New Turn A Around Photos of Masterpiece MP-44 3.0 and More Pre-Orders

Seibertron wrote:Not sure why I'm kind-of-sort-of OK with alt modes exploding into robots with Beast Wars Transformers but not G1 Transformers. Maybe someone can help pinpoint my mixed feelings.

I will give it a shot because I feel the same way.

The in show transformations are very different. In G1, it’s blocks rearranging themselves. We see that all the time, like that amazing shot from the movie with Optimus Transforming. MP 10 does a great job replicating that, we could even use the toy and recreate that in a stop motion sequence. There is a nice geometric feel to it and that goes for most of G1 (Rodimus is an exception, that transformation is super wonky). With Beast Wars, there is this morphing phenomenon since the animation is switching from one 3d model to the other, replacing them. Cheetor’s legs go from slender spotted cheetah legs to thicker blue robot legs. Unlike in G1, the alt modes use the same limbs as the robot modes in many cases and yet they look different from one mode to the next. As an extreme example, Dinobot’s raptor face floats into the air while it flattens and enlarges itself. It’s a bit surreal. I knew the show before the toys and didn’t know the toys existed and I didn’t dream they would because I, as a kid, could not conceptualize how such toys could exist. So Takara is charged with doing the impossible and they do a pretty great job getting from one totally different 3d model to the other in the same toy. And while Dinobot’s chest is not the raptor face, they still manage to use actual raptor parts (the underbelly in this case) to become the robot mode chest. So it’s not 100% fake, just a different part of the beast mode, which I find ingenious.
Thats my take on things.

blueridgefox wrote:I'll take my chances with Amazon.jp and save $150... give me a break and stop trying to justify the prices and processes involved.

No one is justifying anything, its just facts. The debate might instead be: with the world so connected, should BBTS and TFSource still bother importing toys when people can do it themselves instead? I mean if someone is tech savy enough to oder from BBTS, why not just buy from an asian seller?

Cyberpath wrote:

Truly a peaceful leader compelely different from the killer in live action films

Joking aside, my 3 year old lives the Transformers film and her favourite scene is easily Optimus Prime shooting all the decepticons. Its not necesarily when he does that jump, its instead when he lands and just unleashes on the seekers.

Well, in the cartoon at least Optimus was rebuilt from Orion to be a powerful warrior to counter the Decepticon warriors and their murderous, merciless imperialism.

ZeldaTheSwordsman wrote:Well, in the cartoon at least Optimus was rebuilt from Orion to be a powerful warrior to counter the Decepticon warriors and their murderous, merciless imperialism.

What was the live action movies take on that again? Live action Optimus to me just looks like the age old saying :stare into the abyss and the abyss stares into you"... I'm paraphrasing obviously.

If judging from the non Japanese Transformers community on social media and the forums, one would think Takara's Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime Ver 3 to be dead on arrival, due to the price which makes it the most expensive Transformers figure ever released by them.

Well as it turns out, money talks, and the current best selling collectible on Amazon Japan (the preffered destination for Transformers in Japan) is none other than MP-44 Optimus Prime. This confirms that Takara's target audience, Japanese fans, are excited about this release and the price was not the deterent some thought it would be. Of course, Amazon Japan is selling this toy at 30% off MSRP, but that is customary for toy retailers in Japan and in line with every other Japanese retailer selling this toy.

Plus, the $300 USD price on Amazon is still a major increase to the previous high priced MP, Beast Wars Megatron, which Amazon Japan was selling for around $200 USD. That means retail prices for high priced MPs have jumped 50% from one release to the next and yet the toy is still a #1 best seller.





We will leave you now with this fun comparison by fellow CSeibertronian Cyberpath between MP 10, MP 44 and the G1 cartoon.

Cyberpath wrote:

Obviously the price makes it impossible to get for me, but I will say that it looks good. The colors could be better, but otherwise it seems to be an improvement over MP-01 and MP-10. Looks like they finally got both modes right.

One of my friends really wants one but cant justify spending that price. I told him if “if you can, just put $30-$50 to the side every month until he’s released”. That’s plenty of time. That’s my plan. I get our weekday and I’m just gonna out $10 to the side every week until he comes out and if I’m short than I’m short around $20-$30.

Damn, that's depressing.

william-james88 wrote:
Well as it turns out, money talks, and the current best selling collectible on Amazon Japan

And i love that one of the most complained about figures of all time is their third best seller right now.

I think there must be a lot of Japanese collectors with more money than sense. Or taste.

Rodimus Prime wrote:Obviously the price makes it impossible to get for me, but I will say that it looks good. The colors could be better, but otherwise it seems to be an improvement over MP-01 and MP-10. Looks like they finally got both modes right.

The way I see it they made them both even more wrong. The truck mode with those pathetic ugly nigh-2D fuel tanks (which are DEFINITELY not cartoon accurate) and that mess of kibble on the bed, the robot mode by actually indulging in the disappearing tires on his legs, both modes with the dumbed-down (and inconsistent) decals and the flat colors. To call those cartoon accurate is to insult the efforts of animators to depict those parts as shiny silver chrome and whatnot like the toys within the limits of their budget and time constraints.

When I first saw the backpack, Ivwas ok with it even though I knew MP10 did it better. But upon hearing this thing actually houses speakers, I forgave it completely. Maybe he can have light up eyes too? I kinda feel like his damaged face could use some for his deathbed scene. I really like this Prime, from the Gundam-esque headsculpt and proportions to the extreme posability(he pulls off the "holding his ion cannon with two hands" look way better than any other Prime I've seen.) Wish I could afford it though, but I will probably put aside 20$ a week for it till it comes.

I find it rather sad seeing how some people are too dam loyal to takara, takara will see this as an "oh, sweet, we can sell it at any price at this point. lets release the next one at $500". We need to show them with out wallets that we don't want these prices, not with forums. They will never care what we say on here, but they do care when they end up making less money.

Octobotimus wrote:We need to show them with out wallets that we don't want these prices, not with forums. They will never care what we say on here, but they do care when they end up making less money.

For sure, but as the article shows, its too late. People did vote with their wallets and they voted yes to the most expensive Transformers product ever released by Takara.

joevill wrote::lol:

I was laughing too, hence why I just had to news this.

william-james88 wrote:We will leave you now with this fun comparison by fellow CSeibertronian Cyberpath between MP 10, MP 44 and the G1 cartoon.

Cyberpath wrote:

I feel like this image is really unfair to MP10. He can get waaayyy closer to the iconic pose than that.

Case in point:

megatronus wrote:

william-james88 wrote:We will leave you now with this fun comparison by fellow CSeibertronian Cyberpath between MP 10, MP 44 and the G1 cartoon.

Cyberpath wrote:

I feel like this image is really unfair to MP10. He can get waaayyy closer to the iconic pose than that.

Yeah! Cyberpath, I demand you post that kickass stop motion GIF you made of this scene with your MP-10.

^Quite. It's not even actually that hard a pose. Hell, the G1 Optimus toy can do it (at least above the waist) if holding a version of his rifle that has the peg where it should be.

william-james88 wrote:

Octobotimus wrote:We need to show them with out wallets that we don't want these prices, not with forums. They will never care what we say on here, but they do care when they end up making less money.

For sure, but as the article shows, its too late. People did vote with their wallets and they voted yes to the most expensive Transformers product ever released by Takara.

Like I said, Japanese collectors with more money than sense or taste.

Seems a little too biased against MP-10. It feels like it was purposely posed bad to make MP-44 look better.