The Energon Pub

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

That illusion would maybe work if this was a streamlined/semi-streamlined truck like the Classics Voyager. But since it's not, since it's the plain old G1 unshrouded block, it fails. Especially with the mess of the bed visible. And it's an attempted illusion that wouldn't be necessary if the legs weren't stupidly overengineered.

I think they ought to go back to adding what the cartoon added without subtracting what it had to leave out. To me, the including the visual dumbing-down (especially in not only the deco but the molding as well) makes him no more a masterpiece than a junked vintage Optimus with worn and missing stickers would be. No matter how involved the engineering is. In fact, the more overly complicated the engineering the less of a Masterpiece he is. I think they should stick to adding enough complexity to capture accuracy on key points (like the square forearms in Optimus' case) as needed while maintaining enough simplicity to feel like the G1 transformation in spirit as much as possible.

[Emerje]

Speak of his legs and over-engineering, if you look around his feet you can see some red bits even though the rear of the truck is all blue. That means some part of his legs is made from the cab, how crazy is that? Makes me wonder just how much of the inside of the red cab is actually blue. I suspect they've taken some inspiration from the movie Leader Primes.

Emerje

[Webz]

Speculation is that the legs store all 6 wheels, and that the red bit is the cab wheel wells. Seems feasible, knowing the origami that was MP36.

[Cyberpath]

I like the truck-form more and more. Most of the time on the cartoon, Optimus had angular fuel tanks. The cylindrical ones were "rare" like the stripes. And like someone else here said, I too see the cab as a sort of mix between realistic-looking and cartoon-accurate.
The overall look evokes the cartoon, with a blend of "real world" surface details -- and little "edits" like the bumper and lights that will make him look good with the licensed sports cars.
I hope there won't be any alignment defects to the truck bed. The 360 turn-arounds of the alt-mode look off. Takara has been getting kind of sloppy with their photos so hopefully it's just that.

[william-james88]

I forget who it was that was saying the truck mode was not at all like the cartoon, but yeah I see it now. And thats odd, so they change the truck mode details but retain the minimalist cartoon colouring.

[-Kanrabat-]

THERE'S SIDE MIRRORS ON THE TOY WHEN IN THE TOON THERE ARE NOT!



Seriously, why not going ALL THE WAY with cartoon accuracy?
Also, a 600$CAN normal MSRP... Holy mother fo

[Cyberpath]

I forget who it was that was saying the truck mode was not at all like the cartoon, but yeah I see it now. And thats odd, so they change the truck mode details but retain the minimalist cartoon colouring.

How about now?

⠀

[megatronus]

Some people just don't get jokes.

Or Transformers references.

Mmm... jokes...

[Jelze Bunnycat]

You know... I'm starting to wonder that since G1 Prime never had his make identified, if TakaraTomy actually sought out a license for a lookalike truck for this release

Nah...

[ZeldaTheSwordsman]

He's been conclusively identified as a Freightliner WFT-8664T as far as the original toy goes (and more generally as a Freightliner - he has the distinctive Freightliner logo plate molded on his front - before they nailed down the specific make). And this isn't licensed. I don't think a licensor would approve that cab. But the conclusive proof he's not licensed is the box - if he was licensed he'd have the licensor's logo on there.

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

This thing is a little under half a paycheck for me. There's no way I can justify getting this, especially with two great MP Primes standing about six feet from me!

[galvatron00]

Some people just don't get jokes.

Or Transformers references.

Mmm... jokes...

[Cyberpath]

Phone pix of the recent Figure King magazine. (Includes Transformation Spoilers!)
From several sources.

[Edited to remove newsed photos.]

[galvatron00]

Hot. Dang.

Nice find Cyberpath!! Look at that extra articulation in the humans!! Poor Chip Chase didn't even get rolling wheels.

[william-james88]

Phone pix of the recent Figure King magazine. (Includes Transformation Spoilers!)
From several sources.

Would you mind giving us some sources?

[william-james88]

Thanks to posts on Baidu and Weibo, we have some new images from the latest Generations Book which heavily features 2019's big Masterpiece release, MP-44 Optimus Prime Ver 3. We get so see Prime at many different angles we did not see before, like his back with the Jetpack. We also have our best look yet at the human characters he comes with which does indeed include Carly. But best of all we get to see his transformation. We get confirmation that the chest windows he has are actually from the alt mode and that part of the cab does fold into his legs, which is the reason we see a hint of read near his ankles.

[Nemesis Maximo]

THAT... is a fascinating transformation. It doesn’t look to be overly complicated, at least. Nowhere near ROTF Leader Class Optimus.

[Stryker P28]

The transformations is A W E S O M E

[kurthy]

No comments about Hound?!?

[Agent 53]

I think I might save up for that (he says hoping that at least slightly it might drop in price over time (hey you can get MPM-03 for about 30 quid these days, it could happen)) Between the TF and the poseability it does look neat.

[frogbat]

does not look intimidating like mp36 Megatron's! it seems to be reminiscent of the siege figure in a way, though granted, most OP transformations will follow a certain pattern

[Grimlok59]

Has there been any official announcement on MP Hound? I keep seeing him pop up in pics.

[Bucky]

Pretty interesting transformation. Different from other Optimi we’ve gotten before. I find it difficult to argue with the results, and after a few passes over the transformation sequences, it looks neither overly complicated nor over engineered as some have expressed. The only thing keeping me from preordering is that outrageous price tag. As much as I want to buy this figure, I can in no way justify the cost for me. And while I’d also love to support Has/Tak with my wallet, I’m concerned about supporting a steadily increasingly expensive line of toys. I understand that costs go up over time. That’s a given. Things aren’t getting any cheaper. But the rate at which each figure has increased in cost has me concerned. The only way I can rationalize it, and mitigate concern, is by reminding myself that, for the most part, the last few pricey figures have been fairly big names, integral to the franchise. And also physically big toys.

I suppose an argument could be made that some of the cost is a result of an abundance of accessories? But Ratchet, Ironhide, Grapple, and Inferno all came with quite a few accessories, and their respective prices weren’t exorbitant. And since I’m sure we’ll be seeing repaint after repaint of this latest Optimus, as we have with previous molds, it’s not as though some of the cost can’t be made up by rolling out the redecos over the next couple years. They’re bound to do it.

[procyon]

No comments about Hound?!?

THANK YOU! I was thinking the same thing, wondering when anyone was gonna say something.

[Cyberpath]

Still looks complicated to me, but I'm happy with the results. The way the sides of the cab fold down into his legs so the arms would be free of any "real-world" detail is pretty wow.

And...

But I really want to see it from this angle --

Score!


I hope they will fix every panel alignment issue before they mass-produce this thing. For the artistry and the price we're paying.