John DeLuna, Brian Kilby and Diecast set aside third-party ethics and ask whether third-party makers are free to be creative. Make Toys’ not-Scorponok Pandinus kicks off the debate. The crew digs into price, transformation engineering, and how a decade of G1 remakes shaped fan expectations. Diecast then gives a state of the union on third-party Masterpiece figures.
Make Toys Pandinus and the Creativity Trap
John argues that Make Toys can’t win: Pandinus draws fire for not being G1 enough, but a G1 copy would draw fire too. Brian likes Pandinus but not the roughly $400 price, which he calls a car payment. He admits he complains about slavish G1 homages, yet that’s all he buys. His favorite third-party toy is the Ocular Max Mirage, which sits beside his G1 Mirage. Diecast loves the design but questions the Transformers symbol on the tail. He points to a Fans Project throwback set that ended up on clearance at about $180.
Why Price Keeps Third Party Close to G1
Brian sees third party as filling niches Hasbro won’t, like a Masterpiece-style Sunstreaker. He is more comfortable when Hasbro, which owns the brand, takes creative risks. Diecast says the gap is price: a $15 Hasbro reimagining is an easy gamble, while a $100 to $150 third-party figure is not. One host describes losing interest in Fans Project’s Lost Exo Realm Dinobots partway through.
Transformation as Part of the Toy
Diecast enjoys transformations he hasn’t seen before. Brian loves elegant, intuitive transformations, citing Combiner Wars. He hates panel-forming, naming Sunsurge and Make Toys Cupola, the not-Chromedome. The crew cites a not-Kickback with a clean robot mode and DX9’s Tyrant, the not-Galvatron. One host says DX9’s Chigger, the not-Astrotrain, makes sense once you’ve done it. Another found Smart Robin novel but not satisfying.
A Decade of G1 Remakes
John notes that Mastermind Creations’ Tarn gets a pass because fans assume Hasbro will never make him. He asks what a decade of G1 remakes since 2006 has done to fans and third party alike. Brian says creativity faded after Animated, a show he loves as a love letter to G1. Diecast thinks straying too far risks losing fans who know Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. Brian points to shrinking shelf space versus the early 2000s, when Hasbro had four lines on shelves. John adds that new ideas sell buyers on more product, and that Transformers lacks a hit kids’ show.
The State of Third-Party Masterpiece
Diecast is happy, praising Fans Toys, Mastermind Creations and Make Toys. He is waiting on Fans Toys’ Skyfire, which he hears is being re-engineered, and owns the Kronos version. He still buys official releases to support Hasbro. With three Masterpiece-style Reflectors from Make Toys, Fans Toys and KFC, he usually buys the first out from an established company. One host played with Make Toys’ Inferno at BotCon and a Grapple test shot at TFCon. He dislikes Cupola’s transformation, yet is tempted by Iron Will. Brian’s test is simple: it must match his Masterpiece shelf in scale and quality. One host closes by crediting Make Toys’ Stunticons, Technobots and Scorponok as somebody’s distinct vision.
Contributors: John DeLuna, Brian Kilby, Diecast
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