Hasui's vision? I do think some ppl have rose tinted specs on at times. Sure he did a lot of good but the guy is not perfect at all and some of his figures got utterly destroyed in these very threads at this very same point of release.

 

Exactly  

That's an interesting point about the cab. Several people have noted that the upper 'half' looks good but the lower 'half' doesn't match. I would tend to agree with that and admit the cab does look pretty good. I sincerely hope Prime135 is correct about the alt mode...but I have my doubts. I'll be very eager to see what he looks like transformed.

I don't recall saying Hasui was perfect, just that he had a vision for the line which he clearly followed and is now not being followed...at least not as closely. It just happens that his vision is what led me to collect MP in the first place and I'm seeing that vision eroding with each new reveal.

 

I'm hoping that too! Hoping there's some Ironhide going on and a lot of real looking fire truck unfolds from somewhere and hides those robot arms. With the cab looking exactly like a real Fuso and not much like the animation model they have followed for the rest of the bot, the indication imho is licensed. If so I expect/hope for a really decent looking alt mode. We'll see...

 

With all due respect, dont presume to know what anyone wants. This is what YOU want. You dont speak for everyone.

 

Just what I was thinking. Inferno looks great, though.

 

Looks epic to me!

I've looked at those 3p ones people have posted. First time I've seen them as I'm just not into 3p. None of them look anywhere near as good as this real Inferno. Too much stuff going on with one, too big feet on another, weird proportions on all of them. No thanks.

It's funny, this same "too cartoony/not cartoony enough" argument has been playing out, almost word-for-word on he-man.org for the last few years! Toy fans slate the Filmation cartoon as being "inaccurate and crappy" and, therefore, not worthy of being used as source material whilst those of us who remember the cartoon fondly say that cartoon accurate is the way to go. Then there are those who want little toy details on Filmation figures, like little raised details on She-Ra's bracers, whilst others think it's unnecessary and over complicates the smooth lines of the animation model.

I'm sure the same argument happens on every toy forum where there were differences in the vintage toy verses the cartoon and everyone will have different opinions. But it does go to show that no matter which property you're a fan of the arguments are all the same!

For me, I prefer the just-stepped-out-of-the-tv look, so I'll always champion clean lines and less complicated detailing. I think panel lining should be left to Macross fans.

 

Guess we should expect MP Grapple, Hauler and Artfire after this

 

That cel looks closer but the eye shape still seems off but it's not anywhere near as bad as Ironhide IMHO.

And what not to get, the face sculpts are a key part of their personality and that personality is more represented in the toon. So yeah, a toon sculpt for the face is something I'd prefer. Alt mode preference is real world while bot I s that vaunted toon and toy blend.

This line _was_ delivering this in spades and now not as much. I'm with Shiro (and others) on this. Our preferences is the old direction, not really a mystery.

Also, to be clear I think this Inferno is the best of all options right now and does look pretty darn good. AND I think we'll get some real world details in alt mode (you can see that they are folding panels on those legs) it's just that I'm sure the legs would be a bit more detail under Hasui's direction and I would've preferred that.

 

That was the first thought everyone had upon learning of MP Inferno.

 

Thanks Cheebs and Cheem for the bashes and comparisons. You guys related?  

Options! So many, many of them. What's your preferred style? Ultra-toon accuracy? Takara's got you covered. Something a little more detailed? Maybe with some more toy homages? Hasui style? Take a pick from the no less than 3 different Inferno 3P offerings.

There is no right or wrong here. Nor are there any losers. There's something for everybody's individual tastes. We are spoiled to have all these options.

Personally, I'm disappointed in Takara's current direction in the MP line. But I won't begrudge anyone who is a fan of it. Different strokes for different folks and all that. I have three other Inferno's to pick from, so I'm good.

I can say with confidence, this will be the new normal for the MP line going forward. As the number of characters still needing the MP treatment keeps shrinking, competition will be fierce for the almighty MP dollar. And we, the consumer, will be the beneficiaries of it. It's a win-win for us all. Feels like a golden age in TF collecting to me.

 

yeah its superb to have so many options all with different takes on the character...good time's  

 

My own concern isn't so much the lack of detailing and lines and so forth, I'll survive without all that. My concern is a potential lack of paint apps. If they follow the animation exactly (as the digibashers are), those legs are going to be an unbroken sea of red, and I just don't think that's going to look very good. Very plain, visually very uninteresting.

 

The hilarious thing is the Filmation line is selling out in minutes when it goes live but ppl don't want slavish cartoon in their toys do they?  

As long as it sells it'll keep being made and long may it continue. Right now is my idea of toy nirvana in both MOTUC and Masterpiece  

 

Wtf are you talking about face sculpt? Damn thing screams Inferno like 100%

And I don't personally know myself about the legs. I mean, damn thing is toon accurate, but I'll admit, some detail wouldn't have hurt. I gave Ironhide a pass because his toy had a dated shin sticker which would look like crap on a MP IMO, otherwise, there was zero detail to pull from otherwise. Plus, I dig how his legs turned out.

Not sure if it's the shapes of Infernos legs or what, but the no detail really stands out on him to me more than it ever did on Ironhide, which again, maybe the shape of Hide's legs made the lesser detail a non issue for me.

Mind you, I still like this guy i think more than any of the 3P, but I do like the MMC one.

 

I imagine a 3P will make replacement shins with the toy-like ridges.

Hey, a 3P made a hideous add-on for Ironhide that supposedly solves the skirt "issue"...

 

I'm so damn glad I subbed for the Filmation and Thundercats figures. I'd be all kinds of pissed if I was buying DOS and I couldn't get mine. I love how that line looks, I have more nostalgia for Filmation than i do the old figures making CG a more important line than MOTUC to me now.

 

Another great point. Detailing doesn't necessarily have to be molded.

lol well I'm not sure I would use the absurd subscription BS that Matty does and artificially restricting the supply to up the demand as a good example for determining what people want. It seems to me many of the modern style figures early on (before the Filmation sub line) also sold out in minutes.

Actually the MOTUC line is a great analogy. Imagine if they had made half the line in the more modern style and then half-way through decided to make the remainder of the line in Filmation style. Maybe even remake the more modern ones that had already been produced in the Filmation style and said "we're going in this direction now, but you can re-buy these so that they'll match". I bet that would have gone over really well. At least Matty was smart enough to start a whole new Filmation sub line instead of trying to integrate it into the more modern style.

 

It is an absurd situation but if ppl didn't want it then it really wouldn't sell out. You can't force ppl to buy it even if things are restricted in numbers.

The truth is this style is wanted and does sell. That's it. No ifs. No buts.

 

with color added that looks horrible, not the bash but the color blockiness :/
... which is about par for the course for hastak these days.

 

They sell out that fast because Matty purposely restricts the number produced...and they don't even hide that fact. So naturally the scalpers scoop up every one they can within minutes and sell them for two to three times what they're worth to real collectors on e-bay...

I don't deny that there is a market for slavish toon, there's no doubt about that, but there's also a strong market for updated designs as well and since that's how the post MP10 line started, it doesn't seem unreasonable for it to remain that way.

For those that point out that 3P is making options for everyone to be happy, I don't disagree however we need to bear in mind that this is a line and consistency is key. While 3P is making options available for us here, that doesn't mean that we'll have the same options for future characters. If we do, great! I'll be thrilled to bits. But right now, that remains to be seen.