The Transformers Thread (licensed) Next

[M'Kyuun]

Hopefully TRU will get all the new MP TFs coming out. Actually, it'd be nice to see some other stores carry them as well...more competition and fewer markups. I wish Hasbro every success in securing the licenses, even if it means certain figs have to be sold without a weapon to appease the licensees. It would suck, but Hasbro could always make a separate weapons pack, and I'm sure third parties would be all over that like stink on shi7. Personally, I'd just be happy to have a MP figure at a more affordable rate than buying from overseas, esp since there's little difference between Japanese and domestic versions of the toys.

FOC Springer is intriguing; I generally disdain Cybertronian alt modes, but all three modes look good. Judging from the pics and figuring what turns into what, however, I doubt the final product, if they indeed use this design, will be as clean as the illustrations. I hope I'm wrong.

Personally, I'd love to see an updated Blitzwing. I'd love to see them finesse a J-20 or a Su 27, 30, or 50 into a believable tank and a decent looking bot.

Edited January 30, 2013 by M'Kyuun

[David Hingtgen]

Not going to get a Flanker into a tank. That's among the worst alt-modes to pick. Some planes just do not work for certain transformations---TFC apparently thought an SR-71 would make for a good gestalt torso...

Really, a big part of why Blitzwing "works" is the MiG-25 alt-mode. Updating to a MiG-31 would be easy.

[anime52k8]

also, Mig-31>SU-27. just saying.

anyways, I just like the fact that hasbro still remembers that Astrotrain exists. far more excited about a springer, especially since he always had scifi space alt modes so it makes more sense to translate him into WFC. and I dig springer.

[kaiotheforsaken]

So Soundwave came in today and my feelings are.....more mixed than I expected. My first impressions out of the box are that he is super light. I normally hate metal in Transforming toys but my latest Yamato purchases have swayed me some. So compared to the Valks I've been opening the past few weeks he is featherweight.

My other impression out of the box is that the plastic feels....cheap I guess or brittle (nothing is broken so no panic button). The sculpt is nice and the joints are good (though the hips seem....not designed well) but the figure just feels...not worth its normal price point. I mean I'm glad I have him. On the shelf he looks awesome but as a tactile experience he is off.

Laserbeak on the other hand is awesome. Paint, plastic, engineering are top notch.

So he's kind of a mixed bag for me. I really dig the look of him and the character in general but I'm not drawn to fiddle with him like I am my new Valks.

[mikeszekely]

Speaking of Soundwave, my wife got me FoC Soundwave and the Frenzy/Ratbat and Ravage/Rumble packs.

Soundwave's a bit of a mixed bag. Transformation is extremely similar to WfC Soundwave's just scaled up. The main differences are that, going to alt mode, part of his chest slides up and his feet tuck in while a new backplate becomes the roof. As a bot, the horns on his wheels are fixed, the front wheels fold onto his sides instead of his back, and his back wheels rotate so that the wheels point toward the ground instead of toward the front.

Between bots, FoC is a lot better than WfC. The head sculpt is much better, he's thicker, and he just seems to have better proportions. He's not perpetually looking down. His left finger is sculpted so it's sticking out a bit, like his going to push the button on his shoulder to open his chest. He's also got more paint apps. I also dig that he's got a ton of ratcheting joints; WfC Soundwave was kind of floppy. It's also cool, in theory, that he can store a couple of the "cassettes." I say "in theory" because in practice they fit very poorly, making me concerned that they're going to get stuck, plus his back plate moves backwards to make room in his chest, so storing several cassettes means having Soundwave walking around with his back hanging a ridiculous distance off his body. I'm also not happy that he didn't come with a gun besides his shoulder weapon (which is gray with gold instead of blue with gray for some reason).

When it comes to alt mode, though, WfC wins. Yeah, he was more truck than car in the games, but he was still fairly sleek. The WfC toy matched the proportions pretty well, and I like that you could store his weapons inside in alt mode. Due to his cassette storage gimmick, FoC Soundwave's alt mode is a brick. It's maybe 20-25% as long, but at least double the thickness. Adding to the mess is that the only place to put his shoulder cannon is right in the middle of his roof, in front of a molded seat that shouldn't be there.

Now, onto the "cassettes." Yeah, they're pretty crappy. I won't complain about Laserbeak too much, mostly because he comes with Soundwave. Partly because he and Ratbat (who's a slight retooling of Laserbeak) are the best of the cassettes. See, the cassettes have a gimmick, too. When they're in "data disc" mode, there's a small button on one side. You put the disc into Soundwave with the button pointing out. In theory, you can open Soundwave and then push his back to make the disc eject. The disc will land on the button, then pop open into bot mode. Aside from them sticking in Soundwave's chest, this gimmick works perfectly for them. They pop right into bot mode. And their bot modes look ok, with nicely-sculpted heads, smallish bodies, large wings, and tails. Laserbeak is very similar to Booster X10 from the first live-action movie's "real gear" line, just with a more G1 Laserbeak head and no legs. They have zero poseability, though Their disc mode is kind of stupid, but I suppose to worse than a cassette tape.

Rumble and Frenzy are next. They've got a little work to do when they pop out, because their feet aren't deployed and their arms are straight up. They can swing their arms, but that's it for their range of motion. Their very tiny heads do look like Rumble/Frenzy.

Ravage is just a mess. When he lands on his button, his back half is still pretty much untransformed. His head sculpt is the worst of the five, with fangs more evocative of Venom than Ravage. He's got a huge gap behind his shoulders, and another between his hind legs. The gap between his legs is covered by a flap that doesn't peg into anything, and itself has a gap where his tail folds out of it.

None of the cassettes are accurate to their in-game models.

My advice? If you don't have WfC Soundwave, FoC Soundwave is definitely worth it. If you have WfC Soundwave, it's more debatable... WfC Soundwave works better if you're going to put him with other WfC/FoC toys, but FoC Soundwave does look a lot better as a bot, and I'll probably stick him with my Classics until Hasbro gives me something better.

As for the cassettes, skip 'em. They're not worth $11 for a pack of two. They're crappy bots with crappier alt modes centered on a gimmick of being able to plug into Soundwave.

[eugimon]

got my MP soundwave today.

couple of thoughts:

1. it's LIGHT. Not kidding, when I grabbed the MP box out of the big BBTS shipping box I thought for a second, "is it empty?"

2. the ankles seriously hamper posability. There's no back and forth motion. So it's great at an A stance and great for squating poses, rubbish at everything else. Honestly, I would rather they have used the extra space in the feet to build in some proper ankles than little compartments.

3. on the other hand, posability in the arms is fantastic.

4. the plastic feels... cheap. I don't know how to describe it... it feels light and hollow and brittle. I don't think it's any of that, other than light, but it feels that way.

5. paint apps, pretty generous. He looks good.

6. laserbeak is fantastic.

would I recommend? For diehard soundwave/cassette bot fans only. Wait for the the TRU/hasbro release... I can't honestly say he's worth 200$.

[ErikElvis]

Soundwave didnt blow me away like MP-10 but it still is great. Yea the feet could use a little work. But Im pretty sure soundwave doesn't even know what a dynamic pose is anyway. Im happy with him just looking up at laserbeak.

I will get another with the TRU release.

[anime52k8]

UPS doesn't deliver until the afternoon here and I won't be getting home til 8:00pm..

[mass driver]

I received my MP soundwave today too. Yes, it seems light when you first get the box, but once you get the toy out and mess with it the weight seems about right. It's about as heavy as MP-10.

Eugimon said the plastic feels cheap. Well, it's about the same quality as MP-10. It seems durable to me. The only diecast I can see is the front half of the feet and that's it.

The paint is great and I love the way the face/visor looks. There are no QC issues that I can see. And yes, laserbeak is awesome.

Is it worth it? Maybe if you got it for 169 and even then it seems pricey for what you get. It's definitely NOT worth 189 or whatever it's going for now. Especially since the US version is rumored to be coming in like 6 months at half the price. It's still a great toy and he displays beautifully.

[jenius]

Is there any chance there will be a new Ultra Magnus or has that ship sailed?

[anime52k8]

IMO, in a world where a VF-19S from yamato costs $290, a VF-171EX from bandai costs $190 shipped, and at the end of the day you feel fine about paying that much for them; Masterpiece Soundwave at $170 feels just fine to me too.

[David Hingtgen]

Is there any chance there will be a new Ultra Magnus or has that ship sailed?

Odds are good. Though I really want a UM that's designed to be UM from scratch, and not incorporate a $100 white Optimus that only "holds up the head". A UM with a cab-only cab, could make for an amazing vehicle mode. Frankly--screw the "unarmored" mode. Give us an armored Magnus LIKE HE APPEARED IN EVERY EPISODE EVER, made from a car carrier that is designed solely to "be Magnus wholly" and not have to "wrap around" an existing Prime figure's parts.

Think had awesome that'd be, without the "compromises" need to include a pointless white Optimus inside. (and how much cheaper it'd be, with a non-transforming but very realistic cab) (well, a cab that only barely transforms)

[anime52k8]

But I like my Magnus with a marshmallow prime center.

[David Hingtgen]

The Titanium G1 Magnus really got it right, IMHO. It's exactly what I'd want from a masterpiece. (one of the few figures I kept from my great TF sell-off earlier this year--I think it's the only UM I have now))

[anime52k8]

BTW Masterpiece laserbeak is the most adorably awesome thing ever.

Also, although the lower body articulation on Soundwave is is kind of odd, it's actually not nearly as limited as people say it is. his hips particularly can do a lot of things if you're willing to cheat slightly with his crotch plate and swiveling his thighs around.

[eugimon]

even if you contort his legs around to give him more hip posability, you're still limited by his ankles so that you're forced to balance his back leg on his toe. A toe joint on the foot instead of the compartment would have given him much better posability

[jenius]

I would really love it if they did an MP Ultra Magnus and I would love it more if we got his trailer and it was transformable. If we had to add on a couple parts but they could be stowed in the trailer that would be fine by me.

[anime52k8]

F*CK MY LIFE...

Edited February 1, 2013 by anime52k8

[eugimon]

Oh man, that sucks

[UN Spacy]

YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.

[Major Focker]

ouch

[anime52k8]

Does anyone know what BBTS's policy is for replacing broken products? I prefer not having to send them back my entire toy just to get a new Laserbeak.

[David Hingtgen]

BBTS's is the best in the business---just email them the pics, and ask what they want to do. They may just mail you a new Lazerbeak. But don't worry, they WILL make sure you end up with an intact Lazerbeak somehow.

(generally, it's how BBTS's business strategy is--they are rarely the cheapest place, and often the most expensive--but when dealing with expensive Japanese imports etc, they WILL take care of you if something breaks---opening up sealed rare figures for parts if need be isn't unheard of---the consistently higher prices basically subsidizes the replacement policy, and ensures many repeat customers from people who have had something break)

[GU-11]

Just brought MP Soundwave back from the store. Glad to say everything's in good order. I even got a small discount due to the yen's recent slight decrease.

The figure's just full of awesomeness. Looks statuesque no matter how you pose him, and I can't really complain about the articulation. He actually manages a decent crouch especially if you pla around with the hip joints, so I have no idea what all the fuss was about. And Laserbeak is such a purdy burdy. Easy but interesting transformation, and looks very good for its size. They even managed to include a tiny head-camera he sometimes used in the 80's cartoon.

My only issue with MP Soundwave is the gun; actually it's the hands that hold the gun. Like MP-10, the large forearms and his static thumb make it so that there's a gap between his hand and the trigger when he holds the gun. This could have been remedied by designing the gun to convert like Yamato's VF-1 gun-pods, where the trigger lowers to meet the hand. That way, it won't look like Soundwave is afraid of contracting cosmic rust through the trigger.

TBH, the accessories don't do much for me. The energon cube seems redundant, and I already have the tiny gun mode Megatron from MP-01. The screen grid on his chest is kind of cool, but I don't like having to cut up the user manual to use it. The mini-vac thing apparently appeared for all of three seconds in an episode called Fire in the Mountain, which I don't even remember watching. At least its unobtrusive and tucks away in his back when not in use. Personally, I'd gladly trade the energon cube, mini-vac thing and the mini gun mode Megatron for an extra cassette like Ravage or Ratbat.

With all that said, it's the main figure that matters and he is nearly flawless in both modes.

Strangely, I didn't get an MP coin this time; didn't realize it until I got home. I'll have go back one of these days and ask the store owner about it.

BTW, sorry to hear about your Laserbeak, Mike. Hope you get it replaced soon.

Edited February 1, 2013 by GU-11

[Valkyrie2008]

That's suck dude, brand spanking new MP Laserbeak and already broken!

The quality and the material of most transformers toys nowadays are not the same as they were back in the 80's, can't even get rubber tires on the new MPs, But I do admire the engineering of today toys.

[anime52k8]

well, catastrophic breakages aside, I'm really enjoying Soundwave himself. I never had MP-01 or any other MP that came with the original megatron gun mode so having this one is very cool, especially since Sondwave holds Megatron much more convincingly than he does his own concussion blaster. His own gun is more secure with the giant tab but sits strangely high up in his hand as GU-11 mentioned. personally, I really dig the engergon cube; there's just something silly and endearing to me about having him look like he's dispensing giant ice cubes from his chest.

I still need to print out the papercraft energon cube liner and make copies of the chest readouts.

[anime52k8]

Just heard back from BBTS. Because they're completely sold out I can either return mine, get a refund and preorder another from the restock they should be getting sometime this month, or take a $10 store credit and keep mine.

I'm waiting to hear back from them whether or not they'll cover the $25 difference between what I payed for mine and what the preorders are going for now.

[mikeszekely]

The mini-vac thing apparently appeared for all of three seconds in an episode called Fire in the Mountain, which I don't even remember watching.

But... that's the episode where they brought Skyfire back to life!

...by digging him up. Which, I guess, the Autobots were too lazy to do two episodes before when he crashed into the ice in the first place.

[Major Focker]

speaking of Skyfire/Jetfire, has there been any talk of an MP treatment? when was the most recent release that is not bayformers?

sorry, i'm not up to date on TF

[anime52k8]

well, good news is BBTS will cover return shipping and the price difference to get a new Soundwave. The bad news is I have to wait until then get a restock which means It will be a month or more before I actually have one in hand again.

[Tober]

How was it broken? Were you forcing it at all or is it just poor design again?

[anime52k8]

How was it broken? Were you forcing it at all or is it just poor design again?

I have absolutely no idea. the first time I transformed it, the backpack parts where kind of stuck due to some paint but it broke on the second transformation to bird mode after going from cassette to bird and back to cassette without any problem. And the other side is still fine; no cracks or stress marks or anything. there are no stress marks on the broken part either, it was a completely clean break. I must have just got a single bad hinge because I've not heard of anyone else having this problem.

[eugimon]

How was it broken? Were you forcing it at all or is it just poor design again?

design is fine, if it's like mine, it's because the paint is uneven and one side of laserbeak is a lot more stiff because of it.

[anime52k8]

I'm pretty sure they assembled laserbeak and put him in robot mode before the paint was fully dry because there where spots round the backpack that where litterally stuck together. The odd thing is that the side that didn't break was the most stuck, with a whole chunk of red paint coming off the main body and going with the backpack piece. Personally I'm convinced I got some bad molding because the break is incredibly clean. There's no discoloration to the plastic or anything, they're actually smooth.

Edited February 2, 2013 by anime52k8

[GU-11]

But... that's the episode where they brought Skyfire back to life!

...by digging him up. Which, I guess, the Autobots were too lazy to do two episodes before when he crashed into the ice in the first place.

I vaguely remember watching that episode as a kid, something about Skyfire having been former buddies with Starscream, and he was tricked into joining the Decepticons.

Strangely, I don't recall ever seeing Soundwave resurrecting Skyfire, and I certainly don't recall him using that mini-vac thingie. Obviously he did revive Skyfire with that mini-vac, but I just don't remember it.