TakaraTomy Announces New Masterpiece!!!

[FFN]

I figure TakaraTomy decided that since they didn't have Hasbro's yellow box/HFTD line, they'd pretty up Leader Starscream ala Buster Optimus Prime and stick him into the Masterpiece line.

Not worthy of the Masterpiece name. Especially with its simple conversion and bloated alt mode. Embarassing when next to one of the old MP seekers.

Are you sure about your assertions?

ROTF Leader Optimus Prime is widely considered to practically be Masterpiece level engineering at a mass market price point (and deco). Leader Starscream is reputedly very, very good in robot mode, and very accurate considering these movie designs don't really transform in the way toy designs are intended to. As for his limitations in vehicle mode...

Have a look at MP Convoy's vehicle mode. That's a torso and legs on wheels.

[Hereticpoo]

Ewwwwww yucky.

[SharkyMcShark]

1. laughing at the fanboy rage. HOW DARE they market anything but G1.

2. It's a repaint of leader Starscream. I doubt it will impact on the release schedule of any new mold masterpiece figures - if indeed they are coming.

[blackie]

this is the first time i will pas on a toy packaged with a techspec :P

[ITZTRU]

1. laughing at the fanboy rage. HOW DARE they market anything but G1.

2. It's a repaint of leader Starscream. I doubt it will impact on the release schedule of any new mold masterpiece figures - if indeed they are coming.

Don't get me wrong. I "AM" a G1 fan and really nothing but. However I'm not one to look down on anything that's not G1. I don't know a whole lot about Primus' character, yet I like the way the repaint looks and I'm definitely going to pre-order the toy (even if just to compliment the Unicron repaint that I have ordered also...) but still...i actually do like the way it looks.

But c'mon...Masterpiece Move Starscream? Really? And I'm a Starscream fan, no less...

Like you said...I'm confident also that it wont have an impact on the release schedule of a new mold masterpiece. But really, what a waste of a "masterpiece" spot. If it had to be movie line...how about a Supreme Devy with individual robot modes? AT LEAST...?!?! I DEFINITELY would have bought that. And I don't even have a single movie line figure.

[Golden Phoenix]

1. laughing at the fanboy rage. HOW DARE they market anything but G1.

TRUK NOT MUNKY!!!1!!!!1!!1!

Who cares? No one forces you to buy them, so it has no effect on you.
They never said Masterpiece was going to be just G1, even then it isn't a main Masterpiece figure. It goes with Ghost Starscream, Black and Dead Prime.

[Golden Phoenix]

Don't get me wrong. I "AM" a G1 fan and really nothing but. However I'm not one to look down on anything that's not G1. I don't know a whole lot about Primus' character, yet I like the way the repaint looks and I'm definitely going to pre-order the toy (even if just to compliment the Unicron repaint that I have ordered also...) but still...i actually do like the way it looks.

But c'mon...Masterpiece Move Starscream? Really? And I'm a Starscream fan, no less...

Like you said...I'm confident also that it wont have an impact on the release schedule of a new mold masterpiece. But really, what a waste of a "masterpiece" spot. If it had to be movie line...how about a Supreme Devy with individual robot modes? AT LEAST...?!?! I DEFINITELY would have bought that. And I don't even have a single movie line figure.

There isn't really a limit on how many they can do, and chances are there wouldn't be this figure if hasbro didn't do it either. They probably thought it was a good figure and since they don't have Hfd they slotted it in there. Not only that but hey, there was already a mould. Means they can save some money

[Dkaris]

and let the Gee WUN11111 fanboi's bawww, quick someone get some kleenex in here stat!!

[GoktimusPrime]

I reckon it's a new mould rather than a repaint of MP Starscream (if I'm wrong then I share others' sentiments that it is a slack/lazy move). But if it is a new MP style mould, then at first it would look fairly similar to Leader Starscream because well... it's an MP based on a toy made from contemporary toy engineering.

I guess it doesn't have the same "Masterpiece" feel because we're looking at a toy that's 'upgrading' a toy that's really NOT old. G1 MPs feel like Masterpieces because they're highly detailed and complex reimaginings of 25 year old toys (even older considering their Diaclone/Microman origins).

I see things like Masterpieces and Classics like remakes -- similar to a remake of an old movie. The idea or novelty is to take a well loved toy from yesteryear, then reimagine it with updated contemporary toy engineering. I have nothing against the idea of doing non-G1 MPs, but the thing with doing something as recent as a movie toy is you're reimagining a toy that's was made with still-current engineering. It'd be like if someone decided to do a remake of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix using state-of-the-art special effects. Wouldn't really be substantially better than the current movie now.

So I imagine that if MP Moofie Starscream is a new mould, you can see that it's not substantially different (at least visually) than the Leader Class figure on shelves now. The transformation may be more complex and it may have all kinds of neat features like MP G1 Starscream does (e.g. airbrakes, mobile vector thrusters, nosecone radar etc. -- it'd be cool if it came with a small figurine of the Decepticon Moustache Guy as an F22 pilot that you could put into the cockpit (like Dr. Arkeville) ), but these rather superficial differences probably wouldn't matter to most collectors here.

Having said that, the Japanese collector market is one that likes "Masterpiece" and "Master Grade" stuff. So while I agree it wouldn't appeal to the Western market I can see its appeal to the Japanese market, which is TakaraTOMY's market.

Worse case scenario this toy shelf warms in Japan and TakaraTOMY learns not to do it again?

[VERT]

What a joke its just leader Starscream! Yay Takara just saved me money.