The Energon Pub

[ScottyP]

Moving on, anyone know why this is MP-11"NR"? Whats the NR for? New Ramjet?

Nosecone Ramjet?

N = "New Jetron" (what the Coneheads were called in Japan), R = "Ramjet"

Thank you sir! Also...

What we need (but may never deserve) is a whole new MP Seeker mold made completely new with today's levels of engineering.

I agree, but my mind's eye has trouble figuring out how to improve MP-11's retooling of MP-3 outside of a making a few corrections to nagging issues like the wing to torso clips for bot mode. I guess that's why a new mold would be especially cool if done right, since I can't even imagine what they could do!

Edit: also, I'd rather just see these Coneheads as remolds with any budget for new molds going to characters that haven't gotten the MP treatment (especially since licensing is needed for some of the leftover Autobot cars not yet done!)

[Seibertron]

Which seems odd, as there are no other Seekers with a name starting with "R" to warrant the extra "N". My guess is that it's to streamline the release numbers for the potential Dirge "11ND" and Thrust "11NT", the latter sharing the first letter with Thundercracker "11T".

I think it's odd that a remold like this didn't get a new number. New wings, new accessory (cluster bombs) and new head. I get that it's a remold of the most used Masterpiece mold, but it's no different than MP-3 was to MP-11 as far as it being a remold ultimately. I think on the Coneheads it would've made more sense for them to have a new number such as MP-31R, MP-31T, and MP-31D. I guess the problem with that idea is that there wouldn't be a default MP-31, so maybe it does make sense to go back to MP-11.

However, the "N" still doesn't make sense. It would've been a little more fun if they had prefixed it with the letter "C" for Conehead. Does "N" stand for "nosecone" by any chance? Do the Japanese/Takara have a special group designation for the Coneheads that might warrant the usage of the letter "N"?

[ScottyP]

However, the "N" still doesn't make sense. It would've been a little more fun if they had prefixed it with the letter "C" for Conehead. Does "N" stand for "nosecone" by any chance? Do the Japanese/Takara have a special group designation for the Coneheads that might warrant the usage of the letter "N"?

I asked the same thing earlier, Sabrblade answered:

Moving on, anyone know why this is MP-11"NR"? Whats the NR for? New Ramjet?

Nosecone Ramjet?

N = "New Jetron" (what the Coneheads were called in Japan), R = "Ramjet"

[Sabrblade]

I think it's odd that a remold like this didn't get a new number. New wings, new accessory (cluster bombs) and new head. I get that it's a remold of the most used Masterpiece mold, but it's no different than MP-3 was to MP-11 as far as it being a remold ultimately. I think on the Coneheads it would've made more sense for them to have a new number such as MP-31R, MP-31T, and MP-31D. I guess the problem with that idea is that there wouldn't be a default MP-31, so maybe it does make sense to go back to MP-11.

Mass retail remolds get new numbers. Exclusive remolds keep their original number.

Exhaust, for instance, got a new number as he was a mass retail figure. Tigertrack, however, did not get a new number as he was an exclusive.

The real mystery is why these more major character Seekers aren't getting mass retail releases while Diaclone homage nobody Exhaust did.

[Jelze Bunnycat]

Which seems odd, as there are no other Seekers with a name starting with "R" to warrant the extra "N". My guess is that it's to streamline the release numbers for the potential Dirge "11ND" and Thrust "11NT", the latter sharing the first letter with Thundercracker "11T".

I think it's odd that a remold like this didn't get a new number. New wings, new accessory (cluster bombs) and new head. I get that it's a remold of the most used Masterpiece mold, but it's no different than MP-3 was to MP-11 as far as it being a remold ultimately. I think on the Coneheads it would've made more sense for them to have a new number such as MP-31R, MP-31T, and MP-31D. I guess the problem with that idea is that there wouldn't be a default MP-31, so maybe it does make sense to go back to MP-11.

However, the "N" still doesn't make sense. It would've been a little more fun if they had prefixed it with the letter "C" for Conehead. Does "N" stand for "nosecone" by any chance? Do the Japanese/Takara have a special group designation for the Coneheads that might warrant the usage of the letter "N"?

According to Sabrblade a few posts above, the "N" is for "New Jetron", Jetron being the official group name of the Seekers in Japan. Remember, Japan keeps the original names for the MP line, not the US ones.

by the by, While "Seeker" has been canonized and seen official use, "Conehead" as far as I know has not, plus wouldn't that infringe on those aliens for SNL and State Farm?

[Cobotron]

Maybe this is a test run to see if there is interest in the Cones.
I hope so, because I'd rather have Thrust, and maybe Dirge. He looks pretty good though, and even though my stance is usually - cartoon accuracy be damned, there is something I like about the face sculpt.

[Starsaber468]

They finally did it!

Yeah but as a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive they should just keep masterpiece seperate from having Takara Tomy Mall exclusives its annoying there exclusives....

[Shackwave]

I hate the face
So then what the heck is this?

[Starsaber468]

Maybe this is a test run to see if there is interest in the Cones.
I hope so, because I'd rather have Thrust, and maybe Dirge. He looks pretty good though, and even though my stance is usually - cartoon accuracy be damned, there is something I like about the face sculpt.

I seemed to realize that we should get about 5 verisons of the same character for example diaclone/etc,G1Toy,G1Cartoon,G1 comics, and also g2 plus we cannot forget the other characters of the characters! Ramjet Does look great but i do wish he had his cannons not the null rays :/

[Sabrblade]

They finally did it!

Yeah but as a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive

For Japan, though.

Count on Hasbro Asia to distribute a bunch to all the regular online retailers just like they always do.

[Starsaber468]

They really need to quit trying to be so slavish to how these toys looked in a 30 year old cartoon. Silly things like giving Ramjet his large cluster bombs or whatever they are in jet mode and then give him the traditional Seeker arm guns to achieve the cartoon model is silly. I would've been just fine with the cluster bombs on his arms. Now he ends up with cluster bombs on his back, which is not cartoon accurate or G1 toy accurate.

I feel as though those can be removed, and were just stuck on the figure by the photographer for one reason or another.

I'm also not a fan of the Conehead's head being faked, leaving the real nosecone on the figure's backside. How did iGear do the heads for these guys? Seems unfortunate after waiting 9 years for these guys.

IGear faked their coneheads as well.

It looks good overall, just not what I would have expected after 9 years of Masterpiece Seekers. I guess I had hoped that the money made off of the approximately 15 Masterpiece Seekers from 1 mold would have gone to make an out of the park awesome version of Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge.

It's cuz they're still using that old MP Seeker mold made from 2006 engineering, regardless of how much remolding its undergone. What we need (but may never deserve) is a whole new MP Seeker mold made completely new with today's levels of engineering.

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

[Starsaber468]

They finally did it!

Yeah but as a Takara Tomy Mall exclusive

For Japan, though.

Count on Hasbro Asia to distribute a bunch to all the regular online retailers just like they always do.

Ohhhh I thought the pieces were limited everywhere like it was just limited to ONLY 2000 pieces oh well

[Wolfman Jake]

As for the nosecone showing between his legs, I wonder if it's just incorrectly transformed as that is not the case on the regular Seeker mold.

Nope, the nosecone shows up in the regular MP-11 version of the mold at all of it's redecos as well. Those pictures are just obscuring them, but you can see how far down the nose cone really hangs by looking at the Hasbro version (blue tip) on the right. To put it as crassly as possible, it's all about the angle of the dangle.

[Hellscream9999]

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

Everyone keeps saying that we need a new seeker mp mold, but what improvements are there to be had? Fixing known bugs in the design, does not qualify as a new mold; and I do not see anything that merits this mold needing a new design

[Hellscream9999]

Nope, the nosecone shows up in the regular MP-11 version of the mold at all of it's redecos as well. Those pictures are just obscuring them, but you can see how far down the nose cone really hangs by looking at the Hasbro version (blue tip) on the right. To put it as crassly as possible, it's all about the angle of the dangle.

Well, the cockpit transforms differently, so due to moving the nosecone further, it may have a different position in bot mode.

[Deathsaurus1]

Can we expect a Hasbro release?
Lol I'm hoping

[Starsaber468]

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

Everyone keeps saying that we need a new seeker mp mold, but what improvements are there to be had? Fixing known bugs in the design, does not qualify as a new mold; and I do not see anything that merits this mold needing a new design

Me and Sabretooth Agree there should be a new mold plus imagine all the far superior things the new seeker masterpiece would have with modern engineering!

[Hellscream9999]

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

Everyone keeps saying that we need a new seeker mp mold, but what improvements are there to be had? Fixing known bugs in the design, does not qualify as a new mold; and I do not see anything that merits this mold needing a new design

Me and Sabretooth Agree there should be a new mold plus imagine all the far superior things the new seeker masterpiece would have with modern engineering!

No, I can't imagine (this coming from an artist), and until someone provides me with a bullet pointed list of objective problems that need to be addressed, I refuse to see why there should be a mold update, this design is plenty 'modern' and clever already

[Deathsaurus1]

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

Everyone keeps saying that we need a new seeker mp mold, but what improvements are there to be had? Fixing known bugs in the design, does not qualify as a new mold; and I do not see anything that merits this mold needing a new design

Me and Sabretooth Agree there should be a new mold plus imagine all the far superior things the new seeker masterpiece would have with modern engineering!

Yeah they wouldn't be able to do much of a new mold
What else can they really do? I think mp -11 mold could have used better hands. maybe made the feet more posable. But I really don't see any need for a new mold.

The biggest flaw with me is that damn torso issue. Idk why takara didn't fix that issue though

[Evil Eye]

The biggest problem with the MP Seeker mold is its age and overuse. It's beginning to degrade quite badly, or so I'm told.

[Cyberpath]

I agree we should get an new MP seeker mold with todays level of engineering but with takara i see that highly unlikely unless they want a log of more money! xD but anyway I would definitely like to see an new mp seeker mold he KINDA needs it as much mp megatron but mp megatron seriously does need an new toy for many quite obvious reasons

Everyone keeps saying that we need a new seeker mp mold, but what improvements are there to be had? Fixing known bugs in the design, does not qualify as a new mold; and I do not see anything that merits this mold needing a new design

Well, what bugs me the most about the MP-11 mold is how low and far apart the top of the "pecs" are from the base of the neck.

The back and the side profile could probably be better.. maybe.

Less prominent cheekbones.

And would prefer "Hasui"-style hands.

I would have liked Hasui to take a crack at a new MP starsceram (apparently he's called "Mr. Starscream" at the office?) but that seems unlikely now with the Thundercracker repaint and the Ramjet retool.

That said, if TT-Japan ever reissues it I'll get him. He still looks pretty cool!

[Sabrblade]

A new Seeker mold wouldn't have to be more advanced than this one to be better. One that uses a more simpler transformation could suffice. Namely, one that wouldn't require the entire cockpit and nosecone to be rotated 180 degrees to transform.

Look at how the cockpit and nosecone convert in the animation:


While there is some slight morphing involved, perhaps a new mold that has the cockpit fold down without rotating could have just the nosecose fold away into the body, not unlike what the Generations Legends mold does:




Or have the nosecone retract into the plane's body and then have any excess mass fold away, like Animated Voyager Starscream (only executed far better than that toy's contrived Automorph gimmick):




This would greatly free up the robot mode's back side from having the large backpack of altmode kibble formed primarily by the nosecone:



And it would allow the cockpit canopy to be more correctly oriented, as Will has pointed out in previous posts.

[mcfmullen]

Wait, this doesn't make sense.

Takara has ALWAYS made remolds a new number. Ramjet should be MP30.... case in point: Tracks and Road Rage, Wheeljack and Exhaust.

Repaints get the letter suffix.

This would be the first masterpiece to break the numbering scheme.

[Sabrblade]

Wait, this doesn't make sense.

Takara has ALWAYS made remolds a new number. Ramjet should be MP30.... case in point: Tracks and Road Rage, Wheeljack and Exhaust.

Repaints get the letter suffix.

This would be the first masterpiece to break the numbering scheme.

Mass retail remolds get new numbers. Exclusive remolds don't. Ramjet is an exclusive.

[mcfmullen]

Mass retail remolds get new numbers. Exclusive remolds don't. Ramjet is an exclusive.

Not true. Every single exclusive was a remold. That's why they all got suffixed releases. It has nothing to do with them being exclusives.