Seibertron.com Energon Pub Forums

william-james88 wrote:

Octobotimus wrote: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.

joevill wrote::lol:

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

It should be noted though, that these are just pre-orders, with no payments. I'd be very curious to see how many are actually full-filled come next August.

My biggest gripe is that they keep putting electronics, which jacks the price up. But his backpack wasn’t as bad as I was expecting it to be. But I do hope this doesn’t set a new precedence for prices. But I do think that folks are freaking out a bit and getting the cart before the horse.

If Hasbro releases just the cab portion by itself for under $150, I'll get it.

I believe if hasbro were to release mp-44 here.
It would still be above $250+ .
Takaras mp-10 was $250 or $300 at a U.S. retailer.
Hasbros 2012 release was around $130, some got lucky for $99.99. Hasbros 2016 mp-10 release was $160.

Maybe if hasbro were too release it without the starscream bits and the season 1 head, maybe they can lower the price. Possibly without electronics? But that would leave out peter cullen iconic voice .
The trailer will always be included i believe.

Ironhidensh wrote:

megatronus wrote:

Burn wrote: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.

I think we are just feeling this because 300$ looks great in comparison to 450$. But its still 300$, which is 100$ more than Encore fort max and MP Best Megatron was on that same amazon site. If we were told this would be 300$ from the start, we might feel differently.

Emerje wrote: 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

That explains A LOT. I was wondering how come TTMall exclusives could be so cheap on the secondary Japanese market, within 1 year of them coming out. I guess this is how I will get Big Powered as well.

Rodimus Knight wrote: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.

Thats a thing of the past, we wont be getting that anymore. From now on all MPs will simply be imported directly to the US by Hasbro for the same MSRP. You will probably be able to get it at Entertainment Earth, which seems to be Hasbro's new Toysrus. There is really nothing to blame Hasbro about here.

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Knight wrote: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.

Thats a thing of the past, we wont be getting that anymore. From now on all MPs will simply be imported directly to the US by Hasbro for the same MSRP. You will probably be able to get it at Entertainment Earth, which seems to be Hasbro's new Toysrus. There is really nothing to blame Hasbro about here.

Speaking of which:

https://www.entertainmentearth.com/product/transformers-masterpiece-edition-mp44-optimus-prime-convoy/hse4009

Hellscream9999 wrote:

william-james88 wrote:

Rodimus Knight wrote: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.

Thats a thing of the past, we wont be getting that anymore. From now on all MPs will simply be imported directly to the US by Hasbro for the same MSRP. You will probably be able to get it at Entertainment Earth, which seems to be Hasbro's new Toysrus. There is really nothing to blame Hasbro about here.

Speaking of which:

https://www.entertainmentearth.com/product/transformers-masterpiece-edition-mp44-optimus-prime-convoy/hse4009

Oh great, I really look forward to writing yet another article about MP-44's price.

Anyway, I TOLD you all. Hasbro aint gonna do you no favours. This toy is expensive, aint no way around that.

I love the Transformers community for always being optimist. Case in point, with the recent reveal that Takara's Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime Ver 3 had an MSRP of record breaking 50,000 Yen, some fans wondered what the Hasbro release would look like. Maybe it could be like Starscream where we all caught a break on the price, or like Hot Rod where he came without the trailer for cheaper. Well, Hasbro really did change gears with the Masterpiece line lately and the reveal of their release of MP-44 really cements the new reality (if there was any doubt).

As Hasbro has said in the past, their goal now is to release Masterpiece figures at the same time as Takara. No more waiting years for you to find them at US retail, and also no more skimping on accessories. Starting with Anime Prowl, they will release the exact same product, around the same time ... for the same MSRP.

So with Hasbro's release of MP Beast Wars Megatron being $320 USD at Entertainment Earth, you can easily guess what was in store for MP-44 Optimus Prime. A listing on Entertainment Earth has revealed that this Optimus Prime will be released in the US by Hasbro next year for $439.99 USD. It is the exact same figure with the same accessories though it may come with a wrap around cover with English text (for all you completionists). The item number is HSE4009 and here is the product detail:

The most complete Optimus Prime toy ever!
Redesigned to better match his appearances in media from the 1980s.
Transforms from truck to robot and back again.
Comes with an Ion Blaster, an Energon Axe, Starscream head and shoulders, hoses, blast effects, and much more!
The Transformers Masterpiece Edition Optimus Prime has been reformatted! The beloved original leader of the Autobots has been redesigned from head to toe to better match his appearances in media from the 1980s. The former Orion Pax transforms from truck to robot and back again, and he comes with an Ion Blaster and an amazing Energon Axe. With cartoon-specific detailing, Optimus looks incredible and includes more accessories than ever before. This Transformers Masterpiece Edition MP-44 Optimus Prime (Convoy) is the most complete Optimus Prime toy ever!

Prime also includes a cargo container, a Starscream head, a set of Starscream shoulders, nozzles, hoses, Spike, Sparkplug, a display stand, blast effects, Roller, variant damage parts, an instruction sheet, a character card, and so much more. Don't miss this one!

Man. I was hoping that IF Hasbro was to release this, we'd see a better price. Time to start saving. This will be the last MP Prime I ever purchase. I really do love the way it looks.

Two things, is there some sort of joint in the ax? Some pics make it look like there's a ratchet or something. We're all going nuts on the price, meanwhile I'm still waiting on them to get the Porsche license.

Looks like Takara has figured out how to make the "skirt" panels of articulation fold in, instead of out over the thighs.



Compare with the old way:

TulioDude wrote: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

I figure if Sideswipe were made as an MP today he'd be different than MP-12. But I think he's good enough. It's more Red Alet that bugs me, they left out his signature shoulders/arms because back then retooling was simpler due to lower budget.

As for vehicles, I'd say no. If anything they made Sunstreaker more like the real Countach.



And the reason Optimus Prime seems so complex is that they can have a super-accurate robot mode, with a more realistic truck. Different grills, different windows, different fuel tanks, lights, air intake, studs, wipers, etc.



A complete transformation. I think the smoke-stacks may be the only obvious truck parts shared by both modes.





⠀

This is a tad off-topic, but because of this thread, I now know MP-10 can bend at the waist. I just tried doing it on mine, but it doesn't seem to want to do it easily, at least via just simply pulling it forward. Can anyone explain how to do it? I'm fine with the reply being via PM if y'all feel like this would clog up this thread.

Nemesis Maximo wrote:

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote: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 current 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.

Fixed that for you. The origin of the line had little to do with cartoon accuracy, even if that is the current direction.

TulioDude wrote:I feel like Sideswipe doesnt fit as much anymore

Then again he was made with same design thoughs as MP10

Nemesis Maximo wrote: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.

Agreed that they've had to be innovative with their engineering, and he does very much look like the on screen respresentation (aside from that mahoosive backpack) of the cartoon.

Cyberpath wrote:And the reason Optimus Prime seems so complex is that they can have a super-accurate robot mode, with a more realistic truck. Different grills, different windows, different fuel tanks, lights, air intake, studs, wipers, etc.

A complete transformation. I think the smoke-stacks may be the only obvious truck parts shared by both modes.

[/quote]
Which raises another point of intrigue. If you need so many faux parts in the bot mode, is it not just a glorified shell-former?

Hasbro going for mrsp too?

Im expecting this to end up on discount if they stock to anywhere near a normal level. Of course if they go for piecemeal stock levels ill be dissapointed!

Before Prime Day 2019: $440

Prime Day 2019: $220 with Free two day shipping!

After Peime Day 2019: New starting at $900 from these swllwrs!

ThunderThruster wrote:Which raises another point of intrigue. If you need so many faux parts in the bot mode, is it not just a glorified shell-former?

He looks sharp to me, I don't see any shells hanging off him.

Jeddostotle7 wrote:This is a tad off-topic, but because of this thread, I now know MP-10 can bend at the waist. I just tried doing it on mine, but it doesn't seem to want to do it easily, at least via just simply pulling it forward. Can anyone explain how to do it? I'm fine with the reply being via PM if y'all feel like this would clog up this thread.

You mean an ab crunch? MP-10 can't do that.

You can try faking it with his waist rotation and the right camera angle.

So I'm a but confused on this pricing thing. Didn't we just have an article on here that told us that the 400 plus cost was due to the cost of places such as BBTS and TF Source having to purchase them from a third party in Japan in order to get them and import them here?

So shouldn't this figure be less money or is Hasbro or Entertainment Earth just looking at the pricing of the imported versions and charging that much?

Honestly, the proportions of Optimus' window-pecs and grill-abs varied so much from shot to shot of him over the course of the show because of the animation being modest-budget-at-best hand-drawn and usually rushed too that using faux-parts to try and mimic the cartoon is a fool's errand that just adds pointless unnecessary complication. There are thresholds where reaching for high cartoon accuracy is like trying to grab smoke. It's impossible no matter how hard you try, and the harder you try the more of a fool you look.

Cyberpath wrote:

ThunderThruster wrote:Which raises another point of intrigue. If you need so many faux parts in the bot mode, is it not just a glorified shell-former?

He looks sharp to me, I don't see any shells hanging off him.

He sure doesn't look sharp in truck mode!

Coptur wrote:

Relic0037 wrote:One way I look at my decision to pass on MP-44 is that I already have MP-10, although to be 100% accurate, I have the TRU version of MP-10. This new figure doesn't represent a drastic change in scale like going from MP-01 to MP-10, so I will view it the same way I did when MP-12+ was announced.....if I didn't have Sideswipe already, I would probably get the + version, but since I already have him, I'm not buying him again to get some paint upgrades & in the case of MP-44, a few extra accessories.

Yeah instead of '+' Sideswipe & Wheeljack they could've just done Deep Cover ( ) & Slicer

When they take a mold & make a different character, which can sometimes be a repaint, as would be the case of making Starscream into Skywarp or Optimus into Nemesis, that changes my decision on whether to purchase the new version or not. When they are doing a repaint or new mold of a Transformer I already have on my Masterpiece shelf, I am less likely to repurchase the same bot or con again, unless they have really done something to blow me away.

Sometimes cost is a factor, like when I picked up the original version of MP-29 Shockwave because it had been heavily discounted & while the new version had a nicer paint job, it wasn't good enough to pay almost double the price of the original.

Red Alert was a character that I put off purchasing for awhile, so when I had the choice between the MP-14 & the MP-14+ at the same price, I went with the + because I preferred the paint job on that one. Had I already owned the original, I would have just stuck with that.

Getting back to MP-44, it looks like a nice figure, but there is not enough there from the pictures I've seen to warrant selling off my MP-10 & paying the huge upgrade cost to own the new version. For those who love him & will get him, that's great. I'm just planning to stick with what I have for now.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Honestly, the proportions of Optimus' window-pecs and grill-abs varied so much from shot to shot of him over the course of the show because of the animation being modest-budget-at-best hand-drawn and usually rushed too that using faux-parts to try and mimic the cartoon is a fool's errand that just adds pointless unnecessary complication. There are thresholds where reaching for high cartoon accuracy is like trying to grab smoke. It's impossible no matter how hard you try, and the harder you try the more of a fool you look.

Except it’s not impossible; Takara has clearly demonstrated their ability to bulseye wamprats with their T-16 back home make the figures mimic the mass-shifting and parts-morphing of the show. No smoke grabbing, no foolery required here.

Trying to mimic the cartoon isn’t a pointless at all, it is literally the current (Shout our to ThunderThruster )point of the Materpiece Line.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:

Cyberpath wrote:

ThunderThruster wrote:Which raises another point of intrigue. If you need so many faux parts in the bot mode, is it not just a glorified shell-former?

He looks sharp to me, I don't see any shells hanging off him.

He sure doesn't look sharp in truck mode!

To each his own.

The cab looks more or less like MP-10. Most notably without the stripes or silver apps around the windshields and wipers. Slightly different grill, too.

I’m a huge fan of Mp44, but I don’t see it as an upgrade. I see it as an alternative. It’s... kinda like you got Comicbook NECA tmnt, 80’s cartoon NECA tmnt, and 1990’s movie NECA tmnt. Yeah, they are all tmnt, but they are entirely different characters with common traits. You could easily have mp10, mp44, and mpm4 all on display and you’d be right to do so.
Mp10 is the stoic toy soldier. The powerful leader of a team of autobot warriors. The pinnacle of 1984 toy evolution.
Mp44 is cartoon Optimus Prime. Wise, compassionate, fatherly. He sees his autobots as his family, not just as the men under his command.
Mpm4 is movie Optimus Prime. Stressed and beaten down by centuries of war, Prime has lost much of his idealism towards life. Willing to do anything to stop the spread of decepticons, Prime finds himself resorting to their own violent tactics as a means to an end... what scares him more? The loss of his personal moral code... or the thought that he actually enjoys the killing?
That’s how I look at it.

Now, for some of the common niggles...
The backpack is actually season 1 & 2 accurate. Prime is often a hunchback. Remember, the G1 toy had no back, so animators had to come it with something, so they made a counterweight, which makes sense.

No silver stripe in truck mode is just as accurate as a silver stripe. It’s 50/50, and since the scene where Prime rolls out to take out decepticons in Autobot City was a focal point of the movie (going by the painstaking detail and shading absent much of the movie) I’d say that no stripe is the “official” configuration for cartoon Prime.

Saying “It’s not worth the price/gouging/mp10 is fine” ... that’s a perfectly valid opinion to have, and you are welcome to that opinion. MP44 won’t be for everyone. My only humble request is that people who don’t like it stop attacking those that do like it, or vice versa. We live in an incredible time, and collect a totally unique collectible... No other adult collectibles toy line has the options we take for granted. We have official figures, quality 3rd party figures, and even dedicated “perfected” knock offs. We are truly blessed.

Dont think anyone hs been attacking anyone else to be fair.. just stating opinions on the toy.

The truck comparison has put the bail in the coffin for me as from where im sitting its a downgrade, a less detailed version of mp10.

The roblt mode is definitely an upgrade, but not one that to me is worth the price if the alt mode feels like a downgrade.

Rodimus Knight wrote:So I'm a but confused on this pricing thing. Didn't we just have an article on here that told us that the 400 plus cost was due to the cost of places such as BBTS and TF Source having to purchase them from a third party in Japan in order to get them and import them here?

So shouldn't this figure be less money or is Hasbro or Entertainment Earth just looking at the pricing of the imported versions and charging that much?

I think Hasbro is going the luxury home audio route... Takara and Hasbro decided $440 is the MSRP of the figure... but really it’s up to vendors to decide what their profits will be on it. I sold home audio for years. Stores enjoy a 100 to 120% markup on a pair of speakers. The wholesaler ALSO has a 75% to 100% markup on their price to the stores... and the manufacturers also make money, so the average $500 pair of speakers MIGHT cost the factory $35 to $50 to make, including parts & labor.

So Takara probably makes mp44 for $20-30 each, and the rest is markups to cover expenses and a profit cushion for retailers... if Joe’s Toy Shack wants to make a ton of profit, he can buy the figure at $200 and make $240 profit... or he can take a hit by offering it at $300, only making $100, but hoping people will add to their preorders and buy current stock that is already affecting the business’s bottom line.

Stores did that with DVDs for years. Studio would announce msrp of $24.99, but Walmart would release it on Tuesdays for $13.99, make little to no money on the disc, and hope you bought popcorn, snacks, and batteries (with 100% to 300% markup) to make up for it.

Webz wrote: My only humble request is that people who don’t like it stop attacking those that do like it, or vice versa.

Well, don't think we're not here reading along. Honestly I feel like everyone is behaving inline with our rules. There are just some very strong opinions. I mean some folks seem to really just want to argue, boardering on trolling, but as long as nobody resorts to name calling or belligerent asshatery, the debate can continue, and should.

It's hot topic!
There's a lot to discuss.