New images of Takara Masterpiece MP15 / 16-E Cassette set -- Nightstalker, Wingthing, Stripes & Enemy

Did you guys know that MP Enemy was almost a part of the BotCon 2015 boxed set?

Random thoughts:

* Wow, that Steeljaw mold winds up being tiny in lion mode
* Is Wingthing transforming into a tape instead of a cannon the thing now? That seems pretty backwards and dull.
* It's pretty weird to me that Stripes is apparently higher in the Ravage repaint hierarchy than Howlback and/or Glit

Diem wrote:Random thoughts:

* Wow, that Steeljaw mold winds up being tiny in lion mode
* Is Wingthing transforming into a tape instead of a cannon the thing now? That seems pretty backwards and dull.
* It's pretty weird to me that Stripes is apparently higher in the Ravage repaint hierarchy than Howlback and/or Glit

These four are MP versions of the four Encore-exclusive cassettes who came with Encore Twincast and Encore Soundblaster.

Diem wrote:

Sabrblade wrote:

Diem wrote:Random thoughts:

* Wow, that Steeljaw mold winds up being tiny in lion mode
* Is Wingthing transforming into a tape instead of a cannon the thing now? That seems pretty backwards and dull.
* It's pretty weird to me that Stripes is apparently higher in the Ravage repaint hierarchy than Howlback and/or Glit

These four are MP versions of the four Encore-exclusive cassettes who came with Encore Twincast and Encore Soundblaster.

Right, but that set was very much a well-we-pretty-much-ran-out-of-characters-for-the-G1-molds-to-be session, which feels more like desperation when backed into a corner than anything to aspire to (with Enemy getting a sullen pass). With regards to the relatively unspoiled MP molds there are surely some D-listers (Cobalt Sentries, Kiss Players Position) that rank ahead of these incredible Z-listers.

Much as I would dearly love to get a Howlback, I think they more or less decided to do this specific group right now because they saw they had a new Steeljaw mold coming up to accompany Blaster. And... gotta say, credit where its due; previewing a partner mold like this without actually announcing its intended use or partner yet is not a terrible marketing strategy. Gets people excited.

I don't really get these complaints. Sure, I'd love those other cassettes, but these are fine too. They're Masterpiece versions of those Encore cassettes, and that is cool! I never thought we'd see them again. Once Blaster is released, I'm expecting a ton more cassette packs, new and old molds alike, including those other ones you guys want. Just gotta be patient.

I guess in the sense that anything can be nostalgic, but... I dunno.

I think we as a collective on this website can get into a bubble sometimes since we're all pretty hardcore fans -- maybe we haven't memorised every obscure Manga off by heart or even watched every mainstream cartoon, but in general we know a hell of a lot more about Transformers than the average person off the street. If we get news about a new Titan Master release based on Shuffler, the Japan-exclusive Autobot Master Warrior that was never in any fiction ever; we immediately know who that guy is. We're much more knowledgable on the franchise than your average fan -- I'm not meaning this as an insult or judgement or jab or whatever at either side of the fandom; simply as an empirical fact.

So when something like this comes around, we sort it into a category of slightly more well-known or slightly more nostalgic or slightly more obscure than another set of E-hobby exclusive cassette repaints, when really... we're in a very small fandom minority that actually knows who any of these are. Maybe these guys are J-listers while Howlback and Garboil are H-listers; but what does that matter when most of the fandom and hence the larger consumer base expected to buy this only really know their As, Bs and on occasion Cs? All of them are obscure, no matter which way you put it. No-one knows any of them.

You are all focusing too much on the "why". I say, "why not?" It's nothing more than a specialty set, as such naturally an exclusive to TakaraTomy Mall. Once Broadcast and Twincast are released, we can expect the "proper" Cassettes to be released, as general Japanese retail.

More cassettecons makes for an excited Grim. Especially since I don't have MP Ratbat!

As much as I'm enjoying the semantics discussion, I'm pretty much stoked for the eventual Blaster/Broadcast release.

Kurona wrote:I really want a Leader-sized Twincast.

It's very difficult to explain why and I don't think I fully understand why myself. I just... really want one. If it doesn't happen as a result of a TR boxset, then by god will I love seeing the sales on the not-MP Twincasts and Blasters from KFC and whatnot once the official figure drops. What do we call that effect? The Inferno effect or the Laserwave effect?

Whichever came first? Then again, even though G1 Thunderwing came first, the effect of the price of an older figure sky-rocketing due to major fictional appearance was named after the later G1 Bludgeon.