Additional FT-02 Acoustic Wave Prototype Images

Looks good, I'm still 100% in, I just would hope we'd get a price estimate soon.

Hurry up Takara, I'm going to buy a Masterpiece Soundwave even if it isn't yours. Everything shown makes this a must buy in my opinion.

Okay... I'm in, but what's the SECOND smaller soundwave to the right? Is that a competing 3rd party?

gothsaurus wrote:Okay... I'm in, but what's the SECOND smaller soundwave to the right? Is that a competing 3rd party?

I believe they have two working prototypes, I've asked about it, but have not received a response yet.

Oh look, it's World's Smallest Soundwave. He's official, didn't stray far from the original engineering, and CAME WITH AN INSANELY TINY RAVAGE...

See, SEE! Smaller Bot, Smaller Cassettes! It's Not THAT HARD

I'm still not comfortable with his sheer height among my classics, but I guess I can put up with it.

I would like to see IGear copy it and make it the perfect voyager size.

El Duque wrote:

gothsaurus wrote:Okay... I'm in, but what's the SECOND smaller soundwave to the right? Is that a competing 3rd party?

I believe they have two working prototypes, I've asked about it, but have not received a response yet.

The other is the original prototype, they have improved on it with the current version which will be he production model.

As long as the asking price isn't outrageous, I'm ready to preorder now. That is assuming they don't mess up the paint app.

Rumored TT one could kill this before it's even released.

While it's nice in prototype phase the details are awesome, but I think that when colored we'll lose a lot of them.

And is anybody else not feelin' the masterpiece size line anymore? I once collected them, but the amount of transforming I do with them is practically nil, and they take up a lot of shelf space, and do a poor job for the most part of staying in cool poses on the shelf.

I really think very hard about MP puchases (3rd party or legit), and really at this time, it's not for completion, but only particular characters.

Yeah, with the sheer number of seeker and Prime repaints, the Masterpiece line has become pretty stale. It definitely needed Soundwave on the shelf to mix things up. I just wish Takara would have jumped on it first. We shouldn't have to rely on 3rd party companies to finish our toy lines, right?

But yeah, I'd love this guy in full size... and then in Voyage size for my Classics shelf as well. Maybe these guys have that in the works.

I really hope that this has a gritty, slightly weathered look in bot mode rather than a flat one colour blue look.

gothsaurus wrote:But yeah, I'd love this guy in full size... and then in Voyage size for my Classics shelf as well. Maybe these guys have that in the works.

speaking of size - it would be great if it came with a tiny version of its own altmode. So you can put it into a MP Seeker's cockpit or MP Prime's hands or so.


I guess the correct size to fit into MP Spike's pocket would be too microscopic, though. But a nice thought nevertheless...

ViperEye82 wrote:Looks good, I'm still 100% in, I just would hope we'd get a price estimate soon.

Yes please and that QC factors are slim to none!

Nemesis Destron wrote:

ViperEye82 wrote:Looks good, I'm still 100% in, I just would hope we'd get a price estimate soon.

Yes please and that QC factors are slim to none!

Yeah. But given that they are working with prototypes of this quality, I should think we'll get a TFC Herc like quality figure. Hopefully.

The alt mode was better on the first proto...and seeing the profile pose of the new one, looks like he could use a cheeseburger or ten. Too skinny! Yet, this guy's still tempting, but I hope Taks offers up info on theirs if they indeed have plans for one. I think I'd be swayed to go that way instead if it were coming any time soon.

i really want one but i know i cant afford one

The only thing I genuinely don't like is the "PLAY" sculted in the button. It seems like an odd addition throw into the sculpting that doesn't add much. Sonicron was covered in the stuff, but it was all tampos and everywhere.

Incidently, I'd appreciate a clean looking bot over detailing on the alt mode. And I know I'm not alone, because people were whimpering about Maketoy's Giant figures having a logo.

Requiem Prime wrote:The only thing I genuinely don't like is the "PLAY" sculted in the button. It seems like an odd addition throw into the sculpting that doesn't add much. Sonicron was covered in the stuff, but it was all tampos and everywhere.

Incidently, I'd appreciate a clean looking bot over detailing on the alt mode. And I know I'm not alone, because people were whimpering about Maketoy's Giant figures having a logo.

I agree that the "play" on the button isn't necessary, but I disagree about the detailing. I love all of the little details on the sculpt. In my opinion it makes the MP mold that much more impressive. As long as the paint app is good, this is going to be one amazing Transformer.

soundwave42 wrote:

Requiem Prime wrote:The only thing I genuinely don't like is the "PLAY" sculted in the button. It seems like an odd addition throw into the sculpting that doesn't add much. Sonicron was covered in the stuff, but it was all tampos and everywhere.

Incidently, I'd appreciate a clean looking bot over detailing on the alt mode. And I know I'm not alone, because people were whimpering about Maketoy's Giant figures having a logo.

I agree that the "play" on the button isn't necessary, but I disagree about the detailing. I love all of the little details on the sculpt. In my opinion it makes the MP mold that much more impressive. As long as the paint app is good, this is going to be one amazing Transformer.

Not that sort of detail. I mean the alt-mode specific stuff that in a soundwave's case would just cover him like a bunch of weird tattoos. Mechanical detail in scult and paint is always welcome, since so many evolved from a very boxy look.

On the last 2 pictures, does anyone know which Laserbeaks and Ravages are in the MP's chest? Perhaps they are the MP cassettes they are releasing.

Now make a voyager size of it!

YES! they added heels, he won't fall back

Stil wish he used 3 batterys/guns, that way we could combine two of them to form a bigger hand gun, that one just looks too small (ok for a shoulder canon, but crappy for hand gun)

Optimus1116 wrote:On the last 2 pictures, does anyone know which Laserbeaks and Ravages are in the MP's chest? Perhaps they are the MP cassettes they are releasing.

Looks like G1 Laserbeak in G1 Soundwave and CHUG Ravage in Acoustic Wave.

Rated X wrote:I would like to see IGear copy it and make it the perfect voyager size.

They certainly are good at copying.

tigertracks 24 wrote:Rumored TT one could kill this before it's even released.

While it's nice in prototype phase the details are awesome, but I think that when colored we'll lose a lot of them.

And is anybody else not feelin' the masterpiece size line anymore? I once collected them, but the amount of transforming I do with them is practically nil, and they take up a lot of shelf space, and do a poor job for the most part of staying in cool poses on the shelf.

I really think very hard about MP puchases (3rd party or legit), and really at this time, it's not for completion, but only particular characters.

I like the MP10 Convoy and Grimlock size. I am definitely waiting for the Takara release of MP Soundwave. I find it awkward that MP Soundwave is smaller than the MP Seekers.

Wow... very impressive!

If the 1st prototype wasn't shorter than the seekers, it would have my vote.

And is anybody else not feelin' the masterpiece size line anymore? I once collected them, but the amount of transforming I do with them is practically nil, and they take up a lot of shelf space, and do a poor job for the most part of staying in cool poses on the shelf.

I really think very hard about MP puchases (3rd party or legit), and really at this time, it's not for completion, but only particular characters.

What I don't get with the MP line is that there seems to be no direction. The 1st few toys were good till they gave us a short Grimlock. Grimlock looks great, but they should have made him as tall as the 1st Prime. Rodimus is about Grimlock's size, making The 1st Prime and Megatron seem like giants. They make Rodimus but not Galvatron. Then they remake a shorter (albeit great looking) Prime and Sunstorm (who cares?).

If I had any say the lineup would have been Prime, Megatron, seekers, Ironhide and Ratchet (the G1 toys were horrible), Soundwave and Soundblaster, blaster and Twincast, Rodimus and Galvatron, Shockwave, Grimlock, ...

I'm sure if the MP line had more a more fan-friendly direction, they'd sell more figures.

casualcollector wrote:I'm sure if the MP line had more a more fan-friendly direction, they'd sell more figures.

That makes no sense, who would pay over $100 or $200 for a Transformer and not be a fan? Masterpiece has always been about the fans though they have made a few interesting diversions, such as dead optimus prime and now Sunstorm.

Personally I'm giving Takara until this comes out, which is in a couple of months, to show us a Masterpiece Soundwave and if they don't I'm buying this. Considering we haven't even seen Sunstorm yet, I doubt we will see Soundwave.

Trikeboy wrote:

casualcollector wrote:I'm sure if the MP line had more a more fan-friendly direction, they'd sell more figures.

That makes no sense, who would pay over $100 or $200 for a Transformer and not be a fan? Masterpiece has always been about the fans though they have made a few interesting diversions, such as dead optimus prime and now Sunstorm.

Personally I'm giving Takara until this comes out, which is in a couple of months, to show us a Masterpiece Soundwave and if they don't I'm buying this. Considering we haven't even seen Sunstorm yet, I doubt we will see Soundwave.

I hear you & agree - Masterpiece is definitely a fan oriented line, but it's yet another opportunity Hasbro or Takara has yet to fully take advantage of.

We're sitting here waiting to be milked and swindled - and I mean that in the most positive way possible. If they were to come out with a neat voyager-y sized Megatron (Hegemon), a leader size Sixshot (Hexatron - which, given his largeness in the cartoon would probably scale well in the MP line), MP Soundwave (Acoustic Wave), or a Voayger/MP scaled Devastator (Hercules) we'd be all over them. And Hasbro/Takara has the manufacturing relationships and expertise to make these things more cheaply and of higher quality than the 3rd parties. (For the record, my wallet is already hurting from Hercules, and will continue to hurt, it seems - darn you Hegemon, Hexatron, and Acoustic Wave!)

Instead, we have an MP line that has followed Hasbro/Takara's overall mass market strategy - lots of repaints, little new content. They're world-class companies dealing with world-class, household name brands. You'd think they'd have the business sense to differentiate the collector's line to better suit collectors.

Alas.

Trikeboy wrote:

casualcollector wrote:I'm sure if the MP line had more a more fan-friendly direction, they'd sell more figures.

That makes no sense, who would pay over $100 or $200 for a Transformer and not be a fan? Masterpiece has always been about the fans though they have made a few interesting diversions, such as dead optimus prime and now Sunstorm.

Personally I'm giving Takara until this comes out, which is in a couple of months, to show us a Masterpiece Soundwave and if they don't I'm buying this. Considering we haven't even seen Sunstorm yet, I doubt we will see Soundwave.

You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

casualcollector wrote:

Trikeboy wrote:

casualcollector wrote:I'm sure if the MP line had more a more fan-friendly direction, they'd sell more figures.

That makes no sense, who would pay over $100 or $200 for a Transformer and not be a fan? Masterpiece has always been about the fans though they have made a few interesting diversions, such as dead optimus prime and now Sunstorm.

Personally I'm giving Takara until this comes out, which is in a couple of months, to show us a Masterpiece Soundwave and if they don't I'm buying this. Considering we haven't even seen Sunstorm yet, I doubt we will see Soundwave.

You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

You are perfectly correct on this, I have wanted Soundwave since Starscream was released. I also want Galvatron. If Takara showed either of them I would be all over them. Shockwave would be cool but I'm not as enamored by him as other Transfans.

You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

That's what I have been wondering for a long time and I mentioned hastak being too lazy and not being proactive enough. It would be really simple to fogure out what fans might want. Just by reading this forum or similar forums. It is not that hard you know. Just that I didn't really see that many people wanting another starscream followed by another scream repaint. But how about MP Galvatron, Ultra Magnus (with his trailer,) Soundwave and Shockwave for starters?

Fans are really those who buy MP class toys and more expensive stuff. So why not listening fans to maximize profits. But instead of doing so executives of hastak just fiddle their weenies and it is the 3rd party manufacturers who collect all that money fans are willing to spend. We have only heard some vague rumors about official MP soundwave but that's it. If I would work for takara, I would have teased you guys with cool consept art etc. Just that you would know that there is official, new and cool MP stuff coming. So hold you wallets untill we release those.

casualcollector wrote:You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

It seems to me Takara has gotten too hung up on chasing iGear. They need to stop chasing them and instead beat them to the punch on the things they intend to do.

Kibble wrote:

casualcollector wrote:You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

It seems to me Takara has gotten too hung up on chasing iGear. They need to stop chasing them and instead beat them to the punch on the things they intend to do.

Imagine a masterpiece Blitzwing

korisifu wrote:

Kibble wrote:

casualcollector wrote:You're right, probably no one would pay 150$ for a transformer if they aren't fans. However, if Takara made MP figures of the characters fans are craving for, they'd sell more units. Do you think a Sunstorm figure would outsell a Soundwave figure? Do you also think that a 2nd version of Starscream is what most fans wanted rather than a Shockwave, Soundwave or Galvatron?

It seems to me Takara has gotten too hung up on chasing iGear. They need to stop chasing them and instead beat them to the punch on the things they intend to do.

Imagine a masterpiece Blitzwing

I did. Now I need a new pair of pants.

I'd settle (and would honestly prefer) a good Classics Blitzwing.

Kibble wrote:I'd settle (and would honestly prefer) a good Classics Blitzwing.

I'm just in the game for ANY kind of G1-styled Blitzwing. I was never into the Quintesson-like multi-faced Animated Blitzwing.

I can definitely get behind your Classic Blitzwing, though. We've got Astrotrain and Tankor (AKA Octane)... we really need good old Blitzy to complete the trio. You think it's too much to ask in the upcoming Generations releases?

Sounds like everyone's on the same page. I'm with you guys... and certainly behind the notion of a Classics Blitzwing for the lineup.

I hope if they're doing the classic cars now in the Masterpiece line, maybe they'll follow up Sideswipe with Ironhide and Ratchet. They're a nice contrast from a sports car, have clear repaint potential, and have never gotten a good mold IMHO.

Are there any news on the cassetticons?

Hi All. I love the mould for this figure and can't wait to see him in my collection. All I can say is, it's about time a Soundwave mould I like is being made. I just hope the detailing isn't lost in the paint app. What is going on with Takara? Surely they should be way ahead of the game by now, instead they're being left behind in the dust especially when third partys are producing quality pieces of this kind. I'd really love to see a new Shockwave, it was the 1984 Shockwave that got me into collecting in the first place.

When are we going to see a release for this figure? I've tried contacting them but got no reply, I would have thought they'd be taking pre-orders by now, how am I going to know when he goes on sale? I think I'm getting a little manic over this figure.

Yeah, releasing this without the cassettes CAN'T happen. It would be a disservice to humanity.

Imagine if Hasbro/Takara pulled their robot finger out of their ass, put out Masterpiece Soundwave, Shockwave and Galvatron...

WHAT WOULD WE MOAN ABOUT THEN?

Now, I don't want you to rush Has/Tak, but banning quality 3rd party kit from your do's doesn't really fill your customer base with hope, just get on with producing your own!!

robotmel wrote:;)
Imagine if Hasbro/Takara pulled their robot finger out of their ass, put out Masterpiece Soundwave, Shockwave and Galvatron...

WHAT WOULD WE MOAN ABOUT THEN?

The fans would then argue about:
- Size
- Color
- Cost
- Detail
- Transformation
- Accessories

Just the typical fan moaning.

Shouldn't we have some Laserbeak photos by now?

personally i only get 3rd party stuff that fits in with classics and get the official mp stuff because personally im not into the conehead seekers or an mp treatment of soundwave although it does look good.i have to draw the line somewhere because ill be honest its just too much money for me.

but i do agree that takara would have been better served saving their development dollars on creating a few new renders of new charachters especially with their newfound emphasis on scale. i mean sideswipe i get but how does releasing a new starscream and now sunstorm fulllfill that goal if the original ss was just fine scale wise?

it wouldve been better to use that updated ss mold to give us the coneheads. just my 2cents

From Full Metal Hero, looks like this project may be dead:

Word is reaching us that start up company www.fantoys.com has ceased operating and the upcoming FT-02 Acoustic Wave figure is no more. As a product this figure was incredibly close the knuckle with regard to Hasbro's Transformer property G1 Soundwave, more so than most of the existing unofficial figures already on the market.

More news as we get it, we're hoping to reach the Fantoys guys for clarification on this.

That's a real shame

They could always sell their prototype to iGear.

El Duque wrote:From Full Metal Hero, looks like this project may be dead:

Word is reaching us that start up company http://www.fantoys.com has ceased operating and the upcoming FT-02 Acoustic Wave figure is no more. As a product this figure was incredibly close the knuckle with regard to Hasbro's Transformer property G1 Soundwave, more so than most of the existing unofficial figures already on the market.

More news as we get it, we're hoping to reach the Fantoys guys for clarification on this.

Also, from other sources, it was also found that the www.fantoys.com site is down, but the weibo page is still up.

And this is why I don't get excited over figures not being made by established orginizations. It could lead to disappointment

Mkall wrote:And this is why I don't get excited over figures not being made by established orginizations. It could lead to disappointment

Even established companies (*cough cough HASBRO) break our hearts routinely. But this announcement is one of the saddest in a long time, for me. Particularly after seeing those beautiful prototypes. Hopefully there'll be a hail mary save of some sort...