Quote Originally Posted by Lord_Zed View Post
I wonder if we'll get a new or retooled/repainted Soundwave and Grimlock, as they are the next level down from the big 4.
Let's see... of the 1st "old" era of Masterpiece (before the size/style soft "reboot" at MP-10)...

MP-1 - Convoy/Optimus - 2 new versions in the new era (MP-10 & MP-44)
MP-2 - Ultra Magnus (kinda) - 1 new version in the new era (MP-22)
MP-3 - Starscream - 1 reworked version in the new era (MP-11) & 1 new version in the new era (to be announced)
MP-4 - Convoy/Optimus - (see MP-1)
MP-5 - Megatron - 1 new version in the new era (MP-36)
MP-6 - Skywarp - (see MP-3)
MP-7 - Thundercracker - (see MP-3)
MP-8 - Grimlock - no new version (the larger size probably makes it scale well with the new era size scale)
MP-9 - Rodimus Convoy (with Hot Rodimus/Hotrod option) - 1 new version in the new era of Hot Rodimus/Hotrod (MP-28)

So Grimlock is the only one left of the 1st era that hasn't had a completely new version done. It's an iconic enough character to sell if they did a new version... it just has limited redeco potential, so it's retail price would be very high.

Soundwave (MP-13) has certainly outlasted its era, and unless they did a redesign that allowed them to do a version as Blaster, I don't know if it is one that can be made much better. Since it is a block that turns into a blocky bot, it's engineering and appearance are quite well done, and has less flaws than other MP toys that have to do more "magic" with their transformations to look like their cartoon form.
Soundwave has also been one of the most re-issued Masterpiece toys since it's first release, so there was a lot of demand for it.
But with both Grimlock and Soundwave, I'm sure there are Japanese designers who have their own take on what the toy should look like (see the MP-11 modified version of Starscream), and if they can convince the bean-counters that it is worth doing (over a character that hasn't yet been done because it has limited redeco potential), we could see another version show up.
After all, I never thought we'd see a 2nd version of Bumblebee or 3rd version of Optimus, because the previous versions were already good enough for those characters.
(I could honestly now see a new version of Sideswipe/Lambor being done soon as well, as it was one of the first in the newer era as MP-12, it has a LOT of redeco/remould potential, and looks very simplistic compared to most other MP toys... especially recently).

Quote Originally Posted by High_Q View Post
We will be getting six ancillary characters with MP Raiden, but then i don't think the non-Japanese market is clamouring for these. Personally, I'd rather have MP Skids or Cliffjumper. And Jazz fans have been waiting for an MP for a long time, but that could be due to licensing issues.
Was Raiden ever specifically noted by TakaraTomy as being a Masterpiece, or was it left vague and could have been a reissue or new Generations release.
It has been so long since that tease came out, and nothing mentioned or hinted since. I wonder if they quietly cancelled it, if they didn't get enough interest, or because of the global financial downturn.