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Masterpiece toys

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:25 am
by Sonic Wing
Are they actually worth buyin them? i like mp starscream but the price is too much for me...opinions?

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:33 am
by Sledge
To be honest, only you can answer that. I bought MP Prime, and haven't regretted it for a second. He is the most awesome thing in the history of awesome, apart from boobs. The MPs after Prime haven't really grabbed me the same way yet, but then I don't have the amount they cost to throw around casually.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:40 am
by City Commander
Well, if you can't quite afford the Takara Masterpieces, why not grab the Hasbro versions? (Apart from Megatron and Ultra Magnus, who have yet to see a Hasbro release)
But yes, ultimately it's up to you whether you think they are worth. I love my Anniversary Prime to bitsys, and look forward to getting Megatron and Starscream.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:41 am
by lanzajr26
Sledge wrote:To be honest, only you can answer that. I bought MP Prime, and haven't regretted it for a second. He is the most awesome thing in the history of awesome, apart from boobs. The MPs after Prime haven't really grabbed me the same way yet, but then I don't have the amount they cost to throw around casually.
I could write my own post, but this pretty much sums it up. Especially the part about boobs.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:45 am
by Overcracker
Yeah its up to you to decide if they are worth it, but i wouldn't call them toys. These are collectors Items. They are not meant to be played too much with, specially Megs and Starscream.
But ultimately its up to you to decide whether you really want something thats basically just for display, and to transform very sporadically. Or something you can get your hands on and play around with.
Again, these are not Toys.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:52 am
by kirbenvost
Predaprince wrote:
BW Megatron: Yeeeeeeessssssssss.
Stephen Colbert: Nooooooooooooooo!
Kool-aid (burst through wall): Oh, yeahhhh
LOL, when did this happen? Hilarious!
Boobs are indeed nice, but there are nicer things... I don't think I have to tell you what they are.
So on the topic of MP's, I think they are worth it, if you can get them for the initial release price. After that, use your discretion. Try to find deals instead of settling on paying huge markups, unless you can afford it. I'm very satisfied with my Prime, Megatron, and Starscream.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:53 am
by Sonic Wing
i actually buy the toys to play with thats why im askin as well...

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:53 am
by Fury
I'm in your situation Sonic. I did ask before if they were really worth it. The answer I got most of the times is yes they are. But here's what I think about this.
I really like what they tried to do with the MP line. But, are the figures worth the price? I don't think so. MP Prime is one awesome figure, the Takara version does have alot of die cast parts. And that is of course pumping the price up a bit. Hasbro's 20th Anniversary (not the dvd version) can be found for about $50. Wich is in my opinion, a perfect price for such a great figure. I don't think that I'll pay $150 for the takara version, when I can have a pretty similar figure for $50.
I won't even say anything about Ultra Magnus.. Don't buy that.
Starscream is in the same situation as MP Prime. Hasbro is releasing a perfect G1 repaint for $59.99. You can pay $150+ for a blue Starscream if you want. But I will never do that. When once again, I can have a figure that is quite similar to a masterpiece for half the price.
Megatron is a figure I really hesitate to buy. He's the cheapest MP ($110) and for good reasons. He's more affordable than the others, but he has alot of quality issues. He's still the best Megatron figure to date, but its really up to you if you want to buy him. I'll wait to see if Hasbro's releasing that one as well. If so, I'll surely buy that one instead.
So that's what I think about the MP so far. If your not in a hurry to buy them, I say wait and try to have the Hasbro ones. Just don't buy 20th DVD Edition Prime though. Get the no DVD one, way better.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:57 am
by Redimus
Even Megatron, who is my personal least fav of the MP/20th designs, is pure awesome to the power of awesome.
If you can aford them, you should buy them.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:02 pm
by tom brokaw
ive kept my mp ss in jet mode since the day i got him, and i love it!

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:03 pm
by kirbenvost
For the record, there seems to be a misunderstanding about MP/20th anniversary Prime... ALL versions have the same amount of diecast.
As for Megatron being cheaper, I have not seen that... however I got mine on release so I don't know the aftermarket prices.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:13 pm
by Alex Kingdom
they are all worth the money buy them.
Yours AK

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:16 pm
by Sledge
If you're looking for play value, MP Prime is hella solid. I've let a two year old play with him without worries that she's going to do horrible damage to him. From what I've read, I wouldn't feel the same about Megs, Screamer or 'Warp.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 12:56 pm
by SpacerAM2
$89 - $110 is how much Mp Megatron went for at the real begining of April. Now that price balloned to S200+ for his rarity. I'm sure next year they'll release an uncle version of him. It certainly has fragility issues with the pegs. It doesn't hold well on his p-38 altmode if it's missing a peg or two. To me it's not even worth 50 bucks. Still pondering on how to replace two different pieces with a broken peg. Replacement parts aren't easy to come by. I'm so glad I didn't pay 200 hundred or more for him. But still feel bad paying 109 dollars plus shipping for him earlier on April.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 1:21 pm
by lanzajr26
kirbenvost wrote:For the record, there seems to be a misunderstanding about MP/20th anniversary Prime... ALL versions have the same amount of diecast.
But isn't DVD Edition (that is currently on clearance at Walmart) 100% plastic? I thought this is what they were referring to.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:11 pm
by kirbenvost
lanzajr26 wrote:kirbenvost wrote:For the record, there seems to be a misunderstanding about MP/20th anniversary Prime... ALL versions have the same amount of diecast.
But isn't DVD Edition (that is currently on clearance at Walmart) 100% plastic? I thought this is what they were referring to.
No, it's got the same die-cast parts as the others. Check the galleries, you'll see the shine of painted metal. I think the figure would break if it were made entirely of plastic.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:40 pm
by Wubot
Fury wrote:MP Prime is one awesome figure, the Takara version does have alot of die cast parts. And that is of course pumping the price up a bit. Hasbro's 20th Anniversary (not the dvd version) can be found for about $50.
Actually, I've always been curious - what exactly is different between the Hasbro and Takara MP Prime? I've read that the Takara one has a lot more diecast parts, but... I own the Takara one, and as far as I can tell, the torso is diecast, and the legs are diecast, and that's it. Are these parts not diecast on the Hasbro version?
Just don't buy 20th DVD Edition Prime though. Get the no DVD one, way better.
What's the difference between these two that makes one way better?

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:44 pm
by Wubot
kirbenvost wrote:No, it's got the same die-cast parts as the others. Check the galleries, you'll see the shine of painted metal. I think the figure would break if it were made entirely of plastic.
Well, color me silly for not reading through the whole thread before replying.

There is one difference between the Takara and Hasbro version - the smokestack is longer on the Takara version. Oh, and the Hasbro one has a base with movie sounds. The Takara one has a cardboard box that can be displayed as a trailer. The Hasbro version has some slight battle damage painted on.
Thanks for answering the question regarding the diecast. It's funny - you search for reviews, and this is always something that's mentioned as being better about the Takara version, but maybe the reviewers were just confused.
If you can find the Hasbro version on clearance, then that's clearly the better version.


Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:53 pm
by kirbenvost
I just explained it. All of the versions of MP/20th Prime, including Takara's MP-01 & 04, and Hasbro's 20th Anniversary Prime original and DVD Editions have the exact same amount of diecast parts in them. The myths of Takara having more or DVD Edition having less are simply that, myths.
Edit: Hah, oh sorry, I just saw your last post. Unfortunately it's not quite that simple. There are 4 versions, I'll list the differences:
Hasbro (both versions have short smokestacks):
20th Anniversary Optimus Prime - 'Battle Damage' paint, early waves had grey guns, later had black.
DVD Edition - Bright-colored paint job (nearly orange, plus yellow accents), blue gun, electronic display stand.
Takara (both versions have long smokestacks and grey guns):
MP-01 Convoy - The original. Cardboard trailer.
MP-04 Convoy Complete - Complete edition with real functional trailer...however there is no roller. All other trailers are aftermarket products not made by Takara.
Ryan has all 4 versions in his galleries, you can compare pictures. There is also the repaint, MP-02 Ultra Magnus, but I don't count him because he's not Prime/Convoy.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:57 pm
by Autobot032
Masterpiece figures have been a bit of a conundrum for me.
On the one hand, they look fantastic in both robot and vehicle modes.
On the other, they're expensive and if they've got painted Die-Cast like Prime/Magnus does, they chip like crazy and look bad afterwards.
I liked the Prime I had (I ended up selling him) but the chipping got to be too much.
I'm going to buy Starscream when he hits Wal-Mart shelves next month.
And I'd like to buy Megatron, but the rusting issue bothers me, and the price. I've read that's he broken easily, he's fallen apart easily, etc.
Starscream and Prime I can buy at Wal-Mart for the price of Megatron. When a single figure is that expensive...I just can't bear the thought of spending the dough.
I want to though.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:08 pm
by Metal Ed
kirbenvost wrote:
DVD Edition - Bright-colored paint job (nearly orange, plus yellow accents), blue gun, electronic display stand.
Also, this one has differences around the eyes. The others, including the 20th Anniversary no-DVD battle damage one, have a sort of translucent blue glass that make the eyes come alive. This one appears to be painted.
Also, there ARE some chrome bits (in the front grill and fuel tanks) that this version is lacking. From pictures I've seen, the 20th Anniversary No-DVD battle damage version DOES have chrome in these parts.
This video on youtube highlights the major differences between the 20th DVD and the Takara version.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=iNRGprJN7uABut like you said, the 20th no-DVD battle damage one seems to be identical to Takara, save for the scorch marks and short smokestacks. In fact, in terms of the gun it's actually better than Takara's because Prime gun is supposed to be black. But I wanted my Prime with no scorch marks, clean and in all his glory.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:13 pm
by kirbenvost
Oh yeah, I forgot about the lack of chrome, and the painted eyes. I was just going by memory of what I've seen since I don't actually own all 4.


Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 4:29 pm
by Fury
Really, all of what have been said so far is really reinforcing my thoughts about buying the Hasbro Masterpieces and not the Takara ones. I don't mind about the ''damage'' on Hasbro's Prime and the shorter smokestacks can easily be customed longer.
I'll wait and see Starscream's quality overall. If he's good, its gonna be ''screw you Takara'' and ''Hello Hasbro''. Why pay big bucks for something, when you can have a product of almost equal quality half price? Because Hasbro's 20th Masterpiece is really just as good as Takara's one in the end. And you can buy him for $50-$100. Saving up to $100 here folks.
Takara's Binaltechs are way better than Hasbro's Alternators. But it might be the other way around regarding the Masterpiece line. We'll see with Starscream.

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:16 pm
by Wubot
Thanks for posting that video!
Re: Masterpiece toys

Posted:
Wed Sep 12, 2007 5:19 pm
by MentalDragon
Sonic Wing wrote:the price is too much for me...
It looks like your decision was made for you.