The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[JB0]

32 minutes ago, sh9000 said:

I think you put an extra zero.

The way Takara prices plastic robots these days, I'm not so sure.

[sh9000]

 

[technoblue]

Yeah, MP Blackarachnia was a lovely surprise (Beast Wars keeps calling me back), although I’m just okay with v2 Bumblebee for now. 

There’s something about v2 Bee’s design that has me curious and I do want to see Takara’s strange v2 creature up close, so I think I might get one if I can find a good deal on him. Poor Hound was pushed back reportedly to fix some issues.

But wow, I haven’t paid attention to the mainline classics since the Transformers Prime days, but these Siege reveals are hard to ignore! Armada Prime, Star Convoy, Jetfire...all of them look impressive.

[mikeszekely]

Man, MW was down last night and I really wanted to talk about this stuff.  Of course it comes back while I'm sleeping and the party started without me.

4 hours ago, Tking22 said:

Also, MP Hound was delayed, maybe he'll be MP-47?

That's a yep.

(That katakana says "Hound")

I know a lot of people weren't real into a new MP Bumblebee, but I honestly didn't really like the last one, so I was a bit curious.  I should have known better, though... the Hasui era is long dead.

And this abomination is a shining example of everything wrong with Takara's current direction.  Flat gray instead black.  Flat slightly lighter gray on the bumper.  White circles for headlights.  And a body that looks super cartoon accurate by virtue of being mostly fake car bits while 90% of the real alt mode is half-heartedly folded into a messy backpack.

I guess they have their B-team on G1 now, and their A-team is on Beast Wars.  Even in gray Blackarachnia looks incredibly show-accurate.  I can't even figure out how she's supposed to transform.  Too bad I don't collect Beast Wars.

The Siege news was pretty interesting, too.  I didn't see stuff I expected, like Cybertron Prime, Mirage, Impactor, or Omega, but they did have Jetfire out with Soundwave, Starscream, Prowl and Brunt.  They also showed Legends-EX Big Powered, which looks like some Titans Return remolds.  I recognize Dai Atlas from the Overlord/Sky Shadow mold, but I mostly unfamiliar with Zone so I'm not sure about the other two guys or where they're from.

Then I saw this.

I'm not clear if this is meant to be part of Siege or something else, but that's clearly Armada Prime and Star Convoy.  Star Convoy is clearly a remold of PotP Leader Optimus.  And, I dunno.  I'd like a new Star Convoy.  Heck, I'd like MP versions of every Optimus Prime.  But I can't shake the feeling that this one looks less like Star Convoy and more like G1 Prime wearing a cheap Star Convoy costume.

Armada Prime is a little less clear.  For one, it's not clear if they're showing off two upcoming toys, or if Armada Prime is the smaller robot that that goes inside Star Convoy.  He's a bit stylized, and since a lot of the newer TF toys have been pretty accurate that makes me kind of wonder if it's not a super heavy remold.  I keep checking him against pictures of PotP Orion Pax, but I really don't know.  There does seem to be a split in his crotch, but I don't know if that's so he can transform and fit into Star Convoy of ir it means he's going to get his own trailer and super mode.  I'm definitely interested, though.

[Black Valkyrie]

 

Head Mazinger draft, looks like for the upcoming action figure, I don't know I could be wrong. 

 

[mikeszekely]

Looks like a remold of Titans Return Chromedome.

[Kuma Style]

1 hour ago, Black Valkyrie said:

 

Head Mazinger draft, looks like for the upcoming action figure, I don't know I could be wrong. 

 

This is just amazing... and it makes so much damned sense. 

-----------

HasTak's Wonderfest showing was killer. I'm kind of disappointed with mixing series in that Armada to star convoy thing but I'm so freaking impressed with that take on Armada Prime. that I can't hate too hard.

Mp-45 Bee 2.0 is life. That looks incredible.

------------

https://youtu.be/z6lnYDqVaLw

Alright, so the full Breakdown and gallery article for the Transformers: The Last Knight Premium-Scaled Bumblebee is up on KumaStyle.com; http://kumastyledesigns.com/threea-tlk-bb-review/

The article breaks it down but overall I was very surprised at just how impressef I am with this one. The size, detail, finish, engineering, all of it... just incredible. Here are some shots from the gallery portion;

 

 

 

[Tking22]

6 hours ago, sh9000 said:

I think you put an extra zero.

I did, my bad, 13,000 confirmed, about $110usd.

[Tking22]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

 

I guess they have their B-team on G1 now, and their A-team is on Beast Wars.  Even in gray Blackarachnia looks incredibly show-accurate.  I can't even figure out how she's supposed to transform.  Too bad I don't collect Beast Wars.

Yeah I don't want to beat a dead horse, I've voiced my displeasure with the official Takara G1 line, but this Bee looks just plain terrible, and that price is insane. But then Black Arachnia looks incredible, and I'm wondering where her spider alt mode is hiding, and what magic will take place to hide her hands since those lobster claws are supposed to become the spider alt mode mandibles.

[mikeszekely]

1 hour ago, Kuma Style said:

I'm kind of disappointed with mixing series in that Armada to star convoy thing but I'm so freaking impressed with that take on Armada Prime.

So it's looking like Armada Prime and Star Convoy are displayed together, but Armada Prime is NOT in the inner robot for Star Convoy.

See, this picture is making the rounds on Twitter.  It's the new Star Convoy, from an angle where you can see the inner robot's face a bit (I've circled it for you guys).

Doesn't really look like the head on the new Armada Prime.  He doesn't have those little lines on his mask, and he's got some kind of chin thing going on.

You know who does have those little lines, though?  G1 Prime.

And check this out.  This is the box art from the old Star Convoy toy.

Kind of looks like G1 Optimus turning into Star Convoy, yeah?  So the working theory is that the inner robot for the new Star Convoy is going to have some sort of G1-ish robot mode.

And if Armada Prime definitely isn't part of Star Convoy that makes the seam in his pelvis all the more interesting.  I really hope he's sold as a Leader class with a super mode trailer.

Don't stop there, HasTak!  Leader-class Rid Prime/Fire Convoy, too!  And... well, I guess I can do without Energon Prime...

[Kuma Style]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

So it's looking like Armada Prime and Star Convoy are displayed together, but Armada Prime is NOT in the inner robot for Star Convoy.

See, this picture is making the rounds on Twitter.  It's the new Star Convoy, from an angle where you can see the inner robot's face a bit (I've circled it for you guys).

Doesn't really look like the head on the new Armada Prime.  He doesn't have those little lines on his mask, and he's got some kind of chin thing going on.

You know who does have those little lines, though?  G1 Prime.

And check this out.  This is the box art from the old Star Convoy toy.

Kind of looks like G1 Optimus turning into Star Convoy, yeah?  So the working theory is that the inner robot for the new Star Convoy is going to have some sort of G1-ish robot mode.

And if Armada Prime definitely isn't part of Star Convoy that makes the seam in his pelvis all the more interesting.  I really hope he's sold as a Leader class with a super mode trailer.

Don't stop there, HasTak!  Leader-class Rid Prime/Fire Convoy, too!  And... well, I guess I can do without Energon Prime...

Thank you so much for posting this! I hadn't seen this and it actually brings me giddiness! That's pretty interesting... a G1 convoy to Star Convoy and the thought of actually having a generations straight up G-1 prime is pretty awesome.

[captain america]

7 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Man, MW was down last night and I really wanted to talk about this stuff.  Of course it comes back while I'm sleeping and the party started without me.

That's a yep.

(That katakana says "Hound")

I know a lot of people weren't real into a new MP Bumblebee, but I honestly didn't really like the last one, so I was a bit curious.  I should have known better, though... the Hasui era is long dead.

And this abomination is a shining example of everything wrong with Takara's current direction.  Flat gray instead black.  Flat slightly lighter gray on the bumper.  White circles for headlights.  And a body that looks super cartoon accurate by virtue of being mostly fake car bits while 90% of the real alt mode is half-heartedly folded into a messy backpack.

Man alive, these massive, hideous backpacks have gotten out of hand on the new Masterpiece figures. He looks so great from the front, but then I look at it from the side and my heart sinks! Thankfully they're doing Beast Wars justice.

[Hikaru Ichijo SL]

10 minutes ago, captain america said:

Man alive, these massive, hideous backpacks have gotten out of hand on the new Masterpiece figures. He looks so great from the front, but then I look at it from the side and my heart sinks! Thankfully they're doing Beast Wars justice.

The backpacks are getting crazy.  I will stick with my MP-21G as a MP Bumblebee.  Now I am glad I got him I wasn't going to but $39 shipped change my mind.

[M'Kyuun]

Same boat- I'm not crazy about having 80% of his alt mode in fragmented bits hanging off his back. It's even more glaringly bad when one looks at something like MMC's Hellion, which maintains the chibi car and transforms into a very clean bot, and manages to pull off a partial interior to boot. While the engineering is intriguing and the articulation no doubt markedly improved, this new MP Bee looks pretty messy form any angle but straight on. For the asking price, I'll stick with the first version.

As for Blackarachnia, that bot mode is spot on. It's a shame they didn't show the spider mode, as that's where the engineering is really going to impress. The original's claw-hand design didn't lend itself well to an accurate depiction of chelicerae and pedipalps (Animated and Beast Machines Blackarachnia were done very well in this regard), and if they follow the original's transformation system, then I hope they use just the tips of her thumbs for chelicerae, and the 'finger' portion as palps. I like attention to detail like that when arthropods are depicted in robot form, as, among all creatures on Earth, I think they lend themselves best to that medium. Anyway, they've got my interest piqued, and most certainly if she does well, Tarantulas isn't far behind. 

[mikeszekely]

7 hours ago, Kuma Style said:

Thank you so much for posting this! I hadn't seen this and it actually brings me giddiness! That's pretty interesting... a G1 convoy to Star Convoy and the thought of actually having a generations straight up G-1 prime is pretty awesome.

From Facebook, here's side-on view that shows some of Star Convoy's back.  It's hard to say from this angle, but the shape seems right for a G1 Prime (and definitely not Armada Prime).

But here's something that will get Armada fans really excited... a shot of the back of Armada Prime's legs.  And yes, there's fists in there!

[JB0]

On 2/10/2019 at 11:47 AM, mikeszekely said:

Looks like a remold of Titans Return Chromedome.

It is definitely Titans Chromedome. 

I also think it is a fan mockup rather than an actual product proposal for a couple of reasons. It is signed with a screen name instead of a legal name,  it uses a prime armor variant for a weapon, robot mode has ankle pivots that Chromedome doesn't, and it is too awesome an idea to actually happen.

[captain america]

On 2/10/2019 at 2:12 PM, Kuma Style said:

Alright, so the full Breakdown and gallery article for the Transformers: The Last Knight Premium-Scaled Bumblebee is up on KumaStyle.com; http://kumastyledesigns.com/threea-tlk-bb-review/

The article breaks it down but overall I was very surprised at just how impressef I am with this one. The size, detail, finish, engineering, all of it... just incredible. Here are some shots from the gallery portion;

 

 

 

I realize that most people loathe the Bayverse, and granted, TLK was a wretched movie, but those figures are sheer beauty!! The earlier releases were kinda meh, but the latest ones are just an order of magnitude better than what came before. It's a shame that DOTM is in ThreeA's rear-view mirror, because I think Sentinel Prime would have been great with the newfound detail. The upcoming Megatron looks fantastic too.

[Sgt Nate V]

Based on this, it seems that Jetfire's chest can swap faction symbols. Either that or it's a set of stickers like with CW Megs, but I'm leaning more toward the former.

Edited February 12, 2019 by Sgt Nate V

[Kuma Style]

3 hours ago, captain america said:

I realize that most people loathe the Bayverse, and granted, TLK was a wretched movie, but those figures are sheer beauty!! The earlier releases were kinda meh, but the latest ones are just an order of magnitude better than what came before. It's a shame that DOTM is in ThreeA's rear-view mirror, because I think Sentinel Prime would have been great with the newfound detail. The upcoming Megatron looks fantastic too.

I'm glad that you said that about prior releases because honestly what's crazy to me about these is that playing with the DOTM Prime years back literally turned me off from their products so to have gotten these and have them be so incredible is just... wow.

--------------------------

[Kuma Style]

The full article with gallery for the 3A (ThreeA) Transformers: The Last Knight Premium Scaled Optimus Prime (Deluxe Edition) is up: http://kumastyledesigns.com/threea-tlk-op-review/

 

 

 

The full article gives it a breakdown but to sum it up; Amazing. Buy it now. Here are a few pics from the gallery (around 20 pics:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[nhyone]

Takara sacrifices too much in the name of articulation and their so-called toon accuracy -- which is only accurate from certain angles only.

(MP-45) The feet looks unfinished. It's so lazy. I'm out.

I like the chibi vehicle mode, though.

Edited February 13, 2019 by nhyone
Add MP-45

[mark-1s]

HLJ has Bee up for pre-order for 130.15 CAD.

https://hlj.com/mp-45-transformers-masterpiece-bumblebee-ver-2-0-tkt59598

He's freakin hideous.

 

Edited February 13, 2019 by mark-1s
forgot link

[captain america]

2 hours ago, mark-1s said:

HLJ has Bee up for pre-order for 130.15 CAD.

https://hlj.com/mp-45-transformers-masterpiece-bumblebee-ver-2-0-tkt59598

He's freakin hideous.

 

From the back he really doesn't look too bad, the side is the figure's weak point... Maybe I can add some side panels to help camouflage that kibble.

[no3Ljm]

Y10400? How tall is this again? 

And also, that side view.

Not sure also if this beetle will 'roll'.

 

To be honest, I really like how Choro-Q look in Beetle mode and the cartoon vibe in alt mode, but I can't bring myself to pay that much for a small figure. Maybe, I'll wait for a jumbo KO. 

 

[sh9000]

https://www.nippon-yasan.com/figures/27457-transformers-masterpiece-mp45-bumblebee-ver20.html

8980 JPY

http://www.anime-export.com/product/43077

9100 JPY

https://www.amazon.co.jp/タカラトミー-TAKARA-TOMY-トランスフォーマー-バンブルVer-2-0/dp/B07NF4NX5G/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1550091210&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mp-45+transformers&dpPl=1&dpID=41g3J2lEz8L&ref=plSrch

9694 JPY

https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-046080

10180 JPY

https://hlj.com/mp-45-transformers-masterpiece-bumblebee-ver-2-0-tkt59598

10400 JPY

https://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10591065

11050 JPY

[mikeszekely]

Amazon has listings for Voyager-class Siege Thundercracker (no surprise there, I just hope they don't make us wait too long for Skywarp) and Springer.  Hope it's a new mold and not a reissue/repaint of the older Generations Voyager-class.

[captain america]

I was able to do a wee bit of photo editing to Bee. If you create  side panels with some acetate or polycarbonate and yellow paint, you can hide all those hideous gaps in the torso rather nicely. Simply remove the panels for transformation and imagine that the panels fold-up on themselves and tuck away nicely in alt mode.

[Kanedas Bike]

Ok, so between @Kuma Style's review and @captain america's feedback I bit the bullet and decided to order the ThreeA The Last Knight Bumblebee.

I've been eyeing ThreeA products for awhile but the price point and other collecting priorities l never made a purchase. It's nice to know that this is a solid release.

Ended up ordering from BBTS since I couldn't find it available anywhere else (besides eBay).

Have to say, I'm pretty excited to get this into my collection!

-b.

[Hikuro]

Mp bee is an easy pass for me, I’m pretty happy with the original. But so much of the seige line are buys for me I fact besides cog and magnus I already have the entire first wave in hand. Love them. 

[mikeszekely]

21 minutes ago, Hikuro said:

Mp bee is an easy pass for me, I’m pretty happy with the original. But so much of the seige line are buys for me I fact besides cog and magnus I already have the entire first wave in hand. Love them. 

Right?  When Siege was announced I was all, "no thanks, I'm done with the CHUG stuff."  Then I had to revise that to "well, I'll at least get Prime and Megatron."  Now I've bought the entire first wave except the Battle Patrol Micromasters and Lionizer out of the Battle Masters.  And not only am I down for everything Deluxe or bigger that's been announced, I probably will buy three copies of Refraktor to make the camera mode.

[M'Kyuun]

Oh, three Refraktors to make the camera is an absolute must. I've been waiting and hoping for an official CHUG version of those characters, as they're kinda essential to fill out a first season lineup of characters. Moreover, the three-in-one gimmick is fairly unique with these guys, and I can appreciate their giving Refraktor an individual transformation, half-hearted as it is. I still have my G1 Reflector displayed with the rest of my CHUG collection, so it's about time for a modern update. I'm hoping that Toy fair this weekend will disclose some Earth mode versions of Prime and Megs in the Siege line. I love the bot mode of the current Siege OP, but that Cybertronian truck mode looks nasty. I'm holding out for the Earth truck mode version- we all know it's coming. I'm patient. As for the rest of the Siege line, I have only seen the first wave of figures. I'm hoping to eventually get Ironhide, the mini-cassettes, and Prowl. The new Mirage just doesn't look as nice as my Classics version, so I may hold out for a potential Earth mode version.

Of the big figures coming, I think they did a nice update of Omega Supreme, but I've never been a fan of his overall design, so pass. Skyfire, though, oh my, yes. That's a figure I never thought we'd get officially, especially with CW Jetfire being a decent homage in bot mode. Never happier to be wrong. I hope it turns out to be a solid figure, as it's probably the last time we'll see his G1 toon incarnation done so faithfully in the mainline, at least for another few decades.

Concerning new MP Bee, I think it's a step in the wrong direction, engineering-wise. I think the original was done much better, hollow forearms notwithstanding. However, in terms of using the car parts efficiently for both modes, I think it a very successful toy that captures the look of G1 Bee, and for better or worse, gives us an accurate Beetle mode. Admittedly, I don't mind the Choro-Q chibi dimensions of MP-45's car mode, but I think that the bot mode could have been achieved much more efficiently while utilizing or hiding any extemporaneous panels. I look at my recently acquired Hellion from MMC, and feel that that's the better way to do it- a very clean bot mode with ample articulation, and a nicely realized chibi Porche mode with a usable interior. Love it or hate it, the engineering involved is impressive. I was recently, and quite pleasantly, surprised to learn that Alex Kubalsky, former designer at Takara-Tomy who gave us Classics Mirage, Hound, Bumblebee, Animated Bumblebee, Prowl, Blackarachnia, and Blitzwing, as well as the '07 Concept Camaro Bayverse Bumblebee and Longarm (and more), is the primary designer for MMC. Glad he's still designing Transformer figures that I can buy.

 

[M'Kyuun]

So NY Toy Fair is once again upon us, and already new developments are afoot concerning our favorite transforming bots from a planet called Cybertron.

On the toy front:

Ghostbusters Ecto-1 Exclusive- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/official-press-release-and-more-images-transformersghostbusters-collaborative-ecto1-ectotron/42934/

More Seige figures on the way- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/more-official-images-of-siege-springer-thundercracker-and-red-alert/42927/

There's also a yet unconfirmed rumor of a Seige Astrotrain. I'm tentatively excited for this as TR Astrotrain was a travesty, and given the extreme G1 bent of the line, we may finally get a G1 accurate update. Fingers crossed.

New TF show coming to Netflix- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/new-transformers-netflix-series-coming-in-2020/42929/

Studio Series- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/official-images-for-new-studio-series-toys-with-hightower-leader-prime-new-drift-and-ksi-boss/42922/

Hasbro's new online store is officially open- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/hasbro-pulse-is-the-new-hastrotoyshop-with-preorders-on-new-mps-siege-and-more/42932/

 

[mikeszekely]

I'm down for pretty much everything Siege; that Springer looks amazing. And I'll grab Ectotron, sure. Not a fan of the new MPs, though. And I'm losing interest in the Studio Series, too. I'll still try to finish the movie 1 cast, but beyond that I might buy some if I see them but if not I'm not bothered.

EDIT: Although Hasbro Pulse is taking preorders, all of the Deluxes for the Siege Wave 2 are listed as sold out and the link in the press release for Ectotron doesn't work.

Don't know what wave it's supposed to be, but I managed to get preorders for Siege Thundercracker and Springer at Amazon.  Just got an email today the shipping date was moved from next week (which no one ever believed would actually happen) to July.  Oh well, I'm a patient man.

Edited February 16, 2019 by mikeszekely

[sh9000]

Ectotron and Springer look cool.  If they made a Knight Rider KITT Transformer, I’d buy it.

[M'Kyuun]

I'm rather impressed with that Springer as well; they're certainly taking pains to make these new Siege figs accurate to their G1 look. I wish his arms covered his tires in heli mode, but then again, I consider the possibility that he may be mis-transformed--it wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, pretty much a must-buy.  If I see him, I'll probably grab Red Alert, too. Still hoping for a G1 Astrotrain, too,  A new G1 accurate Cyclonus would also be nice, while the focus is still on Cybertronian alts. 

My wish list keeps growing as they keep revealing more G1 accurate figures--feeling rather spoiled by this line. Has/Tak dominate the deluxe scale right now, too, as there's little in the way of third party competition, which is good. Throughout the last few lines, esp TR and PoTP, deluxe scale seems to get the most love in terms of engineering, although Siege has definitely been a step up across all size classes. It's a great time to be a CHUG collector, especially if G1 appeals to you.  Mine cup of nostalgia runneth over.