The Energon Pub

Cyberpath wrote:

carytheone wrote:Not sure if this thought has been tossed out, but (with the new MP18+ announced) what if this new MP Bee is just MP21+ and the rumor is mistranslated? The new cartoon accuracy is just deco?

The thought had crossed my mind, too. But the Japanese text says "v2.0 body."

Personally I'm hoping for a new SD alt mode that leads to the rest of the minibots in the same style.

chuckdawg1999 wrote:

Emerje wrote:Indeed. It's hard to mistake something like the VW Beetle front, even on the cartoon. However the other Mini-Bot alt modes are much more generic looking and probably can get away without licenses.

Emerje

Except for the fact that their original Japanese names from the Car Robots line often played off the names of the real world cars. I even think designers admitted to basing the toys off of real cars.

I'm speaking strictly of the cartoon models here. Is anyone really going to associate Cliffjumper's car design from the cartoon...


With the car he's based on...


Without some serious scrutinizing over things like the little vent on the hood? I'd say there's enough changed (large spoiler, big fenders, oversized rear tire, no doors) to make this a generic car.

Incidentally I'm pretty sure Bumblebee is the only Walmart reissue with a car license on the back of the package, it doesn't seem to be a necessity.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:I'm speaking strictly of the cartoon models here. Is anyone really going to associate Cliffjumper's car design from the cartoon...

With the car he's based on...

Lawyers.

I'm guessing this is more than a rumor at this point since BBTS has put up a preliminary preorder listing for MP-45:

https://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/ ... ails/87983

Eh, BBTS has put pre-orders up inaccurately before. Most recently, they’ve had pre-orders for MPM-8 up at $200+ when it was rumored to be Starscream, and then Megatron was revealed at $159.

As an aside, if MP+ is the direction the G1 MP line is being taken in now, does that mean that Hound will have to be revamped before release? Is that why all the information on him has dried up

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:As an aside, if MP+ is the direction the G1 MP line is being taken in now, does that mean that Hound will have to be revamped before release? Is that why all the information on him has dried up

My first thought was had something gone awry with the licence which is why he's in limbo but I think he's been pushed back for other reasons

Cynically, I would say because he isn't in a Movie...

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Cynically, I would say because he isn't in a Movie...

I dunno. Hound looks hella toon accurate to me.



All the way down to those silly grey nubbins that are meant to represent the wheels on his feet.

You mean his wheel buds? Hound hasn't hit puberty yet.

carytheone wrote:You mean his wheel buds? Hound hasn't hit puberty yet.

OOPS! How insensitive of me.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:As an aside, if MP+ is the direction the G1 MP line is being taken in now, does that mean that Hound will have to be revamped before release? Is that why all the information on him has dried up

Someone get Nightbeat on the case of the missing masterpiece right away!

Relic0037 wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:As an aside, if MP+ is the direction the G1 MP line is being taken in now, does that mean that Hound will have to be revamped before release? Is that why all the information on him has dried up

Someone get Nightbeat on the case of the missing masterpiece right away!

He was a little... busy, the last time I saw him

carytheone wrote:

Emerje wrote:I'm speaking strictly of the cartoon models here. Is anyone really going to associate Cliffjumper's car design from the cartoon...

With the car he's based on...

Lawyers.

Stare hard enough and lawyers could find a "close enough" real world counterpart to any number of Hasbro generic cars. As long as they make some heavy alterations (like the cartoon models) they can usually skirt legal issues.

Emerje