The Energon Pub

Thanks to fellow Seibertronian Carnivius_Prime, who spotted the item over on site sponsor RobotKingdom.com, we have confirmation of a new figure in the Transformers Movie Masterpiece line, featuring what we previously saw in images with factory prototypes that included various movie figures, this time looking at the Bumblebee movie.

Due out in October 2018, with a pre-order not open as of the time of writing (due now September 15th), we have confirmation of the MPM-7 Volkswagen Bumblebee figure, for $78.90, and a placeholder image that has possibly nothing to do with the figure itself!

Hasbro/Takara Transformer Movie Masterpiece Series MPM-7 Movie Bumblebee.
Preorder. Available in mid October 2018.
US$ 78.90

Preorder listing will be reactived on 15Sept2018

***Photos for reference only, exact product appearance is subject to manufacturer final confirmation.***

I KNEW IT!!!!
I'VE BEEN SPECULATING FOR WEEKS AND I WAS RIGHT!
Celebration over this is actually an interesting development. Not counting the first 2 'movie masterpieces' or repainted HFTD Leaders, as they actually were, the Movie Masterpieces have all been 1st film, 10 years old when the masterpiece was made, the main line? Even older with S1 Beast wars being the most recent thing the masterpiece line has touched.
What might it mean for the Future of MP that we're getting a figure based on a design that will not actually 'Officially' appear, and by that I mean it's proper, first media appearance, not in adverts or trailers, for about 2 months after the figure's release.

Agent 53 wrote:I KNEW IT!!!!
I'VE BEEN SPECULATING FOR WEEKS AND I WAS RIGHT!
Celebration over this is actually an interesting development. Not counting the first 2 'movie masterpieces' or repainted HFTD Leaders, as they actually were, the Movie Masterpieces have all been 1st film, 10 years old when the masterpiece was made, the main line? Even older with S1 Beast wars being the most recent thing the masterpiece line has touched.
What might it mean for the Future of MP that we're getting a figure based on a design that will not actually 'Officially' appear, and by that I mean it's proper, first media appearance, not in adverts or trailers, for about 2 months after the figure's release.

Yeah that's what i was thinking too. A masterpiece figure available before and in time for it's fiction appearance rather than decades later. Though some folk may complain that it's Bumblebee yet again getting a toy before other characters have been done when he's already got an MPM figure. But eh, what ya gonna do.

Meanwhile Japan still hasn't opened up pre-orders for Ironhide.

Also are we sure about Bee coming in October? Ironhide is due for November and he's MPM-6

Emerje

i'm not sure everyone saw it, but there was an image of that supposed mp bee with those ko's in robot mode but partially blurred out. and the chest and outline looked exactly like studio series VW bee. you could even see he had wings, and i would assume the mp wouldn't have those. so you might not want to use that image with him and the OS ko's. cause thats almost guaranteed to be a OS Deluxe at this point.

Emerje wrote:Meanwhile Japan still hasn't opened up pre-orders for Ironhide.

Also are we sure about Bee coming in October? Ironhide is due for November and he's MPM-6

Emerje

It's not uncommon for TakaraTomy to release toys "out of sequential order". Much like the Hasbro product codes they sometimes jump, tho not as much.

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Emerje wrote:Meanwhile Japan still hasn't opened up pre-orders for Ironhide.

Also are we sure about Bee coming in October? Ironhide is due for November and he's MPM-6

Emerje

It's not uncommon for TakaraTomy to release toys "out of sequential order". Much like the Hasbro product codes they sometimes jump, tho not as much.

So far all of the MPMs have had simultaneous releases by both companies, I don't see any reason to believe that would be any different here. Also it doesn't make sense to force Bee out in October when the movie doesn't even come out until December. Throwing the releases out of order unnecessarily would be a strange move in a line that doesn't really need timely releases. MPM-7 would sell just as well tomorrow as it would next July.

Octobotimus wrote:i'm not sure everyone saw it, but there was an image of that supposed mp bee with those ko's in robot mode but partially blurred out. and the chest and outline looked exactly like studio series VW bee. you could even see he had wings, and i would assume the mp wouldn't have those. so you might not want to use that image with him and the OS ko's. cause thats almost guaranteed to be a OS Deluxe at this point.

It's also entirely possible that it is the MPM OSKO (you can see the same seams in the front fender in both pictures) and Hasbro/Takara used the extra time to make the mold more accurate to the final movie design which may have been tweaked during the delay. That's assuming the wings are missing from the final MPM, we don't know.

Emerje

Emerje wrote:

JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:

Emerje wrote:Meanwhile Japan still hasn't opened up pre-orders for Ironhide.

Also are we sure about Bee coming in October? Ironhide is due for November and he's MPM-6

Emerje

It's not uncommon for TakaraTomy to release toys "out of sequential order". Much like the Hasbro product codes they sometimes jump, tho not as much.

So far all of the MPMs have had simultaneous releases by both companies, I don't see any reason to believe that would be any different here. Also it doesn't make sense to force Bee out in October when the movie doesn't even come out until December. Throwing the releases out of order unnecessarily would be a strange move in a line that doesn't really need timely releases. MPM-7 would sell just as well tomorrow as it would next July.

Octobotimus wrote:i'm not sure everyone saw it, but there was an image of that supposed mp bee with those ko's in robot mode but partially blurred out. and the chest and outline looked exactly like studio series VW bee. you could even see he had wings, and i would assume the mp wouldn't have those. so you might not want to use that image with him and the OS ko's. cause thats almost guaranteed to be a OS Deluxe at this point.

It's also entirely possible that it is the MPM OSKO (you can see the same seams in the front fender in both pictures) and Hasbro/Takara used the extra time to make the mold more accurate to the final movie design which may have been tweaked during the delay. That's assuming the wings are missing from the final MPM, we don't know.

Emerje

well... i was reffering to both the vehicle and bot mode to be the SS bee mold. and seeing as how the wings look exactly like it, its very likely thats its just the deluxe oversized. the only reason it was ever assumed to be the MP is that no one thought that they might have shown off a Oversized version of a studio series figure, and just assumed "must be the right size, thus its the MP!"

Octobotimus wrote:well... i was reffering to both the vehicle and bot mode to be the SS bee mold. and seeing as how the wings look exactly like it, its very likely thats its just the deluxe oversized. the only reason it was ever assumed to be the MP is that no one thought that they might have shown off a Oversized version of a studio series figure, and just assumed "must be the right size, thus its the MP!"

With so little to see to compare the two I can at least make out that the seam on the front fender of both the MP and the first OSKO prototype pass in front of the orange signal lights, but the seam on the SS version pass behind them. I'm not convinced those are the same OSKOs since they aren't being compared to the same MPM Prime. It's still pretty early to speculate and ultimately doesn't even matter.

Emerje

Thanks to a video posted and since taken down by Kevin Liu on Youtube, but reuploaded in a mirrored format, we have video and images of the new Movie Masterpiece MPM-7 Volkswagen Bumblebee! This new masterpiece figure is an all original mold, transforming from a Volkswagen Beetle to Bumblebee's robot mode from the new Bumblebee movie, or a robot close to it, seeing as how it still has the door wings he appears to lack in the movie. The figure comes with a battle mask that is attached by lifting up on the center piece of his head, removing his scalp, and placing the battle mask in its place. He also comes with his gatling gun and his sword arm, all of which can store on his back, including his mask.

Check out the embedded video and images taken from the video below, and let us know what you think!

Before any posts on "wtf why are there wings !!!" the wings in the movie mass shift to impossible degrees (seriously they end up smaller than the tires) so those probably wouldn't have been possible to pull off. also.... almost all the art has him with wings, so no wings was probably a last minute change, thus the mp still having them. outside of the wings however, this bee looks amazing and pretty darn accurate, cant wait to get it!

He looks better with the wings anyways in my opinion and this figure looks very nice. Similar in some ways to the Studio figure but obviously with some nice improvements given the size and complexity of a MPM figure. And I love that shading on the vehicle mode of the reddish-orange to the yellow. I may try replicate that on my Studio figure if it even frickin' turns up. If my health crud allowed me to have a proper job and income I'd probably start buying MPMs and would certainly get this but for now the Studio Series figures suit me just fine.

OH LORD THANK YOU!!! I AM SO HAPPY!!! LOOK AT THAT INCREDIBLE PAINT, OH MY GOOOOSH

The alt-mode paint is a little wonky, but other than that I think he looks great! I’m really digging that plasma cannon.

And here I was thinking "well, at least the Masterpiece toy will get it right and not have the wings!"

Oh well. Means all I have to buy for this line is Optimus and some Decepticons!

Holy moly that looks good! I think I'll be satisfied with the Studio Series figure but I'm really digging this one too. I'd love to see a comparison between this, the SS fig, and Masterpiece G1 Bee.

Looks just like the deluxe rather than bee in the actual film. Easy pass

Well, geez. Never been over the top about the apparent Bumblebee fetish that must sell like hot cakes because this is probably the 17th movie Bee I've seen, but that is a DARLING paint job. A true work of art. Kudos to the designers - more like this please!

Well done. Well done indeed.

For both the SS and MP version to have the same wings you have to believe that was a trait that the design had at some point in the movie production. I think he looks better with the wings, personally, so I'm very happy with the way this turned out.

And to think, he's identical in ever way to the OSKO, who'd have thought?

Emerje

He looks better with wings on he looks weird without wings on his back almost gobot looking, iron giant,

Carnivius_Prime wrote:He looks better with the wings anyways in my opinion and this figure looks very nice. Similar in some ways to the Studio figure but obviously with some nice improvements given the size and complexity of a MPM figure. And I love that shading on the vehicle mode of the reddish-orange to the yellow. I may try replicate that on my Studio figure if it even frickin' turns up. If my health crud allowed me to have a proper job and income I'd probably start buying MPMs and would certainly get this but for now the Studio Series figures suit me just fine.

I agree, the wings on him. Either way he looks awesome. Note to self: add to cart.

Not sure where to put this but I thought it interesting and sorta related to this figure?
Beetle: Volkswagen's iconic car comes to the end of the road
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45516677

And yeah given that even the huge models of Bee at events and stuff have the wings, the removal of them was likely a late change by the movie makers and didn't really think about where those parts could feasibly hide away but as I said I do far prefer them on him (despite my usual dislike of kibble).

If he has wings he should be able to rollerskate...

I like the wings and it gives Hasbro the option of doing a tampax licensed figure

Carnivius_Prime wrote:Not sure where to put this but I thought it interesting and sorta related to this figure?
Beetle: Volkswagen's iconic car comes to the end of the road
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-45516677

Saw this in the news, I didn't even know they still made Beetles.

Emerje