The idea of MP Devastator and Reflector make me frothy. Wowowow! Dear TT rep reading this. "I'll buy 3 of each Constructicon. Promise! Please be the change in the world that we need! An MP Devy could really make a lot of sense on the cosmic-balance scale. Some malevolent force has had its finger on on the scale for a few years, and we could really use a break/miracle."

Even if it's a retooled Unite Warriors Devy. Whatever!

 

Heh...maybe? I'm not sure if a 3-6 year wait on 6 very similar looking, C-list at best, characterless robots that will end up costing the collector close to $1000 in total before they get their A-List Combiner can be sold as a jumping on point for new collectors but...erm...I guess if your a huge Devestator fan it might be?

I'm not going to pretend my opinion counts here so no need to pick it apart guys! Yes people would likely lap that up...however I'd find that very boring and would likely buy none of it. I'd like to see TT move away from G1 S1 and quit it with the redos and retcons of older moulds, to me it feels very stale and inspired...for me all the excitement is in the Beast Wars side of the line because it's never been done before.

 

I'm talking about the individual team members. Lets face it their are hardly household names , memorable characters or particularly exciting designs. It's all about the combined form, who is definitely way more iconic and better to look at than it's component parts.

 

Back when you could buy MP Ultra Magnus for $125, I could have seen TT releasing a $300 MP Dev set. Now, though, $300 doesn't even get you MP Prime, and $125 barely gets you a carbot. MP Dev is simply too expensive to release in a single go, and I can't imagine TT spreading out his release over 2 or 3 years. It's just too risky. Why bother when the fandom would just as happily eat up a v2 or 3 of some other character with none of the same risk? I think an MP Dev could very well be successful, but I don't think TT are big gamblers and combiners probably aren't amazing money makers in the grand scheme. They're much more a TF diehard's wetdream than a casual fan's desire. The cool factor to the casual fan is quickly muted by the ridic price...and you're even limited on how many diehards will spring for the g2 and diaclone repaints at these prices.

 

I would disagree. I would say most, if not all, G1 fans know their Scrappers and Hooks from Devastator.

Hell. How many of us had a lone Bonecrusher as a kid and dreamed of having the rest of the team?

I strongly think the entire team would be cherished by a whole lot more people than just me.

 

I'm looking overall. We just had 5 new molds revealed, sure. But compared to Gundam and Kaiju related stuff, it's still slow. What's considered fast to us now, still isn't that fast. Dragonball, that's been done for... 20 years?? That gets more love than transformers. Sorry, but I still think of the release schedule is slow, compared to a lot of other brands in Japan. Which is fine for me and my wallet. Because I collect multiple lines from Japan, which aren't cheap, lol

 

Bring on MP Devastator! I expect each Constucticon to cost more than Hound because they’re taller and more complex designs. But I would buy them all for sure and possibly even two sets if I like the designs enough. Especially if they spread them out over two years.

HasTak is doing the Studio Series Devastator over two years. The total cost for all 8 figures is $360 Canadian plus tax and shipping depending on where you buy them. I’m not even a huge fan of the Bay movie designs but I’m buying them all anyway because I’m excited for combiners. Especially combiners with no extra combiner parts if possible. I’m really hoping that the Studio Series business plan is a marketing test run for a possible G1 MP version.

 

Ohh, other lines, that makes more sense.

Other lines are a little different too though - it’s probably a lot easier to produce a new DBZ mold than a Masterpiece.

 

Well if we’re talking similar looking characters, I guess the Seekers and Coneheads might be our benchmark (different colours, but similar design). While they still fit in, they were pretty successful, based on how much I sold my MP-11SW and TC back in 2016. On the flipside, is the coneheads all going on sale (because of their bad QC? Or lack of popularity?).

I think the Constructicons had more characterisation in the cartoon compared to any of the coneheads, or Thundercracker and Skywarp. Maybe more than the triple-changers?

Talking about the retreading of old ground - Devastator has the opposite effect going for him. So ambitious and exciting. That’s a selling point from a marketing viewpoint.

I’m with BG here all the same, individually even now I wouldn’t be able to name the individual Constructicons on sight. Maybe this is because they were my brother’s toys (and I later bought the awful European ‘G2’ versions which didn’t have names on the cards and couldn’t even combine).
I know their six names, could probably match them to most of them (Mixmaster’s the cement mixer  )

But Devastator! He’s A list right? Or right under it. Basically had a video game named after him. First release in Hasbro’s recent G1 reissues.

Good point on the SS movie ones. Could very well be used as a testing ground. I don’t expect them to come in sets.

 

People act like they would be trying to sell them at Walmart 
Biggest difference, unlike 3rd partys the reveal would be the combiner, with prototypes of the indiviual members. We wouldn't buy them all at one time but the actual design process would most likely be completed by the time they revealed it. They may never catch SOC in build quality or finish, but engineering is another story. Pulling off MP style triple changers is a heck ofengineering feat.

 

That’s an interesting point - that they’d all have to be designed as a group, but probably sold separately. They can’t just package 6 $200 masterpieces in a box and send it out. That’s more than a years output. It makes for a challenge from a resourcing perspective because they’d have to stretch them over 2-3 years, probably with some other characters peppered in there.

I could see Takara doing it though, especially after this past year of two massive releases on the heels of Dinobot on top of 3 others. Maybe they pushed BW Megs and V3 Prime together to clear the decks for a crazy project like that?

 

Fair enough, they are more simple. But it still doesn't change their popularity seemingly being higher than transformers. I'm not just talking about producing figures, but media, as well. Is transformers getting the same overall attention in Japan, that it does here? Doesn't seem like it does. Don't get me wrong, I obviously love this line, and want it to go as long as it can, but it isn't Sentai rangers, Kamen Rider, Godzilla, or Gundam. My point about Dragonball was that it's been down in animation for a couple decades almost, and came back with a vengeance, which transformers hasn't done in a while. Not saying it can't make it's comeback, but where it stands now is closer to bottom of the barrel than most like to admit. The line is very strong right now, no denying that, but I also think Takara knows where they stand with it. Which is why they're aiming higher, trying to be more high end. Now, if they can stop incorporating bad voice gimmicks, that would be great. Light up eyes, great. Larger backpacks because of electronics, not so much. (Not hating, simply stating a truth.   )

 

In fairness, those lines have been traditionally Japanese properties in the first place, Transformers is more of a hybrid line between Takara and Hasbro. It lacks some of the "ours" that those lines have. It's more like a Japanese line with a western twist.
Blasphemy,  I actually love the voice features on BW megatron, reading some of the comments on Wotafa's review, they got a big kick out of them, and I'll think we'll end up seeing on the larger presence characters.

Dinobot in 2018 proved one thing, they aren't afraid of releasing one new mold and a slew of repaints.

 

I'm well aware of what it is, lol. But with the origins of transformers being Japanese, your would think they'd have a larger hold on Japanese consumers. Even the rebooted Diaclone line seems to get more attention than the Masterpiece line.

 

This is also why I’m starting to think that maybe it’s not entirely true that Transformers aren’t as popular (though there’s certainly a ton of competition in the big robot realm). There’s a pretty big gap in what we perceive to be desirable here and what happens in the line, and Takara are pretty close-lipped about the nut and bolts.

 

What is that based on, exactly?

 

Yeah, but think of us watching Gatchaman or Starblazers or even Macross, while some of us have a connection to it, its nowhere close to something like He-man ,GIJoe, or Marvel/DC comics which have always been western or "ours". At some point we realized that we were watching someone else's cartoons with the Japanese stuff. I think some of that is the same with Transformers which ended up being a dubbed cartoon over there. I think if Transformers, would have been an entirely Japanese creation, it would be in a different spot then it is now. It probably would have been a grittier show more comparable to the Gundam series at the time versus a half-hour of selling toys while wrapping thing up in a positive bow, we got in the west.

 

Well most G1 fans know a lot of characters the average 'joe' on the street doesn't, most G1 fans know who Tracks or Skids are but we'd hardly call those A or even B list would we? I know your milage may vary and I'm not putting down anyone's love or nostalgia for the Contructicons, just saying they're a lot less popular as individuals than as a combined whole. Which is something TT are likely to consider in regard to MP Contructicons if they plan on releasing them one at a time.

Exactly, I can't speak for everyone and maybe it something to do with the way I experienced G1 compared to others (more comic based than show) but I'd not place the individual members in the 'top tier'...I would struggle to tell one from the other tbh. Whereas Devestator, he was iconic, one of the most terrifying weapons in the Decpeticon arsenal. His appearance in TF:TM alone was enough to put him up there in the who's who of Decepticons.

I'd agree if there wasn't a weird sort of 'fetish' among collectors for seekers, indeed the fact that 'seeker' is a semi fan-made collective term for them says it all. I think collecting them all seems to speaks to the 'army builder' area of collecting. However people do like collecting teams or 'sets', like the Seekers or the Dinobots, the Constructicons certainly have that going for them so...maybe it'd work.

That's true of course, if it wasn't for the ever looming price issue I'd be on board with it. I just wonder how or if TT would tackle it given the particular 'issues' involved. Only time will tell!

 

How can the Constructicons have more characterization than SW or TC if you can’t even place their names to their bodies? Frankly that fact in itself is a little surprising (no insult intended). I think Devy would have to be the main selling point though, his size and presence in multiple media would be the most compelling point. Along with Booster’s army building point. Never underestimate a collector’s ability to finish a team; just look at the 3P fill ins to finish the ark crew or even the 86 movie crew.