2014 Japan-exclusive toys: Masterpiece, Generations, etc

Figures, collectables, customs and collecting.
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

Rack 'n Ruin wrote:Some Masterpiece Prowl news: I had an email alert set up with TRU UK to tell me when the Prowl was in stock (don't judge me, I know it was listed at a terrible price!). Today I had an email to tell me the product is now discontinued. Make of that what you will...
If there's any right in this Universe it's probably indication that Hasbro UK realized they are standing on the top of their head on the floor and peeing on their faces with that retail price and just decided to ditch it.

Which is probably sad news for the two people that wanted a (quite possibly) toned down product on local shelves for a bit more than it would cost them to import it halfway around the world.
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
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pegasusprime
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Post by pegasusprime »

star saber in color
http://i.imagefra.me/35bjswz7
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Denyer
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Post by Denyer »

Is that a digibash?

Not really interested, personally, but for those who like him it's nice that they're following retro styling rather than making the sculpt too busy.
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pegasusprime
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Post by pegasusprime »

yeah based on promotional art of the original toy
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Skyquake87
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Post by Skyquake87 »

That's a bit of a bummer about Prowl - doesn't bode well for any future western releases of the MP cars.

On that note, how nice is MP Wheeljack in vehicle mode?

Not much in those pics from the Tokyo toy show thats of appeal to me. The 'Cloud' versions of Rodimus and Shockwave (repurposed from Gen Springer and Whirl) kind of work. Rodimus works with the mould, although its a shame that no further retooling a la Sandstorm has been carried out. That Whirl mould just doesn't work as Shockers for me.
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Tetsuro
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Post by Tetsuro »

Notabot wrote:Awesome. He's both outdated and ugly. And expensive too? Suh-weet! On the plus side, you can get games for him at pawn shops for only a dollar!
I bet at least 40% of his pricetag is made up of that stupid 2GB USB memory they insist on using, when you could easily get a 16GB one for the same kind of money.

In fact, I wonder how hard it would be to swap it out for a better one. In the other hand, I'm pretty sure a 2GB one could still easily hold the entire Genesis/Mega Drive game library.

Well, except for the Sega CD titles.

Maybe.
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

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numbat
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Post by numbat »

Pretty cool, but what I really want is a Generations Metroplex size transforming Scorponok... Especially for $500!

New sale thread added with a range of Transformers including Masterpiece, Botcon, CHUG, RID, Movies etc.

Looking for MP-11T Thundercracker and MP-9 Rodimus v2 (Takara version with as few QC issues as possible).


Check out my new sale thread now!

Also items on eBay.
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Blackjack
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Post by Blackjack »

That is so ridiculously massive! At Ultra or Leader size I would be sorely tempted, but at that size and price? Pass.
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

Welcome to the world of Japanese high-end collectibles, friends :lol:

On related news, one in-box image of MP Wheeljack.

No, don't be too happy, he's been delayed to September. 20th of September. A month's delay.

Which might work in -my- favour, as this way he can be shipped with MP Bumble in November. Hlj has a 60 day holding limit for in-stock items.

Maybe it's just me or the angle, but does WJ's box look taller than Sideswipe's?
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Unicron
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Post by Unicron »

Knightdramon wrote:Maybe it's just me or the angle, but does WJ's box look taller than Sideswipe's?
Looks to be a trick of the perspective. Though if it is taller, it's only by a tiny bit
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Tetsuro
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Post by Tetsuro »

I'm just disappointed that Optimus Prime transforms into the original PS instead of the SNES, but I guess they just couldn't work out a license for that one.
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Here are a couple of Takara designer interview translations:

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-new ... ce-180877/

http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-new ... ce-180888/

Mostly about Masterpiece stuff... some interesting tidbits in there.
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Knightdramon
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Post by Knightdramon »

Kobayashi as well

Very rough rundown

Everybody thought that MP05 Megatron was a Kobayashi design, it's actually a Hisaki Yuki design---and he had a deadline of around 2 weeks to do it!

Yuki brought in to design MP Star Saber---a dream job of his as he wanted to do that since he was in high school or something. Was brought in because Shogo Hasui was too busy with Wheeljack and Bumblebee.

Kobayashi on MP22 Magnus and the line from now on. Magnus has lots of die-cast. Very excited to be on Magnus.

All 3 make a distinction between MP "real car" line and "future of MP". Seems like there's indeed a schism between the smaller releases and the bigger releases. Bigger releases are on to do something exciting/new.

Combiners? Move on from G1? Who knows?

Then of course there's the usual damn fanboys who whine and bitch over Kobayashi taking over Magnus, which was, apparently, Hasui's "baby".

If it wasn't for interesting tidbits here and there, I don't think I'd bother reading anything from this fandom any longer :lol:
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Clay
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Post by Clay »

Lots and lots of pictures from the TF Expo from TFW

Nice displays of every toy from every year from 1984 to about 1995. More interesting are the prototypes on display, including the original Torca sculpture, the aborted Binaltech Porsche Jazz, and early mockups of G1 figures like Rodimus Prime and Sixshot.

Most significant of all is part of the steel casting mold for Optimus Prime himself! It seems to be the mold that makes all the chrome pieces. Best I can recall, this is the first public display of a master mold... ever?
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Cliffjumper
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Huh, I thought it was absolutely impossible for Takara to have any idea what or where a mould is at any one time and we were a bunch of idiots for even suggesting otherwise.

I'd kill fifteen people to own that cityscape diorama playground. Sixhsot's mock-up looks better than the final product, doesn't it?
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Warcry
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Post by Warcry »

Cliffjumper wrote:Sixhsot's mock-up looks better than the final product, doesn't it?
A little, but not nearly as much as Rodimus does. Much more imposing, leader-like proportions on the first prototype than the finished product.

I guess they went with the second one because the first one's trailer doesn't look like much fun to play with, but really it's a shame they couldn't have carried on with the original robot design.
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Tripredacus
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Post by Tripredacus »

Similarly surprising are the non-Japanese releases in that display, such as Jetfire.
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Post by Notabot »

Cliffjumper wrote:Huh, I thought it was absolutely impossible for Takara to have any idea what or where a mould is at any one time and we were a bunch of idiots for even suggesting otherwise.
Actually, they weren't aware that was a mold. They were just using it to keep the papers still and were surprised when people were excited about it. True story.
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Post by Cliffjumper »

Tripredacus wrote:Similarly surprising are the non-Japanese releases in that display, such as Jetfire.
I dunno... they're easy to import and I think the Japanese fans realise how weird and stupid the release schedule for the early toys was for them. The Japanese fandom basically seems to think that the first two years of American Transformers - toys and cartoon - were perfect and treat it like gospel. It's Western fans who get all hung up on the purple gun being Laserwave and Dirge being a mailaway.
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