This deserves a face palm. A three digit priced figure that's the size of a child, has to have aftermarket pieces just to approach being "good". The pieces are cool, and I could expect that for smaller, cheaper figs, but for that expensive a figure, I just can't justify purchasing the figure. Cost cutting from HasTak has gotten ridiculous.
Is there really any difference between buying a 3 digits expensive figure and a 3 digits non expensive one? I mean, is there an alternate brand that makes this exact same toy better and cheaper? Is not like they are going to throw away their entire stock because you don't like the hands. ^_^
Fort Max doesnt need these sets to "approach being good", it's already a great figure but these new sets add a little more to the figure. Just because you wont pay the money for the figure doesn't make it a horrible figure, It's bigger, more articulated and has more play value than the original Fort Max. Fans these days compare Hasbro to 3rd party to much, they have different budgets and i think fans are getting far too spoiled with 3rd party to remember what regular good figures are for their price.
MatrixHolder I never said it was a horrible figure. But it's not a good one. The original figure had less possibility because it came out I the 80's, when possibility meant the arms could move and maybe the legs; it was also a triple-changer whose modes all looked drastically different-not so for the new one. Just because you want to put a saddle on it, doesn't make it a pony. My point is that the cost cutting has gotten bad versus the cost of the figure.
Damian Reloaded yes, there is a difference. The cost versus the quality. Hasbro is a massive company that makes the barest bone figures, without the paint, or the moving parts. The 3rd party companies charge large sums because they aren't big companies, so they don't have a lot of wiggle room for profit scaling versus sales. And no their isn't a 3rd party company that makes a similar cheaper figure. But I guess if Hasbro got a box and put Fortress Maximus stickers on it and called it an action figure, you would buy it and say it's great.
when you said that it needed the set to approach being good you did say it with those words. You do realize that Transformers are not high on Hasbros list of profitable lines right? Transformers is well below Nurf, their board game division, Disney Princess line and several others and that's where most of the money goes. From your post i can tell that you really don't know how much 3rd party companies make on figures, I actually do and how much they cost so they are making a really good profit on each figure or set they make. The prices of 3rd party figures and sets have vastly increased over the years to the point where they are making a killing on them and everybody keeps paying those prices but many insiders think that the bubble is going to burst and many companies will not survive. I appreciate design, character and the figures so I can say that a figure is great when it is because i'm not on the hate on Hasbro bandwagon. Transformers don't bring in as much money as fans think and Cost cutting is what saved the line as it's the only way to justify keeping it going and retools are a big part of that. Retooling shows alot of ingenuity in creating different characters with a similar mold with a lot of retooling done to created another figure. if you can't enjoy the figures coming out than perhaps this hobby isn't for you anymore. just sayin. Shockwave 2No, I made the post in regards to your comments about 3rd party companies not having much wiggle room for profit over cost and hasbro cost cutting.
Didn't buy Fort Max, but I do have a bunch of Metroplex upgrades. I've been waiting for some new hands. I bought this one upgrade MGS-08 for Metro. Their big ground cannons for legends figures, that connect to Metro's heels and give him some more support. They also have hinges to help with wide leg stances. Think they made a blue set as well.
Regarding the next DNA Designs figure--Susanoo (AKA their take on Bludgeon)--the actual pronunciation in Japanese sounds like "Su-san-oh-oh". Two separate "Oh" sounds. It's the name of a Shinto god in Japanese culture who slew the 8 headed dragon "Orochi" and married the goddess Princess Kushinada. He's also the brother of the goddess Amaterasu, well known as the wolf goddess from Okami. Susanoo is...sort of a belligerent god, not unlike Herakles (Hercules) from Greek mythology. Susanoo has a rivalry with Amaterasu and did things like kill one of her attendants and destroyed her sacred loom. Of course, being the rough sort, Susanoo sees nothing wrong with what he does, though he's generally accepted as partially heroic (or at least a supremely powerful warrior worthy of respect) so naming a character like Bludgeon after him makes a certain amount of sense. I do sometimes think it's odd how many 3rd party companies name their figures after gods... anyway, I'm sure a lot of people might point out mistakes I'm making in the mythology but that's the story as I understand it. I'm really looking forward to DNA Design's Susanoo! You have him on preorder too?
A nice upgrade, but the problem of the hands of Fort Max is that it can not hold the PC-14 Perfect Cannon any more. The slot is narrower than its original one.
The lack of hip cannons was what sealed the deal for me not getting Titans Max. Seriously, it was a lazy enough retooling already, with almost no actual transformation besides the head, and they couldn't even do that? This was not something a third-party company should have had to do.
Nothing lazy about the retool, its a really extensive retool as I have both and the majority of Fort Max is either new or retooled parts. It pretty much has the same transformation as the original , it's a little bigger and with more articulation added.
Peaugh Did you end of up with the DA-04? I believe it has new ratchets and I'm curious how they hold up and if you've tried them or heard anything about them? Also are those ratchets for his knees AND hips or just one or the other? I dig the hands alot though!
