The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[kanedaestes]

[ErikElvis]

I’m still thinking I like mp10 overall. 

[David Hingtgen]

51 minutes ago, ErikElvis said:

I’m still thinking I like mp10 overall. 

Same.  For me, I think it really comes down to the alt-mode windows.  MP-10's are like half as tall as any recent figure's---and that's correct for well, pretty much any cabover.  Having these super-tall, "square" front windows, may make robot mode more toon-accurate---but you end up with a Pixar-style, "cutesy big-eyed" look to the "face" of the truck, which just ruins it.

  

Seriously, this looks like a "whimpering puppy", to me, with the size/shape/angle of the front windows and their frames. 

::edit::  And what's up with the square headlights?  MP-10's are just like the G1's, and just like the appropriate-year real thing.  Ovals. 

 

 

[kanedaestes]

I’m a person who found the Transformers from the show so to me whatever gets me close to toon accurate I’m going for. I know most people don’t feel the same way but most of my toy collection across various brands and figure is more for screen accuracy than anything else and MP-44’s bot mode is the closest to it 

Edited September 14, 2019 by kanedaestes

[anime52k8]

1 hour ago, David Hingtgen said:

Same.  For me, I think it really comes down to the alt-mode windows.  MP-10's are like half as tall as any recent figure's---and that's correct for well, pretty much any cabover.  Having these super-tall, "square" front windows, may make robot mode more toon-accurate---but you end up with a Pixar-style, "cutesy big-eyed" look to the "face" of the truck, which just ruins it.

  

Seriously, this looks like a "whimpering puppy", to me, with the size/shape/angle of the front windows and their frames. 

::edit::  And what's up with the square headlights?  MP-10's are just like the G1's, and just like the appropriate-year real thing.  Ovals. 

MP10 had square headlights. and MS01's windows are only like 20% taller than MP10's at most.

 

[David Hingtgen]

Yeah, I've been considering MS-01.  It's definitely the best overall alt-mode I think, of the 'recent' MP Primes.  But still doesn't quite do it for me.  And still has an inferior cab to MP-10.   I think (like most MP NotSidewipes) they used the official MP, and not the real thing, as their vehicle mode reference.  "A copy of a copy of a copy" syndrome, when it comes to alt-mode accuracy.  (plus, like a lot of them--the stripe is way too broad.  That also annoyed me in the BB movie)  

(This is most true with any MP Seeker though---holy hell do they copy the MP's inaccuracies to a T, definitely not referencing a real F-15 for some details)  

[mikeszekely]

26 minutes ago, kanedaestes said:

I’m a person who found the Transformers from the show so to me whatever gets me close to toon accurate I’m going for. I know most people don’t feel the same way but most of my toy collection across various brands and figure is more for screen accuracy than anything else and MP-44’s bot mode is the closest to it 

I respect that, but I must confess that I don't really understand it.  Don't get me wrong, I definitely want some degree of cartoon accuracy (for example, one of my biggest complaints with MP-10 was that it didn't really hide the wheels on Prime's legs), but it seems like a lot of the people in the TF fandom want their toys to look like walking screencaps.  Personally, I don't think the animation was all that hot in the cartoon, and it was often riddled with errors.  I personally like toys that look like they could be the real robot that the cartoon was based on.  Kind of like how I prefer Gundam model kits that look like this:

not like this:

Regarding cabs, MP-10 has more molded rivets and what not, but I really like how much cleaner MS-01 is.  It's not just that there are more seems on MP-10, but MP-10 just didn't fit together right in alt mode, so the seems have wider gaps.

[anime52k8]

2 hours ago, David Hingtgen said:

The thing that really gets me about MP44's cab is that they went through all the effort of turning the front of the cab inside out so it would hide all of the not cartoon accurate real world truck details in robot mode, but then didn't bother to paint any of them.

honestly, I think MP-44's problem is that the cab is trying to be the cartoon truck, the G1 toy truck, and a real life truck all at once and it fails to do a good job of being any of them. I think it would have been more interesting to just commit 100% to a cartoon cab: no windshield wipers, no mirrors, big square single headlights with pronounced red bezels,  big marker lights that mimick the shape of the bumper and no round fog lights.

[tekering]

14 minutes ago, anime52k8 said:

I think it would have been more interesting to just commit 100% to a cartoon cab

Takara did that with their Super Collection Figure line nearly two decades ago:

Quote

China's recent crackdown on knock-offs causes some confusion at Shanghai Airport...

I never would've believed that a simplified trailer like that would get produced at Masterpiece scale... but I guess TakaraTomy had to distinguish Convoy 3.0 somehow!  

[M'Kyuun]

I'll be glad when Takara's obnoxiously ardent devotion to toon accuracy abates, as I'd prefer to have the alt as real world as possible, and those vehicle details, plus additional mechanical details to enhance the bot mode, be evident throughout. I never would have thought that toon accuracy would be the direction they'd go in the MP line- just the opposite. But here we are, and the sooner they abandon that philosophy, the better, IMHO. However, for those that like their figures over complex for the sake of trying to have vehicle realism but uber-plain bot modes, you're wish has been granted. 

With MP-44, though, I think Anime52k8 makes a good point- they took the pains of adding wipers and rivets, but didn't paint any of those realistic details, and the overall impression comes off cheap and superfluous. They should have just gone total toon with both bot and cab- completely plain.

The only thing about MP-44 that I like is the articulation- it's superb. So far as overall look in both modes, I'll stick with my MS-01. His mirrors could stand a secondary attachment, and his hitch deck is a bit thick, but otherwise, he's a fine Optimus Prime figure.

[Dobber]

16 hours ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'll be glad when Takara's obnoxiously ardent devotion to toon accuracy abates, as I'd prefer to have the alt as real world as possible, and those vehicle details, plus additional mechanical details to enhance the bot mode, be evident throughout. I never would have thought that toon accuracy would be the direction they'd go in the MP line- just the opposite. But here we are, and the sooner they abandon that philosophy, the better, IMHO.....

I agree, especially as the old Animation was so inconsistent and rather poor by today’s standards. As MikesSzekely stated above. Perfect example with the Gundams. Couldn’t agree more. 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Dobber

[kanedaestes]

Meh. To each their own but I think they are sticking with animation for a bit because it sells well. That’s why you guys can go third party. I’m happy with how things are at the moment. 

[anime52k8]

2 hours ago, Dobber said:

I agree, especially as the too. Animation was so inconsistent and rather poor by today’s standards. As MikesSzekely stated above. Perfect example with the Gundams. Couldn’t agree more. 

At least with Gundam there are decently developed designs by competent artists behind all the janky animation. You can know what the RX-78 was actually meant to look like because you can look at Okawara's illustrations and understand what he was going for.

[pengbuzz]

On 9/13/2019 at 12:47 PM, M'Kyuun said:

You're not kidding about the TF boards- so much vitriol and invective over there, no matter what thread you look at, it seems. You'd think by now they'd moderate it better to try and maintain some semblance of peace and harmony, but apparently no one cares and the bad behavior continues. It's a pretty toxic environment for a toy hobby board. I generally stay away. Much prefer discussing TFs here.

Same; I got into a lot of arguments over stupid stuff on more than a few TF boards, and eventually just had to walk away from them (for my blood pressure's sake). I like the laid-back atmosphere and general camaraderie here at MWF much better.

On 9/8/2019 at 1:19 AM, M'Kyuun said:

Well stated, Mike. Personally, I was enthralled with MP-01 from the start, although he was a bit large for a practical collection of similarly scaled figs, so I think Takara's decision to downscale with MP-10 was a good one. MP-10 didn't sell me at the beginning, either, as I really disliked the protruding wheel wells and crappy wheel covers on his legs as well as his ape arms. However, over time, I kept seeing pics of him pop up during searches, and I repeatedly found myself liking how it looked overall, not to mention his truck mode was a notable improvement over MP-01's, and he came with the trailer. Eventually, I got a copy, with no regrets. As Mike mentioned, he's still a solid figure, although I agree with his observation that either MS-01 or TE-01 is an improvement in almost every way, and having one of those figs negates the need for MP-10 IMHO. However, as a Transformer collector, I can understand the allure of wanting to own a copy, especially at a decent price. Ultimately, if you have one of the third party MP Primes or MP-44, and you still want the MP-10 mold, then a paint variant might be the way to go for variety, and the SG version looks pretty nice.

While I like MP-10 overall and like the way MP-44 advanced the tech used for the transformation, admittedly, I have issues with both. I agree about the arms on MP-10 being too long, while MP-44 just looks a bit "broken up" in a parts-wise way (too "panely"). Also, cost for me is prohibitive on many levels, and just like GX-71 Voltron/GoLion, the price point for MP-44 is about half my rent!!! So, I did the only thing I could, having an MP-01 that I bought (back when MP's were not that expensive):

I rebuilt it.

While it may not look 100 percent like MP-44, at least it's a lot closer than it's original configuration, and it still transforms. I've had to do this for a lot of stuff (like Voltron), where I couldn't simply buy the newest version. But rebuilding the older ones certainly teaches you about the methods they use in developing these collectibles (and the pain of developing the new transforms!).

 

[anime52k8]

Well, I said I wanted an Ironhide, so I got an Ironhide.  Robot mode is a little weird but I think I like him.

Edited September 18, 2019 by anime52k8

[Negotiator]

lol

[tekering]

That's the MP-27+ release.  

Gotta put him on the sled for maximum toy accuracy!  

[Scyla]

MP Ironhide is one of those toys where I wished Takara stayed closer to the animation. His chest looks so unproportioned.

Edited September 18, 2019 by Scyla

[JB0]

Not gonna lie. Most Transformers I'm very biased towards the toy design and detailing, but Ironhide and Ratchet can go total toon without a word of complaint here. 

[M'Kyuun]

Yea, totally. I got G1 Ratchet as a kid, and although I knew what it looked like from the toy brochures that came with all the toys (a practice that still gives me a lot of joy and nostalgia, and that I wish Hasbro still observed), having it in hand just really brought home what a half-finished feeling figure it was. I'm not sure what the designers were thinking, or why Hasbro stayed with the Diaclone toy, but the decision to completely reimagine Ironhide and Ratchet for the toon was great and prescient thinking. Imagine had they animated them to be more like the toy, anemic looking bots rolling around on their little treaded sleds. So, although I rail a bit against the totally-toon or bust design philosophy espoused by Takara, so far as the van bros go, toon design all the way!

I thought they did a fair job with the van bros design, but I do wish they'd figured out the door idea employed by Shadow Fisher's add-on, and I wish they'd figured out a way to have Ironhide's back cannon permanently mounted and retractable as part of the final design. I know  lot of folks take issue with the front of the van sitting too low and looking like a beer belly, but it honestly never bothered me. They look like Ironhide/Ratchet to me as-is. Different strokes. Still, better than the G1 design!

[JB0]

2 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

I'm not sure what the designers were thinking, or why Hasbro stayed with the Diaclone toy,

The designers were thinking it would look a lot less stupid with a driver on top, and that it is a robot toy for children so who cares if it looks stupid?

Hasbro was thinking that it is a robot toy for children and they can get the distribution license cheap, so who cares if it looks stupid?

[anime52k8]

16 hours ago, tekering said:

That's the MP-27+ release.  

Gotta put him on the sled for maximum toy accuracy!  

yYou're right, this looks MUCH better.

Edited September 19, 2019 by anime52k8

[anime52k8]

I love this third mode they included:

~megAAtrOOOOn!~ I am the ghost of IROooonHide!!!~~ ya blasted me to smitherEEEENS, now I'm gonna haunt yer spark FOREeeVEerRRR!!!~

"NO, NOT THAT! PLEASE HAVE MERC- Wait, why are you a slab?"

~SHuuUT UUUUP! BOOOooo~

Edited September 20, 2019 by anime52k8

[Kuma Style]

 

[anime52k8]

MEGS!!! OH MY GOD YOU'RE HERE TOO NOW WE CAN HANG OUT AND GO ON ADVENTURES AND BE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! We should get ice cream! Do you wanna get ice cream? LETS GET ICE CREAM!

[M'Kyuun]

Anime52k8, you're vignettes really bring home how expressive the MP figures can be, to great comical effect. 

[Tking22]

13 hours ago, anime52k8 said:

MEGS!!! OH MY GOD YOU'RE HERE TOO NOW WE CAN HANG OUT AND GO ON ADVENTURES AND BE BEST FRIENDS FOREVER! We should get ice cream! Do you wanna get ice cream? LETS GET ICE CREAM!

Are you going to pick up MP Soundwave? I recommend him, and if you can, get the Hasbro or Hasbro Asia version, you'll get all the tape bots in one package. That said, I almost guarantee there will be a + version announced at some point in the near future, I don't know if a more cartoon accurate color scheme is of interest to you, but yeah, that's definitely going to happen at some point. 

[anime52k8]

3 hours ago, Tking22 said:

Are you going to pick up MP Soundwave? I recommend him, and if you can, get the Hasbro or Hasbro Asia version, you'll get all the tape bots in one package. That said, I almost guarantee there will be a + version announced at some point in the near future, I don't know if a more cartoon accurate color scheme is of interest to you, but yeah, that's definitely going to happen at some point. 

I actually have both.

[anime52k8]

I also got this bad boy with shockwave

[treatment]

MP-44: and i'll form the head, huh? hmmm...

 

[JB0]

Don't be silly, Prime. You're not a headmaster.

...

You're a powermaster.

[anime52k8]

11 hours ago, JB0 said:

Don't be silly, Prime. You're not a headmaster.

 

[Scyla]

Got my Kuro Kara Kuri Star Saber today and I'm in love. It helps that I'm a fan of the IDW design this thing is homaging. They really went all out on it.

A few observations:

• In general I feel like that their Drift did the whole engineering magic to move things around the best. Tarn was not that impressive but had his highlights. Star Saber is conservative in this regard. The range of movement is there but not to the extend on the others. I didn't have enough time to mess with him so maybe this will change.
• I also feel that this is their first release where I'm not happy with the LED gimmick. I despise the inclusion of LEDs but for the other two releases it was less obtrusive. I could remove the batteries (which are included) and be done with it. Star Saber has this gigantic blocks of translucent plastic on his shoulders that can light up but I have the feeling it could be done better without LEDs there. Like how the chest of the Metal Build Gundam F91 was done.
• Regarding LEDs (and one reason I dislike them) you need to pop off 7 piece to flip 6 switches to turn on all the lights which to me feels excessive (to be honest the whole figure is one giant excess) and something no one would do on a regular basis

Random thoughts:

• The block the head is mounted head is rather loose (you can replace him with a blue Saber head) but I don't think it will be an issue.
• Compared with other Kuro Kara Kuri some of his joins feel loose out of the box.
• You can't have the shield attach to the forearms with the forearm guards attached.
• Of all their toys I have from them he only has a tiny paint blemish on the top of the shield making him the one with the least paint issues.
• Without the backpack he has an great sculpt for the back; he looks buff.
• They gone back and used fixed posed hands on Star Saber which is the correct decision I feel like since the ball-jointed fingers on Tarn where the only major criticism I had with him. 
• The connection arms for the sword sheaths/guns that plug into the sides of his hips feel flimsy so I would be extra cautious when rotating the gigantic guns so you don't cause stress marks or, even worse, break something.

After my first impressions he is the weakest release of the line (Drift is still the best imho) but since the design speaks more to me than their Drift or Tarn he has my personal top and I'm super happy to finally have him.

I can't wait for his GaoGaiGar upgrade set and the Kuro Kara Kuri Optimus that seems to pack more of that engineering magic I adore on Drift.

 I hope they do some rework on their Fallen (remold of Tarn) which looks super wonky in the first pictures. They completely reworked their Rodimus so there is hope. He was just a silhouette though, not a 3D printed prototype.

But I'm really digging this line. While I have a bunch of nitpicks their releases deliver what I want from my collectible Mecha/Robot. If you like the Metal Build line but feel the designs are too athletic for you. This might be the toyline for you. 

Edited September 23, 2019 by Scyla

[mikeszekely]

Still a bit behind, but marveling at the Soul of Chogokin Voltron for a few days put Transformers on the back burner (especially when all I have left is mainstream retail Deluxes).  Figured I should get these out of the way before the new wave of Siege figures hit.  So we'll begin with Studio Series Hightower.

Well... he's a weird boy.  This robot never appeared in any films, so film-accuracy may be moot.  Only one other toy Hightower even Transformed, and that was a Legends-class toy from 10 years ago.  The design is based on a design created for the film that went unused, which itself was based on concept art by Steve Jung.  This figure is close to the unused, presumably finalized design that the Legends toy was, with the tiny T-Rex arms, but the yellow and silver face is from Jung's art.  Interestingly, both the concept art and the final design feature Hightower's head full enclosed by the black scaffolding, and the treads that make up his feet are flat.  These (and the black head of the finalized design) are details that the older Legends toy got correct, but for whatever reason this figure doesn't.

Hightower's got weird articulation to go with his weird body.  His head is hinged at the base of the skull, with a second hinge at the base of the neck (and a third hinge for transformation that you can use to stick his neck out a little further).  This gives him tremendous up/down range, but his head doesn't swivel and he can't look to the sides.  His little T-Rex arms are on swivels for rotation, but the cage around his chest gets in the way a bit, as does the fact that he can't move his shoulders laterally or bend his elbows.  His hips can swivel, and a hinge allows them to splay out nearly 90 degrees.  He's got a thigh swivel, then swivels on the inside of his thighs that are, I guess, knees.  Then there's a hinge either end of the the part positioned over the treads, which gives him ankle pivots, and the treads themselves are connected to another swivel for up/down tilt.  The boom on his back can tilt up and down, and the little claw at the end can tilt up and down as well.

He doesn't have any accessories, although the claw is removable.

So, I guess Hightower turns into some kind of crawler crane.  Although, there's no hook on it, just the claw.  And I think in the the movie (and Jung's concept art) he's actually supposed to be a wrecking ball.  The scale seems to fit pretty well with Scrapmetal's excavator mode, which is nice, but I'm not sure how well they're going to scale with the others as they're clearly depicted as very large vehicles yet these guys are the only Deluxe-class Studio Series Constructicons.

He rolls in vehicle mode, and you've got some of the articulation on the boom and claw that the robot mode did.  It's a shame that Hasbro didn't go that extra mile and make a wrecking ball that opened into a claw instead of a mostly-static molded claw, because it doesn't look very construction-y.  I think the alt mode also looks kind of weird without the cables that would run between the boom, the gantry, and the winch (which is comically oversized, but I guess they gotta hide combiner parts somewhere).

Speaking of combined mode, this is it.  On it's own, it's kind of hard to picture as part of Devastator's left arm.  However, he and Scrapmetal combine directly, so we can stick them together and... well, I guess it's still pretty funky-looking.  But I guess I'm starting to see a hand.

Scrapmetal is an interesting design made into a less-interesting toy.  On his own I wouldn't recommend him, but chances are if you're buying him you're planning on buying the rest of the Studio Series Constructicons and combining them.  And on that note, we're halfway there, as we've still got two more Voyager-class and two more Leader-class Constructicons to go.

[David Hingtgen]

23 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

Speaking of combined mode, this is it.  On it's own, it's kind of hard to picture as part of Devastator's left arm.  However, he and Scrapmetal combine directly, so we can stick them together and... well, I guess it's still pretty funky-looking.  But I guess I'm starting to see a hand.

Scrapmetal is an interesting design made into a less-interesting toy. 

I feel this is much more the fault of the entire Bay-verse aesthetic, than Hasbro's designers.   Movie Devastator is just a mess, plain and simple.  There's almost no thought put into the transformation/feasability. It's just "a bunch of vehicles, thrown into a blender, then spit out into a robot".  And making sure to place a few key bits of kibble, so you can say "See, THERE's the vehicle parts it's made of!" 

The fact that to this day, Hasbro still doesn't even get the basic composition (how many vehicles, of what type/color) correct, is VERY telling.