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Thread: Masterpieces - are we spoiled?

  1. #1
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    Default Masterpieces - are we spoiled?

    Quoting myself in the MP Hound review thread...

    Quote Originally Posted by dirge View Post
    I just got my Hound & promptly opened and transformed him. I'm not as impressed as I'd want to be for the price.

    snip

    I'm not dissatisfied; Hound will look GREAT alongside the other Autobot cars. But the earlier guys like Bluestreak & Sideswipe are far more elegant and sturdy for mine; and even NOW on eBay are cheaper than Hound. While the MPs aren't really designed with play in mind, this is far less playable than the earlier cars.
    Admittedly, this is in a review thread... so it's where we should be weighing up positives and negatives. But the negatives are, IMO, quite nitpicky.

    Fans who've been in this game for a long time (Gok, Griffin, Demonac, Sofaman, amongst others) will recall the early 2000s. Hasbro was releasing stuff like Beast Machines & just as it is now, Australia was skipping assortments. And deluxes, even back then, were $30 (that's 20 years ago!). Around that time, discussion would sometimes turn to "what is your ultimate wish from the Transformers toy line?" or something similar. And the overwhelming response was G1 characters with modern toy technology.

    Fast forward to 2020. A whopping "American" 34 characters have now been released as Masterpieces... including licensed vehicle modes, a bunch of cassettes, all the seekers & multiple versions of popular characters.

    Sure, MP Hound isn't perfect by Masterpiece standards. But I mean... I'd happily spend $200 on Hound all over again rather than spending $100 (in year 2000 money) on Supreme Cheetor - a toy which couldn't even STAND upright. If you'd had offered me Masterpiece Hound for $300 instead of the overpriced & frankly ungainly (with some exceptions) Beast Machines toys back in 2000, I'd have been awestruck that a relatively minor character had been produced to such a standard.

    While I'll continue to critique MPs as I get them, I will still appreciate the opportunity to own the characters from my childhood with such amazing engineering. It sure beats chasing down uncommon toys like Battle Unicorn...

    Do you feel that we've been spoiled by years of Masterpiece toys? Should we be unsatisfied with some of the Masterpieces that have released? Your thoughts?


    Eagerly waiting for Masterpiece Meister

  2. #2
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    i would like mp hound but cant seem to want to spend that much money on such a little figure..

  3. #3
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    When I first bought MP1, I was overwhelmed at the engineering marvel and a big sized figure of Optimus. Then MP10 came along, and while smaller, looked even better. Now the latest has come and is truly a piece of engineering magic, but with a hefty price tag I can't justify. And old Megatron to the new one, due to the engineering, has issues of paint damage. I won't even transform mine which is a shame. And the old Autobot cars, engineering wise, feel a bit dated compared to the newer ones, but again the price tag is a hard pill to swallow. I just don't have as much of a disposable income as I used to is my main issue.

    As technology gets better, so does the engineering of these figures and with it the price tag.

  4. #4
    drifand is offline Rank 6 - Dedicated Member
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    My problem is now the QC has dropped. If MP Hound had no breakage reports, I am actually just on the okay to support but is not.
    I had friends who are aware of issues, transformed carefully and the door hinge broke.

    Things I do like about new MPs are is properly painted, no diecast is an accepted form > I moved on as it is what it is.

    The Engineering is questionable, while it can be a Wow factor it also caused a lot of breakage on the products. MP44 knee joint for example, I have seen nerd post justifying all of Takara's why it was like this and started to tell people off that we as normal customers have no clue as such. Is this really a dick statement to the rest honestly? I believe it was totally unnecessary to over complicate a joint. Let alone a $500 figure should not have such issues. I am not one that buy the "You do not know how to bend the knee, hence it broke" statement. Come on, in all honesty, something simple should not be looking at how you need to bend the knee.

    For Hound, the piece looks great, those who had no issues are definitely happy. But for the rest who broke their toy receiving out of the box? Broke within 3 days of playing?
    Look back to the rest of your MPs and let me know if there were such issues back then.

    Price? Hound looks no more than a Sunstreaker MP price. The New Bee bee is worse considering the size.

    Extra accessories? I dont use them at all < and here is what adding the cost.

    My concerns about MP line - Takara is moving way too slow for the market, overthinking the product making a lot of unnecessary accessories, poor choice of characters when reveal being made.

    There are many G1 that do not require licensing and yet Takara choose not to do. Opportunities wasted as the 3p line fill the gaps as they are listening to feedback.
    Years ago, I would not even touch a 3p company, now I am finding I am more excited for them then what Takara is offering due to
    1. Quality
    2. Price point
    3. Release date

    The one new MP by Takara a year is not going to cut it, you will die before you complete your collection.

    I am not a Takara fanboy or 3p fanboy, rather just someone who loves g1 TFs and people decided to make a masterpiece of the old.
    If people actually dig into Takara toys they be shock to see how high quality they were back in the days.
    I honestly feel they should be stripped of the Long life award for how Hound is. But is only my opinion.
    It is rather sad I am seeing fans defending the quality.

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by drifand View Post
    It is rather sad I am seeing fans defending the quality.
    I used to be one of them, but I'm done. I transformed my Hound numerous times safely, but then he broke over the weekend (rear panel of Jeep mode) and I wasn't even being rough with it. I'm done with MPs until these QC issues with every release stop. I'm aware that MPs have ALWAYS had QC issues, as will any toyline, but not to the magnitude we are seeing now.

    In regards to the design of MPs I'd say we are absolutely spoiled, some of the things I see people criticise in that regard are just petty. However, QC is definitely a valid criticism, especially for what we are paying now.
    Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.

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    I recently got an MP Blackarachnia. She's not a bad figure, but given the price, I felt let down. At least there's no QC issues on her like with Optimus 3.0.

  7. #7
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    I feel some replies have missed the point of my post. It’s not about Hound (he happens to be the most recent & so is topical).

    My point is that with the last few years of Masterpieces, it’s a far cry from the “dark” days when there was one line, no G1 character toys & no realistic vehicle modes. Etc.

    Given that we’ve had several years of Masterpieces, are we right to be unsatisfied? Or should be be happy that HasTak are giving us classic characters in such a format? For me, despite the flaws we nitpick and and the price tags, I’m happy & consider myself fortunate. In 2000, I’d have given my left arm for a single G1 Masterpiece toy. Let alone 30+. Even if some do have flaws.


    Eagerly waiting for Masterpiece Meister

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    Apologies Dirge. I did get around to answering you in my second paragraph and I stand by what I said. Yes we're spoiled in terms of design and the number of characters we have. We are right to be unsatisfied in other aspects, though.
    Looking to buy lucky draw Armada Prime and Diaclone Marlboor Wheeljack.

  9. #9
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    I'm in the unsatisfied camp. My enthusiasm for the line is actually waning.

    Barring left field repaints ( Anime + / Diaclone ) and off chops exclusives (Atmos Lebron Screeching Duck MP10) TT have been moving at a glacial pace as far as core releases go over the last 17 years. You want to finish your '84 & '85 cast? Here, have another Optimus. Is your Grimlock feeling lonely? I've got a new Bumblebee that'll fix that etc etc

  10. #10
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    G1 centric collectors like me were really spoiled through 2015-2016, for me that was the peak of the line. Almost every month there was breaking news of a new Masterpiece release. The sheer number was amazing. I was able to enjoy the best version of characters that I never had as a child. Also, while there were the odd QC issues (chrome etc), they did not put me off. Finally the prices were somewhat affordable for many collectors.

    Fast forward to today and the line does not give me as much joy. Part of that is redoing characters that already had fine representations (Prime, Bumblebee etc) rather than tackling new characters. Part of that is the reduced number of G1 releases. Then you have more significant QC issues. And finally the prices have ramped up substantially, partly driven by the increased number of accessories that I don't have any interest for.

    With official MPs slowing down I've begun to (dangerously) dabble in 3rd party. These fit well enough with official MPs and help fill out the shelves of both factions. Those I have purchased have been very well made overall.

    So yes to some extent I do feel a little spoiled but don't think I've been overly critical of recent figures. Hound looks great (anxious to receive it) and I was really happy with Prime 3.0.

    Regardless, I can see myself continuing to collect MPs for many years to come.

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