Which MPs to buy now? I'm finally grown up and "rich" enough to buy some nice Transformers! I just ordered MP Optimus and Apollyon, and put in pre-orders for CW Devastator (I know he's not MP, but good enough for me!), the gold Bumblebee, and Sideswipe reissue. I also have CW Superion set in my stack because I've *always* wanted Superion! I really shouldn't spend any more money at the moment, but I've seen how it can be crazy expensive to get some characters if you don't jump on them. I see Starscream, Skywarp and Grimlock were recently reissued and available now...are they going to disappear again soon? I really really really want MP Soundwave and the cassettes....am I ever going to be able to get them for a reasonable price?! Any other MP's that I should jump on while they're available? Thanks!
Hasbro Grimlock should be readily available for a while. You might want to keep an eye on Fans Toys Grinder though if you're not opposed to third party. Soundwave and cassettes can still be bought from Chimungmung for a decent price. Skywarp is likely to be quite limited already, unless Takara decides to officially release it (it was a Transformers Asia exclusive). Starscream is supposedly getting a Hasbro release this year, although who can say what it'll change. It will be significantly cheaper than the Takara version though. My guess is you'll get a flight stand, but no cape or crown. As for suggestions... Ultra Magnus is a big chunk of fun.
Don't know what your collection goals are, but for me it's official G1 MPs, so that means 08, 09, 10, 11, 11S, 12, 13, 13SB, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, & Hasbro Thundercracker (at least until there's a TT Thundercracker).
well you can keep an eye for future releases like Road Rage, the 1st masterpiece fembot ^_^ anyway for you could always keep an eye on BBTS, sometimes they restock masterpiece..
I think you should just make a list of those that you're most excited about, and stick to that. When I jumped back into collecting three years ago, I started watching the Buys/Sell/Trade portion of the forums. (The same thread where I'd also previously purged most of my older collections... ) If you invest a little time into looking, have some patience, (and check people's feedback/reputation, there are a few creeps now and then), there are good deals to be had. The other collectors on this site generally have each others backs, and you won't be paying ebay level inflated prices. Folks that have a new priority, bought doubles and are thinning out their stock, etc. will list them for the same they paid or a small mark up. Happens all the time.
Thanks guys! I just noticed BBTS actually has Soundwave in stock!!! I swear I looked yesterday and they didn't. I was focusing on TFSource though because of the free shipping. At least BBTS shipping is pretty cheap. I wouldn't feel so bad about the price if they didn't have SoundBlaster for $50 cheaper!! They also have the original Bumblebee in stock...I'm tempted as I'm more fond of the G1, but I also really like the G2 color! Hopefully Hasbro does do a Starscream re-release...the current one is sooo expensive. And I don't want the cape and crown anyway.
Shoot, found that Amazon has the original MP-21 Bumblebee in stock as well! At first I thought the new gold one was pretty sweet and thought the original looked kind of lame, but now it's starting to grow on me and I'm wondering if I should cancel the pre-order and go for the original! Ultra Magnus is really tempting me too...but I've spent soooo much money in the last 3 days.
I'd recommend watching a lot of youtube reviews to decide which ones are really of interest to you. It helps to see them in real life rather than just glamour shots and box art. peaugh is one of my go-to reviewers. Others like Vangelis, Optibotimus, and Kuma Style are also good, though some of them review a lot of other types of toys so it's hit-or-miss whether they review Transformers. So far, the only official MP I've found worth owning new is Soundwave and the associated cassettes (Ravage, Rumble, Frenzy, Lazerbeak, and Lazerbeak's alternate color twin. I picked up a couple cheap knock-offs for Ratbat since the official Takara one is only available with Soundblaster. I also picked up a used Walmart-exclusive MP Starscream to display in jet mode. I am tempted by Skywarp but not for anything close to that ridiculous price. The rest of my collection is primarily either Combiner Wars or 3rd party items which offer more interesting designs, better quality, high detail and articulation, or all of the above. Enjoy collecting!
So I just cancelled my MP-13 Soundwave order because I didn't realize how hard/expensive it was to get some of the cassettes. There's lots of "reasonable" Hasbro versions on ebay that I'm going after now. By reasonable, I mean the whole set for less than I was about to pay for Soundwave and one two pack of cassettes! I would rather have the red eyes, but I don't think the eyes alone are worth that much more! With that, is there anything I should look out for in ebay listings for MP-02? I've rummaged through old threads but just saw a few references to TRU versions versus SDCC versions versus 2nd run versions (different border colors or something), but not sure if there's any way to tell really. Thanks for the 3P info jay5, interesting to hear the alternative view!
I say always go for the original Nothing lame about MP Bumblebee. Most pics just don't do him justice.
I wouldn't overlook MP-01...the original Masterpiece Prime. Ys, MP-10 is a better looking design in some ways, has much more refined engineering and is alo the size standard for the current size scale but the MP-01 is likely to be cheap (ish) and really is a stunnig piece with amazing features. The only MP toy that has let me down has been Rodimus...mostly because of the endless stories about the figure just falling apart without provocation, sometimes even losing an arm while sitting on a shelf.
Where possible and and the prices are reasonable, always try to go for Takara over Hasbro. Obviously a little harder for older MPs. Takara usually has better paint apps (opinions may, and do, vary) and a row of uniform Takara boxes looks much nicer than the ever changing packaging Hasbro uses. And avoid KO's, unless you really don't care about the quality. Advice on which ones to buy? Depends how big a collection you want. All the original G1 characters from MP10 upwards are a must buy. All the other ones you should do some research otherwise you might end up with a collection consisting solely of a wobbly oversized Megatron, a broken Rodimus, a Ronald McDonald Seeker and some random Diaclone cars. And everything will be re-released again eventually. Probably.
So far I think I'm about 50/50 on Hasbro and Takara (with one 3P - Apollyon). I went with the Hasbro MP-10 reissue because it was cheaper and better eyes (I'm torn on which shade of paint I like better though!). As I said, I'm switching to the Hasbro Soundwave due to cost. Although I screwed up and am currently winning him for $230 with free shipping, and I probably could've gotten him cheaper if I hadn't gotten sucked into the bidding! Since I cancelled the BBTS order after they charged me, I now have a store credit so that means I have to buy Ultra Magnus or Grimlock doesn't it? I pre-ordered the new Sideswipe...I'm not clear if that's Takara or Hasbro Japan though! This new obsession is going to break me... And I still can't decide what to do about Bumblebee....I have a feeling I'm going to end up with two of him! I don't really want duplicates though... MP-01 is tempting too...
MP-10 - The Hasbro's red is bare plastic whereas TT's is mostly red paint with a classy matte finish. Hasbro's trailer interior is all bare plastic where TT painted both halves silver. Hasbro's is also missing a silver paint app around the cab's wheels. Sideswipe reissue - I'm not 100% sure if it's TT or Hasbro Asia, but either way they'll be identical or nearly so. Hasbro Asia's MP releases aren't any different from TT's except they come with a coin.
I love the seekers The TRU hasbro Thundercracker is well made. Also the Acid Storm is amazing However hasbro Sunstorm has quality issues, but still looks good I know this is not a 3P thread, but the third party masterpieces in general are delicious.
Well maybe $230 wasn't so bad for Soundwave after all, as someone swiped it from me. Then I lost another one for $220 with seconds to go. Problem is, I can get a guaranteed new MP-13 and MP-15 (or 16, whichever one has Ravage) for $240, and then would probably have to get the KO Rumble/Buzzsaw...wondering if that's the better deal if Hasbro costs 230-240 anyway?! BTW, I don't understand why there's any confusion at all about which one is Rumble and Frenzy...The purple dude is Rumble...what are people smoking?! I just don't understand...