MakeToys Giant Series Excavator and Bulldozer Pictorial Review

These 2 look awesome and are displayed perfect showing off all the detail and engineering that went into Giant. I can't wait to see the next 2 figs. If Roprolabels is smart they will make some form of yellow pattern decals to go over the MTC print. They're not eye sore's really but it would be great to see them go away.

Id'e still like it (A Little) Better, if it were green.
(Repaint )

Am I the only one who is less than impressed with all this 3rd party Devastator stuff? Even if it was regular retail, not sure I'd be rushing out the door to grab it.

BeastProwl wrote:Id'e still like it (A Little) Better, if it were green.
(Repaint )

The green version is happening.

Delicon wrote:Am I the only one who is less than impressed with all this 3rd party Devastator stuff? Even if it was regular retail, not sure I'd be rushing out the door to grab it.

Considering this is the alternative, yes.

I can't wait for the Green Version, once that comes out, it'll be as good as bought.

just not feeling this set. Hurc i feel is a better set, these seem very cheep to me. like scrapper's head is just awful. every time is see them I'm less impressed, who knows maybe the final color version will change my mind.

^ yeesh that thing is hideous el duque. yea...lets keep the 3rd party devys coming eh

I'd really like these two, but I'm not going to go out of my way to get them. If they were green on the other hand...

^ yeesh that thing is hideous el duque. yea...lets keep the 3rd party devys coming eh

donnie_707 wrote:^ yeesh that thing is hideous el duque. yea...lets keep the 3rd party devys coming eh

Agreed, but let's give Devy a break. Let's move on to the other G1 combiners, can't wait to see what FansProject has in store for us with their Stunticons!

What's really frustrating about these is there's nothing special about them in terms of engineering. I just completed Hercules earlier this week, and while he's an amazing figure all the designs are rather simple. Has/Tak could have pumped these things out no problem at $20.00 a pop, but for some reason they continue to feed us the "modern combiners are too complicated" line. Better come up with a better excuse guys, these prove otherwise.

Looking sweet. I had lost interest in them, but these better pics make me like them again. The posing is still kinda daft; I'm sure they would look way better if they weren't posed kinda stupidly compared to how much more you can get out of their articulation. Now to go to the hospital, as I will need to sell some blood.

El Duque wrote:Can't wait to see what FansProject has in store for us with their Stunticons!

Wait, Fansproject Stunticons? when were these announced?!

cannonfodder4000 wrote:

El Duque wrote:Can't wait to see what FansProject has in store for us with their Stunticons!

Wait, Fansproject Stunticons? when were these announced?!

It hasn't been announced, but it's heavily rumored.

I'll buy the first one to do a Shattered Glass recolor.

not bad at all. kinda wish I could get a good look at each of them, as I've ideas on a custom I'd like to use one as the base for. (or possibly more likely, get someone else to use the base for, and I'd pay them, depending on the level of work needed) but need to see if any are really suitable.

Bodes well for the green Giant. ho ho ho.

That back kibble is pretty bad.
Not as bad as I thought it might be, but still pretty bad.

The arm kibble on Scrapper always was a deal breaker for me.
I just find it lazy design.
If Hercules didn't exist, it might be another story, but it does, so ....

Other than that the bot modes are pretty nice.

I actually like the yellow. Not enough to pay $120+ for the pair.
If these were a retail release, I'd buy a yellow set.

I've always said it this set isn't bad, it just pales in comparison IMO to Herc.
Herc was worth the price tag, these are not.

El Duque wrote:

Delicon wrote:Am I the only one who is less than impressed with all this 3rd party Devastator stuff? Even if it was regular retail, not sure I'd be rushing out the door to grab it.

Considering this is the alternative, yes.

What I don't get is that people actual;ly bought this, and I know everyone is entitled to there own opinion, but seriously this is where I throw that notion out the window, I don't respect anyone who defends designs like this, it's patronising, and there's not even the G2 aspect of it's so hideous it's kool, i used to collect thos eporrly designed hooker cards in phone box's, I'm a graphic designer and the way they were designed brakes all the rules, and the fcat that the girl in the pic was probaly not the girl who's being advertised was one of those unbeleivable things of it shouldn't work but it does. G2 is patronising becuase of the way they thought bright colours and graphics plastered all over over advertising the toy would fool kids into buying an old toy repoackaged.
It took me a while to appreciate why people liked G2 but understanding that it wa sfo rthe reasons I hate them makes me understand the fondness people have for them. To me shattered glass is todays G2, it's a dumb idea and a forced story to recolour toys, and an over complicate dway of doing it, all it is making the goodies the baddies, but what made me hat eit was one little thing, why does shattered glass optimus prime have physical shattered glass. As I'm a designer and am trained to think conceptualy and sometimes what seems a good idea at the time actually isn't. When I see soemthing like that it makes me doubt the credibility of there designers they have and the whole thought process behind it. Fansproject on the other hand have a really good team, the way they put there own spin on things is really of a high standard, there city commander head sculpt is amazing, it's not G1 accurate but that would of been easy, they have modernised it in there own style, the G1 head sculpt wouldn't of suited the overall design aswell as the one they did, you have to give them props. This is what make sme hate Hasbro so much, that combiner is a true monster and it's up to Fansproject to make ther esuperion and bruticus worth buying.
I'm not against Transformers with designs that break the norm, look at early G1, shockwave with 1 eye and a gun for a hand, but it was done on a mature way and not for a crazy funky effect, look at todays minicons with one eyes, they almost look like pirates or cyborgs from B movies.
Back on topic these 2 yellow devastator figures look really good, and I like the whole figure combined especially the outline, he looks more beefy than the other 3rd part offering, but the green one has some great features, I like the way the forearms are made from the actual figure rather than add ons, and the design is different enough to make both worth having. Why do hasbro think that something like this would be less appealing than what they have given us, and why do they take amazing designs like Unicron and give him see through parts like a flashing gay hand. Alternators prove they can produce complicated figures that hold up well, so larger figures will hold up eve beter, they sell big figures all the time so this would sell. MO prime sold well, so much so they reissued him, so G1 style can make money, and there offkey interpretations are just good for warming shelves.
What makes the situation worse is that a this sort of figure is a no brainer, hasbro should of done this ages ago, in fact a new g1 shockwave and Galvatron are going to make big moiney for who ever gets there first, the same goes with a dinobot range, it's so obvious it can make anyone with any sense go mad. And those people who bought hasbros devastator you are the people that fuekl hasbro's silly way of thinking, and the more you buy these stupid designs the more they will make.

make a predaking please.

I think im gonna pass on the figures, but I do want to try that Japanese "Fire" beer !!!

griftimus prime wrote:make a predaking please.

That would be nice, doesn't quite have the following, but would definently be a good choice. I don't know why figures for characters that never had toys made like supe megatron or what ever his name was. [Thats the G1 reborn Megatron from the Japanese Manga comics]

These look really good, but I don't need them. I already have Hercules (which I still like more).

Now if Maketoys had turned their talents to a combiner that hadn't been done yet, like Defensor or Computron or Abominus, I'd be all over these. Leokaiser would be great too, since most people don't own a G1 Leokaiser it would be a great opportunity for many collectors.

Anyway, this gives me confidence in their abilities and I'm looking forward to their next project. I just wish 3rd parties would stop re-treading the same ground as each other.

Definitely not regretting going with Hercules. Just not beefy enough for my tastes.

Does anyone know if these guys are even up for pre-order anywhere?

EDIT: tfsource announced that a pre-order should be coming soon!

I;m liking the bot modes more than the other version, where the track-vehicles have horrible empty knees.

The shoulder articulation on the gestalt is still going to be limited unless the sockets are on pivots or these two can be miss-transformed somehow.

Hmmm... They don't really fit my aesthetic style and I'm not a fan of the heads at all, but they do seem nice overall. It'll be interesting to see how the rest come along.

I really wish Hasbro/Takara would get their acts together in the Devastator space. How awesome would a Transformers Prime Devastator be? Jeez, I'm such a dork.

SO these figs are coming in two packs? What is the cost on them?

Am I the only one that gets a serious RiD Wedge vibe from Bulldozeer? Paint him orange and look at the similarity.

First-Aid wrote:SO these figs are coming in two packs? What is the cost on them?

Am I the only one that gets a serious RiD Wedge vibe from Bulldozeer? Paint him orange and look at the similarity.

From what I've heard, it will be about $140 for a two pack and there are 3 sets. So 6 figures are appoximately $420?

AutobotCliffjumper wrote:

First-Aid wrote:SO these figs are coming in two packs? What is the cost on them?

Am I the only one that gets a serious RiD Wedge vibe from Bulldozeer? Paint him orange and look at the similarity.

From what I've heard, it will be about $140 for a two pack and there are 3 sets. So 6 figures are appoximately $420?

So, $420 for figures that are roughly half the size of Hercules? That is significantly disappointing.

AutobotCliffjumper wrote:

First-Aid wrote:SO these figs are coming in two packs? What is the cost on them?

Am I the only one that gets a serious RiD Wedge vibe from Bulldozeer? Paint him orange and look at the similarity.

From what I've heard, it will be about $140 for a two pack and there are 3 sets. So 6 figures are appoximately $420?

well, where I usually buy from it's £100 for a Giant 2pack or £70 for a single member of Hercules. Not a difficult decision for me, monetarily speaking. I am holding out for the green Giant gift-set though, so hoping it'll not be any more expensive than the combined price of the 2 packs.

First-Aid wrote:So, $420 for figures that are roughly half the size of Hercules? That is significantly disappointing.

While MakeToy's figures are smaller than TFC's, saying they're "roughly half the size" is kind of selling them short. TFC's figures are small voyager sized, while what we've seen so far suggests MakeToy's are medium to small deluxe sized.

I'm very happy with TFC's figures as my Classics Constructicons, but if I'm able to scrape together enough money I'd certainly pick this set up just for the hell of it (a reason that doesn't usually fly with me).

Oilspill wrote:These look really good, but I don't need them. I already have Hercules (which I still like more).

Now if Maketoys had turned their talents to a combiner that hadn't been done yet, like Defensor or Computron or Abominus, I'd be all over these. Leokaiser would be great too, since most people don't own a G1 Leokaiser it would be a great opportunity for many collectors.

Anyway, this gives me confidence in their abilities and I'm looking forward to their next project. I just wish 3rd parties would stop re-treading the same ground as each other.

This. it's nice... but I'll be completing Hercules this week.

First-Aid wrote:

AutobotCliffjumper wrote:

First-Aid wrote:SO these figs are coming in two packs? What is the cost on them?

Am I the only one that gets a serious RiD Wedge vibe from Bulldozeer? Paint him orange and look at the similarity.

From what I've heard, it will be about $140 for a two pack and there are 3 sets. So 6 figures are appoximately $420?

So, $420 for figures that are roughly half the size of Hercules? That is significantly disappointing.

I think you might be under estimating Giant if you sear for size comparisons for both Hercules and Giant you will see that they are compared with Primus and RTS Laser Prime...here is a picture for reference.


Here is my picture comparison of Primus and RTS Laser Prime:

Primus's head is about the same height as Hercules's head and Giant is a little over 2 RTS Laser Primes tall (counting the top of the shoulders). As you can see, he is clearly not "roughly half the size". I just took the picture while rushing out the door, so Laser Prime is not as close to Primus as I wanted him to be. Anyways, I think I'm going for Giant #1 for the price and #2 because I like the beefy chest and visor.

They may not be perfect, but they're pretty damn good. Definitely looking forward to the green ones.

Rated X wrote:I think im gonna pass on the figures, but I do want to try that Japanese "Fire" beer !!!

Haha... That's not beer. That's Japanese coffee in a can, and I recommend staying away from it.







I am concerned about Bonecrusher's forearms. They look fragile with plastic only on two sides?

Wasn't there a size comparison thread on here not too long ago? If the pic that was on that thread was correct, Giant is not "half the size" of Hercules....... in fact it was not nearly that much of a difference in size. From what I have see, Giant is as tall as Bruticus........

headsortails wrote:Giant is not "half the size" of Hercules....... in fact it was not nearly that much of a difference in size. From what I have see, Giant is as tall as Bruticus........

You are correct. And I still maintain that Giant looks way better than Herc. Its just that some of the individual figures are a bit less exciting aesthetically. But I mean... the combined form is what matters most here.

headsortails wrote:Wasn't there a size comparison thread on here not too long ago? If the pic that was on that thread was correct, Giant is not "half the size" of Hercules....... in fact it was not nearly that much of a difference in size. From what I have see, Giant is as tall as Bruticus........

not much of a size difference? dont know if youve seen any comparison pics but herc TOWERS over bruticus......and giant is only the same size as brut? aesthetically i prefer herc over giant.....i just cant get over giants head being buried so deep inside his shoulders and chest. giant is awesome in his own right....but IMO, herc is the superior of the 2

These looks really nice. Wish they went with Energon connectors instead of a new kind (was really hoping those were just for the arms), but it isn't a big deal. I'd be more excited if I didn't just ship out the last Herc part.

I don't get why they didn't just make all the eyes red.

I love the looks of these guys. Aesthetically, I don't think these things could appeal to me any more than they already do. I'm hoping TFSource carries them since they have picked up MT's previous two releases. I'm already sold on the G1 repaints of Giant, seriously contemplating this set too.

Not sure how much this will help regarding size, but here the video Encline did a while back.

The head and porpotions are so much nicer on giant... the heels, the huge wheels on the thighs and waist, that huge rifle. So badass. Herc isn't bad, but I for one feel Giant is better.

It's pretty pointless to argue about which one looks better as it's purely a matter of preference. You'll find plenty on each side that insist 'theirs' looks better in every mode...and neither is right...or wrong.

As for size, it appears Herc is probably about an inch and a half taller head to toe than Giant will be, but going by their highest natural points (not counting optional positioning of the crane or blade on Herc) it looks to be less than an inch...maybe only half an inch. Herc does look to be more 'beefy', but it doesn't look like he'll tower over Giant. In other words, too much seems to be made over the size difference...

donnie_707 wrote:

headsortails wrote:Wasn't there a size comparison thread on here not too long ago? If the pic that was on that thread was correct, Giant is not "half the size" of Hercules....... in fact it was not nearly that much of a difference in size. From what I have see, Giant is as tall as Bruticus........

not much of a size difference? dont know if youve seen any comparison pics but herc TOWERS over bruticus......and giant is only the same size as brut? aesthetically i prefer herc over giant.....i just cant get over giants head being buried so deep inside his shoulders and chest. giant is awesome in his own right....but IMO, herc is the superior of the 2

No.... there isn't that much a size difference. There were pics posted of them together. Herc may be only about an inch and a 1/2 taller. That isn't "towering" over Bruticus.........

headsortails wrote:No.... there isn't that much a size difference. There were pics posted of them together. Herc may be only about an inch and a 1/2 taller. That isn't "towering" over Bruticus.........

Um... the height difference is kind of like the difference between a Voyager and a Deluxe (unless you're wanting to count highest point to highest point; I'm looking at the comparison of eye levels)....

Giant is taller than Bruticus. Giant's head should come up to about the top of Herc's chest.

Kibble wrote:Giant is taller than Bruticus. Giant should come up to about the top of Herc's chest.

Yeah, I figure the difference isn't all that great between Giant and Herc, but there is quite a difference between Herc and Bruticus.

These seem to be a pretty decent version of Dev.

I hold no ill feelings tward this set and I get preferring them for scale reasons or whatnot but I am sitting here looking a Herc and viewing Giants pics, and there is a huge difference in ...class, for lack of a better term at the moment.

These guys are not more G1 nor do they appear to be of better quality. While a nice set in their own right, Herc is without question the gold standard. To say otherwise is wishfull thinking at best and compensating for not picking the right horse at worst.

They are cheaper for a reason and its not because MT is doing folks a solid.

If you are still on the fence with this get Herc cause I swear, pics simply do not do him justice.

He is 5 kinds of epic

Really not trying to flame MT version here, just case closed as far as I am concerned having final product in hand.

And yes I realize I cant say that about Giant but I really was consitering getting both and have absolutely no desire to anymore. This guy is flawless.

all this speculation is just that speculation. sure giant will be a head or two shorter than giant so what? for those who want a big beefy devy theres herc and for those who want something different theres giant. and if neither then get the g1 version with or without the upgrades.

whats getting annoying is all these damn pics and little to no preorders.
if maketoys wants this to work they need to move more than a few units and that will happen when they stop sending one or two sets and get this up for order.

supposedly tf source will be getting these po's up soon at least thats what their fb page says....i wont hold my breath