In short the thing that gets me is, it seems I've jumped the gun by preordering MP-17 & MP-18. When estimates on the boards suggested places like Robot Kingdom would sell out their preorders in a couple of weeks - as in by now - if the rate of business kept up, I waited a week, looked at some prices and decided to try HLJ.

The lesson I'd learnt was that preordering Masterpieces is a good thing. MP-12 and MP-13 confirmed this and I set about preordering the Amazon Exclusives as soon as I could, which should have been announced well in advance, if I recall.

Of course I guessed that there could be Amazon Japan Exclusives this time around, I just think a heads-up would have been nice before the stampede.  

 

To be fair, a lot of the online retailers had pre-orders up before Takara even announced the figures.

 

Yeah, and those that I look at (normally RK or Japanese e-tailers now also for my Masterpieces so they don't have to cross the Pacific twice to get to Australia) were selling fast or sold out for MP-17 & 18. It's a minor issue really; I'm just not about to get worked up over the one missile per Amazon Exclusive aspect.

Others have covered every view on it. I feel for the people who will only get one exclusive and understand those who couldn't care less about shelling out more for one missile or a pair. Perhaps I've gone for the exclusives so far because Masterpieces are a special purchase and any extra cost is a fraction of my postage, which can be offset with bulk orders.

While I haven't gone back through the boards to check if both standard and Amazon MPs have been made available for preorder simultaneously before, I know your comment's right on the mark. The last time we learnt first through Takara of a Masterpiece was probably the teaser image for Mp-13. This time around we had listings on BBTS anda few others, then pictures some weeks later. Only now the exclusives are confirmed and I'm not sure if they are available for preorder yet.

 

This is a plus to preordering at BBTS. I can easily shift things around if and when a more interesting version appears. Pretty sure I will be shifting to theses when pre orders appear.

I just wish we'd know whether a blue/grey Bluestreak exclusive was on the way or not. I suspect it will happen, but I'm worried it won't be announced as early as needed to factor it in to what I purchase.

 

It maybe a good marketing strategy for Amazon but bad news for our collector's wallet,stupid Amazon

 

I would say that a blue Bluestreak (or going under another name) would be along sometime, at least six months though I'd guess. I can't remember off the top of my head how long it was between the releases of MP-11 and MP-11S. The gap between MP-10 and MP-10B is even larger, but the latter does have a slight remold to lose the sculpted Autobot insignia.

So the best example I have is MP-12. That came out at the end of October, and MP-12T will be coming out in June this year for the Tokyo Toy Show. This is the first time I've heard of an event exclusive MP, so I really have no idea what organization would get the MP-18 exclusive. With MP-17 * MP-18 released 10 months after MP-12, maybe blue Bluestreak will get picked up for the Toy Show for mid next year?

 

Wow, sure nice to know that RK's selling something that was meant to be given away free in the first place.  

 

You misread it. RK is going to sell the Amazon exclusive versions of the Masterpieces, NOT just the launchers.

Just like how they sold the Amazon versions of Soundwave and Lambor.

 

Cool, just as I expected. Though it might be neat if they managed to sell extras separately at some stage, like BBTS have - though they vanished pretty quickly, and none to cheap from what I saw.

Still, all of this worry might be a bit premature. With MP-12 and MP-13 we got our news on those first from Takara (I think that was the least time we had a teaser image) and the Amazon versions were advertised about the same time as the others.

The detail I'd like to focus on is that at that stage, I'm pretty sure the draw of Amazon Japan MP-13 Soundwave was that it would come with one energon cube. As it stands, this variant came with three including one with the standard version.

Now this might be misinformed on my part, or at least obscure optimism, but couldn't something similar happen with the Amazon Exclusives for MP-17 and MP-18? I mean, we really have no idea what the standard accessories for these figures are, besides their rifles/hand guns. Not that I'm setting my mind on one outcome, but isn't it possible that the standard Masterpiece Prowl and Streak each come with one of those missiles, while the Amazon Japan Exclusives come with one more, for example?

Just a thought.  

 

The only thing that I'm pissed about is that I've already preordered multiples and had them paid for. With this just being issued now, I find it painful at the idea that I have to buy another figure just for ONE launcher. Like I said earlier, I hope they give people the option to purchase these individually. Otherwise, fuck em.

 

Ill just buy these separately on eBay once a available. I did it for SS pile drivers an I see SW energon cubes on there now as well.

 

While a nice idea we knew about all the accessories for each figure when they're announced. I think the one thing we may not have had in the official announcement for Soundwave was the Megatron gun, but that was shown at the toy show he was first revealed at.

Depends on who you bought it from, as I'm sure some people will be selling the shoulder rockets separately (as they always do). TakaraTomy won't be doing that though.

Randy

 

Ordered from Anime Export.

 

I'm thinking Dr Wu will maybe make these?

 

Call me crazy but I don't think these will be as prevalent as the Soundwave energon cubes.

The fact that you only get ONE with each toy is a real pain in the ass, so I doubt people are going to be quite as willing to part with them. I certainly won't be.

Of course, there will likely be a 3rd party option, but I expect these "official" launchers to be much harder to come by considering the higher cost of getting a pair of them. In Japan anyway.

I have NO idea how these are distributed in other Asian countries. It's possible that the Hong Kong retailers might be able to get their hands on them like they did with the other Amazon exclusives and in that case, may even be able to offer pairs of launchers as opposed to one. I really don't know how it works.

All I know is, I went ahead and pre-orderd the pair from Amazon, and I'll be giving the launchers to Prowl to get that toy look, and Bluestreak will just make do with his cartoon look.

 

Were they preorders for just the individual launcher?

 

Has there been any preorders with the figures and the launchers, never mind just the launchers?

Randy

 

One launcher? LOL. Kiss my a$$.

 

But RK HAS been peddling the "Asia" version all this while so am I supposed to be surprised by it?  

 

Pfff... These launchers, I can take 'em or leave 'em. They don't do much for me: They're not particularly accurate to either the toy or any appearance in comic or cartoon. I'll see if I can get some on eBay come the time, but there's no way I'm spending too much money on them. Even my Amazon Sideswipe piledrivers are still unopened in the bag: they look nice, but I have no real use for them while displaying him.