X-Transbots Weibo have shared images of their MX Gravestone (Masterpiece Scale G1 Motormaster) prototype for your viewing pleasure.
This is the last component of X-Transbots Monolith, their take on G1 Menasor. Gravestone looks fairly cartoon-accurate while taking some changes on the body. We think this could be due to the combiner mode. The images show it as a highly poseable figure and it will sure please fans who are collecting this Stunticon group. According to the comparisons images, Gravestone is a bit taller than MP-10 Optimus Prime and other X-Transbots Stunticons.
We are yet to see images of the full colored mold and the alt and combiner mode. Click on the bar to see the mirrored images on this news post and then join to the discussion on the 2005 Boards!
Captain Cid
I'll post some pics after work today.
I'm referring to the fact that you can see cab windshield and headlights on both the feet and upper body at the same time.
Delduwath
Would you mind clarifying this a bit more? I'm staring at my Gravestone and I don't see any cab parts on the shoulders. Maybe I'm overlooking something?
4249david
Do you have a picture of your new shoulder pieces? It'd be interesting to see if they're getting it fixed and whether it's worth going for another replacement assembly.
Captain Cid
I received replacement shoulders for Overheat today. They look like a different plastic, but in a good way. It is definitely a re-mold as the 2-tire piece can rotate sideways now without coming close to stressing the joint, much less breaking it. The plastic looks more of a solid opaque yellow instead of the cheese-looking plastic from before. The only problem I ran in to when removing the cracked upper arm is one of the screws stripped on it's way out. Fortunately, the piece the screw was in came as a replacement as well because I had to destroy the existing one to remove it.
Other than that, this is a great figure now. I added some clear nail polish to the interior of the shoulder joint so that I would not have to over-tighten the shoulder screws to get good friction on the joint, I highly suggest you do the same.
All that said, I am still going for the FansToys set. I bought Wildrider/Magnum and was seriously impressed. This thing is NICE. Heavy, looks great in both modes and seems to grow bigger on transformation. I was so happy with it I immediately pre-ordered Breakdown/Spoiler and bought Road King/Motormaster. That one is still shipping. I like the Xtransbots set except for Motormaster. I cannot bring myself to buy Grave Stone. He looks like shit as a robot, there's a questionable joint in the ab crunch, and with the trailer he costs more than Road King who has insane engineering. But the number one thing I hate about Grave Stone are the fake parts. I'm ok with fake parts when the real parts get hidden, like Takara Sunstreaker's windshield and side windows, or Unique Toys Swindle where the grill that forms the pelvis is never visible at the same time as the real front grill. Grave Stone's feet having the exact same cab parts visible on his shoulders is a deal breaker for me. I may end up buying him just to complete the set, but that one would be alt-mode only.
TCJJ
Here and here.
No idea if this is (still) accurate. Lots of issues with this design though. I have issues with Power Baser too, but at least his proportions are a bit better. Neither get the cab of the truck in alt mode correct though – something the G1 toy got right with ease.
The problem is still that Masterpiece Star Saber is just too small for this scale to work correctly, but KFC are shoehorning it in anyway, despite making a Victory Leo that scales with and works with MP Star Saber. So it's safe to say that KFC are all over the place. And since KFC = XTB, XTB are all over the place too (as if one needs more evidence than this whole thread and the ridiculous trailer saga that never seems to end).
And let me be clear that I'm not a stickler for scale. I mainly just want characters to be approximately the right height (e.g. God Ginrai should be shorter than Star Saber, so I don't want my God Ginrai being taller than Star Saber) without getting too nitpicky about it, but they can't even get that right half the damn time. I think I'd just scale them all down a bit (maybe Power Baser size; not sure off the top of my head).
Regardless of all that, I have no idea where this bloody trailer is. If it's not at the third-party panel next month, this thing is a bust as far as I'm concerned.
Curium
I was so focused on what I was typing I didn't even think about the overlap. At least you could think of it, I bet many newer collectors aren't even aware of Daca's work.
Snaku
Popping in to see if I've missed anything. No? Still no word on the trailer? At all? Okay. I guess that's all. See you guys in a month or two.
Teletran-1
Ok cool, I’d love a good XTB PM Prime, hopefully they tighten it up
TigerBlade
Fwiw that's an old render. Afaik it's had a bit of work done on it since then. If there's one thing xtb tend to get right it's aesthetics. I have no doubt it'll come out, when that will be is another question.
I'd take the cab as an initial release though and enjoy it till the armour arrives because when that armour comes I'd never display it without it anyway.
Problem with Powerbaser is the proportions. He has minuscule thighs, do a PMOP with the right proportions and it'll be taller straight away, even if the cabs are similar sizes.
Teletran-1
Man, that KFC Powermaster Prime looks super undercooked and dated to me, I'd be surprised if it ever even came out
ThatGuyCalledBlaster
Real quick, do we have a confirmed height for KFC Raijin? I considered that he'd be similar in height to Power Baser in my earlier comment. Silly me, haha.
Tazman66gt
OK, nevermind, was thinking Kronos the combiner not Kronos the Jetfire/Skyfire. Was like, "how did Kronos bomb?" reading is fundamental, lol.
xueyue2
For DX9, the news/rumors I read is the original designer left and started NewAge. So no more good design for the future (unless they find other talents).
Curium
With a theory like that you need to ask who would benefit. I can't think of any benefit for either XTB or DX9. Even more so to give up on being "first" (though XTB probably has most of that money already anyway due to the reasonable assumption at the time they would be first). Obviously it could benefit FT to have the chance to catch up, but I can't see any other 3P company doing anything to benefit FT. As much as I love their figures they simply do not play well with others, specifically offending at least Daca Toys (before Kronos bombed), Giga Power, KFC, XTB, DX9, and MT. I'm not certain on MMC.
It also holds no benefit for consumers. Maybe if it was known about ahead of time they could wait and see them all complete to decide, but keeping it secret means around 99% of buyers (not counting future new collectors) have already made their choice.
My assumption is that DX9 is just playing their cards super close to their chest (likely caused by FT's history of announcing figures way out to step on other companies sales like DX9 Blitzwing and Sixshot). FT might be waiting for TFCon (XTB could be too, but there is more harm for them since theirs is delayed whereas FT Menasor is basically on schedule), but if they are holding back due to another company the only thing that makes sense is that FT and XTB don't want to be the first to put all their cards on the table. There isn't much that can be changed with DX9 since just Dragstrip left (barring accessories or replacement parts packed in for the team), but both XTB (further along so less flexibiity) and FT could still alter their plans to some extent if they deem it necessary. Note that I don't actually believe either will at this point, but if we are theorizing on them affecting each other that is where I would go.
edgecrusher
Exactly this.
TCJJ
This has all been brought up multiple times before, but yes, they see Takara's BS and think they can copy it. They see FansToys overcharging and think they can copy it. And for as many problems as I have with FansToys, they're a special case in the third-party world, and for better or worse, whether deserved or not, they have a far better reputation than X-Transbots and KFC.
To be fair, KFC's God Ginrai set is meant to be HUGE, but I don't really see the point – they want to scale it with Masterpiece figures but then it's going to be enormous. He's going to be too big for MP Star Saber, and he's going to be too small for everyone else if they scale him with Star Saber, but I say scaling him with Star Saber makes more sense since they're from the same continuity anyway (I mean, they all are, but the Japanese G1 stuff mostly stands on its own past Headmasters).
stinkyshawn
wat if theres a secret pact between the 3 companies to finish menasor at the same time?
Huktonfonix
If the trailer is too expensive, I’m out of xtb. I already have all of dx9 which is way more fun to transform even though I like the xtb look a little better. I started out with xtb for the price but got hooked on the dx9 with atilla.
Megacluts
There is a reason why motormaster got named gravestone.
ThatGuyCalledBlaster
Nice wordplay there, haha.
But yeah I totally get what you mean. XTB is really futzing around with their prices and are riding high just for the sake of "If Takara's doing it and people are willing to pay that much, then we'll charge that much since we think people will buy our products for the same price". Except they kept the idea in their minds that electronics inside a gigantic fucking egg-shaped judge with a twisted concept of due process would make it worth $180 by any shadow of a doubt. I'd pay $120 at most, honestly.
And need I say anything about the trailer?
Keen eye, my guy.
Though I may come off as a bit of a hypocrite since I do actually have Hoist on pre-order, haha. He's the best Hoist out there so far and i'm not missing out. But I do agree that the hikes are indeed a problem.
Powermaster Prime though is egregious. When Fans Hobby can do the same for about $400, not to mention that they put Prime and the Apex Armor in one release for $200-215 when KFC is making you pay an extra $100 by comparison, there's some sort of problem here. In this case, it's that pricing.
Keith can make a knockout figure, but hopefully he doesn't always let it get to his head like how it all is now, not to mention that we can hopefully get his head out of the clouds.