Not gonna argue with you on the articulation required but I will say other figures can and do achieve this. For example (no longer in my collection so I cant take a photo aping what we see with Bumblebee but I assure you it can be done):

 

Looks like she has wrist pivot, so yeah she falls into the category of bots that can do it.

I call it the Solid Snake pose  

 

Exactly, I'm not criticising this BB figure just saying I've see it done before, its not earth-shatteringly groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination.

 

Except it implies that not only does MP-45 have wrist swivel and opening hands (which MP-21 lacked, despite being the same size), he also appears to have wrist pivot.

Not earth-shatteringly groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination, but pretty damn cool all the same. MP-21's hands were my biggest bummer about that figure (who still remains a fantastic little guy).

 

Agreed the articulation is certainly a plus. It's the other stuff that puts me off (alt-mode, feet, price). Can't say until we see better photos but I'm not sold on this at all. Probably going to be a much easier pass than MP-44 and a trend setter for my future involvement in the line.

 

I do think the proportions of the feet are being thrown off a little bit by the flex of the left ankle



Re: the left foot, I think that not only is ankle tilt in play, but the foot is pointing upwards as well. As a result, the shin appears to be centred a little further forward than reality.

Look at the right foot, where the black part inside the foot appears to be aligned with the lower leg (as the right foot is pointing downwards slightly).

Think the heel spurs will look less offensive when the foot is at 90 degrees to the leg.

It's so cool that we have MP-21 as well as this. I think I'll keep a copy of the former, because I dig Bumblebee that much, and really like having one that transforms into a realistic Beetle.

It's also cool to get one that matches the original toy and cartoon vehicle. I genuinely wouldn't mind which one was more articulated and more toon accurate in bot mode, as Bumblebee's a favourite character of mine I'm pretty over the moon at how 2019 is shaping up.

MP-21's articulation is pretty good as is anyway, you can fake a deep knee bends by using the transformation joint, and he can sit freely enough.

 

I do agree with you both (and others who have said similar), it would be a major oversight for official TT photography — especially on a debut poster like this.

It also seems almost as unlikely that they’d not have the feet be able to fold in and achieve a more accurate toon likeness. Especially considering these points…

Hopefully we’ll have some clear images soon and will be able to see better if this might be the case.

I hope you’re wrong, Frankie.  

 

I know some people wish we got new characters only, but from a business perspective, this is absolutely the right move for TT and maybe even the MP line. Seeing the WWF display further cements that this is their strategy: they're releasing MP-45 to coincide with marketing for the Bumblebee movie, which will hopefully cause some casual fans to become interested in future G1 MPs as well.

As far as the figure itself, I'm looking forward to more pics, but definitely very interested in what I see so far! MP-21 was just never a favorite of mine (weirdly enough neither was MP-10 for the last couple of years), so I'm really pleased that we're getting this and MP-44.

 

I think the context is being minibot size.

 

Can we add a fourth to represent those like my soon to be ex-sister-in-law? Here are some choice quotes from her:
"Science fiction is stupid!"
"Grown men collecting dolls is stupid!"
The absolute bile doesn't translate into typed words. I love the fact that this reveal is happening on the same weekend that the conniving fraud is moving her belongings out.

From the latest Generations book, the design team explained that they intentionally moved mass from the cab to the legs in order to achieve the proportions they were after. In a few hours we should probably be able to see similar with this here lil fella. As some often say, "it's good to have options."

 

The whole transformation is fake! The altmode is just a shell that fits over the main figure!

 

I think the new bee looks good and if you are really about a toon look for Bee this is a strong case(as opposed to repaints). I think a new Datsun and seeker mold is definitely going to pop up. Those old molds, except for maybe wheeljack, look like a totally different toy line(a handsome one at that) compared to these post MP 22 releases. If I had invested years in masterpiece i’d be feeling funny, but for recent inductees they came in at the right time.

 

Is it possible that the reason the foot looks so big is that there’s a toe tilt forward and and maybe the heel doesn’t move with it?

 

Ah, but what if it's not a mistake?

 

Ah man.

Miss me some good ol’ Metal Gear..

That game hits the feels..(all of ‘em)

Time to charge my Vita.

 

Yeah that's basically what I just said on the last page. I think the toe is pointing up, so the shin isn't centred over the middle of the foot

 

Yeah I don’t know if I’m looking too hard but the foot seems to have a curve At the bottom. Makes me think it’s not as bad as we think it will be.

 

Wow, the worse of MP culture defintiely red-assing over a blurry image.

B2 looks good besides hopefully mistransformed duck feet.

 

what I love about this figure is that it looks impossible to transform.