The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Omegablue]

Mark's career is taking a bit of a dive. First Ted, now this.

[eugimon]

Mark's career is taking a bit of a dive. First Ted, now this.

good point... I mean, Ted made nearly 500 million while Shooter didn't even clear a hundred and the Transformers franchise has cleared well over 2 billion... so yeah, poor career moves Mark.

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

Say, does TRU's MP-10's legs stay firmly together in alt mode? I ask because my Takara MP-10 has some trouble keeping the legs firmly in place as a truck.

[RD Blade]

Negative. The Hasbro version's legs suffer from the same problem.

[kanedaestes]

Mine doesn't for the most part. Guess I got lucky. Extremely happy with mine though I had to do ebay for it as hunting was getting ridiculous. Now I'm waiting on Sideswipe and I need to get MP-11 Starscream next month, then one month till Soundwave after that. Prime looks great next to Grimlock and Hot Rod, and I have most of the original seekers and Megatron so the new SS and Soundwave will be welcomed editions. I will have SS commanding over the seekers and SW being a lackey to Megatron as we all know he is.

[Omegablue]

good point... I mean, Ted made nearly 500 million while Shooter didn't even clear a hundred and the Transformers franchise has cleared well over 2 billion... so yeah, poor career moves Mark.

Not on about numbers, talking status and credibility as an actor. It's like Bale starring in Twilight.

[mikeszekely]

Finally talked my wife into letting me open and play with my MP-10. He's not exactly perfect... it's a pain in the rear to open the matrix chamber (which seems to be necessary for transformation), his legs seem a little floppy and they seemed to add transformation steps just for the sake of it. It alt mode, no, the legs on mine don't quite stay together. And despite the needless extra folding panels on his legs, it's still ridiculously obvious that they're robot legs.

Despite those nitpicks, he is the greatest Optimus Prime toy ever and handily my favorite Masterpiece Transformer. It's crazy how much of an improvement over MP-01 he is, and I didn't even have a problem with MP-01 (only Grimlock and Hot Rod surpassed him, IMHO) until I got my hands on MP-10. He's solid, without feeling weighed down with the die cast. His proportions, especially his torso, are just better. His head, while being less detailed, looks better. He's more poseable and can hold his gun better. And while his alt-mode might not be Alternators-level accurate, it's a colossal improvement. No huge gaps on the sides where his shoulder joints are. Actual side-view mirrors. His grille and windshield/chest don't stick out weirdly.

His transformation is pretty good, too. Not too complicated (Hot Rod, Megatron), not too simple (Grimlock). In some ways, it's similar to MP-01. You still turn him around at the waist. His abs are still a faux-grille. You still fold his arms up like the original or MP-01 (although how you fold in his hands changed). His front bumper is still behind the windshield in bot mode, and you still pull it and the truck grille out the same way. The front tires are inside his torso, too. In some ways, it's a little simplified, though. His head goes in the other way, and is less finicky. You don't have to turn the Matrix chamber, or spin his feet around.

He'd be awesome enough if, like most runs of MP-01, it was just the cab. But of course, he comes with the trailer too. I love his trailer. If you've played with the original G1 trailer, you've pretty much played with this one. It's got the robo-pod thingy inside with the antenna and the claw arm (and just like the G1 toy, it can be made to poke out the top when the trailer is closed). It's got Roller. Roller doesn't have the gasoline pump, but you can open a panel on the back to reveal a peg for Prime's rifle, or you can flip part of the rear and have Roller pull the trailer. Improvements from the G1 trailer include panels that fold up to close the square hole in the top, the back door opens and a ramp pulls out of it like a real trailer instead of just folding the back down, legs in the front like real trailers have, and those arms that swing out on the G1 toy have feet inside. When the arms are flush, the feet are retracted so they don't drag on the ground, but when you swing the arms out the feet come down to hold the trailer level. The only negative changes are that there aren't missiles to plug into the robo-pod (nor launchers), no spring-loaded launcher for Roller, and no stickers (Reprolabels has a pretty nice set for MP-10, but I don't want to pay $24 when all I really want is the "Go!" one...).

Bottom line, unless you hate Optimus Prime (or just don't collect Transformers), you must get MP-10.

[Omegablue]

How much you pay for the MP-10?

[mikeszekely]

How much you pay for the MP-10?

$120. I got him the last time TRU had him available online. It would have been nice to get him for the $100 he was supposed to sell for, but I think he's worth it even if you have to pay eBay prices for him. Seriously, my wife kept giving me funny looks because I was literally giggling to myself while playing with the trailer. Edited November 17, 2012 by mikeszekely

[Omegablue]

That's actually a good price considering Transformer toys sell like cocaine on E-bay.

[David Hingtgen]

(Reprolabels has a pretty nice set for MP-10, but I don't want to pay $24 when all I really want is the "Go!" one...).

That's one sticker I don't want. Want to split a set?

[mikeszekely]

That's one sticker I don't want. Want to split a set?

Pm'ed you.

[ErikElvis]

MP Optimus on toysrus.com right now

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=15546036

Edited November 17, 2012 by ErikElvis

[kanedaestes]

Just got MP-12 Lambor/Sideswipe....while the price is high the figure is amazing. The color matching is a bit off but not as much as people make it out to be and man posing and standing him next to Hot Rod, Grimlock, and MP-10 Optimus makes it even more worth it, now I have to wait two months for Soundwave. Also here's hoping a new Megatron is in the works because my current one is so out of scale with the rest of my Masterpiece collection that it's ridiculous but he must be there for now. Also really need to get the new Masterpiece Starscream to go with all this, my other two, the original and the TRU version just don't cut it anymore. My two other seekers I don't mind them being the old mold, makes them less than Starscream as it should be in my opinion.

[treatment]

Welp!

Too broke to get any of the TRU-MPs, but I did get Dudicus from amzn in the mail today, and he is just damn kewl!

Wish I can find the retail versions since BlastOff is way better with purple than the white-camo. Anyhoo..

[anime52k8]

I feel like you need to move each guy over one socket counter clockwise to get a proper G2 Bruticus.

[Hikuro]

serious? Blastoff needs to be purple instead of the white camo? I've seen t he retail variants and I detest the color schemes. That's the reason I bought the Amazon version.

[Valkyrie2008]

MP Optimus on toysrus.com right now

http://www.toysrus.c...ductId=15546036

Thanks for the info, now I got one on the way for store pickup. Only available for store pickup.

[treatment]

serious? Blastoff needs to be purple instead of the white camo? I've seen t he retail variants and I detest the color schemes. That's the reason I bought the Amazon version.

White Blast-Off is quite boring. At least, to me.

Haven't seen any of the Fruticus variants, but I thought purple Blast-Off was quite nicer from the pics.

Anyhooo, another Dudicus pic...

[VF5SS]

Doing the theme song is important

[Uxi]

Been out of it for a bit. Want an MP10 and MP11 but most of the rest I can live without. Used to think Soundwave was so bad ass in the G1 days but now... his alt is just a bit too dated. Still no Galvatron. :\

[mikeszekely]

Been out of it for a bit. Want an MP10 and MP11 but most of the rest I can live without. Used to think Soundwave was so bad ass in the G1 days but now... his alt is just a bit too dated. Still no Galvatron. :\

For as much as I've been playing with MP-10, even though I agree that Soundwave's alt mode is dated, I'm actually looking forward to a reasonably-priced Hasbro release, as long as his bot-mode is both detailed and faithful to the animation model (check), is as poseable as MP-10 (have to wait for reviews, but no reason to doubt it), and his cassettes look good (check).

If TRU still has some after the holidays, I might grab Thundercracker so that I have all three US Seekers (sorry for those of you who want him and can't find him, but my local TRU was sitting on a pile of them last I checked). If Hasbro releases the new mold Starscream, I might be more tempted, since my original US release has a busted wing. Sideswipe's going to be a hard sell for me, though. He's barely bigger than a deluxe, and while he does look good in both modes, his transformation seems less complicated than even Grimlock's. There is absolutely nothing about him that, for me anyway, justifies the price of importing him. Honestly, even if we get a US release (which seems unlikely due to some licensing issue with Lamborghini), I couldn't see myself spending more than $30, maybe $40 for him.

[anime52k8]

I've still yet to see any Indication even that MP-10 has made it to my local TRU's. The Hayward one has gotten quite a few thundercrakers though. I still love my MP Thundercracker but I'm ridiculously excited for MP Soundwave, he's definitely going to be worth the import price IMO.

Personally though I'm kind of glad I haven't seen MP-10 in person, It's keeping me from spending a hundred dollars I shouldn't spend right now. Personally though I'd rather just see some deluxes/voyagers I actually want. I feel really bad because I found Hotspot and Dreadwing at TRU while they where having a sale, but I just wasn't in the mood to actually spend money on toys at the time. Now it's 2 weeks later, I'd be ready and willing to pick up either and they're all gon.

[Uxi]

Dayum, they had a local pickup available on an MP10 the other day but now they're all gone. Plenty of MP Thundercrackers at the local TRU but never a sign of MP10... Never saw Hot Rod, either...

I am happy with my US SkyWarp but never saw the last US Starscream at retail so hope they do a US MP11 Starscream if not another Megatron, and of course # 1 in my wishlist: Galvatron.

[kanedaestes]

Always doubtful on a US release of Megatron as he looks too much like a realistic gun which is why the original never made it over here to begin with in TRS though US online sellers were able to sell it with the gun barrel modification need to pass US toy laws.

[Uxi]

Pie in the sky in my dreams is that they'll do an MP Megatron not as a gun, but as a sort of M198 howitzer (sort of a primitive Galvatron). Ideally to satisfy G1 purity it would convert to a vehicle scale howitzer and also be a plausible Walther P38 in a third mode (IOW, again just like a primitive Galvatron).

Which can then itself be goosed up in purple with different kibble, and curves, etc but with the same general transformation and form factor as an MP Galvatron.

[mikeszekely]

So everybody who was with me complaining about Hasbro's distribution a few posts back... you might want to swing by your local Aldi, if you have one. Ours is next to a pizza place. I was going to pick up a pizza, and my wife asked me to get some potatoes at Aldi. I'm wandering around, trying to find the potatoes, when I file a whole pile of Transformers Prime deluxes. I passed on Dead End and Hot Shot, since they're ugly non-show repaints (and in Hot Shot's case, of a pretty awful mold). I already had Wheeljack and Knock Out. But I did manage to grab Airachnid and Vehicon.

Airachnid is competing with Bumblebee/Hot Shot for the worst Deluxe in the line, I think (and I say this as someone who's considered buying FE Bumblebee because the regular one is so awful). She doesn't look too bad in helicopter mode, although she's tiny. As a robot, she's got tiny legs that don't do much to balance her heavy back, and her poseability is basically nil. Get her if, like myself, you want to collect at least the core cast.

Vehicon, on the other hand, is all kinds of awesome. He looks good in bot mode. He looks good in car mode. And he does this with a pretty awesome transformation. You basically pull the doors and rear tires out to make his arms, grab the spoiler and pull the trunk, rear windshield, hood, and front end up over the front bumper, then roll them up into his legs. Rear bumper folds down and his head pops out. Voila, robot.

[GU-11]

I passed on Dead End and Hot Shot, since they're ugly non-show repaints (and in Hot Shot's case, of a pretty awful mold). I already had Wheeljack and Knock Out. But I did manage to grab Airachnid and Vehicon.

Airachnid is competing with Bumblebee/Hot Shot for the worst Deluxe in the line, I think (and I say this as someone who's considered buying FE Bumblebee because the regular one is so awful). She doesn't look too bad in helicopter mode, although she's tiny. As a robot, she's got tiny legs that don't do much to balance her heavy back, and her poseability is basically nil. Get her if, like myself, you want to collect at least the core cast.

Vehicon, on the other hand, is all kinds of awesome. He looks good in bot mode. He looks good in car mode. And he does this with a pretty awesome transformation. You basically pull the doors and rear tires out to make his arms, grab the spoiler and pull the trunk, rear windshield, hood, and front end up over the front bumper, then roll them up into his legs. Rear bumper folds down and his head pops out. Voila, robot.

Agreed on all points. Especially regarding Airachnid. The only use she could possibly be of is if someone wanted to make a static diorama of the final scene in that "magnetism relic" episode, attaching her to the back of Breakdown. And even then, you'd have to give her new hands and better spider legs to make her look decent.

And yes, Vehicon is all kinds of awesome. His transformation is sheer genius.

[treatment]

Welp! Broke down and got me TRU-Prime (with the free home-shipping that had no damn padding).

I'm a bit underwhelmed with it. F*ckin' light due to an almost all-plastic production. Am still warming up to the smaller size.

I honestly think TRU's US$119.99 (excluding taxes) is still a bit on the overcharge. $80-$90 is a good pricing for it. Oh well.

Here be mah pictarz!!!

[David Hingtgen]

I think about 50% of people forget that one step in transforming to truck mode: flipping down the panels from the arm to fill in the fenders behind the front wheels.

[mikeszekely]

I think about 50% of people forget that one step in transforming to truck mode: flipping down the panels from the arm to fill in the fenders behind the front wheels.

The smokestacks move, too. If you push them down, a curved section of piping comes out of the bottom. I don't even think that was in the instructions.

[David Hingtgen]

I think everything's in the instructions, just easy to miss. Like the flippable seats on the sides of Prime's trailer.

Though I do think the gun and axe trailer storage locations are undocumented.

[anime52k8]

http://www.tfw2005.c...-images-176355/

I find this kind of cool looking. it'll be way too expensive though.

and this is looking just too sexy:

Edited November 23, 2012 by anime52k8

[VF5SS]

http://collectiondx.com/toy_review/2012/transformers_masterpiece_lambor_sideswipe

Masterpiece Lambor review complete!

[kaiotheforsaken]

Nice review Veef, as always.

As for Soundwave, I could not be more excited for his MP release. He looks fantastic and managed to get delayed slightly, giving my wallet a much needed breather. I'm really not much of a Decipticon fan, most of my TF collection is Autobots and most of those are Prime. But I love Soundwave and I'm stoked for this figure. I even opted to pre-order the extra cassettes. For as much as I love Soundwave I've never owned a toy of him, this seemed like a good place to start.