Well, I think Carry is more a CHUG than a masterpiece, so I trust in Takara that the vehicle mode could be as good as the robot mode if they include the trailer in the transformation

For the platform, they could use an additional plastic piece as an accessory like they did with Ironhide and his weapons platform

Yes, a new mold without issues could be the best update for the character

 

With the Bayverse practically scrapped, do you think they'll still push MPMs outside of the new Bumblebee continuity?

 

Well, you know, Beast Wars has basically been scrapped since 2001, and they're sure pushing those...

 

I totally agree.

I'm really mostly only here for BW MP news but I still appreciate all the new MPs they do release for other lines. MPM still has a cool flavor and I actually still look forward to them releasing a few more but I think it's quite unlikely now save for Ratchet and both Shockwave and Soundwave...

 

Well, they were going to follow Beast Machines with another sequel, Transtech, but then they decided to... well, they scrapped it, I don't know how else to say it.

When they cancel Studio Series we'll talk about them snubbing the Bayverse.

 

This is a question I’ve been asking a lot lately too. They’re being robooted in the movies for sure now, and the reaction to the Knight designs has been very positive everywhere I’ve seen excepting the most hardcore of Bay’s fans. It also seems to line up with Hasbro really realigning along the well-known looks of the 80’s characters with some updates, which is a pretty classic way to maximize recognition and bring in fans across the age ranges.

I’ve never even considered the MPMs to this point, but I’d be curious to see what they offer if the decision is to move to the Knight style.

Well, there’s also a few other factors (though there are people that look down on every era) that are pretty key. As I mention above, it does appear that Hasbro is trying to streamline Transformers offerings by standardizing the look of characters.

Also, the unfortunate reality for Bay fans is that the toys did poorly for the last couple of movies, which is a big deciding factor for success at Hasbro’s level. Meanwhile, as you point out, Beast Wars had its day, did very well, and we’re 20 years later now.

Essentially, the difference is that the Bayverse hasn’t been snubbed, but the dislike by some quarters of fandom along with the diminishing returns of it amongst its own fan base have led to it getting closed down on most fronts. That’s a pretty natural life cycle for a toy line.

What all of this means for MPMs is TBD, of course, but if I were a betting man, I’d say a couple more releases after the Jazz/Megatron releases, and then fully Knight-style from there on out.

 

The MP-41 Dinobot Hasbro Asia reissue just shipped from Robot Kingdom. I’m pretty excited to see any mold changes that they may have added.

So far each BW MP reissue has had an update no? Primal has remolded shoulder pads. Cheetor has remolded shoulders. Dinobot May have remolded shoulder ratchets and perhaps the batteries won’t die in 20 hours like mine do.

Also if anyone has an extra Dinobot stand for sell please let me know.

 

I'm really curious about the MPMs as well. The movie aesthetic appears to be shifting for the first time, the Masterpiece line is releasing more expensive figures, licensing is as important to many of the movie vehicles as it is to G1 stuff (if not moreso), and Hasbro/Takara have the Studio Series line as an option to soak up any nostalgia for the earlier films. That's a lot of complicating factors for a subline that hasn't been quite as hyped as the main line (there's still no preorder for MPM Megs or Jazz on the normal Japanese toy sites; the MPMs released so far have gone up randomly in the past).

As always with stuff like this, I wonder where Asia falls in this. If market research indicates the Asian market still has an appetite for MPMs, I imagine they'll be still show up. If no one cares and Hasbro isn't leaning on the movie stuff as much as it has in the past (despite the Studio Series' presence), I could see it petering out.

What's my concern is, I don't think the superficial conclusion of "Oh if the MPMs come to a halt, that's more budget and resources to go to the normal MP line and we'll get more G1/BW/other stuff" is necessarily true at all. I think it's more likely that, should the MPMs end, they'll be replaced by nothing and Takara will just save that money without spending it elsewhere.

 

I was going to say the same thing. Yes, the Bay films have run their course, thank goodness!...but I think it was largely Bay's decision. They didn't exactly push him out. And as far as their respective parts of history, sorry, but the Bayshit is much bigger than Beast Wars ever was. Bayshit was fucking huge. Beast Wars was niche...

 

I think you’re on the money here. The big question is what they’ll do if the MPMs do end, or if they’ll change to the new looks. The latter wouldn’t surprise me, as the more affordable MPMs appear to have proven to be a good cash generator, and even brought some folks into the main MP set.

If they do end, I think we might see one more release per year due to some freed up resources, but it certainly wouldn’t be a 1:1. 1 MPM does not match up to 1 MP for cost and development.

 

I’m sure the demand will still go on. I mean the G1 cartoon hasn’t had a new season yet it still gets figures.

 

That’s not quite true. G1 has remained as the primary continuity source for a long time, and is the basis for multiple new cartoons and comics, plus video games. The Bayverse had only tenuous links to other media like Transformers: Prime (which also had a lot of G1 influence in it), so it’s not so heavily scattered across the continuity.

 

Right I get that. I’m sure they’ll probably finish the ‘07 cast. Not sure about the other films.

 

As much as I disliked Bayverse, I still like many of the robot designs. So, I would continue to buy certain MPMs, should they see release.

I do think we'll see MPM Ratchet and Starscream, maybe next year.

I'm hoping they'll release MPMs of:
Sideswipe
Dino
The Wreckers
Jolt
Crosshairs
Drift
The Waves
Jetfire
Sentinel
TLK Megs
Roddy

and maybe the twins  

Then onto Knightvision MPMs.

 

The movies and those designs just aren't what people want. The less time wasted there, the happier the overall fan community would be. Let's finish 84-86 and season 1 of Beast Wars and then they can make piles of garbage that pee on each other or whatever.

 

Plenty enough fans disagree to the point that these figures are profitable. I'm with you but I know many others are not. They deserve to have their figures too.

 

Yes I couldn't agree more. I was introduced to the TF fandom via the Bayverse movies. My dad who was an 80's kid helped to educate me regarding G1. So in our household both G1 & Bayformers figs are equally treated and put on display together.