Well duh...but even when I do have a job I can't afford that many $100 and $200 plus figures

 

They are spread out over time, or pre orders for a lot of us. I was responding to whoever put "Um jobs?" before me. Just cracking an Um joke, no need to get arsey mate.

 

You don't know the half of it. Check this pic out:



So glad they didn't do that. I do wish we had gotten a fishing rod though. Really good book though and as a Magnus fan there is loads of him in which is awesome  

Nope.

Bingo. My collection has taken the best part of four years with a few changes in between. MP's/3P MP's are that staggered that you aren't spending loads in one go.

 

For those interested, there's a whole thread on the Masterpiece Official Guide (with lots of pictures) here:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...official-guide-book-japanese-july-2014-a.html

Fata - you'll be pleased to know that almost everything in the book has already been translated by some very kind forum members. Here are the interviews that were translated by SydneyY:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...-staff-interview-shogo-hasui-masterpiece.html

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...interview-hironori-kobayashi-masterpiece.html

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...staff-interview-hisashi-yuki-masterpiece.html

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...takaratomy-staff-interview-noriaki-maeda.html

(Most of the text next to the pictures has also been translated, but you'll have to dig through the MP Guide book thread to find the various translations.)

As for the picture of Wheelie, that was not a plan for a standalone Masterpiece, and it's not even a design for anything that transforms. It was just part of Kobayashi's initial design sketches for MP-08 Grimlock - clearly at some point, he was playing with the idea of having either Wheelie or Bumblebee (or both?) come with Grimlock as an accessory (in the same way that Hasui played with the idea of having Huffer come with MP-10). You can see from the pictures, though, that Kobayashi hadn't yet come up with a transformation scheme for them - Wheelie and Bumblebee are just quick sketches of their cartoon forms, and it doesn't look as though they went beyond the idea stage. We know from the sketches of Ultra Magnus in that same book that Kobayashi, at least, starts with an idealised sketch of the cartoon form of the character, and then works on that to turn it into something that can transform:





It's a great book, and well worth getting for MP collectors who like to see the various design sketches - the only disappointment is that all of the photographs of the figures throughout the book are just the stock images from the boxes and promo shots (it would have been nice to see some more original photography such as the front cover). There are some interesting nuggets in there, like how it seems that Hasui wasn't entirely happy with the way his design sketches of Sideswipe's face were interpreted by the sculptor, so that for the Datsuns he included clear instructions that the lines on the shadows on the face should not fall like Sideswipe's:



There are no hints of any future MPs, though. The only figures that were never released are Wheelie and Huffer, both of which were aborted plans for accessories.

 

This is one of my favorite photos on this board.

Bravo.

 

Yes, I love this shot.  

 

Thank you for sharing  
Some of those initial ideas for hot rod are incredible. I would love them to go back to them for a reboot. The only ideas I didn't like where the ones involving the battle platform being a backpack. Lookout mountain would be a great "sold separately" diorama piece.

 

Oh my Lord am I glad they didn't do that..

 

he looks great with twin guns!

his eyes look cool!!

awesome group display!

 

I dont think Hasbro will seek the license to produce either Star Saber or Exhaust. Which means if they stick to their 2 per year release schedule, we could be looking at another autobot car and maybe Oh maybe Ultra Magnus. What do you guys think?

 

Well, they have already done 3 releases this year, and announced they intend to to release Sideswipe and Bluestreak, so that leaves Red Alert and Smokescreen as possibilities, along with other seeker repaints just to catch up. Add in Wheeljack, Bee, and Magnus, and they have the capability to go for a lot more than 2 per year.

 

Question, guys. I'm looking at the reissue from Hasbro Asia for the MP Optimus and I'm waffling for two major reasons. For one, Grimlock was supposedly having some loose joints and what have you but otherwise was complete. I wouldn't necessarily want to spend the amount of money on the Hasbro Asia reissue Optimus and have loose joints for what will undoubtedly be the centerpiece of my Classic / MP collection. The other issue is price in general vs. a retail Hasbro release. Hasbro Asia reissued Grimlock, and shortly thereafter we got the MP-03 version. And while that version had the green tinted windows and didn't come with every accessory (from what I'm aware), he was also only $60-80 versus the much higher price online for the Asian release. Based on YOTH Prime, I would reasonably expect that a Hasbro MP-whatever Optimus reissue would be the same scenario, where it begins probably around $120 and I could save a hefty chunk getting him from Toys R Us instead.

So what would you guys recommend I do? As far as MP collecting goes, my main focus is primary S1 characters, and while I want plenty more like Star Saber, Exhaust, Magnus, etc., they're secondary wants (I do own Acid Storm, but he was a gift). I also have no idea how long the preorders will last, as I don't typically preorder / collect MPs on the whole, mostly due to sheer funds (I like a LOT of Transformers and sadly don't have the most lucrative job, so I try and mix it up periodically and get different stuff). Would it be feasible to wait until one was in-hand to see if there were issues with the mold, or would it be too late to get one by then? And related, what's the return policy at a place like BBTS should I buy one and then manage to get a cheaper one at TRU down the road or something?

 

Wow thanks man, that means a ton. I appreciate it.

Thanks bro.

 

I hear you, but to me, it's worth it to just pay the $160 for OP from TF Source, free shipping, and I'm done. No hunting TRU stores for what will be instant-sellouts like Grimlock was. No hassle with their ancient website that might cancel my preorder or can't keep up with stock accurately so things sell out while I'm trying to check out. No camping the website for the 3 minute window where it's in stock and the order will go through. No waiting for 20% off coupons. No price changes after a week of retail release and not being on the shelves. No stupid distribution of one case per store every two weeks. No rewarding TRU for any of their crap. No getting mad at Hasbro. No worries about what Hasbro may do to the deco, or what accessories will come with it, I know what I'm getting now versus guessing at what might come out for maybe less. YOTH Prime was $120 retail, normal OP goes for north of $200, so I'm willing to just drop the $160 and move on. That's worth $40 to me.

Can you tell I'm a bit bitter about Hasbro/TRU releases? I got screwed on OP preorders, went through hell trying to get Soundwave, had to camp every store in Dallas to get Grimlock. Not happening anymore. If a TRU store were burning down, I wouldn't take the trouble to piss on the flames.

 

Is there a reason a Masterpiece Jazz hasn't been made? Any rumors about him being made sooner rather than later?

 

Well son of a BITCH. Broke my first MP this morning. Got done working out, my arms were like jelly and my hands were shaky when I picked up Laserbeak to adjust him and dropped him on the floor. Head snapped clean off. I managed to put it back on, but it just sits there now. The plastic on the hinge is broken. Definitely have to get a new one now. It was a TT, too. Worried that it will cost me a pretty penny, though. Anyone have a Laserbeak they want to pawn off or have a link on where to find one? There's a Hasbro one on eBay for $50. Is there any difference in paint between it and the TT?

 

Joints - You can't predict, but you can use polish or other tricks to tighten up joints. My recent TT MP-10b has floppy legs. You just can't predict this future reliably, but you can address it, so don't be paralyzed by it.

Price - everyone expected MP-10 re-release to be stupid expensive based on their past re-releases, but instead it was really affordable. So you are trying to gamble... will TRU sell it cheaper than the ~$160 you can get the Asian release for now? You know YOTH prime was $120 at TRU. You also know TRU increments MP prices on nearly every release. You also don't know if/when Hasbro will re-release the mold. But it's safe to assume it will be before the Asia release, and it's going to be more than $120. Maybe at best $130.

Then add into that the difficulty of finding MP high-demand figures at TRU, etc.

You can wait for a US release... its obvious they will release OP again at some point, but what will it be, and at what price? The only thing 'safe' is that you probably bet prices won't go DOWN. So if you really want MP-10, is $30-35 worth saving the uncertainty, the hunt, and getting it sooner?

For me the answer was yes.

 

I knew I sensed a disturbance this morning...

That sucks man. I'm guessing you have a tile floor? Tile floor can murder everything and anything, such as LEGO sets, action figures, electronics...I keep my Masterpieces in my room, the floor in here is carpet.