The Energon Pub

Hey guys, I'm still very much a noob here and was just looking for a little bit of information. I'm looking to collect masterpieces and 3rd parties of a similar scale, but was just wondering if all the Hasbro/Takara are scaled appropriately compared to one another?

I already have Prime and I have X-Transbots Apollyon on order and he looks to size up perfectly against him, I also have Maketoys Giant (Devastator) which obviously isn't to scale, but unless they make a 3 foot tall one I can live with that!

I may be going mad but I seem to remember seeing Soundwave in different sizes, possibly the same with Grimlock. Are there different/multiple Starscreams, Soundwaves and Grimlocks? I have seen there was a Coronation Starscream and a King Grimlock, were they scaled differently to the regular releases? Can anyone drop a knowledge bomb on me please? Pics would be appreciated too

When it comes to scale, there's one golden rule:

Don't bother with matching it

Seriously though, scale is all over the place within Transformers toy lines, trying to match them will only give you a headache. To give you a perfect example of that, here's a figure that's out of scale with himself: G1 Broadside from 1986


Transformers G1 1986 Broadside Gallery

He transforms from Aircraft (a jet to be exact), to Aircraft Carrier(!) to Robot.

There are only 2 to 3 lines that actually use a consistent scale:

Alternators/Binaltech
The whole line features licensed car models scaled at 1:24 throughout.

Alternity/GT
The spiritual successor to Binaltech, except scaled at 1:32.

Masterpiece (MP-10 and up)
This is the boldest attempt at keeping scale, for the robot modes this time, following the Official Scale Guide (which the cartoon followed haphazardly by the way). MP-22 Ultra Magnus is a bit of an exception, as the cab is scaled to be 1:1 compared to MP-10 Convoy, as such he ends up a bit bigger in Robot Mode.

One line deserves a special mention:

Generation 1 (Original Diaclone and Microman toys)
Thanks to the gimmick of its two parent lines, Diaclone and Microman, the scale is roughly consistent in those two lines.

Diaclone contributed the Autobot Cars, Jumpstarters, Dashers, Decepticon Jets, Insections, Dinobots, Constructicons and Triple Changers Blitzwing and Astrotrain, among others. All but the last two groups has cockpits for the 1 inch pilot figures they came with. Yup, they were just regular piloted robots at first. In the later years the pilots were omitted and scale went a bit wonky. Ever seen a Space Shuttle and a Locomotive side-by-side?
Microman, specifically the Micro Change sub line had Megatron, Soundwave, Reflector, Blaster, Perceptor, and the Mini-Bots. Yup, all size-changers except for the Mini-Bots, and for a good reason: Microman's overall gimmick was that all toys were supposedly scaled 1:1, in other words life-size. The Mini-Bots were made to look like Penny Racers, which explains their "cute" proportions

So yeah, nowadays scale has been thrown out the window, and jets can be same size as cars

As far as official Masterpiece figures are concerned, there is only one size Grimlock and Soundwave. King Grimlock only differs from MP-08 Grimlock in deco and accessories. There are two Starscream molds but they are basically the same size. MP-03 mold on the left and MP-11 mold on the right.


Transformers Masterpiece Starscream (MP-11) Gallery

Thank you for the comprehensive knowledge guys, I can get out there looking for more to add to my collection now. I do like those Starscreams, I think I prefer the MP-03.

Good god, don't let Ratedx see this thread!!!

If you want to enjoy collecting Transformers, forget about the idea of "scale" entirely. Otherwise you'll end up as one of those bitter collectors who complains about every new figure.

GuyIncognito wrote:If you want to enjoy collecting Transformers, forget about the idea of "scale" entirely. Otherwise you'll end up as one of those bitter collectors who complains about every new figure.

Agreed. Collect what you want, don't bother with scale.