Sighting and Pictorial Review of Transformers Masterpiece MPM 12 Optimus Prime
Monday, August 9th, 2021 2:46PM CDT
Categories: Reviews, SightingsPosted by: william-james88 Views: 40,519
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First off, let's start with the strongest part of the figure, and the part that really got me excited right out of the box: the robot mode. The robot mode on this figure is stunning. The detail is incredible on the mold. The wash effect across portions of this figure contribute to the detailing and molded in greeble, and produced a pretty spectacular effect the whole way around. It is a gorgeous looking robot mode, with a ton to look at.




The articulation department is frustratingly close to being spot on. The main issue is the head: it can basically only swivel, there isn't a lot of up and down motion to be had, and coupled with the darker eyes means it's hard to get him really looking at something above his chest level. He also really needed a knuckle joint on his pointing finger, but that's a more minor complaint in the grand scheme. Outside of that, the articulation is solid and he can pose it up pretty good.
The gun is pretty big and pretty neat, but it does have an issue where it can only be held in the normal hand to forearm position, otherwise it is not tall enough to clear the forearm for poses like the 2-handed gun pose, but you can still make do with the way the hands function to loosely hold the gun.



The matrix included is a nice touch, if a bit out of place considering Prime wasn't shown to have something like this. But it is neat and a nice touch to the overall package.

Transformation isn't too bad on this, it is mostly straight forward, and things are mostly going where you expect them to. The grill becoming the movie accurate back was neat.
But you can definitely tell this figure really focused in on that robot mode and not the alt mode. The alt mode is definitely the weakest point on this figure. The back seems too long, the wheel base feels too long from front to back wheels, and the area from the smokestacks on back just isn't that good. The alt mode definitely feels like a victim of budget cuts or trying to avoid over-complicating things. The gun storage is also pretty weak, but it is what it is.




So overall, this figure ain't bad. The robot mode is a rockstar that I would say is pretty near perfect, a 9 out of 10 at least. He just needed a little more in the head and hand position. Transformation is pretty involved but not stupid complicated. But the alt mode lets it down.
Overall, I'd say this is maybe a 7 out of 10? I don't want to be too harsh, but the alt mode is pretty disappointing in the back despite the badass robot mode.
I would recommend him though. The design is pretty good, and the robot mode has some mass to it and really plays the part.
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Posted by transformers_va on August 9th, 2021 @ 2:54pm CDT
I was just posting it as an FYI, for those members who were/are interested. It's not about taking credit...william-james88 wrote:Next time you post something like this, please give the source. Or else it seems like you are passing someone else's content off as yours (even if that isn't your intention).
Btw, too many times in past, submitting news (with sources) has been ignored by the site staff... perhaps it would be nice if staff changed their behaviour

Posted by primalxconvoy on August 9th, 2021 @ 3:44pm CDT
- https://youtu.be/LiaYDPRedWQ
The 3P or OSKO versions are not only better to look at, IMO, they're cheaper too:
- https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Transform ... 51KRNVMT3Z?tag=seibertron00-22&
(Btw, the link description (above) is wrong; it's not "Kingdom", but an OSKO, remolded version of BB Prime).
Posted by First-Aid on August 9th, 2021 @ 3:55pm CDT
Posted by jtanimator on August 9th, 2021 @ 6:16pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:I was just posting it as an FYI, for those members who were/are interested. It's not about taking credit...william-james88 wrote:Next time you post something like this, please give the source. Or else it seems like you are passing someone else's content off as yours (even if that isn't your intention).
Btw, too many times in past, submitting news (with sources) has been ignored by the site staff... perhaps it would be nice if staff changed their behaviour
Agreed. Its been a pretty common thing I've noticed and experienced.
Posted by primalxconvoy on August 9th, 2021 @ 6:45pm CDT
Also, I've found it a bit baffling how this site posts "fluff" articles ("The Top (INSERT NUMBER HERE) Best (INSERT ADJECTIVE HERE) Transformers' (INSERT NOUN HERE)."), but ignores when I have submitted perfectly good, recently added YouTube video links to them (and not amateur ones by channels with hardly any subscribers, either).
Posted by william-james88 on August 9th, 2021 @ 6:56pm CDT
jtanimator wrote:transformers_va wrote:I was just posting it as an FYI, for those members who were/are interested. It's not about taking credit...william-james88 wrote:Next time you post something like this, please give the source. Or else it seems like you are passing someone else's content off as yours (even if that isn't your intention).
Btw, too many times in past, submitting news (with sources) has been ignored by the site staff... perhaps it would be nice if staff changed their behaviour
Agreed. Its been a pretty common thing I've noticed and experienced.
If anyone wants to help out and volunteer as news staff, please contact zero wolf or me.
Posted by transformers_va on August 9th, 2021 @ 7:30pm CDT
Me too, I used to enjoy this site immensely, but sadly it's changedprimalxconvoy wrote:I would prefer to go mainly to Seibertron, rather than other sites.
If the existing staff were actually friendly, and didn't insist they are always right, and anyone who disagrees, is wrong... makes for crappy discussionswilliam-james88 wrote:If anyone wants to help out and volunteer as news staff, please contact zero wolf or me.

That being said, MPM-12 is looking fantastic in robot mode! Whilst his altmode isn't quite as nice, it's still an improvement over the long nosed OP with that stupid flame paint job

Posted by primalxconvoy on August 9th, 2021 @ 7:50pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:Me too, I used to enjoy this site immensely, but sadly it's changedprimalxconvoy wrote:I would prefer to go mainly to Seibertron, rather than other sites.If the existing staff were actually friendly, and didn't insist they are always right, and anyone who disagrees, is wrong... makes for crappy discussionswilliam-james88 wrote:If anyone wants to help out and volunteer as news staff, please contact zero wolf or me.Your staff is ACTIVELY telling people, if they don't like a particular toy/movie line, then don't join that thread... WTF is that?
I don't think this site is THAT bad. Both this and the Allspark are fairly friendly, right?
Posted by transformers_va on August 9th, 2021 @ 7:52pm CDT
Yes, it's not THAT bad, but it's definitely gotten worse throughout the years. The members are, on the whole, great people to converse with, but the staff could definitely be improvedprimalxconvoy wrote:I don't think this site is THAT bad. Both this and the Allspark are fairly friendly, right?
Posted by primalxconvoy on August 9th, 2021 @ 8:04pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:Yes, it's not THAT bad, but it's definitely gotten worse throughout the years. The members are, on the whole, great people to converse with, but the staff could definitely be improvedprimalxconvoy wrote:I don't think this site is THAT bad. Both this and the Allspark are fairly friendly, right?
Even at my most trollsome, the staff here have been far better than a certain, toxic, other TF site.
Posted by Burn on August 9th, 2021 @ 8:14pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:Yes, it's not THAT bad, but it's definitely gotten worse throughout the years. The members are, on the whole, great people to converse with, but the staff could definitely be improvedprimalxconvoy wrote:I don't think this site is THAT bad. Both this and the Allspark are fairly friendly, right?
Well, I did my bit to make it better!

Posted by DeathReviews on August 9th, 2021 @ 9:38pm CDT
Posted by Seibertron on August 9th, 2021 @ 11:55pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:If the existing staff were actually friendly, and didn't insist they are always right, and anyone who disagrees, is wrong... makes for crappy discussionsYour staff is ACTIVELY telling people, if they don't like a particular toy/movie line, then don't join that thread... WTF is that?
That shouldn't be happening. If it is, please contact me to let me know. We have a friendly site here with a wide array of opinions about what people like and dislike about everyone's favorite brand of transforming robots. Everyone is welcome to participate in our discussions as long as opinions are respected and people are courteous to one another.
Please understand that sometimes foreign members might here might not use English as their primary language and can sometimes come across harsher than was intended.
Posted by primalxconvoy on August 10th, 2021 @ 12:09am CDT
Posted by DEANO85 on August 10th, 2021 @ 1:10am CDT
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on August 10th, 2021 @ 12:45pm CDT
DEANO85 wrote:Here is my MPM-12 with MP-10 and MPM Prime
Seeing those three together really makes me think Bumblebee Prime is a direct combination of the two.
Posted by transformers_va on August 10th, 2021 @ 1:03pm CDT
Is it just the angle, or is MPM-12 that much taller?DEANO85 wrote:Here is my MPM-12 with MP-10 and MPM Prime
Posted by jtanimator on August 10th, 2021 @ 5:42pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:jtanimator wrote:transformers_va wrote:I was just posting it as an FYI, for those members who were/are interested. It's not about taking credit...william-james88 wrote:Next time you post something like this, please give the source. Or else it seems like you are passing someone else's content off as yours (even if that isn't your intention).
Btw, too many times in past, submitting news (with sources) has been ignored by the site staff... perhaps it would be nice if staff changed their behaviour
Agreed. Its been a pretty common thing I've noticed and experienced.
If anyone wants to help out and volunteer as news staff, please contact zero wolf or me.
This is my issue as well. Anytime anyone points out a clear issue or attitude the staff have, the only thing they retort with is "well if you're so critical, just join the staff and solve the issues yourselves". Most of us are not in a position to do so, but also enjoy a well updated fandom site for Transformers. That's the equivalent of some people arguing you can't criticize a movie unless you Make better movies yourself. its just a clear way of deflecting apparent issues. I love this site overall, but lately it's become really defensive and arrogant from some of the staff. Just my observation.
Posted by primalxconvoy on August 10th, 2021 @ 6:01pm CDT
jtanimator wrote:william-james88 wrote:jtanimator wrote:transformers_va wrote:I was just posting it as an FYI, for those members who were/are interested. It's not about taking credit...william-james88 wrote:Next time you post something like this, please give the source. Or else it seems like you are passing someone else's content off as yours (even if that isn't your intention).
Btw, too many times in past, submitting news (with sources) has been ignored by the site staff... perhaps it would be nice if staff changed their behaviour
Agreed. Its been a pretty common thing I've noticed and experienced.
If anyone wants to help out and volunteer as news staff, please contact zero wolf or me.
This is my issue as well. Anytime anyone points out a clear issue or attitude the staff have, the only thing they retort with is "well if you're so critical, just join the staff and solve the issues yourselves". Most of us are not in a position to do so, but also enjoy a well updated fandom site for Transformers. That's the equivalent of some people arguing you can't criticize a movie unless you Make better movies yourself. its just a clear way of deflecting apparent issues. I love this site overall, but lately it's become really defensive and arrogant from some of the staff. Just my observation.
At least we have the option of discussing the site, and being invited to join. Have you ever been to TFW? Their own rules demand that people cannot even question or criticise any aspect of the site or staff decisions in public. The senior mods there treat both the community and "junior" mods like dirt and the main parts of the forums have regressed into a toxic, f-bomb strewn "bro-party", with comments and themes that often break the site's own rules regarding appropriate content/language. Seibertron, by comparison doesn't seem to suffer any of that, right?
However, I do agree that just because we can't/won't join the staff here, doesn't mean that we shouldn't expect reasonable dialogue or change from those that have.
Regardless, is there a thread to divert (but not bury) this tangent discussion? I would like my inbox to be spammed by more talk about the Primus-awful MPM BB OP figure, please.
Posted by Jelze Bunnycat on August 10th, 2021 @ 6:56pm CDT
primalxconvoy wrote:Regardless, is there a thread to divert (but not bury) this tangent discussion? I would like my inbox to be spammed by more talk about the Primus-awful MPM BB OP figure, please.
Got an idea to improve Seibertron.com? Let us know, hidden in General Discussion. Not quite there, but still better than here. Or one could PM any of the staff

Posted by DEANO85 on August 10th, 2021 @ 9:20pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:Is it just the angle, or is MPM-12 that much taller?
No that's just the angle haha
Posted by First-Aid on August 10th, 2021 @ 10:20pm CDT
Posted by william-james88 on August 11th, 2021 @ 3:15pm CDT
jtanimator wrote:This is my issue as well. Anytime anyone points out a clear issue or attitude the staff have, the only thing they retort with is "well if you're so critical, just join the staff and solve the issues yourselves". Most of us are not in a position to do so, but also enjoy a well updated fandom site for Transformers. That's the equivalent of some people arguing you can't criticize a movie unless you Make better movies yourself. its just a clear way of deflecting apparent issues.
It's not, it really is not. And it's not like having to make a movie either. Unlike a movie, you have all the same tools we have at your disposal.
I am writing this here and it goes for everyone. If there is a story you want to share with us, you could write a post in the thread and write it similarly to how it would show up on the front page. So more than just a one sentence post saying "here's a video". You include the source, make it nice and finished, just like any front page article. You can then send us a message (link at top of the site and even in my signature) that you have written a post about something newsworthy. We will then publish it for you on the front page with your name and everything. There is 0 commitment to doing it daily or even monthly. Just do that when you want to help us and the community out.
Sabrblade does it, for instance, as do others like D-Max who did exactly that in this very thread in the last page, and we are thankful. You can too if you want. We can all work together to make this the site you want to visit.
Love you all!
Except for you MPM-12 alt mode, you I do not love.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on August 11th, 2021 @ 3:47pm CDT
If you spot something newsworthy, write the complete (as best as you can) article yourself. Then even if I am at work, doing some light editing and newsing the article under your name will be quite easy and effective.
We are all unpaid volunteers who does this for the love of the hobby after all.
Posted by ZeroWolf on August 11th, 2021 @ 5:39pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:jtanimator wrote:This is my issue as well. Anytime anyone points out a clear issue or attitude the staff have, the only thing they retort with is "well if you're so critical, just join the staff and solve the issues yourselves". Most of us are not in a position to do so, but also enjoy a well updated fandom site for Transformers. That's the equivalent of some people arguing you can't criticize a movie unless you Make better movies yourself. its just a clear way of deflecting apparent issues.
It's not, it really is not. And it's not like having to make a movie either. Unlike a movie, you have all the same tools we have at your disposal.
I am writing this here and it goes for everyone. If there is a story you want to share with us, you could write a post in the thread and write it similarly to how it would show up on the front page. So more than just a one sentence post saying "here's a video". You include the source, make it nice and finished, just like any front page article. You can then send us a message (link at top of the site and even in my signature) that you have written a post about something newsworthy. We will then publish it for you on the front page with your name and everything. There is 0 commitment to doing it daily or even monthly. Just do that when you want to help us and the community out.
Sabrblade does it, for instance, as do others like D-Max who did exactly that in this very thread in the last page, and we are thankful. You can too if you want. We can all work together to make this the site you want to visit.
Love you all!
Except for you MPM-12 alt mode, you I do not love.
-Kanrabat- wrote:True!
If you spot something newsworthy, write the complete (as best as you can) article yourself. Then even if I am at work, doing some light editing and newsing the article under your name will be quite easy and effective.
We are all unpaid volunteers who does this for the love of the hobby after all.
I can't stress enough what these two have said. While I sadly haven't been around too much due to IRL commitments, all the staff here are trying their best to make Seibertron the place we all want it to be.
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on August 16th, 2021 @ 7:23pm CDT
Having continued to mess with him, the robot mode was so clearly the target here, it is just so good and really tight. I wish the alt mode had gotten the extra budget it needed to be as good
Posted by transformers_va on August 18th, 2021 @ 4:10pm CDT
IMO, still MUCH better than MPM-4's alt mode.. that figure had so many gapping/tabbing issues.D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I wish the alt mode had gotten the extra budget it needed to be as good
MPM-12 doesn't appear to have the same issues, or at least my copy doesn't, he feels more solid, and the bot mode is fantastic!
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on August 24th, 2021 @ 6:33pm CDT
transformers_va wrote:IMO, still MUCH better than MPM-4's alt mode.. that figure had so many gapping/tabbing issues.D-Maximal_Primal wrote:I wish the alt mode had gotten the extra budget it needed to be as good
MPM-12 doesn't appear to have the same issues, or at least my copy doesn't, he feels more solid, and the bot mode is fantastic!
Oh robot mode is fantastic, of that there is no doubt.
I think the back of the truck is way too long and out of proportion. I think it looks worse than MPM4 because while that one had gaps in the truck hood area, this one looks weirdly long and the back wheels too small due to the proportions
Posted by transformers_va on August 24th, 2021 @ 8:51pm CDT
I agree with you about the length, and the truck/wheel proportions, but I can't overlook the gapping issues in MPM-4. The character is supposedly Masterpiece, and sold at Masterpiece price, but the quality just wasn't there. MPM-12 feels more solid to me, his tabbing is superior, and need I say again, his bot mode is fantastic! lol Also, after 15 transformations, I don't feel like any plastic will break (MPM-4 felt a little brittle imo)D-Maximal_Primal wrote:Oh robot mode is fantastic, of that there is no doubt.
I think the back of the truck is way too long and out of proportion. I think it looks worse than MPM4 because while that one had gaps in the truck hood area, this one looks weirdly long and the back wheels too small due to the proportions
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on September 19th, 2021 @ 7:23pm CDT




Posted by First-Aid on September 19th, 2021 @ 8:45pm CDT
Posted by EvasionModeBumblebee on September 22nd, 2021 @ 6:41pm CDT
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 22nd, 2021 @ 6:53pm CDT
EvasionModeBumblebee wrote:Can't find a common MPM thread, but we now have store exclusive listings for 2022 (same source as the other recent listings) - among the Target exclusives is a listing for an MPM Blackout!
An MPM Blackout would be VERY interesting... and surely expensive like MPM '07 Megatron at the very least.