TCracker, always a pleasure to see you post! Out of curiosity, have you ever heard anything one way or another concerning dinobots?

 

Hi WildBill, long time no see.  
As for Dinobots, let me tell you what I have heard - like 2 years ago.
I was with this one supplier guy and also a guy from Hasbro. They did not mentioned anything explicit or direct, but they said then are looking forward to the release of MP Sludge (and the reason that he gave was everyone likes a brontosaurous, or something in the lines of that).

And yup, that was like 2 full years ago. And we already have FT Stomp out by Fanstoys and nothing in the horizon (for me at least) about this so-called fabled MP Sludge.

Frankly, TT has been extremely hush about mainline MP release and the only morsel I got was the Beast Wars thingy. (Cheetor [confirmed], RatTrap and Megatron)

I will try to share as and when I get more info, but at this point I am just as in the dark (safe for some bits which I hope I can share in due time.)

 

I'm not saying he's necessarily right, but I am saying that the evidence doesn't really present itself heavily in either direction.

 

 

Ehh, what?

First you're adamant about TT not being able to release a certain number of figures in a span of one year (you said absolutely ridiculous, correct?), which of course had nothing to do with the current conversation... buuuut, 4 figures released in one year, I'll bite - just this year we've had 6 or more?

Now you claim to basically see neutral lines for TT's reasoning behind their releases, based upon whether 3rd party releases play a factor, and if they are more or less influenced to release said character.

Which is it, as I don't see any evidence of TT caring either way what 3rd party releases?

The 4 I mentioned, licensing issues aside if they are in fact issues, are my example of why TT is not influenced by 3rd party releases.

 

Thanks as always, TCracker! Would love to get official dinobots. I can still remember seeing they existed for the first time in a commercial and flipping out begging my mom to go to the toy store. She actually said yes and they actually had them on the shelf. Even more amazing was my mom actually telling me I could pick one! It was the t-rex without a moment's hesitation. I remember just studying the box as we drove home wondering what the actual battle in space would be like in real life and how this character named Grimlock would beat everyone up because, as we'd all later learn, him king. I still have the toy. Still think the awesomeness of robots and the awesomeness dionsaurs combined into robot dinosaurs is absolutely awesomeness squared.

I like MP-8. Wouldn't mind a new version more in scale with the post MP-10 crowd followed by his pals. Whatever comes next though, if it's in the same class as Inferno, I am never growing up in the best possible way!

 

I hope there will be bigger sized and right scaled of Dinobots.

 

No news for Meg 2.0 still....

 

The only Dinobot I see happening in the foreseeable future is a Grimlock V2. Too many other, more prominent big bots to go yet.

 

There's a Dinobot I'd like from Takara, the one that the "vermin" often referred to as "Chopperface".

 

I think if Takara releases BW Megatron, we won't see neither G1 Megatron v.2 nor Grimlock v.2 at least two years after the release

Why ? because Takara could prefer others characters without the same name or the t-rex alternate mode

 

The Datsons were released back to back and they all have the same alt. Mode. And g2 sideswipe was released about a year after mp-12.

 

Seeing as how an updated Megatron and Grimlock have been heavily anticipated since Optimus and Starscream ushered in the soft reboot, I doubt their eventual reveals will be influenced by any other releases.

Optimus, Starscream, Megatron, Grimlock, and Hot Rod/Rodimus (and Ultra Magnus/Seekers if we were to count repaints) were the original Masterpiece transformers. They are not only definitive icons of G1 but were the first releases in what has become Takara's most coveted line. If anything those figures will be what influence the release order of other characters, not the other way around.

 

Been a while since we had you weigh in with one of your pleasant posts. So it really is just coimcidence that all these Inferno's are coming so quickly?

I don't see how either of those figures are giveaways. Both lack their own matrices so they have slots to interact with another figure in the line. Rodimus Convoy by contrast is entirely defined by the matrix and came with his own. A hypothetical redo would have to come with it's own anyway.
MP10's existensce was largely defined by MP9 and even the recent rerelease maintains the same image of the two figures standing together. Obviously TakaraTomy themselves have yet to acnowledge a reboot officially so much as the designers have simply stated a higher emphasis on scale but that entire scale roots itself within MP9. In contrast to Rodimus Convoy Hot Rodimus was distinctly out of scale and fits with the overwhelmingly dominant real cars. I find it VERY doubtful they'll stick a third Rodimus in the line at the same scale as the first. Ultra Mangus was niether in scale nor accurate to his show appearance, all three Seekers WERE in scale (again, because Mp9 used them as a basis for it's size) but weren't accurate hence Kobayashi insisting on a second crack. Grimlock and Megatron are both out of scale as well despite being as accurate as possible to varying degrees so they're likely to be remade. But Rodimus still fits what the current line is doing by being accurate and in scale.

All of your examples involve mold reuses. TT has consistently reused molds in the line as quickly as possible so that's a poor indicator. By contrast look at the lack of Sunstreaker who has a very similar alt mode to Lambor. sure, there's any number of reasons we don't yet have a Sunstreaker but the fact is that they've gladly kept using the Mp12 mold but have yet to do a new mold Countach. While we're at it we had a good number of releases between freightliner trucks.

 

I wouldn't say it's coincidence... I think the timing of it is a bit of a cause and effect. All these groups are working on it and one announces theirs, and as a result, the others race to get something of substance shown and ultimately released. Other than TT...I don't think they race to get theirs out. But I'm sure they don't mind fackin' with the 3rd Parties when it works out that way.

But I would agree, they're not catching wind of an official release and then all doing their version a few months before an official one hits on purpose.

 

I can agree to with this to an extent. A redone Rodimus would need a new open matrix for accuracy but I still see an empty matrix chamber molded into his chest that would be compatible with MP-10's matrix.

MP-9 isn't accurate though, not as far as the alt mode is concerned. All of the MPs in the rebooted line have an all in one transformations with no parts forming. Even MP-29 is an all in one transformation since the display stand/back pack extension isn't an integral part of either of Shockwave's modes.

MP-9 isn't a simple retool case like MP-3 was where only minor adjustments would be needed to maintain bot and alt mode accuracy, the entire figure would need to be redone from the ground up.

 

Raiyuki has explained it perfectly, so my best answer is quote him

 

Oh! Right.   Him too.

Can't wait for that one!

 

Inferno, the coneheads, Ironhide, Ratchet, Shockwave and Bumblebee. were it has failed is the Dinobots, Insecticons, Galvatron and the Constructicons. all of these have at lest 3 3rd party versions. I expect to see Galvatron announced in the next year. I don't think we will see any of the teams any time soon.

 

I want Beast wars and Beast machines to get there own Sub-line in MP so that they can get more figures done and we G1 fan don't FELL like we are having the figures we want are getting pushed back in favor of the Beast ones.

 

I'll let someone else field this, I feel like we've gone over this ad nauseam at this point. But I will say that I don't agree.