Third party group ToyWorld, who has previously announced that they will be working on a third party version of Decepticon Ramjet, have today posted an image on their Weibo showing that they will be tweaking the design to also get unlicensed versions of Dirge and Thrust out of the mold. The three are shown to be in scale with current Masterpiece series Transformers offerings, and Dirge and Thrust will serve as stand-ins in a Masterpiece lineup until Takara-Tomy or Hasbro release their own official versions.
jazz1914
These coneheads definitely fit with the Studio Ox style MPs (Carry, Spanner, Constructor) which also fit with early Hastak MPs quite well!
Mercutio
I always thought these coneheads looked good, and was waiting for Toyworld or Zeta to eventually release Ramjet in G2 colours… but they never did. Leaving money on the table!
Treadshot 2.0
I agree with this also. I definitely think they are the best looking seeker molds, particularly of the coneheads. It’s just that nobody makes masterpiece figures that look like that anymore. The only thing I have that matches their aesthetic is DX9 Carry, and he is kind of off to the side in his own little area with tyrant.
Also, I don’t have a toy world seekers. So basically in my display the Coneheads look TOO good and distinctive. Weird problem to have, I know
jazz1914
For me, still the best seeker molds! Perminant fixtures in the display! Unless… FansHobby… Um…
Treadshot 2.0
This, basically. I like them but they don’t really fit with the rest of the things in my display anymore
Tazman66gt
probably not toon enough and are expecting TT or DS to come out with new coneheads that are devoid of details.
AlphaBass
Quick question – why are people selling these?
LunchBox26
I'm need to sell mine as well
The Happenin Rhinoceros
To be fair, they're sold out just about everywhere.
Max Rawhide
Again? They were reissued not that long ago by Zeta Toys.
Treadshot 2.0
I’m about ready to let my cone head trio go. Where do you live?
AlphaBass
Does anyone know if these will be reissued?
The Happenin Rhinoceros
Haven't we proven at great length in the KO thread that we both are?
SMOG
Yeah, for me, as always, it's about the characters. It's what gives everything context — and for better or worse, often what compels me to own versions of toys that were never very good to begin with.
Like… those 1980s Seekers/Diaclone jets? Not great figures. These TW figures… do I like them that much? Maybe not. But as specific characters who fill out the Transformers 1985 panorama, they're awesome. I couldn't care less about Blue Jet/Brown Wing Guy, but Dirge? I like him.
Conversely, the Rainmakers? I got no time for them. Screw those guys.
Yeah, and the thighs are not actually that short in relation to the shins, so it's really no big. The thing that bothers me more about this fix is how it limits the calf rotation just enough to be annoying when standing these guys on the shelf.
But the elongated look is definitely a look, so if that's your thing, fill your boots. Looking over the design choices in the TW mold, it's interesting how at every point the designer could have compressed or shortened elements, they chose instead to stretch it or keep it long (the ankles are another example of this). So it definitely seems like a very deliberate choice, considering they could have easily opted for a more 'balanced' middle-ground silhouette, which probably would have pleased more people.
Nah, you're just being stubborn.
That much I think is actually objectively true. It is super toon in terms of the flat colours, simplified forms, and caricatured proportions. The head is enormous, and they definitely look weird next to almost all my other MP-style stuff. When MP52 was first revealed, I was shocked at how much I hated it.
But sometimes having something in your hands is a different experience than looking at pictures on a screen. There's the aesthetic… and then there's the object itself.
The effect is similar to how I felt with MP Ironhide, who is too big, and looks kind of stupid… but is hard not to like once you own one. Or like, for overall aesthetics, I think MT Grapple and Inferno are my jam (though I like my MMC Inferno too)… but there's a special pleasure in how engineered parts can line up reshape themselves on the MP versions. I prefer an exposed crane and ladder on those characters, but it's absolutely magical how the Takara versions fold up and disappear inside the robot modes.
I gave Eagle Starscream a shot because I had come to the realization that my Takara MP seekers were huge shelf-hogs. All their wing bits and fins and kibble were constantly in the way, and I didn't like touching them for fear of them knocking 3 other figures off the shelf at the same time. So I was auditioning something tidier and I was impressed with the poseability I was seeing from photographs and reviews.
In much the same way I admired some of the Transformers Animated figures of yore for how effectively they captured 2D stylization in plastic, MP52 really does a good job of representing what it's trying to represent (even if that's not my favourite take on the characters).
And so I discovered that the MP52 seekers are just… fun. Okay, not fun to transform (god, no!) but really satisfying to handle and to articulate. They have a crazy amount of personality, and the build quality (on the Eagle KOs at least) is very nice.
Some figures I take off the shelf because I'm thinking "surely I can get a better posistion out of this guy?" It's born in dissatisfaction. Others, like the MP52s, it's because I just enjoy handling them and seeing what they can do.
The TW Coneheads don't have that. They fill a character gap in my collection, and they look OK, and transforming them isn't an ordeal. But handling them isn't a pleasure. They simply feel… satisfactory. For the price.
Another recent example would be TW Coolsville and Maketoys Downbeat. I bought both second-hand at the same time. I love the toy-accurate styling, the realistic alt-mode, the diecast metal, and the substantial weight on Coolsville. Downbeat on the other hand is a bit too stylized, and feels like they smoothed out a lot of detail, and is mostly all plastic.
But with Coolsville, I feel like I'm always fighting with it to get him into a good pose… and Downbeat, it's almost impossible NOT to get a really fluid, dynamic, natural gesture any time you touch it. On paper, Toyworld should be the winner, but the Maketoys is just a whole other experience. So I sold Coolsville to a friend and kept Downbeat.
Also… Coolsville is like, more than a head taller than Downbeat, and is way bigger than I think a finesse dude like Jazz should be next to my other MP cars, so again… character is a factor in how I view the toy there as well.
I think I answer some of that above, but to comment more specifically… I don't find the Maketoys versions too simple. Aesthetically, I prefer them. On the sliding scale of imperfect MP Seekers out there, they are the least objectionable.
The realistic detailing on those figures is much lower than the older Takara MP03/MP11 Seekers, which is disappointing… but their overall style and proportions are still pretty nice (though their heads are maybe a bit too small). If I'd had the option 18 months ago to pick those up for an equally low price, I might never have bothered trying out the Eagle.
I'm not blind to the faults of the MP-52… they just exist on a continuum. I might be called a hater if I griped about their giant heads and simplistic shapes in a MP-52 thread… but I'm just laying it out, warts and all. I have no need to champion them just for the sake of sunken cost.
Ditto the Toyworld Coneheads. I picked them up because they had potential, and they did some things right. They also do some things badly, I think. While toon-accurate Seekers erase essential details, I find the TW versions include them, but do a middling job of it. Like the afore-mentioned preponderance of right angles, I feel like they miss some of the quintessential Seeker form, especially through the torso and legs.
These Conehead designs feel like a lot of very geometric boxes stacked up, with superficial detail elements slapped on afterward (honestly, that's probably how they were designed in CAD). I find that both Toyworld and TFC designs can often have this feeling.
zmog
The Happenin Rhinoceros
I'm not beholden to amt precedent and, on top of that, have zero attachment these guys. So having Thrust as the big guy lurking in the back of my display works fine for me. Again, to each their own.
I'd call the statement about it not having much aesthetic impact highly debatable based on personal preference. I'd never like that look on my shelf. While it's true many TFs do have much shorter thighs than calves, the bulk of the calf here over exaggerated that look to a point that's a real deal breaker for me. You're bothered by the elongated look asuch as I'm bothered by the truncated look. Personal preference, like I said.
Nope. Still a dumpy guy in a big diaper to me. Any way you slice it, this is just several large jumps past my comfortable "toon" threshold. Not something I'd ever be interested in as it clashes with my personal aesthetic preferences.
Speaking of which…with your usual stance on toon aesthetics I find it curious that you find this acceptable but find the Maketoys versions too simple.
Again, at the end of the day I'm glad you're happy with both of these options.
SMOG
On the subject of the plastic — I don't know how to feel about these TW Coneheads
The plastic feels… stiff… squeaky… hollow… brittle… there's almost an echo when you handle these figures.
On the other hand, some of the very small hinged areas (especially the wing-folding joint for Thrust) require a terrifying amount of flex (due to some overly long pegs, which I had to trim)… and I totally would have expected cracks or stress-marks on those little joints, but they seem fine. So whatever they made these out of, it seems to be at least a very hard, durable plastic – in spite of how it feels and sounds.
So I'm grateful for that. The transformations aren't too complicated, but if these had been molded in a different plastic, I think it would have been a bad scene. There are a lot of stress points, but so far they're holding up pretty well!
zmog
theosteve
Yeah, at this point, I‘m not expecting to ever get a set of seekers that I love. The closest is this (saying that without ever having handled MT, maybe that would change my opinion).
SMOG
All Seekers are big and strong, and when you get into the specifics, Thrust and Ramjet are a bit stronger than the rest. However, I don't find there's much precedent to make them REALLY big and hulking. A bit bigger than the '84 seekers? I can dig it, even though in theory they really should have the same core body between the 6 of them (goes with the whole "Seeker motif). But taller than Megatron? Nope. That was my dealbreaker.
Fortunately, these guys were so damn leggy already, it was easy to drop their height by 2 cm without much aesthetic impact.
I saw them on sale a couple of months ago very cheap again, and was sorely tempted, but between the USD exchange rate, shipping, and duty costs ordering from the States, it wasn't such a great deal after all. I ended up buying these 3 TW Coneheads instead, because at least they wouldn't be redundant characters on the shelf.
Honestly, I would definitely take the Maketoys Coneheads over these guys. I think the overall proportions are just much more attractive… and the Coneheads by nature tend to retain more toy detailing so they don't feel as simplified compared to the MT versions of their 1984 bros.
That's one of the issues – the design has a short torso and a large head, so there's something a bit squashed and barrel-chested about it, like a picture of an Italian grandpa in the 1950s. Fortunately, you can actually jacknife the waist longer (you can gain a half-inch if you push it), and it improves the overall proportions.
It's subtle, but somehow makes a quite a difference – essentially, it gives the figure a waist it otherwise doesn't have. In the pics below, the hinge is opened about half as far as it can go. The flank is slightly more gappy, but not too bad.
View attachment 29824395 View attachment 29824396
Meh. Most transformers have short thighs and long shins. It's not my favourite look, but in the case of the Coneheads, it fits the way they are usually depicted (and most of that effect is actually just their giant goalie kneepads).
By dropping the knees into the shin slightly, you still get a fully functioning thigh… but more importantly to me, it reduces their overall proportion issue, which is exactly the opposite of MP52 – not so much that they are too 'big' but rather that they are really stre-e-e-e-tched out.
Consequently, they feel less like bruisers and more like beanpoles wearing pointy hats. Some figures/characters carry off a profile like that better, but with their shoulder intakes and cones and stretched joker faces and full cockpits, it just feels a bit overly pronounced.
I find collapsing the elbows and knees helps with that. Of course, the waist is still very long and there's no way to compress that to match, so it's more of a mitigation than a fix.
They're nice to have, and I got a good price, but the plastic feels a bit weird and they just don't totally hit the spot for me. Even so, they look decent enough (better than the Takara versions, at the least) and they'll probably be my stand-ins until I find a cheap alternative that nails it (which admittedly, might be never).
zmog
The Happenin Rhinoceros
Indeed. We are everywhere. Watching. Waiting…
My biggest gripe with most offerings, right there. It would be such a minimal cost to offer a different head or faceplate with more of a toy look instead of sixteen random crap pieces of "that one thing from that one episode" that most just throw in a drawer and forget about. More toy head or part options would certainly sway me to buy some figures I'd normally pass on altogether.
Personal preference, but I've got no issue with the coneheads being hulking, boxy bruisers. It sets them apart nicely from the core three on my shelf.
I bought the core three seekers from Maketoys in the fall for the hell of it (they were DIRT CHEAP) and have to say I like them a hell of a lot more than I expected to. Of course, I'm upgrading them with some G1 toy styled stickers of my own design to enhance the look, but still…they're insanely expressive.
I certainly prefer the look of the Maketoys seekers over these guys…these just look like fat guys wearing diapers to me.
Glad you found a fanmode that works for you and you're happy with it. Personally, having the shins twice the length of the thighs drives my brain crazy
SMOG
I always loved Bluestreak, but never owned the toy. Consequently, I always bonded more with the Diaclone version from the box-art and the original pamplets. When I finally got an actual "Silverstreak" rerelease, the unpainted face and red eyes looked too dull to me. Maybe I need some painted boxart in that deco to sell me on it?
The Walmart MP-11 Thundercracker is not bad. The deco matches the toy reasonably well. The blue is not quite as dark as it should be, but it's still a proper blue, and not the pale sky blue used in the toons.
It's true! I've been a longtime toy-style curmudgeon!
I could forgive the deco, but some of the molded details are pretty simplified too.
They're easy to find cheap now, and very good quality (reportedly the joints are better than the Takara). They are VERY toon-ish, both in style and proportions… but like a lot of the Takara stuff, there's a seduction that occurs when you actually have the figure in-hand. They feel great, and have an amazing range of expression, even despite not having waist rotation. It's very hard to resist handling them and putting them in different poses. So while the aesthetics are not ideal, I still like them quite a bit.
Yeah, this is such a more vivid look than the blue eyes. I also like the darker navy blue, as opposed to the lighter blue that often gets used on his legs and helmet.
At least the WFC Trailbreaker still has his side panels.
A well-made toy can win me over, but if it doesn't have the right look, it leaves an itch that can't be scratched.
I love the GC / Shuraking Dinobot aesthetics. I've heard the build quality is medium, but they do look nice.
I remember XTB's early stuff was a bit more inventive (look at their early Huffer/Pipes). I remember talking early on with their lead designer, who wanted to do more "realistic/toylike" stuff, but he was being pushed more and more to the strict toon accuracy because that's really where the market was. Kind of a shame.
Anyway… I'm glad that the TW Coneheads have some flexibility in their design that allows me to shorten their limbs, because otherwise I probably would have re-homed them. I don't think I'll keep the cone-flip trick, but I'm thinking of painting their foreheads black to break up the enlongating effect of those long silver faces. Plus, TFs that show too much forehead under their helmets are a pet peave of mine. I like the helmets to come right down to the brow, and overhang a bit if possible.
zmog