Review #68: Generations Metroplex and Scamper
(U.S. domestic retail version) and
Before & After Six Sigma
(Six-Gun and Slammer)
Sorry for (yet another) prolonged absence, folks. But to celebrate (yet another) return, I have quite a big review for you! And I couldn't mean that in a more literal sense, folks. For the figure being looked at today is quite probably the tallest Transformer ever, to date! Today we will be looking at the two foot tall titan that is 2013's Generations Metroplex!
I've actually had this guy for quite a while now. (After all, it is currently 2015.) But I've been waiting to review him until, well, I had all of him. What do I mean by that, exactly? Well, I shall elaborate a bit later in the review. But for now, let us take a look at the big guy, shall we? Normally, I start with the alternate mode and then show off robot mode, but for Metroplex I think I shall show you the robot mode first.
I've actually had this guy for quite a while now. (After all, it is currently 2015.) But I've been waiting to review him until, well, I had all of him. What do I mean by that, exactly? Well, I shall elaborate a bit later in the review. But for now, let us take a look at the big guy, shall we? Normally, I start with the alternate mode and then show off robot mode, but for Metroplex I think I shall show you the robot mode first.
Here he is! I don't know how good the photos I am presenting here will be at getting this thing across, but I cannot stress enough that the defining characteristic of this figure is that he is huge. Vastly, hugely, mind boggingly big! I mean, you may think it is a long way down the road to the chemists, but that's just peanuts to Generations Metroplex! Er... Where was I? Ah yes, he is big.
The Metroplex I am featuring here is the U.S. domestic retail version. There were a plethora of different Metroplexes available, many of them elusive convention exclusives, a few more retail releases to Japan or other Asian markets, and this guy here. This guy, the one most Americans had access to (if they had access to any), of course drew the short end of the stick. Most other versions had chromed parts (in areas where it would be appropriate) and also, like G1 Metroplex, came with two large red guns. The version for U.S. domestic retail? Only one gun. I was not happy about this, but things (which, again, I will elaborate upon a bit later) have happened to alleviate matters. Beyond that, though, a fine looking toy in robot mode! My Metroplex has been augmented in Reprolabels. He already comes with an extensive sticker sheet, but the Reprolabels set is designed to replace those entirely. So if you get your hands on this guy, and think you might want the Reprolabels, save yourself some effort and don't apply his stock stickers! Well, keep the stock ones handy, at least. Most of the stickers I used were Reprolabels, but there were a few spots where I did like the stock stickers better, or a few spots where there was a stock sticker and no corresponding Reprolabel where I thought the stock one still worked well. But whatever stickers one applies, one should do them all together. |
As I said, there are a lot of stickers on this guy, so don't expect a detailed sticker-by-sticker review of them. Suffice to say, the end result looks great, as hopefully my photos will attest. One nice touch is that the stickers add chrome to his upper legs, an important detail to anyone with nostalgia for G1 Metroplex which was of course missing from the U.S. domestic retail release of the toy.
For accessories, as stated this version of Metroplex comes with one large red gun with a firing missile within it. He also has two smaller (but still large!) black guns. Any of these guns can be held in his hands. The red one can also be mounted over his right shoulder, and the black ones can be pegged onto the tops of his arms. Although, if you want to emulate the look of Metroplex having black guns sticking out of the tops of his arms without having to attach the guns there, there are black protrusions there already which can be extended upwards (as seen in the photos presented thus far).
Metroplex does feature excellent articulation, although that is not to say it could not have been a bit better. Most of his joints are nice, solid, clickity ratcheting joints. You can turn his head left or right, although not terribly far in either direction.You can raise his arms outwards about 90 degrees. They can also rotate at the shoulder a full 360 degrees. There is an upper arm swivel, and elbows that have a very deep bend to them. His wrists rotate 360 degrees and can also bend. His fingers are individually articulated, but this is one of the areas where his articulation could have been a bit better.
The fingers each feature only one point of articulation, at the base of each finger. In a smaller figure, not a big deal. Heck, in most figures, I am completely content with fixed posed hands! But in a figure this large, it just feels a bit... well... lacking. Especially since it means that the fingers lack the ability to curve naturally if they are supposed to be holding something like, say, any of his included guns. The guns will still stay in place fine, since they peg solidly into slots in the figure's palms. But if you were to look closely at one of his hands holding one, it just looks a little off.
Moving onto his lower body, he features a 360 degree swivel in his waist. His hips can move outwards to, while not quite 90 degrees, quite a wide angle indeed. They can also move forwards or backwards greater than 90 degrees. There is an upper leg swivel just below the knee, and then his knees themselves which bend at least 90 degrees in either direction.
(As a point of interest, while I am trying to keep the opening portion of this review limited to the stock figure plus Reprolabels, I will mention at this point that one of the augmentations I will elaborate upon further later does give Metroplex an additional leg swivel just below the knee. The reason for this, as you can guess, will be elaborated upon -- you guessed it! -- later.)
One other place where there is no articulation where it would have been nice would be his ankles. His feet are entirely fixed in place. Still, while it would have been nice, I can see how the way this figure transforms could have made ankle articulation difficult. And also, while he does have eternal flat feet, I've not had too much difficulty finding ways to pose him where he balances well upon them. Heck, as you can see in one photo above, I even got him to balance on one foot! I don't recommend it, though, especially for long term poses. He may have very strong joints, but he is also a very weighty figure, and the unsupported weight in just his legs is enough to overpower those joints. That photo above was not a stable pose, was frustrating to achieve, and did not last long beyond the time it took to take the photo. Still, that such a heavy figure can hold that pose even momentarily is a good testament to the strength of those joints!
There is one other piece of articulation I suppose I should mention, even if it is one I myself never use. He has articulated pupils in his eyes! Really, though, the pupils are only visible when the eyes are lit up, and there is no way to have them constantly so. So, frankly, not much use to me. (Heck, I've never even put batteries in him! Speaking of which... Most Transformers with light and sound figures do come with batteries installed. One this huge and expensive, and Hasbro couldn't have swung for a couple of double As? Really?)
Speaking of his eyes does remind me of another feature of this figure. He has an optional visor for his face.
The fingers each feature only one point of articulation, at the base of each finger. In a smaller figure, not a big deal. Heck, in most figures, I am completely content with fixed posed hands! But in a figure this large, it just feels a bit... well... lacking. Especially since it means that the fingers lack the ability to curve naturally if they are supposed to be holding something like, say, any of his included guns. The guns will still stay in place fine, since they peg solidly into slots in the figure's palms. But if you were to look closely at one of his hands holding one, it just looks a little off.
Moving onto his lower body, he features a 360 degree swivel in his waist. His hips can move outwards to, while not quite 90 degrees, quite a wide angle indeed. They can also move forwards or backwards greater than 90 degrees. There is an upper leg swivel just below the knee, and then his knees themselves which bend at least 90 degrees in either direction.
(As a point of interest, while I am trying to keep the opening portion of this review limited to the stock figure plus Reprolabels, I will mention at this point that one of the augmentations I will elaborate upon further later does give Metroplex an additional leg swivel just below the knee. The reason for this, as you can guess, will be elaborated upon -- you guessed it! -- later.)
One other place where there is no articulation where it would have been nice would be his ankles. His feet are entirely fixed in place. Still, while it would have been nice, I can see how the way this figure transforms could have made ankle articulation difficult. And also, while he does have eternal flat feet, I've not had too much difficulty finding ways to pose him where he balances well upon them. Heck, as you can see in one photo above, I even got him to balance on one foot! I don't recommend it, though, especially for long term poses. He may have very strong joints, but he is also a very weighty figure, and the unsupported weight in just his legs is enough to overpower those joints. That photo above was not a stable pose, was frustrating to achieve, and did not last long beyond the time it took to take the photo. Still, that such a heavy figure can hold that pose even momentarily is a good testament to the strength of those joints!
There is one other piece of articulation I suppose I should mention, even if it is one I myself never use. He has articulated pupils in his eyes! Really, though, the pupils are only visible when the eyes are lit up, and there is no way to have them constantly so. So, frankly, not much use to me. (Heck, I've never even put batteries in him! Speaking of which... Most Transformers with light and sound figures do come with batteries installed. One this huge and expensive, and Hasbro couldn't have swung for a couple of double As? Really?)
Speaking of his eyes does remind me of another feature of this figure. He has an optional visor for his face.
Unfortunately, on at least my copy of the toy, I find it very difficult to get the visor to stay in the up (hidden) position. So frankly, while I do like the look of him with it up slightly better, I pretty much almost always leave it down. I've not seen many others complain about this, so I hope it is just a peculiarity of my copy of this figure.
About now, normally I'd move onto transforming the figure I am reviewing and showing off his other mode(s). Before I do so with Metroplex, however, I'd like to take a moment to show off one final accessory. Or rather, to show off another figure. Unlike the big guy, for this one we shall start in vehicle mode. So say hello to Metroplex's little buddy, Scamper!
About now, normally I'd move onto transforming the figure I am reviewing and showing off his other mode(s). Before I do so with Metroplex, however, I'd like to take a moment to show off one final accessory. Or rather, to show off another figure. Unlike the big guy, for this one we shall start in vehicle mode. So say hello to Metroplex's little buddy, Scamper!
Scamper, like his G1 counterpart that came with the G1 Metroplex, is a little, black, six wheeled car. Like the larger figure, Scamper is also augmented with Reprolabels. He has two little guns molded above his rear wheels, as a nod to the G1 figure which had two guns attached to the top of the car. But if you really want a weapon attached to the top, you can still do that with this figure. He comes with a red double barreled gun for use with his robot mode, and which can also be pegged onto the roof of his vehicle mode.
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He is quite well articulated, with ball joints in his neck, shoulders, elbows, hips, and knees. As seen with his vehicle mode, he comes with a red double barreled gun. When not in use, it can peg onto his back for storage. It can be held in his hands two different ways, either as a standard gun or held upright as if it were to be used as a bludgeon.
Scamper is a great little figure, and a nice addition to Metroplex. I wanted to get him out of the way now, as he will be seen in photos of Metroplex's other modes. Speaking of which, let us move onto those now, shall we?
So, biggest bloody Transformer ever... What would he transform into? A city, of course!
So, biggest bloody Transformer ever... What would he transform into? A city, of course!
A nice looking city mode it is! Very evocative of the G1 toy. Lots of little roadways and ramps for smaller Transformers vehicles to interact with, and a few little weapons turrets or control stations for Scamper or other figures of a similar size to man. The iconic helipad is in place, and there is even a recessed control area behind it. And depending on how you configure things, you can have up to three tall towers made from Metroplex's guns.
But for all of the praise I might heap upon this mode, it is not without its problems. To me, the most glaring issue is with the ramp coming out of Metroplex's chest. It is so short that it comes down at an extremely sharp angle. And yet, even at this angle, it is so short that it doesn't quite reach the ground. Officially, in this version of Metroplex, apparently the ramp is supposed to actually be placed inside the right leg, and there'd be no gap at the bottom then. But the angle of it would still be too steep to make any sense. Worst of all, at the top of the ramp is a panel which blocks access to put anything inside of the chest. Officially, this is supposed to be a play feature. You have the ramp unexpanded, and a vehicle on it inside of the chest. You pull out the ramp, and the panel makes sure the vehicle is pulled out with it, falling to its death down the steep ramp of doom. In the end, everything just mentioned comes together to really make this ramp just not work.
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Another thing that people often notice is that Metroplex's fists are not really well hidden in his alternate modes. And by, "not really well hidden," I mean they're really just kind of still right there, just folded down a bit. I suppose it is a bit better then in the G1 days when you just pulled his fists off when transforming him. But still, you'd think on a figure this large they'd have been able to make it so that the hands could fold away inside of the arms and out of sight. But no, they're right there! In city mode, at least the left hand is behind the figure's back and so it isn't too obvious. But the right hand? Yeah. It is right there. It is like, "Don't mess with this city. It. Will. Punch. You."
The last issue I'd have with this mode is how the portions of the city formed by Metroplex's legs are splayed out. It doesn't look bad, so it isn't a huge issue. But it would be nice if there was a way to bring them more forward and parallel with one another rather then almost at a right angle to one another.
Still, while I do have those issues, overall I think it is a very successful mode. But that isn't all Metroplex has up his sleeve. He has one more mode! He has a battle carrier mode, complete with a lengthy two-laned flight deck!
The last issue I'd have with this mode is how the portions of the city formed by Metroplex's legs are splayed out. It doesn't look bad, so it isn't a huge issue. But it would be nice if there was a way to bring them more forward and parallel with one another rather then almost at a right angle to one another.
Still, while I do have those issues, overall I think it is a very successful mode. But that isn't all Metroplex has up his sleeve. He has one more mode! He has a battle carrier mode, complete with a lengthy two-laned flight deck!
I've not been going over the Reprolabels in too much detail, since there are so many of them. But it is worth giving special mention to the one on this mode's flight deck. They are just such an improvement in aesthetics over the stock stickers! The detail they give really helps sell the massive scale of the figure.
There are a few weapon stations for Scamper or similar sized figures to man, one being carried over from city mode and the other being unique to this mode. This mode also has its own helipad, separate from the one used for city mode. There is an articulated arm at the rear end of the flight deck, with three joints in the arm itself and a claw at the end that can open and close. If I had to have one complaint about this mode... Yeah, those not at all hidden hands are still there. But at least they are in the back, where they aren't too obtrusive, and other then that this is a great mode. This mode also comes in quite handy for my shelf display, where one can utilize the flight deck to have a raised level in the rear to display additional figures, as seen in the photo directly below this paragraph. |
Well, that about wraps it up for Metroplex. Or, at least, what you get out of the box... But it feels like something is missing... Hmm, what could it be? Let me think back to my childhood memories of G1 Metroplex...
Hello, random image I found online to help illustrate to my readers what I remember Metroplex being when I was a child. Hello, strangely naked Metroplex. (Get that man some stickers!) Hello, Scamper. Hello... oh, what's this? Two more fellows? Metroplex has not one companion, but three?
That's right. Where as the Metroplex I am reviewing today comes with only one little buddy, the Metroplex of my memories came with three. In addition to Scamper, back in the day Metroplex also came with a white tank named Slammer and a figure named Six-Gun, made from (you guessed it) six guns that came with Metroplex along with a few pieces that formed a tower in Metroplex's city mode. As great as this modern Metroplex is, somehow without all three of his companions, he just doesn't quite feel complete. Fortunately, multiple third party companies have come to the rescue to fill this gap, providing options to supply Metroplex fans with one or both of these other companions. The option that appealed most to me, and which we will now be looking at, is from a company called Before & After. |
Before & After made Six Sigma available in two different color schemes. The biggest difference was the color of the forearms. The one I own, called the "Japan Version" and intended to be a more cartoon accurate deco, has red forearms. The other version made available, called the "US Version" and intended to be a more G1 toy accurate deco, has black forearms. (This can be seen to the right via stock photography.) I went for the "Japan Version," as I felt since I'd be hanging two large black guns on the sides of his arms anyway, the red arms would provide a more aesthetically pleasing contrast.
Six Sigma comes with a sticker sheet, which I applied. They did include stickers for Metroplex's black gun as well, but curiously only include enough for one black gun. A strange oversight that would leave you with a rather asymmetrically decorated Six-Gun. I just ended up not using the Before & After stickers for the black gun(s), which already had some Reprolabels, anyway. Reprolabels does offer a set for Six Sigma, but I thought it was a rare miss, looking overly gaudy on the figure, so I passed on it. Although I did, of course, use some Reprolabels faction symbols on Six-Gun. |
The black guns can attach to Six-Gun in two ways, either via a peg hole in the shoulder (as seen in the above stock photography of the "US Version") or a peg hole near the wrist (as seen in my own photos). Although the shoulder attachment would be more G1 accurate, I find that using it limits the figure's articulation a bit. So I attach the guns near the wrist, and make sure I angle them so that the tops of them are positioned at the shoulder to maintain the desired look.
Articulation is excellent. His head is on a ball joint, and can turn left or right and can also look slightly up or down. The shoulders rotate 360 degrees and can also be raised outward. He has an upper arm swivel, double jointed elbows, and a swivel at the wrist. A joint that is also used for transformation gives him the rare articulation of an ab crunch. He can turn a bit at the waist. Not a lot, but enough for nicely dynamic poses. His hips can move forward or back to wide angles, or outward to a satisfying angle. He has upper leg swivels, a nice bend to his knee, and the fronts of his feet can be angled to lie flat in poses with a wide stance.
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Also included with Six Sigma is this item, on the package referred to as "Tower Tank," and clearly intended to be Metroplex's final companion, Slammer. Like the G1 version, he is a white tank... and that's about it. He doesn't do much. His turret features no articulation. He has no wheels under his treads. He's just a hunk of plastic that sits there and looks like Slammer. But for what I needed for my Metroplex, I think he's perfect. And I especially enjoyed the convenience of getting him included with my Six-Gun for a cost lower then the other comparable third party Six-Gun option which did not come with a Slammer.
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Included on Six Sigma's sticker sheet were a few stickers for Slammer as well, and of course a Reprolabels faction symbol added the final touch.
A nice bit of interactivity between Six-Gun and Slammer is that, if you didn't want to use the black guns from Metroplex but you still wanted to have Six-Gun armed, with a slight reconfiguration to Slammer you could then mount him to Six-Gun's arm as an arm cannon.
A nice bit of interactivity between Six-Gun and Slammer is that, if you didn't want to use the black guns from Metroplex but you still wanted to have Six-Gun armed, with a slight reconfiguration to Slammer you could then mount him to Six-Gun's arm as an arm cannon.
Well, now that we've seen Six-Gun and Slammer on their own, shall we check out their interactivity with the official Metroplex figure?
So, you want to arm up Metroplex's robot mode? Six-Gun is here to help!
Well, first thing you do is pull Six-Gun apart. The pair of black guns go right back onto Metroplex's upper arms. Six-Gun's legs go through a surprising amount of reconfiguration, expanding significantly in length, to become two new large red guns. And finally, the rest of him gets reconfigured into a tower with a few missile pods and a pair of cannons. |
This tower, intended for city mode, does balance well enough on its base to work as a stand-alone weapon emplacement when Metroplex is in robot mode. Doing so allows you to leave no part unused, unlike in the G1 days when the two parts that formed a tower for city mode were just set aside when using Six-Gun's other parts for guns for Metroplex's robot mode.
Thanks to Six-Gun giving Metroplex two new large red guns, any residual upset that Hasbro only gave the U.S. domestic retail release of Metroplex only one large red gun has evaporated. His stock large red gun can just remain as a shoulder mounted weapon, and he can now have a new matching pair of large red guns to wield in his hands.
Not that Metroplex wasn't already a huge and imposing guy, but this just completes his look and makes him all the more bad ass.
Moving onto city mode... there are a few final additions to talk about to the base toy. One of the latest things in the world of unofficial Transformers accessories is 3D printed parts. I've avoided this for the most part, as they often have a bit of a rough look to them and also I've heard that sometimes tolerances can be variable. But a chap I came across on the TFW2005.com forums named MegaMoonMan, who also now has his own webpage, makes some 3D printed parts for Metroplex which I could not pass up.
One thing he makes, which will be the most visually obvious in the photos I am about to present, is pieces that act as extensions to the ramp that comes out of Metroplex's chest. Assuming you don't go crazy and order ten thousand extension pieces, when not in use they can fold up and store away nicely inside the chest cavity, and thus never need to be removed.
The other parts I ordered are a new pair of knees. These knees add a new point of articulation (that you may recall me hinting at way back when I discussed Metroplex's articulation) that is a new swivel joint just below the knee. The purpose of this joint is to allow you to have more options when positioning the portions of the city mode formed by Metroplex's legs. These parts are, I will not lie, a pain in the arse to install! But like the ramps, once they are in they never need to be removed, and they don't hinder him much in any of his other modes. (They can be a bit loose in robot mode, but not to the degree that they ruin his stability when standing or move around on you once you have him in a pose and set down.)
The chap making these parts does offer one other thing for Metroplex, which I opted not to get, but which I will mention for the sake of completeness: a new pair of hands. These hands offer increased articulation in the fingers, and can also transform to be less obvious as hands in city and battle carrier modes. Unfortunately, for my tastes, the 3D printed "rough look," while not bad on the ramps and almost insignificant on the knees, just stood out too much in photos I saw of these hands. Also, a few reviews I had seen elsewhere noted that the articulation in the fingers could be extremely loose, likely due to some of those variable tolerances I mentioned that 3D printing can result in. Still, if new hands might interest you, you could click on the link to his website I left a few paragraphs back and check them out.
Well now, that all aside, shall we take a look at how Six Sigma plus MegaMoonMan's 3D printer parts effect city mode? For some extra fun, the city will now be populated by a plethora of other smaller Transformers figures to really show off Metroplex's interactivity.
Officially, the two large red guns from Six Sigma unfortunately don't really interact with city mode. This is a shame, as the G1 toy did use the guns made from Six-Gun's legs in city mode, and this allowed for no left over parts. Unofficially, I have seen two ways to attach the guns. Here is the first:
Moving onto city mode... there are a few final additions to talk about to the base toy. One of the latest things in the world of unofficial Transformers accessories is 3D printed parts. I've avoided this for the most part, as they often have a bit of a rough look to them and also I've heard that sometimes tolerances can be variable. But a chap I came across on the TFW2005.com forums named MegaMoonMan, who also now has his own webpage, makes some 3D printed parts for Metroplex which I could not pass up.
One thing he makes, which will be the most visually obvious in the photos I am about to present, is pieces that act as extensions to the ramp that comes out of Metroplex's chest. Assuming you don't go crazy and order ten thousand extension pieces, when not in use they can fold up and store away nicely inside the chest cavity, and thus never need to be removed.
The other parts I ordered are a new pair of knees. These knees add a new point of articulation (that you may recall me hinting at way back when I discussed Metroplex's articulation) that is a new swivel joint just below the knee. The purpose of this joint is to allow you to have more options when positioning the portions of the city mode formed by Metroplex's legs. These parts are, I will not lie, a pain in the arse to install! But like the ramps, once they are in they never need to be removed, and they don't hinder him much in any of his other modes. (They can be a bit loose in robot mode, but not to the degree that they ruin his stability when standing or move around on you once you have him in a pose and set down.)
The chap making these parts does offer one other thing for Metroplex, which I opted not to get, but which I will mention for the sake of completeness: a new pair of hands. These hands offer increased articulation in the fingers, and can also transform to be less obvious as hands in city and battle carrier modes. Unfortunately, for my tastes, the 3D printed "rough look," while not bad on the ramps and almost insignificant on the knees, just stood out too much in photos I saw of these hands. Also, a few reviews I had seen elsewhere noted that the articulation in the fingers could be extremely loose, likely due to some of those variable tolerances I mentioned that 3D printing can result in. Still, if new hands might interest you, you could click on the link to his website I left a few paragraphs back and check them out.
Well now, that all aside, shall we take a look at how Six Sigma plus MegaMoonMan's 3D printer parts effect city mode? For some extra fun, the city will now be populated by a plethora of other smaller Transformers figures to really show off Metroplex's interactivity.
Officially, the two large red guns from Six Sigma unfortunately don't really interact with city mode. This is a shame, as the G1 toy did use the guns made from Six-Gun's legs in city mode, and this allowed for no left over parts. Unofficially, I have seen two ways to attach the guns. Here is the first:
It is a really nicely "G1" look, with the guns seemingly attached to the pieces of the city mode made from Metroplex's knee caps. Unfortunately, "seemingly" is the operative word here. They aren't really firmly attached at all, merely wedged in between two pieces of Metroplex and loosely held there with a bit of hope. It looks good, but isn't 100% satisfying. But before we get to what the other option is, let us dwell on everything else about this city mode.
Look at that ramp! Now that is a ramp! No more suicidal drop at a stupidly steep angle that still doesn't even quite reach the floor! Also, ordering a sufficient number of ramp extension pieces makes it so that you can push the stock ramp back into Metroplex's chest, aleviating the problem of that panel at the back of the ramp that would otherwise block the way into Metroplex's chest.
And look at those legs! They can now be positioned to be parallel to one another. This, to me, makes for a much more cohesive looking city mode.
You can see the tower / weapon emplacement formed by the rest of Six-Gun sitting behind the city mode's helipad. It looks really good there. There are a few slight issues. To peg it in securely, the base of the tower actually has to be at a slight angle. (Although you then use Six-Gun's waist joint to correct the angle of the rest of the tower.) Also, although this was not a great surprise, placing the tower here does block access to the recessed control area behind the helipad. But as I said, these are only slight issues, and do not take away from my enjoyment of this toy at all.
Look at that ramp! Now that is a ramp! No more suicidal drop at a stupidly steep angle that still doesn't even quite reach the floor! Also, ordering a sufficient number of ramp extension pieces makes it so that you can push the stock ramp back into Metroplex's chest, aleviating the problem of that panel at the back of the ramp that would otherwise block the way into Metroplex's chest.
And look at those legs! They can now be positioned to be parallel to one another. This, to me, makes for a much more cohesive looking city mode.
You can see the tower / weapon emplacement formed by the rest of Six-Gun sitting behind the city mode's helipad. It looks really good there. There are a few slight issues. To peg it in securely, the base of the tower actually has to be at a slight angle. (Although you then use Six-Gun's waist joint to correct the angle of the rest of the tower.) Also, although this was not a great surprise, placing the tower here does block access to the recessed control area behind the helipad. But as I said, these are only slight issues, and do not take away from my enjoyment of this toy at all.
Still, while it does look great like this, I cannot help but be unsatisfied with how loosely the guns are attached. They are very loose, and the gun handles may also impeded the roadway formed by Metroplex's leg. It is a shame that Before & After didn't include a peg on the bottom of the large red guns that could plug into the existing hole on Metroplex's kneecap pieces! Fortunately, another option was brought to my attention by Seibertron.com forum member Agamemnon.
There are a couple of pegs on the inside edges of the parts of the city formed by Metroplex's legs, normally intended to help hold his legs together when you close them back up. By happy chance, they happen to fit perfectly into some holes on the bottoms of the large red guns. This results in a much more secure connection for the guns, and also removes the potential roadway obstruction. There is one slight drawback, however, in that if using an extended ramp from the chest, the red gun on the same side would conflict with it. This conflict can be solved by leaving the portions of the city formed by the legs slightly splayed. Although no longer perfectly parallel, these portions of the city are still able to sit at a much better angle then they would have otherwise, so MegaMoonMan's knees are still coming in handy. And this is the result:
There are a couple of pegs on the inside edges of the parts of the city formed by Metroplex's legs, normally intended to help hold his legs together when you close them back up. By happy chance, they happen to fit perfectly into some holes on the bottoms of the large red guns. This results in a much more secure connection for the guns, and also removes the potential roadway obstruction. There is one slight drawback, however, in that if using an extended ramp from the chest, the red gun on the same side would conflict with it. This conflict can be solved by leaving the portions of the city formed by the legs slightly splayed. Although no longer perfectly parallel, these portions of the city are still able to sit at a much better angle then they would have otherwise, so MegaMoonMan's knees are still coming in handy. And this is the result:
Now this is an Autobot city that I can be completely satisfied with!
One last little bit to cover in city mode. With an official name like "Tower Tank," you may think that Before & After's Slammer might have some interactivity with this mode, and you would be right. He can become a tower for Metroplex's city mode. Unfortunately, there are a few issues. First, the tower has some unsightly hollow bits that face forward. It is a shame that it could not have been designed with this hollowness facing backwards where it would have remained unseen. Second, it is designed to attach where otherwise the tower formed from the stock large red gun would be, and I'd rather have that tower.
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And so, while I can appreciate that Before & After tried to include this functionality for Slammer, frankly I think Slammer is better off just staying a tank to patrol the city rather than trying to turn into a tower to be a part of the city.
Well, that wraps things up for city mode. How about the battle carrier mode? Officially, Six Sigma doesn't turn into anything to interact with this mode. I have seen a few attempts by people to do something with Six Sigma's parts anyway, but for myself? I am content not doing so. Yes, in the G1 days, the large red guns did plug into Metroplex's front end, but doing so here would obstruct his flight deck and I would rather leave it unobstructed. Also, since his parts are integrated into Metroplex's other two modes, it is nice to have one mode where Six-Gun can be used as Six-Gun rather then as accessories for Metroplex.
And in that spirit, here are a few photos of Metroplex in his battle carrier mode, accompanied by (amongst others) Six-Gun and Slammer.
Well, that wraps things up for city mode. How about the battle carrier mode? Officially, Six Sigma doesn't turn into anything to interact with this mode. I have seen a few attempts by people to do something with Six Sigma's parts anyway, but for myself? I am content not doing so. Yes, in the G1 days, the large red guns did plug into Metroplex's front end, but doing so here would obstruct his flight deck and I would rather leave it unobstructed. Also, since his parts are integrated into Metroplex's other two modes, it is nice to have one mode where Six-Gun can be used as Six-Gun rather then as accessories for Metroplex.
And in that spirit, here are a few photos of Metroplex in his battle carrier mode, accompanied by (amongst others) Six-Gun and Slammer.
And with that, we're about ready to wrap things up! So to the left, one last photo of everybody in robot mode (except Slammer, who doesn't have a robot mode) along with a standard height DVD case for a size reference.
So, some final thoughts. Generations Metroplex is big, he's huge, he's awesome, and (assuming you have both the funds and the room) he should be a part of every "Classics" style Transformer collector's collection! But, awesome though he is, there is no denying that he has a few issues and that without Six-Gun and Slammer he feels incomplete. Thankfully, third party companies have come to the rescue! There are many options available, only some of which are covered in this review. For a more comprehensive idea of what is out there, you can click here. But for me, between the Reprolabels, MegaMoonMan's ramp extensions and knees, and Before & After's Six Sigma, I feel as if everything has come together beautifully to give me the perfect Metroplex for my collection. The base toy, plus the additions reviewed here today, all are highly recommended. |
Review added 7 March 2015 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed!
Important Update!
So, a few nights ago I decided to transform Metroplex from robot mode to battle carrier mode. When I went to straighten out his right leg (which had been in a bent leg pose) the MegaMoomMan replacement knee piece in that leg failed. One half of the clamp on one half of the knee that holds onto the mushroom peg on the other half of the knee just quietly came off, with no force being applied to it beyond that that is normally required to bend the knee.
Please pardon the purely text based description of the incident. This happening put me in something of a panic mode, and my thoughts at the time were purely of an "Oh my god I have to see if I can fix this!" sort, rather than a, "Oh, what a bother, but I should grab my camera to document this tragedy for posterity," sort. But here is a quick illustration I whipped up to hopefully get the point across:
Please pardon the purely text based description of the incident. This happening put me in something of a panic mode, and my thoughts at the time were purely of an "Oh my god I have to see if I can fix this!" sort, rather than a, "Oh, what a bother, but I should grab my camera to document this tragedy for posterity," sort. But here is a quick illustration I whipped up to hopefully get the point across:
Fortunately, fixing it did seem to be possible, and within half an hour, some superglue seemed to be holding things together well enough to return things back to normal. Time will tell, however, how permanent a fix this proves to be. I suppose, basically, if you see no further updates to this review, you can assume all is well. If you do see another update... well, I suppose it may turn out to be a good thing that I still have his stock knees hanging around somewhere.
In the meantime... well, I guess I must admit that this has me a little wary of ever making another venture into the world of 3D printed Transformers accessories. I admit that many people seem to be having a good experience with them, and maybe I just got unlucky with a knee that failed after about a year of normal use. But... well... logic doesn't always win out in such matters, I suppose.
Hopefully the glue holds, though, and I can continue to have an awesomely updated Metroplex! (Must try to stay happy and positive!) Wish me luck!
Updated added 3 August 2015 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed!
In the meantime... well, I guess I must admit that this has me a little wary of ever making another venture into the world of 3D printed Transformers accessories. I admit that many people seem to be having a good experience with them, and maybe I just got unlucky with a knee that failed after about a year of normal use. But... well... logic doesn't always win out in such matters, I suppose.
Hopefully the glue holds, though, and I can continue to have an awesomely updated Metroplex! (Must try to stay happy and positive!) Wish me luck!
Updated added 3 August 2015 by Yotsuya. Comments are welcomed!