Fansproject Defender & TF-Crossfire 02

Sweet.

That definitely looks like an add on for the Energon molds just like Crossfire-01 was. You can tell in the alt mode photo by the pairs of wheels.

These look great!

it's about time Springer comes back as a triple changer. so far i've only seen him either as a car or as a helicopter and not both.

as for the shadow, i'm guessing a new Bruticus toy are those are upgrades like they did with Universe Superion Maximus.

Those pics look good. No lie.

Color me officially hyped.

That DEFENDER looks great! And the rotor has the ability to make the sword as well, with a bit more style to it than the original had.

Likes it. Springer is a fav of mine, so I'll attempt to get one of these if it goes into production.

Um.... "Test Shot with Diecast Parts." Is the produced toy going to have diecast parts? or just the prototype. Either way, I think I'll be saving up for this. Damn.

As for the Brute upgrade... that sure looks like a shuttle on the right arm. *looks at Bruticus Maximus* I wonder what the hell they're doing. Is it some kind of reshell kit? or replacement figure? I can't tell if his right leg is a tank or not -- but I'm leaning towards no. I presume that it's a jeep of some kind.

The Defender prototype looks very cool indeed.

The Bruticus add on...not needed in my opinion but could be very cool too.

I'm still waiting for the Protector Rodimus upgrade! Defender looks good and will be a must buy. I'm not a fan of diecast in general and this will be FPs first attempt to use it so I'm going to be very wary of paint chipping. The Bruticus upgrade will be amazing, though. Even the Barricade/Onslaught is getting his back cannons! Plus, now with the tank and helicoptor parts, we can expect a set for the TFCC Nexus Maximus!

I took a good look at the protector armor the other night and the sketches and mockups, trying to figure out what parts went where. What i finally landed on, is that there is basically no way that the entire trailer part will attach to Rodimus, if it did there would be a ton of back kibble going on. It probably means there will be a lot of extra parts (ala CC's huge rifle that I don't care for) it doesn't really matter in the scheme of things, but I am much more impressed when there is nothing left over, or in the case of springer that they have made a solid triple changer from scratch.

excited for both, not excited for the wallet punishment they will give out.

That Springer is a beauty! Expensive? Probably but the quality and impressive accuracy will be worth it. FansProject's products are top notch and really enhance my collection. I will support them for as long as they keep making awesome stuff!

I know Hasbro was pretty po'd about FansProject making figures but I don't care. I honestly don't think it will affect their sales whatsoever.

The hills are alive with the sound of music

Loving the Defender design. This is Springer, this is what Hasbro could not be bothered to do. The alt-modes are interestingly different, the jointing is well thought out (did you notice the hamstring swivel for poseability). I do wonder about the pricing, but figure I'll get it anyway.

The Bruticus teaser is a bit confusing, mostly because some of those limbs don't look they're from the Universe/Energon/Movie combiner. My gut tells me Fansproject is desiging a more complex set than I dare imagine. Personally, the Bruticus mold already my favorite, counting the upgraded Superion (through no fault of Fansproject, design issues are with the original build).

I know Hasbro was pretty po'd about FansProject making figures

Well, yes and no. Officially, they said they don't mind the 3rd party stuff, but that was back when it was upgrade sets and kits that encouraged people to own the core toy. For one thing, I'm sure moving to full figures is probably garnering some attention because it might steal their thunder. Secondly, they also said passing the $100 mark would be a red flag, but Fansproject hasn't announced anything yet.

Even though I had him as a kid, I'm not a big Springer fan so I'm not sure I'll get this. However, I'm a whore for FansProject stuff so I'll likely cave when we see the final piece.

As for Bruticus, I'm intrigued about his limbs. It's evident from the picture that at least an arm is likely going to be a shuttle and one leg may be a jeep. In an effort to create their own figures from scratch, I wonder if they're going to push this set further than the Superion kit and actually include two completely new figures. Now that would be impressive. Seeing this is making me happier that I picked up a Bruticus set while they were still available on sale.

That Springer figure looks amazing. Finally someone is making a tripple changer of him. I don't know if I am going to want to spend the kind of money FP is going to ask for him though.

I hope there are die-cast parts to him. I love die-cast parts. Love them. They just feel so much more solid. They cost for this guys is probably going to be high, so I want it to feel more like a collectable than a toy.

I just hope they do not incur the wrath of Hasbro by making a full figure.

Plus, now with the tank and helicoptor parts, we can expect a set for the TFCC Nexus Maximus!

I was just thinking that! I was thinking about buying both sets to fix my Nexus Maximus but if they release a modified set that'd be great!

The Bruticus set is definetly an upgrade set. Look at the following picture:



It looks like the parts of Bruticus upgrade combine into the trailer for the Barricade mold. Also note the 4 blade propeller for Vortex.

Springer, I'm sold but will wait for final colours and price before commiting.

Holy effing crap! How did I miss this news story? Springer looks amazing! And...diecast? Color me surprised, if a little worried about pricing. There's no way I can miss out on this one though.

I agree the Bruticus is looking like an add-on. Cool for those who are interested, I'm not too much. I have Energon Bruticus but don't really care to pay for the upgrade set.

Say, where's are more prototype images of Protector? That one was announced first, yet we're seeing Defender in all modes first? Strange... I hope they're not planning a simulaneous release, I can't afford that.

Does springer have knees?

Looks like Blast-of and swindle also got some remold

horus wrote:Does springer have knees?

Pretty sure, there's a pin on his left leg right where his knee should be.

Also, I forgot to mention that Defender totally looks way better than the concept images, and I thought it was cool to begin with.

one springer looks great he look war within version

2 bruticus kinda lokos like an add one to energon version looking at the head give it away littel but who knows i will say it will pointless if fnas projects decide to make combiner should be intersting to what happens next with bruticius promo picture

i hate to see the price for that addon set enrgon bruticus doesnt come with vortex pirce could be double from the first addonset if they include figure or 2 in the combination

Springer is teh sexiness, and will proudly lead the Wreckers into battle!

Bruticus, while not needed IMO, will definately have a home on my shelf.

Awesome.

HECTOR wrote:

Plus, now with the tank and helicoptor parts, we can expect a set for the TFCC Nexus Maximus!

I was just thinking that! I was thinking about buying both sets to fix my Nexus Maximus but if they release a modified set that'd be great!

Except for the fact that, with Crossfire-01, the parts for one limb aren't all carried by that limb... so you couldn't really transform him without carrying around a baggie of parts at the same time. I guess if you're going to leave Nexus Primaximus in combined mode, it wouldn't be an issue...

Me, I'd like to see FP come out with some good, solid pieces devoted specifically to Nexus Maxiprime - translucent, if possible, to match the overall aesthetic - though I would expect to see Crossfire-03 for Devastator, first.

Must have them all! Come on FansProject, get this stuff out so I can buy it. The new Bruticus upgrade looks very interesting. I wonder, are they actually planning on modding Blast Off and Swindle so they have their original alt modes?

Except for the fact that, with Crossfire-01, the parts for one limb aren't all carried by that limb... so you couldn't really transform him without carrying around a baggie of parts at the same time..

Yeah for some reason I figured denial was a sufficient solution to that problem

I really wanted to like the Superion add-on set. The other bits from them looked great but I didn't really care too much for the all grey look, just too proto-typey. Also my universe superion was very loose. Joints were floppy, individual figures were all over the place, and stuff kept popping off. He is one of the only figures I have ever actually returned to a store. Ruined the whole thing for me. Maybe I got a bad deal, but it ruined my excitement... Plus I want G1 superion, for all his faults I like the G1 gestalts. The lack of 5 seperate molds was also a huge buzzkill for me.

Lets get some pre-orders up here people. Defender just filled that little dead spot left after the cancellation of DL Blaster. Hoepfully he is a little bigger than deluxe size, that's the only way to make it worth the scratch.

I might have to pick up that Bruticus Maximus mold depending on how this looks!

Seeing how much happier I was with my Energon Superion after adding the Crossfire 1 kit, getting a similar set for my Universe Bruticus ( I only have Barricade and the chopper twins for the energon one) and my Nexus Whoever is a lock. just get the per-orders links up.

Defender looks awesome. I'm gonna have to replace the Botcon Springer currently on my shelf though, but I can't wait! The diecast is a real unexpected (but hopefully not too expensive) surprise.

And the Bruticus Maximus set looks like a whole lot more stuff than the last upgrade. I hope it's still compatible with my Energon figures. Because that's what it's going on.

Come on FansProject, only 1 more Energon combiner set left to upgrade! And let's see some pics of Protecter too!

I wonder if for Bruticus if they will need to release two variants for energon and universe, seeing the colors for them varies a lot more that the Superions that just needed different visors for Storm Jet/Silverbolt???

I guess we'll see soon.

Springer looks great, even though I won't be able to afford him. I still can't wait to see color pictures of him. I also really, really want to see more of that Bruticus upgrade set; that I probably will get.

Trikeboy wrote:The Bruticus set is definetly an upgrade set. Look at the following picture:



It looks like the parts of Bruticus upgrade combine into the trailer for the Barricade mold. Also note the 4 blade propeller for Vortex.

Springer, I'm sold but will wait for final colours and price before commiting.

I had done this fan-mode for that mold a while back, and from the outline it looks like they use it for the vehicle mode, with some weapons added on.

Its Springer !!! Who gave him the siily name....just say Springer !!!

Guys, if an upgrade set is 70-80 bucks, this Springer mold is easily 200+ Flat, sadly...

I said in an earlier post i wouldn't be surprised at 150$. If we are talking about plastic, its probably not too much more raw material than the City Commander. But in terms of design, assembly and paint... it will be a good amount going into putting it together and finalization. I am fearful of their price after all that, but I have to appreciate the engineering.

This is a custom figure... the fact that they make more than 1 is just a nice bonus so there is less competition, but you are still paying for a custom figure basically.

Rated X wrote:Its Springer !!! Who gave him the siily name....just say Springer !!!

Yes it's springer, but it's illegal to sell any product in North America using a name trademarked by another company. Hasbro has Springer trademarked, thus if FP wishes to have any retailer sell it, it must use a different name.

Besides, if you buy him are you really going to call him Defender because that's what the printing on the box says?

Simply Amazing.

I knew Defender would knock it out of the park. Can't wait to see more, and I'm sure everyone else is chomping at the bit to see it too.

Bruticus I called, and I'm glad I did. I want those two more then anything official at the moment.

yeah, definately an add-on set for Bruticus, you can tell by his thighs. To bad both of the legs look like the tank mold, but I am super stoked for how much the right arm actually looks like a shuttle.

Definitely getting Springer, and if the Wreck-Gar figure turns out as well then he's on the list to (unless they change their mind)

Ungie wrote:Guys, if an upgrade set is 70-80 bucks, this Springer mold is easily 200+ Flat, sadly...

IceWilly wrote:I said in an earlier post i wouldn't be surprised at 150$. If we are talking about plastic, its probably not too much more raw material than the City Commander. But in terms of design, assembly and paint... it will be a good amount going into putting it together and finalization. I am fearful of their price after all that, but I have to appreciate the engineering.

This is a custom figure... the fact that they make more than 1 is just a nice bonus so there is less competition, but you are still paying for a custom figure basically.

I disagree. Let's say Defender turns out to be deluxe class. The City Commander upgrade set essentially turns a small voyager toy into an ultra, with a lot of extra left over which forms the BFG. There's easily a lot more plastic there than a deluxe figure, and it's actually got a lot of paint as well. Springer has a pretty basic color scheme, really all they have to do is mold it in grey, green, and black, and paint the yellow and other details. City Commander already has 4 different colors of plastic. Paint is cheap. And I don't know much about the cost of die-cast, be we've had that debate before, and considering the cost of oil these days, it can't be much more than molding a part out of plastic.

There is a high degree of design and engineering, but it's honestly not much more advanced than City Commander, aside from the necessity of articulation. I don't think it would factor in to extra cost at all, because once the prototype is finalized, all they have to do is create the molds and then make as many copies as they need.

Maybe - and maybe being a big one - extra cost would come from the assembly if there are more parts.

And remember, this is Fansproject. They're the most popular of the 3rd party developers, and thus far they've done pretty well in keeping their products relatively affordable. If I recall correctly, they even specified the online retail price for the original City Commander release because they wanted to make sure it was still affordable. There's also the factor of demand. The more units they make, the cheaper it gets per unit.

All things considered, if this turns out being a deluxe or even voyager-sized figure, I can't see it being more expensive than City Commander.

God damn this looks better than any Hasbro triple changer. Here's hoping and praying for a decent price...

Sold! That looks brilliant, can't wait to get Protector and Defender.

Not sure about the Bruticus upgrade since I don't have the base figures, but interested to see how they turn a helicopter into a space shuttle.