Transformers Masterpiece MP-44S Optimus Prime

After MP-44 Optimus Prime was released, it took a while for all the controversy to die down regarding that figure. But once it did, and people started wanting a toy accurate Optimus to go with MP-36+ Megatron, the hope for a repaint of the MP-44 mold grew. Takara is always one to cash in one repaints, so this release of a toy homage of Optimus in the new mold was inevitable.

Unfortunately, the love and detail that Takara put into MP-36+ toy Megatron did not transfer completely to MP-44S Optimus. In a lot of ways, Takara could have made this a truly magnificent release, but chose to cut corners in some very disappointing ways.

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For me, the car mode is an improvement over the older MP-10 Optimus. The rear is certainly cleaner on the MP-10, but the I prefer the detailing in the MP-44 mold and the way it sits closer to the ground. In this toy homage, they've painted in the silver stripe around the cab. I like that they kept it fairly simple otherwise, with no other detailing such as no silver lining around the windscreen.

This version doesn't come with a trailer to cut down on cost, so I used the one from the original MP-44 release. I think the complete setup looks better on the new mold too.

In bot mode, this figure truly shines, but then this also highlights where it fails. It was surprising that the red on the newer figure is a brigher hue than that of the original MP-44. There is still a gorgeous paint application, and the silver areas on the thighs and hips look fantastic.

However, the laziness in using stickers instead of tamped on decals like MP-36+ really put this figure to shame. Takara have been able to use tamped on details on the likes of Megatron and Artfire to great effect, and it should've been a no-brainer to do this with Optimus.

They also did not include a toy homage head sculpt, but just reused the hero headsculpt from the MP-44 release. The use of yellow eyes just doesn't cut it for me. The MP-36+ included multiple face plates and a toy accurate head sculpt, so they definitely should've treated Optimus here with the same level of respect.

The use of a darker hue in the blue areas is both an homage to MP-10 and the original G1 toy I think. It does look great and goes really well with the brighter red. Overall, I'm still happy to have this toy homage in the collection. But Takara definitely leaves a bad taste in the mouth with the shortcuts they've taken with what should've been a flawless release.