They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t when it comes to the G1 look. For every collector that would rather not be slaveish to Sunbow, there is 10 screaming for more toon accuracy.
Gare the only stats that count are the cold hard numbers. A really good toon accurate figure will sell out much faster than a “non” toon accurate IDW inspired fig. There might be exceptions here and there, but overall toon is king.
Excellent review as always! It's always a treat to hear your view of these amazing figures. Thank you for taking the time to provide top-notch content!
I personally just view the character as uninteresting from a G1 design, so guess that reflects the final finish. I think Astrotrain will be the true test of how FT are doing. Great review Bobby 👍🏼
They seem to be all over the place recently. Ab crunch, no ab crunch, double jointed elbows or not. Toon accurate or added sculpt. I just wish they would stay in a lane and stop swerving all over the place.
100% agree with you on the idea of this being a little too rigidly adherent to the cartoon visual, though I don't see it as a worst offender (coughTTHoundcough). It's funny how much artistry is involved in getting line-work, paint and tampo right to achieve something that strongly evokes the original designs, but with something closer to the detail intended than the G1 toon budgets and tech allowed.
@mathew Goodall I agree that XTBs version has better accessories that really speak my heart /memory, but for me as someone devoted to a G1 cartoon accurate collection I had to get the FTs which version perfectly fills that space, in color, design or model (cartoon broad strokes), size (XTBs is too small for me) he’s about the same size as Brawn or Bee, alt mode, transformation, durability and last but not least heft he’s got a lot of metal in him so he has the weight FTs are known for. I love XTB too generally but FTs really captured what I’m looking for here. Anyway, I always love a good toy debate with other romantics! Cheers to our childhoods!
So I know this comment is a year late, and you may have figured it out by now, but there’s a small, rectangular flap on the back of the figure-specifically on the back of the lower torso-that you are supposed to flip up for his vehicle mode. That way, the seats section with the steering wheel, seats, and the front part of the roof cage can tab into the slots under that small flap.
Based on the size of this thing (and other recent releases), it looks like FT is building their own scale which is slightly larger than official MP. Expect them to make autobot carbots which are the same size as their stunticons.
Fans toys need to up their game relating the articulation, it's not a minibot thing because the aerialbots aren't minibots and have limited articulation too and don't say it's because they are combiners... Again upping your sales and prices while at the same time trying to lower the production cost with a lower parts count by limiting the articulation is a bad move. Thanks for the review Mr. Skullface, as usual a very nice job.
Mindblowing to me compared to the alternative(s). Solid as a fking brick, looks the part, more than enough articulation on shelf, I mean come on man how much articulation do we need in a Transforming figure, 72 points? So glad I passed on the perma A stance greebly kibbly gnome of an XTB Beachcomber, birds are cool I guess if you're into that sort of thing.
It's a bit like Takara's MP Inferno for me, where I admire the transformation magic they pulled off to achieve such a clean bot, but the end result looks just too boring for my tastes. Guess I'll stick with the X-Transbots.
And, like Bobby said, whereas storing guns in vehicle mode is normally quite silly looking, Arkose uses the gun that's actually mounted on the M1040 Chenowth that Beachcomber's based on, so it looks appropriate for once.
Good review..and yeah those joints being so tight..yikes! You mentioned you broke yours but I couldnt tell throughout the video, so I assume it wasnt an important part? I have a feeling we will see an X version of ALL the minibots with metallic paint that will please all those that are complaining about the paint isnt good enough or interesting enough. Just for Snits and Giggles you should throw an iGear Beachcomber in there....😂🤣 I had the XTB Arkose and thought it was okay. I did like the alt mode better because I do like more Realistic Alt mode personally, so that is a subjective thing. I say that to say this (a bobbyism haha!) I am glad I sold my Arkose when it was in high demand and went for more than I paid. I think this figure is great and I do think they nailed the figure. This is the one time though I do wish they would have thrown in some birds and a gold hand.... I think he is the definitive version and as much as I am not a toon accurate guy, this guy is an exceptional piece. I feel like it’s a tight line to walk giving it some extra scultped detail to make it interesting and leaving it plain for Cartoon accuracy. Good review. Looking forward to Thomas and Bandit from them. This has to be a new record for FT releases in one year? 🤣
Always love your reviews but there's a piece of transformation you missed and it makes a huge difference to tab the flaps under the buggy mode thin flap on the lower back that ends up under his feet in ault mode just wanted to point it out because most reviews are missing and they end up having trouble tabbing those flaps. Have a great one
I am really to make some sacrifices regarding articulations in order to have a cleaner transformation, but missing a double jointed elbow on Hunk is definitely unforgivable
I think he's a stunning looking little bot all told, alt mode is ok I guess but ye gods are those joints tight. I really wanted to loosen the waist but you can't get to the screws without popping pins.
I wish the blue in this guy was a darker and more metallic blue. Maybe even glossy metallic blue. He just looks plain and I think that is because of the flat paint. That is one place where XTB has been mailing their figures lately, the deep metallic gloss paints just pop
Looks nice but I’m disappointed that FT has decided to follow everyone else down the slavish toon rabbit hole. I’m just counting my blessings that they gave Astrotrain his toy chest plate as an option.
he looks solid enough but yikes those joints made me scared for him! alt mode looks a bit off to me, the sections where the doors would be look too far from the rollcage imo
I don't think the double-jointed elbows are a minibot thing, DX9 Richthofen, who's smaller than Sheridan has double-jointed elbows and they work fine. I think Fans Toys is just cheating out for some reason.
Arkose has double-jointed elbows and knees, and he's smaller than Dunerunner. The comparison is going to be very interesting, as I think Arkose is still better in many respects (for what I want in a figure). Hunk only beat Brawny by 1 point, which given the 5+ year difference between those figures releases, doesn't really feel like a victory for FT... really it should be sweeping the board, as technically they're two different eras of MP design. Arkose is a more modern figure that Brawny, so we'll just see how FT fares this time around.
@@theoaf6777 Yeah, I've been kind of disappointed with these minibots, especially Hunk. The only one I would consider great is Sheridan. I do think that other than articulation, this one is better than the XTTB version.
@@aquamosquito3066 I actually quite like Hunk, but the alt. mode is very disappointing. Brawny is so much better in that regard, but I do prefer realistic vehicle modes over 'toon. Fortunately, I do still have BC's Outback, so still have a version of that. Honestly, I do prefer having mold-mates come from different companies anyway, as it adds a bit more variety to displays. I didn't get Sheridan, as I still like Wardog too much. It looks like a great figure, but every time I see them side-by-side, Sheridan looks anorexic to me. And that tank mode is so tiny. In my head, Warpath is a big and beefy bot.
@@theoaf6777 I think Hunk looks good, but it feels like it was made like 2 years ago or something and I refuse to pay what people want for it. Fans Toys needs to get their shit together.
Wait, so FansToys is making their figures more and more toon accurate with less and less details, and now adding parts to give the option of extra details? It’s getting easier and easier for me to pass up on some of these figures. Just not my cup of tea I guess..
That's interesting. Recently a company that does 3rd party dragon ball characters released a figure of my favorite character and the face, which is objectively the most important part of this guy, is off. But people are willing to say the it's okay and that it's fine. People shouldn't settle. Its just an excuse that lets the company know you're willing to give up a little and they can get away with a lesser job. Same goes for transformers and this articulation business, don't settle. Settle on Takara but not FansToys 😏.
You're referring to the Gohan, right? I'm not 'okay' with that derpy face, when I saw that I instantly went from considering on getting it to nah no way.
YellowBentines damn right! They never get any hate from me. I think everybody should be happy that there is a company doing these characters in MP form at all. Without FT I doubt I’d continue to collect.
@ Shockwave I agree with both your points. I bought a Terminus on eBay and it turned up with the hip joint broken, the seller contacted FT and I had replacement parts sent👍. But holy sh*t it was a massive job to take it apart..... People are complaining about FT figures breaking, maybe they need to stop handling them like Chugs, start treating them with the respect of a mature(ish) collector and not be so heavy handed.....🤷♂️
@@martynbrooker7116 Damn what a pain in the ass! I try to avoid buying used if at all possible for the reason of not knowing how the figure was handled, whether or not the figure has paint touch ups or repaired breakage using glue, but I've taken a few gambles. I decided to go with DX9 Gabriel after the Omega wars, thought I would miss out on the character altogether, until a kind soul posting on TFW2005 pointed out a hellova pre-order deal at BBTS. Win win there.
Alt mode is one of the most boring blue boxes with wheels I've ever seen. I actually thought it had ratchets throughout because of all that plastic creaking.
Bobby referencing instruction? 2020 really has some twists going on.
They’re damned if they do and damned if they don’t when it comes to the G1 look. For every collector that would rather not be slaveish to Sunbow, there is 10 screaming for more toon accuracy.
FAAAAACCCTTSSS!!!
I have yet to see valid statistics that prove that point. I'm still convinced the cartoon whores are a vocal minority.
Gare the only stats that count are the cold hard numbers. A really good toon accurate figure will sell out much faster than a “non” toon accurate IDW inspired fig. There might be exceptions here and there, but overall toon is king.
Excellent review as always! It's always a treat to hear your view of these amazing figures. Thank you for taking the time to provide top-notch content!
Great review. I'm really enjoying mine. Everything about him just feels so solid in hand.
I personally just view the character as uninteresting from a G1 design, so guess that reflects the final finish. I think Astrotrain will be the true test of how FT are doing. Great review Bobby 👍🏼
They seem to be all over the place recently. Ab crunch, no ab crunch, double jointed elbows or not. Toon accurate or added sculpt. I just wish they would stay in a lane and stop swerving all over the place.
I’m a Beachcomber guy but missed the xtb so was excited to see this. Looking forward to versus!
100% agree with you on the idea of this being a little too rigidly adherent to the cartoon visual, though I don't see it as a worst offender (coughTTHoundcough). It's funny how much artistry is involved in getting line-work, paint and tampo right to achieve something that strongly evokes the original designs, but with something closer to the detail intended than the G1 toon budgets and tech allowed.
Great review, i like the transformation it is very neat. You know who is also a little plain? Powerglide.
I get what you are saying. Yes, this Beachcomber is more cartoon accurate, but I find the X-Transbots one more visually interesting.
Same here
Would you take a FT BC if you could get one though?
@@Retiredspook1124 I wouldn't.
@mathew Goodall I agree that XTBs version has better accessories that really speak my heart /memory, but for me as someone devoted to a G1 cartoon accurate collection I had to get the FTs which version perfectly fills that space, in color, design or model (cartoon broad strokes), size (XTBs is too small for me) he’s about the same size as Brawn or Bee, alt mode, transformation, durability and last but not least heft he’s got a lot of metal in him so he has the weight FTs are known for. I love XTB too generally but FTs really captured what I’m looking for here. Anyway, I always love a good toy debate with other romantics! Cheers to our childhoods!
When you said you checked the instructions and noticed that recommendation regarding the legs, I clicked like. Solid video Bobby 👏🙂
Its fine.
Awesome ,loved the review as usual
So I know this comment is a year late, and you may have figured it out by now, but there’s a small, rectangular flap on the back of the figure-specifically on the back of the lower torso-that you are supposed to flip up for his vehicle mode. That way, the seats section with the steering wheel, seats, and the front part of the roof cage can tab into the slots under that small flap.
looks good, better than xtransbots
Love the space balls reference
Wow he’s perfect!
Based on the size of this thing (and other recent releases), it looks like FT is building their own scale which is slightly larger than official MP. Expect them to make autobot carbots which are the same size as their stunticons.
their upcoming jazz and mirage will be the same size as the current carbots.
I’d be down for Autobot cars that scale with FT’s Stunticons 👍
Fantoys engineer: is it still fun?
QA: it is.
Fanstoys: more panels!
Looks awesome
Great review, can't wait for mine to come in
FT is like Neca to me. They sacrifice articulation to nail the sculpt.
Fans toys need to up their game relating the articulation, it's not a minibot thing because the aerialbots aren't minibots and have limited articulation too and don't say it's because they are combiners... Again upping your sales and prices while at the same time trying to lower the production cost with a lower parts count by limiting the articulation is a bad move. Thanks for the review Mr. Skullface, as usual a very nice job.
Thanks BSF!
Knee has more than 90. Bend the first joint then at the second
Wow, ANOTHER FT product with a breakage due to too thin a piece of plastic next to a tight joint. This is a pattern.
I kinda feel the same way about this as Hunk; I'd be very happy with it were it my first solid version of the character. Great review, thanks!
After that bit of a hiccup with their brawn, this is a nice change back to form.
@2:06 reminded me of Vince Vaughn in Dodgeball.....maybe he could play you in a biopic movie about you...lol
Mindblowing to me compared to the alternative(s). Solid as a fking brick, looks the part, more than enough articulation on shelf, I mean come on man how much articulation do we need in a Transforming figure, 72 points? So glad I passed on the perma A stance greebly kibbly gnome of an XTB Beachcomber, birds are cool I guess if you're into that sort of thing.
I particularly appreciate the sturdy roll cage. I had both G1 and G2 Beachcomber as a kid and the roll cage broke on both.
It's a bit like Takara's MP Inferno for me, where I admire the transformation magic they pulled off to achieve such a clean bot, but the end result looks just too boring for my tastes. Guess I'll stick with the X-Transbots.
Bobby "loves going to the beach in his not so articulated dunerunner" Face!
And just like that, i regret cancelling the preorder
For that versus video, you should throw the Magic Square in the mix too, if Robert is willing to lend it to you...
The X-transbots Windcharger is really looking dated.
Love this Beachcomber though. I am glad I passed on Arkose. Thanks for the review.
Paik said it on his livestream it seems like they mixed the paint in when making the plastics
Aint Dunerunner made mainly out of die cast though?
I love the super clean look of him. Arkose pulls ahead slightly thanks to his accessories.
And, like Bobby said, whereas storing guns in vehicle mode is normally quite silly looking, Arkose uses the gun that's actually mounted on the M1040 Chenowth that Beachcomber's based on, so it looks appropriate for once.
Good review..and yeah those joints being so tight..yikes! You mentioned you broke yours but I couldnt tell throughout the video, so I assume it wasnt an important part? I have a feeling we will see an X version of ALL the minibots with metallic paint that will please all those that are complaining about the paint isnt good enough or interesting enough. Just for Snits and Giggles you should throw an iGear Beachcomber in there....😂🤣 I had the XTB Arkose and thought it was okay. I did like the alt mode better because I do like more Realistic Alt mode personally, so that is a subjective thing. I say that to say this (a bobbyism haha!) I am glad I sold my Arkose when it was in high demand and went for more than I paid. I think this figure is great and I do think they nailed the figure. This is the one time though I do wish they would have thrown in some birds and a gold hand.... I think he is the definitive version and as much as I am not a toon accurate guy, this guy is an exceptional piece. I feel like it’s a tight line to walk giving it some extra scultped detail to make it interesting and leaving it plain for Cartoon accuracy. Good review. Looking forward to Thomas and Bandit from them. This has to be a new record for FT releases in one year? 🤣
Always love your reviews but there's a piece of transformation you missed and it makes a huge difference to tab the flaps under the buggy mode thin flap on the lower back that ends up under his feet in ault mode just wanted to point it out because most reviews are missing and they end up having trouble tabbing those flaps. Have a great one
You are correct it’s a role cage
I am really to make some sacrifices regarding articulations in order to have a cleaner transformation, but missing a double jointed elbow on Hunk is definitely unforgivable
It's a good size. Fit's right in. (that's what she said)
Like Groovy review man. If there was ever an Autobot getting ripped before battle it was Beachcomber ✌ ☮ 🕊 🏳
I love dunerunner def gonna get him
Have a feeling we are going to see a lot of broken combs over the next few weeks.
I digs it.
You should do a pose-off with this and Power of the Primes Beachcomber because i think PotP might just take it tbh.
I wish they'd used that pearlescent, sparkly white that they used for Maverick etc on the white parts. It just seems a bit too flat white for me.
I think he's a stunning looking little bot all told, alt mode is ok I guess but ye gods are those joints tight. I really wanted to loosen the waist but you can't get to the screws without popping pins.
The forearms and calves shins and feet are metal and painted 🤦♂️ come on man!
That waist swivel is scary. My G1 mirage had a tight waist. Decades later. Finally broke.
Are all the joints friction?
I wish the blue in this guy was a darker and more metallic blue. Maybe even glossy metallic blue. He just looks plain and I think that is because of the flat paint. That is one place where XTB has been mailing their figures lately, the deep metallic gloss paints just pop
This figure is whiter than my apple-raisin potato salad.
Looks nice but I’m disappointed that FT has decided to follow everyone else down the slavish toon rabbit hole. I’m just counting my blessings that they gave Astrotrain his toy chest plate as an option.
he looks solid enough but yikes those joints made me scared for him! alt mode looks a bit off to me, the sections where the doors would be look too far from the rollcage imo
I don't think the double-jointed elbows are a minibot thing, DX9 Richthofen, who's smaller than Sheridan has double-jointed elbows and they work fine. I think Fans Toys is just cheating out for some reason.
Arkose has double-jointed elbows and knees, and he's smaller than Dunerunner. The comparison is going to be very interesting, as I think Arkose is still better in many respects (for what I want in a figure). Hunk only beat Brawny by 1 point, which given the 5+ year difference between those figures releases, doesn't really feel like a victory for FT... really it should be sweeping the board, as technically they're two different eras of MP design. Arkose is a more modern figure that Brawny, so we'll just see how FT fares this time around.
@@theoaf6777 Yeah, I've been kind of disappointed with these minibots, especially Hunk. The only one I would consider great is Sheridan. I do think that other than articulation, this one is better than the XTTB version.
@@aquamosquito3066 I actually quite like Hunk, but the alt. mode is very disappointing. Brawny is so much better in that regard, but I do prefer realistic vehicle modes over 'toon. Fortunately, I do still have BC's Outback, so still have a version of that. Honestly, I do prefer having mold-mates come from different companies anyway, as it adds a bit more variety to displays.
I didn't get Sheridan, as I still like Wardog too much. It looks like a great figure, but every time I see them side-by-side, Sheridan looks anorexic to me. And that tank mode is so tiny. In my head, Warpath is a big and beefy bot.
@@theoaf6777 I think Hunk looks good, but it feels like it was made like 2 years ago or something and I refuse to pay what people want for it. Fans Toys needs to get their shit together.
5 dislikes obviously have XTB Arkose
As much as I like the cartoon accuracy.
The xtransbots looks better in bot mode.
Comb the desert!
You guys found anything yet?
Wait, so FansToys is making their figures more and more toon accurate with less and less details, and now adding parts to give the option of extra details? It’s getting easier and easier for me to pass up on some of these figures. Just not my cup of tea I guess..
Liked just off the first comments, lol
That's interesting. Recently a company that does 3rd party dragon ball characters released a figure of my favorite character and the face, which is objectively the most important part of this guy, is off. But people are willing to say the it's okay and that it's fine. People shouldn't settle. Its just an excuse that lets the company know you're willing to give up a little and they can get away with a lesser job. Same goes for transformers and this articulation business, don't settle. Settle on Takara but not FansToys 😏.
You're referring to the Gohan, right?
I'm not 'okay' with that derpy face, when I saw that I instantly went from considering on getting it to nah no way.
Best MP company ever IMO
FT get so much hate and yet they’re the only company consistently releasing products and are almost single-handedly keeping the MP scale alive👍
YellowBentines damn right! They never get any hate from me. I think everybody should be happy that there is a company doing these characters in MP form at all. Without FT I doubt I’d continue to collect.
As of this year, I have come to the same conclusion. FT figures are premium top shelf and for QC issues FT also has good customer service.
@ Shockwave I agree with both your points. I bought a Terminus on eBay and it turned up with the hip joint broken, the seller contacted FT and I had replacement parts sent👍. But holy sh*t it was a massive job to take it apart.....
People are complaining about FT figures breaking, maybe they need to stop handling them like Chugs, start treating them with the respect of a mature(ish) collector and not be so heavy handed.....🤷♂️
@@martynbrooker7116 Damn what a pain in the ass! I try to avoid buying used if at all possible for the reason of not knowing how the figure was handled, whether or not the figure has paint touch ups or repaired breakage using glue, but I've taken a few gambles. I decided to go with DX9 Gabriel after the Omega wars, thought I would miss out on the character altogether, until a kind soul posting on TFW2005 pointed out a hellova pre-order deal at BBTS. Win win there.
It seems that these releases have been older designs. The outrider looks to be up to what we are getting from takara in the articulation
Even outrider is old but getting updated. Maybe ft Thomas is a new design?
Alt mode is one of the most boring blue boxes with wheels I've ever seen. I actually thought it had ratchets throughout because of all that plastic creaking.
The vehicle mode is so bad. To be that simple is not even properly cartoon accurate
X-transbots wins this one. Arkose way better.
Comb the desert!