Toy Review - TRAILBREAKER (Masterpiece)

[GoktimusPrime]

TRAILBLAZER
Series - Masterpiece
Size/class - N/A
New/remould/redeco - New
Wave - MP-56
Released here - N/A (Japan, late December 2022)
Approximate Retail Price - 21780JPY ($240)
Approximate Size - 21.5cm
Allegiance - Autobot
Alt-mode - Toyota HiLux 4WD
Main Features/Gimmicks - interchangeable faces & hands
Main Colours - dark grey, light grey
Main Accessories - x3 faces, x1 parabolic antenna, x2 hands, x1 single barrel gun, x1 multi-nozzle gun, x1 chrome grill, x1 non-chrome grill, x1 blast effect, x1 sticker sheet

Robot mode, front and back


L: w/ both hands, smiling face
R: w/ single barrel extendable gun, shouting face


Shouting face with blast effect


Multi-nozzle and single barrel guns


Blast effect in multi-nozzle gun




Force field


Open bonnet with engine revealed, grill removed. Note that the wing mirrors fold into the bonnet section, similar to MP Skids


Non-chrome grill attached


Chrome grill attached


Parabolic antenna


Comparison with G1




A rather complex and fiddly transformation, especially the backpack. Somewhat reminiscent of MP Sunstreaker in that regard, which can be a good or bad thing depending on how you feel about MP Sunstreaker. The way that the rear wheels tuck inside the lower legs reminds me of MP Hound, only that it's done more elegantly here. MP Trailbreaker really goes back to that MP Inferno to Sunstreaker style of MP toys that are aim to be slavishly accurate to the Sunbow cartoon. Just like those other MPs, Trailbreaker here looks like he jumped out of your TV screen and became a real boy^toy. The metallic blue eye visor is a nice touch as it helps make it pop against the dark grey head and face.

I personally prefer MPs to be more of a mix between toy and cartoon aesthetics (which is what I loved about MP Skids); but it seems that TakaraTOMY are swinging back hard towards the cartoon likeness end of the scale with Trailbreaker. Or possibly Takara had the MP Hiluxes already in some development around the time of MP Sunstreaker (as there were Takara staff interviews around that time indicated that they've been wanting to do the Hiluxes for some time now). Overall an excellent figure that is on par with the likes of MP Inferno, Grapple, Sunstreaker etc. If having MP toys that look like the cartoon incarnate in plastic is your jam, then I would highly recommend this figure.

It will also be interesting to see what other decos TakaraTOMY can milk from this mould; perhaps a toy-accurate plus version and possibly other Diaclone decos with toy-accurate heads (as we've seen on toys like MP Cordon, Spin-Out, Reboost, Dia Burnout etc.).