Trikeboy wrote:Dead Metal wrote:I think we can now put the whole claim of wanting to finish the 84 an 85 guys up before moving on as no-longer the case. After all, the original excuse for this coming out now was that it's just a repaint of MP10 with armor.
That may have been the original plan but it evolved when they got wind of Citizen Stack and set out to totally out do it, which going by the pics, they have done. This is definitely a case of showing them how it's done.
Personally, I'd rather TT put out good product, not Grandstand against competition. (Of course I understand the business side of that...)
However, to be fair Stack was never a thought for me. Everything was pointing to an MP Magnus being built around MP 10. Stack had no chance for me, because I love the play ability and options of the original toy (just to add; I don't like what Dreamwave started. For me, Ultra Magnus was always the big blue and red dude, the character born when combining cab and trailer. I guess I saw the cab robot as more of a drone, like Magnus had the
added ability to seperate into components for various reasons. It didn't detract from Magnus to me, it added something cool)
However, after the reveal of this...I did give Stack a look, because now I had options. When the products were different things there was no competition for me-now I thought 'right, let's see who is doing it best'. I'll be honest, from what we have seen so far, Stack seems to have a lot of pluses over this. I like how Stack solved the shoulder articulation issue for one. I also like that whilst Stack has the cab at the back, it does add form, as opposed to Takara's which pretty much flat packs the cab like a cardboard box and hangs it down to his backside like a cape, because hell, where else do we put it?
Stak is simpler in approach, yes. But something about a lot of the moving parts on this guy don't make him better, they just look more pretentious and complex.
Don't get me wrong, ultimately I wouldn't buy Stack. He doesn't look like G1 Magnus enough. I have stuck with Takara's MP's because they give me what I look for-the guys from the cartoon I grew up with. Takara have done that. I also love the attention to little details, and the matrix chamber is awesome. But if Stack wasn't designed by a third party, who is to say he couldn't look just as cartoon accurate? What I mean is, Stack's approach could easily have the cartoon aesthetic. It's design is not the cause of the lack of cartoon accuracy, they simply had to (or chose to)
avoid cartoon
accuracy. Stack is weirdly tall and thin, I'll give you that. He looks...stretched...
I know I'm speculating based on early prototypes and lack of different angles and information. I
want to be wrong here, but this is my honest thought at this point. I will buy MP-22 regardless, it's still awesome (And better than Stack) it isn't what I wanted, it isn't what seemed to be originally hinted by Mr. Hasui, who all the way back from MP-10's release couldn't help but point out how he had designed Convoy with Magnus in mind (possibly mis-interpreted or translated, but he did say it a few times I think, so I believe it).
If Takara want to present Magnus faithful to the 'impression' the cartoon gave, then fine. Either choice would make sense to somebody. I just can't help but think they have gone the long and weirdly complex way about it, which from here makes him look thin and ready to fly like super man.
(again, hopefully I'm wrong and this thing kicks my balls into orbit)
I realise it's time for me to start dodging bullets now, but this is the first MP I have ever spoken of negatively (and hastily at that)...first time for everything right? Right?
