More evidence the Porsche cracks are happening is the Jada Toys showed a G1 Jazz last toyfair. Though, that hasn't materialized as of yet.

Just wish Takara would just go ahead and show them. Tired of wondering. Either way, if they aren't ever going to happen, at least tell us.

Porsche sucks.

 

Twist;
MP49 was indeed MP cliffjumper set to be manufactured in Vietnam. Seeing the issues with Primes knee and the situation with the Vietnam factory, Takara delayed Bee 2 months in hopes of salvaging the situation and instead bumped up an Optimus repaint instead to be made in China.
Twist again;
MP 50 will indeed be BW, manufactured in China or a repaint if they use the Vietnam factory like Deepcover or black ironhide.

 

The top 10 MPs that I would like to see that I think are realistic:
1) Mirage
2) Jazz
3) Starscream 3.0
4) Galvatron
5) Cyclonus
6) Sideswipe 2.0
7) TrailBreaker
8) Blaster
9) Astrotrain
10) Grimlock 2.0/Skids/Perceptor (tie)

 

My speculation is that G1 MP is basically done. If there's a Hoist or Cliffjumper, maybe, if the tooling is already done. Beyond that, no more Autobot cars except recolors. Raiden, if released, will be branded Legends EX.

Takara will trickle out a few more BW. They're not going to complete the pre-TM cast. Sorry.

After Armada Prime, they'll go on hiatus (cancelled).

 

So here's the plan: we all buy a bunch of Porsche stock, and then do a massive sell-off in a few months. When Porsche's value tanks, they'll be desperate enough to sign a deal with Takara! I see no way this won't work!

 

Raiden is a Masterpiece,confirmed.
Then, we can speculate that the articulation and transformation steps will be simplified at a CHUG level ++ ( no hollow gap, full paint, no extra accessories outside the weapons) to maintain a lower price point (i'm thinking about 2-pack at Dinobot price point), or other, but It will be a Masterpiece

 

Extreme pessimism is the right of all sentient beings.

 

I'm guessing this is supposed to be in blue text?

 

2020 year of the MP Devastator (for at least $1,200 but under $2,000). If Takara is feeling very productive Grimlock V2 and the other four Dinobots and maybe all three insecticons. MP+ versions of all six seekers. Lastly a new $450 Megatron to pair with MP-44 Prime.

 

Other than cleaning up the backpack, do we really need a v3 Megatron?

 

With Raiden and Devy having the same combination scheme (approximately), I’m actually glad Raiden is getting made first. Gives TT a chance to work out the combining bugs while giving a lesser known character some awesome representation. When Devy gets made his design will be more refined and he’ll have a larger customer base (theoretically, depends on how popular he is in Japan) who will hopefully be more satisfied with him.

 

As much as various aspects of the line make various portions of the fandom cranky, I can't see the MP line going on hiatus at all unless TakaraTomy is in/falls into worse shape than we are currently aware of. The time to truly reboot the line, like how Classics/Generations constantly shifts, was years ago. MP-10 was that opportunity, so was MP-36 and MP-44/45. They won that Long Life Design award thing that they slap on the boxes now. Figures are fancier and more expensive. Hasbro's even getting kinda involved, nudging the MPM series along (sorta) while importing Takara releases. This line is a fixture of sorts among Japanese collector lines, a la Soul of Chogokin, S.H. Figuarts, Figma, and others that have lasted for years, and I think one of the few long-running lines where the company churning it out actually owns the IP that makes it up.

I wouldn't ever rule out the possibility that Takara would actually end the MP line, and then effectively restart it under another name after a few months or so, but it's been SIXTEEN YEARS since the line kicked off, and eight since it started attaining a measure of consistency. If it ever came to an abrupt halt, I'd be more concerned about the state of Transformers in general than I would whether we'll get Deep Cover or an official Mirage or whatever else it is we're waiting for.

 

Not seeing the need but if we do get one, hoping the transformation will be less time consuming with a cleaner, more unbroken look.

I do think we will eventually see a G2 Megatron though.

 

I dont see TT doing much outside of Diaclone cars, Galvatron, and Rodmius Prime 2.0 for the 40th Anniversary. Raiden is an odd choice for the first Combiner. Is he the most popular Combiner in Japan?

We got G2 Sideswipe and G2 Bee nothing since. The survey a while back had G2 prime and G2 Grimlock. Guess there was no interest.

I could see them moving on to RID for the 20th Anniversary next year.

 

They're doing Raiden first because he IS the first combiner. The original Diaclone toys predate the Transformers line.

 

That, and Japan loves trains.

 

I like how you think there chief!   I personally was surprised that Takara did Raiden first, but the Diaclone connection, and Japans love of trains makes sense. I'm gonna be totally honest though and admit I will more than likely lose my shit if Devastator (or any other Decepticon combiner) is finally announced. I've said this before but combiners make up a pretty significant part of the Deception army between S1-S2.

 

That would be a solid (and hopeful) theory, except Devastator was also a Diaclone design and release (albeit in different colours). But I don't know who was released first in Diaclone, Raiden or Devastator.

And the Scramble City combiners were also Diaclone designs, but never used as such.

 

MP Devastator exists. He is called United Warriors Devastator.

Back when they were designing Combiner Wars / Unite Warriors Devastator, the decision was made to make the Titan-class figure of CW that character, so they intentionally scaled all the Constructicons and Devastator with MP. This being the past, they had no intentions (then) of doing legit Masterpiece Combiners. But Devastator is obviously a character that, would that have been possible, would have been at the top of the list to be the first as a 1984 character. But since it was an impossible thing to do at the time they intentionally "double dipped". Thus Hasbro was able to release their top price point figure that was consistent with the Combiner Wars theme, and Takara was able to take the simplifed figure, improve it somewhat, and have it be the virtual MP Combiner in lieu of the one they weren't going to ever make otherwise. The individual bots were "close enough" to G1 and all larger than the MP Car bots.

The Siege Omega Supreme that just came out is probably a similar "spiritual MP".

All this is from Interviews posted on this site over the years by the way.

Takara has done this before. Combiner Wars Leader class Megatron exists because Takara/Hasbro didn't fathom making a Masterpiece Megatron again (being a gun and all), so they made a tank Megatron with an updated form that worked well enough with MP-10 as a "spiritual MP".

Legends God Ginrai is similar to the "classic" God Ginrai design only in that it echoes the same basic design plan, but otherwise is very much an updated look. But much of the official media of God Ginrai paired him with MP-24 Star Saber. A MP-God Ginrai (or at least Super Ginrai) is a solid bet to happen one day (and probably at a $600 price point), but just like with Devastator, the implication was "good enough for now".

I suspect had Devastator not gotten a UW release at a scale with the specific intention of being MP-scaled, we'd be getting a real MP Devastator instead of Raiden. But if they are going to do combiners, Devastator won't be too far behind most likely.