More pics! Featuring my G1 metal plates Prime and some Diaclone pilots because why not.
Yes
Only if cheap
Only if (something else)
No
Not even interested
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
More pics! Featuring my G1 metal plates Prime and some Diaclone pilots because why not.
Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
I know a guy who was carefully transforming his MP-44 and the ratcheting in one of the knees broke on him.He says that it doesn't affect the functionality of the toy, but it seems that the knee joint is now more like a friction joint (similar to MP Hot Rod) than a ratchet joint. Still, given that this is - right now - the single most expensive Transformer toy ever, I think it's rather disappointing for it to happen. This guy's MP-44 also has a faulty hip joint.
Many of us were critical about Studio Series Shatter and Dropkick (Car Type), and rightfully so. As $35 Deluxes they really should be better. As a $675 toy I would expect this new MP Convoy to have better production quality than what I'm hearing.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
P.S.: I recently had a chance to muck around with the sound gimmick. On the figure I messed with there were ONLY voices from Genda Tessho, no voices from Peter Cullen.Originally Posted by GoktimusPrime
I know a guy who was carefully transforming his MP-44 and the ratcheting in one of the knees broke on him.
Many of us were critical about Studio Series Shatter and Dropkick (Car Type), and rightfully so. As $35 Deluxes they really should be better. As a $675 toy I would expect this new MP Convoy to have better production quality than what I'm hearing.I wonder if the video that people saw where the toy had Cullen's voice might've been the Hasbro version.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Not that you’ll ever read this....P.S.: I recently had a chance to muck around with the sound gimmick. On the figure I messed with there were ONLY voices from Genda Tessho, no voices from Peter Cullen.
Long press changes modes
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Omg brilliant! I can?t wait to try it on my MP44!
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Thanks for clearing that up, I couldn't work it out on mine. Now I love this figure even more.
Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Absolutely love these G1 comparison shots.
Rank 8 - Deluxe Member
Here's my review:
VEHICLE MODE:
The cab is a lovely realization of the cartoon model. The cab section itself is pretty much flawless from all angles. The trailer hitch section is definitely not the cleanest we've seen on a G1 Optimus, but it manages to provide a low profile which very few Optimus' have achieved. I'll touch on it a bit more when I get to the transformation. There are couple of red panels hanging off of the bottom which just clear the ground; wish there was more clearance for these. Everything is either painted or chromed which provides a premium feel to it.
I like the inclusion of the tail lights, which turn into the heels in 'bot mode.
Again, the trailer hitch section looks quite messy, although it does have a proper hitch. The ion blaster can be folded up and stored via a sliding mechanism here, but I prefer to store it in the trailer.
With the trailer attached, I instantly forgive the messy hitch section (the trailer covers most of it now anyway). This is unbelievably cartoon accurate. They nailed the proportions, which the lower profile of the hitch section certainly helps. When I handle this thing it brings back memory of the cartoon Optimus and somehow also the G1 toy all at the same time, which I never experienced with MP-10. It's magical.
Taking a page from Soul of Chogokin, TT gave us an ingenious way to store the majority of the accessories. The bottom of the trailer slides out, and it has pegs and slots purposely designed to securely hold these accessories. I love it.
The blue armatures underneath the trailer swing out (which have the same mechanism as MP-10 to lower as they are swung out), and the trailer opens up just like you would expect. There're metal strips along the sides, on the ramp and the back of the trailer doors (also on the back of the battle stations, for when in repair mode when the trailer is upright, which I forgot to take a photo of..)for the human figures to stand on via the magnets on the bottom of their feet. I love this feature. A great nod to the Diaclone pilots.
The main new feature in trailer mode is the now detachable command center/anti-air turret. It has flip out wheels and has multiple configurations, one of which is for it to be towed by or combine with Roller. This is a ton of added play/display value which I do very appreciate. The command center still can be configured in the same ways when the trailer halves are closed ala the original G1 toy and MP-10. The human figures are nicely articulated for their tiny size, although the execution is quite poor. Some joints are really easy to pop off and it seems like it's a common issue.
TRANSFORMATION:
Whether you like it or not suffice to say it's quite a ground breaking transformation for a G1 Optimus, and coming up with something new and different to MP-10 was exactly what the designers set out to do. The first time around I didn't really like the leg transformation, where a lot of small panels need to be shuffled around. But just like MP-36 Megatron, after a couple of transformations, you start to get the flow of it and it becomes exponentially easier. There're still a lot of steps, but I can do it quite fast either way now and have really started to enjoy it. Here I wanted to specifically touch on the trailer hitch section again:
The anime shape of the 'bot mode legs in the cartoon is obviously very different to the flat hitch section. MP-1 and MP-10 sort of side stepped this issue altogether by having the bulky legs directly become the hitch. A couple of 3rd party attempts offered interesting ideas. TW's Studio Ox- inspired not-Optimus had an ingenious leg transformation, but the back of the leg was flat due to the source material being more toy accurate than the cartoon itself, so that was less of a challenge. The more recent TE's not-Optimus managed to pull off the taper shape legs in 'bot mode, and a flat and low hitch section in truck mode; but that leg transformation did not need to incorporate mass from the cab! So, back to MP-44, the leg transformation essentially pulls off three thing at the same time:
-flat and low profile trailer hitch section in truck mode;
-cartoon accurate leg proportions in 'bot mode;
- and conceal rear wheels and the sides of the cab section in 'bot mode.
Looking at it this way, I can completely forgive the messy hitch section. I also do think transferring part of the cab mass into the legs is an absolute stroke of brilliance. For starters, this completely frees up the arm engineering to allow for slimmer, and more organic looking sculpts, which imo is really underappreciated here on MP-44 compared to very square TE not-Optimus.
'BOT MODE:
This is a killer 'bot mode. The first time I held it in my hand it almost brought a tear to my eye. It's so accurate and so full of life. I've always said sculpting a Transformer figure is no different to sculpting any other action figure, it is an art form. There's something that TT do in their sculpts that just lend life into these MP figures. The backpack is not nearly as obtrusive in person as the pics made it look. And the inclusion of Peter Cullen's voice alone absolutely justifies the inclusion of the voice box. Although the side and back of the legs look quite panel-y, I do very appreciate that they got the tapered shape right.
The S1 and S2/The Movie head sculpts. Both are exceptionally done.
Couple of ways to store the ion blaster in 'bot mode. The second option uses the same sliding peg as trailer mode storage.
Articulation has become a staple of the current MP line, and MP-44 has taken it to a new height. Like a lot of people have commented before, this thing is better articulated than the majority of dedicated action figures AND can transform. I've collected a lot of the top action figure lines from S.H.F., Figma, to Super Action Statue, etc. and can attest this is no hyperbole. Prime's got pretty much the same set-up as MP-36 Megs. With the additional double shoulder butterfly joint, and a side to side abdominal joint (both should be a first on a Transformer afak).
I do however think the ratchets in his thighs both front to back and side to side have too much give in between clicks, which make him less fluid to pose than MP-36.
I haven't any issue with the knee ratchet joint so far, but I did have a look at the mechanism and agree with the consensus that this looks to be a poor design choice, and definitely should've been addressed at the prototype stage.
Speaking of issues, I've had a little bit of paint chipping here and there, most due to parts getting into contact with each other briefly. I understand paint on moving parts is difficult to maintain intact, but I do think Bandai's paint durability is much better than TT's. All of the SOCs I own have much more durable paint than my MPs.
At last, Megs has a worthy opponent. They look awesome together.
The obligatory energon axe vs mace battle.
He looks so good with Megatron both having the battle damage parts on.
Comparison with MP-10. I still love my MP-10, but as soon as I had MP-36 in hand I knew he would not be my definite MP Prime anymore.
The jet pack is designed to fit on Sideswipe too.
The Starscream head and intakes are another set of accessories that I didn't know I needed but am glad they included. That head sculpt is sooo good. Bring on the new Seekers!
With his fellow Autobots. The Hasui era 'bots look more and more out of place unfortunately.
OVERALL:
My top 3 MP alongside MP-36 Megatron and MP-41 Dinobot.
He's not cheap, and I feel very lucky to be able to afford it. Objectively, he's probably not worth it, but I do appreciate the inclusion of all the extras with the tons of play value built into the trailer. Subjectively, he's the definitely G1 Optimus Prime for me, so price is sort of irrelevant.
Last edited by doublespy; 16th September 2019 at 07:14 PM. Reason: fix typo
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
Cheers! Appreciate hearing that.
Yeah, I have to agree. Having the figure in person I notice so many details and features that help justify the cost, but even so, it probably is still overpriced - but not by much!
I still prefer this figure to MP10 and would buy it again and again and again.
Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.
Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
I've had a play and transformation in the past two days:
The Good: Robot mode is just stunning and without a doubt the best bot mode of MP Optimus so far. I've always preferred a balance between real world detail and cartoon accuracy, but the colours just pop out and the profile just looks so much better. The ability to transform and leave clean lines is a testament to the engineering involved. Little touches for the trailer like storage for accessories, a different ramp system and all the things you can do with the trailer/base show they didn't want to just regurgitate a previous design, even though they could easily have done so.
The Bad: Yeah, the price probably was the most difficult thing to swallow. For the price you paid, at least throw in some damn batteries to test the voicebox feature (with Hot Toys you pay a premium but at least batteries are included) Including some pointless accessories *cough* Starscream head* just made it feel like TT were having a bit of a laugh at our wallet's expense. Some choices in materials, like the soft plastic for the head antenna, seems like a poor decision as it has resulted in a curve effect which I don't think is supposed to happen.
The Ugly: This solely exists on mine, but the trailer is missing a stand which help keeps it upright. It's not the big blue ones which swing outward, but the dark grey one at the front which swings down. Not detrimental but disappointing given the price paid.
The neutral: No knee issues with mine, I immediately picked up on the double jointed knees and was careful. I'm sure there's a reason why there needed to be a double joint as it seems to be a first. In terms of transformation, yes, it is somewhat complex but certain parts were intuitive and 99% of the time everything felt like it fit together. The figure does punish you however if you haven't transformed something exactly to within the right millimetre. For example, I couldn't get the chest windows to close after inserting the matrix, and had to redo the matrix chamber transformation stage to make sure it was a snug fit.
Overall, it's a great figure. I'm carrying it around the house as I'm enjoying how it looks so much...something I haven't done for a while. I don't feel any buyers regret. But goddamit I swear this is the last MP cartoon Optimus I will ever get.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
