Well, as usual, I’m 500 words in and I haven’t started talking about the figures. Ideally, the 30 pictures will do most of the talking, but I have a few things to add so I should get to it.
Generally, I like all the figures. There are a few quibbles. Namely that they’re not the best updates to the originals because they’re mostly repaints. The original versions were all-new molds that had little to nothing in common with the more famous trio. FP did a great job of making decisions on deco and with the new head sculpts to create some great figures. If you’re like me and weren’t all that interested in Barrage or Chop Shop, then these are near perfect in that regard. If you’re waiting for modern versions of those original though, these may just be a really cool thing to tide you over.
All the figures transformations are a mix of amazing and aggravating. One thing I’ve learned from Third Party toys is that Takara & Hasbro tend to do things the same way over and over. I’m used to it. Most of us are, we can figure out how to transform (most of) figures unaided, like we’ve been doing for thirty years. FansProject usually has me glued to the instructions for at least the first or first couple times. There are some odd twists, diagonal movements, or weird steps that boggle the mind. Plunder (the repaint of Backfiery that homages not-Ransack) somewhat traumatized me. He hasn’t been a locust since the first couple days of having him and he may never go back.
As such, Plunder is probably my least favorite of the set. He’s not a bad figure. He’s probably the best homage of the set in both his bot & alt modes, but just something about him hasn’t set as well with me as the other two. It may be that his transformation annoys me, but I don’t find much notable about his bot mode. The giant bug head is a plus as are the giant orange wings, but someone has to be my least favorite in the set and Plunder has taken his spot with little challenge.
Blockade found himself in the middle. I love the brown & orange deco and the Chop Shop head sculpt looks great, but some transformation issues here rob me too. It’s really cool who his arms fold into his legs during transformation, but it’d be cooler if I had someone else to do it for me. I think I’ve gotten the hang of it, but it took a few times. There are also a few parts that have to be removed and added back on somewhere else. I’m okay with it, but it does feel like cheating a bit.
Like Plunder, Blockade features a ton of great articulation with multiple ball joints (or de facto ball joints) throughout the legs and arms, but Blockade gets extra points for waist articulation and all those ball-jointed bug legs. Also like Plunder, Blockade is relatively close to his G1 incarnation.
Teardown is really the one that Fansproject had to make the most changes too. He’s a yellow & green beetle, but after that the similarities between Barrage & Teardown more or less end. It doesn’t matter one bit though, because, as expected, I love Teardown. The yellow & green deco is fantastic. The new head sculpt does a great job of updating the questionable old one (Barrage’s alt mode horns simply stuck off the top of his head).
Teardown also gave me no transformation problems – he’s got this cool diagonal cut for his arms. His articulation is similarly top-notch and, like Blockade, he moves surprisingly well for being such a blocky figure. His “boots” are a little too bulky for Teardown to achieve a vanilla pose, but I’ll take it. Did I mention I love the colors?
All three figures include a weapon (you actually need part of Teardown’s gun to complete his alt mode – the barrel becomes the tip of his horns) and those weapons fit great in their hands. When I ordered, I also get an extra set of the guns wrapped in green paper as a free gift from TFSource & FansProject. Pretty cool.
Overall, even though I’m not in love with each & every one of the figures. I did end up loving the set. I can’t break it up. Blockade & Teardown look amazing in their bot modes and Plunder’s like their not-as-cool friend that you hang out with because you enjoy the company of the other two. I do wish the figures were a little taller overall, but that hasn’t been a deal breaker. And these guys are done so well, that they do make me long to go back and snag a few, well at least Stormbomb, of the standard black/purple versions. I’d be interested in one or two of the original Takatoku Toys colorways if FP chose to do them. I am a little interested in the “Warbug” versions shown at TFCon, but most of all, most of all, FP needs to figure out a way to do a not-Venom. I mean, c’mon. Only making three out of the four of a team? Who are they, Hasbro?
As of this writing, the Holiday Editions are still back in-stock at TFSource.
More Third Party Transformers Reviews:
(In Which I Review the Same Molds Over & Over…)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
For all our Reviews,
check out our Review Index.
At first I figured they’d just be redeco’s and I tend to avoid that, but they are pretty unique considering the weapons the come with, not to mention the really cool paint apps that make them unique from the original FP set. I tend to think of my FP not-Insecticons as ninjas and the newer troop as just badass soldiers. I also joined FOC Kickback with them. The scale, colors, and Cybertron-ness tends to integrate them fairly well together, almost enough to make them seem like they were supposed to be together.
Excellent review and photos of some dang nifty-looking toys.
I’m almost tempted, but they whole cost-and-space issue raises its ugly head. Again.
I only had the G1 Shrapnel, but these are making me wish I had the money to drop on a number of FP sets. (How much is PowerBall this week? that should about cover everything I want this week! LOL) I’m even taking another look at that new Kickback. Too bad the only one near me was ripped half off his card. :/ any word on more Insecticons in the upcoming waves?
Gotta love that last Combiner gag! You’d think with all the other teams and even expanded I-con roster, this would be a natural, but they never did. 🙁
oh, and your TFsource link is slightly wonky. There is a ” at the end of your embedded link that throws off the site to an “ERROR” page. 😉
btw, is that MP Grimlock? I bought the most recent retail one for ~$30, but apparently the spacing was off on his legs or something. I never could get his dino-mode right and wound up taking him back. oh well.
someone also shared this link about some fan designs for more Dinos: http://f-for-feasant-design.deviantart.com/gallery/29127144
and I think RIPT had a real dinos with Dinobot coloring shirt up this past Fri or Sat? I was tempted, but I gotta watch my spending right now.
Them’s some dang nifty designs! Dude needs a palaeontological spell-checker, though. };D
I’m torn between getting this set or Quakewave. What it really comes down to is wether I want a MP size figure or another set of some smaller guys since they are both around the same price. Such a tough decision with the 3P releases because there is so much good out there, but they can just vanish at any time and become completely unaffordable. Forcing me to have to act now, but I’ve already put so much down on 3P stuff the past few months! ><
Great review now you have made this decision even tougher.
LOL at the Venom picture hanging on the wall.
Nice review! I really didn’t know any of the background on these guys, so when I saw the giftset announced, I just assumed they were repaints of the original FP set. I had no idea they were different characters. That really adds something to them. I’ve read that the original not-insecticons were gorgeous as action figures, but not so much as Transformers. that sounds like it’s the case here. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s just not what I look for in a Transformer.
Love the pics, though. I particularly love the Combiner shot.
All those group photos and not a single non-former in there to compare scales?
I’m not a huge fan of the Insecticons but the robot modes on these are cool, as are the colors chosen. I’d rate them in the same order as well.
Thought I’d share this image to entice Noisy further. These are my classic insecticons using the FP original release, weapons and accessories from shapeways, reprolabel sets, and some metallic silver pant to Bombshell and Shrapnell’s thighs.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6y8wy3c4llv4krx/IMG_3524.jpg
The Deluxe Insecticons were actually pretty early in the toyline, released in 1985.
I really liked the not-Shrapnel guy, Thundershred, and the cool vehicle mode, Warbug, but I kinda wish I had waited for Blockade, because of the cool weapons it comes with and the all-important odd robo-pincers that were added.
Thanks Andy for pointing out the Shapeways pincers you added onto your Thundershred – it so needs them! I ended up adding on the pincers from a vintage junker Shrapnel that does the job, but it would have been nice to have them included originally like on Blockade.
So you have all these other cool toys but? Won’t review them?