I Want a Custom Turbo Man from Mega Man 7, But Which Transformer To Use?

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

(First, I asked, and was told this was probably the best place for this.)

Okay, so it's no small secret that I'm a Mega Man fan. And among the many Robot Masters featured throughout the series, my favorite is Turbo Man. No points for guessing why.

But if you're not familiar with Mega Man, then put simply: he's basically a Transformer.



Mega Man toys have come and gone, and there will be more to come, but I'm not especially hopeful of getting a Turbo Man figure, much less one that can actually transform.

So I'm looking at possibly commissioning one.

I've already got a rare official Turbo Man figure, a small little thing only articulated at the shoulders, but he's got the look covered. I want something that can capture his transformation:

I have found a somewhat common toy whose transformation is pretty much like what we see from Turbo Man. Several, in fact, after I picked up one particular version of Rescue Bots Academy Hot Shot:



Come to find out that all these guys basically share the same engineering, which has a nifty one-step transformation that mimics what Turbo Man does pretty well.

Also, I know a perfect 1:1 reproduction isn't likely happening, but I think I've found something pretty close. I'm willing to be a little flexible on this, though not so much that he looks completely different. Heck, maybe the Mega Man Gigamix version is more viable?



The thing is, I'm not sure which version of the mold to go with. I think the Morbot and Blurr are probably hard to find at a good price now, and I haven't seen Heatwave or Whirl around in a while, either.

That leaves Hot Shot and Chase as the most cost-effective options, and I'm thinking maybe Chase's form might do the best job? But I wanted to see what other people think.

Also, I've never commissioned anything like this before, and I'm curious what I should expect as far as price and what's expected of me (i.e. do I buy and ship the figure, or do they try to get it and that's added to the cost?)

And can anyone recommend a good customizer who might be up for turning one of these guys into a Turbo Man? (Bonus if they're Canadian -- no, not out of any sense of nationalism, just because international shipping is a &!%@#.

Also, if you think there's a Transformer who won't break the bank and is a better fit, I'd love to hear who fits the bill!

 

[Haywire]

If you want a little more poseability, what about Energon Prowl? Has a similar transformation, and lots of ways to adjust poses and tweak the transformation to fit the character.

EDIT: It looks like there's a few on ebay for relatively reasonable prices for custom fodder.

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Hm, maybe... can the shoulder tires go sideways? I regret to say I've never owned, nor even held one (except in box).

I think the feet would need to be changed, though.

 

[CoffeeHorse]

Due to the transformation it is possible to have the wheels go sideways, but that makes the shoulder articulation useless. But if you're already considering using a Rescue Bots toy that might not be an issue.

Oh, how about Cybertron Brakedown?

 

[Galvaplexia]

Huh, I thought you meant:

 

[Xero]

Looking at the art probably the question I would have is how you envision his legs working. In robot mode both legs have wheels on both sides, but the art shows them connecting as the front of the car. Also what size class do you want it to be?

Both versions aren't that complicated, but there are a few details to work out. Energon Prowl has the shoulder wheels if I'm remembering correctly. yeah looking at that it could be modified pretty easily slim down the front, new head, slight rework on the arms. Haywire called it out above actually...

 

[LBD "Nytetrayn"]

Due to the transformation it is possible to have the wheels go sideways, but that makes the shoulder articulation useless. But if you're already considering using a Rescue Bots toy that might not be an issue.

Oh, how about Cybertron Brakedown?

Hm... that's a tougher one to get. He's not priced too badly on eBay, but shipping, on the other hand...

And yeah, I'm not worried about articulation. The look and function are the key things, since he'd mainly be displayed and just here for my own general satisfaction, anyway.

Huh, I thought you meant:

Heh, I hear that a lot. Wasn't in Mega Man 7, though. ;P

Looking at the art probably the question I would have is how you envision his legs working. In robot mode both legs have wheels on both sides, but the art shows them connecting as the front of the car. Also what size class do you want it to be?

Both versions aren't that complicated, but there are a few details to work out. Energon Prowl has the shoulder wheels if I'm remembering correctly. yeah looking at that it could be modified pretty easily slim down the front, new head, slight rework on the arms. Haywire called it out above actually...

I'm not choosy about size class, as I'm not sure how much I can afford to be, you know? That said, I don't want a Titan-sized version or something (or do I...? ).

The Ariga version just has one wheel in the heel, and I could settle for just a flat deco to look like the wheel on the insides, if even that. He'd hardly be the first transforming robot to have fake parts. XD The outside wheels are a little more important, I'd say.

Shipping seems to be an issue for Prowl, too, though maybe there's a way around that. But other than that, the issue there would be the chest piece. Turbo Man's spoiler is more back-mounted, while Prowl's is on his chest. Would need to figure out the exhaust, too, and maybe do something about the feet? This is stuff I have no idea about what's viable or not, just that I've seen people do wondrous things in this hobby.

With the RBA molds I showed off, I figure that unless some sort of wizardry is performed to get the spoiler to go further back, at least the exhaust pipes could attach to the spoiler.