Great show as always guys
!
It seemed there was a concerted effort to be positive about things in this episode, I'm guessing because of all the negative talk about Has/Tak that's been voiced by some of us (myself included lately). It was good to hear about the positive highlights of what they've been doing right lately (pretty much all of which I agreed on).
Regarding Has/Tak vs 3rd parties and MPs being the answer to that, I completely agree. I was losing hope that Has/Tak would do anything to even attempt to keep up with them and then MP-10 came like a savior from the sky...err...Japan
to save the day. The new MP line are the best Transformers created to date in my opinion.
If every other line that exists goes to crap, I'll still be buying official product as long as they continue to do MPs the way they are. I've only seen one 3rd party toy even come close to what they're doing with those things (Genesis) and it's damn expensive, and isn't even as complex as the MPs (a certain degree of complexity being something I enjoy about the MP line as transforming them is actually an enjoyable experience).
For imports (Takara) vs Hasbro, you guys I'm sure are aware that I'm one of the most vocal on that front and I don't wait for US releases of MPs, nor do I skip Takara's versions of Generations/Classics/whatever or TF:Prime (though I usually get both just so I can compare them and use the lesser one for whatever mode I like least or just use it for a custom). That's changing now though, and it's Takara all the way unless it's a Hasbro exclusive.
Anyway, with all the negativity floating around (again, including from myself), it was nice to hear the Twincast crew throw down some positive notes, it really lifted my spirits about collecting of late. This franchise has survived the likes of lines like Action Masters (non-transforming 'Transformers') and Beast Machines (worst toys ever, for the most part) and it will survive this. Quality/bang-for-your-buck seems to fluctuate in cycles just like economics and life itself, it's full of ups and downs. We've just been on a downswing lately, but I'm sure Has/Tak will snap out of it soon enough and we'll be back to getting more figures without anything to gripe about.