Translation: MPM-13 Blackout photos with details By the way, the mould of mpm-13, “snake” factory has got the blueprints long time ago. By now, remoulding has already completed.
Dang, if true, that's just $8 over the price I said I would be very tempted by for this figure. And with red card discount, that would be... $7.90. Hmmmmmm... I really shouldn't...
MP36 doesn't partsform. Taking the fusion cannon off is optional. Most people do it for clearance and avoiding paint scratch. Are you gonna also complain about the fact that virtually every seeker mold requires you to take the null-rays off the arms and plug them under the wings? Everyone knows that weapons don't count. Thing is... the game was rigged from the start. Black-Out - Transformers Wiki
Still catching up in the thread, but wanted to pop to the back to throw out my thoughts before finishing catching up. I've seen the stock images, haven't seen the weibo video yet outside of the thumbnail. As someone who's been looking forward to this for a very very long time, and admittedly probably overhyped it too much in my head... I'm pretty mixed? Underwhelmed in some ways, impressed in others. I think I'll be getting this no matter what, but I definitely do have some reservations. Cons: (From biggest to least IMO) -One thing that stuck out to me that I haven't seen brought up here, is the waist skirt setup. One of my few major complaints with the SS figure was the big flat piece in the front to represent all the skirt panels. I was hoping the MPM could give us something a bit more broken-up and 3D,(by which I mean being arranged around the waist rather than in front of it) maybe each side separately articulated so lifting one leg doesn't send the entire assembly up into Blackout's chest. The fact that we're getting the same thing here, and a helicopter kibble piece behind it that conceals the hip joints to boot, is a disappointment. -The fact that the feet are strangely more slender, and the toes seem way smaller and less detailed than on the SS. I do like the addition of a heel to keep the panels from scraping the ground at least, but this is still an area where it again feels like a downgrade from the SS rather than an improvement. -The forearms feel ever-so-slightly too bulky and rectangular. On the original CGI model they look somewhat slimmer and with more of a flattened oval profile from the side, whereas much like the SS, here they're still fairly boxy, the entire back half of the side pods rather than a chunk. It's no dealbreaker, but again something that I'm disappointed they didn't do better with. -The overhead engine block kibble is mostly fine, but the parts on the sides are again an area I was hoping could be improved from the SS but seem to have gotten little to no functional changes. I feel like there was supposed to be more daylight behind the head itself, as well. -Chest cannon does feel kinda wimpy compared to how it was presented in the movie, but also I'm glad that it was included when it didn't have to be. -A minor point, but the fact that the refueling probe once again folds down instead of telescoping into itself doesn't feel great either. Neutral Points: -The helicopter having a proper underside and back hatch is really cool. However, given the extra amounts of kibble management it requires and how that's affected things like the aforementioned skirt issue, I'm not entirely sure it's worth it; I would have been fine with an open underside if it meant improvements to other areas. -I will say that the big panels on the inside of the lower legs don't bother me too much, as they do actually reflect a design component of the original CGI model, just a bit out of proportion. I would certainly prefer if they weren't quite so conspicuous, but they aren't that big a deal overall. -I can certainly understand why some would be displeased with the upper arms being so spindly, and I do agree they could use some level of extra bulk if it wouldn't get in the way too much. That being said, even if it is technically inaccurate, I do actually kind of appreciate that they're slightly longer, as on the original design they felt a bit too stubby to me, and the SS highlighted it with the articulation there feeling very limited and awkward. I know Blackout's not exactly the most nimble of characters, but I do welcome the notion of being able to do a bit more with his arms when posing. -Similarly, the spindliness of the legs isn't that big a deal to me. Definitely look like they could stand to be a little bit beefier than they look here, I think people also forget that they were kinda spindly in the movie itself too; he's a very top-heavy design for better or worse. -Skorponok still feels a bit too small proportionally, but I'm also just kinda glad he was included at all after the disservice to Frenzy, and I can excuse the small size since it allows him to hang out in the cargo bay in helicopter mode. Kind of curious if there's any way to store him in robot mode or if he has to be evicted beforehand. The increased level of articulation from the SS version is also welcome. Still, I think I'll probably stick with the deluxe for my shelf lineup, just due to the aforementioned scale issue. -The arm-mounted guns and blast effect parts are neat. Not something I desperately needed, but hey, not gonna complain either. -Not a fan of how bright the blue on the stock photos is, but if they are indeed heavily-edited and the colors in the video are more accurate to how it will look in person, this possible complaint would be voided. -The apparent continued lack of a waist swivel, while understandable due to the transformation scheme, is still kind of a disappointment. -His name being printed on the red and white band around the tailfin still looks silly, I'm sorry. I didn't mind it on the SS, but here it just feels tacky. Not a big deal overall, but still needed to say it. (If it turns out that was a thing in the movie too and I just missed it somehow then whatever, but I think I remember a zooming shot on the tail when they identified the helicopter number, with it being absent there.) -The overall transformation scheme is still great, and the headsculpt looks fantastic. Pros! -The integration of the rotor weapon is simply genius, as well as making me appreciate ILM's original design work even more. The fact that it can also potentially act as a way to lock the main rotors in place in helicopter mode is a nice bonus, as some of the ones on my SS figure have become looser over time. -While the body on the SS figure was by no means bad, the upper torso here looks to be much more intricate and rewarding anyway, with engineering befitting of the masterpiece title; the seamlessness of the disappearing lower windows in helicopter mode is honestly incredible and I can't wait to see how it's done. -Even though on some level this is a pretty low bar to clear, I still love that the hands are actually articulated lol. I know technically SS Grindor did it first, but as I have the original SS of that mold without that retooling, this will be a definite step up for me. -The fact that even with the extra level of kibble management from the underside panels, they still found room to also make sure the tailfin and rotor could fit into his backpack instead of partsforming away, is pretty darn impressive. -Rolling wheels on the landing gear! A minor point, but still an appreciated one compared to the SS's lumps of plastic. -Neat little detail of the rivets on the fingers --- So yeah, on the whole this is definitely a bit of a mixed bag, not the end-all be-all Perfect Toy that I fear I built myself up for. Probably the biggest flaw in my opinion is the waist skirt, though the feet also don't come across the best; those two feel like areas where this mold is lesser than its predecessor. At the same time, they're balanced out by a few solid improvements and the brilliantly clever rotor setup, and there are no true dealbreakers that I can see. Most of the things that stuck out to me aside from those, feel more like sidegrades to the SS than strict regression or improvement, so at the end of the day it's still a figure I'll happily accept, even if it doesn't quite live up to the probably overly-lofty expectations I had originally envisioned for it. Am I let down? Yeah, a bit. Am I still going to buy it because I'm a shill and I want a properly shelf-dominating figure of this character? Absolutely. And in the end, I know he'll likely feel better in-hand, much like with many other figures. I could complain for days about MPM Jazz's shoulders being overly bulky, but in the end I still love him, and I'm sure this will be no different. That being said, I am also hoping Black Apple makes a surprise return someday, to gift us with a version that does the waist skirt better.
At least Galvatron wasn't a racist stereotype like the twins. The first MPM Starscream was a redeco of his ROTF Leader figure. The one that just came out like 2 years ago is an entirely new mold.
I agree with the cons. I felt like something was off but I couldn't quite put it into words. But you did! So I agree. Lmao
If a piece of your gun mode is not supposed to be detachable, is partsforming, MP36 is a partsformer, ironic enough the piece turns into a base, while for me the MP36 is trash for many other reasons besides this, is funny to see how people react like partsforming is a sin and if someone says that a figure has partsforming is something bad, while it adds more play value to a figure without compromising design or transformation, WJ's megamaster avoided partsforming, which compromised his legs, MP36 has better legs thanks to partsforming, why react so aggressive when someone says that your figure is a partsformer? Is not something bad, deal with it
Just hope they'll really work on paint, what I see on demo is really too basic. I want shades, I want weathering, I want dust, I want dirt. I think a good paint job can make forget me non accurate arms and feet.
It's just sad how the Masterpiece line nowadays is just the old Leader figures in present day. This isn't something new, I happened since MP10.
Just go back to not caring about undercarriages like most normal people man, trust me it's easier lol. Hardly anybody displays their vehicles upside down anyway XD
I honestly think this looks pretty great, especially if it was properly transformed. The upper arms are a bit weak for me but I honestly don't see what everyone's problem is
