Toy Review - MP-33 Inferno

[philby]

i really like it so far but I have to say the legs in particular are just too plain. This line is supposed to be bringing the best of both toy and cartoon aspects, not only one over the other.

[GoktimusPrime]

Recent MPs have been slavishly cartoon accurate. It's what fans have been pining for for years. I personally agree with you completely though, but I can't blame TakaraTOMY for essentially giving the fandom what they've been asking for. It's a shame that their online feedback survey is still geoblocked. I hope that our Japan-based members are still diligently filling it out (so they get at least some feedback from AU fans). I wonder if I've chucked out my little white slip of paper with the survey code, cos I might take the time filling out the survey in my hotel room when I'm next in Japan. Hhmmm... Still, we've all been able to access their online survey for years before it was geoblocked.

[philby]

I love that they made Ratchet and Ironhide in that shape and not the original toy design. I think they go too far to looking just like the cartoon and they end up bland however. It's silly to me. For me I guess I want the cartoon overall proportions and movement/articulation, just not the plainness. Why do they look plain and simple in the cartoon? I'm assuming because it would take too much time and money to add in all the details! Why limit the masterpiece series like that? Eh. Stupid fans

[GoktimusPrime]

Why do they look plain and simple in the cartoon? I'm assuming because it would take too much time and money to add in all the details!

Not really. The early G1 episodes were animated by Toei Doga which is based in Kyoto. They also animated series like Lightspeed Electroid Albegas, Dragonball Zed and many more. The reason why the G1 cartoon designs were simplified was a deliberate decision from Sunbow's design supervisor and internet troll, Floro Dery. There were actually earlier animation models created by Takara's Kohara Shouhei which were used for early toy commercials, but Dery rejected those designs in favour of his own simplified ones. Just look at the differences between Kohara's and Dery's designs for G1 Sideswipe.

Why limit the masterpiece series like that? Eh. Stupid fans

Therein lies the flaw of democracy.

The funny thing is that MPs started with the complete opposite design philosophy. If you look at MP1 that toy is hyper-detailed. Hydraulic pistons on every joint, air-pump activated shin vents, working suspension on the wheels and ankles, individually articulated fingers and faceplate, foot articulation (not ankle, foot!) etc. -- the list goes on.

Another possibility is that Mitsubishi may not have been so fussy with the Fuso FT fire engine, allowing TakaraTOMY greater freedom in making the vehicle more G1 show-accurate, thus stripping away a lot of the detail granted by the vehicle mode. Other MPs may be relatively more detailed because their vehicle companies wanted more accurate looking vehicle modes (as a condition of their licences), thus then in turn added more detail to the robot modes. Companies like Nissan, Lamborghini, Corvette etc. were obviously more precise in wanting their vehicles to be portrayed in accurate detail. Even VW were quite picky considering that MP Bumblebee even sports VW logos on his hubcaps! Cos yeah, if Mitsubishi were more insistent, then MP Inferno's vehicle mode at least would look a whole lot more better than Super Fire Convoy's Hino Branbilar fire engine mode.

That's not to say that Mitsubishi don't care about any of their vehicles being accurately portrayed in toys per se, but possibly just not when it comes to vehicles that aren't available for sale to the public like their Fuso FT fire engines and cranes. It might be different if it were a commercial vehicle like the Fuso Canter or HSR III (although the odds of an MP Hydradread is highly unlikely ). So it may be a case of TakaraTOMY having wanted to bring more cartoon accuracy for quite some time, but their ability to do so being influenced by vehicle companies.

[drifand]

I love that they made Ratchet and Ironhide in that shape and not the original toy design. I think they go too far to looking just like the cartoon and they end up bland however. It's silly to me. For me I guess I want the cartoon overall proportions and movement/articulation, just not the plainness. Why do they look plain and simple in the cartoon? I'm assuming because it would take too much time and money to add in all the details! Why limit the masterpiece series like that? Eh. Stupid fans

Not stupid fans, silly tt do not know how to define what is masterpiece. Split the line properly and you can milk as much and keep everyone happy.

[Smint]

I like the cartoon aesthetic because how often do you get a toy transformer that is literally ripped from the cartoon. For me the image i have of transformers is the G1 cartoon. For TT to recreate that feeling and have all the modern engineering and cool accessories is a good thing.

As a kid when I first saw the original toy Iron Hide I wondered why it looked so different. I couldn't even process it at the time that it was nothing like Iron Hide and it was freaking ugly.

Details are nice but add too much and you no longer have the G1 nostalgia effect.

I've really enjoyed some of the recent releases in the MP line. Especially the changes with the accessories. We went from exclusive shoulder cannons for the datsuns which i freaking hated, to TT doing multiple faces, stands, weapons all in the box.

[GoktimusPrime]

I like the cartoon aesthetic because how often do you get a toy transformer that is literally ripped from the cartoon. For me the image i have of transformers is the G1 cartoon. For TT to recreate that feeling and have all the modern engineering and cool accessories is a good thing.

And from that perspective we can see that toys like MP Inferno are perfect. This toy really feels like Inferno has just jumped out of your TV screen!

Details are nice but add too much and you no longer have the G1 nostalgia effect.

I don't entirely agree with this as it's highly dependent on one's perspective. You have to remember that the toys came first and are therefore the original source. Many of us started collecting these toys before they appeared in the cartoon and thus have greater fondness for the original toys. Also, some other G1 sources also used more G1 accurate artwork, such as Marvel UK artist John Stokes etc. Not everyone followed Dery's simplified design. Even the G1 cartoon occasionally blended more toy-accurate features, such as the more angular and detailed helmet and face, whereas in other episodes animators stuck to Dery's simplified rounded helmet and face, as can be seen in this side-by-side comparison. This is probably why MP Inferno comes with changeable helmets and faces because even the G1 cartoon inconsistently switched between the Dery and G1 toy designs. For those of us who were exposed to the G1 toys first, we literally saw characters like Inferno transition from high detail to simplification. Okay, in cases like Ratchet/Ironhide, the cartoon design was a definite improvement because the original toys weren't the greatest. But the original G1 Inferno toy is just beautiful, and the slavish cartoon accuracy steps away from that.



Of course, from a cartoon-likeness fan's (like yourself) POV, I can see that MP Inferno must be an absolute delight for you. Don't get me wrong, I still love MP Inferno and I think that he is still a wonderful toy regardless of our opinions about toy vs show accuracy. But I concur with Philby that a hybrid toy-show design (taking the best from both worlds) might've been nicer. But this toy is still bloody fantastic nonetheless.

I've really enjoyed some of the recent releases in the MP line. Especially the changes with the accessories. We went from exclusive shoulder cannons for the datsuns which i freaking hated, to TT doing multiple faces, stands, weapons all in the box.

The good thing about these accessories is that you can opt in or out of them. Don't like the Nissans' exclusive shoulder cannons? Don't use them. I personally prefer Inferno's toy-accurate chrome grill over the toy-accurate flat grey ones, so I'm only ever going to have the chrome grill attached. Likewise the toy-accurate angular helmet and face. But others can choose to have the Dery/Sunbow-accurate grey grill and broad/simplified helmet and face. It's cool that TakaraTOMY give us the option to customise these toys according to our tastes and spoiling us for choice.

[Robzy]

Inferno is oustanding. I love the cartoon look. I want them go re-visit Starscream and make him more toon accurate

[Smint]

The good thing about these accessories is that you can opt in or out of them. Don't like the Nissans' exclusive shoulder cannons? Don't use them. I personally prefer Inferno's toy-accurate chrome grill over the toy-accurate flat grey ones, so I'm only ever going to have the chrome grill attached. Likewise the toy-accurate angular helmet and face. But others can choose to have the Dery/Sunbow-accurate grey grill and broad/simplified helmet and face. It's cool that TakaraTOMY give us the option to customise these toys according to our tastes and spoiling us for choice.

The way i see it with the accessories is they should be included. They went to the effort of engineering amazing articulation why not add the accessories. They just add so much play value to the toy. What better way to take advantage of the articulation by giving him a different expression or 2 guns or a fire hose or blue print etc. So much fun.

The thing with the shoulder cannons is its not like TT officially sell them separately. And i mean we're already paying a premium price can you not just include 2 pieces of plastic so i can complete the look. Make some other exclusive accessory if they have to.

I never collected the comics and it looks like the art work and comics were never consistent anyway. I dunno. I assume most G1 fans would associate the G1 look to the G1 cartoon which was generally basic looking.

I like that they made two helmets for Inferno, based on the two designs in the cartoon. That i feel is going the extra mile and showing TT understands the audience. The audience being G1 geeks who are sometimes very anal about these things lol. But such a nice touch anyway.