Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0

Monday, December 3rd, 2018 5:01PM CST

Category: Toy News
Posted by: ZeroWolf Views: 24,816

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Thanks to a tip off from fellow Seibertron user, Cyberpath, we can now share a whole slew of High Resolution photographs, showing this controversial figure in all its glory! The photos come from www.thefwoosh.com.

While most images we've seen before, we do get a better look at the heads the set offers including the new Starscream head, intended to reference the G1 cartoon episode, "Megatron's Master Plan".

We have mirrored the images below for your convenience.

Do these better resolution pictures make you want to change your mind about this release? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews.

Credit(s): Cyberpath from Seibertron, www.thefwoosh.com

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Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996878)
Posted by Wireless_Phantom on December 3rd, 2018 @ 5:44pm CST

It is still way too expensive and the Starscream accessories and the jetpack are super unnecessary. :SG-CONS:

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996880)
Posted by Ultra Markus on December 3rd, 2018 @ 6:14pm CST

I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996900)
Posted by D-Maximal_Primal on December 3rd, 2018 @ 7:23pm CST

Ugh, he looks so bland! Which is a shame, but that level is just, ugh, so flat. And for that cost, holy cows!

Siege is doing the detailing better on figures, this is a step in the wrong direction, cost wise and detailing/design wise

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996902)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on December 3rd, 2018 @ 7:32pm CST

It really is. That truck bed looks just as bad as Studio Series Optimus', and the flat colors, disappearing tires, and dumbed-down decals are cartoon accuracy gone mad.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996904)
Posted by william-james88 on December 3rd, 2018 @ 7:44pm CST

Ultra Markus wrote:I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Whats innacurate about thr truck? My problem is thst its too accurate, omitting the stripe on the cab and blue on the trailer to make it look more simplified.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996905)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on December 3rd, 2018 @ 7:54pm CST

william-james88 wrote:
Ultra Markus wrote:I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Whats innacurate about thr truck? My problem is thst its too accurate, omitting the stripe on the cab and blue on the trailer to make it look more simplified.

Yes, that much is true (what makes it extra-dumb is that while the stripe was omitted the cab was often drawn with its outline anyway, which suggests the animators knew it should be there but had to block-color the cab regardless)
That said, the truck mode in the cartoon had proper fuel tanks instead of the laughable attempts seen here and didn't have a bed made up half of robot kibble.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996906)
Posted by Ultra Markus on December 3rd, 2018 @ 7:58pm CST

william-james88 wrote:
Ultra Markus wrote:I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Whats innacurate about thr truck? My problem is thst its too accurate, omitting the stripe on the cab and blue on the trailer to make it look more simplified.

It's completely different, how could you not tell?

optimus_prime_repaint_cartoon.jpg

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996908)
Posted by Ironhidensh on December 3rd, 2018 @ 8:12pm CST

Nope.
Beautiful? Yes.

Still a price-gouging ripoff? Yes.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996913)
Posted by william-james88 on December 3rd, 2018 @ 8:58pm CST

Ultra Markus wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
Ultra Markus wrote:I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Whats innacurate about thr truck? My problem is thst its too accurate, omitting the stripe on the cab and blue on the trailer to make it look more simplified.

It's completely different, how could you not tell?
optimus_prime_repaint_cartoon.jpg

Looks the same to me

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996915)
Posted by Ultra Markus on December 3rd, 2018 @ 9:13pm CST

william-james88 wrote:
Ultra Markus wrote:
william-james88 wrote:
Ultra Markus wrote:I wish they would have made the truck mode cartoon accurate as well
They did an amazing job on the robot mode they should have gone all the way

Whats innacurate about thr truck? My problem is thst its too accurate, omitting the stripe on the cab and blue on the trailer to make it look more simplified.

It's completely different, how could you not tell?
optimus_prime_repaint_cartoon.jpg

Looks the same to me

The cab has a realistic qualities like MP 10
cartoon model is more simplistic and square

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996917)
Posted by PhotonWaveZero on December 3rd, 2018 @ 9:29pm CST

I'll wait for the inevitable Hasbro release because it will be half the price, but honestly? It's perfect. It's like he walked right out of the original G1 cartoon. It's suppose to be simplified.

They even included the rounder head depending on which studio was animating him that day.

I love it. Leaps and bounds better than MP Megatron and it just has more of G1 vibe than MP-10 or MP-01. Is it as realistic? No. But it's the cartoon brought to life in toy form. I want it.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996919)
Posted by SkyFire Prime on December 3rd, 2018 @ 9:43pm CST

MVIMG_20181110_094154.jpg

$30

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996923)
Posted by AutobotAlvaron on December 3rd, 2018 @ 9:54pm CST

This new MP Optimus has some fantastic details, articulation, & unprecedented cartoon-accuracy, yet that is also it's shortcoming. Its SLAVISHLY cartoon accurate to the point of plainness.

Mainly the stark white used on the waist & legs, the lack of cab & trailer stripes, & the bland gray used on the face instead of silver plus the rather non-gloss pale red & blue look much too de-saturated. BUT, that is what Takara was aiming for, so Kudos.

The plethora of accessories is cool, especially the Season 1 more rounded head, along with the Season 2 more angled head. plus his movie damaged head is just awesome! The Starscream bits seem somewhat tacked-on & are superfluous, however.

Hopefully, a richer colored/toy-accurate version will come of this mold eventually.

Though unlikely, I hope Takara will reconsider their exorbitant pricing, but I doubt it. For the price, the QC better be immaculately PERFECT. Who wants a nearly $500.00 DUD? If sales tank because of the high cost, will the Masterpiece line be in jeopardy, I wonder? :-?

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996929)
Posted by william-james88 on December 3rd, 2018 @ 10:33pm CST

PhotonWaveZero wrote:I'll wait for the inevitable Hasbro release because it will be half the pric.

lol, like the Hasbro release of beast wars megatron?
https://www.entertainmentearth.com/prod ... on/hse4006

you guys are living in the past.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996941)
Posted by Cyberpath on December 4th, 2018 @ 1:20am CST

I think he looks spectacular. For the first time in almost 35 years an Optimus Prime that is utterly cartoon-accurate, where the designers resisted temptation (or weren't even tempted) to slap a bunch of extra details and paint apps that would take away from it. There's already a million Primes with all sort of twists, let this one do what it's supposed to do. If nothing else, Takara can say that they've finally done it.

Looking forward to trying some more dramatic setups.

For fun, all four MP-scale Optimus Prime figures (two 3P & two official.)

Click to enlarge.

⠀

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996944)
Posted by Bucky on December 4th, 2018 @ 1:53am CST

As much as I’d like to have this I will never, ever drop that much money on a single figure. I had a hard enough time pulling the trigger on MP Megatron, Dinobot and BW Megatron. This is just too exorbitant. My hope is that it’s a truly fantastic figure for those who want it, and can afford it.

As nice as it would be to have an MP Prime that is slavishly cartoon accurate, I’m still very fond of my MP 10, and it didn’t cost me half of what this new Prime costs. I like his level of detail, the style, the little flourishes here and there. I enjoy his strange proportions.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996960)
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 4th, 2018 @ 5:47am CST

I'll just leave this here for now, this is a link on the Japanese amazon for MP-44...

https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/offer-listing/B07L324QLS/ref=as_li_ss_tl?tag=seibertron00-22&ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl2&linkId=969bd3901abdfa81a5f6144304eff4cc&language=ja_JP

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996966)
Posted by budmaloney on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:29am CST

I know the price is ridiculous. But honestly, this is G1 Optimus Prime almost 100%. The cartoon accurate G1. Or as close as you get. I'm amazed at how well it brings the character to life. Kibble yea totally. But come on, this is straight out of the cartoon. Maybe cab mode needs some white strip? I would actually thin down my collection first if I ever want to get this.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996994)
Posted by Anonymous on December 4th, 2018 @ 9:16am CST

I think the robot mode looks absolutely fantastic.

Cab mode is overly drab (although i would live with that).

What really gets me is the lack of individualy articulated fingers. On what looks like is going to cost £375 - £400.. that is a joke.

Wont be getting it, unfortunately.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1996999)
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on December 4th, 2018 @ 9:40am CST

PadForce wrote:What really gets me is the lack of individualy articulated fingers. On what looks like is going to cost £375 - £400.. that is a joke.

He appears to have index finger separated from the rest of his fingers, so he’ll still be able to manage the Optimus Prime Finger Point thing. Isn’t that the most important gesture Optimus ever makes aside from demanding faces?

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997000)
Posted by Anonymous on December 4th, 2018 @ 9:46am CST

Nemesis Maximo wrote:
PadForce wrote:What really gets me is the lack of individualy articulated fingers. On what looks like is going to cost £375 - £400.. that is a joke.

He appears to have index finger separated from the rest of his fingers, so he’ll still be able to manage the Optimus Prime Finger Point thing. Isn’t that the most important gesture Optimus ever makes aside from demanding faces?

Yep agree that is the most important, but i think such a high end figure should certainly have a premium feature such as full articulation. My opinion of course,i understand some dont rate it due to risk of breakage, bit if im paying that much for a figure j want it to be able to do every and any niche pose... that wont be acomplised by a single index finger.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997001)
Posted by william-james88 on December 4th, 2018 @ 10:09am CST

Unless you have been living under a rock recently, you probably know that Masterpiece MP-44 Optimus Prime is the highest priced Transformer of all time, with an MSRP of 50,000 Yen, which is around the $450 USD mark depending on currency conversion.

Now, while that is the official price from Takara, not everyone will or has to pay that price. The MSRP, as in the US, is just a guide and a price point to extract other prices from (like the cost per unit to sellers). It is not necessarily the price on shelves and, in Japan, the retail market for Transformers usually has them at 15%-30% off the MSRP. So the actual retail price is consistently lower than the MSRP for non exclusive toys in Japan.

That is no different for this Optimus Prime. His current price on Japan's biggest toy retailer, Amazon Japan, is about 35,000 Yen, which is closer to the $300 USD mark and indeed 70% of the MSRP.

So then why are all the preorders we saw last week more like $450 USD? Well, the thing is that Takara can only sell Transformers toys in Japan. Hasbro owns that trademark for every other market on the planet and thus only Japanese vendors can buy directly from Takara. That means the price is as cheap as it gets but if someone outside Japan purchases from a Japanese seller, they will have to pay any shipping and import charges from Japan to their own country. I have an example below of an order placed for MP 44 Optimus Prime and you can see that while I as a Canadian can get him from a good price from a Japanese seller, Amazon Japan in this case, I still have to pay shipping (about $10) and import fees (about $50!!!!). Of course these fees can differ from country to country but the point is they are YOUR responsibility. In my example from Amazon Japan, importing this toy myself would come out to $360 USD.

And if your toy breaks, well you have to deal with the Japanese seller you got it from. Takara's customer service is useless to foreigners since they only support Japanese residents (since they only sell to the Japanese). My Takara MP Dinobot's head broke off and I had to deal with a Japanese seller for 3 months until I got a replacement. FUN!

So to help with all this importing business, domestic companies like Big Bad Toy Store or TF Source, will do all this importing for you. They cannot buy directly from Takara as they do not reside in Japan, so they have to get a middleman to buy from Takara at wholesale prices and then sell to them. And they have to deal with any import fees and above all shipping a crate of these from Japan to the US. These costs (middleman, duty, shipping) add up and a toy that would have been $300 locally becomes $450 elsewhere because the company offering this service to you (i.e. TF Source) needs to make some money. If you think it all sounds inneficient, well it is. That is the cost of market exclusive IP and region based contracts and it results in all these workarounds to get the toys we love, where money must be spent at every step.

But at least you dont have to bother with importing and if a piece is missing or something is wrong, you can speak to someone locally, who speaks english, and they will deal with the problem themselves.

Of course Hasbro can import and release the product themselves in the US, which they do in China through Hasbro Asia (we have an example below from Robot Kingdom), but as we have seen with the likes of Masterpiece Beast Wars Megatron, it usually comes out to the exact same amount as other local importers like TF Source.

Below is a breakdown of the different price points available for this toy depending on its location of purchase.

Low end price, import from Japanese at $304 USD

Mid Tier price, import from China at $370 USD

High end price, already imported for Americans at $450 USD

This is of course a very simplified look at the different markets for MP-44 Optimus Prime and certain details may have been glossed over but hopefully it helps you understand what the options are and why the price range can be so vast.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997008)
Posted by Siger on December 4th, 2018 @ 10:37am CST

LMAO, New MP Optimus looks like he has a tiny head and a big ass diaper. :lol:

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997015)
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on December 4th, 2018 @ 11:05am CST

william-james88 wrote:Article in progress

Low end price $304 USD: https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%88%E3%8 ... g=UTF8&me=?tag=seibertron00-22&

Ho dang, that’s a price I can get behind.

Not to nitpick here, but my conversions are saying that the USD price should be closer to $325-$330, not $304 with the yen about equal to .008797 USD. What source do you use to get the exchange rates?

I ask because you tend to be right in these situations.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997016)
Posted by optimusxeno on December 4th, 2018 @ 11:08am CST

Preordered on Amazon Japan https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B07L324QLS/?tag=seibertron00-22&. My total including shipping to the US came out at 35,455 Yen or about $314 USD

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997021)
Posted by william-james88 on December 4th, 2018 @ 11:58am CST

Nemesis Maximo wrote:
william-james88 wrote:Article in progress

Low end price $304 USD: https://www.amazon.co.jp/%E3%83%88%E3%8 ... g=UTF8&me=?tag=seibertron00-22&

Ho dang, that’s a price I can get behind.

Not to nitpick here, but my conversions are saying that the USD price should be closer to $325-$330, not $304 with the yen about equal to .008797 USD. What source do you use to get the exchange rates?

I ask because you tend to be right in these situations.

The price you see in the amazon lsiting includes Tax for Japanese customers, which you are exempted. When adding it to your cart you see that the actual price of the figure is 34400 Yen which is closer to 305 right this second.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997026)
Posted by Cyberpath on December 4th, 2018 @ 12:12pm CST

Anyone here have experience ordering MPs from Amazon Japan? How about experience with their customer service?

Waiting for the listing on HLJ in the meantime.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997027)
Posted by Nemesis Maximo on December 4th, 2018 @ 12:16pm CST

william-james88 wrote:The price you see in the amazon lsiting includes Tax for Japanese customers, which you are exempted. When adding it to your cart you see that the actual price of the figure is 34400 Yen which is closer to 305 right this second.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997032)
Posted by william-james88 on December 4th, 2018 @ 12:40pm CST

Cyberpath wrote:Anyone here have experience ordering MPs from Amazon Japan? How about experience with their customer service?

Waiting for the listing on HLJ in the meantime.

I didnt have to deal with their customer service since there was never anything wrong with my order so far. I paid, got my item for cheap, it shipped quickly and went right through customs and I got it before anyone else. Was fun.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997051)
Posted by RK_Striker_JK_5 on December 4th, 2018 @ 2:17pm CST

I have two great MP-Primes sitting about six feet from me. I can literally stand up, walk over, and grab them. Why would I get this overpriced one that looks like a step backwards from MP-10?

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997052)
Posted by Quint on December 4th, 2018 @ 2:20pm CST

It's an absolutely beautiful toy though, it has to be said.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997086)
Posted by worldsgreatest on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:26pm CST

Cyberpath wrote:Anyone here have experience ordering MPs from Amazon Japan? How about experience with their customer service?

Waiting for the listing on HLJ in the meantime.

No experience with customer service, but shipping is faster and cheaper than any other import site by far. Im in PA and shipments get to me in about 2 days. Sometimes 3.

Shipping on something like an MP car in like, $12.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997087)
Posted by blueridgefox on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:32pm CST

All that is completely useless unless you can justify the price of previous releases. The high end has been $200(approximate) for years, MP Megatron was $230 and that was high but we accepted it because we needed a 10 inch scale Megatron. The price that BBTS and TFSource are asking is more than double of the current MP-10 that by the way, many folks are very satisfied with. This new MP Optimus looks very good, but damn... $450??? Another great example of the price gouging is the newly re-release MP Shockwave, original release a 18 or 20 months ago was $139 from TFSource and BBTS, now its $210? for the same figure??? darker color, whoopy-doo... I've dealt with TFsource and Bigbadtoystore customer service... much to be desired there... I appreciate the service they provide, but it's not like they are the only way to get these pieces... I'll take my chances with Amazon.jp and save $150... give me a break and stop trying to justify the prices and processes involved.

:michaelbay:

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997088)
Posted by GrangerPerry on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:32pm CST

I’m probably going to have to buy this just because I love Megatron so much. Question though about Amazon Japan. I pre-ordered Beast Wars Megatron from Amazon Japan but can I pay for it? Or do I just have to wait until March when it’s being shipped to pay?

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997091)
Posted by chuckdawg1999 on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:48pm CST

worldsgreatest wrote:
Cyberpath wrote:Anyone here have experience ordering MPs from Amazon Japan? How about experience with their customer service?

Waiting for the listing on HLJ in the meantime.

No experience with customer service, but shipping is faster and cheaper than any other import site by far. Im in PA and shipments get to me in about 2 days. Sometimes 3.

Shipping on something like an MP car in like, $12.

Their customer service is just like Amazon US, helpful but they won't bend over backwards for you.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997093)
Posted by Aimless Misfire on December 4th, 2018 @ 6:49pm CST

$300 is too high. There is no reason it has to be that high. It's a "NAME BRAND" thing. Transformers is popular & well known so they can gouge the shit out of the fans. If Transformers weren't that popular or well known this toy (yeah, I said "TOY" because no matter how you look at it, that's all it really is) would be about $60.

Don't agree? Well then you don't know how the world works & you've been living under a rock.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997098)
Posted by Ironhidensh on December 4th, 2018 @ 7:39pm CST

HLJ has him listed for $371.30 USD.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997099)
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on December 4th, 2018 @ 7:40pm CST

No, something that size and so overly complicated it makes ROTF Leader Optimus look like a Throttlebot in comparison would NEVER MSRP for a paltry $60 in today's money. Brandflation is very much a rampant phenomenon, but fancy fiddly things with a lot of moving parts are still more costly to make.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997118)
Posted by Cyberpath on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:02am CST

New photos from Takara --

Pre-orders:

Amazon.co.jp
https://www.amazon.co.jp/transformers-masterpiece-mp-44-convoy-ver-3-0/dp/B07L324QLS/?tag=seibertron00-22&

Anime Export
http://www.anime-export.com/product/42330

Ami Ami
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-044621

HLJ
https://hlj.com/transformers-masterpiece-mp-44-convoy-optimus-prime-ver-3-0-tkt87753?utm_source=seibertron.com&=&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=news%20post

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997119)
Posted by Seibertron on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:08am CST

I don't remember Optimus Prime having a ginormous backpack before.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997120)
Posted by Seibertron on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:15am CST

Seibertron wrote:I don't remember Optimus Prime having a ginormous backpack before.

Nope, he doesn't have one!

It's a cool looking toy, but far from a "Masterpiece" in my book. It's very overpriced and seems to be overly complicated for an Optimus Prime toy. Alternate modes that "explode" nonsensically into a robot to accommodate animation "errors" or "creative liberties" seems more like a cheat to me than good design, with the exception of many of the Beast Wars characters if you want a more animated accurate robot mode and beast mode, though I think I still prefer the charm of a velociraptor head sitting on the chest of Dinobot instead of a faux dinosaur head. Not sure why I'm kind-of-sort-of OK with alt modes exploding into robots with Beast Wars Transformers but not G1 Transformers. Maybe someone can help pinpoint my mixed feelings.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997121)
Posted by Cyberpath on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:28am CST

chuckdawg1999 wrote:
worldsgreatest wrote:
Cyberpath wrote:Anyone here have experience ordering MPs from Amazon Japan? How about experience with their customer service?

Waiting for the listing on HLJ in the meantime.

No experience with customer service, but shipping is faster and cheaper than any other import site by far. Im in PA and shipments get to me in about 2 days. Sometimes 3.

Shipping on something like an MP car in like, $12.

Their customer service is just like Amazon US, helpful but they won't bend over backwards for you.

It's tempting, if anything for the fast shipping, but with something this big/expansive I should probably go with HLJ. Back when I received MP-29 Shockwave with a missing a piece they replaced the figure and reimbursed postage without any issues.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997122)
Posted by Seibertron on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:31am CST

chuckdawg1999 wrote:Their customer service is just like Amazon US, helpful but they won't bend over backwards for you.

Are we dealing with the same company? Amazon US customer service is fantastic. I just ordered a shirt from them that wasn't quite right, and they simply refunded me my money flat out instead of having me return it. I ordered some boxes from them in the past for the Seibertron.com store, the shipment was short a few boxes per bundle, so they just sent me a whole new bundle free of charge to make up the shortage and inconvenience. Have a problem with a Transformers toy? I can return it no questions asked via UPS or Kohl's with free return shipping. It's so hassle free that I continue doing less and less business with other retailers because of the extreme convenience and hassle-free experience. I feel like if people aren't having a hassle-free experience with Amazon, they're doing something wrong somehow.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997123)
Posted by kiwijinxter on December 5th, 2018 @ 1:37am CST

Cyberpath wrote:[center]New photos from Takara --

I still don't understand why the truck's cabin seem to be "nose-diving" whenever coupled with the truck trailer...

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997124)
Posted by Seibertron on December 5th, 2018 @ 2:00am CST

kiwijinxter wrote:I still don't understand why the truck's cabin seem to be "nose-diving" whenever coupled with the truck trailer...

The whole thing just doesn't do it for me, unfortunately. I've said that since the very first prototype pics surfaced, long before the price came out. I really want to like it, but MP-44 is rubbing me the wrong way unfortunately.

I've been bummed about most Masterpieces since Wheeljack. The line has just not been what I want as a fan, which is a bummer, because they were doing it right for a while there with Grimlock, MP-10 Convoy, Sideswipe (despite some minor flaws/issues), Soundwave for the most part, the Cassettes for the most part), Prowl, Wheeljack, and Bumblebee for the most part. My problems with the Masterpiece line really started with Ultra Magnus, which was an overall good toy, his style was just too cartoonish for my tastes. Tracks was too thin and long, Ironhide and Ratchet were missing their backs, Hot Rod had a slew of design problems with his robot mode (similar to Tracks), Shockwave was the wrong color, Inferno lacked detail (but was a cool transformation), Megatron had too big of a head/upper shoulders were screwed-up with no cover panel/and my biggest issue is his robo-vagina that I see every time I look at that toy.

The Masterpiece Beast Wars Transformers have been enjoyable because I think it's amazing what they've done with them. Sunstreaker conjures similar thoughts and he also "cheats" like the Beast Wars Transformers. However, I just don't see how else you'd achieve their "proper" looks. In the case of Sunstreaker, due to his transformation he ends up with more detail in his robot mode than I'd expect. Unfortunately, he also suffers from a similar upper shoulder problem as Megatron, though it bothers me less on Sunstreaker, perhaps because of the iconic shape of Megatron's upper torso.

Trying to please all of the individual Transformers from around the world must be an extreme challenge. I miss the days where I seemed to love just about every Transformers toy that had come out with a handful or so that I disliked, but still liked because I disliked them (if that makes any sense). But now, there are so many choices and design styles, that I find that I've become so picky with what I like and don't like. The Masterpiece line hasn't helped itself by its own inconsistencies that make each release difficult to accept the design direction changes between molds (though it seems the cartoon direction is here to stay unfortunately and I'm living in a pipe dream where I hope they'll deviate from the cartoon look takes precedence).

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997125)
Posted by Cyberpath on December 5th, 2018 @ 2:07am CST

kiwijinxter wrote:I still don't understand why the truck's cabin seem to be "nose-diving" whenever coupled with the truck trailer...

I hope it's just a sloppy transformation/posing and not alignment issues, especially for this price.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997132)
Posted by Autobot Roadburn on December 5th, 2018 @ 3:54am CST

Gotta be honest, I'm not a huge G1 purist but I really like this thing. The price still scares me but AmiAmi listed him for around the equivalent of $340 and I bit the bullet. The way I see it the robot mode looks very posable (LOVE the shot of his torso twisting as he swings his axe), the head sculpt is great and has a sense of calm to it, I actually really like the white on his legs and crotch and it's nice they still have silver for a realistic truck mode. I'm so happy they didn't do a perfectly cartoon accurate truck, that underdetailed wheeled box would've looked pretty bizarre driving next to a Lamborghini. I understand everyone's complaints but this is the first non-Beast MP I've been really into for a long time (and possibly the last G1 MP I get until they make a Hoist) so I'm personally very excited to get him in August even if he's got a heavy price tag.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997141)
Posted by Emerje on December 5th, 2018 @ 7:37am CST

Huge backpack and strangely thick lower legs, it just isn't a good look. And yet, despite my best attempts to resist, I ended up ordering one off Amazon Japan. The price was just too good. Hopefully he's the type of figure that's better in hand.

Emerje

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997145)
Posted by ZeroWolf on December 5th, 2018 @ 7:58am CST

Thanks to fellow Seibertron users, Cyberpath and Nathaniel Prime, we have some more new photos of MP-44 to share with you all! The photos come from Takara Tomy Mall's website and show the new Masterpiece figure in all its glory, including a better shot of what Primes backpack looks like. The backpack is where the electronics of the toy is located as a speaker is visible in the pictures.

We have mirrored the images below for your convenience.

That's not all, in addition to the images, we have more pre-order listings, so you have a wealth of options to choose from in getting Prime.

Amazon.co.jp
https://www.amazon.co.jp/transformers-masterpiece-mp-44-convoy-ver-3-0/dp/B07L324QLS/?tag=seibertron00-22&

Anime Export
http://www.anime-export.com/product/42330

Ami Ami
https://www.amiami.com/eng/detail/?gcode=FIGURE-044621

HLJ
https://hlj.com/transformers-masterpiece-mp-44-convoy-optimus-prime-ver-3-0-tkt87753?utm_source=seibertron.com&=&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=news%20post

Don't forget to check out this article as well which discusses the price of MP-44 and the best deals you can achieve.

Will you be getting this version of Prime? Is the price still the greatest deal breaker? Let us know in the Energon Pub and stay tuned to Seibertron for all the latest news and reviews.

Re: Hi-Res Photographs of MP-44 Optimus Prime 3.0 (1997149)
Posted by william-james88 on December 5th, 2018 @ 8:24am CST

Seibertron wrote:Not sure why I'm kind-of-sort-of OK with alt modes exploding into robots with Beast Wars Transformers but not G1 Transformers. Maybe someone can help pinpoint my mixed feelings.

I will give it a shot because I feel the same way.

The in show transformations are very different. In G1, it’s blocks rearranging themselves. We see that all the time, like that amazing shot from the movie with Optimus Transforming. MP 10 does a great job replicating that, we could even use the toy and recreate that in a stop motion sequence. There is a nice geometric feel to it and that goes for most of G1 (Rodimus is an exception, that transformation is super wonky). With Beast Wars, there is this morphing phenomenon since the animation is switching from one 3d model to the other, replacing them. Cheetor’s legs go from slender spotted cheetah legs to thicker blue robot legs. Unlike in G1, the alt modes use the same limbs as the robot modes in many cases and yet they look different from one mode to the next. As an extreme example, Dinobot’s raptor face floats into the air while it flattens and enlarges itself. It’s a bit surreal. I knew the show before the toys and didn’t know the toys existed and I didn’t dream they would because I, as a kid, could not conceptualize how such toys could exist. So Takara is charged with doing the impossible and they do a pretty great job getting from one totally different 3d model to the other in the same toy. And while Dinobot’s chest is not the raptor face, they still manage to use actual raptor parts (the underbelly in this case) to become the robot mode chest. So it’s not 100% fake, just a different part of the beast mode, which I find ingenious.
Thats my take on things.

blueridgefox wrote:I'll take my chances with Amazon.jp and save $150... give me a break and stop trying to justify the prices and processes involved.

No one is justifying anything, its just facts. The debate might instead be: with the world so connected, should BBTS and TFSource still bother importing toys when people can do it themselves instead? I mean if someone is tech savy enough to oder from BBTS, why not just buy from an asian seller?

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