I already have Huffer and Gears. Gimme Brawn and I will get excited.

 

Any mini bots would be a nice welcome ( except for skids. He gets 0 love from me . ) Same can be said for the insecticons & reflector. The “ rounding “ out of both factions would be nice to have .

 

Skids isn't a minibot though?

 

Thanks to a focus on making (most) releases feel special and premium, has Takara permanently pivoted back to the post-10/11 reboot release patterns that lasted through MP-23 & 24? If Hound manages to get squeezed out this year and still getting another mold or two in the first half of next year would make me feel better that Takara can kinda replicate the quick succession of releases we saw during MP-25 through 36 (and all the redecos mixed in). I'm not holding my breath though.

Redeco pace has been something I've commented on before, and while it has upticked slightly, it's still largely earlier molds (that are also cheaper to produce?) that are being brought back via + releases here and there. Newer, more complex & dynamic molds like Megs and Sunstreaker have been re-used once, but who knows when Dinobot or BW Megs will be redone. I'm sure MP-44 will be used again (it's Convoy, and like MP-10, Takara can easily release it without the trailer if they want to), but the cost of it and MP-45 means they can't just drop it whenever they want to. Outlets for redecos outside of TTMall has also largely been cut off; TRU Japan, Amazon JP, Cybertron Satellite stores (mostly used for microns and giveaways), eHobby, Tokyo Toy Show, and even Asian market exclusives have largely gone by the wayside in recent years. Takara controls TTMall so I get wanting to release their own stuff through their own thing in Japan, but it's still unfortunate that outlets for random shit like Slicer or Diaclone Ironhide are shut down so Takara can not release those anyways through the Mall. (The general slowdown on redecos and random exclusives in general from all Takara TF lines is a whole nother, but related, discussion I find interesting.)

That also makes me think third parties could and should feel more emboldened to do almost whatever they want with G1, because Takara's slower and diversified pace means the odds of some company's release getting crushed under the weight of a sudden Takara announcement have gone down quite a bit. That factor will still be relevant, as the majority of fans will still shove aside third party attempts to scoop up a nice, official Cliffjumper or Jazz or Galvatron or whatever, but the frequency of that happening is going down a lot and figures to stay down. (And even then, as Takara products get more expensive, third parties could even try and compete directly with at least a niche of fans by pricing their stuff more modestly, which is something I wouldn't expect to ever happen even five years ago, but after MP-44 and 45, here we are.)

I'd really love to know what Japanese and Asian fans think of the line's pace of late too. Do people miss the fast-and-furious approach during 25-36? Is a slower, more premium pace more to their liking? Are the issues and frustrations of Western fans shared with them, or is this mostly an "us" thing and will remain so since we just don't matter to Takara as much as we'd like to think we do? I'm really curious, because market research Takara conducts with them is much more likely to move the needle than any bitching we do ever will.

 

I'm fine with redoes. I'm on board to get both Convoy and Bumble. What I'm not fine with is when that's nearly ALL we're getting. Also (again), the vector has seemingly shifted quite a bit in the last year and this one. Just go back to MP-10; move forward with news and reveals; look at the status of things since roughly January 2018 (really October 2017?); compare and contrast. Things were just much...different, and in better ways.

NOTHING!  

I think it'll be a long while before we see 'em though.

I'll just be glad when the BW cast is done and over with. It'll be nice to see the focus shifted back away from it.

@Gamerlingual can you comment on this at all? Anyone else living in Japan or other parts of Asia, could you comment on this last paragraph?

As for the bolded portion (emphasis = mine), I think you're right on target here. I think 3rd parties have found their sweet spot, and they're striking while the iron his hot. They literally can't produce figures fast enough, that much I know for certain. Takara can either take them to school or let these 3rd parties beat em at their own game.

 

I believe we'll see Huffer and Gears long before we see Astrotrain, Combiners, Raiden, Liokaiser, Dinoking, Minerva, Goshooter and God Ginrai.

Or they can allow the 3rd parties to fill holes in our collections and give us the fan-favorite but overall less important characters we've got to have that they have no intention of doing.

 

Did I miss some sort of official news about minibots? Because I think Astrotrain is just as likely as Huffer or Gears. I don't think any of them are imminent, though.

 

Decepticons need to be priority, even if its 13+ or a SS ver 3. Just give use something TT!

 

Consider what you're saying though - and to be clear, I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just trying to talk to the perspective that I think is causing you frustration, and throwing a bit of a spin on it - all we're getting is not redos, but we are getting 2/3 coming G1 classic characters right now for the 35th anniversary, 2 redos. They're the two most popular characters in the franchise history, of course they're redoing them both like this. It honestly makes perfect sense. There is literally no character - done or not to date - that carries the selling power of Optimus or Bumblebee.

Then, you have two Beast Wars characters (plus 2 MPM characters who I'd totally forgotten about because they're in no way my jam), which okay, you're not into, but they need to have those characters to help pull in more folks and broaden the line. Like them or no, they're undeniably popular. You've chosen to not be a fan of it, which is totally cool, but you've got to accept that the time period you're citing was also a time of change in the line, but because it's where you planted your flag, you've got rose-coloured glasses about it that's causing you to be frustrated now. It wasn't better, it was just ideal for you.

As I said, I'm not into MPM, but honestly, I'm not begrudging their existence. Clearly there's enough people into them for TT to make money, and I want TT to make money so I can keep getting the 84-85 and BW goodness. I'll debate design aesthetics of the Bayverse being really gross all day, but those fans are served too.

What we've got here is a 7 figure run that serves all parties across (roughly) a year, and that's good for everyone. You only get Hound for your very specific interest in there? Well, yeah, that's too bad, but again, you've narrowed your focus so all that good stuff going on just flies by you. Take a second and register it, though, and it'll stand as pretty cool.

 

No news, I was more making a joke about being excited for two of the least exciting (and least excitable) characters from the Ark crew. But inside the joke was an honest opinion, I do truly think they're more likely than any of those other characters, even Astrotrain.

 

I've seen a lot of talk about mini-bots lately so I didn't know if I missed something. IMO, redoing BB doesn't make any other mini-bots all that much more likely. Maybe more possible if they're willing to do them toon accurate and not bother with licensing, but not necessarily any more likely. I don't think Astrotrain is particularly likely either, but I think he's just as likely as either of those two.

 

Anyone else interested in a Sideswipe 2.0 as much as I am? The original MP Sideswipe looks so out of place on a Masterpiece shelf, now. That huge, wide chest, tiny face, terrible articulation, simplistic transformation... it'd be great to have the Lambo brothers pose well together without them looking like distant cousins.

Would I also like figures that haven't been released before? Sure. I don't see why Takara can't work on both. Seems like they have a full team, now, and not just one designer.

 

I'd prefer to get Hound, Mirage and Hoistbreaker out first, and then if they're still struggling with that Porsche licence why not go back and redo Sideswipe. HELL yeah.

Actually, since I want him, I don't care if he comes sooner than those others.

Gotta still be compatible with MP-44's rocket pack (assuming MP-12 is in robot mode already). Would love a Sideswipe with as much articulation as Sunstreaker. It would actually make me appreciate Sunstreaker even more since they're absolutely a pair in my mind, and right now Sideswipe is kinda letting the team down.

Make it with an integrated rocket launcher. Also give the rocket launcher side-to-side articulation like Hound's one.

I'd say it'll happen, since TT have a good working relationship with Lamborghini, and any Countach is bound to sell well. So damn sexy.

Though I'd take a different Countach first, if offered...

 

It wouldn't surprise me to see a couple of other cars first, but an updated Sideswipe would seem pretty likely to me. My guess is that Lambo was fairly please with Sunstreaker, and there have been loads of Sideswipe repaints issued, so if Takara wants to talk them into a Stunticon at some point... well, I think an updated Sideswipe (with a damn jetpack already Takara!) would be a good place to start that discussion.

 

I'd be excited for Huffer because it'd mean getting Pipes.

 

Yep, I crave a new Sideswipe. Guaranteed it will have opening doors and headlights like Sunstreaker has, plus all the articulation that's becoming standard.

 

Heh...considering how long it's taken for G1 to (not) be over and done with you may be waiting some time. The focus has not shifted away from G1, it's just expended into other areas as well.

 

And a Red Alert remould with 50% new parts, maybe?

 

The "remold" should actually be the primary mold here, provided they plan on reusing it at all, right? Red's door arms and more toy-based body mean they'd reuse the shit out of that body for any toy versions of either him or Sideswipe, plus Deep Cover or redoing any of the previous redecos. Sideswipe's tooling would only be used for him. Hoist and Trailbreaker are sorta similar too, given how much Trailbreaker's animation model breaks from the toy in a way that Hoist's doesn't.