The Energon Pub

Oh yeah you're right. But then Sideswipe & Red Alert shared a number, as do MP-10 Optimus & Black Convoy ... I guess it's not something that MATTERS, it would just be nice for history's sake if you could look back at the catalog of pieces and know which ones were the same mold by looking at the number.

mongrel wrote:Oh yeah you're right. But then Sideswipe & Red Alert shared a number, as do MP-10 Optimus & Black Convoy ... I guess it's not something that MATTERS, it would just be nice for history's sake if you could look back at the catalog of pieces and know which ones were the same mold by looking at the number.

Optimus Prime was MP-01 and made MP-04 by adding the trailer (a new mould had to be made), Ultra Magnus was MP-02. Starscream was MP-03 and MP-11, Skywarp was MP-06 and Thundercracker was MP-07. Sideswipe is MP-12, Red Alert is MP-14. If it is a new character, they get a new number. If it is a redeco but the same character, it's got a letter. Black convoy, sleep convoy etc all had letters because they were all Convoy in different paint schemes. MP-10 has a black repaint but it is still Convoy, not Nemesis Prime or Scourge. If we ever get an Ultra Magnus from that mold it will have a new number. The only exception to the rule is if the character doesn't get a general release such as Tiger Tracks or Sunstorm, which are exclusives, so get a letter after their name.

as long as he is not blue
toy or cartoon accurate colors by all means

gothsaurus wrote:Let's face it... there has never been a confirmed blue Bluestreak in the TF line. While it's a fun holy grail Diaclone item — and certainly one I'd want to buy as an eHobby exclusive — my FIRST priority would be the show accurate (and toy accurate) version in silver/black.

Mind you, if anyone has a link to confirm a MISB blue bluestreak, I'd certainly love to see it.

my thoughts exactly

So is the MP line looking to become the new neo-classics line?

Bluestreak? Yes! Yes!! YES!!!

Now with this guy coming at long last, I hope we get more Autobots and Decepticons! Keep up with the good work, Takara!

My predictions on the possible Hasbro versions will have to wait, so...

Exciting times. Preordered.

So how many repaints of this are left? Seriously, can we PLEASE get a mold that won't be repainted five million times? Oh wait...they managed to find a way to repaint Optimus Prime 80 times...

I've said it before. This is how they pick their molds. How many characters can we repaint and create with a single mold? I'm very surprised we haven't seen Acid Storm yet. Soundwave will get a repaint as Soundblaster. THey even managed to find a way to repaint ROdimus Prime. Grimlock and Megatron are the only figures that haven't been repainted from that line. Sideswipe is getting three, Prowl gets three, Starscream got four with maybe more to come, Optimus got 6 or 7 (I lost count). So my predictions to come:

Bumblebee/Cliffjumper/Hubcap- high priority due to being able to use three times.
Hoist/Trailwhathisnamenow- mold could probably be used for Brawn/Outback if slightly retooled
Ironhide/Ratchet- stealing thunder from 3rd person companies
Thrust/Ramjet/Dirge- only need slight wing retools, but basically repaints

I don't think you will see much beyond that. There aren't many other characters that they can easily repaint beyond the original G1 series. I suspect that we WILL get Galvatron to oppose ROdimus Prime, but we may not. Shockwave? Maybe. More Dinobots? Probably not. I think we are nearing the end of the MP line.

First-Aid wrote: Grimlock and Megatron are the only figures that haven't been repainted from that line.

Grimlock did get a repaint. There was that King Grimlock comic coloured version that was released. It was crazy expensive and still is. It was a nice homage to the comics but Takara must have been scratching their heads trying to come up with a repaint for him.

Megatron hasn't been repainted yet, but he has been reissued a few times, which to me means the same thing to Takara - money.

And MP Bluestreak will be the 1st Transformer I've bought in, well, ever. Moms bought me a G1 Optimus for a surprise a few years back, & before that I hadn't received a new figure since like 1988, well before I had any purchasing power. Now, as a grown-ass man, I will purchase an $80 Bluestreak. Bluestreak's my dude.

I always loved Bluestreak. He was my favorite BT, my favorite Classic, my favorite Comic Character (well all of those categories have a few ties for first, but really who doesn't)

This Streak might be tuggin at my heartstrings like Lambor has. What a glorious year and we're only 28 days in!

First-Aid wrote:I think we are nearing the end of the MP line.

So, 9 MP offerings in a year means we're nearing the end...? Yeah, I completely disagree with you. Many pertinent bots were repaints or had slightly different models, at least this approach means that Takara is offering ACTUAL characters instead of "sleep mode" characters. And there's a big market for Black Convoy/Nemesis Prime.

I don't blame Takara for wanting to get their money's worth out of a mold, but if we're getting various characters because of it while showing that it's worth Takara's time to develop and produce more MPs then I'm a happy customer. Looking at the line in a historical context, it's not like we're losing a slot for a new mold with the repaints coming out. I'm sure the one-off molds will make their way to us eventually, but it's more likely with regular releases compared to 1 or 2 per year.

necr0blivion wrote:

First-Aid wrote:I think we are nearing the end of the MP line.

So, 9 MP offerings in a year means we're nearing the end...? Yeah, I completely disagree with you. Many pertinent bots were repaints or had slightly different models, at least this approach means that Takara is offering ACTUAL characters instead of "sleep mode" characters. And there's a big market for Black Convoy/Nemesis Prime.

I don't blame Takara for wanting to get their money's worth out of a mold, but if we're getting various characters because of it while showing that it's worth Takara's time to develop and produce more MPs then I'm a happy customer. Looking at the line in a historical context, it's not like we're losing a slot for a new mold with the repaints coming out. I'm sure the one-off molds will make their way to us eventually, but it's more likely with regular releases compared to 1 or 2 per year.

Totally agree with you. If anything, this line has finally found it's feet and is marching along nicely. There are tons of characters that benefit from multiple moulds still to be released. Jazz and Stepper, Ironhide and Ratchet, Blaster and Twincast, Soundblaster, Enemy etc. Not to mention headline characters such as Galvatron and a new, in scale Megatron. The MP line will continue to grow and I'm happy about that. 4-5 smaller and 1-2 larger MP's per year will do nicely, as long as the quality remains.

Takara has been repainting toys since day dot. I wonder how many of us as children actually playing with them said " no thank you, I'd rather you not buy me a repaint" ? I know I didn't

Along with others, called this the moment 2 of the trio were announced and predicted it the moment I heard Sideswipe was being released (though not necessarily the order of the three).

Considering the pattern Takara are taking, the most likely next 3 Masterpiece Autobot cars are Grapple, Hoist and Artfire (whose partner was a recoloured Nightstick anyway originally) with an eHobby Hauler - after they release Clampdown and Deepcover of course.

I'm here to make a case FOR repaints. That means Takara can make their money back (and keep supporting the line) — it means more characters for us, and quickly... instead of waiting a year for them to design and test a new mold. Repaints and retools are good for both of us. As long as they're doing it smartly, like giving us five of the original G1 car characters in quick succession, I am completely happy. Bravo.

I hope they do Jazz and Stepper next... then Mirage and Sunstreaker....

I'm hoping that our next Autobot car is a character with a unique sculpt, such as Mirage or Hound. If they burn through all the cloned characters too quickly we won't likely see these guys. Or they will have a hefty price tag.

raccon wrote:I'm hoping that our next Autobot car is a character with a unique sculpt, such as Mirage or Hound. If they burn through all the cloned characters too quickly we won't likely see these guys. Or they will have a hefty price tag.

Hound isn't a unique sculpt these days. If Tigertrack sells well enough, then you can be sure that eHobby would release a Masterpiece Detritus figure. There is one other possibility here as well.

If the original characters by eHobby sell well enough, then it's possible that much like what was done with the Sideswipe mold, they'll assign original characters to the Diaclone versions of G1 molds. Should that happen, then there would be no Autobot Car mould that had single uses. Sunstreaker would have 2 eHobby releases, Wheeljack would have 1 and Mirage would have 1.

In short, there is along hanging on how viable the Masterpiece line is for eHobby in terms of not only what characters we get, but also the order of releases we get.

Bowspearer wrote:

raccon wrote:I'm hoping that our next Autobot car is a character with a unique sculpt, such as Mirage or Hound. If they burn through all the cloned characters too quickly we won't likely see these guys. Or they will have a hefty price tag.

Hound isn't a unique sculpt these days. If Tigertrack sells well enough, then you can be sure that eHobby would release a Masterpiece Detritus figure. There is one other possibility here as well.

If the original characters by eHobby sell well enough, then it's possible that much like what was done with the Sideswipe mold, they'll assign original characters to the Diaclone versions of G1 molds. Should that happen, then there would be no Autobot Car mould that had single uses. Sunstreaker would have 2 eHobby releases, Wheeljack would have 1 and Mirage would have 1.

In short, there is along hanging on how viable the Masterpiece line is for eHobby in terms of not only what characters we get, but also the order of releases we get.

Well let's hope so. I've already pre-ordered my Tigertrack. He will be my (hopefully) temporary stand-in for Sunstreaker. As for variants of moulds, I wouldn't mind a clear plastic Mirage.

raccon wrote:He will be my (hopefully) temporary stand-in for Sunstreaker. As for variants of moulds, I wouldn't mind a clear plastic Mirage.

It's funny you bring that up considering that he and Sideswipe are the victims of a mixup (compare the G1 toys to the physical descriptions in the tech specs to see what I mean).

First-Aid wrote:So how many repaints of this are left? Seriously, can we PLEASE get a mold that won't be repainted five million times? Oh wait...they managed to find a way to repaint Optimus Prime 80 times...

I've said it before. This is how they pick their molds. How many characters can we repaint and create with a single mold? I'm very surprised we haven't seen Acid Storm yet. Soundwave will get a repaint as Soundblaster. THey even managed to find a way to repaint ROdimus Prime. Grimlock and Megatron are the only figures that haven't been repainted from that line. Sideswipe is getting three, Prowl gets three, Starscream got four with maybe more to come, Optimus got 6 or 7 (I lost count). So my predictions to come:

Bumblebee/Cliffjumper/Hubcap- high priority due to being able to use three times.
Hoist/Trailwhathisnamenow- mold could probably be used for Brawn/Outback if slightly retooled
Ironhide/Ratchet- stealing thunder from 3rd person companies
Thrust/Ramjet/Dirge- only need slight wing retools, but basically repaints

I don't think you will see much beyond that. There aren't many other characters that they can easily repaint beyond the original G1 series. I suspect that we WILL get Galvatron to oppose ROdimus Prime, but we may not. Shockwave? Maybe. More Dinobots? Probably not. I think we are nearing the end of the MP line.

how in the world are repaints, in this case, a bad thing?? i understand, we're all sick of normal hasbro repaints that totally suck. .. but these are different G1 characters.. is there really anyone out there who said "sweet we got MP starscream, man i really hope we don't get skywarp and thundercracker!" no.. because that's stupid.

prowl, smokescreen, and bluestreak were all main characters in G1.. if they're going to give us a prowl.. without the other two... i'd be pissed. plus, i'm almost 100 percent certain that they'll all be remolded in some way.

what's wrong with picking molds that they can get the most out of to begin with? get all of the autobot cars and stuff out of the way first. plus, we have yet to hear about what the next Soundwave sized character we're going to get..

are you kidding.. you think they're just going to produce molds that can be repainted.. what about grimlock? they repainted him in more "toon accurate" colors.. but that's it. and with soundwave you can get, what, soundblaster out of it and that's about it.

you translate this hot streak that takara is on with the MP line as a sign of it nearing its end? that's of the more ridiculous things i've read in a while. to me, it looks like they're finally catching their stride.

i'm sure at some point we will see a triple changer.. and who knows, at some point we may even see a combiner.

we still need the characters you mentioned.. there's still the insecticons, ultra magnus, reflector, blaster, kup, arcee, scourge, cyclonus, all of the combiners.. even if they don't combine, omega supreme, trypticon, like i said triple changers, astrotrain, blitzwing, springer.. etc.. seaspray, gears.. etc.

there are tons of characters left. i see the MP line completely heating up rather than sizzling out as you'd suggest.

I just don't see them making multiple figures like Magnus, Galvatron, and other figures that they can't use multiple times. I also find it ironic that the same people who complain about repaints normally are saying it's okay now because it's G1.

I doubt we will ever see a triple changer and I'm damned sure we'll never see a combiner. Just too much to invest for a minimal profit. I'd be very curious to know just how many MP figures are sold of each character. It's a niche market with a very small population cross-section so there is virtually no profit in them without the huge prices. Unless you use the mold more than once, of course, which is why you will see those characters massively outnumber the "single mold" characters. I wouldn't be surprised if the ratio is 1 single mold character for every 4 repaintable molds. My point is this: if the cost really is significant as I suspect, and they really try to focus on repaintable characters, we are running out of those characters that can be re-used three or more times like the Seeker or Prowl molds. And those are the ones who will be relatively affordable. SIngle molds are going to cost far more.

Bowspearer wrote:

raccon wrote:He will be my (hopefully) temporary stand-in for Sunstreaker. As for variants of moulds, I wouldn't mind a clear plastic Mirage.

It's funny you bring that up considering that he and Sideswipe are the victims of a mixup (compare the G1 toys to the physical descriptions in the tech specs to see what I mean).

Are you referring to the fact that they are twins? If so, then yeah, the fact that they don't look alike always bothered me when I was a kid. Especially when Red Alert came out using the same mould as Sideswipe. A yellow Sideswipe will help me to get some closure.

Raccon wrote:

Bowspearer wrote:

raccon wrote:He will be my (hopefully) temporary stand-in for Sunstreaker. As for variants of moulds, I wouldn't mind a clear plastic Mirage.

It's funny you bring that up considering that he and Sideswipe are the victims of a mixup (compare the G1 toys to the physical descriptions in the tech specs to see what I mean).

Are you referring to the fact that they are twins? If so, then yeah, the fact that they don't look alike always bothered me when I was a kid. Especially when Red Alert came out using the same mould as Sideswipe. A yellow Sideswipe will help me to get some closure.

No I'm referring to the fact that Sideswipe's physical description in his tech spec physically describes Sunstreaker's mould (piledriver arms and jetpack on back) and that Sunstreaker's physical description in his tech spec physically describes Sideswipe's mould (sleek body design).