Japanese / Asian market exclusives: Masterpiece, Generations, etc

[Denyer]

MP21G -- Goldbug G2 repaint of Bumblebee. Like this more than the yellow, personally.


http://i.imgur.com/tb9wNOs.jpg
 

[Unicron]

Is that a rocket pack and the g2 Autobot symbol?

And I agree, this does look better than the plain yellow
 

[Denyer]

Looks like a yes on both counts. The backpack would be a plus as I'd probably re-purpose it for Sideswipe...

Do still really like the Artfeather Goldbug though.
 

[Unicron]

Originally Posted by Denyer

Looks like a yes on both counts. The backpack would be a plus as I'd probably re-purpose it for Sideswipe...

That assumes it's got the appropriate design to attach to him (that or the obligatory 3rd party adaptor becomes available). Seems like Takara would design it so it would though. I also guess this is their solution to the potential too many exo-suit problem from various repaints.
 

[Warcry]

Originally Posted by Denyer

MP21G -- Goldbug repaint of Bumblebee. Like this more than the yellow, personally.

Nah, it's G2 Bumblebee. Goldbug has a much different head, it's blue and has a totally different shape. And he was in the cartoon, so they definitely would have done the remolding if it was meant to be Goldbug.

Definitely an improvement over the bland orangish original release, though. It's amazing the difference a new coat of paint can make. Not entirely sure I like it enough to actually buy it, but I'm not scoffing at the idea like I did with the original.
 

[Unicron]

In other news, Takara is doing another release of MP-10. Due out in/around May. Pre-orders are going up at all the usual places.
 

[zigzagger]

Re: MP-21G -- Usually not too crazy about chrome myself. Sans the Transmetals stuff, of course; those were fabulous. But this I kinda like. The gold is slightly dulled, so it's not as obnoxious per Takara's usual antics. Makes the mold just pop.

The limbs might be molded in a different shade of black, too.

Will have to agree; I prefer G2 'Bee over the original release.
 

[numbat]

Originally Posted by Warcry

Definitely an improvement over the bland orangish original release, though.

Were there issues with orange paint? My MP Bumblebee is yellow, and I have to say my favourite Masterpiece to date. Infact he's my favourite Transformer ever.

:-)

I like the gold version, but would only pay out for Goldbug.
 

[Denyer]

Originally Posted by Warcry

Nah, it's G2 Bumblebee. Goldbug has a much different head, it's blue and has a totally different shape. And he was in the cartoon, so they definitely would have done the remolding if it was meant to be Goldbug.

Oh yeah, there was a regular one as well as the Gobot, wasn't there...

They're going to get a decent number of mould reuses out of this with a new head or two.

I'm liking the G2 love, even if the most iconic one was done with Sideswipe.
 

[AndrewDTurnbull]

I chucked an order in with Robot Kingdom for this. The G2 homage made it a must buy toy. Though I would still go for an MP Goldbug toy further down the line.
 

[Warcry]

Originally Posted by zigzagger

Re: MP-21G -- Usually not too crazy about chrome myself. Sans the Transmetals stuff, of course; those were fabulous. But this I kinda like. The gold is slightly dulled, so it's not as obnoxious per Takara's usual antics. Makes the mold just pop.

Is it even chromed? It's really hard to tell in a picture this size, but it seems too flat to be gold chrome. I was thinking it might actually be a really nice gold paint.

Originally Posted by Denyer

Oh yeah, there was a regular one as well as the Gobot, wasn't there...

There was! It was one of the nicest Minibots IMO, though the chrome on mine has started to discolour a bit over the decades.

Originally Posted by Denyer

They're going to get a decent number of mould reuses out of this with a new head or two.

The list is pretty deep for this mold, isn't it? Aside from the original and this, there's Goldbug obviously. And red Bumblebee, which a lot of folks will buy as a Cliffjumper stand-in. Then Glyph and Bugbite, and I suppose there's a ton of Latin American decos too. So they definitely won't be hurting for ideas. But like Sideswipe, I doubt they'll put out all of them.

And that's before you consider the possibility that they might reshell the thing as Cliffjumper, Hubcap and Bumper, which is probably a 50/50 proposition.

Originally Posted by AndrewDTurnbull

I chucked an order in with Robot Kingdom for this. The G2 homage made it a must buy toy. Though I would still go for an MP Goldbug toy further down the line.

I almost did the same, until I saw the ridiculous shipping rates they were charging to Canada. I've gotten EMS quotes for similar-sized items coming from Asia that were less than what they wanted for bog-standard surface shipping that'll take the better part of a month to get here. No thanks.

I guess I'll wait and see what the price is when he pops up on Japanese sites before I decide whether or not I'm getting one. The G2 homage makes it pretty close to a must-have for me as well, especially since I already have G2 Sideswipe and those two were in my top-five favourite toys when I was little.

Originally Posted by numbat

Were there issues with orange paint? My MP Bumblebee is yellow, and I have to say my favourite Masterpiece to date. Infact he's my favourite Transformer ever.

Maybe it's just how he looks in pictures, but the colour looks closer to a block of cheddar cheese than the bright, cheery yellow that I'd expect from a cartoon-based Bumblebee. Of course, that's probably just me being picky on account of how many other good Bumblebee toys I already own. The more toys I own of a character, the higher my standards get for any new one.
 

[Unicron]

Originally Posted by Warcry

Is it even chromed? It's really hard to tell in a picture this size, but it seems too flat to be gold chrome. I was thinking it might actually be a really nice gold paint.

That definitely looks like a nice paint to me. Small pic yes, but it doesn't have the shine or reflectiveness I normally see on chromed stuff.

At least I hope it's paint and not actually gold plastic...
 

[zigzagger]

Well, uh... it's shiny anyway. So hush

Takara likes making shiny Transformers, often unnecessarily so. For once I like it. Guess that's what I meant.
 

[inflatable dalek]

For those tnat own it, how easy does it look that they could get a decent Goldbug out of this, complete with hood?
 

[Denyer]

Could possibly pivot the entire back roof piece around 180 degrees. Suspect it'd need a remould and be a bit fragile. Seems like it'd definitely work as a custom, though.


http://i.imgur.com/4izE113.jpg

Pic from http://chcse.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/...h-exosuit.html

edit:

Originally Posted by Warcry

The list is pretty deep for this mold, isn't it? Aside from the original and this, there's Goldbug obviously. And red Bumblebee, which a lot of folks will buy as a Cliffjumper stand-in. Then Glyph and Bugbite, and I suppose there's a ton of Latin American decos too. So they definitely won't be hurting for ideas. But like Sideswipe, I doubt they'll put out all of them.

And that's before you consider the possibility that they might reshell the thing as Cliffjumper, Hubcap and Bumper, which is probably a 50/50 proposition.

Could go for either Redbee or Hubcap, personally. I like the design enough but am pretty sick of the BB character / archetype (more what it's become than what it was originally) which is partly why I went for a 3P Goldbug and haven't been thinking about this current redeco as him.

Will still probably snag one of these if I see a good price or it gets knocked off.
 

[inflatable dalek]

I can see the hood working for GB, I'll probably wait for that (inevitability?) as I've always liked toys that feel like a gooooooooooooooold bug more.

I do have to agree with Warcry, in pictures, even of toys in hand like the one Denyer posted that haven't been photoshopped to buggery like the official ones, the colour just looks oddly wrong for Bumblebee. It should be a more vibrant yellow rather than the borderline orange, I don't think he's ever looked like that in any media.
 

[Warcry]

Originally Posted by Warcry

I guess I'll wait and see what the price is when he pops up on Japanese sites before I decide whether or not I'm getting one. The G2 homage makes it pretty close to a must-have for me as well, especially since I already have G2 Sideswipe and those two were in my top-five favourite toys when I was little.

That was quick...was able to preorder him at Anime-Export for around $15 less (including shipping, based on the estimates they give for the other MP cars) than what Robot Kingdom would have wanted.

I'm glad they lowered the MSRP from the first MP-21. Charging the same for this little guy as the full-sized cars was downright extortionate, IMO. The price for this version is much more reasonable.

Originally Posted by Unicron

That definitely looks like a nice paint to me. Small pic yes, but it doesn't have the shine or reflectiveness I normally see on chromed stuff.

Originally Posted by inflatable dalek

I do have to agree with Warcry, in pictures, even of toys in hand like the one Denyer posted that haven't been photoshopped to buggery like the official ones, the colour just looks oddly wrong for Bumblebee. It should be a more vibrant yellow rather than the borderline orange, I don't think he's ever looked like that in any media.

So I'm not going blind after all? That's a relief!

Originally Posted by Denyer

Could possibly pivot the entire back roof piece around 180 degrees. Suspect it'd need a remould and be a bit fragile. Seems like it'd definitely work as a custom, though.

They might make it a separate accessory too, like G2 Sideswipe's extra set of shoulder wheels.

I do wonder if this release says that they're not planning a Goldbug, though. With the wide swath of available colour schemes, I would definitely be a little bit surprised to see them do two that are so very similar, much like G2 Sideswipe made a Deep Cover much less likely. At the very least I'd expect to see a few other colours first.

Originally Posted by Denyer

Could go for either Redbee or Hubcap, personally.

The one that would really make me go nuts is G2 Hubcap, but something tells me that's taking things one step too far.

I am very curious to see if they retool this into a cutesy Porsche or Mazda, though. On the one hand you'd expect them too because it's cartoon-accurate, but on the other hand it would really go against the "fully realistic licensed cars" theme they've devoted a lot of energy to. I half-expect them go crazy and try to get cartoon Cliffjumper out of a real-world Porsche (which they could probably do, though I suspect it'd be a fiddly mess).
 

[Denyer]

Decided to give Anime Export a shot as well.
 

[zigzagger]

In other Masterpiece-related news, Takara's tweaking Exhaust's deco so as not to conflict with Marlboro's trademark.

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-...update-181864/
 

[Warcry]

If that's all it takes to satisfy the lawyers, I'm pleasantly surprised. It's not much of a change at all, really. Or at least, no more of a change than the original Exhaust deco was from the Diaclone toy.

Hopefully it means US buyers will be able to order the thing now.