Takara releases G1 Masterpiece figures so slowly these days, I barely even think about whether I should get a figure, and just buy it regardless. I guess when the figure is another fantastic Diaclone repaint, there's nothing to worry about!
This Spinout repaint of the fantastic Sunstreaker mold is beautifully done. Click the link below to check out my video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel. Hope you can subscribe and stay tuned for the upcoming MP Arcee review!
The packaging is the usual MP style. There aren't too many accessories , but what is provided is decent enough. I'll never use the stickers, but they're a nice option for collectors that want that extra bit of detailing or Diaclone homage. The weapons are essentially the same as those that have come before with Sunstreaker or Cordon, so you know what you're getting there.
For the extra collector piece, I do wish they still provided the coins instead of these new pins. But I guess something is better than nothing! The card art is decent, but I still prefer the original static pose artwork of the figure itself. That was always just a simple yet classy way to highlight the figure and tech specs.
But the main thing everyone is interested in is of course the figure itself. It always seems that Takara puts in a little extra effort for their Diaclone repaints, and this Spinout is no exception. Cordon was a beautiful repaint, and Spinout maintains that high quality.
I actually thought the red was all just unpainted plastic, but it is actually a beautiful deep red paint that looks so good in hand. Previous figures with red plastic have a somewhat translucent quality that makes them look a little cheap. But this semi-matte finish is gorgeous.
I love that Takara have given the two Diaclone repaints their original Diaclone number designation, with Spinout being Car Robo CR-01 and Cordon being CR-03. Seeing this does raise the obvious question on where is CR-02, which is the original black Ironhide. I have no idea why Takara has not done an Ironhide repaint after all of these years since the MP-27 Ironhide release. I really do hope they announce one soon.
Seeing Spinout side by side to the original MP-12 Sideswipe, it really becomes obvious how much better the paint app is on Spinout. The roof of Sideswipe shows that translucent plastic effect, and the cleaner lines of Spinout really make it the definite red MP Countach for me.
The transformation to the classic Countach style without external engines is pretty simple, and that mode looks pretty awesome too. But I do prefer the external engine stile for both Cordon and Spinout. That chrome just looks amazing!
Spinout looks pretty amazing in bot mode too. It has the same G1 toy-inspired head sculpt like Cordon, but with yellow ears. An option for collectors who prefer a toy style would be to swap head sculpts with the original Sunstreaker figure, but I think that would look pretty weird, especially with the mis-matching blacks. I guess for me, I've never had an issue with the original Sunstreaker head sculpt, and think it conveys their cartoon aesthetic pretty well.
Luckily the transformation sequence for this Sunstreaker mold is easier the third time around. Spinout has nice firm joints that are not too loose or tight, and I had no issues with paint chipping either which is great.
I love these Diaclone homages in the MP series. There are some collectors that apparently hate these repaints, but I have no idea why. Considering that these were the original precursors to the Transformers that we all grew up watching, I think Takara honours them perfectly through this MP series. Here's hoping for a Hound repaint and of course that elusive black Ironhide!
Those that follow the channel and Facebook page will know that I love the Diaclone repaints in the Transformers Masterpiece series. Takara always does a pretty awesome job with these homages to the original colourways preceding the Transformers brand. This new MP-42 Cordon repaint of Sunstreaker in the original police car deco is no exception!
Click through below to check out my full video review over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel! Make sure to give the video a thumbs-up, and subscribe to the channel! :)
The packaging and contents are the usual style that all Masterpiece collectors know and love. I still hate the new style of collector card art, and one day I might get over the fact they changed it ages ago! But for now, I'll continue bitching about it :)
The accessories aren't as plentiful as with the standard Sunstreaker release (eg. alien mask, Chip etc), but the new hand gun is nicely chromed and a great way to pay homage to the G1 toy design. The swap out mechanism is pretty straight forward and it looks great in bot mode.
Of course the other stand out feature in bot mode is the new head sculpt that is more accurate to the G1 toy. It is a nice looking sculpt with those red eyes and side ears. The metallic face also looks fantastic, but watch out for some minor paint rub on the tip of the nose.
The way in which the police lights change between car and robot modes is nice, with a simple mechanism to push it to either side of the rotating roof. Some people seemed to hate the "cheat" in getting the roof to be accurate in car and bot mode, but I think it's toy engineering perfection. The cartoon itself cheated, and this reflects that exactly, with the insignia appearing in bot mode just like on Sunstreaker.
The extra molded details also sets this figure apart from the original. The high black gloss and molded highlights really show off the character from every angle. I still am in awe at how Takara designed the lower legs, and it's far better than any of the 3rd party attempts.
In car mode, it has all the possible combinations that Sunstreaker had. You can have it with the exposed engines (as I prefer), or you can hide those away to make it more of an accurate Lamborghini Countach. I much prefer the engines exposed to clearly differentiate him.
The police car deco is just awesome. The paint application is beautifully done, with clean lines all over mine. There's minimal paint slop, and the decals are all sharp. The extra painted areas in black against the white makes it pop, whereas the original Sunstreaker went for less paint details for cartoon accuracy.
Displayed next to the MP-14C Clampdown Diaclone homage, they really do represent this Lamborghini mold at its best. I'll definitely stick with displaying these Diaclone repaints in their car modes. Just great work by Takara!
I've collected all the Diaclone or Micro Change repaints so far in this series I think. They look fantastic together! I just wish Takara would hurry up and release the Diaclone black Ironhide for crying out loud! I have no idea why they haven't announced it yet, but hopefully it's still in their plans. If it's not, it would be a curious and very disappointing case of being the only car mold without a Diaclone homage! Either way, I'll continue to wait eagerly for it!
If you're a fan of these Masterpiece figures and love the Diaclone homages, then this new MP-42 Cordon comes highly recommended!
What a long time it's been waiting for an official Sunstreaker! So long in fact that many thought it was never going to happen! MP-12 Sideswipe released around the 2012 timeframe, and it was thought that Takara would take advantage of the Lamborghini licence and release a Sunstreaker quickly after.
But after years of waiting, all hope seemed lost until Takara finally announced it back in 2017. And what an amazing figure it is! Absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, well worth the wait! Click through below to check out my thoughts over on the Kool Kollectibles YouTube channel - make sure to subscribe and give the video a like :)
The set comes with a small array of accessories, along with the usual collector card and coin. The swap out face sculpts and alien mask show how Takara really have stepped it up to provide many options to replicate scenes from the original G1 cartoon series.
The car mode is absolutely spectacular. The engineering in this toy is astounding at times, and together with MP-36 Megatron really showcase a new era in the Masterpiece series. The designers have stated in past interviews that their focus has shifted to greater cartoon accuracy, greater articulation, greater moving parts, and greater use of paint. MP Sunstreaker brings those aspects in spades!
The classic car mode of Sunstreaker with the chromed engine at the rear is faithfully replicated. But the amazing thing is that they were able to design in a transformation sequence in the rear to be able to flip that exposed engine and revert it back to standard Countach mode!
Many speculate that this is one of the challenges that took Takara years to overcome in order to obtain official Lamborghini licencing for this character. Regardless, the fact they've been able to do so in such a seamless manner is an incredible feat of toy engineering.
The ability to fold the doors up and the head lights are the little attention to details that sets this figure apart. Not just from 3rd party figures, but also from his own MP brethren.
The transformation is bot mode was daunting for me. It takes me forever to transform MP figures, and with the higher level of complexity on Sunstreaker, it took me close to 40 minutes to complete the transformation the first time.
There are some scary parts that I discuss in my video review. The rotating windscreen requires finesse to get by what tiny clearances there are around the waist. I'm not even sure how I managed it, but it took me several attempts and some swearing to get it done!
The other scary part was the rotation of the backpack mechanism. Luckily I had read some reports of breakages at the location of the rotation. So I heeded the advice and rotated the part before clipping the backpack sections together. This certainly seems to require less force on the joint.
But there are aspects of the transformation that are a joy, and worthy to be noted as "Masterpiece Moments". I love the leg and feet transformation, and the final result alone makes this Sunstreaker far better than any of the 3rd party version. The way they've incorporated all the folding parts and the ability to tightly fold and clip it all together is amazing. It creates a beautifully streamlined lower half that none of the other versions have.
The "fake" windscreen doesn't bother me at all. The cartoon itself was a cheat that magically moved his Autobot insignia from the bonnet of the car to the roof of the car in the transformation. The way in which Takara have replicated that "cheat" is ingenious, and again creates a perfect cartoon accurate aesthetic in bot mode.
The articulation in bot mode is amazing! Everything nicely holds together, with firm joints in all the right places. With ratchet hips, butterfly shoulders, pivot wrists, and all the other usual articulation points, you will be able to get this figure into some incredible poses. It far exceeds that of previous MP figures, and sets a very high bar for future MPs.
Together with his brother Sideswipe, Takara have given us two incredible Lamborghini Countach figures. The first spawned a new age in the MP series back in 2012 along with Soundwave. And now the second in Sunstreaker helps launch this new era that takes Transformers engineering to the next level.
If Takara are able to announce long awaited characters like Jazz, Hound, Mirage, and Trailbreaker in this new style, it will continue to be an amazing time for Transformers fans.
