Maz's Articles & Reviews

[Maz]

The close of 2015 saw a series of four Masterpiece Transformers repaints released within the space of a month, and ensured an extremely high quality end to another fabulous year of official MP product. MP-11T Thundercracker, MP-21R Bumble Red Body, MP-26 Road Rage and MP-14C Clampdown might all have been repaints of existing and well known, well-documented moulds, and they may well have been extremely predictable recolours, but they were executed brilliantly and can stand proud among their brethren. We take a brief look at each this week.

Repaints and Resurgence | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ








All the best
Maz

[Jetfire in the sky]

Love it!!
Tokyo Toy Show Exclusive perhaps ?

[Maz]

Francesco Lombardi is the kind of collector I had always heard about but never met. Someone who never participated in the online or collective fandom, but was privately growing a hugely comprehensive and impressive collection featuring toys I had never seen. Dealers used to tell me about their secret customers, customers like Francesco, all the time. Now, Francesco wants to share his collection, and it’s a very special achievement. I have always loved the Canadian G1 variants, if for nothing else than just their different packaging, and Francesco has put together a near complete run of Generation 1 in Canadian boxes with variants I’ve never seen before – even if I knew they existed. It fills me with joy to know at least one Canadian G1 collection like this exists. With just one (large) or two gaps left to fill, enjoy the collecting history of this classic old-school style G1 fan and the rewards that his work ethic has brought him from a young age.

Collector Interview 45 – Francesco Lombardi | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ



All the best
Maz

[philby]

I have asked Griffin. He has all the necessary paperwork, just waiting on when he has time to put it together


Meanwhile, for today's interview...

I often meet new collectors during these interviews and form friendships as we go through the process, but every now and again I get the special opportunity to interview someone I consider a friend. I have known Gordon Yip for many years, and have stared in awe as his collection of unique and ridiculously rare pre-Transformers grew over a decade and more. Finally, Gordon moved into a home worthy of housing a display for his toys, and he can finally share with us his wisdom and his one of a kind collection. While Gordon’s isn’t the biggest or most complete pre-TF collection I know of, it is my favourite. What Gordon has, most of us will never see again, let alone own. It’s always the icing on the cake when the man behind the collection is a wonderful person, and they do not make them more wonderful, generous or selfless than Gordon Yip. Enjoy.

Collector Interview 44 – Gordon Yip | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ



All the best
Maz

Hi, I'm just going through this article and it's quite interesting with nice display but a lot of the images link through to tfsource.com and not larger versions. not sure if that's intended or not, i would have liked to see some of those photos bigger

[Maz]

It's about time, they said. A Takara Tomy, cartoon-accurate Masterpiece Decepticon strike plane Thundercracker. MP-11T is, across Hasbro and Takara, the second version of Thundercracker to use the MP-11 mould. The Hasbro Thundercracker from a few years ago was more toy coloured and had tampos of Reflector and Soundwave (as well as various bits of relevant text) that not everyone wanted. At the end of 2015, after a reissue of MP-11 Coronation Starscream and the Hasbro Asia MP-11SW Skywarp, Takara Tomy Mall (this specimen specifically through Hasbro Asia) finally gave us a toon-coloured light blue Thundercracker. So does the third Masterpiece toy to bear the Thundercracker name finally do the business for the cartoon crowd?









My short article/review of MP-11T Thundercracker. Thanks for looking, if you do.

Square One: Masterpiece MP-11T Thundercracker


All the best
Maz

[Maz]

Hi, I'm just going through this article and it's quite interesting with nice display but a lot of the images link through to tfsource.com and not larger versions. not sure if that's intended or not, i would have liked to see some of those photos bigger

I am afraid, upon instructions from TFSource, a number of photos per article are required to link through to the site instead of larger versions.

All the best
Maz

[philby]

I am afraid, upon instructions from TFSource, a number of photos per article are required to link through to the site instead of larger versions.

All the best
Maz

oh ok. that sounds...weird. why not just have ads throughout?

[Maz]

TakaraTomy's Masterpiece MP-21R Bumble - Red Body is a fascinating release, probably for all the wrong reasons. I know I personally pre-ordered it out of a sense of obligation and completion, trying to make up for never having properly completed the vintage Diaclone and MC Car Robots & minibots I so desired. Masterpiece MP-21 Bumble was in itself one of the toys of the decade and a comprehensive success, but I found the G2 repaint MP-21G massively underwhelming, so my hopes of being impressed by the red version were not high. I've seen a lot of disparaging comments about this release because it is supposedly a poor man's Cliffjumper and the origin of the colour scheme confused a number of collectors.















Square One: Masterpiece MP-21R Bumble - Red Body



All the best
Maz

[Maz]

Has there ever been a greater case of pre-release doubts being so comprehensively crushed by in-hand production toy as with TakaraTomy’s MP-27 Masterpiece Ironhide? Actually yes, look at Ultra Magnus, Bumblebee etc, so it’s not uncommon for us to get the wrong impression from TakaraTomy’s stock Masterpiece photography. Ironhide’s a very interesting case. As a character he’s huge and unforgettable, voiced originally by the revered Peter Cullen, but it’s almost as if his original Generation 1 Transformers toy being such a disappointment to many cast a shadow decades wide over his associated toys. MP-27 puts those disappointments to bed in comprehensive fashion and takes an impressive shot at becoming the definitive G1 Ironhide toy of our lifetimes.

MP-27 Ironhide – The Best Masterpiece Yet? | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ









All the best
Maz

[Maz]

Masterpiece MP-28 Hot Rodimus is almost upon us. A new Masterpiece Hot Rod. The build up to this figure’s release has been a mix of anticipation and divided opinion. As with most new Masterpiece moulds, as a fandom we have pored over the prototype and promotional images from every angle, analysed every possible flaw and possibly already decided which side of the fence we stand on. The previous TakaraTomy attempt at the definitive Hot Rodimus/Rodimus Convoy was MP-9, a figure riddled with issues – issues unique to every version and release of the mould. This MP-28, therefore, has a great deal of hope and pressure riding on its shoulders as a majority of the fandom still crave that perfect Masterpiece Hot Rod, a character whose place in Transformers lore is up there with the likes of Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream thanks to Transformers: The Movie from 1986. Having never owned MP-9 Rodimus Convoy, in a way I needed this MP-28 to be definitive even more, as an MP-9 is out of my range these days.

Masterpiece MP-28 Hot Rodimus | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ









All the best
Maz