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Maz
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Post by Maz »

Many thanks, I really appreciate the kind words!

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Maz
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Post by Maz »

MakeToys MTRM-05 Wrestle (Masterpiece Grapple) FULL review and Gallery now live!


Square One: MakeToys MTRM-05 Wrestle (MP Grapple)


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Post by numbat »

Brendocon 2.0 wrote:Thought it was Porsche but wasn't sure.

Have just done some Wiki-Fu and apparently they're owned by VW anyway, so hopefully it'll all be good.
Makes sense - hopefully that means we'll see Masterpiece Jazz and Cliffjumper down the road!

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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Maz
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Post by Maz »

Having been in the making for something like 4 years, a hefty lead time even for the most sedate 3rd party release schedule, Mastermind Creations’ Reformatted R-11 Seraphicus Prominon is ready to be released. The Moritorus Sovereign, as the box calls him, is almost an amalgamation of characters from the Aligned continuity and the IDW universe of Transformers going by the aesthetics of the core robot and the armoured bot respectively. Whether that was the designer’s original intention or not is another matter, but that’s certainly how it appears when each element is studied individually. First teased in 2012, MakeToys have since released Hypernovae who references the same character, but MMC finally unleash their own version, which at around $200, is not exactly a cheap alternative. Let’s see if it was worth the wait and the cost.

MMC Seraphicus Prominon | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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Post by another tf fan »

Jesus I thought that thing came out years ago
Come on and wind me up.
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Maz
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Post by Maz »

Has there ever been a greater case of pre-release doubts being so comprehensively crushed by in-hand production toy as with TakaraTomy’s MP-27 Masterpiece Ironhide? Actually yes, look at Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee etc, so it’s not uncommon for us to get the wrong impression from TakaraTomy’s stock Masterpiece photography. Ironhide’s a very interesting case. As a character he’s huge and unforgettable, voiced originally by the revered Peter Cullen, but it’s almost as if his original Generation 1 Transformers toy being such a disappointment to many cast a shadow decades wide over his associated toys. MP-27 puts those disappointments to bed in comprehensive fashion and takes an impressive shot at becoming the definitive G1 Ironhide toy of our lifetimes.

MP-27 Ironhide – The Best Masterpiece Yet? | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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Post by Brendocon 2.0 »

Looking at that group shot, Gundog still looks a bit too big comparatively in vehicle mode.

Obviously I know that's the vehicle size necessary to make the robot the same scale as the others, but I probably could have coped with Hound being a shade smaller than the others, if only to add a bit more variety in the line-up. I mean if you look down a line of soldiers, they're not all bang-on 6'.
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Post by Maz »

Mastermind Creations, under the guise of Masterpiece-focused Ocular Max branding, have introduced a sub-line into that sub-line! The Remix line begins with RMX-01 Jaguar, a figure that homages the Generation 1 Decepticon cassette Ravage. Now why bother launching a line with something already covered by the official TakaraTomy Masterpiece collection? For a start, not everyone seems to share my high opinion of MP Ravage, it's true to say some actually dislike the figure thoroughly. While the MP Ravage is scaled to a micro cassette like the original G1 rendition and fits inside MP Soundwave's chest, Ocular Max believed that it was too small in kitty mode. Their reasons for developing this product are for a better experience in transformation and posing, as well as scaling with other associated Masterpiece figures like Soundwave in jaguar mode. For the moment, this has been offered as a Planet Steel Express exclusive.

Square One: Ocular Max Remix RMX-01 Jaguar

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Post by Maz »

Masterpiece MP-28 Hot Rodimus is almost upon us. A new Masterpiece Hot Rod. The build up to this figure’s release has been a mix of anticipation and divided opinion. As with most new Masterpiece moulds, as a fandom we have pored over the prototype and promotional images from every angle, analysed every possible flaw and possibly already decided which side of the fence we stand on. The previous TakaraTomy attempt at the definitive Hot Rodimus/Rodimus Convoy was MP-9, a figure riddled with issues – issues unique to every version and release of the mould. This MP-28, therefore, has a great deal of hope and pressure riding on its shoulders as a majority of the fandom still crave that perfect Masterpiece Hot Rod, a character whose place in Transformers lore is up there with the likes of Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream thanks to Transformers: The Movie from 1986. Having never owned MP-9 Rodimus Convoy, in a way I needed this MP-28 to be definitive even more, as an MP-9 is out of my range these days.

Masterpiece MP-28 Hot Rodimus | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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Post by Tetsuro »

Maz wrote:Having never owned MP-9 Rodimus Convoy, in a way I needed this MP-28 to be definitive even more, as an MP-9 is out of my range these days.
MP-9 is out of the range of a guy who buys boxed G1s? Just how much is he worth these days?
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Post by Maz »

Tetsuro wrote:MP-9 is out of the range of a guy who buys boxed G1s? Just how much is he worth these days?
MP-9 in the condition I would want it, and not one of those dodgy loose ones on eBay, is about £120 upwards. I haven't paid three figures for any of the boxed G1 you've seen me write about on my blog(s) in the past year.


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Post by Tetsuro »

And you can probably buy most of them in local circles so you probably get better deals than you would on ebay, to say nothing of international shipping - which is something that puts me at a significant disadvantage when trying to get mine in auctions.
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Post by Maz »

Not really, I was lucky in that one local collector was selling a very very well preserved set of Transformers in package and he didn't want a lot for them, so he's sold a lot of what I have written about to me. The rest I have had to buy from abroad on eBay and while I haven't quite gone over 3 figures, I came close.

Plus "Out of my range" doesn't mean a single purchase. Just because I can spend £100 on a vintage G1 Doubledealer doesn't mean I am going to spend it on dinner, or a night out or in this case MP-9. I've prioritised the money I have available to me, and actually I have not bought a Transformer since mid December. I've had either review samples or pre orders that finally came into stock that I paid for last year.


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Post by Skyquake87 »

MP Hot Rod looks like one of those toys that's way better in hand than in pictures. I can see there's some good stuff going on there, but the robot mode does look a bit pap on the face of it. And that is mainly down to the huge flap of bonnet that looks way too flat to be interesting.

In conclusion: Say what you like about the Classics mould, its still the best 'update' of Hot Rod we're likely to get. It seems he's a character that's just that bit too tricky to get right. Unless you repaint the Generations Springer mould...
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Post by Knightdramon »

More or less fully agree with the review article, Maz.

My figure is in transit and should hopefully arrive by Wednesday, but I can confirm my feelings are similar without having it in hand yet.

Transformation looks nifty and I love the multiple locking points, but the chest is odd-looking and the proportions look like an homage to Animated Rodimus moreso than G1 Hot Rod.

Briefly on the topic of "how much are you spending/why is item X making such a difference if you can afford item Y"...

I find myself budgeting for figures, "sacrificing" other things when there's more than one figure coming per month, or selling off older or unwanted figures to pay off a new one.

The fact that I purchased an 150 or so GBP Nova Prime from MMC does not mean I freely spend that money on a whim or that I even have that much money saved up for figures at any time. Counting pre-orders and purchased figures, I've [technically] bought five figures from January to April. That's exactly half as many figures as I bought in 12 months last year, and it worries me because I'm slowly getting disinterested in figures altogether.

Sometimes a high-end figure is the exception to your spending, not the norm. Just because [again, using my example] I spent 150 pounds [or thereabouts] on a figure once does not mean that's my casual spending price or that I didn't feel the brunt of it, psychologically more so than personally speaking [ie "did I really spend that much on a toy?"]

So from this perspective, I can see where Maz or anybody other with that mentality is coming from :)
Few stuff in the UK to trade/sell. Measly sales thread.
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Post by Denyer »

Hot Rod's looking good the more pics are out there, although not to the extent that I'm looking to pick one up before seeing it in person. Ditto Tracks, happy to hold out until a black version or at least an easily available toy face appears. They're both characters I like the original era figures of, and I think that's part of it... those already scratch the itch and are close to being perfect (or at least "good enough" for my taste) as is.

edit: Nobody likes feeling ripped off with pricing irrespective of whether they can afford it... and I don't think collecting to make "sets" of things is a good idea either, although I still do it occasionally with things like the FP Highbrow and do get some stuff with the intention of displaying with particular other figures.
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Post by Maz »

I have already written articles on the importance of discipline, occasional sacrifice and priorities in Transformers collecting on this blog, but I feel things have changed enough recently to warrant a second look at how I collect. Before it was a case of maybe choosing the toy lines and styles I liked, collecting those and cutting back on impulse or peripheral, tangential toy purchases. Now, it is becoming hard to even collect all the moulds – never mind repaints – of the same line. So, it’s time to focus.

Focus! | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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Post by Maz »

Headmasters, Targetmasters, Powermasters. The Transformers gimmick juggernaut powered on through 1987 to 1988, bringing us the first reincarnation of Optimus Prime, a smaller range of Headmasters and Targetmasters (smaller toys, too) and introducing us to the concept of Powermaster-activated transformations. While Takara in Japan really broke off at a tangent and introduced Super God Masterforce, the Hasbro range of Headmasters (Takara versions referred to as Headmaster Juniors) – especially the Autobots – evolved into a slightly different concept compared to their legendary 1987 predecessors. This week we look at Autobot Headmasters Siren, Nightbeat and Hosehead together with their Nebulan partners. You can also have a look back at our previous articles on 1987 Autobot Headmasters, Targetmasters and Monsterbots as well as 1987 Decepticon Headmasters, Headmaster Horrorcons and Targetmasters for some background on the ‘New Direction’ Transformers went in that year. With the imminent Transformers Titans Return toy line set to feature 1988 Headmaster characters among others, what better time to revisit the original inspiration?

1988 Autobot Headmasters | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ

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Post by Tetsuro »

So how much DID you end up paying for the boxed Nightbeat?
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Post by Skyquake87 »

Hmm...I do think these three Transformers toys in particular were a harbringer of the cost cutting ugliness that the line turned into at this point. They're just poor, even as a kid I thought these looked horrible and cheaply constructed. The plastics feel weak and of a lower grade than earlier TF toys (something the Pretenders are also guitly of) The smaller Decepticon Headmasters Squeezeplay and Horribull were decent, though. Whats worse is the screws and pins and so on used from this era until around 1991 - they all rust so quickly, leaving even a reasonable condition toy of this vintage looking horrible.

The smaller and simpler idea wouldn't get any better until Micromasters showed up.
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