MPM-12 Optimus Prime (Bumblebee Movie)

Discussion in 'Transformers News and Rumors' started by oku, Feb 9, 2021.

  1. Paco Grande

    Paco Grande Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2017
    Posts:
    3,093
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Likes:
    +9,434
    Maybe there should be rules about that? For myself, if someone won’t shut up about KOs in an official thread they go on my ignore list cause I don’t want to see that crap. So I have a KO filter. Works for me.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  2. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2015
    Posts:
    3,402
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +8,829
    In all fairness, the Bumblebee is a robot who turns into a VW Beetle based on a robot meant to turn into a VW Beetle.

    This Optimus is based on a robot mode that was designed with absolutley no considerating for what it's truck mode would be, and then the movie's staff grabbed a truck so absurdly different from what the Optimus 3d model looked like that not even the smoke-stack type matcues. His job is significantly harder than Bee's.
     
    • Like Like x 11
  3. TheTornSideswipeFan

    TheTornSideswipeFan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2019
    Posts:
    517
    Trophy Points:
    172
    Likes:
    +690
    Honestly it came down to the issue where at the last portions of production, they decided to make a model of Optimus that was closer to the concept that was based on the Marmon (and arguably still maintains Marmon Kibble in the post-credits scene), Optimus' vehicle mode for that one scene was still chosen to be the Freightliner because the fanservice was just something that needed to be done when they should have just used a Marmon. Considering the fact the movie at this point is a few years old, the final designs are out and HasTak can easily get access to Paramount's Movie Models for their figures like threezero has been able to, it just ends up feeling odd to me they still stuck to their guns and didn't try to match (Though I guess excess faux parts to give Optimus a Freightliner Alt Mode while still maintaining his screen-accurate Marmon Kibble in Bot Mode would bring up a different uproar in the community not unlike some of the MP-44 Criticisms from the more toy-engineer loving fanbase).

    I guess technically if we're splitting hairs, the threezero one is the one really more accurate even among the transforming community since Optimus was never meant to transform in the first place in the movie, and really giving him the transformations is just to appease the "A Transformer Toy must transform" fandom portion.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  4. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2015
    Posts:
    3,402
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +8,829
    Yeah, no matter what they did, unless they did some "super shell-formery and super cheaty turn-inside-out" transformation the vehicle mode was gonna have to suffer.

    In my opinion the only "real problem" with this MPM figure is that they didn't manage to make the truck bed look convincingly like a real truck's back, I am otherwise fine with the weird-made-up-truck and I think the robot mode looks much better than the Studio Series in every way, I am frankly satisfied with it and I'd rather have a "New Bee that actualy looks like the final movie design" than another Optimus.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. Shmoptimus Prime

    Shmoptimus Prime Za Warudo!

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2006
    Posts:
    19,660
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    417
    Likes:
    +79,132
    Ebay:
    Instagram:
    The things that kills me in the long run is that this is clearly an “in between” design. He really was just a long cameo in the film, that wasn’t super well thought-out. And yet since the design is more G1, it became super popular and now we need 1000 versions of it. The one in the next movie is only a couple years away and will probably look different and then all these will be obsolete and these problems will (probably) be moot.

    At least it’s not obsolete before it even released (looking at you, MPM7).
     
    • Like Like x 12
  6. Shin Densetsu

    Shin Densetsu I WILL DESTROY YOU Content Contributor Veteran

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2003
    Posts:
    52,167
    News Credits:
    33
    Trophy Points:
    442
    Likes:
    +52,705
    If it throws the thread off topic that’s an issue. Sometimes the comparisons are inevitable but no one should be coming into a news and rumors thread to shill a 3p item the same way no one should be shilling an official item in a 3p thread in the 3p forum. This has been an ongoing issue that’s been addressed on a case by case basis.

    It was evident the moment this toy was revealed that Hasbro possibly didn’t used the finalized film design when beginning the design of this toy. With the 3p offerings you have different options to choose from, some who based it off the movie itself rather than whatever concept art Hasbro used. Objectively some of the 3p versions are more accurate.

    Yes this is a discussion forum but it has to stay focused. For fans who are part of this community and in the know, this was going to be an uphill battle for Hasbro since there were options to choose from to begin with, be it Toyworld, Lemon Tree, et al. Even for a fan that would only collect official, the fact that this is yet another movie MP(like MPM-07) to be based on unfinished movie designs, can be disappointing. The cat ears thing sticks out, not even the Studio Series version has it.
     
    • Like Like x 4
  7. TheTornSideswipeFan

    TheTornSideswipeFan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2019
    Posts:
    517
    Trophy Points:
    172
    Likes:
    +690
    Fair enough, but really beside the problems I listed before, the real issue for me was always gonna be the head sculpt. It looked awkward in promo shots, still looked awkward in the stream, and still looked awkward in the shots.

    As a fan who focuses on display and the occasional pose change, when the look really can't be made to work with without the head just always being 35 degrees from front facing, then the figure dun goofed and I just cannot support it. I'll still support the threezero givings since while Toyworld's Prime is nice, I still want something official and well-made and I already don't transform my figures as often as I should be for what is being sold to me in the line.
     
  8. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2015
    Posts:
    3,402
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +8,829
    I think I know what you mean, in that, I thought the Studio Series TF1 Megatron's face was much better than the one the MPM did, but can you explain what is wrong about the head to you? Because I keep looking at it and I am honestly failing to see "what is bad" about it other than maybe the color being a bit dark.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  9. TheTornSideswipeFan

    TheTornSideswipeFan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Aug 28, 2019
    Posts:
    517
    Trophy Points:
    172
    Likes:
    +690
    It's more of a "eye of the beholder" thing, but something about the head of Prime just looks off compared to the threezero one, like they squished Prime's head together to allow it to fit for the transformation, or they pushed his antennae too far in and it looks off in head-on shots. To me it just looks like he has a bit of a pinhead on his MPM-12 Mold. If you can like it, more power to you all, and I hope you can enjoy the figure, but something about the head looks like it should just be slightly wider, if only just widen the head by maybe... .25 MM on each side?
    Screenshot (242).png

    Screenshot (240).png

    (Sources are below, remove the asterisks when copy-pasting. I can't figure out how to link without it posting the whole video in my comment)

    https://you*tu.be/tpmP1hZL6-0
    https://you*tu.be/tjUhHuh4CEY
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
    • Like Like x 2
  10. Easterburn

    Easterburn Your friendly neighborhood Digibasher

    Joined:
    Apr 26, 2020
    Posts:
    2,026
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    242
    Likes:
    +8,998
    Twitter:
    Instagram:
    MPM-12 Prime head looks like he's in a constant state of about to cry
     
    • Like Like x 7
  11. BigRed

    BigRed Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2015
    Posts:
    3,402
    News Credits:
    6
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +8,829
    Oh I see what you mean perfectly now. Three Zero looks better yeah, though to me the "real problem" in the MPM is less the width and more how sad the eyes ended up looking.
     
  12. Illiterate Scholar

    Illiterate Scholar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2020
    Posts:
    2,742
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +5,515
    I kinda like the head. I feel like this is the section that is better than all the other 3rd party designs. There is still something a little off, but it might be the angle, or that the images are still kind of low res. I would definitely like to see a close-up for a better comparison.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  13. Atomic Tofu

    Atomic Tofu Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2017
    Posts:
    3,279
    Trophy Points:
    257
    Likes:
    +3,457
    YouTube (Legacy):
    I think I see why this head is off, and it's really no fault of the figure BUT, there seems to be at least 2 designs being used, one from the movie and one from concept art? NOW unless concept art doesn't show this difference, then MPM12 and Killerbody (and whoever else uses this design, no gap) is wrong. Could be a chance there is an actual Cybertron vs Earthmode head, which would make sense and not make sense at the same time :D  (as in, why would cybertron alt mode need a "driver" area, who's fooling who on Cybertron?)
    upload_2021-3-30_17-33-40.png
    It's a little hard to tell, but one design shows the antennae area clearly outside of gap with a portion being on of course and the other has no gap with the antennae zone being completely on it.
    The one from the movie shows the area between the antennae and head (temple) has a greater inner depth, being used by Threezero as well. Temple gap.
    upload_2021-3-30_17-25-36.png upload_2021-3-30_17-23-12.png
    The one from MPM 12 seems to also be the one used for officially licensed Killerbody OP wearable helm. No temple gap.
    upload_2021-3-30_17-23-31.png upload_2021-3-30_17-23-47.png upload_2021-3-30_17-37-56.png
     
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2021
    • Like Like x 4
  14. octobotimus

    octobotimus Bad company ruins good morals

    Joined:
    Sep 22, 2017
    Posts:
    27,186
    News Credits:
    8
    Trophy Points:
    327
    Location:
    Washington
    Likes:
    +82,546
    Ebay:
    Instagram:
    They have the cheapest prices on 3rd party figure because they themselves are based in China, like those companies. They buy MPM figures form Hasbro and then sell them, so they end up more expensive. Starscream was $200+ from them.
     
    • Like Like x 5
  15. Shmoptimus Prime

    Shmoptimus Prime Za Warudo!

    Joined:
    Dec 2, 2006
    Posts:
    19,660
    News Credits:
    3
    Trophy Points:
    417
    Likes:
    +79,132
    Ebay:
    Instagram:
    I guarantee the head is narrower in order to fit inside whatever cavity it sits in in alt mode. This is the only reason some MPMs have small heads. It’s for convenience and laziness for the design.
     
    • Like Like x 5
  16. Atomic Tofu

    Atomic Tofu Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 29, 2017
    Posts:
    3,279
    Trophy Points:
    257
    Likes:
    +3,457
    YouTube (Legacy):
    did a quick head fix to test:
    upload_2021-3-30_20-8-25.png upload_2021-3-30_20-12-20.png
     
    • Like Like x 11
  17. Illiterate Scholar

    Illiterate Scholar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2020
    Posts:
    2,742
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +5,515
    That's a very good analysis and you're absolutely right.

    The detail in the mask area looks very good in this figure though. If only we could swap the mask with one of the other figures. I hope the eyes don't look dead when the LED is off like Freedom Leader.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  18. Kelow2020

    Kelow2020 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 28, 2019
    Posts:
    72
    Trophy Points:
    112
    Likes:
    +269
    • Like Like x 1
  19. Paco Grande

    Paco Grande Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 29, 2017
    Posts:
    3,093
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Likes:
    +9,434
    What LED? There is no LED light up eyes on this figure. And I'm hoping the eyes are actually painted blue and it isn't light piping. Most of the time the light piping doesn't work as intended and the eyes look dead. Kingdom Cyclonus is the only figure I own with light piping that actually works properly. And MPM-3. MPM-8 is a great example of failed light piping. On mine anyway. Only one eye works for some reason so it looks terrible.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  20. Illiterate Scholar

    Illiterate Scholar Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 3, 2020
    Posts:
    2,742
    News Credits:
    1
    Trophy Points:
    222
    Likes:
    +5,515
    Oh, the pictures Tofu posted made it look like there were LEDs in the eyes. I guess not.