Official Images: Takara Tomy MP-13 Soundwave and MP-14 Red Alert

What's that mini vacuum cleaner thing attached to Soundwave's hand? An Amazon.jp exclusive again?

Ah these look good but I might skip.... The thing that kinda bothers me is that I'd rather see characters that were never given a good toy form.... Prime I understand (maybe not the 2 versions) and well grimlock is grimlock.. The other masterpieces... Rodimus, megs, starscream and co all had shitty toys and sorely needed decent homages.

The original sound wave toy was IMHO one of the best g1 toys as It was close to the cartoon.. This version doesn't bring much more to the table.. For the price I'd liked to have seen some mp3 playing gimmick or some proper mass shifting lol. Sideswipe though was a blockformer looked like his cartoon self in both molds, besides which the classics versions are very good.

Ultra Magnus and Galvatron... Now those would be masterpieces worth selling a kidney for..

Hope to God Soundwave gets a domestic release. I would rather have this than the Voyager Soundwave that uses his FOC design.

Very nice pic. Can´t wait until they are released.

Freakin' badass! I cannot wait for Soundwave!

Damn, these look good. Soundwave has a little more silver in him than I expected. I absolutely love the energon cube gimmick! I'm genuinely impressed by laserbeak too. I wish he was standing next to Prime in the last picture for a good size comparison.

MP-Red Alert is a solid repaint/remold. I think I may like him even more than Sideswipe.

Why no pictures of the crazysparks?

amcgrath929 wrote:I wish he was standing next to Prime in the last picture for a good size comparison.

If memory serves right, I believe he's about the same height as Optimus, maybe half an inch shorter.

I have to admit I wasnt fully convinced from the beginning when we first started seeing proto shots and discussions about sizing etc, but now I am starting to feel the love..!



I thought Red Alert would have been the cooler of the the two but seeing those fake wheels stuck on his shoulders, what was the thinking behind all that then?
I mean, theres none attached to Sideswipes shoulders as they are shown in the transformation as being tucked in under bonnet (hood)sooooo...?


I know these are not quite out yet but when they are those shoulder wheels will no doubt be an unsightly annoyance for some. I wonder if there removal would leave a hole or gap? Perhaps a 3rd Party will 'fix' it?

Soundwave is just gorgeous, as is Laserbeak.

And all those new pictures of Sideswipe finally forced me to put in a pre-order for one with Robotkingdom.

Still not at all keen on the fake shoulder wheels of Red Alert.

robotmel wrote:I thought Red Alert would have been the cooler of the the two but seeing those fake wheels stuck on his shoulders, what was the thinking behind all that then?
I mean, theres none attached to Sideswipes shoulders as they are shown in the transformation as being tucked in under bonnet (hood)sooooo...?

Red Alert in the cartoon had wheels on his shoulders in robot mode, while Sideswipe didn't in his animation model.



Masterpieces seem to be focussed on this animation similarity for the robot modes: hence the shoulder wheels on Red Alert and the lack of those wheels on Sideswipe. Logically, Sideswipe was the main inspiration, while Red Alert was the 'afterthought'. Of course, for true cartoon accuracy, those wheels on Red Alert should be much bigger, but design constraints made that impossible.

Is it only me that thinks the finish quality on Soundwave is terrible?

Ravage XK wrote:Is it only me that thinks the finish quality on Soundwave is terrible?

I notioced that myself.
I might be mistaken, but these pictures of Soundwave look to me to be handpainted. It's even more visible on Laserbeak. In that case, the production version of both will be a lot neater.

Absolutely awesome !!! Cant wait to have Soundwave in my collection . In fact I plan on making him my 100th transformers. The best part is that he will be release near my birthday so I can just ask my mom to buy it for me as a present xP. Kidney saved xD~

That sure looks like an SD card slot on the left side of Soundwave in the first pic.

ento wrote:That sure looks like an SD card slot on the left side of Soundwave in the first pic.

There do appear to be slots/plugs on that side of the figure's alt mode. Looks like... a USB maybe, a pair of audio (most likely 'out' and 'in'), and a card slot. That's some impressive detail. I assume it is just detail, despite the fact that a tape deck with a USB plug and an SD Card slot seems kind of strange. It would be insanely awesome if it turned out that TakaraTomy did put some kind of MP3 player or some-such in the figure though.

Those slots... Are strange. It's not detail that's obvious in robot mode, and the location in alt mode isn't very visible either. As plain details, they might just as well been left out. Actually, I can't even really see where that part with the slots moves to in robot mode: it seems like those parts fold into the rear of his legs? The legs are the parts with the most available bulk to them to contain something like electronics: his main torso needs to contain a maximum of three casettes, so that will not have much available space.

Adding an MP3 player isn't very expensive, and the (pretty hefty) retail price for this item would definitely allow for something extra. The attachment below is the relevant detail, taken from the Amazon.jp site.

Way over a thousand now in my collection. These minus the Red Alert will be a nice addition to my collection. I have to wonder how much these will be selling for and how soon after a masterpiece ravage will be available.

Sold.... Takara just take all my money.. Thanks..

If Soundwave has MP3 support of some type, then this figure just went from "yeah, he's cool..." to "OMG WANT."

I would LOVE to be able to use a MP sized Soundwave as a music player in my office.

Here comes the "panic" moment though... IF it does have electronics... will they be removed for the eventual US release?

SOUNDWAVE SUPERIOR, inferior mp-14's can suck it for all i care.

So, I think those guys (Sideswipe and Red Alert) are like taller delux figures?? I've seen some MP 10 with alternators pictures and they look taller compared to him than them...

Segor wrote:So, I think those guys (Sideswipe and Red Alert) are like taller delux figures?? I've seen some MP 10 with alternators pictures and they look taller compared to him than them...

Their shared mold is roughly Voyager-ish.

alldarker wrote:Those slots... Are strange. It's not detail that's obvious in robot mode, and the location in alt mode isn't very visible either. As plain details, they might just as well been left out. Actually, I can't even really see where that part with the slots moves to in robot mode: it seems like those parts fold into the rear of his legs? The legs are the parts with the most available bulk to them to contain something like electronics: his main torso needs to contain a maximum of three casettes, so that will not have much available space.

Adding an MP3 player isn't very expensive, and the (pretty hefty) retail price for this item would definitely allow for something extra. The attachment below is the relevant detail, taken from the Amazon.jp site.

MP Soundwave slots.JPG

The top part down to the blue is actually the bottom of Soundwave's foot. The rest flips to form the kibble on the side of his leg. I made an animation that shows that, check old post for that.

Soundwave's feet are still kind of a mystery to me, because when you look at them from the front, they look like they could either split apart or rotate the toes in some way. If you look at the second pic, you'll see that his feet have a black crack along the inner sides.

Pretty sure the tech detail on the side is just that... detail to make it look like a real tape player. While they COULD fit an mp3 player in there if they wanted to, I doubt they would due to price.

kirbenvost wrote:Pretty sure the tech detail on the side is just that... detail to make it look like a real tape player. While they COULD fit an mp3 player in there if they wanted to, I doubt they would due to price.

i bet frenzy_rumble or EnclinedDesigns will fit an mp3 in their custom MP-13's.
only problem is how are you gonna be able to put and select the songs to play on the mp3?
unless you make something of a remote control. and then there are the speakers to worry about...

100$ for an alt sized figure, and plastic wheels? are you kidding me?
Wow, Guess I can cancel both pre-orders,

If you look at that close up picture, it appears to have some black buttons. My thoughts: SD card for memory, USB for charging, small black buttons (not the big tape buttons) for controllling.

That definitely does not look like an SD port, USB, or anything. Plus, there's no sign of speakers, and the buttons don't look to be able to be pressed down. Also, assuming his legs are the speakers, the joints attaching the legs to the torso are too thin to conceal any kind of wires really. It'd be awesome though.

I'm totaly sold on Soundwave and Laserbeak. Does this mean there will be a repaint of Soundblaster?

gothweaver wrote:I'm totaly sold on Soundwave and Laserbeak. Does this mean there will be a repaint of Soundblaster?

Think about it. Almost every Soundwave produced (excluding BW Soundwave) was eventually repainted (remolded in the case of G1 Soundblaster) in the trademark colors of said character. Chances are that we're definitely gunna get an MP Soundblaster.

starwarrior1227 wrote:SOUNDWAVE SUPERIOR, inferior mp-14's can suck it for all i care.

100% agreed. Soundwave, so far, IMO is the best MP done. And I'm not taking any chances on waiting to see if Hasbro is gonna bring him over here. Can't wait to get these.....

headsortails wrote:

starwarrior1227 wrote:SOUNDWAVE SUPERIOR, inferior mp-14's can suck it for all i care.

100% agreed. Soundwave, so far, IMO is the best MP done. And I'm not taking any chances on waiting to see if Hasbro is gonna bring him over here. Can't wait to get these.....

well i would suspect mp-13 will come out to 'MERICA! and the rest of the world(except to the UK cuz we all know hasbro hates giving toys on time OR at all to the UK).
but if you are that willing to spend cash be my guess(takara's usually look better than hasbro's...) AND yes i still think soundwave is better than the mp-14s.

My thoughts on Soundwave: YES! He is now more show accurate! With a better looking design, a better looking Laserbeak and what else does he have? A red visor and at very long last! But didn't Takara say that Rumble and Ravage would be released as well? I believe Hasbro may give him a yellow visor. I hope he gets a Soundblaster repaint as well.

My thoughts on Red Alert: He is okay but if he gets an American release, then he and Sideswipe may be in a two pack.

frogbat wrote:Ah these look good but I might skip.... The thing that kinda bothers me is that I'd rather see characters that were never given a good toy form.... Prime I understand (maybe not the 2 versions) and well grimlock is grimlock.. The other masterpieces... Rodimus, megs, starscream and co all had shitty toys and sorely needed decent homages.

The original sound wave toy was IMHO one of the best g1 toys as It was close to the cartoon.. This version doesn't bring much more to the table.. For the price I'd liked to have seen some mp3 playing gimmick or some proper mass shifting lol. Sideswipe though was a blockformer looked like his cartoon self in both molds, besides which the classics versions are very good.

Ultra Magnus and Galvatron... Now those would be masterpieces worth selling a kidney for..

Surely you must be jesting if you think that MP Soundwave doesn't brig much more to the table compared to G1 Soundwave.

Stormrider wrote:

frogbat wrote:Ah these look good but I might skip.... The thing that kinda bothers me is that I'd rather see characters that were never given a good toy form.... Prime I understand (maybe not the 2 versions) and well grimlock is grimlock.. The other masterpieces... Rodimus, megs, starscream and co all had shitty toys and sorely needed decent homages.

The original sound wave toy was IMHO one of the best g1 toys as It was close to the cartoon.. This version doesn't bring much more to the table.. For the price I'd liked to have seen some mp3 playing gimmick or some proper mass shifting lol. Sideswipe though was a blockformer looked like his cartoon self in both molds, besides which the classics versions are very good.

Ultra Magnus and Galvatron... Now those would be masterpieces worth selling a kidney for..

Surely you must be jesting if you think that MP Soundwave doesn't brig much more to the table compared to G1 Soundwave.

thats not what he means. He just wants to see more MPs of transformers that never got good, show accurate toys to begin with.

YRQRM0 wrote:That definitely does not look like an SD port, USB, or anything. Plus, there's no sign of speakers, and the buttons don't look to be able to be pressed down. Also, assuming his legs are the speakers, the joints attaching the legs to the torso are too thin to conceal any kind of wires really. It'd be awesome though.

Those definitely look like ports. As a computer guy I can say without question that they are at least supposed to look like ports. Though without a better sense of scale I can't be sure if they're "real sized" or which kind of slot that is on the bottom. The buttons admittedly confuse me, since I can't think of an intuitive way to use that number of buttons in that layout to control an MP3 player.

As for speakers, well he doesn't need to have them. While it would be a rather simple and not-all-that-costly process to just drop an I/O port plate and a cheap MP3 player into a hollow bit of the toy, speakers would require a good deal more electronics as well as the extensive wiring. So if they did put an MP3 player in there it would be more efficient to just rely on the use of headphones.

I do have to say that as cool as it would be to have, I don't think people should get their hopes up too much. It's entirely possible that the ports are merely there to better emulate a more modern mircocassette recorder. Or it could even be that it is a sort of modern recorder (using SD Cards and USB instead of cassettes) instead of an MP3 player. That would be weird.

I don't remember Soundwave frowning like that so much.
I do agree with comments that MP Soundwave really doesn't add much to the already fantastic G1 figure. But I think this Laserbeak and improved arm articulation are worth it.

OmicronZero wrote:Though without a better sense of scale I can't be sure if they're "real sized" or which kind of slot that is on the bottom. The buttons admittedly confuse me, since I can't think of an intuitive way to use that number of buttons in that layout to control an MP3 player.

Rumor has it that Soundwave's about the same size as MP-10, which means his leg would also be around the same size as the latter. There should be just enough space for something the size of a generic micro-mp3 player.

OmicronZero wrote:...if they did put an MP3 player in there it would be more efficient to just rely on the use of headphones.

That's what I thought.

OmicronZero wrote:I do have to say that as cool as it would be to have, I don't think people should get their hopes up too much. It's entirely possible that the ports are merely there to better emulate a more modern mircocassette recorder. Or it could even be that it is a sort of modern recorder (using SD Cards and USB instead of cassettes) instead of an MP3 player. That would be weird.

That would be the most plausible, and also the most disappointing.

So what is that thing he's got in the 4th pic, a futuristic dirt devil?

gothweaver wrote:So what is that thing he's got in the 4th pic, a futuristic dirt devil?

I believe that is the device he used to jump start Jetfire in the G1 tv series.

Soundwave is amazing, looks to be the best MP to date. I can't wait to see him along side all of the MP tapebots. Definitely picking up any release this mold gets.

Red Alert isn't bad but I may hold out on him and SS to see what Hasbro has planned.

DevastaTTor wrote:Soundwave is amazing, looks to be the best MP to date.

No way man. Soundwave is amazing but not enough to surpass Grimlock or Prime (take your pick of MP 01, 04 or 10).

Stormrider wrote:

gothweaver wrote:So what is that thing he's got in the 4th pic, a futuristic dirt devil?

I believe that is the device he used to jump start Jetfire in the G1 tv series.

That thing took up his entire forearm. This is the energy scanner he used to locate the geothermal vent in "Fire On the Mountain" of the G1 show. Same episode in which he used Megatron in gun mode.

frogbat wrote:Ah these look good but I might skip.... The thing that kinda bothers me is that I'd rather see characters that were never given a good toy form.... Prime I understand (maybe not the 2 versions) and well grimlock is grimlock.. The other masterpieces... Rodimus, megs, starscream and co all had shitty toys and sorely needed decent homages.

The original sound wave toy was IMHO one of the best g1 toys as It was close to the cartoon.. This version doesn't bring much more to the table.. For the price I'd liked to have seen some mp3 playing gimmick or some proper mass shifting lol. Sideswipe though was a blockformer looked like his cartoon self in both molds, besides which the classics versions are very good.

Ultra Magnus and Galvatron... Now those would be masterpieces worth selling a kidney for..

i think you're missing the point of the masterpiece line.. they're more or less trying to recreate the cast of the transformers as they looked in the show. i'm sure magnus and galvatron will both be made at some point. and hopefully they keep getting released like this.. one large character, with two smaller characters all released at around the same time.. that way the collection can grow a little faster and they'll be able to get to everything that people want.

also, while generations sideswipe was pretty good, and G1 soundwave was pretty good.. they're still not in scale with the masterpiece line. i think you need to look a little closer at G1 soundwave and compare it to the photos of MP soundwave, MP soundwave brings a lot more to the table. accurate proportions, a much more accurate head sculpt, ridiculously better articulation.. i mean, try posing G1 soundwave with his figure pressing his eject button.

like everything, some people are going to like it, some people arent.

I know this is probably a stupid question, but I have to ask anyway. I only own one Takara TF figure and that is AM-12 Breakdown. I love this figure, but I'm not a huge fan of the stickers. It's not that I have to put them on, it's I fear for the longevity of them as some have already begun to pull away.

Anyway, my question is whether the Takara masterpiece figures are painted or do they come with stickers too? I MUST have that Soundwave, but I'm a little less likely to jump at it right now at the $170 price point if I have to put on stickers that probably won't last for very long. So, are the Takara stickers limited to the Arms Micron TF Prime figures? Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can make the best decision for me.

If Soundwave is painted, I probably won't risk waiting to see if Hasbro has a US release. Honestly, I don't know how they could improve upon him!

Rhinox23 wrote:I know this is probably a stupid question, but I have to ask anyway. I only own one Takara TF figure and that is AM-12 Breakdown. I love this figure, but I'm not a huge fan of the stickers. It's not that I have to put them on, it's I fear for the longevity of them as some have already begun to pull away.

Anyway, my question is whether the Takara masterpiece figures are painted or do they come with stickers too? I MUST have that Soundwave, but I'm a little less likely to jump at it right now at the $170 price point if I have to put on stickers that probably won't last for very long. So, are the Takara stickers limited to the Arms Micron TF Prime figures? Any help would be greatly appreciated so I can make the best decision for me.

If Soundwave is painted, I probably won't risk waiting to see if Hasbro has a US release. Honestly, I don't know how they could improve upon him!

I believe what appear to be stickers are actually molded into the figure's component parts. Optimus example; the insignia on his upper arm is not a sticker. You can throw him in a bath tub (which I would never recommend ), and nothing would come off. You will, however, short out the battery. Too much water, and the paint will start to peel.

Wolf-Spider

They almost have Red Alert down in the figure. They missed his arm guards and his spoiler isn't up at his back. They did get his shoulder wheels, for which I'm glad. I am surprised by the weapons locking to the roof lights. For the most part, they did a very good job.
Soundwave and Sideswipe: I'd get them if I could afford any of them.

Wolf-Spider

I do believe that Soundwave's right leg has an SD slot, speaker/headphone ports, and a real LED for the REC indicator.

With no audio controls, it's just detail, to modernize a giant tape deck.

Soundwave looks awesome! Definitely liking the metallic finish on the arms and legs