Via a post on Zeta Toys Weibo to celebrate the Chinese New Year, they have also revealed the first sketch of their next project: G1 Predaking.
Zeta’s approach to the Predacon combiner seems to be based on the blocky G1 cartoon style of the characters. This may be good idea or not, depending on your preferences. We are yet to see proper renders or prototypes, but so far we have an imposing Predaking.
We still have no specific information on release date, or the individual modes of the Predacons, but stay tuned with TFW2005 for more updates. Click on the bar to see the images and join to the ongoing discussion on the 2005 Boards!
Grimlock212
Nah, I’d rather get a better Bruticus (FT and XTB) before Piranacons. I want stuff that had screen time on the G1 Cartoon. I like the Technobots more than most because I had the set as a kid, plus it’s a Grimlock side-story.
Dodgy Dan
Corrected that for you.
Grimlock212
Yeah, hopefully we get one after Defensor and Devastator. I’d really like Computron too.
BIOMEC
Your only options are Fanstoys or XTB for a G1 take on Predaking
Grimlock212
Yeah, but I really want a G1 MP Predaking,
BIOMEC
Most likely yes, either way this thing looks dated…
Ambrojh
Zeta was stupid, instead of releasing all the combiners, they decided to go against a loosing battle with Hasbro. Now would of been a good time for Zeta to have released the Studio Scale Unicron.
Grimlock212
So I assume Zeta Predaking is officially dead?
geekatron prime
If this thread is a-bumping' , don't come a-thumpin'!!!
Kind of wish there was some news on this. Want to see what Zeta's take on the individual Predacons would be. Outside of just renders of course.
Cang Toys is okay. Still think they over did the stylizing of their KingLion. The others look great.
Lando22404
So much bumping with no updates.
Dodgy Dan
Cangtoys is lovely and all, but… but muh g1 Predaking…
Criggity
First we have Zeta with pants, now XTB with overalls
bobagorof
Rest assured I spared no thoughts wondering whether or not you were getting the Cang Toys version. It doesn't matter to me in the slightest.
I also didn't say anything about other companies doing or not doing a Predaking, so…?
… But if you want to discuss that (probably not the right thread, but here we are) I think neither FT or XTB are in the position to be attempting a Predaking for a while. FT can't get their weights sorted, and XTB is relying on a skeleton that limb bots attach to. So, Zeta is very much out in front if they wanted to tackle this one. But, again, it does seem their attention is elsewhere at the moment.
luckyman76
I don't like or want the Cang Toys version for the same reasons you don't in case that is what you are thinking. It is going to sell its run, a portion of the MP market is going to be claimed. I am sure that is one of the reasons Zeta didn't follow through with this regardless of what happens later. With that said a company will still do a G1 version but after this much time I don't see it being Zeta for the reasons mentioned. Remember too, I am simply giving you the reasons why Zeta would back off this. I didn't say anything about FT or XTB not doing it. Zeta seems to be more careful because they aren't diversified like these other companies that mostly have single figure releases. Zeta does combiners and box sets (heavy investment) so it is not as easy to afford an underperformer or to tie themselves to something they can't reissue multiple times.
bobagorof
Umm, I think your claim that "that's not how the market works" is a bit presumptuous. I, for one (I expect amongst many others) have zero interest in Cang Toys because they are so stylised. I'm not going to spend $700 or more on a combiner that doesn't fit with my collection when I am specifically collecting G1 figures. Some people might, sure, but I suspect a significant proportion of people are not buying Cang Toys and still have a space waiting for Predaking.
As to the rest of your statement – yes, Zeta could have done Defensor. They could have also done Computron or Abominus. They didn't do any of those – and I agree it wasn't an oversight, but I think it was a choice of what they *wanted* to do. With the resources they have they probably can't produce everything at once, and working on Unicron would be an exciting project after doing three sets of combiners (one of which was just some tubes becoming limbs (I am being slightly flippant here)).
I do agree that this project is on the back-burner. I'm not sure why it has been dredged back up without any news, but the interest in it by the people posting does indicate that Cang Toys hasn't filled the MP Predaking spot for some people, at least.
Aaronstampler
While I’d prefer it be FT to be the ones to do it, I wouldn’t mind if Zeta or XTB did the G1 Preds in MP style, as long as someone does it. I’m okay with stylization to a point, but Cang Toys, with their 10 members and the claw robot feet, it’s just too much for me. Their Tantrum and Headstrong look brilliant but the Razorclaw looks like the main bad guy from “Edge of Tomorrow” more than a lion, the Divebomb is way too garish and don’t even get me started with the gorilla waist and wolf feet and crab hands. Too much!
Mister D
Kinda. They have not finished Superion or Menasor. Saying they will do "all" the combiners means there are up to 10 others planned (Defensor, Bruticus, Computron, Abominus, Devastator, Piranhacon, Monstructor/Dinoking, Road Caesar, Landcross, Raiden), 6 if they just do the US toys. While I doubt Predaking would be at the end of this list, there's also no reason to think they'll start them soon either.
SquishyOH
Agreed. Zeta should finish up Primus and get to work on Computron or the Horrorcons.
MP also needs a Liokaiser and maybe a Dinoking or Road Caeser. Victory has a few different combiners and really no company has tried them at full MP scale. I don't think the TFC efforts are considered tall enough by most fans (although we really only have the oft reviled scale charts to say that later combiners didn't shrink to TFC size).
luckyman76
That's not the way the market works. Cang Toys is not CHUG/Legends scale. Its MP scale even without G1 MP style. It is in competition whether we like it not because there is a limited market. At $700 or more people are using this as their MP Predaking. You are also forgetting all of the previous Devy, Predaking, and Dinobot wars that sacked most of the companies in this space. FT is waiting on Devy for that fact and no doubt XTB waited on Inferno/Grapple for the same reason. If you are Zeta that ONLY does combiners or large scale bots other than rerelease old Toyworld designs you want to get be able to get in first and repeatedly like Devy, Superion, and Bruticus. Zeta could have jumped to Defensor but went to Raiden, Unicron, and Primus. Why did they skip it? It wasn't an accident or an oversight. Why will this thread be four years with no followup, not an accident. Understand, Zeta knows what other companies are doing much earlier than us, we don't know sh1t.
Zeta is working on their Primus that is far along with a prototype. I will reiterate, there are four main times this thread has been resurrected since this went dead in March 2019 and all of them offer NOTHING and talk about other figures. Like Maketoys, until we SEE otherwise this is DEAD. I could compare this to Maketoys Coneheads in terms of length of time and we have one of those figures with prototypes for the other two from the FINISHED Seeker mold and that was clearly announced dead until it was recently resurrected that we are supposed to get the final two. I'm not holding my breath but there is FAR MORE development there on something supposedly dead and absolutely NOTHING here.