The Energon Pub

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Wed Apr 29, 2020 11:24 pm

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:A few things to note:

- He uses the toy-accurate head, previously seen on Cordon
- He also uses Cordon's detailed shins instead of Sunstreaker's smooth ones.
- Finally, he has Cordon's chrome missile
- His license plate reads "CR-01", referencing his Diaclone Car Robot pedigree. Cordon's read "CR-03"

... So why isn't he MP-42+?

Might be because of a certain feature of Cordon's he doesn't use.

News Credits: 241 · by **Jelze Bunnycat** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:26 am

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:A few things to note:

- He uses the toy-accurate head, previously seen on Cordon
- He also uses Cordon's detailed shins instead of Sunstreaker's smooth ones.
- Finally, he has Cordon's chrome missile
- His license plate reads "CR-01", referencing his Diaclone Car Robot pedigree. Cordon's read "CR-03"

... So why isn't he MP-42+?
Might be because of a certain feature of Cordon's he doesn't use.

I think more it's because deep down he's more of a variant of the original character than anything else. :-?

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:36 am

Not exactly. While he uses Sunny's working name, the figure is more representative of what Sideswipe was supposed to be.

Also, based on Burning Convoy they seem to be grabbing the first base mold number they can think of now.

News Credits: 22 · by **Rodimus Prime** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 12:47 am

That's a very purty red.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:07 am

My question is, why does black Convoy get his own unique number instead of mp-44+ and this guy get Saddled with a + number?

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 5:47 am

Because he's not a Convoy. Nor does he have an alteration to his altmode like Cordon did. This is consistent with the pattern of Sideswipe, Tigertrack, Red Alert, and the Datsuns.

News Credits: 86 · by **Powered Convoy** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:17 am

Exclusives never get new numbers. Mass releases tend to get new numbers. More often then they used to.

MyFigureCollection.net collection · by **Emerje** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 6:39 am

It would also be weird if Black Convoy, a Decepticon, was the + to Convoy. Realistically he should have been 44B to match MP-1B and MP-10B, but what can you do? Though I suppose MP-10B (and MP-9B) was possibly a mistake since he was an actual Decepticon unlike MP-1B who was just Convoy in black so maybe MP-49 is setting things straight. Honestly, trying to make sense out of Takara Tomy's MP numbering conventions is headache inducing.

Emerje

by **Nemesis Maximo** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:35 am

The numbers, they mean nothing...

News Credits: 41 · by **Cobotron** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 11:12 am

This news ultimately makes me a little sad. It confirms something I've felt coming for a while. Normally I'd be over the moon for a Diaclone homage release. They are the core and favorite figures in my MP collection. But I get absolutely no feels from this. Proof I think that my MP days are coming to a close. Thankfully I have Cordon, who I think is totally awesome pants rad hat!

All that being said, always glad to see another Diaclone release. The changes they made to the mold from Toonstreaker to Diadude, made all the difference for me. Glad there is another chance for fans to get this mold with that dope ass classic head sculpt.

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:24 pm

So, I ordered my MP-44 from BBTS. It's been a few days, and it's still 'processing.' Those guys are still shipping, right? I'm still getting the emails...

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Thu Apr 30, 2020 10:30 pm

sol magnus wrote:So, I ordered my MP-44 from BBTS. It's been a few days, and it's still 'processing.' Those guys are still shipping, right? I'm still getting the emails...

You're American, I hope?
Because if you are Canadian, RIP.

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Fri May 01, 2020 8:09 am

-Kanrabat- wrote:
sol magnus wrote:So, I ordered my MP-44 from BBTS. It's been a few days, and it's still 'processing.' Those guys are still shipping, right? I'm still getting the emails...

You're American, I hope?
Because if you are Canadian, RIP.

Yes. I'm American.

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Fri May 01, 2020 8:25 am

sol magnus wrote:
-Kanrabat- wrote:
sol magnus wrote:So, I ordered my MP-44 from BBTS. It's been a few days, and it's still 'processing.' Those guys are still shipping, right? I'm still getting the emails...

You're American, I hope?
Because if you are Canadian, RIP.

Yes. I'm American.

In that case the price will not have the exchange rate, premium shipping, and custom surcharges.

Canadians ordering such expensive collectibles from BBTS or Hasbro Pulse is asking for trouble.

News Credits: 41 · by **Cobotron** » Fri May 01, 2020 8:56 am

sol magnus wrote:So, I ordered my MP-44 from BBTS. It's been a few days, and it's still 'processing.' Those guys are still shipping, right? I'm still getting the emails...

I haven't ordered anything from them in a while, though I have some things in a pile. To the best of my knowledge they are still shipping. I can tell you this. They take their sweet time when shipping orders out. I've had things sit in the "processing" status for 5 to 7 days before. Don't know why it takes so long. Could be because they make custom shipping boxes for every order. I'm sure that takes a while when the queue for the box making machine is long.
A little patience, and I'd bet your 44 will ship out soon.

Oh! And they only work about 5 to 6 hour days. Must be a great job! :lol:

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Fri May 01, 2020 4:14 pm

Haha! Must be.

Thankfully, I got the shipping confirmation earlier today. So, here comes my possibly penultimate Masterpiece figure.

I'm considering getting all the 1984 cast members back that I sold, in addition to a Hound. I had Silverstreak, Ratchet, Ironhide and Sunstreaker but had to sell them to raise money for an emergency. It's been a tough few years, financially.

I also want an MP-09. I've always wanted one, but the prices were crazy a few years back. Now they're only kinda crazy. I dunno. Maybe I should leave it where it is. Now that I've switched BACK to Generations for WFC, there has to be some stuff I simply don't buy.

Website · by **Fires_Of_Inferno** » Fri May 01, 2020 11:42 pm

So, I think I've come to a realization. I don't really care for the Masterpiece toy line. I mean, I won't lie, I like what I see with the various MP Optimuses. The MP Shockwave looks great. Buuuuuut they don't appeal to me. I think it's the cost vs what I feel like I'll get out of it. There are exceptions. I have MP Tracks and Roadrage, but that's more because Tracks was one of my favorite Autobots, and I wanted Roadrage because I'm a sucker for the Corvette Stingray, so I'm also still wanting a Loudpedal. I have MPM Barricade, and I love it because I'm a fan of Barricade. I've got MP-01 and despite his flaws I think he's awesome. And I would kill for an MP Soundwave. If there will ever be a MP Jazz I would be all for that. But otherwise, I'm not really coming up with any other Masterpiece figures I would buy. Unless Hasbro out of no where decides to make MP Windblade. Or Elita-1, Chromia, Moonracer.

Even looking at the MP Beast Wars figures, I don't want most of the ones that are out. With the exception of the Predacons. At first I just wanted MPBW Megatron, but after hmm'ing and haaw'ing I also decided that I wanted MP Blackarachnia (and indeed I have ordered her and am awaiting her arrival). So I've made the decision that, when they do more Masterpiece Beast Wars figures, I'm going for them. I don't know how far they'll get, or if they'll discontinue the Beast Wars MP line before going further. But what I REALLY would like is an MP Beast Wars Inferno. That would be amazing.

TL;DR, Not into 99% of the Masterpiece figures, but 100% into Masterpiece Beast Wars Predacons.

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Sat May 02, 2020 8:20 am

Fires_Of_Inferno wrote:TL;DR, Not into 99% of the Masterpiece figures, but 100% into Masterpiece Beast Wars Predacons.

Hey, man. Collecting has no rules. Only rules are the ones we give ourselves.

My rules on Masterpiece changed many times based on a few things. At first, I only wanted to get my favorite characters and the ones I had as a kid (as for some reason I just always like to get those figures in any line that I collect) - but when I say "had as a kid", it doesn't mean all of them - it means any of the ones my mom got me. AND those aren't my favorite characters in most cases. I got many of them over the years through buying and trading. Soundwave was my first ever, my mom bought him and is one of my favorites. Ultra Magnus is another. Others, like Trailbreaker, Bumblebee, Tracks, Inferno, Rodimus Prime and a few others are characters my mom bought, but they're not in my 'favorites' list.

In any event, the list would expand for whatever Takara was doing. I've always loved the Datsun 280zx and Prowl, and at that time you could get deals on Masterpiece figures so I got Silverstreak because I paid like 40 bucks for him from Alibaba. And he wasn't a KO. I got Smokescreen and Red Alert the same way. After a time, that went away. Then I sold off all of my Beast Wars/Car Robots/CHUG figures to finance a true Masterpiece collection, figuring I wouldn't need any other versions of those characters, and would eventually (but not this eventually - figured I would be done by now) have a complete 1984 cast at the rate they were going, but it stalled and they started making Optimus Primals. Wonderful figure, but not my target collectible. They had already begun the cartoon accuracy stuff as well as the + line and I was never overly concerned with screen accuracy and had all the base figures. I like the in-between accuracy better overall - mainly because you'd then have to mix them together. Anyway, the sale of my older Transformers that were all boxed up financed a lot of go backs, like Starscream and I got Skywarp, Thrust et all off of that money but I also got all the diaclones up to that point, too - and they were never really part of the equation. My collection was sprawling.

Then, I had some financial troubles and the figures were getting more expensive by the release and I had to sell off many of those to keep afloat. It saddened me, but hey - Siege was coming out, and I certainly wasn't about to stop collecting Transformers. I suppose at some point I will have to, but I don't know how to. I've been doing it for 60% of my life.

I'm rambling, but the rules change for the situation. I can tell you selling my Masterpiece figures hurt, and at one point I definitely planned to get them all back. I've modified that, now. I will get some of them back. If I keep my collection to 1984 and 'favorites' I would only need to purchase / repurchase about 10 figures. And even though the market for resale of Masterpiece figures now sucks, I can probably use some of the ones I got when I overreached but didn't sell towards those.

Anyway, do what you feel makes your collection yours.

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Fri May 08, 2020 10:52 pm

So...MP-44 arrived today, much to the delight of my and my son's delight. I gotta say, it was an emotional experience. A lot of it, fear. A lot of it nostalgia because my 7 year old boy played You Got the Touch as I opened him. But I digress.

He transforms from semi-truck to robot and back in 75 steps! Not many at all. Really. Hardly 'Prime's Five Fold Maneuver.' Yet for all of the folding, and skittish pressing of parts hoping they won't break, and fighting with tabs (the right leg on mine took probably ten minutes by itself) you end up with a very surprisingly durable Optimus Prime with features that are almost an embarrasment of riches.

I'm not going to go all into the features as we are all well aware of what they are. What I will comment on is the weird hate for this figure and how now that I have one, I can't understand it even more than I did before I got one. It's a hell of a figure. To do all that folding and unfolding and tabbing, and end up with this poseable statue of the icon of Transformers that holds up well and doesn't have any weird mechanical issues. It makes the engineering of "ladder magic" and Sunstreaker look bush league - and it should.

One thing I do find somewhat concerning, even though things have been moving in this direction for a few years now, is that extreme cartoon accuracy might end up painting Takara into a corner. Not sure how you could make a better Optimus Prime - yet in a few short years - they will have to. MP-10 and the Masterpiece figures prior to MP-22 were not precisely "screen accurate" and yet were wonderful toys. And I'm sure MP-10's mold is well run-through with all the variants and re-releases, so something was going to be needed. By lashing themselves to the raft of cartoon accuracy, they may have essentially outdone themselves. Would I ever want an Optimus Prime that wasn't like the cartoon stepped out of my tv and onto my shelf? Would I tolerate any level of stylistic license when they've delivered a Convoy that looks like the show and handles like a Revoltech - but transforms? Even I might feel a bit entitled. I dunno - I suppose we shall see.

But for me and mine, I'm loving my MP-44. To the point of intolerance of anybody talking any kind of smack about him. :HEADHURTS:

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Fri May 08, 2020 11:43 pm

I still say that obsessively hiding kibble like the wheels is dumb and they should stop it. They kinda-sorta got away with it in the case of MP-44, but it's still a bad design practice (as MP-45, 47, and 51 prove) and I think it hurts the figure's looks, as do the dumbed-down fuel tanks.

News Credits: 100 · by **-Kanrabat-** » Sat May 09, 2020 1:58 am

sol magnus wrote:But for me and mine, I'm loving my MP-44. To the point of intolerance of anybody talking any kind of smack about him.

I think the main issues are the fact that the prices are now out of control and there's still issues like breakages happening and whatnots even at that price.
I mean, Takara's MP figures have been doubling, or even tripling in prices while the durability of the toys is still the same as before.

But to be fair, most complains about the prices come from Americans, spoiled by insane Toys R Us and Walmart sales. Sales that won't ever happen again anymore because only MPM come stateside in those big stores nowadays.

News Credits: 1350 · by **ZeroWolf** » Sat May 09, 2020 3:31 am

Yeah the biggest complaints I've heard is related to the price, something that has been creeping up on a few releases (Spinout seems sensible in this regard mind, but then again he is a redeco, same as mp-49)

by **ZeldaTheSwordsman** » Sat May 09, 2020 4:48 am

Whenever Takara gets to doing MP Insecticons... Bombshell is going to derail the Slavish Hyper Cartoon Accuracy train. That or have a messy, fiddly, crazy inside-out transformation in his torso.

News Credits: 10 · by **sol magnus** » Sat May 09, 2020 8:23 am

RE: Prices and breakage.

Nobody wants to admit that the part counts are likewise going up. MP-44 is made up of something like double the parts of MP-10. It's not even close. Sunstreaker, Hound and even Bumble have many more parts than earlier Masterpiece figures. Seems like this started around Grapple.

I was terrified I was going to break my MP-44 on the first transformation because of applying too much force, or something not being right (like on my Light Pedal). But it didn't break. It's surprisingly durable coupled with my being uber careful. I will catch heat for this, but he will never be a truck again. I used a youtube video to go through the transformation, and it appears it gets easier in certain spots as you successively convert, but I'm just not willing to go through the emotional stress of doing it - those knee tabs did me in - plus I keep my MPs displayed in robot mode. Had he been in robot mode in the box, he would never have transformed at all. If anything, I'll turn MP-10 into a truck.

Breakage can happen, but it's harder to say if it's the toy or the person transforming it. When my MP-25LP broke during transformation, I was livid - with myself - although it was just too tight. There was nothing I could have done differently unless I knew beforehand it was too tight. Tracks did not have that issue.

Back to parts for a second. Part counts determine price. Sentimentality determines value. If they did Masterpiece Thunderclash at this price, it would never sell. Thus, only a Convoy can really command such a ridiculous price and ensure it will get bought. Now, the other characters, well loved but not Prime/Convoy are a harder sell at 160 dollars or whatever. I get that. But we're talking high-end collectibles that no one is forced to buy. You just have to make an adult choice.

Since jumping back into Generations with WFC, I have way less...discernment regarding price even though I do NOT enjoy paying 50 bucks for a leader class figure. It's expensive...but they all are. The toys I get for my daughters are roughly 5 bucks more than a deluxe, but come with waaaay more stuff. Transformers are priced for engineering, which only means something when you go to play with it. When it's on the shelf it just seems expensive. I don't want to derail, just to compare. Transformers are not cheap toys. And they aren't getting any cheaper.