Transformers Masterpiece MP-14+ Red Alert Anime Color Edition Revealed

YES!! A new Red Alert! My old one for some strange reason has paint defects.

I want this but don't want to pay retail. And I don't know how to order from TakaraTomy Mall.

william-james88 wrote:The biggest news of this listing though is that Takara has announced that this is the first of a whole new line of Masterpiece repaints which aims at achieving a more toon accurate deco. Who do you think is next? Who do you want the most in this style? Let us know!

IMO no other MP needs the "Plus" treatment.

There will probably be an MP+ Wheeljack. But I feel that MP-20 Wheeljack is plenty cartoon-accurate as is, it's just that his Lancia colours were simplified for animation, and this is what his character would look like in "reality" with his very specific vehicular mode (down to the number on the doors.) So I'm good. But it will be interesting to see what comes next.

Maybe. I'm not very happy with my KO, so maybe. Should be offered at a reduced price, but we know that won't happen.

If we ever get the likes of Mirage, Jazz, Hound, etc., I hope that we get a real world/toy accurate version before a toon accurate one.

This looks fantastic, and I would love to replace my KO MP-14.
But this being a TT Mall exclusive, it'll probably end up costing more than I'm willing to spend

Seriously? isn't he accurate enough? Why not give us an anime accurate of one more deserving? Like say.... WHEELJACK? Or if you want to release more Lambo's then Deepcover? Come on guys.

I don't know... it's not bad, but it's not something I'm interested in. I like the "real-world vehicle styling/coloration" coupled with the "cartoon-accurate robot mode" aspect of the Masterpiece line. Having real-world vehicle coloration spill onto the robot mode is actually a plus for me. Let's face it, the production schedule of the cartoon forced a lot of concessions, particularly with the color (and with proportions, which often spills over to vehicle mode proportions, so why aren't people worried about that? ). I'm in no hurry to buy "cartoon-accurate coloration" versions of a bunch of these guys; I like the ones that were already made.

Glarryg

shajaki wrote:>:oP

Seriously? isn't he accurate enough? Why not give us an anime accurate of one more deserving? Like say.... WHEELJACK? Or if you want to release more Lambo's then Deepcover? Come on guys.

I know you wold chime in for Wheeljack

Also, wheeljack would be more approriate since that robot mode old is perfect for the show model. Red Alert's robot mode is still not accurate for the show since his doors are supposed to hang off his shoulders. So this is still not a "perfect toon accurate" version.

Ironhidensh wrote:Maybe. I'm not very happy with my KO, so maybe. Should be offered at a reduced price, but we know that won't happen.

xMXUx wrote:This looks fantastic, and I would love to replace my KO MP-14.
But this being a TT Mall exclusive, it'll probably end up costing more than I'm willing to spend

Yeah, it aint gonna be reduced. At best, it will end up like Clampdown with a "reduced" price of 79.99$ http://tfsource.com/masterpiece/mp-14c-clampdown/

Cobotron wrote:If we ever get the likes of Mirage, Jazz, Hound, etc., I hope that we get a real world/toy accurate version before a toon accurate one.

Shockwave is pointing to the opposite though

william-james88 wrote:

Cobotron wrote:If we ever get the likes of Mirage, Jazz, Hound, etc., I hope that we get a real world/toy accurate version before a toon accurate one.

Shockwave is pointing to the opposite though

You're right. So are Traxxx and Hot Rod.

Cobotron wrote:If we ever get the likes of Mirage, Jazz, Hound, etc., I hope that we get a real world/toy accurate version before a toon accurate one.

I agree, one of the many reasons why I love this line is the combination of cartoon-accurate robots and real-world cars in the same toy.

I like how you can pull an image of the real deal from Google and compare it to the toy, down to really small details.

Insofar as I know Red Alert's car deco is made up anyway, so Takara can kinda go wild with it. (Though the "Lamborghini Countach" label would have been nice on this one, too.)

You guys know what kinda undermines the aim of this toy (and the whole MP line itself) being more show-accurate? The fact that, thanks to a discovery made by the Wiki, there were episodes of the cartoon that were done by a studio or studios that weren't Toei or AKOM, in which outdated animation models for several season 2 characters (Red Alert included) were used, giving them a slightly different appearance in those episodes from how they looked in other episodes.

Red Alert in particular was colored bright white (like his normal MP-14 toy) in these episodes instead of gray-white (like this new MP-14+ toy), and had a much softer, less detailed looking face and helmet. Here's a comparison of his two designs (along with those of Astrotrain) from one of these episodes and a Toei-produced episode:



More details about the animation model differences of the characters in these episodes compared to those made by Toei and AKOM can be found in the above link.

very nice, missed out on Red Alert so maybe I'll get lucky with this one

Interesting! I don't really mind variations like this because it gives me an excuse to have a second one to keep in alt mode.

I also hope they do an MP-10+ now.

Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

This is cool!

I hope they keep up this trend.
And even do real world, or toy accurate versions of other mp's that have been released. I would love a toy accurate MP -11!

REX-203 wrote:Interesting! I don't really mind variations like this because it gives me an excuse to have a second one to keep in alt mode.

I also hope they do an MP-10+ now.

If they do that deco. Crap.

I think there was a Mario Kart DS commercial that showcased "online play". One of the players said "Oh, no, come on!" That's what I feel reading news about a potential "more animation accurate line".

Found the commercial.

Emerje wrote:Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

Some of the more recent figures have been teetering in this direction, but none have been nearly this drastic. They took Shockwave 90% there in terms of the finish (which is why he's so out of place with the current line), but ditched the solid cartoon-styled chestplate from the unpainted prototype for the transparent detailed chest based on the original toy. Ironhide and Ratchet may have simplified legs and blue-tinted glass, but they still feature chrome and strong contrasting colors (as opposed to the muted blacks and whites of Red Alert).

I get the impression there's been debates amongst the Masterpiece designers in terms of which direction the line should go, which is why the last few releases have been sort of in-between bastard children. The question now is, which line gets priority? And will all new figures going forward no longer see a release that isn't "anime color edition"? Will new molds themselves lose details to be more anime-accurate? Are we going to get a "Toy Color Edition" of Shockwave to make up for the Anime Color Edition they already sold us?

Lots of questions.

This new Sunbow coloured Red Alert, plus more animation correct colour reboot figures is almost enough to get me to start a masterpiece collection and sell off my generations. If only I had the cash...hmmmm. He just looks so good. What would really put me over the edge would be a new mould Sunbow Grimlock.

Emerje wrote:Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the only reason we even have "real world accurate" alt modes (ala Wheeljack) is to appease the companies they're licensing from. And since those would sell worse than the proper anime colors, they push them out first because people need their fix.

Sabrblade wrote:You guys know what kinda undermines the aim of this toy (and the whole MP line itself) being more show-accurate? The fact that, thanks to a discovery made by the Wiki, there were episodes of the cartoon that were done by a studio or studios that weren't Toei or AKOM, in which outdated animation models for several season 2 characters (Red Alert included) were used, giving them a slightly different appearance in those episodes from how they looked in other episodes.

Red Alert in particular was colored bright white (like his normal MP-14 toy) in these episodes instead of gray-white (like this new MP-14+ toy), and had a much softer, less detailed looking face and helmet. Here's a comparison of his two designs (along with those of Astrotrain) from one of these episodes and a Toei-produced episode:



More details about the animation model differences of the characters in these episodes compared to those made by Toei and AKOM can be found in the above link.

I didn't know it was a discovery, it was always clear to me from watching the show. Even within TOEI there were different art styles. I think that's part of the beauty of hand-drawn animation VS cg models that look exactly the same in every episode.

Emerje wrote:Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

But Ironhide is also real-world accurate as a car. And Hot Rod & Shockwave don't have real alt-modes.

shajaki wrote:Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the only reason we even have "real world accurate" alt modes (ala Wheeljack) is to appease the companies they're licensing from. And since those would sell worse than the proper anime colors, they push them out first because people need their fix.

Nah, man, the real-world car aspect is part of the vision --

From an interview with Shogo Hasui:

MP is the most prestigious series and it is often seen as the series for the main characters, but we released those sub-characters last year. They did not appear in the cartoon very often and may not make the top 10 popular character list, but their vehicle mode is Lamborghini Countach and I thought it might appeal to the generations that Super Cars were the craze in their childhood. For MPs, the most important precondition is the faithful re-creation of cartoon robot and alternate modes, and we obtained the official license from Lamborghini and went ahead with the development.

Cyberpath wrote:

shajaki wrote:Anyone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure the only reason we even have "real world accurate" alt modes (ala Wheeljack) is to appease the companies they're licensing from. And since those would sell worse than the proper anime colors, they push them out first because people need their fix.

Nah, man, the real-world car aspect is part of the vision --

From an interview with Shogo Hasui:

MP is the most prestigious series and it is often seen as the series for the main characters, but we released those sub-characters last year. They did not appear in the cartoon very often and may not make the top 10 popular character list, but their vehicle mode is Lamborghini Countach and I thought it might appeal to the generations that Super Cars were the craze in their childhood. For MPs, the most important precondition is the faithful re-creation of cartoon robot and alternate modes, and we obtained the official license from Lamborghini and went ahead with the development.

I dont know man, that quote seems to confirm what Shajaki said. Because the alt modes are not faithful to the show but more to the real life car, which is an official license. He doesnt say in there that the point of MPs is to have a car mode that looks like real life. He says the opposite but that isnt reflected in the final product.

How do you feel about MPs now?
H: "I created them in the hope that they would supplement the memories. The toys in the 80s are not even close to the modern toys in terms of refinement, but I think the fans who followed Transformers back then used information obtained through various media such as magazines or the cartoon to supplement the image in their mind.
I believe MPs are meant to be the embodiment of that image. Neither making the cartoon version into a three dimensional form nor making it as realistic as possible is a good idea. The important thing for me has been to create a MP product through which you can meet yourself from the past, in which you can find a toy you have been dreaming of. It was certainly a difficult and harsh challenge.
I made a list of candidates (to be made into a MP figure) and I thoroughly checked what they did in which episodes and with whom. I referred to the list when planning the MP lineup. I also studied the impressive parts of the original toy’s transformation process to see if they could be incorporated into the new toy, and extensively collected cartoon reference materials and comic book illustrations. The MP series was always highly anticipated by the fans and I myself desired to create a better product – I suppose those factors worked out positively in me."

This is from hasui in a interview.

william-james88 wrote:I dont know man, that quote seems to confirm what Shajaki said. Because the alt modes are not faithful to the show but more to the real life car, which is an official license. He doesnt say in there that the point of MPs is to have a car mode that looks like real life. He says the opposite but that isnt reflected in the final product.

I disagree. Hasui said that before he came on board the MP line focused on main charhcters (Prime, Megatron Starscream,Grimlock..) And when he took over he decided to include lesser used characters like Sideswipe because of the appeal of their flashy alt-mode (Lamborghini Countach.)

There's also this piece from an interview with Kobsyashi:

Thanks to the fans' support, the current MP series is very popular right now. I hope the addition of Ultra Magnus as the centric character to the real car series will make the whole lineup more enjoyable.
The factors of the current popularity are the re-creation of the cartoon characters and the use of real cars, of course, and I'd like to explore the next step up while keeping those important factors intact.

Cyberpath wrote:

Emerje wrote:Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

But Ironhide is also real-world accurate as a car. And Hot Rod & Shockwave don't have real alt-modes.

I was mainly talking about Ironhide's bot mode which is as close to cartoon accurate as they could get with the "realistic" van mode. For the other two they could have easily made Hot Rod rust red with arrows on his shins and Shockwave dark purple like their toys, but they didn't, they went for animation accuracy right away instead which is a departure from how a lot of figures in this line have been done.

Emerje

What, seriously? We need new MP's not repainted ones that don't even look any better.

You can't really please people.

MP-10 wasn't anime accurate but more or less an amalgamation of both original Diaclone and the show and DW styles. The TT version was in toy colors while the Hb version was in the anime's colors. So what's the biggie with this release?

Maybe some just want the "real world" style release over this new presentation? There's an answer for that, buy the old version in the 2ndary market or simply wait for the 3rd re-issue.

If TT just did that, release the original again for the upteenth time some will complain about TT being lazy and over milking the mold which they already have btw.

Emerje wrote:

Cyberpath wrote:

Emerje wrote:Seems to be the new direction they're dedicated to. We just got animation accurate Ironhide, Hot Rod, and Shockwave. Makes sense that they'd want to revisit some older figures to make them less toy or real world accurate and more cartoon accurate.

I wonder if they're only interested in doing the cars or if we'll see larger figures like a Soundwave in a different shade of blue and with a light blue and yellow chest window? Or a gray and yellow Grimlock?

Emerje

But Ironhide is also real-world accurate as a car. And Hot Rod & Shockwave don't have real alt-modes.

I was mainly talking about Ironhide's bot mode which is as close to cartoon accurate as they could get with the "realistic" van mode. For the other two they could have easily made Hot Rod rust red with arrows on his shins and Shockwave dark purple like their toys, but they didn't, they went for animation accuracy right away instead which is a departure from how a lot of figures in this line have been done.

Emerje

The extra decal designs is handled by 1st party franchised providers like Ocean Designs in the Asian market. The "arrows" you mentioned are optional and 100% certainty will be released (especially for the China market)

As for Shockwave, give TT a year or so and get to see the gray "Shackwave". He was also portrayed as such by StudioOx during their pre Earth modes.

[BW] Rainmaker wrote:What, seriously? We need new MP's not repainted ones that don't even look any better.

This is an easy way for Takara to build the necesasry funds to finance more MPs. Its not like we would get new MPs at that level of frequency anyway, it was 2 molds a year or something like that. Things havent changed except that now people have more options and other chances of getting toys they want.

I was very adamant in not getting that MP14 red thigh til this day and now it pays off. That MP14+ toon robot looks very pleasant to the eyes compare to MP14. He will be great standing next to my MP22 UM, MP29 Shocky, and soon MP30 Ratchet (maybe Hot Rod down the road).

Painting the headlight and removing the license brand decal are a step back. The S1/2 TF figures are suppose to mimic real car, they should've kept those decals and clear headlight. I understand it meant to be toon accurate, but certain aspect should be kept realistic in regard to the car brand decal and clear head light. If this was S3 characters, I would've given them the 2 thumb up with their approach. Thanks goodness I don't display them in their vehicle mode, otherwise, MP14+ may looks out of place compare to Hasui carbots.

In term of whom I want to be next after Red Alert, toon Wheeljack will be lovely!

william-james88 wrote:The biggest news of this listing though is that Takara has announced that this is the first of a whole new line of Masterpiece repaints which aims at achieving a more toon accurate deco. Who do you think is next? Who do you want the most in this style? Let us know!

All I know is I can't wait for MP-29+ Laserwave or MP-29T Laserwave or whatever they want to call a properly colored Shockwave instead of whatever was released last month that has to be one of the most difficult to photograph colors I've ever encountered.

New picture of MP-14+ from the Takara Tomy Mall with what looks like to be MP Inferno

今冬発売予定のマスターピースと名シーンを再現しよう!!

!! Trying to reproduce the Masterpiece and scenes scheduled to be released this winter

The text above the picture suggests that Inferno will be a winter release.

Discussion of the Inferno rumour to be had over here please!

*sigh* I'd be all over an "animation accurate" release of MP Red Alert IF they had just kept the Lamborghini details that the rest of the "Sideswipe and Friends" uses of the mold retained, and used the proper Autobot symbol, not the lazy Sunbow one. Yuck. As it is, I think I'm just going to stay with the regular MP-14 release.

xMXUx wrote:New picture of MP-14+ from the Takara Tomy Mall with what looks like to be MP Inferno

今冬発売予定のマスターピースと名シーンを再現しよう!!

!! Trying to reproduce the Masterpiece and scenes scheduled to be released this winter

The text above the picture suggests that Inferno will be a winter release.

Well I'm excited. I wondered when we'd get around to the Inferno/Grapple mold. Here's hoping Trailbreaker and Hoist aren't far behind. Grapple and Hoist are bros!

shajaki wrote:

Dear Takara,

Nobody cares.

Love,
Cobotron

I actually kind of care.

This release (in addition to the price for the MP Seekers) was a major factor in why I stopped collecting MP figures.

I'm not certain where or how many times we will go back to do an "Anime color edition," but I do not want to find out. I'm ok with updates of retail figures, but not for ones that are supposed to be the "definitive version."

Counterpunch wrote:This release (in addition to the price for the MP Seekers) was a major factor in why I stopped collecting MP figures.

I'm not certain where or how many times we will go back to do an "Anime color edition," but I do not want to find out. I'm ok with updates of retail figures, but not for ones that are supposed to be the "definitive version."

I agree. And the worst part is that there isstill something off on this one as to where the doors end up compared to hs cartoon model. So like the seekers they could do more definitive editions later. Its somethign I feel when collecting 3p and another 3p company does something even better than the toy you just got (ie Appolyon) but at least that makese sense since they are all competiting with oneanother. But here its the same damn company. The only thing I hope out of this (and i may sound like a douche) is that the mold has not moved from China yet (as was the case with BB) and thus Lena will get the leftovers and I can finally get a red alert for cheap

But that aside, I totally get what you mean Counterpunch, this hobby can become very exhausting.

Counterpunch wrote:I'm ok with updates of retail figures, but not for ones that are supposed to be the "definitive version."

I disagree with the premise of this part, though the stance makes sense. I think that for Takara, an MP figure being a "definitive" version was a ship that sailed far away as soon as MP-10 and MP-11 happened. Like I said though, if for you to have a place for them in your collection, you feel they should be definitive, then it definitely makes sense to back away.

I would speculate that this Red Alert, and any other "plus" figures that come later, are a result of the current MP designer trying to add his cartoon accuracy touch onto toys originally designed as hybrids of various concepts and appearances of the character.

ScottyP wrote:

Counterpunch wrote:I'm ok with updates of retail figures, but not for ones that are supposed to be the "definitive version."

I disagree with the premise of this part, though the stance makes sense. I think that for Takara, an MP figure being a "definitive" version was a ship that sailed far away as soon as MP-10 and MP-11 happened.

Well, it's not like MP-1 and MP-3 were exactly the best attempts at resembling the G1 cartoon versions the first time around.

MP-1 was admitted by its designer, Hinonori Kobayashi, to having at first been based on the Mainframe CGI model of Optimus Prime seen sleeping aboard the Ark in Beast Wars before being reworked and refined to steer the design back towards resembling the G1 cartoon model, and MP-3, well, that one is pretty self-explanatory.

Cobotron wrote:

shajaki wrote:

Dear Takara,

Nobody cares.

Love,
Cobotron

It's not that I don't care about the MP+ line, it's that I don't care about THIS MP+ figure. Y'all know how hard im jonesin for an anime accurate Wheeljack

shajaki wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

shajaki wrote:

Dear Takara,

Nobody cares.

Love,
Cobotron

It's not that I don't care about the MP+ line, it's that I don't care about THIS MP+ figure. Y'all know how hard im jonesin for an anime accurate Wheeljack

It was more a joke that, 24 hours or so had passed and no one had commented on the news post. I don't really care which robots the people like as long as the people like robots.

I will say, those are some pretty pictures CP found.

Cobotron wrote:

shajaki wrote:

Cobotron wrote:

shajaki wrote:

Dear Takara,

Nobody cares.

Love,
Cobotron

It's not that I don't care about the MP+ line, it's that I don't care about THIS MP+ figure. Y'all know how hard im jonesin for an anime accurate Wheeljack

It was more a joke that, 24 hours or so had passed and no one had commented on the news post. I don't really care which robots the people like as long as the people like robots.

I will say, those are some pretty pictures CP found.

Wait. There was a news post?

Also, yes, why do we need another Alert when we already have one that I don't need? Enjoyable pictures found by the Cyberpath, agree with you I do.

And, WJ is sooooooooooooo close to accurate already..why didn't they do him in the + instead of the "re-release"?

Red was my first new scale MP. I love 'im. He and Clamp Down are my favorite blue collar heroes.

TBH I think there's no point in this release without remolding the shoulders and arms.

Silly "cartoon-accurate" insignia yes -- but accurate shoulders/arms no?

Red's a cool toy on its own, but those elements are such a prominent feature of his design that I can't look past it.

I can understand why Takara didn't do it back then when they weren't %100 confident in this line, but after the way they've retooled Prowl, Ironhide and Inferno they should have gone all the way with this one. Especially if you label it "Plus."

Oh, well.

I still enjoy the pix though.

More images In Hand (Thanks to @EXTF_museru0613 on twitter)

On Weibo