Toy review - MPM-13 Masterpiece Movie Blackout

[Magnus]

Series - Masterpiece
Sub-line - Masterpiece Movie series
Size/class - N/A
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - N/A
Released here - September 2022
Approximate Retail Price - $279 (JB Hi-Fi)
Approximate Size - 29cm
Allegiance - Decepticon
Alt-mode - Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low
Main Features/Gimmicks - Screen accuracy, licensed vehicle mode, Masterpiece detail and engineering
Main Colours - grey
Main Accessories - Scorponok, M134 miniguns, effect parts


Vehicle mode







In vehicle mode, Blackout is big. He measures 48cm from the tip of the refuelling probe to the tip of the tail, with the tail rotors adding up to another couple of centimetres. The main rotors span 45cm.



The larger scale has allowed for more printed detail.



Studio Series Blackout is 40cm long, with main rotors that span 37cm.



What makes Blackout particularly impressive as a Transformer is the fact that the undercarriage is almost perfectly enclosed, with multiple panels giving a flush, smooth look.

Scorponok



Like Studio Series Blackout, MPM Blackout comes with a small Scorponok figure. Despite being only slightly larger than the Studio Series figure, Scorponok has more articulation, with two hinges at the claws and three for the tail, plus a joint in the body near the base of the tail, apparently to aid in unplugging the tail from the preabdomen.

Curiously, the bottom of the scorpion body is made of diecast metal.



Scorponok can stow in the helicopter mode. He plugs into tabs and slots on the rear ramp.

Transformation

A bit long, but manageable. There are a lot of panels that need folding. The rotor assembly flops about, as in previous Blackout figures.

Going to vehicle mode is fiddly, because getting those panels flush in helicopter mode takes some work when transforming Blackout. It's not 'massaging' so much as having some previously moved panels get potentially dislodged when they're attached to are moved or connected.

While there are parts of the transformation that owners of Studio Series Blackout might recognise, this is by no means a case of TakaraTOMY's engineers just scaling that figure's dimensions up. There are numerous steps that are unique to MPM Blackout, with the manual giving a total of 88 numbered steps.

Robot mode







In robot mode, Blackout is big. As posed in my photos, he stands at about 25cm to the top of his head, and 29cm to the top of the panels arrayed behind his head. He will be a little bit shorter if you have a more severe bend to the knee and ankle joints.

Yes, the upper arms are skinny, but this was to facilitate the transformation of the arms into the sponsons of the helicopter.

Every figure in the restarted Masterpiece Movie line has had some diecast metal in it, and in Blackout, the toes are made of metal.

The articulation is comparable to Studio Series Blackout, with a few changes: the shoulders, elbows, knees, ankles, and foot joints now have 'ratchet' joints, there is now a waist rotator, the wrist has flexion/extension movement, and where Grindor's hands had both fingers moving together as a single piece on a common hinge, each finger has its own hinge.



Scorponok plugs onto a tab on Blackout's back.







Blackout has three weapon accessories, plus a folding chest-mounted blaster. He has two M134 miniguns, which are based on the Vulcan cannon that comes with Starscream but lack the rotating barrels. They plug into Blackout's forearms in robot mode and can attach under the sponsons in vehicle mode.





The third weapon is part of the rotor assembly, which detaches to form his handheld bladed weapon. This plugs into a port on the 'edge' of either hand, the part used for a knife-hand strike or 'karate chop.' This mount is the same placement as on Prime 1 Studio's Blackout statue.



In a first for the Masterpiece Movie series, Blackout comes with two orange effect parts. One is a large, exploding flame, and the other is moulded with a trio of bullets.



With Megatron, Scorponok, and Barricade.



With Starscream. Sure, Starscream is just a bit taller at the head, but Blackout's slimmer build and the large circular structure above and behind his head make him look lanky in comparison.



With Optimus Prime and Ironhide.







With Studio Series Blackout. MPM Blackout towers over the Studio Series figure. The one aesthetic advantage Studio Series Blackout has over MPM Blackout is that the arms have more aesthetically pleasing proportions, since its upper arms are wider in relation to the forearms.

Verdict



No doubt about it, Blackout is a great figure. He looks great in both modes, with the smooth, enclosed undercarriage in helicopter mode a particular achievement for the design team. He is large and imposing in robot mode and the fact that he has weapons is a definite plus.

Here is where a recommendation gets a bit iffy: the price. The US retail price at Target is triple that of the RRP of Grindor, the tweaked version of the original Studio Series Blackout. For Australians, there is no local stockist I'm aware of as of writing, and ordering from Robot Kingdom or Oh My Primus comes out to more than triple the price of Grindor, depending on the exchange rate. You certainly get a lot of plastic for your money, but whether you think MPM Blackout is worth more than triple the price of Studio Series Blackout/Grindor depends on how much you value the extra size, complexity, and accessories. I certainly don't regret shelling out the money for MPM Blackout, but thanks to the exchange rate, I do wish I had paid a bit less.

Update: Blackout is now available at JB Hi-Fi for $279 - this is pretty much in line with the Target US price for Blackout being three times the retail price of Grindor. I would recommend MPM Blackout at this price.

[Autocon]

It looks awesome.

Grindor repaint when?

[Magnus]

Updated to reflect availability at JB Hi-Fi for $279.

It looks awesome.

Grindor repaint when?

Since repaints of Starscream and Bumblebee Optimus are coming next year, you can't rule it out.

Fun fact: Grindor is not the same model helicopter as Blackout despite sharing a CGI model. Grindor is a CH-53 Super Stallion, which is slightly bigger than a Pave Low, has a different tail, and has seven rotor blades instead of six. Grindor toys, which are just redecos of Blackout (and a slight remould for the Studio Series figure) don't make this distinction, of course.

[Tetsuwan Convoy]

Nice review, and lots of piccies is much appreciated. Out of all the Bay characters, I think Blackout has the most presence. I still love the opening scene of him flying in (for a long time though, starts in day, goes to sunset, and lands at night), transforming and taking out that base. What a great start to a Transformers movie!!

[GoktimusPrime]

I still love the opening scene of him flying in (for a long time though, starts in day, goes to sunset, and lands at night), transforming and taking out that base. What a great start to a Transformers movie!!

IMO the first Bayformers movie was good. Not an amazing piece of film literature, but a cromulent enough popcorn action flick which, in all honesty, is about as complex in story-telling as your typical episode of the Sunbow cartoon. It was simple but it worked. The sequels are another story, but that first 2007 movie was pretty darn fun! And yeah, scenes like the Soccent Forward Operations Base attack really highlight Michael Bay's strength in his TF films, especially the first one. He did what really no other Transformers story-teller has ever done, at least, not as well; and that is to convey the sense of scale of the Transformers. He really did make them feel like, as he put it, "Giant Effing Robots."

[Ralph Wiggum]

Just picked up my MPM Blackout from JB Hifi. My initial thoughts is that the detailing of the robot parts, particularly the chest pieces, are really well done both from a sculpt and paint perspective. Posing with the feet feels a little tricky as they don’t seem as flat. Haven’t tried transforming him…if the instructions for just his chest cannon (ie not very useful) is anything to go by, this is gonna be a pain.

And without a doubt, the opening scene of Transformers 1 is in my top 3 scenes in the entire Transformers movie franchise. That first amazing sequence of live-action transformation still gives me chills. The music, Bay’s shaky directing, the sense of scale and utter helplessness…*chefs kiss*

[Butcher31]

Totally agree. You can question some of the choices of the movies (and I often do), but that first scene of seeing a real-life vehicle transform into a big, fearsome robot is just incredible. I'd been waiting 20 years for that moment and it was worth the wait. I left the theatre looking at every vehicle that went past and imagining what it would look like as a big robot.

Can't wait to pick this one up. It's exciting that JB is starting to stock MPMs. Before that, no one in Australia seemed that keen to sell them.