The Energon Pub

[william-james88]

We need to show them with out wallets that we don't want these prices, not with forums. They will never care what we say on here, but they do care when they end up making less money.

For sure, but as the article shows, its too late. People did vote with their wallets and they voted yes to the most expensive Transformers product ever released by Takara.

:lol:

I was laughing too, hence why I just had to news this.

[megatronus]

We will leave you now with this fun comparison by fellow CSeibertronian Cyberpath between MP 10, MP 44 and the G1 cartoon.

[center]

I feel like this image is really unfair to MP10. He can get waaayyy closer to the iconic pose than that.

[megatronus]

Case in point:

[Cobotron]

We will leave you now with this fun comparison by fellow CSeibertronian Cyberpath between MP 10, MP 44 and the G1 cartoon.

I feel like this image is really unfair to MP10. He can get waaayyy closer to the iconic pose than that.

Yeah! Cyberpath, I demand you post that kickass stop motion GIF you made of this scene with your MP-10.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

^Quite. It's not even actually that hard a pose. Hell, the G1 Optimus toy can do it (at least above the waist) if holding a version of his rifle that has the peg where it should be.

We need to show them with out wallets that we don't want these prices, not with forums. They will never care what we say on here, but they do care when they end up making less money.

For sure, but as the article shows, its too late. People did vote with their wallets and they voted yes to the most expensive Transformers product ever released by Takara.

Like I said, Japanese collectors with more money than sense or taste.

[Colt]

Seems a little too biased against MP-10. It feels like it was purposely posed bad to make MP-44 look better.

[Cyberpath]

It has nothing to do with loyalty to Takara. People love this character, especially in this form, they want him; the company knows this and is making bank.

I have a feeling that quite a few of the people saying that they won't buy him, will get him eventually. Whether they'll jump on board till August, or get him as a gift from a loved one, or look for him later on eBay, or get an eventual reissue, or something. Wait and see. I was right about him being a top seller.

I feel like this image is really unfair to MP10. He can get waaayyy closer to the iconic pose than that.

I got you.

[Cyberpath]

Seems a little too biased against MP-10. It feels like it was purposely posed bad to make MP-44 look better.

It's from a magazine piece promoting MP-10.

[Nemesis Maximo]

It has nothing to do with loyalty to Takara. People love this character, especially in this form, they want him; the company knows this and is making bank.

I have a feeling that quite a few of the people saying that they won't buy him, will get him eventually. Whether they'll jump on board till August, or get him as a gift from a loved one, or look for him later on eBay, or get an eventual reissue, or something. Wait and see. I was right about him being a top seller.

I smell what you’re cooking, Cyber, and I’m with ya. Haters gonna wait, but but only so long.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I'm not. If I sock away for an MP Optimus it'll be MP-10. Unless they make one that's an actual improvement instead of this waste of plastic.

[Burn]

Even if I won the lotto and had the money to burn, I'd still be questioning whether it's worth spending that much on a figure that I won't be transforming.

[megatronus]

Even if I won the lotto and had the money to burn, I'd still be questioning whether it's worth spending that much on a figure that I won't be transforming.

I'm warming to MP44 and I hate myself for it.

[Randomhero]

Too many people attempting to justify it or not.

If you want it and can afford it, buy it. If you want it but can’t. Do as I said, save up here and there. Use a portion from taxes. Whatever. It’s still 9 months from release(August right?). If you absolutely can’t than it’s not meant to be. It’s jusy another Optimus prime. If it’s just gonna sit on a shelf and be dusted every couple months than don’t.

Trying to justify on it or not is stupid to me. At the end of the day if you feel that you will not get your enjoyments worth than you have your answer.

Just my two cents. I’m just getting so tired of the comments that are repeatedly the same I guess.

[shajaki]

I jumped on the Amazon.jp preorder
(c'mon now, we all knew I would)

You know what I really dislike about 44... in truck mode there's no white stripe:



I never realised it wasn't present in the cartoon, so seeing 44 stripeless was off-putting. I mean, it's my bad, but it doesn't match what I picture in my head.

[Randomhero]

I jumped on the Amazon.jp preorder
(c'mon now, we all knew I would)

You know what I really dislike about 44... in truck mode there's no white stripe:



I never realised it wasn't present in the cartoon, so seeing 44 stripeless was off-putting. I mean, it's my bad, but it doesn't match what I picture in my head.

I’m having dejavu of Ultra Magnus and his red bumper from a few years ago...

[Aimless Misfire]

This just in: Next Transformers Masterpiece figure will be $950.


Addiction + stupidity - self control talks even louder than money.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

On that screencap clipping in the comparison you can make out the outline of where the stripe ought to be. I think a Masterpiece should capture the essence of the cartoon depiction without stooping to its omissions and errors.

[Nemesis Maximo]

On that screencap clipping in the comparison you can make out the outline of where the stripe ought to be. I think a Masterpiece should capture the essence of the cartoon depiction without stooping to its omissions and errors.

What you think and what Takara thinks are two different things. The goal of the Masterpiece series is to capture what the characters looked like in the original cartoon, which is the most important work of fiction for all of Transformers.

You can say all you want how you don’t agree with the direction of the line, but you can’t seriously tell me you don’t think that what they’ve accomplished is anything short of amazing. It looks almost exactly as Optimus Prime was presented on the show.

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

I think the extent to which they took that looks stupid. It's overengineering and I personally find it cringeworthy especially in truck mode.
The cartoon is important and the only G1 continuity I care for, but I don't think toys should be dumbed down to the limitations of its animation, especially when A. The animation was trying its best to portray things as shiny within its limits and B. this dumbing down paradoxically overcomplicates a toy as is the case here.

[Emerje]

I think there must be a lot of Japanese collectors with more money than sense. Or taste.

Japanese collectors have a different mindset from a lot of western collectors. Where we tend to try to get as much as we can on our shelves and do the biggest and best displays we can, that's not all that practical in Japan. A lot of typical collectors either live at home or live in small one-room apartments (literally one room and a water closet, you go to a bathhouse to bathe) with very limited space for collecting. Some collectors have their character shrines and maybe a bookshelf and not much more. Collecting isn't really about retention it's about the experience. For big and/or expensive figures they'll buy it, enjoy it for a while and then sell it off if they need the space or something better comes along. Places like Mandarake and Jungle thrive on this sort of collector mentality. I'm positive when MP-44 hits we'll see a lot of secondhand MP-10s hit the used market in Japan.

Emerje

[Rodimus Knight]

You can also blame Hasbro for the price too. Since we never know which Masterpieces will be released by Hasbro, people run out and buy the Takara one. The demand is there, they can charge more.
Then when you get the whole Rodimus fiasco, with Hasbro only releasing the Hot Rod part and no trailer, now you have collectors going to Takara just in case Hasbro does release the new Optimus without the trailer.

[Ironhidensh]

Even if I won the lotto and had the money to burn, I'd still be questioning whether it's worth spending that much on a figure that I won't be transforming.

I'm warming to MP44 and I hate myself for it.

I found the amazon price tempting as hell, and still do, but I set a firm $250 limit for myself, for any figure, and I'm going to hold to it. The struggle is real though.

[Hellscream9999]

Even if I won the lotto and had the money to burn, I'd still be questioning whether it's worth spending that much on a figure that I won't be transforming.

I'm warming to MP44 and I hate myself for it.

I found the amazon price tempting as hell, and still do, but I set a firm $250 limit for myself, for any figure, and I'm going to hold to it. The struggle is real though.

Yeah, I think amazon knocking off $150 makes him much more reasonable to people, and if it doesn't cost a ton to ship, then, you know what, good for them, I'm not gonna hold that against anyone

[TulioDude]

I feel like Sideswipe doesnt fit as much anymore

Then again he was made with same design thoughs as MP10

There is nothing wrong with wanting cartoon accurate toys,but how far are we willing to?I wonder if vehicles are gone get cartoony too

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

Sideswipe, they had to keep the mold usable for the more toy-based Red Alert, whose hood doesn't get all squashed up like that on his robot mode nor do his tires get as hidden. And they had to keep him (and Sunstreaker) acceptable to Lamborghini. And honestly, I think he's the better for it.

Meanwhile, between the blandness from omitting the stripe and the mutilation and overcomplication done to disappear the tires in robot mode, MP-44 is the second-worst depiction of G1 Optimus' truck mode ever (first place is a 3-way tie between Hybrid Style, Robot Masters, and Classics Deluxe although THS-01 at least doesn't blandify the cab and trailer). And you can't even call the cab on MP-44 cartoon-accurate even with the stupid omission of the stripe, thanks to the ridiculously flat fuel tanks and the mess of exposed kibble on the bed! Full cartoon accuracy would require legs that looked just like the original toy's, front and back, in both modes. And hell, have those open up at the back and you'd be able to have the tires tilt 90 degrees and slide in and be hidden without all the overcomplication!