Cant say that I share your opinion on complexity. No toy should take an hour to transform. The same goes for ROTF Mixmaster. Its not supposed to be a rubix cube. Its supposed to be fun.

What does scale and complexity have to do with Japanese G1 lore ?

You sidestepped my question.

 

No one is arguing that this figure will not have some appeal outside of Japan. But understand, this figure is targeting Japanese train enthusiasts and Japanese TF fans. Why is that such a contentious idea?

It’s cute that you think millenials are the only customer that companies think about. I wouldn’t ever be caught in a 70’s folk rock concert, but it doesn’t mean those things exist and have large fan bases.

 

So psyched! Can't wait to pay 3-4000 dollars for a Masterpiece combiner

 

why are some people complaining how they wouldnt want this? do they not realize that other people have...different interests too? and why cant japanese fans have something too? not everything is about america and you, guys.

 

I didn't know Raiden or watched any Japanese TFs when I was a kid. But I'm digging this MP because it's a whole new mold/character! Keep pumping them out TT.

And to those people complaining & whining....don't buy it! There are others who will. It's that easy  ...

 

Because some of us don't give a damn about Japanese G1.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with that.

And Rated X has a point.


I pray that I will never meet you in person.

 

Plot twist, it is "MP" scaled in a sense to the train model sets instead of MP TF scaled

....I honestly don't know If I want that after making the joke, but I'm still friggin curious for the actual product. Will he come out in sections like the Seacons? Will this guy look good against Devs and Preds? Can I have my smaller bots fight on their train modes without it looking like skateboards? Questions we will find out.... NEXT TIME, ON TAKARA SELL-Z!!!!

 

I figure it also allows Takara to point to Devs and Predaking as nemeses/display companions w/o having to canonize them as MP-ish figures (maybe even suggest that those would be good placeholders for awhile). Just say, "they're of a size, it'll be cool for a bit, don't they look menacing as a group"

I hope you're implying that we'd get Rail Racer next  .

 

dont speak for everyone in your generation lol. some people are into it, some people are curious about trains, and also... other generations in japan are super into trains. not everything revolves around one small group of people. im totally biting though.

 

Alternatively, define the Titan Combiner as the closest they'll get to MP Combiners, at least for now.

I mean, it's awfully convenient the two Titan Combiners we've already got are his rivals.

 

"Japanese train enthusiasts" ??? Are you serious ?
Ok I get it, they have bullet trains over there and we dont have them in the US. (primarily because the domestic airline industry doesnt want them to exist)
But in all seriousness, if I had a dollar for every self proclaimed "Japan expert" that posts on this site and lives somewhere other than Japan, Id be a rich man.
As far as milenials (and at 43 im not one of them) they have resurrected pop culture to new heights in the last 5 years. Everything from NASA tee shirts to mini nintendo consoles to toy robots, if its "retro" they eat it up. And they have a tendency to live for the moment which makes them big spenders. When I make statements about "target audiences" or "units made" I always take profit into account as the primary factor. I dont follow the "its for the Japanese market" bandwagon crowd because each year that goes by that concept becomes more and more of a myth. Its pop culture bro. Retro pop culture. I think now middle America watchs more anime than all of Japan itself, lol.

 

if you cant back this up, dont talk about it like its facts my guy.

 

I'm out, but I can't wait to see what it looks like all the same. I can't wait to see how they pull it off.

 

Im not saying train fans dont exist. Theres still bowling leauges too. Just dont expect to find 5 or 10 fellow train collectors fans in a 5 mile radius.

 

It won't cost that much..
Stop exaggerating for goodness sake

 

If this is indeed for the MP line, and 'real' (i.e. 18+ inch tall) sized combiner, then Raiden is the absolute best choice.

Make the combiner that will be popular with tranformers fans as well as non-transformers fans (i.e., Japanese train enthusiasts) for what will essentially be testing out a new product tier. Takara has already done this before with the V2.0 MP line. Why else was Sideswipe, a B list character at absolute best, the next immediate release after MP-10? They need more than the tranformers fanbase to build a launch platform.

If they announced MP-Computron instead, plenty here would start celebrating, but the longer term picture would mean Computron would be one and done, as absolutely no one gives a shit about Computron except for the core transformers fan base who have also been in the labor force for at least 10 years. That's an extremely niche market to try a launch a new product line (Combiners).

Start with the Optimus/Convoy of combiners in Japan (which is Raiden, by a mile), and then go from there.

 

To be fair, can you back your beliefs up any more than I can mine ? We have too many non-Japanese Japan experts on these forums. To be honest, I can only speak for Miami and you can only speak for wherever you reside in terms of what hobbys are super popular with kids and adults alike. Neither of us can really speak for Japan. I can only tell you that im inclined to believe any serious electric train collector isnt looking to invest in transforming train toys. Thats same goes for masterpiece Transformers collectors interested in buying a $1000 locomotive and turning their man cave into a miniature train station. But thats just my opinion.

 

Trains are huge in Japan. Even people with barely any knowledge of Japanese culture know this.

This is mostly because trains are still common and everyday necessities in Japan, because space is at too much of a premium for everyone to own a car and drive. It's not like in NA where trains are impractical more often than not, they're essential.

Making a train toy is just like making a car toy here. It's that ingrained in the society.

 

If I'm not mistaken, Toei Animation made Raiden, not Sunbow.

トレインチェンジ!
I meant to say that because of watching that Diaclone CM from the early 80s.

 

Just as a quick back-up, if you check all the major Japanese hobby import shops (HLJ, Amiami, Hobby Search), you'll find that they have entire sub-sections dedicated to model railroad paraphernalia. So yeah, still very much an active thing.