Would you purchase a new MP Convoy & Starscream?

[GoktimusPrime]

Let's say TakaraTOMY were to release a new MP Convoy and Starscream with greater show-accuracy. Would you be likely to purchase these toys or would you be satisfied with the figures that you already have?
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/masterpiece%20optimus%20prime/masterpieceop_compar05.jpg

[llamatron]

MP10 is great but I would fall for a new one too. Starscream I think is in desperate need of a redo. Grimlock too.

[Sinnertwin]

Yeah,I would.

Just looking at those comparison photos, if TT could work their design wizardry & somehow find a way to hide the truck wheels on the outer legs and silver strip on the forearms, it'd be a pretty close representation. Perhaps incorporate flip out wheels ala MP Magnus?

The colour match to the cartoon would be quite easy to do. Then there's the 16 pack which needs shortening slightly, but that may be too much to incorporate with transformation.

[Jazzman]

I'd be keen... kinda liking the more 'toon accurate vibe that TT is taking

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

I'd be all in for a good Starscream, not having bought any since the Greenscream debacle. Yes, I'm still bitter about the change from the picture scan that came with Hybrid convoy ;)

But I'm happy enough with MP 10. The slavish cartoon accuracy isn't required in my books and could work against him, by making him look a bit plain.

I think Star saber is a tad on the plain side.

[prjkt]

I'm going to go with "No"

Already have Mp10 and very happy, and just dropped $65 on a preorder for the MP11 reissue

[Magnus]

I voted no. I'm pretty happy with MP10 and MP11.

Although I wish MP10 had a slightly bigger, solid rifle (I'm not a fan of the folding rifle) and I would've liked to see some of the aesthetics of MP3 on MP11 (my ideal MP Starscream would be largely MP3-based with some of the improvements of MP11), even if those were addressed, I don't see myself buying new ones.


Yeah,I would.

Just looking at those comparison photos, if TT could work their design wizardry & somehow find a way to hide the truck wheels on the outer legs and silver strip on the forearms, it'd be a pretty close representation. Perhaps incorporate flip out wheels ala MP Magnus?

I'm not sure if that would be possible on the current mould, as both the forearms and the legs don't have much room for such changes as they are: the forearms already conceal the hands, and there may not be enough space to have more plastic to fold and conceal the silver stripes without adding bulk to the forearms, which would then affect the proportions and possibly the transformation; and any rotating panels on the lower legs to hide the wheels inside would likely not leave room for the thighs to telescope in and out of the legs for transformation and still have solid, sturdy legs for the figure to stand with.

Seems to me like MP10 would have to be substantially reworked for those changes.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I voted no. Once you start with a + version of MP10 and MP11, you could keep going with MP12, 13, 17, 18, 19, 20 etc. etc. until the cows come home. I'd rather TT focus on bringing out new figures rather than rehashing old ones.

Let's not forget that some of the design decisions (Ultra Magnus' butt flap, Ironhide/Ratchet's hip kibble) ruins the whole point of cartoon accuracy. IMO no toy will be 100% cartoon accurate. You'll get a very plain looking toy with little detail.

I think TT should return to the original Masterpiece designs of balancing cartoon accuracy with real-world detail.

[Nevac]

MP11 should have been an entirely new mold instead of a retool the legs are seriously lacking in poseabilty compared to recent MP's it's too late to redo the mold with the last conehead due out anytime now I am DONE with MP seekers.

I might buy a new Prime if only to have him look better with Megatron but I really don't want to support more Optimus Prime toys as they hardly ever need an excuse to make a new one.

[ILikeSoundwave]

No, because I just bought the reissue of MP 10 & 11 when they went live a couple of weeks ago.

[prjkt]

I think TT should return to the original Masterpiece designs of balancing cartoon accuracy with real-world detail.

I agree. I've got a few of the car MPs, MP10, Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus, and those last two don't quite "fit in" with the other, more realistic MPs. From pic, Star Saber seems the same, more Gundam than TF in my eyes. But I guess that's due to the post 1986 movie toys being based on character designs, instead of the other way around....

[M-bot]

I would think I would fall into the "no" category... I utterly adore MP10, it's easily one of my favorite toys. And, after dropping waaay too much money getting a full compliment of MP seekers in the MP11 mould (with Dirge still to come!), I don't want to have to get the whole lot again in a new design, even if it is an improvement on the MP11 mould.

[DELTAprime]

I'm happy with MP-10 and MP-11 but since I buy every main line TT MP I'd probably get the new versions plus whatever Seeker repaints come from Starscream.

[hYpNoS]

As much as I like the animation accuracy approach I'll go "no", I preferred the amalgamation of animation accuracy with toy homages past mp's did, and mp10 was perfect all in all anyway

[Lord_Zed]

I think I'll go with unsure. It would really depend on what the new toy offers that the previous toy didn't, and how it stacks up first and foremost as a cool toy.

I'm a bit past the idea that I only need one version of a character and that's it, although at the same time returning characters do need to be something special to warrant a purchase.

One thing to remember with the MP line, is there will always need to be a version of Optimus/Convoy, Starscream etc readily available to people (without relying on the aftermarket). It's fine for us hoary old veterans to want Takara to fill out season one, but they will always be mindful of inducting new younger collectors into the line, at lets face it the gateway to MP collecting is always Optimus.

So I'm pretty sure Taktom will be re-releasing or remaking Optimus till the line ends.

[FatalityPitt]

I voted the 3rd option - Probably not. I'm pretty satisfied with my MP-11 Starscream, and I can't imagine another MP Starscream topping it... Unless it can talk.

EDIT: By 'talk', I mean it could have electronic sounds, like TR Fort Max, G1 Galvatron, or G2 Megatron. The electronic sounds shouldn't be limited to sound effects (shooting, 'swooshing', etc), but also include proper quotes - even if they're direct recordings from the 1980's cartoon. Man, I miss Chris Latta

[Omega Metro]

I'm happy with what I've got. And so is my wallet.

[Ode to a Grasshopper]

Yeah, sure. I don't have an MP Starscream yet, and I do kind of want one. A new mold/reworking would do just as well as MP11 for me.

[kurdt_the_goat]

Strictly speaking, they haven't done any same-scale v2s yet. You could argue Starscream is i guess... but not really (it's more like v0.5 since most of the changes originated with the first prototype).

That said, I think it's probably inevitable that new versions will come. The reasons from Lord_Zed are spot on I think.

I feel there's a lot that they could approach differently too - actually the cynic in me thinks they probably made a few decisions on MP-10 solely to leave that door open. Stuff like the odd transparent pieces on the groin, or overall proportions, detailed legs. Even his windscreens are quite different to the cartoon. Starscream is a 10 year old design despite the MP-11 updates so i think he could be done a lot better now, from scratch.

I love both MP-10 and MP-11 though and don't look forward to replacing them on my display. But if new versions can offer something unique and look good, I know i'll want them!

[DaptoDog]

I would buy both. In fact I've been debating whether I should open my Hasbro MP-10 for display but think I will just buy doubles whenever an Optimus v3 or + variant is inevitably released. As a completist I shudder to think about collecting v3 of the seeker mold.

[Megatran]

Lets pee everyone off & have a complete reboot again.

[GoktimusPrime]

I'm not sure what TakaraTOMY could do to significantly improve on existing MP figures. Cosmetic/aesthetics aside, MP10 isn't really an improvement over MP1 - IMHO MP1 is still the better action figure between the two. MP1 is just jam packed with so many awesome gimmicks and features which MP10 simply lacks. Obviously MP10 was simplified because it also comes with the trailer/combat deck and Roller Car - MP10 is a better all-rounder. MP11 has a better robot mode, but MP3 still has a superior looking jet mode. MP36 looks to have a much better looking robot mode, but MP5 still has a better looking gun mode. So in each of these new incarnations there is some level of trade off rather than an absolute improvement.

I suppose boils down to whether or not you feel that the new figure is a big enough improvement over the previous version to warrant getting it or not. I've preordered MP36 because while the gun mode doesn't look as good as MP5, the improvements in every other aspect of the figure makes it worthwhile. But I know other collectors who disagree and aren't interested in MP36 (it hasn't pre-sold out yet on PC).

But MP5 was always a figure that had room for improvement, so it's not surprising that a new MP Megatron would offer a lot more than the original. MP1 and MP10 are both great figures and it's hard to improve on these figures beyond just aesthetics. The whole new MP Seeker mould might be interesting, as we know that there are issues with Kawamori's MP3 design, some of which MP11 has inherited too. But unless a new rebooted MP is on the disparity level of MP5 v MP36, then I'm likely to just skip it. I might get the mould if it's repainted as a different character - e.g. I never got MP11 Starscream or the redecoes as Skywarp and Thundercracker, but I did get MP Acidstorm and Sunstorm. So if they made a new MP Starscream I'd probably skip it, but I might get it if it were repainted as a blue Rainmaker (I hope that TakaraTOMY names it "Blizzard Storm" (don't really care for the Hasbro name (http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Bitstream_(G1)))), Nacelle or Hotlink.

[UltraMarginal]

I'm not sure if that would be possible on the current mould, as both the forearms and the legs don't have much room for such changes as they are: the forearms already conceal the hands, and there may not be enough space to have more plastic to fold and conceal the silver stripes without adding bulk to the forearms, which would then affect the proportions and possibly the transformation; and any rotating panels on the lower legs to hide the wheels inside would likely not leave room for the thighs to telescope in and out of the legs for transformation and still have solid, sturdy legs for the figure to stand with.

Seems to me like MP10 would have to be substantially reworked for those changes.

I agree, it would be a complete re-design to achieve that sort of 'cartoon' accuracy.



I think TT should return to the original Masterpiece designs of balancing cartoon accuracy with real-world detail.

I completely agree with this, and I think they have kept to that even with the more recent toys like Inferno, it's just the ones like Hot Rod and Shockwave that don't have real world alt modes that have really been pushed further to animation accuracy than the rest in my opinion. I think the rest, Magnus included have been pretty well balanced. The 'realistic' alt mode lends a lot of credence to the 'robots in disguise' feel of the Masterpieces.




I think my answer is Maybe. I wasn't going to buy much of the MP-11 mould but I've managed to buy 3 versions at least. Sunstorm, Acid Storm and Starscream. I really do much prefer the alt mode of the original version over the new one. I'm also getting all 3 of the coneheads.
If they did design a new version that removed a lot of the faults of both existing designs and also maintained the superior alt mode design I might buy more. It would have to be priced competitively though.

I also agree with Gok that I think the original Masterpiece Prime design was brilliant. I can see where the MP-10 design is 'better' but I still love the original, I do find it a bit too heavy for it's own good though. The visible pistons, opening forearm panels, motion controlled leg vanes all contribute to a spectacular toy.

I don't think the MP-10 Mould is different enough from the styling of the rest of the line to justify replacing with a more 'screen' accurate version. A new Masterpiece prime would have to be an outstanding design to top the existing two.

[DELTAprime]

I'm not sure what TakaraTOMY could do to significantly improve on existing MP figures. Cosmetic/aesthetics aside, MP10 isn't really an improvement over MP1 - IMHO MP1 is still the better action figure between the two.

Without starting yet another "MP1 IS THE GREATEST MP EVER!!!" argument I'd like to register my objection and say I completely disagree and I'll leave it at that.;)

[Kranix]

Nope, I have both and I'm happy with them. I dont feel that the aesthetics of the new figures is that different either. While I would have liked more paint on Starscream, my only real annoyance is the non matching faction tampos on the seekers.

[Kranix]

Without starting yet another "MP1 IS THE GREATEST MP EVER!!!" argument I'd like to register my objection and say I completely disagree and I'll leave it at that.;)

I really dislike MP1, to me MP10 is the perfect Prime.

[GoktimusPrime]

Without starting yet another "MP1 IS THE GREATEST MP EVER!!!" argument I'd like to register my objection and say I completely disagree and I'll leave it at that.;)
Both MP1 and MP10 are good toys in their own different ways. As I said, I think that MP1 is the better action figure but MP10 is the better all round toy. MP1 has a plethora of features which MP10 lacks - the pistons, hydraulics, finger and mouthplate articulation, light up Matrix chamber, working suspension in both truck and robot mode (including articulated shin vents which fold out as air is compressed with each footstep) etc. And just for fun, have a look at this stop motion using MP10 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn9OZqiMKb0&t=99s) and this stop motion using MP1 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alDP12wEE5c) (disregard the waist bending forward, that was customised by the animator).
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/masterpiece%20optimus%20prime/masterpieceop18.jpg
But MP10 also has many redeeming features overal MP1. As UltraMarginal said, MP1 is too heavy for its own good. It also has a pathetically weak grip on its rifle, whereas MP10 can hold its rifle quite well. MP10 also has a much nicer looking truck mode and it has the IDW accurate gimmick of being able to fold its rifle and stow it in the back (although it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I like it). And of course, MP10 comes with the trailer/Combat Deck, Roller and Spike, whereas MP1 is just the robot/truck cab with a cardboard trailer. MP4 did come with a trailer, but not Roller or Spike, hence why I previously said that MP10 is the better "all rounder." MP4's trailer is to scale with Binaltech/Alternators (1:24), whereas MP10's trailer is scaled with MP Cars.
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/masterpiece%20optimus%20prime/masterpieceop20.jpg
Whether you prefer MP1 or MP10 comes down to personal taste (hence why I was careful to say "IMHO" - I'm stating an opinion, not a fact), and that's fine. But what I'm saying is that neither MP1 nor MP10 are definitively better or worse than the other.

[CaminusPrime]

for Mp optimus i think MP10 is fine, if anything they could perhaps do some other models as they did for beast wars primal.

As for an updated seeker, i think because all the different styles have been done on this mould its not really needed. rather see the time be put into a different character

[GoktimusPrime]

Just out of curiosity, how many people here would consider purchasing a redecoed MP32 Optimus Primal made accurate to his appearance in the theatrical movie? Aside from giving a whole new colour scheme (e.g. no fur grain tampograph (just smooth polished dark grey), more toy-accurate shade of non-metallic blue etc.) and include an interchangeable robot chest (the alternate one with Primal's Matrix opened (http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/1/12/PrimalLeadershipMatrix1.jpg)). But then, the robot chest isn't designed to be detachable so they may need to retool it more to make it so. They may also require interchangeable hands as Movie Primal has blocky robot hands in robot mode, but rounded organic looking hands in beast mode. And then there'd be the Burning Beast Convoy repaint (http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/images2/9/9f/FlashBurningConvoy01.jpg) - although Burning Beast Convoy's hands are rounded robotic hands (more like the typical hands seen in the G1 cartoon, whereas the regular one's hands are more like Ultra Magnus')
http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y227/goktimusprime/Transformers/Masterpiece%20Optimus%20Primal/beastconvoycompar_zps0pegzphn.png

[DELTAprime]

If it was MP-32-B or something, no. If it was MP-37 or something I would feel I have no choice because I own every main line MP except the hideous green Starscream.

[Paulbot]

I don't like either MP Starscream toys. The second one is better than the first but the experience with him told me I did not want to buy it five more times in different colours and wing configurations. A superior new Starscream might convince me to buy a Thundercracker and/or Skywarp repaint - although I might keep the current Starscream.

As for Optimus, I like both so far. MP01 was extremly remarkable toy of it's time and is still very well designed. MP10 though is great in may ways. If a new one was pretty good I'd definitely consider it too.

[drifand]

Voted yes for both depending on price and colour.

It's simple TT/hasbro stuffed up both mp-10.
I have now mod the TT eyes and smoke stacks because chrome is just coming off. If anything the translucent yellow pieces with screw hole should be eliminated . There is nothing really real about Optimus in real world despite is based on a official truck. Change gold to solid yellow on the hands .
Give me my one piece riffle back without folding gimmick. Have the top lights painted and non painted changeable . Full articulated fingers would be nice but as it is , is OK
Detail the grey parts of his legs, colour the Windows blue. Done

Alternately do a metallic collectors version with all premium materials, I buy it because is the leader and you show case him. You can't have realistic if TT is just going bare plastic. Annoying as it is Eva mp-10 wins as a properly done mp-10.

Starscream just paint in white. Done no need to remould. Depending on price I may not care as much as he is no longer leader of decepticons from next year June .

Yes I have both hasbro and TT mp-10 and I know it's just plain wrong in so many ways. Not saying is bad but it never won me to collect mp toys when they made him. Once I have changed TT version eyes it took a lot of my hate off the figure. I can at least display him looking better.