ALL THINGS TRANSFORMERS!!!!

[thecorsair]

Thanks for the review Khai!

Alas it made me wish I hadn't pre-ordered MP 22. It looks fiddly as hell and apart from looking bad from the back in bot mode, I think the trailer looks atrocious in vehicle mode. I have no nostalgia for Magnus whatsoever, in fact I pretty much loathed the character when I was a kid and was on the fence about pre ordering but kinda got swept up in all the hype when it was announced. I'll wait until I have it in hand before making a final judgement but at the moment I'm really disappointed by it and it's looking ebay bound when it gets here.

I also don't like the new style of collector card and the instruction drawing too but I'm afraid that may be the style for the masterpiece line from now on.

The last Masterpiece with a fiddly transformation was Rodimus who was also designed by Hironori Kobayashi.

There's a pattern emerging....and not a good one.

I would like to see what else Hishashi Yuki can come up with.

I have no intrest in Star Saber as a character but his design is very clean and the proportions look good in all modes and despite it's many flaws MP05 is a miracle consdering it's 12 day deadline for completion.

 

[dedguy]

I don't own Magnus or Stack but after watching ben's reviews of both recently it's bizarre to me how complicated Magnus' transformation is. Stack and MP Magnus look very similar in both mods. It's largely just the detailing that's different. The proportions are very similar etc. Magnus just seems to be complicated to transform juts for the sake of complexity. It doesn't seem necessary at all. It also seems to have resulted in a figure with far less articulation in bot mode.

I don't want to turn this into a third party vs official fight. That's not what I'm trying to say. Stack has it's issues as well. I'm just using that as a point of comparison that Ultra Magnus doesn't have to be that complicated to still look right.

 

[Misterscruff]

I don't own Magnus or Stack but after watching ben's reviews of both recently it's bizarre to me how complicated Magnus' transformation is. Stack and MP Magnus look very similar in both mods. It's largely just the detailing that's different. The proportions are very similar etc. Magnus just seems to be complicated to transform juts for the sake of complexity. It doesn't seem necessary at all. It also seems to have resulted in a figure with far less articulation in bot mode.

For my money all Trakara's designers, whosoever is given the task, have to do is take the original toy and give it an update with modern technology. Much like Shogo Hasui did with MP12-21. Their beauty was in their simplicity and their trueness to the original source- the toy. Fair enough use the cartoon aesthetic for paintwork etc, but for god's sake keep the transformation simple.

 

[karamazov80]

I don't transform these guys very much, so the complexity of the transformation doesn't matter much to me.

 

[thecorsair]

dedguy, Misterscruff,



Being complex if there's no other option is OK because some characters don't translate very easily from an animation model that defied physics to real world toys but doing it just for the sake of it for me is always a mistake.

Hasbro found this out on the 2nd Bayformers line as they recieved lots of feedback from parents who said their kids couldn't transform various toys and quickly tossed them aside. Everything they've done since then has been noticeably simpler which has angered older collectors but they aren't the target market.

With the Masterpiece line being aimed at older collectors Takara don't have the same concern about making things too simple but Hasui had a perfect balance, not a single one of his Masterpieces were annoying to transform.

So far Kobayashi's one hit is Grimlock, which had a transformation that was very close to the original toy, with just enough added to make it feel new.

When Fans Toys do their Grimlock, they really don't have to change anything about the transformation from MP08, they just have to bulk him up and drop a couple of the gimmicks.

 

[dedguy]

I like Kobayashi's aesthetic I really do. But his engineering is just way too complex. He also did Binaltech Smokescreen, possibly the most infuriating to transform Transformer I have ever handled (I have yet to try to transform Rodimus though). I love clever transformation. I think FansProject's UUUU (Weirdwolf) is a great example of that. It's very clever and fairly complex but never frustrating or terrifying. The transforming process should be fun, not a hassle that makes you worry you're going to break your expensive toy.

 

[dedguy]

Got this guy for x-mas though he showed up a few days later than that.


FansToys Quakewave (Toy Dojo "Shackwave" Exclusive) by dangercorpse, on Flickr
FansToys Quakewave (Toy Dojo "Shackwave" Exclusive) by dangercorpse, on Flickr
FansToys Quakewave (Toy Dojo "Shackwave" Exclusive) by dangercorpse, on Flickr
FansToys Quakewave (Toy Dojo "Shackwave" Exclusive) with Masterpiece Soundwave by dangercorpse, on Flickr

 

[karamazov80]

Looks really good there. And a cool throwback to the Radioshack version I think?

I didn't realize I had the MP-11 Skywarp on order at BBTS and was charged. Not sure I need to upgrade, since he's probably the single least important character on my display, and just hangs out in the background.

 

[thecorsair]

I like Kobayashi's aesthetic I really do. But his engineering is just way too complex. He also did Binaltech Smokescreen, possibly the most infuriating to transform Transformer I have ever handled (I have yet to try to transform Rodimus though). I love clever transformation. I think FansProject's UUUU (Weirdwolf) is a great example of that. It's very clever and fairly complex but never frustrating or terrifying. The transforming process should be fun, not a hassle that makes you worry you're going to break your expensive toy.

The BT/Alt line was a nightmare for transformations and almost all the robot modes were poor but the cars looked good and even now some people prefer it to the Masterpiece line just because of the diecast on the BT releases, rubber tyres and the full car interiors.

Nice score with grey Quakewave. I agree with what you said earlier about the diecast as it would still have been a great toy without it but it's at least been put in a sensible place that helps ensure it stands up nice and solid.

 

[dedguy]

The diecast seems to make the forward backward movement of the ankle all but useless. It sits in whatever position the weight wants it to sit in and no matter how I try to balance it differently it just settles back to the same place. Not huge issue but sometimes just in standing poses it makes him have a tendency to want to lean a little farther back than I would like. No threat of falling over, just that he doesn't look quite right balance wise.

 

[thecorsair]

The diecast seems to make the forward backward movement of the ankle all but useless. It sits in whatever position the weight wants it to sit in and no matter how I try to balance it differently it just settles back to the same place. Not huge issue but sometimes just in standing poses it makes him have a tendency to want to lean a little farther back than I would like. No threat of falling over, just that he doesn't look quite right balance wise.

Mine is mainly kept in the pose from the old comic cover with "All Are Dead" on it but I have noticed a slight lean sometimes in other poses but compared with something like the MP01 mold which has way too much diecast it's pretty easy to work with.

I think diecast has been a good move for Hot Toys with their Iron Man figures, but it can be very hit & miss with Transformers.

It looks like my MP11 Skywarp is going to be in stock on the 13th. Early reviews have been positive and the color scheme is reminiscent of Henkei Skywarp

 

[karamazov80]

This shot makes MP11 Skywarp a tempting figure. How sweet these three look together:

 

[franpincho]

Looks really good there. And a cool throwback to the Radioshack version I think?

I didn't realize I had the MP-11 Skywarp on order at BBTS and was charged. Not sure I need to upgrade, since he's probably the single least important character on my display, and just hangs out in the background.

I thought the same thing, but I just don't like the old mold anymore.

Agreed that is somewhat non essential if you have the first version, and knowing there's no way you'll even get $10 for it..

But F it, they will look great together. Sucks that they don't come with a stand for the alt mode, when Thundercracker (Hasbro) included one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[koolkollectibleskhai]

Thanks for the review Khai!

Alas it made me wish I hadn't pre-ordered MP 22. It looks fiddly as hell and apart from looking bad from the back in bot mode, I think the trailer looks atrocious in vehicle mode. I have no nostalgia for Magnus whatsoever, in fact I pretty much loathed the character when I was a kid and was on the fence about pre ordering but kinda got swept up in all the hype when it was announced. I'll wait until I have it in hand before making a final judgement but at the moment I'm really disappointed by it and it's looking ebay bound when it gets here.

I also don't like the new style of collector card and the instruction drawing too but I'm afraid that may be the style for the masterpiece line from now on.

Hopefully you change your mind when you see it in hand. I think the trailer looks fine once all transformed. It's fiddly because it's just so damn big! LOL!! And I totally suck at transforming, particularly on camera, so dont go by my fumbly fingers as the way it really is

 

[dedguy]

The lack of being able to be flat footed drives me nuts in regards to the MP-11 mold.

 

[koolkollectibleskhai]

Here's my review of MP-21 Bumbebee. Got it so late since I ordered together with Ultra Magnus so got both in the one shipment! These two show some of the great engineering in both the small and large size figures!

 

[Misterscruff]

MP Skywarp does look good, shame about the silver stripes on the arms and the purple nipple rings, but not a deal breaker. Hopefully mine will be here in a couple of weeks. I had forgotten how awful the deco on the hasbro Thundercracker was, hopefully a Takara one is in the pipeline.

Another great review Khai! I didn't think I'd be quite so impressed with Bumblebee when I got it in hand, but it's as fantastic little figure. Has it's flaws like the pointless insignia reveal on the roof- why do that and yet still have a tampo on his bonnet? I know he had the insignia on the bonnet in the cartoon, but not in bot mode. I'd rather they'd tampoed his roof and left his foot bare. Still a fantastic piece of engineering though!

Applied an Autobot insignia to Brawn. Here he is with the rest of the series 1 Autobots.

 

[thecorsair]

MP Skywarp does look good, shame about the silver stripes on the arms and the purple nipple rings, but not a deal breaker. Hopefully mine will be here in a couple of weeks. I had forgotten how awful the deco on the hasbro Thundercracker was, hopefully a Takara one is in the pipeline.

Another great review Khai! I didn't think I'd be quite so impressed with Bumblebee when I got it in hand, but it's as fantastic little figure. Has it's flaws like the pointless insignia reveal on the roof- why do that and yet still have a tampo on his bonnet? I know he had the insignia on the bonnet in the cartoon, but not in bot mode. I'd rather they'd tampoed his roof and left his foot bare. Still a fantastic piece of engineering though!

Applied an Autobot insignia to Brawn. Here he is with the rest of the series 1 Autobots.
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Nice pics!

Agreed on Bumblebee's Autobot logos, but it's still an excellent toy considering the size and a fun transformation.

dedguy,
That bugs me about the feet on the MP11 mold as well, I also would have liked retooled faces for Skywarp and Thundercracker just to give them a bit more of their own identity.

EDIT
Takara designer Hisashi Yuki has Tweeted a pic of some initial sketches he's done of what appears to be Powermaster Optimus Prime

I'm rapidly losing faith in Takara.

 

[Misterscruff]

Nice pics!

Agreed on Bumblebee's Autobot logos, but it's still an excellent toy considering the size and a fun transformation.

dedguy,
That bugs me about the feet on the MP11 mold as well, I also would have liked retooled faces for Skywarp and Thundercracker just to give them a bit more of their own identity.

EDIT
Takara designer Hisashi Yuki has Tweeted a pic of some initial sketches he's done of what appears to be Powermaster Optimus Prime

I'm rapidly losing faith in Takara.

Thanks thecorsair, glad you like the pics. Brawny and Huff really do fit in well with Takara's MP cars.

Just had a look at Hisashi Yuki's design sketch. Maybe Powermaster Prime came second in the poll which Star Saber won and they decided to give it a go? I have no interest in a Masterpice of Ginrai, so I'd give it a miss as I have with Star Saber but I bet it would be popular in Japan.

 

[dedguy]

Ginrai did indeed come in second in that poll iirc.