Starting in 2018, Newage Toys (originally styled as "New Age," but the one-word form seems to be in consistent use today) has quickly become one of the more popular third-party (that is, unofficial) alternatives to Transformers toys from Hasbro and/or Takara. Newage has released a few different lines of transforming robots, catering to different sizes and aesthetics, but perhaps their most popular line is "The Legendary Heroes," which replicates a wide variety of characters and toys homaging the original Transformers line (now often called "Generation One") in a smaller scale. For example, Shean, which is patterned after "Generation One"
Mirage (but in a red color scheme from Mirage's pre-Transformers days as a Diaclone toy), is just 3 inches tall in robot mode.
Don't let the toy's small size put you off, however, because while Shean is indeed smaller than the original Mirage toy, it has a far more complex transformation, while staying remarkably intuitive. Shean even incorporates the toy's missile launcher into its transformation (although the rifle remains a separate piece, and the set also includes a spare missile for the launcher... although I've had no need for it, since I've seldom had any reason to remove the existing missile from the launcher, not having to do so for transformation). The result is a fully posable figure offering a far wider range of options than the original toy.
While the combination of small size and high complexity does naturally mean that Shean is made from a number of very small parts, the figure doesn't feel particularly fragile, and I've not had any meaningful fear of breakage while transforming it (something that can't always be said of even official product, especially when the transformation is complex). All in all, this has become a fun "fidget toy" that I keep near my desk at work, and if you can find one at a reasonable price, I wholeheartedly recommend grabbing it.
Starting in 2018, Newage Toys (originally styled as "New Age," but the one-word form seems to be in consistent use today) has quickly become one of the more popular third-party (that is, unofficial) alternatives to Transformers toys from Hasbro and/or Takara. Newage has released a few different lines of transforming robots, catering to different sizes and aesthetics, but perhaps their most popular line is "The Legendary Heroes," which replicates a wide variety of characters and toys homaging the original Transformers line (now often called "Generation One") in a smaller scale. For example, Shean, which is patterned after "Generation One" Mirage (but in a red color scheme from Mirage's pre-Transformers days as a Diaclone toy), is just 3 inches tall in robot mode.
Don't let the toy's small size put you off, however, because while Shean is indeed smaller than the original Mirage toy, it has a far more complex transformation, while staying remarkably intuitive. Shean even incorporates the toy's missile launcher into its transformation (although the rifle remains a separate piece, and the set also includes a spare missile for the launcher... although I've had no need for it, since I've seldom had any reason to remove the existing missile from the launcher, not having to do so for transformation). The result is a fully posable figure offering a far wider range of options than the original toy.
While the combination of small size and high complexity does naturally mean that Shean is made from a number of very small parts, the figure doesn't feel particularly fragile, and I've not had any meaningful fear of breakage while transforming it (something that can't always be said of even official product, especially when the transformation is complex). All in all, this has become a fun "fidget toy" that I keep near my desk at work, and if you can find one at a reasonable price, I wholeheartedly recommend grabbing it.
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