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.
Click through below to watch my full review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a like, and subscribe to the channel to stay tuned for more reviews!
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.
Controversy always tends to follow a Takara TF Masterpiece release these days, and even more so when the character has also been released by 3rd party companies. When it's a major character like Starscream, with a brand new Seeker mold, it's a recipe for heated debate and comparison. Add the potential for quality control issues, and it could be a disastrous release for Takara.
Hound turned out this way, with many reports of brittle plastic and breakages. There were some initial reports of cracked plastic on Starscream too, but I hoped mine would be mostly OK just as it was with Hound. In the end, mine had one small issue, but overall I think it's another fantastically designed figure from Takara.
Click the link below to check out my video review, and comparison with the old MP-11 Starscream, over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Make sure to give the video a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel too! 😁
Box art is the typical classic MP style, with some nice photos of the figure and included accessories. The figure is packaged in jet mode, so collectors like myself who prefer to display the figures in bot mode will have to transform at least once. This is OK, despite the transformation usually taking up to 60 minutes for me since I go so slowly.
The included set of accessories is decent, and follows the trend of Takara including homages to specific events in the G1 cartoon series. This time the set does not include the coronation kit with his crown, shoulder pauldrons and cape, but I believe this is included in Japan via a mail-in order once you buy all three new Seekers. Hopefully non-Japanese retailers are still able to sell this as a separate set.
What you do get is a decent flight stand that works better in jet mode rather than bot mode. It's a shame I can't use it with MP-11 since I'll be having that in jet mode now. The blast effects are decent, but like the other figures I won't tend to use them. The new Megatron gun is painted nicely, but does appear a lot smaller than previous Megatron guns that came with the previous Seekers.
My favourite of the accessories would have to be the swap out face plates. I love that Takara have made these over the more recent series of figures, and they really do add to the expressiveness of the characters. The smirk is such classic Starscream, and the one that I will use in my display.
As I mentioned earlier, there were reports of cracks in the plastic. Before I even took the figure out of the box, I checked one of the most commonly reported areas, being the base of the rear stabilisers. Sure enough, my right stabiliser had a tiny hairline crack at the base where the pin is inserted to allow the stabiliser to rotate.
I've rotated that part during the transformation, and it doesn't seem to get any bigger. It's hidden away under the folded wings in bot mode, so in the end it doesn't bother me too much. I was more worried about any cracks in the ankle joints that might affect the stability of the bot standing. Thankfully after checking both ankles, my figure doesn't have any cracks in that area, so the figure stands quite well.
Many people have said the jet mode is worse than MP-11, but I strongly disagree on that point. The paint app alone makes MP-52 stand out so much more. In fact, the panel details are made even more apparent due to the paint app, whereas the panel lines on MP-11 are barely visible since it's just unpainted grey plastic.
I'm also not bothered about the underside of the jet mode, where people would prefer it to be sleeker like the real jet. My thoughts on that are the same as for carbots, where I don't really care about how the car looks from underneath. If there are any design compromises to be made, and they make them to affect the underside as opposed to the top, that's perfectly fine to me. I display my cars and jets usually from the top or angled like the photo below. I don't display them with the bottom facing up 😆
I also love that the null rays are transformable this time, to give them the fatter look in jet mode and the sleeker look in bot mode. This is cartoon accurate and I love the way in which the transformation just rotates around to suit both modes.
The transformation to bot mode is perhaps not as complex as that for MP-44 Optimus, but still has its fair share of tricky parts. Similar to the way in which the panels fold away for Optimus, I love how the panels fold for Starscream's legs. They make for a beautiful cartoon silhouette much like MP-36 Megatron.
The clipping of the ankles into place does require a little force, so I am not sure if this is contributing to some of the breakages. I made sure to hold the pieces as close to the base of connection as possible when clicking together to reduce any torque or pressure. Some of the transformation videos I watched showed the fingers quite a distance from the point of connection, which always scares me. I applied this too when I unclipped the thigh area to extend the legs. By doing this, I didn't hear the rather unsettling crack that I heard in many videos.
The folding of the chest piece to reveal the faux bot mode chest went a lot smoother than I thought it would. The rotation of the nose cone had many reports of issues, but holding close to the base again made it a lot easier for me. As long as the folding is performed at the right angles, it will all collapse quite easily and fold up into the chest cavity.
One tricky part was clipping the top of the shoulder intakes into the peg at the rear. These never looked like the slots were aligned, but as long as you make sure the joint where the wings fold down are telescoped out, then this should help in pegging it all in place.
Lots of collectors seem to hate the use of faux parts, but for me I think it's design genius by Takara. They always do it as part of an integrated transformation sequence, and it allows for the best proportions in either bot mode or alt mode. In the case for Starscream, I think this design choice makes for a great jet mode, but also perhaps the best cartoon accurate bot mode ever made for Starscream.
There are also a lot of complaints about the lack of waist swivel. Again, I am completely in favour of this design choice by Takara. I would much prefer an unbroken centre chest piece, than have it split just so that I could rotate the waist. I think the character looks far better with an unbroken centre chest piece, and I would not really use the waist articulation anyway. I think the great ab crunch and other areas of articulation give the figure all the articulation points needed to get it into some awesome poses.
In comparing the bot modes of the old MP-11 to the new MP-52, it really is amazing at how much toy engineering has come in 10 years or so. The old Seeker mold was definitely great for its time, but now looks very dated in comparison to the new. The proportions in the chest and legs are the biggest difference for me, and how well the kibble is hidden in the newer Starscream.
People were reporting that the new Starscream was also far too short, which is simply not correct. It's perhaps only a few mm shorter than MP-11, noting that in my photo above I actually did not push the MP-11 loose torso all the way down properly. In looking at the old G1 character scale chart, I also think the new MP-52 scale in bot mode perfectly complements that of MP-36 Megatron and MP-29 Shockwave.
Some have also complained that the size of the head is too big. I'm not sure why that is, because I think it fits in well with the proportions of the body in bot mode. Other 3rd party figures, and even MP-11, have the head far too small for that pin head look. I don't think the head is so large that it looks like a bobble head. For me, it matches fine, and looks great with the swap out face plates.
Another concern of collectors was the darker shade of grey in the paint application. I think in some photos the colour does appear too dark, but in hand I find the colour perfect. Compared to the unpainted plastic of MP-11, it just stands out so much more with a more premium aesthetic just like MP-36 and MP-44. For me, this MP-52 bot mode is the definitive G1 cartoon Starscream.
I love how expressive this figure can be to convey those classic Starscream moments. The neck articulation allows MP-36's hands to grasp his neck in that iconic choke hold. The fingers allow lots of expressive gestures, and again that smirk is just classic Starscream.
Posed next to the previous Decepticon releases, I'm so glad that Takara has gone down this route of making the figures as close to their cartoon representations as possible. It really does look like the figures have jumped out of the TV screen!
The only sad point for me is that it highlights now the need for a new Soundwave mold! At the very least, I think Takara needs to give the old MP-13 mold a + version cartoon repaint like some of the carbots. That would be a fantastic way to close out the use of that mold.
In closing, if you're on the fence about getting this MP-52 Starscream figure, I would still highly recommend it. Particularly if you're a fan of the cartoon aesthetic, I think this figure will speak to you on many levels. Yes I think the reports of QC issues (my hairline crack included) is disappointing, but luckily for me my issue didn't stop me from really enjoying the figure.
Hopefully if you get this, yours comes without any QC issues, or only minor enough to not be a problem. It's a shame these production issues tarnish the reputation of these releases, but overall I still think they are some of the best engineered and designed toys in our generation. Can't wait to see what they release in 10 years time!
I was pretty impressed with the ThreeZero DLX Bumblebee figure, so was definitely looking forward to their release of Optimus Prime. And they certainly didn't disappoint. The build quality, attention to detail, paint application, and articulation on this figure is outstanding!
Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Make sure to click that like button and subscribe to the channel 😀
The set doesn't really come with too many accessories, and I guess that's a reflection of what the character was seen with in the movie. Luckily what is provided is of high quality, with a great looking rifle and enough hands to cover most action poses. The main focus of course is on the figure itself, and it's most impressive!
If you're not thinking "Wow!" when you unbox this thing, then you mustn't be human! The sheer detail in this thing will have you pouring over all its features and being amazed at how they've assembled everything.
I've been told now that the style of the shoulders and forearms are to match the earthbound look that Optimus had in later scenes of the movie. In my review I thought they had made some error since it differed from the way he looked in the opening scene, but that was his Cybertron look. So ThreeZero have actually made it very accurate; unfortunately the DLX doesn't have swap out pieces like the larger Premium scale figure that will have swap out features for each mode.
Regardless, the way this figure moves is one of its most impressive aspects. The joints and various points of articulation all move so seamlessly, that seem completely organic and natural in a way that you'd imagine a real robot to move.
Each move reveals or hides some detail as appropriate, especially around the shoulders, elbows, and knees. It's amazing how small panels will adjust or move out of the way as you rotate or bend joints. Nothing seems too delicate or easy to break, although the instructions do give you some warning as to areas where you need to be more careful so as not to chip any paint if parts collide or scrape against each other.
The fanciest joint for me would have to be the ab crunch that reveals so much more detail in the rear spine. It's amazing how they were able to hide so much detail in the rear and have it appear effortlessly as you bend the figure forward. There's very little risk in paint damage, and it all feels silky smooth in its movement. It's a beautifully designed feature.
The legs, both front and back, have plenty of detail too. I'm not sure if the wheels are actually rubber, but they do feel like a slightly different material to the other surrounding plastic parts. On the point of plastic, the figure feels pretty heavy and there are definitely diecast parts on the internal components of the figure. But most of the external parts are plastic, but the paint application and weathering is so good, much of it looks like metal anyway.
The ankle articulation is probably the only part of the figure that I wish was improved. The tilt upwards to sufficient, but there is not a lot of movement downwards. This mean jumping poses (like that iconic scene from the 1986 movie) don't look as natural because you can't point his feet down like they would be if he was in the air. But in the scheme of things, it's a minor nitpick amongst all the other great aspects of the figure.
There's plent of articulation points to get him into many of the iconic poses. I love the way in which the hips panels all move out of the way on their own balljoints to give plenty of freedom in movement. They way the shoulder joint moves out to reveal the larger butterfly mechnism, coupled with a nice tilting motion in the torso, really make for natural action poses.
This Optimus figure perfectly complements the previous Bumblebee figure. ThreeZero certainly don't look to have lost any of the build quality set by that first figure. I passed on the Blitzwing figure because I didn't really like that character, but I can't wait to get the upcoming Soundwave!
Some collectors have claimed that the figure is not a true Transformers figure because it cannot transform. For me, the amazing level of detail and articulation in the figure more than makes up for the its lack of transformation. ThreeZero has made it clear this series is about delivering as much movie accurate details as possible in bot mode, and they've nailed that goal in incredible fashion.
For me, the TF Masterpiece series is what I go to for transforming figures, and I use that to get my G1 nostalgic fix. I'll be sticking with these ThreeZero DLX figures for all my non-cartoon representations of the characters.
The designs from the Bumblebee movie strike the perfect balance between a new, more modern style coupled with enough homages and hints to the original designs to satisfy G1 fans. I much prefer these over the far too busy and complicated designs from the Michael Bay movies.
In the end, ThreeZero have done complete justice to these new designs with a figure series that excels on all possible fronts. I just hope that after Soundwave, they continue the series and announce more of the characters that featured in the opening scene. That would truly make this a legendary series of TF figures that will be sought after pieces in Transformers collections for many years to come!
Flame Toys is a company that I heard many good things about, but never collected any figures since I'm mainly into collecting the Takara Transformers Masterpiece series. But the design and articulation of the Flame Toys Furai model kits looked really interesting. Thankfully, they announced a pre-assembled figure series called Furai Action, where the figures are not only assembled out of the box, but also feature a great weathered paint application.
Their first in the series is the Optimus Prime based on the IDW comics. I'm definitely glad I took the jump to get the figure despite its higher price compared to the model kits. Check out my full video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel below.
The set doesn't come with too much, but what is included is functionally useful, which is better than getting a whole bunch of accessories that won't be used! I like the stand that has the adjustable connection to the figure's butt that allows for in-air dynamic poses. It's sturdy and gives quite a bit of freedom in its positioning.
The range of hands is decent, although I think more options could've been provided. A finger pointing hand would've been nice and more dynamic action hands. At least the sculpting and paint app on the hands is nice, as it is on the blaster rifle too. Some flecks of the silver wash look a bit more like snow than metallic weathering, but overall not too bad.
I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked the figure! I still prefer the G1 style, but this IDW aesthetic is still pretty nice and instantly recognisable. The weathered paint app really sets this one apart from the stock model kit version that I think looks a little too clean.
The weathering is realistically applied, with dirt and rust throughout, and the scratch marks in all the appropriate places. It certainly gives the figure a battle worn look on display. Although not a transforming figure, the style still alludes to the fact the character does transform. The visible tyres at the rear of the legs I actually like, particularly the way in which they collapse when articulating the figure.
Articulation is definitely the strong point in these Furai figures. The way the armour pieces can be moved is robotically realistic, and the joints never seem too obvious. The fold and collapse exactly as you would think a realistic robot should. The level of articulation and how the parts moved definitely made me glad I didn't have to assemble this myself. I have zero patience and skill for that sort of model assembly, so probably would've screwed something up trying!
The only part to have a somewhat limited range of motion was the waist. It can't be turned side to side too much due to the rear piece at the hip. But the pieces at the front of the waist can be moved to allow quite a lot of leg motion, allowing it to reach great crouching and jumping poses. The shoulder and elbow articulation is fantastic too, so you can get this figure into many iconic and dynamic poses.
As my first Flame Toys figure, I definitely can see why they have such a good reputation. The build quality is high, the articulation is fantastic, and the pre-assembled and weathered paint app is nice too. They've announced a lot in the Furai model kit series, so I'm really looking forward to seeing which character they announce next for this Furai Action series.
The original release of G1 Bumblebee in the TF Masterpiece series was met with mostly positive reactions from collectors. Even today many collectors love the design, although I think it's looked quite dated against the MP figures over the past 2-3 years.
After MP-44 Optimus was announced, it wasn't too much of a surprise that Takara also announced a new mold for Bumblebee. Now that it's released, I think overall the new figure is a definite improvement over the original release.
Click through below for my video review on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!
I also did a subsequent video comparing the new mold to a number of other MP figures in the series. I think the design is pretty innovative to give it all the articulation and G1 cartoon aesthetics that it has, and really makes it fit in beautifully with the more recent figures. Check it out below!
Packaging is the usual MP stylr we know and love. It doesn't come with too many accessories this time. The stickers are pretty useless overall (I can't even remember what episode they were from). If anything, most collectors would use the heart symbol to go with the I heart New York number plate.
The Spike figure is the same ridiculously stupid figure from MP-44 I think. I didn't even bother trying to get it fitting into the VW car mode. It is just a crap little figure that is not worth the effort for me! The set also includes the swap out face sculpts and blaster effects that are common in the more recent releases. The bio card has some decent artwork, but I still prefer the older classic styled cards.
The alt mode is a perfect rendition of the super-deformed style of the G1 cartoon. Definitely not the realistic style of the original MP-21, but that's OK by me. The original will join the other original cars that I changed to their car modes once I got the corresponding "+" versions. This new MP-45 will be with my core G1 figures in the display in bot mode.
And what an awesome bot mode it is! Lots of collectors have complained about the backpack, the sides, and all the visible panels/parts due to the transformation. For me, none of that bothers me at all. I actually think it's pretty amazing that they engineered a transformation that went from a much smaller car to a taller, thinner, and much more cartoon accurate robot than MP-21! The only part that is a disappointment is the back of the feet, but more on that later.
The new head sculpt is a perfect rendition of the G1 cartoon character. The MP-21 sculpt was always off, and this new one recitifies it nicely. The swap out wider smiling face is pretty good, but I was happy to stick with the slightly smiling sculpt.
The chest in bot mode is a great "cheat" in the design to replicate the cheat from the cartoon where the roof of the car becomes much slimer and thinner. Much of the chest comes from the rear of the car mode, and the roof od the car folds away into the backpack. I think it's a great design and makes for much more natural body proportions, just like they did with MP-44 Optimus.
The waist and legs are also a big improvement. The crotch piece has a similar design to MP-44 Optimus where the panels fold away when you raise the leg. Some people have complained about loose leg/hip joints. I thought the same on mine, but then realised that the side skirts on the waist can be brought forward to lock the legs into place so that they don't wobble around.
The way the thighs and lower legs flare out to the feet replicates the cartoon nicely. So the combination of face, chest, waist, and legs are a big improvement over the MP-21 figure. In comparison, the older figure now looks far too barrel-chested, with a turtle shell for a backpack, thin chicken legs, and massive clown feet (see comparison pic further below!).
As I mentioned, the one downside for me is the feet. The designers didn't manage to work out a way to fold away the door and window better, and so the window shows very clearly on the back of the feet. Some poses can hide it fairly well, but for the most part it is pretty insightly.
Interestingly, the feet are only a tiny bit larger than the feet of MP-21! The reason why they look so different is that MP-21 has most of the feet at the front, whereas MP-45 has the feet equally at the front and rear. It makes the feet look pretty nice from the front, but pretty terrible from the back.
But as you can see below, MP-21 really does have massive clown fee. Collectors who say the chest and back is much cleaner are forgetting that they are just massive pieces that do not change at all during the transformation. It constrains how the figure can look due to the car dimensions. I think MP-21 suits G1 toy fans far more than it suits cartoon fans. For G1 fans of the cartoon, I think MP-45 is a much better fit.
Add to that the far better articulation of MP-45, and I think the new mold is a big improvement over the original. I don't buy the argument from some collectors that Takara was lazy with MP-45. They actually showed some engineering innovation, and for the first time gave a cartoon accurate car mode with a cartoon accurate bot mode too! All the folding in the backpack works well and pegs in well for me, so I dont have any complaints about the backpack or sides at all.
It's great that the original still looks nice in its more realistic VW Beetle car mode. It will display nicely with the other original cars such as Sideswipe, Prowl, and Wheeljack in their car modes. The new MP-45 Bumblebee fits in beautifully with the other figures in my collection in bot mode. Some collectors have complained that it is too tall, but it seems to be almost spot on to the official Takara G1 character scale chart!
So for me, MP-45 is another nice addition to the series. I love the G1 aesthetics, and it really does add to the shelf of figures looking like it jumped straight out of the cartoon. I cannot wait to get Hound by the end of the year and see how that turns out!
Here are some of my other G1 figures eagerly waiting for Hound to join them 😃
When I first saw the prototype photos for the new Transformers Masterpiece Ironhide, I totally hated the hip panels. Something just looked wrong with them!
But now that I have the figure in hand, the overall awesomeness of this new mold by Takara makes the hip panels seem like only a minor nitpick! This figure is just fantastic, with some great transformation sequences that are great "Masterpiece Moments" for me!
Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel!
This is one release that Takara has absolutely stacked with accessories! It's great that the figure itself is an all-in-one transformation, but they pay homage to the odd G1 cartoon scene and toy with the separate weapons platform too.
The alt mode itself is just a perfect representation of the official car, and look so good! Love that they included the homage to the G1 toy face through the windscreen!
Once into bot mode, the size/scale of the figure really shines, with the bulk sitting nicely between that of Optimus and the other smaller Autobot cars like Prowl and Sideswipe. So it makes for an awesome and fairly accurate display straight out of the G1 cartoon!
The head sculpt was another concern from initial prototype pics, where it looked a little skinny. But the final production version seems perfect to me, and the swap out face allows you to recreate his final scene at the hands of Megatron.
Aside from the hip panels, I would say this is as perfect a G1 Ironhide as you could have. The hip panels don't annoy me as much as I thought, but it still would've been nice if they had designed a way in which they could be folded away.
But aside from that, this is definitely another must-have addition to the Masterpiece Autobot ranks! Bring on the new Hot Rod and Shockwave!! :)
If you're a G1 Transformers fan, you HAVE to check out this incredible video by Takara featuring the new MP-22 Ultra Magnus figure. This is definitely my pick for VIDEO OF THE YEAR!! Amazing stuff!
I'll be getting my MP-21 Bumblebee and MP-22 Ultra Magnus next week, so stay tuned for the full video reviews and photos! :)
Wow!! Looks like in Japan they will be releasing the Transformers Masterpiece Official Guide! Not sure what the content will be though. I'd really only be interested if they included artwork or special behind the scenes look at the design process and prototype designs.
Not sure if there'll be an English version either. But still, that cover is just amazing!!! It's so awesome that by the end of 2014, we'll be able to recreate that setup in our own collections! Can't wait :)
It's the 30th anniversary of Transformers this year, so I thought I'd join in the celebration by doing some retrospective videos on the vintage G1 Transformers figures that I still have.
Back in 1984, my grandfather bought my brother and I our first Transformers toys for Christmas, which started my love of Transformers ever since. After I moved out of home, I had packed all the toys into several boxes and left them at my parents house. About 10 years later after I had built my new place with my family, I got a call from my parents saying it was probably time for me to move my crap out of their place! :)
And lo and behold, the boxes I had packed and forgotten about were still there! Thankfully my parents hadn't thrown anything out, and the Transformers I had packed away were all still there waiting to get some much needed fresh air!
I initially thought about selling them, but once I started looking over them more closely, I couldn't just throw away all that nostalgia and memories about my grandfather helping us put the stickers on, and opening them up on Christmas Day! And now that I'm going through them now, and playing with them with my son, I'm definitely glad I kept them.
So here's my first retrospective video on Optimus Prime, definitely one of the most iconic toys from the 80s era. This was actually my brother's first Transformers toy, but luckily it fell to me to look after it :)
And here's my second video, this time of my own first Transformer. Soundwave and his cassettes are a little worse for wear, but I love these guys so much! My affection for these grew even more when the Masterpiece versions were released, and I could see in hand the amazing transition from the iconic toys of the 80s to the engineering marvels of today!
I'll be doing videos for the rest of my G1 collection too, with some of the Autobot Season 1 cars next. So I hope you can tune in and check out my thoughts on these great toys. Subscribe, like, and comment with your own thoughts! I love responding to all the comments on my videos! :)
