Optimus Prime MPC

[VF-0S FAN]

Easily the best toy ever. (This coming from a very selective collector.) The engineering might not be Perfect Grade caliber, but it's a giant Optimus Prime with a kickin' bot mode for galaxy's sake!

So large and heavy, makes me feel like a little kid again.

I've probably transformed him four or five times a day since I got him more than a week ago. No sign of any weak spots. Looks like it even has a metal pin going through the neck joint to keep it strong.

And that LED for the matrix...so fraggin' bright! I could probably tape the switch on and use Prime to read by at night.

Now I just need to get a Hasblow Prime for spare parts. I'll use that one to figure out how to take him apart safely. Then I'll strip the chrome on my Takara and paint those bits with silver enamel, detail the panel lines and recesses, change some details and colors here and there, and add some subtle weathering (especially in those molded scratches and dings). Can't wait to get started.

To anyone not yet owning a Takara or Hasbro MP Prime. . . Hurry up, pick your price point, and BUY. Do it now. There will be no regrets.

Hi Don't forget to post the pics of your new look Prime

[Hoptimus]

So the US version has been sighted in stores? I found the Impreza Smokescreen at Toys R Us. Maybe I will check there.

Yea, actually, I'm guilty of those reports...

The manager of said KB toys INSISTS he's had them in.

Hmm. Hard to trust employees. Sometimes they think any prime is the one you are talking about.

[bigkid24]

If anyone hears anything from Blasto, please post something here. I have already passed up to auctions on a takara version near there price-point

I haven't heard anything yet from Blasto about my two Primes on pre-order, but I wouldn't worry though. The only thing that could go wrong is that the distributor cuts his orders short. Will is a good guy and I've never had any problems with him.

Aside from that, I want to find a Hasbro Smokescreen so I can keep my Takara nice and pristine. Help!

[bigkid24]

I am THISCLOSE to damn it all and buy it at BBTS!

Did they raise the price at BBTS? I pre-ordered for a lot less than the $108 they are asking for now.

[UN Spacy]

I am THISCLOSE to damn it all and buy it at BBTS!

Did they raise the price at BBTS? I pre-ordered for a lot less than the $108 they are asking for now.

I'm sure this is common with many distributors selling the Masterpiece Convoy.

When I ordered my MPC from toynk.com when it was $94.99 I just checked the price and they raised it $5.

[GreenGuy42]

So the US version has been sighted in stores? I found the Impreza Smokescreen at Toys R Us. Maybe I will check there.

Yea, actually, I'm guilty of those reports...

The manager of said KB toys INSISTS he's had them in.

Hmm. Hard to trust employees. Sometimes they think any prime is the one you are talking about.

He described the box, man. He even told me how he was trying to avoid selling all six to some Ebay scalper who was equally surprised to even see them in so early.

[Kin]

I have received my tracking number from BBTS for Hasbro version OP, But still no news from Blasto on my takara version.

There have been sightings of Hasbro OP at Kay-be toys in my area for 74.00.

If anyone hears anything from Blasto, please post something here. I have already passed up to auctions on a takara version near there price-point

I don't have experience with blasto.. but if I e-mail a question to BBTS I'll get a personal reply within 1 day or more.

[MrDisco]

wil from Blasto is a stand up guy and very honorable. if you email him you can expect a response pretty quickly. my guess is he's just waiting for his shipment of primes to arrive.

[Californium]

Easily the best toy ever.  (This coming from a very selective collector.)  The engineering might not be Perfect Grade caliber, but it's a giant Optimus Prime with a kickin' bot mode for galaxy's sake! 

So large and heavy, makes me feel like a little kid again.

I've probably transformed him four or five times a day since I got him more than a week ago.  No sign of any weak spots.  Looks like it even has a metal pin going through the neck joint to keep it strong.

And that LED for the matrix...so fraggin' bright!  I could probably tape the switch on and use Prime to read by at night. 

Now I just need to get a Hasblow Prime for spare parts.  I'll use that one to figure out how to take him apart safely.  Then I'll strip the chrome on my Takara and paint those bits with silver enamel, detail the panel lines and recesses, change some details and colors here and there, and add some subtle weathering (especially in those molded scratches and dings).  Can't wait to get started.       

To anyone not yet owning a Takara or Hasbro MP Prime. . .  Hurry up, pick your price point, and BUY.  Do it now.  There will be no regrets.   

Hi Don't forget to post the pics of your new look Prime

Certainly!

[Californium]

Guess who, er, "what" won TOTY at toybox?

Holy crap, look at the graphic breakdown of the votes

Edited January 7, 2004 by Californium

[mister_e]

I got mine (Takara version) this Monday and all I can say is the box is awesome. That's all I can say because I haven't opened it yet. I bought it with every intention of opening it, but once I saw how fast places were selling out, my MISB-syndrome kicked in. Hopefully I can track down another so I can open one. Maybe the Hasbro version will be a little easier to get ahold of once they start hitting retail shelves.

[trueblueeyes]

Guess who, er, "what" won TOTY at toybox?  

Holy crap, look at the graphic breakdown of the votes 

Yep...quite a gap! Also, read the article accompanying the vote results: TOTY. Seems like Transfans are getting the blame for shifting the vote so much this year. Sound familiar fellow MW'ers?

Check out the pie chart of the voting results break-down HERE

Edited January 7, 2004 by trueblueeyes

[Apollo Leader]

Guess who, er, "what" won TOTY at toybox?  

Holy crap, look at the graphic breakdown of the votes 

Yep...quite a gap! Also, read the article accompanying the vote results: TOTY. Seems like Transfans are getting the blame for shifting the vote so much this year? Sound familiar fellow MW'ers?

Check out the pie chart of the voting results break-down HERE

Toybox DX Nazi's like "Occasional Fan" (or as I call him, "Occasional Troll") will probably come here and blame us "Macross Purists" for stacking the vote in Convoy/Prime's favor.

Though I am a "Macross Purist", I didn't "blindly" vote for Yamato's Super VF-1J... my vote went to Convoy/Prime.

BTW, when is Masterpiece Prime going to hit US store shelves since Big Bad Toy Store already got their's?

[ShadowerV2]

Hey if the system is set such that one person can only vote once, there shouldn't be any complaints. Isn't that how voting works? The more the people that like something they would vote for it? I don't see any reason why any one should complain and say so and so went and rigged or added or whatever bullshit it is they want to say. SInce when was there such unreasonalb logic as only so many people can vote for this? If more people like the MPC Covoy ( I saw it and think it looks great) Thna by all means let them vote. It won fair and square so for any one bitching thinking it was rigged, TOO BLOODY BAD. That's what voting is. People will vote for what they like. If it doesn't tally with what you want, TOO BAD.

Edited January 7, 2004 by ShadowerV2

[Mr.Sci-Fi]

The allspark had a flaming troll yesterday complaining about ballot stuffing fandoms in this poll. He got shut down pretty fast.

[ShadowerV2]

The allspark had a flaming troll yesterday complaining about ballot stuffing fandoms in this poll. He got shut down pretty fast.

Well sounds like they did a good job shutting him/her/it up. That's cool.

Hey did anyone hear anything else about maybe Palisades Toys making a trailer for Prime?

[trueblueeyes]

He's not the only member of Toybox DX to be upset with the vote. (Remember how upset some of the Toybox DX members were at MW'ers for *stacking* the vote in the 2002 TOTY election in the Yamato 1/48's favor? ) The best response to that and this year's complaint has to be this solution posted by a member of the TFW2005 boards:

You know, I have a simple solution. If you're going to bitch for two years in a row about outside fans ruining your poll that is supposed to be for regulars, CLOSE THE POLL TO NON-MEMBERS! That really shouldn't be that difficult. I want to feel sympathy for them after seeing that pie chart, but I really don't because of the attitude displayed. You can't have a public poll and then get mad when the public finds out about it and votes. If you want it private, make it private and shut the hell up.

Of course, let's *not* make the mistake of painting all of the Toybox members with the same brush. I may get infuriated occasionally with some of the superiority of certain members of the boards. But, if it weren't for some of the excellent Rumbles done by members like Drifand and others..I would've missed out on some truly great toys.

[moose]

It dont matter next year macross zero will be number 1

[CF18]

I bought it with every intention of opening it, but once I saw how fast places were selling out, my MISB-syndrome kicked in.

Dude just open it. It will be another 10 years before this mass produced piece worth twice as it is. And who know what shape that little battery will be in a few years? If I am buying one 6 years in the future, I would pick one that was opened once to remove the battery than one that is just MISB. But then in 6 years it probably got reissued twice already.

[VF-0S FAN]

It dont matter next year macross zero will be number 1

Yeah ! The Yamato 1/48 VF-0S + fast packs + armour ( the whole full of diecast ) will be number 1

[Blaine23]

Crapnabbitt!

After tracking my MP Prime for days on UPS, I apparently missed the delivery guy by about 10 minutes yesterday and got the stupid "package could not be delivered" notice instead of the Toy of the Year.

I even left early from work to try and be there, then drove around the neighborhood looking for the big brown truck after I realized I'd just missed him. How sad is that?

I hate stupid UPS... who the hell gets home from work by 4:45?

[Southpaw Samurai]

Mine should be arriving at work today, as much like Blaine I missed mine at home yesterday. Since I moved over to one of our tech centers, all the packages get opened by receiving in case it's filled with frozen or time/temperature sensitive items. So I'm slowly building up a rep as the 'toy guy'...which makes things worse since I support the shipping department's computers.

I have to agree with Blaine and the goofy delivery times. Granted, I wouldn't want UPS drivers to work late into the night, but I always find it funny that the only delivery time they can do in my area is at 2:30 or so and yet everyday at 5:30 a UPS truck drives by my house (most likely for a close by part of the neighborhood)...if they could just start putting things on that truck....

[1 VF-1 2NV]

I hate stupid UPS... who the hell gets home from work by 4:45?

I couldn't agree with you more. That is why I have my stuff delivered by Fedex or time my shipments to arrive on my days off, which are consecutive.

UPS always delivered my boxes after 5pm when I have to pick up my wife from work. With Fedex, they always delivered my stuff before 2pm.

Anyway, I still am waiting for MY MPC Prime to arrive. Van't wait to handle him !

[Sephiroth]

Crapnabbitt!

After tracking my MP Prime for days on UPS, I apparently missed the delivery guy by about 10 minutes yesterday and got the stupid "package could not be delivered" notice instead of the Toy of the Year.

I even left early from work to try and be there, then drove around the neighborhood looking for the big brown truck after I realized I'd just missed him. How sad is that?

I hate stupid UPS... who the hell gets home from work by 4:45?

Man, that sucks. Hopefully you'll get your MP-01 Optimus Prime today, though.

Where I live (Minot, ND), I don't have a problem when it comes to getting my packages. The local USPS Post Office has an after-hours service window. It could be 10 o'clock at night and all I would have to do is take the missed package slip to the window, call up the representative and within a few minutes, I have my package. UPS allows me to pick up the package directly from their local hub (about 3 miles away from me), but I usually have to wait for the truck to return from all of it's deliveries...same goes for Fed EX. They are all very friendly and I'm always able to get my package the same day.

[Blaine23]

Yee-haw! Got my Prime today... it truly is a magnificent design... I freaking love this toy!

As far as UPS goes, it looks like they actually read my note, because they came by about 5:45 today. I wish I could have things shipped to work, but with Paypal and the Confirmed Shipping Address and only one bank account... fuggedaboudit.

One question - Mine is the Takara version (long smokestacks, no faux battle damage)... but unlike others I've seen pictured, my windshields are clear, not blue. I don't really care, mind you... but I was curious if anyone knows why?

[Wabbit]

I got Prime!!! This fella is big!!! Heavy!!! WoooooW!!!

If there are any Optimus Prime fans out there that haven't ordered this, you're missing out a very nice and true version of this most popular Autobot leader.

[drifand]

Yee-haw! Got my Prime today... it truly is a magnificent design... I freaking love this toy!

As far as UPS goes, it looks like they actually read my note, because they came by about 5:45 today. I wish I could have things shipped to work, but with Paypal and the Confirmed Shipping Address and only one bank account... fuggedaboudit.

One question - Mine is the Takara version (long smokestacks, no faux battle damage)... but unlike others I've seen pictured, my windshields are clear, not blue. I don't really care, mind you... but I was curious if anyone knows why?

Interesting! Could it be you recieved a 2nd run of this very popular toy?

The windows on mine are not exactly 'blue' but a frosted clear plastic so that you can't easily see the folded-up parts inside. Are yours 'crystal clear'? Also, does your box still have the misprinted "MORE THAN MEETS TEH EYE"?

[David Hingtgen]

Got mine today too, (barely). Windows are frosted-slightly-blue. I expected *clear* blue based on pics, but that's apparently not the case. I noted the LED itself is actually a white LED, which is why it's so bright. (Gotta wonder if the US one will be toned down to be child's-eye safe)

Ah, tall stacks. As they should be. (I know semi's--not nearly as well as I know planes, but enough to know what factors dictate stack-height on semi's--and Prime's should be the tallest of any type of truck on the road)

I'm probably one of the few people who want the most accurate truck possible--I think the truck mode was compromised too much for the robot. --It's always the fuel tanks. They make or break the truck mode. Large ones don't ruin robot mode, but little ones mounted too far aft ruin truck mode. And the waist is too visible.

Interestingly, if you look at the last few pages of his instruction book, it looks like Hasbro actually designed a perfect truck mode, with a robot mode more reminiscient of the G1, then handed it over to Takara for the detail engineering (as usual) and Takara kind of redid everything so as to make a perfectly accurate robot mode. Though they kept all of the gimmicks Hasbro asked for. (The original design sketches are obviously US in origin--the notes and details are in English, with US-references--like TM Optimus Primal, Armada Prime, etc) Interesting how pretty much the entire transformation was already thought out, yet almost none of it made it to the final design.

Makes me wonder--what if we had gotten that perfect truck, but a "better but still not TV-accurate" robot mode? Who'd prefer what? (If there was just like a flap to cover his waist, and we had larger, more forward-mounted fuel tanks it'd help truck mode a LOT, without compromising robot mode very much at all)

[drifand]

Aw come on, Dave... Can you imagine if this was all real? Only a real trucker driving past Prime on the highway would mutter to himself, "Say... sumthin' ain't right with that cab's tanks!"

[eugimon]

I haven't gotten mine yet... sob... kevin ran out so I ordered mine from toynk...

But... I prefer the more accurate robot mode for prime over a more accurate cab. For me, when I think of Prime, I see a big red robot his truck just isn't as important.

Then again, I was looking at some pics of MPC prime and original prime and was thinking to myself that the fuel tanks seem awfully far back.

heh.

5 more days till UPS drops off prime! woo hoo!

[Godzilla]

I bought 2 from toynk and they arrived last night. Of course I preordered for $88 each! And that was cheap when I was looking around.

[Mr.Sci-Fi]

Dude just open it. It will be another 10 years before this mass produced piece worth twice as it is. And who know what shape that little battery will be in a few years? If I am buying one 6 years in the future, I would pick one that was opened once to remove the battery than one that is just MISB. But then in 6 years it probably got reissued twice already.

I believe button cell batteries never leak or corrode, it has to do with the fact that they're also designed to be in a hearing aid.

VF-0S FAN Posted: Jan 7 2004, 07:24 AM 

It dont matter next year macross zero will be number 1 

Yeah ! The Yamato 1/48 VF-0S + fast packs + armour ( the whole full of diecast ) will be number 1 

HECK YEAH!

Blaine 23- One question - Mine is the Takara version (long smokestacks, no faux battle damage)... but unlike others I've seen pictured, my windshields are clear, not blue. I don't really care, mind you... but I was curious if anyone knows why?

Mine is the same way, they match tfkenkon.com's primes and he gets his stuff early.

David Hingtgen- I'm probably one of the few people who want the most accurate truck possible--I think the truck mode was compromised too much for the robot. --It's always the fuel tanks. They make or break the truck mode. Large ones don't ruin robot mode, but little ones mounted too far aft ruin truck mode. And the waist is too visible.

I'm with you, I would pay $200 if there was a prime the same quality as a 1/48th.

MPOP is definitely still a toy tha'ts suppose to withstand kid play use. Even MPOP bot mode has some kiddiness factors in it. Still he's in the top three of best transformers.

[David Hingtgen]

Yup, fuel tank location is even more important than size. (for looking "right") Sometimes, you'll see the tanks mounted right behind the front wheels, for weight distribution. But never "aft of normal". Tank size can vary a lot, but MP Prime's are too small for even the smallest, IMHO. Prime's tanks should have a volume like 4 times what they are, if you want the most common of the big tank--150 gallons. 120's are the next size down. Prime's are like, 50's...

Finally--the elbow-pistons---why THREE of them? Really obvious in truck mode. C'mon, if there was just one, the middle one, it'd look much better in truck mode.

Off to Wal-Mart tonight to look for trailers...

[Southpaw Samurai]

I have decided that despite the size, the articulation, and the generally great appearance in robot mode, my favorite aspect about the 20th Ann. Convoy/Prime is: his moving mouthplate. When I took him out of the box the other day, I posed him a few times and considered transforming him (but didn't feel like it at the time, especially since I was enjoying the robot mode poses). Then I found the button to make him 'talk' and proceeded for at least ten minutes to act like a little kid and imitated the old TV show's Prime while the plate moved.

I now feel the need to go and buy a second one...not for a MIB version but because I might just wind up breaking him in too much with all the playing.

Edited January 9, 2004 by Southpaw Samurai

[JRock]

Can anyone confirm if the faceplate is removable?