The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[derex3592]

Megatron has arrived!!! Kneel puny hooomans!!! This thing is beautiful. The finish is gorgeous in hand. I absolutely love the switchable faces!!! Very cool toy. Don't really know if I'll ever go to gun mode. BTW, my orange barrel plug basically fell out when I took him out of the package. The silencer one is glued in, have to work on that later... Enjoy the pics! Decepticons ATTACK!!! 

[M'Kyuun]

I agree with your assessment of his finish; after all the internet griping, in hand, he has a really nice finish, a sheen, if you will. IMHO, the best thing about him is that, despite having to incorporate all the engineering for transformation, he's still an excellent action figure, with an impressive range of articulation. I don't find his transformation to be fun; it's a process, and a lot of tolerances are very tight, at least on mine. I transformed mine into his gun mode and back last night, second transformation, no instructions, and it was still tricky in spots, esp the upper arms. I'd recommend transforming him at least once for the experience, though. Those legs are just brilliant, but the way the rest of it folds to become a gun is really quite a feat of engineering, and worth transforming once to appreciate the design.

[derex3592]

Did you succeed in getting the silencer plug out M'Kyuun???

[derex3592]

Nevermind.. I got impatient... LOL.. here's how to do it guys, here's what you need, small drill,  small, medium and largeish drill bits, xacto knife and small pliers. Make a small center pilot hole in the plug with the xacto knife, start with a small drill bit, work you way up a size or two until you can reach through the hole with the small pliers, gently kinda rotate and pull, the plug will come out fairly easily. Unfortunately on mine the glue residue stays inside the barrel, and not on the plug. Oh well, Goo Gone might help that later. Don't get carried away with the depth of drilling, you'll feel the bit go through the plug. Stop immediately at that point. 

Edited April 12, 2017 by derex3592

[Golden Arms]

Derek,

Mine came out with a model parts separator.  The pliers likely loosened it.  I did have one small spot were the glue remained in the barrel.  I'll likely never use the silencer so not too concerned about.   Glade you are liking it.  I think it's another solid release from Takara.  It really captures the spirit of Megatron like no other release of him. 

[M'Kyuun]

Derex, sorry I missed your earlier post; been away from the computer for several hours. My copy didn't have any plugs installed at all- pristine and sealed from the factory.

I haven't even bothered removing the silencer from its tray, as I'm rue to scratch up Megs' barrel. It's really the one big misstep with this toy, that attaching the silencer will almost certainly cause damage. No intended feature or accessory should cause damage by using it in the prescribed manner, and certainly not at the asking price for this figure. I hope Takara are addressing it for future releases. The rest of us will have to content ourselves with the box pictures if we don't want to scratch up our toy. And while I could get a modicum of use out of it by assembling his big gun from it and the stock, I really feel no compunction to do so. Maybe someday I'll get a wild hair, but 'til then, it shall remain in the tray.

5 hours ago, Golden Arms said:

 I think it's another solid release from Takara.  It really captures the spirit of Megatron like no other release of him. 

I concur- in hand, just a great figure to pose, play around with, and display. Whoever first came up with the idea of interchangeable faces deserves some serious kudos; they've revolutionized the doll/action figure industry, enabling the user to change the emotional state of their figure to really illuminate its character and personality. I tend to stick to neutral faces, but I think the option to change expressions is an under-sung feature. Against my general practice, my Megatron is laughing while pointing his fusion cannon at whatever passes before him. He was worth the wait, IMHO.

[DyNo]

Received mine from Agabyss yesterday. No orange plug to deal with. I must say, this is a nice MasterPiece

Edited April 12, 2017 by DyNo

[JB0]

On 4/11/2017 at 5:07 PM, no3Ljm said:

Oh. My bad. Sorry guys. Really not familiar with TF toys.  But good to know that they're one and the same. So yeah, good size for me.

 

It does not help that Hasbro uses the term legends for something different than Takara, which is only going to sow confusion. 

On a US toy, "legend" would mean something like "micromaster"(albeit with MUCH better engineering). On a japanese toy, it is as everyone else has already said.

[mikeszekely]

5 hours ago, JB0 said:

It does not help that Hasbro uses the term legends for something different than Takara, which is only going to sow confusion. 

On a US toy, "legend" would mean something like "micromaster"(albeit with MUCH better engineering). On a japanese toy, it is as everyone else has already said.

All true, but in fairness to Hasbro they had Legend class, renamed it to Legion class, then changed it back to Legend class before Takara decided to call their whole toyline Legends.

[M'Kyuun]

Internationally, they should just rename the size classes tall, grande, and venti; that would alleviate all confusion.

[Tking22]

My MP-36 is on the way along with MP Coronation Starscream and FT Quakewave, yes, after bitching about the aesthetics and what-not like I always do I got an MP-36 anyway. I'm totally prepared to be underwhelmed, and I doubt I'll keep him, but he is a decent mold, he's just covered in questionable paint and that stupid animation accurate and yet an animation error Con symbol on his chest, that will never escape my mind. If Takara could include a battle damaged chest, why not a clean, accurate Con symbol chest? His stupid Con logo doesn't match a single other official MP Con figure, it's so, so, so stupid. As for Coronation Starscream, he's pretty much just a regular MP Starscream but with the cape and crown right? His reissue was fairly cheap so I bit, I'm getting the YM KOs for Thundercracker and Skywarp, there's zero chance I'm paying Takara's idiotic prices for the MP seekers. I watched a couple reviews that compared MP Shockwaves, Takara definitely looked the worst in my opinion, that color is bad, and his legs, and feet in particular look terribly thin. Plus, that price is frakking dumb, like wow Takara, get a grip. Quakeblast looks really, really good, and he's covered in that gorgeous paint, but it's just too dark. If Quakeblast was available in a lighter shade of purple I'd be on him in a second.

[derex3592]

Don't make Megatron choke a bitch!!! 

and my best... "I would have waited an eternity for this, it's oooover Prime"... pose 

I'm sorry... if you don't like this toy, that's ur problem, not the toys. Is it perfect?.. no, of course not, but it takes you back to being a kid, and isn't that why we all spend stupid amounts of money on this crap?! 

Edited April 13, 2017 by derex3592

[Tking22]

1 hour ago, derex3592 said:

I'm sorry... if you don't like this toy, that's ur problem, not the toys. Is it perfect?.. no, of course not, but it takes you back to being a kid, and isn't that why we all spend stupid amounts of money on this crap?! 

 

 

 

That's great that you like him! I might too once I get him in hand, but this comes off as very odd... Like you said, he's not perfect, and he's obviously not going to be for everybody, especially those not into the hardcore toon look TT is going with now. And that's not really why I buy toys, I never had G1 Megs as a kid or watched G1 growing up, it was slightly before my time. Also, if the paint is chipped out of the box or just after some posing as some people are reporting, or he has multiples of the same face and is missing one, that's definitely a problem with the toy.

[derex3592]

26 minutes ago, Tking22 said:

That's great that you like him! I might too once I get him in hand, but this comes off as very odd... Like you said, he's not perfect, and he's obviously not going to be for everybody, especially those not into the hardcore toon look TT is going with now. And that's not really why I buy toys, I never had G1 Megs as a kid or watched G1 growing up, it was slightly before my time. Also, if the paint is chipped out of the box or just after some posing as some people are reporting, or he has multiples of the same face and is missing one, that's definitely a problem with the toy.

Hadn't heard about the missing parts thing yet, but yes, you are right, that is for sure a problem!  Mine was perfect out of the box, and I don't have any chips or scrapes yet, hopefully you won't either!  I grew up on G1 and had two Megs, as I literally wore the first one out playing with him back in the day, luckily my dear mother took pity on me and bought me a new one.  I don't have very many "Masterpiece" TF's, just MP-10, Soundwave and cassettes and the Hasbro version of the seekers as I too refuse to pay the insane prices for the Takara's, ohh and Masterpiece Bumblebee.  I just needed a Megatron and now I'm good. Probably won't get any more, well...unless somebody makes a Skyfire worth a damn. 

[Tking22]

5 minutes ago, derex3592 said:

Hadn't heard about the missing parts thing yet, but yes, you are right, that is for sure a problem!  Mine was perfect out of the box, and I don't have any chips or scrapes yet, hopefully you won't either!  I grew up on G1 and had two Megs, as I literally wore the first one out playing with him back in the day, luckily my dear mother took pity on me and bought me a new one.  I don't have very many "Masterpiece" TF's, just MP-10, Soundwave and cassettes and the Hasbro version of the seekers as I too refuse to pay the insane prices for the Takara's, ohh and Masterpiece Bumblebee.  I just needed a Megatron and now I'm good. Probably won't get any more, well...unless somebody makes a Skyfire worth a damn. 

Don't know if you do third party or not, but Fans Toys is making FT-10 Phoenix, their take on an MP Skyfire, and he looks really promising! I'm just a bit worried I'll get MP-36 in, then TT announces a "toy" repaint, with silver paint and the proper red highlights throughout. That's the deco I would love on this mold, and I'm fairly certain they will do it eventually, if not a toy deco first then maybe that gold repaint that they did for MP-5.

[derex3592]

The only 3rd party Ive done is MPP-10, because of the pure freakin awesome and BIG and cheap factors.  I do try to keep up with the 3rd party thread here however, I'll have to check into the Skyfire

 

See I'm the guy who wants the robots to look like they jumped off the tv screen, i really could honestly care less if they actually transformed...in some cases..like Megatron for example. Maybe that statement will get me burned in effegy here, but whatever. LOL 

Edited April 14, 2017 by derex3592

[JB0]

15 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

All true, but in fairness to Hasbro they had Legend class, renamed it to Legion class, then changed it back to Legend class before Takara decided to call their whole toyline Legends.

True. I wasn't blaming either side, just noting that for someone shopping from both sides of the pacific, it has the potential to cause confusion.

...

But I still think they should call the Legends toys "Micromasters" instead.

5 hours ago, derex3592 said:

See I'm the guy who wants the robots to look like they jumped off the tv screen, i really could honestly care less if they actually transformed...in some cases..like Megatron for example. Maybe that statement will get me burned in effegy here, but whatever. LOL 

No burning here, different strokes for different folks and all.

 

But transformation is my biggest complaint about the new Megatron, particularly after reviewers said his color looks much healthier in-person. It is a ridiculously convoluted transformation that results in a terrible altmode AND seemingly unavoidably damages the toy's paint in the process. Convoluted and terrible altmode should be an either/or proposition, not both.  And inherently unavoidably damages toy is an automatic nonstarter.  I'm wondering if some parts tolerances weren't changed between the prototype and final production run, because surely their engineers weren't thinking "Okay, these parts scrape against each other and will NEVER hold paint, but it is okay since only a fool will experience our engineering anyways!".  I do respect the engineering that went into the transformation on a technical level, but question whether it was wise. Particularly given the end result is proving so problematic. 

 

Personal preference, though? Even without the issues, I prefer simpler transformations.  FAR simpler.  I like being able to grab a toy and just idly transform it while thinking about something else, and excessively complex transformations annoy me. 

 

[M'Kyuun]

44 minutes ago, JB0 said:

T

 

Personal preference, though? Even without the issues, I prefer simpler transformations.  FAR simpler.  I like being able to grab a toy and just idly transform it while thinking about something else, and excessively complex transformations annoy me. 

 

I'm starting to come around to that way of thinking, too. But, there's also a difference between a fairly complex transformation where everything transitions smoothly, and one where tolerances are too close or too tight, and that complicates the process far more than the transformation itself. MP-36 falls into the latter category. His transformation really isn't that difficult (the arms are the most difficult part for me), but the close tolerances and resistances just make this thing a nail-biting experience. I don't mind a challenging transformation, but it's best when the designers make allowances for parts to clear enough for other parts to rotate and move as needed. I'm gonna call out XTransbots here: Eligos has a pretty straightforward transformation, i.e.,  it's logical and makes sense. But, for whatever reason, the panels that go around the head and the panels on the backs of the legs , all of which need to swing open to allow other parts to move by or through them, have very limited hinge movement so that there's barely clearance. It's frustrating and I don't get why they didn't design the hinges to allow for more travel. On my copy of MP-36, the final rotation of the arms into their pistol mode positions causes them to rub, and it gives me an uneasy feeling.

But for fun, I've really cottoned to the RiD figures and a number of recent TR figures just to grab and idly transform. Fun toys, as they should be.

[mikeszekely]

17 hours ago, derex3592 said:

Don't make Megatron choke a bitch!!! 

and my best... "I would have waited an eternity for this, it's oooover Prime"... pose 

I'm sorry... if you don't like this toy, that's ur problem, not the toys. Is it perfect?.. no, of course not, but it takes you back to being a kid, and isn't that why we all spend stupid amounts of money on this crap?! 

Well, if the reasons I don't like it pertain to the toy, then the toy is my problem, eh?

Or rather, it would be... but one of the nice things about the hobby these days is that once you toss in 3P you really have a lot of options.  If someone (like myself) doesn't really care for MP-36 there are three other MP-sized Megatrons out there.  Personally, I kind of like Maketoys' Despotron.

14 hours ago, derex3592 said:

See I'm the guy who wants the robots to look like they jumped off the tv screen, i really could honestly care less if they actually transformed...in some cases..like Megatron for example. Maybe that statement will get me burned in effegy here, but whatever. LOL 

Nah, we don't do that here.  We're not TFW2005.

I think that, especially when we're spending $100+ on our toys, that we like to read opinions that agree with ours.  It's a type of cognitive bias that helps us feel better about our own choices.  But the reality is often different strokes for different folks, it's nice to have options, and if everyone had identical collections that'd be kind of boring.  So anyway, you like what you like, and that's cool!  I think MP-36 was a good choice for you, then, because it ticks the right boxes for you.  Me, I'm in the camp that likes to transform his toys.  If I thought MP-36 was perfect in every other way I might let that slide, but here's my thing... I actually don't want my toys to look like they jumped off the TV screen.  I loved the cartoon, don't get me wrong, but I think of the animation as crude simplifications.  I think a better example than Transformers might be Gundam.  Look at how the original Gundam looked in the anime, then compare it to the life-sized model that was built in Tokyo.

The animation is fine for telling the story, but there's so much detail like warning marks, faction emblems, unit emblems, panels in the armor, joint details, etc that don't show up.  It's too difficult/time consuming/expensive to animate all those details with traditional hand-drawn animation, so animation is necessarily an approximation of what the real robot would look like.  I don't think a toy should have those sorts of limitations, so I want my toys to look better than the animation.

What's more, and this is even more subjective, I never cared for the way they drew Megatron in the cartoon.  The thin legs, high waist, and big pelvis on MP-36 are all animation-accurate, sure, but still goofy-looking to me.  As a comic fan, Megatron isn't just the guy who came up with a new goofy plan to steal energy every week, he's a former gladiator who dominates the Decepticons through strength.  In my mind, he's always been beefier than the animation, so I prefer the look of stuff like Despotron or DX9's Mightron.

[dizman]

Man I love popped collar Gundam.

I've yet to pick up MP Megs 2.0, still not sure if I ever will. I like fun transformations and MP-36 looks a bit too fiddly with the risk of paint scratching added on top. Maybe one day there will be a fun to transform masterpiece gun Megatron but for now I'll save my money.

[derex3592]

hahaha.. kneel before Megatron giant doggie, or I shall energy mace you!!! 

[treatment]

Peaugh's review of MP-36:

https://youtu.be/X2EgALWza8U

 

[derex3592]

at home with friends.... and enemies. 

[sh9000]

Nice pics and vintage Transformers book derex3592.  Just bought the book on amazon for 38 cents after using rewards points.  

[vlenhoff]

Shall i assume Nippon-Yassan customers wait 2 light years to get their shipments? I loved the price, and this is my first ever order, but my goodness it is taking while to get Megs here. Anyway, nice Skywarp Derex3592. It has the Kawamori oroginal jet mode.  I never opened mine. I am unsure about getting the updated version or not.

I badly want that Soundwave, but no money for that right now. 

Edited April 15, 2017 by vlenhoff

[treatment]

On 4/8/2017 at 8:47 PM, JB0 said:

Now if only someone would post pics of him next to a real P08. I saw it done with the old MP Meg.

from TFW-forum today:  http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/masterpiece-megatron-v2-0-is-happening-in-2017.1088513/page-502#post-14518192

 

 

Camera

iPhone 6

Focal Length

4.15mm

Aperture

f/2.2

Exposure

1/24s

ISO

250

 

Edited April 15, 2017 by treatment

[M'Kyuun]

Considering that he has to transform into a MP-10 scaled robot, they did a pretty good job overall of getting the shapes and proportions close. I wouldn't expect it to be exact, as it would be nigh impossible to do and make the robot mode as well without more sacrifices. Too, in this instance, I'd rather the robot mode got the most attention design wise.

[JB0]

Well, he's a lot better sized than the first MP Megs, I'll give him that.

[vlenhoff]

I am glad someone made that comparison shot. All this time I've been wondering if Megs was a massive Walter PPk, but it looks way closer than i envisioned. It would have been cool to get Megs as MP38, since the Walter is P.38...

 

ok, I'll shut up

[M'Kyuun]

Don't worry, there'll be recolors of this guy, at least a Diaclone version, and a toy colors version, so there's a good chance an MP-38 Megs might yet be released. And if, not, not really a big deal to me and , yay, new mold!

Personally, I'd like an all new Seeker mold, where the neck area is mounted lower than the upper lip of his chest intakes. That particular detail has bugged me about the current Seeker mold since it was released. Speaking of that, this mold is now over 10 years old- that's a lot of milking time for the mold. Time for an update.

Edited April 16, 2017 by M'Kyuun

[David Hingtgen]

Just give me Thundercracker in his G1 toy colors.   That's all I want.  None of this half-assed "in-between toy and toon" blue.  

[Scyla]

On 4/14/2017 at 7:48 PM, dizman said:

*snip*

Man I love popped collar Gundam.

I've yet to pick up MP Megs 2.0, still not sure if I ever will. I like fun transformations and MP-36 looks a bit too fiddly with the risk of paint scratching added on top. Maybe one day there will be a fun to transform masterpiece gun Megatron but for now I'll save my money.

In my opinion Make Toys Despotron is fun to transform. The only fiddly bit is bringing the upper part and the lower part of the gun together which is not that bad if you know what you are doing. All the rest is moving solid blocks into position. 

I also think it works best with Masterpiece Optimus Prime all the way to MP Ultra Magnus. Especially the often criticized face sculpt fits right in with the sculpts from MP-11 Starscream over Sideswipe and Prowl/Bluestreak since they look nothing like the G1 cartoon. Also the aesthetic of Despotron fit well with MP-10 since they both have super beefy legs.

MP-38 Megatron fits well with Inferno/Grapple, Ironhide and Shockwave well as probably all the G1 Masterpiece that will be released next. MP-40 seems to be a good number for a super cartoon accurate Convoy and the MP Seeker mold is due for a renewal. 

The more I think about it the more impressed I am with Megatron even if he doesn't fit in my collection. I wonder what Takaras grand plan for the (G1) Masterpiece line will be. I'm not sure that I'm capable of putting a cartoon accurate penny racer Cliffjumper next to MP Bumblebee or a MP Jazz that hasn't a real alt-mode. 

[M'Kyuun]

On 4/17/2017 at 8:36 AM, Scyla said:

In my opinion Make Toys Despotron is fun to transform. The only fiddly bit is bringing the upper part and the lower part of the gun together which is not that bad if you know what you are doing. All the rest is moving solid blocks into position.

 I've heard others say that he's a fun figure to transform, and he seemed so from the vids I've seen. I've had my eye on him, and despite shelling for MP-36, I may end up getting him, too.

On 4/17/2017 at 8:36 AM, Scyla said:

 I wonder what Takaras grand plan for the (G1) Masterpiece line will be.

 More over-engineering, even less detail.

[treatment]

All must bow down to the mighty leader of the Decepticons...

paint scuffs schmuffs. Megatron, degeso...

 

 

[Scyla]

Images of the Movie Masterpiece Optimus Prime: http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/04/27/official-masterpiece-movie-optimus-prime-images-details-337904

I have to say after the stellar RotF Leader Optimus prime I'm underwhelmed. I really hope the backpack is a transformation error. The lack of a faceplate also totally destroys any interest I had in this line (which was zero to begin with). 

[edit:] From the packaging photos it looks like it has a faceplate as well as a better way to transform the backpack:

Edited April 27, 2017 by Scyla