TFC Nemean [Project Ares] - Pictorial Review

Year of Predaking, no doubt about it. In 2013, Hasbro releases Platinum Edition Predaking and on top of that, 3 companies releases their own version of Predaking. I did a review before on one of MMC Not-Predaking's component, MMC R-03 Bovis

Now, let's see my choice of Not-Predaking, TFC Project Ares, Nemean

Pic Credit : Web

The King of the Beasts, the most fierce and savage among the Predacons. Leading the Autobots hunts, Razorclaw is a dedicated predator, commited with drop of fuel in his system. Forming the most dangerous combiner, Predaking, the Predacons formidable force can only be rivaled by Skylynx

Pic Credit : Seibertron.com

In Package

Nemean follows the template of previous TFC combiners, with black finishing. The most noticable difference would be Nemean photo is put on the front instead of an artwork, which kind of dissapoint me.

Back View

At the back, pictures of Nemean in all 3 modes, basically all you need to know about him

The tech spec of Nemean is expected but like the box, the small poster only have picture of Nemean figure instead of his artwork. Wonder what happened...?


Alt Mode

Nemean comes with 2 canons, a sword and a whip

Nemean (with 2 canons attached) is a nice sight to behold. Unlike other TFCs previous offering, Nemean is considerably solid and weigh more than Uranos's Blackbird. Nemean's black, yellow, red and orange, though considered striking for some people, really fits the character and his aesthetic well.

Nemean, aside from the canons and the tail (the sword can't be stored in alt mode), comes in one piece, no attaching-detaching as you might've experienced with Project Hercules and Project Uranos

Back View

On top of that, it seems like TFC really spend their time detailing out Nemean.

In alt mode, Nemean possesses sufficient articulations to make Nemean fun to pose (pic above showing his mouth can be open).

Nemean's head are on a hinge that allows downward, left and right movements. The front legs consist of swivel joint (on the upper part) and hinge (middle parts) while his hind legs lack the swivel joints on the upper part. All four of Nemean's paws are on ball joints

But the main question is, how big is he?

He's huge! Comparing him with Generations Voyager Rhinox makes Rhinox look like a deluxe figure

Comparison with Generations Deluxe Orion Pax

Robot Mode

It's been widely debated and if this look is not your cup of tea, then you're better off with Unique Toys or Mastermind Creation version of Predaking

The picture might not seems like it but Nemean does have a different feel to it once you have him in hand. Transforming him between mode is fun and at average level of difficulty. His legs (hind legs of the lion) however is quite tricky

Side View

Back view

Nemean has a very clean and kibble free looks from any sides. Unlike Blackbird, Nemean really feels like a 'one-piece' figure rather than parts mashed togather

I'm fine with TFC's way of re-designing the head to give a fresh look to a character but Nemean's head however is not my cup of tea. That and the poor choice of yellow light piping doesn't really do it for me

Despite his size, Nemean is really poseble and fun to play with. Getting him in an interesting pose is not hard and feels natural

TFC chosed his weapon well, giving him a large sword and a whip (like Galaxy Force's Liger Jack) aside from the 2 massive shoulder mounted cannons

Nemean comes with a ball jointed head, hinge and swivel on his shoulders, hinged elbows and wrist swivel. He has 2 waist swivels (above and below his crotch piece, due to transformation), double jointed thighs (plus another extra joint), hinges on his kness and ankle tilts

He also has a third joints on the upper part of his leg due to the alt mode and combine mode

The shoulder cannons also has 2 joints that allow more flexible poses

Honestly, I didn't expect Nemean to be THIS big. Henkei Convoy is around his waist

I in general understand the need for gestalts commanders to be larger than the other team members. However, comparing Nemean and Blackbird, it seems that he is a bit too big. Not a deal breaker though, anxious to see how the group picture will look like

Well.....no comment

Combined Mode

Now, for the best part. On Hercules, I fully understand his flaw due to the fact that it's a first try for a full fledge combiner. Uranos, combined, kind of disappointed me, as he had a great concept but a bit of a poor executions. So, what will Ares looks like?

Gorgeous! He is by far the sturdiest of all 3 TFC's combiners (and also other companies)

Transforming Ares's main body is a bit better than Uranos's as you don't have any parts falling or bumping into each other. The transformation is smooth and very clean.

Back View

To my liking, Ares has the best head sculpt out of the 3 Not-Predaking. TFC surprises me by pulling this off

Now, for a bit of fun

The result of this combination surprises me even more. The aesthetic of Ares's main body changes the feel of all the limbs of Uranos. The best fix that TFC came up with Ares was that the existance of the 3rd joint on his legs that allow the leg to be pose straight downwards as opposed to Uranos's wide angle pose. That, combined with strong joints on his thigh, help secure him and increased his stability

Can't believe how easy to pose him

Everyone has their own opinion on which is the best Not-Predaking out there. But having Nemean, I've no regret letting my MMC go. Ares might not be the best Not-Predaking but he's mine Not-Predaking