What Masterpiece news?

We've got a whole MP thread here: https://thefwoosh.com/community/the-unofficial-transformers-toy-board/tranformers-masterpiece/#post-31213

They've definitely gotten into tertiary characters. Lots of train-bots which I know nothing about. Some of the latest MPs besides this upcoming MP44 Optimus in toy colors were Hoist, Trailbreaker, Skids, and Jetfire. I think they had shown Cliffjumper, but I haven't heard any updates on that in years. But I don't think they'll be revisiting any other main characters any time soon. The Masterpiece line has cooled off tremendously, now that the mainline stuff is coming closer to that quality for a non-premium price.

Thanks, @normdapito.  I honestly don't even know where to find MP news outside of a Hasbro livestream.  I was just hoping that, in the same way Black Series had announced a plan to re-release some classic characters for new collectors, that maybe the Transformers team had decided the same thing and started with the MP-44S.

Even third party seems to have moved on to other things, but I know even less about them and what they're doing.

I’d say put together a list of characters you’re interested in, and I can tell you what I know about their availability or likelihood of being released, remade, or if third party options are available (or better!)

I haven't been doing much MP buying lately and I should research before saying this, but the last time I looked, most MPs were not much higher than original price.  Maybe the second Megatron was a little higher (don't get MP-05).  The TRU Soundwave with five cassettes was pricy.  I think you can put together a nice collection without feeling like you overpaid because you're starting late.

Design-wise, you'll probably prefer the second versions of the Seekers.  The first version isn't terrible, but it does have  "skirt-like" pieces hanging off the sides of their hips.  I don't know if there are any redesigns planned for the Nissans and Lambos. Some people will say the aesthetic changed since their release.  I still like them.

You should also know they're are a lot of KOs at decent quality, which is why I think prices have not gone too high on the official versions.

Posted by: @normdapito

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I’d say put together a list of characters you’re interested in, and I can tell you what I know about their availability or likelihood of being released, remade, or if third party options are available (or better!)

I'm pretty basic (and also don't have a lot of space), so my wishlist is probably who you'd expect:

• Optimus (I have the 44S coming, but wouldn't mind a trailer option too)
• Bumblebee
• Ratchet
• Jazz
• Prowl
• Hound
• Perceptor
• Blaster
• Grimlock

• Megatron
• Soundwave (bonus points for a Ravage that scales with my Joe Classified Baroness)
• Starscream
• Skywarp
• Thundercracker
• Reflector
• Blitzwing
• Devastator

Clearly I can't afford all these in one go (or even in rapid succession), which ties into my wish for a new, ongoing "redo" line.

Appreciate any tips; thanks for looking out.

If you don't mind getting KOs, most of those are available for a decent price and are pretty good quality too.  Everything that you mentioned is available by either 1st or 3rd party, but the prices may be kind of high in some of them. 

There are a TON of devastator options, but I have none of them and personal preference goes a long way with him.

I don't believe a Reflector has been released in years and they have only been 3rd party.  KFC made one that I really don't like.  The Fans Toys Spotter is nice, but I believe very pricey right now.  Mastermind Creations (MMC) made a good Visualizers set that won't cost too much if you can find one.

Fans Toys also has a Blitwing up for preorder right now.

If you want a nice Ravage to go with Soundwave (he comes with one depending on which version you get), Mastermind Creations Jaguar is much bigger than a standard MP cassette.

BBTS has 3rd party Perceptor (X-Transbots Janssen) and Blaster (KFC Transistor) in stock and on sale right now.  Fans toys also has versions of them, but they are much more expensive.

My Jazz is the Maketoys Downbeat, but Fans Toys Jive looks really nice.  I just don't usually upgrade for new versions.

I know only Grimlock is on your list and the official one is really good.  If you can get a decent deal, I'd highly recommend getting all 5 of the Fans Toys Iron Dibots (Dinobots).  They might be my favorite MP transformers that I own.

This place is a good site for 3rd party stuff if you want to look around: https://showzstore.com/

Lemme see if I can pick up the balance of what captaincracker didn't cover.

Bumblebee had two official MPs, the second of which has more of a cartoon aesthetic, the previous one is probably long gone. Was available at TRU and through Takara Tomy. Same goes for Prowl, he had two official releases, the second of which was just a repaint with more cartoon aesthetic. The first was available through TRU/Takara Tomy. Both are long gone. But you can probably find bootlegs. I'm honestly not sure how to tell if it's a bootleg other than it being strangely inexpensive and only available through Chinese sellers on eBay.

Ratchet has an official MP that again, is long out of circulation, but X-Transbots is making one with an even more faithful animation look. That hasn't even gotten to preorder stage yet. Hound has had a few MP scaled figures, including Badcube Gundog, Fans Toys Willis, and the official MP. I actually have a second copy that's a bootleg, and you can feel a negligible difference in quality.

The seekers have had so many options. I think each has THREE official MP options. Then there's Maketoys versions, which can be found on TFSource for almost perpetual sale prices. They're not bad, just dated at this point. I have them, and I can't remember how to convert them back to jet mode. I think the most recent iterations are from a company called Deformation Space. They're possibly nicer than the latest MP versions. I don't know, I don't have either. But I'm pretty sure all three seekers are available in all of the above mentioned companies.

Megatron has had so many versions, three official (the original tall one to go with MP1, and two in the more recent universal scale, in anime colors and toy deco. I have a bootleg of the anime on top of the official. I've never transformed any of them because I hear it's a nightmare. For third party, DX9, Maketoys, and X-Transbots have all taken a stab at him with varying results. I think the best all around version is Maketoys, because it's at least not a headache to transform, or at least not as much as either of the other two. The robot modes for all of them suit their purpose, but none look as good as the second MP version that came out after them and perfected the look. Just don't try to transform him.

Thanks, guys!

My preference is for official MP figures.  My views on KOs and 3rd party are a real tightrope, but in general I'm not crazy about unlicensed figures that compete with the license holder's current lines.  I haven't really put my feelings to the test about how I feel about characters that the license holder hasn't done (or hasn't done in a while). Like, I wouldn't buy a 3rd party Optimus Prime, but if Takara never did a Jazz, then yeah maybe?  In theory I draw a line at KOs, but in practice I doubt my ability to actually recognize one outside of "hey, that's a pretty good deal."

Appreciate the lists.  I'll start keeping an eye out for those specific companies and see how things are developing.

OK, if it's official MP ONLY (Takara Tomy or Hasbro), then that's very easy to narrow down.

You're covered on Optimus. MP-44S has options to really recreate the original toy deco, but I've seen photos without those details. That's the best Optimus you'll get for a decent price right now, so stick with it. I wouldn't be too concerned with a trailer. The only trailer that went with this guy, came with the original version of MP44. I don't know who'd be giving that up, but you might find a deal.

Bumblebee, Ratchet, Prowl, Hound, and Grimlock are the only ones who have official MPs. Since Ratchet is getting a 3P release, you might find people looking to unload the official. Prowl has two options, Hound has one that's relatively recent, but Grimlock is one of the earliest MPs. He's also considerably undersized. He's just a little taller than the Studio Series version (not sure how familiar you are with mainline retail TFs).

Megatron is MP-36, and has two versions, the original (anime deco) and MP-36+, the second version (toy deco with gorgeous chrome). I have both, and I LOVE the toy deco, so much that my intention for MP44S is to display with toy deco.

Soundwave's best version is the TRU which comes with all the cassettes. Worth it.

The Seekers have three molds, MP-03, MP-07, and MP-52. They took two early stabs at the seekers, the second of which holds up. That's what I have displayed. MP-52 takes on that anime aesthetic. I don't have any of that mold so I can't say anything about positives or negatives.

The only official Devastator is from Combiner Wars. It was reissued as well, but they all came out within the last 7-8 years. It feels sturdy, but is engineered in a more remedial way. Like they were small budget figures (legends class if you're familiar with TF lingo) scaled UP to be a TALL figure. Studio Series is also making good versions of each, but they've only just been announced. Not even available for PO.

Best of luck, keep us posted!

I am sure you are aware you will be paying a lot more for official versions.

In any case I could never find an "official" Ratbat. I ended up getting the KO version which is identical in every way to the real one it is mind boggling!

Posted by: @normdapito

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The Seekers have three molds, MP-03, MP-07, and MP-52. They took two early stabs at the seekers, the second of which holds up. That's what I have displayed. MP-52 takes on that anime aesthetic. I don't have any of that mold so I can't say anything about positives or negatives.

I also have KO versions of Skywarp & Thundercracker. The same besides no Decepticon insignias they are exactly identical. I had to get them as KO because those were exclusives & hard to get official versions.

I have no idea how TF Source is getting more of original Thundercracker

https://tfsource.com/masterpiece/mp-11t-thundercracker/

that is expensive!

I am in the process of getting the more recent more animated looking versions.

So if you want my official Masterpiece Starscream I am willing to sell it to you.

3rd Party maker Fans Toys has made some of your others

they are well known & quality figures

https://tfsource.com/3rd-party-figures/ft-46-tesla-20-fans-toys/

https://tfsource.com/3rd-party-figures/ft-48x-jive-fans-toys/

it is sad but Takara/Hasbro can't seem to keep up with fan's demanded characters therefore 3rd party makers fill in the void

P.S. a Ravage that scales with Classified Baroness? that would be much bigger than Masterpiece scale! I'm sure someone somewhere will make one either 3rd party or 3D printer people

I have the MMC Remix version of Ravage.  I never put him next to a Joe.  He might be too big since he transforms and fits into a life-size cassette case. I'll have to see what that looks like and take a quick photo later.

I'm guessing he is out of scale because I can't find any pictures of him next to the Baroness on Google images 

He's actually smaller than I remembered.

@mrboshek, neat!

I don't actually know the proper size of a jaguar, but pretty sure a robot jaguar doesn't have to abide by that anyways.

There's been very little official MP news of late because Takara are obsessed with their damn fugly crappy trainbot combiner. God, I am so sick of that PoS taking up so much of the MP schedule, they could at least re-issue Hound or something, I'm sure everyone would love to get what is a genuinely great design in a version that doesn't crumble to dust if you so much as look at it.

Rise of the Beasts Mirage was the final straw for me, they finally get a Porsche licence, the stars surely had finally aligned but did they announce a Jazz MP? Nope. So I gave up and ordered the FT Jive X, which will fill that near 20 year void.