I am really impressed with all the different options you get for combined mode. That’s a nice touch.

 

Actually looking at them I think they both use thigh covers and they're just a swap out piece,t the toon thigh covers are too thick to fit over the OX thighs, so I still think the toon one is all in one

 

In the same boat. I've never liked that fake part for the foot, accurate to the cartoon or not. DX9's MP does the same thing, and it just looks silly. The other guys figured it out by using just the top parts of the cab and grill, and it works perfectly. And the first version MS made looks just fine with the whole leg being the cab front. They should have left that alone.

 

He's actually not a pantsformer. Pantsformers come with separate pants - thighs and a waist - like Toyworld Devastator or Zeta Superion, and keep the designer from having to design good hip joints and appearance into the transformation. This Menasor is just fists, feet, and cosmetic addons, like every other combiner since the beginning except G1 Liokaiser, Hulkie, and soon Assaultus. I have no idea how stable he is, but his partsforming has no bearing on that since none of the parts are structural. The worst you could say is Motormaster has a non traditional transformation, but I don't mind that either. It saves from all the scale and transformation issues that come with the original all in one design. And once the bot mostly comes from the cab, I'd rather use the trailer as the only vehicle mode trailer turning into the combiner body than have a second one to manage like RoadKing. I don't mind the disappearing bot mode trailer either - Prime and Megatron have been sending parts to subspace for years, no problem with Motormaster joining the party.

I'm not a fan of pantsformers at all, but I fail to see the big deal about partsforming combiners. Assaultus looks great, but he has tiny feet. Bruticus is pretty much the only combiner with a design that can get away with that to begin with, and they've already given an option to partsform bigger feet. And I'll take a partsformer any day over a look like Hulkie or Liokaiser.

The more I think about it, the more I appreciate the trailer forming the combiner body. In the G1 toy, the trailer formed a bot, and you put cars and kibble on the bot for combined mode. No real separate combined mode from the trailer, just swing the cab out the way. In the cartoon, the trailer still formed the bot, and somehow the bot grew and got a new skin for the combiner. In the toy, the bot arms stayed attached to the combiner body while they were part of the arms in the show, but it was the same basic scheme in both. This "new" design STILL has the trailer forming a bot, just the bigger combined bot (just like the show). You still attach cars to the bot, as before (toy and toon, using toon placement). The difference is now the cab also forms a smaller bot, which now gets to be in scale with the cars and fits inside the combined body somewhere instead of hanging off its butt (toy) or vanishing all together (toon). Different, but not too far from the spirit of the originals.

 

Are these new?

 

First several are new to me and awesome. The first pic in particular is a doozy!  

 

 

They all look so awesome

 

For the first time I am seriously considering getting duplicates so I can display them combined and individually.

 

I like the way the are hiding the combined feet in MM’s alt mode. They split in half to make the tires and bottom part of the trailer.

 

I think it's really interesting that Drag Strip and Dead End split completly apart for arm mode. Has anyone else done that?

That's a real "whoa" for me too. Very clever.

 

Isnt that what everyone's doing? Like how are they attaching to that menasor skeleton? I'm just curious.

 

It's similar to Microblaze FOC Bruticus in that way.

 

this is pretty much a shrunk down version of DX9s menasor in just about every way.

other companies like XTB also have limb bots that split and maybe more. i dont keep up with them much. but this is definitely the DX9 way.

 

I mean, not in the Legends scale. But it looks like that's exactly what all three MP-scale Menasors are doing.

 

I have Come around on the Menasor/Motormaster-Trailer-Skeleton thing.

It's practical. Makes sense. Well executed here from what I can tell. I also really like the head and armor choices. This set looks to be a Home Run for MS. Seems like he might tower over War Giant... (?)

I must say that I really liked Don Fig's Menasor design from the beginning of the IDW ongoing run and was hoping for something closer to that with this set. But I won't complain; this Menasor looks amazing.

 

A Don Fig Menasor would be more of Iron Factory territory so there's hope for one

 

You were hoping for an IDW inspired Menasor from a legends scaled company that has done nothing but animation accurate G1 designs?

Also, this guy better be taller than War Giant. Different company, different aesthetic. Set the gestalt scale yourself for your future releases.

 

Although the trailer isn't the ludicrous length of the dx9 one, which is a very good thing aesthetically.

 

Link

 

MS-B11 Overlord. Dis' going to be confusing.