Toy Review - Masterpiece Convoy Ver 3.0

[GoktimusPrime]

Some more comparison pics, this time including the truck mode, trailer and Roller

Truck mode comparison (yeah, I forgot to shorten MP1's smoke stacks, oops)



I personally find Mk III's truck mode to be quite dull looking and just not as visually attractive as MP10's. But I get it, it's cartoon accurately plain. That's the whole point of it - just like the Siege Rainmakers. And other recent MPs like Ratchethide, Grapferno, Sunstreaker etc. have also been deliberately plain looking. Heck, even MP36 (I still prefer MP5's gun mode). But this toy is meant to look like the cartoon made real. Quite frankly if you prefer a more detailed and decorative looking truck mode, stick with MP10. But if super cartoon likeness is your thing, then Mk III was made for you. Aesthetics aside, my main criticism of this mode is the incredibly low clearance meaning that you're likely to scrape some part of the underside while rolling the toy. On the plus side, I am really impressed with the overall look of the truck cab. The front (red) section of the cab doesn't really show much robot parts at all; it's all quite nicely covered up by panels. Okay, you can see some robot parts from the rear, but compared to MP1 and MP10 it's actually the most realistic looking of the trio. It's not just a pair of robot legs sitting at the back of the truck, which - let's face it - is what the previous two MPs do. Yeah, MP10 does make some attempt to change things up with the shin panels folding in, but it's not like this. Here we can see that a concerted effort has been made to really thin out the rear section of the truck cab. The hip panels become vents and you can see a realistic looking hitch for the trailer. The feet are also reduced to look more like a tail section with tail lights rather than just big chunky robot toes. While I think MP10 overall has the best looking truck mode, those ridiculously chunky legs have always been the weakest point of that mode. And bear in mind that the legs end up absorbing a good chunk of the truck; not only the rear section, but the entire sides of the cab including the fuel tanks all fold and tuck away into the legs. Including the rear wheels which are incorporated into the legs and not just covered with panels like MP10. And amazingly enough MP44 looks nearly seamless in both robot and truck modes. I mean, you can obviously see the seams, but the sit so flush and the glossy paint finish really helps to conceal them. It's a far cry from MP36 Megatron whose seams seem more visible (although in MP36's defence it is significantly harder to make a gunformer than a truckformer).

Comparing the back of the trailers.


Robot mode comparison with the early Season 1 head




Comparing Matrices





The handles on the new Matrix does have die-cast metal handles. Unlike MP1 and like MP10's Matrix it doesn't open. Unlike both of its predecessors, the central orb isn't made from transparent plastic, but is rather a solid piece that is painted metallic electric blue. It still looks suitably bright and one advantage is that it still looks bright while plugged into the chest chamber. You can see in the comparison shot with the chest open but with no flash that MP44's is the only one whose Matrix core shines brightest, while MP1's and MP10s look dull (although MP1's chamber does have a light that can illuminate it). I personally still really like how MP's Matrix actually opens.

Comparing Combat Decks & Rollers



My least favourite thing about MP10's trailer is how there's nothing to secure Roller in place, and as such he's prone to jiggling around, especially when Convoy is in truck mode. The new MP trailer addresses this by having a port at the base of the tower that Roller's rear prongs can actually peg into. And MP10's Roller can peg into this too! The connection is strong enough that Roller won't fall out if you lift the Combat Deck up vertically. The Combat Deck also has magnetic panels which allow Spike, Carly and Sparkplug to attach too via the magnets underneath their feet. The internal sculpting is amazingly toy-accurate, even with the "GO!" sticker arrow sculpted near the exit ramp! I also really like how the tower has extendable/retractable faux-missiles, allowing it to look toy-accurate with the missiles out or show-like with the missiles retracted.

Thanks to Tha_Phantom for allowing me to fiddle with his MP44

[Tha_Phantom]

Thanks for sharing those pics and your thoughts, Gok. Now for mine!

Overall thoughts. Very well engineered, first two transformations were understandably difficult but I'm slowly getting the hang of it. I did have some issues tabbing the sides of the truck in, but you get there in the end. Beautiful sculpting all over, although the deco is very plain so as to be cartoon accurate, I can see that they've molded in extra details that will be highlighted on eventual redecos (you can bet MP-44+ will happen). The articulation is off the chain, I don't think there is any room for improvement and no, the knee issue is not a thing. I can't work out how people broke theirs, it seems that they really must have been being rough or going out of their way to do it, since when I bend the knees the top ratchets want to bend first and are then followed by the bottom ratchet, nothing scary about it. I love how the pelvic area folds in and away as you move the legs up, kind of like an auto-morph, whereas in past MPs they would be flaps that go outwards as you move the legs. Things like wheels, etc are well hidden in the bot mode, it really looks fantastic from every angle, backpack is a bit big I guess, but it also holds a voicebox feature. Aside from it's size it doesn't compromise the toy in any other way like past sound gimmicks have. Regarding the supposed antenna issue, mine look fine, there is a slight curve but it is symmetrical on both sides and follows the contour of the head, so not sure what people are upset about.
The trailer is absolutely loaded with features, including ones we've not seen on a Prime before, such as the trailer tower detaching, rolling on it's own and even hitching onto roller! The trailer also has magnets in it, as do the feet on the mini figures, I suppose it's partly a throwback to Diaclone and also funtional if you want some cool poses from your mini figures! Sadly, the mini figures themselves aren't very great, the joints tend to pop off like Studio Series Shatter, but like Shatter's they can be reattached which is better than when things pop off Studio Series Dropkick....
I guess they've added as much as they can to the trailer to differentiate it as much as possible from MP10 and MP4 so you feel that you're getting more value for money.
Is this figure pricey? Absolutely, but the more I mess with it I notice tiny details and features that haven't been mentioned publicly, which are all what help add to the cost. I guess MP-10 was already a damn near perfect Prime, so to improve it they had to go above and beyond, which they did IMO. I'm very happy with my purchase and I shall be selling off my MP-10 at some point as he is redundant to me now.









That's all the pics for now, but will take more tonight showing the trailer features.

[Tha_Phantom]

More pics! Featuring my G1 metal plates Prime and some Diaclone pilots because why not.

[GoktimusPrime]

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.

[GoktimusPrime]

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.

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. I wonder if the video that people saw where the toy had Cullen's voice might've been the Hasbro version.

[Krayt]

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. I wonder if the video that people saw where the toy had Cullen's voice might've been the Hasbro version.

Not that you’ll ever read this....

Long press changes modes

[Ralph Wiggum]

**Method to activate Peter Cullen voice **

Omg brilliant! I can?t wait to try it on my MP44!

[Tha_Phantom]

Long press changes modes

Thanks for clearing that up, I couldn't work it out on mine. Now I love this figure even more.

[doublespy]

More pics! Featuring my G1 metal plates Prime and some Diaclone pilots because why not.

Absolutely love these G1 comparison shots.

[doublespy]

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.