Fans Toys FT-18 Lupus 2023 reissue (Masterpiece Weirdwolf)
Fanstoys items usually come with an outer plastic baggie to protect the box.
Ye ole Fans Toys protective film sheet.
Remember to peel off the paper on Lupus (mine came pretty much glued to the robot’s collar).
The figure comes mis-transformed out of the box, just simply rotate the wolf’s head in robot mode to get the look right.
I got QC 30 this time.
Be mindful not to lose the optional faceplate. It’s packed in a little plastic baggie in the upper left corner of the tray.
Since this is a Third Party, non-official item, it doesn’t come with a faction symbol. It’s best to get some stickers from Reprolabels/Toyhax.com to make this guy more “toon-accurate”. Alternately, you can also use “water slide decals” to make them look even more flawless (you won’t see the edges, unlike with stickers) but I’ve never really had the proper skills, or time (usually needs to be individually cut first) to work with those.
For water slide decals, most folks recommend the one from Ocean Studio. Here:
http://www.unclebillyshop.com/decals-poster/ocean-logo-decals.html
To apply stickers, I find the best way to stick the stickers on is to use the tip of a blade, or a flat, small-tipped object, this way you have more control over the application, as compared to using one’s stubby fingers. You can also use the blade to help gently peel off a corner of the sticker in case you didn’t center it right and need to re-apply.
Moonz (Headmaster Monzo)
A former pro-wrestler-turned-nightclub-owner back on Nebulos, Monzo is one of the captured Nebulons that are subjected to experimentation by the Decepticons to Binary Bond with their counterparts. He eventually likes the new raw power he is granted and willingly fights alongside the Decepticons against the Autobots.
I’m not 100% certain, but I don’t think you can rotate Moonz’s head? I didn’t want to force it but I couldn’t get the head to budge.
Since this is an older model for Fans Toys’ Headmasters, the robot faceplates can’t be rotated and hidden from sight (unlike their Hannibal/ Cerebros/ Fortress).
Moonz stands roughly 2 inches tall.
Head on!
Lupus (Weirdwolf)
Rabid, cruel and dangerous, Weirdwolf can track down his foes with ease, then proceeds to tear them to pieces once they’ve grown too tired from the hunt to run any further. This Decepticon also speaks with an unusual, backwards syntax, making him very difficult to talk to.
The figure is a reissue of the original 2016 release this time sporting a yellowish hue to his silver deco instead of the whiter shade of silver of the previous release.
Lupus also comes with an optional “wider” faceplate from the original toy release. His new “thinner” face is attached by default. That’s the accessory that is new to this reissue, .
The stats readout can be revealed by just folding down the chest, even without the Headmaster plugged in (no “stats swapping” gimmick here sadly, unlike the G1 toys). Also… He has max intelligence stat??
Lupus stands roughly 9.5 inches and weighs 737 Grams.
Diecast parts include:
-A large section of the chest
-Ankles
-Feet
It’s too bad Lupus’s shoulders have a somewhat limited spread. You can’t get much wider range than this.
Weirdwolf comes with his Photon Pistol
It’s also a shame FT didn’t improve the figure’s hands from the original design. The weapons tend to fall out easily, unlike how they usually are with the more modern release’s grips, like the Minibots. Those feature better slotting designs for equipping their guns.
Lastly, Lupus also comes with his Thermal Sword.
Remember to rotate the handle of the sword before you equip it to properly orient the weapon.
Too bad there’s nowhere to mount his Photon Pistol on in beast mode.
Opening Jaw.
Articulated ankle joints for the feet.
Opening hatch for Moonz to ride in. The controls are decently detailed too.
Getting Moonz in can be bit of a challenge.
But this is how he’s supposed to be positioned once he’s set in right.
Sadly though, you can’t really make out Moonz is inside once the canopy is closed.
Overall, I’m happy with it. While Fans Toys didn’t really improve much with the figure, at least we do get a reissue (secondary market prices were hitting 3x the original price). With this reissue, we finally complete the original Decepticon Headmaster trio, taking us one step closer to closing the case on Transformers Masterpiece character completion.
Gold
