The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[vlenhoff]

Jet7, did you paint Megatron's hinges in silver?

[JET7]

@vlenhoff, yep.

[mikeszekely]

JET7's pics remind me how much I hate seeing the Combiner Wars jets as arms with the tail pointing up (not intentionally singling out or criticizing JET7; I've seen plenty of pics with arms like that). It just looks backward to me. I mean, if the arm were turned in, as if Bruticus (or Superion) were putting his hands on his hips, I'd expect to see a stretched-out plane, not a plane that was stretched out and rotated 180 degrees in the middle. Moving from that position to a position where the elbow bend is in the front would, in my mind, mean that the bottom of the plane should be facing the front.

Might just be me, though.

[sh9000]

[JET7]

lols

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

Mp-31 Box art ad promo pics:

[M'Kyuun]

Delta Magnus would have looked better if the sliding arm bits had been done in the silver to match the legs, IMO. That black contrasts too much and just doesn't look right.

These pics are starting to make me regret not getting MP UM, regardless of his flaws. He looks pretty sharp in that picture. Delta looks good, too, ecept for the aformentioned black bits. That blue paint job is lovely.

And, for the love of God, who's questionable idea was it to put a red bumper on UM? I realize it's based off the G1 figure, but the 80's were often gaudy, as in this case, and good sense should override nostalgia. DM's truck mode looks amazing, and far more realistic with his chrome bumper.

Edited March 10, 2016 by M'Kyuun

[jenius]

I wonder if we could swap bumpers?

[Scyla]

Delta Magnus would have looked better if the sliding arm bits had been done in the silver to match the legs, IMO. That black contrasts too much and just doesn't look right.

These pics are starting to make me regret not getting MP UM, regardless of his flaws. He looks pretty sharp in that picture. Delta looks good, too, ecept for the aformentioned black bits. That blue paint job is lovely.

And, for the love of God, who's questionable idea was it to put a red bumper on UM? I realize it's based off the G1 figure, but the 80's were often gaudy, as in this case, and good sense should override nostalgia. DM's truck mode looks amazing, and far more realistic with his chrome bumper.

MP Ultra Magnus had a reissue this month so he should be available. The red bumper is animation accurate to the g1 cartoon that is why it's there. If I remember correctly the G1 toy had a chromed bumper.

[M'Kyuun]

MP Ultra Magnus had a reissue this month so he should be available. The red bumper is animation accurate to the g1 cartoon that is why it's there. If I remember correctly the G1 toy had a chromed bumper.

Correct on both counts. That said, the red bumper looks like poop. Both Delta and Ultra Magnuses are available on HLJ currently. I'm on the fence whether to get one of them. After my previous post, curiosity took me to Youtube for a UM review. Overall, the fig looks pretty solid to me. The buttflap doesn't bother me all that much; waist swivel would have been nice, but I could live without it; and the little gaps between the shin plates and the legs are a non-issue to me. The only two things I don't like are the limited shoulder articulation, which was, ironically, done far better on the leader class CW figure, and that terrible red bumper. So, since I have the UW Ultra Magnus, I'm starting to favor the idea of getting Delta Magnus, since I like his color scheme, mostly, and his lovely blue truck cab looks far better with all that chrome. Really wish those extending arms were silver, though, or at least had some other colored paint apps to break up all that stark black. My eyes are drawn to them, not in a good way. Nevertheless, I'll likely cave within the next 24 hrs and preorder some DM goodness.

Also on HLJ, a few of the upcoming Titans Return figs/Headmasters are available for PO: Galvatron (which I PO'd without hesitation) , Hardhead, and Skull (big Crocodile headmaster). I'm assuming that Takara's Galvatron will benefit, as most of their releases do, from better paint apps than Hasbro's, plus his PO price is $35, about $5 less than domestic pricing at any retailer except TRU. I PW'd him and hopefully will get a better shipping deal. Hopefully.

[Scyla]

If you're not set on the UM paint scheme I would suggest to go with Delta Magnus since Takara is terrible with painting white areas.

[David Hingtgen]

Go look at Takara's UW Dragstrip. Takara does not care about "looks/style" when it comes to coloring. They are purely toon-accurate nowadays, no matter how bad it looks in real-life/plastic. That means PURE YELLOW Dragstrip, no stripes on Deadend, cream-yellow thighs on Silverbolt, and clown-lips-red bumper on Magnus.

[Scyla]

I like the red bumper. But I agree they are too toon centric nowadays. No painted lights on UM lower legs is just another example. As are the plain lower legs on MP Ironhide and the whole Hot Rodimus toy.

[M'Kyuun]

I also noticed that MP Magnus doesn't have painted tail-lights, either. I mean, c'mon. While clear red plastic would be really nice and preferable, painted lights would at least show they tried. Small details like this should be a hallmark of the MP series.

I also agree that TT are taking their slavish inspiration from the animation a bit too far for today's aesthetic sensibilities. I'd like my MP toys to be as realistic as possible in their vehicle modes, and to have tasteful color choices and schemes to make for a more aesthetically pleasing figure in both modes, regardless of the tacky 80's colorations. For those in the know, since these are really aimed at the Aisian market with no regard to the West, do the target audience share this viewpoint, or do they like the toon-accuracy as much as Takara would have us think? I'm genuinely curious. I wonder if any of them are complaining about TT's color choices, too.

If so, there should be a petition.

[technoblue]

For everything that Ultra Magnus did right, there was a pretty obvious cut to save cost. Reduced paint apps, obvious sprue marks, back/butt kibble that could have used one extra hinge in the cab area to fix. Delta Magnus has a great paint scheme, but the issues that hurt Ultra Magnus are still there in the mold. I don't see any evidence that Takara fixed anything. If you like the mold, then get the new paint scheme. I agree that it is more appealing. But if you don't like it, save your money. Why risk receiving a big box of buyer's remorse?

Edited March 10, 2016 by technoblue

[David Hingtgen]

Lack of painted "lights" is really starting to irk me on MP's. Sideswipe is missing 6 of his---molded but unpainted. (And two are basically impossible to access to paint yourself)

Prowl/Streak missing the front fender ones---molded but unpainted.

Tracks is missing 4, all the corner ones--again, molded but unpainted. Sure, ALL BLUE is toon-accurate, but they don't seem to have a problem giving Prime lights that were never visible on-screen.

(Also annoyed that Reprolabels' set for Tracks has none of the missing lights----their taillight etc stickers are often a main reason I buy the set----their tail lights for Bluestreak look SO much better than the matte pastel paint Takara used)

[vlenhoff]

@vlenhoff, yep.

I might do the same.

[M'Kyuun]

For everything that Ultra Magnus did right, there was a pretty obvious cut to save cost. Reduced paint apps, obvious sprue marks, back/butt kibble that could have used one extra hinge in the cab area to fix. Delta Magnus has a great paint scheme, but the issues that hurt Ultra Magnus are still there in the mold. I don't see any evidence that Takara fixed anything. If you like the mold, then get the new paint scheme. I agree that it is more appealing. But if you don't like it, save your money. Why risk receiving a big box of buyer's remorse?

That last line gives me both a good chuckle...and serious pause. Honestly, I don't think I'd have regret, at least not so much as I've had with other toy purchases over the years. Mileage varies.

For fans, and for TT, it's a positive that they had a second use for the mold, warts and all, to recoup the cost of production. I'm still mulling whether to pick up one of them or just let it go. I must admit, I've been fascinated with the all-in-one tractor-trailer transformer idea ever since I saw the first TF commercial back in '83 and thought Prime was both cab and trailer forming the robot. Something about the engineering involved really grabbed me and has maintained a tenacious grasp over the past few decades. I still regret never picking up a Road ranger Gobot. I also never had the G1 Motormaster, who intrigued me, but was also so simplistic and brick-like that I have no regrets. When the Combiners were announced, I happily awaited a new all-in-one Motormaster, just to have my hopes dashed. He's still a decent figure, but I somehow feel like I've been cheated. I also built a fully functional, albeit partsforming, all-in-one tractor-trailer transformer from LEGO when I was in my late teens, based largely on the transforming scheme of Road Ranger. It worked well, but it hasn't survived the ravages of time, sadly. Anyway, the MP and UW/CW Magnus toys hold a certain fascination for me more from an engineering standpoint than for any connection with the character. Perhaps TMI, but this is where my interest in MP Magnus originates.

[Sandman]

I prefer the fancier chest piece the 80s ultra magnus toy had compared to the simplified one for his animation model. Was always annoyed they changed it for the cartoon.

Edited March 11, 2016 by Sandman

[technoblue]

That last line gives me both a good chuckle...and serious pause. Honestly, I don't think I'd have regret, at least not so much as I've had with other toy purchases over the years. Mileage varies.

...

Yeah. That's fair.

If I take a step back from my own disappointment with MP-22, I would certainly admit that the basic engineering of the toy is sound. It does what it is supposed to do and transforms from a robot to a pseudo-tractor trailer and back again. It is a marvel of folding plastic pieces, even if it isn't exactly what I wanted or what I was expecting at the time from Masterpiece Ultra Magnus. I think the whole idea of cartoon accuracy is what trips me up with MP Transformers. I would love to see Takara put extra details and polish on these toys--something more that was not included in the original Sunbow animation.

I agree with David H about those finer painted details, for instance. Having more MPs done like Optimus/Convoy would be better for the line, although things seems to be going in a different direction now. I guess there is always 3P, but there haven't been many attempts at Ultra Magnus there and I wasn't a fan of Citizen Stack.

Edited March 11, 2016 by technoblue

[mikeszekely]

I personally think Citizen Stack is a much better toy than MP Magnus, but I do think that KFC took some liberties with the character that may not be for everyone.

[Scyla]

I think omiting the paint details is a deliberate choice by Takara to make the MPs more cartoon accurate. Otherwise I can't explain it. Why paint the face under Ultra Magnus' head with two or three paint applications and leave the tail lights blank? It wouldn't cost them more to switch the paint from one place to anther. I mean who is really fond of white Convoys face with the missing lower jaw?

Another reason why I think it is deliberate as the cartoon slavishness on the sculpts of recent MPs. Ironhide and Hot Rodimus follow the minimum detail approach in robot mode.

[technoblue]

I personally think Citizen Stack is a much better toy than MP Magnus, but I do think that KFC took some liberties with the character that may not be for everyone.

Citizen Stack indeed has better articulation, but the cab creates another strange backpack. In that respect the robot mode is similar to the Takara version. My main worry with KFC's version isn't the aesthetics so much as the QC. I do like how there are optional faces for Stack. Again, making a comparison to Ultra Magnus, it seems Takara could have added extra faces to the MP-22 release, but chose not to.

I think omiting the paint details is a deliberate choice by Takara to make the MPs more cartoon accurate. Otherwise I can't explain it. Why paint the face under Ultra Magnus' head with two or three paint applications and leave the tail lights blank? It wouldn't cost them more to switch the paint from one place to anther. I mean who is really fond of white Convoys face with the missing lower jaw?

Another reason why I think it is deliberate as the cartoon slavishness on the sculpts of recent MPs. Ironhide and Hot Rodimus follow the minimum detail approach in robot mode.

I haunt the tfw2005 forums, and there seem to be plenty of diehard fans who love Takara's strict cartoon accuracy. I do not get it. I know there are solutions. Someone here mentioned Repro Labels, and there are good decal sets out there. At the price it would be nice to see some of those details painted. But you are right. Ironhide, for example, turned out to be great. The detailing is minimalistic, and that seems in line with the other MP Transformers released recently. Thank goodness Ratchet is coming boxed with decals! Edited March 11, 2016 by technoblue

[vlenhoff]

Did you draw those sh9000? very good!

oh and BTW, the current line up:

Can you guess which is the one knock off?

[dizman]

Hmm I'd guess Red Alert is the KO.

[Dangard Ace]

I say Red Alert too. Chest isn't clipped in which was a problem on my KO RA. Fixed that though. Bought a real RA.

[vlenhoff]

I knew you guys could tell!

Yeah, I want a real Red Alert. This KO is like a cut out board stand in, lol. He is surprisingly good for a KO, as it transforms very flush. I'll one day get my real RA, but until then the KO would do.

The other KO i have is Tigertracks, since he is not a main character I covet. I just want those characters that matter to me, as you can see in the picture, strictly G1!

[Valkyrie Hunter D]

That lineup needs more Jazz dammit!

[vlenhoff]

^ ^ ^

[JB0]

I was gonna guess Roller.

[M'Kyuun]

That lineup needs more Jazz dammit!

+Hound, Mirage, Trailbreaker, Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper, Brawn, Windcharger, Huffer, and Gears. That would fill out the original '84 Autobot roster nicely.

[David Hingtgen]

I'd much rather see major characters from later seasons, than completely fill out the '84 season. It's already Bot-heavy enough. We need more 'Cons.

[anime52k8]

sure, as long as we get a Jazz first.

[JB0]

I'd much rather see major characters from later seasons, than completely fill out the '84 season. It's already Bot-heavy enough. We need more 'Cons.

MP Trypticon and Scorponok, to scale?

[M'Kyuun]

I'd much rather see major characters from later seasons, than completely fill out the '84 season. It's already Bot-heavy enough. We need more 'Cons.

I'll agree we need more Cons, and I'm hoping for an all new MP Seeker mold, though I'm not holding my breath. However, the first season of the show is the only one I own and care for, and I'd love to see all those characters get the MP treatment. The Third Parties have a serious lead, but I'd still like to see TT make official toys. While the first season was by no means high art, I've always felt that there was a more serious tone to the show that was lost from second season forward. I noticed this at the age of 13 or 14, and although TF was my favorite show, I lost interest in it and had only a passing interest in most of the characters thereafter. So, that's where my bias originates. That said, although the Generations Springer and Arcee are really excellent figures IMO, I'd love to see both get the MP treatment, along with Blitzwing and Astrotrain. B/c triple changers, when done well, are awesome.

The Titan's Return/Headmaster stuff coming this year should scratch the itch for many fans of later seasons. I've already PO'd Galvatron from HLJ. The new Scourge figure coming out is much more accurate to the Movie character, although I've always thought his Space Hovercraft mode was ludicrous, and still prefer the more realistic CHUG version loosely based on the X-48.