over the last ~2 weeks i did two transformers model kits back to back, the flame toys furai idw rodimus, and blokees action edition tarn. they were such WILDLY different experiences.
the flametoys kit was a real trial. the instructions were sparing, with meaningless lines and arrows and ambiguous illustrations. the fit of most of the pieces was very tight and took a ton of effort. one was both so tight and so fiddly that i tried to use my handy hemostats (underrated crafting tool btw) to grip one of the pieces and force it into the other, which i was holding... of course, it slipped and i gouged my finger with the hemostat. i ended up looking up fan vids of assembling this guy to see if i was doing something wrong, but eventually continuous brute force won out. i also needed fan vids and photos to figure out the sticker placement, as that wasn't included in the instructions.
many folks painted theirs, but the sprues are all nicely colored so it's not needed. i had to do some surgery on the neck joint, because he couldn't hold a head-back position; something about the fit on the joint forced his head forward like a spring. all that said, he's a handsome figure that's true to the comic design, and captures his sexy twunk energy.
i saved tarn to do second because i had a feeling blokees would treat me much more kindly, and i wasn't wrong. it was a fairly lengthy build, but not difficult. the instructions were thorough, with good visual guidance and extra view angles when needed. the pieces were meant to be popped from the sprues easily by hand, but i did end up using nippers a few times. the fits were mostly quite easy, though here and there i'd find a really tight one, or two pieces wouldn't meet as seamlessly as they were supposed to. it wasn't completely effortless like the little blind box guys, but it wasn't truly frustrating at any point.
and at the end, he is a gorgeous figure. i'm seriously a little in love with this object, despite the fact i think tarn is a miserable little doofus. it's quite sizeable, 21cm from helm to toe, with a pleasant weight to it (at 16.5cm from toe to shoulder, rodimus is at an excellent scale to him, and nickel by extension). the detailed sculpt and the articulation are just wonderful--i was first taken off guard by his fingers all being individually articulated, then blown right outta my chair by the way the struts on his ankles move when rotating the foot. i had to run and show sy i was so agog. the lighting details are a nice touch as well, utilizing the translucent plastic to its fullest.
(nickel is also a nice little build, but on the level of detail of a blind box blokee, nothing mind blowing there. the solution for her wheeled pedes is really clever though. as a side note, her tiny hands are just the right size to hold lego accessories.)
i'm kind of shocked that tarn was cheaper than rodimus, despite being more detailed, bigger, and coming with an entire extra bot. my personal opinion of flame toys was not great following the windblade harassment incident back in the 10s, and this just kinda cements their "ok i guess" rating for me. on the bright side, that saves me from the temptation of buying more of theirs. the blokees 'action edition' line meanwhile is only a little more expensive than an average hasbro toy, so those will probably continue to be the bane of my wallet for the foreseeable future...
