The Energon Pub

News Credits: 19 · by **MadProject** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 5:02 pm

And we got 2 videoreviews about the new MP Optimus Prime 3.0 yesterday, and today we got a videoreview of MP-45 BUMBLEBEE V2.0!

[youtube]0eYEamhuZH8&t=1002s[/youtube]

posting the full link in case the identify code is wrong.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0eYEamh ... H5t10bAd7I

News Credits: 25 · by **Ironhidensh** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 7:47 pm

That car mode is very nice, but the robot mode and price? Redonkulous.

News Credits: 4838 · by **william-james88** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:35 pm

While Transformers Masterpiece Optimus Prime version 3 came out this week, we actually have a review for not only him but also MP 45 Bumblebee version 2 (the one with the feet). Below you will find Japanese video reviews of Prime from Wotafa and Color.R Touch-Toys, along with a transformation video from Keiichi Irie.

But first, you will find an English video review of Bumblebee from Ton Ton. We thank fellow Seibertronian MadProject for sending some of these to us. Please let us know what you think of these two toys and if you feel Prime is worth the price now that you own him.

News Credits: 1 · by **Archforce** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:43 pm

So, err, how about that Bumblebee head, eh? It just looks awful.

News Credits: 331 · by **chuckdawg1999** » Sat Aug 31, 2019 11:15 pm

The head is the least of the issues that figure has, as the reviewer said, it was a "sample" so I hope the panels peg together better than they do now.

by **frogbat** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 3:00 am

Besides the price and the back kibble, one thing I’m not liking on this prime is the chrome in robot mode. I’m not a fan of chrome in general cos it tends to chip or fade off easily. However, in this case it jars with the anime aesthetic.

News Credits: 456 · by **Sabrblade** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:56 am

frogbat wrote:E sides the price and the back kibble, one thing I’m not liking on this prime is the chrome in robot mode. I’m not a fan of chrome in general cos it tends to chip or fade off easily. However, in this case it jars with the anime aesthetic.

But Prime's grill was shiny in both the show and movie.

News Credits: 4838 · by **william-james88** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 12:03 pm

Sabrblade wrote:
frogbat wrote:E sides the price and the back kibble, one thing I’m not liking on this prime is the chrome in robot mode. I’m not a fan of chrome in general cos it tends to chip or fade off easily. However, in this case it jars with the anime aesthetic.
But Prime's grill was shiny in both the show and movie.

We need it reflective enough to see Thrust :lol:

by **Ultra Markus** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:31 pm

in making the vehicle cartoon accurate as a deformed vw bug
i would have thought it would have made things easier to achieve
the robot mode without so much horrible looking kibble :-?

News Credits: 340 · by **Stargrave** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:35 pm

william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
frogbat wrote:E sides the price and the back kibble, one thing I’m not liking on this prime is the chrome in robot mode. I’m not a fan of chrome in general cos it tends to chip or fade off easily. However, in this case it jars with the anime aesthetic.
But Prime's grill was shiny in both the show and movie.

We need it reflective enough to see Thrust

YES!!

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:35 pm

Ultra Markus wrote:i would have thought it would have made things easier to achieve
the robot mode without so much horrible looking kibble

I thought that was the preferred design aesthetic HasTak were aiming for these days >:oP

by **Nemesis Maximo** » Sun Sep 01, 2019 9:49 pm

I’ve been on board I think with the MPs replicating the cartoon look, but man I don’t dig that bumblebee. I feel the MP-21 captures his likeness in The Movie much better. Maybe that’s just me. But either way, I’m not into MP BB V2.

by **frogbat** » Mon Sep 02, 2019 1:00 am

william-james88 wrote:
Sabrblade wrote:
frogbat wrote:E sides the price and the back kibble, one thing I’m not liking on this prime is the chrome in robot mode. I’m not a fan of chrome in general cos it tends to chip or fade off easily. However, in this case it jars with the anime aesthetic.
But Prime's grill was shiny in both the show and movie.

We need it reflective enough to see Thrust

Good point re thrust... my comment was more re his robot mode, found it all that at that price and with all the stuff they’ve included, they didn’t have a matte version of the grill to go with it. Like they did for inferno and grapple.

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Mon Sep 02, 2019 5:53 am

The first MP Bee is the superior one. Because he look good on all sides. This new MP Bee is only good looking when viewed from the front, dead center. Turn it just one degree in any direction and it's a **** show.
I can say "nice try". It have some nice ideas but the whole execution is a total mess.

by **Ultra Markus** » Mon Sep 02, 2019 6:24 pm

-Kanrabat- wrote:The first MP Bee is the superior one. Because he look good on all sides. This new MP Bee is only good looking when viewed from the front, dead center. Turn it just one degree in any direction and it's a **** show.
I can say "nice try". It have some nice ideas but the whole execution is a total mess.

in an effort to make them cartoon accurate down to the proportions they over complicated things and left this horrible looking kibble
i would rather sacrifice the proportions and some accuracy to have a clean and fun transformation

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Mon Sep 02, 2019 6:35 pm

Ultra Markus wrote:
-Kanrabat- wrote:The first MP Bee is the superior one. Because he look good on all sides. This new MP Bee is only good looking when viewed from the front, dead center. Turn it just one degree in any direction and it's a **** show.
I can say "nice try". It have some nice ideas but the whole execution is a total mess.

in an effort to make them cartoon accurate down to the proportions they over complicated things and left this horrible looking kibble
i would rather sacrifice the proportions and some accuracy to have a clean and fun transformation

They already did some years ago...

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 1:52 am

To be fair, the vehicle isn't G1 toon accurate on that release, hence mp 45

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 4:06 am

ZeroWolf wrote:To be fair, the vehicle isn't G1 toon accurate on that release, hence mp 45

Because at the time, they were obsessed with the licences.
Still, I don't see why they couldn't just take the previous MP Bee and reshell him in his clown-car form.

Speaking of unlicensed vehicles, they have no excuses to not make Jazz now.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 4:32 am

Probably thought it'd be more of a challenge to redesign the whole thing.

News Credits: 372 · by **Cyberpath** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 5:28 am

-Kanrabat- wrote:
ZeroWolf wrote:To be fair, the vehicle isn't G1 toon accurate on that release, hence mp 45

Because at the time, they were obsessed with the licences.
Still, I don't see why they couldn't just take the previous MP Bee and reshell him in his clown-car form.

Speaking of unlicensed vehicles, they have no excuses to not make Jazz now.

The cars are still licensed, including this chibi VW Beetle.

News Credits: 4838 · by **william-james88** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 8:39 am

-Kanrabat- wrote:Speaking of unlicensed vehicles, they have no excuses to not make Jazz now.

The toys are licensed. So is the G1 BB reissue. And Jazz being a Porsche means they have another license to get that they dont have yet (you need a license at the individual car company level).

News Credits: 6 · by **AllNewSuperRobot** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:05 am

ZeroWolf wrote:To be fair, the vehicle isn't G1 toon accurate on that release, hence mp 45

Yeah, it was better. Because it looked like an actual Robot in Disguise with a real life VW Beetle alt-mode and not a poorly animated and out of proportion waste of cell animation.

william-james88 wrote:
-Kanrabat- wrote:Speaking of unlicensed vehicles, they have no excuses to not make Jazz now.

The toys are licensed. So is the G1 BB reissue. And Jazz being a Porsche means they have another license to get that they dont have yet (you need a license at the individual car company level).

Which brings us ever back to the dozens of popular characters that don't need licenses, waiting in the wings. Meanwhile Takara stagnates the G1 line, fixating on a handful of licensed car-bots.

News Credits: 331 · by **chuckdawg1999** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:22 am

The Porsche family owns Volkswagen and Lamborghini, so if they licensed two they probably did a group thing for all of them.

News Credits: 4838 · by **william-james88** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:58 am

chuckdawg1999 wrote:The Porsche family owns Volkswagen and Lamborghini, so if they licensed two they probably did a group thing for all of them.

As I wrote, that is irrelevant, you acquire the licence at the car company level and for each market it is sold in. Hence why there was a period where Hasbro/Takara could release lamborghinis but not VW cars.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Tue Sep 03, 2019 11:17 am

Cyberpath wrote:
-Kanrabat- wrote:
ZeroWolf wrote:To be fair, the vehicle isn't G1 toon accurate on that release, hence mp 45

Because at the time, they were obsessed with the licences.
Still, I don't see why they couldn't just take the previous MP Bee and reshell him in his clown-car form.

Speaking of unlicensed vehicles, they have no excuses to not make Jazz now.

The cars are still licensed, including this chibi VW Beetle.

I think the SD/Penny Racer-style cars being licensed are a bit of a formality, the license for the VW Beetle was active thanks to the Bumblebee movie, so using it for the G1 reissue and the newer MP despite not really necessary (don't quote me on that), why not? It's worth mentioning that Tailgate was reissued, unlicensed even, despite being based on the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am.