As long as I've been collecting Transformers, I have wished for there to be a female Optimus Prime. We've seen toys of Megatron (Megaempress), and I have 3rd Party figure of female Starscream (Star Queen), Bumblebee (Little Bee), and Cliffjumper (Little Red). But amazingly the most iconic Transformer never got a gender-swapped version... until now. MBreed is a 3rd Party manufacturer that reproduces the popular Furai model kits from Flame Toys but with an R-rated twist. I personally find the add-on rubberized breasts and buttocks pretty off-putting, but thankfully the figures still come with the pieces for the traditional body construction. This figure also comes with a very Optimus-like masked face, lots of bonus accessories, and awesome light-up eyes. This review is only highlighting the basic PG-13-rated display, namely because I was too rough and snapped her shoulder peg ... and was then too hesitant to swap parts for fear of more breakage. Let's check out Aicynus Primera below!
UNITING ALL WOMEN OF PLASTIC
Showing posts with label 3rd Party. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 3rd Party. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
MBreed Infinite Charm - AICYNUS PRIMERA!
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Dr. Wu - ALIE!
I find it endlessly amusing that the best Elita-1 figures come from unofficial 3rd Party companies. I've thought the various official Hasbro releases have been pretty great. But each one has something a little off about it. This Dr. Wu (Mechanic Toys) Amie figure is a prime example of how this character should be done every time. I'm a sucker for the original 80's cartoon designs so the modern interpretations that take artistic liberty with proportions and structure will always take second fiddle to a super classic look like this. The original batch of Dr. Wu fembots came out back in 2022 (at the same time as a competitor line from NewAge), and I was always sad that an Elita-1 homage was excluded from the lineup and replaced by endless Arcee variants. It took a few years, but they finally produced this late-release Amie and I couldn't be happier. This is quite possibly the nicest Elita-1 figure ever. If she were a larger 6-7" scale, she would be perfect. Let's check out this beautiful 3rd Party Elita-1 in detail below!
Saturday, April 19, 2025
Alteration Man - CARROLL!
Knockoff toys are something I rarely pay attention to. I typically buy items as soon as they are released, so picking up an unofficial reissue of a desirable figure is just not in the cards. But every now and then there is a redeco that I obsess over. When these Alteration Man Carroll figures were produced (by Machine Boy circa 2014), there was a main version which was a seemingly exact duplicate of the 2007 Movie Arcee from Hasbro in her dark fuchsia colors (so, a knockoff that I was barely aware of). But then there was this surprise blue variation that thrilled me. Any time I see a blue fembot, I think of immediately of Chromia. But in actuality, this is likely an attempt to replicate the Prime Arcee which was so popular in 2012-2013. Regardless of the intent, I was thrilled to have another variation of my favorite early fembot mold in my collection. The colorful lineup of variations is impressive (not quite as impressive as Energon Arcee, but a very close second). Let's check out Carroll below!
Saturday, April 5, 2025
Magic Power - BLACK WOLFSBANE!
The world of 3rd Party Transformers can be a ruthless place. As a collector, these toys can be difficult to procure due to low production runs or unclear distribution. And as a producer of these toys, I can only assume there are minimal protections for your hard work. Since the product already skirts close to other (highly protected) IPs, I can't imagine any recourse when someone swipes your work. This Black Wolfsbane figure from Magic Power (2022) is a re-release (theft?) of the 2013 Perfect Effect Aranea, which is of course a 3rd Party Transformers Blackarachnia. This was one of the first 3P figure that I desperately wanted but slipped through my fingers. The preorders sold out instantly and I still have regrets about not buying her at a toy show for $99 ten years ago (within months she was selling for $300 on eBay). Normally I wouldn't have considered a reproduced figure, but I truly don't think an original Aranea was in the cards. So when this Black Wolfbane figure appeared, I pounced. Let's check her out below.
Monday, January 20, 2025
TF Upgrade Kit - ANTAGONESS!
When I opened and reviewed the Transformers Legacy Evolution Antagony figure twelve months ago, I had very mixed feelings. I loved that I finally had this character in plastic. I thought she was frightening - how she couldn't feel pain and was obsessed with inflicting it upon others. Plus I love insects, so she kind of filled the void of a missing female Insecticon. My issue, however, was with the figure itself. Antagony is destined to continually be a repaint of Inferno, who is unfortunately always extremely bulky and monstrous with no femininity at all. I personally love duality in a character, so the more aggressive and maniacal a character acts, the more beautiful and feminine I want her to look. In researching for that review, I had seen her IDW Comics redesign which had her looking more like Blackarachnia. I never expected to see a toy of that design but was pleasantly surprised to find this 3rd-party upgrade kit which lets you totally transform the original figure into a tall, sleek fembot. Let's check it out below!
Monday, January 6, 2025
NewAge - PRIME SIF!
I can admit I'm not fully apprised of newer storylines when it comes to Transformers. I usually see the new movies once in the theaters. And occasionally I will watch a modern animated show to understand the new character toys. But beyond that, I'm pretty lost. I first became aware of Solus Prime when I got the Mastermind Creation's 3rd Party Salvia Prominion way back in 2015. I researched her and learned that the origin of Transformers had been expanded upon to include 13 original "deities" which were the forebearers of the Cybertronian factions. The sole female was named Solus Prime - often appearing in shadows or silhouette with her signature mallet - the Forge of Solus. She recently had an appearance in Transformers One which seems to have really solidified her place in mainstream Transformers lore. And right on cue, Hasbro announced the orders for her first official action figure for later this year. This prompted me to finally post this 2022 NewAge figure. Let's check her out below!
Saturday, January 4, 2025
Space Warriors - BIKE-TECH-FIGHTER!
In 2005, I remember being in my local BigLots and seeing this Space Warriors Bike-Tech-Fighter figure (I will refer to her as BTF from here on). I immediately recognized her as a massively upsized Energon Arcee but with better proportions - notably with longer retooled legs and overall a more traditionally female design (The Hasbro/Takara mold was a bit squat and blocky). I bought BTF and was immediately disappointed. As an inexpensive knockoff, she was predictably a mess. Her joints were loose, pieces didn't fit, paint was sloppy, and she couldn't stand. I sold her on eBay (for a lot of money). But two years ago when I got really into collecting the Energon Arcee molds, I regretted that sale and began the hunt to reclaim her. It took a few years but I finally have her in hand. Luckily twenty years of collecting has given me patience, tools, and a bottle of joint gum. Now she is the towering giant of my Transformers collection. Let's check out the Agglo Toys Space Warrior BTF figure below!
Wednesday, January 1, 2025
Dr. Wu - NURSY!
Happy New Year! In the next few weeks I will have the new MS35 Alie (Elita-1) in my hands and it's inspiring me to finally post the backlog of Dr. Wu and NewAge figures I never got around to in the past. This Nursy is a straight-up recolor of the pink MS30 Amie in her Paradron Medic green deco. In a 1986 Transformers episode titled Fight or Flee, the Decepticons decided to plunder the peaceful planet of Paradron. The inhabitants of the planet had two simple designs for male and female. All the females were essentially green Arcees (without the shoulder wings). They were essentially background characters, but they make for fun variants of any Arcee mold. Note that the last few official Hasbro releases of this deco have been renamed Lifeline. I'm sometimes tempted to get them all, but there are several that pull in over $100 on eBay, so I'll just have to be selective. In the meantime, I'll appreciate the few seafoam green Arcees I've managed to collect so far. Let's check out Nursy below!
Monday, December 30, 2024
Dr. Wu - NIGHT NINJA!
A few years ago there was an amazing surge of 3rd Party fembots. Two companies in particular, Dr. Wu (Mechanic) and NewAge simultaneously released nearly identical 3.75" lines of female Transformers. Both companies had an anchor "Arcee" (Amie and Maschinenmensch) and five retooled versions each, making twelve unique figures all at once. I was ecstatic, but overwhelmed. And at more than $50 each, I had to be selective. Luckily half of them were iconic characters, and half were character repaints. And iconic always wins for me so the decision was easy. Each line had a Nightbird homage. She is one of my favorite G1 characters, despite being a single-episode, non-speaking, non-transforming robot. I still remember being glued to the screen after school back in 1985, mesmerized by her stealthy ninja moves and mysterious nature. She was actually the character that got me to start buying 3rd Party figures back in 2012. So when a new one pops up, I just can't resist. Let's check out Night Ninja below!
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Iron Factory - WING GUARD!
It's amazing to think that it's been six long years since the last (non-bishoujo) female Iron Factory release. Back in 2015-2018, it was these cool little fembots that first got me into the 3rd Party Transformers market. They were relatively inexpensive, very well made, tiny, and just a little bit cute. (Not so cute to be considered "cutesy" though). I got hooked pretty fast and had hopes that I would see all my favorite characters in this line. Once we got a great Elita One, I thought for sure Chromia and the rest would be coming. But no, the last new lady was 2018's Shrike's Feather (Slipstream) and then fast forward to 2023 when that Slipstream mold was reused in this awesome 3-Pack of female Seekers. I know Slipstream is considered a female Starscream, but seeing an actual properly-colored female Starscream is very cool. (This concept should totally carry over into the mainstream Transformers). I hope to see many more females in this line after the hiatus. Finger crossed! Let's check out the Wing Guard trio below!
Monday, February 12, 2024
Fury Force - ROCKET!
One thing I really like about this hobby is how you often find whole communities with a shared aesthetic. And since a lot of us are of a certain age, that aesthetic often focuses on nostalgia and the vintage toys of our youths. The big companies have clearly acknowledged and embraced this. A large percentage of the toy aisles these days are vintage homage lines or straight-up re-releases of original toys. But this trend truly started in the art toy market. It was these creative trailblazers that were molding old He-Man, G.I.Joe, and Star Wars figures years before we knew we needed them. There are tons of artists and small companies in this market, but one name that has especially caught my eye is Hammer of the Gods and their homages to classic 80s properties in vintage MOTU-esque style. I picked up this Rocket figure (definitely not Cover Girl) many years ago on the same day I bought Rose, but I'm only getting around to posting her now. Plus I have a third I will photogaph soon. Let's check out The Rocket below!
Saturday, March 25, 2023
APCToys - NIGHT COUNTESS!
The inspiration for my dour review of the Transformers: Prime Airachnid figure Thursday was this newly-produced Masterpiece-Scale "Night Countess" 3rd Party figure from APCToys. This figure succeeds in every place that the Hasbro version failed. Her sculpt has personality, dexterity, and just looks great overall. I am not a collector who just buys a single version of a character. If I did, I can imagine how people might think 3rd Party figures are harmful to brands and the toy industry. But, no, I will literally buy every version of a character I love (if I can afford it). And I think we all know that Hasbro would be very unlikely to revisit a character who has essentially been retired from Transformers media for years. So this is when a 3rd Party company can step in and offer a desperately needed new take on a figure. And I can't think of a more deserving character than Airachnid. She is sinister and vampy, which is an aesthetic I love. I also appreciate the Maleficent vibe. Let's check out Night Countess below!
Tuesday, January 31, 2023
NewAge - CHRISTINE!
I am going to go out on a limb and say that this Commander Christine from NewAge Toys is the best Elita-1 figure in my collection. The sculpt, proportions, and coloring are all perfection. The only downfall is that I wish she were scaled larger. As a small 1:18 scale figure, she doesn't fit in with the bulk of my fembot collection. However, if the third party market has taught me anything in the past few years, there is a decent chance that some other toy entrepreneur will release an up-sized version of her. I now own four upsized 3rd Party figures (Generations Arcee, Iron Factory Windblade, Kingdom Airazor, and Blue Bolt). It's a great trend that I hope Christine falls victim to. You'll see in the final picture of this post how she compares to all the other Elita figures. There something about her that is more reminiscent of the original cartoon than her predecessors. The white parts of her body appear soft and organic while the pink and coral parts look hard and robotic. I always liked that dichotomy in the original fembots.
Monday, January 30, 2023
Dr. Wu - AMIE!
Hot on the heels of yesterday's review of the Maschinenmensch figure from NewAge comes this eerily similar Amie figure from Dr. Wu/Mechanic. Both figures are well-designed and of very high quality, but it was just surprising to see two 1:18 scale Arcee homages released from different companies within a few months of each other. Another great thing is that each company announced five retooled variations of their respective molds to give us collectors a ton of options. Each company included an Arcee, Nightbird, and Paradron Medic, but the other three for both companies were unique. I'm also very excited for the Elita One homage from Dr. Wu shown in convention slideshows this past Summer and I hope this trend of retooling continues. I'm always surprised that these 3rd Party companies don't see the potential in a Chromia, Firestar, and Moonracer trio. Elita often gets some attention, but if for nothing else other than color variety I would hope the others would be considered. Let's check out Amie below!
Sunday, January 29, 2023
NewAge - MASCHINENMENSCH!
2022 was a pretty crazy year for 3rd Party fembots. My count may be off, but I think there were around 16 new figures in twelve short months. I personally purchased ten and had a lot of difficulty choosing which variants to buy. NewAge Toys created this fantastic Arcee mold (named Maschinenmensch) and promptly announced five additional releases using the same general buck. The name Maschinenmensch is German for 'robot' or 'machine man.' I'm familiar with this word because it is often tied to the robot Maria from the 1929 German film Metropolis, which to the best of my knowledge is the first representation of a female robot in popular culture. So giving this name to an Arcee homage seems very appropriate, even if it's a mouthful. The NewAge mold is very impressive and has great proportions. Legs and arms in particular tend to look off at this 1:18 scale, but you could easily convince me that this was a deluxe or masterpiece sculpt. Let's check out Warrior Maschinemensch below!
Tuesday, September 13, 2022
Fury Force - THE ROSE!
I don't usually dabble in 3rd Party art figures. But sometimes they are so well-made and fun that they are impossible to resist. And recently I tempted fate by going to a toy show that specialized in the genre of toy artistry. My favorite item of the show was this homage to G.I.Joe's Scarlett (aka The Rose) from the Fury Force line by Pop Prolific and Hammer of the Gods Toys. In my opinion, there has never been a really great licensed Scarlett figure until the very recent Super7 ReAction figure. But this Rose figure filled a void I didn't know existed: a classic looking Scarlett in the aesthetic of a vintage Masters of the Universe sculpt. I somehow never even considered these characters in a 5" scale. For so long, G.I.Joes were so locked in the 3.75" world that my brain still has trouble accepting the 6-7" Classified and Ultimates lines. But when I saw this figure, something clicked I just had to have her. And now I can't wait to see what future art toys I find. Jem would be insanely cool. Let's check out this beauty below!
Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Mastermind Creations - ERIS: KULTUR!
This Eris: Kultur figure from Mastermind Creations is a pretty unique purchase for me because it marks the first time I have bought a 3rd Party fembot that was a unique creation and not an homage to a classic Transformers or Go-Bots character. I splurged on her purely out of an aesthetic appreciation for the design. And that says a lot when you consider her high price point, her scarcity, and the abundance of collectibles on my want list right now that have a powerful nostalgia element giving them an unfair advantage. Eris: Kultur was a Planet Steel Express exclusive back in May that sold out almost instantly. I'm assuming this success means we will be seeing similar products in the future. Hopefully continuing their Reformatted trend from 2014 and focusing on female characters. I'm super curious to see what other designs the MMC team might come up with (and I better start budgeting for them now while I'm at it). Let's check out the 3rd Party Mastermind Creations Ocular Max Eris: Kultur figure below!
Friday, April 9, 2021
Wei Jiang - ARCEE!
I remember that not long after the 2014 Generations Arcee figure came out, there started to be 3rd party knockoffs of the mold popping up everywhere. A lot of these were resized to be "Masterpiece Scale." As someone who only collected female Transformers (of which the 2014 Arcee was one of the first great ones), I had no clue what this scale meant. Nowadays, of course, there have been three Masterpiece females (Road Rage, Blackarachnia, and Arcee), but the appeal of an upscaled Generations Arcee still didn't appeal to me until very recently. I realized that the Wei Jiang Alcee featured more classic colors than the main Hasbro release. It actually matches the color scheme of the scarce Target-exclusive Platinum Arcee repaint (but without the shiny paint). And I also realized I want as many Arcee representations as possible in my collection. There are a lot of disreputable eBay sellers offering Alcee. I have had several failed transactions but I finally got one. Let's check her out below!
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
Fans Hobby - WHEEL BLADE!
This is a really fun exclusive variant. The Fans Hobby Athena (Minerva) figure came out earlier this year and I was immediately hoping the body would be reused for another fembot, but I wasn't expecting something so soon. I realize a flightless Windblade homage may seem a little strange, but if Arcee can be a motorcycle or giant spider and no one bats an eye, I think anything is possible. This figure was exclusive for the TFCon 2020 (a virtual event this year). It was limited to 800 numbered pieces and only available through The Chosen Prime. I've been ordering from The Chosen Prime for years (I've bought 16 figures through them!) I originally chose it because the price and stashing policy was the best (although nearly identical to TFSource if I remember correctly). But since then I've come to appreciate the company for their customer service and all-around good vibe. So I was really happy that an exclusive I specifically wanted was a joint venture with them. Let's check out Wheel Blade below!
Tuesday, November 17, 2020
Impossible Toys - VALKYRIE!
I'm a little sad that this Impossible Toys Valkyrie figure is the last of the 3rd Party Arcee homages in my fembot hunt. It's funny actually, because my first 3rd Party purchase ever was the TRNS-EX1 Ninja (Nightbird) back in 2011, and my lackluster impression from that figure (which was a simple retooling of this Valkyrie) caused me to steer clear of 3rd Party figures for years. My Ninja figure felt flimsy, with loose joints and seemingly fragile joints. So until I recently set out a goal to get all the main Arcees, I had written off this figure completely. But upon opening her last night, I was pleasantly surprised. She didn't seem so brittle anymore, her joints were tight, and her headsculpt was brilliant. Maybe I just had a bum Ninja. Or maybe the fact that it was a retool meant to molds had degraded. But either way, I was very happy to go out with a bang with this very impressive Arcee homage. And let's not forget, this was the first transforming G1 Arcee figure ever. Very impressive indeed. Let's check out Valkyrie below!
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