Pre-Order Listing Round-Up - Takara Tomy Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide
Monday, September 7th, 2015 3:47AM CDT
Categories: Toy News, Sponsor NewsPosted by: Va'al Views: 19,259
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It started all the way back in Diaclone, through the Transformers, and is now incarnated in plastic Masterpiece form with MP-27 - Ironhide is ready to pre-order at a number of our online retail site sponsors! Rounded up below are the listings we have received through retailers and fellow Seibertronians (Burn, carytheone among others). Take a gander below and place your orders now!
Note: Post updated as more listings become available.
Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide - TFSource; $89.99 USD, January 2016.
Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide - BigBadToyStore; $89.99 USD, January 2016.
Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide - Premium Collectables; $85AUD (pre-order) / $109.95AUD (when in-stock), January 2016.
Transformers Masterpiece MP-27 Ironhide - Kapow Toys Full Price, £59.99 GBP; Deposit, £1.50 GBP.
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Posted by BumbleDouche on September 7th, 2015 @ 5:47am CDT
Posted by Emerje on September 7th, 2015 @ 7:00am CDT
Posted by leakin' lubricant on September 7th, 2015 @ 7:37am CDT
Posted by Burn on September 7th, 2015 @ 8:07am CDT
leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 7th, 2015 @ 8:27am CDT
Thanks for pointing out this new store for me!
AAAAANNNNNNNNDDDDD PREORDERED! 105$CAN shipped is a perfectly reasonable price for me. I imagine he would be 90$CAN+tx at TrU in a year or so at the very least, whitch would make it 103.48$CAN locally. Not bad, I say. Not bad. Still, in a year, MPs may be more expensive at TrU so we never know.
Posted by fenrir72 on September 7th, 2015 @ 9:06am CDT
Burn wrote:leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
1 'con ususally is the equivalent of 5 Autobots in the show. Except for Optimus that is.For him, he could whoop 3 Seekers with one hand tied on his back. But really, should it be time for official Coneheads this time? Or Reflector?
Posted by leakin' lubricant on September 7th, 2015 @ 10:11am CDT
fenrir72 wrote:Burn wrote:leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
1 'con ususally is the equivalent of 5 Autobots in the show. Except for Optimus that is.For him, he could whoop 3 Seekers with one hand tied on his back. But really, should it be time for official Coneheads this time? Or Reflector?
Yeah more Con's needed, I'm sure Takara will get around to it, in the mean time 3rd Party's have got it pretty well covered.
Posted by Doctor McGrath on September 7th, 2015 @ 10:56am CDT
Seibertron wrote:Wolfman Jake wrote:Seibertron wrote:The head sculpt is what bothers me most. I'm not splitting hairs, it just doesn't look good. I could probably deal with the rest of his flaws if his head was spot on to the Ironhide head, which is really simple to draw, not sure what this was such a challenge for them to get right.
Can I ask what's not right about the head sculpt to you? It looks fine to me, and I think some of the promotional photography gives it a bit of a "stretched look," but "in hand" pics show it to be a little more proportional. The head and face look like Ironhide to me, and not like anyone else, so I'm not sure that's "wrong" with it to some.
It's Ironhide's face ... it's just not right! The jawline needs to be more squared off, his face is too thin, it slopes down toward his chin, instead of being a more rectangular face. This is another example of where they take the source material too seriously ... I don't think anyone would have complained about him having a silver face, but instead they gave him this oddly painted face similar to what they did with Bumblebee which dulls the details such as the facial lines. The eyes aren't big enough. The nose isn't wide enough. The bottom of the nose is too close to the upper lip. The nose is also too long. The lines along the side of his face should be very defined yet they can hardly be seen, same problem on Bumblebee's face.
If you guys can't see the many things wrong with Ironhide's face, not sure what to tell you guys. The smallest details can make the biggest differences. Masterpiece Prowl and Wheeljack set the bar ... Ironhide is a disappointment after them. It especially sucks with Ironhide because we keep hoping we'll get a great Ironhide/Ratchet toy at some point but continue to be disappointed with release after release.
Maybe some people remember it differently Ryan?
Posted by tk7261 on September 7th, 2015 @ 11:20am CDT
Posted by Sabrblade on September 7th, 2015 @ 11:37am CDT
Why is it so wrong for those of us dissatisfied with the look of this MP Ironhide to wish that it looked less like it does and more like this?
^This right here is what we want. What have wanted for 30 years! What we got is not close enough.
Yes, this is a great-looking figure. We're not saying that it's 100% awful and no good. What we're saying is that, despite how good it is, it isn't as good as we were wanting, wishing, and hoping it would be. Many of us have been wanting an MP Ironhide ever since the line became what it is, and now that we're finally getting one and see that it isn't what many of us were wanting/wishing/hoping for, we are let down and saddened by the result, regardless of how objectively well done it is.
We want MP Ironhide to look like the cartoon character we all know and love. This toy, however, looks like it took the original design of the animation model and shrunk down his chest windshield a bit, angled it from being a rectangle to a trapezoid, gave him a beer gut, enlarged his waistpiece to resembling a diaper, enlongated his face, squinted his eyes, stretched out his nose, strapped car kibble on his hips, carved out hollow sections into his back, and slapped wheels onto his butt cheeks.
With how awesomely accurate the majority of the Hasui-designed MPs were, why should we settle our satisfactions for anything less than the animation model-accurate greatness that has come before?
Posted by shajaki on September 7th, 2015 @ 11:45am CDT
Posted by huryochagi on September 7th, 2015 @ 1:25pm CDT
Posted by tk7261 on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:10pm CDT
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:25pm CDT
tk7261 wrote:Oh wow, how is it so cheap from Big in Japan? Theres isn't like a second charge when it comes out is there, crazy shipping cost, or something sneaky is there?
Japanese figures are always cheaper from Japanese stores. I bet the other stores must compensate for an extra shipping cost when they import them to sell them. So, istead of paying a shipping quote twice, just buy from a Japanese store. Also, mane put them on sale in preorders like Amiami. I guess the strategy is to presale as much as possible as quickly as possible to guarantee a profit rather than sitting on a large inventory that sell slowly. That's why most TFs at these shops get sold out so quickly. It's a way to not lose money over leftover stock.
The lesson here is when the preorders are up, BUY NAO!
Posted by william-james88 on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:34pm CDT
tk7261 wrote:Oh wow, how is it so cheap from Big in Japan? Theres isn't like a second charge when it comes out is there, crazy shipping cost, or something sneaky is there?
No hidden fees, it will come out to 80$ US shipped BBTS and TFSource are getting wise on us buying from sites like this which is why their mark up is quite minimal this time around. I think thats a really good sign.
Sabrblade wrote:With how awesomely accurate the majority of the Hasui-designed MPs were, why should we settle our satisfactions for anything less than the animation model-accurate greatness that has come before?
Yeah, it really shows that Hasui is no longer part of the MP line. MP Magnus wasnt that bad though right? I believe its the same team that is working on this guy. Here`s hoping MP Optimus Primal will be better.
Posted by william-james88 on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:42pm CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:[I guess the strategy is to presale as much as possible as quickly as possible to guarantee a profit rather than sitting on a large inventory that sell slowly. That's why most TFs at these shops get sold out so quickly. It's a way to not lose money over leftover stock.
The lesson here is when the preorders are up, BUY NAO!
I dont think thats the whole strategy because the 20-30% discount at Japanese retailers (HLJ, big in Japan, Amiami, AnimeExport) never ends, even when the toy is released. You could buy Takara's Menasor or G2 bumblebee for the same discount. Thats because that MSRP is not what these toys sell at retail in Japan. We know now that these toys sell for the same US$ amount in Japan. So a deluxe is about 15-17$ and a voyager is 25$ there and here. These discounts reflect those prices. The high MSRP is only ever maintained when you buy from Takaratomymall, where you can get exclusives.
I believe that the high MSRP is there for the wholesaler importers. The rule of thumb for wholesale prices is usually about 50% of MSRP. So they make more money by increasing the MSRP for when a wholesaler imports and yet keep their locally distributed toys at a more sensible price (aka the same price that Hasbro toys sell for here) but to keep appearances (and business sense), that is instead portrayed as a perpetual discount.
Posted by Sabrblade on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:49pm CDT
Ironhide was designed by someone named Hisao Nishimoto. A quick Google search brings up this interview with him and Hisashi Yuki talking about DOTM Striker Optimus Prime/DOTM Leader Sentinel Prime/the Cyberverse line, and passing mentions on TFWiki of his having attended BotCon 2011/Toy Fair 2012/Toy Fair 2015. As far as can be told, it looks like Ironhide is the first MP that he's designed.william-james88 wrote:Yeah, it really shows that Hasui is no longer part of the MP line. MP Magnus wasnt that bad though right? I believe its the same team that is working on this guy. Here`s hoping MP Optimus Primal will be better.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 7th, 2015 @ 2:55pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:I believe that the high MSRP is there for the wholesaler importers. The rule of thumb for wholesale prices is usually about 50% of MSRP. So they make more money by increasing the MSRP for when a wholesaler imports and yet keep their locally distributed toys at a more sensible price (aka the same price that Hasbro toys sell for here) but to keep appearances (and business sense), that is instead portrayed as a perpetual discount.
So, it's a fake discount then. No matter, it's still cheaper than the competition and that new store is not charging 40$ of shipping for it. Only 20$. And that's in CAN$. So, I'm all for it.
As I said, 105$CAN shipped is a very acceptable price from Big in Japan. Also, no customs because the value is less than 10000Y. Buying it from BBTS, it would ammount to 139$CAN! Add a sureshot 25$CAN in customs and it would cost me a whopping 164$CAN.
That's around 60$CAN saved just by buying from a Japanese store rather than an American one. That's around a Leader figure saved! The difference is HUGE.
Posted by Doctor McGrath on September 7th, 2015 @ 3:34pm CDT
Posted by Burn on September 7th, 2015 @ 4:15pm CDT
fenrir72 wrote:Burn wrote:leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
1 'con ususally is the equivalent of 5 Autobots in the show. Except for Optimus that is.For him, he could whoop 3 Seekers with one hand tied on his back. But really, should it be time for official Coneheads this time? Or Reflector?
I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 7th, 2015 @ 4:17pm CDT
Burn wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Burn wrote:leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
1 'con ususally is the equivalent of 5 Autobots in the show. Except for Optimus that is.For him, he could whoop 3 Seekers with one hand tied on his back. But really, should it be time for official Coneheads this time? Or Reflector?
I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
I'm really curious how they will integrate the cone part of the head with the MP-11 mold?
Posted by Burn on September 7th, 2015 @ 4:40pm CDT
-Kanrabat- wrote:Burn wrote:fenrir72 wrote:Burn wrote:leakin' lubricant wrote:Pre ordered on Kapow, my Cons better get ready to get their Deceptichops busted!
Well hey now, that's not exactly fair given the ratio of Autobots to Decepticons in the Masterpiece line.
1 'con ususally is the equivalent of 5 Autobots in the show. Except for Optimus that is.For him, he could whoop 3 Seekers with one hand tied on his back. But really, should it be time for official Coneheads this time? Or Reflector?
I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
I'm really curious how they will integrate the cone part of the head with the MP-11 mold?
All they really need to redesign is the head/cone, the wings and weapons. Probably the sort of thing they could be doodling about during lunch.
Now come on HLJ, where's your pre-order for Ironhide? Everyone else has beaten you to the punch.
Posted by Cyberpath on September 7th, 2015 @ 5:15pm CDT
Burn wrote:I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
They're just now getting to Skywarp..
Maybe Takara doesn't want to overdo it with the jets. (Though they did release five versions of the "Datsun Z" mold, but then again at 13,000 yens the jets are much more expensive..)
Posted by Hellscream9999 on September 7th, 2015 @ 5:19pm CDT
Cyberpath wrote:Burn wrote:I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
They're just now getting to Skywarp..
Maybe Takara doesn't want to overdo it with the jets. (Though they did release five versions of the "Datsun Z" mold, but then again at 13,000 yens the jets are much more expensive..)
Didn't TT already release them in the newer seeker mold?
Posted by Sabrblade on September 7th, 2015 @ 6:36pm CDT
You mean Thundercracker.Cyberpath wrote:Burn wrote:I'm surprised we haven't seen Thrust, Ramjet and Dirge yet. They've settled into a regular release of new figures so the designers have a regular gig, but surely if they wanted to get a couple more figures out with very little effort required they could just do the Coneheads.
They're just now getting to Skywarp..
Posted by CombaticonsCombine? on September 7th, 2015 @ 6:56pm CDT
Sabrblade wrote:
^This right here is what we want. What have wanted for 30 years! What we got is not close enough.
I'm sorry, but can I point something out? The robot mode of the animation model doesn't have wheels.
Just because you want the animation model to be perfectly replicated doesn't mean they're actually able to make every detail work into a figure. Toy design doesn't work like that, pal.
Knowing MOST Masterpiece figures, this as close to the animation model they could get (head nonwithstanding) and still allow it to transform.
This is close enough, because it's as close as we can get.
Posted by fenrir72 on September 7th, 2015 @ 7:33pm CDT
CombaticonsCombine? wrote:Sabrblade wrote:
^This right here is what we want. What have wanted for 30 years! What we got is not close enough.
I'm sorry, but can I point something out? The robot mode of the animation model doesn't have wheels.
Just because you want the animation model to be perfectly replicated doesn't mean they're actually able to make every detail work into a figure. Toy design doesn't work like that, pal.
Knowing MOST Masterpiece figures, this as close to the animation model they could get (head nonwithstanding) and still allow it to transform.
This is close enough, because it's as close as we can get.
Too high the expectations I guess. Sometimes, reality should settle in first before concept. Will it be fiscally viable in the first place.
Posted by william-james88 on September 7th, 2015 @ 7:55pm CDT
fenrir72 wrote:CombaticonsCombine? wrote:
I'm sorry, but can I point something out? The robot mode of the animation model doesn't have wheels.
Just because you want the animation model to be perfectly replicated doesn't mean they're actually able to make every detail work into a figure. Toy design doesn't work like that, pal.
Knowing MOST Masterpiece figures, this as close to the animation model they could get (head nonwithstanding) and still allow it to transform.
This is close enough, because it's as close as we can get.
Too high the expectations I guess. Sometimes, reality should settle in first before concept. Will it be fiscally viable in the first place.
Why cant we expect perfection from the masterpiece line? MP Lambor found a way to hide the wheels in the chest, just as Animated rodimus did. And so did MP 10. I look at toys like ROTF Leader Prime and HFTD Starscream and see toys that were made after concept designs were made by people not thinking of making toys perfectly based on them. But there they are, they exist. The entire animated line is based on stylized designs that were made first and that you'd think could not be replicated in toys that transform. I remember people saying that stability was the cause for Scrapper's arms not having elbows on generations Devastator and that was proven untrue. Lets not give excuses assuming this is the best we could get. The truth is the best MP designer working at Takara did not make this toy and thats too bad.
Posted by Ultra Markus on September 7th, 2015 @ 9:43pm CDT
Doctor McGrath wrote:Seibertron wrote:Wolfman Jake wrote:Seibertron wrote:The head sculpt is what bothers me most. I'm not splitting hairs, it just doesn't look good. I could probably deal with the rest of his flaws if his head was spot on to the Ironhide head, which is really simple to draw, not sure what this was such a challenge for them to get right.
Can I ask what's not right about the head sculpt to you? It looks fine to me, and I think some of the promotional photography gives it a bit of a "stretched look," but "in hand" pics show it to be a little more proportional. The head and face look like Ironhide to me, and not like anyone else, so I'm not sure that's "wrong" with it to some.
It's Ironhide's face ... it's just not right! The jawline needs to be more squared off, his face is too thin, it slopes down toward his chin, instead of being a more rectangular face. This is another example of where they take the source material too seriously ... I don't think anyone would have complained about him having a silver face, but instead they gave him this oddly painted face similar to what they did with Bumblebee which dulls the details such as the facial lines. The eyes aren't big enough. The nose isn't wide enough. The bottom of the nose is too close to the upper lip. The nose is also too long. The lines along the side of his face should be very defined yet they can hardly be seen, same problem on Bumblebee's face.
If you guys can't see the many things wrong with Ironhide's face, not sure what to tell you guys. The smallest details can make the biggest differences. Masterpiece Prowl and Wheeljack set the bar ... Ironhide is a disappointment after them. It especially sucks with Ironhide because we keep hoping we'll get a great Ironhide/Ratchet toy at some point but continue to be disappointed with release after release.
Maybe some people remember it differently Ryan?
the only explanation that i can see as to why some think the head looks off from what it should is that when people are exposed to chemicals from inhaling crack smoke everything seems a bit off
Posted by Burn on September 7th, 2015 @ 10:59pm CDT
Ultra Markus wrote:the only explanation that i can see as to why some think the head looks off from what it should is that when people are exposed to chemicals from inhaling crack smoke everything seems a bit off
Dude ... no ... you just can't say that about other members.
Posted by fenrir72 on September 7th, 2015 @ 11:12pm CDT
william-james88 wrote:fenrir72 wrote:CombaticonsCombine? wrote:
I'm sorry, but can I point something out? The robot mode of the animation model doesn't have wheels.
Just because you want the animation model to be perfectly replicated doesn't mean they're actually able to make every detail work into a figure. Toy design doesn't work like that, pal.
Knowing MOST Masterpiece figures, this as close to the animation model they could get (head nonwithstanding) and still allow it to transform.
This is close enough, because it's as close as we can get.
Too high the expectations I guess. Sometimes, reality should settle in first before concept. Will it be fiscally viable in the first place.
Why cant we expect perfection from the masterpiece line? MP Lambor found a way to hide the wheels in the chest, just as Animated rodimus did. And so did MP 10. I look at toys like ROTF Leader Prime and HFTD Starscream and see toys that were made after concept designs were made by people not thinking of making toys perfectly based on them. But there they are, they exist. The entire animated line is based on stylized designs that were made first and that you'd think could not be replicated in toys that transform. I remember people saying that stability was the cause for Scrapper's arms not having elbows on generations Devastator and that was proven untrue. Lets not give excuses assuming this is the best we could get. The truth is the best MP designer working at Takara did not make this toy and thats too bad.
Nope. Not giving TT a free ride. Again I'll withhold final judgement until I receive IH this February 2016. Then I'll call it a "turd" if indeed it is. Heck I remember how lot's of people laid iton Lambor for having hollow legs and stuff but now it is praised as one of the great MP releases.
Btw wj88, concerning "designer" name recognition, did you read a post of mine a few clicks back? Using that as an analogy, for example:
Team leader/engineer: wj88 (already known for various great releases such as MP-10 etc)
So a work of wj88 is given full cred because of the great outcome/praise from collectors. But wj88 isn't the only one working on the fig, he's got lots of assistance too. Maybe one of those assistants, let's say "SillySpringer" also contributed greatly to the figure's design but wasn't given full cred yet (being new and cutting his teeth in the business) but manages to impress wj88.
So as a reward for his contribution, they (TT) let him get full cred on the next project (i.e MP-27)
You get my point? Brand or name recognition sometimes affects how we view a certain product. Especially now the cat's out of the bag that it isn't Hisashi doing the main project. It's in Economics 101.
Posted by william-james88 on September 8th, 2015 @ 12:12am CDT
Posted by fenrir72 on September 8th, 2015 @ 12:49am CDT
william-james88 wrote:That sounds good Fenrir. Another analogy would be the Pixar films and how each director of a subsequent film assisted o a previous one but not as a director. And they were mainly good until cars
Incredibles was much better too (the director was initially from Fox). But Cars has more TF to it given how mechanical lives thrived in that "Earth"
Posted by fenrir72 on September 10th, 2015 @ 7:56pm CDT
Meaning, for all sense of arguments, he's been sold out with priority to the Japanese market again!
Take note wj88. It seems like they are still doing the old practice waaaaay back.
Posted by Robogeek1973 on September 10th, 2015 @ 8:11pm CDT
It's just a shame that the Ironhide on my MP shelf won't be the official version.
Posted by william-james88 on September 10th, 2015 @ 9:41pm CDT
fenrir72 wrote:Take note wj88. It seems like they are still doing the old practice waaaaay back.
AW F#$K! Thanks for letting me know though, big in japan might be my alternative from now on for some toys. I am hoping there will be some TAV Grimlocks left for the international audience on amiami thoug since I would love to ship him with the upcoming legends Femcons.
Posted by wilcosu35 on September 10th, 2015 @ 9:42pm CDT
http://www.hlj.com/product/TKT83394/Sci?utm_source=seibertron.com&=&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=news%20post
Posted by Cobotron on September 10th, 2015 @ 10:05pm CDT
7490 Yen = $62.02 US
http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?scode=FIGURE-013654&rank=ctg
Posted by william-james88 on September 11th, 2015 @ 1:12am CDT
The posing is just too awkward and he just doesnt look as refined as the others.
Posted by Hellscream9999 on September 11th, 2015 @ 1:15am CDT
william-james88 wrote:I am iffy on this toy since I wouldnt be buying it for nostalgia reasons but for the toy itself and its design and... this pic kinda cements that I dont really need this guy:
The posing is just too awkward and he just doesnt look as refined as the others.
That's probably because he isn't, I honestly believe that there were several better/more concise/cleverer ways to design this guy, but if it is the designers first crack at it, I guess it was a good first try
Posted by Va'al on September 11th, 2015 @ 2:48am CDT
Posted by phantom1592 on September 11th, 2015 @ 3:41am CDT
I love my G1, but never cared for Ironhide... so he'll probably be in my 'eventually' category. Much like Wheeljack
Posted by -Kanrabat- on September 11th, 2015 @ 4:08am CDT
Posted by jogunwarrior on September 11th, 2015 @ 7:51am CDT
Posted by mblase75 on September 11th, 2015 @ 8:32am CDT
Posted by ScottyP on September 11th, 2015 @ 8:58am CDT
Someone, somewhere said "It has to fit in the trailer." This leaves us with comparatively big robot getting shoehorned in to a small van design. That's likely where some of the very obvious design compromises come from, including the way too skinny head.
There are some nice things to say about this release. The actual alt mode looks great, the sled and accessories are an awesome touch, and I'd bet that the actual practice of transforming it between modes is going to be pretty fun. Just can't get over how genuinely bad the robot mode looks, despite it being close to not looking bad at all.
Posted by hinomars19 on September 11th, 2015 @ 10:24am CDT
ScottyP wrote:I think I figured out what the problem is here that I'm having with this figure that I really, really want to like, but keep feeling more and more let down by.
Someone, somewhere said "It has to fit in the trailer." This leaves us with comparatively big robot getting shoehorned in to a small van design. That's likely where some of the very obvious design compromises come from, including the way too skinny head.
There are some nice things to say about this release. The actual alt mode looks great, the sled and accessories are an awesome touch, and I'd bet that the actual practice of transforming it between modes is going to be pretty fun. Just can't get over how genuinely bad the robot mode looks, despite it being close to not looking bad at all.
I was honestly surprised at seeing the van was small enough to fit in the trailer.
Posted by Cyberpath on September 11th, 2015 @ 12:18pm CDT
Posted by Cobotron on September 11th, 2015 @ 12:21pm CDT
What is that in his chest? Terrain? A caterpillar? Dragon tattoo?
Posted by Seibertron on September 11th, 2015 @ 12:33pm CDT
Seibertron wrote:Wolfman Jake wrote:Seibertron wrote:The head sculpt is what bothers me most. I'm not splitting hairs, it just doesn't look good. I could probably deal with the rest of his flaws if his head was spot on to the Ironhide head, which is really simple to draw, not sure what this was such a challenge for them to get right.
Can I ask what's not right about the head sculpt to you? It looks fine to me, and I think some of the promotional photography gives it a bit of a "stretched look," but "in hand" pics show it to be a little more proportional. The head and face look like Ironhide to me, and not like anyone else, so I'm not sure that's "wrong" with it to some.
It's Ironhide's face ... it's just not right! The jawline needs to be more squared off, his face is too thin, it slopes down toward his chin, instead of being a more rectangular face. This is another example of where they take the source material too seriously ... I don't think anyone would have complained about him having a silver face, but instead they gave him this oddly painted face similar to what they did with Bumblebee which dulls the details such as the facial lines. The eyes aren't big enough. The nose isn't wide enough. The bottom of the nose is too close to the upper lip. The nose is also too long. The lines along the side of his face should be very defined yet they can hardly be seen, same problem on Bumblebee's face.
If you guys can't see the many things wrong with Ironhide's face, not sure what to tell you guys. The smallest details can make the biggest differences. Masterpiece Prowl and Wheeljack set the bar ... Ironhide is a disappointment after them. It especially sucks with Ironhide because we keep hoping we'll get a great Ironhide/Ratchet toy at some point but continue to be disappointed with release after release.
And my opinion still stands about his face. Nose is too small or too long or something. Jaw line/sides of face should be more rectangular. All you have to do is look at his character model! Ironhide has one of the easiest Transformers faces to draw. I'm bummed they got this wrong!