I agree...when this came out I was 9. I didn't KNOW anything about what the real cars looked like. I loved the cartoon and wanted toys that looked like the cartoon.
I am now....older.. while such assumptions do make sense, I still want toys that look like the cartoon. I am thrilled with the + line and the direction of the MP line overall.

 

Hear, hear!

 

I'm no anime deco fan but this mould is one of the finest. Still looks great despite its age.

 

How can I buy them?

 

The Liger (Mirage) is a Ford vehicle if I'm not mistaken. Wouldnt surprise me if he where announced soon; Ford can use all the exposure and no effort money they can get! If not, TE is starting car bots for their line. Their Op was pretty impressive, so hopefully they make a Jazz....

 

Obligatory post about licensing and related issues with the Citanes/Gitanes cigarette logo... see also: MP Exhaust and the Marlboro triangle debacle of 2015.

Although, I’d love to see a Takara Liger.

 

I would think being a race car that races for a company (NASCAR or whatever) not to mention the sponsers complicates things. Basically money talks. Im sure Ford has dealt with Hasbro before and knows they got Hasbro by the balls because of the G1 faithful requests. I guess Hasbros offer sucked and Ford told them do better. And if you think about it, MP is all Takara so Hasbro is only going to negotiate on Takaras behalf so much before they say, nope not happening. Also when I mentiined Porsche, I was referring to Jazz.

 

This is, of course, primarily assumption on your part. While it’s true that licensing fees are some factor, none of us know the details of the licensing agreements in discussion for those particular MP figures or how much a part the fees are playing in obtaining an agreement. If you somehow have some specific inside information then by all means let us know. Otherwise, this is assumption.

The simplified cartoon-based alt mode decos could work in favor for Mirage and Jazz. Though in Mirage’s case using “Citanes” is probably too close to “Gitanes” by today’s standards and laws, despite it working in the 80s. If so, they could just put “Ligier” on the sides of the car.

Jazz’s alt mode deco in the cartoon was removed enough from the Martini livery that it would seem there wouldn’t be issue in that regard.

 

Im no insider but as we learned from Volkswagen, money talks.

Hastak: We would like to offer you $100,000 to license us the Porsche 935 to do a Masterpiece Jazz Transformers figure.

Porsche: The 935 was one of the most iconic cars in the history of our company. Were gonna need a million to make that deal happen.

Hastak: With the projected profit margins for the Japanese market on Masterpiece sales, we cannot afford to offer more than $100,000.

Porsche: Then you cannot have the license. Make Jazz a Cadillac Eldorado since you guys are so good with GM.

That my friend is how deals dont get made. At the end of the day you gotta remember CEOs are people just like you and me but are a whole lot richer and definitely more arrogant. Dont let the suits fool you. Its all powerpoint presentations and money talk.

 

Ummmm... yeah. Thanks for proving my point.

 

Yeah. Youre Hastak and Im Porsche. We couldn't agree, so no deal got made. Jazz is f**ked.

 

Not bad, but since I already have the original MP Silverstreak (Bluestreak), I think I'll pass and instead get MP Hound. Plus its gettin' a little too pricey as it is... Not to mention I started collecting new Robotech figures too (and this & that) ect... And alas instead of another re-release (kind of / sort of in this case), are they ever gonna make an MP Mirage or Arcee??? Not to mention MP Dinobots (not including that one shot Grimlock they did a few years back)? It's like they prefer 3rd party developer's to always beat them to the punch (like multiple times)... Just sayin'. At least I've got the Zeta EX05 ARC (Arcee), am super happy with her.

 

great pics.. Im loving that low shot with the smirk 

 

He looks FANTASTIC, this is a Transformers.

Love the way , Hasbro and Takara didn't ruin the character with a v2 and only repainted him. This is one of the last Masterpiece molds I liked, before they totally change the direction and transformed the Transformers Masterpiece line into Transformers Panelformers which are more similar to model kits making the figure weak.

 

Maybe a really stupid question, what is the difference between the USA version (the one with black cover) and the Japanese version?

 

Zero. The black cover box literally slides over the original. It's just a way for Hasbro to put their name on it

 

Transformed mp18+ to car mode for the first time in a while last night and for maybe the fourth time overall and was pleased to find that he went together perfectly in car mode! When I first got him I could not get the dash and windshield all the way together but it improved with each try and now he’s at 100% just like all his Datsun brothers  

On a sadder note I also transformed MP20+ to car mode (the Leafs 1st period was a bit slow) and stupidly broke his wing. My fault I knew it would break if I tried to bend it but I did it anyway...ugh. Luckily I found a good deal on a replacement via amazon.ca of all places. Guess the one that I have now will be dedicated car mode  

 

The regular version with reprolabels hid in my shelf in the shadows. All you saw where the reflective stickers. This guy stands toe to toe with new molds

 

Even Wotafa pushes the shoulders into the body.