFC Toys have posted official images of their recently announced TF-007 Rage of Hercules upgrade set. The display at AOD listed a May release date, their facebook page states "Product will be release on 20th". A May 20th release date perhaps? No information on pricing.

• new design head sculpt with replaceable "rage" face
• battle damaged visor
• new design laser cannon
• new design forearms
• new shoulder attachments for increased width and enhanced articulation
• bio card for Hercules
• A3 size poster

Thats all I can really come up with right now...

I will say my FP Bruticus is now officially...

Interesting, but I'm not going to get too excited about this until we see the price and the set in color.

I do wish TFC would have given us a redesigned head that was a bigger departure from the original. And the rage face make me think he needs more fiber.

They are listening to their customers which is awesome but i for one don't care for this set. I do like the gun though so i hope they will have it available seperately to buy.

It's nice but I don't think I need it.

I'd love to see some in-between images, i.e. Hercules with the shoulder extensions but with the normal tread forearms. I wonder if it would look good that way.

This made me go out and impulse buy the entire Hercules set...
There goes my tax return.
At least I got the YaHobby 15% discount.

This set isn't bad if you want a more traditional Devastator style Hercules. I kind of like Hercules as he is w/out the upgrade.

rpetras wrote: It is also smart to put out many of the upgrades people have been asking for.

DMSL wrote:They are listening to their customers which is awesome but i for one don't care for this set. I do like the gun though so i hope they will have it available seperately to buy.

Haha, you are simply not giving them enough credit. If you think for a second that these upgrades weren't planned out long before Herc was released, you are being naive. They aren't listening to their customers. They are just executing the plan. The "collector" mentality is so predictable.

TFC knew that they could put out the current version of Herc for that lofty price tag and all of the collectors out there would pay it. But while they would pay it, they'd have minor gripes about the head or the gun or so on. I'm sure that the plan all along would be to "crazydevy" their own product to drain even more money out of the collector....

Slick_Prime wrote:This made me go out and impulse buy the entire Hercules set...

GetRightRobot wrote:I'm ashamed to admit that I will buy this. I don't care if it's another 100 bucks.

....And the plan works to perfection. You all line up like lemmings to fork out even more cash. I gotta say, I get a little embarrassed reading these threads some times. Its like watching a bunch of junkies praising their dealer for giving them what they need, when the dealer really knows that he's only taking advantage of you because you are hooked and you'll keep coming back no matter what.

I have a special prize for the first person who can amass a total of $1000 put into their not-Devastator figure. A very special......slow clap.

joesaysso wrote:

rpetras wrote: It is also smart to put out many of the upgrades people have been asking for.

DMSL wrote:They are listening to their customers which is awesome but i for one don't care for this set. I do like the gun though so i hope they will have it available seperately to buy.

Haha, you are simply not giving them enough credit. If you think for a second that these upgrades weren't planned out long before Herc was released, you are being naive. They aren't listening to their customers. They are just executing the plan. The "collector" mentality is so predictable.

TFC knew that they could put out the current version of Herc for that lofty price tag and all of the collectors out there would pay it. But while they would pay it, they'd have minor gripes about the head or the gun or so on. I'm sure that the plan all along would be to "crazydevy" their own product to drain even more money out of the collector....

Slick_Prime wrote:This made me go out and impulse buy the entire Hercules set...

GetRightRobot wrote:I'm ashamed to admit that I will buy this. I don't care if it's another 100 bucks.

....And the plan works to perfection. You all line up like lemmings to fork out even more cash. I gotta say, I get a little embarrassed reading these threads some times. Its like watching a bunch of junkies praising their dealer for giving them what they need, when the dealer really knows that he's only taking advantage of you because you are hooked and you'll keep coming back no matter what.

I have a special prize for the first person who can amass a total of $1000 put into their not-Devastator figure. A very special......slow clap.

Interesting conspiracy theory. Except for one thing: the QC issues Think really carefully about that one, but don't break your head.

I do applaud what TFC is doing and has done so far. However, I simply view those upgrades not as a necessity, but more like a different choice that you have to pay more for to acquire: sleek vs. "messy". It does make my choice between MakeToys and TFC a bit harder though, as I like the "messy" look on Devastator.

Ah...somebody sounds upset! Well Joe, it's like this: My money, my decision. Besides, who goes out and buys the Cadillac of Devastators and doesn't throw some D's on it? Necessary? Of course not, but non of this hobby is NECESSARY.

While I don't think they had a "master plan" of "tricking" anyone into buying this add on set, I do think they saw custom threads at TFW and copied some ideas from over there. I mean .... people have made these add ons using Shapeways and their own customising skills already over there. Except for a drill hand.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Interesting conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy theory? What are you talking about? There's no conspiracy here at all. Its called a business model. The point is to cash in as much profit as possible. Crazydevy set the precedence for the Devastator upgrade idea. All TFC did was build their own figure and then apply somebody else's idea to make more money off of it. Its really not that much of a stretch really. Certainly not enough to be a conspiracy. If you don't think this was TFC's plan all along then explain how pics of the prototypes are released so soon after the last of the figures shipped. Collector's have had their hands on the full Herc set for what, a few weeks? And upgrades are getting ready to roll out already. Seriously....as I said before, thats just naive.

GetRightRobot wrote:Ah...somebody sounds upset! Well Joe, it's like this: My money, my decision.

Upset at what exactly? I didn't spend a dime on Hercules. High prices, QC issues, or expensive upgrades have no impact on me whatsoever. I have nothing to be upset about. If anything, you should be upset not me. Ebay is already full of these figures for cheaper than the $99 +shipping original price. If I really wanted it, I could probably get it cheaper than most here who preordered it simply because I waited. I don't really want it though so again, no real impact on me. Sure, its your money. And I didn't make any suggestions to you on how to spend it. I simply pointed out the "collector behavior" that I find both amusing and embarrassing at the same time.

GetRightRobot wrote:Besides, who goes out and buys the Cadillac of Devastators and doesn't throw some D's on it? Necessary? Of course not, but non of this hobby is NECESSARY

Yeah exactly. And thats what TFC was thinking too. I don't know why my line of thinking is being called a conspiracy theory when you pretty much just summed it up. Spending upwards of $900 for the whole set is hard for people to handle. But in smaller doses, its easier to manage. One figure at time and then the upgrades and soon TFC has half on an entire paycheck. TFC hasn't gotten the purple mixing drum out there yet so don't be surprised if there is a second upgrade set coming later for you to throw your D's on.

The QC issues belie any big "plan" where TFC is taking advantage of collector mentality. At some point they probably saw the list of things people wanted out of their Devestator (and the stuff made at TFW) and just said "fine, let's go and do that". The entire design of Herc goes against the idea that they planned these add-ons from the start. Unline everything else, these add-ons don't seem to "integrate" anywhere on Herc in even a marginal respect, like the hands. As-is Herc is a 100% complete figure.

But it's not like they're the first company to make add-ons for their own figure. That honor goes to Fansprojects, I believe, where they made missiles and a gun for City Commander well after the initial release of their trailer.

Ya know what ruins the new head ???

Why does it need to be so square like the old one ??? shave off the top corners to make the proper shape. Then maybe ill pass on the Crazydevy.

joesaysso wrote:Upset at what exactly? I didn't spend a dime on Hercules.

Too bad, he is freaking awesome!

GetRightRobot wrote:Besides, who goes out and buys the Cadillac of Devastators and doesn't throw some D's on it? Necessary? Of course not, but non of this hobby is NECESSARY

joesaysso wrote:Yeah exactly. And thats what TFC was thinking too. ...don't be surprised if there is a second upgrade set coming later for you to throw your D's on.

Cadillac does not make aftermarket rims.
But me upset? AHAHAHHAHAHAAAAA! With this?


You have to be kidding!

joesaysso wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Interesting conspiracy theory.

Conspiracy theory? What are you talking about? There's no conspiracy here at all. Its called a business model... as I said before, thats just naive.

GetRightRobot wrote:Ah...somebody sounds upset! Well Joe, it's like this: My money, my decision.

Upset at what exactly? I didn't spend a dime on Hercules. High prices, QC issues, or expensive upgrades have no impact on me whatsoever. I have nothing to be upset about. If anything, you should be upset not me... Sure, its your money. And I didn't make any suggestions to you on how to spend it. I simply pointed out the "collector behavior" that I find both amusing and embarrassing at the same time.

GetRightRobot wrote:Besides, who goes out and buys the Cadillac of Devastators and doesn't throw some D's on it? Necessary? Of course not, but non of this hobby is NECESSARY

Yeah exactly. And thats what TFC was thinking too. I don't know why my line of thinking is being called a conspiracy theory when you pretty much just summed it up... TFC hasn't gotten the purple mixing drum out there yet so don't be surprised if there is a second upgrade set coming later for you to throw your D's on.

Joe - the issue people are taking with your comments is you sound smug and condescending, and imply that we're all idiots. Is it naive to think TFC wasn't thinking about this relatively early on? Perhaps. I personally think the argument that the QC issues preclude the possibility of this kit being planned isn't an effective one, because those were unexpected problems post-production. True, it doesn't mean TFC wasn't planning on releasing a kit like this, especially knowing that this would help TFC steal MakeToys' market share. However, your "embarassment" at the actions of your fellow fans and collectors really rubs a lot of us the wrong way.

Here's thought for everyone. If it was a $20 figure in every store in the US, I'm guessing there would be less.... negativity. I realize it's expensive. But I can afford it, and it is awesome. I mean, compared to the turd on the left side of this picture, atleast x6 better = x6 more expensive. The math adds up. What upgrade could possibly save the ROTF Devy? Other than gasoline and a match?

Don't like, don't buy. Hercules is perfectly fine as he is. It's not like he needs these to be complete. He has a gun, he has forearms, he has a head. However, this is nice for those who want a more G1 and less IDW appearance.

GetRightRobot wrote:Here's thought for everyone. If it was a $20 figure in every store in the US, I'm guessing there would be less.... negativity. I realize it's expensive. But I can afford it, and it is awesome. I mean, compared to the turd on the left side of this picture, atleast x6 better = x6 more expensive. The math adds up. What upgrade could possibly save the ROTF Devy? Other than gasoline and a match?

True that GetRightRobot - if you can afford it, chances are you're enjoying it. I know I am! Also, kudos on the Custom Dinobots. They rocked!

Fun thread topic: Think of creative ways to 'Devastate' ROTF Devastator!

My ideas include:
1. Sledgehammer (or 'Office Space' style destruction)
2. Trash Compacter (aka Shredder's death)
3. Drop from the top of a tall mountain

GetRightRobot wrote:What upgrade could possibly save the ROTF Devy? Other than gasoline and a match?

Didn't CrazyDevy do a wrecking ball set for it? That.

On the topic at hand, I didn't post this when this news first broke because I didn't want to be "that asshøle" but this completely torpedoes the "total integration" this they were claiming.

I am so excited to have both G1 and G2 Devastators from Maketoys for about the same price as a "complete" Hercules! I am still, that "that asshøle"!

zodconvoy wrote:

GetRightRobot wrote:What upgrade could possibly save the ROTF Devy? Other than gasoline and a match?

Didn't CrazyDevy do a wrecking ball set for it? That.

On the topic at hand, I didn't post this when this news first broke because I didn't want to be "that asshøle" but this completely torpedoes the "total integration" this they were claiming.

I am so excited to have both G1 and G2 Devastators from Maketoys for about the same price as a "complete" Hercules! I am still, that "that asshøle"!

You're not the A man. Actually, your spoiler covered comment brings up an excellent point. As far as the total integration.... moot point for me. Even if I had the room to display them in vehicle mode (where the integration part comes into play) I wouldn't. Now with the Maketoys suppose you could....if you had 2 sets.....

Now that I realize it's for more G1 appearance I guess it makes sense. The yelling face still looks really silly.

Apologies if this has already been said. I'm short of time.

What racks me off about this set is you know these pieces were conceived during the initial development of Hercules, and yet TFC made the decision to exclude them from the final product. They could have included them with the main figures, charged more for each, and guaranteed the extra coin from the fans. As it is, I for one will likely go without 'double-oh seven'.

Sodan-1 wrote:What racks me off about this set is you know these pieces were conceived during the initial development of Hercules, and yet TFC made the decision to exclude them from the final product. They could have included them with the main figures, charged more for each, and guaranteed the extra coin from the fans. As it is, I for one will likely go without 'double-oh seven'.

I don't believe that for a second. I believe that TFC saw what fans were doing with their figures as they were being released, so they collected the ideas into a single set.

Since everyone is throwing up their Devy to show the haters how awesome this figure really is, how about I add one more...

Mkall wrote:I don't believe that for a second. I believe that TFC saw what fans were doing with their figures as they were being released, so they collected the ideas into a single set.

Why don't you believe that? Why do you think that TFC is so noble? Can you honestly sit there and tell me that you, yourself couldn't have predicted the fans reaction to the product? Nearly every 3rd party product that is released is G1 based. Either G1 figures or upgrades to make current figures look more like G1. The entire 3rd party is G1 because the collector's want G1. Thats why its so overwhelmingly successful.

So can you honestly say that you could not predict that collectors would say that they wanted Herc to be more G1? Because I bet that you could have. And I bet that nearly everyone on this board could have as well. And you can surely bet that TFC predicted it as well. Hence, a more G1 upgrade set for a product that should have been more G1 from the outset. For a fee, of course.

Frankly, its a good plan if you ask me. Because for every one or two people that it upsets, there's 5 more people who get down on their knees to TFC for listening to the fans. And TFC cashes in either way. Its hard to hate on TFC really, they are only taking the money that so many here are so eager to shove in their pockets.

megatronus wrote:Joe - the issue people are taking with your comments is you sound smug and condescending, and imply that we're all idiots. Is it naive to think TFC wasn't thinking about this relatively early on? Perhaps. I personally think the argument that the QC issues preclude the possibility of this kit being planned isn't an effective one, because those were unexpected problems post-production. True, it doesn't mean TFC wasn't planning on releasing a kit like this, especially knowing that this would help TFC steal MakeToys' market share. However, your "embarassment" at the actions of your fellow fans and collectors really rubs a lot of us the wrong way.

Well, I'm not sure what to tell you. I'm sorry I haven't reduced the thread to name calling and swearing so I can come across as a jerk or a troll as opposed to smug and condescending. If I have to be "that smug guy" for trying to comunicate intelligently and rationally, then thats my cross to bare and I'm fine with it. I am only calling things as I see them. There's an old saying that says "the truth hurts." If people are getting upset at my comments, maybe its because I'm not too far off base with them. If some other hobby had just had some must have item come out for a ton of money and then soon after had an upgrade set come out for even more money, and those hobbyists were praising the company and lining up to throw their dollars at them, I'm sure there would be plenty people on this board who would say the same thing to them as I said here.

Look, at the end of the day, its your money. Buy what you want with it. Whats embarassing for me is that people are spending their money under this notion that the 3rd party is so great, they give fans what they want, and they really listen to fans and blah blah blah. When the reality is that the collector fanbase is like an unstruck oil reserve. Its awesome wealth thats waiting to be tapped into. And the 3rd party is just the drill thats doing the tapping. Its only about the mighty dollar for them. TFC has practically thrown this fact in everyone's faces with this upgrade. But people here either don't want to believe or just chose to ignore the facts because they don't want the magical illusion of the 3rd party market ruined for them.

Like I said in one of my earlier posts: its like the junkie who thinks his dealer is his friend. The dealer is just providing the product that the junkie thinks he needs so badly. And the junkie is so greatful when he finally gets what he needs. But at the end of the day, the dealer doesn't give a rat's ass about the junkie. The only thing he cares about is whether or not the junkie can pay him. And one day, if the junkie can't pay him anymore or the junkie OD's or ends up broke and homeless, the dealer doesn't care. Because there are plenty more junkies where the first one came from.

That my friends is the 3rd party market.

Why is anyone mad about this for any reason?

Personally, I think it's a stupid kit that takes away from what the figure is great at doing. Do I care if people want it?

No.

Are options good?

Yes.

In short. Whatever. Seriously.

Counterpunch wrote:Why is anyone mad about this for any reason?

Personally, I think it's a stupid kit that takes away from what the figure is great at doing. Do I care if people want it?

No.

Are options good?

Yes.

In short. Whatever. Seriously.

Amen brother! I just don't understand fans bashing products they won't be buying.

And let me add, fans bashing products that other fans want.

Haterz gonna Hate.

I for one like the way this upgrade is looking. It almost makes me want to jump on the Hercules bandwagon.. almost. I guess im that guy that likes a more G1 Dev. ill be keeping my eye on this but for now im still all for Giant.

DevastaTTor wrote:Amen brother! I just don't understand fans bashing products they won't be buying.

And let me add, fans bashing products that other fans want.

No products were harmed during the making of this thread. No products were "bashed" either. I think its generally unanimous that Herc is quite good figure.

This upgrade is insanely unnecessary, but, as a completest, it's hard to ignore... I might have to try to swim against my psychological compulsiveness.