Year-End Blog: The Post-Foldabots Designs

Turning Points

Even as the series ended last August, the Agimat spirit of Foldabots is still alive in some people's creative hearts and minds, including myself. As we move on, it seems that only a few in the fanverse still makes Foldabots, and yes, I am now testing un-rendered patterns I've drafted in graph papers, to see which design is good enough to be serialized in the new Foldabots series. I have not talked to Jomike Tejido about reviving the toy line as an indie project rather than commissioning a publishing company in producing the toys on a regular basis.

The New Foldabots Project will be run independently by veteran fans who had made strong foundations to the toy line from start to end. I guess this idea of mine could be the key in reviving Foldabots, but God only knows when will this be a reality.

Now, about the thing about graph papers and test patterns...

The Power Is On Once Again

Lately, I've heard about the news of the new Power Rangers movie which will be on theaters March 2017. And with it, new suits, younger actors, and certainly a new Megazord.

And speaking of Megazord, while many dislike the design, some have favored it more than the one we got for Ninja Megazord back in 1995. I mean, granted the CGI was far too bad than what we see these days with a more realistic look and feel. And the hopes for the best to not suck more than the last one save for Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, which was a bit of a flop despite not seeing the movie myself.

The new Megazord is a bit less DaiZyuJin, and more bio-mechanical. I definitely liked the Deluxe Battle Zords more than the Interactive Megazord, in terms of play value, although the resulting toy will be two feet tall. And because of the idea, I've decided to make a paper version out of the gimmick, although the design at the point is not final and still needs more adjustments. Here's the sample...

As you can see, the idea is pretty simple, just like the upcoming toy, although I find the other parts to be... well, it is still a beta design, and I'll try to improve the design to still incorporate the interlocking parts which I really love over using paperclips in some designs.

Foldabots Re:Remix

I finally consider Foldabots Remix a cancelled prequel to MegaMix, despite the loss of most of my old files after my old computer died. But the Foldabots from the fan fiction are still fresh in my mind partly because of the tested toys I still have. The old designs has tons of flaws except for some functionalities regarding their own gimmicks.

The new patterns which I've designed long ago have retained their gimmicks but with changes resolving the issues of my previous designs.

The old designs can be seen here on this link: http://ejsotto.blogspot.com/2014/04/foldabots-remix.html

I didn't include Dobletron in my recent scans and prints (which I need to cut a lot of ink because it's just a test pattern, but I'll include them in the future.)

Ultimate Exceldrone - This had a lot of alterations from their old version including the scrapping of those annoying legs save for Excelver's, the weapons which I need to sacrifice and reduce the number of parts to a bare minimum of 11 parts. Ultimately, the new tack is much more simple than its original version and the combination

Sandigan - Alone, I find his proportions TOO WRONG, partly because of the separate vehicle modes being the same length and the render with the torso too long and the legs too short. The new version also fixes the flaw of the SUV design which I find it very terrible. The patterns for both parts were adjusted too, whereas the jet loses one piece to assemble due to integrating the tail to the main body, the SUV gains a piece due to lack of space on my graph paper. Just imagine if I did this on PowerPoint or Photoshop or any other program, I would merge the windshield and the rest of the roof part to make the canopy and axe it back to just 6 parts.

Barkotron - This, also suffered from the faulty design which is practically gives him very weak connections and the super gestalt with Sandigan is also terrible. The new style may have no paperclips used in holding the pieces together, but at least I've finally resolved the flaws from the old one. I just hope the design will make Armored Sandigan much better looking than ever.

Hakotar - This I believe has the least alterations made, which is to say the succeeding character to this one will have a lot. The only change to him is the addition of slits on his legs to replace paperclips again.

Piyesanator - In contrast to Hakotar's subtle changes, this one had a lot of alterations. First the body parts were totally altered from the crotch part being the Max form's helmet to being the chest plate and the wing parts have replaced the box part with just the connectors for Hakotar. Second, the arms can now be connected without the use of paperclips yet again. Finally, the legs were as stubby as heck, and the idea of making them fatter and inserting Hakotar's legs onto them rather than mounting them with yes, paperclips. Combined, I would say this will be better than the old, just like the other characters preceded. Unfortunately, the resulting design is a bit tricky until I found the perfect configuration for the partsformer--which is a simple jet.

Gubatron Scramble

Ah yes, going back to the earlier designs, and a rather legendary one--Gubatron.

Gubatron came to be around the latter half of 2008. Whereas the older designs were a bit like hand-drawn, Gubatron was the first to have the modern and edgy design of Foldabots that would indelibly stay with the series until the end. Gubatron was also the first combiner to have five full members than the earlier four-part gestalt like Higantechron, or with one unit to have two Foldabots in it like in Elementron and Aquatikron. There was even a bonus of getting Lu-Sho, the original main antagonist of the comic series that began earlier that same year.

In order to complete Gubatron back then, you would need 6 K-Zone issues from June to November 2008, which will include Lu-Sho alongside. The original design was actually different from the later and more familiar version where the two birds are the arms. Kuwago in the original release was a leg than an arm.

It had been a long time before I went back to that Gubatron concept I made three years ago, and I almost forgotten how I did it in the first place. But the only charm this version has over the official version is the extended gimmick spearheaded by the idea of Kagat and Kuwago switching places, where Ramo and Kalaw joins in the fun.

I've already said about this matter before about Scramble System which I used them in other personal designs, including this rendition. But of course, I'm still thinking of a way to perfect the configurations of Gubatron, such as changing the orientation of how Kuwago and Kalaw are formed as legs, despite I've added Ramo an arm connector like the other three.

Super Sentai Inspired Designs

Recently, I've went back to doing simple Foldabots concepts based on Super Sentai robots from the earlier years. I know I've made some before but they had some imperfections which I never bothered altering at this point.

Let's start on the first one, Bio Robo. I haven't come up with a name to distinguish this and the actual Sentai robot... Ah... Electron King.

Electron King

Made up of just two jets: Player 1 Jet and Player 2 Jet, which is a bit like a 2-player vertical shooting game. The idea of this is just like Sandigan where one forms the top half, and another forms the bottom half. The way I did the interlocking mechanism is a bit OK, despite I've given it some good ideas on how to make a less-kibble design like folding Player 1 Jet's nose part to form a nice backpack, and inserting the tab of Player 2 Jet onto it.

Our next gestalt is I call Highway Titan...

Highway Titan

It's basically five land vehicles: sports car Speeder-R, truck cab Greater-K, mini jeep Wilder-B, dune buggy Sandster-Y, and wagon van Spacer-P. The formation's a bit like Turbo Robo's but the charm point of it is the neat asymmetrical slits where the legs connect, partly to fit the connectors I added instead of using paperclips. I resisted from doing thick boxy arms in some of these designs including the aforementioned Ultimate Exceldrone, partly to save in canvas space and to cut building time a bit.

I also have other designs which I'll cover in this blog, like this next one--the aptly named Earth Triathlete.

Earth Triathlete

I may have tried this design before, but that was the time I'm still using paperclips in making the designs. Now that I've went using my own developed technology, I've also simplified the once complex design into a more convenient version. Hop Hauler, Step Panzer, and Jump Flyer are the components named after the triple jump.

Next is Hyper Kaiser...

Hyper Kaiser

This among the Sentai-based designs is the most versatile, and the most exciting of the lot. This is composed of Carry-Base, Main-Roader, and Brain-Winger. The latter two aforementioned mecha can be placed on top of the other one for transportation purposes. Combined, the resulting gestalt has a tubular head, which is uncommon with Foldabot gestalts, and yes, this is the first one to have this type of design.

Conclusion

As 2016 draws to a close and the new year ushers in, we look back at the sweet success and bitter end of the Foldabots toy line which revolutionized an entire era with a sensible and rather affordable yet collectible toys. 10 years, 124 K-Zone issues, 138+ characters, 8 Toy Books, 22 gestalts, and thousands of fans. How much more if Foldabots were never cancelled and if the new editors didn't bother, we could probably know what happened next in the comics like what happened before with Combatron when it was abruptly cancelled, we would've got Toy Book 9 and more Foldabots up to now and beyond. But let's face it, most of us fans are growing old and some of us have already retired from this fan club, and I'm probably not one of them... at least not now. I still have a lot of designs to share, but I'll carry them over to 2017. And until then, Happy New Year and we'll be catching you guys next time on The Foldabots Archives.

Foldabot Habol and Vivid Robo Reviews

I never made so much new designs before I printed them for testing, which resulted in just 4 out of the supposed to be 12 pattern cards. But out of the 4, was perhaps the most perfected designs I've made since Foldabots Mini, and on this edition, I'll be reviewing them.

Foldabot Habol

Pattern can be found here: http://ejsotto.blogspot.com/2016/05/foldabots10-folda-fan-spotlight-charles.html

He was designed to be like Sagip, with practically almost the same parts, save for the unique parts like the bumper, and the visor. The print was a little flawed with the fonts wrong but at least he still ended up as good as it's supposed to be.

Seizure Warning!

Habol in Foldabot mode; One of the most stable designs.

Stability wise, he's practically very stable unlike some other designs, and the proportion is way much better than of Sagip. I think above all, he goes great with Electricus once we get Tagas ourselves next month after coming to the event.

Vivid Robo

This is practically a quadruple crossover since the gestalt is based on a relatively obscure anime back in 2012. The other references were practically Voltron, due to the fact the resulting combiner has colored limbs corresponding to the Legendary Defender. I might do the girl with the black scarf (No, not Hoodie since he's a guy) as a stand-alone combiner set where she forms the torso of her super mode, and her weapons become the limbs, and from there, the Voltron reference will become more true. Another is Kamen Rider Wizard, also from 2012, which has four basic styles and dragon styles that came after. No wonder I found a picture of Vivid Red All Dragon Style somewhere in DA which does make sense why both Kamen Rider Wizard and VividRed Operation are almost one and the same if let alone the four colors in common. The combined form of Vivid Robo has a visor reminiscent of Wizard's Infinity Style, by the way. And the last thing is it's basically a Foldabots X-over, which you might have forgotten now is a mix of various movie or TV series and top it off the Foldabots System.

The individual units from pattern cards 1 and 2 are virtually the same patterns on all four of them, albeit with different designs that represent the main characters of the anime. The third card however is their weapons, which is of course almost the same as the show's, except it forms the main torso of the gestalt, which is the crowning feature of this set. Also, Make sure you fine tune the connections by cutting the tabs a bit save the nose parts, so that they can fit inside the sleeves perfectly. Don't cut them too much otherwise it will not be useful especially when combining to Vivid Robo.

The following pictures are the patterns, if you want to try them yourself. After these are the snapshots of the actual toys, and note these also have print defects.

Their individual vehicle modes are of course the same and the numbers on top of them correspond to the characters they're based from.

Identical Quadruplets

They also have a gimmick of combining into a train-like vehicle by inserting the nose parts onto the sleeves.

Parallel Docking!

In robot mode, the character designs may look vaguely to the characters themselves, but at least they have visors that also refers to Wizard's four styles.

HI-SUI-FUU-DO!

Next, we move on to their weapons, which is of course based on the show as well. On its own they can be used as weapons to the robots, or you can combine them to form a jet.

Well, almost show-accurate, but it has a hidden purpose.

Part 1: Red and Blue

Part 2: Green and Yellow

Here's how you'll do it: Open Blue Weapon's tab and insert Yellow Weapon with tab facing out, in order to place Red Weapon forming the nose part. Then open Green Weapon's tab insert it on Blue Weapon's rear sleeve, while the Wings are attached on the front sleeve.

You'll end up with something that looks like this...

Support Jet Vivid Armory

Another thing about the weapons is that they can combine with their respective units, as seen below.

Battle Modes Part 1

Battle Modes Part 2

Battle Modes Part 3

And now, combining the whole thing...

First things first, we should change these units to their limb forms and in this case, VM-01 and VM-03 are the arms, and VM-02 and VM-04 are the legs. It's up to you where you can place these girls, after all, they also have the Scramble System included. In fact, there are 24 possible configurations you can do with this gestalt.

Repeat, none of them forms the torso. Just the limbs.

Next is the Blue and Yellow Weapons, which where the interlocking magic comes in, followed by the Green Weapon and the two legs. This is perhaps tricky because of how to attach them by inserting the arms to the notched tabs. Surprisingly enough, the assembly feels very reinforced and solid like most official Foldabot combiners. Next, we connect the two parts together and frankly it's tricky again because we need a bit of clearance, just enough to insert the waist piece properly. Then we lock the assembly into place by inserting the small green tabs onto the slits, so it becomes more sturdy. Finally, the easy parts--Connecting the arms, wings and the Red Weapon forming the head. The next picture is my rough attempt in a stop motion animation, which I thank my new tripod (first used in my Aninotron review) and a white backdrop from an A3 sized card paper.

Grand Docking! Complete, Vivid Robo! Vivid Formation Finish!

Combined, it easily comes to conclusion that this is a bit like the Dynamo from the Original Powerpuff Girls (not the new one which is terrible) in terms of the head and its overall look--a homogenized character. And like I said, this has some Voltron vibe to it, but only subtle since I haven't started working on the extra unit based on Kuroki Rei which becomes its own gestalt and yet can swap parts with this one to make a more Voltron-ish gestalt.

Conclusion

Before I finish this blog, here's a stop motion I put together for Habol's transformation process. Recalling I've already done two, this one's my third attempt.

FOLD OUT!!!

With a lot of us disappointed after K-Zone abruptly cancelled Foldabots, news of moving to new publishers is still undetermined. I myself haven't got the schedule for the completion event in favor of doing the Electricus review myself. However, on the bright side, the spirit of Foldabots hasn't died in some of us, even though I myself is busy working on an animation project on the other fandom.

One of my new sights was the attempt of making Liokaiser from Transformers Victory (I do have Landcross, but not Landcross-y, but I promise I'll work on a pattern set for it.) by starting with Leozack. I'm seeing a potential that he'll add Jaruguar, Killbison, Hellbat, Gaihawk, and Drillhorn later on, to complete the gestalt. Well, it's complicated at this point, but expect some reviews of older Foldabots which was first debuted in 2006, and revised on Toy Books 1 and 5. And until then, we'll be catching you guys again next time on The Foldabots Archives.

Welcome to the New Era

With Foldabots already dead thanks largely to the new editors of K-Zone PH, the toy line is now hoping for a new home (Though the replacement K-Zone Paper Pops, was just plain sucks unless you're rather interested in the new toy line). And as for the comics, there could be hopes that the series will continue online. As for me, I've re-branded The Foldabots Blog as The Foldabots Archives, assuming you've been paying attention to my announcements of a name change.

Regarding the Topic of Foldabots' Cancellation

Recalling the cancellation of Pugad Baboy by Pol Medina Jr. (i.e.: PMJR), this gave Inquirer readers, most likely PB fans, were disappointed of the notion that the 25-year old comic at that time ended. On the good side, Pugad Baboy continued online, on Facebook. Syndicated releases of the comics are still published by themselves rather than hiring some other publications even after PDI ditched them.

Foldabots from the very start have been published by Summit Media via K-Zone Philippines, and now that the series is dead, where will they continue? Where will they start over again? Are they moving to Precious Pages? The one who published Jomike's adult coloring book Sanctuaries? Other rumors include Viva, but that will be a possibly terrible decision for Tejido, and yet no news about the big move at this point, maybe after I interview Sir Jomike on the Electricus Completion Event, which will be in October... If I'll make it there. There are other publishers which he is on, but only in the cases of children's books. I don't think that will work if he bring his toy line there.

There's Hope to Completionists

I've talked to Charles David Pereja (charlesdavid08 on DeviantArt) about the news shortly after I've posted my last blog, on the very time I've asked about Electricus being abruptly cancelled, he then replied this good news, since I've been planning to interview Jomike Tejido on that very event. And he quote follows with the message from Jomike himself:

tatlo lang yung electricus
ipapamigay daw niya yung isa 

As the abrupt end to the series won’t let us finish the Foldabot combiner, ELECTRICUS, I am giving away a FREE COMPLETION TOYCARD on October 2016 to my collectors in order to finish the ongoing team, ELECTROBOTS.
IMPORTANT:
THE REQUIREMENT for getting the TOYCARD is to bring at least 4 FOLDABOTS TOY BOOKS, cut or uncut 
This is a self-produced promo, so I’ll only have a limited number of copies as a Thank you to my loyal collectors.
Final DATE and LOCATION to be announced here in this page, Jomike Tejido's Foldabots soon.
Thank you to all my collectors from kids to teens who grew up with my series for the past decade.
Meantime, keep on creating and stay awesome!

-Kuya Jomike Tejido

Which means to those who are outside Facebook like me won't be informed real soon, unless Jomike posts this on his Google+ which ironically he seldom checks it, or Charles will inform me on DeviantArt, where we get to communicate on occasion.

My Hiatus...

I've been on hiatus at this point, due to the fact I'm working on something outside the defunct Foldabots fandom. But there are already patterns which I've already printed, but not tested. One of such is Habol, the rural jeepney-like mini-bus, while the rest is a crossover design. The one good thing about my other design, is the gimmick of Scramble System, where you can put any of the four units as any limb you desire, and the torso is made up of weapons and accessories which are useful in both robot and vehicle modes, unlike others you could name. And also the head is rather useful than being a combiner piece that does virtually nothing, which I've been sporting on some of my designs.

Shortly before I post this up, I've received an anonymous comment that he needs one of the Aninobots. I've posted some official patterns here, but it's rather risky, since it's also the titchy reason for Foldabots' death. I've also planned to add watermarks on my later scans just for protection against theft.

Every Other Fans' Disadvantage--Geography and Personal Lives

With only one month to spare before the event, a lot of fans who are itching for completion already has disadvantages thank largely to locations. While the past Toy Book and Chronicles launches were held in the Metro Manila area, most likely in Makati, fans living in the provinces especially those who live in North and some parts of South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao seemed to have disadvantages, due to the fact Foldabots could and will always not have a nationwide event, just to reach out to every other fans. It also depends on each and every one of us whether we'll make it to the final event or not, that's partly because of other prior personal stuff that comes to mind, like say family get-togethers, outings, or just plain lazy. Yet another reason why not all of us could attend. In contrast, my only event I appeared to the few fans was back in 2013, when Toy Book 6 came out, while not having to appear on every other launches before partly because none of us knew the venue, and after partly because I'm already too old to be there. And that leads to the question...

Why Can't We Aim Foldabots To The Adult Demographic?

For start, Foldabots was published on a children's magazine. Not a good reason for the toy line to be pitched to grown-ups unless you're interested in the matter. For second, only a few Folda-Fans are already adults, so majority wins by default for being kid-oriented. For third, since 2012, Foldabots have been receiving arts from mostly under-10's. There was a time when they've held an art contest to fill in for the 2013 lineup after Magmatron, which led to 6 new Foldabots, with two each as winners in the different age limit categories. After that, we also got 4 more from the 2013 Summer Komikon, and a random lucky pick to fill in January of the following year. For fourth, it's story is light-hearted and not dark and violent which is good for the adults. And finally, very lame names if you're an adult like yours truly. No offense but I guess it's also depends on the tastes of every fan.

Conclusion

Since the blog is now called The Foldabots Archives, I'll be focusing on mostly older stuff which I have in my collection at this point, though I have five characters missing, which were the Magmabot Apoy, and the 2013 Foldabots Bughaw, Harurot, Machete, and Pag-Asa. And of course there is the new test patterns which include a crossover and Habol, the rural bus. And due to other prior stuff in line, I might not post at least twice monthly. And we'll be catching you guys again next time on The Foldabots Archives.

#foldabots10: My Top 10's Part 3 / The End of Foldabots

#TheLastFoldabotsBlog

The Sad News First...

I've save the best for last and perhaps the last indeed. This is sadly the last edition of the Foldabots Blog. Why you asked me? My old friend John Dave Salazar commented me on my last blog and he quote:

"Hi, this is John Dave Salazar, better known as "Hooded Cloak" on the internet. I have worked under Jomike Tejido for the last two Foldabot Summer Workshops and I regret to say that the August 2016 issue of K-Zone Philippines will be the last issue for the Foldabots toys and comics.
This is due to an executive decision made by the new editors of K-Zone Philippines.
Coupled with this decision is the cancellation of all future Foldabots Toy Book and Foldabots Chronicle releases along with future Toy Book events. I just thought I should inform you to spare you from the humiliation of having non-credible blog post."

Though the story line and toy line hasn't reached victory lap, it is understood that Foldabots is done. Which means a massive plot hole left behind in the comic series, and Electricus incomplete. Shouldn't they release Tagas and Electricus' last parts on the next two months and have done with it? Just to show that it is finally done? And due to the nature of cancellation, Toy Book 9 is confirmed cancelled alongside the syndicated Chronicles release of the comics. I know I've been doing this blog for 4 years now, and I guess it's my time to perhaps retire from this and move on. And like Hoodie said it's the new editors at K-Zone who's to blame for killing off Foldabots. We the fans, don't have the power to stop them and it's their choice to end this once and for all. But what if we had the power to tell those editors to finish the toy line (save the comics, since it would be better to continue online) by October, so that we could complete Electricus and end the toy line peacefully with respect and no complains from the Folda-Fans. I also assume by now, that a lot of fans on Facebook are throwing a massive tantrum in the group by now, since there will be no more Foldabots next month.

There may be signs that Foldabots will move on to online and carry over what Jomike Tejido had left after this event. However since KZPH is phasing Foldabots out, there is little hope that we could still get the last half of Electricus--The Last Foldabot Gestalt ever. And maybe just maybe, Foldabots will fold out into their own magazine and start anew.

I myself had been a Foldabots fan since 2008 and became a fully-pledged fan a year later when the Foldabots Mini promo came in, and eventually started collecting in series from 2010. I also specialize in making self-made designs over the course of 8 years as a fan, most of which were made on a rather out-of-date version of PowerPoint. Though all of my designs were never published to the magazines, I still have a big role in the fandom as your resident blogger. I also made one of the most infamous fan fictions about Foldabots called Foldabots MegaMix which featured a lot of original characters in the story, and practically retelling the early parts of the main comics' continuity with added back stories.


Top 10 Combiners

And before we finally 'end' TFBB, I'll be sharing to you all, my Top 10 Combiners. Actually, this is going to be two Top 5's each for both Foldabots and Lutabots, just to be fair to everyone.

#10 - Bakunawa Dragon - Ah yes, speaking of MegaMix, I've favored this concept very much. Though I don't know which Transformer he resembles, until recently I found out that he's inspired from Sky Lynx, he's still one of my favorites. In Foldabots MegaMix, Bakunawa's just one part of a super combiner of 12 wristwatch Foldabots, and that's where I got the idea of making a massive humanoid from a dozen.

#9 - Aninotron - Being second to the last, he's practically one of the best designs apart from using a raft of vehicles again to make up a full combiner. Apart from that he's practically the last full combiner so far. I've also made a proper review on this blog a while back, so I urger you to check it out. Though Aninotron had some pros, he also had cons as well. One of its cons is the raft of accessories he had, especially Kadena who happens to have the most.

#8 - Mikrokosmos - This tiny titan is practically one of my favorites in terms of design. Both versions are well made though it would take ages to build all of them especially Higadrone who simply has a lot of spikes to glue. Mikrokosmos was one of my first official Foldabot combiner to complete, thanks largely to buying a lot of back issues at the time when I was striving to find the issues so I could complete a set back then.

#7 - Pestetron - Remember the time I gave voice to these guys in Foldabots: Tribe Wars? Well there are reasons why I chose him. For start, he's influenced by Super Sentai, thanks largely to its color schemes. For second, he's rather easier to build the five than Mikrokosmos. For third, me and Jodasalz decided to do season 2 as a retell of the tournament battle between the Mikrobots and the Pestebots. And finally, he's as balanced in design as Toy Book Mikrokosmos.

#6 - Higantechron - The very first combiner, and yet the original design was more dynamic than the TB2 version. I do like the other version as well though it's more detailed than the other and Kapre's turret can be detached for a weapon, but it lacks a a few stuff that the original had like PUNSO can be attached along with Nuno to form the right leg.

#5 - Sporticus - Having to be designed from Menasor, this Lutabot turned Folabot is unique when it comes to design. The four supercars are based on real models, even though they're not that precise. Buhatron, the car carrier truck is nothing without his minions, especially his robot mode is completely exposed from the top. Combined, he may not have a proper distinct head for the form, but it's still very unique among all 22 gestalts in the series.

#4 - Likastron - Created by Lester Bernaldez, this yet another unique gestalt takes the idea of a two part torso and one unit to form both arms. When assembled, it has some downsides like the bearcat and pangolin heads wanting to point up, that's because it doesn't have weight like Naranja and Leonator of the Zoobots. The torso is one of the most distinct designs, despite it also has cons of falling apart if not handled properly. And the head's basically like Komyutatron by not being a sleeve and inserted into one of the members' head.

#3 - Elementron - Who could ever hate the then most popular combiner in the series? Elementron is rather great in design, whether it's the original version or the Toy Book 1 version. But little of the fans know that he also came out on the relatively obscure Metallic Blind Box collection. He may have tons of pros like the overall design, but he suffers in design flaws too. For example, Alon and Agos forms the legs in what I believe would be the most awkward formation, thus exposing their heads even in gestalt form. With just a simple modification, you can now make the two heads hide in combined mode. Also, you could give him a rather stabilized configuration by tucking the thumbs inside the legs while making sure you have even-length arms.

#2 - Kontrolion - This Lutabot dragon is one of my true favorites. Not only he has the best stability in gestalt form, but also has a secret gimmick that can combine with Komyutatron to form Komyutatrolion. Another great thing about Kontrolion, is that the torso is made up of a female member of the Supremobots--Amihanator, one of the biggest in terms of wingspan.

Honorable Mentions:

Saurotron - I love the way they got up with the idea of dinosaurs for a gestalt, especially with the unifying color scheme like what we got with the G1 Dinobots. He gets the best height when he gets heels from Sugod and Tusok's front legs.

Yelotron - Based solely to the Saurobots, the series' very first Lutabot combiner, is perhaps a little smaller than their rival, but the stability is excellent from factory floor level.

Zootron - When built wrong, he's very terrible. When built right, he becomes more intimidating. I've also talked about it on this blog last year, which I also pointed out some guides to make him less awkward-looking.

Magmatron - With Toy Book 9 already cancelled, there's little hope for me to get the last piece of the Magmabots--Apoy. Though he suffers from major stability problems, he seems to be fine not to mention being one of the few published works of Malvin Roix Orense.

#1 - Komyutatron - There's no much argue about this guy, he's probably the best combiner in aesthetic and design terms. He's got the best stability, the best arm connectivity, and practically the tallest gestalt in the whole series. He gets even more taller when combined with Kontrolion. Beat that, Foldabots. No one can win against this colossus.

Last few messages before I end...

With so much creativity in most Folda-Fans these days, I guess it's not the end of the line for this 100% Filipino toy line. And like I said, there are signs that Foldabots will still continue on, even though the people at K-Zone Philippines decided to 'abruptly' end the series. The comics could soon be seen monthly online rather than on print, starting next month. And what about Electricus? They said they're not going to continue that anymore, but there might be some rumors that KZPH will still release the last two parts, even though they've already ended it in August, as some sort of victory lap.

And maybe just maybe, we'll be getting them on a different magazine starting next month if Jomike Tejido gets accepted by the new guys to carry on Foldabots. One of the possible new owners of the toy line would be the same guys who published Sanctuaries, if they accepted the deal of moving out of K-Zone and into Foldabots' new home.

As for yours truly, I might re-brand the blog whether we'll get confirmations of Foldabots' new home or not, as The Foldabots Archive or The New Foldabots Blog. But I will still make more new designs if I feel like making one and keep this fire burning in the near future, besides having to come up with new ideas that can make the toy line even more interesting.

And on behalf of all the fans of Jomike Tejido's Foldabots who had been supporting the toy line over for the past 10 years, young and old, veteran and rookie, THIS HAS BEEN THE FOLDABOTS BLOG, THE PREMIER JOURNAL OF JOMIKE TEJIDO'S FOLDABOTS, IS NOW SIGNING OFF FOR ONE LAST TIME.

GOODBYE AND THANK YOU FOR READING US OVER THE PAST 4 YEARS...

#foldabots10: My Top 10's Part 2

#foldabots #foldabots10 #TheFoldabotsBlog

Before we move on to looking at my top 10 Lutabots, I'll just mention something about the spoiler warning to those who are getting Electricus. While Sigg-Nal is the leader and central unit of the gestalt, the other members are Buhos, seen on this month, and Tagas which will be on September. Which leaves us with the remainder parts for October before Toy Book 9 launches the following month. (Not to mention they finally got some Overwatch stuff as I expected to be in the August issue, and I urge you to find it after to reach the Foldabots page.)

Something I've finally tested out...

Lately, while I've been busy in the other fanverses, I've also sneaked in making a prototype for my new experimental design which is based on the Transformers Headmasters. I've also given names, if you read my earlier blogs. I've tested the jet pattern since he's the easiest among the four I've made, but sadly no images for now. But I might make a short video of how he transforms and how versatile this design is.

My idea for the Foldabot Headmaster or Ulobot (based from the Filipino word 'ulo' which means 'head') is the Agimat or Lutant is located on the small unit's chest, though he himself contains the logical circuits. And when he transforms into the head, he channels his Agimat/Lutant powers to the lifeless vehicle or animal which serves as his body. The bodies in the other hand serves a major purpose though it doesn't have the same abilities as with normal Foldabots or Lutabots.

The prototype toy I made has a cockpit gimmick inspired from the one we got with Anino and Dilim. I took a step further in the gimmick and made four different ways to place the Pilotocons (the small units that forms as the heads of their respective giant selves), and one of it comes with the jet I made.

While the body is the jet, the head becomes the pilot. How? I've placed the head design on the back of the Pilotocon, and when it forms the head, the extra tab on the Pilotocon's head serves as a support so that the connection is good, while the arms can be stowed inside, since I've added some slits to place the arms with ease. Frankly, the one mistake I did in the prototype is I glued the supposed to be tab that can be inserted on the sleeve so that the arms can be folded out easily. But still, the design is still good, and the arms tuck very snug in place.

Now for my Top 10 Lutabots

Though we rarely have individual Lutabot at this point, we might get some more in the future...

#10 - Sigwa - Why putting him last? He was one of the first and probably the weakest Lutabot design I've ever seen. Much worse if you follow the instructions and end up with his jet nose almost impossible to manage to tuck inside. Another downside is he's just one of the four characters who are in Toy Book 2 who are exclusively in metallic print.

#9 - Delubyo - Same as Sigwa, he was also metallic. But the good thing about him, is he's rather more stable in Lutabot mode. One pain in the butt for me is when his wings curl overtime, but frankly I've curled it the other way just to prevent it from curling. Ultimately, his old style fighter jet mode is quite interesting.

#8 - Pison - Finally detached from the metallic problem from the last Toy Book, this TB3 exclusive has a lot of downsides in terms of his design. The steamroller idea was nice, but the toy itself has some flaws unless you fix him with some extra supports to hold the drum part.

#7 - Trosotron - Having a simplified truck cab was one of the breakthroughs Trosotron had. But his platform almost does nothing but carry Lincoln Logs or logs from Trosonator, unless you prefer him to carry a small Lutabot on top of him.

#6 - Kongkretron - Another one of the Toy Book 3 exclusives, Kongkretron has a lot of upsides over Pison. For start, the mixer barrel becomes his arm. For second, his cement mixer mode is well designed. And finally, he's stable even in Lutabot mode.

#5 - Basag (Bisig) - We've ran out of individual Lutabots already and if I don't include him, we would end up with a Top 9 rather than a Top 10. Basag's possible alteration will include only one barrel rather than Bisig's two, and the Lutant overlaying the Agimat he has on his chest. How we would hope that he would be in TB9 with Magmatron and others.

#4 - Sulatron - He's practically the first of the more versatile Foldabot designs, since he shares the same design as Guhitron. Transforms into a life-size pen, is a big idea, but without the pen, he would end up as a straw (not suitable for drinking) or a small tube.

#3 - Tambak - This garbage truck is simply the first Lutabot with a proper gimmick, regarding his design. One thing I also like about him is he looks like Guts Man from MegaMan. And he's more stable than anyone else.

#2 - Xi-Takk - A runner-up just like Patrol, I definitely favor his design as much as Patrol. Having to give him a Taxi sign instead of a flasher bar is just one of his pros. However, the one thing that separates him from Patrol, is he has a Maximum Lutant scimitar to give him the edge. And that's the same blade that caused Bisig to change sides.

#1 - Rangkada - He's practically the simplified and Lutabot version of Pasada. And the simplicity is what makes him stand out. The con on him is the size comparison with Pasada, though he has a more easier design. My custom version of him has the horn ornament on top of the visor rather than the suggested place on the hood.

I've posted this blog a little too early in contrast of my last blog being terribly late. But still, I'll be posting another one in the middle of the month, to finally wrap up my Top 10's with a Top 10 combiners. This list will be a mix, so don't bother about me making two separate lists for both Foldabots and Lutabots. And until then, this has been The Foldabots Blog, we'll see you next time.

#foldabots10: My Top 10's Part 1

#foldabots #foldabots10 #TheFoldabotsBlog

As we move on the latter half of 2016, we finally got ourselves a new champion to light our way--Electricus. Our new set for July to December 2016 is the mighty Kuryentebots, and our first member is the head honcho Sigg-Nal, the RADAR track vehicle. In my opinion, he vaguely looks like Optimus Prime partly because of the face mask, and the color scheme I presume will bear a mix of light blue and yellow. I will be doing the full review on Sigg-Nal and the rest of the team by December, once the set is complete, alongside Toy Book 9 since I missed a lot of characters from Magmatron to before Asero.

A little update on Aninotron

Yesterday, I found out when doing the configuration as directed for Karo, this idea of using paperclips to hold the front part together, giving him a more stabilized look in his hearse mode.

And now on to our topic of the month...

If you ask me what's my favorite Foldabot, Lutabot, or gestalt in particular, then here's my Top 10 lists.

I will not include OCs since I'll be focusing on the canon Foldabots and Lutabots only. First, let's look at individual Foldabots, then Lutabots, then finally to the combiners.

#10 - Sagip - A big transition from his mini root, this mad doctor is rather impressive with or without the extra parts from Toy Book 5. The way he was designed may be simple but it has some sturdiness over some other characters I came across to.


#9 - Landas - He is the only triple changer Foldabot to date. Even though his design is a bit weak, it's at least he doesn't bear the box frame construction as with most Foldabots up to this day, that's partly he has a more aero-dynamic construction to it.

#8 - Lakbay - I just love exploring new designs, and as for this old timer, he's based on a vintage car. What's also great about him is the idea of storing his legs as a separate component which makes storing the part in car mode more interesting.

#7 - Siklo - It took a hashtag campaign for him to be released in Toy Book 7, and it worked. Scale wise, he is smaller than other bike characters especially the recently released Kadena. But the idea of the sidecar as a platform is a big step up from its original version, that's because the design is now made up of a loop with a few folding parts.

#6 - Elisiyo - It's a first we got an air Foldabot that isn't a helicopter in the main canon save for the minis. And the nice thing about him is the way they did the wings well done. His main body size is on a par with Talas of the Likasbots, though she's the biggest among the five if toy size wise.

#5 - Metrotren - Whether you complete him via the obscure metallic collection if you want to get Astig, Patrol, and the like, or getting him on Toy Book 1, Met is rather the tallest individual Foldabot, and I think he's almost the weakest if you don't pose him well. But still, I like him for being one of the coolest Foldabot of all time.

#4 - Karera - When it comes to uniqueness, there's just nothing like Karera. There is no F1 car Lutabot made, but someday we will... probably 2017. The best thing about Karera's design is that he's an all-in-one package. He was probably the most dynamic of the designs next to Kislap.

#3 - Pag-Asa - I may not own him yet, but his design is probably the best and the most complex since the Sporticons. Pag-Asa's jeep mode is nothing quite like it, this side of the Undertale fandom.

#2 - Patrol - I definitely dig this guy because of his rather basic design, though his initial version is kinda weird partly due to his head glued on behind the grills. Also his MP version is probably the best design I've ever seen after the last two having a lot of flaws.

#1 - Sundo - His combination of complexity and simplicity makes Sundo my top Foldabot. That's partly because of his excellent stability and design that stands out from all the Foldabots in (and out of) the list. He may be based on the L300 FB, but it's very Filipino since it only exists here in the Philippines.

Apologies for posting this very late than the usual, But I'll continue the rest of the countdown somewhere mid-August just to fill in the other Top 10's in my list. Until then, this has been The Foldabots Blog, we'll see you next time!

#foldabots10: Aninotron Full Review

#foldabots #foldabots10 #TheFoldabotsBlog #Aninotron

Usually I've been doing reviews with the photos separate from the review itself, but this time, I will be including photos on this review, and probably by December with our next set of Foldabots (I assume there won't be anymore of them, until I got the July issue lately which I'll reveal in a few weeks.) especially the good guys are lacking new gestalts at this point.

On this review, we'll be taking a close look on #Aninotron in full.

Introduction

As we close the former half of this year, we look back at Nu-Sho's new titan and its individual components. This gestalt in particular has a bit of Elementron vibe in it, and it's the first time we get something new for this set like convertibles, a patrol bike, a hearse, and a private helicopter.

As an addition, I will be writing their bios, features, and specs to make the review more informative.

ANINO

[INT: 4 / 5] [END: 3 / 5] [STR: 4 / 5] [SPD: 4 / 5] [SSK: 3 / 5]

"Anino is an ambitious Lutabot who claims he's stronger than Nu-Sho. Together with the Aninobots, he wreaks havoc on the planet by using photon absorbents to suck in light leaving a place in total darkness. He forms the left arm right leg of the gigantic combiner Aninotron."

Anino's vehicle mode is a convertible

Anino's robot mode with his dagger

Released in January, this is the first of the series created by Ian Maypa. I definitely love the way they got up with a cockpit details for the first time since convertibles like this one doesn't need to be just a flat design like I did once with an experimental figure. My first impression when this guy was released, is the possible color scheme of the gestalt would be all blue like Nu-Sho, but we'll get to that later in the review.

Anino is equipped with a dagger made of condensed toxic particles, apart from the usual Lutant life source. As a convertible, Anino has photon collectors on its headlights, as a bonus, he gets a protective cape which also acts as his invisibility cloak for stealthy back stabs.

SIN-DAKK

[INT: 2 / 5] [END: 3 / 5] [STR: 4 / 5] [SPD: 4 / 5] [SSK: 3 / 5]

"Sin-Dakk is an Aninobot whose bad temper is as despicable as the stench of the toxic gas that he emits. He is all brawn and no brains. His stealthy and powerful air attacks make him one of the toughest Lutabots to beat. Sin-Dakk forms Aninotron's right arm."

Sin-Dakk's vehicle mode is a deadly private helicopter

Sin-Dakk's robot mode, with shuriken in hand.

Released in February, the second member of the team was made by Eduard Vergara. This isn't the first time we had an aircraft-based Lutabot. Sigwa, Delubyo, Amihanator, you name it. But the good thing about Sin-Dakk is that he's the first helicopter Lutabot. My first impression on this guy, is he's something of a ninja which is nice.

Sin-Dakk can use his tail propellers as a lethal boomerang or rather a deadly shuriken, while he can emit toxic fumes from his claws. As a helicopter, Sin-Dakk has rotor blades with probably diamond tips in it so he can cut through metal like a hot knife through butter. He can also hide in the shadows like Anino, and he can turn ordinary air pollutants to poison gas.

DILIM

[INT: 3 / 5] [END: 3 / 5] [STR: 3 / 5] [SPD: 4 / 5] [SSK: 2 / 5]

"Like a shadow, Dilim is a developed follower of Aninobot. This extremely loyal and protective 'bot is silent but deadly and willing to sacrifice his toxic life energy for the greater cause of the Aninobots. Dilim does not care about personal glory and fame; he is contented to being just a useful ally in order for his team to win a battle. He forms the right arm left leg of Aninotron."

Dilim's vehicle mode is the same as Anino's, except he has a roof on.

Dilim's robot mode

Released in March, comes the third piece of the gestalt created by John Louise Capillo. My first impression on this guy was when this was released, I had no idea why would we have two right arms in the first place, which is odd. This guy doesn't have much accessories than a detachable canopy part. And if you've been paying attention, Aninotron has an Elementron feel to it, and probably Dilim and Anino is the equivalent of Alon and Agos.

Dilim is equipped with the said roof part which also acts as his shield, and he can make toxic blasts by grabbing air pollution with his bare hands. As another converter car, he almost has the same features as Anino's such as light-stealing photon collectors, and he can also go into tight spots. Dilim Gets You Going!

KADENA

[INT: 4 / 5] [END: 2 / 5] [STR: 3 / 5] [SPD: 5 / 5] [SSK: 4 / 5]

"Kadena is and iron-fisted law enforcer who punishes anyone who stands in his way of the Aninobots. He has a hi-tech tracking device that helps him hunt down their enemies. Kadena is such a skilled tracker, the Foldabots are extra cautious whenever he's on patrol. Kadena forms Aninotron's left arm."

Kadena's vehicle mode is an HTP patrol motorcycle

Kadena's robot mode sans the heft load of accessories which he'll need later on

Released in April, this tenacious fourth part of Aninotron is made by Nicolo Morales. My first impression when I saw this guy is the possible incompatibility to the gestalt, which I've thought whether he's connected one way or the other. This guy I suppose will have a lot of stuff even though we didn't get them on the issue where he came from.

Kadena is the most versatile of the team, partly because he can make a chain mace using his handcuffs and the flasher post, while his shield is the bulletproof visor on the bike handle. As a HTP 'Pat-bike' he can keep the 'Lutagen' and his arsenal safe in storage pods, as they would call them, while the sirens can damage robot circuits. Imagine if he uses them, would he be affected by the sound?

KARO

[INT: 1 / 5] [END: 2 / 5] [STR: 5 / 5] [SPD: 2 / 5] [SSK: 2 / 5]

"Karo is one of Anino's loyal minions. He follows his master's commands without hesitation. Should anyone think of messing around with Karo, he uses his photon blasters to send them running. Inside his trunk is their team's precious cargo--Aninotron's head! He forms the main body of Aninotron."

Karo's vehicle mode is a black funeral car with right side headlights missing

Karo's robot mode is as simple as Dilim

Released in May, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Foldabots, is the final component created by Frian Mark Del Valle. My first impression when he came out is he's rather huge for a hearse, and fatter than of Jeve Macabiog's OCs. On his own, he's very weak in vehicle mode especially the hood has no support either one way or the other, even with the tailgate added. But I do like the way they do with his legs in robot mode, very nice indeed.

Karo is very big in comparison to his comrades, which makes him the brawler, while he has a photon shooter on his left eye. As a hearse, despite the toy flaws, is the protective armor as tough as Tigastron, and like Dilim, he can shoot out toxic gas from his hands.

ANINOTRON

[INT: 4 / 5] [END: 3 / 5] [STR: 4 / 5] [SPD: 2 / 5] [SSK: 3 / 5]

"Aninotron is the ultimate form of all the Aninobots combined--Anino, Dilim, Karo, Sin-Dakk, and Kadena. The photon energy emanating from these Aninobots is the source of Aninotron's power. His logic circuits are strategically  located inside a storage pod on his head, which is surrounded by toxic flaming fumes."

Here are some of the stuff found on the pattern

And here are the other stuff included. Note Sin-Dakk's tail blades snug perfectly when placed on the tail

The head honcho with his mantle

Sin-Dakk with two shurikens

Kadena with the works

Released in June, the complementary parts of the mighty gestalt can be found here. This includes extra parts like Karo's tailgate, Anino's cape and canopy, and of course the gestalt head that still does no other purpose than being a head. You can also refer to the pictures for some good uses for that head like Karo's toxic gas ball.

Aninotron's Lutant splat is basically Karo's, point made. On the next few pictures I will show you how I mounted his photon cannon and how to utilize other parts like the shurikens on both hands and the spare visor to make the death claw more lethal. What I also did is to store the roof parts of Anino and Dilim inside the cockpit, secured with the windshield if you don't like hollowed parts.

The Aninobots with everything you see here including a toxic gas ball on Karo's arm

Them again, in their vehicle modes. Note Sin-Dakk has paperclips for support

On the next images before you are my techniques in building Aninotron.

Anino and Dilim: Tuck head and one arm inside while leaving the other arm and hood out

Sin-Dakk and Kadena: Place paperclips on the leg areas while forming the hands from the front parts of the two

Aninotron Complete! (I placed the shurikens on both hands, Kadena's shield on the unbent fender for better looking claws, and the shoulder cannon inserted on one tab on Karo.)

Size comparison with Transformers toys: Combiner Wars Protectobot Groove (Legends Class) on the right, and MP-29 Destron Laserwave (Decepticon Shockwave) on the left

Conclusion

Aninotron is just one of those gestalts whose design is rather clean and not messy if you followed the design like Zootron, which I don't like how it was built leading to design cons like Tindig's head is visible, and Gadya's arms were useless in comparison to my version which also includes Zootron holding Baluti.

Now I mentioned in the start of this blog, is the July K-Zone has a Foldabot (yay, good guys!) and the first part of a new gestalt (yay again!). (Unfortunately, K-Zone doesn't have Overwatch related stuff, at least on this month, since it's still relatively a new game and my brother's playing it. Or is it, kids find this game harder than Minecraft or other featured games on that issue. Please K-Zone PH, do an Overwatch issue in August!)

As for my upcoming new Foldabot Habol, he's good to go, and ready to be built soon along with my crossover design, which I will release soon. Until then, this has been The Foldabots Blog, we'll see you next month!