A Closer Look at Takara Tomy's Transformers Masterpiece MP-20 Wheeljack Shoulder Mounted Weapon
Tuesday, January 28th, 2014 10:36PM CST
Category: Toy NewsPosted by: El Duque Views: 18,454
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Posted by fenrir72 on January 28th, 2014 @ 10:57pm CST
Posted by Bumblevivisector on January 28th, 2014 @ 10:58pm CST
Posted by Torneira on January 29th, 2014 @ 1:06am CST
fenrir72 wrote:Torture! I can't wait to see colored pics! Btw, I have a bad feeling that this will not make the end of August release.
Here's a good indication how he would look
Posted by Torneira on January 29th, 2014 @ 1:10am CST
Torneira wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Torture! I can't wait to see colored pics! Btw, I have a bad feeling that this will not make the end of August release.
Here's a good indication how he would look
Hmm, my picture didn't load up, so here 's the link to it:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachmen ... ckdigi.jpg
Posted by Torneira on January 29th, 2014 @ 1:12am CST
Torneira wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Torture! I can't wait to see colored pics! Btw, I have a bad feeling that this will not make the end of August release.
Here's a good indication how he would look
Hmm, my picture didn't load up, so here 's the link to it:
http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/attachmen ... ckdigi.jpg
Posted by Burn on January 29th, 2014 @ 1:42am CST
I know they're going for cartoon accuracy but I really did love the double shoulder mounted launchers that the G1 toy had.
Posted by parc.elohssa on January 29th, 2014 @ 2:31am CST
Burn wrote:I've been holding this back for a while but I'm going to say it.
I know they're going for cartoon accuracy but I really did love the double shoulder mounted launchers that the G1 toy had.
I'm sure someone like Dr. Wu or Before & After will fill this need.
Posted by AnnaChristine on January 29th, 2014 @ 5:44am CST
Burn wrote:I've been holding this back for a while but I'm going to say it.
I know they're going for cartoon accuracy but I really did love the double shoulder mounted launchers that the G1 toy had.
You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I'd really like someone to give us the toy head. Even as a kid I thought the cartoon eyes thing was dorky compared to the medieval-knight visor the toy had.
Posted by Burn on January 29th, 2014 @ 5:53am CST
AnnaChristine wrote:Burn wrote:I've been holding this back for a while but I'm going to say it.
I know they're going for cartoon accuracy but I really did love the double shoulder mounted launchers that the G1 toy had.
You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I'd really like someone to give us the toy head. Even as a kid I thought the cartoon eyes thing was dorky compared to the medieval-knight visor the toy had.
I've looked but ... I can't see a difference.
Posted by AnnaChristine on January 29th, 2014 @ 8:54am CST
Posted by megatronus on January 29th, 2014 @ 9:54am CST
fenrir72 wrote:Torture! I can't wait to see colored pics! Btw, I have a bad feeling that this will not make the end of August release.
At the point where we're seeing test shots 7 months in advance, I think the August date is for real.
Remember, this was rumored to be for Q2 2014, so I think (hope) the official August release date is already the pushed back, final date.
Posted by frogbat on January 29th, 2014 @ 10:12am CST
megatronus wrote:No need to chase! 2nd Production run of Sideswipe will be at the major retailers this March. Preorders are up at:frogbat wrote:after holding back on the masterpieces i caved in and got smokescreen, now i'll chase sideswipe. So i for one am glad wheeljack will be a while, gives me a breather to pick up some of the new generations figures
BBTS - http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/prod ... ode=retail
TFsource - http://tfsource.com/masterpiece/mp-12-sideswipe-2nd/
postage rates are very high for me so i always have to hunt around different retailers and ebay
think i'll go with kapow on this one
Posted by Wh33l Jck on January 29th, 2014 @ 12:01pm CST
mesh wrote:warzon3 wrote:I'm starting to really hate those hands, nowhere in g1 does Jack have hands that look like that. these are more of a classics updated interpretation of his hand guards/shield
Suck it noob!
Now stop your complaining!
I'm not saying WJ doesn't have the hand guards, I'm saying the one on MP WJ look nothing like the g1 toon or toy.
Posted by TimothyR on January 29th, 2014 @ 4:52pm CST
Burn wrote:AnnaChristine wrote:Burn wrote:I've been holding this back for a while but I'm going to say it.
I know they're going for cartoon accuracy but I really did love the double shoulder mounted launchers that the G1 toy had.
You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I'd really like someone to give us the toy head. Even as a kid I thought the cartoon eyes thing was dorky compared to the medieval-knight visor the toy had.
I've looked but ... I can't see a difference.
yeah.. i see two eyes on the toy.
warzon3 wrote:mesh wrote:warzon3 wrote:I'm starting to really hate those hands, nowhere in g1 does Jack have hands that look like that. these are more of a classics updated interpretation of his hand guards/shield
Suck it noob!
Now stop your complaining!
I'm not saying WJ doesn't have the hand guards, I'm saying the one on MP WJ look nothing like the g1 toon or toy.
do you like MP10?
Posted by Wh33l Jck on January 29th, 2014 @ 5:58pm CST
I'll need to be convinced that WJ's hands are that way because of the transformation. Otherwise it shouldn't have been that hard to match the toon and G1 toy model for the hands and those stupid wrist guards.
They should have just gotten rid of them to begin with in the MP design. He didn't always have them in the g1 animation, it depended on the scene and episode.
Posted by Stormrider on January 29th, 2014 @ 6:14pm CST
In the pic on the last page, the drawing shows the back of Wheeljack's legs as covered. I really hope that stays that way. One of my peeves of the MP cars is the hollow legs.
Posted by AnnaChristine on January 29th, 2014 @ 6:50pm CST
Toy head. No eyes Which I always preferred to the cartoon head ~flails arms~
Posted by Cyberpath on January 30th, 2014 @ 4:53am CST
Posted by Burn on January 30th, 2014 @ 5:10am CST
AnnaChristine wrote:
Toy head. No eyes Which I always preferred to the cartoon head ~flails arms~
I really hadn't noticed until now.
Can't get on board with your crusade though, definitely like the eyes.
Posted by Sabrblade on January 30th, 2014 @ 8:06am CST
Like someone who'd nonchalantly beat you into a pulp.
Posted by Dead Metal on January 30th, 2014 @ 10:21am CST
warzon3 wrote:This has nothing to do with MP-10.
I'll need to be convinced that WJ's hands are that way because of the transformation. Otherwise it shouldn't have been that hard to match the toon and G1 toy model for the hands and those stupid wrist guards.
They should have just gotten rid of them to begin with in the MP design. He didn't always have them in the g1 animation, it depended on the scene and episode.
His hands are like that due to the transformation, look at the drawing and the prototype again, you'll notice how his hand guards are the taillights of the car-mode.
AnnaChristine wrote:
Toy head. No eyes Which I always preferred to the cartoon head ~flails arms~
Kinda cool, but I think the eyes are supposed to be behind the grill battle mask, kinda like this
Posted by fenrir72 on January 31st, 2014 @ 6:05pm CST
Cyberpath's statement says it all, the eyes/optics humanizes the nerdy hotrodder.
Posted by Genocide G2.0 on February 2nd, 2014 @ 10:44am CST
Posted by wilcosu35 on February 2nd, 2014 @ 11:02am CST
Posted by ScoutBumblebee on February 2nd, 2014 @ 11:03am CST
wilcosu35 wrote:holy crap, is that an official picture?
Nope, just very impressive fan art.
Posted by wilcosu35 on February 2nd, 2014 @ 11:10am CST
ScoutBumblebee wrote:wilcosu35 wrote:holy crap, is that an official picture?
Nope, just very impressive fan art.
damn
Posted by Dead Metal on February 2nd, 2014 @ 1:10pm CST
ScoutBumblebee wrote:wilcosu35 wrote:holy crap, is that an official picture?
Nope, just very impressive fan art.
Thought so too, it's pretty unlikely that the official promo work would feature the figure in the exact same pose and angle as the unpainted prototype. Including it's flaws, well assuming the crack on the chest is a flaw.
Posted by Sabrblade on February 2nd, 2014 @ 2:44pm CST
Simply "Engineer" is probably what it would say. Or "Technician".
Posted by Autobot032 on February 3rd, 2014 @ 2:28am CST
Dead Metal wrote:ScoutBumblebee wrote:wilcosu35 wrote:holy crap, is that an official picture?
Nope, just very impressive fan art.
Thought so too, it's pretty unlikely that the official promo work would feature the figure in the exact same pose and angle as the unpainted prototype. Including it's flaws, well assuming the crack on the chest is a flaw.
I think the crack on the chest is intentional. The original car has gullwing doors, if I'm remembering correctly. Perhaps they're trying to replicate it. Or at the very least, maybe the chest opens in that manner to allow kibble n' bits to move around for transformation.
Posted by deception on February 3rd, 2014 @ 2:34am CST
Waiting for the release date.
Posted by Dead Metal on February 3rd, 2014 @ 5:55am CST
Autobot032 wrote:Dead Metal wrote:ScoutBumblebee wrote:wilcosu35 wrote:holy crap, is that an official picture?
Nope, just very impressive fan art.
Thought so too, it's pretty unlikely that the official promo work would feature the figure in the exact same pose and angle as the unpainted prototype. Including it's flaws, well assuming the crack on the chest is a flaw.
I think the crack on the chest is intentional. The original car has gullwing doors, if I'm remembering correctly. Perhaps they're trying to replicate it. Or at the very least, maybe the chest opens in that manner to allow kibble n' bits to move around for transformation.
I also thought that it was the doors, but then I noticed how the crack follows just one of the doors while the left is just a solid piece with the chest.
But it might still be something for the transformation, I guess we'll see once we get in hand pics.
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:00pm CST
(The article also lists other highlights from the magazine, including a special Tomy licensed Transformers iPhone 5 case).
* The interpretation of Wheeljack's transformation was rather 'arcane' (new? innovative?).
* "Structure of the head and waist became great way stuffing"
* The removable shoulder cannon can be installed in the vehicle mode roof.
* The hand gun can be stored in the figure's 'underbody' (?).
* The wings on the robot's back are transformable, and do not need to be removed.
* Thansk to the Tomica branch of the company (model cars), the licensing was a lot easier to negotiate with car manufacturers.
* Color of the car mode is faithful to the actual vehicle. On the other hand, the robot mode colors are closer to the cartoon.
* Thanks to the sale numbers for MP- Lambor to Streak, they were able to add new parts to Smokescreen, and Wheeljack was developed without having to consider repurposing.
* The first three realistic cars of the Masterpiece line were supposed to become 'super cars'.
Posted by Counterpunch on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:06pm CST
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:08pm CST
* The interpretation of Wheeljack's transformation was rather 'arcane' (new? innovative?).
* "Structure of the head and waist became great way stuffing"
* The removable shoulder cannon can be installed in the vehicle mode roof.
* The hand gun can be stored in the figure's 'underbody' (?).
* The wings on the robot's back are transformable, and do not need to be removed.
* Thansk to the Tomica branch of the company (model cars), the licensing was a lot easier to negotiate with car manufacturers.
* Color of the car mode is faithful to the actual vehicle. On the other hand, the robot mode colors are closer to the cartoon.
* Thanks to the sale numbers for MP- Lambor to Streak, they were able to add new parts to Smokescreen, and Wheeljack was developed without having to consider repurposing.
* The first three realistic cars of the Masterpiece line were supposed to become 'super cars'.
So, in a nutshell:
1) The transformation should be similar to the original toy, with a few surprising twists
2) Licensing of car models has gone through Tomica, which is like Hot Wheels to Mattel. That would mean Hasbro has no such luxury.
3) We shouldn't count of him being retooled at all (let alone into Sunstreaker), as they didn't have to take that into consideration
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:19pm CST
Does anyone with more Japanese than me (not that difficult) help decipher that second point about stuffing?
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:31pm CST
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 1:34pm CST
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:22pm CST
Va'al wrote:That's what I thought it could be, too. But I can't phrase it in a satisfying way. Hmph.
I had a Japanese friend look at it and here's what she said: "The head and torso has a compressed structure". Makes more sense than Google, huh?
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:25pm CST
JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Va'al wrote:That's what I thought it could be, too. But I can't phrase it in a satisfying way. Hmph.
I had a Japanese friend look at it and here's what she said: "The head and torso has a compressed structure". Makes more sense than Google, huh?
I can see clearly now, the rain has gone.
Posted by Mindmaster on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:27pm CST
Va'al wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Va'al wrote:That's what I thought it could be, too. But I can't phrase it in a satisfying way. Hmph.
I had a Japanese friend look at it and here's what she said: "The head and torso has a compressed structure". Makes more sense than Google, huh?
I can see clearly now, the rain has gone.
Seriously, we need a speaker of Japanese on the staff. It would help us out by the butt-tons.
Posted by kirbenvost on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:38pm CST
Really cool to hear that the success of the early releases is helping finance future ones as well.
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:44pm CST
Mindmaster wrote:Va'al wrote:JelZe GoldRabbit wrote:Va'al wrote:That's what I thought it could be, too. But I can't phrase it in a satisfying way. Hmph.
I had a Japanese friend look at it and here's what she said: "The head and torso has a compressed structure". Makes more sense than Google, huh?
I can see clearly now, the rain has gone.
Seriously, we need a speaker of Japanese on the staff. It would help us out by the butt-tons.
A reader would suffice, to be fair. But yes.
Posted by Sabrblade on February 25th, 2014 @ 2:55pm CST
- MP Wheeljack's colour scheme in vehicle mode is close to the real car, but he tried to make the robot mode's colours as close to the cartoon as possible.
- WJ's shoulder cannon can be attached to the car roof.
- WJ's Wings on the back do not require detaching when transforming.
- Thanks to Tomica (Tomy's Hot Wheels size, real vehicle base toy car series) it has become much easier to negotiate with car manufacturers. (I assume easier than when dealing with them as Takara, since Tomy has long-established connections thanks to Tomica)
- The sales of MP Lambor to Streak were excellent, and as a result, Smokescreen could have additional parts, and Wheeljack could be developed without considering re-purposing the mould.
- The first 3 real vehicle MPs were meant to be "Super Cars".
I guess they aren't listed in the same order as those in the above post from Autobase Aichi, huh.
Nor are all nine of the points included here (only six). But I think we can guess what the other three mean:
* The interpretation of Wheeljack's transformation in this toy is probably unique, creative, and original.
* JelZe already covered the "stuffing" one.
* The handgun can be stored on the underside of the car.
Posted by Va'al on February 25th, 2014 @ 3:02pm CST
Posted by Stormrider on February 25th, 2014 @ 10:01pm CST
Va'al wrote:Yurp.
Does anyone with more Japanese than me (not that difficult) help decipher that second point about stuffing?
Wheeljack's head and waist will make a good Autobot stuffing for your roast chicken.
Posted by Samsonator on February 26th, 2014 @ 1:00am CST
"Structure of the head and waist became great way stuffing"
"Great Way Stuffing" I like this... it's no "SEND THE BOOKS" (for those of use who've been here long enough to remember that one) but it's still great. I think I'mma adapt that to describe Shellformers... since you stuff the robot inside. "Big Convoy: Great Way Stuffing."
Posted by Va'al on February 26th, 2014 @ 1:21am CST
Posted by Mykltron on February 26th, 2014 @ 3:30am CST
Posted by Venoose1 on February 26th, 2014 @ 6:56am CST
* The first three realistic cars of the Masterpiece line were supposed to become 'super cars'.
Any ideas?
Posted by Sabrblade on February 26th, 2014 @ 6:58am CST
For what? They already are supercars.Venoose1 wrote:* The first three realistic cars of the Masterpiece line were supposed to become 'super cars'.
Any ideas?