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ExciKaiser wrote:

Black Hat wrote:One thing I'd like to see is some more non-G1 MPs. The BW stuff is a nice fork in the road, and the MPMs look great, but there's others I'd like to see too. G2 Prime and Megatron (and the Scourge redeco of Prime to go with it), RID Megatron, Armada MPs in general...

Armada Prime was close second behind StarSaber on the poll.
But it looks like it doesn't ring bells in Takara's hedquarters..

1. Star Saber (Transformers Victory) – 31.2%
2. Convoy (Micron Legend) / Transformers Armada Optimus Prime – 24.3%
3. Super Ginrai (Chojin Masterforce) / Powermaster Optimus Prime (Generation 1) – 18.6%
4. Dai Atlas (Transformer Zone) – 8.0%
5. Super Fire Convoy (Car Robots) / Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime – 4.9%
6. Beast Convoy / Beast Wars Optimus Primal – 4.6%
7. Galaxy Convoy (Galaxy Force) / Transformers Cybertron Optimus Prime – 2.5%
8. Big Convoy (Beast Wars Neo) – 2.1%
9. Lio Convoy (Beast Wars Second) – 2.0%

Maybe, but they did make Beast Convoy...anything is possible, right?

sol magnus wrote:

ExciKaiser wrote:

Black Hat wrote:One thing I'd like to see is some more non-G1 MPs. The BW stuff is a nice fork in the road, and the MPMs look great, but there's others I'd like to see too. G2 Prime and Megatron (and the Scourge redeco of Prime to go with it), RID Megatron, Armada MPs in general...

Armada Prime was close second behind StarSaber on the poll.
But it looks like it doesn't ring bells in Takara's hedquarters..

1. Star Saber (Transformers Victory) – 31.2%
2. Convoy (Micron Legend) / Transformers Armada Optimus Prime – 24.3%
3. Super Ginrai (Chojin Masterforce) / Powermaster Optimus Prime (Generation 1) – 18.6%
4. Dai Atlas (Transformer Zone) – 8.0%
5. Super Fire Convoy (Car Robots) / Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime – 4.9%
6. Beast Convoy / Beast Wars Optimus Primal – 4.6%
7. Galaxy Convoy (Galaxy Force) / Transformers Cybertron Optimus Prime – 2.5%
8. Big Convoy (Beast Wars Neo) – 2.1%
9. Lio Convoy (Beast Wars Second) – 2.0%

Maybe, but they did make Beast Convoy...anything is possible, right?

Yup, though I'm expecting them to stay in the "G1-verse" and the current "Movie-verse" for the time being. The Unicron Trilogy is a strong contender for the next fork though, considering it's a revival of some sorts, but the original gimmick of Super Base Optimus Prime may need some more time to figure out how to properly make it work on an MP-scale. It's all in the pants.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:The Unicron Trilogy is a strong contender for the next fork though, considering it's a revival of some sorts, but the original gimmick of Super Base Optimus Prime may need some more time to figure out how to properly make it work on an MP-scale. It's all in the pants.

I'd prefer if they were to drop the "trailer transforms by itself" gimmick in favor of making the trailer both transform into all three modes and able to properly articulate as legs.

Did the base mode even appear in the cartoon? Because if not they could ditch it entirely, which would make it much easier.

Black Hat wrote:Did the base mode even appear in the cartoon? Because if not they could ditch it entirely, which would make it much easier.

In transformation stock footage at the very least and at least once commanded by Mini-Cons. Plenty of reasons to include it I'd say.

Black Hat wrote:Did the base mode even appear in the cartoon? Because if not they could ditch it entirely, which would make it much easier.

At least twice. It factored into the plots of Episodes 5 and 6.



And in typical Armada dub fashion, it was inconsistently given two different names per episode. Episode 5 called it "Cargo Bay", while Episode 6 called it "the Container".

Huh, well that shows me. Damn, how on earth are they gonna make that thing transform into decently articulated legs?

By ladder magic.

Black Hat wrote:Huh, well that shows me. Damn, how on earth are they gonna make that thing transform into decently articulated legs?

Probably the exact same as the recent MPs. A set of cartoon accurate legs stored inside the trailer, and 99% of the trailer which will fold as a giant backpack.

sol magnus wrote:

ExciKaiser wrote:
Armada Prime was close second behind StarSaber on the poll.
But it looks like it doesn't ring bells in Takara's hedquarters..

1. Star Saber (Transformers Victory) – 31.2%
2. Convoy (Micron Legend) / Transformers Armada Optimus Prime – 24.3%
3. Super Ginrai (Chojin Masterforce) / Powermaster Optimus Prime (Generation 1) – 18.6%
4. Dai Atlas (Transformer Zone) – 8.0%
5. Super Fire Convoy (Car Robots) / Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime – 4.9%
6. Beast Convoy / Beast Wars Optimus Primal – 4.6%
7. Galaxy Convoy (Galaxy Force) / Transformers Cybertron Optimus Prime – 2.5%
8. Big Convoy (Beast Wars Neo) – 2.1%
9. Lio Convoy (Beast Wars Second) – 2.0%

Maybe, but they did make Beast Convoy...anything is possible, right?

Beast Convoy happening before ML Convoy is still an injustice that can only be remedied by the Super Base Pants seeing a release within the Masterpiece lineup.

Insurgent wrote:By ladder magic.

Fold, tuck, and roll. There is no magic in that. Also, while it may look neat, hiding the ladder in that maker really made Inferno's body proportions suffer.

Inferno was a great Generations level update, but it was a fail of a masterpiece.


Though, to be fair and honest, I wonder how I would feel if I didn't have the glorious beauty of MMC's Backdraft to compare with.

Ironhidensh wrote:

Insurgent wrote:By ladder magic.

Fold, tuck, and roll. There is no magic in that.

Oh Densh. where has your whimsy gone?

It was meant more in the general term that seems to be used. Fancy engineering is getting more common in MP's, and I thought the term for that was ladder magic. I don't have mp Inferno so I don't actually know how his ladder works.

Insurgent wrote:It was meant more in the general term that seems to be used. Fancy engineering is getting more common in MP's, and I thought the term for that was ladder magic. I don't have mp Inferno so I don't actually know how his ladder works.

Don't worry, man, we got it. Ironhidensh was just killjoying the joke.

I read these posts, and then I sit back and think ... I'm happy with the Masterpiece line.

See, I don't give a flying **** about cartoon accuracy or whatever. What I like about Masterpiece is the engineering.

At a time when the main lines features vehicles that transform in much the same way as they have for the last few years, the engineering in the Masterpiece is unique and innovative.

Don't like it being called "ladder magic"? eh, that's fine. I still think it's a great piece of engineering.

I have no interest in 3P stuff. Absolutely no interest whatsoever. I'm content with TT/Hasbro stuff, if you want to call me a "company guy", well hey, that's fine, go **** yourself though because it's pretty pathetic to label people simply because they prefer one thing to another.

So yeah, to me, my enjoyment of Masterpiece is the engineering, and they've been fantastic with that lately.

Except Shockwave. That was just some plain lazy **** right there.

Burn wrote:I read these posts, and then I sit back and think ... I'm happy with the Masterpiece line. See, I don't give a flying **** about cartoon accuracy or whatever. What I like about Masterpiece is the engineering.

I do too! If I'm being perfectly honest, I wish they'd have kept things at the same level as MP10 (mix of cartoon with real world accuracy). But I'm A-OK with the current direction. And yes, the engineering of these ones have been killing it lately.

Burn wrote:At a time when the main lines features vehicles that transform in much the same way as they have for the last few years, the engineering in the Masterpiece is unique and innovative.

Except for TR Kup. That thing blows my mind!

Burn wrote:Don't like it being called "ladder magic"? eh, that's fine. I still think it's a great piece of engineering.

Hey Densh, I'm legitimately surprised to hear you slouch off the ladder magic. But, to each his own I 'spose. Even if you don't think it's magic, consider this: it's commitment. And what I mean by that is, engineering him in such a way indefinitely upped the parts count and thus, cost of production. Not that I'm implying it's pure goodness of heart and we're not paying for it, but it's not something they had to do. They could have made it much simpler and just left a ladder hanging off the back of his head.

Burn wrote:I have no interest in 3P stuff. Absolutely no interest whatsoever. I'm content with TT/Hasbro stuff, if you want to call me a "company guy", well hey, that's fine, go **** yourself though because it's pretty pathetic to label people simply because they prefer one thing to another.

Those labels and labelers are certainly out there, but I didn't see any of that in this thread?
Personally I support Hastak everywhere possible (I think y'all know that) and use the 3P's as gap fillers. I'll always have Hastaks back.

Burn wrote:Except Shockwave. That was just some plain lazy **** right there.

He gets a lot of flack, warranted too especially compared to Soundwave. But how complex did he really need to be? He does everything he needed to do. Aside from (what I recall) hollowness in gun mode, I'm ok with him.

shajaki wrote:Except for TR Kup. That thing blows my mind!

Have yet to experience him. Even IF he turned up locally, I'm getting the Legends version. And even then that's reluctantly because from pictures, not a big fan.

But that's a discussion for elsewhere.

shajaki wrote:Those labels and labelers are certainly out there, but I didn't see any of that in this thread?

Pre-emptive.

shajaki wrote:Personally I support Hastak everywhere possible (I think y'all know that) and use the 3P's as gap fillers. I'll always have Hastaks back.

I guess I'm just really laid back when I come to my collection. Hastak hasn't made it? eh, that's fine. If they make it, they make it. If not, well, I'm bound to have the original version anyway.

shajaki wrote:He gets a lot of flack, warranted too especially compared to Soundwave. But how complex did he really need to be? He does everything he needed to do. Aside from (what I recall) hollowness in gun mode, I'm ok with him.

Well this is an interesting question. Did he need to be complex? Nope. Because the G1 version wasn't complex. Transforming him involved folding the arms down (after removing the barrel) and pulling the legs down. Boom. Done. He was a good figure.

When they sat down to design him, I suspect their #1 priority was articulation, with transformation secondary. To the point they probably invented steps just to make him more "complex". The other good thing they did was to fix the massive design flaw in the shoulders. Those buggers are notorious for snapping on the original.

From a design perspective though, it was more of an update rather than sitting there with origami paper and working out how to transform a box into a cartoon accurate robot. So maybe not lazy, but easier.

Shockwave's very design meant he was going to be fairly simple. Hehe, total opposite to megatron. I like the changes they made. The barrel doesn't need to pattsform and the cover of his backpack becoming a stand for gun mode was a great choice. His design was simple but effective. Although his shoulders feel like they may snap when i move them.

Insurgent wrote:Shockwave's very design meant he was going to be fairly simple. Hehe, total opposite to megatron. I like the changes they made. The barrel doesn't need to pattsform and the cover of his backpack becoming a stand for gun mode was a great choice. His design was simple but effective. Although his shoulders feel like they may snap when i move them.

I will admit Shockwave doesnt impress me but then again I dont know what I would have done to make him better. I dont really have any nitpicks, I just found the price tag kinda high. He is still a dream coem true for the community especially since the rights to the likeness of that G1 toy were always nebulous.

You know what's funny? My next point of conversation was GOING to be "How about that MP+ thing? It didn't really go anywhere"

shajaki wrote:You know what's funny? My next point of conversation was GOING to be "How about that MP+ thing? It didn't really go anywhere"

It's looking like they're restricting it to being companion pieces to new molds - Sideswipe to Sunstreaker, that sort of thing. Which does leave me wondering who would pair with Prowl or the like. I suppose we'll have to wait until MP Perceptor for an animation-accurate Wheeljack...

Ugghhhhh..... I want an MP+ Wheeljack !@#$ing YESTERDAY.

shajaki wrote:Ugghhhhh..... I want an MP+ Wheeljack !@#$ing YESTERDAY.

And I want my **** MP-36 Megatron LAST MONTH
See how it is to NOT self-censor yourself?

So glad to see this thread pop up. If I had a nickel for every time I thought there should be a general MP thread and didn't start it myself, I'd have like 10 bucks!

Not a fan of the new direction. I already ranted in the Sunstreaker thread, but it boils down to such a personal thing. It's a very personal thing. For all of us. These toys mean something completely different to me than they do anyone else. And I would never expect anyone to see it my way. How could they? They neither have my eyes, or my brain in their head.

My biggest fear at the moment is for Mirage. That toy head sculpt is one of the best from the old days. It has been emblazoned in my imagination since I was 9. The cartoon wrecked that beautiful piece of art and I'm afraid what the MP will look like.

But on a positive note, like I summed up my Sunstreaker rant, Takara knows how to cater to everyone. I am looking more and more forward to the arrival of MP Primal - Supreme Commander Excelent Leader Totally Rad Badass Munky Bro Edition next month. And am about an inch away from pulling the trigger on Artfire. Because those two hit the mark closer to what I want. And really all I want is to experience the figures wrapped in a package that fits into my head space.

If they do a Diaclone Police Sunstreaker with toy accy head, I'll just poop myself!

On the topic of headsculpts... it seems that Takara's modus operandi is to save the toy heads for repaints. G2 Bumblebee and Loud Pedal being the examples we have so far - though to be fair we don't have an awful lot of examples; it's not exactly like the cartoon heads of Optimus, Soundwave, Prowl, Sideswipe etc. were all that different if at all from their toys. Meanwhile, Inferno and Grapple do have optional toy faces included; but only because they sometimes had those faces in certain episodes or even scenes. Most characters whose toy heads were vastly different like Megatron have only been released very recently before any repaints can come out. We're heading into somewhat-uncharted territory here, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the toy heads of Mirage and Sunstreaker exclusive to their red Diaclone repaints if at all.

Know what would be nice? If the MP+ line instead focused on toy accuracy. MPs as is are animation-accurate as heck, it'd be nice to throw a bone or two to the toy fans. Heck, they're doing a toy-accurate repaint of Primal of all characters; why not others?