2014 Japan-exclusive toys: Masterpiece, Generations, etc

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Tue Jun 18, 2013 4:03 pm

That'd be a sight...a pumped up, MP Galaxy Convoy with that BLOCK Leobreaker as a hand!! Or an MP level Armada Convoy with the immobile Jetfire legs!!

The THS mould, while neat, really didn't do much over the larger version. Stability in combined mode was still piss poor, thankfully the wings and cannons were lighter and there were no electronics inside.

Funny thing about the poll, as expected, it's Japan-only. Moreover, you have to download a form, fill it out, and send it with some robot points from any TF you purchase [mostly masterpieces do that, right?].

numbat · Post by **numbat** » Wed Jun 19, 2013 8:26 am

Very glad I took the risk and ordered the Takara version of Metroplex now! The difference in cost was $30USD, but figured the likelihood was the Hasbro one would look cheap at the size, and Takara may look better but have QC issues... Fingers crossed for no QC issues!

Post by **Blackjack** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 3:17 pm

Masterpieces 20 and 21 revealed!

Wheeljack

and

Bumblebee

No images yet, though.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 5:22 pm

No nothing yet revealed, actually

Bumblebee raises all sort of questions, and BBTS are at best guessing the price. Is he going to be normal sized [as a car]? Is he going to be super deformed? If he'll be super deformed and shorter, is it really going to cost mid-MP level release price?

Bring on Wheeljack like there's no tomorrow though.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 6:56 pm

Yeh... putting aside licensing problems and that I'll never be able to afford these things I'd be torn on how the Minibots are handled. Would people rather have Sunbow-scaled guys that come to about the waist of the regular cars and have cutesified generic alt modes? Or would they rather have - say - a Cliffjumper who's about the same height as Prowl, less maybe a head, and turns into a similar-scale realistic vehicle (if not maybe a Porsche or a VW)?

Seeing as Takara still have such a hard-on for the G1 cartoon I'd say the former is more likely, but this could be interesting. If I was buying the things I'd probably prefer the latter; while obsessive scaling isn't 100% necessary it'd be nice if they weren't as obviously out of whack as the G1 cars & Minibots are with each other.

On the other hand it'll make the Minibot guys (presumably) more affordable, which'd be nice - I probably would spring for an MP Cliffjumper at half the price (and half the shipping cost) of a regular MP, and a lot of people would probably feel the same about Bumblebee, Gears, Brawn...

The Big Ragebowski · Post by **The Big Ragebowski** » Thu Jun 20, 2013 8:53 pm

Really looking forward to Wheeljack being released!! Now if only we can get an announcement for MP Mirage, Hound and Jazz as well!

Slayer-Fan123 · Post by **Slayer-Fan123** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 9:48 am

I want an MP Mindwipe. I don't care HOW popular he is; he's still a Transformer that turns into a bat and can hypnotize robots.

My more realistic choice would have to go to Jazz though.

numbat · Post by **numbat** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:46 am

I would love an MP G1 styled Bumblebee. A decent sized car and a robot mode a head shorter than say Sideswipe would suite me perfectly, but I'd be happy with whatever they turned out. I don't know how I'd feel about him being anything other than an old style VW Beetle though in the Masterpiece line, and from the Alternators debacle I really can't see how they could clear up the licensing issues for that.

Bumblebee was my first ever Transformer (I still have him too), and I have a huge soft spot for him. Never thought he'd be given the Masterpiece treatment though!

I look forward to pictures.

Ryan F · Post by **Ryan F** » Sat Jun 22, 2013 1:02 am

Yep, Wheeljack and Bumblebee are already preordered, sight-unseen.

Here's a thought: almost all of the MP figures thus far have had repaint value. AFAIK only MP Megatron hasn't had a secondary colour scheme thus far. Bumblebee could be repainted into Goldbug, Glyph and chrome gold G2 Bumblebee.

But Wheeljack? I just can't see it. I know there was a Diaclone Marlboro deco, but in this day and age I can't see that colour scheme ever seeing the light of day again.

So how do Takara cover their costs here? Shattered Glass Wheeljack? Black Nemesis Wheeljack?

If I had to choose, I have to say I really love Dead End, the rather garish WJ repaint in the Prime line. Any car that looks like it's just escaped from an explosion in a Stabilo Boss factory is okay with me!

Unicron · Post by **Unicron** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:00 pm

We're up to how many MP Seeker and Lamborghini releases now? It makes me think that they're using the profits from the molds with umpteen possible repaints to help subsidize the costs of less repaintable characters.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 9:14 pm

Ryan F wrote:But Wheeljack? I just can't see it. I know there was a Diaclone Marlboro deco, but in this day and age I can't see that colour scheme ever seeing the light of day again.

Yeh - wouldn't surprise me if there were copyright problems with using the Marlboro chevron even if they could rationalise it as no-one under 25 buying the things. Slicer? Armada (though IIRC he didn't even have the name in common in Japan)? DotM? He might just get something that looks cool (as an e-hobby style 'new' character with a head retool based on the Marlboor version maybe?) or a version with an alternate race number...

Or maybe they'll retool him as Tracks?

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 10:35 pm

There are moulds that still haven't been repainted; Megatron and Grimlock [bar the exclusive "comic" version] are largely untouched.

The seeker mould is the biggest cashcow at the moment, followed by the lamborghini. Even before release, the datsun mould is almost on equal footing with the lamborghini.

I'm sure that when the time comes, they'll repaint Wheeljack into something or somebody else.

They've nearly got enough bots out to do movie themed decos. Bumblebee with black stripes, a silver Sideswipe, Optimus with flame decos, maybe even a blue Wheeljack.

They do have enough to go on to. And mind you, each Lamborghini release so far is more than straight up repaints; Red Alert has retooled parts and a new face and helmet. Tigertrack has the Sideswipe body, the Red Alert face and unchromed amazon sushi spoons as accessories. G2 Sideswipe has a completely different head an extra stuff.

While still reuses of the same mould, they do manage to stay unique.

Cliffjumper · Post by **Cliffjumper** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 12:01 am

Comic Grimlock does put an idea in my head of what they could do; maybe make one version very close to the Sunbow model (cartoon head, the implified livery) and then a 'Real Type' style one more closely modelled on the Diaclone figure (toy-style head, accurate livery).

But TBH as said it could be that there's enough repaint potential in just about everyone else (Skids - Crosscut, the red one, ROTF; Trailbreaker - Diaclone variants and probably Hoist depending on how close they make Trailbreaker to the animation model; Tracks - Road Rage and the black one; Sunstreaker - red, police; Mirage - red version; Ironhide/Ratchet - black version, movie; Inferno/Grapple - Hauler, Artfire; Jazz - Stepper, G2 etc, etc - and all of this is without anyone actually thinking of anything new) that the odd mould which can't be used for much else probably won't do any harm.

Though another idea for Wheeljack would maybe be the BT/Alt scheme.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Tue Jun 25, 2013 9:20 am

Yeah, that works too. I don't know how TT manages their accounting on the figures [ie if they calculate the costs per mould or just across a line], but I reckon they made enough out of MP11, Sideswipe and the as of yet unreleased Prowl and co to fund a unique mould or two.

Post by **Blackjack** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:13 pm

Transformers Go! Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... Y5IdrgfXAA

Post by **Blackjack** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:26 pm

For some time Japan's been making G1 combiners sold with gum toys. We saw Silverbolt, Onslaught and Motormaster before, and each mold has two different robot and vehicle modes with slight kibble differences. (i.e. Vortex and Blast Off are basically the same molds with some parts replaced)

Pictures

Post by **Blackjack** » Fri Jun 28, 2013 1:40 pm

Transformers Go toys!

First up, their version of Smokescreen, sporting a show-accurate forehead and a new blaster weapon. Sadly and very unfortunately he does not come with the pointless Beast Hunter armor.
Smokescreen Robot
Smokescreen alternate

We also have Bakudora, a repaint of Ripclaw with a new head. And it is a beautiful colour scheme.
Bakudora Robot
Bakudora Dragon

Images from Seibertron, most of the toys from the cartoon here.

Black Abominus. Takara's 'regular' version of Abominus (named differently) has a decidedly non-G1 colour scheme.

Knightdramon · Post by **Knightdramon** » Tue Jul 23, 2013 8:09 pm

Update on the MP Poll...it's not closed yet [one more month] but Star Saber is #1, followed by Armada Prime and Dai Atlas.

Post by **Blackjack** » Thu Jul 25, 2013 8:39 pm

Not the monkey? Boo!

Although MTMTE made me really like Star Saber (even though he showed up in like three panels tops) so it's not really that big a loss.

Really, really hoping Armada Optimus doesn't get made. Although the inner robot is not a horrible design (the super robot looks ridiculous with those wacky yellow ears) I really want to see something other than the red-blue-and-faceplate. Dai Atlas... not as appealing as Star Saber, but not a bad design if they realize it properly.

Tetsuro · Post by **Tetsuro** » Fri Jul 26, 2013 2:21 pm

I would imagine that the choices do have a lot to do with "which ones are in desperate need of an update?".

I mean, Beast Wars onwards we had well-articulated toys which can still hold up reasonably well today, apart from Armada Prime of course, which is why I'm not surprised to see him in top three, not to mention with all the reissues/redecos/whatever of Primal, I can see why he didn't win.

The only surprise to me really is Dai Atlas, considering how precious little material he actually had a chance to appear in; one OVA and an issue of manga that was just an adaptation of the OVA and a bunch of story pages. Star Saber at least has a whole cartoon and a manga series to back him up.

Also surprised that Super Ginrai didn't win. I guess he isn't Convoy enough, but considering the winners, maybe he was TOO much Convoy even for the Japanese