I was perfectly content with Backdraft. I bought TT Inferno on impulse, a last minute Christmas gift to myself. I do like it, but I feel that it's too plain. The transformation was really intuitive and a part of me can appreciate the extreme toon accuracy. Although price was a huge issue for me. I don't feel it was worth 140 especially compared to the quality of Backdraft if you got it for 70. I will say if you intend to mess with them, I'd go with inferno. Backdraft feels like he'd get floppy within a few transformations

 

This. Inferno actually doesn't match the other MP figures AT ALL in my opinion. The robot mode looks like a vinyl figure, and the vehicle mode may be even more of a mismatch... in a line with a bunch of realistic vehicles, this looks like a cartoon vehicle. When you factor price into the equation, it becomes almost a no-brainer.

 

This is a really tough choice to me, as there is so much to love about the official one. But the extreme cartoon look (very light colors, minimal leg details, truck full of gaps) makes the figure not quite match stylisticly with my other more cherished mp figures. (Soundwave, Prowl, Prime)

The Hasui mp figures are like Zelda Twilight Princess, and mp Shocky, Inferno, and Megs are like, i dunno... Skyward Sword. I appreciate both art styles, but I prefer Twilight Princess' more, and felt like TT had a good thing going. I know that people compain about this so much, it's kind of redundant. I don't think we'll ever stop. Just like how fans still whine over the same things about the bayformers movies.

 

XTB's Dante fits what I'm looking for in an Inferno best. MP-33 is a very close second. Backdraft's proportions just don't do it for me, I'm afraid.

 

Is there a huge difference between the two when it comes to articulation?

 

Well, I bought Backdraft 'cos he was cheap. I did think it looked better than the official one, tho'. He is pretty big and chunky, perhaps a little too big, but eh... what'cha gonna do?

I like my MPs to be a blend of the cartoon model and the original toys, if that makes sense. The best elements of both. My next consideration is price... I'll spend over a hundred bucks on the big guys like Convoy and Star Saber and so forth, but for Inferno? Nah.

 

I'm all about cartoon accuracy, so mp inferno wins. That being said, i got backdraft when he went on sale, which was half the cost of mp- inferno. He looks amazing, but it wasn't worth paying double, especially considering backdraft is a great figure in his own right.

If money was no object, i'd go offical. He looks incredibly accurate, has a really cool transformation, and tons of accessories.

 

I went with MP Inferno myself. I really appreciate the engineering and transformation design that went into it, but what really drove it home for me was the feature that a lot of people didn't care for - the cradle for carrying Red Alert in his arms. I tend to like putting my figures into different poses, preferably in ways that highlight their uniqueness or their relationship/interaction with other characters. When I saw that accessory, I knew this was the figure for me as it'd allow me to display them in a very unique way. I only wish the accessory came with the chrome version of the chest.

As an aside, I also really didn't like the yellow on the skirt armor on Backdraft. I understand it's a nod to the toy, but it really clashes with the colour scheme on the rest of the figure.

 

Backdraft has the better truck mode, and Inferno has the better Robot mode. If there was some way to mix the two it would be an amazing figure.
I figured Inferno's cartoony truck mode was so they didn't have to pay licensing costs, as it doesn't look like an identifiable firetruck.
If this is the case we could see them use similar designs in the future.
Maybe Cliffjumper will get his penny car mode from the cartoon for instance.

 

TT Inferno is a basic bitch.   He really doesn't fit in with the other MPs, as others have already said. I love my backdraft, he fits in perfectly. I got MT's wrestle before backdraft to see if I'd want their dante, but he's a little too stubby, his face isn't the right style for me, and his die cast makes him slump... so backdraft FTW!

 

...actually, they featured it quite prominently on the box, it was a FUSO T951.

 

If the official was the only MP Inferno that existed, I would buy it. However, I would also kitbash it giving it the details below the chest that it needs to have.

With Backdraft I have no such desire. Since cartoon accuracy isn't my drive with MP's (I want the mix between cartoon, toy, real life and nods to other sources), I think Backdraft is the absolute winner as far as looks are concerned. He looks how I want a Masterpiece Inferno to look.

However, I'm convinced based on reviews of the MP, that the official version is the more fun figure. It has a much nicer transformation and save for some (minor) limitation in posability, I think MP Inferno is a far nicer figure to pick up and fiddle with. If only it didn't look so boringly plain.

 

I don't know how the licensing pay scheme works, but it says "FUSO T951" on Inferno's box, like it does for other models on other figures. So it's a licensed model. I doubt they'd steer away from that anytime soon on bots who's alt mode are real-world based. It's one of the basic elements of the MP concept.

 

Looking good! Ironhide probably looks the most basic of that lot, and sort of like wearing a metal diaper.  

 

I actually prefer Takara's the most. Got tired of waiting for XTB.

XTB definitely has the most realistic alt mode, but those feet are insanely huge. Not a huge turn-off by any means, but I am more than content with my choice for the time being.

I never really had interest in MMC's... and especially not MT's effort. Everything save for their Chromedome, looks extremelty "amateurish" and Chugly-Chugsterpiece-like.

Their upcoming Jazz is no different. Weird white/silver belly, weird huge autobot outline on his chest, really chugly looking swirly grey plastic on his ankes and feet ...

Come on MT. Go back to your Manga Mech line - you were killin' it!

 

Is that the cartoon head that came with him? Does the face come off, or is it all one piece?

 

I know that a lot of us are buying just as many official releases as 3P but I would kind of think a thread like this would be a little biased lol.

Anyway, as much as I love the headsculpt and SUPER clever transformation of the Takara, the overall feel, look, and proportions of the Ocular Max one wins out for me. I do wish they could've done something clever with the ladder like MP-33 but I think they did a pretty good job hanging it off the back considering how long it extends. I picked up MP-33 a couple weeks ago for a decent deal just for the clever transformation and I have to say, once I got past that, I'm honestly a little underwhelmed. I was originally going to pass on it and I still wonder if I should have.

 

hehe he is   I don't really know what could be done about the diaper though, unless they totally changed it. MP Ratchet's is perfect, imho, but if they had changed it, people would complain that he doesn't look like the cartoon :/

 

MMC all day, No contest.

 

The hand socket on the right side is way gappy on the MP-33.
Does the left hand rotate? I didn't want to force it as the right hand rotates easy. Why does it even have a slot bc the hand is out in alt mode anyway.

But I like the MP robot mode bc it feels more G1 toon accurate & MMC being taller being slightly taller a plus.