Third Party company Zeta Toys, via their Facebook account, have uploaded images of the gray prototype of their Zeta EX-15/16/17 (Masterpiece Scale Seekers).
3P collectors may recognize that this is in fact the previously seen Toyworld Masterpiece Seeker mold we had seen while back in 2016 but it was never released. Zeta Toys will finally release this interesting Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp alternative for the Masterpiece scale for those who don’t look for the cartoon-accuracy design of recent releases.
Check all the mirrored images after the break and stay tuned with TFW2005 for more updates. and then sound off your impressions on the 2005 Boards!
twelvesam
ABSOLUTELY
Curium
It does make sense, which is why in the end it does have to be your decision, no matter how well or poorly reasoned our thoughts are. With the Arcee example I had never really thought about what size she "should be" until I saw FT and MMC next to the Hot Rod options. However I had thought about how I saw her character, and that was as either an "older brother's (Springer) girlfriend" (I also thought about "older sister", but some characterization didn't work for me there). He tried to show off for her, but ultimately she largely ended up taking care of him. Because of that I came to the conclusion I want Arcee to be bigger than Hot Rod. I could live with the same size, but not smaller.
Another way to look at the RH Seekers is they stand in for Mass Shifting. Fighter jets are huge compared to cars, but there is only so much that can be done while keeping robots close to the same size. RH makes the larger jet mode while using someone else for the normal bot mode. I mostly do that with smaller scale Combiners, but the original team from the company that makes it, then get an OSKO for combined mode that has Mass Shifted up.
What they were thinking on MP-11 is actually very easy. They were thinking how could they make minimal changes to MP-3 cheaply to fit in with what they were doing with the line at the time without investing the money to make an actual new figure. I think I heard with MP-3 they were trying to focus more on an accurate jet, but that could have just been someone's wishful thinking.
I would recommend watching a review video on one of the ToyWorld/Zeta Coneheads (same mold as this). It is mostly things you can't see in pictures (again assuming these end up like their mold mates) such as improved articulation (first transforming seekers with a waist swivel I know of, though I've never gone through them all to confirm it), and MUCH more solid build quality (that torso won't come apart on you from basic handling). A couple of visual things is the jet nose section is fully integrated into the torso, so not hanging off the back or creating a big bulge covering it up on the back, and actual feet instead of those stupid toe panels other MP seekers have. I appreciated on the Coneheads that their head was the actual jet nose, not a faux one. It results in a taller cone in bot mode, but it fits better with what I want. Faces are not their strength, and definitely the worst part of the Coneheads.
twelvesam
I agree with this guy. Like, Megatron-sized Seekers don't seem horrible offensive to the "reasonable person rule" and actually make intuitive sense. I like how these Seekers feel in hand (based on the TW Coneheads), so I'm in!
caudex
What am I missing? It looks like MP-11 with minimal improvements and a few downgrades – dat pea head for one.
TCJJ
I'm so glad these have been revived. They're imperfect (the head seems a bit small, for example), but every other Seeker mould is imperfect too, and I'd prefer they're imperfect whilst having interesting and clever engineering as well as a nice amount of detail, instead of that piece of crap MP-52 mould that throws everything on the back and then introduces more kibble just to hide all the parts on the back, or the overly cartoon MakeToys mould, or just… whatever they were thinking with MP-11.
Here's hoping these turn out well.
Now if only they'd show us more of Predaking.
AlphaBass
So most of my collection is scaled – JJ-02 Superion scales comparably with CW Devy, PoP Predaking, and OS Jinbao Bruticus. But I have the RH Seekers, which are a good size above MP-36. In some cases, scale is nice (the DX9 Stunticons, which I just pulled the trigger on btw, should be imposing to the Autobots – the XTB ones seem kinda meh. They should be a threatening team size-wise to match their personalities).
Part of me would trade the RH Seekers for something a bit truer to scale, but those things are magnificent looking in alt mode. So really it goes to what you're looking for. If you're producing a stop-motion cartoon, then it would be silly to have Megatron smack a 20% taller Starscream around (funny, yes, but silly mostly). But if you're collecting figures that you like, that look awesome, and make you say, "My, that's a magnificent beast", then toss scale out of the window and collect what you want.
bellpeppers
I have, and I think I enjoy my figures more for it.
Marvelboy1974
So my logic is:
Keep my Maketoys seekers on my 1984 shelf
i am going to get Toyworld/Zeta toys version of Starscream for my 1986 shelf since he’s bigger and display him as Emperor SS with crown.
pilot00
I understand your way of thinking. I really do. For example I always considered Arcee to be shorter than most S3 cast. When FT released theirs I was like
Despite knowing that there were shots aplenty were she was tall enough. I always thought that MMC did her on the right scale so I went that way (the black deco also helped to blend in with my SG Autobots), and then TT also released her at that scale….Ultimately what I am trying to say is, that I like SOME times scaling to be accurate, some other times not (for example Arcee and/or the triple changers, I want them taller than Megs and Prime), but it appears I feel the Seekers as made by TT were 'correct' (scale-wise). Makes sense?
Curium
The way I look at scale and similar issues is like the Pirate's Code in Pirates of the Caribbean. It is more of a suggestion than a rule. I have very few stringent requirements (Bumblebee needs to be small, Dinobots need to be big), and everything comes down to do I feel like they look good together. In general (with a few exceptions) I feel characters being "too big" is much better than them looking "too small". I have the TW release of the Coneheads, and they are definitely the best quality seekers that have been made, and other than their faces I really like how they look. Whether they are too big or not simply isn't a consideration for me. If they were absurd, like Megatron came to their waist, it would be, but not where they are basically the same head height, or even a little bigger. I struggle a lot with MP carbots, and XTB Stunticons, because they just look WAY too short next to Optimus/Motormaster. They just don't look good together. That said people who are stringent on "scale" will never stop telling me that Takara got the carbot size right, no matter how wrong it looks. And since "no one will replace the whole group" (I would) I know no one will ever make them in a good size which makes me sad everytime I think of it.
octobotimus
I just use a very rough relative personal scale. Like Megatron is bigger than Optimus, decepticons are bigger than autobots, and so on. If a figure looks cool and is roughly the size I want em in, I’ll grab em. If you can ignore a random scale chart made up decades ago and just go with what you want, go for it.
Scurv
If the scale starts to bother you pose them in an action of attack stance. The only time scales really becomes an issue for me is if I ever decided to pose everything in a boring A stance.
pilot00
I know, I just would have liked some opinions is all.
Digger
It’s your collection, no rules need be upheld.
pilot00
I mean not exactly ditch it, but in this instance ignore it for the shake of aesthetics.
Digger
Should you ditch scale? I mean if you want to them sure go ahead. Less to worry about and more to focus on other things about toys that interest you.
pilot00
I am starting to wonder, I I should ditch the idea of scale. I mean My Shockwave IS the Cloud 9 one which is a behemoth comparatively, I might as well as have all six seekers be level to Megatron…..
Thoughts?
theosteve
Well, now. I loved the Coneheads, in spite of the faces. If this does finally pan out, I may well finally get the original Seeker trio in my collection.
Curium
I had been considering the new MP-52 Starscream because I didn't think these would happen at this point. I wasn't excited about it with how expensive it is and how Takara has their their quality dive, but it at least looks better than MP-3/11 and MTs options. I was slightly worried they might be taller than Megatron, but after seeing the picture @pilot00 (thanks) shared a couple of pages ago it looks like that without the cone they should be similar height at the head which is fine. Assuming these end up the same as their coneheads we will finally have QUALITY Seekers for an MP collection. I hope the faces are better than the Coneheads, though looking at the Trainbot faces we saw a month ago my hopes are not high on that.
I can't say it will be "better", but we can already see the neck/head joint will be different and should be much simpler since it doesn't have to fold around from the cone of the jet.
For that type of thing I judge based on why the sacrifice was made and what alternatives there are. The front landing gear is there because having it further back would interfere with the nosecone folding inside the chest and hiding completely in bot mode. That leads to a much better bot mode design than it hanging off the back (MT) or having a large backpack hump to hide it in the back (MP-3/11/52). For me that is totally worth it, though obviously opinions will differ.
I can't speak on the timing on this announcement, but these have been in the works since at least 2016 if not earlier. Raiden they had the first prototype already made 9 months before Takara's announcement. Who knows how long Takara knew behind the scenes which might have leaked, but given Zeta was already to a prototype they had to have been working on it at least 2 years before Takara announced theirs, and showed nothing so probably hadn't been active on the project as long.
Unicron again had a prototype and with the engineering had to have been in the works for a long time, they probably just felt pressured to announce it when they did due to people desperate for a Unicron would be forced to tie up several hundred dollars in the Hasbro one with no alternative for a Unicron at the time if they didn't.
Pilot00 posted this picture a couple of pages ago. Without the addition of the jet nose on top they look like they will be approximately the same as MP-36 at the head (approximating where the head is to the jet intakes on the new pictures). I can't imagine they will make all new molds to make them smaller when they can be using 80% or so of the Conehead ones for a much cheaper price.
Digger
The QC hasn’t continued to be as bad as hound btw. Black Convoy, Arcee, Spinout and Tigatron have all been very good. Just to let you know.