The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[Alex GS]

On 10/2/2020 at 10:33 AM, technoblue said:

Cyclion looks great. I have a copy on pre-order too, and I'm really into how Goodsmile took the original garage kit (which is near impossible to find outside Japan) and made improvements to it. Here's a pre-review (not in English). The transformation from bot to motorcycle begins at 7:15s. I think there are some unique twists to that crouched robot expectation.

 

Really impressed by the how the transformation is perform, very very clean in my opinion , only the hands just a bit on the open side in bike mode, love those inner panels openings  and finally I wished the figure it was a tad bigger, still I think I will preorder one now. 

[technoblue]

3 hours ago, Alex GS said:

Really impressed by the how the transformation is perform, very very clean in my opinion , only the hands just a bit on the open side in bike mode, love those inner panels openings  and finally I wished the figure it was a tad bigger, still I think I will preorder one now. 

The Figma he was using did look a tad too tall for the bike, right? I'm okay with it too, although it's nice knowing that we may have to fiddle with our choice of riders to complete the look in alt mode. 

[M'Kyuun]

Coming as no surprise to anyone but the folks at TFW2005, the ER Datsun mold is getting recolored in shades of Barricade. More specifically, this a recolor of Smokescreen, with the car's unique front end and Smokescreen's ER head sculpt. The Datsun mold is my favorite since ye old G1 days, so I'll be adding this to the overflow. The deco is rather simple, but I think it works. He comes with the police lightbar, a gold rifle (painted or molded?), and two unpainted shoulder cannons cast in what looks like the same light purplish grey as his thighs and upper arms. I wish they'd spared the slightest extra expense to give all the rocket parts of the shoulder rockets a touch of silver paint, as it would look closer to the source, but it's Hasbro, and they didn't. Here lies the major difference in approaches between Takara and Hasbro, but that ship has sadly sailed. judging by the box, it looks like it'll be a Pulse exclusive, which means paying extra for a deluxe just b/c. Again, Hasbro, "where fans come first" Anyway, I thought I'd share the news.

 

[mikeszekely]

22 minutes ago, M'Kyuun said:

the ER Datsun mold is getting recolored in shades of Barricade.

I'm so there for that.

[M'Kyuun]

I know. 

Me too.

[JB0]

Me three.

[Scyla]

I would totally buy a G1 MP Barricade Bader on a 1984 Ford Mustang police car if Takara or a 3rd party company would make one. Same goes for Drift, Bulkhead, Windblade and Slipstream.

[anime52k8]

[M'Kyuun]

Gah, 80's Mustangs were the worst! Damned ugly cars. I was so glad when they returned to the classic Stang look in '05. I was pretty excited when they were going to use one for the Bay films, but then I saw the bot mode, and it was pretty much ruined for me. I'd love to have a modern Mustang that turns into a G1 inspired bot, though.

Still have Binaltech Grimlock and Wheeljack, which was one of the better molds from that line. Love the alt modes for those guys.

[Dobber]

1 hour ago, M'Kyuun said:

Gah, 80's Mustangs were the worst! Damned ugly cars. I was so glad when they returned to the classic Stang look in '05. I was pretty excited when they were going to use one for the Bay films, but then I saw the bot mode, and it was pretty much ruined for me. I'd love to have a modern Mustang that turns into a G1 inspired bot, though.

Still have Binaltech Grimlock and Wheeljack, which was one of the better molds from that line. Love the alt modes for those guys.

Agree, I always hated the Fox body mustangs....especially the 79-early/mid 80’s bodies.

Chris

[Scyla]

But Barricade is a despicable, ugly character. 

[M'Kyuun]

7 hours ago, Scyla said:

But Barricade is a despicable, ugly character. 

The problem with that argument is, that within Bayverse, so is everyone else, robot or otherwise.

[derex3592]

19 hours ago, Dobber said:

Agree, I always hated the Fox body mustangs....especially the 79-early/mid 80’s bodies.

Chris

I agree, I never cared for them, My buddy had a red 93 Mustang Cobra though when he was a senior in HS, an actual one not a poser 5.0, THAT was a good looking Mustang! 

[mikeszekely]

I didn't like any of the Mustangs from 79-'04.  I'd be happiest if someone took either the Mustang he had in the '07 film or the newer one he had in The Last Knight, but gave him a G1-ish robot mode using the Datsun's basic transformation.

Speaking of, I'd really like it if Barricade and Bluestreak would go up already.

[M'Kyuun]

5 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I didn't like any of the Mustangs from 79-'04.  I'd be happiest if someone took either the Mustang he had in the '07 film or the newer one he had in The Last Knight, but gave him a G1-ish robot mode using the Datsun's basic transformation.

Speaking of, I'd really like it if Barricade and Bluestreak would go up already.

+1

[mikeszekely]

I know he's old news by now, but I had a chance to mess with MP-44 today.  I'm not really a fan.  Subjectively, the figure is way too cartoony.  I'm not looking for a 3D representation of an (often poorly drawn) animation cell, I like my MP figures to be representations of the "real" robot that the animation was trying to capture (sort of along the lines of some high-end Gundam kits).  I will say, though, that the backpack doesn't seem as bad in hand as it looks in pictures.

Objectively, the engineering on this thing is a mess.  Some of it might be Takara trying to cram in more articulation than is actually needed (seriously, whoever designed those knees should be fired), some of it might be Takara trying to make a robot with extremely cartoony (and dare I say goofy) proportions- thin arms, short upper torso, big diaper pelvis, rounded edges, and still have it transform.  There are at least two alternatives that are significantly better than MP-44, IMHO, and I feel sorry for anyone who paid over $200 for him.

[M'Kyuun]

I appreciate the opinion, Mike. For the record, I haven't handled MP-44 (although I'd totally take advantage if the opportunity presented itself), but in making up my mind which Optimus would be my Optimus, I watched any number of vid reviews for the three primary contenders. Ultimately, I chose Magic Square, as it checked all the boxes for me.  I'm aware that MP-44 has had issues with the knees. The toon proportions of the bot mode don't really bother me that much, although, given my druthers, I prefer the chunkier look of MS-01. In truck mode, I vehemently dislike the shapes of the fuel tanks and the missing grey stripe, the latter of which is, to me, iconic to the character. It's once again a salient feature that was lost due to Takara's devotion to a poorly drawn and woefully inconsistent cartoon. I still don't like the oversized backpack, and I'm not crazy about the broken -up look of the top of his cab in bot mode, which is due in part to all the origami in the transformation, but also as a concession for the butterfly joint. I love that Takara want to give these new MP figs much greater range of articulation. It's been one of my chief complaints across the various lines of Transformers since I started this journey with Prowl in '84. I also realize that it's likely going to come at a cost, although I maintain that with the MP line, the bulk of the concessions have been made in TT's attempts to turn a toon "accurate" bot mode into a real world vehicle, an approach I don't endorse. Anyway, your in-hand observation cements my belief that I chose the right toy for my preferences, so thanks.

[technoblue]

2 hours ago, mikeszekely said:

I know he's old news by now, but I had a chance to mess with MP-44 today.  I'm not really a fan.  Subjectively, the figure is way too cartoony.  I'm not looking for a 3D representation of an (often poorly drawn) animation cell, I like my MP figures to be representations of the "real" robot that the animation was trying to capture (sort of along the lines of some high-end Gundam kits).  I will say, though, that the backpack doesn't seem as bad in hand as it looks in pictures.

Objectively, the engineering on this thing is a mess.  Some of it might be Takara trying to cram in more articulation than is actually needed (seriously, whoever designed those knees should be fired), some of it might be Takara trying to make a robot with extremely cartoony (and dare I say goofy) proportions- thin arms, short upper torso, big diaper pelvis, rounded edges, and still have it transform.  There are at least two alternatives that are significantly better than MP-44, IMHO, and I feel sorry for anyone who paid over $200 for him.

Hm. Like you, mike, I have a collection of Primes. Unlike you, I guess I'm not overly critical of the new direction that Takara has taken their official MPs. I also don't find it uncanny having MP-44 in proximity to high quality Chogokins or Arcadia and Bandai Macross Valkyries. Is MP-44 perfect? No. Is it for everyone? Of course not! Objectively, I agree that there are two very good third-party alternatives, but they are clearly serving different audiences at different price points. It's also worth noting that both the Magic Square and the Transform Element Primes cost over $100, so they aren't inexpensive (like picking up a mainline Siege or ER Optimus).

Honestly, the best thing to do is to buy the figure(s) that best fit your collection (or stick with MP-10) and kick the plastic crack addiction completely. 

What I don't recommend is to do what I did and buy all three. That's just crazy, and leads to a hassle when it comes time to clean out closets. 

I do empathize with people who are stuck in the same situation, though. As @M'Kyuun notes, we have a luxury of choice in this fandom. That can make it difficult to pick one figure to represent a beloved character or mecha. If you are able to refocus your collection by filtering out aesthetics or price points that don't jive with what you're looking for, then that's fantastic.  

[treatment]

some MP-52 promo pics over at TFW:

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/masterpiece-v2-starscream-coming.1196303/page-228#post-18401942

sample:

 

uhh, yeah.

err, ewww or something...

 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by treatment

[mikeszekely]

34 minutes ago, technoblue said:

I also don't find it uncanny having MP-44 in proximity to high quality Chogokins or Arcadia and Bandai Macross Valkyries.

See, I don't really collect anything besides Transformers, so maybe that affects my perception of value.  When you're used to buying expensive Japanese figures then sure, I guess a $400 Optimus Prime doesn't seem so out there.  And I'll gladly allow that MP-44, with its paint and higher parts count, should cost more than Magic Square or TE's Primes.  But I also see what $200 or $300 can get you among the 3Ps.  I remember what official MPs used to cost.  And I wind up thinking that MP-44 for $200, sure.  $250, maybe.  $440?  That's just expensive for the sake of Takara marketing it as premium collectible, and why I never bought up.  Getting a chance to handle one only reinforced that notion.  There are things about MP-44 that justify a higher price, but even if MS-01 or TE-01 had been made with better materials and paint or MP-44 sold in a $100 cab-and-rifle-only box I'd still have the opinion that MP-44 is the worst of the three (but better than MP-10).

EDIT: I think maybe my posts are coming off a little hasher than intended.  I'm emphatically not saying MP-44 is bad.  But I am saying that I find some of the choices made with it disappointing.

Edited October 8, 2020 by mikeszekely

[technoblue]

9 minutes ago, mikeszekely said:

See, I don't really collect anything besides Transformers, so maybe that affects my perception of value.  When you're used to buying expensive Japanese figures then sure, I guess a $400 Optimus Prime doesn't seem so out there.  And I'll gladly allow that MP-44, with its paint and higher parts count, should cost more than Magic Square or TE's Primes.  But I also see what $200 or $300 can get you among the 3Ps.  I remember what official MPs used to cost.  And I wind up thinking that MP-44 for $200, sure.  $250, maybe.  $440?  That's just expensive for the sake of Takara marketing it as premium collectible, and why I never bought up.  Getting a chance to handle one only reinforced that notion.  There are things about MP-44 that justify a higher price, but even if MS-01 or TE-01 had been made with better materials and paint or MP-44 sold in a $100 cab-and-rifle-only box I'd still have the opinion that MP-44 is the worst of the three (but better than MP-10).

I find that Takara's larger MPs track closer to Arcadia's Valkyries and certain high-end Soul-of-Chogokins. I do think Takara could have cut costs (and improved the design) if they cut out MP-44's voice box, and the licensing costs associated with using the actors' voices. The included human figures could have had better quality control too. It's annoying that their limbs can detach at the touch of a feather. 

That said, I only paid $314 US (shipping included) for my copy of MP-44 through Amazon Japan. The AJ discount definitely helps, and the Japan site also has a "fun bucks" feature that isn't on their US site. It works like source points at TFSource. So yeah, the premium is real no doubt. It's just that I'm okay with it. If I had been a little more patient, I might have picked up MP-49 or some future repaint.

It seems Takara is pricing these better than MP-44 in any case. 

1 hour ago, treatment said:

some MP-52 promo pics over at TFW:

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/masterpiece-v2-starscream-coming.1196303/page-228#post-18401942

sample:

<clip>

Unpopular opinion: Looks good! Still love the Gerwalk homage. 

It's not like we've never seen fold-over stabs on a Valkyrie before. Why not Starscream? Granted, the false cockpit kibble stands out a little more clearly with the painted model. It's too bad they weren't able to tidy that up, but that's really the only nitpick I have. The rest looks fun. NuScream appears to comes with five(?) additional faces, null ray blast effects, afterburner effects, a purple stand, a set of non-transformable null rays, ye-olde megatron gun, and a few items from that scene in that one episode. With luck the AJ price will be agreeable. If not, I may have to sit on this for a bit.

[danth]

2 hours ago, treatment said:

some MP-52 promo pics over at TFW:

Yikes!

That thing is stacked.

[Chronocidal]

I guess someone just decided that Starscream was being left out, being the only airplane transformer without a giant box of robot parts under him.

In other news, Takara realized that one of the chairs in their corporate headquarters had a broken armrest.  The situation is now resolved, as they hired someone to break all of the other chairs to match.  

I'm actually not sure what bothers me more though.. the giant box of robo-chest, or all of the people on TFW falling all over themselves in love with this.  Like.. I guess I'm happy that they're happy?  At least it seems like Takara knows their target audience well... I guess now I just know that I'm probably not a part of it.

Edited October 8, 2020 by Chronocidal

[JB0]

1 hour ago, Chronocidal said:

I guess someone just decided that Starscream was being left out, being the only airplane transformer without a giant box of robot parts under him.

In other news, Takara realized that one of the chairs in their corporate headquarters had a broken armrest.  The situation is now resolved, as they hired someone to break all of the other chairs to match.  

I'm actually not sure what bothers me more though.. the giant box of robo-chest, or all of the people on TFW falling all over themselves in love with this.  Like.. I guess I'm happy that they're happy?  At least it seems like Takara knows their target audience well... I guess now I just know that I'm probably not a part of it.

What bothers me about it is that I KNOW TakaraTomy can do better. I've SEEN them do better. I don't know what is going on with them these days, but it makes me sad.

 

Unpopular opinion: the null-ray armatures are hideous, and detaching the guns from the wings and reattaching them to the arms is a WAY better solution. Partswapping is fine, as long as the parts actually have a place in both modes.

Edited October 8, 2020 by JB0

[technoblue]

4 hours ago, JB0 said:

What bothers me about it is that I KNOW TakaraTomy can do better. I've SEEN them do better. I don't know what is going on with them these days, but it makes me sad.

 

Unpopular opinion: the null-ray armatures are hideous, and detaching the guns from the wings and reattaching them to the arms is a WAY better solution. Partswapping is fine, as long as the parts actually have a place in both modes.

Hm. It may be unpopular with a very particular group of tfw members, but I’m not sure why we bother to call them out here on this forum. It’s not like they visit when we invoke tfw three times. It’s not a popular MW opinion either. Other than me, I think two or three other MW members have noted they are into MP-52? The rest of the discussion has been dominated by the vocal members who don’t like it and who seem happy to debate how horrible it is (in their humble opinions )

Incorporated parts forming as a gimmick... I dunno... Isn’t that exactly what HasTak has been doing with the mainline releases? For many, the WFC and upcoming SS86 releases are not only more affordable, but also mini-masterpiece in their aesthetic. It’s clear there are options for those to whom TT’s MP line is no longer serving.

Why get so wound up by what others think and feel about a piece of plastic, especially if they’re enjoyment has no bearing on your own? It makes no sense.

Edited October 8, 2020 by technoblue

[JB0]

The armature is just... it is a move I've hated in several toys. I've ranted about scorpion-tails before. I'd say this is a particularly ugly one, but... it isn't the biggest problem with the jet's underside.  

There's no meaningful diffrence between a part that detaches and reattaches vs one hanging off a scorpion-tail between attachment points, but it seems a lot of people think it is a huge improvement*. I think at this point I will legit knock the pins out and remove the armature entirely on any future toys I get with one.

 

I wasn't calling out anyone on TFW, I don't actually go there. This board's couple'a threads is enough Transformer talk for me.

 

 

 

*The funniest was Masterpiece Shockwave, mostly because TakaraTomy called it "perfect transformation". The cartoon Shockwave's barrel is a Prime's Trailer situation and it "canonically" goes flying off over the horizon just like the original toy.

I definitely appreciated that the barrel was a part of the robot mode, though. 

Edited October 8, 2020 by JB0

[ghostryder]

1 hour ago, JB0 said:

The armature is just... it is a move I've hated in several toys. I've ranted about scorpion-tails before. I'd say this is a particularly ugly one, but... it isn't the biggest problem with the jet's underside.  

There's no meaningful diffrence between a part that detaches and reattaches vs one hanging off a scorpion-tail between attachment points, but it seems a lot of people think it is a huge improvement*. I think at this point I will legit knock the pins out and remove the armature entirely on any future toys I get with one.

Looks like there's a mushroom peg joint on the armature, so maybe you can just pop the whole dang belly plate off. The fake canopy would be showing, however. Frustrating thing is that without that fake canopy, maybe they could have been able to store the arms completely instead of them sticking out the sides of the jet. 

Not sure why MP-52's thighs are so skinny - I don't see any "MP-moment" leg transformations like we saw with MP-36 Megs (how they got the legs to flare out from the gun handle halves). MP-52's legs are just sitting there under the plane with giant gaps between them and around the thighs. So the only reason I can think of for the skinny thighs is solely for articulation.

Lots of missed opportunities to make this an amazing seeker mold.

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by ghostryder

[Chronocidal]

1 hour ago, JB0 said:

I wasn't calling out anyone on TFW, I don't actually go there. This board's couple'a threads is enough Transformer talk for me.

That was mostly me, I suppose.  I don't usually read much over there either, but this is one of those crossover events where I was curious to read what the members think.

I guess I'm not calling them out so much as commenting on the differences in how the two communities view the product.  It's just very strange for me to see that picture, and then read as the conversation is almost completely dominated by how perfect the robot is, how great it is to have extra heads, what the accessories are, how the paint is too bright, etc.  Note that I'm not talking about the whole thread, just the last ten or so pages since that pic was posted.  I know there was a little discussion of the gut earlier, but it seems to have just died out in the flood of people discussing everything else.

The only person I saw directly pointing out the giant belly tumor in alt mode in that photo was actually someone else from this board.  It's like everyone on that board has given the tapdancing elephant in the room a free pass, just so long as he wears pants that don't clash with the furniture.

Frankly.. I'm a little envious.  I wish I could look past that mess of a jet, and just enjoy the robot, because it really does look like a very nice figure. 

[treatment]

fyi.

amzn-jp po is now available for MP-52:

https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B08KJP2N4S

still at msrp, so order now and later amz-jp po-discounts should automatically be applied when it kicks in...

 

 

Edited October 8, 2020 by treatment

[M'Kyuun]

50 minutes ago, Chronocidal said:

Frankly.. I'm a little envious.  I wish I could look past that mess of a jet, and just enjoy the robot, because it really does look like a very nice figure. 

Likewise, but I'm an aircraft fan, and former mechanic, who has actually worked on an F-15, so the glaring inaccuracies speak loudly to me. Moreover, if these sorts of inaccuracies were applied to any of the car bots, I think the level of acceptance would be much lower. There exists an enormous double standard between what's acceptable for ground and aerial alt modes, stemming all the way back to the 80's. I don't think there should be, especially if the alt mode is licensed, as the F-15 is.  Moreover, I think improving aerial alt modes, especially in a premium line, should be part of the evolution of engineering and a move towards greater accuracy. The cars have evolved, but the planes are still anachronistic robots under a plane, for the most part.  Or they end up looking like MP-52, with all effort put into the toony bot, leaving a distorted and misshapen fighter mode that barely conceals the robot. This sort of compromise is ok in lower priced toys, but in the high end collector line, it should be, and has been, done better.

[Mechapilot77]

so the pricing on mp-52 is out.  even amazon japan's price is basically $275 shipped to the USA (here in nyc anyway).  the US retailers have somehow closed the gap there (amzn jp has been the cheapest and fastest place to get any MP TF in the past several years).  Thats the same as american retailers like The chosen prime.  Amzn jp doesnt' allow cancellation after 10/25 though so i'm gonna go TCP while I make up my mind.  i think its "worth it" if you compare it with the legioss.  they are both totally rengineered figures doing things different from previous iterations.  The price is spitting distance from each other.  one will be a 12-13 inch long F-15ISH (needs the ish this time for sure) and an 8-8.5" tall robot....the other is a 6 inch tall robot that turns into scifi space jet.  the legioss is beatiful with details and great finish (the fit and function is just ok though).  the takara's is probably not going to be as nice in hand as those pictures make it look.  i'm already dreading finding gate cutoff marks etc (those killed mp magnus' looks btw).  the colored images do make it look really good in robot form (if a bit TOO cartoony and devoid of detail).  i'm still hesitant based on takara's recent track record (aka EVERY new G1 release has issues that cause breakages since MP-44 if i'm not mistaken) and i'm not sold on that jet.  mp-11, and mp-3 still do that way better.  it does look better than meteor's f-15ish mode though even with that heinous bump.  meteor went for cartoon jet is why ( i think).     my ideal starscream would have an alt mode as good or better than mp-3's, be as articulated as meteor, be sculpted as  nostalgia inducing as mp-42 and metoer (with a head swap), but have the detailing of say mp-3/mp-11.  he'd also come with coronation gear so we don't have to double dip again - but i'm sure 3P will address that before takara does.  *sigh*  there are no perfect toys i guess.

[ghostryder]

Finally, some better jet pics:

[Metal_Massacre_79]

I "was" interested, but the jet pics really ruin it for me. Especially with how spoiled we've been with the Macross figures. It just looks like they phoned it in with this one. The robot, however, is beautiful.

[M'Kyuun]

Um, yeah. 

Quoted from the TFW frontpage: "We have a clear look at a colored sample and the plethora of accessories that will be included with this release. This new mold brings us a very cartoon-accurate representation of the Decepticons Air Commander with an impressive posability and a beautiful F-15 fighter mode. "

 Have they ever seen an F-15?

Edited October 8, 2020 by M'Kyuun

[danth]

What a hot mess.

Nose droop, thrust nozzles that hang out in space not attached to anything, those hideous Null Ray connectors, the hinges on the leading edge of the wings, the ridiculous canopy inception.

I guess if all you care about is cartoon-accurate robots, but don't want a statue, this is the toy for you.

What's funny is G1 Transformers all looked really nice in alt mode but had pretty crappy bot modes. For me, "Masterpiece" TFs mean making the robot modes good also, not reversing the situation until the alt mode sucks.