MP-57 Masterpiece Skyfire Soars Supreme

[griffin]

Mirrored images and details...

The release date is noted as being January 2023, for 38,500yen (currently about au$430)... exclusive to TakaraTomyMall in Japan.
(just noting that this Masterpiece toy is said to be 35cm tall, while the Siege toy was 32cm and had a lot of panel detailing - the MP toy is mostly flat panels, which does make it look more cartoon accurate)

• Design inspired by the G1 cartoon.
• 35 cm tall. We have comparison shots next to Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime, MP-27 Ironhide and MP-45 Bumblebee 2.0 and MP-52 Starscream 2.0. Quite a tall figure for sure.
• Designed by veteran Takara Tomy designer Kojin Ono.
• Includes a rifle, stand, 3 interchangeable faces (one of them, G1 toy inspired mask), two big blast effects, Autobot and Decepticon plates (inspired by the classic scene in the “Fire In The Sky” episode) and three mini-figures of Optimus Prime, Wheeljack and Jazz.
• The aforementioned mini-figures are articulated and planned to work in the right scale for Skyfire’s jet mode. They fit inside the cockpit and other section of the jet.
• Alt mode can still extend the robot arms and legs while transformed as seen in the G1 cartoon.

[DELTAprime]

I think MP fans will be very happy, provided the QC is actually decent.

[Sinnertwin]

An extra $20 ($300 v $320 at OMP) for almost double the height.. seems like a much simpler design philosophy than MP52.

[Defcon]

The clean aesthetics really appeals for the classic character. The siege version is really amazing, but has a few extra details on panels. If I?m wanting a pure classic look, this masterpiece really hits the mark.

[griffin]

MP Skyfire is likely to have harder plastic too, for greater durability and appearance of greater quality (it's like comparing Siege Hound with MP Hound, the type of plastics used is completely different)... which is probably another reason why there is limited detailing on the panels. It might also lead to it being less flexible on any really tight joints, and this is a big toy, which will increase the load-bearing requirement of joints and transformation panels.

[Deano85]

MP Skyfire is likely to have harder plastic too, for greater durability and appearance of greater quality (it's like comparing Siege Hound with MP Hound, the type of plastics used is completely different)... which is probably another reason why there is limited detailing on the panels. It might also lead to it being less flexible on any really tight joints, and this is a big toy, which will increase the load-bearing requirement of joints and transformation panels.

Didn't a lot of people have issues with their MP Hound breaking ?

[Omega Metro]

I haven’t bought a proper Masterpiece in years but this does tickle my fancy as he is my favourite Transformer. The AU price is ridiculous though

[Sinnertwin]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ArrvlFrmC...38093756387328

Transformation vid

[Magnus]

Didn't a lot of people have issues with their MP Hound breaking ?

Yes, and TakaraTOMY's response was that a different plastic was used at the factory when Hound was mass-produced.

https://news.tfw2005.com/2020/02/09/...e-event-404884

Not that I've been paying close attention to news about subsequent Masterpiece figures, but I understand that since then, the only instances of of plastic cracking was on some joints on MP-52, so it seems that they're being careful with the plastic they're selecting.

[GoktimusPrime]

Didn't a lot of people have issues with their MP Hound breaking ?

Yes, although there have been no reports about this issue with any subsequent MPs, so it does appear that TakaraTOMY has addressed the issue since Hound.