Fans Toys FT-40A Hannibal (Transformers Masterpiece Cerebros/ Fortress)
Fanstoys items usually come with an outer plastic baggie to protect the box.
Ye ole Fans Toys protective film sheet.
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.
Thorn (Fortress/Galen/ Spike)
The leader of a group of Cyberdroids that fled the great war of Cybertron, Fortress and his crew would later develop Transtector bodies to survive the harsh environments of their new home planet, Master. This created a new kind of Transformers, the Headmasters!
Sigh… the legs of my Thorn are very loose, it’s very difficult to stand him up at times.
When in “Headmaster” mode, make sure to rotate the faceplate so you won’t get awkward moments like this.
Head On!
Hannibal (Cerebros)
Galen/ Spike/ Fortress combines with this Transtector in order to control Battleship Maximus. Fortress is eventually given the mantle of Supreme Autobot Commander (but not the Matrix of Leadership) by Rodimus Prime, following the latter’s choice to explore space (along with Kup and Blurr) to find a new home for Cybertronians after the total destruction of Cybertron by Scorponok’s bombs.
Hannibal weighs 509 Grams and stands roughly 9.5 inches tall.
Diecast parts:
-Sections of the torso
-Knees
-Locking clips on the sides of the knees
-Feet
I got QC 21
While the figure does have an ab crunch joint, the design severely limits waist rotation.
The Headmaster connection is a bit deep, it kinda makes him seem like he’s missing a neck.
Make sure to properly lock down the metal clips on the sides of the knees for this figure to prevent it from accidentally falling sideways.
For added fun, you can replicate the “chest stats” gimmick from the vintage G1 toys by opening up the chest panel and plugging in the Headmaster, The stats will differ depending on the Headmaster inserted.
For variety, Fans Toys included an optional “open mouth” face plate.
For weaponry, Hannibal comes with his blaster rifle based from the Japanese Headmaster cartoons.
“C’mon Autobots! This way to victory!”
Fans Toys included a replica of the command console sheathe for the Master Sword/ Goliath Key from the Japanese Headmasters cartoons.
In the cartoons, Fortress could only extract the Master Sword (subsequently unlocking Fortress Maximus’ transformation) when his physical and mental energies were in sync. This was an early plot device limiting Fortress Maximus’ transformation for the first few episodes, it would later be totally forgotten and Fortress Maximus would be able to transform at any time as the series progressed, particularly when Scorponok showed up on the show.
An optional “tilted” gripping hand is included for this pose. You will have to unscrew the default hand off and do a parts swap though.
Fortress Maximus head mode.
Optional pieces are included, in case you want to recreate some of the more detailed animation models from the books or cartoons.
Likewise, the Master Sword can be plugged into the bottom of the head, to recreate Fortress Maximus’s “Head On!” moment.
Impressively, the figure even features LED gimmicks for the eyes.
The set requires an CR1220 button battery though, which I didn’t have on me at the time.
Lastly, an optional “open mouth” face plate is included.
Overall, a pretty good release. It’s got great heft and poseability and considering how plain the animation model looked, it’s amazing what Fans Toys was still able to accomplish here in terms of aesthetics. They even thought of putting in electronics into the figure, along with a display base for the Master Sword to boot! I truly wonder if Fans Toys was really serious about releasing a full body for Fortress Maximus at some point, considering the economic status of the world at the moment. Personally, I think I would actually be more excited if they released the other Autobot Headmasters to complete the line instead.
Gold
