The Energon Pub

it's so tiny!

Decepticon Stryker wrote:Hopefully there aren't any problems like BW Megatron's crotch. Although I have no interest in getting this (financially) i do hope those that do get her are happy.

I starting to have the feeling that was an issue of the first batches. I got mine last month, transformed him several times to check that problem and so far (just some attention in handling the crotch section) everything is fine.

That as my reaction too but I guess she needs to be within scale in respects to everyone else.

MadProject wrote:

Decepticon Stryker wrote:Hopefully there aren't any problems like BW Megatron's crotch. Although I have no interest in getting this (financially) i do hope those that do get her are happy.

I starting to have the feeling that was an issue of the first batches. I got mine last month, transformed him several times to check that problem and so far (just some attention in handling the crotch section) everything is fine.

I got my MP-43 pretty early on and everything is still good.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:I got my MP-43 pretty early on and everything is still good.

Same. As I said at the time, that ultra tight catch at the torso gave me more cause for concern than a bad batch of crotches.

TonTon Review of Blackarachnia!

Hopefully with some decent retooling, they can fix this woeful Beast Mode with MP Tarantulas.

Her got her a bit mistransformed through the review, but fixes it a bit in the pics at the end, like how her hips slide up in robot mode a bit.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Hopefully with some decent retooling, they can fix this woeful Beast Mode with MP Tarantulas.

no. tarantulus needs a completely different mold. its fine to have some similar elements since the original toys were just repaints, but their show models and scale to one another were too different for them to do a retool for their masterpiece representations. would be the same for tigertron since he was way taller then cheetor in the show

Immortal Starscream wrote:Her got her a bit mistransformed through the review, but fixes it a bit in the pics at the end, like how her hips slide up in robot mode a bit.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Hopefully with some decent retooling, they can fix this woeful Beast Mode with MP Tarantulas.

no. tarantulus needs a completely different mold. its fine to have some similar elements since the original toys were just repaints, but their show models and scale to one another were too different for them to do a retool for their masterpiece representations. would be the same for tigertron since he was way taller then cheetor in the show

Agreed, none of the BW MPs should be retools.

I’d be more forgiving of Tigatron being a retool of Cheetor, but Tarantulas and Blackarachnia are too different.

Yes, essentially while sharing some engineering, Tarantulas and Tigatron will be bigger molds, bigger figures. What I mean is specifically regarding the execution of the Spider Mode. They do transform in the same way, so hopefully HasTak won't think improvements don't need to be made further down the line for Tarantulas.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Yes, essentially while sharing some engineering, Tarantulas and Tigatron will be bigger molds, bigger figures. What I mean is specifically regarding the execution of the Spider Mode. They do transform in the same way, so hopefully HasTak won't think improvements don't need to be made further down the line for Tarantulas.

got ya. agree there. but I think tarantulus would be easier to make less kibbly, given his bulky/chunky robot mode and less bulbous spider abdomen. more room for panels really.

It is strange to see that within the first line of Beast Wars figures, most of the Predacon bugs were much better executed designs than the Maximal Beast Modes. Yet, fast forward to the Masterpiece collection and the first MP bug looks to be the worst Beast Mode so far

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is strange to see that within the first line of Beast Wars figures, most of the Predacon bugs were much better executed designs than the Maximal Beast Modes. Yet, fast forward to the Masterpiece collection and the first MP bug looks to be the worst Beast Mode so far

Not so sure about that. I still really dislike Cheetor's execution. Unlike Blackarachnia, Cheetor actually has extraneous kibble sticking out that look like tumours coming out f his legs. Blackarachnia at least tries to make it work with the overal shape.



Just my opinion of course.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is strange to see that within the first line of Beast Wars figures, most of the Predacon bugs were much better executed designs than the Maximal Beast Modes. Yet, fast forward to the Masterpiece collection and the first MP bug looks to be the worst Beast Mode so far

Not so sure about that. I still really dislike Cheetor's execution. Unlike Blackarachnia, Cheetor actually has extraneous kibble sticking out that look like tumours coming out f his legs. Blackarachnia at least tries to make it work with the overal shape.



Just my opinion of course.

william-james88 wrote:

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:It is strange to see that within the first line of Beast Wars figures, most of the Predacon bugs were much better executed designs than the Maximal Beast Modes. Yet, fast forward to the Masterpiece collection and the first MP bug looks to be the worst Beast Mode so far

Not so sure about that. I still really dislike Cheetor's execution. Unlike Blackarachnia, Cheetor actually has extraneous kibble sticking out that look like tumours coming out f his legs. Blackarachnia at least tries to make it work with the overal shape.



Just my opinion of course.

While I don't dislike Cheetor, I do feel he suffers from being their first attempt at a mp beast wars figure. the full body coating of paint is what gets me with him, because it really does not work well with the figures tolerances. My cheetor is actuall falling apart at all the pin joints due to the stress caused by the paint inside the joints ive already had to glue his wrist back together. heres hoping blackarachnia is not destined to follow his example.

Weird how they got so much right with Primal, straight out of the gate.

william-james88 wrote:Not so sure about that. I still really dislike Cheetor's execution. Unlike Blackarachnia, Cheetor actually has extraneous kibble sticking out that look like tumours coming out f his legs. Blackarachnia at least tries to make it work with the overal shape.



Just my opinion of course.

william-james88 wrote:

Original image of Spider mode



Spider mode properly transformed in the back

You say that but Blackarachnia has:

(A) a backpack "flap" to barely disguise her bot mode legs

(B) a similar tumour situation to Cheetor, wherein her Bot Mode hands are literally hanging out the back. Her hands became her chelicerae/fangs in Beast Mode. The original toy did it, The Show did it. Why they couldn't (with some clever panel shifting) have done the same here, is just down to laziness and the current HasTak ethos: No matter the price of the figure, it only needs to look decent from the front. No need to make an all round design at all, like they used to...

Thanks to tips from Seibertron.com forum members DecepticonFinishline and MadProject, we're happy to bring you an English language video review of the new Transformers Masterpiece MP-46 Blackwidow (A.K.A., Blackarachnia) figure from Takara Tomy. This is the fifth new mold for a Beast Wars character in the Masterpiece line. Blackarachnia is the popular femme fatal from the original Beast Wars cartoon series who started out as a Maximal protoform, reprogrammed by Megatron into a Predacon, who soon begrudgingly befriended the Maximals and defected from the Predacons, finally becoming a Maximal herself in the follow-up series, Beast Machines.

This video was published by TonTon Review on YouTube and shows off MP-46 in both robot and black widow spider modes, each form mostly transformed correctly. We see the conversion from beast to robot mode and back again, get a good look at the articulation the figure offers, and an overview of the accessories Masterpiece Blackarachnia comes with: an alternate robot mode face, a set of VR goggles modeled after ones used in the Beast Wars cartoon, her signature crossbow blaster, and a flight stand with energon spider web. We also get treated to several size comparison shots with the other Masterpiece Beast Wars figures in both bot and beast modes, including Cheetor, Optimus Primeal, Dinobot, and Megatron. Enjoy the video below!



The release of Transformers Masterpiece MP-46 Blackwidow/Blackarachnia is just around the corner. Do you already have her on pre-order? Has this review convinced you to invest in this latest entry into the Beast Wars Masterpiece line? Let us know in the forums and stay tuned to Seibertron.com for the latest news on all things Transformers!

I don't like Blackarachnia. The character, the Sex-Bot design and of course, the execution of the MP Beast Mode. That said, I've had her pre-ordered since she was announced.

I intended from day one to fully support the Beast Wars MP line, regardless of those I don't care for. When the Season One line is complete, she will no doubt be at the back of my display, alongside Airazor (and potentially Scorponok). Out of sight, out of mind.

Roll on MP Tarantulas, the superior Spider-Bot.

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:I don't like Blackarachnia. The character, the Sex-Bot design and of course, the execution of the MP Beast Mode. That said, I've had her pre-ordered since she was announced.

I intended from day one to fully support the Beast Wars MP line, regardless of those I don't care for. When the Season One line is complete, she will no doubt be at the back of my display, alongside Airazor (and potentially Scorponok). Out of sight, out of mind.

Roll on MP Tarantulas, the superior Spider-Bot.

I like this... all except the bit about Airazor.. I would LOVE an updated Airazor.. Doesn't even have to be a masterpiece one. We got a nicely updated Optimal Optimus, why not Airazor?

Kind of thought the crossbow/grapple part was going to have a bigger feature/grapple line and some how fit in her back. Still not keen on the pricing when compared to cheetor but think her chest and form looks great in robot mode, the legs dont seem to be able to support a raised body position in spider mode but I'll have to wait and admire other posters photos.
A Hexadecimal would look really nice next to blackarachnia but the chance of new reboot figures must be slim to none.

I like this... all except the bit about Airazor.. I would LOVE an updated Airazor.. Doesn't even have to be a masterpiece one. We got a nicely updated Optimal Optimus, why not Airazor?

What's you guys' problem with Airazor? Is it because of her genger? If it's because of her design then I would respectfully disagree as I thought hers and Blackarachnia's were good. The problem I had was her transmetal 2 form. Yuck

AllNewSuperRobot wrote:Weird how they got so much right with Primal, straight out of the gate.

william-james88 wrote:Not so sure about that. I still really dislike Cheetor's execution. Unlike Blackarachnia, Cheetor actually has extraneous kibble sticking out that look like tumours coming out f his legs. Blackarachnia at least tries to make it work with the overal shape.



Just my opinion of course.

william-james88 wrote:

Original image of Spider mode



Spider mode properly transformed in the back

You say that but Blackarachnia has:

(A) a backpack "flap" to barely disguise her bot mode legs

(B) a similar tumour situation to Cheetor, wherein her Bot Mode hands are literally hanging out the back. Her hands became her chelicerae/fangs in Beast Mode. The original toy did it, The Show did it. Why they couldn't (with some clever panel shifting) have done the same here, is just down to laziness and the current HasTak ethos: No matter the price of the figure, it only needs to look decent from the front. No need to make an all round design at all, like they used to...

Except that Blackarachnia’s show model looked almost nothing like the toy, and the transformation sequence inflated and mass shifted like a ****, so no, it’s absolutely NOT laziness.

Ignore the haters Blackarachnia, you are looking better as we go!

I really respect both her and Dinobot's commitment to placing the beast mode kibble in the right spots, even if it is covered up to match the robot mode design.

D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Ignore the haters Blackarachnia, you are looking better as we go!

I really respect both her and Dinobot's commitment to placing the beast mode kibble in the right spots, even if it is covered up to match the robot mode design.

Right there with you, D-Max. I’m pretty excited for her to arrive from Amazon JP.

While I don’t think that anybody is ever going to say that her beast mode is perfect, I had never expected it to be. Especially not when considering how screen accurate her bot mode is. It’s pretty amazing they were able to engineer a half decent spiderbot out of her figure in the first place. From a few angles, it actually looks good. I’ve learned over the years that there are a lot of characters and designs that rely heavily on give and take. Sometimes little sacrifices have to be made here or there. Like with any Triple Changer that I can think of, something was sacrificed somewhere. Whether it’s a small one in each mode, or if one of the three really takes one for the team. At the end of the day, as much as I love displaying BW figures in Beast Mode a lot of times, I’d rather the sacrifice come from her Beast Mode. Especially when it comes to an MP figure.

Price point wise, I’m meh. Maybe it’s because I got her for cheaper on Amazon, and won’t have to pay shipping. Sure she costs more than Cheetor, but Cheetor was a couple years ago, and HasTak was able to get an easy repaint out of him. I’m not sure the same could be said for BA. Unless they do her silver deco from the floating island episodes, which I would absolutely buy. She also comes with some larger accessories, to justify the price. If you stop and think about it she doesn’t really cost that much more than Cheetor did when he was released.

I think you’d be hard pressed to find a figure or character that pleases everybody all of the time. But that’s what’s great about Transformers. There’s been so many figures, and there are still so many to come, that it doesn’t really matter in the long run. Maybe only if BA was somebody’s end all, beat all, and they were expecting some kind of plastic perfection. So far I haven’t seen that that’s the case for anyone.

Also, I cannot wait for an Airazor, as she’s probably my favorite BW character. I adore both her Season one figure, and her TM figure.