[MP-13] Soundwave

Got this from BBTS this morning. I appreciate the gesture from BBTS, but the pricing shift from Takaratomy is pretty whack:

Hi - We've received word from our suppliers in Japan that the MP-13 Soundwave will now include Laserbeak! We have also been told that the Japanese retail price (MSRP) on this figure has gone from 12,000 yen to 15,800 - an increase of about 31% (about $47 US). The wholesale pricing we pay has also gone up that same 31%. We do not take price increases lightly, and we typically absorb small changes in our costs, but with the substantial change in the product through the addition of Laserbeak and the large jump in our cost, we do need to update pricing on all preorders.

The preorder price on the website has been raised to $169.99. For all of you who have already preordered, we will take an extra $10 off that and adjust your preorder price to $159.99. With the addition of Laserbeak, our cost per piece has gone up significantly more than $20, we will pass along only $20 and absorb the rest of the extra cost as a token of goodwill.

We really appreciate your business, and we apologize for the price increase from Takara, but Laserbeak will be a great addition to the MP-13!

Sincerely,
Joel Boblit
www.bigbadtoystore.com

Hope they don't add any more cassettes...could end up costing $300 before you know it.

TEH MARKET!

Supersentai Wrote:
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> Hope they don't add any more cassettes...could end
> up costing $300 before you know it.



Here's the thing. If I'm going to have to pony up big money for G1-styled TFs, I'd rather they be from the MP line than from some third-party maker. The third-party companies are starting to do really good work, but when Takaratomy is not crapping out turds, the company is still doing it better than everyone else. So yeah, they are making more cassettes and I'd rather have them sooner than later. Life's too short. We're going to get FRUMBLE!

More pics here:

[www.tfw2005.com]

I wonder if that panel on Laserbeak's forehead hides a camera, a la the movie. That would be sweet.



Edited 4 time(s). Last edit at 06/14/2012 03:58PM by gingaio.

Egads. I have been wanting such a thing.

I am...

Quite giddy.

Oh my. I need to change my pants.

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Sex in my eyes:

That laser beak is just the shit! The guns perfect transform into cassette. I honestly would prefer he come with Buzzsaw as to homage the G1 US release. But LB is looking amazing.

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Hm. Why do those panels flip up on the backs of the shoulders?

Runaphen Wrote:
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> Hm. Why do those panels flip up on the backs of
> the shoulders?

They seem to cover up part of the back in the cassette player mode pic shown here: [blog.yahoo.com]

Also, Laserbeak's cassette mode is a thing of beauty.

However, I hope it's just the angle, but Soundwave looks like he could use a neck.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/15/2012 01:24AM by thomas.

thomas Wrote:

> They seem to cover up part of the back in the
> cassette player mode pic shown here:
> [blog.yahoo.com]
> articles/649979/index


Ah, I see it. Nicely spotted!

I always loved how Soundwave had to press his own fucking eject button. And even better: the toy can replicate that perfectly! :P

Hey man, single guys spend a lot of time pressing their own eject buttons.

-Ginrai
Golden Gate Riot on dead trees at: [www.destroyallcomics.com]

Love Soundwave, always my favorite Decepticon. This is the first MP I have been tempted to buy since Optimus Prime (Convoy, whatever).

www.nakamatoys.com

Maybe it's because I'm a MicroChange fan, but Laserbeak just doesn't look right to me anymore...he's a condor (or at least his original is), not a fat pigeon. Condors need to have big wide wings. But I agree the design looks more "cartoon accurate", in any case, and it is rather neat that the transformation is self-contained (though I like the oversize thrusters and longer cannons of the original).

I noticed what appears to be an LED light on the front and a headphone jack on the top of CassetteMan, er, Soundwave in player mode. I'm guessing another mp3 player on the inside. Here's hoping we see something similar done for Blaster someday, with proper speakers in the legs like the MicroChange original of him...

microbry Wrote:
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<snip>
> I noticed what appears to be an LED light on the
> front and a headphone jack on the top of
> CassetteMan, er, Soundwave in player mode. I'm
> guessing another mp3 player on the inside.
> Here's hoping we see something similar done for
> Blaster someday, with proper speakers in the legs
> like the MicroChange original of him...

Actually, I hope you're *not* right about this, because that would likely mean that both the volume button and the on-off-switch are functional, and that would mean wires through the legs (because there's a button on each leg), which would limit articulation.

December seems so far away.

COLOR PICTURES.






Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/23/2012 08:27AM by Gcrush.

He looks perfect. This is the first Masterpiece that has truly ~stirred something inside my heart~ when I look at it.

Any further news on the tapes? I'm still hoping they'll pack 'em all in, or at least Ravage as well, for that price they're charging.

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

He looks almost perfect! LOL

This is gonna sound mad nit-picky, but the light silver feet really look off to me. In the cartoon and on the G1 toy, they were a darker (bare metal) grey. No big deal obviously, but it's one of those super-minor things that's hard to "unsee" once you notice it...



YMMV

Haha, well, his feet WERE bare metal on the G1 toy... I think it's justifiable to even out the silver tone across the whole design, since the feet of the Masterpiece presumably aren't solid metal.

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

asterphage Wrote:
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> Any further news on the tapes? I'm still hoping
> they'll pack 'em all in, or at least Ravage as
> well, for that price they're charging.

There's going to be an add-on pack with the other tapes in 2013. At the moment, it looks like Buzzsaw, Ravage, and Rumpled Foreskin will be in it. Because, why not? It's not like people won't buy them. As for the price... Takara has always massively over-priced MP Transformers.


Sanjeev Wrote:
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> This is gonna sound mad nit-picky, but the light
> silver feet really look off to me. In the cartoon
> and on the G1 toy, they were a darker (bare metal)
> grey.

With all the panels in the feet, I'm wondering if they aren't colored darker because they end up being exposed on the tape deck. But, if they end up just folding inside the lower leg then, yeah, that's kind of a shitty oversight.

The feet weren't bare metal on the Microman/Transformers toy, they were only bare metal on the bootleg Microman toy. The legit ones had like a dark gray or black painted over them.

Yeah, it was like a wash or a stain. Anyway, I hope the feet don't form exposed surfaces in the tape deck mode like Gcrush suggested...that'll eliminate the possibility of painting them...

More...













Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 08/25/2012 03:18AM by Gcrush.

*gasp*
THAT MEGATRON.
THAT EMPTY ENERGON CUBE.

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

Oh boy, I was really on the fence about this guy. I've not been so enamored of the Masterpiece figures to this date (outside of Grimlock), but this one really LOOKS fantastic. Actually, so does the Lambor one. I got the actual Takara Grimlock, and despite the high price tag, I really felt like what I got was in line with the price. Yes, this seems a bit pricy, but it sure has all the earmarks of being "worth" it, especially with the add-on cassettes to come. One can only hope that there's a Blaster in the works as well. I will be selling off shit to nab this guy.

More serious than thou

asterphage Wrote:
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> *gasp*
> THAT MEGATRON...

Isn't a micro-gun-mode Megatron pretty much standard issue for MP TFs nowadays??

Weren't the previous Masterpiece Megatron gun accessories just a solid assembled piece? I know the stock moves on Starscream's Megatron gun, I've never seen anyone take one apart before. Just the fact that the stock, silencer and scope come off is way, way cool :y

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

fujikuro Wrote:

>I will be selling off shit to nab this guy.

??? You sell poop? I know that doesn't fly on Ebay...Craigslist? Anything goes over there.

Saw these on BBTS...[www.bigbadtoystore.com]

I didn't catch what scale these are in...likely not scaled for MP...right?

Supersentai Wrote:
> Saw these on
> BBTS...[www.bigbadtoystore.com].
> aspx?product=BTS10008&mode=retail&picture=out
>
> I didn't catch what scale these are in...likely
> not scaled for MP...right?


Same size as the G1 cassettes. So they will fit in the MP soundwave.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/27/2012 08:34PM by Runaphen.

How does the energon cube attach to Soundwave's chest window? I can't see any obvious pegs or tabs. Would the whole chest window be replaced?

thomas Wrote:
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> How does the energon cube attach to Soundwave's
> chest window? I can't see any obvious pegs or
> tabs. Would the whole chest window be replaced?

I'm pretty sure the cube has a recessed edge that nests it inside the raised gold-colored trim around the chest window. Also, I read at one point that the cube was supposed to be an AmazonJP incentive; same for Lambor's pile-driver hands. No idea if that is still true or not since both parts have been showing up in general ads.


asterphage Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Weren't the previous Masterpiece Megatron gun
> accessories just a solid assembled piece?

No, the Megatron pistol that came with MP-01 Prime had the removable stock, scope, and barrel, too. It even had the same sliding grip mechanism. However, the Soundwave Megatron pistol looks like a new sculpt. So, cool!

Now, what I really want to see is a new Masterpiece Megatron that comes with Soundwave and Reflector accessories. That would be some awesome shit.

Are they adding the Orange Plug to the Megatron pistol domestically?

Supersentai Wrote:
> Are they adding the Orange Plug to the Megatron
> pistol domestically?

Zing!

-Paul Segal

"Oh, the anger is never far, never far." -SteveH

I would hate if the transformation was over complicated when the original wasn't. I don't mind a few extra steps but nothing too crazy. Also be good if it could hold a couple of the cassettes like the remake.

MP Grimlock was fairly simple to transform, no? I think they're at the level where they can engineer some pretty streamlined sequences. Then again, it also helps that they're picking fairly simple characters whose animation models were very close to their toy incarnations.

I just hope it isn't over-engineered like some (looking at your legs there MP Rodimus...) making it too much of a pain in the behind to play with.

Does anyone know what the size is? I'm desperate for this information.

Quote
jacksauce
Does anyone know what the size is? I'm desperate for this information.

I'm making this up, but it's sized large enough to hold vintage tapes.