Transformers Masterpiece

Frequent visitors to our 2005 Boards Transformers Toy Discussion forum will perhaps have stumbled upon the Masterpiece Speculation Thread - where rumors and speculation on upcoming Masterpiece Transformers releases are shared and notes are compared. 2005 Boards member iGrimlock has come up with a very interesting theory that we thought we might share with you - it might be a coincidence, or it might be the first hint that a Masterpiece Mirage is coming our way in the future.

Takara-Tomy have been uploading Generation 1 episodes on to their Youtube channel. They are not always in order, not always uploaded on a strict schedule or anything. Generally, the episodes are going up roughly in sequence and roughly monthly, but once in a while, a random episode gets thrown in. They started on September 30 2012, not with the first episode but with A Plague of Insecticons. This was the episode where Sideswipe used his piledrivers that the Masterpiece toy came with - and it was uploaded the month before the release of Masterpiese Sideswipe.

After this episodes were uploaded in order until December 2, 2012. The episodes uploaded at that time were Auto-Bop, an episode where Soundwave got a lot of focus fighting Blaster, and Auto Berserk, the Red Alert focus episode. December was the month when Masterpiece Soundwave was originally planned for a release and the month of Masterpiece Red Alert's release.

The next batch of episodes to be uploaded came earlier than might be expected from the previous trend and included Roll For It, which is an episode where both Prowl and Bluestreak were prominently featured. This time, the upload preceded the announcement of the Masterpieces by about a month.

Coincidence, or a deliberate move on Takara-Tomy's part, these episode uploads all corresponded to toys which were either about to be released or shortly afterwards announced for the Masterpiece line.

Which brings us to the point of this whole speculation - Takara-Tomy just uploaded another out-of-sequence episode, the episode Traitor. Traitor focuses on a few characters including Bombshell and Cliffjumper, but it is the episode that is most strongly identified as the characterization of the Autobot Mirage.

Given the established trend, is this a coincidence, or is this a subtle hint that a Masterpiece Mirage lies ahead, in our future? Bear in mind there are also whispers of Takara-Tomy having licensed the alternate mode for Generation 1 Mirage...

Join in the speculation and be sure to keep it TFW for more news and rumors as they surface!

Shogo Hasui of the Takara-Tomy design team is tweeting some new images of upcoming releases now! Hasui-san has tweeted a pair of images showing off the Masterpiece versions of Prowl and Bluestreak / Silverstreak / Streak. These new images show just how awesome and dynamic these designs are, with the robots even capable of kneeling realistically. Check out the new images of the next additions to the growing Masterpiece series of classic Transformers characters!

Masterpiece Acid Storm is set to come to Japan, most likely as a straight-up import with an additional "USA Edition" sticker. This news comes to you by way of Toys R Us Japan, who have added a preorder page for Masterpiece Acid Storm, using the same official images as the Hasbro release due out later this year. He's due to hit Japan in early October priced 13,999 Yen, 1,000 more than MP-11 Starscream.

Word has reached us that several retailers on both sides of the Pacific are reporting delays to the next releases in the Transformers Masterpiece line. Masterpiece Prowl and Masterpiece Streak (aka Bluestreak / Silverstreak) have each been delayed, Prowl to September and Streak to October.

There is no word on Smokescreen, the third of the Datsun trio. He was intended to release after Prowl and Streak though so we'd expect him to be delayed as well.

Site Sponsor TFSource just sent us some photos of prototypes for the highly-anticipated Masterpiece figures Prowl and Streak! While they are a bit on the small side of things, we get an additional look at these up-coming figures in both modes. While we have seen the attack mode feature and the missile launchers before in a previous news article, these photos tell us that TakaraTomy is surely marching on with the Masterpiece line! Ol' Quaddy here distinctly remembers the excitement seeing the first Masterpiece prototype of MP-01 Convoy along with Binaltech Smokescreen, and these evoke much the same excitement!

If you haven't secured your preorders for these two figures, be sure to jump on over to TFSource to make sure you get yours! Prowl can be found here and Streak can be found here.

Rounding out our gallery coverage of Masterpiece Soundwave and his cassettes, here are galleries of Masterpiece MP-16 Frenzy and Buzzsaw. Frenzy and Buzzsaw are both redecos of the previously released Rumble and Laserbeak, just as they were in Generation 1 - this of course means all the good stuff going on with those two toys carries over with these two. Buzzsaw in particular is a great deco - I personally really appreciate the orange beak over the flat grey one on Laserbeak. As for Frenzy - call him whichever you like, this is the iconic Decepticon who Soundwave would dispatch to cause localized earthquakes to shake up his opponents in the Sunbow Generation 1 cartoon.

Masterpiece Soundwave is getting a release later in the year in the US, and he'll be coming with all five of his cassettes - Laserbeak, Rumble, Ravage, Frenzy and Buzzsaw. The individual Japanese releases are worth the price of admission in my eyes - the US release, with a very reasonable price for the six Transformers will certainly be a must-have for many fans.

Open the links below to check out the galleries:

Transformers Masterpiece Buzzsaw
Transformers Masterpiece Frenzy


Also check out the rest of the galleries posted over the last two days - go here for Soundwave and Laserbeak, and here for Rumble and Ravage.

Next up in our series of galleries on Masterpiece Soundwave and his minions we have the first of the two sets that featured Soundwave's cassette minions. MP-15 added Rumble (the red one) and Jaguar (aka Ravage) to the Masterpiece lineup. Like Masterpiece Laserbeak they are no bigger in cassette mode than the original Generation 1 cassettes.

Of the two, Ravage stands out like Laserbeak for being a marvel of engineering - the rockets, an accessory on Generation 1 Ravage, are fully integrated here and a clever transformation means that Ravage gets a jaguar mode that is scarily close to how he appeared in the cartoon. I say scary purely because of how tiny he is - definitely one to read the instructions on first!

Rumble meanwhile is equally impressive, less so in engineering (though the fact so much is packed into a small size is cool) but in poseability. Masterpiece Rumble has an insane amount of poseability for a toy around the same size as a Cyberverse toy. The fact he has a full complement of accessories including the iconic piledrivers, and that these can be used in some creative ways by Masterpiece Soundwave is the icing on a very sweet and tasty cake.

Open the links below to check out their galleries:

Transformers Masterpiece Rumble Gallery
Transformers Masterpiece Jaguar (Ravage) Gallery


Be sure to check back again later in the weekend for the third and final part of this series of Masterpiece Soundwave themed galleries!

Masterpiece Soundwave. That is all.

... okay, so perhaps a bit more explanation is needed. Masterpiece Soundwave is the thirteenth numbered release in Takara-Tomy's Masterpiece Transformers line. As a Masterpiece, he is meant to be the definitive version of the character, and this is something he succeeds at on nearly every level. He's a big and boxy robot like the original Soundwave, spot on to his animation model and with a transformation that balances the intricacy of a Masterpiece with a sensible approach - nothing so needlessly complicated or fragile as Masterpiece Starscream or Masterpiece Rodimus here.

Masterpiece Soundwave comes with Masterpiece Condor (Laserbeak) - a tiny marvel of engineering in his own right, with a sharp, show-accurate look in his condor mode, deployable camera in his head, and amazingly his boosters are fully integrated - and all this in a toy no larger than the Generation 1 cassette.

So yes, Masterpiece Soundwave and Masterpiece Laserbeak. 'nuff said, these two are my favorite new Transformers releases of the first quarter of 2013 and strong contenders for my pick as "toy of the year". They're that good. Check out the full galleries of both below, and see what you think.

Transformers Masterpiece Soundwave Gallery
Transformers Masterpiece Condor / Laserbeak Gallery


Stay tuned for more galleries over the weekend - because what is Soundwave without his full complement of cassettes?

For our next gallery, we're taking a step back from the new releases and having a look back at one of the rather cool redecos released in the recent years. Takara has a rather grand tradition of offering black repaints of Transformers characters, and one very popular choice for this treatment is Hot Rod / Rodimus. Here for you tonight is something rather cool - a gallery by our own SydneyY showcasing the Masterpiece Black Rodimus Convoy, the crown jewel of Black Hot Rod Transformers!

Like most of the Black Rodimus characters, Black Rodimus Convoy is a doppleganger of Rodimus. In this version, he is the personification of all Generation 1 Rodimus' self doubt, insecurity and reluctance to lead that formed a second, dormant personality within the mind of Rodimus - until a chance encounter brought Rodimus to a Decepticon facility with a cloning machine, which allowed the evil personality to assume physical form and set out to rule all he encountered - Autobot and Decepticon alike.

Open the link below to check out the gallery of this awesome E-Hobby Masterpiece Transformer!

Masterpiece MP-9B Black Rodimus Convoy

The Facebook page of HKGTF has updated with a hefty gallery of the soon to be released Masterpiece 10-B Black Convoy. This repaint of Masterpiece 10 will be sold sans trailer, but the striking black deco on this figure looks astonishing. Pictures in this gallery include in and out of package, comparison with MP-12 Lambor and Legends Motorbreath. You can check out the full gallery at the link above or you can check out a selection of the pics (mirrored here for your enjoyment) by clicking the title bar.

Alfes2000 has posted an in-hand gallery of the new Masterpiece MP-16 Frenzy and Buzzsaw. Check out the images to see what you think of these Masterpieces.

Shogo Hasui has once again updated his Twitter with a new image of the next Masterpiece figure, MP-17 Prowl. This picture offers us a look at the size comparison with Sideswipe (which we've seen) but also with Human Alliance figures Jazz and Barricade. Shogo says in the tweet (via Google translate)

MP Prowl is, with an emphasis on alignment and height of MP Ranboru. How to fold the legs had a hard time both. Movement and deformation of parts, how to fold, the experience gained, such as Movie Human Alliance is taking advantage of big

Take a look at the new image after the break.

Shogo Hasui has been active on Twitter again, tweeting out some new images of the Masterpiece series Transformers. As well as an image of the ever-sharp looking MP-10B Black Convoy he has tweeted an image of Masterpiece Prowl with his gun mounted on the roof of his patrol car mode. Much like Sideswipe and Red Alert's optional configurations, this mode lets Prowl drive about with his gun on his roof in an attack mode, if you are inclined.

The image of Prowl with the shoulder missile launchers deployed was also tweeted, with the explanation that the shoulder launchers can be stowed in robot and vehicle mode without being removed, much like the launchers on the Universe Deluxe class interpretation of Prowl.

Oh yes - and the spelling of "Highway Patrol" on the doors has been corrected!

Check out all these images and more in Shogo Hasui's Twitter photostream.

2005 Contributer SydneyY has been kind enough to translate a recent interview posted on Dime.JP with Takara-Tomy Masterpiece Designer, Shogo Hasui. Within this interview we learn why Masterpiece Soundwave took so long, how difficult the cassette Transformers were to design and even touches upon how much of the Generation 1 cartoon he's watched to get these toys done properly. Also, Shogo mentions several characters he'd like to give the Masterpiece treatment to: Jazz, Bruticus and Ultra Magnus.

Click the title bar to read the full interview.

As has been the trend with Masterpiece series Transformers, Masterpiece MP-16 Frenzy & Buzzsaw will be getting a free commemorative coin included with the Asian release. The coin much like the one included with MP-15 is packaged in a display card based on a cassette, this time out the packaging is based on the iconic blue Frenzy cassette tape. Check out the image of the packaging which comes at you via Transformers Asia at left.