The Energon Pub

[sol magnus]

Heaven help me, but I'm probably going to get that Megatron.

[Rated X]

Looks like theres no paint on the gun barrel to scratch up with the silencer. They even got the c**k barrel toy feature lol. Im no fan of cartoon accurate bodies sporting toy accurate decos and heads....its just weird. Let the bricks be bricks.

[Cyberpath]

I think the unpainted gun barrel is a reference to the original toy. Same with the trigger area.

[william-james88]

I'm guessing they are almost certainly red plastic and tampos. I can only recall a few instances with stickers. Like G2 gold Bee so you could choose G1 or G2 insignia. And maybe Silverstreak's too? Oh and Laserwave.

Here's a question. I think it was Fenrir that said something somewhere about these being TT Mall exclusives. Is that confirmed? Is that what this little add is about? Just wondering as that will add some difficulty to acquiring him.

But I'll most likely jump through that hoop if I have to.

MP toys released by Takara are never hard to aquire (unlike the more promotional based MPs released by clothing shops and the like). It being exclusive only means you pay more at BBTS.

I for one do not like this Megatron at all. The deco looks the part on the G1 toy because that is the G1 toy and I am glad I own it, but I dont need it replicated on a mold meant to be the on screen character. I would have preferred a merger of the two, like the face sculpt and overall look in both modes of the initial MP36 but done in a more silver deco (red or no red, not really necessary).

Anyways, I already have an MP version of the original toy, its called MP 05.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

I hadn't realised it was a thing before, but for the cost of MP figures, stickers are just unacceptable to me.

[chuckdawg1999]

Someone mentioned it already but I don't think this version is coming with the stock and silencer.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

So stickers and less stuff? Is this going to be a discounted version? Because I doubt that too

[william-james88]

So stickers and less stuff? Is this going to be a discounted version? Because I doubt that too

Its an exclusive, forget discounts, its not related. Just look at all the recent MP seeker releases for examples.

[shajaki]

Sure nothing's confirmed, but I don't see why everyone is so worried about stickers. MP Artfire, period.

Also, if he doesn't come with the extra gun bits, he will absolutely be cheaper. Just like trailer'less MP-10B. However, he will still have some sort of premium due to the nature of TTM. Maybe the two will just cancel each other out and he'll be the same price the normal MP-36.

[Overcracker]

I like the toy accurate deco with Chrome bits. But the lack of silencer and stock would be a deal breaker.

Don't mind the lack of energon Mace or laser sword that much. But the Prime-killing gun would be nice to have.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

Sure nothing's confirmed, but I don't see why everyone is so worried about stickers. MP Artfire, period.

At the end of the day, Artfire isn't Megatron. Also note, as others have already, MP-5 is the already Toy Accurate Megatron. So given MP-36 is definitely cartoon accurate, does this one need to exist? Surely a set of extra pieces to MP-5 or 36 would have sufficed?

[Emerje]

Here's a question. I think it was Fenrir that said something somewhere about these being TT Mall exclusives. Is that confirmed? Is that what this little add is about? Just wondering as that will add some difficulty to acquiring him.

I'm fairly certain it's a TTM thing. Only it's odd because web stores (BBTS and the like) had Shocky up right away, but no sign of Megs yet

They have to wait for Takara Tomy or Hasbro Asia to give them a price first. Shockwave went on Takara Tomy Mall and went up on Asian store (like Robotkingdom) the same day he was announced so the likes of BBTS were able to list him immediately. We still don't have any details on Megatron, even the announcement didn't give details, so there's nothing for stores to list.

Sure nothing's confirmed, but I don't see why everyone is so worried about stickers. MP Artfire, period.

At the end of the day, Artfire isn't Megatron. Also note, as others have already, MP-5 is the already Toy Accurate Megatron. So given MP-36 is definitely cartoon accurate, does this one need to exist? Surely a set of extra pieces to MP-5 or 36 would have sufficed?

Artfire not being Megatron is all the more reason for Megatron not to have cheap stickers, he deserves the better treatment. I don't remember my Bluestreak coming with stickers and I can't find any pictures of them.

Second, MP-5 isn't toy accurate in the slightest and I don't know why Will said that. They share the same gun mode, that's all they have in common. They aren't even colored the same way and the bot mode was intended to be cartoon accurate, but Takara Tomy mandating a ridiculously short design period (I believe it was only two weeks, someone can correct me) ended with less than stellar results.

Also isn't this Megatron the exact thing people have wanted from the MP line when complaining about modern MPs being too cartoon accurate? Haven't people been wanting the MP line to go back to being a blend of G1 toy and cartoon like the earlier Autobot cars? Sure, that head is very toy accurate, but we don't know if he comes with a cartoon head or not. Really can't please everyone.

Emerje

[AllNewSuperRobot]

A friend of mine owns MP-36. So having seen it up close I don't see how you could find fault with it? Personally I regard Soundwave and MP-36 as practically perfect representations of their respective characters.

I would have thought Cartoon Accurate would be what people wanted from the G1 MP line, given none of the toys ever looked remotely close?

[Emerje]

A friend of mine owns MP-36. So having seen it up close I don't see how you could find fault with it? Personally I regard Soundwave and MP-36 as practically perfect representations of their respective characters.

I would have thought Cartoon Accurate would be what people wanted from the G1 MP line, given none of the toys ever looked remotely close?

Who said I found fault with MP-36? I own one, he's great.

There's a fair number of people that really want MPs to be a perfect blend between the G1 toys and a pseudo-cartoon bot mode and find the current trend towards cartoon accuracy to be too heavy handed. Some, like Inferno, went out of their way to try to do both while there are people who thought MP-36 was far too cartoon accurate and maybe should have incorporated some chrome and whatnot and not given him a more generic gun mode. It seems like MP-36+ might be more in line with what those people wanted.

Emerje

[AllNewSuperRobot]

A friend of mine owns MP-36. So having seen it up close I don't see how you could find fault with it? Personally I regard Soundwave and MP-36 as practically perfect representations of their respective characters.

I would have thought Cartoon Accurate would be what people wanted from the G1 MP line, given none of the toys ever looked remotely close?

Who said I found fault with MP-36? I own one, he's great.

There's a fair number of people that really want MPs to be a perfect blend between the G1 toys and a pseudo-cartoon bot mode and find the current trend towards cartoon accuracy to be too heavy handed. Some, like Inferno, went out of their way to try to do both while there are people who thought MP-36 was far too cartoon accurate and maybe should have incorporated some chrome and whatnot and not given him a more generic gun mode. It seems like MP-36+ might be more in line with what those people wanted.

Emerje

That was a general "you", referring to your last paragraph. Other than some overt die-cast parts (which would only hike up the price) I don't see what more could be done with the Megatron mold. A third party already did a Comic accurate face to attach to MP-36. This just seems like a scaled down reissue to me?

[Cobotron]

It being exclusive only means you pay more at BBTS.

This is exactly the "difficulty" I was referring to.
A higher premium. I guess I've just become spoiled by amiami's pre-order discount they give. Being a TT Mall exc. means I have to order from BBTS. Which means I have to pay more. It's OK. I've done it before. I just wish it was a regular release. That's all. Still won't stop me.

And...

I am one of those people who feel the newish toon accy direction is coming on very heavy handed (If I haven't already made that clear ). I collect TFs because I enjoy good toy design. I enjoy the history of toy design. I do not collect to have physical representations of what I see on screen. I collect physical representations. period. I never liked Sunbow's approximations of the character designs of the first generation of TF's, but with some exceptions here and there.

I'll use the Datsun mold as my example. I think it did the best job of achieving what I would like to see out of the MP line. I don't see that mold as cartoon accurate. I see it as a engineering upgrade to the original toy design. I look at this Megatron and see it hit closer to what I'm into. The trigger crotch of the original toy was there because that's what they could do with the engineering they had at the time. But it has always looked silly. Even when I was 9, It looked silly. So I imagined my way around it. With this version of Megatron, I don't have to. It's gone. But it's closer to the original toy, with upgraded engineering to do away with some of the silly limitations of the early 80's.

I don't see this as slapping a toy accy deco on a toon accy toy. I see it as an improvement over the old toy. Just like the Datsun mold.

But this is just my personal view on it. there is no right or wrong. we all glean what we want from how we perceive these toys. I've said it before and I'll say it again. As long as Takara recognizes the different styles of collecting and collectors, and caters to everybody. I'm pleased as punch, because everyone is happy.

@ Emerje - In regards to stickers on MPs, I was referring to Silverstreak and not Bluestreak (Streak). The Tokyo Toy show exclusive from a few years back. He had a sticker. I'm not sure about Streak. I don't have him.

[AllNewSuperRobot]

That's an interesting perspective, I don't see in my circles. I just look at MP Ironhide to the original toy and assume the MP one was what all fans were waiting for. Which I felt was the sole impetus for the Masterpiece collection in the first place?

[shajaki]

That's an interesting perspective, I don't see in my circles. I just look at MP Ironhide to the original toy and assume the MP one was what all fans were waiting for. Which I felt was the sole impetus for the Masterpiece collection in the first place?

You're making the assumption that everyone can satisfied with a single product.

Also Cobs, out of the three Streaks (Blue, Silver, and Toon) Silver was the only one to have stickers

[Cobotron]

That's an interesting perspective, I don't see in my circles. I just look at MP Ironhide to the original toy and assume the MP one was what all fans were waiting for. Which I felt was the sole impetus for the Masterpiece collection in the first place?

Well It's funny you would bring up Ironhide. He is an exception for me. I really like the MP. even his accursed hip panels. Because I'm not personally beholden to toon accuracy, I really like what they did. In the context of Diaclone, piloted mechs, the old toy has his merit. He works in that world. But in the world of Transformers he needed to be what he is now.

Lucky for the old toy nostalgia in me, there is that unofficial (maybe not unofficial) old Diaclone mode.

[D-Maximal_Primal]

I can't imagine them using so many stickers, they have to be tampographs like Artfire.



Emerje

I'm actually sort of flattered that you went back and found one of my Artfire pictures. Gosh, that is an amazing MP. I think my favorite MP so far actually.

I for one will not really mind if he comes without his gun extensions, help offset the price of being a TTM thing. what I do hope is that he still comes with a mace. His mace is my favorite weapon he used.

[william-james88]

Shockwave had stickers too guys. And the Con exclusive Lambor also had stickers, which I thought was super cool since it meant I could choose not to have a giant obvious symbol on my beautiful countash.

Second, MP-5 isn't toy accurate in the slightest and I don't know why Will said that.

Because its true. Both have skinny legs, oversized cannon and share a ridiculously similar transformation with the same parts from the gun becoming the same bits of the robot.

Plus they have the red inner legs and silver colour



Dfinitely some colour cues taken from the G1 toy there. Or else the deco would be more like MP 36, which is not the case.

[Sabrblade]

Second, MP-5 isn't toy accurate in the slightest and I don't know why Will said that. They share the same gun mode, that's all they have in common. They aren't even colored the same way and the bot mode was intended to be cartoon accurate, but Takara Tomy mandating a ridiculously short design period (I believe it was only two weeks, someone can correct me)

Even less than that: A measly 12 days.

[fenrir72]

It being exclusive only means you pay more at BBTS.

This is exactly the "difficulty" I was referring to.
A higher premium. I guess I've just become spoiled by amiami's pre-order discount they give. Being a TT Mall exc. means I have to order from BBTS. Which means I have to pay more. It's OK. I've done it before. I just wish it was a regular release. That's all. Still won't stop me.

And...

I am one of those people who feel the newish toon accy direction is coming on very heavy handed (If I haven't already made that clear ). I collect TFs because I enjoy good toy design. I enjoy the history of toy design. I do not collect to have physical representations of what I see on screen. I collect physical representations. period. I never liked Sunbow's approximations of the character designs of the first generation of TF's, but with some exceptions here and there.

I'll use the Datsun mold as my example. I think it did the best job of achieving what I would like to see out of the MP line. I don't see that mold as cartoon accurate. I see it as a engineering upgrade to the original toy design. I look at this Megatron and see it hit closer to what I'm into. The trigger crotch of the original toy was there because that's what they could do with the engineering they had at the time. But it has always looked silly. Even when I was 9, It looked silly. So I imagined my way around it. With this version of Megatron, I don't have to. It's gone. But it's closer to the original toy, with upgraded engineering to do away with some of the silly limitations of the early 80's.

I don't see this as slapping a toy accy deco on a toon accy toy. I see it as an improvement over the old toy. Just like the Datsun mold.

But this is just my personal view on it. there is no right or wrong. we all glean what we want from how we perceive these toys. I've said it before and I'll say it again. As long as Takara recognizes the different styles of collecting and collectors, and caters to everybody. I'm pleased as punch, because everyone is happy.

@ Emerje - In regards to stickers on MPs, I was referring to Silverstreak and not Bluestreak (Streak). The Tokyo Toy show exclusive from a few years back. He had a sticker. I'm not sure about Streak. I don't have him.

JUst this month I went Datsun crazy and got all 3 default MPs of Prowl, Streak (black hood) and Smokescreen.

No stickers on Streak so I got myself the Ocean designs decals to spruce 'em up. You just got to see them with their bling despite being awesome representations of the anime versions!

[william-james88]

Just realized something. This being a TTMall exclusive (most probably) would mean that the only copies intentional fans would be able to purchase would come with the orange cap. Since the only one that wouldnt would be the one acquired from TTMall (which only ships to a Japanese address)

[shajaki]

Just realized something. This being a TTMall exclusive (most probably) would mean that the only copies intentional fans would be able to purchase would come with the orange cap. Since the only one that wouldnt would be the one acquired from TTMall (which only ships to a Japanese address)

Even us, with A3U.ca?