The Energon Pub

hinomars19 wrote:

xyl360 wrote:As for Takara's intentions with the line, are you employed by Takara? I ask because I've never heard them say anything about what their precise 'intentions' were with the MP line, at least nothing stating specifically that they planned on bringing every single G1 character, complete with accurate and licensed alt mode, into it.

Can't remember where I read it (somewhere here, I know that much) But the current designer of the MP line, the man responsible for re-focusing it, pretty much said his intentions were to do all season 1 G1 characters. I asked a friend of mine (Japanese) if she knew where/ if he had said that, but she wasn't sure where to find it either. Bear in mind he is the guy who desperately wants to do Ultra Magnus to the point he made that proof of concept and built engineering (his words more or less) into the Convoy mold to allow for it, so he is definitely wanting to carry the line on in the way it is heading, all the way to season 3 it seems.
This doesn't mean the Takara boffins will let him have his way, nor does it guarantee the needed licenses for every character can be obtained, but I think that says quite a lot for us to assume we know it's the intended goal

That's his intended goal, sure. And I'm certain that if Takara can do this, they certainly will (at least for the characters whom they believe will sell in sufficient numbers), but that doesn't mean that if they suddenly discover they can't do one because the car maker won't let them license it, or a particular character is too difficult/impossible to properly engineer, that they'll simply call it quits with the whole line. They will indeed start something even if the cannot 'finish' it as you said earlier, just as long as it's profitable to do so. That's all I'm saying.

xyl360 wrote:

hinomars19 wrote:

xyl360 wrote:As for Takara's intentions with the line, are you employed by Takara? I ask because I've never heard them say anything about what their precise 'intentions' were with the MP line, at least nothing stating specifically that they planned on bringing every single G1 character, complete with accurate and licensed alt mode, into it.

Can't remember where I read it (somewhere here, I know that much) But the current designer of the MP line, the man responsible for re-focusing it, pretty much said his intentions were to do all season 1 G1 characters. I asked a friend of mine (Japanese) if she knew where/ if he had said that, but she wasn't sure where to find it either. Bear in mind he is the guy who desperately wants to do Ultra Magnus to the point he made that proof of concept and built engineering (his words more or less) into the Convoy mold to allow for it, so he is definitely wanting to carry the line on in the way it is heading, all the way to season 3 it seems.
This doesn't mean the Takara boffins will let him have his way, nor does it guarantee the needed licenses for every character can be obtained, but I think that says quite a lot for us to assume we know it's the intended goal

That's his intended goal, sure. And I'm certain that if Takara can do this, they certainly will (at least for the characters whom they believe will sell in sufficient numbers), but that doesn't mean that if they suddenly discover they can't do one because the car maker won't let them license it, or a particular character is too difficult/impossible to properly engineer, that they'll simply call it quits with the whole line. They will indeed start something even if the cannot 'finish' it as you said earlier, just as long as it's profitable to do so. That's all I'm saying.

Well yes, of course, I don't disagree. But can't we all air on the side of positivity and have a bit of faith in the man? They've clearly worked hard for Wheeljack, and I'll be honest he was the last car I was expecting, so lets hope, pray and enjoy

hinomars19 wrote:...can't we all air on the side of positivity and have a bit of faith in the man? They've clearly worked hard for Wheeljack, and I'll be honest he was the last car I was expecting, so lets hope, pray and enjoy

TF fandom frequently seems more content to assume the worst even with no evidence to support it. It would make very little sense to begin a larger-scale, highly detailed, higher price-point line specifically geared towards collectors only to turn around and end the line before the collection is in any completed state. Especially considering how well received most of them have been in both US and Asian markets, but hey...

I could sit here and waste time assuring the naysayers of Has/Tak's intentions with the line, and for those who feel like doing their research there are ample quotes from Has/Tak employees and designers out there to support those assurances, but people will continue to believe what they want to believe anyway. The MP line isn't going anywhere, so time will tell.

Doesn't really matter now how impossible people think they will be to design or licence now; In three or four years when we finally have all the season 1 and 2 bots done, everyone will gush over them just the same...

...then they'll complain that we don't have MP Headmasters, and the cycle will start all over again; 'till all are one.

Rotoraptor wrote:

hinomars19 wrote:...can't we all air on the side of positivity and have a bit of faith in the man? They've clearly worked hard for Wheeljack, and I'll be honest he was the last car I was expecting, so lets hope, pray and enjoy

TF fandom frequently seems more content to assume the worst even with no evidence to support it. It would make very little sense to begin a larger-scale, highly detailed, higher price-point line specifically geared towards collectors only to turn around and end the line before the collection is in any completed state. Especially considering how well received most of them have been in both US and Asian markets, but hey...

I could sit here and waste time assuring the naysayers of Has/Tak's intentions with the line, and for those who feel like doing their research there are ample quotes from Has/Tak employees and designers out there to support those assurances, but people will continue to believe what they want to believe anyway. The MP line isn't going anywhere, so time will tell.

Doesn't really matter now how impossible people think they will be to design or licence now; In three or four years when we finally have all the season 1 and 2 bots done, everyone will gush over them just the same...

...then they'll complain that we don't have MP Headmasters, and the cycle will start all over again; 'till all are one.

Amen brother.
Here's a thought I had last night; Are there any potential re-paints/ re molds that could come from Wheeljack? (...please, nobody say Tracks...) Like, are there any obscure G1 toy release characters akin to Tigertrack, deep cover etc?

hinomars19 wrote:Amen brother.
Here's a thought I had last night; Are there any potential re-paints/ re molds that could come from Wheeljack? (...please, nobody say Tracks...) Like, are there any obscure G1 toy release characters akin to Tigertrack, deep cover etc?

Well Marlboro Wheeljack is an obvious one and perhaps Alternator Wheeljack. Possibily even Armada Wheeljack (despite him being a Sideswipe homage, not Wheeljack) if they really want an off-the-wall redeco.

hinomars19 wrote:Here's a thought I had last night; Are there any potential re-paints/ re molds that could come from Wheeljack? (...please, nobody say Tracks...) Like, are there any obscure G1 toy release characters akin to Tigertrack, deep cover etc?

The walking cigarette ad we call "Marlboor Wheeljack". He's based on a Diaclone-only retool of the Lancia Stratos toy that would become Wheeljack. He features a new head, a new deco (which has been homaged with Prime's Hyperspeed Wheeljack) which included Marlboor ads. He's a prime candidate for being turned into a new G1 character.

Then, there's Slice, a Europe-only repaint of Action Master Wheeljack. He got a new BotCon figure and was recently homaged in the Dark Energon line.

Arctorro wrote:More than a little harsh...

As I said, that was my first impression, especially when compared to previous MP releases. MP Sideswipe is still a nice figure, and I'm looking forward the other Cars

Ok, I just preordered mp-g2 sideswipe along with previously preordering the rest of the car mps except for mp-18 which I have no intrest for.
And I already have mp -12 and mp-12t.
Now I have month's to decide which ones I'm a get. All I know is I'm leaning towards getting only the mp-g2 sideswipe and maybe mp-bumblebee so I can have the lambo in red, black and yellow and that lambo vehicle itself will always be globally iconic and that robot mode is Great. I can't say that for the rest of the masterpieces cars except for that mp bumblebee Volkswagen which is iconic as well i think. If somebody ask me what kind of car toy is that, then I say its a Lamborghini. Doesn't that sound way better than saying its a Nissan dustan or Volkswagen bettle or fiat blah blah blah, lol.
Oh, the high price is a factor.

I'd love an MP Slicer.

craggy wrote:I'd love an MP Slicer.

Ooooh, I can get behind that! Plus, since Shattered Glass Wheeljack is basically Slicer with a purple Autobot badge, it could actually double as a Shattered Glass MP, if one chooses to.

I wonder what the larger scale Masterpiece will be this year. I remember them saying they would like to get 2 large scale bots and 4 smaller scale bots out. Last year was Sunstorm and Soundwave with Sideswipe, Red Alert and the cassette packs. I hope they stick to that strategy and we get a better version of Megatron. With Botcon round the corner, I hope we see something.

xyl360 wrote:

Rotoraptor wrote:Sure there is. Otherwise they would have already secured the licenses for all of them in advance instead of doing them one at a time. If the auto makers don't agree to whatever terms/money Takara is willing to offer, there's nothing Takara can do about it.

so.. you're saying that because they didn't get all of the licenses at once, they might not get the license for jazz?

didn't they say that wheeljacks license was really hard to get? .. if that was their hardest one to get, why would we doubt them at this point? i mean, they got VW to cave.. who's to say they won't be able to get whatever they want?

plus, there's still a lot of time left, and a lot of other characters they can produce while working on acquiring a license.

Edit: I made a separate thread for my question.

Trikeboy wrote:If they have the license to produce MP Wheeljack, what are the chances for Encore Wheeljack?

for some reason.. i was always under the assumption that there was an issue with the original mold. but i don't know for certain.

anyways.

i think we can all agree that this line is really shaping up to be spectacular.. whether we get a jazz or not.. which ever characters we do get will be awesome.

i too am interested in which larger scale figures we're going to get. .. any guesses?

clearly everyone wants a megatron version 2. . shockwave.. galvatron maybe, to go along side hot rod. i would LOVE a toon accurate swoop.. but i'm not sure he's considered a "larger" figure. ultra magnus maybe, since we've seen a rough mock up.. maybe a conehead or two.. or three.. blaster possibly, it'd be nice to have soundwave and his minions paired with blaster and his. jetfire would be AWESOME. .. who knows, but if i had to choose 3.. they'd be.
(not in any order)
Swoop (if he's considered a larger figure)
Galvatron
Jetfire

Trikeboy wrote:I wonder what the larger scale Masterpiece will be this year. I remember them saying they would like to get 2 large scale bots and 4 smaller scale bots out. Last year was Sunstorm and Soundwave with Sideswipe, Red Alert and the cassette packs. I hope they stick to that strategy and we get a better version of Megatron. With Botcon round the corner, I hope we see something.

Depends on how you're referencing "year". Last 12 months, then you are spot on except that you also need to include Black Convoy. Last calendar year (2012) was the Starscream release then Sunstorm. 2013 has treated us to Soundwave and Black Convoy. I really hope they can use a repaint (Sunstorm or Black Convoy) as part of the 2, but that's what we've seen so far. I'd prefer 2 unique, large scale bots and MAYBE a repaint in the mix. And we've seen repaints/slight remolds fly with the various Lambo and Datsun offerings. I'm hoping that this is just a case of building confidence and resources for other figures, because we really don't need to milk EVERY mold that comes out. I"m okay with it when it makes sense (Prowl/Bluestreak/Smokescreen).

but hey.. if they are able to make more money off of the repaints.. and in return, push out new molds the way they have been, then i really don't mind the repaints lol.

TimothyR wrote:

xyl360 wrote:

Rotoraptor wrote:Sure there is. Otherwise they would have already secured the licenses for all of them in advance instead of doing them one at a time. If the auto makers don't agree to whatever terms/money Takara is willing to offer, there's nothing Takara can do about it.

so.. you're saying that because they didn't get all of the licenses at once, they might not get the license for jazz?

didn't they say that wheeljacks license was really hard to get? .. if that was their hardest one to get, why would we doubt them at this point? i mean, they got VW to cave.. who's to say they won't be able to get whatever they want?

plus, there's still a lot of time left, and a lot of other characters they can produce while working on acquiring a license.

Dude, you're missing the point of what I'm saying. It's not a matter of doubting anyone. Hell, Takara never even said they were seeking these particular licenses for these alt modes. I'm just saying it is *possible* that they might not be able to secure every one that they pursue. You're still making assumptions that things *will* happen without a doubt. I'm simply saying that we will not actually know until we actually know (e.g. when Takara announces it), that's all. I'm not arguing that it won't happen. I'm arguing that you cannot possibly know for certain that it *will* happen.

Anyway, back on topic.

I've preordered these two, and as long as Takara keeps doing the G1 TFs as they have been up to this point, I'll keep buying them. I'm seriously going to need more shelf space .

xyl360 wrote:

TimothyR wrote:

xyl360 wrote:

Rotoraptor wrote:Sure there is. Otherwise they would have already secured the licenses for all of them in advance instead of doing them one at a time. If the auto makers don't agree to whatever terms/money Takara is willing to offer, there's nothing Takara can do about it.

so.. you're saying that because they didn't get all of the licenses at once, they might not get the license for jazz?

didn't they say that wheeljacks license was really hard to get? .. if that was their hardest one to get, why would we doubt them at this point? i mean, they got VW to cave.. who's to say they won't be able to get whatever they want?

plus, there's still a lot of time left, and a lot of other characters they can produce while working on acquiring a license.

Dude, you're missing the point of what I'm saying. It's not a matter of doubting anyone. Hell, Takara never even said they were seeking these particular licenses for these alt modes. I'm just saying it is *possible* that they might not be able to secure every one that they pursue. You're still making assumptions that things *will* happen without a doubt. I'm simply saying that we will not actually know until we actually know (e.g. when Takara announces it), that's all. I'm not arguing that it won't happen. I'm arguing that you cannot possibly know for certain that it *will* happen.

Anyway, back on topic.

I've preordered these two, and as long as Takara keeps doing the G1 TFs as they have been up to this point, I'll keep buying them. I'm seriously going to need more shelf space .

i'm not sure where you're seeing that i said without a doubt they'll all get made.

i'm just saying that they were able to get what they viewed as one of the most difficult licenses to get. so at this point.. i'm not going to doubt their ability to acquire licenses.. but i'm not saying that they're going to succeed at every one they try to get. but so far, they've been able to get what they've wanted.

and like i said, with so many G1 characters to tackle, they have a good deal of time to try and get the licenses they want.

as for your problem with shelf space.. i think i'm going to get to the point where i'm going to just have a display room.. then throughout my whole house i'll have a shelf lining each wall lol. (minus the kitchen) right now i've got toys in basically every room in my house, my coffee table, my entertainment center, on a couple vintage beer crates, on my mantle, my end tables.. lol i'm not sure i'd be able to store anything, i enjoy looking at all of them. i'm glad my living situation affords me that ability, no bitchy girlfriend or wife, no parents to complain, no siblings getting annoyed.

there are a few things that i'd like to get rid of.. once a year i go through things and give them to my high school art teachers kids, or the son of my moms neighbor.

Eagleblaster wrote:Also, I agree and disagree on some of the things you all are saying whether takara will keep making the mp line g1 accurate and my opinion is No. Its all about the money for these reasons 1: they can increase profits if they avoid licencing fees by going with none licenced vehicles. AND 2: why would takara make mps such as g1 shock wave, or purple galvatron and a lot of other g1 transformers that didn't have great figures unlike those other mp sports cars (mp-12, 17, 20) that will bring in the dollars. I mean we want the kind of masterpiece toys like I prefere which is what most ppl prefer and you know what that is.

Almost everybidy likes a sports car or even a nice sports car toy that rolls. Not ever likes a toy that they never saw in real life or can even imagine seeing in real life.

I turn to MP Soundwave and Rodimus Prime for comment.

hinomars19 wrote:

xyl360 wrote:As for Takara's intentions with the line, are you employed by Takara? I ask because I've never heard them say anything about what their precise 'intentions' were with the MP line, at least nothing stating specifically that they planned on bringing every single G1 character, complete with accurate and licensed alt mode, into it.

Can't remember where I read it (somewhere here, I know that much) But the current designer of the MP line, the man responsible for re-focusing it, pretty much said his intentions were to do all season 1 G1 characters. I asked a friend of mine (Japanese) if she knew where/ if he had said that, but she wasn't sure where to find it either. Bear in mind he is the guy who desperately wants to do Ultra Magnus to the point he made that proof of concept and built engineering (his words more or less) into the Convoy mold to allow for it, so he is definitely wanting to carry the line on in the way it is heading, all the way to season 3 it seems.
This doesn't mean the Takara boffins will let him have his way, nor does it guarantee the needed licenses for every character can be obtained, but I think that says quite a lot for us to assume we know it's the intended goal

That comment was made around the time when MP10 Convoy was released.

hinomars19 wrote:

Arctorro wrote:

hinomars19 wrote:

Suz wrote:I had a feeling they'd get around to Bumblebee eventually, but Wheeljack is a pleasant surprise! I expected Jazz, Ironhide and Ratchet, and Shockwave to get the Masterpiece treatment next.

I just wish they had some metal parts, even metal frames would be nice to give them heft. They'd feel more like true Masterpiece figures instead of knock-offs. It would also justify the $80 price tag.

I don't think the final price on Bee and wheeljack will be quite that high-these are just preliminary estimates. G2 Sideswipe though, well considering Tigertrack's price he may stay that way.

But regardless, I know what you mean. But forget die-cast, I'd settle for a bit of chrome and rubber. Still,factor in the fees for licensing of the vehicles and boom! That's where it's hurting. We get what we get, we don't what we don't. A little harsh to compare them to knock offs though, isn't it?

More than a little harsh...

TimothyR wrote:yeah, no thank you on the metal.. i think plastic will hold up better over time. plus, plastic is more posable.. metal feet aren't bad.. but other than that.. i'd prefer not to have it.

i agree on the rubber tires. it would be nice, but for me it's not even close to being a deal breaker.

chrome.. maybe.. but again, chrome tends not to age well. with that said, MP10 looks fantastic with the chrome (i still wish he was given more cartoon accurate colors.. like a white waist, white thighs, and solid yellow rather than translucent yellow on his cod piece.. but again, it still looks fantastic)

overall i would just prefer a solid mold over things like metal and chrome. like sideswipe.. i feel like i got my money's worth with that mold.. it's perfect. the transformation, the paint (at least on mine) the robot and alt modes.

so, as long as they just continue what they're doing. i have zero complaints.

also, i'm so happy with the attention to detail. like the heads on smokescreen, prowl, and bluestreak all being different.

I agree with not including diecast parts, as they would just increase the chances of future issues. SS is fantastic and I don't need chrome or rubber tires as they also wouldn't stand the test of time.

TimothyR wrote:i still wonder how bumblebees size is going to work. . i wonder if they'd be able to pull off scale in both modes. alt mode being only a tiny bit smaller than the others, while the robot mode, being even smaller.

which would you guys be more happy to see? a robot scale accurate bumblebee, or a vehicle scale accurate bumblebee? for me, i don't mind either way. just as long as he's not bigger than sideswipe in robot mode.

they really have a lot of work to do with that mold. the proportions in the cartoon were crazy. i guess we'll see. . hopefully they'll release silhouette's soon.

For me personally, I hope they continue with size being based on the bot mode. That said, I'm sure Takara will be able to do something great with BB. SS compacts rather well for alt mode and everything from MP-08 on has looked fantastic (Yes Rodimus has a boat load of issue, but he does look good) so Takara should be able to make this happen

Some good points there on the longevity of said materials. It's just my preference I guess. But the lack of them on the MP cars is by no means making me want and like them any less, I love them, and as many would say 'not a deal breaker'

It's no deal breaker for me, either. Die cast would nice, but if nixing it means more MP figures, I'll take that.

Regarding the chance of Takara securing a license for MP Jazz - personally I wouldn't be heart broken if they are unable to get the license from Porche. Binaltech/Alternator Jazz has been a good stand in for the figure.

Regarding future large Masterpiece figures - I hope they don't overlook the remaining Dinobots. MP Grimlock is amazing and I am sure the other 4 Dinobots would be the same.

Stormrider wrote:Regarding the chance of Takara securing a license for MP Jazz - personally I wouldn't be heart broken if they are unable to get the license from Porche. Binaltech/Alternator Jazz has been a good stand in for the figure.

Regarding future large Masterpiece figures - I hope they don't overlook the remaining Dinobots. MP Grimlock is amazing and I am sure the other 4 Dinobots would be the same.

Yeah, I wouldn't be too disappointed either; I feel that the Reveal the Shield "Special Ops" Jazz is a very good figure. If only I can find a good deal on the internet for one without resorting to eBay... I've had issues with them in the past.

Mindmaster wrote:Yeah, I wouldn't be too disappointed either; I feel that the Reveal the Shield "Special Ops" Jazz is a very good figure. If only I can find a good deal on the internet for one without resorting to eBay... I've had issues with them in the past.

loose or misb?

You know, we really have to give props to Has/Tak on this line because they could have just taken the easy way out and just gave us cybertronian versions of these figures and made their bot modes look like their cartoon counterparts. But no, instead they stuck to their guns and got the licensing for these particular models, only to bring us the best possible versions of these characters.

I know I bitch a lot about unnecessary repaints, but if it helps fund the licensing and release of more characters we know and love, I guess it's something most of us can live with.

Yes, I'm hoping the new V2 Megatron is a gun, but I also hope Has/Tak releases a G2 tank version as well for those who prefer the tank version over the gun version.

Now, I imagine the release of Bumblebee is going to bring on a red repaint, and maybe even blue. I imagine cliffjumper is on his way as well. Can we suppose this may even bring about a much sought after G1 character named Bumblejumper? There's also a fan favorite in the decepticons who can use these molds as well.

All in all, I'm just stoked Bee and Wheeljack are getting the MP treatment. I mean, after all they were the very first characters we see in the G1 cartton!