Need help: Your preferred 3rd Party, Unlicensed Optimus Prime?

Discussion in 'Transformers 3rd Party Discussion' started by Kuma Style, May 9, 2022.

?

Your Preferred 3PU Optimus?

  1. Transform Element

  2. Magic Square

  3. Other

Results are only viewable after voting.
  1. King Nergil

    King Nergil Humanoid anchovy

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    TE for me. But since MP-44 wasn't your thing and TE is pretty close aesthetically, you might try out MS. I've heard good things about it. ;) 
     
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  2. mikeszekely

    mikeszekely Not Pessimus Prime

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    I prefer Magic Square. TE has better materials, but it's a little too stiff and too toon for my tastes, and the transformation isn't the best. Magic Square fixes a lot of what I didn't like in MP-10, like hiding the wheels on his legs and dumping the gorilla arms, but doesn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. He's still got some realistic truck details and more heroic proportions that make him look more like the robot the animation was trying to capture than a 3D animation cell.
     
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  3. magmatron

    magmatron Well-Known Member

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    Can you find the original Magic Square Optimus anywhere? I think I prefer it to the metallic version, but I can only ever find the metallic version in most online stores.
     
  4. BIOMEC

    BIOMEC Terrorcon, aka "Ratchetman"

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    My favorite 3P Prime is Thunder Leader
     
  5. FiVE1ZERO

    FiVE1ZERO ***FT Screwdriver Collector ONLY.!***

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    Your best bet is to have it saved on eBay and hopefully one pops up. I missed this recent listing and it hurt lol as most I've seen go for around $180-200+.
    Screenshot_20220509-230635.png

    Also look up the Junkion exchange too.
     
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  6. RonG

    RonG Prime among Primes

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    I love both TE-01 and MS-01 - these strive for different things, and do them successfully. It's a shame that HasTak's official version has gotten hammered by 3P (don't remember it was like that with MP-10)..

    Personally for toon-accurate look, TE-01 nails it - it's like the cartoon come alive. I double-dipped and got the cel-shaded version (TE-01C) and it adds the 3d / premium look (which basically stomps MP-44's perceived "coloring" advantage).

    With MS-01, which I agree that it's an evolution of the MP-10 design and aesthetic (MP-10 and its variants and upgraded versions like MPP-10 are some of my all-time favorites..). I went for the metallic paint version (MS-10X+) and it's absolutely beautiful (again, leaping over the MP-44 paint scheme IMO).

    I'm on the fence regarding the MP-44 'updated backpack' KO, but in all honesty, my G1 OP "collection needs" have been met by 3P, big time.
     
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  7. Scyla

    Scyla Well-Known Member

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    MP-10 and MakeToys Despotron is still favorite pairing.

    I personally went with MP-44 to go with MP-36. They just go so well together especially when it comes to the finish of the toy.

    However since this is out of the question I would take the Transform Element one since it is a new and unique take on the cartoon Optimus Prime transformation. The lack of thigh swivels is the only negative point in my book. He also has the best truck mode of all the MP Primes.
     
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  8. Chrisola

    Chrisola Solid crotch ratchet

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    I have owned both and kept TE.

    Both are great, I just preferred TEs look and feel. If you go TE there is a 3d print neck extension which improves the look and head articulation!
     
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  9. Curium

    Curium Well-Known Member

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    MP-10 came out shortly after 3P first started making complete figures (as opposed to just upgrade kits for 1P figures), and no figures in the MP realm. MP-10 was 2011, the first MP 3P figure I know of is Quakewave from 2013. The first 3P G1 MP Optimus was either TE or MS that come out around the time of MP-44, and off the top of my head nothing really competed directly with a Takara release before TE and MS. During the "MP-10 era" no 3P company would go head-to-head with Takara. FT cancelled their Soundwave and Blaster (reasonably assuming Takara Blaster would follow MP-13), and delayed their Hot Rod, and XTB still has their Inferno/Grapple delayed, once Takara announced theirs. Other examples were all clearly before or clearly after Takara figures.
     
  10. RonG

    RonG Prime among Primes

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    Weren't there various IDW styled 3P Optimii (TW Orion, etc)? These weren't 'classic' (toon) G1, but were they MP scale?

    Going off-topic for a sec, Other than OP, there have been 3P attempts to compete with official HasTak figures around their time of release-
    • Shockwave - you mentioned Quakewave and there another Shockwave 3P competing with Takara IIRC
    • Megatron - Didn't MP-36 have some competition from Apollyon and Despotron?
    • Soundwave - the recent FT version came out a long while after the MP version, but wasn't it planned for a much earlier release
    • Starscream - MT Meteor competed with the MP version, and now DS (is it also TE?) competes with MP-52
    • Hound - I don't recall the timeline exactly, but the MP did have competition from 3P (Maketoys?)
    • Ultra Magnus - had competition from Citizen Stack (from.. Keith's?)
     
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  11. Orion2703

    Orion2703 Ultimate Hunter

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    Another one of those whatever looks best to you answers!

    I have both (1st run metallic for ms as I didn't care for the initial run ms colours at all.). TE is the one in my display, partly because he can interact with mp-10s trailer when i switch to alt modes. That's despite not being in deep in the toon ascetic. I did add a few paint highlights to both.
    MS has a simper transformation based heavily on mp-10, te is more involved but more unique and still enjoyable.
    Overall though I prefer the bulk and look of MS and that has a slight edge in terms of articulation. If it was pure bot mode I'd probably go ms, but te works better for what I want.
     
  12. Thundercracker Blue

    Thundercracker Blue Well-Known Member

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    I have MP10, TW-01, and MS-01, and I prefer MS-01. I bought TE-01 first, but found him lacking.

    To begin with MS-01 is more “heroically” proportioned, and his transformation is MUCH better than TE-01. He’s also objectively better articulated than TE-01, but it goes beyond that. He just feels more dynamic in hand, while TE-01 is much stiffer overall. MS-01 seems engineered to be handled. It’s hard to explain.

    That said, it of course depends on display and what other figures you’re displaying. I tend to pair my Primes and Megs from each line. In some ways I’d say TE-01 pairs better with MP-36. I pair my MP Optimus Primes and Megatrons as follows:
    TE-01 w/ MP-36
    MS-01 w/ Maketoys Despotron
    MP-10 w/ XTB Apollyon
    GT-03 Op Ex w/ GT-02 Tyrant
    TW Freedom Leader w/ Monocrat Megatank
    TFC ST-01NB Supreme Tactical Commander w/ TFC ST-02 Dominator

    For CHUGsterpiece, it’s:
    MT Striker Manus w/ MT Rioter Despotron
    MMC Optus Pexus w/ Spark Toys Spartacus
    Toy World Orion w/ MMC Tyrantron

    Powered-up CHUG:
    FP Parallax TFX-06 Red w/ Takara Selects Super Megatron

    Tl;dr: MS-01
     
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  13. Starganderfish

    Starganderfish Well-Known Member

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    470C4E34-F709-423F-A6D7-BBD0CB89BC90.jpeg
     
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  14. deaculpa

    deaculpa Stand Alone Complex

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  15. Starganderfish

    Starganderfish Well-Known Member

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    No worries. Let me know if you want more details on any of ‘em.
     
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  16. deaculpa

    deaculpa Stand Alone Complex

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    There was an mp10 custom head that floated around for a long time that nobody was able to get. It was this exact design, I’m betting hasbro bit it from him. I looked but couldn’t find it since mp10 is basically a relic now. But one of the best TFs of its day.
     
  17. sodawilly

    sodawilly Old School fan since 1984!

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    Transform Element Optimus all the way for me... kept my old MP-10 trailer for it.
    20190521_140913.jpg 20190522_202358.jpg 20190521_141037.jpg 20190521_141025.jpg received_1707207589442340.jpeg.jpg
     
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  18. siniquezu

    siniquezu Well-Known Member

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    I prefer OP to be either shorter or same height as megs
     
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  19. The Mad Demobot

    The Mad Demobot Well-Known Member

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    Wanna jump on the bandwagon on this and ask what version of Magic Square Optimus will go with MP36? I have both MP 55 and TE-01, but I was looking for one with a defined alt mode and action poses to display with each other with the others being in vehicle mode. I thought about the Metallic version, but he may look too glossy compared to Megatron.

    At least he doesn't have the gorilla arms. :p 
     
  20. Psychoshi

    Psychoshi Grammaton Cleric

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    Has MS made any other mp sized figures?