On Saturday, February 3, 2024 at 10:56:28 AM UTC-7, Zobovor wrote:
> I'm absolutely blown away by how cool some of this stuff is. I didn't even list all the things they've got. I want all of it. I think maybe I need to order a few of the smaller accessories and see what the quality is like, before I dive into any of the more expensive things.

Okay, so I ended up ordering a handful of things, and he was very kind and threw in an extra part because I was buying a number of items.

First up is the Quintesson journal canister, from the episode of the same name, which is printed entirely in a shiny golden-yellow resin (the journal was a purple metal color in "The Big Broadcast of 2006" but it changed to gold in "The Quintesson Journal," because AKOM). It's not quite two and a half inches in height, and about one and a half inches in diameter. It seems to be a good size with respect to toys like Kingdom Galvatron or Cyclonus, or Power of the Primes Predaking, or the size the Legacy Outback toy will be when we get one eventually. The top can pop off so you can store small accessories inside it. It does absolutely nothing, but it's a cool artifact to have, and was a very important MacGuffin in two whole episodes, so it's neat to own a physical representation of it!

And this triggers a very old memory. I remember in middle school woodshop class, somebody made a cylindrical piece of wood that I took home and painted silver and turned it into the Recreator device from "Money is Everything.." I'd completely forgotten about that, but this is a similar cylindrical device and reminded me of that. I have no idea whatever even happened to that thing.

This one also came with a tiny Decepticon detector device (you and I know there's no such thing, but...) and a little Frisbee bomb for Outback to throw at Ramjet and Dirge.

By the way, the print quality is actually not bad at all. My early experiences with 3D-printed parts (we've been talking about them here on the newsgroup since abot 2017 or thereabouts) is that the print lines were very obvious and noticeable. I'm not sure if the technology has just improved significantly in the last eight years, or if the guy I bought from has a more expensive printer that's able to deliver better results, but the print layers are close enough together that it doesn't create that jagged-edge effect like I've seen on other printed parts. The surface is not completely smooth like it would be on something pressed from a mold, but it does look better than a lot of other prints I've seen. The bottom is the only surface that's rough.

Next, I got the transforming cog for Metroplex. It's made up of several pieces printed in different colors—a metallic silver for the main hemispheres, metallic gold caps on either end, and a red colored disk in the center. The cog's size seemed to vary wildly throughout "Five Faces of Darkness," but this one is an inch in diameter, so it would be a reasonably good size for modern-era toys like Studio Series Perceptor or Blurr or Kingdom Pipes to hold. The slightly textured surface actually works in its favor, since it's shiny and looks like it might actually be made out of machined metal, even though it's obviously not. It's another really important physical object in Transformers lore, and it's so cool to own one. (Note that the design of the transformation cog in "The Ultimate Weapon" is quite different, and is shaped more like half of a "Five Faces of Darkness" cog.) It comes with a small stand if you want to display it on its own.

I also got a Metroplex eyeball. I suppose "eyeball" is a misnomer since it's more of an oblong shape, which is weird. But, that's how they looked in the episode. It's about an inch in thickness and just over two inches at its widest points. It's printed in light green resin with dark green caps on either end, a dark green "iris" and a blue "pupil" with some die-cut black stickers on its surface, applied to recessed spots on the surface. Very nicely done, overall, and very screen accurate in design (making allowances, of course, for the inconsistent and ever-changing AKOM animation). It's a good size for Studio Series Scourge to tote around under his arm like a football. It comes with the same type of stand as the cog, if you want to just display it by itself. The print lines are visible around the perimeter of the iris if you look really closely. I don't know why I love this so much, but I do.

And as a bonus, I got a spoiler for Legacy Pointblank. I was never fully satisfied with the one designed by Nonnef Productions. it was an ambitious design, but I dislike the way it's made up of several pieces and adapters that you have to disassemble and switch around and plug back together. This is just a single part that you can attach or remove. Neither of them is a perfect match to the light blue used on Legacy Pointblank, but it's not an awful look. It plugs into one of the screw holes in vehicle mode (kind of loosely), he can carry it as a shield in robot mode, and there's a peg hole for Peacemaker to mount in the center of it. I know Mark Maher said he was running into budget issues on Pointblank, and that an engine/wing piece actually was designed for him, but what can you do. The 3D-printed wing is also closer to the general size and shape of the G1 spoiler piece, which is an important consideration. It's a real shame that the stock version of the toy can't even mount his own Targetmaster in vehicle mode, so this fixes that problem nicely! And the print quality is quite outstanding. From almost every angle, this doesn't even look like a 3D printed piece. The rear of the wing is the only surface that is obviously layered plastic, and looks a little like a bunch of noodles squished together. The tensile strength of the plastic is good... I can bend the wings slightly, and they flex as a styrene piece would, but it feels strong and durable.

So, generally speaking, I'm satisfied with the quality of these parts. I might go after some larger and more expensive items in the future... I'm especially interested in B.O.T. and the Centurion Droid and Deceptitran. But, we'll see how it goes.

Zob (all this stuff will be incorporated into my neo-G1 display, whenever I get around to actually building it)

That eye looks amazing: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155113508512.

The cog is a must-have too: https://www.ebay.com/itm/155114922935

They've even got a B.O.T. https://www.ebay.com/itm/155121836178

And a Centurion Droid: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154887338875

A hovercraft for Sharkticons: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154839962700

An energon cannon for Starscream: https://www.ebay.com/itm/153993231442

This is very cool stuff, reminiscent of Funbie Studios but far less expensive.

I wonder if they've got a training droid in the works (the robot that was sparring with Hot Rod in the Movie)

My wallet curses you, Zob.

So there's a reason they reminded me of the work of Funbie Studios - CollectorCrafts is Funbie's official partner.

And now I want this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/154412306384

Oh, good lord, this stuff is beautiful. Nothing that would actually tempt me right now, but I could see that if I were slightly more serious about toy-collecting, I'd want to pick up some of these for the display/photography value.

Velvet Glove (trying to think of what props are missing. Librarian from Surprise Party, maybe?)

Señor Squid is amazing! (Until he is named in fiction, I shall I call him Señor Squid)

And Deceptitran.

Do I need more plastic in my life? I might.

GustavoWombat wrote:

> Señor Squid is amazing! (Until he is named in fiction, I shall I call him Señor Squid)

Oh man if Señor Squid was a Haslab or a titan with a Chthulu-like robot mode I would be all over that.